God Is Holy
Ai Transcript
Amen. Thank you, Mark.
If you would, why don't we stay in Isaiah, open your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 6. That's where we'll be this morning. Isaiah chapter 6.
When we kicked off this series a couple weeks back, asked the question, what comes to your mind when you think about God? I said, finish the sentence. God is... We had all sorts of wonderful answers. God is holy. God is love. God is awesome.
said God is infinite. God is merciful. Well, the next day we talked about this same question at my GC. We went around and filled in the blank. God is, and again, a lot of really strong theological answers. God is merciful. God is good. God is consistent. I like that one.
But then we had a couple answers that were raw. I love raw. God is distant. God is small.
God is not my priority. The more I thought about that, that A.W. Tozer quote from a couple of weeks ago, what comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. I just don't know if I think it's true. The Bible says even the demons have good theology and yet they tremble.
The more I've thought about it, the most important thing about you may be not be what you think, but what you believe deep down in your heart. Like the Christian philosopher James K.A. Smith says, we are not just thinking things. We are not brains on a stick. We are what we love. You are what you love.
you love. So what comes out of your heart when you ponder God that may just be the most important thing about you. Ask yourself that question. I'll give you a minute. Write it down.
Be honest with yourself that this isn't a theology quiz. What comes up out of the depths of your heart in your deepest place? What comes out when you contemplate God?
Is he really good?
Is he near? Is he distant? Can he be trusted?
Is he angry? What comes up from the deepest place within you as you contemplate? And then here's the second question. Is he holy?
Is he holy? How you answer that last question, is God holy, I believe has massive implications for your life.
Jackie Hill Perry goes so far to say this, and I think she's spot on. What is lurking behind our unbelief, so our lack of trust, what is lurking behind our unbelief is the idea that God is not holy. I mean, think about this for a second. If God is holy, if he is holy, well then he cannot sin.
If God cannot sin, he cannot sin against you. And if God cannot sin against you, then can't he be fully trusted? Again, it's so easy when we contemplate God for many of us, especially for those of us who have been hurt by people. We find it hard to trust people. It's quite natural to project that on God.
We may say God is awesome, we may even think it, but in all reality, many of us believe deep down that God is really just maybe a better image of ourselves.
So yeah, in your mind, you might know all the right answers. He is loving, infinite and good. He is self sufficient and self existent. But, sometimes the longest journey is that 18 inches from your head to your heart. My hope this morning is that we would behold a holy God.
And as we behold God in His holiness, we would believe in our deepest place that God is holy, holy, holy. And by the grace of God, as we behold and believe this holy God that we ourselves would become holy.
So if you're not already there, Isaiah 6 is where we will begin this morning. We'll start here in verse 1. And that's my outline for you note takers. Behold, believe, and become. We'll spend most of our time beholding.
Verse one, in the year that King Uzziah died, let's pause here for a minute. I want to give a little context before we jump into what the prophet Isaiah is about to share. He's about to share a lot.
I want to pick up from where we left off last week before we come into the context of King Uzziah and the story of Israel. Last week, if you remember, Moses encountered God, the self-existent one, the one who needs nothing. After Moses sees a bush on fire, yet not burning, as he curiously makes his way over, he's told to take his
sandals off because the place he is standing is holy ground. God is holy. This is where we're headed this morning.
The holiness of God, so buckle up. The holiness of God, wrecked me this week. John Calvin says this, if a preacher is not first preaching to himself, better that he falls on the steps of the pulpit and breaks his neck than preaches that sermon. Friends, I am first preaching to myself this morning.
Well, that's your God revealed to Moses who he is, namely, I am who I am or another way to say God is. Moses goes back to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery. The great I am doesn't just talk the talk. He walks.
the walk. He does what he says. And so, yes, God rescues his people. And after they cross the Red Sea, Moses finds himself back at the mountain where he first encountered God at the bush. As God meets Moses on the mountain, this scene is terrifying.
Mount Sinai is trembling, thunder, lightning, dark and threatening clouds, fire, smoke, and the sound of a loud trumpet. This is no ordinary earthquake. The people of God, Israel, are warned to not even touch this mountain because the God that just saved them is utterly holy. Then Moses goes up.
the mountain before this holy God and there the Lord gives Israel his law. This is not basic instruction before leaving earth like how some people understand the BIBLE. No, it is covenantal revelation from the God whose holiness shakes the earth. And this holy God tells Israel that if they obey his covenant, if...
They follow his law. Then they themselves will become God's own holy nation. Later in Moses's life, he's so captivated by the holiness of God that he prays this bold, audacious prayer. Lord, show me your glory. And God's like, yo, Mo.
Can't do that. You can't see my face, for no one can see me and live. But he does set him up in a rock, covers him with his hand, and lets him glimpse just the backside of his glory. Even Moses, the friend of God himself, cannot stand to be fully exposed before the fullness of divine holiness.
Often when Moses would come down from the mountain after meeting with God, his face was radiant, shining brightly with reflected glory. Israel wasn't able to handle it. So Moses would put a veil over his face. That is how weighty, fearsome, holy the presence of God is.
And most of us know how the story of Israel ends up, right? They don't keep the law. They don't live up to the covenant. They don't obey God. They fail and they fail and they fail some more. Fast forward to 1 Samuel after the Ark of God has been captured. Phineas's wife, she gives birth to a child. And on this baby dedication, she names him.
meaning God's glory has departed from Israel.
Well, the glory of God eventually comes back through people like David and his son Solomon. Eventually they build the temple. But again, it's not long before even the kingdom is divided. And apart from a few solid kings who understand God's holiness and call to people and call the people to serve this God, to become...
a holy nation. Most of these kings from the north to the south are just brutal. Brutal. They worship the gods of their surrounding nations. They don't see God as holy and so they do not become God's holy nation. And then this 16 year old cat, Uzziah, shows up on the scene.
I mean, what were you doing at age 16? I was just trying to stay eligible in school so I could play baseball. But even that was hard because I was trying to memorize and play Madden on my PS2 and watch Shaq and Comey dominate the NBA. had too much going on. Not Uzaya. Uzaya at age 16 becomes king. King of Israel.
Back to our passage in the year that King Uzziah died. This was a big deal. King Uzziah probably makes the top five of the list for Israel's greatest kings. So this year that this king died would have thrown this nation into a frenzy.
political turmoil. He reigned over Israel for 52 years. Could you imagine? It's like Queen Elizabeth longevity. Early in his life, he was marked by nothing but godliness. This was a holy man.
zealous for the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. He brought innovation and prosperity to the land of Israel, only second to people like David and Solomon themselves. But unfortunately, his life didn't end the way it began. At the end of his life, he lost sight of the holiness of God.
He decided, I'm a pretty good king. The priest needs some help. Why don't I take the role of what the priest should do? I can go in there. Fearing God simply means to take God at His word, to take God serious.
Proverbs says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. At some point in Uzziah's life, he stopped fearing God. He got too comfortable with God. That's what wrecked me this week. He forgot, and I pray we don't, that God is holy.
And because of that, his final days were marked with shame and disgrace as God struck him with leprosy. A bad end to an otherwise great life. But like Tiger Woods, even with a tragic ending, everyone still remembers who Uzziah once was. And so in his passing, Israel is grieving. And then God shows up to the prophet Isaiah.
in a vision. Look with me at verse one again. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings.
With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew, and one called to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with...
Smoke.
The prophet Isaiah is given a vision of the Lord high and exalted on his throne. If you were here with us during our revelation series, maybe some of this sounds familiar.
And what this meant to, to Isaiah is that the Lord in verse one, capital L lowercase O R D this is Adonai or the sovereign Lord showing Isaiah and us that even amidst political turmoil, God reigns in majesty over all things.
Then the train of his robe fills the temple. This stresses the overwhelming weight of his glory and his presence. We also see the seraphim standing above him as heavenly attendants, emphasizing that even the most exalted creatures are not self-existent.
They exist to serve this self-existent sovereign king. And as they cover their faces, because even they can't look at God's holiness, it's that bright. God doesn't have light. God is light. And what does one of them do? The only thing you can do in the presence of God. Praise him. Holy.
Holy... Holy...
Then the thresholds shake while the temple fills with smoke. Picture the scene, this vision, showing us loud and clear that Isaiah is standing before the Holy Lord. Verse three, L-O-R-D, all caps. The covenant name of God, Yahweh. Holy, holy.
pastor theologian. This was his wheelhouse and I've listened to many asproul sermons over the years. And though like we said in our first sermon in this God is series, we are not called to rank the attributes of God. Remember, all that is in God is God. But I do love what Dr. R.C. brings out.
There's no other attribute in the Bible that is given this thrice language. Never do we see love, love, love is the Lord God Almighty or justice, justice, justice is the Lord of hosts. But we do have this phrase, holy, holy, holy is the Lord.
Now, if you know me and you get texts from me, if I'm ever excited and want to emphasize something, I may throw down like 50 exclamation marks as my high school teacher rolls over in her grave.
But we have ways to emphasize things in our culture, to say this is important. Maybe for you, you embolden your font, or you use italics, or you begin to speak real slow when you're about to say something.
Well, in ancient Judaism, happens when words get put on repeat. And in big moments of redemptive history, this is what we see. Awake, awake.
Moses, Peace, peace. Abraham, Abraham. If you read in the gospels, you'll see this with Christ Jesus himself. Right, he says, truly.
Truly, it's the Greek word, amen. Jesus is such a good preacher, he's not gonna wait for the crowd to say amen. Real talk, I don't even know if Jesus would get an amen if he preached in this church. Just saying.
So what does he do? He says it prior to the sermon. Amen, amen. What we translate truly, truly. He's saying lock in. Lock in. What I'm about to say is going to transform your life.
But get three repeats. Now this is more than an emphasis. It's the highest amplification. So when we hear holy, holy, holy, we know this is a holiness in which nothing can compare. Now what does holy mean?
Great question. Again, R.C. Sproul says, term holy, as it is used in the Bible to describe God, refers to both his nature and his character. So let's flesh that out. Regarding God's nature, holy, holy, holy refers to his greatness, his transcendence, his otherness.
Regarding his character, holiness refers to his purity, his ethical and moral excellence. Theologian Matthew Barrett says, his holiness is the supreme, highest, greatest good that can be imagined.
And if Anselm is right, which I quoted a couple of weeks back, that God is a being in whom none greater can be conceived. And it's also true that God is a being in which, in whom none holier can be conceived. Holy, holy, holy. This word literally means set apart.
Set apart. Set apart. Set apart.
wife, Holly is the best neighbor. know we have, we know so many of our neighbors because of Holly. Well, this week I got a ring on the doorbell and I opened the door to meet one of my neighbors for the first time, an older gentleman who lives down our street, Terry. He came to drop off his mom's China.
She she she's been passed for some time and though he's never used them, he also has felt weird about selling them to a stranger. So of course, give them to Holly. Now these dishes are no ordinary dishes. I don't know how many times we are going to eat off these plates or drink out of these cups, but let me tell you, it will only be for a special occasion. These dishes are set apart.
Not for Joey to eat his mac and cheese and hot dogs on. Well, God is set apart on a whole nother level. God is holy par excellence. In His transcendence, His holiness is utterly other. Holy, holy, holy. And in His purity, His holiness is moral and ethical perfection.
God is light in him. There is no darkness at all. Holy, holy, holy. And like Mark mentioned last week, when we see God rightly, we begin to see ourselves rightly. And friends, there's nothing that threatens us more than the holiness of God.
But unless you behold God as holy, you can't truly believe deep down in your heart, in your deepest place, that He is holy. Which takes us to our second point. Believe. We behold, then we believe. Look with me at verse five. Isaiah six, verse five.
After Isaiah encounters the Holy God, verse five, I said, woe is me for I am lost. From a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Like I said, nothing threatens us more than the holiness of God.
Because when you encounter this God, holy, holy, holy, you also see how much you fall short of His glory. In His light, our darkness exposed. Do remember when Peter becomes a follower of Christ?
Peter, who becomes this apostle and amazing leader in the early church, he's fishing all night, catches nothing. Then Jesus is on the shore, tells him, put out your net for a catch. Peter, probably so frustrated, like, dude, I fish for a living. You're a rabbi. Are you telling me how to do my job? But like a respectful Jew that Peter was, he says, at your word, rabbi. I'll do it.
And in that moment, if you remember, he catches so many fish that the weight of them causes his boat to begin to sink. But that's not the only thing sinking in this moment. Do you remember what Peter says to Jesus? Jesus, who is the exact imprint of God, holy, holy, holy, like Isaiah before him, Peter says, depart from me.
Leave. Get away from me, for I am a sinful man.
Have you encountered the Holy God?
Have you encountered this holy God? Have you seen God rightly and in doing so see yourself rightly? One of my fears in the American church and is one of its pastors is that so many people sitting in the pews and preaching from the pulpits have never experienced God as holy, holy, holy.
We might have all the right answers as to who God is, but our hearts have not been undone by his holiness. But when we behold God in all his holiness, we begin to believe deep down in our hearts, our deepest place that God is holy.
Holy, and this, changes everything. Which leads to our third point, our application this morning. Become. Look with me at verse six. Become.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for. The burning coal is a sign that sinners like Isaiah.
like you, like I cannot survive the holiness of God unless God himself provides atonement. The altar points to sacrifice, the cleansing points to forgiveness, and then this whole scene, is merely a shadow pointing us to the fulfillment that we have in Jesus.
who as the holy, holy, holy Son of God becomes a man, takes on flesh, and by his sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross brings atonement once and for all. Atonement at one.
with God, in other words, making sinful people like you and I stand in the presence of Almighty God.
you
And as we behold God in His holiness and then we believe that God is holy, we become. By faith and faith alone, we become God's holy people.
Be holy as I am holy. That's what Peter says.
Yet that is our application. But the problem, I think, is people see a text like this, pull up their bootstraps, and in their own strength try really, really hard to be holy. And praise God for striving after holiness. The author of Hebrews says, without it, no one will see the Lord.
But we must realize because of the gospel friends, we are already God's holy people. Peter says, you are a holy nation. Paul calls Christians saints, holy ones because of the gospel. have been sanctified. We have been set apart. We are holy.
And yes, we're called to more holiness. We're called to continue to be sanctified. God wants to see radical transformation in all of our lives. By the grace of God, we'll look more like Jesus tomorrow than we did today. But all of this is possible because you are already set apart. You are holy.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are spirit-filled saints. Would you look at yourself in the mirror and see? Saint. The call now is to be who we already are in Christ.
Imagine if we lived out our calling as God's holy nation, a church who didn't just know the right things about God, but believed in our hearts that God is holy.
Because of that, he can be taken at his word. He can be trusted. A holy people who rightly fear their holy God. The people who, like the author of Hebrews says, are grateful because we've received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And thus, a people who offered to this holy God.
acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire. Let's behold, believe, and become. Amen. Amen. Let me pray.
God Is Self-Existent and Self-Sufficient
AI Transcript
Good morning. It's good to see all the smiling faces.
Last Monday, two weeks ago, I was so looking forward to saying Amen on Easter and then just relaxing. Like, full cards on the table. The last six months have been probably the hardest, the most work I've ever done in ministry. And so after seven weeks of preaching in a row, after going through compelled, after all that, like I was just so looking forward to just...
relaxing and to looking forward to catching up on so many years of my life that I've just let go by the wayside and But God had other plans because after saying amen on Easter on Monday You get that feeling where you're like, oh, I feel like I'm getting sick here, but I ignored it and Got hit. I don't know. I got a hit by the doctor said the flu walking pneumonia, whatever I had a fever for eight days straight. So
I was just laid up in bed like I was like, this going to break? I'm going to break. So that was not awesome at all. And I was so bummed to not be able to join you guys last week as we had baptisms and just to be able to celebrate all that God is doing there. even now, even now as I stand, like it's still there. Like I just, I'm tired. So I might pass out, but.
I tried this week to turn my attention to, okay, what am I preaching on? And as I was beginning to unpack that in very small bits, because I didn't have enough energy to really dig into it, I was just reminded of the gift of sickness, the gift of weakness. We are in this series where we're lifting our eyes and beholding the
the majesty of the person of God. I was reminded this week as we look at this topic, and you can begin to look, go to Exodus 3 is where we're going to be at. But I was reminded in this topic that we're going to look at what theologians call the aseity of God. It simply means this, that God is eternally self-existent and God is eternally self-sufficient.
the weakness of sickness and not being able to get out of bed is just this, contrast there couldn't be more contrasted. Like where I am totally weak, which is true every day, I just don't live like it. God is not. God is eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. And he is the only one who is that. So a couple charts to help you just get that in your head. So the first one here is
What is created? Go to the next slide. So uncreated, only God. What is crea... That should say created, sorry. That's bad theology.
The second one should say, created. I was sick. I need some grace.
What's that? Anathema. know. You should walk out now. All right. So this simple chart, what's uncreated? God. Who made God? No one made God. God is eternally self-examined. What else is created? Everything else. Everything we see in the whole universe. Okay. Let's see if the next chart is wrong. Next one. What is self-sufficient? Only God. What is totally dependent? Every molecule of the cosmos is totally dependent on God's sustaining work.
And so as I was just realizing my weakness, my sickness, I just realized that this is a gift. It is always a gift to realize that we aren't what we think we are. We aren't as strong as we think we are. We're not as capable as we think we are. We're not... In every way, we are limited. And that's a good thing. We are finite. This is kind of a gift. Because most of my days, I live like you live.
with this idea that I'm in control. I decide what's going on. I decide what good things are going to come in my life. And I look through the trie... And I'm like, yeah, I can do some things. Most of my days, I am self-focused and believing I'm in control. It's the air that we breathe, right? Post-enlightenment, post-modern, post-everything world. We have this idea in our culture that...
Well, whatever you say, you can define yourself in any way you want to define yourself. Whatever you want to be, you could be like just go out, put in the work, put in the grind and you can have like, this is the air that we breathe, right? And it sounds like because it's the air we breathe, we're like, yeah, that's right. And true. We got to create our own identity. We got to create our own worth and value and, and, and show the world that we're worthy. And, and on the surface, that sounds good, but, but, but in reality is
It's absolutely exhausting. Like when we are just doing everything we can to make a name for ourselves, doing everything we can to show the world and to show ourselves that we are valuable and worth it. Like to live under that pressure, it's too much pressure. And this is why so many people just feel so burdened. And so it is a gift whenever we can wake up to our finitude, to our weakness. We can't do it all.
There's no one in here that wears a cape even though we think we can. Calvin, at the very beginning of his most famous work, The Institutes, he opens up the work like this. says, nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say true and sound wisdom, consist of two parts. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves.
The knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves. When we see God clearly and we see ourselves clearly, now we can begin to walk in wisdom. Now we can live as God created us to live. But there's a problem in this world, It is the problem of sin that distorts and twists everything. Augustine had this theology in the city of God and Confessions that Martin Luther later
came along and in Latin it means this, Incurvatus Inse. It means sin is a life curved in on itself. Where your whole focus just starts to become your self. And so we don't love God rightly because we're not related. We don't love others rightly because we're curved in on our self. Incurvatus Inse. And this is a huge problem for us.
If we aren't intentional, we will live life as if the only thing that matters is what I'm dealing with, what I want, what other people will make much of me. Like this is just the default of the sin-filled heart. I want to give a shout out to my wife, her first book of eight, Enough About Me, Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self.
The solution, if the problem is curved in on yourself, then we've got to somehow uncurl ourselves, unfocus on ourselves, somehow lift our eyes. This is the path to actual joy, actual life for us. You can take that down, but get the book so I can get some money.
Thanks for writing that book. Many years ago I heard Pastor John Piper use this illustration. I think it's so helpful that helps me understand this incurbitous insight, how we live our lives, and the need to kind of open up. He says it's the difference between a microscope and a telescope. Maybe you've heard this before, a microscope and a telescope. And if you think about it,
What does a microscope do? A microscope takes that which is infinitesimally small and it blows it up. So you can see it. But like when we live our lives oriented towards the microscope, what we're doing is we're looking through the lens and we're seeing the stuff of our lives. The problems, the successes, the challenges, the relations. Like everything just seems massive. Like look how big this problem is. Because we're looking through the microscope.
theology done well is looking through the telescope. The telescope does what? It takes that which is massive, that which is almost incomprehensible, and it brings it into perspective. It helps us order things rightly. so to live rightly, to know who we are, to know who God is, we've got to move away from the microscope.
focusing on our own lives and take some time to look through the telescope. That's what this God is series is about. It's just a, it's an uncurling, it's a beholding who God is. What we need to know is that all theology, all theology you know is a gift from God. But like if you know anything true about God, it's first and foremost because it was a gift from God.
to you. It is God revealing Him. Like God didn't have to reveal anything. And to be sure, God is infinite and we are finite. So as Pastor Rick said last week, there will never be a moment in eternity where we will have arrived at all the knowledge of God. This is the glory of eternity. There will never be a moment where we aren't just filled with more awe, more wonder, more knowledge.
More discovery like this goes on and on and on and on forever. This is the beauty of eternity with God. But God has revealed some things about himself in different ways that we get to study. We get to look through the telescope if you will. And how has God revealed himself? Let me give you some examples through general revelation and special revelation. What is that? So general revelation is God reveals himself to
creation through his creation. This is Romans chapter one for the for since the beginning of the world the things that have been seen point to as a divine nature and eternal nature. So we can behold the heavens declare the glory of God for example Psalm 19. We can see God's providence directing the course of human history. This is another part of general revelation that the conscious that God has given to humans and human nature.
Just that there is some right and there is some wrong. This is what theologians call general revelation. We can know something about God just by observing the world that he's created and put us in. But that general revelation is not sufficient to come to know him personally, to know specifically what it is God like. We needed special revelation for that. So the special revelation is a few things.
God's redemptive acts in the world. So redemptive acts of God where he intervenes into his creation. What we're going to read about one of them in Exodus chapter three. When God reveals his word either by himself or through his prophets or or apostles these are divinely given words that special revelation. So we learn something. Ultimately the way we see who God is we look to Jesus.
in the incarnation as He came and lived among us and loved. Like what is God like? Look to Jesus. This is the whole point of the book of Hebrews. Like He is the exact image of who God is. So as we behold Jesus, we see who God is. And then captured in all that is the Word of God. These 66 books to you and to me and to God's people too.
capture that, to study that. So we as God's people, we as people can look at creation, we can look at special revelation, and we can know something of God. And we should know something of God. We don't know all the things for sure, but God has revealed Himself to us. So if you have your Bible, Exodus chapter three is where we're going to be at today. Exodus chapter three, Genesis, Exodus, the second book of the Bible. Let me set this up here. So at this point,
salvation history. God's people have been enslaved in Egypt. 400 years, their cries are going up to a God that they don't even really know. But we read in chapter 1 that God hears their cries and he begins to move. Well Moses is born, but Moses, you may remember his life is preserved. He grows up as a prince of Egypt.
Though he's Hebrew, he grows up in Pharaoh's household with all the wealth and the prestige and the power that is afforded to that, the most powerful man on the planet at that time with the most powerful army in human history up until this point. But Moses also comes to find out and realizes he's also a Hebrew and he sees this disconnect between his life, his comfortable, opulent life. And then you've got his people just being oppressed.
And so when he's about 40 years old, he sees an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew and he's like, oh, I'm the guy. I've got power. I'm going to take things in my own hand. And he murders the Egyptian, buries him in the sand, and he feels pretty good about himself until he's caught and they seek his life. And he has to run for his life. And he spends the next 40 years in the wilderness, gets married, and for 40 years, from age 40 to 80,
His job is just to look at the backside of sheep all day. I mean, is he's like, how did I go from Prince of Egypt to here? And in Exodus, chapter three, he's on the side of this mountain Mount Horeb or later gets called Mount Sinai. He sees this bush on fire that's not burning up and it catches his attention and he turns to to to see what is going on. And in that he hears God's special revelation.
revealed to him the voice of God. in verse four of chapter three says listen carefully this is God's word says when the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God called to him from within the bush Moses Moses as Moses said here I am he's calling to him but but then verse five do not come any closer God said take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is
holy ground. It's this picture of God who is both transcendent above and beyond everything and imminent close here now. It's this picture of like come close don't come too close. Like this is the tension we have with God right? Come close don't come too close. And so as he comes close God begins to reveal and says I have
I've seen the suffering of my people. And in fact, I'm going to do something about it. It's time to act Moses. And in verse 10, he says to Moses, so now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites out of Egypt. This is, this is crazy, right? You go.
He has this encounter with the living God and he gives Moses this great commission. You're going to go. But Moses does what you and I do. When God calls us to something great, we're like, well, who am I? Don't you know my failures? Don't you know my past? Don't you know my weakness? I can't go, Lord. I know you've given me a commission to go and make disciples, but that's...
That's for the extra credit Christians. That's for other people like not me. I'm too weak. I'm too frail. I'm too broken. I have too much sin. My past. You can't use me. And God's like what do you what are you talking about? You go. And so he asked this question of of God. Verse 11. It's a question we ask. Moses said to God who am I. Who am I. Who am I to do anything for God. Now remember
God is eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. What that means is that God has no needs. So what that means, sometimes people will say stuff to me like, God just really needs me to do this one thing. I'm like, no. God does not need you to do anything. God doesn't need Redemption Parker to do anything. Get that very clear. Sometimes people are like, well, God needs me to No, he does not.
That's blasphemy to think that God has any need, any deficiency. Like sometimes people will be like, well, God created people because he was lonely. No, he has no need. He's eternally self existent and self sufficient. is in the Trinity is perfect unity love like zero need. And so then we have to ask the question, if God has no need, then why does he give us commission?
Because he's inviting us to a life of purpose and meaning to join our story with his eternal story. It's a gift to us to be invited in. It's a gift to Moses to receive this commission. But Moses does what we do. He's in curvidus in say, he's like, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? It's a question of identity.
And the answer to that, God gives, is the answer that He gives throughout Scripture. Verse 12. God said, will be with you. Who am I? Don't worry, I'm with you. Listen, if we understand who God is, the eternally self-existent, eternally self-sufficient, all that God is, when God says, I will be with you, that should be the end of the story. sweet, we're good. Let's go.
But sometimes it takes some growth in our faith, right? It says, will be with you and this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. It'll be the same place where they receive the law of God. Look how God speaks. He speaks with absolute certainty because why? He stands outside of time. He knows this will happen and this will happen.
We think we know, we live like that, and then I'm going to do this and I'm going to accomplish this, but we don't know. We think we're going to have a great time after Easter and then we're just in bed for eight days. It's just how it is. We don't know, but God knows. So, when God says, will be with you, it is this promise of God for the people of God. God with us, verse 13. Moses said to...
God suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they asked me what is his name then what shall I tell them so that the question moves on from a question of who am I to someone saying well I'm to be with you then okay well then who are you who are you what am I going to tell them and he's asking for the name of this God now in the ancient Near East he's not just asking to exchange business cards
He's not like, I just need a label. Names were your family heritage. It was your background. It spoke to your capacity and ability, your nature. And so he's like, I need to know who you are. What do I tell these Israelites that I'm going to lead out of Egypt? And this verse, verse 14, becomes the central verse in our understanding of who...
God is throughout the rest of the Bible. In fact, the rest of the Bible is an exposition on verse 14. It explains and unpacks what is verse 14. God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you.
Moses' brain blows up a little bit. Like, I was asking for a noun and you gave me a verb. More than that, you gave me a verbal phrase. What do you mean? I'm looking for a label and you gave me a whole theology. I am who I am. It is, am who I am. Or it is the verb to be, I be. It encapsulates past, present, and future. I was.
I am, I will be, I am who I am. And Moses is like, I don't understand what you're saying. This is too much. Let me help explain this. on the next slide, the Hebrew is at the top. The little dots below the Hebrew, so you would read that right to left, the little dots below the Hebrew were added in the sixth century. They're vowels. Hebrew as a language doesn't have vowels.
And so in the sixth century, they're like, well, how do we actually pronounce some things? And so the best they could possibly do is come up with vowels and we transliterate that Y-H-W-H. This would be where we get the words. Some translations say Jehovah. They're adding a whole bunch of vowels in that. Others, sometimes we say, Yahweh. But we don't know. We honestly don't know. This is the I am who I am to be.
You got to understand in the history of God's people how sacred the name is. Like in Hebrew class when we would be reading, we would not say the name out loud. We would take on the the Messianic Jewish tradition where we would replace the name Yahweh with Adonai, a generic name. just we wanted to be sacred with that. If there was a Messianic Jew in our class.
And for whatever reason in a test or something you had to write the divine name in Hebrew. They would take that piece of paper and keep it safe for the rest of their lives. The name is sacred. I don't know what you do with a PowerPoint. I guess I'll keep the USB for the rest of my life. But this name I am who I am is packed with theology. We get I am from.
In your Bibles if you see the word Lord all caps it's the divine name. It's it's this I am sent you. That's who you are to tell him. It's it and it has this Hebrew emphasis again they don't have exclamation points so it's I am who I am. It's emphasizing God's freedom. He alone has absolute freedom in the universe to do whatever he wants. It emphasizes his consistency. I was I am I will be.
forever and ever and ever. There is no changing in who God is. It emphasizes a call to us to complete trust and hope. What is God saying to Moses and by extension to us? He's saying, I am the center of everything. I am running the show. I am the same today, tomorrow and forever. I am the Lord.
everything. am the Lord. I am the owner of everything. I am the creator and sustainer of all life in the universe. I am the Savior. I am more than enough. I am inexhaustible and immeasurable. I am God. That's how he answers Moses question. Well who are you?
And did you notice in answering the second question, who are you? God also answers the first question. Well, who am I? Did you see that in that name? Let me help you. I am not the center of everything. I am not running the show. I am not in control. I am not the solution. I am not the owner of anything.
I am not all powerful. I am not the savior. I am not the Lord. It's important to understand because then we see things rightly. All wisdom begins with knowing who God is and who we are and then living in light of reality. So there are aspects of the character and nature of God that we are called to emulate to.
model to try to become. But then there are other aspects that we are not called to emulate. Theologians break it up in these ways. The communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. We get in trouble when we don't understand which one they are. So let me give you some... let's get... So incommunicable attributes. Only God has these and he does not expect us to in any way try to be these things. We are not infinite.
So embrace your finiteness. We are not, we are comprehensible. God is incomprehensible. God is self-existent. We are not self-existent. God is self-sufficient. We are not self-sufficient. God is eternal. We are not eternal. God is immutable, unchangeable. And we change every day. Every day my eyes get a little worse now.
We are not omnipresent. can't be everywhere. But God is. We are not omniscient. No matter what you think, Jack GPT is telling you. We do not know all things. We are not omnipotent. We do not have all power. God never asks us to be any of these things. In fact, it's when we try to be these things that the world gets broken.
This was the first set that you can be like God if you eat this fruit. You can have power and all authority. It's a lie. We can't but we can be and should be the communicable. We are called to be holy like God is holy. We were called to love imagine if we just leverage our life to love like God loves. We are called to be just and good and merciful and gracious long suffering wise jealous.
for His glory, because He is worthy of all praise, honor, and worship. We are called to be faithful, righteous, truthful. This is why we study these things. We understand this is what the Lord is calling us to and empowering us to do. So God is eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. Throughout this whole series, as we look at God, we should end with this question. So what? What does it mean
that God is eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. What does that mean for us? Here's what it means. And some of you need to hear this. We all need to hear this. It means the pressure's off. The pressure's off. You're not God. And that's a good thing. The world is exhausted trying to define themselves and prove their worth. It's exhausting to always try to show
the world you're worthy. God says you're worthy. I am saying, who said you had to create your own identity? God is the only one who creates his own identity. We don't. We can rest in who he says we are.
So I am not. But here's the beautiful thing in Christ in a relationship with him which by the way you read John's gospel it's a whole exhibition on this. Nine times Jesus says I am in John's gospel. I am the bread of life. I am the way the truth in life. I am I am I am. So I am not. But in Christ I know I am. I am not.
but I get to know I am. This is the beauty of what we're invited into, the story of God. And so it means you're off the hook. You don't have to prove yourself. You don't have to show the world that you're worthy of praise and worth. Here's the thing. Don't take this the wrong way. You and I and everyone in this room, we're average. Your kids are average.
What? Not my kids. We're average. Our marriages are average. Let's just even say you're not average compared to God. We're nothing. We're just here for a very limited time and that's okay. God sees.
Again, I know the call you average is not the way to build a big church in America. The way to build a big church is like, man, you guys are so awesome. You got this. You're going to go out and just absolutely crush it this week. And here's a couple of God pieces for you to help you out. Like, God, some divine CrossFit coach cheering you on. No. No, that's not the way to build a big church. But there's two problems with that. That message of you got this, you're awesome, you're going to crush it.
That becomes crushing to ourselves, first of all. And secondly, it's not true. The message of Bible isn't that you're awesome, you got this, you're going to crush it. The message of the Bible is God is awesome. God's got this. He's crushing it. And He's with us. Amen? Amen. So, what if we were a church that held out before us or looked through the telescope constantly just reminded that God
is self-existent, self-sufficient. What if we didn't expect ourselves or others to be what only God can be in our lives? Man, how much better would your marriage be if you didn't expect your spouse to be God in your life? How much more freedom would you give yourself to be like, man, I am, I'm limited, I'm frail, I don't have it all together. That's okay. I know who does.
I know who does. So theology again is meant to give us freedom, give us peace. It's meant to recalibrate our hearts and our minds and our lives. And so if you got a bulletin on your way and you can see on the back there's just some questions for reflection. Hopefully sometime this week maybe you have a meal with your spouse or with your kids or at your gospel community and just think about these things. In light of who God is, in light of who we are, what does this mean?
Well, I want to pray and then we're going to do communion and then I'm going to come up and give some update on on compelled. But let's just go before the God who is with us, the God who is eternal. Now, what a gift it is that he invites us to this. Let's pray. Amen.
Amen. Well I wanted to celebrate with you. I to give an update if you're just joining us welcome. If you've just been here for a couple of weeks welcome but for six weeks we turned our attention to this idea. What does it look like for a body of Christ to be compelled by the love of Christ. Second Corinthians 4 5 14 where Christ writes where Paul writes
Christ's compels us. As a church at this crossroads moment, what does that mean for us? This two-year discipleship journey. We said it looks like this, and we're just at the beginning of it, but it looks like continuing to go deeper in our love for Christ, our relationship with Christ, spurring one another on, encouraging one another, doing life together. It's just what God has already called us to.
It means going wider on mission with Christ. What would it look like if we together leaned in and sacrificed together to go wider, to reach one more person for Christ, to reach one more generation for Christ, to live in such a way that ten generations are blessed by our faith and our sacrifice here and now. And so many of you have sent so many stories of encouragement and love like
Different parts of this journey have spoken to different people. Some are like, man, I am just compelled for one more. Like Jesus was compelled. Others are like, man, I think it's really important that our youngest image bearers have a place where they can grow up and hear the gospel. And others are like, I've never thought about living a life that 10 generations from now will be blessed by my faith. I'm so encouraged by that. Yeah. And then forward together.
One of the hardest, hardest, hardest things for a church to do is to come from that stage of church plant set up and tear down every week to have a place where they can call home and establish an outpost of light in the kingdom of darkness. And so part of this is just a call. We've bought land. We're going to build a building. But that's incredibly difficult to get to. It's so expensive for...
For a church to get to that point, but we believe that God was calling us to it So, let me just remind you our primary goal was just 100 % engagement that all who in whatever way shape or form called this church your church home That you would lean in Compelled by the love of Christ. And so we we sought the Lord we fasted we prayed And to have absolutely everyone at RP play a role in compelled. We've asked you to lean in
Now, as covenant members, you've already committed to give sacrificially and you've done that. You do that. I just want to say it's such a privilege and honor as we step back to see our people go above and beyond what we've asked. Paul writes, if you remember my last message, compelled by generosity, Paul writes to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 8, that the Macedonians gave not only what they could
up to the limit that they were able to give, but beyond. And that's what you guys have done. Like that's what is just blowing, like the evidences of God's grace are so huge in our midst right now. We should all be encouraged. But engagement is not just something that can be merely quantified. Engagement is something that will continue through the next two years of this initiative.
and is better celebrated as an illustration in the Numbers. So before I get to any Numbers, our team has just done an incredible job of just kind of capturing some of the ways that God has been moving in people's heart as people press on to go deeper, wider, and forward. And so I have a short video that we'll share here with you on
There are moments in the life of a church when God brings his people to a crossroads. These are moments when God calls his people to courageous faith to step forward into what he is doing next. God has brought us to another defining moment because God has exceeded our hopes, grown his church, and is now calling us to take the next step of faith at this crossroads. This moment is not accidental. It is part of a much larger story, God's story, and in this season and in this place,
It is our turn. I would say the culture of RRP is authentic people trying to authentically follow Jesus Christ. It's a place where you can know others deeply and be known and people truly care and see one another on a daily basis. I'm compelled and driven by the need to build a Christian kingdom and community that the next generation can be excited to.
I am compelled to continue to invest in Redemption Parker because of the impact I've already seen it make in the lives of its members and also children specifically. What excites me about the future of RP and this compel specifically for our youth is that you can point to pretty much any person who is a believer and say that at some point someone decided to invest in them. This is a place where you can be seen, known, and loved.
And at the same time, we're pointing them back to the truth and the goodness of the gospel. As I look at Redemption Parker and the next two years in this compelled initiative, I'm definitely convicted on how am I giving? Am I giving sacrificially? Am I giving generously? You know, can I give more? I stirred up some really great conversation with my wife and I, just how do we be more involved and engaged with what we're doing at RP, and how do we dig in just deeper? It's such a delight to see people who love the gospel and love Christ.
But they don't stop at being welcomed in by him. They work hard laying down their lives to welcome in others. And I think that's what's gonna compel us forward.
How I want to grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus is getting baptized and reading the Bible every day. I can be generous by bringing an offering each week. I want to give generously by giving toys away when people have none. I want to give generously by giving money to the church. I want to spread the gospel by teaching people about Jesus and praying for them.
Our compelled commitment means putting down roots where our kids and family will be known and loved and poured into and getting to provide that opportunity for many more families to come. The compelled initiative to us just means a place for us to call home. We've been searching for home and a place for our kids to feel at home. That's what Redemption Parker has been for us. This compelled commitment means to us a place to know and be known, a place to establish roots for our
children and their children and future generations. One year ago, almost to the exact date, we walked into RP not knowing what to expect and we were greeted with an amount of warmth and kindness that compelled us to come back and standing here one year later, we have been compelled to give back to this church hoping that future generations are able to feel the same way that we have felt for the past year.
As we step into this season together, Christ is calling us to go deeper in our discipleship, trusting Him with every part of our lives, to reach wider in our mission, living as sent people for the sake of others, to move forward in faith, building for generations we will never see. We move forward together compelled by the love of Christ. This is God's story, and in this moment and in this place, it is our turn.
All right, let me share some numbers with you, first of all. So let me remind you, if you've been around, know our normal operating budget is about a million dollars a year. So that covers our missions, it covers our staff, it covers renting this facility, it covers everything we normally do. And so that number itself is actually an amazing number. Like you guys have grown in your generosity over the years.
just as a testimony of God's grace. So a million dollars a year is amazing. If you were to do that over two years, you could say like, we would expect to receive about $2 million in operating expenses over the next two years. But we've grown a ton in that. So.
Now it's time to reveal the number, right? Is that the next slide? wait, I didn't tell the households, sorry. I got ahead of myself. I wanna share some numbers here, first of all. So total households and singles who are committed to this compelled journey. So we had 124 households make a compelled commitment. Let's praise God for that. That's huge.
That represents over 412 men, women, and children made in God's image saying, we are leaning in, we're all in on this place. That's an amazing number that, that, cause again, our primary goal was 100 % engagement, the people to lean in. Now of that number of the 124 households, we had some that
for the very first time that it took a step of discipleship and say, yeah, I've never given here before, but I'm going to start giving. was 34 households that first time give it. Let's praise God for that.
Again, that's like over a hundred people that are like, okay, we're in. We're for that. We believe that Christ's love should compel us. So excited for all that God has done in us and through us in this. Again, what we believe God is calling us to is not easy. It takes all of us. And some of you are going to jump in and join us even today. There's still time, right? But for most of us, this has been an incredible journey together as we've seen.
God move in ways we have not seen him do before. But God gets all the glory. Again, our normal budget's a million a year. Over two years, that would be two million. And so, are you ready for our total commitments and expected gifts over the next few years? Go ahead click on that. So we got, in commitments, we got...
Four million. Let's praise the Lord for that.
Just again, like what Paul said about the Macedonians, they gave to what they could give and they gave beyond that. Let me tell you why I'm just so excited about this. This is such an amazing number for a church like us and a stage where I just want to, as your pastor, thank you. Thank you for taking a huge and significant step of faith in partnership with your brothers and sisters, in partnership with the family of God. I cannot wait to see what God will continue to do in us.
and through us as we take bold steps. here's the thing. You might remember our secondary goal for compel was actually 4.5 million over the next two years. But let me just say this. It's a two year journey. There's still time to join us. Others will join us. I think we'll actually probably crush our goal. And I praise God for that. Some of you may join us. In fact, we got a commitment today. I'm like, man.
You can do that even today. You can make a commitment. You can go online. But let me tell you why I'm super, super, super encouraged by this. I have a friend, church in Texas, they were doing an expansion on their church. It's Texas. So they needed 50 million dollars for their expansion. But I know something that the church doesn't know. I know that he's got these connections to these young oil guys and he went off and had a retreat with them and the oil guys committed 50 million dollars.
before the church did anything. I was like, well, that's nice for you. Doesn't take any faith for you, pastor.
Let me tell you why this number is so, so, so, so encouraging. Some of you know like, often times churches are funded by the few. Where 10 % give 90 % of the budget. Where then they make their goal and they have a celebration. That's not our church. Here's why this number is so exciting. Because so many of you are sacrificing so
But there's a question in your mind. There's a question in my mind who sacrificing a lot is if I make this sacrifice will others and the resounding answer for the from your brothers and sisters your fellow covenant church members is yes Yes, they are sacrificing this like like we don't have any very large gifts, but what we have is everyone Holding hands together saying we will do this together. Can we just praise the Lord for that?
Tricia, I'm sorry I'm cutting into your time. me just, let me try to, she's like, yeah, we have no time left. So again, this is just the beginning of the journey. We call it today our first big give. Some of you have already started and have given. If you haven't, now would be a great time to begin to fulfill that commitment. Let me explain why it's so important to start even sooner rather than later. I do want you to know that the elders, all of their families, Jen and I,
Like we're sacrificing more than we've ever sacrificed before. And I only say that to say, hey, we would not ask you to do what we're not willing to do ourselves. We believe that there's a scriptural precedent. We need to lead the way. So Jen and I are going to write the largest check we've ever written before because we believe a couple of things. That giving is not only God's grace through us, it is God's grace to us. Like we get to invest in eternity. We get to reap eternal rewards for that.
gonna give. Now let me give you a quick update on the land, the building, all that stuff. we had hoped to close on the land in December, but then there was a little hang up with the county. They're gonna have a hearing in May, should go through smooth, pray for us. Once that gets closed, we have the money you've already given to pay cash for that. The architects and the builders are working together right now doing the construction documents. That's where they pick the actual like stones and lights and all that stuff and getting bids on all that.
by the end of the summer, we could be breaking ground. Which is praise God for that.
We're dealing with church lenders because again even that doesn't cover all that. But so this is why we say if possible if you're able to give up front just like you going to get a mortgage we want to show the best financials possible to get the best deal possible. So if you could if you have that capacity begin now to do that. So the best response and the reminder from David and everything anything we give is only because God first gave it to us.
Like we don't pat ourselves on the back actually. All the glory goes to God. So I'm going to pray and we're going to worship and we're going have some ice cream. Amen? Amen. Let me pray.
God Is…
AI Transcript
Man, thank you Ryan. Yes, and you guys should sign up for that church history class. I believe Lainey will be teaching that class as a 12 week class at Denver Seminary in the fall. So she's going to do it in four weeks for us. There's no required reading or homework. So you can just come in and hear about the history of our history, our brothers and our sisters, a class on church history. We do have a big...
Institute season ahead we got a theology on the ground. Remember those. They're back starting next week. So we're bringing out the world renowned New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg and he's going to talk about a faith that can answer apologetics in a world of competing truth. Obviously that there's not.
competing truths there is one truth but but but but but this is gonna be a fun time where we can engage this is a time that that you can bring your unbelieving friends and family members skeptics where we walk through apologetics why do we believe what we believe how to give an answer to our faith because we can so mark your calendars for that that's next week from 4 to 6 p.m.
here at the Pace Center and we do have child care for that as well. Well, you can begin making your way to First Corinthians chapter eight. That's where we will be this morning. First Corinthians chapter eight.
God is. How would you finish that sentence? God is. Seriously, what's the first thing that comes into your mind when you think about God? God is. Let's hear it. Good, awesome. Rock. Anyone else? Merciful.
Love, I love it. A.W. Tozer starts off his classic, The Knowledge of the Holy with this line, What comes to mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. Now the reason I think it's the most important thing about you is because, well, everyone's a theologian. I'm not sure you woke up this morning and looked.
yourself in the mirror and said you my friend are a theologian but you are whether you want to be one or not theology simply means words about God we we all have them you have them your kids have them your your neighbors we all have words about God the Jew the Hindu Muslim the spiritual the the Christian the the atheist we all have words
about God. And how we think about God has massive implications. For sure for all of eternity, and that's a sobering thought. For ourselves, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, the unreached nations. How we finish that sentence, God is, is a matter of eternal life and death. But it's not just about heaven or hell.
Being a good theologian affects your experience of life here and now. For instance, theology is practical. How you understand who God is has massive implications for how you live your life. You are a theologian. Are you a good one?
If you're like me, you're feeling a ton of pressure right now. Man, I better get this figured out, be a good theologian, and you should be. But the cool thing is God has revealed himself to us. In the words of Tim Keller, what you think about God is not nearly as important as what God says about himself. I love that. What you think about God is not nearly as important as what God says about himself.
God has spoken. He has revealed himself to us. So for the next nine weeks, we're going to be doing just that. We're going to be getting our eyes on the one who, in the words of Anselm, there is none greater. The one who is transcendent, utterly other than, has become imminent, made himself known to us.
Now according to Jude 3, Christians are called to confess the faith once delivered to the saints. This is our aim. So we're calling this series God is. God is. And so for the next two months, we're going to do what the psalmist says in Psalm 27. We're going to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. There's a term called theology.
proper and it sounds fancy, it simply means the study of God himself, his nature, his attributes, his character. This series God is, will be all about that. We're going to look at God. We're going to try to figure out who he is. We're going to see some things about him that are nothing like us. And in my prayer is that we would realize how
big this God is, like his sovereignty. Or next week, his self-existence, his presence, his unchanging nature, his incomprehensibility. Often we live as if people are big and our problems are big and God is, well, rather small. My prayer is that during this series, that would get reversed.
that we would experience the total revolution of a big God theology in our lives. And we're gonna see some things about God that at some level we can relate to and yet we also desperately need from Him things like love, wisdom, faithfulness, goodness. My hope is that as we see God's character,
we would be encouraged that our God is not just big, He's good. And He's for you. Our hope is that this series would cause adoration and imitation. Worship and transformation. That we would behold God, And as we behold God, we would become
So that's where we're headed. you're not already there, 1 Corinthians chapter 8 is where we'll begin this morning.
just gonna read verse six.
yet for us, apostle Paul speaking, yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him and we exist for Him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through Him and we exist through Him. This is the word of God. Amen.
And if you were to come to my house, may wonder what's on the doorframe of our home. There it is. That's our mezusa. If you know the Shema from Deuteronomy, this is where the mezusa gets its credibility from. So Moses in Deuteronomy says, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
with all your soul, with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be as a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. Well...
When our mezuzah came from Jerusalem, I mean Amazon, me and my oldest opened it up and we found this scroll inside the Shema, Deuteronomy 6 in Hebrew. And then we proceeded to do what would get you expelled for in Jewish school. We wrote on the back of that scroll. And what we wrote is the verse I just read for you out of 1 Corinthians chapter.
This verse is what New Testament scholars called the New Covenant Shema. Maybe you notice some similarities. Yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him and we exist for Him. Every faithful Jew will say yes and amen to that. But then the Apostle Paul, this New Covenant Jew, continues. And there is one Lord.
Paul using this word, Lord, or in the Greek, Kyrios is shocking. This would definitely get you thrown out of a synagogue. What's so shocking is that this is the same word that's used when the Hebrew Old Testament is getting translated into Greek. Anytime the Hebrew word Yahweh or Adonai came up, was translated Kyrios, or what we would translate as
Lord, so when you come to first Corinthians 8 6 and Paul says there is one curious one Lord Jesus Christ all things are through him and we exist Through him. Do you see what Paul is doing? Remember Christianity is not some new religion with the coming of Christ Christianity is the fulfillment of what we have from the beginning of
The story from Genesis three online from Genesis three onward. This story has an arc pointing toward a Messiah. I would even challenge you whenever you read the name Jesus Christ in your Bibles substitute Christ for Messiah. Christ is not Jesus's last name rather it's a title Jesus the Christ.
Jesus the Messiah, the King, the anointed one. And whose Messiah? Israel's. Christianity is the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption that goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden, Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Israelites. So when Paul gives this new covenant Shema in first Corinthians eight, he's not changing the oneness of God.
He's not starting some new religion. Yet for us, he says, there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him and we exist for Him and there is one Lord, the Messiah. All things are through Him and we exist through Him. He's saying Jesus, Israel's long anticipated Messiah is also God.
Jesus is Adonai. Jesus is Yahweh Himself. Jesus is the one God we see in both Shema's, Deuteronomy and 1st Corinthians. We'll see from other passages that the Holy Spirit is also God. We have three persons, yet one God.
mystery as we jump into this God is series, it would be wise for us to begin laying down this foundation, the Trinity. Now there's a lot that we could say about the Trinity, but for this sermon this morning, don't miss this. There is one God, one God who exists in three persons, Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. God isn't made up of parts. In other words, God's not one third father, one third son, and one third Holy Spirit. All the pieces of the pie making one God. No. Rather, the father is fully God. The son is fully God. The Holy Spirit is fully God. And yet there are not three gods, but one God.
We'll stop there. This is not a class on the Trinity. And yet we can't even begin to say God is without defining God. And as we define God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and in the weeks ahead move into who He is as self-existent, love,
faithful, good, sovereign on and on and on. It's vital we understand that God is a being unlike us. God is a being utterly other. We have attributes. In some ways we're made up of parts. Maybe some of you guys right now are doing some parts work in therapy. For instance, some days I have patients.
Other days I don't, I can get quite impatient. have awesome moments of love where I truly feel like I'm walking by the spirit. And yet I easily have these moments of selfishness. In a matter of minutes, I can have wisdom in one decision and the next I can act extremely unwise. Not with God. God doesn't have attributes.
Even good ones like love, goodness, wisdom, justice. We're tempted to think that this way about God because we don't understand he's other worldly. We want to say things like God has justice. God has righteousness. God has faithfulness. But most of all, God has love. We want to rank out his attribute.
But this series is called God is not God has because all that is in God, his attributes is God. Let me say that again. All that is in God is God. For instance, God doesn't have love. First John says God is love. He doesn't have goodness. He
is goodness. doesn't possess faithfulness like you and I might possess it in a given moment. He is faithful. And I know I'm asking you to use your brains this morning, but are you starting to track with me just how great this God is? He is a being in which none greater could be conceived. And if these things are true, that means that all that He is
He is fully. So he's not just love, he's wise, perfect, faithful love. He's not just just, he's loving justice. We can go on and on. I think you get the point. And this God cannot change. Malachi says, I the Lord do not change. James says, he's the one with whom there is no shadow or variation.
due to no variation or shadow due to change. only can God not change, which is very good news to us, but God is also infinite. It's not that God is just love or that God is good, but even that love and that goodness is to a degree that we could never fathom. Infinite.
For all of eternity, we will never plumb the depths of God. In my house, we love Forrest Frank. We play his music all the time. And he's got that song, God is good. And he keeps getting better. And he keeps getting better. That's actually not true. God is. He doesn't change. If he could get better, he would not be
God but I actually don't think the song's wrong. I think what Forrest does mean is that our experience of God as finite creatures means he continues in our experience to get better and better and better and better forever. I hope you're beginning to feel quite small. I think that's a good thing because we are. Imagine if we could
truly and fully understand God. At that point, he wouldn't be a being in which there is none greater. Rather, all we as his creatures can do is fall on our knees and lift up our hands and say like Paul in Romans 11, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways for who has known
the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
John Calvin says all we can really say about God as, as finite creature, speaking of the infinite is mere baby talk. love that baby talk. And yet if you're a parent in here, even our littlest kiddos know us. Joey, my, three year old would not be able to tell you where I'm from. What college I.
went to explain to you my life story, my personality type, but if you ask him who his daddy is, he knows.
And over the course of his life, he'll continue to know me in deeper and deeper ways that the same is true in our relationship with God. And all of this is possible friends, not only because God is, but that God is the gospel. John Piper wrote a book with that title years ago. God is the gospel and in it, his basic argument is simply the gospel.
The good news of Jesus is not just that we get forgiveness of sins, not just that we get eternal life or justification. We can go on and on and on. There are so many benefits of the gospel. But ultimately, the best news of the gospel, the greatest benefit of the gospel, friends, is that we get God Himself. We get God.
Maybe you're in here this morning and you don't know God. You've yet to jump on this journey with Him. Maybe you think, hey, I'm a decent person. I have more good than I have bad. I think God will be just fine with me. Well, if I could add to that Tim Keller quote from earlier, I'd add this. He says, what you think about God is not nearly as important as what God says about Himself. And I'll add,
and what he says about you. We've been talking about what God says about himself, but here's what God says about us. Before we get to the good news that God is the gospel, the bad news is that we are sinners. Born in sin. Our nature is one where we rebel against our
Creator like like Adam and Eve. We don't want to follow God We want to be God We want to be number one Do whatever makes us happy the Bible says there is none who is righteous No, not one that that apart from him our destination is eternal separation from him and yet God shows his love to us in that while
We are still sinners. The Lord, the Kyrios, Jesus, the Messiah died for you. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity took on flesh, became a man and not just any man, the God man. He came here to live the life that we could not live and die the death that we deserve because of our sin.
So that by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, you can have God himself. Every one of us comes into this world looking for somebody looking for us. We all feel this. At our core, we are created to be known.
And we can spend our entire lives longing to fill this void, sometimes without realizing that because of the gospel, we can have what our souls long for. To be fully seen, to be truly known, to be utterly loved beyond comprehension by the one to whom there is none greater, God himself. Amen.
Amen. So for us, there is one God, the Father. All things are from him and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him and we exist through him. This morning, we've done a little theology. Thanks for rolling your sleeves up with me. We've looked at who God is and for the next eight weeks, we're going to continue to
gaze on the beauty of our Lord. But as we close this morning, have two points of application that are right from this passage here in first Corinthians eight in light of who God is. How then shall we live? Not, not that one. That's bad timing. It's a verse passage. There it is. We exist for him. We
exist through him. First, we exist for God and we exist through God. It sounds simple, but this is the call for all Christians. You exist for God. You belong to him. You're no longer your own. You've been bought with a price. And how do we exist for him? Well, by living.
through him. As we get our eyes on who God is, I hope we see as a church how glorious God is. And it would cause us to worship. Our God is better than we ever dared imagine. And yet we're called not just to adoration, but we're called to imitation. Paul in Ephesians says, imitate God as
beloved children Paul in first Corinthians is gonna say imitate me as I imitate Christ this is now our Calling Church to imitate Jesus so so what does this actually look like existing for him and Existing through him sound sounds great, but but what does this look like on a Monday morning? I'm so glad you asked
There's how I would answer that question. The Holy Spirit dwells in every single Christian. So if you're a follower of Christ in here this morning, God the Spirit lives in you. should just pause on that for a second. The Holy Spirit lives in you. And in a very real way, He unites us to
Jesus we're gonna do our baptisms here shortly and that's what baptism is all about us in Christ Christ in us through our Union with Jesus we die with Jesus We're raised with Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit Imagine come Monday morning if we actually believed the power we possess Christ lives in you
with the purpose of making you look like Christ.
I finished an interesting book this year. Only God can judge me. The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur by Jeff Perlman. know Pastor Mark reads great novels like Thew of Golden and I read Tupac. But what's, what's fascinating to me about Tupac that I didn't know was I just figured he was all West coast thug life, but is actually more nuanced than that. Tupac wasn't raised in the streets of LA like his image portrays.
He attended Baltimore school for the arts where he studied acting, poetry and ballet. Let's throw the picture there with his ballet suit on in high school. That's Tupac. But when he got his first acting role in this movie, Jews, he played this character Bishop. Now this dude Bishop was a gangster and getting into the character Bishop changed Tupac's entire persona.
After he finished the movie, he never stopped being bishoped. In his imitation of this made-up character, Tupac goes on to becoming an icon, a rap legend, thug life, his mantra. Now imagine.
Imagine if we realize the role we get to play in what John Calvin calls God's theater, namely our lives here on earth, lived out before our director, God, called to exist for him and through him. Imagine if we actually believe that God is in us.
And by the power of God in us, we can put on Christ. can imitate Jesus. We can walk as Jesus walks.
Imagine what this would mean for you and for your family, for your neighbor and for the nations. Redemption Parker together by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let's exist for Him and through Him. Amen. Amen. Let me pray.
What Happened?
AI Transcript
Amen. Well, welcome. It's good to be here before we jump into the word with you. We'll be in John chapter 20, but I want you to imagine a scenario where somehow we were able to gather all the world's greatest thinkers, philosophers, people of power. And we asked them this one question 2000 years from now. What would be the factors in play in a person's life for that person to become the most famous person and the most influential person in the history of the world?
As they gather in that room, they would argue about some things, but there would be some things that come to the surface for sure. That person would have to be born in the right place, have the right opportunities, have the right education, have the right career trajectory, have the right political influence, maybe introduce a new thought or philosophy that would be embraced by the world. And then that person, 2000 years from now, would be the most...
influential famous person in the world. they would not say is that this person would be born in obscurity, in poverty. He would live his whole life within a hundred miles of where he was born. They would not say he would have no formal education, that he was a common laborer with his hands for his first 30 years of life. And when he did try to go public, he gathered 12 other common laborers, fishermen and farmers and even a tax collector.
They would not say just after three years that he would be abandoned by those same men. He would be betrayed by the religious leaders of his country and handed over to the most oppressive foreign government in the history of the world to be tortured and murdered on a cross. It's just not how you would draw it up. Now, pause there because what you need to know is on that first Sunday morning there were no Christians, right?
I always want to remind you of that, that there were no Christians, there was no anticipation, that there was no scheduled sunrise service, there was no grandstands at the garden. Like there was no no Christian, none that were writing themselves into the story saying, well, everyone else abandoned him, but I held out faith. I remembered what he said. No, there was none of that. There was Pontius Pilate, who was just relieved that there wasn't a religious uproar.
uprising in a major Jewish festival and he's now headed with his entourage back to his seaside palace. There's the religious leaders who are sleepy-eyed and satisfied from their Passover meal. There was that thing with Jesus and his followers that caused a little bit of ruckus, but they dealt with that. They got rid of him and when they got rid of him, they got rid of all of his followers. There were some women that were
absolutely devastated. The mother of Jesus, was Mary and others, they were at the cross the whole time. They watched in this, her case, their son and their best friend and everyone, everything to them, breathe out his last breath. Mary followed at a distance as they wrapped his body and took it to a tomb and sealed it behind a stone. They were
They are devastated, dejected. The disciples were disillusioned. They had left everything to follow Jesus. They have left their families, their businesses, and now their hope was dead. Their future was buried. There was no expectation, no hope. They were wondering what they were going to do. Matthew, or rather, John and Peter and others were thinking we could go back to
Galilee and maybe re-enter the family business of fishing Matthew had no prospects as a tax collector And so this is the moment that first Easter morning If you pause right there and now fast forward with me 350 years There's a guy named Theodosus. He's the Roman Emperor and he's in Thessalonica on February 24th 380 AD
He gets baptized as a Christian and he gets out of the water and proclaims Jesus Christ is Lord and King over all kings. And then three days later, he issues what's called the Edict of Thessalonica, where he makes Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and he ends state sponsored support for the pagan priesthood. Now, fast forward again to today.
where over four billion people will gather to worship a crucified man. And if that's all you knew of the story, the first Easter, what was going on, and then 380 AD and today, if that's all you knew, there'd be one question that would come to your mind. It'd be simply this question, what happened? What happened? What happened that we could get from there to...
380 to today. What happened and what happened is the reason we're here. What happened is the reason we gather every week. What happened is the reason for our entire lives and what we believe as followers of Jesus means everything to us. These are the undisputed facts of history. What happened changes everything. It has the opportunity even today to change.
your life personally, but it doesn't just stop there. What happened is changing the world persistently and changing our lives pervasively every area of our lives. What happened, what was witnessed by multiple people in multiple places, in multiple settings, in houses, and on a road, and in a field, and sometimes with small groups of people, and sometimes with hundreds of people. What happened?
happened over a period of 40 days and what happened changed everything. I want to look through the eyes of the very first person to see what happened. If you have your Bible it's John chapter 20 verses 1 through 18 we're going to be this morning. What happened was recorded by reliable eyewitnesses and what happened
has changed the world. happened is the reason four billion people will gather today. This is what happened. So listen carefully. This is God's says this early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, before the sun had even crested the horizon, although there was a glow in the sky, says Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. Again, Mary was at the cross.
Mary was crying her eyes out as they took his body down as they wrapped him as they took him to the garden tomb. She was there. She knew exactly where he was. And now after the Passover she's she's devastated but she wants to honor the body of the person that radically changed her life. Luke tells us that Jesus had cast out seven demons from Mary. She was spiritually physically mentally emotionally afflicted.
And Jesus had set her free and she had put all her hope in Jesus. So she is headed to the tomb. Now the other Gospels tell us it's not just her there. are other women with there. but John laser focuses on Mary says Mary went to the tomb and they were wondering how they were going to remove the stone. But they hadn't really thought through the logistics. But as she goes it says and she saw that the stone had been
removed from the entrance. Implication also she saw into the tomb and she saw that the tomb was empty. And this shocked her. As I say every Easter Sunday nobody expected no body. Nobody expected no body. She didn't look in and she's like well Christ is risen. No she's even more distraught. What.
is happening here. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple. The other disciple is John's way of writing himself in the story. It's he's trying to be humble, but as you'll see, maybe not so much. He says the other disciples. So Simon and John are just wondering how they're going to make it back safely to Galilee without.
Maybe being caught by anyone and being crucified like Jesus was crucified and also a frantic knocking is on the door and they're like, what is that? Is that the authorities? But they hear they hear Mary's voice. Let me in. Let me in. And and they open it up and she comes running and says to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. I love that. I just imagine in heaven every Easter.
John and Peter are together and Peter's like, dude, what's wrong with you? He loved all of us. Like, yeah, Peter, he did, but he did love others more than others. So and he's like, and I'm the one Jesus. Why didn't you just put your name, John? I was trying to be humble. OK, so the other disciple and the one Jesus loved and said, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him.
She doesn't say, hey, Christ is risen and Peter say he is risen indeed. No, they're like, what is going on? The tomb is empty. We don't know where they have put him. And so Peter and the other disciple, that's the one Jesus loved in case you weren't keeping track, started for the tomb and both were running. But the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, outran Peter and reached the tomb first. Again, Peter's got to be like, dude,
What are you talking? Well, I can't bear false witness. That's how it happened. Peter, you're the rock. You're slow, but I was fast. And he's like, that's not an important detail. I thought it was. I thought it was. he got to the tomb first, but he stops at the tomb. says, both were running, but the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in. The word looked in there. You're going to see various...
renditions of the word to see, to look, to behold throughout this whole passage. But the word looked in here is blepo. He's just observing. It's the most common word. looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, big old Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. Now it says he saw the strips of linen lying there.
as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head, the cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Now, when John says, saw, it's a different word. It's not bleppo, it's threo. We get the word theorize. It's when you come across something that does not make sense and your mind is trying to make sense of it. Because here's the deal. If it's common grave robbers,
The valuable thing is the strips of linen, not the body. If it's common grave robbers, they wouldn't leave the tomb in an orderly fashion. Furthermore, he sees the strips of linen. Some say that it is like a locust shell after the locust leaves. It's empty. But then there's this head covering. And that's not just discarded, thrown on the floor. It's neatly folded up and put on.
the shelf. This does not make sense. But he's theorizing he's trying to make sense of it. says finally the other disciple the one Jesus loved who had reached the tomb first also went in and he saw that's another different word he now sees not just with his eyes but with his heart and his soul he sees and believes.
There's something that unlocks in his mind. He believes Jesus is alive. That word believe is one of the most important words in the whole New Testament. The word is pistis. It doesn't just mean I think something is true. It means with my whole being I trust that something is true. He believes. It says they still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.
Then the disciples went back to where they're staying. Imagine that conversation on the way back. John is saying. I don't think someone stole his body. It doesn't make sense, right, Peter? It's like, no, it doesn't make sense. I think he might be alive. Like, how is that possible? John, you were there. You saw Jesus take his last breath. You saw the Roman soldiers put the spear in his side and pierced his heart. How can it be dead people?
don't come back to life, at least not on their own. And so they're theorizing and as they're making their way back, apparently there's multiple ways through the city to the garden. And Mary now is on her way back, but they don't pass each other. Mary's just devastated. She says, I got to go see this again. And so as she's walking back to the city, we pick up the story in verse 11. Now, Mary stood outside the tomb crying.
We're crying there is is a loud weeping and wailing. Ever cried like that? Where it is a whole body experience where you can't get your breath, where there's snot coming out of your nose and it's in your eyes. And this is how devastated there is no hope for her in this moment. So that she wept. She bent over to look into the tomb. She's so distraught that
Even what she sees next doesn't clue her into something that's happening here. She says she looks into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated where Jesus's body had been. One at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, woman, why are you crying? The angels are always perplexed by our response because this should be the greatest
day in Mary's life and they know what's happened and they also know that Jesus told everybody this is going to happen and when it happens everyone's devastated and the angels are like what is wrong with you why are you crying this is not a time to cry she says they have taken my lord away and I don't know where they have put him at this
She turned and saw there's the word again. She saw but she didn't see. She saw Jesus standing there but she did not realize that it was Jesus. There may be many reasons for this. The whole snot and tears covering the whole eyes that that that could be one reason. The other one is that that maybe Jesus is intentionally like on the road to Emmaus in Luke chapter four hasn't revealed himself.
Truly to her. Maybe it's because he's got a physical resurrected spiritual body that's so glorious she can't connect the dots. Maybe it's just because it's so far outside of her thinking and all Jewish thinking that one man in the middle of history would resurrect. The Jews did believe that there would be a resurrection at the very end of time of all the righteous. But now one man in the middle of history. So she does not recognize him.
He asked her, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? It's a good question. It's a good question for all of us this morning. If we're honest with our hearts, with our lives, who is it that you're looking for? Who or what is it that you're looking for? What do you think? What will bring you satisfaction in life? Who is it that you're looking for? Then it says, thinking he was.
the gardener. And I love that because she's not that far off. Right. She thinks it's just the gardener. But humanity's story begins in a garden. And they were tasked, Adam and Eve, with God in fellowship, perfect fellowship, to live together and to tend the garden. And now she thinks the gardener is here. The gardener is here. He's come to renew and redeem all of the cosmos and make the garden come back.
Again, thinking he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him. I will get him.
Salvation, if it is anything, first and foremost, has got to be personal. That's not the only thing, as we'll see, but it has to be personal. We don't get saved. We don't enter the kingdom of God on our nationality. We don't get saved on the faith of our parents. We don't get saved because we're Americans. We don't get saved because I had a grand, granddaddy that was a Baptist. No, it has to be.
apprehended personally. And this is what happens to Mary. Jesus said to her, Mary, she's heard that voice before. And it's in that moment where the son of God resurrected from the dead, having conquered sin, death in the grave stands before her. But I suspect not directly before her.
He's in the garden, but he's a ways away. he says, Mary, in that moment it clicked. She turned toward him. And I imagine it doesn't sit. John doesn't tell us this, but I imagine in that moment she runs at full speed across the garden. She gives the greatest bear hug the world has ever seen. Wraps her arms around Jesus and she cries out, rabboni! My teacher, my savior, my Lord. She's just.
Clinging to him now there there's more tears, but they're tears of joy and Jesus with a smile on his face and laughter in his voice says do not hold on to me Don't cling on to me. It's not over yet. I still I have to have not yet descended ascended to my father Go instead To my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my father and your father to my God and your God salvation is
first and foremost, personal. You have to hear the voice of Jesus wooing you in saying, come to me, come to me. But it doesn't end there. Did you see that? It's not just personal. We hope that you have a very personal encounter with Jesus. But even in the very first encounter with Jesus' resurrected body, it goes beyond that. It goes public. Did you see what he said? Go instead. He immediately fills her life
with mission and with purpose. And he will do it for the rest of her life. And he will do it for our life. It's personal, but it's also pervasive. It's to go through our whole life. When he says go, he's sending her. The Greek word for sent is apostelo. We get the word apostle. The apostles are sent. This is where Augustine says Mary Magdalene was the apostle, the sent one to the apostles.
She goes and tells the apostles. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, I have seen the Lord. She told them that he had said these things to her. Now, here's the thing. We know from the other gospels when she tells them, they're like, we don't think so. But that really wasn't her calling. She didn't have to convince them. She was just a witness.
Here's what the Lord has done. That's true for all of us. We're so worried that people will reject us if we tell them about Jesus. They will. And that's OK. But some won't. And it will become personal for them. And then Jesus will become pervasive in their life and his rescuing work will be persistent forever and ever for two thousand years. This is how Christians have understood rightly their relationship with the Lord.
that it comes first personal. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes, whoever trusts in him shall not perish but have eternal life. That's not just when you die you get to go to heaven. Eternal life is immediately and now you are transferred from the domain of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the sun God loves. Eternal life is a quality of life.
here and now and forever. it doesn't stop there. It's pervasive. Christians have understood like Theodosus that Jesus is Lord of all. is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That means he's Lord over every single area of our lives. Every item on our calendars, every check, everything in our bank account, everything in our dreams and our plans. He is Lord over all.
He's not Lord at all if he's not Lord overall in your life. You can't come to Jesus as only savior and not as Lord. That'd be like saying, Mark, you can come over to my house, but I don't want Ashman to come into your house, to my house. I'm like, no, I'm Mark Ashman. Well, I don't want the Ashman part. No, I am. This is what Jesus saying. I'm Lord and savior. I'm so worried that we have so personalized
Jesus in the American church that we have actually not worshiped the true Jesus We've actually just come to a fire insurance policy that Jesus gets us into heaven when we die But we won't go to heaven when we die because he's not Lord of our lives so Christians have always understood. It's personal. It's pervasive and it's persistent What Jesus begun on that first? Easter Sunday morning. He is continuing it was
the down payment of the resurrection, not just of his body, but of the entire cosmos. Here's what Paul says in Colossians chapter one. Jesus is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Why? To reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, things visible and invisible. Jesus's resurrection was the down payment on our eternal future in a renewed.
cosmos in the Lord of the Rings at the very end after the ring is destroyed Samwise Gamgee realizes that darkness is being reversed and he says this to Gandalf everything sad is going to come untrue everything sad is going to come untrue that's true that's what happened what happened Christ conquered sin death in the grave
Christ reigns over all. And when the disciples encounter the resurrected Christ, they go from these timid, fearful men to lions of the faith. They immediately reengage with the mission of Christ. And they take this name and this story to their graves. Often because of this story, they are martyred for it.
It's an unstoppable movement that was launched and this is why we gather. So my story was when I was 18, God wooed me to himself, rescued and redeemed me, gave me new life, turned me from a life of self-centered rebellion and to following him. Now, immediately things didn't look that much different, but he is continuing to work pervasively in my life. I have a long way to go, but it's been the greatest.
adventure and journey ever that I've ever had. And so my prayer this morning and this week for you is if you've already encountered the Lord Jesus Christ and you've made it personal and it is pervasive in your life, growing in your life, and it is through your life persistently renewing the world, then today would just be a day that fuels your faith. That you would hear Jesus call you and say,
love you, but you would also hear Jesus call you and say, now go, go tell the world of what has happened. If you're not a believer, well, today is a day that you can. Today is a day that you can hear a voice, Lord willing, other than my voice, the voice of the Spirit of God, wooing you, calling you, saying, you can come to me, put your trust in me, believe in me. And today, by the
authority of the Word of God and by the Spirit of God, you can enter into new life. In a moment, I'm going to pray. You can confess your sins. You can turn to Jesus. You can tell someone who brought you or invited you or talked to one of the pastors, but do not miss this opportunity to encounter the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me pray for us to that end.
Compelled By The Grace of Generosity
AI Transcript
Amen, amen, man. Out of the mouths of babes, you have ordained praise, Lord.
Well, it's a joy to be with you this morning. Thank you for just making this a priority to come out. And if you're visiting again, we're excited. You get to see some of what God is doing in our midst this morning. So last night, well, yesterday Rick texted me, hey, how are you feeling? I'm like, I feel great. I'm going to sleep fine. But I didn't. And at 2 o'clock, I woke up and...
I just felt like the Lord was saying this to me, so I was like, I've got to write this down. So I'm just going to read to you my 2 AM thoughts.
I have a fear that we might be a church that has the word compelled written on our t-shirts and on our banners and on our websites and on our series guides but for some of us maybe many of us compelled is not written on our hearts in our love and affection for our
for Jesus, for one another, for our neighbors and the nations. That compelled is not written on our hands and our acts of love and service. That compelled is not written on our minds. That the love of Christ doesn't consume our thoughts because we're too distracted and entertained by the lesser things of this world.
I fear that we might even be able to reach our financial goal and build this church building by giving to God only a portion of our leftovers because we are so abundantly wealthy that we don't feel the need to give sacrificially. That would be a great adventure in missing the point. That would be a tragedy. Lord, please do not let that happen. Compel us Lord to live by and for Christ's love.
That's why we're doing this. That's why we've gathered. That's where we've been for the last six weeks. So don't know how you come into this room this morning, whether it's excited or skeptical or fearful. And each week as I preach, know this, when I preach with zeal, it's because I'm preaching to myself.
Each week when I'm like, we got to do this is because I'm like, I got to do this. I'm first and foremost a church member before I'm your pastor. And so I'm with you in this as well. so, again, if I need some encouragement, excitement, I'll go to Doris in the front here. And Doris, few weeks ago, came up to me. I'm so excited for what God's doing. I'm like, tell me more about that. She's like, I can't wait to see what God's going to do. Yeah, tell me more. She's like, we're going to write scriptures on the wall. We're going to put a
Bible in the foundation. like that's an awesome idea. She's like I just I've never been a part of something like this. I'm like thank you I'm just gonna put you on speed dial whenever whenever I need that. Thank you Doris. But yeah you know
If you open up this word, and I fear that maybe part of our apprehension on even a day like this where we talk a lot about money, our apprehension comes from a couple different places. You've seen the clowns on television.
And then you project that on every other church and pastor like, oh, someone abused this once and therefore we don't have and that's a way to kind of deflect and shield our hearts. And the other thing is I fear that we don't know this word. You know, if you read this from cover to cover 500 times, you're to learn and read about what is faith. That's pretty important. What is faith? About 500 times you're to read about what does it mean to pray in faith?
Then 2,000 times you're gonna read about money But that's crazy, right? We don't talk about it like that You read Jesus's teachings at 25 % of his teachings. It's about money We're like, That just makes us feel uncomfortable from the get-go But why does he talk about money so much? Have you ever thought about that? Why did he put this in his his word for us?
Listen, it's not because Jesus is looking for donors. He's pursuing disciples. That's why he talks about money all the time. Jesus doesn't need donors for the kingdom of God. He doesn't need anything for the kingdom of God. He's inviting us to follow in His way. And He knows that the number one thing competing for your affection, competing for your worship.
is your money. just has this way. The Bible calls it mammon. When the good things of God come into our lives but they become God things, the Bible describes it as mammon. It's this spiritually dark demonic thing that wraps its hands around our hearts, begins to constrict our hearts, and we look to money for things that only God can give us.
We look to our money for our significance, our safety, our comfort, our future. And Jesus is like, don't do that. Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. This is why Jesus talks about money all the time. He doesn't need your money. But he wants your heart. He wants our heart. The problem is...
We live between Solomon and Job. Solomon had everything. Like in today's standards, he's a trillionaire. He had and pursued everything. At the end of his life, he talks about, I went down all the roads you think lead to happiness. He had women. That's in the Bible.
hundreds and hundreds of women sexual experience. He says that's meaningless. He had all the money. He threw these parties, ragers, good parties, food and drink, wine, good parties. And at the end of the party, be like, it's not quite enough. But he had the means to just amp it up a little bit more next time and amp it up more next time. And people would sing his praise and he gets to the end of his life. He's like, that was meaningless.
And he goes through all these things that we think will bring us happiness in this life. And he gets to the end of it and he writes Ecclesiastes like all of that is meaningless apart from God. The problem is none of us are there. And all of us think, well, maybe Solomon was wrong. If I could just go down his roads, I would find happiness. That's just the way mammon trains our heart. Trust in me. Worship me.
And then on the other hand, have Job. Job's on the other. None of us are there as well. We all have pain and suffering in our life, but none of us have been stripped by everything of our health and our family and our wealth. Everything gets stripped from Job. at the end, he says, God is enough. God is more than enough. And so we live between the two. None of us want to go towards Job.
And all of us want to go towards Solomon. And we live in this kind of world in Parker, Colorado, where all of our homes are nice and our neighbors are nice and they're nice. And we just think this is normal. It's just normal. The Bible says, man, God has so much more for you. God has so much more for us as a church.
And so this morning as we come to our last week and our last passage, if you have a series guide, it's on page 64. If you have a Bible, we've been launching from 2 Corinthians 5 verse 14 each week into another passage in 2 Corinthians 5 14. writes to the church at Corinth. He says, for Christ's love compels us. Christ's love compels us. That means the whole
Motives operandi of our lives is the love of Christ and then he begins to unpack that and show that in the next several verses Different ways and at the end of our passage in 25 21 it says this God made him who had no sin to be sin for us So that in him we might become the righteousness of God Now
I say that verse all the time. But here's the reality. None of us can understand that verse really.
Think about what I just said. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. If that if we could wrap our hearts around just that reality, we would never complain. We would never say, God, why don't you give me this job? Why don't you give me more stuff? Why do I? Why don't you give me a spouse? Why don't you give me more kids? Like, have you understood every day that Jesus became sin in your place? You would praise God.
Every day it would be more than enough to fuel your praise. God made him to be sinned who had no sin. This coming Friday, our Good Friday service is probably my favorite service because it is the most contemplative focus on that verse that we do all year long.
we talk about and ponder. And again, we can't ever fully understand this. I don't even know that we will in eternity that Jesus on the cross takes our sin. He takes our unrighteousness. He takes our penalty. And then in that place, gospel is that He gave us perfect life. He gave us His righteousness and the eternal kingdom. If we understood that, we would live so much differently, right?
God wants something for us, not something from us in our generosity. He wants to unleash something in our lives. So our passage this week is a few chapters after 2 Corinthians 5 where Paul is continuing to apply by the Spirit of God to the Corinthian church and now to the church at Redemption Park. What does it look like to live compelled by the love of Christ?
And as I studied this passage chapters eight and nine even though the Bible says a lot I've already said it says a lot about our generosity about our money chapter eight and nine is the longest section continuous section where where this is dealt with. And in chapters eight and nine Paul is going to unpack some things for us. But as I studied this week and I've never preached this passage these chapters in 30 years of preaching.
And I also just realized, man, if the Lord saw fit to put that much in His Word, then I've done you a disservice for nine years when I've only really preached maybe two or three actual messages on God releasing generosity through our lives. And so I repent of that.
Because God actually has something for us in this. And as I studied this passage I was I was actually blown away. I learned things every week when I preach by the way I learned things. Again I'm a member I'm I'm in process. But but but what I learned this more this this week my prayers and Lord put this in our hearts because it changes everything. It gives us a radical new perspective on all all of our lives and all of our stuff.
So Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8. says, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace. And that word grace there is actually the key word in chapter 8. It's going to come up seven times. Chapter 9, it's going to come up five times. We're not going to get into all of it because we'd be here all day and we got to move on. But he says, I want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
Paul writing to the Corinthian churches Corinth is probably the wealthiest church in all of the Roman Empire just by virtue of the economy that flowed through there and we'll see Macedonia was probably the poorest church in all of the Roman Empire and Paul writes he says I want you to look at the Macedonians
So much of our Christian maturity comes through others walking in that maturity, learning from them. Okay, so for example, you want to be a good husband? Surround yourselves with men who love their wives like Christ loves the church. And you'll grow in that way.
You want to be a good parent? Surround yourself with Christian community that others have gone before you and are pouring into their kids the gospel. Modeling Christianity is one of the ways that Christ grows us.
The other way is through his word and the model of his word. You know that the New Testament is written not to just make you feel good about yourself. It's not not about that. You know what all the letters of the epistles are written for? Your maturity.
That we would grow up and be like Christ in every area of our lives. And there's there's all these areas like Paul will say to the Romans, like if you've got this gift walk in it, if you got this gift walk in it, if it's leadership, if it's acts of service, if it's generosity walk in it. Why? Because we all need to see other people walking in maturity. So we learn what it looks like to walk in maturity in every area of our life. And the area that Jesus talks the most about
We don't. We don't tell each other about our finances. We don't share that. And maybe some of you are walking in amazing maturity, but we live in this culture where the enemy has lied to us and said, don't tell anyone about your generosity. And the church is poor spiritually because of that.
Paul doesn't do that. He says, want you to look at the Macedonian church. God has been pouring grace upon grace upon grace into that church. And I want it for you, Corinthians. I want it for you, Redemption Parker. This is I know, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. And then when he says next, just so doesn't make sense. It blows our minds how these things can be put together. Look what he says in the midst of a very
not just a trial, very severe trial. I don't know what that looks like. That sounds bad. If I'm in the midst of a very severe trial, what I think grace looks like is God taking me out of the very severe trial. That's what I'm praying for, right? Why wouldn't you? I don't think that's wrong. But listen what he says, in the midst of a very severe trial, there overflowing joy. What?
How do you have overflowing joy and severe trial? Well, it's not just that he says they're overflowing joy and their extreme poverty not just poverty Extreme poverty. This is like scraping by missing meals Just trying to survive to the next day kind of church Weld up in rich generosity what? What what do you mean?
We actually see this all the time because generosity shows up in our hearts long before it shows up in our hands. That those often that have the least have the most generous hearts. It just is. Maybe because they're not as tied to the things of this world. You can be greedy and poor, yes. But those that know Jesus, Paul says there's this grace that comes to us.
We don't think of our giving as God's grace to us. Here's the first truth. When we give, it's not only about a response to God's grace, as we often talk about, it is God's grace to us. When you give, it is God's grace to you. And if you've ever tasted the grace of God, genuinely, you want more of it.
And so that's the first thing that kind of blew my mind. This was God's grace. He says for I testify that they gave as much as they were able. And even beyond their ability. What? That's irresponsible. It feels irresponsible. Look at you have extreme poverty, affliction, persecution from the Roman government. You're barely getting by. And the church is like, got to give to the work of the Lord.
They have some some Christ likeness as we'll see that's why they're able to do it. Look what it says. They gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability entirely on their own.
They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service of the Lord's people. Imagine that conversation. Paul's just stopping by on his way back to Jerusalem. He's like Macedonian church I've heard about what's going on. just want to pray for you. Let's pray for God's abundant blessing to come in your life and like OK that's great. Yeah pray all that Paul but but we're going to take an offering. He's like no you don't take an offering. I see I see how you don't you're missing meals as it is. What do you mean take an offering.
I know Paul, you don't understand. Yeah, it's because we are so afflicted. It's because we're in such a severe trial that the grip of our hearts in this world has been released. We want to live for eternity. Do not rob us of this privilege to invest in eternity, Paul. And Paul's like, I can't argue with that. And he takes their offering.
It says, they urgently for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. Why were they able to do this? It says, and they exceeded our expectations. They gave themselves, here's why, first of all to the Lord. They gave themselves first of all to the Lord. If we do that, we're good.
But like, imagine giving so generously that you like miss so many meals, you starve to death. And you wake up in heaven and you go, whoops.
Right?
They gave them all first of all to the Lord and then by the will of God also to us. So we urge Titus just as he had earlier made a beginning to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part Corinthians. The Corinthians had made a commitment. They said when you come back through we're going to give to the work of the Lord. And so he's sending Titus and he's like hey just to remember you made a commitment. Titus is coming but.
Think about the Macedonians and they says this, but since you excel in everything, you're growing and maturing as a church in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you. See that you also excel in this grace of giving.
The New Testament is calling us to mature and look like Jesus. And Paul's like, hey, you've got a lot of maturity, but you got a lot of ways to go. See that you excel in this grace of giving. This is not a suggestion, church. This is not, hey, if you get around to it, also mature in this area. Like, we gotta stop reading our Bibles like,
I'll do it out. This is the Lord's word. Do you believe that? Do believe this is commands from God for our joy? So the second truth that kind of blew my mind as I was just spending time in this is this, that what we give from is more important than what we give to.
What we give to is massively important. I'm not downplaying that at all. We've talked about we want to for the next generation for our neighbors and the nations to the 10th generation. Those are all things we're giving to. But Paul is showing something. What we give from from a heart radically transformed by the gospel is far more important than what we give to. This is what it means to be compelled by the love of Christ. That's why they did it because they gave first of all. But how because of the gospel. Look at verse nine.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich." This is the Gospel. This is Christmas. Right?
Jesus on His throne in glory looks down on His creation. Men and women made in His image living in rebellion and sin and under the just condemnation of God's wrath. And Jesus does not turn His eye and turn His back to us.
At just the right time he entered into our time and our space. He put on flesh. He's born to a penniless mother and father. He grows up in poverty. He grows up in obscurity. He goes public for three years to tell people about the kingdom of God. And then he goes to the cross. What we will observe this week. And he opens up his arms to show how much he loves the world. And his arms are nailed to the cross. And the one possession, his only earthly possession is then
Stripped from him his cloak so that he hangs naked to bear our shame on the cross he who was rich Became poor so that you and I could become rich forever Like this is why Jesus talks so much about money He's like listen live in such a way that you're living in light of your eternal future
Release the grip of this world to live for that world. I will give everything so that you can have an internal inheritance that you and I will be not only sons and daughters, kings and queens reigning and ruling forever. This is the gospel. This is the only way that we can have a heart transformed.
to reflect the kind of generosity Jesus gave us. Did you see the sequence? Do you see why it makes so much sense for the Macedonian church now to live and love and to give like this? Because they know it's God's grace. Again, we could go so much further. I don't have time for all that.
In a few moments, we're going to have a time of reflection before we make our commitments. But in chapter nine, maybe during that time, you can just read and reflect on verses six through the end of the chapter. But I'll just read the verses, just a few of them, six through eight. Paul writes this in chapter nine. Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.
Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver, a joyful giver. The word is Hilaron. He loves a hilarious giver. It should look crazy to the world. Our generosity. What are they? They're they're laughing. That looks like a cult.
They're laughing as they give away all their stuff.
You can argue with the text, that's what it says.
And then he says, and God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Again, our radars go up, hey, prosperity gospel, twist this and makes this wrong. it says, listen, this is not a prosperity gospel church. Don't put that on us.
This is just saying God has entrusted us not for ourselves, but for the sake of eternal kingdom with so much live in light of that. You know, last week we talked about to the 10th generation where David brings Solomon forward and brings all of Israel and he charges him. Hey, you're going to build this temple, do the work, be courageous, press on. And then in chapter 29, the next chapter.
David goes first and he gives extremely generously. And he had the means to do so. But then the leaders, they go and they give extremely generously. And then the people of all of Israel are like, we want in on this. And they give extremely generously. In that moment, they could have patted themselves on the back. They could have said, hey, we're good. Look at us. Look how generous we are. And David in his prayer is just overwhelmed by this reality. says this.
In 1 Chronicles 29, 14 and 16. But who am I? And who are my people that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you and we have given you only what comes from your hand. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your holy name comes from your hand and all of it belongs to you.
In a few moments when we drop our commitment cards in there, and God has blessed us differently and released generosity and different hearts, I get all that. But whatever number you put on there, know this, God gave that to you. God entrusted that to you. You didn't just come up with that.
God gave that to us. So how does God's grace flow to us through our generosity? Let me say there's probably 10,000 ways, but let me just give you a few examples. Because we no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and was raised for us. That's God's grace to us. Because we realize that all we have is from God and for God and to God. That's God's grace to us. Because our generosity releases our grip on idols that promise security, control, and comfort that only God can give us.
Because we get to be a conduit of God's grace to others. We're not just redeemed, we are active participants in God's redemption in the world. That's God's grace to us. Because we get to invest in eternal things with a guaranteed return. This was all Jesus' whole point in Matthew chapter 6. A guaranteed return.
Because God's joy and gratitude flood our hearts and our minds when we give out of the overflow of God's love toward us in Christ. That is God's grace to us.
I want us to just reflect right now just on two questions. In light of these chapters, in light of the gospel, in light of being compelled by the love of Christ, the first one is this. Is my heart captured by the gospel? Is it captured by the gospel so that I can give with joy? Just think about that because it's going to come off. But is my heart captured by the gospel? Maybe you're like, I don't know if it is.
And that's where we pray that prayer that that man prayed to Jesus. Lord, I believe help my unbelief. I want to be there. I'm just not there. So Jesus will meet you in that spot. Is my heart captured by the gospel? And the second question is, do I trust God as the supplier of everything I have and everything I get? Like, no, no, no, I worked very hard for all this and I'm sure you did.
But you were born in the fourth century on a mountaintop in Nepal, how much would you have then? God has given you the circumstances of your life to bless you to be a blessing. So, do I trust God as the supplier of everything I have and everything I give? A few weeks ago, we had an incredible night.
It's called Advanced Commitment Night. In fact, I'm going to show a video here in just a second. Grant, you can go ahead and turn off the lights and drop that so they can actually see the people. But about 100 of us gathered over at the land to pray and to worship and to just go forward, just to spur one another on.
and it was an amazing night in our time. heard testimonies of people, what God was doing in their hearts, and so we wanted to encourage you with some of those testimonies, and so I'll let the video show you those.
The compelled initiative to us just means a place for us to call home. We've been searching for home and a place for our kids to feel at home. That's what Redemption Parker's been for us and we desire and long for the city of Parker to find home, a place where they belong and it's in God's kingdom.
Our commitment tonight just means that we're investing in Parker and our neighbors and our community. And we feel like our commitment is a way to be able to lean into our neighbors now and to the next generations. Being here tonight was really powerful, just being with everybody. And I got emotional at one point just thinking of the generations to come. Felt so full of faith and excitement of what the Lord is going to do for years to come.
This Compel campaign to me means that God is faithful to answer my prayer, to give me a glad and generous heart, and truly carry the Spirit of God into all areas of the world and into Parker. My Compel commitment means that I get to love the community I grew up in. Our Compel commitment means putting down roots where our kids and family will be known and loved and poured into, and getting to provide that opportunity for many more families to come.
Being here tonight has just been such a sweet time to just be with the body of believers here, people that have been here for days to weeks to months to years, and just see God's vision for the city of Parker, for this plot of land, for the neighbors around us, and just the opportunity to just to dig deep and to reach the lost that are just in the city around us.
This is just a step of faith that God will continue to provide for our needs while he uses RP to provide for so many people in this community. And that's where we're trusting God for through this. This compelled commitment means to us a place to know and be known, a place to establish roots for our children and their children and future generations. Being here tonight just meant so much. Being close to the land, lifting our voices together as a church family was just so beautiful.
and to get to have that vision cast into the future. I'm just so excited to be a part of this.
My family's compelled commitment means stepping into something bigger than ourselves, being a part of something bigger than ourselves. It is so exciting to think that if we all get together and we all use our resources, we all use our time, what is God gonna build out of that? That's one of the most exciting opportunities you could have with your money, with your time, with everything that everybody gives to this church. And in three or four or five years down the road, we're gonna look back and we're gonna be proud of what God built.
Being here tonight was an amazing experience, just being able to sing out in this beautiful creation, again, seeing mountains around us and snow around us, and just feeling God's presence. We're just like, this is where we belong. And so we feel compelled and are committed.
One year ago, almost to the exact date, we walked into RP not knowing what to expect and we were greeted with an amount of warmth and kindness that compelled us to come back. And standing here one year later, we have been compelled to give back to this church, hoping that future generations are able to feel the same way that we have felt for the past year.
Compelled For The 10th Generation
AI Transcript
I have been absolutely sharpened by the women and it's a gift. Like we are not called to be alone. We are called to community. We're called to spur one another on, to encourage one another in truth and faith. And sometimes we feel like we don't have that faith and so we borrow it from sisters. The friendships and the relationships that I have are so interwoven. These are the people we're doing life with and really
all because God used Redemption Parker for a platform for his purposes and his people. And so we give because he's given much and we show up for one another because he's called us to community. And I think if you sit long enough in that body and you show up and you're vulnerable, you taste that. You just don't turn away because where else shall we go? Because there are women before me that showed up to prod and to poke.
and to remind me of truth and God's Word. When I really didn't probably have that to stand on alone and reminded to cling to the cross and to show up and to pour out for women because there are so many who showed up and poured out for me. The women's ministry, I guess if I had to sum it up in a couple of words, would just be sisters supporting one another in Christ. And that's what we do. And sometimes it looks really messy.
but that's where God, I think, does the beautiful work of what he does.
The way that RP's made a big difference in our life, just as a husband, as a father, coming into this church, the men's ministry, and the way that the men have come around and just connected with each other and engaged with as a father, as a husband, and to be able to connect with them. What they're going through, what I'm going through, has just been such a unique experience of vulnerability. It's not just a Bible study where we're going and we're learning and doing that. We're actually
living life together and engaging with each other and immersing ourselves in each other's lives in a way that's been just super fruitful for me in many ways and for my marriage and for my ability to be a great dad. With what Men's Ministry has done for me in my life, I feel compelled to just engage in other men's life to be able to share as much of what God's given to me with them. As I look at Redemption Parker and the next two years in this compelled initiative, definitely convicted on how am I giving.
Am I giving sacrificially? Am I giving generously? You can I give more? And then I go to the place of can I give more of my time, more of my energy? You what does that look like? Stirred up some really great conversation with my wife and I, just how do we be more involved and engaged with what we're doing at RP and how do we dig in just deeper?
Amen. good morning. Morning. Welcome. And if you are new here, welcome. If you're just joining us, we are in week five of six of our compelled series, which really is just a launching point to what we believe God is calling us to for the next couple of years in discipleship to go deeper in our relationship with Christ, to go wider on our mission with Christ and to go forward into what God is calling us to. So if you
don't have a series guide, you can get one on your way out at the compelled table, but we are on page 60 of that today. If you're just now joining us, you can begin to turn there. I'd like to start a question. It's a question I like to ask people that I know, strangers. I asked the guy I was playing tennis with yesterday this question, and it's this, have you read any good books so far this year? What's the best book, or maybe if you're not a reader,
What's the best movie that you've seen so far this year or what's the best TV show? So, so I'm going to ask that of you. This is an all play. Anyone want to be bold enough to say what's the best book you've read so far in 2026? Anyone? What's that? That's mine too. I'll get to that in a second. Anyone else? Second, that one. I'm about the third, that one. But what else we got here? Okay. Bye.
Dallas Willard, good. What'd you like about it?
Amen. It's a good one. Anyone else? Any novels or anything? Yeah.
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Yes. Let's just go Roman. What was that stat like? Men think about the Roman Empire every seven minutes or something like that? Yeah, Lucas. What do got?
Okay, you guys are too theological. Can we get more? That's a great one, by the way. I love it. How about some novels? I'm actually, I'm doing this whole thing with stories. That's where I'm going with this. How about stories? Any stories? Yeah.
the new PBS County Monte Cristo. Awesome. Who said Emma? Yes, I knew if you asked my wife, she would say, the unselected journals of Emma Lyons. Did I say it right? Yeah, I did not read it, but. And Ryan seconds that. I've heard about it and I'm like, I've got read that one, but she's rereading them. So I'll wake up at like three in the morning. She's just reading the book again. I'm like, what are you doing? All right. Well,
If I was Dancer, I would say Theo of Golden. I didn't know anything about it. I was on Amazon looking for another book and I said, what is this 4.8 stars with 60,000 reviews? I'm going to check that. That's not always a great indicator, but sometimes it is. And so I started to read the book and I was like, what is this? And I was amazed by it. I'm amazed by the story of the author, that in itself. He was 67 years old. It's his first novel.
What I loved about the book is it, more than many books that I know, most books that I know, it consistently elevates the imago de, the value of humanity in every person, regardless of socioeconomic, religious background, regardless of their successes and failures. Like this book consistently put before the reader the value of all people. And so,
I'm reading it and enjoying it and I'm like, hey, this is, I didn't cut onions. Why is my face leaking? What's going on here? I don't do this when I read it. It's a story, just a story. But there's something about stories that we were made for. Like we enter into stories. Stories actually help us see the world. They help us order the world. They help us tell us where we come from and where we are going. I'm always encouraging.
especially young pastors. like, hey, you're in seminary, you're going to read plenty of theology and you should, but you should read novels. You should enter into the experiences of others that you won't have to see through their eyes. It'll help you be a better pastor. And so I love stories for that reason, but I love it because we obviously are unique in all of creation because we are storytellers.
In the Latin, sometimes humans get described as homo sapiens or thinking or reasoning man. But then you look at the world and you're like, not everyone's a thinking or reasoning man. Maybe that's not the best description. But there is another one, homo nerons. We are storytelling men and women. is across time, across culture, across space. Wherever you find humans, you're going to find story. It's our attempt to try to make sense of our lives.
of the world and it makes sense because we are created by a storytelling God. We've said this throughout this series that that that God is telling a story. It's an eternal story and in this time and in this place we've been invited into the story. We've been invited to live a story in such a way that honors him. All of us all of us have stories. In fact God
is encourages his people. One of the gifts that he gave to his people through the Israelites is the spiritual discipline of remembering stories to be storytellers and story keepers. We see this throughout the history of God interaction with humanity. So, for example, whenever God does an amazing rescuing work, he'll have like a festival and a
feast set up so that every year the people will come back and remember it the Israelites the Jewish people have been trained from millennia past to thank generationally backward and forward not to live just for this their particular moment but to live in light of the story of God and so you have things like the Passover that are remembered every year
Another example in Joshua chapter three, as the Israelites are are gathered to go into the promised land there, they have to cross over the Jordan River a million strong. The problem is there's no bridges. And it's the time of the year in springtime where the snowmelt has run off. So it's in flood stage. It's a raging river. And God says to Joshua and to the people, you're going to cross the river, bring the the priest and the Ark of the Covenant.
And when you step into the river, I will stop it. but but they they it's just rushing and they have to take a step of faith into a rushing river. And in the moment they step onto the water, it stops. And the Israelites cross over the Jordan, not unlike what happened at the Red Sea. And they cross over. And as they as the waters all piling up, God tells Joshua, go take 12 stones from the center of
river and take those to this town called Gilgal and then stack them up, stack them high so that when your children come and they see this stack they say, what is that? Let me tell you the story because God wants us to remember stories and he says and then those children should tell their children, those children should tell their children for generations remember this event and in Joshua chapter 4 it says this, he did this so that
all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful so that you might always fear the Lord our God. God wants us to remember and to hope. Remember what he's done and to remember what he's promised. There's a backward looking thing through generations and a forward looking thing to generations. There's remembering and hope. And so all of our lives
telling a story. And like Theo of Golden, I'm just reminded that every person here who bears the image of God, you come in here in the midst of a story. Your life has experiences, successes and failures, sins and triumphs. Like you have a story and the stories matter to God because people matter to God. Every person here has a story. And now you've
joined with us for a time, maybe for years, hopefully for decades, but your story will continue after my time with you. But I want to recognize that you have a story and God's not done with your story. And the question is, the question is, is it a good story? Is your life a good story? If your life was on display, on a movie, and at this point in your life, the crowd is watching the story of your life,
Are they cheering for you or against you? Right? Like what is the audience saying to you if they're in the crowd watching your story? Like, come on, get on with it. Or like, hey, go ask the girl or go do the thing. Like, what are you waiting for? What is the story of your life and how do you live in light of the story? God is inviting us into to change, not change, but
but to exchange the story of our lives just being the center point to enter into His eternal story. So we tell stories. We tell stories with our lives. We tell stories with our family. Your family has a story and our faith family has a story. We're journeying together to try to tell the story of God through Redemption Parker in this time and in this place. And today,
our series, if you look at chapter 60, we are looking at this idea that we are compelled by the love of Christ, this is 2nd Corinthians 5 14, we are compelled by the love of Christ to live a story such that ten generations from now those faith siblings and sons and daughters will be blessed by what we do in this moment. Because if you watch a movie and read a book, not all parts of the movie and not all parts of the book
are equal. are inflection points, right? There are moments where it's make or break and God has called us to an inflection point. This has been brewing for several years but a few years ago I was talking to a friend. He's an Axe 29 pastor up in Lafayette, Colorado. His name is Brad Edwards and unlike you and me, I promise you none of us know who are
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to the 10th generation. And when you study American history and you see actually those prayers were effective. Amazing lineage of doctors and pastors and a vice president and all these things come from Jonathan Edwards all the way through 10 generations. But on the 11th generation, Brad's dad wants nothing to do with the Lord. Rejected the Lord, didn't want to follow in any of that.
And Brad was the same but he was in college. He was a skeptic and an atheist and he liked to make fun of Christians but the Lord rescued and redeemed him. And now he's a church planter up in Lafayette and he says I'm praying now to the 10th generation. To which my daughters are like why don't you just pray for more generations that. My 10 is pretty good. 10 is pretty good. And today we're looking at that. What does it mean to live for the 10th generation. It's all.
launching from this passage, 2nd Corinthians 5, for Christ's love compels us. This is the fuel for all of our Christian's life or should be. then he begins to unpack various ways that that love should compel the way we live. And in 2nd Corinthians 5, 15, says, he Christ died for all that those who live or this is speaking spiritually, that those have been rescued and redeemed have
are no longer spiritually dead but are alive. Those that have entered into the story of God. That those who live should no longer live for themselves. The story should not be about themselves. We shouldn't be the main characters in the story. Should no longer live for themselves but for Him. His story. For the story of Jesus who died for them and was raised again. This is what it means to be a Christian.
We don't live for ourselves. We live for the story of God. And in this case, we live to the 10th generation. So if you have your series guide, you can turn over a couple of pages to page 62. And the passage we're going to go a little deeper in is at 1 Chronicles chapter 28. Let me set the scene a little bit for you on this a little bit before we see what's happening here. In 2 Samuel chapter 7,
David King David is coming towards the end of his life with with triumphs and tragedies in his life. But overall a man who's been just absolutely compelled by who God is. But at the end of his life he's he's in his palace in Jerusalem and he's looking out and his palace is nice. He's got his abundantly blessed him. He's looking at the the cedar planks in his palace and and in second Samuel chapter seven or I'm sorry.
What did I say? Second Samuel 7 to. He looks out and he sees the tabernacle. The tabernacle was given to the people of God at the time of Moses as they were wandering around the wilderness and it was the place where God's manifest presence would come down at the Ark of the Covenant. And it was a place where where people could could meet with God. Prayers could be offered. Sacrifices could be offered. But but now it's hundreds of years later and the tabernacle.
It is still there, but it's it looks shabby compared to King David's palace. David says, Who am I that I live in a palace with cedar walls and God has a tent. And so he has this idea and he goes to the prophet Nathan and he says, I want to build a temple. And Nathan's like, that sounds like a great idea. Go for it. But that night, Nathan has a dream and and God comes to Nathanials.
Is it Nathan or Nathan? Nathan, sorry. Nathan. I'm thinking of a different story. It comes to Nathan and says, David wants to build a house for me. don't live in a house built by human hands, but I understand the impulse. He's not going to build my house. I'm going to build his house. And in it, we get what's called the divinic covenant where God says, on the throne of David, I will
Set my ruler forever. We know that's the Messiah. We know it's King Jesus gets eventually fulfills that role and so eventually Nathan comes and tells David that hey you think you're gonna bless God God's gonna bless you but your heart and your impulse is right, but Given your history you have blood on your hands Nathan David. You're not the guy to build the temple. It'll be your son Solomon
And so for the rest of his life and the rest of his days we see David leveraging himself and his country and his people and his own resources such that he's going to bless the people of God to the 10th generation. He gets all the designs for the temple he begins to make plans for it but he knows that it's Solomon that's going to do that. And so he calls Solomon to him and all of Israel. And this is where we pick up.
the scene in first Chronicles 28 verse eight. says So now I charge you in the sight of all of Israel and in the assembly of the Lord and in the hearing of our God. He doesn't just call Solomon into his private chambers and say hey son you should probably do this that would really honor the Lord. No there is a inflection moment in the life of Israel. There's.
There's some weight to this moment. And so he calls Solomon to stand before him. He calls every Israelite, the massive crowd, to come stand before him. It says God is there. There's weight on not just Solomon's shoulders here, but all of Israel will see that there's weight on them. Will they meet the moment that God has called them to? And he says this, be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land.
It's an echo of last week Deuteronomy 6. Be careful to follow the commands. The commands are not for restricting your joy, but they are pathways for your joy. So be careful. This matters. He says that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. Like live in such a way that you're going to bless.
generation after generation after generation to come. And then in verse nine he says, you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your fathers. But like be Godward facing. Have what the reformers called the sense of quorum Deo. Live before the face of God as if God is looking at, and he is.
at all of your lives and all of your thoughts and intentions and desires. And he says this, acknowledge the God of your father, serve him with wholehearted devotion, with a willing mind. For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Again, it's a echo of Deuteronomy 6, the Shema, love the Lord your God with all your heart.
with all your mind and with all your soul. But here's the thing. That is true for all. That command is true for all of us. But it doesn't just happen. Like the spiritual entropy of our lives is not to move more towards a wholehearted devotion to the Lord. It's not to want to go deep in our knowledge of who God is. It is not to love our neighbors of ourselves. No, that's not how...
this fallen world is. Like if you just think this is going to happen, it's never just going to happen. This is why through the ages, God's people have said, no, we're not going to be led by our hearts. We're going to lead our hearts. We're not going to just allow the culture around us to determine what's true. We're going to study what's true. We're going to enter into some spiritual disciplines. We're going to organize our lives so that we do love God with our whole hearts.
that we do know who God is in this study, that there is some discipline in our lives. Again, not to rob us of joy, but to lead us on a pathway to deeper joy in who God is. And so he commands, he charges Solomon. This whole thing begins with our relationship with God and our hearts. He says this, verse 10, consider now, feel the weight of this moment, consider now for the Lord
has chosen you. is no small thing Solomon. This is no small thing Israel that that you would build a space where people will meet with the living God of the universe. That this will be a space where where prayers will be offered up by the priests. This will be a space where sacrifices will be made for sin. This will be a space where the nations will come and learn that there is a
living God in the universe. So don't take this lightly. Consider now for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary.
Again, this is an inflection point in the story of God's people. What will they do? He says, be strong and do the work. Be strong and do the work. Like the easy thing is always to punt the work, right? For anything in our life, anything worth having, the easy thing is like, I'll get to it later. Or, yeah, I know that's important. Maybe someone after me will be faithful and do that, but I'm just going to kind of coast.
Again, that's what our natural cells want. But he's charging like, this is an important moment. Be strong, do the work. then drop down into verse 20, he repeats himself. David also said to Solomon his son, be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged. He just repeat because he knows this is going to be difficult. He knows on so many levels this is going to be difficult spiritually.
This is going to be difficult relationally. This is going to be difficult financially. In every way this is going to be hard. There's going to be opposition. And so he's just saying don't worry. Be strong. Be courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be discouraged. And then he gives them the ultimate reason that Solomon and all of Israel can have hope. The ultimate reason that you and I can have hope today. He says this for the Lord God. My God is with you.
This is, again,
Because David knows the story of God, he knows that this is true. How can we be strong and courageous? How can we know that we can be successful, not in our own strength and our own wisdom and our own resources, but because God is with us. This is the promise of God for the people of God. Immanuel, God with us. And so he knows this. He knows the story. He knows what Moses wrote about Abram.
and the faithfulness of God in his life. He knows what happened to Joseph in a prison cell in Egypt, and God was faithful. He knows about Moses and God leading the people out of slavery in Egypt across the Red Sea. He knows about Joshua conquering the promised land. He knows not just of the story, he knows by experience. Do you know by experience that God is with you?
David knew. David knew that as a young boy, someone came and put oil on his head and said, you're going to be king over Israel. And then one day he finds himself in the middle of a field with armies on both sides and a giant standing before him. And he's got a sling and some stones. And he knows from experience that God is with him. David knows that even as his life progressed and enemies were always
seeking his life, always trying to take him out. God was with him. David even knows that when he was faithless, God was faithful. When he sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah and all of Israel and against his God, God was with him. God was faithful. And so when David says, be strong and courageous for the Lord, my God is with you, he speaks from personal experience.
My God is with you. I know God is able to do far more abundantly than we can think, ask or imagine. God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. I know it's going to be hard, Solomon. I know it's going to be expensive. I know it's going to be dangerous. I know there's going to be opposition. know that the enemy hates this, but God is with you. God will not forsake you. He will not fail you.
and to all the work of the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. Redemption Parker, God is with us. We know because we have the Bible, we have this story, but we also know from experience of nine years as a faith family, God has constantly met us in these spaces. so borrowing on those things, we know He will also be with us in the future. So we're at this inflection point.
Again, all of our lives is telling a story and every story says something about what we believe. Your story is communicating something. Your family is communicating something. But not just that. Did you know the spaces we build tell stories, right? I could go into any one of your homes without you being there and I could learn something of you and your story just by the way that you decorate. I could look and see,
This is what they value. is how they arrange their home. This is how they arrange their office. This is what's on their walls. This is what's in their kitchen. We all have a theology of place. And you guys have great theologies of place. I've been in your homes. You're telling a story. Why? Because you know that space matters. know, gathering isn't just gathering, but that space matters. And so even as a faith family, we want to tell...
a We want to tell a true story. We want our space to reflect what we believe. This is why we're actually so grateful that we get to build from the ground up and begin to tell a story. What is the story we want to tell? We want to tell a story that is consistent with what we believe about God, what's distinct about us.
what our values are. And so we value the welcome of Christ. And so how do you in your architecture design the welcome of Christ? you design a hospitable place, a place where people will come in, where there's natural light, people can have conversations, where you design places so that when moms and dads take their kids to the kids room, they say, this church cares about the children. They've been intentional about their
space. We want a place that promotes authentic community because that's one of our values. And so you can go on our website and go to Compel and look at the building. There's a courtyard and there's a kitchen and we'll share meals together. We want a space that lifts our eyes in worship. We've designed the sanctuary such that it is full of natural light. Why? That's intentional.
We could build a box in some churches. That's what they want. They want to control the environment. But we are the people of light. And so we want to see each other. We want to see image bearers worshiping God because they've been rescued and redeemed. Like everything is intentional. We have classrooms. Why? Because we believe in going deeper, knowing God with our heart, soul, mind and strength so that our Redemption Institute can have a...
programs and classes and even certificates so that we are a church that is disciplined in our pursuit of God. Everything is intentional. God is with us. Do the work. When I graduated from seminary a month after graduating we moved with our six month old to Japan to do military ministry and it was on base but also off base.
We were in this building, I have a picture. This was a few years into it. We've got three of our kids here.
And so we would go to this. This is our church and connected to it was our house. And we had another house behind that that like interns and others would stay and we have dinner every every Friday night and we would have coffee and worship and Bible said all these things. And then I got to just have a front row seat for the work of God in young military men and women and their families and their children just.
for 10 years. I got to learn how to preach and they put up with me and I got to see so many people give their life to Christ. I got to baptize so many men and women. Like it was just a privilege, privilege, privilege. Every week we gathered in this space. It's because in the 1950s, 75 years ago, there were some Christians, missionaries that were like, hey, we want to reach military families.
We want to share the gospel and our lives with military people. And so they sacrificed. They sacrificed greatly. They ran the numbers if you were to account for inflation, inflation. They on the island of Okinawa went to other military people and they gathered together. They went to the chapel. They went to the Navy Seabees to help them build this. They raised about four point five million dollars, actually, if you run the numbers.
And they built this space. And every week we I gather now generations later and even now that I'm gone for the last 10 years there's still many of the people that are leading this place. And every week people come into a space and hear the gospel and people are being rescued and redeemed every week. It's because of a generation that was before them that they never met and never knew. And they were the recipients of that blessing. Church that's all I'm asking us to do.
Let us be for others what others have been for us. You know, for the first six years of Redemption Parker, I wasn't paid by you guys at all. You know who paid my salary? Other people that supported us as missionaries. Because they wanted to bless you even though you don't know it. Because those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and gave Himself up for. This is where we're at. So.
I have two requests this week. Next week is our commitment Sunday where we will culminate and as God's people celebrate and come together and say this is what the Lord has called us to do, where we will make our commitments. Our goal is 100 % engagement. Whatever the Lord has for you, whatever it is that you would come and do two things. You would show up, pray up and show up. This is an important moment.
in the life and the story of our church. So would you pray? Would you just ask the Lord to show you what is your role in the story of God in this moment and the story of God at Redemption Park? Just pray about it. But not just for yourself. Would you pray about for our whole church? Would you pray for others? Would you ask the Lord to move in them in such a way that there is a joyful unreleasing so that we can bless the 10th generation?
And then next week, would you just show up excited and expectant for God to meet us in this space so that 10 generations from now, people will look back and say, that was a moment where God's people blessed us. Amen. Let me pray for us to that end.
Compelled for the Next Generation
We have every week an average of 102 kids from birth to fifth grade check in to our children's ministry. Our mission is to partner with parents to make disciples of their children for the glory of God and the joy of all people. And so that looks like specific classes for kids on Sunday mornings where we are intentionally teaching them scripture and who God is and what community looks like.
and then coming alongside parents and supporting them as they disciple their children. They are amazing. They are energetic. They're fun. They're curious. They have amazing questions, and that has been one of my favorite parts. I am compelled to continue to invest in Redemption Parker because of the impact I've already seen it make in the lives of its members and also children specifically. Investing in the next generation,
by different means such as a building will help us meet the needs of children more specifically. Things like having appropriately sized chairs for them to sit in, things that we can't do now in the space that we have, we will be able to really help children belong in a new building.
spiritually significant moment within the youth. We just had our youth retreat and it was wonderful. We spent so much time together. It was freezing outside, but we still played games outside. We worshipped. We had multiple leaders who spoke. We had lots of breakout time. Probably the most moving piece of that is before we dismissed everyone to go home.
We had everyone wait in the chapel and we called each kid out one by one and a leader would just ask them, how are you doing? How can I pray for you? And then we just spent probably about an hour praying for kids as they came out. There is so much spiritual hunger and there are gonna be a lot of voices telling them which way that they should take that spiritual hunger and so I'm excited to, with the rest of the leaders, point them back to truth and to the Lord. What excites me about the future of RP and this compel specifically for our youth is that
You can point to pretty much any person who is a believer and say that at some point someone decided to invest in them. This is a place where you can be seen, known, and loved, and at the same time we're pointing them back to the truth and the goodness of the gospel.
So we've had seasons where we're the recipients of other people's mentoring and prayer and support and counsel, and then seasons that we're able to offer that. And that is a culture that's really promoted at redemption. And there's something really powerful about just sitting down and asking questions and hearing the pain points, the difficulties, the struggles and the sufferings of those around us as they try to raise kids or as they try to...
deal with the blocks that are between them and their marriage. In the time that we've been at RP, there is a depth of community, which is a gift to a world that is just drowning in loneliness and drowning in disconnection. And so the thought that that community impact could be greater with possibly a building that we can use seven days a week and just more impact and more events that we can reach people. I think we have this treasure of community and everywhere I go.
In our town, I see lonely, disconnected people and kind of feel like I'm eating at a feast and there's all these hungry people and so we have a feast of community that excites me the most about our culture at Redemption. I'm compelled and driven by the need to build a Christian kingdom and community that the next generation can be excited.
Deuteronomy 6 page 58. In this series, our hope is, as we are at this crossroads moment in the life of our church, is we're pressing on to what God is calling us to. We are pressing on, fueled by, compelled by the love of Christ. And so that the aim and the goal is that everyone that would in any way, shape or form call Redemption Park or their church home, or that's the church I go to, that there would be
100 % engagement that you would lean in into this moment and be a part of what God is calling this church too. So that's our main goal. Our secondary goal is to move forward in faith and in providing to go deeper, wider and forward to build a building. Our goal is $4.5 million for that. I just wanted to say that last week on Sunday night when the weather was much, much better than this, we had our
Advanced Commitment Night. And so about a hundred of you went out there and we prayed at the land, we worshiped, we thanked God for what He was doing. And then just in an incredible way, those that went first really went first sacrificially. I just want to say, because we want 100 % engagement, we're not telling any numbers yet, because that'll be on March 29th when all of us can make our commitments. But those that led out first...
have led out in a tremendous way. You should be encouraged as you think about making your engagement on March 29th. So, yeah, just wanted to give you a quick update on that. We know that in the Bible that Jesus loves the little children. He has a particular affection for the youngest image bearers. You can read about this in Matthew 18, Matthew 25, and other places.
And as we looked at this compelled initiative, we looked at this particular week and this particular message and the reason for this week that we are compelled for the next generation as probably the major catalyst for what we feel God is calling us to do, to be a church that is compelled to reach one more, one more generation. When I was in seminary, I studied in addition just the general pastoral ministry, I studied
missiology. That's just the theology of mission. How does the gospel spread across language and culture and nations and generations? And so when you do that, you kind of, you go into a place and you try to figure out what are the idols of that culture and then also what are the pathways or keys that unlock the gospel in that culture. So,
First went overseas to Japan, but I was working with American military, and so I had to learn military language. It really is their own language, their own culture, their own values, and then I could begin to do ministry among the military. When we moved to the Czech Republic, I had to learn Czech culture and language and history and learn what are the pathways to bring the gospel there. For example, as a man trying to reach other men in the Czech Republic, I learned
that I needed to learn how to enjoy having a good beer. So I would hang out at the pub and that's where Czechs will talk about spiritual things. For the youth, it might be at a dodgeball game, but for Czechs, it's at the pub. When we moved back here to Parker, Colorado, the idea was we would probably be moving overseas again soon, but it didn't take long to realize that...
Actually, from a missiological perspective, there was a massive need in our community that 67 % of our neighbors marked on the census that they have no religion whatsoever, that less than 5 % of our neighbors are connected in any way to a gospel preaching church. And then you start to think, okay, well, what is the pathway to unlock the gospel here? And this question...
came to my mind as I was preparing this week and it was this, what if the most important thing about our lives and about our church is not what we do, but who we raise? I'll say it again, what if the most important thing we do in our lives and our church is not what we do or let me say that again, what if the most important thing about our lives and about our church is not what we do, but who we raise? I do think it is
pathway to the gospel for so many of our neighbors. People love their children here. They might love their children out of order and when you have disordered loves, when you love your children out of order, then they become idols and you crush them or they crush you. They make terrible gods, but they love their children. So how do we come alongside them and help them? How do we come alongside one another and help one another? See, there is a promise
and there is a curse in our community. And the promise of Parker, Colorado is come to Parker and you and your family, especially your kids, can have it all. There's all sorts of sports. You can play baseball and soccer and basketball. There's all sorts of travel teams and there's all sorts of other clubs and dance and gymnastics and chess clubs and mathletes and private schools and good public schools and charter schools.
And homeschools, you can do it all. You can send them to early college. You can do it all here. And that seems like a promise, but it turns into a curse because the curse is not only can you do it all, there's a cultural pressure on our neighbors and on ourselves because we breathe the same air. There's a cultural pressure that says this, make sure you do do it all. Make sure you provide everything for your kids.
Make sure that they get every opportunity. And then there's just pressure upon pressure and pressure because there's so much. And what we find in this disordered love kind of culture we live in, that that kids are being worshiped instead of discipled. We give it all. We lay down our lives. We're constantly moving across town like taxi drivers to get them from one place to the other. I love this quote. I've been saying this quote a lot.
people during this compelled initiative. One of my favorite philosophers and theologians, an Irish guy by the name of Oz Guinness, he says this, the trouble is that as modern people we have too much to live with and too little to live for. And I thought that captures Parker Colorado. We have too much to live with. There's so much and not enough to live for.
We feel like we're juggling all the balls. Juggle the balls, juggle the sports and the activities and the academics and make sure you go to the right school so you can get the right job and make the right money and marry the right people and do the right sports and travel to the right things. And you're juggling all these balls. And again, this is the cultural air we breathe. So we feel this pressure as well. But maybe there's even more because in our mindset, maybe you come in here, you're juggling the balls and you're like, we got to make...
because we got to make sure we get our kids fully complete. We got to throw one more ball in there. Make sure they have the God ball so you can throw God and sports and academics and all the activities and play dates and all that stuff. And it just is overwhelming. And eventually you feel like you're just going to drop the ball. The good news is that God is not just another ball to juggle today. Today's passage is
It's going to be challenging, but I hope ultimately freeing. It's challenging because it resets a whole paradigm for our church. It's going to say, stop juggling the balls. Stop going after all the things. And it's going to be freeing because ultimately if we can arrive to what God's Word has us today, we'll feel like, there's some pressure that's off. That's my hope. My hope is that you would be encouraged today, especially
if you feel that pressure, if you feel like you can't keep the balls all in the air. Well, if you have your Bible, it's Deuteronomy chapter six, one of the most famous passages in all of the Old Testament. In it, it has a prayer that observant Jews today will still pray twice a day. Some say it's the most prayed prayer in the history of humanity. We'll pick it up in verse one. It says,
These are the commands decrees and laws the lord your god directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you're crossing the jordan to possess. So let me give you some context. This is deuteronomy the deuteronomy that's that that means twice or or second law. It's the second giving of the law. So after israel comes out of egypt and they wander that they get the the law given to him the ten commandments and others in in exodus 20
They are faithless and so God does not let them go into the promised land and that generation now has passed away and now they are standing on the edge of the promised land the land that we'll see is flowing with milk and honey this land of blessing and opportunity of promise from God as they're standing on the the precipice of that land God has Moses give a second law that's Deuteronomy the second law to give it to the new generation
So that's the context. then it says in verse two, so that so observe these so that you your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you may may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you and so that you may enjoy long life. He gives them these
these laws not to oppress them or to hold them back with but he gives them this command from one generation to the next generation to the next generation. You see that in the text. So again I said this thought this this week faith is not something that just happens to you. Faith is something that should happen through you. Okay so again faith is not something that just happens to you but should happen through you.
Now we get this in almost every area, but in our ultra postmodern or even post postmodern world, sometimes you'll hear people say, well, I'm not going to force my faith on any of my kids. I'm just going to let them grow up and choose for themselves, which is dumb because here's why it's dumb. You wouldn't do that with any other area of your life. like, well, I'm not going to force math on my daughter. I'm going to grow up and when she's older, she can decide what math is for her. I'm not going to...
I'm not going to teach my kids how to read because I don't want to force my privilege on them. No, of course not. If it's true, you are meant to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac of faith, just like we talked about a few weeks ago. Love should not stop with us, but flow through us, and it flows to our children. So, says, make sure you pass this on. Make sure you prioritize the next generation as you go from one.
to the next, to the next with these laws. And he says, here Israel, and be careful to obey. Why? So that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors promised you. Again, this is the whole point of the law. The law is not to
constrict our joy and our flourishing but to lay out a pathway from God for our joy and for our flourishing. You have to stop thinking that God doesn't have your best in mind. He designed us and He designed us to flourish and His law was meant to lay out for them flourishing so that they go well with you, that you may flourish and increase greatly in the land flowing with milk and honey. And then He comes to
most famous prayer in the Old Testament at least, says this, hear, O Israel. That word hear there doesn't just mean listen up. It has this implication hear and obey. Apply this to your life. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is one. Now that phrase there is not merely a proof text for monotheism. That's not all it's doing there.
there's one God. We know that there is one God, but what it actually translates to is the Lord. Yahweh, our God, the Yahweh is one. What is he saying? He's saying that the Lord is not just one of many things that you should add to your life, one of the balls. It's not even just saying that the Lord is one as if the Lord should be the number one priority in your life. That's not what it's saying. It's saying the Lord is total, complete, comprehensive.
The Lord is the paper that your priorities go on. It is all encompassing. When you understand this, now you can begin to understand how to reorder your lives. This passage, this message is not so much a parenting message as much as a priorities message. Is the Lord one? Is He all encompassing? Is it the filter by which you judge and decide everything else in your life and your
If that sounds familiar, because Jesus quotes it in all of the Gospels. He says the entire law is summed up in this, that you love
Lord your guard with all your heart soul mind and strength and then he quotes Leviticus 19 and your neighbor as yourself if you do these things you are walking rightly before the Lord Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength but then he says impress them on your children or the ESV says teach them diligently again we are commanded to pass on the faith to be a
conduit of the faith to the next generation. This is impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk on the road. He says there's there's only two places where you need to really talk to your kids about the Lord inside the house and outside the house. So wherever you're at there if you're in one of those two places this is a moment for you to impress
upon your children the truth of God. And then he says there's only two times where you need to do this as well. When you lie down and when you get up when it's daylight and when it's dark outside check yourself and be like oh now is the time. Is it light outside? Yes. Then impress these things about your kids. Is it dark? Yes. Now is the time. Do you see it's supposed to be the the air of your of the culture of your home is one that you talk about and celebrate.
the things of God, the truth of God, who God is. You have conversations and those conversations look different depending on the age of your kids. But there is an intentionality here. And that again looks different at different seasons, but there's a constancy, an intentionality that goes with this. says, tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Today, all Orthodox Jews will have the teflon on their wrists and on their foreheads. But you can think of it more like, well, remember the book of Revelation, the mark on the hand and the mark on the head. What did it teach? what you do and what you think about. The law of the Lord should be worked out in our lives and what we do and how we think. Just this constant kind of focus. Again, the Lord once...
his people to flourish in the land flowing with milk and honey and to do so with so much cultural pressure from all the Canaanite gods that surround them that they would have to be ultra focused and shouldn't we as well? It says write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. It is not easy passing on the faith of the next generation.
And by the way, your kids are not saved by your faith, but God delights to use means for ends. And one of the means that God delights to use across time and space is the faith of the family passing on from one generation to the next. God wants our faith to be like setting up kindling around their hearts so that when the Holy Spirit comes and sparks a flame, it lights on fire. This is
our role. So, compelled by Christ's love, how should we, as a church and as parents, make disciples of the next generation? I think this passage calls us to consider the priorities of our home. Is God the one thing? Is a relationship with God the one thing, the paper where all the other priorities go on? Or
is God the one thing until something cooler comes along. God's the one thing, but what really matters is that you do really, really well in school.
See, I think we can betray ourselves by our actions and betray our words. We can tell our kids, hey, you God's the most important, but you know what's really important is that you become a professional baseball player. And so we're going to reorganize our whole lives around that. And so let's just talk about that for a moment. Your son's not becoming a professional baseball player. Rick tells me this all the time, and he coaches baseball and he was almost one.
but only 0.03 % of high school athletes will become professionals. But let's just say you do all the things, you travel to all the places. He's awesome. He does become, in fact, becomes an all-star, becomes the greatest of all time.
But you have not made the one thing the one thing. And Jesus says, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but to lose his soul? That would be a tragedy. To have your son in the Hall of Fame, but not in heaven with you. Again, we don't control the faith and there are plenty of believing Christian athletes. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it would be very, very difficult if the priorities of our home are not the one thing. It's hard.
There's no joy and no pain like raising children. So the second thing are you, you know, as we consider the priorities, are we partnering with the church to reach the next generation? We need to partner with the church, our student, our student volunteers and our youth leaders and the Sunday school teachers, they can speak into your children's hearts in ways that you can't.
Some of you are like, no, no, my kid will tell me everything and anything. Like, no, they won't. Let me ask you this. Did you tell your parents anything and everything? Well, no, because they were dorks. I'm like, well, you're the dork now. And they don't want to talk to you about these things. But we have people that love them and will talk to them. So the first one is priorities. Second one is the rhythms of your home. Are the rhythms of your home such that that that
The things of God are talked about that Jesus is celebrated. And again, that can look different for all sorts of different people. There are useful and helpful tools out there for some people like devotions and stuff like that that you could read. I never did that. I was a terrible devotion guy for several reasons. I was like, these are poorly written in my opinion. I have too much theology classes in from seminary. I'm like, no, that's heresy or
My kid will say something like that's heretical. We have a heretic in our home, Jennifer. Can we deal with this? But we but we did make it a rhythm, just a conversation of our home. Like it was a constant. What do you think about that? What do you know about that? And of course, as they get older, it becomes less didactic and more just like, let me ask you a question. and then biting your tongue when they say something crazy, that's OK. That's OK, because there's just
conversation that is flowing in the home. It said in our text, it says, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk on the road. We don't spend a lot of time walking on the road now, but you probably do spend a lot of time in your car. Is that a place where the Lord can begin to work and have conversation? My wife loved to drive my daughters to school in high school before they got their license because she loved to talk to them and to...
And I was like, should ride their bike to school. And they're like, no one rides their bike to school. I was like, I rode my bike to school. You can ride your bike to school. But Jennifer took advantage of that and talked to them and prayed with them in the road. You spend a lot of time with your kid in the road. We actually, one time we did a road trip and we were driving down to Florida and all the whole East Coast. And we had on repeat Shyland's lyrical theology.
Christian rap and and if you don't know the album, it's great because it's systematic theology in each song be like, okay kids Let me talk to you about the active obedience of Christ and what that means and how that is credited to your account And they learned systematic theology in the car. I'm just giving you some ideas here It says when you lie down and when you get up when my kids were little I a lot of my ministry was on base in Japan and
But they were homeschooled so they could stay up late and I'd come home and I would put them down probably the greatest for me the greatest time with my children and discipleship was just reading to them and I took advantage of their selfish little hearts that are like we don't want to go to sleep so read more theology to us dad let me ask you a thousand questions like it was just it would flow into these conversations and it started with like the Jesus storybook Bible or
or another age appropriate. went through Narnia and the Wingfeather series and we went through The Hobbit. So many books. I read Harry Potter to them. So some of you can leave now if you like. But we had conversations like, what do you think about this witchcraft? And then we talked about that and what was the worldview of that? And there was just conversations that came out of that. remember
There are age-appropriate systematic theologies. I remember going through one and just teaching about God's omnipresence, that God is everywhere. And then my three-year-old Zoe is like, you mean like God's in this room? I'm like, yeah, he's in this room. God's in our whole house? I'm like, yeah, he's in the whole house. And she goes.
He's a big boy. That's right. He is a big boy. That's right. That was the age appropriate. Right. Like it was just trying to pass on from one generation to the next generation to the next generation. Lastly, I would just say this. says this here. Israel doesn't say here. parents with kids ages zero to 18. This was an all play for the people of God. We all have a role, whether you're an empty nester.
You're single. You're a single mom. You don't have kids. You can be an aunt, an uncle, a grandparent. Like you have a role for the people of God to pass on faith to the next generation. This is not, oh, I went to Sunday and there was some sermon about kids and I don't have kids so I don't have to deal with it. No, this is you have a role to play. You can pray for the next generation. You can serve the next generation. You can...
join the youth or student ministry and help build up the next generation. So, RP, let's commit because we're compelled by the love of Christ to do whatever it takes to reach the next generation. And again, the most effective way to make disciples, study after study shows, is to reach the next generation. I read this week 72 % of Christians come to faith
before the age of 18. 72%. We should probably leverage 72 % of our energy and effort towards that just because it bears the most fruit. Here's another thing, parents. I read 95 % of the time that you will spend with your kids will be before the age of 18. That's where parents are like, know that the days are long, but the years are short.
The days are long, but the years are short. You have a window of opportunity to speak these truths into them. Matthew 18, Jesus says, brings children before him and he says, this is what it's like to enter the kingdom of heaven. If anyone will become like one of these little ones with faith like these little ones, they can enter the kingdom of heaven. But then he says this in verse six, he says, if anyone
causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. That's serious. She's like, do not cause the little ones to stumble. So she would ask, we should ask, how do we cause them to stumble? How do we cause the little ones in our homes to stumble? Again, part of it may be the priorities of our homes.
How do we cause little ones to stumble in our church? Well, for example, if we don't have enough strategic servants, we don't have enough space, we don't have the right facilities to disciple the kids God has brought to us to entrust to us. In the Christmas story, we read about there's no room for the inn, and that's a quaint little story. But when you tell a mama
who's coming to find God, hey, there's no room in the kids ministry. And we are very, close to that just because of safety and security. We're going to have to start turning parents away. Then we're causing little ones to stumble. We should do whatever it takes, compelled by the love of Christ to reach the next generation. This is why compelled is so important to us. This is why there's
urgency here. This is why we're asking you, would you please pray about your role on March 29th on our Commitment Sunday? Because what if the most important thing about our lives and about our church is not what we do, but who we raise? Amen. Let me pray for us to that end.
Compelled For Our Time And Our Place
AI Transcript
Hey, well welcome. Welcome to Redemption Park. you're new here, we're glad you're here. You're here at a good time. As Jen mentioned, we're week three of our series that is launching us for the next couple years into where God has us. We do have a series guide. If you weren't here the first couple weeks, Pastor Rick will pass that out. Just raise your hand and we'll get that to you if anyone needs that. No one needs that. Okay, you're good. If you're afraid to raise your hand, you can get one on your way out as well.
at the table. Well, yeah, in honor of Pastor Rick today, I'm wearing my Memento Mori shirt. Memento Mori means remember death from Psalm 90 verse 12. Teach us to number our days, Lord, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Unlike Pastor Rick, I don't have the tattoo Memento Mori. I don't have any tattoos because I'm a Christian, but I...
I don't have that one. And unlike Pastor Rick, I don't have skulls in my office. He's got these skulls in his office that loom down look down on him as he's writing his sermons. I don't have any of that, but it's a good reminder. And throughout church history, Christians have said this to be like, hey, let's not waste our lives. Let's take advantage of the moment. I don't have that, but I have something else in my office that I've shared with
with you guys before, it serves a similar purpose. From as young as I can remember, when I'd go visit my grandma and grandpa Oshman on the farm in Kansas, my grandma Oshman would tell me the story. Tell me the story about my grandfather who was part of the 5th Marines during World War II. And he, if you know the 5th Marines story, you know that they were
the force that landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima. And as they came onto Iwo Jima, it was a very costly, very strategic battle. He spent the first five days on his face in the sand, crawling from the front lines to the orders in the back and back and forth, just bullets constantly flying over his head. Well, on day five of the...
landing on Iwo Jima, he was shot by a Japanese soldier about 15 yards away as the story is told to me. then the soldier jumped out of his foxhole and like a scene out of a movie runs full speed at my grandfather with his rifle high and his bayonet raised. And as he's over my grandfather, my grandfather's friend and fellow Marine shoots the Japanese soldier dead.
And I think about that often as I look at the Purple Heart that a few years ago my dad gave me to keep in my office. And I ponder that moment and that life. as I ponder this, the first time I got this, I was looking at this and I was like, man, there's a lot of history behind this. And even as I was looking at it, I was interested, I pulled up the cotton and underneath the cotton is the Japanese bullet that
went into my grandfather's shoulder, made its way towards his heart, hit some bone along the way, and by millimeters missed ventricle in his heart. He was taken to the hospital on the ship and very carefully they took this bullet out. And I think about that often because I think about how millimeters is the difference between me being in existence.
dad, my well, Redemption Parker being in existence. And I think about if we could see the world and our lives as God sees the world and our lives in history, 10 million times, this is all of our story. So somewhere along the line that there were moments where you should not be here. We shouldn't be alive. And yet in God's providence, we find ourselves in this moment. And when I look at that box and I think of
of that providence of God and I look at my life I'm like man I don't want to waste my life scrolling social media I don't want to waste my life on frivolous things I want to enter in this moment that is so precious right here right now. Again I think this is all of our story. A years ago I read a book by James K. Smith he wrote it was entitled How to Inhabit Time. How to inhabit time.
And you're like, well, that's weird. Like, what do mean? How do I inhabit time? Well, he says, well, in the secular West, we actually are very poor at inhabiting time because in the secular worldview, there's, in America, we don't have any sense of where we came from and really no sense of where we're going. It's all about what he would call presentism. Like we think only this moment matters. And so in a kind of cultural colloquial way, you might hear YOLO.
This is is YOLO. You only live once. Only this moment matters. But he argues that Christians above all people should should should know how to inhabit time best because we are part of a bigger story like this is our moment. We there's something that came before us. There's there's much that will come after us. But in this place and in this time this is where God has you and me. If you came in the lobby.
You saw our timeline and it says God's story, our turn. And in the timeline, it's just a story of redemption Parker over the last nine years, but that timeline has arrows on each side that go for eternity past and eternity future. But in this time and this place, this is where God has us. Do you ever think about that? Like it's no accident that you're here in Parker, Colorado in 2026, whether you want to be or not.
This is where God has you. And the question is, will you inhabit time well? Will you understand that you've come from somewhere, you're going somewhere? Because the secular worldview doesn't think about the past and really the future. As Americans, we're optimistic and that's good. But it's a baseless optimism on human progression if it's not founded in God. And so this is what they'll say.
We're just going to progress as humanity into a glorious future. This in spite of the fact that the last 150 years have had the most tragedies in the human history. And you can go onto the news today and see we're not really progressing. There's no utopia around the corner, at least not in that worldview. But the Christian understands there's a bigger story. The story kind of goes like this, creation, fall.
promise, redemption, renewal. And you see this and it goes, this is the part of the story that we find ourselves in. And if we were to zoom into the story, we would find ourselves between redemption and renewal, between the cross, burial and resurrection and Jesus is coming again. And if we could zoom really close into there, we would see Redemption Parker. And this is our moment. This is our time. This is our place. So the question for us is, will we be faithful in it?
Will we be found faithful in our time and our place like so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the ages and across the world? See, if we had this timeline in our mind, so many of our problems would fade away, right? We're stressed and anxious, but if we understood that God's providence, so we understand God's sovereign, He is in control of all things, but providence is a subcategory of sovereignty. It is His good working for you.
for his glory. So it's his goodness in your life. Have we understood God's providence that he's for you, that he's got a good plan for you? Man, how much of our stress and anxiety would kind of melt away? We are overburdened and materialistic. But if we understood that this life right here and right now is not all there is, how much more free would we be? We are distracted and disconnected. But what if we lived purposely?
in this moment for this time in this place we are insecure and self self-focused but if we understood that we stand between redemption and renewal that we are in Christ how how secure would we be if all of our hope was in him right we are Christians that that means we are Christ followers that means we are to constantly remind ourselves of who Christ is that he stepped off his throne in glory and entered into
the time and the space that he spoke into existence. It'd be like Shakespeare writing a play and then going up on stage. He controls the whole narrative, right? He was never stressed or anxious. He was never overburdened or materialistic. He was never distracted or disconnected, never insecure or self-focused. He was completely walking in shalom.
And that's what he invites us to. And so again the question is in our time and our place will we be found faithful. If you have your series guide you can turn to page 51. We are in week three of the series and each week we are launching from this this text in Second Corinthians five where the apostle Paul writes for Christ's love compels us. It is the fuel for our Christian lives. It's Christ's love. Consider his love that he
died for us, that he rose for us. Christ's love compels us. And then he unpacks that in various ways over the next several verses. And down on verse 20, it says this about our time and our place. He says, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors. As though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
Christ's love compels us and because he's given us, like we saw last week, the ministry of reconciliation, we are given a title. We are ambassadors. There are so many implications to our lives if we understood what it means to be an ambassador. If you're a follower of Christ, you are an ambassador. That is someone sent by a king to represent a king and his kingdom. That's what we are here.
in 2026, Parker, Colorado, there's massive implications. It's a great honor to be an ambassador, to be sent by a great king to represent a great kingdom. But we also understand as ambassadors, this is not our true home. No matter how long you've lived in Colorado or Parker or in your home, it really is just a stopping point along the way. It's an outpost. Don't get too comfortable. As ambassadors, we speak with
delegated authority, not our own authority. We speak on behalf of the King, and we represent His interests and not our own. That's what ambassadors do. As ambassadors, we're respectful students of the culture, but we do not assimilate to the culture around. It's not who we are. As ambassadors, we represent the reign of Christ inside a world still in rebellion to Christ.
As ambassadors, we have authority. Says as though God were making his appeal through us and we have urgency. We implore people to be reconciled to God. Do you live as an ambassador as ambassadors when the world turns against us? They're actually not turning against us when the world rejects our message. They're actually not rejecting our message. They're rejecting the king and his kingdom and he can handle it.
He can handle it. So as ambassadors we speak faithfully on behalf of the King. The story of Christian history is Christians to various degrees representing Christ in the long chain of Christianity. Some have done it well others not so much. But I want to look at this scene if you turn to page 53 so you got a place for notes and then.
You've got Acts chapter four. I want to look at some of very first chains in the story of Christianity. I want to look at them and see what does it look like to be ambassadors in a particular time and a particular place. So we pick up the story in the book of Acts which is the story of the early church in chapter four and it starts like this in verse one. says the priest and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking.
to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people proclaiming Jesus in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Now you may know this that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection and so when they hear about all this resurrection talk they get upset. The stupidest thing you can remember about the Sadducees is they were Sadducee because they didn't believe in the resurrection.
You'll remember that for the next rest of your life in some Bible study. You'll be like, you know why they're sad? OK. It's not in my notes. So they don't believe in the resurrection. Peter and John are preaching about the resurrection, and so they're disturbed. It says they seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. Again, don't read your Bible too quickly. How many times have you spent a night in jail because of your faith in Jesus?
I'm guessing no one in here but we do have brothers and sisters around the world and throughout history and even right now that are doing this just because of Jesus because they're ambassadors. They're spending a night in jail. Well verse four but many who heard the message believed. So the number of men who believed had grown to about five thousand. So if you were here last week and you're running the numbers on the early church where.
We're two services in and we're running about eight thousand for our services. Right. So the next day the rulers the elders of the teacher of the law met in Jerusalem and as the high priest was there and so was Caiaphas John Alexander and others of the high priestly family. If those names seem familiar to you because you can go it's because you can go back to the Book of Acts or all the gospels and you can see these are the very people that just a few weeks before this condemned Jesus to death.
by torture on a cross. So these are guys with real power real terror in their hands. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them by what power or what name did you do this. Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. Now whenever in the book of Acts you see this phrase filled with the Holy Spirit buckle up. There's about to be an unleashing of spiritual power.
by God through someone or some people. So now Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit says rulers and elders of the people if if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and being asked how he was healed. Let me just pause right there. So in that series guide you don't have to ask chapter three but let me just set up the scene. So at this point in Acts three there's about three thousand people that are followers of Jesus and we're told that.
The church would gather in homes in small groups to do life together and then they would gather corporately together to worship and learn from the apostles. And so that they had their gathering in a large place and then in small places. But one day Peter and John are headed to the temple because the temple courts were massive and it was the only place you could have three thousand people gather and teach in that moment. So they're.
all going there. Peter and John in Acts chapter 3 are walking into the temple and as they're going through this gate called the beautiful gate that there's a man there that has been set there. From birth we learn that he has been paralyzed. He's lame the Bible says. He cannot walk and so his friends or his family every day come and set him right by the gate so as people are coming in for the worship of God he's got his hands out and he's receiving alms.
It's a good place to be because people want to feel good about going into the temple worshiping God and showing kindness. And so that's how he earned his living. Well it says Peter and John were walking in and they saw this man and they got his attention. And it says he thought they were going to give him some money. And he said and Peter says silver and gold we do not have. You know I said that because he's a preacher silver and gold we do not have but.
What we do have, we'll give you in the name of Jesus. And I'm sure this guy, we know from the context, he's over 40 years old, he's like, what, you're gonna give me some advice? Great. He says, no, in the name of Jesus, I pray that you would get up and walk. That's a bold prayer. But Peter and John are walking in step with the Spirit. That's a bold prayer, honestly. I mean, I...
I pray for people healing all the time, but like to just be like, yeah, you're going to get up and walk. But then it says that it wasn't until Peter goes to the man, picks the man up, then his legs are healed. So not only is he praying boldly, but he's walking in bold faith in that moment. And as the man stands up, his legs are healed. And apparently all the muscle that he hasn't developed for 40 years is there and he is overjoyed.
He's literally jumping up and down, praising God. And the people, the 3,000 that are there, they know this guy because he's been there every day for over 40 years. And they start shouting and praising God. And then there's thousands of other people that have just come to worship in the temple. And they're like, what's going on over there? And so this crowd just kind of goes over to what's going on. Peter...
He loves it. Throughout the book of Acts he's like, oh, there's a crowd. Let me preach a sermon. And he's got one sermon. I love it because people you say I only have one sermon. He's got one sermon and he preaches the sermon. And that's where these five thousand are like, we're in. We're in too. And the word gets to the leaders. They're like, what's going on there? It's something about Jesus. Jesus, I don't even remember. That was like five weeks ago, Jesus or something. Yeah. What is this? And so that's where the context is.
And so Peter says to the leaders who have just put Jesus to death, he says, if you're bringing us here because of kindness showed to a man, let me tell you how and why we did that. Verse 10. Says, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from.
the dead. This man stands before you healed. Jesus is the stone you builders rejected. You leaders of Israel who should know better. You leaders of Israel who have the word and the prophets that that pointed to Jesus. You rejected him but he has become the cornerstone the very foundation of all that God is doing in the world. And then the most important verse in the book of Acts maybe in the whole Bible Peter says this salvation.
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." So you want to know who did this? You want to know what this is all about? This is about one name, Jesus. This is not about Peter. This is not about John. This is not about Redemption Parker. What God is calling us to, it doesn't matter if...
Anyone in our city knows any of our names, but if the name of Jesus is lifted high that's a win. It's about one name. This is significant for guys like Peter and John because we know just a few weeks earlier at the very week that Jesus was about to be crucified they had this ongoing argument the disciples remember the argument the argument was this whose name is going to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Peter and John and James and Thaddeus, all of them would argue, no, it's me, it's me, it's me. And Peter was just, Jesus was like, you guys aren't getting it. But after the death, burial, and resurrection, it became about one name, and one name only, the name of Jesus. They were transformed. It's the name of Jesus. That salvation is found in no other name under heaven. No other name. So your name's not gonna save you. Your family heritage.
You're not saved because they were Baptists back in the day. No other name of world religions is going to save you. The postmodern idea that there are many ways up the mountain to find truth and go to heaven, that doesn't save you. They're very clear. It's only Jesus, ever Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. That's the only hope for the world. And so that's why Peter stands up. He's like, that's the name.
And then verse 13 says, when they saw the courage of Peter and John. And again, this is remarkable because Peter and John were not marked by courage just a few weeks before. When Jesus, before Jesus gets arrested, Jesus tells Peter, you're going to deny me three times before the alarm clock goes off in the morning. And Peter's like, no, I would, I would die for you. I, I'm courageous. He's like, no, you're not.
And we see it. denies them all that. But after the death burial and resurrection of Jesus, Jesus meets with Peter and encourages them. Love my sheep. Love my sheep. Love my sheep. Then the spirit comes and the spirit fills Peter and John and the rest of the believers and there is courage. This is what they're marked by now. They're full of courage. When they saw the courage of Peter and John, I love this, and they realized they were unschooled ordinary men.
They don't got a good education. Who are these guys? They're courageous, but they're just fishermen. But it says they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. How did they take note of that? They're like, well, we remember Jesus. We remember Jesus at the trial. We remember how he just stood there and took our accusations, how people punched him in the face and he just...
took it but but but he had this peace and shalom about him these guys look like that guy these guys have been with that guy may it be said of redemptive parker and the whole church in parker that that that the christians have been with jesus have you been with jesus lately did you spend time communing with jesus did you stir your affections for more of jesus do you get into his word do you get with his people do you
with his spirit to empower your life. These men had been with Jesus and they were astonished, it says. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. And everybody knew the man. He's literally doing Jesus jumping jacks in the temple and they're like, what are we to say about that? Something has happened here. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and they conferred together.
What are we going to do with these men? asked. Everyone living in Jerusalem in this time and this place knows they have performed a notable sign and cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name. mean, this is like the most 2026 politically correct thing possible. Hey, do whatever you want. Worship whatever you want. Love whoever you want. Just don't mention Jesus.
That's basically what they're saying. Just stop mentioning Jesus. And then I love their how they respond in verse 18. So then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied which is right in God's eyes to listen to you or to him. You be the judges. Should we listen to God or what you guys are deciding. As for us we cannot help speaking.
what we have seen and heard. Why? Because they're ambassadors. They represent a king and his kingdom. That's their whole role in life. An ambassador is to speak on behalf of the king and the kingdom. So that's what they're going to do. It says after further threats. And again, these are not empty threats. Like torture and crucifixion is horrific death. But these are the threats that the Sanhedrin are.
leveling against them. After further threats, they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had happened for the man who was miraculously healed was over 40 years old. And so they're released and they head back to the believers and they start gathering together again. Verse 23, on their release, Peter and John went back to their own people.
and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer. So they've already been marked by bold prayer. I pray that you're healed. And they've been marked by walking in boldness. They lift the guy, he is healed. And as they pray, notice how and what they pray. They pray in light of that timeline you saw.
They pray in light of knowing that God is sovereign, more than that, knowing that the providence of God is going forward in their lives. They say this, sovereign Lord, you're in control of everything. You made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them, creation. They go through creation, fall, redemption, restoration. He says, you spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David. Why do the nations...
raged in the people's plot in vain. The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate, this is redemption, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed. This is when they had that sham of a trial and they sentenced Jesus to
crucifixion but look what they said in verse 28 they did that horrific thing that they did they did what your power and your will had decided beforehand should happen it was part of your plan God they are responsible for their sin but you're sovereign over it and then it says now Lord consider their threats again not empty threats consider their threats now at this point in the prayer how are you praying here's how I'm praying
Lord, the same people that crucified Jesus, they're threatening to do that to me. Lord, would you stop that? Lord, I'm praying for your just your blessing of safety and comfort and security. Lord, I know those are from you. And so, yeah, this is how I'm praying at this moment. Like I don't want to die, but this is not how they pray. It's amazing. Consider your threats, their threats.
and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Because they're ambassadors. They've been speaking in boldness, they've been walking in boldness, now as they're threatened, they're like, we need more boldness, Lord. Would you just give us more boldness? They're not praying for safety and security and comfort, they're praying for.
boldness and then they asked stretch out your hand and to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus Lord validate our ministry in our message with your power in our lives so that more and more can come and know you as Lord verse 31 after they prayed the place where they were meeting was shaken it's God saying I hear you I'm gonna shake this place and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit. Again I said watch out whenever you see that phrase in the book of Acts but here it's not one person it's all the believers. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Okay so what is God going to do now? When the whole church is filled with the Holy Spirit it says and they spoke the word of God boldly and it continues but unfortunately in the modern translations you have this break and it makes it off to the side and it's got this the believers share their possessions but
In context, how you interpret the Bible, you say, okay, if they are filled with the Holy Spirit, what's going to happen? What's miraculous that's going to happen? What's supernatural that's going to happen? Well, it's the very next passage that shows us what's going to happen when an entire church is filled by the Spirit. You know what happens? The way we say it around here, gospel doctrine and gospel culture rise up together. That's the Holy Spirit at work.
in a people, gospel doctrine, gospel culture, the word goes forward, people live in light of the word, they love one another. Jesus said, they will know you are my followers by your love for one another. A new command I give you, love one another. We can't do that in our own strength. We need the Spirit of God to fill us. This is exactly what happens as they're all filled by the Spirit. It says all the believers were one in heart and mind. There's a
unity amongst this church that's Spirit-filled. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. They're like, but the mission's more important than my own stuff. With great power, the apostles continued to testify. There's Gospel doctrine to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all, the whole church, that there were...
no needy persons among them. They were meeting one another's needs. Now there are many ways to be a needy person. We have sometimes it's a physical material need, sometimes it's a spiritual relational need, sometimes you just need your brother or sister to come and give you encouragement or prayer or whatever it is that filled by the spirit they are living out the gospel together. There were
needy persons among them for from time to time those who owned land and houses sold them and brought the money from the sales and put it at the Apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone who had need. There's a spirit filled generosity in the room. Verse 36 mentions perhaps apart from Jesus my favorite person in all of the New Testament.
His name is Joseph. You know Joseph? Well, that's the only time he's named here, but we're told how we know him throughout the rest of the New Testament. says Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means son of encouragement.
sold a field, owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet. So everyone knew in the church, hey Joseph, look what Joseph has done to advance the mission. He's sold his stuff and he's brought it here. He's so encouraged the church. You know what we should nickname him? Son of encouragement. If encouragement had a son, this is the dude. This is what it looks like to be filled by the spirit. Listen, church, don't over-spiritualize this.
Encouragement is what everyone in this room needs. No one in this room is over encouraged.
And that's one of the evidences of grace to me as your pastor. Like even this week, several of you have went out of your way to send me a text of just encouragement.
Listen, know Pastor Rick knows, we know there are no perfect churches and there are no perfect pastors and we mess up. But when you go out of your way to encourage, man, the wind in our sails fills our sails. And that's true for every one of us. You want to walk in the spirit today? Stop being discouraging and start being encouraging. That's it. You can make that choice and the spirit will empower that.
We are ambassadors for this time and this place. Filled by the Spirit, we walk in gospel culture. The early church was compelled by the love of Christ to live and love faithfully in the time and the place which God set them. The question is, are we compelled with the same? You say, well, things were different back then. Jesus had just been resurrected. Yeah, I mean, I think that did help.
John and Peter. But for the rest of the 8,000 people in the church, they have what we have. They have the eyewitness testimony of John and Peter telling them, we saw Jesus dead, buried, alive. So we have that. They prayed boldly. We can pray boldly. They were filled by the Spirit. We have the same Spirit. They had a calling to be ambassadors in
Jerusalem, we have the same calling to be ambassadors. All I'm saying is we have the same. Everything that they had, we have. We just have to walk in it. Gospel culture. I think God is doing 10,000 things among us that we are not even aware of in relationships and in life together, but we are aware of a few things. And so we've put together a video that just captures one way.
that God is working by His Spirit in gospel culture.
I'm DJ Henley and this is my wife, Sam. We've been coming to Redemption Parker for about three years. We have three kids, 10, seven, and four. That's Noelle, Isaac, and Elliot, and then we've got one on the way. The messages right off the bat really spoke to me. We were immediately invited to a GC. We started going pretty quickly and so kind of found community right out the gates, which was great. Prior to coming to Redemption Parker, I really struggled with running to community. I was...
kind of taught from a young age into early adulthood that you run away from community unless you have it all together. So I did not have it all together. So I was kind of hiding the background and it was through a couple of years of being in a GC where I started really sharing things and hey, things are hard and realizing that people around me had similar burdens. And so God was already kind of softening my heart going into about a year ago when DJ came forward with a lot of the things that he was dealing with. GC was there and
walked through really heavy burdens with us. There are two spiritually significant moments that really are solidified in my brain for key milestones in my personal journey through healing and freedom. One of which is when Scott, my brother in Christ, looked me in the eye and said what I was doing was not right and not healthy, but it wasn't in a judgmental way. It was like, this is not good for you.
this is not healthy and there is a better way. Following Sunday, I went to a theology on the ground meeting where we talked through the Romans seven man and I truly do think that God pulled some scales off my eyes and helped me see where I had been blind previously. So, I mean, we've obviously grown a ton in our marriage, but then we've also seen our kids grow tremendously since we've been at RP, I would say our oldest in particular.
a longing and a growing in her heart that she didn't have previously. She's just really eager to know more about the
Pastor Mark talked a little bit about influence and just legacy and how much influence one person can have in your life. And then you get to be that influence to more people or your kids or your kids' kids. And just seeing that play out is cool. What I've gained by being a part of that body, if I can give even like a fraction of that back, it really is a joy and honor to be able to serve at RP through time and resources.
I would say the culture of RP is authentic people trying to authentically follow Jesus Christ. Yeah, it's a bunch of authentic broken people that accept our humaneness, but we're all working together and towards Christ to be more sanctified.
Amen, amen.
Filled by the Holy Spirit, are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God we're making his appeal through us. implore.
Compelled For One More
AI Transcript
Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Rick. Amen. Well, welcome. Good morning. There we go. I just needed the right question or response. Something. I don't know what I'm doing. So if you're new here, welcome. My name is Mark. I'm one of the pastors. It's my joy to open up God's Word with you this morning. We are in week number two of a series that really is a two year launch into something that God
is calling our faith family too. you're here, if you're visiting, you're here at a great time. If you weren't here last week or this is your first time, last week we passed out a series guide to help walk you through that. And if you weren't here, we want to have you raise your hand so we can get this into your hands. If you were here and you forgot to bring your series guide back, no problem. You can go on your phone to redemptionparker.org, compelled, and under resources you can get a PDF of this. But raise your hand so we can get this in your hands.
so you can follow along and this will be a tool on the journey with us. sometimes in our theological tradition, you'll hear people say, you need to accept Jesus into your heart. And while that's not in the Bible, I understand the concept. The concept is, you need to open up your life to receive Jesus as savior and...
Set your life on a different course. I think that's right and good. However, I think there might be a better biblical metaphor. It isn't so much that we need to receive Jesus into our heart. What if what if Jesus is saying, hey, I want you to come into my heart?
Think about the difference. we are, if we come to Jesus and say, I open up your life, Jesus, I want you to come and bless my life. just need I need you to bless all my plans. I need you to bless all my will and all my desire. Just just give me a little bit of that Jesus juice, please, please. Or we say, Lord, I want my heart to reflect your heart.
I want to be in your will. I want to be in what you're doing in this world. I want my life to conform to your life because that's where life is abundant life into the heart of Jesus. We've launched this series out of this passage that the apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth and he starts by saying for Christ's love compels us that this has to be the engine of what of the Christian life.
It isn't about us. It isn't about Him blessing all of our plans. It's about what is Christ doing? What's the energy that we're going to have to go forward in the mission of God? It's the love of Christ. Christ's love compels us. And what Christ gives to us, He means to do through us. One of the problems with accepting Jesus into your heart in our
hyper individualistic Western mind is it can all be about me and Jesus. Just me and Jesus come come pour your love into my heart pour your love into my heart without any outlet. And that can actually become a dangerous thing for your life spiritually. In northern Israel there's a mountain some famous mountains called Mount Hermon in the wintertime and it collects snow and and of course in the spring it begins to run off and and over the course of forty five miles it it co-relates to one.
River. It's called the Jordan River and in it it's got oxygenated. It's teeming with life. It flows into what the Bible calls the Sea of Galilee. But it's actually just a lake. It's a giant lake. But in this lake there is life and there's vitality. And for millennia villages and towns and people have lived around this lake. Jesus spent a lot of time in those villages and towns and on the lake sometimes even walking on the lake. But there was life in the lake and the towns and villages got their life.
got their water, they watered their crops, they watered their animals, all these things because there was life in it. But at the other end of the Sea of Galilee, at the other end of the lake, there's an outlet. And it flows out of there and it flows for another 80 miles down the Jordan Valley. That's where we get the Jordan River name from. And along those 80 miles, again, there's just life and vitality.
tropes that are being watered, there's villages and towns, and this has been the history, but unlike most rivers, it doesn't, you know this already probably, it doesn't flow into the ocean, it flows to the lowest place on earth, 1,404 feet below sea level to the Dead Sea. It's called the Dead Sea because the water full of life and vitality comes into this place and there's no exit, there's no outlet.
The sun, the desert sun just bakes it, it evaporates, you know, the salt and the minerals stay behind such that no life can survive in that place. I think for some of us, we are okay with receiving the love and mercy of God, but we think it should stop with us. And we have a kind of spiritual deadness. I see it all the time as a pastor. People are like, I don't feel the...
the power of God. don't feel the presence of God. I don't feel all these things. And I just want to say, well, is there any outlet for the love of God to flow through your life into the world? Because it wasn't meant to stop with us. It's meant to go through us. What Christ does in us, he intends to do through us. fact, in our passage, 2 Corinthians 5, if you have your series guide, you could turn to page 47, which is our passage today. But we launched from this passage where
After he says, Christ's love compels us, he goes on, says, all of this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us, look at this, he gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That's an all play, folks. That's not my job. It's not the deacon's job. That's, if you're a follower of Jesus, he gave you a ministry. It's called the ministry of reconciliation. That's what you and I are called to.
as followers of Jesus. So how's it going? How's your ministry of reconciliation? Well, what is that? He goes on and says that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. This is what we're about. This is what we have to be about. If you want to experience the abundant life that Jesus promises you, you have to be a conduit of the love he pours into your hearts.
on the great commission Jesus comes after death, burial, and resurrection. says, therefore and make disciples of all nations. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And surely I am with you, with you where? As you're going, as you're on mission. That's where he's with us. That's where this felt presence is. Not just in our own little homes, in our own little lives.
Yes, he's with us there. But do you want to really experience the power and presence of God in your life on mission? That's where it's at. And so today we're going to look at this thing. We're calling it compelled for one more. But really what it is as you turn the page to Luke, Chapter 15, what it is is Jesus inviting us into his heart. You want to see what the heart of God is like. You want to be invited to that. You want to love what God loves. Luke 15 is the place to look.
On the one hand, this is kind of a mirror. We should look at Luke 15 and ask the question, do we love like that? Is this a reflection of our life and our mission in the world? And if not, how do we conform our lives to his life? So Luke 15 compelled for one more. This is the heart of Jesus. It starts off in verse one. Now, the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,
this man welcome sinners and eats with them. So at this point in the life of Jesus is getting towards the end. He's got massive crowds following him from across the spectrum. was a movement for all people in himself. And we see that here in the text that from the whole spectrum it says there are tax collectors, sinners, there's Pharisees, teachers of the law. It's the whole spectrum. And you may know this already, but tax collector isn't just someone that took some of your money to
to fund the government. No, they were the most despicable, worthy of death kind of people on the planet. These are people that conspired with the oppressive Roman government to extort their own people, their own family, their own friends, their own community to line their pockets, but also to fuel the coffers of Rome so that Rome could continue to send its armies of oppression into their land. Despicable.
the worst deserving of death. They're there. Somehow they're there. That they're hearing Jesus. That they're sinners. We looked at this last week. In that time it was just, yes we're all sinners, but there was a category in people's mind of people that had gone so far away from the will and presence of God that there was no hope for them to come back. But they're there. And you've got Pharisees and teachers of law. These are the most respected people. These are
what every good Jewish mom and dad wanted their boys to grow up to be respectable, moral, righteous. They're all there and these Pharisees and tax collectors are saying this man welcome sinners and eats with them. These crowds are huge, which is surprising because if you look at Luke chapter 14, Jesus is not preaching seeker sensitive messages. He's not preaching nice warm feel good. that's all.
hear Jesus know what he said at the end of chapter 14. You can look at it. What he said at the end of chapter 14 is probably the most offensive things these people has ever heard. He said, Hey, you want it. You want some part in the kingdom of God unless you hate your mom and hate your dad. You have no part in the kingdom of God. What are serious. I mean, maybe that should be our campaign. Hate your mom and hate your dad. Welcome to redemption Parker. It's like they're it's crazy intentionally crazy but
You're like, that's the most offensive thing I've ever heard. He's like, I haven't, I'm not done. Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you have no place in the kingdom of God. They're like, the cross? The Roman torture instrument of death? Are you serious, Jesus? He's like, yeah, I'm serious. And then the crowds would hear this and they'd go home and they'd be like, man, you believe what Jesus said? Here's what he said, hate your mom.
take up your car. It's crazy. And then they would get six more friends and go back the next day to hear him some more. This is what was happening here. See even though his words were hard they knew at the root of it there was love for them in that. And so they're gathering and the Pharisees and teachers the religiously comfortable don't like that those that should seem far from God are there as well. And so they're muttering and so Jesus
tells three stories, three stories that reveal the heart of God, the heart of Jesus. Three stories from three different angles, but making one point. And so the first one, he starts like this. Jesus told them this parable, this story. says, suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until
He finds it. He starts with something they all know. Every shepherd that's worth his salt, every good shepherd, when he does his count and one's missing, he isn't like, we're still pretty good. 99 out of 100, that's a good percentage. After all, this is where it's warm and it's comfortable and it's safe. It's too bad that one of them was stupid. No, no shepherd does that. They're like, no, okay, you're gonna stay here, but I'm gonna...
Go out, out to the wilderness where it's dangerous for me and this lost sheep and I'm going to go find the sheep. Jesus says, you all know this. The Pharisees are like, they're offended by this because they're comfortable. They're religiously comfortable like the status quo. After all, they look around and they're like, most of my friends, most of my family, most of my community is here. And we warned those what God said, if you don't do that, where they're going. so,
If they go out on their own and they go down that path, that's on them. And Jesus says, listen, you know that if you lose a sheep, you would go out and risk everything to find that sheep, but you won't do that for an image bearer of God. Does that make any sense? And the tax collectors and the sinners, they're hearing this. Are we hearing him correctly? Is he saying that that God
Isn't angry with us. Is he saying that that there is actually still hope hope for our lives? I Don't know and and Jesus says yeah, there's hope in fact, it gets better than that because it's one thing to be found by God But but there could some be some fear about that man I've been in rebellion of God with with God for all my life and then he's gonna find me What's he gonna do? Well, Jesus says what he does and when he finds it he
joyfully. That's a happy word. He joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together. He calls his whole community. Look what he says, rejoice with me. I have found my lost sheep. He wants his joy to be a contagious joy. If we have the heart of Jesus, we will celebrate most and loudest.
when the lost are found. Amen. Amen. He has to rejoice with me. He wants his joy to be contagious to us. And again, now the sinners, the tax collectors are like, no way. This is the heart of God. When he finds us, he's not angry with us. In fact, he's joyful. When he finds us and bring us home, there's a party going on. yes, there's a party going on. Jesus makes it explicitly clear. He says,
I tell you that the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven, not just on earth, there'll be the angels will be rejoicing over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need to repent. And they're like, what? No, no, no wages. Shut up. That's wild. You tell me this is the heart of God.
Yeah, there's a party going on in heaven and you're invited to the party? Oh my God, praise God. And then over here you've got the religiously comfortable, the self-righteous, those that don't see any need for mercy and grace and they're thinking and muttering it under their breath. Shut up, Jesus.
Yeah. So Jesus reveals his heart. Is that our heart? He goes on to tell another story. Again, Jesus isn't talking about sheep and in this case about coins. He's talking about what he loves. He loves people. And he'll leave heaven to come on earth on a rescue mission to find lost people. Now we have the parable of lost corn, but again, it's not about a coin. It's about people. Verse eight, or suppose a woman.
has 10 silver coins and loses one. Again, still pretty good percentage. Well, doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search, carefully, your translation might say, search diligently. It actually in the Greek means disrupt everything, turn over everything, clear out the house, take all the furniture out of the house, whatever it takes, disrupt her whole life until she finds it.
And he's not talking about coins, he's talking about people. So what is this? What's going on here? Well, it's a question for us. Are we willing to disrupt everything in our life to find one more? To find one more person? Are we willing to disrupt our lives? See, in some way,
If you have your series guide, hopefully you took it home and you put this somewhere where you could pray about it and ask the Lord, show us Lord what it is you're asking us to do in this. But if you have it in this commitment card, it's one way to look at it. And I think what happens is a lot of people are like, man, I like that God is on the move. I like that he's doing things, but I don't really want it to affect my life at all. Or they'll look at this and they'll be like, we should do something. Right.
But let's do something that doesn't actually affect our life in any way, shape or form. What are the leftovers we have? Let's give those to God. You see the radically different nature of what Jesus is describing here? He's not just telling parables, he's telling his own story. He disrupts heaven and earth in search of one more. One more to come home. See.
It's the difference of living your life driven by something or as a derivative. So let me see if I can explain this. So if something's a derivative in your life, you're like, well, I would like this to happen. I would like that to happen, but I'm not going to rearrange my life for any of that to happen. Maybe it'll just happen. But if you're driven, man, we live in a place and a time that you guys are driven. But like you're driven to do things and you
You're educated enough, you're smart enough, you're willing enough, you have a drive enough, you accomplish those things. So for example, let me give you some examples. First time you go to buy a home, you run the numbers, you do the math, you're like, oh, this is the range, you find your realtor, you're like, okay, this is the range that we can buy. And they're like, sweet, okay, let's show you some houses. And the first house they show you, they're like, well, it's $25,000 out of our range. You're like, well, just see the house, come see the house. And you go and you look around, you're like, well.
I see why it's this is nice. And your spouse is like, this is really nice. And you're like, let's let's go back and figure this out. Why? Because you're driven and you go back and you're like, well, I could work more. We could go out and eat less. Maybe maybe not do some vacations for whatever it takes because you're driven to get that house and you get the house. Right. What you're driven for, you will arrange your whole life for. You know, for others, it's like, man, I want my kids.
to go to college, right? Like right now I have three daughters in college. I'm paying three tuitions, I'm paying three room and boards, three food, all the things. I promise you, you do not pay me enough for that. I promise you that. But 22 years ago, we were driven to lay a path for our kids to go to school. And so what that meant was we didn't go out to eat. My kids didn't go out to eat. If we did,
I promise you they only ever had water. I promise you that. Like we're not paying $5 for a drink. That's wild. It's not wrong to go out to eat. It's not wrong to have a Coke. It's just in our economy and with a missionary salary, we're like, this is what we have to do because we're driven. That's it. You're driven by there's someone or something that you will turn everything up over to get. Right? mean, we live in park, Colorado. Some of you you're like, man,
sports schedule comes out. I go, okay, guess what kids? This year, we're gonna travel to 18 countries in six weeks. Well, not countries, that's a little much. 18 states in six weeks. And you're like, how much is that gonna cost? Well, don't worry, it's airfare, it's tournament, it's everything. Okay, well, we're gonna need a second mortgage. Why? Because we're driven. You do whatever it.
takes. is what Jesus saying. Are you driven by the kingdom of God. Is there anything in your life where you like man I'll disrupt everything. We need a new car but I'm going to wait a few years because we could drive a nicer car in a few years but I want to do it so that one more one more person can walk the streets of gold forever. I'll do whatever it takes to just delay this so that my life is disrupted so that one more can can come and experience the Lord.
Jesus Christ one more for the kingdom of God King David once one time in his life he he he was a man with a lot of flaws But it was also a man that was a man after God's own heart and at one point he he needs to make this offering this sacrifice and he comes to this guy's land named Arun Arjuna and he he says here's what I need to do But he recognizes him as the king and he's like, you're the king. It's an honor just to have you you don't need to pay for
the bulls that you're going to sacrifice. You don't need to pay for the wood and the altar. You can have it all King David. It would be an honor. Like David understood worship isn't like that. And so he says this in second Samuel 24 24. He says no I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God offerings that cost me nothing.
Are you OK with sacrificing to the Lord that which costs you nothing? To have the heart of Jesus, this is what we're getting at. And he comes to this last parable, the most famous parable. I wish we had more time to dig into all of it. I've done other series where we did several weeks on this, but I'll just go ahead and go through it pretty quickly. You know the story. It's called The Parable of the Lost Son. It should be titled The Parable of the Lost Sons. There's two lost sons in this story.
He tells a story about how the younger brother basically comes to his dad and says, I wish you were dead. Massive offense in that culture. Give me my, give me what's coming to me. And surprise of surprise, the father agrees and it says he divided his property. The word property there in Greek is bios. We get biology. He divided his life among his sons. We know the story. The son takes it, goes to a far country.
He lives it up for a long time. He gets whatever he wants, but eventually the money runs out, a famine comes and he finds himself at the worst possible place that any first century Jewish boy could find themselves in a foreign land with foreign gods knee deep in the muck and mire of a pig sty. He hits rock bottom. Sometimes rock bottom is God's grace to us, right? For some of you, that's your story.
had to hit rock bottom, but he hits rock bottom. And the story says he came to his senses and he's like, what am I doing? And he develops a plan. It's the religious plan. It's this, I'll work really hard. I know I can't come back as a son, but my father's a good man and maybe he'll let me be a slave in his household. And so he gets up and he begins to make his way back home. The long journey home covered in
pig stuff, muck and mire. Now, some commentators believe that this story, this parable was actually a well-known story in the first century, but Jesus puts a very different ending to the story. Because the Levitical law said this kind of disrespect to a parent, to a father, that person deserves to be stoned to death.
In fact, it was on the village elders that if this son who had so disrespected a father was ever to make his face shown again, that the elders are to grab him, seize him outside the city gates and stone him to death. And in the original story, that's what happens. The son gets what is coming to him, which makes Jesus's story so radical. says this, verse 20.
He says, so he got up and went to his father, but while he was still a long way off, way outside the village, his father saw him. Implication, his father's been looking and longing and hoping and praying for his son to come home. He saw him and he wasn't angry with his son. He was filled with compassion. He said, there's my boy. And it says he ran to his son.
dishonor to a Middle Eastern man hiking up his robe, showing his thighs, running to his son. People are like, he's crazy. What is he doing? And he runs and he throws his arms around his son and he kisses his son so that even if the village elders were to do their duty, they can't throw the stones now because they'd hit the father. He's protecting his son. The son gets out his letter that he wrote. He's got his plan. says,
Father, I have sinned against you and against heaven, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but he can't get the rest of it out." His father interrupts him. His father said to his servants, quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. It's a picture of the gospel. This son covered in the muck and mire of the pigs. Cover his filth with the best robe with my righteousness. This is us in Christ. We are covered by the righteousness of Christ.
put a ring on his finger. That's the authority of the father back in his life and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate again. Come celebrate with me. Let's celebrate what God celebrates. Let's be a people that leverage our lives so that we can have these celebrations. This is for this son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate.
Of course we know that's not the end of the story. There's another son, another lost son. He's the older brother. He's the Pharisee. He's the teacher of the law. He's the religiously comfortable. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. Okay, it's one thing to hear the music, but have you ever been to a party where you heard the dancing? I mean, that's a throw down, right?
He intentionally wants us to think of the greatest celebration. This is what's going on. This is what's going on in heaven when someone comes to Christ. He hears the music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him, what's going on? He says, your brother has come, he replied, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound. If this older brother had...
any love in his heart for the younger brother, he would celebrate. More than that, if this older brother had any love in his heart for his father, even no matter what he thinks about his brother, he would celebrate because he would reflect the father's joy. But he has none of that. Again, the self-righteous don't like mercy and grace because they don't think they need mercy and grace. And they don't think anyone should get mercy and grace. Since the older brother became angry,
and refused to go in. Another offense to this father. Massive cultural offense. So his father again lowering his dignity, he goes out with and went out to him and pleaded with him. He's like, son, come in. Don't do this. Come, come to the party. It's going on. It's a great party. Come get some brisket. It's amazing. Like it's come into the party. Come on, son.
But he answered his father, Look, all these years I've been slaving for you. That's a weird thing to say to your dad. That's what the religiously self righteous do. I've worked hard. Now you owe me. I've done my part. Now you owe me. All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. right. Yet you gave me yet you never gave me even a young goat.
so could celebrate with my friends. The dad's like, what? I know I'm old. What did you say? A boat? Did you want a boat? Because that makes more sense. You said a goat, a young goat? Yeah, you never gave me a young goat. Are you serious right now? says, but when this son of yours who has squandered your property, your life, and he's speaking the truth, when he squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fat and
for him? That makes no sense, dad. This is my son, the father said. You are always with me and everything I have is yours, but we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. The heartbeat of Jesus is for one more.
One more. One more person to come into the kingdom of God. We are compelled by the love of Christ to pursue one more for the kingdom of Christ. Well, maybe you're apprehensive. think, oh, I don't know about that. You know, if we do that, if we do, if we wreck the roof to make room for one more, if we continue to grow, I think I'm worried things are going to change. I'm going to say a couple of things here.
Things will change. All churches should change. If you have a three-year-old and you're like, I love my three-year-old, I don't want him to change, and they stop changing, something is seriously wrong, right? The question is, how will we change? And when people push back on me on this, I hear what they're saying. They're like, man, I love the welcome of this community. I love knowing people and being known. I don't want that to change. And I say, absolutely, amen. We don't want that to change either.
plan from day one has been get in life together, join a gospel community, go to men's group, go to women's group, join a core group, become part of the covenant membership. That is still there. So it's on you if we're still going to be a welcoming church. It's on you if you're still going to do life together. But we are changing. We're going to change. And that's not a bad thing. We'll wreck the roof if we have to, because after all, what's the alternative?
What child are we going to turn away from hearing about Jesus? You tell me. What neighbor are we not going to invite so they can hear the gospel and come into the kingdom of God and add one more to our midst? What family with disability needs are we going to shut the door on? What single mother are we going to tell you and your children are not welcome here? We don't have the space. We don't want to change.
See, if we do all that, then we will have ceased to be the welcoming church you love, and we will have ceased to be in step with the Spirit. We will have changed only for the worse. So may God shut the doors of Redemption Parker if that's how we change.
But God is at work in our midst. I can't even fully explain it. Sometimes people are like, we're gonna change, we're gonna sell out the gospel, we're not gonna tell about Jesus. Listen, we just did a six week series, passage by passage, through the book of Revelation, for crying out loud, and we added 45 new covenant members. That's wild, like no, you don't do that. No one wants that. But God's at work. Listen, the church always...
changes. That's not a bad thing. Acts chapter one tells us, I think in verse 20, that there were about 120 followers of Jesus in those first 50 days after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. 120. You can imagine that. They get to know each other. They're doing life together. But then at Pentecost, the Spirit comes and empowers them. Peter stands up and preaches this sermon. It's honestly
I've taught some classes I'm preaching. It's one of the worst sermons I've heard. It's so harsh. He's just so harsh. But he preaches the gospel. And what happens? We read 3,000 people, not overnight, in that moment, come to be followers of Jesus and are baptized. In a moment, they went from this nice little community, everyone knows each other, to a mega church. Did it cause some problems? Yeah, you can read about it in the book of Acts.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. That's why 2000 years later we're gathered here today because people were willing to do whatever it takes to make room for one more. This is the heart of Jesus. A church on mission is always changing as it pursues one more. We've got a video we want to show you about some of the ways God is calling our church and moving amongst our people.
I was struggling in life. I knew I couldn't do it alone anymore. Found RP on Google. The reviews of people saying how welcoming and how full of love that church was just drew me in. It was scary going in there the first time, for sure. That fear all went away the moment I walked in the door. Felt like a place I truly belonged. December 16th, 2025, I made the choice to walk with Christ and become a Christian.
What I love about Retention Parker is just the close-knit community that there is within. It's a place where you can know others deeply and be known, and people truly care and see one another on a daily basis. What I enjoy most about RGCs is just the place of accountability. There's a place of belonging, and we really do care for one another. And it just allows a place for people to show up and know that someone
really cares about how your week went and how to pray through what you're going through in life at that time. And it's just really special to be part of that. As part of the COMPEL initiative taking place, I think God has moved in my heart to pray more for the future of our church. I think it's really exciting to be part of something so early on and to...
help grow and create a permanent, beautiful place of worship. And just to be part of something in the beginning is really beautiful and really cool. Disability ministry matters because God cares about disability ministry. One in five families are affected by disability. That means they have either a dependent in the family or are affected themselves, which is 20 % of our neighbors. So that made me pause and...
ask myself, if 20 % of our neighbors are affected in some way by disability, why is that not being represented within the walls of our church? Is there something that we are not doing that is hindering them from coming in? And so, just like we want to consider what are we doing to serve the people who are already within our church well, we also want to ask the question of who's not coming and why aren't they coming and how can we rip off the roof if we need to to get them inside to meet Jesus.
Before coming to RP, I was squarely devoid of a relationship with God. And now that I'm part of the RP family, I feel that I've got that daily engagement with God that absolutely is driving the direction of my life at this point. There was not an earthly explanation that I could come up with for the changes that I had seen in people that were very, very close to me. And that was sort of my first realization that, okay, God's really impacting people's lives.
And if I open the door, he can impact my life. It was time to accept Jesus is not the Lord and Savior, but is my Lord and Savior. When I think about what I'm most excited about, I think it's the future of RP. It's the future of the membership growing. It's seeing how I can contribute and give back so that we can better be the hands and feet of God here in Parker. What I love about the heartbeat of Redemption Parker is everybody is truly eager.
to make room for one more. One more family on the block, one more mom friend who comes to the play group, one more coworker, one more foster child welcoming in one more single, one more family with a single parent, one more child. It's such a delight to see people who love the gospel and love Christ, but they don't stop at being welcomed in by him. They work hard laying down their lives to welcome in others. And I think that's what's gonna compel us forward.
And Amen, let's give it up for.
Praise God. Jesus is at work rescuing people in our midst even right now. Last week we had 150 kids or we had 150 check-ins in our kids ministry. There is limited space there. We are up against the clock. We will have to turn people away. We don't want to do that. There's an urgency here. I hope you feel the urgency. If you have your series guide on page 50, if you turn over, there's three questions for reflection.
The idea is that you would take some time maybe later today and fill those out. But I want to point out question number three and it is this who is my one one person I will pray for.
Compelled For The One
AI Transcript
There are moments in the life of a church when God brings his people to a crossroads. These are moments when God calls his people to courageous faith to step forward into what he is doing next. Nine years ago, our family found ourselves at one of those moments. We've been serving overseas, preparing to plant churches in one of the most secular regions of the world. At the same time, family needs brought us back to Colorado and we landed here in Parker, unsure of what the Lord had next. What became clear very quickly was this.
There's a great spiritual need in our city. Jesus loves this city and he died for the people who live here. We began simply inviting people into our home for meals, scripture, and prayer. And soon, another moment of decision came. We could remain where we were, grateful for what God was doing, or we could step forward in faith, trusting him with something more. That step became Redemption Parker. And now, nine years later, God has brought us to another defining moment.
because God has exceeded our hopes, grown his church, and is now calling us to take the next step of faith at this crossroads. This moment is not accidental. It is part of a much larger story, God's story, and in this season and in this place, it is our turn. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, for Christ's love compels us. That word, compels, means to be seized, constrained, and moved forward by a force greater than ourselves.
Love of Christ is not passive. It does not leave us unchanged. When Christ gave himself fully for us, when he bore our sin, conquered death, and reconciled us to God, he claimed every part of our lives. His love now shapes how we live, how we love, how we give, and how we move forward together. In this season, God is inviting Redemption Parker on a journey of bold faith. We are calling this journey
We're compelled as a unified movement of Christ's love at work, in us, through us, and beyond us. We describe it with three words, deeper, wider, forward. First, Christ's love compels us to go deeper. Throughout scripture and throughout church history, we see a consistent pattern. Before God does a significant work through his people, he first does a deeper work in his people. Before Abraham was sent, God formed him. Before Moses was...
used God, humbled Him. Before the early church multiplied, God devoted them to prayer, repentance, and the Word. God is calling us to that same deeper work. A work of renewed trust, of deeper surrender, of greater dependence on Christ. This means opening every area of our life to the transforming grace of Jesus. Our hearts, our habits, our priorities, and our resources. Generosity is not an add-on to discipleship.
It's one of the primary ways Christ reshapes our loves and reorders what we treasure. As we go deeper, God is forming us into joyful, mature disciples whose lives are rooted in Him and marked by obedience. We were really drawn to redemption because of just the really robust worldview and commitment to gospel center.
That's one reason we see redemption as a really good investment and gift to the city of Parker. As the Word of God says, that they will know you are Christians by your love. And the testimony I hear time and time again, and it was our own as well, is that when they come into our church, they feel loved. Second, Christ's love compels us to go wider. The gospel never stops with us. What God forms in us, he intends to send through us for the sake of others.
In this season, we are praying for one more. One more neighbor to encounter the love of Jesus. One more family to find hope and healing. One more child or student to be discipled in the faith. One more life to be reconciled to God. God has placed us in Parker for such a time as this. He has entrusted us with relationships, resources, and opportunity, not for comfort, but for mission. As ambassadors of Christ, we are sent people called to live
with gospel intentionality right where God has planted us.
RP's been amazing, the community there, the relationships I've made has been life-changing. When I think about getting the strength to walk through those doors for the first time, there's others just like me. And I think I just encourage us as a church to keep that welcoming, loving community and just know that everyone has a story walking in there. We just have to continue showing the love that I got when I walked in.
Third, Christ's love compels us to move forward. This journey calls us to lift our eyes beyond ourselves to future disciples we have not yet met and generations we will never see. Moving forward means establishing a permanent, beautiful church home, a place that displays the hospitality and beauty of the gospel, a place where disciples are formed, families are strengthened, and the presence of Christ is made visible in our city. It's not about arrival, it's about stewardship.
What we build now will shape the spiritual landscape of this church and this community for decades to come.
I want to encourage us as a church family to really lean in to this COMPEL initiative and reach others who don't live near a church or may not have even heard the gospel and they'll get to drive by our beautiful building. This is the next step for us and we all get to see and be part of this growth of our church.
As we step into this journey together, we do so with clarity and faith. Our primary goal is 100 % engagement, that every person at Redemption Parker would seek Christ, trust Him deeply, and respond in joyful obedience as He leads. Our secondary goal is $4.5 million over the next two years, a reflection of what we believe God is calling us to pursue in generosity as we go deeper, reach wider, and move forward together.
Christ has given Himself fully for us, He now calls us to respond with full-hearted faith. That includes radical, joyful generosity. We give because we have received. We sacrifice because Christ first sacrificed for us. We invest because the kingdom of God is worth everything. Each of us is invited to ask, Lord, what does faithful obedience look like for me in this season?
As we step into this season together, Christ is calling us to go deeper in our discipleship, trusting Him with every part of our lives, to reach wider in our mission, living as sent people for the sake of others, to move forward in faith, building for generations we will never see. We move forward together compelled by the love of Christ. This is God's story, and in this moment and in this place, it is our turn.
Awesome, awesome. Well, welcome. Welcome to Redemption Park. If you're new here, you're actually here at a great time to hear about what we believe God is calling us as a faith family to be about. And so today we launch into a two-year discipleship journey. And to help you in that, we've actually created a series guide for you. I'm going to have some guys come out and pass this out. In the kids ministry also, they'll have their own series guide with their opportunity to color pages, all that.
But don't give this one to your kids because this was not cheap for us. Don't let them cull her on that. Let me, as they're passing that out, let me just explain a little bit about the series guide. If you open it up, you'll see our passage that Rick read to you. Then you'll see a blank spot that says, this guide belongs to, and you're expected to put your name there because what we want you to do is keep this and bring it back every week over the next six weeks and also,
Bring it into your gospel community and you'll see why in a moment. If you're not part of a gospel community, we'd love for you to get plugged in. This is kind of the heartbeat of our church to do life together. The Christian life was not designed to be lived alone. As you go through the pages of it, the first few is kind of in written form what you just saw in video form. But I want to just point out a few. On page 16, however, there's just this
story of God. It's a reminder of creation, fall, redemption, and glorification. I love it. It starts with the timeline. It goes back to 33 AD. Jesus died, buried, raised again at Pentecost. He sends His Spirit. The church is born. If you trace the timeline, you trace it all the way down to 2026 in Parker, Colorado. And I love that because
You see how the gospel moves and it crosses oceans and it crosses continents and language barriers and cultural barriers. And eventually you get to 2026 Parker, Colorado, thousands and thousands of miles away from where Jesus died, buried and was raised again. I love that because this moment is not an accident. It's not new. It's just our turn.
I'll just say that again. This moment that God has called us to, it's not new, it's not an accident, it's our turn. And the question for us as a faith family is, in this moment, will we be found faithful? I believe we will. If you turn then towards the end, on page 40, you start to see the series guide. It's got sermon notes, you'll see it's got reflections, group discussion.
You turn the page here, you see what we're going to cover over the next six weeks. Each week we will launch from that 2 Corinthians 5 passage and then we'll dig deeper into another passage of scripture. And if you turn the page, it says on page 43, compelled for the one. If you turn that page, you'll see there's a place to take notes. We're not going to pass out any bulletins over the next six weeks because all the notes can be here. The passage that we'll be preaching from, I'll be preaching from is
right there, Luke chapter seven. So again, bring this back each week. Take notes. Let the Lord do some work in your heart. Today we're on part one and the launch text for that is the first two verses. For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died and he died for all that those who live, I love this, that those who live should no longer live for themselves.
That's such a countercultural message. If you are in Christ, you should no longer live for yourself, but for the one. For the one who died and was raised again. So if you have your Bible, we're in Luke chapter seven. You actually don't need your Bible. I'll actually preach from the serious guy. Luke chapter seven. can turn the page. We're going to be right there. Today, as we start into this journey, we
start with that first part of what you saw in the video, that we're asking God to do a deeper work in us. We know that we can't do this on our own. We know that if God is going to do a significant work in our city, that He's got to first do a work in us. Now, you saw the video and you saw the building that we hope to build and all that. That's all part of it. However, sometimes people
Because you come to a smaller church they get nervous. How is this going to change this or I went to this one church and we They built a building and then everything changed. So let me let me just say something of that first of all, please Don't judge us on other churches that you have. Okay, can you just judge us on what we do? Secondly, maybe stop judging other churches
But here's the deal. If we're going to change, it's going to change this way. We are going to double down on Jesus. We're going to become more Jesus obsessed, not less Jesus obsessed. I assure you of that. This is what God is calling us to. When I was a student at the University of Economics in Prague, it was 1997. And one day my friends came to me and they said, hey, they're filming a film down
down in the old town district of Prague. And I said, what is it? And he said, it's Les Mis. I was like, what is that? It's a French film, I don't know. Well, what does it mean? It means the miserables. I said, that sounds terrible. But he's like, no, they've filmed there. And then after they film every day, it's Liam Neeson. He's Irish. And he goes to the Irish pub that's right next to the set. And so we can go meet Liam and Claire Danes and everyone.
And they were still in their costumes. And we went down there and sure enough, he's drinking a Guinness and he's like buying around for the whole place. And I got to meet Liam and talk to him. And so now I was interested in what this film was. So in 1998, when I came back to the States and it came out, I was like, I'll see this miserable film. But as I watched it, man, I was blown away. It's one of the few.
movies I'll watch again and again and again. It is this story, this powerful story that kind of in so many ways captures the heart of the gospel. What happens when someone is encountering the love of Christ. Well in this story, go back to Les Miserables, Liam plays Jean Valjean and it starts out he's.
He breaks into a bakery to feed his starving sister and her kids and he gets caught and he gets sentenced to five years. He tries to escape several times and it's hard labor. And so he eventually does 19 years of hard labor in this French prison. Eventually he's let out and he's got to go to another city and get there by a certain time or he's back in prison. But as he's traveling with his convict passport, no one will let him in.
And eventually someone points to the Abbey and he goes and knocks on the door and the bishop opens the door and welcomes him in. And this hardened criminal comes and for the first time in 19 years sits at a table, has a warm meal with real plates and silverware and then goes and has a warm bed for the first time. But then in the middle of the night, his darker hardened nature begins to take over. He gets up.
He remembers the silverware that he had and he goes into the kitchen and he starts stealing all the silverware and then the bishop comes in and Jean Valjean grabs the candlestick and smashes the bishop over the head, knocks him out and takes the silverware and flees. Well the next day the gendarme, the French police arrest Jean Valjean and bring him back to the abbey and they say, found him and the bishop comes up to
And he says, I'm very angry with you, Jean Valjean. He's like, of course. He says, you took the silverware, but you were supposed to take the candlesticks as well. Why didn't you take these? And the police are like, what? He's not, what? He said, no, no, he's fine. And they go away confused. And he looks at him. says, now with these, I've bought your life for God. Go make something.
The rest of the story is the story of the transforming power of grace, mercy, and love, among many other biblical themes in the story. But that's what I want to get at here. If we're going to go deeper, we have to have a deeper experience of the transforming power of grace, mercy, and love. And here's the thing with Jesus. He's an infinite well. We can all go deeper. You could take your first step
today or you could take your 10 millionth step there's more to experience in the love mercy of Jesus. so to capture that we're looking at Luke chapter seven. Luke chapter seven says this starting in verse 36 when one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him he went to the Pharisees house and reclined at the table.
This is early in the life and rather the ministry of Jesus. He's begun to gather some disciples, teach about the kingdom of God and do some miracles. And at this point, the Pharisees are not organizationally opposed to Jesus. They're interested. What does this young rabbi have to say and what is he about? Maybe he needs some correction. But nevertheless, this Pharisee in this town invites Jesus to have
dinner and presumably Jesus and his disciples to have dinner. This would have been an honor and Jesus goes and this would have been one of the nicer homes but not a home like ours more like a U shaped home with a courtyard or even the courtyard in front of the house. It would have been almost a public setting like when you eat at a square in Europe somewhere and there's people walking by. so Jesus goes and but the table would have been low there would have been
pillows there and they recline at the table. So they kind of lay on their side towards the table. They tuck their feet up behind them and they begin this conversation. Now in Luke's gospel there's seven meals. Whenever there's a meal buckle up. Something is about to happen because something happens over meals. are the in gospel communities we know this right. Verse 37 says a woman in that town who lived a sinful life.
learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house. So she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. What is happening here? Well, it says a woman of that town or the ESV would say a woman of the city. It could be a euphemism. Luke doesn't tell us what kind of sinner she is. It just says she lived a sinful life. between a woman of the town lived a simple life and this alabaster jar of perfume.
we can presume that she was a prostitute or at least had been until very recently. But we know from the context, no one else except for Jesus knows in this moment, something has transformed her heart. She has been, had an encounter probably from a distance that she's heard Jesus speak about the kingdom of God. It's unlocked something in her heart. And even though she had great shame in her life, she was compelled.
by the love of Christ to come and see him. She lived a sinful life. This will be a theme that comes up time and again. But if she was a prostitute, then we know that some other things have happened, right? Like no little girl grows up wanting to be that. Something has veered off tragically. Usually it's from the mistreatment, the abuse of other men. Nevertheless, she's had this transformative
encounter with Jesus and she goes and as she comes close everyone sees her but they don't really see her if you know what I mean. Everyone recognizes what is she doing here. Some of the men maybe are averting their eyes because they've partake of her services. She's got this alabaster jar. In the other gospels we know that a jar like this is immensely valuable worth about a year's worth of wages. You either had to be very rich
or you were a prostitute. This would have a little spout by it and it would waft this beautiful fragrance around the body. would communicate to everybody a desirability, a beauty, and availability. And she brings it to Jesus. And they're all thinking, what is she doing here? They're just like, whatever she's doing, please don't make a scene, right?
She shouldn't even be out in public, but but here she is don't make a scene and she proceeds to make a scene verse 38 Says as she stood behind him at his feet weeping So everyone kind of knows she's there. Maybe some are looking at her, but Jesus is reclined He's facing the table his feet are behind him and and she gets this close to him the one Has set her free
She's overwhelmed. Maybe she's overwhelmed by joy and sorrow. Sorrow for the brokenness of her life and joy that there is forgiveness and love in the heart of God through Jesus. And in the overwhelmed moment, tears fill her eyes, roll down her cheeks, splash on his dusty feet.
From there she gets on her knees and as she continues to cry and his feet get wet, she says then she wiped them with her hair, his feet. Overwhelmed by love for Jesus, she begins to kiss his feet. And then she finally comes to do what she came to do. It says the text says she poured perfume on them. But here's the thing, that alabaster jar, it was designed so that you can't pour it.
It was designed to just slowly, over months and even years, waft this fragrance. The only way to pour it is to break it. What is she doing? She is burning some bridges. She is, with her life, leaving her old life behind and she's coming to Jesus with wholehearted gratitude, without conditions. Which, by the way, is the only way you can come to Jesus.
without conditions. And she takes that which is her most treasured possession and in worship she pours it on his feet. Extravagant love because she has been loved. Well, the scene shifts in verse 39. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, so he has this inner monologue. If this man were a prophet.
like everyone says, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner.
It's obvious. He doesn't even have to be a prophet. Doesn't he know he's unclean if she touches him? She's a sinner. You're like, aren't we all sinners? Yes. But in that day, in that place, there was a category of people like, yeah, we all kind of sin. We have these respectable sins. then there's people who sin differently than us. And they're in a different category. We still do this today, right?
He is a sinner. So he's questioned if whether Jesus is a prophet. He's judging her. Doesn't know that there's been a transformation in her. 40, Jesus answered him, Simon, I have something to tell you. I love this because did you know in the New Testament, even though Pharisees are all over the place, we only know the names of three of them. Do you know who they are?
Nick at night, Nicodemus, comes to Jesus in John chapter three and into the cover of darkness. And Jesus has this powerful conversation with him and says, listen, Nicodemus, it doesn't matter your religious petri, if anyone is to come into the kingdom of heaven, he must be born again. There is no other way. Eventually, Nicodemus becomes a follower of Jesus. Another Pharisee we know the name of is the most notorious one.
We know him as Saul of Tarsus, who after the death, burial and resurrection is gathering up the church to persecute him, to put them to death. And then he has this transformative encounter with the mercy, grace and love of Jesus. And he'll go on to write for Christ's love compels us. So we know Nicodemus, we know Paul, and now we know Simon. Why do we know Simon's name? Well, Luke is...
is Paul's traveling companion. So maybe as he's writing this part, he's like, that was Simon's house. was, that's my, I was, was there. Maybe that's why, or maybe as the time comes for Luke to write his gospel, Simon, the Pharisee is known among the Christians. Maybe later in his life, he reflects back on this encounter and he too gives himself to Jesus. We don't know, but we know his name is Simon because here's the deal. Jesus loves
Simon he loves Pharisees and he loves prostitutes and everyone else he loves them all so he sees Simon and then he pursues Simon So Simon I have something to tell you teach tell me teacher He said he two people owed money to a certain money lender We can already see where this is going one owed him 500 Denari about three years worth of wages and the other 50 about two and a half three months worth of wages therefore
we see that Jesus acknowledges, he says that there are different debts. No doubt that there are different debts. We all have different debts. Some are huge debts, some are little debts, but the most important line is that the very next line, says, neither of them had the money to pay him back. Neither of them. So it doesn't matter if you're $10,000 in debt or $10 million in debt. If you have
zero opportunity to pay back one penny of it, you are still bankrupt. You might convince yourself, I could pay back 10,000, but in your life, you've only got the debt bigger and bigger and bigger and never paid back a cent, but you could still convince yourself. he says, neither of them had the money to pay him back. So he forgave the debts of both.
He's not being flippant about forgiveness. Forgiveness is hard. Why is it hard? Because when you forgive someone, you're telling that person, I take on the debt. What you owe me, I bear that cost. That's why it's so difficult. This is what Jesus does. We see at the end of our passage, for God made him to be sin, who had no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. He says, now which one of them
will love him more. Simon with some intellectual integrity answers rightly, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven. Jesus says, you have judged correctly. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, so you can picture it. Jesus looks up, everyone's seen the woman except for Jesus because he's had his back to her and he's looking at her, but he's talking to Simon.
It's a way of getting everybody to look at her. And look what he says. Do you see this woman? It's a good question. Do you see this woman? Not this sinner, not this prostitute. Do you see this woman made in the image of God? Do you see her?
And then he goes on to offend his host. But he's doing it not to offend him. He's doing it to pursue Simon's heart. Imagine you going to a dinner party. Someone in the church welcomes you in and in the middle of the thing you just start saying the most offensive things to them. This would be wild unless there was something to it. Jesus loves both these people. So he says, Do you see this woman, this image bearer? I came into your house.
You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. If you welcomed a guest of honor, you would have your servant, your slave at least, wash their feet, but that honor was not given to Jesus, but it was by her. He says, you did not give me a kiss. You would welcome an honored guest with a kiss of greeting. He says, but this woman.
from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. Radical, sacrificial love. says, therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven. The theologians at the table, the theologians in the room are like, what? Yeah, that's not how it works.
How is that possible? Because again, she's already been forgiven. We see that as he goes on. As her great love has shown, those that have been forgiven much love much. But he says, but whoever has been forgiven little loves little.
Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven. The other guests began to say among themselves, who is this that even forgives sin? Jesus said to the woman, your faith has saved you. You're forgiven by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. She's already has that. And Jesus is showing the rest of the dinner party how your sins can be forgiven. He says, now go in peace, go in shalom, go live the abundant life I came to.
give you.
Maybe we struggle because this whole passage is kind of a mirror to our souls, right? Like, do you see yourself in the story at all? I think we should probably see ourselves maybe in both Simon and this woman. Simon doesn't love much because he doesn't think he needs love much. Maybe we don't love Jesus much because...
We don't really think we were that bad. Maybe because we have a fundamental understanding of the absolute holiness and righteousness and glory of God that we think, we're okay. Our debt's not that bad. One of the ways to go deeper is to just consider how much Jesus loves you. You have been loved greatly. In the gospel, we find the bad news is as bad as the good news is.
good. In the gospel we see that we are far more pitiable and wretched and in rebellion than we ever thought or imagined. We also see in the gospel we are far more loved and accepted and brought in than we could ever hope or dream. See the Pharisees were blind to their needs or maybe you're here and you're like yeah but if God really knew what I had done
really knew my past, really knew my brokenness. Maybe you're intimately familiar with your brokenness. By the way, God knows and he still says, come. That's the offer on the table of the gospel. The offer on the table is to be transformed by the grace and mercy and love of Christ that your life would be compelled, compelled by that. Well, if you turn the page,
To the next one you see that there's on page 46. There's some questions for reflection Again, we're asking God to do a deeper work in us And so maybe this afternoon or some point this week We want to invite you to fill out those things Let the Lord work on your heart in those things But and then what you're gonna do is you're gonna take your series guide to your gospel community And having had the Lord do some work on your heart. You'll have something to say when you gather
together in a group. want to point out to one more thing here. We'll get to in about six weeks but I want to see at the back pocket. I want you to pull out this thing. This is a commitment card. We're not even ready to touch it really. the reason we want to get it into your hands now is because we want this to be a tool that God begins to speak to you. Put it somewhere on your nightstand or on your refrigerator. But when you see it I want you to pray two prayers.
Lord, your will be done. Lord, search me and see. Begin to pray. Lord, what does radical, sacrificial worship look like for me and my family in this season? Again, pray about it, think about it, put it somewhere significant. We'll talk about it more in the coming weeks, but we believe at Redemption Park, and now nine.
years old as a church that we're just wrapping up chapter one of the story of God at Redemption Park. We're about to turn the page to chapter two and there are chapters, Lord willing, that we are not in, far beyond us, where others will come and write their story. But it starts here by being compelled by the love of Christ to no longer live for ourselves but for the one who died.
and was raised again. Amen. Let me pray for us to that end.
Pray Boldly Part 2
AI Transcript
Amen,
Good morning again, redemption Parker. So good to see you guys. last week we began a little mini sermon series called pray boldly and B B B before we jump into a new season in the life of our church. Last week, Mark talked about dangerous prayers. This idea that we see all over scriptures, these, prayers that are not safe. ended last week with that
phrase, your will be done from the Lord's prayer. And then like Mark mentioned, Jesus didn't just tell his disciples how to pray. He modeled it for them. As Jesus was about to be handed over and killed on behalf of sinners, he prayed, Father, take this cup from me.
In other words, if there is any other way that that salvation can happen for your people, I'll take that. Then he says, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. Mark challenged us to pray this prayer through different areas of our lives, for our marriages, to our singleness.
kids, our jobs, our finances. Not my will, but yours be done. I hope you accepted that challenge. I'm excited to hear about the fruit in the coming days. Well, this morning we're going to keep at it as we are eager to see what God has in store for our church as we turn to this next chapter in the life of Redemption Parker, which you'll hear more about next week. So make sure you come back.
next Sunday but I couldn't think of a better place to turn to this morning than Psalm 139 especially since Lent starts this week as well as we get into this season so if you would begin making your way to Psalm 139
Earlier this week, I spent some time looking at some powerful moments throughout church history where God's Spirit moved in remarkable ways, where revival had taken place. I was reminded, and we must not forget, that though this church
might be heading into a new season, we're also simply stepping into something ancient. And so I wanted to look at the past so that we could properly dream ahead to the 10th generation and beyond. I wanted to see if there was a bold prayer prayed by our brothers and sisters throughout church history. And who knows, maybe a prayer that could become part of our own story.
here at Redemption Parker, that they'll be telling maybe in our church building 10 generations from now. And I did find something interesting. Throughout church history, whenever God has moved in unusual power, it hasn't begun simply with clever strategy or charismatic leadership. It has begun with prayer. Real.
vulnerable, honest prayer. In seasons of revival from the great awakenings to the Welsh revival to the prayer movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, God's people gathered not to ask him to fix the world first, but to search them. Again and again, awakening followed a simple, dangerous request. God...
Expose what needs to change in me. God, expose what needs to change in us. This is what caught my attention. They were praying an ancient prayer, a prayer that comes a thousand years before the time of Christ. Search me, God.
And so I wonder as we spend some time in this bold prayer from Psalm 139, I wonder what would happen in our lives and in this next chapter at Redemption Parker, if we would allow God to truly search our hearts. So if you're not already there, Psalm 139, we'll pick it up at the very end of the Psalm, verse 23.
Verse 23 and 24, this is the bold prayer we're looking at this morning. Search me, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
And we don't know exactly when David penned this prayer, but let me just say this about King David. David was a man after God's own heart. Full stop. We know this because the Bible tells us so. But we also know David did some things to displease the heart of God. Full stop.
We know this because the Bible tells us so. We know that at one point in his reign as king, he sleeps with the wife of one of his faithful soldiers. And this was not merely adultery, this was exploitation of power. And then to cover it all up, including getting her pregnant, he has her husband killed out in battle.
We also know that because of his pride and self-reliance, trusting his military strength by the amount of men he had instead of trusting the Lord of armies, this led to a plague that killed 70,000 Israelites. If there's anything David knows, friends, he knows from experience what can happen when indwelling sin. Sin.
within is left unchecked. And so this bold prayer from David is a prayer that we need to take heed. David knows our hearts can be fickled. Look at verse 23. Search me God and know my heart.
The heart now, now, now, when we say heart, we, typically mean simply emotions and in modern English, that, that makes sense. have heart charts like this. And when asked, how's your heart, we can pick options like shy, sad, happy, joyful, relaxed, angry, tired.
But in Hebrew thought, the original language of this Psalm, the heart or levav, is much broader and way deeper. The heart actually refers to the inner core of a person, which includes our mind. There it is. Includes our minds with thinking thoughts, reasoning, reflection. It includes our intention.
So our motives, plans, our will, for sure our emotions, so those things like joy and fear and sorrow and love. It also includes our moral compass, right? This is like our conscience, our ability to make decisions. And yes, maybe at the center of the heart lies our desires and loyalties.
When Jonathan Edwards says, will always do what you most want to do, he's speaking of the power of the loyalties and desires of our hearts. That it will win out.
It will win the day. It's the same word heart that we get in first Samuel, where we read man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
When the Old Testament gets translated into Greek, also known as the Septuagint, or whenever we see the word heart in the Greek New Testament, it's the word cardia, or we get the word cardiovascular. But it has the same meaning. It's the center of our thinking.
This is why Jesus can say, why do you think evil in your hearts? It's the seat of our belief. This is why Paul can say, with the heart one believes. It's our moral core. As we hear Jesus in the Beatitudes say, blessed are the pure in.
Friends, it's the source of all our actions. As Christ says, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So yes, our hearts are a big deal. It's the inner operating system of our being.
It's no wonder David's son King Solomon in Proverbs says guard your hearts above all else For it determines the course of your life But but but here's the problem Jeremiah the prophet also says the heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
And so David prays, search me God. Know my heart. But why would David even pray this? Doesn't God already know our hearts? I mean, this is what this Psalm is all about. Look with me at verse one. You have searched me Lord. You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Lofty indeed. This is wild, right? God knows us way better than we know or we think we know ourselves.
And there's not even any place we can escape from God. Look at verse seven. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. And yet since the fall, isn't this what we've been doing? Right? We try to hide.
from God, but what's clear from this bold prayer of David is that though we can for sure fool others, and we can even fool ourselves, we can't fool God. He knows the depth of your.
And so David's prayer for for God to know his heart is ultimately a prayer for God to reveal to David what God already knows about David look back at verse 23 search me God and know my heart test me
Test me and know my anxious thoughts. This bold prayer just got real. This is a dangerous prayer. To the God who knows us better than we know ourselves, David says, test me. Test me. Show me what's in my heart. David's like, I know I got to guard my heart, but I don't know what's going on in my heart.
Man, what a request, right? David is asking God, my deepest loyalties, are my deepest longings and desires, are they aligned with you? Show me.
You see how dangerous this prayer is, right? And though you might say, yeah, be careful what you ask for. I'll put some verse from Psalm 139 on my coffee cup, but I ain't praying that prayer.
But friends, this is the type of prayer that leads to a life that you and I were made for. The life David talks about in this song, the song we love so much. Look at verse 17. How precious to me are your thoughts, God? How vast is the sum of them? Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
life with God, thinking God's thoughts after God himself, abiding in God's love. This is the abundant life that you and I were made for. But, and this is a big but, the enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to...
destroy and often that happens with a little seed, little planted in our hearts. Maybe it's something we're totally unaware of. That's why we need to ask God, reveal this to me. Or maybe sometimes it's something we are aware of, but we can justify it. Hey, we're just keeping up with the Joneses.
Or hey, it's just a little look as I scroll. Not a big deal. Nothing to worry about here. Whatever it is, these little seeds can grow and grow and grow some more until it's something that cannot be tamed. Like the guy who gets attacked and killed by his pet lion. And this still happens every year. Look it up. It happened last year.
At one point it's just a cub, a cozy little cat that loved to snuggle. But then it grew and come to find out apex predators should not be pets. And yet this is what could happen if God doesn't reveal to us what is in our hearts. Yet there's a lot on the line. This is why the author of Hebrews says, that none of you may be hardened.
by sins deception. As a pastor watching Christian leaders fall is hard. Everything I'm not heart charged, angry, sad, confused. And in a world that's already hostile to Christianity makes this even worse. Well, in the last year and a half, two well-known Christian leaders experienced public and painful falls.
Both of them had had a big influence in my life. They both betrayed their marriages. Both were living a complete double life. One built his platform on theological precision. The other on the beauty of grace. Different emphases, different personalities, same neglected hearts.
Yes, this prayer, search me, God, is bold for sure. Could this prayer wreck you? yeah. This is why David pens it. He knows from experience what could happen if your heart is left unchecked. But this is the prayer for the Christian who wants to make it to the end, who doesn't want to be deceived.
And this is the prayer for the local church, the local church that longs to see King Jesus glorified, that desires to be used by Him as a church to advance His kingdom from our neighbors to the nations. This prayer is also asking us some questions. Are your deepest loyalties?
Your deepest longings and desires, are they aligned with God? Or what keeps you up at night?
Or what are you afraid God might take from you? That's a hard one. Is there anything we're doing as a church, God, that you would not approve of?
Real talk, this week wrecked me. All week long I'm praying, search me, God. Know my heart, test me.
preaching is the best and the worst. God typically does a work in you before you get to share anything with anyone else. For instance, there's verses in this psalm that at one point got me fired up about foster care. Look at verse 13. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful. know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in the book, in your book, before one of them came to be. I mean, how can you read these verses and not?
not care about people created in God's image. From the womb to the tomb, from the fatherless kiddo to the struggling addict.
So yes, this verse can help us see people in God's image, but if we get down to the bold prayer portion, that's where things can get dangerous. This week, God revealed to me in our new foster world, so much control that I am holding onto. That God exposed in frustration, fear, anger.
impatience.
And that's just what's going on under my own roof. What about under the roof at RP where I get to be, I get the privilege to be one of your pastor elders. Well, as I'm praying, search me God, know my heart, test me. There were multiple times this week where, God showed me through my own anxiety, stress, and straight up discouragement that I'm not trusting God with this next season in the life of our church.
And why does God reveal these things to us just to make us sad? No, because he loves us. Because like the theologian Cornelius Plantinga says, sin is the disturbance of shalom. Sin is the disturbance of shalom. Let us not say peace, peace when there is no peace. God wants shalom for us.
He peace in your life. He wants you whole. He wants you in a right and good relationship with him and with one another. I love the next line in this prayer. Look at verse 24. See if there is any offensive way in me. The Westminster Catechism defines sin not only as outward acts, but also the inward thoughts.
Disfections and desires that are contrary to God David says search me God Is is there anything in me in my heart in the core of who I am that? offends you Where we were called to to please God We just learned in our revelation series that you are the bride of Christ
And well, healthy marriages work through offenses instead of walking away from them or throwing them under the rug. Some of you guys who don't like conflicts are like, no, that's not how it works. Yes, it is. And so is there anything in your life?
God. Pastor, friend of mine who we share a rule of life, we started working through the seven deadly sins with each other. What a blessing this has been. Church, we are part of an ancient story. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. Christians throughout church history have created things from scripture to help us look in the mirror.
So as you hopefully begin praying this prayer, search my heart, God, here are some things that you might want to be looking for among other things. Start with pride. Seven deadly sins, pride. Are you living as if the world revolves around you?
And so the church fathers would give us a remedy and they would say, fight pride with humility. Or next greed. What do you believe you must have in order to feel secure? Or does God get your first and your best or your leftovers? Church history says we literally fight greed with generosity. What they would call
almsgiving we, we, we give as those who have been given so much next lust. All right. Are you, are you treating people like fellow image bearers fearfully and wonderfully made or as objects for your gratification? Had to be war against this chastity.
Namely, rightly ordered sexual desires controlled by love and holiness. Next, envy. Does somebody else's blessing secretly bother you inside?
We combat this with kindness or charity. We treat others like Jesus said, the way we want to be treated. Next, gluttony. What appetite in your life is quietly ruling?
Here we need the fruit of the Spirit, self-control. This is why throughout church history, fasting has been such a big deal. So by Jesus says, when you fast, not if you'll fast. Next, wrath. Is your anger righteous? Or is your ego wounded? Again, another fruit of the Spirit we need here, patience.
We must learn to be a people like our savior long suffering. Lastly, sloth. This is more than, than being lazy. Although if you spend all your free time playing video games, do think wisdom would say stop. But the sloth is getting at this idea of being spiritually apathetic. Where have you stopped caring about what God.
cares about the remedy to this diligence. We do our best imperfectly, but Paul says we do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed. See how, how bold this prayer is becoming. God search our.
See if there is any offensive way in me. And then I love how this Psalm ends. Look at the end of verse 24. lead me in the way everlasting. Last week as a church, we recited the Lord's Prayer. I love when we do things like this. And as we did, we got to that phrase, Lord, lead us not into
temptation. This morning in Psalm 139 we have the prayer for where we do want God to lead us. lead us in the way everlasting.
As God shows us our hearts, as he exposes some things to us in his kindness and mercy, we get to respond. Will we disregard his conviction in our lives or will we walk in his way? Realizing that as Christians, we've been given new hearts. The Holy Spirit now lives in us. We can walk in the way.
everlasting. You can walk in the way everlasting.
My favorite part of being a pastor is I get to be brought into some amazing moments in y'all's life. The good and the not so good. And in the last two weeks, I've had two meetings with a brother in this church and FYI, he told me I could share the story. But one of those meetings was spent hearing this brother share how God has been searching him.
God's been exposing some things and one of those things that got exposed was a cult forgive his dad. And let me tell you even to have this conviction because of what my brother has experienced as a son is a miracle. the second meeting was celebratory hearing from my dude as if he came back from his visit.
with his dad as he went home where he face to face forgave his dad. He even repented of hating him for two decades. The way everlasting is not easy friends, but it is totally worth it.
Maybe you know you're holding on to bitterness or unforgiveness or you've avoided reconciliation, but David's prayer might be leading you to the way everlasting. I promise you it's totally worth it. I love how as a church we care about doctrine.
That at RP doctrine matters. We have our own Institute for crying out loud, but I also love that we understand doctrine is not everything. How we live our lives matters. This is why when, when Paul's encouraging the young pastor, Timothy, he says, guard your life and your doctrine in that order. Or why in first Corinthians is the only time Paul ever says, I taught this everywhere to every church. And that was his way.
of life. Oh, lead us in the way everlasting. Before we end our time with some prayer here in a second, look with me at verse 19. I love this and I don't have too much time to go into details here, but verse 19, David says, if only you God would slay the wicked. The crazy part of this prayer is that if God were to slay the wicked, we'd all be toast.
that there is none who is righteous, no not one. We just recited that in the New City Catechism. And yet the penalty of our sin is death. God will slay the wicked. This is what justice looks like when perfect love responds to treason, to sin.
But in God's love for the wicked, for the rebels, for those who have sinned and missed his mark, namely all of us, he sent his perfect, sinless son, Jesus of Nazareth, to be slain in our place. For God so loved the world.
that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. And so now we pray as those with everlasting life, Lord lead us in the way everlasting. I want to invite back up Tricia.
And before we respond in the ways we typically do, the Lord's Supper, I just want to spend a couple minutes, even now, in prayer between you and your Father. I'm going to put verses 23 and 24 up on the screen. Let's just spend a couple minutes here praying this prayer.
individually laying ourselves bare before the God who knows you fully, that He would search us. In a couple of minutes, I'll close and I'll pray this prayer for us collectively as a church.
Pray Boldly
AI Transcript
Amen. Well, it feels weird for me to not say turn in your Bible to the book of Revelation since we're done with that. It was six months there, but nonetheless, we have to move on. But we're glad you're here. My name is Mark. If you're new here, welcome.
last Sunday night if you had the opportunity to come to our vision night. It was a sweet moment in the life of our church. But what we thank God is calling us to at this Crossroads moment. It is certainly bigger than us. And one of the things that we asked at vision night and we're asking our members is that you would enter into a season of praying boldly. That you would
take some time to intentionally build into your calendar and your rhythms of life to pray for the people next to you to pray for provision to pray for wisdom and discernment to to yeah to engage spiritually because we recognize if we learned anything from the book of Revelation series is that there are realities and forces at work in this world that that they hate the advance of the gospel they hate the kingdom of light and they will leverage their
resources against you and what we are called to do. And so we need to pray boldly to push back darkness to bring light into dark spaces. So pray boldly. so in a couple of weeks, you're going to hear what we're going to enter into this season called compel this two year initiative. And we'll we'll really jump into that in a couple of weeks. But we have these two weeks here that we have kind of a mini series that we are calling Pray Boldly.
What does it mean to be a church that prays boldly? And in preparation for this mini-series, I've read many books on prayer. The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. We could do a whole year on prayer. I read one book in particular. It's called Dangerous Prayers. in it, asks this question. If God was to answer all of your prayers over the last month, how would the world be different?
And was like, man, I was intrigued by that. And so the next time I was sitting down to talk with my wife, I asked her, said, hey, if God was to answer all of your prayers that you've been praying over the last month, how would the world look different? And of course, she started to respond and she gave very thoughtful answers. as I'm listening to her thoughtful answers and all the ways, I thought, uh-oh, she's going to ask me the question.
And I was like, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And she's like, well, what about you? And I was like, well, yeah, every week I pray for our church. I certainly pray for the passage that I'm gonna preach. I'm praying that the Lord would make that clear and work in us. And I'm praying for what we think God is doing. But in the end, I was rather dissatisfied with my answers. I was like, hmm, why, why?
Why is it that theologically I know that because of what Jesus has done for us, he has purchased us the right to go into the throne room of God, to the very presence of God who is the creator of the universe, as a son of God, to offer every request, every burden, to lay it all down. Why am I not just in that place and in that space constantly? Constantly.
Why do I think that I can pretty much get a get on on my own without going to God in prayer prayer we know it is is is a gift for God's people but but I do know this in over 25 years of ministry both from personal experience and talking with you all. This is the area that we are most dissatisfied with our prayer lives.
On the one hand, prayer is a duty, but it is a duty that leads to delight. It's a duty like breathing is to living. It's a duty to breathe, live, but why do we disconnect from that? I think there are many reasons. You have your reasons, I have mine.
I think we live in a very distracted age and we give ourselves over to distractions. Do we not? I think of Blaise Pascal who wrote about how the distractions were just keeping him from the Lord time and time and time and so many distractions. But he wrote that in the 1600s. I'm like, I can't imagine one distraction you had in the 1600s. And you're like, distractions are what are keeping me from the Lord? Can you imagine?
He had no iPhone, right? Of course, we've already talked about it and we learn throughout the book of Revelation. There is a spiritual battle going on and if there is anything and there is one thing that the enemy hates most of all is your prayers.
That's what causes the enemy to tremble. It's the only space we go where we have actual spiritual power. And so, of course, the enemy is going to do whatever he wants and wants to do to distract us, to keep us a prayerless people. Maybe we're just too content.
Maybe if we think of prayer only as going to God to ask him to give us what we want, but we already have what we want, maybe we feel kind of selfish. Lord, we want more safety and more security and more comfort, even though we live in the safest, most secure, most comfortable place in the history of the world. And so, would we go to prayer just asking for more of that? Maybe you're afraid to pray.
I have a friend that she went to school with me in Prague when we were exchange students, Susanna from Alabama. And I remember sitting down, we were talking about our shared faith and I messaged her this week and I said, hey Susanna, guess what? Because I remember one day we were talking and she said, Mark, I never pray for humility because I don't want the Lord to humble me.
And so every time I see her or a messenger, I say, hey, Susanna, I'm praying for your humility. She's like, stop it. Right? on the one hand, we know that the goal of this life is to be shaped and formed into the image of Christ. And we know he is the most humble who ever lived.
but we're afraid that the Lord would humble us. And not just in humility, there's so many areas that maybe we're afraid to pray bold, dangerous prayers because we're afraid of God actually answering those prayers. Well, like let's not spend too much time praying about unreached people groups and the nations and missions because we're in Parker, that's what we like.
And if we pray that, maybe the Lord might start to pull us in that direction. Let's not pray about certain ministries. Let's not pray for our kids' ministry because maybe the Lord would be like, yeah, maybe I should serve there. Let's not pray for patience, right? Because if we pray for things like patience and humility, God's just gonna give us opportunities to be patient. That's what we're trying to avoid, right? Let's not pray for humility because God will humble us.
Yes, that's what Jesus looks like, but we're afraid. Let's not pray about things like the foster care system because, gosh, that would be really hard if the Lord invited us into that. I mean, so many things. Maybe we're just afraid. you feel like you're just barely holding on as it is. And to pray a bold, dangerous prayer like that, you feel like, Lord, that would be just a step too far. I don't know.
all of our reasons why we're afraid to pray bold, dangerous prayers.
But as we look at the Bible and we compare our prayers to the spectrum of the Bible, I think we tend to only pray a very small slice of what prayer actually is. We pray things like for supplication and the Bible does certainly invite us to pray and ask God for all that we need and even what we want. Jesus teaches this. So we pray things for blessings over our lives.
protection and provision we pray for healing and favor we pray for traveling mercies whatever that is right we pray that the Lord would go before us we have all this like prayer language that we don't even really know what it's about we we pray over our food right
You'll go to lunch today, you'll go to In-N-Out, and you'll get a double-double animal style with fries, animal style, and you will pray. You will pray a prayer of blessing, and I'm not sure what's going on there. Because first thing, a couple observations. If you pray, Lord bless this food, like if you've ever had a double-double animal style, it's already blessed.
But if you're praying like, yeah, bless this food and let it really nourish my body, God's like, that's not how, that's not how that works.
We pray prayers of thanksgiving and we should, right? Like we pray prayers of, Lord help me get this promotion or I got this test coming up in school, Lord help me with that. But here's, like all those prayers fit essentially into, God here's my plan and my vision for my life, now can you go make it happen?
They fit very comfortably within our comfort zone and our plan for our life. But when we look at the Bible, we actually see a very broad range of prayers, bold prayers. We would say dangerous prayers from a human perspective.
Let me just go with a few. I'll put them on the screen. In fact, you didn't even know it, but you prayed it this morning in the confession, Psalm 139, where it says, search me. You ever prayed that prayer and meant it? Or search me and see if there's anything in me that is not glorifying to you. That's a bold prayer. That's a dangerous prayer. Because
We're all in process, so none of us are practically what we are positionally in Christ. Positionally, we are perfect and righteous, but practically we're in process. And so you begin praying that prayer and God says, yeah, I'll show you some things. That's a dangerous prayer. That's a bold prayer. All right, what about, me? Send me. You ever prayed this prayer?
The reference here is to Isaiah and if you know the context, it is after he has this mind blowing encounter with the presence of the Lord, seeing the Lord in the temple and he's blown away and God gives him grace and mercy and having received grace and mercy, he hears this conversation going on in the heavenly realm. Who's going to go for us? Who will we send? And Isaiah says, send me. But here's the deal. Isaiah.
Doesn't say, I know the assignment. I know the people group. I know what's going to happen. I know how you're going to bless me. I know all these things. He doesn't know any of that. It's a blank check. Lord, send me. And and God says, OK, yeah, it's not going to be awesome. They're not going to listen to you. They're going to persecute you. It's going to be a painful life. says it doesn't matter. I've seen the Lord send me. It's a bold prayer. It's a dangerous prayer. Let's keep going. Use me.
Use me. You ever pray that Lord use me offer my body as a living sacrifice. What about break me. Creating me a clean heart this this book that I read the one third of the book was on this whole idea of break me and I just listened in. I was like man. That's a bold prayer. I am hesitant to pray that prayer. Break me.
I mean, I get it philosophically that we need that word. Create in me a clean heart. Sometimes we pray bold, dangerous prayers and we don't even know that they're bold and dangerous. I think of Moses in Exodus 33. Show me your glory.
And God essentially says to Moses, you don't know what you're asking. Show me your glory. Similarly, Psalms 27. Let me see your face. We saw last week that this is the aim and the goal of the Christian life that that when Jesus comes and establishes everything, there will be a day where we will see God face to face. But to pray that now is bold and dangerous. Psalm 25. Teach me your ways, Lord.
Teach me your ways. First Samuel 3 10, speak Lord your servant is listening. I have ears to hear what you have to say. Acts four, give me boldness. This comes after the disciples, John and Peter have just been arrested. Arrested by the way, by the men who just weeks earlier, crucified Jesus and still have the power to do that.
And they arrest Peter and John and in prison. What do they pray? They don't say, Lord, go before us, give us traveling mercies, protect us, deliver us, let you know, bring down fire on our enemies. No, they pray, Lord, when we get out, give us boldness to proclaim Jesus. That's their prayer. That's a bold, dangerous prayer. Luke 17, increase my faith. We don't we want more faith?
We just want God to give it to us, but he has ways to give it to us. Opportunities to trust him that increase our faith. Take my life. For I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Take my life, Lord, and use it however you want. Or build your kingdom. In my life, build your kingdom.
Do you see the difference here? So in the first set of prayers, the ones were comfortable praying. They all fit nicely in our vision, our plan for the good life. These fall outside of that. That's why they're bold. That's why they're dangerous. These prayers, if God, if we were to begin to pray these prayers as a church, we realized if God were to answer them, there'd be some cost to that. These would be costly prayers.
But I want to suggest to you that maybe there's a greater cost in our lives if we don't pray these prayers. If we don't step out in faith, if we are unwilling to ask God to do what God can only do, there's a greater cost. Because when we look at the scriptures, the men and the women who prayed these bold prayers, it was costly to them.
Their life was not comfortable. Often their life was not safe, but they experienced something that we all really, really want. They experienced things like God's power in their lives. Like they could point to. Praying these prayers that led to power. They experienced in a deeper, more intimate way, God's presence in their lives.
They experience God's purpose in their lives. They experience a perspective on their lives. All these things we desperately want. If we're not willing to pray these prayers and walk in these ways, then this is the cost. Power, presence, purpose, perspective.
I think of a story in the life of Christ. I think of the disciples, and I love the disciples because they're so ordinary. They're so relatable. But for three and a half years, they got called by Jesus, the Son of God, who has left His throne and glory. And they get a front row seat to the life and ministry and the miracles of Jesus, the power of God through Jesus. And they're just taking it all in. Right?
One time as they were on a boat at night, Jesus wasn't with them because they would see Jesus just constantly going off to pray. It'd be early in the morning, it'd be in the middle of the day, it'd be late at night. The scriptures have it all. Jesus is constantly going off to pray.
Well, one night they Jesus said, sit him ahead and they're on the boat. And you know the story. A storm comes up and and Jesus is walking on the water. And all the disciples freak out. They think it's a ghost. But then Peter connects the dots and and he prays a bold, dangerous prayer. You know this prayer, Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water. Talk about a bold, dangerous prayer.
And I love it because again, you want power, you want presence, you want perspective. Jesus says, come, come on out Peter. And this fisherman from Galilee takes a foot over the gunwale and steps on water and he takes another step.
And he takes another step and another step in the history of recorded history. What we know of two people that have walked on water. One was the son of God, the co-creator of the cosmos, the one who spoke and the molecules of the water came into existence. And the other was Peter, a fisherman. Say, well, Mark, I...
I know how that story ends. falters, he sees the wind and the waves and yes, but even in his faltering, he experiences something the 11 other guys on the boat never experience. Not only does he get to walk on water as he's going under and his head is going below the water, he feels the strong right arm of the son of God lift him up out of the water and gets embraced by him. It's a bold prayer. It's a dangerous prayer.
But what is the cost if we're unwilling to pray these prayers? Well, we don't get those things that we really want and we need as a church and as individuals, power, presence, purpose, perspective.
We know this in so many other areas of our lives, that the way to get what we want isn't to avoid the hard thing, but to go through the hard thing, right? Like the Japanese have a term for this, it's called misogi. Misogi is this idea that there is a challenge, an obstacle, you don't go around it, you go through it to the other side because the reward is greater on the other side. Every Olympic athlete you watch over the next two weeks understands this.
They've put in the work. They've suffered to get to where they want to go. Why wouldn't it be true spiritually as well? Well, as the disciples.
followed Jesus for these three and a half years and they saw his power in the presence of God and the purpose of God in Jesus's life. They wanted that but but they don't just come to Jesus and say give us that power. No they connect the dots. Jesus is constantly going to the Father in prayer and so one day in Luke chapter 11 verse one the disciples come to Jesus and ask him this. It's a bold prayer actually. It's this teach us how to
pray. These Jewish guys come to their rabbi and they say we need to learn from you. Would you teach us how to pray? And Jesus doesn't say, what are you talking about? It's just talking to God. No. Jesus doesn't say, well just pray your Jewish prayers. Jesus says, I'll teach you how to pray. And what he teaches them
is not a mantra or a magical incantation even though sometimes we treat it as such. teaches them a pattern of bold and even dangerous prayers. I'll put it on the screen. You know it as the Lord's Prayer. In fact, let's say it out loud together. Ready? Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Now again, this is a prayer that we've prayed thousands of times that we know. But again, Jesus didn't give us this prayer that we could just say that, but that we could mean it, that each line, each word of the prayer could launch us off into deeper prayer, connect us with the power behind the prayer. And in fact, it has one of the most dangerous, bold prayers in all of the Bible. Did you see it?
your will be done. You pray that in your life? Father, not my will, your will be done. Not my plans, not the vision of the good life I have, but.
your will be done. This is a prayer of radical surrender. This is a prayer where we take the illusion of our control, the white knuckled grip control, and we release it and we say, God, not my will, but your will be done.
We are convinced it really goes back to the sin in us back to our first parents. We are convinced that God is holding out on us. That's why we've got to hold so tightly that that what God commands and what God desires for us isn't what will make us most happy. But if we begin to pray this bold prayer Lord your will be done and that means we surrender control of our lives.
So it's important for us to know theology. It's important for us to gather and enter into the rhythms of rehearsing the truth of God because this is the only way you can pray this prayer. Your will be done and mean it. Think about the one who is teaching them how to pray. He is loving. He moves towards sinners not away from them. He is humble. He serves and suffers before he reigns. He is compassionate.
He is faithful. He keeps all of His promises. This one who taught us, Jesus, He is infinitely wise. He is infinitely good. He is all sufficient. Our theology tells us from Romans chapter 8 that Jesus is working all things together for our good and for His glory.
You have to hold theology rightly if we're going to be able to release to God and pray honestly, your will be done. We have to know who we're surrendering to. See, think we know, we think we know what will make us most happy. So let me give you an example. Anyone who's ever had a toddler knows this.
There are moments in the life of the toddlerhood where they lose their minds because they think you're withholding something from mom, dad, you're withholding something. I have to have that thing.
Doesn't matter how ridiculous it is. could be a whole construction truck out on like moving dirt. It could be a candy bar. It could be any number of things. I have to have that losing mind meltdown, but you're the parent. You've got 20, 30 years on this kid and you love this kid and you want this kid's best. And in that moment, if you're a good parent, you don't just give them what they want.
Even though they're melting down, they're so angry with you because you love them. You know, you've been there. You want what's best. Now consider this. You've got 20 or 30 years on them. The gap between you and them is hardly anything compared to you and me and God who is infinite.
How much more does God know us, love us, and is working all things together for our good? We can trust Him in this prayer.
not my will, but your will be done. So we must lock in on two truths. This is what I want us to lock in over these couple weeks as we enter into this crossroads moment of our church. Number one, we have to lock in on this truth that God always, always, always has our very best in mind. Always.
We get angry at God because we're like toddlers sometimes. We don't see that we can't connect the dots, but he does have our very best in mind. And number two, bold prayers are a pathway to what we want or should want most. This is why we pray bold, dangerous prayers, because in the end, it's more costly to us not to pray these prayers.
We want to be more like Christ. We want the power and the presence of the perspective of Christ. And so we pray bold prayers. Well, I want to invite you to just do one thing. In fact, I'll invite the worship team to come back up. I don't want to just talk about it. I want to do this. So if you have a bulletin or a smartphone, ignore your social media for a moment and pull this out. I want you to write down this one thing.
This week I want to invite you to pray a bold dangerous prayer. want you to pray any of them that you saw or possibly this one. will be done dot dot dot. Then I want you to write that area of your life where maybe already you sense the Holy Spirit is calling you to release a grip in your life. Your will be done in this relationship. Your will be done in.
this area of my life at work or my resources or your will be done. Maybe you already know the very specific thing that the Lord is inviting. I want you just to write that down. Begin to think about that.
If you don't have a specific one, just this week, begin to pray, your will be done, and just start kind of, I like to start concentrically. Start with your own life. In my mind, in my thinking today, Lord, I want your will to be done. With my hands and in my work, I want your will to be done. In my relationships with my wife and my kids and my coworkers, want your will to be done. Just kind of work your way out in our church. Lord.
We believe you're calling us to something bigger than ourselves that we are not smart enough to figure out on our own. So would your will be done. So this week would you just would you pray this dangerous prayer. Lord your will be done. So write it down. Now here's the key. I want you to pick a time and a place. A time and a place this week in this time and in this place. I'm going to pray this prayer.
It's kind of building a liturgy of bold and dangerous prayer in your life. In this time, in this place, this is where I'm going to pray. The Lord leads you if you want. I'm going to fast on this day, the whole day, or through this meal each week, or this time at lunchtime, I'm going to put aside food, and I'm going to hunger and thirst for God in this area of my life. Lord, Your will be done.
Maybe you're hearing, you're like, man, Mark, don't know.
That feels dangerous. Then I would say pray the most relatable prayer in all the Bible. In Mark chapter nine, there's this man who's got a son who's been inflicted. He's in pain. He he's oppressed and demon possessed. And can you imagine as as a mother or father just seeing your child in so much turmoil and pain. And he hears this rumor that there's this rabbi named Jesus that that can maybe do something about this. And so he he works his way to a village where he finds Jesus.
And he comes and he pleads before Jesus. He says, it is possible, if it is possible, have mercy, have compassion on me, if it is possible. And Jesus says, if it is possible, if it is possible. Jesus says, all things are possible for those who believe. The man falls on his face before Jesus and he says this, Lord, I believe.
Help my unbelief. Is that not the most relatable prayer in all the Bible? Like if you're struggling with surrendering, you're struggling with giving up and praying some of these bold prayers, then that's the prayer you pray. I want to. I believe. Help my unbelief. And again, even as you think about that this week, know this.
Jesus not only taught his disciples to pray this prayer, Lord your will be done. The reason we can trust Jesus is because he lived it. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane. He went to his disciples and he begged him. brothers, this is the moment, this is the hour. Pray with me. Pray with me.
And they failed and they faltered like you and I fail and falter. They fell asleep. But Jesus went a little further and He knelt down and three times He prayed, Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me. He was saying, if there's any other way for salvation, other than the cross that you're sending me to, if there's any other way, Lord, take it from me. But He ended each prayer, nevertheless, not my will be done, your will be done.
He lifted and he got up and he walked in the Father's will to the cross for you and for me to pay the price you and I deserve to pay on the cross to bear the wrath of God against the sin of the world. He lived it. It was the most painful difficult thing that has ever been accomplished on earth. The author of
The book of Hebrews puts it this way. It says, Church, brothers and sisters, let us run with endurance the race Jesus has set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
I want to just take a moment in your seat right now between you and the Father, begin to pray. Wherever area that He's brought up to your life, your will be done. Then I'll close us in prayer and we will continue on.
Eden Restored
AI Transcript
Amen. Thanks Jen. Yeah. Good morning Redemption Parker. So good to see you guys. I hope you are excited for Vision Night. I hope that is on your calendar for this evening. You're not going to want to miss it. It's going to be a lot of fun. Well if you would why don't you begin making your way to Revelation 22. The last chapter of the last book the Bible. Revelation.
22 is where we'll be this morning. Had to bring out the jacket for this chapter.
And we got a drum set. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Well, a couple weeks ago, my oldest Eden wanted to show me a new song she wrote. She titled it, The Garden of Eden. And though her voice is much cuter than mine, I'll attempt to sing it. The garden of Eden lived a long time ago. There lived a man named Adam.
There also lived a woman named Eve. It was the happiest place in the world. They had so much fun. It's done.
Yes, yes, I thought it was legit. We got the next Jackie Hill Perry on our hands. And that last line, it's done. is spot on. Theologically speaking, the garden of Eden from Genesis 1 and 2 is done by chapter 3. When Adam and Eve no longer want to rule under God's reign, they want to call the shot. So yeah, the happiest place in the world.
pretty early on in the story is done. And it's not hard to see, right? That this is where we live. East of Eden. Life under the sun is brutal, full of suffering and brokenness. It doesn't take long to scroll the news to realize, yeah, this ain't Eden. And even in...
our own lives, the moment we think everything is working out the way it's supposed to, we find ourselves empty, depressed, insecure, or maybe just nothing is working out like we think it's supposed to. So we're anxious, lonely. And if we're honest, even we, God's people, the saints, know we're not quite who we want to be or who we should be.
But what Eden's song is missing, and I told her this and we'll work on it, is a second verse. Yes, Genesis 3 tells us Eden is done, but Revelation 22 is going to show us Eden is not finished. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from Lord of the Rings, this is where everything sad is going to come untrue. Because of Revelation 22,
Eden, will be restored. And this is our future hope, church. A hope that throughout church history was meant to anchor, inspire, and transform God's people. So let's turn. Revelation 22. Last week, Mark showed us what is not going to be in the renewed heaven and earth.
Today we get to look at what we will have there. So start with me in verse one, chapter 22, verse.
And then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city, also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. What do we?
have here. Well, as Dr. Dave Mathewson says in his commentary, the end will be as the beginning. Genesis 2 10 tells us a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden. From the earliest part of the story, we see this river, this river of life, this river of shalom. Peace.
But as the story unfolds, know Adam and Eve make their way east as they're exiled out of Eden. But what happened to this river of life? Well, this river motif is not simply found in the first and last chapters of the Bible. This is a theme running all throughout the scriptures.
We don't have time for a deep dive, but for instance, those steeped in their Hebrew Old Testaments, their Hebrew Bibles, they come across the river of life in the New Testament in Revelation 22. And yes, they think back to Eden, but they also think about the prophet Ezekiel. At one point in his prophetic ministry, Ezekiel is shown a vision. The vision is of
a river that flows down the temple. It starts small, like a little trickle. but it grows into a mighty rushing river. Listen to this prophecy for yourself. It'll be up on the screen. Ezekiel. Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, this water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish.
because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh. So where the river flows, everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore from N'Gedi to N'Eglam, where there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh. They will be left for salt.
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food, and their leaves for healing.
This is a crazy scene. This river that starts as a trickle of water running down the temple steps becomes a rushing river heading east and bringing life wherever it goes. I mean the place it's describing here, this is the Dead Sea. And in case you didn't know friends, I think I got a picture of the Dead Sea. This is the Dead Sea. And in case you didn't know,
There, there is no life in the Dead Sea. This is the lowest place on planet earth. And these waters are like 25 % mineral. They, call it the salt sea for a reason. Nothing can survive here. Like, like if you jump into the Dead Sea, you float. It's actually pretty awesome. If you're interested in the Israel trip, come talk to me, but we are going to go on an RP Israel trip this fall.
And yet in this vision, even the Dead Sea is so purified with life from this river that fish of all sorts swim here. Fishermen are lined up. A place once lifeless is now alive with the life of God's kingdom. Yes, Ezekiel is looking back for sure to Eden, but he's also prophesying about a day.
a day in the future when Eden and its river of life would be restored. And this becomes the hope for Israel. For instance, the feast of tabernacles or Sukkot, where even today, if you hit the right time of year in places like Brooklyn or LA, of course Jerusalem, you'll see homemade tabernacles.
tents, all sorts of shelters on patios and backyards. This is where Jewish families sleep for a week. In the days of Jesus, they would make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, sleep all over the city. And on the seventh day, the final day, the most important day of the feast, the priest would carry large vessels of water from a nearby spring to the temple.
people were reciting specific Psalms all over the city, the water was poured out down the temple steps, forming a stream that flowed eastward from the temple. This ritual served as a living reenactment of Ezekiel's vision, their future hope, an embodied prayer for the people of God.
begging God to send this promised river, this river of life back to Revelation 22. Do you see what's happening? The river of life is back. It's here at last in the renewed Eden and the tree of life from the happiest place on earth.
Well, if you remember when the garden of Eden is done, God drives out Adam and Eve from ever touching this tree until now. In the renewed Eden where the tree of life that has been guarded for millennia is back. Its fruit is now food. It's leaves for the healing of the nation. What does this mean? The renewed Eden will be the place where God's diverse.
multicultural, multi-ethnic people find healing, find shalom, where they flourish. This is the good life. What an end to the greatest story. And yet this is just the beginning. Where everything sad comes untrue. This is the eternal life that awaits.
This is our future church. Remember the words back from Revelation 2, the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life. Let's keep reading. We're reminded in verse three, like Mark explained last week, the curse is gone. Look at verse three, no longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the lamb will be in it.
and his servants will worship him. The river of life is not only flowing from the throne of God. Remember that there's no need of a temple anymore because well Eden is a temple. The word Eden literally means the paradise of.
God and so now when every square inch of this renewed Eden is filled with the wonder and the glory and the presence of God himself, worship is what takes place. Soul satisfying worship. As C.S. Lewis famously says,
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. This is that world. No more needing to look at your 401K to find rest and fulfillment. No more needing the approval of
people likes on social media climbing the ladder of success in your career, finding fulfillment in your kids athletic career. None of that satisfies. You haven't found that out yet because you were made for another world.
And it's here in the restored Eden that our longings finally get satisfied as God's people worship before the throne of God. But worship in this city is not by faith. Look at verse four. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. For now, Paul says.
For now we see in a mere dimly, then we will see face to face. Theologians call this the beatific vision, the blessed hope that one day, this day, we will see.
will never be the same. John in another place says, beloved, and someone just needed to hear that this morning. God delights in you. He sings over you. You are his beloved. Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him.
because we shall see him as he is. And friends, we won't be seen and savoring our king as floating souls. We are body souls and will be forever. We will see our glorified savior in our glorified bodies. Paul says in Philippians, but our
citizenship, our home, where we were created for is in heaven. And from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body. Or in Romans, we await eagerly for adoption as sons and daughters. And what's the climax of our adoption? The redemption of our
bodies. church, this is glorious. This is why John Calvin says we need to live with one foot raised. One foot in that city. Or like the author of Hebrews says, for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. This life is full of suffering and we don't get a free pass from suffering as Christians.
But, but unlike the world, we have hope, real hope that, that, can not only get us through our suffering, but can even give us meaning, purpose, joy in our suffering. And what will be, what will we be doing in these bodies? Well, other than playing tennis all day long without any tennis elbow.
Even rejoicing somehow when I lose because I don't know glorified Mark Oshman just hit a passing shot What what will we be doing in these bodies Will be raining You will be raining look at verse 5 and night will be no more
They will need no light of lamp of sun. The Lord God will be their light and they will rain forever and ever. Now, now if someone's upset because they think I'll because they think or because I think there'll be sports in heaven. Now you probably think I'm, I'm a heretic sound like a Mormon with all this talk of raining, but that's what the text says. This is what.
Christians throughout church history have believed you will reign with Christ for all eternity You were meant to rule and reign With God as one author says this is what he meant when he meant you
Now Mark did mention we'll be working in heaven but but have you ever worked as a king or a queen in a a perfect sinless kingdom full of glory beauty peace creativity mystery perfection in Genesis after God looks upon his good creation. What does he say. It is It is good. It is very good that.
That Hebrew word is tov. Yes, it means good, but it's so much more than good. A better translation might be like, all systems go. You ever had one of those days? This will be life in the restored Eden. All systems go. And part of our job description as we work in the new heavens and new earth is to stand face to face with
boss. But he's unlike any boss you've ever had. He's our loving creator and savior. He's the God man. And we will get to know him more and more and more without end. We will still be finite. So forever we will contemplate the incomprehensible God.
we will never be left wanting. Experiencing life as it was meant to be. Worshipping Him, looking at Him, working with Him, reigning with Him, enjoying perfect harmony with one another. Yes, everything sad is becoming untrue. Well, if we're going to finish this chapter, we've to bust a move. Let's...
Continue verse 6 and 7 here. Jesus tells John here, I've shown you a lot.
I've used apocalyptic symbols and images to help this hit my church at the gut level. Blessed or another translation, happy or flourishing is not only the one who hears the word, but one who keeps the words of this book. He reminds John, are in the last days.
And then this is true for us church. are in the last days. Christ is coming soon. Maybe you're thinking man two thousand years doesn't seem like soon but that's why Peter reminds us. But do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day and praise God right. We're we're all part.
of God's family because he's patient and he has more people for whom Christ died. Yeah, we didn't come up with that phrase one more. This is God's heart for humanity. One more. But we are in the last days. We've learned in our time in Revelation that the time between the first and the second coming of Christ is
wilderness season for the church, the tribulation. But take courage, I am coming soon, Jesus says. How does John respond? at verse 8. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I fell down and worshiped at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said to me, you must not do that. I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers.
Prophets and with those who keep the words of this book worship God And he said to me do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near Let the evil doer still do evil and filthy still be filthy and the righteous still do right and holy still be holy I Love the humility of John here in my pride I'd be tempted to take this part out of the letter before I send it to the seven churches
John for the second time worships the angel and the angels like, dude, get up. When are you going to learn? I know I'm blowing your mind, but like you, I'm just a servant. Let's get our eyes and our heart on God. He and he alone deserves our worship. And then the angel says, but John and RP, the time is near.
We can't be playing games. There's too much on the line. Well, let's finish the rest of the chapter, the rest of the book, the rest of the Bible. If you're able, actually, why don't you stand here for the reading of God's Word and get a little break in the middle of the sermon.
Thank you.
Verse 12 and following, Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life. There it is again. And that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexual immoral.
and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I'm the root and the descendant of David, the bright and morning star. Verse 18. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testified to these things says, surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen. This is the word of God.
may be seated.
Intense ending, right? Jesus loves His church. These seven churches in Asia Minor 2,000 years ago desiring to fortify these Christ followers in the last days, the end times, and calling them to be His faithful witnesses, conquerors, overcomers. And Jesus loves His church.
Today, Parker Colorado, 2026, desiring to fortify us, his church in the end times, calling us to be his faithful witnesses, conquerors, overcomers. Sometimes we think love is just what makes us feel good. If a person tells me what I want to hear, then that person is loving.
Like, for instance, if a pastor sits someone down, even gently, but tells them truth, maybe hard truth, but the truth that actually has their future self, one million, one billion, one trillion years in mind. If they don't want to hear it, they might say that's not love. But I'd argue from this passage, that's precisely what love is.
And so our senior pastor here at RP, Jesus, wants to end this book with his love for us, his bride, his church. wants to remind us again, I'm coming soon. I know you live in the age of distraction and once you leave here, a million things are going to vie for your attention. But please, please don't forget.
coming soon and I will repay everyone for what they have done. Says I'm looking for faithful witnesses those who know they've been given the gift of salvation by by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that because of his finished work on the cross alone they know that they did nothing to earn this.
Salvation. because they know that church, they also know that this grace ain't It's this costly grace. And when Christ calls a man in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he bids him come and die. But like Dr. Matthewson preached here a few weeks back, any sacrifice we make on our way to the restored Eden is totally
it because Jesus is faithful witnesses. The overcomers will eat from the tree of life. Enter this holy city and behold the King of Kings, the bright and morning star. Mark and I got invited to a Laker game a couple of weeks back against the Nuggets. Of course, the Lakers won.
And these seats were good, like so close you could hear what some of these players were saying. You can see the sweat coming off their faces. And then Mark, like the die-hard Laker fan that he is, was not super happy when LeBron James was taking some crazy shots. I think he said, that's a sketchy shot, man. Come on. Innocent, right? no.
Sitting in front of Mark was a man who turned around. And for the next, I don't know, three to five minutes gave Mark his unfiltered thoughts. How are you going to call out LeBron James for a sketchy shot? Dude's got 50,000 points. Who the heck are you? He went on and on. I kid you not. What kind of fan are you, he said.
You don't say anything when Luca, another Laker player, you don't say anything when Luca takes wild shots. Are you sure you're a Laker fan? I sat there acting like I was just watching the game. Sorry, Mark. I did not come to his defense. Truth be told, this dude was big and I was not trying to get into an incident on national TV. And then just like that, he left, but he headed.
toward the court, walked right by the players and then went down in the tunnel. Mark noticed he did have a Laker name tag on. His name was Randy Mim. So we looked him up. This is LeBron's chief of staff.
LeBron's closest childhood friend, LeBron's fixer. I still don't know what that means. You can read articles about this guy and one thing sticks out more than anything. This dude is loyal to LeBron James. Driving home, Mark says, man, my daughters need to find a man who loves them like this man loves LeBron James. But all jokes aside,
Unlike the self-proclaimed King James, we get the privilege, the joyful privilege to give our loyalty, our faithfulness, our allegiance to the King of Kings. Imperfectly, of course. The call is not to be perfect. The call is to be faithful.
Don't you long to hear those words, well done, good and faithful servants. Enter Eden at last. Welcome home, son. Welcome home, daughter.
Well, how shall we then live in light of Revelation 22 in light of the entire book of Revelation? How then shall we live? I skipped over one verse and I think it's a good place to land the plane this morning. Verse 17.
Look with me at verse 17. The Spirit, important word there, the Holy Spirit who's been all throughout this book. The Spirit and the bride say come and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Two points of application then I'm done.
for the believer, one for the unbeliever. Firstly, the unbeliever. To the unbeliever, we're so glad you're here with us this morning. Maybe this is your first Sunday at church or church in a long time. Maybe you've been tracking with us through this entire Revelation sermon series. But you wouldn't say Jesus is Lord.
wouldn't say Jesus is Lord of everything and I just want to ask you how's that going?
How's that going? Mom, I called to you this morning. Come. Come to Jesus. He made you. He loves you. He died for you. He has a future for you. Maybe you're done trying everything this world has to offer. You're realizing it's not enough. You're still thirsty. Come to the one who can quench.
your thirst by faith and faith alone free of charge. Come to the one where you can find rest for your weary souls. And second to the believers, brothers and sisters in Christ. Praise God for the book of Revelation. Amen.
Amen. This isn't about endless speculation and trying to figure out which vaccine is the mark of the beast. I hope you've been encouraged because this book is meant to encourage and to exhort believers because of Jesus. You are an overcomer and you have what it takes to be
overcomers. know someone's thinking, what do you mean, I have what it takes. Well, check this out. What's crazy is we don't just wait for the renewed Eden by the Spirit. The life of that coming world, Eden, is already here. When Jesus was celebrating the feast of tabernacles.
Sukkot in Jerusalem during his earthly ministry and then the priest is pouring down water from the temple reminding everyone of Eden the river of life and pointing everyone to the day when Eden would be renewed. Well Jesus stood up and said some things. He wasn't going to let that moment pass. A preacher's got to preach. And so John records these words. On the last day of the feast.
the great day. stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive for as yet
The Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Well, like we know, He's been glorified. He's reigning and ruling right now as we speak at the right hand of the Father in the throne room in heaven. And for the last 2000 years, from the day of Pentecost to today, He's been filling His people, the church, His new...
temple with streams of living.
namely the Holy Spirit. church, let us come. Let us come. Let us be a people who drink deeply. Amen. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come let me pray.
All Things Renewed
AI Transcript
Amen. Well, welcome. Glad you're here this morning. My name is Mark. If you're just joining us, welcome. If you've been with us for the last six months, you know we've been in this book of Revelation that we started back in August. So we are coming down to the end. I want to start with a question. A question I like to ask in group settings for an icebreaker. And it's simply this. If you could go anywhere and spend a day anywhere doing anything, where would you go and what would you do? Just think about that for a moment.
If you could go anywhere, spend a day anywhere and do anything, where would you go and what would you do? I love the question because it prompts something in us and I hope maybe you will share your answer over lunch or invite someone to lunch and begin to share that answer. I love it because it prompts something in us but also there's just such a wide variety of responses to that question. Like some people are like, hey, I'm a mountain person. I'm going to...
go to the mountains somewhere. I'm an ocean person. Others are like, this one place where I grew up and my family went and we had such good times. I'd love to go back there. I would go to this city and see the architecture and the history there. I'd go to this museum and see the masterpieces there. It just on and on. It just starts to roll off. I'd go have this meal with these friends and have these conversations.
Again, I love the question because it reveals something in each of us. It reveals a longing, really a longing for the world to be set right. And it's interesting to me because the way we answer that question actually reflects our longing for and the reality of what heaven's going to be far more than what most of us believe about heaven. We have been influenced for 2000 years by a heresy that came at the end of the first century called
Gnosticism and Gnosticism has shaped our imagination about heaven in the worst way possible. It shaped this idea that heaven is some place we go to after the end of this life and it's ethereal, it's disembodied, it's floating on clouds, strumming a harp and it's no wonder that Christians don't long for that. We long for the answers that we just gave. The real places, the real people, the real sights, the real sounds.
We long for that. Well, I have good news for you today. Good, good news. My aim is to show you that as we turn the page to Revelation 21, that what is to come is going to meet us in our deepest longings. What we really want, even beyond that, what we really want, it's going to...
Obliterate our view, hopefully, of any Gnostic notion that will go off to heaven someday. But rather that God is doing a new work that's going to meet us right where we're at, right where we long for. So if you have your Bibles, we're in Revelation 21 this morning. But again, I mentioned we started this series about six months ago, and it's important to remember what John said six months ago because
His point six months ago has been the same throughout. And so what John is doing in 21 and 22 is the same goal of what he did in the first few chapters. And if you remember in the first few chapters, we learned that this was a real letter written by a real person to real churches, seven of them in at the end of the first century. They faced real challenges, real persecution, real pressure.
The pressure to compromise their faith, the pressure to keep it private and personal, the pressure to be cowards and to be liars. And it was real pressure. Like there was economic pressure. Hey, you want to sell and buy goods in the marketplace? Well, you need to make an offering to Caesar and you need to proclaim to everyone, Kaiser Curios, Caesar is Lord. But Christian, if you do that, you're a coward.
And you're a liar because Caesar is not Lord. Jesus is Lord. So real pressure. There was real pressure. They're seeing their family members, brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins being dragged off and put to death. You want to talk about pressure? This is what they were facing.
And so John sits down and after receiving a revelation, an apocalypse, a pulling back the curtain on some spiritual and physical realities that are actually happening all around us, he writes this letter and his aim in the letter, if you remember to the seven churches, the repeated phrase, to the overcomer, to the one who conquers. And there's a promise tied to all those, those that overcome, those that promise, those that are not cowards, those that do not lie about who Jesus is, if they
persevere and persist to the very end. the things that await you. And so this is what he's been doing. And now as he turns the chapter to the last two chapters, which unveil an apocalypse, a pulling back of the curtain of what heaven will be like, his aim is the same. He wants us to get a glimpse that will pull us through, that will strengthen us, that will literally encourage us, put courage into our spine.
Yes, if that's what's waiting, I'm all in. I can endure all things if I believe that's what's to come to encourage us. And so this is what he's doing in Revelation chapter 21. Now, let me say something about this. Again, hopefully if you've been here a while, you know that in Revelation, there are all sorts of apocalyptic imagery.
Apocalyptic genre was a thing in the first couple centuries and centuries leading up to that. But what it does is it takes signs and symbols to point to greater realities. Better than what we see. So do not come to Revelation 21 and 22 thinking, this is an exhaustive description of what heaven will be like. No, but follow the signs and the symbols to see, it's far greater than what I mean. Doesn't that make sense after all?
Like, do we really think that John could, in two chapters, describe all the glories of heaven? Do we really think he's trying to describe it literally, or is he pointing to something that is far, far greater? That's what he's doing. So, if you have your Bible, we'll pick it up in verse one of chapter 21. 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 the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Let me make a few observations. You read that and you say, it's a new heaven, a new earth. Does that mean that God is just going to roll this thing up, destroy it, and start over? No. No.
The word there in Greek could actually and should actually be translated. Then I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth. After all, we read that that God is really, really into his creation. We can read this in Genesis one and two. God created the universe. He created the earth. He created you and me as image mirrors. And what does he call it? He calls it very good. Very good. And so when when sin comes into the world and Mars, the creation,
Well, what does he do? He doesn't just destroy it. No, God is not going to let his enemies get the last word on creation. No, he has already a plan in place that will be rolled out to rescue, redeem, and renew the earth. And the ultimate proof of that is that at just the right time, in that just the right place, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, steps into the creation. He puts on flesh
to live a life that you and I could never live, a life of perfect obedience to the Father, to pay a price that you and I deserve to pay, not to start over, but to rescue and redeem. God's really into His creation and in the end, He wins. He's making all things renewed. Not only that, did you notice what it says? And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Again, think of this. What is...
What is John pointing to? He's pointing to we're not going to go off to some ethereal place, spiritual world. No, heaven's coming down right here. In heaven, we will have mouths to praise God, lungs to praise God. We will have taste buds to taste the glories of heaven. We will have nostrils to smell, eyes to behold, ears to hear, so on and so forth. Heaven comes here. The veil is completely removed. Heaven and earth come.
Fully rescued, fully redeemed. I think of a quote I read this week by one theologian, Anthony Hakema. Think of the implications of a fully renewed, fully redeemed earth. He says this, I love what he says. says, will there be better Beethoven's on the new earth? Better Rembrandt's? Better Raphael's? Shall we read better poetry? Better drama and better prose?
I love this one. You probably didn't think about this one. scientists continue to advance in technological achievement? Will architects continue to build imposing and attractive structures? Our culture will glorify God in ways that surpass our most fantastic dreams. Doesn't that stir something in you more?
Again, if we think in the Gnostic way where we're going to go off and strum a harp and after 10,000 years there's no time off the clock and you're like, what's going on here? No, but if you think in a biblical way, you're like, yes, this is what I was made for. This is what I love. So in Revelation 21 and a little bit into 22, one of the ways that we can start to follow the signs and symbols, understand what is actually going on here,
is through two lens. What's not going to be in the new heaven and new earth. OK. He's going to talk about that. And then what is going to be in the new heaven and earth. And we follow those signs to the glorious reality. So let's talk about what's not going to be in the new heaven and new earth. So jump to me with me just to one verse in chapter 22 verse three. John writes this. No longer will there be anything.
a curse or your translation might say, no longer will there be the curse. Again, this is hard for us to fathom because it's the only world we've ever known. Curse everywhere. And it doesn't take long to look around to see the effects of the curse. if there's no longer any curse, there are 10 billion implications of that. Let me just deal with one. So in Revelation chapter two,
where there is no, sorry, Genesis chapter two, where there is no sin yet. Adam and Eve and God live in this perfect harmony, perfect unity with one another. Adam and Eve are naked and unashamed. And did you know that God gave them meaningful, soul satisfying, mind satisfying, body satisfying work? And they loved it. It was good.
work and they put their hands, their minds, and their effort into it. But then sin came into the world and one of the first effects we see in Revelation or Genesis 3 is that there is a curse and that curse affects our work. There is toil, there is thorns and thistles. This is the life and experience we have. No matter how good your job is, there's an aspect to it of toil. Amen. Right?
There's an aspect of, this is what thorns and thistles look like in my job. I love my job, but man, these people were this, my boss or this thing, or it's just not, there's always toil on this. So it's hard to fathom that. Did you know that you're going to have work in the new heaven and new earth? And for some of you, that sounds like a bummer because you can only imagine work through the curse. But it's work that will be soul satisfying.
Mind-satisfying, body-satisfying work. He's going to invite us to work. So there's no curse anymore. Again, it's hard for us to imagine, but John wants us to imagine a life that is without the curse. Now, again, there's 10 billion implications to no curse, but let's jump back to chapter 21. Maybe you saw it in the first verse. It says, the first heaven and the first earth, the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more.
Okay, again, do we come to this saying, this is a literal description of the new heaven and earth, or is he saying something more? He's saying something more. Are we to believe that on the new earth there's no ocean? So all the people that said I would go to the ocean, sorry, bummer. No ocean, no fish, nothing. No, that's not what he's getting at. No, the first readers would have saw this immediately. The sea was this symbol throughout the Bible and in their lives as chaos. Like the sea was dangerous.
The sea would kill people and you wouldn't know it. It would swallow up people on ships and all that. So this is a picture of chaos. What John is saying is, there is no more chaos in the new heaven and new earth. Again, hard for us to fathom because we only have lived in a world full of chaos. Natural disasters, man-made disasters. He's saying there's gonna be no floods. There's gonna be no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no tornadoes, no hurricanes.
Not only that, in the natural world, there's going to be no chaos in our lives between one another. No governments rising up and making war on other nations. No genocide. No school shootings. On and on and on. No injustice. Wherever there is chaos. And we could all pull out our phone and go to any news station and all we would see is the curse and chaos. The curse and chaos. And John says, no more.
There is no chaos. It goes on in verse four. It says, shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Jesus has conquered all those enemies. There's no curse, there's no chaos, therefore there is no death. There's no mourning, there's nothing to mourn. There's no crying, there's no pain.
The former things have passed away. Again, this is the only world we know. This is our story. There's chaos, there's curse, and there's pain. There's mourning and there's death. We bring it into this room right now. Our story, even this week, some of you have shed some tears. You've faced the reality of living in a broken world. Hear the good news this morning. This is not the end of the story. Jesus will get the last word.
Drop down to verse eight, there's gonna be none of the sinful behavior brought into the kingdom of God. Look at verse eight, says, as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexual immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Now when John writes that list,
He's not writing an arbitrary list. Did you notice how he started and how he ended the list? He says, but as for the cowardly, and then he ends with, and there won't be any liars. This is the refrain throughout his letter. Don't deny Jesus. Persevere. Become overcomers. Don't give into the cultural pressure to bow down to Caesar. Don't be a coward, because there's no cowards that go to heaven. Don't be a liar. Anyone that says,
Caesar is Lord is a liar because Jesus is Lord. And so he is trying to encourage him. So there's no curse. There's no chaos. There's no mourning, crying, pain anymore. There's no sinful behavior in this place. But perhaps most surprising thing that will not be there is found in verse 22. I saw no temple in the city. It's surprising.
Maybe not for us, but it would be surprising for any Jewish person. What do mean no temple in the city? The temple is the place of the center point of Jewish life and culture and religion and worship. It was the place where you would come and enter into it and meet with in a way the living God of the universe. What do you mean there's no temple? By this point, those that received this letter a decade or two before this,
Rome had rolled into Jerusalem, destroyed it, destroyed the temple. And the Jewish people were wondering, God, what are you going to do? Are you going to rebuild this temple? And they looked to Ezekiel. There's eight chapters in the book of Ezekiel talking about how the temple will be rebuilt in intricate detail. Here's all the things that are going to happen because, again, the temple is a place where God dwelt. And so they were like, this doesn't make
since even if you go today, if you go with Pastor Rick to Jerusalem when he takes the next trip, you're going to go to Jerusalem and all that's left of that temple is the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall, because you'll see pious Jews just pleading with God, begging God, leaning into their prayers, asking God to rebuild the temple. Why? Because then they can restore their sacrifices. Then they could be made right with God again. Then they can meet with God.
want the temple. But even at the temple, it was really only one person, one time a year, that could go into the inner sanctuary or the Holy of Holies. The high priest could go in after making sacrifices for himself and for his nation and he could go in and he could sprinkle blood into the most holy place and encounter the presence of the living God. And John says there will be no temple.
What's up with that? Well, let's go back to verse nine. It's gonna start to become clear. Verse nine. Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls of the seven last plagues and spoke to me saying, come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God, its radiance.
like a most rare jewel, like a jasper clear as crystal. There's symbolism there, but we don't have time. Verse 12, it had a great high wall. Now I want you to listen to something. I've said this throughout the series, but numbers have symbolic and deep meaning. They point to greater realities. So listen for numbers here. He says, it had a great high wall with 12 gates and at the gates, 12 angels.
And on the gates, the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed. On the east, three gates. On the north, three gates. On the south, three gates. On the west, three gates. And the wall of the city had 12 foundations. And on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. You start to see it. You actually don't have to do that much math to recognize what's going on with this 12, 12, 12, 12, 12.
12 we've always seen represents the people of God. And here he is very clear, both the old covenant people and the new covenant people, the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. So this represents who's gonna be there? All of the people of God. Everybody that belongs to God is going to be there. Verse 15. And those who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.
The city lies four square, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. They're like, well, what's a stadia? We don't use that. In fact, some modern translations, for example, if you have an NASB, which is otherwise a very good translation, they're like, let's help them out. They don't know what stadia is. And so they translate it to the modern equivalent, 1,380 miles.
So if you're reading it, oh, it's 1,380 miles. But is that the point? No! That is not the point. That this city is 1,380 miles by 1,380 miles. A perfect square. Flat earthers rejoice. No! It's not the point. He could have said 12,000 kilometers, 12,000 miles. The point is that 12 multiplied. A massive 12 times 100 times 100. 12,000!
its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits. Again, we're like, cubits, what's that? NASB will tell you 260 feet. No, not the point. 12 times 12, what's the square root of 144? 12 times 12 is 144. Again, this is the point. The numbers have meaning. 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. The wall was built of jasper.
while the city was pure gold. Does that mean everything in the city is just gold? Pay attention, we'll get back to that. The city was pure gold, like clear glass, which is a strange kind of gold. Says the foundation of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first, Jasper, the second, Sapphire. And he goes on to a bunch that I can't pronounce, but notice there's 12 of them. In fact, if we...
know our Bible. Those twelve stones have tremendous significance. They are the twelve stones that would be worn on the chestplate, the ephod of the high priest. Remember the high priest? The one person who could go into the Holy of Holies once a year? He's got those twelve stones. These are the same stones. Each of the gates made of a single pearl in the street of the city was
your gold like transparent glass. What is happening here?
I read through it intentionally kind of quickly, but did you notice verse 16? I'll put it on the screen here. says, city lies four square. Its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Again, we can now picture a square city. It's 12,000 stadia. If you want to say that's a literal city, it's 1,380 miles. But then the next part of the verse, he says, its length.
and width and height are equal.
So, do the math. Is he talking literally? If this city is 1,380 miles by 1,380 miles, we can fathom that, but now it's a perfect cube going up 1,380 miles. Do you know where the International Space Station sits? 250 miles.
We think this city goes up to high altitude, not low earth orbit, but high earth orbit. No, he's pointing to something. This is a sign. This is a symbol to a greater reality. This would have immediately brought to mind the only other place in scripture where there is a perfect cube. Let's show it here. First Kings chapter six, verse 19 and 20. Solomon, as he's been commissioned by his father David to build the temple, now he's working on.
You guessed it, the Holy of Holies. Solomon prepared the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies within the temple to set the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord there. Go on. The inner sanctuary was 20 cubits long, 20 wide, and 20 high. It was a perfect cube. And look what he says. He overlaid it, the inside with pure gold. Now do you see the symbol? Here's what John is saying.
in the new heaven and the new earth, the entire universe is the holy of holies and all of God's people are inside the holy of holies, amen? This is the best news. This is the best news because this says that of all the things that are going to be in heaven, God will be there. It is the hope of every
believer forever and ever. there are going to be amazing sights. There's going to be amazing sounds and smells and places to explore all of that. But all of that pales into comparison to be in the very presence of the Holy of Holies without sin, without shame with God. God is the gospel. When you come to faith in Jesus, you get God. This is the good news.
It isn't that you get to be reunited with your family and you get to have a really cool place. You get those things, but if it isn't God who excites you, you don't understand the gospel. You get God. You get to go into the Holy of Holies forever. Let's just use our imagination for a moment here. Go back with me to verse 3. It says, I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them as their God. He will be the one who wipes away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying or pain anymore for the former things have passed away. Back down to verse 22. I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon.
Doesn't say there isn't a sun or moon to shine on. has no need of sun or moon. For the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the lamb. And by its light the nations will walk and the nations of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be shut and there will be no night. Its gates will never be shut because there's nothing threatening the new heaven and new earth. There will be no night there. Again this is a symbol for no darkness, no wickedness there.
I think there's going to be night. I think we're going to see the stars and explore the stars even. It says there will be no night there. will be they will bring the nations will bring the glory and honor. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. Who's that? That's you and me. Every tribe, tongue and nation rescued and redeemed bringing in without sin, without baggage, without idolatry, bringing in all of the best of our culture.
bringing it to the party. Notice there'll be kings and queens. That's because we're going to be co-heirs with Christ. We're going to rule and reign over this new heaven and new earth under Christ's rule and reign. It's going to be amazing. is all the promises of God finally and fully being fulfilled for you and for me. It reminds me of some of those last scenes in
C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, Jewel the Unicorn. She finally comes into the real Narnia. Here's what it says. She says, I have come home at last. This is my real country. I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it until now. The reason why we love the old Narnia is that it sometimes
looked a little like this.
The old Narnia was a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia, which has always been here and always will be here. We live in the shadow lands now. But once Jesus returns to establish all things, it will no longer be the shadow land. So again, what is John trying to accomplish here? He's not trying to tell us everything that's gonna be in heaven. Man, our finite minds couldn't perceive that. He couldn't write enough books in all the universe to capture all that, but.
He wants us do something in us. He wants this vision to pull us through this life, to persevere, to be encouraged. Doesn't this help us understand the Christian life better, right? Doesn't this help us understand how the Apostle Paul lived his life, right? When Paul writes to Philippians, for me to live as Christ and to die as gain? Yeah, because he understood.
He's not just going to go off and float on a cloud some day. He's going to enter into the holy of holies. That's gain. He writes in Romans 8, 18, I consider that our present sufferings, this world of curse and chaos, that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Brothers and sisters, use your spirit-filled imagination to begin to ponder these things. Let them pull you through. I love what Augustine says on this. He says, these are the beauties afforded to sinful men, what does God have in store for those who love him? In this world, we still get glimpses, as Jules said. We still get glimpses of amazing, glorious things. If you've ever...
stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon or if you've ever gone scuba diving and seen the fish in the coral reef you're like wow here's what I want you to do though when you see that
The Final Judgement
AI Transcript
Welcome.
Hey, glad you're here if you're just joining us. name is Mark. It's my privilege to open up God's word with you this morning. are getting close to the end of the book of Revelation, so you can begin to make your way to Revelation chapter 20. Last week, when Dr. Matthewson came and preached Revelation 20, I was excited because I knew I would be preaching this week, and I was thinking, sweet.
on to Revelation 21 and 22. The glorious ending, the cherry on top, what we're all longing for and leaning towards. And I was like, this is going to be amazing. And so I went to look at what passage I was preaching on and the schedule. And the schedule I make, by the way. And so when I came to Revelation 20 and I said, what is this five verses? Why am I preaching five verses?
I mean, in this series, I've preached two chapters at a time. So I was like, Oh no, I just want to get onto 21 and 22. This is going to be awesome. But then I, I read the five verses and I was like, Oh no, maybe, maybe I could, maybe I could tweak this. Maybe I could just jump on ahead. That, that seems like where I want to go because like so many of these passages, once again, the first time I read it, I'm like, man, this is difficult.
But unlike the other passages, so many of these passages have been difficult because John is writing in an apocalyptic genre way with all sorts of symbols and signs and beasts and prostitutes and dragons, all sorts of things. Those are often difficult to understand. Like what are the symbols and signs point to? But this passage is one of those difficult passages where it's not hard to understand, but it's hard to embrace.
It's hard to accept. you ever come across God's Word and come to passages that are hard to accept? If you're honest and if you've ever tried to read the Bible in a year, many of those 365 days would be days where you're like, what do we do with that?
There's a few options when you come across a passage like that and like this. The first option, which I don't really consider an option just to be clear, but many in our time and culture do, is that there's something flawed in God or in God's word.
I mean, we've been through the Enlightenment, we've been through modernity, the scientific and industrial revolution. Now we're in post-modernity. And so all truth is relative. We can make everything mean what we want it to mean. so therefore, if it's a difficult passage, we can just kind of twist it into what we want. And again, a lot of people do that. But I don't think...
We should do that. I don't think you should do that. So option number two is often the case.
When I come to a difficult passage to accept and embrace, it's just this realization, well, maybe my understanding of what's going on here is off and I need to do some deeper work. I need to do some context. I need to try to understand better. And so that's often the case. then option number three is it's not that God's thinking or God's word is off. It's my thinking.
is off. There's something in me that needs to change to align with ultimate reality and that's where I think I came to this passage or we should come as a whole to this passage. And so while I was tempted to just kind of breeze past this passage and jump into the next two glorious chapters and they are glorious, I realized there was a reason we have these five verses.
Well, I thought of that line in the Apostles Creed, that the very end that's dealing with the nature of Christ. And it goes like this, I'll put it on the screen. After his death, burial, and resurrection, he, Christ, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, he will come to judge the living and the dead.
For 2,000 years, this has been a cornerstone doctrine of our faith that Christ will judge. His judgment will be right and true. And while there are many passages throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament, that speak to this, none are as clear and as weighty as our passage today.
And so if we're going to be faithful, historic followers of Jesus, we need to deal with this passage. then, as so often is the case with these difficult passages, I realize that these are actually gifts to us. In God's sovereignty, in your life, in my life, and in our church's life, this is what God has deemed we need most today. This is a gift to you.
it's weighty, it's heavy, it's hard, but it is a gift. And I hope that you would receive the gift. It's a gift to you if you are a follower of Jesus, to remind you of some things, to maybe motivate you to some things. And it's a gift to you if you are not yet a follower of Jesus, to hear the wooing of Jesus saying, you can come home. And so.
I want to enter into this gift together. If you have your Bible we are in this section and in the book of Revelation there's these windows that John opens up for us and we're in the penultimate window before we get to the new heaven and earth. But in chapter 19 starting in verse 11.
Jesus has come riding on the white horse and he's got fire in his eyes. He's got a crown on his head to show his authority He's got a a robe dipped in blood, which is his own blood He's got a sword coming out of his mouth which to strike down his enemies He's got a tattoo on his thigh that says King of quick kings and Lord of Lords the King has returned
And he's come to vanquish all of his enemies. And in chapter 19, we get this scene of Armageddon where the nations and all who have rebelled and have set themselves up against the kingdom of God are gathered for this massive battle. Think something from The Lord of the Rings. This is about to go down. It's going to be a bloodbath except
Right in the moment when the battle you would think would take off, it's over. There's no battle. Jesus is King, and with a word, he vanquishes his enemies.
There's no tension. There's no who's going to win in this moment. No. Jesus is eradicating all evil. He eradicates the beasts, the harlot. He sends them to the lake of fire. Eventually by chapter 20, he's going to eradicate the dragon, Satan.
and he's going to send him to the lake of fire. We read about this in the verse right before our verse, verse 10 of chapter 20. says this, the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Into the lake.
of fire. This is going to show up.
It has shown up in chapter 14. It's going to show up again several times in our passage. But notice what's happening here. First of all, I want you to notice this is a description of hell. And notice that hell is not a place where Satan and the demons reign over us or those that would go there. Hell is for Satan and the demons. It is a place where they will experience eternal conscious torment.
All that remains now is the final judgment. That's all that remains. The last judgment, the judgment that has been foretold throughout the ages in the prophets, in the New Testament. And now we get this scene in chapter 20, starting in verse 11. I'll go ahead and read it, pray for our time, and we will jump in together. Listen carefully, this is God's word, verse 11.
John writes, then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it, the earth and the heavens fled from his presence. There was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done.
as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it and the death in Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of...
fire. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but what you just read never will. Let me pray for us.
Lord, we do receive your word as a gift this morning. So as only you can, would you speak to each person here? What we know not, you teach us. What we have not, you give us. What we are not, you would make us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen, amen. So it starts out, then I saw a great white throne.
great white throne. The throne has been this centerpiece throughout the book of Revelation. And for those of you that have been with us in this series, you could probably guess how many times in the book of Revelation, the throne has been a centerpiece in the book. Any guesses?
Five. said five. Anyone else? Seven. It is seven. It is seven. So in chapter four and five we see the first throne room scene where God is on the throne as creator of all. There's creatures. There's elders. There's God. There's weeping in heaven because there's a scroll that no one can open until the angel comes to John and says the lion of the tribe of Judah can open the scroll and there's rejoicing. But when John turns he doesn't
see a lion, sees a lamb, those slain and standing, Jesus. God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Spirit, they're on the throne in the Lamb. Number two in chapter seven, the multitudes from every tribe, tongue, and nation are gathered before the throne, praising the Lamb. Chapter eight,
It's a little bit different scene now there though there's all this worship that's always going on in the throne room. It gets silenced for a half hour. tells us why because the prayers of the Saints are rising into the throne room of God. Your prayers matter. God is listening.
Chapter 11, there's a heavenly choir singing the praises of God forever. Chapter 16, Babylon has fallen and the people praise God. Chapter 19, there's a roar of heaven like the sound of rushing waters and they are singing hallelujah, hallelujah for our God reigns. And now the last and seventh throne room scene of the book of Revelation.
Chapter 20 is unlike any of the other scenes. Did you notice there were no creatures? No four living creatures. No elders. No angels singing the praise. No multitudes gathered to praise the Lamb. There's no heavenly choir. There's, well, he says a great white throne. The word great there is mega. A mega throne.
White, we know colors have symbolic significance in the book of Revelation for righteousness, holiness, and judgment. There's a great mega white throne in Him who is seated on the throne. Who is Him? But we know from the throne there's going to be judgment. know throughout the New Testament and throughout the book of Revelation that judge is Jesus. It's also the Father. It's the triune God is on the throne now.
And he's about to judge everyone. He was seated on the throne. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence. There was no place for them. The only thing in reality, the only thing of ultimate reality is a throne and everyone. Everyone gathered before. There's weight to this moment.
And that's what he said. He said there, there, I saw the dead. In this, we're going to look at Christ's final judgment in three ways. The first one is Christ's judgment will be personal. I could have actually added to this one personal and public. Christ's judgment will be personal and public. Look what it says in verse 12. And I saw the dead, great and small.
That means this is an all play. Kings and Queens, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick makers, and everyone else. We should always pay particular attention in the Bible when we see ourselves in the Bible. You are there. I am there. You're there. You're there. You're there. All of us. Billions upon billions.
Ultimate reality, everything else has fled. There's a throne, there's the judge, there's us. It will be personal. Notice what it says here. It says, I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and books, plural, were opened. And then another book, singular, was opened, which is the Book of Life. So what are we to make of this?
Well, the idea is that there are books, that there are books, plural, and everyone has their own book. In this apocalyptic scene gathered before God, we all have a book. has our name on it. And we are gathered, billions of us, before the throne. And on the throne, there is another book. This is a bigger book, but it is the Book of Life.
So, him on the throne has that. We all have our own book and this book records everything. Every thought, every word, every deed from our first breath to our last breath, everything. In that time, in that day, there was this idea and so John is playing on this idea that was common in Greek thought and culture that every person...
had a book, books were everything, it recorded everything in your life and John's like, yeah, let's play with that. You have a book, everything's recorded. This is not only personal though, this is public. Think of that show, the Truman Show, 1998, Jim Carrey plays Truman, forget his name, Burbank, that's his name, Truman Burbank, remember that? I should have put a picture up there, but from birth.
He doesn't know it, but he's being recorded. He's being filmed and the whole world is watching. How horrifying. Right? It'd be one thing if the world could watch everything you did. That'd be horrifying enough. But what if the world could see everything you thought? Could see every motive of your heart? What if, I'm just speculating here, especially for those that have stiff armed God and
and are not in Christ, what f for them their eternity begins one by one by one coming before the throne. And their book is open. Their name is called and it says on the screen, Mark Christopher Oshman, come forward. You open the book and it says everything.
Now we're going to see that this second book becomes very important. If in the second book, in the book of life, if your name is in that, it radically transforms and does something to this book. We'll see that later. But if your name is not in this book, and this is all you have to stand before the throne, his personal judgment, it won't only be personal and public.
We see as it continues to go on that it will be perfect. His judgment is perfect. I saw the dead, and small, standing before the throne. The books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. So again, if this is your only defense, you will stand before the perfect
Holy, righteous judge of the universe and you will give an account. And we know his judgment is perfect, complete. It will be based on his holiness, his righteousness. And if there is a deviation from that, and there is, you will be judged according to your works. We'll all be judged according to your works. And so that should cause some alarm bells.
in our head. Say, well, well, Mark, I thought salvation was by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And let me be clear. Absolutely. That's the doctrine of justification. And we want to be a church that every single week you hear this doctrine. You are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Absolutely. That is how you get your righteousness. We do well to emphasize that doctrine. It's a glorious doctrine. In that doctrine, we learn about what's called the double imputation. Theologians call it the double imputation. it means this, that Jesus on the cross, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, he became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God. So on the cross, Jesus takes his righteousness, his
perfect life and it all gets credited to our account. But not just that on the cross he takes on our sin all of our guilt all of our shame all of our impure motive all of our rebellion before God that gets put on Jesus on the cross. So absolutely we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone the doctrine of justification. So then you say well what's all this we will be judged by our
works, do our works matter? And I say, yes, eternally so. Like, well, which is it? Well, here's one of the problems with an overemphasis or an only emphasis on the doctrine of justification by faith. That's not the sum total of the Christian life. And we can delude ourselves into believing, well, I'm saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Therefore, my life does not matter.
And the Bible will repeatedly, not just hear throughout, the Bible will repeatedly say, believer, your life matters. Your works matters. Your deeds matter, eternally so. Live like it. So what do you mean? How do they matter? They matter, it's different in the way if you're a believer or unbeliever, we'll see this. But let me just give you a couple reasons why you as a believer, if you're a believer.
why what you do matters for all of eternity. First is it matter because our actions flow from what we believe. So what we believe on a deep level, now I get it, we still have indwelling sin, we still wrestle, we still are not perfect, we're in process. Sometimes we make progress and other times we feel like we're back at stage one, but there is a desire
a longing put there by the Spirit to live a life worthy of Him. Our beliefs flow from, our actions flow from our beliefs. So let me give you an example. So say you realize you're having some health issues. You're like, I need to go to a doctor. I need to go to the best doctor. And so you start to ask around and say, who's the best doctor? And soon you get consensus. this doctor is the best doctor. Man.
his track record or her track record is amazing. It's 2026, I want to be careful here. Her track record is amazing. And so you go to her and she does the full body scan and does the blood work and does all the labs. And as you suspected, she comes back and she says, yeah, there's some major issues here. I'm glad you came to see me as you, when you did, because if you didn't, this could easily lead to heart failure or
or whatever the case may be. And so that's okay. You came in time. Let me ask you this. Do you trust me? You're like, of course I trust you. You're the best. Everyone says you're the best. She's like, okay, good. Here's what I'm going to tell you. If you do this, you will live. Okay, what do need to do? Well, I'm going to prescribe you something. I need you to take three of these pills a day. Okay, I can do that.
Not only that, you need to cut some things out of your life. You need to cut sugar, need to cut caffeine, you need to cut alcohol out of your life entirely to get your body back on track. Okay, I can do that. Not only that, you need to exercise. You need three days of cardio and two days of resistance weight training. You do these things and you're consistent with these things. You come back in six months, most likely you'll be better. And so what do we do? yeah.
I trust you, I'm going to do it. This is for my good. And so you go out and you start off pretty strong, right? Because it's the new year, you made your resolution, you're done with the Christmas cakes, all that, and you're good. But then life just gets busy, right? You're like, man, I can't quite remember the three pills a day. If I do two or maybe even one, I think I'm good. And you start out working out pretty well, but again, life gets busy and...
That's just hard. And so you're like, ah, I can't do that. If I do one or two days a week, I'm sure that it's better than nothing. So I'm going to do that. then soon the Girl Scouts are going to start knocking on your door. And I mean, you want to be a good witness. You can't turn them away. And you want to be a good steward. I bought 10 boxes. And so can't waste those. You're like, oh, I don't know about the sugar.
And you're getting busy at work and so you're working late and now you're waking up tired and you're like, man, I know the doctor said no caffeine, but it's just a cup. It's just a cup of coffee. And you start drinking that and just to blow off steam at night, you're like, ah, one or two drinks. I'm going to do that. And so soon you're kind of just half-hearted going through it and you go back to the doctor six months later and things aren't getting better. And the doctor's like, what's up? What's going on? Did you do what I said? Well, I...
I did try to take the pills and I took at least one a day and I tried to exercise but life got busy and you tell the whole thing and doctor just says but you said you trust me. I do I do trust you. You're the best doctor. Doctor said if you trusted me you would do what I say.
This is what Jesus says in Luke chapter 646. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, master, master? And do not do what I tell you. Our beliefs lead to our actions. So you could say, well, I prayed a prayer when I was 12 and therefore I'm good, but your whole life and your affections and there's no desire. Like that's a dangerous place to be. You should at least be alarmed by this passage. James 2 17.
James says, also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead. But someone will say, you have faith and I have works, show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works. We say, you are saved by faith alone, but that faith never remains alone. Our works should confirm to us, yeah, we are actually believers. Or Ephesians two, this kind of jewel of the doctrine of justification by
faith alone. There's three verses you should memorize. It's this passage. He says this. Paul writes, for by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of work so that no one may boast. Okay, but read the next verse. Four. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
We were created for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Listen, we should walk in the good works that God has laid before us. So that's the first thing. Our actions flow from our beliefs, but not only that, our actions we see in the judgment lead to eternal rewards and responsibility.
And this is where I think it's just crazy that we're like, oh, doctrine of justification by faith alone, that's all we're going to think about. And the Bible, the New Testament is repeatedly going to say, no, your life is meant to echo forever and ever and ever. We're going to look at chapter 21 and 22 and see the rewards and responsibilities we are given based on what's written in our book. Jesus in...
the next chapter or two chapters in 22 in his very last words from Jesus in the Bible. says this, Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done. Our works matter. Or that passage that deals with this explicitly in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is trying to.
communicate to the Corinthians this truth, your works matter eternally. He says it this way, each one's work will be manifest or on public display when the books are open for the day, the day of judgment when Christ will come to judge the living and the dead, the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire or testing and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. What has your life been about?
If that work has been built on the foundation, that is, on Christ alone by His Spirit for His glory and not our own, then that will survive and He will receive a reward. Your works, my works matter eternally. We will be rewarded and we will be given responsibilities in the new heaven and new earth. Paul will go on in that passage to say,
All of their life work will be burned up. They'll get into heaven, but there will be regret that they did not live in light of eternity. So that is Christ's judgment will be personal, it'll be perfect. And then in verses 13 and 15, it will be permanent. It'll be permanent, verse 13. The sea gave up the dead that were in it.
and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Again, back in verse 10, Satan's thrown into the lake of fire.
where there'd be tormented day and night forever and ever and ever. In verse 14, we saw this as well. This is called eternal conscious torment. It is hell. It'll be permanent, meaning there are no do-overs. There is no reincarnation. There is no purgatory where you can kind of get your life together after 20,000 years and you fix stuff so you can finally enter into heaven. No, his judgment will be
personal, perfect, and permanent. Unbelievers, they will be judged according to their works and only their works, and they will be sentenced to hell where they will continue in their rebellion to Christ and his reign and rule forever. Theologian Russell Moore put it this way, hell is the final handing over of the rebel to who he wants to be, and it is awful.
The sinner in hell does not become morally neutral. We must not imagine the damned displaying gospel repentance and longing for the presence of Christ. They do not in hell love the Lord their God with their heart, their soul, their mind and strength. Instead, in hell, one is handed over to the full display of his nature apart from grace. And this nature is seen to be satanic. The condemnation continues forever.
ever because the sin does too.
Brothers and sisters, if that's not your story, one, rejoice. You deserve that story. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, that that's not your story. If that's not your story, man, does that not give you purpose to live for all in your life? That is their story presently. Well, let's talk about believers in this final judgment.
Now I imagine again there's these books. We have our book and there's the book of life I imagine. Again I'm just speculating here. But I imagine Jesus on his throne opens the book. He says, Mark Christopher Oshman and his smile comes across his face. He says, Mark, open your.
I open my book.
And there is line after line, passage after passage, story after story, redacted in red ink in the blood of Jesus.
Jesus says, what's in your book?
Well Lord, all of my sin and all of my rebellion has been covered by your blood. And all that's left is what has been done by you and for you. He says that's right. And by his grace he will say, well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much.
Enter the joy of your Master forever and ever.
So this week I've been praying for two groups of people here, those that are believers and those that have not yet bowed their knee to Christ. For believers, I've been praying that you would rejoice in your salvation, not just your justification, but you would rejoice that you will be judged perfectly based on Christ's perfect life and not yours. you will be saved by works. It will be His works.
And then you will be judged on your work. So my prayer for you this week is that you would live in light of eternity, that you would have a longing, a desire in your heart to make this life count, whatever that looks like for you in your life. And then for unbelievers, again, this is God's gift to you this morning. Do you not hear God wooing you? This doesn't have to be your story. You can come home.
My judgment will be personal, it will be perfect and it will be permanent, but it can be free today. So I've been praying that you would hear a voice other than my voice this morning, that you'd hear the voice of God. so, believer, I pray that you would respond however that looks like as you run your own race, to Jesus and for unbeliever that today.
You would respond in faith and the Bible will say you will become a new creation. The old will be gone and the new will come. You'll be transferred from the domain of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the sun God loves. And if that's you today, we would love to just rejoice with you, answer questions, pray with you. After service, I will be upfront to pray for whatever you need and anyone. But if you want to talk about that, I would love to talk to you. This passage is a gift to us because
Whenever the Bible calls us to understand that right now this moment matters, that God sees everything, it's calling us to what Theologians called to live corum deo, to live before the face of God. If we really understood that Jesus was with us always, how much different would we live? I'll end with one story and I share this story not because we should all do this. I share this story because it was one person's
realization of what it means to live Coram Deo and how it set his life on a completely different track. Okay. I'm not saying we all do this. I'm saying we all live faithful and run our race, but his name was an amazing name. CT Stud. Like when your last name is Stud, that's amazing, but he was a stud.
In the 1800s, he was a student at Cambridge in England, and he was a cricket player. And if you've ever tried to understand cricket, you can't. Unless you're British or Indian, I think, or Pakistani, I think they understand it too.
But it's a thing. It's still a thing. It was the sport. And CT Stud being the stud that he was, became the very, very, very best in the sport. was whatever athlete you think is the best right now. don't want to... Okay, I'll say it. He was the Magic Johnson of the cricket world. That's my guy.
And he had fame. And newspaper art every game. Here's what C.T. Studd did. And he became a professional cricket player. And then one day a guy by the name of Dwight Moody came and talked to him and told him about Jesus. And he gave his life to Christ. And he continued to play for a while. And the crowds were cheering his name. But it started to feel a little bit empty.
started to feel a little bit hollow and so he made this shocking decision to leave the world of cricket. Not only that, his father who was very wealthy died and left him this inheritance that he'd never had to work a day in his life. So he's got fame and wealth and he's like, but one day, one day I will stand before the king and the books will be opened. He says,
That day matters than all of this. And so he gave away all his wealth to the gospel advance. He left the cricket world to be a missionary. They wrote articles about that not because people were becoming missionaries but because the
God Will Have the Last Word
AI Transcript
Man. Thank you. Great to be back. Yeah, think about a year ago, I had another student that was, he was a pastor at a church in Lakewood and preaching through the book of Revelation. And he asked me to come and he asked me to come on the Sunday, they went through the seal judgments and then the trumpet and bowl judgments. I thought, dude, what are you doing to me? You make me do all the hard passages.
So I saw the Millennium, thought, this is it. Anyway, I love the book of Revelation. I love teaching it. I love getting people excited about it because it is a book. It's a book that you should be excited about. mean, usually we think of the book of Revelation as it's a book about judgment and gloom and doom. And it's so hard to understand. I remember when I grew up, I avoided the book.
until I was forced to write a paper on it seminary and literally forced to write a paper on chapter 20 on the millennium. And I'm not sure I solved anything with that paper, but it instilled a love for the book of Revelation in me that hasn't died down. And so I just love to teach and preach Revelation. And I'd love to demonstrate that all the songs we sung this morning, if you recognize them,
the words come right out of the book of Revelation. And that's because the book of Revelation is a book, it's not a book about the end times. It's a book about worship. And Revelation, if I could summarize the message, Revelation is meant to get you to worship God and the Lamb no matter what consequences it might bring you. And the whole book is about that. In fact, if you thumb through the book, just notice, starting in chapter four and five, and that heavenly worship scene.
And you look through the rest of the book, there's all kinds of Psalms and hymns that are sung by individuals or groups of people or angelic beings that demonstrate that the book of Revelation is meant to get you to break out in worship at what God and the Lamb have done just because of who they are. Sometimes I think we think, you know, worship is something that, you know, you get up Sunday and you go to church and...
We worship God because, you know, he's kind of been lonely all week long, and we've kind of ignored him. And so he's just waiting for us Sunday or Saturday, some churches meet Saturdays. He's just waiting for Sunday morning so his people come and worship and acknowledge him. And we, know, sometimes I get the feeling that, you know, we worship God because we think he needs it. We don't worship God because he needs it. We worship him because he's worthy of it. And that's the message of the book of Revelation.
It calls us to worship God and the Lamb no matter what the consequences it brings. And for the readers in the first century, a little bit unlike our day, for readers in the first century, the consequences could be rather dire. If you worshipped anyone else but showing your allegiance to the Almighty,
Caesar and the empire that was in control and the empire that was responsible for your prosperity and your peace and your safety and your well-being, the Roman Empire of the day, to show allegiance to anything or anyone else would be seen as kind of an act of treason and could bring rather serious consequences.
And I want to look at one chapter in the book of Revelation and how it addresses that. And that is the chapter on the Millennium. If I were to ask all of you and say, know, what idea or word comes to your mind when you think about the book of Revelation? Some of you might say the number seven or the Antichrist or the Beast or whatever. But I would bet that some of you would say the Millennium.
That thousand year reign that we find in Revelation chapter 20. And what I want to do is look at this from the standpoint of what is this chapter doing here? And what difference does it really make to you and I today?
What difference would it have made to the readers in the first century that were under pressure from a pagan empire and being called upon to worship God and the Lamb in the context of a world that said, no, you can't do that. Only Caesar and only this empire is worthy of your worship and allegiance. What would this have said to them? And then what does this passage say to us today?
Because we often think that the millennium is some kind of a theological concept. And it is, because I still get asked by people, you know, what's your view of Revelation? it amillennial or premillennial or postmillennial? You know, you amill, premill, postmill, windmill, whatever mill you are. And it's as if that's the most central feature of the book.
I actually think chapter 21 and 22 is the heart of the book. That's the grand finale. If you ever go watch a firework display, you wait for the grand finale at the end, that's Revelation 21 and 22. Everything is leading up to it. And this vision of how does heaven, how does this heavenly worship scene in Revelation 4 and 5, some of the songs we sung this morning taken right out of Revelation 4 and 5, where all of heaven is worshiping God and the Lamb.
How does that eventually come to earth?
In the Lord's prayer in Matthew chapter 6, He taught His disciples to pray, Our Father who is in heaven, hallow be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The as it is in heaven is Revelation 4 and 5. God's will and His kingdom is fully acknowledged in heaven, where all of heaven worships God and acknowledges who He is in His sovereignty. And the question is, how will that become a reality on earth? An earth that contests that.
An earth that does not acknowledge God's sovereignty. An earth that resists and opposes God and His people. Revelation 21 and 22 is the answer. On a new creation, a new earth, all of God's people, with God and the Lamb at the center, now worshiping Him.
But where does this millennium passage come in? If our main focus is on 21 and 22, that is the grand finale. The grand finale of the fireworks display. What about this passage about the millennium? Revelation says, and I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the abyss, and holding in his hand a great chain.
He sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil or Satan, and He bound him for a thousand years. Notice that reference, that ancient serpent. That takes you back to Genesis 3. Remember the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve? That's the same serpent that has for centuries and centuries and centuries been deceiving and wreaking havoc on this world and causing God's people harm.
Now that serpent has been bound for a thousand years. And He, that angel, threw him into the abyss. In Revelation, the abyss is the home of demons and Satan. And He locked him and sealed it over to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years are ended. After that, he must be set free for short time.
And then I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the Word of God. They did not worship the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their forehead or their hands. And they came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
and the rest of the dead did not come to life until after the thousand years. This, the saints coming to life and reigning with Christ for a thousand years, this is the resurrection, the first resurrection. And blessed and holy are those who share in that first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. The second death being the lake of fire, the final judgment. It has no power over them, but they will be priests.
of God and Christ, and they will reign with Him.
for a thousand years. passage.
Again, we could sit here and talk about the pre-millennial, post-millennial, non-millennial view and whatever. And in a way, I don't care which of those views you hold, but I want to ask, well, what's this passage doing here? And what does that say to you and I? For the record, I think that this is a picture of...
what God will one day do when he returns at the second coming of Christ. So I think it takes place in the future. We're still awaiting this. In fact, what is interesting about the book of Revelation, we often think of it as, you know, this is just kind of a prophetic vision of end time events, but it's actually also very carefully put together and crafted. I think John was a literary genius when he wrote this thing. Because what...
What's going on is if you go back several chapters earlier, you'll notice that the three primary enemies of God are introduced back in chapter 12 and 13, and that is the dragon, Satan, that goes all the way back to Genesis 3, that same...
Satan that had tempted Adam and Eve to sin and has continually tempted and deceived and harmed God's people and resisted God and His purposes. He's introduced first. And then two beasts are introduced in chapter 13. And then the city of Babylon is introduced in chapters 16 and 17. And then what John does is he begins to remove those three things in reverse order.
So in chapter 18, Babylon is removed. These are all three things that oppose God's kingdom. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But on earth, it's resisted by Satan and these beastly figures and Babylon. And now what God is going to do is He's going to begin to remove them.
in order to make way for the new creation in chapter 21 and 22. So in chapter 17 and 18, he removes the city of Babylon that stands for the entire world, I think, in opposition to God. And then he removes the two beasts in chapter 19. And now finally, the main antagonist that lies behind everything, Satan the dragon, now he's removed in chapter 20.
And in the midst of His judgment and removal, you have this account of this millennium, this thousand year reign.
It says, saw the souls of those who have been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image, and they had not received the mark on their foreheads. They came to life and they reign with Christ a thousand years.
And I read that and I wonder why does he say that? Well, if you read the chapters leading up to this, this is just the opposite of how Satan treated them. Satan ruled over them through evil nations like Rome in that day. Satan ruled over them unjustly and oppressively, and he put them to death. Go back and read chapter 12 and 13. persecuted. Satan was the ultimate...
power behind all attempts to exterminate God's people in the first century and leading up into the present day. And by the way, used to read, and I do once in while, used to read a little thing, the voice of the martyr church or something like that, and it was just given accounts of, you know, we're not familiar with this in the United States of America. At least for now, I don't foresee...
any kind of widespread persecution for our faith for the near future. But you start reading about the church in different countries, and they are even undergoing more severe persecution than the first century church under...
And John is telling us it's ultimately Satan that lies behind all attempts to harm and try to exterminate God's people.
And now in a profound reversal, Satan ruled over them oppressively and unjustly. And he tried to put them to death. Now, they reign and they come to life. Just the opposite of how Satan treated them.
And it says they came to life and reigned for a thousand years. Personally, I think the thousand years is not necessarily referring to a long period of time. It's just a huge, complete number. If you look at all the other numbers in Revelation that refer to periods of time, it's like 10 days, 1260 days, 42 months, 3.5 years, and now a thousand years. What John is saying is...
What the saints will experience when God comes back and judges the power that lies behind all attempts to put them to death and to make their lives miserable and to oppose them. When God comes back to judge them, He will raise His people to reign for a thousand years. That is, what they experience will more than compensate for anything they suffered in this world.
That's the message of the millennium. What will happen to God's people when He comes and judges? And by the way, if you go back to chapter 17 through 20, you have all these judgment scenes. As I said, God is in the business of removing everything that stands opposed to His kingdom coming on earth in 21 and 22. So it's like this is a reminder, by the way, in the midst of all these judgments, God has not forgotten His people.
He will raise them. He will raise them up and vindicate them so that anything they suffered on earth will more than be compensated for. When God comes to reward His people and to raise them and vindicate them, that will more than compensate for anything. They had to give up.
or they suffered on this earth.
That I think is the message of the millennium in Revelation 20. Again, it ultimately doesn't matter whether you think it's post-mill or a mill or pre-mill or whatever. But that you understand in the midst of these scenes of judgment, God will not forget His people. God will raise them up and vindicate them, showing that anything that they had to suffer and give up, anything that they had to sacrifice,
anything that they had to suffer, God will more than compensate for that when He comes and raises and vindicates His people.
I remember hearing the story of a Chinese doctor here in the States. And I remember talking to him and he's a little bit hard to understand, not so much because of his accent, but because his speech was difficult for him. And he wore a hearing aid as well. And I learned more about his story. When he lived in China, his father,
was a pastor in communist China. And one day they sent the authorities to his house and they took his library, his books, and they brought them out in the street and lit a huge fire. And then they decided to throw him in and burn him to death while his son watched. This doctor I talked to. And then they proceeded to take the son and they beat him, tried to get him to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ, which he refused to do.
And that's why it was difficult for him to speak. That's why speech came hard for him. And that's why he was hard to understand. But I thought about that. thought, man, can you imagine that? I mean, is it worth that? To maintain your confession for Jesus Christ? I remember another story. The second year I taught at Denver Seminary, there's a student in my class from India.
And I became kind of friends with him and started to talk to him a little bit. And come to find out is his mother and father and brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with him. Number one, because he became a Christian. Number two, because he decided to move to the United States and go to seminary and devote his life to Christian ministry. And so his family literally would not talk to him and disowned him.
And I thought, man, is that worth the sacrifice? I to lose your family, people you love, to have them turn in you and hate you and reject you and want nothing to do with you. I've talked to other students at the seminary who have given up lucrative careers.
to go to seminary and become a pastor.
and the scorn and the mocking and the ridicule that they've taken from their family. Family members saying, you're stupid to do that. You would give up a lucrative career to go pastor a small church somewhere? That's stupid.
And I wonder again, are they right? Is it worth the sacrifice?
maybe you've done something similar.
Maybe you have family members that won't talk to you. Maybe you have good friends that you used to spend a lot of time with and hang out with, but they don't want anything to do with you anymore because of your Christian faith. Maybe you have given up a promising career.
And you sacrifice that to serve Jesus Christ.
go in the mission field or something. And you wonder, man, is it worth it?
The message of Revelation 20 is...
It's worth it.
One day God will demonstrate that any sacrifice you had to make is worth it.
That's what the millennium is about. One day God will come and raise and vindicate His people and show them that anything you had to sacrifice was worth it and it was not in vain. You see, that's the message of Satan and the deceiver in the world is you're foolish.
You're foolish to follow Jesus Christ. You're foolish to sacrifice for Him. You're foolish to give up family and friends and careers. You're foolish to suffer ridicule or God forbid, you're foolish to give up your life for the sake of the Gospel or end up in prison in some country for the sake of the Gospel. That's stupid!
That's the message of Satan. That's the message of the world. But what matters in the end of the day is what God says.
Some of you are familiar with Eugene Peterson. He wrote the mess, kind of the translation, the paraphrastic translation, the message. And he wrote this little commentary that I really like on Revelation. It's called Reverse Thunder. It's kind of a devotional thing. And every chapter is entitled the last word on worship in chapter four and five, or the last word on judgment, the last word in salvation.
Chapter 20 is God's last word on whether your sacrifice was worth it or not. Satan does not have the last word. The world does not have the last word.
Your friends or family or me does not have the last word on whether your sacrifice was worth it. God has the last word. And one day in the future, He will vindicate His people. He will demonstrate to you and to the world that your sacrifice was not in vain. That anything you had to give up, anything you had to sacrifice,
was worth it. And when God vindicates you, it will more than compensate for anything that you had to give up. That is the message of the millennium.
See, all throughout the Gospels, all throughout Revelation, Jesus told His followers that they will hate you because they hated Me. He told His followers that you must lose this life in order to gain life in eternity.
And so I don't know what God may be calling you to sacrifice.
But the message of the millennium is, it's worth it. And one day when God returns, He will show that. One day when Christ returns, He will vindicate you and show you that, yes, it was worth it. Any sacrifice you had to make.
Let's close in prayer.
The Tale of Two Suppers
AI Transcript
Good morning, Redemption Parker. Happy New Year. Good to see you guys. Why don't you begin making your way to Revelation 19. Revelation chapter 19 is where we'll be this morning.
I once lived in a friend's basement. He was also my pastor. And this friend of mine, well, we spoke in two different languages. I'm from Southern California. So when I get excited, I say things like, sick, dope, or gnarly. My buddy's from Wisconsin, so he just grew up on cheese and proper grammar. Every now and then, he'd invite me to dinner.
But he'd say it like this, Hey Rick, feel free to join us for supper. I'd be like, sup bro. No Rick, supper. You want to do supper with us? The term still hasn't caught on in the Eisenberg household, but maybe it should. I've looked up the origin story. I think my friend's on to something. Supper, or the old French word super, meant the evening meal.
The meal taken after a long day's work. The meal in which you feast. Well, eventually medieval Europeans ate their main meal in the middle of the day, which they called dinner. Long story short, what I call dinner is actually supper. My friend's right, though, like most people from California, I'm probably not going to change my terminology. But then you come to the Bible and the word we have for the evening feast.
Well, supper. The Greek word we see for things like the Lord's Supper or Marriage Supper of the Lamb or the Supper of God is most often translated that way because it's speaking of this evening feast. The banquet, a formal evening meal. This is supper. And like
Most of you guys know, suppers are a huge part of life, right? Like anything worth celebrating must culminate with a meal, a feast, a banquet, a party with food. Think weddings of any context or religious festivals of all sorts, from the Passover Seder to the Christian Eucharist. Think family milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, and...
funerals for sure holidays Thanksgiving Christmas night Easter New Year's Day the fourth of Fourth of July there's also meals for rites of passages like baptisms graduations retirement parties there's also meals for victory celebrations like receptions for a political victory or a team banquet for a sport championship we can go
on and on and on. And this is not particular to our context. This is is crossed. This is cross-cultural. A good supper or a feast is part of life and it can be the the culmination of joy, the the confirmation of a relationship, the the the celebration of a covenant, the reward after a struggle.
gathering of a community could be the symbol of abundance, life, or belonging. Or if you've ever had supper at Pastor Mark's house, a time to enjoy God by letting your taste buds rejoice. We know anything worth celebrating includes a feast. And then we come to Revelation 19, where we're going to see that every single person
Each one of us has a destiny and that destiny is a supper. The question that will hit us this morning is this, which supper will you be attending? Again, all humanity, every single person to walk this earth is headed toward a supper, a feast. One will be filled with happiness, joy, elation.
pure celebration, the other will be filled with grief, agony, pain, regret, destruction. My hope this morning is as we unpack Revelation 19 and the tale of two suppers that we would begin our New Year Redemption Parker yearning for one of these meals. And that is we hunger for this
Supper we would find ourselves ready eager and longing for the second coming of Christ That's where we're headed this morning the the second coming of Christ and the tale of two suppers So if you're not already there revelation 19 is where we will begin. I'll start here in verse 1
After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God for his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and has avenged on her the blood of his servants. Once more they cried out, Hallelujah.
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne saying, Amen, hallelujah. And from the throne came a voice saying, Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him small and great.
But we've taken a little break from Revelation for our time in Advent and the holidays. But quickly, we are reminded where we left off. The prostitute or Babylon, as we've been warned about over the last two chapters. Babylon, this anti-God city. In Revelation, he's speaking about Rome. But like we've seen, this is anywhere Rome-like. Yes, this is...
even America. At one point Babylon seduces many to follow her ways and those who do not, those who followed the lamb instead because they were citizens of the city of God, well, she killed. Revelation 17 told us she was drunk on the blood of the martyrs. Well now her fate is sealed. Finally she
is judged. Her empire has come to an end. Remember, God is about to usher in new creation. He has to do some decreation. All evil must go. And at this, heaven is excited. Look at the celebration John hears. Verse 1, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven. And what are they doing?
Worshiping God salvation and glory and power belong to none other than God himself his judgments are true and Just what a what a turn of events It wasn't long before Jesus tells us to Bless those who who persecute us and to turn the other cheek
Paul in Romans says respond to evil with good. Do not repay. Leave that to God. Vengeance is not ours but the Lord's. And that's what's happening here. End of verse two. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants. Verse three. The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. God will have the last say friends.
And in this worship night, going off in heaven as Babylon is judged, we get the word, hallelujah. Now I know we've put this word into many of our worship songs, but did you know Revelation 19 is the only place this word comes up in all of the New Testament? Four times here in this chapter. Now, hallelujah is not an original Greek word.
It's a Hebrew word. And so what we have here in chapter 19 and the New Testament, including Revelation, is written in Greek. But what John does here in Greek is simply reproduce this Hebrew word. Hallelujah. Hallelujah literally means praise or even you all praise. Yah, just a shortened version of
Yahweh, God's covenant name that out of reverence for him is often not used in full. So hallelujah, praise Yah, or praise the Lord, or y'all praise the Lord. And this word hallelujah is most often associated with praise after a big rescue, most notably the Exodus. When God's
powerful hand rescued his people out of slavery in Egypt. There's a whole section of Psalms called the Hallel Psalms, Praise Psalms, and here we have the great multitude in heaven in which we've seen prior, the 24 elders, the four living creatures, and a voice from the throne having a worship party. Now if you remember,
From chapter 18, we had the sound of lament. But now we hear the shouts of praise, all praising God for the salvation of God's people through the judgment of Babylon. All throughout scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, you could say the Bible is about God's glory, God's salvation through judgment.
Well, let's get to the suppers. First supper, number one, the marriage supper of the lamb. Look with me at verse six. Verse six and following. Then I heard what seemed to be.
the voice of a great multitude like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out, Hallelujah for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, Write this, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, You must not do that. I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
What a scene, right? Remember, Revelation is supposed to hit us deep in our gut, our core, spark our imagination. Can you picture this? John hears verse 6, what seems to be one voice, and yet it's a great multitude. And yes, it's worship, but unlike anything we've experienced.
I remember being at a pastor's conference in Louisville, Kentucky, where 10,000 voices were worshiping God at the top of our lungs. At times, I just had to take a step back and look around and take it all in. And the worship leader at times would stop playing the piano so that we can just sing acapella. It was amazing. And yet nothing like this.
Like the roar of many waters, I've stood just feet from Niagara Falls. So intense, it left me speechless and feeling quite small. And yet nothing like this. Like the sound of mighty peals of thunder when I moved from Orange County, California, where we don't go outside when it's sprinkling.
And I moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where they named their basketball team after the weather. And in my first three months, I hid from a tornado, saw lightning like I didn't know existed and felt thunder so powerful it shook me to my core. And yet nothing like the scene we have for us. What's the multitude crying? Hallelujah. You all praise God for
the Lord Almighty reigns. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine this scene? Imagine being here, worshiping like this. Does anyone want to worship like this? Can I get a hallelujah? That's actually not bad for the nine o'clock church. And why such a celebration? Look at verse seven.
for the marriage of the Lamb has come. God created the world to get a bride for His Son. And the marriage of the Lamb here in Revelation 19 has come. Now before we understand this marriage of the Lamb and the suppers that will ensue, we do need to understand a bit about marriage from a first century Jewish context.
In the days of the new Testament, there were three steps in getting married and engagement or what they called a betrothal preparation for the wedding and the wedding or marriage supper itself. So first the engagement, this betrothal ceremony was a big deal. And the future bride would leave his house.
He would travel with his best man to his hopeful bride's house. There, if you were the groom, you wouldn't shoot the dad a text asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. You would look him in the eyes and you would pull out your wallet. In those days, the bride was bought with a price. When the groom paid
this purchase price, the marriage technically went into effect. And they were still engaged and they wouldn't live with each other for quite some time. But this engagement was a big deal. Like if you split from here, it'd be considered a divorce. So think Joseph and the Christmas story, right? He finds out his fiancee Mary is pregnant.
And before the angel shows up to calm him down, what does he want to do? He needs to divorce her. Also in this engagement period, the soon to be bride was considered set apart. She was consecrated for the groom. At the end of the betrothal ceremony, a new covenant was established. It was sealed by the drinking of a cup of wine.
where the betrothal benediction was proclaimed, this cup is a new covenant. Over the next 12 months or so, the groom would be preparing a room for his soon-to-be bride in his father's house. And the soon-to-be bride would be preparing herself for this marriage, this big wedding supper. When this period of engagement
Ended the groom dressed up and ready would roll out with his crew and head back to the bride's house now everyone knew about the time frame when all this was going to go down, but nobody knew the exact time the exact hour Often just to add an element of surprise the groom would show up around midnight As he arrived the shouts would begin. Here is your bridegroom
come out, come out to meet him. And so of course the bride would come out with her maidens and they would be carrying lamps. They would meet the groom and head back to the father's house where the wedding feast, the supper would take place. And this supper would last anywhere from seven to 14 days. Imagine picking up that tab, dads. And now I hope that little
Context does help us understand a little bit more our situation Jesus has Purchased a bride friends the cost because of our sin was high His own life think about that for a second He bought a bride with his own blood at the Passover with his disciples
Before he heads to the cross, he takes a glass of wine and says, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. On his way to the cross, he tells his disciples that I'm going away for a little while. And then he says to prepare a place for you in my father's house. Friends, did you hear what Jesus is saying? He is our groom.
We are his
beloved blood-bought bride and our engagement period has already begun. Right now we are waiting for the day when our bridegroom appears, when the marriage supper of the lamb begins and he's coming at an hour we do not know. Are you ready? Is this even how you view
your Christian life as the bride of heaven waiting for this day longing for the appearing of your bridegroom. The marriage supper of the lamb where our engagement period consummates in union forever bliss with our Savior. Look at verse seven. Let us rejoice.
Exalt and give him glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride us Has made herself ready What does that look like? Let's keep reading verse 8 It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the Saints Now before you think this is some marriage by works first the purchase
Christ was paid by Christ himself. From heaven he came and sought her and with his blood he paid for our ransom. But second, that doesn't mean the bride chills and does whatever she wants. This is why the apostle Paul says this about the church.
to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Friends, moves, or in this passage, it gets ready for the day. John Piper in his most recent book on the second coming of Christ, he begins with a passage in 2 Timothy chapter 4. There it is. I have fought the good fight. I finished the race. I have kept the Faith henceforth.
There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day. Piper goes on to argue that Paul is speaking of this day, the day when when Christ comes back and the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place.
And yet just reading that passage, you might think Paul gets the crown because he fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith, all which are true. But then the passage ends with Paul saying this, not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. He doesn't say, not only to me, but to all those who have fought the good fight, rather to all those who have loved his.
This is faith, friends. Faith that looks like a longing for the second coming of Christ. A longing for our wedding feast. Martin Luther says we were saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. This faith moves.
It longs for his appearing. fights the good fight. And yes, it finishes the race. And so are you the bride of Christ and engaged to Jesus longing for this day? Everyone is headed toward a supper. If Christ is your only hope in life and in death, this is where
We are headed. This is our future. Oh, let's get ready for this day, church. And I love how this passage ends. John is so excited for the supper he falls down and worships the angel. The angel's like, dude, get up. We both worship God and God alone. Well, that's the first supper. Let's take a look at Supper Number Two, the great supper of God. So look with me at verse 11 and I'll read through the end of the chapter.
Verse 11.
Then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse. The one sitting on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but himself. He's clothed in a robe dipped in blood and the name by which he is called is the word of God. The armies of heaven are raid and fine.
linen white and pure were following him on white horses from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron he will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written king of kings and lord of lords then i saw an angel standing in the sun and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead and come
gather for the great supper of God to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured and with it the false prophet.
who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. The tale of two.
suppers, all of the sudden the marriage supper of the, of the lamb takes a timeout. And we'll get back to that chapter 21 and 22 are glorious. we see the bride back again, but here John sees heaven opened. And if you've been tracking with this series, you know, the word open has been pretty big for us. It divides this book into four different. Yeah.
it these different windows in which John is able to peek through. And here we have the final one. As he sees heaven open, he gets a glimpse, a glimpse of the second coming of Christ. Now, if you've looked through our statement of faith or if you know any of the creeds, this phrase, the second coming of Christ should not be new.
This is a hugely important doctrine, a first rank doctrine, namely a hill to die on doctrine. And in here it is in its apocalyptic form in Revelation. If you remember the cry of the saints back from chapter six, how long, O sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth? Well, the time has come.
The answer to that cry is now being fulfilled. This is the second coming of Christ. Joy for some, sorrow for others. In the first coming of Christ, he came as a little baby, humble and meek.
He ushered in this upside down kingdom. He taught us that weakness is the way. Like a lamb, Jesus was led to the slaughter to purchase his bride and inaugurate his kingdom. His second coming, he comes to consummate the kingdom. Consummate the marriage and this looks a bit different. On this day, this is where Paul says in Philippians, every knee will bow.
Every tongue will confess Jesus is King King of Kings Lord of Lords friend in Jesus's second coming he comes to make war Now I know that that's not popular to say But but this is what love looks like when when perfect love acts toward sin Loving justice is
in the second coming of Christ. And who is it who comes out of heaven on a white horse, faithful and true? It's Jesus himself. He's the rider here. He our conqueror. Verse 11, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
We don't have time this morning, but it's worth meditating on Jesus from this passage. Eyes like the flame of fire on his head are many diadems. This is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. I love how his robe is dipped in blood. And though this certainly could be
The blood of his enemies, as I read this week and meditated on this verse, I believe this is his own blood.
picture this image that the king of kings covered in his own blood his his blood that paid sins penalty for you and for me. Those who in verse 14 are following him on their own white horses namely the armies of heaven but those who are not following the lamb.
Those who follow the beast, in other words, unbelievers, the second coming is when the Lord of glory declares war. Verse 15, his weapon of choice. his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. The double edged sword. Words of life for some, words of judgment for others. And what kind of war is this? Look at verse 15.
He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. The wrath of God for sinners is no joke. I love when I get to interview folks for membership. I love hearing y'all's testimonies. I especially get pumped when I hear about folks who grew up in the church, who are saved at
a young age. This is what I long for for my own kids. And unfortunately at times we think these people don't have powerful testimonies. But that's because we don't understand the wrath of God towards sinners. We think getting saved from drugs or strip clubs or premarital sex is more powerful than getting saved from the wrath of God. Friends, every
Christian testimony is the same because of Jesus and what he did for us We are saved from the wrath of God the Almighty Can I get a hallelujah? Well, it's the wrath of God that leads to supper number two which we just read but look at verse 17 again
I this is pretty heavy New Year's passage. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun with a loud voice. called to all the birds that fly directly overhead. Come gather for the great supper of God to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great. What a scene.
The battle stage is set. This is Armageddon. And then in a blink of an eye, it's over. The beast, the false prophet, they gone. Thrown into the lake of fire and the rest, verse 21, slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse. And all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Did you really expect a 12 round slugfest? When the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ comes back for his second coming, it's over. That's it. Michael Byrd says that this final section could be titled the end of evil. And before my...
Before my beloved Oklahoma Sooners played its final game against Alabama a few weeks back, I was trying to explain how the playoffs were to one of my daughters. I told her, if we lose tonight, honey, the season is over. They're finished playing no more games. She said, like forever? I said, not exactly. We'll be back next year. Of course we'll be better. Our team a year older.
optimist fan Not this war There's no second chances No do-overs when Jesus comes back a second time It's a wrap And so with that revelation 19 that the question we must ask how shall we then live? Daryl Johnson says John is telling us that everyone's destiny is a suck
Both of these suppers are prepared by God. One is a wedding feast for his son. The other is a gory feast for the birds who eat up the carcasses of God's enemies. With two suppers, I have two applications. First, if you're not following Jesus as King of Kings and not just the King of Kings, your King of Kings.
Like he calls the shots. If you're not taking up your cross and denying yourself and following this Jesus to call this morning is to come. Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. Consider this an invitation. Become the bride of Christ this morning by faith and faith alone. And second, for those of us who are
Christians who are the bride of Christ engaged to this bridegroom King Let's get married Let's get ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb by doing two things namely our mission our pee we exist to Enjoy Jesus and make disciples So I'll take this in reverse order in light of these two suppers
We make disciples. God has placed unbelievers in each one of our lives, from neighbors to family members, from friends to colleagues, from folks on your kids' sports teams to fellow classmates. Making disciples is not just the job of the leaders in your church. This is all of our ministry.
Here's how the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said it. Talk about urgency. If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap into hell over our dead bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.
And second, enjoy Jesus. The bride makes herself ready for that day by enjoying Jesus today. One of the ways Christians have been doing this over the course of church history is by reading the Word of God. One book I would tell you to get acquainted with as the bride of Christ is the Song of Songs, the Song of Solomon.
Now some recent interpretations make this book all about marriage and sex but that's not how this book has been used through church history. Throughout church history this this book has rather been seen as the Holy of Holies a book about Christ and his bride the church and one of the refrains from this book I am my beloved.
I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. We enjoy Jesus, friends, because Jesus enjoys us. Let me close by reading one of Jesus's parables from Matthew 25 and then we'll be done. It's not going to be on the screen, so just listen.
Then the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps as the bridegroom was delayed. They all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, here is the bridegroom.
Come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered saying, since there will be not enough for us and you, you go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Let me pray.
Your Name and Renown
AI Transcript
Well, Merry Christmas. Good to see you guys. It's finally winter, so that's awesome. Why don't you open your Bibles to Isaiah? Isaiah 26. Yes, I get to stand. I get to preach a standalone New Year's sermon this morning. We are in the book of Revelation as a church. We took a little break for Advent and we will jump into Revelation 19 next week.
But for today, make your way to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26 is where we'll be here in a minute. Unless you live under a rock, you probably have heard some grumblings of revival. On February 8th, 2023, what began as a routine Wednesday morning chapel service at Bible college turned into something much
larger in Wilmore, Kentucky. At Asbury University, students did not leave chapel. Instead, worship and prayer for the next 16 days. 384 hours to be exact. This was largely student-led, fueled by the so-called lost generation, Gen Z.
Thanks to Tik Tok and this thing going viral, they estimate anywhere between 50 to 70,000 students participated representing 200 academic institutions and multiple countries. And even as I bring up Asbury, some of y'all are like, I don't know Rick, Tik Tok and isn't Asbury Methodist. What really was going on out there? I get it.
skepticism is my flinch to revival as well. And ultimately time will tell but we do know there were all sorts of reports of repentance, of professions of faith, young people committing their lives to mission and ministry. But what's fascinating to me is this, Asbury might not have been a one-off event.
Because here we are again, three years later, and we're still hearing similar grumblings. Revival. Revival. From college campuses to high school gyms, and yes, even social media spaces, thing seems to be true. Gen Z is hungry for spiritual things. And this momentum only seems to be getting stronger. Young people are buying Bibles.
and reading them, watching Christian apologists on YouTube, even showing up to church. Young people are seeking an encounter with the transcendent. This lost generation might rather be called what some are calling the revival generation. Yes, something seems to be happening in our country's young
people right now. And what's wild is this, also doesn't seem to be limited to just Gen Z. Revival seems to be in the air. For instance, the Gen X, Joe Rogan, who has one of the most popular podcasts out, is finding himself, for the first time, interested in Christianity. Even showing up to church. Even millennials, yes.
Like, like, Conor McGregor. Yes, Conor McGregor. It was reported a couple months back that he, this UFC fighter, made a profession of faith. And word on the street is machine gun Kelly is rapping about Jesus. I know now even more of y'all are skeptical. Machine gun who? But, but, if you study revival in church history, it tends to move in some mysterious ways. Think Jesus movement.
California in the 60s while the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of these young hippies on the beaches of Southern California through the Calvary Chapel movement. were folks sitting in the pews, Christians in many churches shaking their heads, skeptical of the whole thing. But friends, if God is moving, if we might find ourselves in
a moment of church history where revival is taking place. Are you content just watching it on YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you find yourself scrolling? Or do you want to see it first hand? My hope is that we would want to see it first hand. That we simply wouldn't be content sitting on the sidelines.
as God is moving, but that we like the prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago would say, send me, I'll go, send us, we'll go. Now I realize that we all have desires for our lives this upcoming year. I'm all about the new year's resolution, but my goal this morning is as we set
our eyes on the future. 2026, just a few short days away. is that as a church, we could collectively recalibrate our desires. That the desire of our hearts, Redemption Parker, would be for God's name and God's renown. If you're not already there, turn with me to Isaiah 26.
I'll pick it up right there in verse one.
In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah. We'll stop here for a second. actually really want to just focus on one verse, verse eight, but I got to set up a little context here. This section in Isaiah, Isaiah 24 to 27 is often called Isaiah's little apocalypse, Revelation Isaiah style. And in this section that the prophet Isaiah is looking beyond the immediate.
Assyrian and Babylonian threats. And instead, he's casting a vision for what is to come. In chapter 24, it's worldwide judgment. Chapter 25, a feast for all peoples and the swallowing up of death. Here in chapter 26, a redeemed faithful singing unto the Lord. This is a picture of the restoration of
Israel, Jew, and Gentile through the Messiah filled with the Spirit. This is a prophetic vision of the new covenant people of God here in Isaiah, us included. Then in chapter 27 of Isaiah's little apocalypse, we get God's victory over cosmic evil. Don't have time to go there, but again, Revelation 19 next week, we'll go there. But I want to spend our time looking at
One verse, one verse in chapter 26. One verse right in the middle of this song, this song of the redeemed as we head into 2026. So look with me at verse eight, verse eight.
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Unlike the Israel of old, the Israel who this prophet
is speaking to in this chapter, the Israel who instead of choosing God and following his good law, rather gave themselves to the desires of their own wicked hearts, namely their own name and renown, not God's. This Israel will soon be exiled, the northern tribes to Assyria to be assimilated.
In the words of Hosea, my people will become not my people. And the southern tribes will soon be exiled to Babylon, though they will come back. And yet Israel will never quite be the same until the day when the gospel arrives. The good news that Jesus, Yeshua, Israel's Messiah, the good news that he is the saving king.
through His righteous life, His sacrificial death for sin, His burial, His descent, His resurrection, His ascension. He now reigns as the saving King. And as King Jesus reigns, He sends His Spirit, His Holy Spirit, to the redeemed. Jew and Gentile, the new covenant people of God.
So now empowered by the Spirit and given new hearts, the song of the redeemed sounds like this, RP. Your name, your renown are the desire of our hearts. As you head into 2026, is this the desire of your heart? I mean, when Jesus disciples ask him, Lord,
Teach us to pray that the first request Jesus gives in the Lord's prayer, hallowed be your name. Another way of saying your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts. Like more than anything, God, your name, your renown. What does this even mean? First, God's name. This is God's revealed...
character, his, his identity, his reputation, his presence, desiring God's name friends is desiring God himself. The reality of who God is to be seen and saver, to be treasured, to be satisfied in God, a desire for God's name. This is
Christian hedonism 101. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. how's that for a new year's resolution? That we would be like the psalmist who says, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Many of us know
deep down this is what we need in twenty twenty six. We've tried a lot of the other alternatives. We agree with St. Augustine our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. God. But the question is will will what we know in our minds drop down to our hearts. In other words will this be our desire. His name.
Or will we be content with lesser joys this year? What if together as a church and individually we pursued the name of God, His name. This is what we were created for. Joy in God, inexpressible and full of glory. And that second word, renown, this is speaking of God's fame.
So the fame of that name, God being treasured now in the lives of our neighbors and the nations, will we be a church that enjoys Jesus but keeps him to ourselves? Or because of our enjoyment of Jesus, we can't help to share this joy with any and everyone. The joy of Jesus.
Seen and savored to the ends of the earth. My prayer would be that we as a church would run counter cultural to this expressive individualism air we breathe. That we would be an other focused church that has that one more mindset because we can't keep this to ourselves.
And that we would look beyond what we can see that we would have the future in mind. Not just our kids, but like the scriptural refrain says, to the 10th generation, your name, your renown are the desire of our hearts. One of my favorite prayers in scripture comes from the minor prophet Habakkuk. He says this.
Lord, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. He's looking back on God's past faithfulness. And I love that request. Repeat them in our day, in our time, make them known. Let me ask you again, if God is on the move, advancing his kingdom in our midst, are you
content just watching it on a screen while you pursue your own kingdom or do you want to see it first hand? Is his name and his fame the desire of your heart? One of the Jewish holidays our family has not started celebrating yet is Yom Perem.
I hope to this year I've been in Israel for this festival talk about a party folks celebrating what what God did through Esther years ago to preserve the Jewish people. might remember that that scene in the book of Esther where her uncle is challenging her to go and make a request to the king to save our people. Now this could have cost.
her life but I love what Uncle Mordecai says. for if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. He's like God's going to save his people honey. But then he says yet who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. I love that. For such.
a time as this. God's kingdom is going to advance friends. Whether you're on the field or on the sidelines. But why in the world would we want to miss out on what God might be doing? We have an opportunity, Redemption Parker, to define our place within his grand drama of redemption.
For such a time as this, why would we settle for anything else? You ever watch a game that you already know the outcome? A few weeks back, Holly was out for the night and I wanted to watch something and no, it wasn't Oklahoma versus Alabama. I'm trying to forget that one. But the replay I put on was game seven of this past world.
series. Sorry, Joe. What an experience. Even the second time around. Now, I already knew what was going to happen. One of the greatest games ever. Somehow the Dodgers pulled it off. Now, the first time I watched it, I almost had a heart attack. Almost woke up our kids like three times. Not this time. Bottom of the ninth.
Dodgers down one run Blue Jays unhittable closer on the mound four strikes away from a Blue Jays World Series I sat there calm as can be smiling with anticipation Friends We're in the book of Revelation. We know how this story is going to end Jesus wins
And he, the conqueror, wants us to be a part of his victory. He calls us overcomers with him to advance his kingdom, to see lives transformed, including ours, by the power of the gospel. Will we watch it on a screen or will we be a part of it firsthand? Well, as we enter
2026, what is your heart's desire? that we would be a people whose desire would be for his name and his renown. Amen. Amen. Well, we still have quite a bit of time. I thought as we, as we head into, 2026, it might be wise for us to spend.
A little time here in prayer. Often when revival strikes, prayer has not been slacking. God's people throughout church history pray. And then they watch God move. So just a new year reminder as well. We do have our RP prayer meetings led by Caleb Johns. can consider this an invitation.
But after Jesus' disciples had spent a good amount of time with Jesus, watching His every move, and beginning to see what is taking place in His ministry, the disciples have a request. Lord, teach us to pray. Now they could have said, Lord, teach us to heal. Teach us to preach.
Lord teach us to turn water into wine. That would be a profitable business. No, they say Lord teach us to pray. Jesus responds with the Lord's prayer. What the global church has been praying for the last 2000 years. Pray like this, he says. I know some of you guys want to step up your prayer game in 2026. Learn how to pray this prayer. Not just recite it.
but pray it. This morning that's what we're going to do. We're going to pray the Lord's Prayer. mean everything is here. Our Father, our together we come to Him because of Christ as our Father Abba who is in heaven. We're reminded in this prayer that God reigns above all.
He's sovereign over the details. He's in control and yet He is near when we seek Him. He brought heaven to earth in His Son. Hallowed be thy name. We pray that our New Year's desires come to fruition. That God's name and renown would be experienced in our lives, in our church.
and to the ends of the earth. Your kingdom come. We pray that God's kingdom would break into our lives, our homes, our cities. We pray for revival, Your will be done. We pray that God's wise and sovereign plans would come to pass. Even when that means our plans don't. Not our will, but yours be done.
on earth as is in heaven. We pray for the beauty, the justice, the shalom of heaven to transform this world. We pray for worship. Mission exists because worship doesn't. So we pray for white hot worship to happen in Parker and to the ends of the earth. Give us this day our daily bread. We pray for God's continued sustenance in our life.
our church, and for the world, forgive us our sins. We're reminded that those who say they have not sinned are not of the truth. when we come to God with our sin, and we confess it to Him and to one another, He cleanses us of all unrighteousness. As we forgive those who have sinned against us, this can be a hard one. We pray for the strength to extend
the mercy we've received from God to others. We forgive as we have been forgiven. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We're reminded that there's an enemy that wants to take you out in 2026. I mean, just imagine if there was a lion chained up right here. You guys wouldn't hear a word I'm saying right now. You'd be focused on this lion.
Bible says that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He wants to ruin our lives. He wants to destroy our walk with him, destroy our church, blow up our families. So we pray for God's guidance away from what destroys us and protection from the enemy. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
We know whether we eat, drink, or whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. All is for God. His kingdom, His name, His renown forever and ever. Amen. Finally, we say, yes, Lord, let this be. This is true. We believe this. We agree and we rest in these words because we trust.
who God is and that God is faithful. Well, let's pray.
Light Enters the Darkness
AI Transcript
John chapter 1.
Many of us in this room know what it's like to feel abandoned. Maybe from a parent, a sibling, a friend, even a spouse. This world is filled with darkness. Many people in this room know from experience what a dark night of the soul is like. Maybe you're in a season right now where you even feel abandoned by God.
You can relate to the psalmist who says, darkness is my only companion. Or maybe as we inch closer to Christmas, you know the sadness that awaits just four days away. In a room this size, Christmas will bring up just about every emotion possible. Many of us know that there's moments in life where it feels like the lights just go out.
And yet no one comes back to turn those lights back on. Well, that's actually how some of the brightest minds in history made sense of God. Yes, he's the creator, but after building the house, namely this universe, God never moved in himself. God made the world, but he keeps his distance. This is also known as classical deism. Like a divine
clockmaker who winds up the universe and then takes a step back. Or a deadbeat dad who has a kid because that's fun, but then pieces out because that's hard. This understanding of God, the God who abandons, who creates the world but then does not intervene is actually a product of the enlightenment. Human reason, they say, not scripture, human reason is how we can know God.
And God, they say, is impersonal and detached. This is how many of our founding fathers understood who God to be. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine. For instance, Thomas Jefferson famously took scissors to his New Testament, cutting out every miracle. No spiritual world, no healing, no...
resurrection, no shepherds hearing angels, no manger, and certainly no incarnation. Just a God who creates a world and bounces. Now I'd imagine most of us in here don't hold this view of God. I mean, I know at least our members affirm in our minds the statement of faith, namely Christian orthodoxy. Yet what about our hearts?
and in here feel like God can be distant. Maybe you never say that out loud. You desire to please Him and to believe the right things about Him, but experiencing Him as light in your darkness, as the God who loves you, yeah, that sounds too good to be true. Well, this morning, my hope is not merely to help you understand that God is not far off.
That classical deism is heresy, but I aim to convince you that God loves you. And he's shown it by drawing near, closer than your wildest dreams. And his nearness can be experienced by you today. So with that being said, if you're not already there, open your Bibles to John chapter one. John chapter one.
We continue our Advent theme, light in the darkness through the eyes of the apostle John. So John chapter one, we'll pick it up in verse nine this morning. John one nine.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. That's our passage this morning. It's a lot easier than a whole chapter from Revelation. So praise God for Advent. But last week, Mark helped us to see that the light God always had helped us to see that He's the light. And then like the Creed says, He's God from God. He's light.
from light, He's the eternal begotten Son. This morning, we're going to look at this everlasting light entering our darkness. At our last theology on the ground, asked Laney Mayer if she had to sum up a theology of Christmas in one sentence of hope for our church and for our city. What?
would she say, and like the scholar that Laney is, she's not trying to reinvent a theology of Christmas, so she just quoted C.S. Lewis, who like Laney was just paraphrasing Athanasius before him, and here's her answer to that question. The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. This is at the heart of my
passage this morning. This is at the heart of Christmas friends. The Son of God or the true light like Mark showed us last week became a man to enable us men and women boys and girls to become sons and daughters of God. Look at verse 9 again. The true light that gives light
to everyone was coming into the world. At one point in human history, Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. Eden literally means the paradise of God. God and human beings dwelling with one another in fellowship, in harmony, shalom. This is paradise or the city of God.
But Eden didn't cover the whole world. don't know for sure, but many scholars place Eden in modern-day Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia. Adam and Eve's mandate, expand Eden to the ends of the earth. Adam was a priest king called to serve and to protect this first temple where God dwelt. They were told, fill the earth and subdue it.
namely expand this sacred place Eden outward. And so Adam and Eve were in a sense called to push back darkness literally and usher in light. now darkness in those days were not evil, just non order, unformed, uncultivated space. All the earth was not yet filled with
the knowledge and glory of God. And so Adam and Eve, even before sin entered the world, were on mission. Well, you know the story. Our great-great-great-great-great grandparents, Adam and Eve, they failed. They faced a potential threat. The ancient serpent, Satan. And instead of protecting God's place and expanding Eden to the ends of the earth, being God's priest and king,
wasn't enough for Adam. He wanted to be God. And in doing so, well, look around. Darkness now rains. This is the fall. This is the world we live in. It's broken. And if we're honest, so are we. So when we see that phrase in verse nine of John one,
coming into the world, don't read your Bibles too quickly. The world is this place, east of Eden, where darkness seems to reign, where we experience abandonment and betrayal, where we get hit with things like miscarriages, cancer, the death of the loved one.
where relationships get strained, church hurt happens, jobs get lost and dreams die. So again, don't read your Bibles too quickly. The true light, the Son of God, the one who gives light to everyone was coming to this place, coming into the world. Now when any Jew thinks about that word light, one of the things that comes to mind is
Menorah.
The menorah that was always lit. And in the temple that light symbolized God dwelling with his people. Light in the darkness. As we gather today, Jews across the world are celebrating Hanukkah. Jesus, we are told from John's gospel, celebrated Hanukkah. The festival of light. And praise God for Hanukkah. But Jesus didn't just celebrate Hanukkah, he fulfilled.
The oil that lasted for eight days, the Hanukkah miracle after the Maccabean revolt in the silent years, the time between the Old and New Testaments. The time when the entire Jewish nation were saved from the annihilation of their faith. As the Jewish temple was rededicated to Yahweh, the light from the menorah represented God dwelling with his people. So, happy Hanukkah.
light in the darkness. Well, the light from the menorah friends was simply a shadow, a foretaste. Here's how the prophet Isaiah predicted this light's fulfillment 700 years before Christmas. We'll have the slide on the screen. Oh, not that one.
Maybe I don't have this one. Isaiah nine to the people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness. A light has dawned. The words of prophet Isaiah. Let me read it again. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness. A light has dawned. The true light that gives light to everyone came.
into the world. Light enters the darkness. This is Christmas, And this is very different picture of God from classical deism. I will say...
The deists do understand God's transcendence to a certain degree. Many in the modern church don't understand that God is utterly other. He's not like us. He's not sad. He's not needy. He's not lonely.
He's not part of creation. So, so he's not limited by it. He's, he's sovereign over it. He's God. But, but where classical deism goes wrong is they don't understand God is also imminent. God's transcendence and his. Imminence. He doesn't create the world, wind it up like a clock and take a step back. No, rather he actively sustains all things.
His sovereign providence governs every detail to the counsel of his will. He's personally engaged with his people. He's numbered all the hairs on your head. And then he does the unimaginable. He enters creation himself. Like Laney brought up.
in our theology on the ground. you can listen to all those podcasts. You go back to the redemption Institute one right there. Wherever you find your podcasts, just type in redemption Institute. We should have a slide up there. but, but when we, have a God who, who is utterly other transcendent, holy, holy, holy, and a God who is also imminent near this has the potential to evoke worship like nothing.
else the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world John says the apostle Paul speaking of the same truth as John says it a little bit differently it will be up on the screen Philippians Christ Jesus who being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage rather he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
This transcendent God, this second person of the Trinity God, the Son of God, the one who is from everlasting to everlasting, the radiance of the Father's glory, the exact imprint of His nature, the Son who needs nothing, who is dependent on no one, who possesses life in Himself, who is unchangeable, impassable, infinite, eternal.
and immortal, the one who is himself every perfect attribute, perfect wisdom, power, holiness, love, the one who is all sufficient, the one who spoke the world into existence, who upholds galaxies by the power of his word, who governs all things with effortless sovereignty from whom all creation was made and from
whom all creation holds together. The one who is the author of time. Think about that. Yet is not bound by time. The maker of matter yet not contained by space. The giver of life yet untouched by death. And this friends is the one, the true light who became flesh. Became a human.
being who humbled himself or as the ESV translates more literal here, emptied himself. Yet he did not set aside his godness in the incarnation. This emptying is more like subtraction by addition. The person of Christ adds another nature. He becomes
the Son of God incarnate, not out of deficiency, not out of need, not because he's lonely or lacking, but out of sheer overflowing and abundant love for you, for me. The eternal Son, the one who cannot die, took to himself a nature that can. The immutable entered a world of change, the infinite.
took on finitude. The Lord of glory took up dirt. The one who commands angels was laid in a manger. The one who sustains all things, including Mary, was sustained by this poor teenage mom. Redemption Parker, when we understand who God is, the incarnation should rock us to our core, knock us on our knees.
God shows his love for us in that true light enters into darkness. Talk about drawing near. And not just to see how we're doing down here, but that he comes to be our substitute, obedient to the point of death, death on a cross, our sin friends, not just the darkness out there, but the darkness in here makes us enemies.
of God. Penalty of our sin, death, separation from Him. But then the light dawns and at Calvary on Good Friday, the light seems to have gone out. Darkness thinks it wins the day. But the only way this true light could give light to anyone is to die for everyone. For God so loved the world.
that he gave his one and only son.
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Don't read your Bible too quickly.
Jesus has drawn closer than you ever dreamed of in his nearness. His love can be experienced by you today. One of questions someone asked Laney in our Q &A time at Theology on the Ground after all the Santa Claus questions was this.
Now that Jesus is with the Father and not physically walking on earth, is he still a man as he sits at the right hand of the Father or is he only God? What a question. I love it. I mean it's crazy enough that God would empty himself, become a man.
Take the name Yeshua or or an English Jesus to live for us, to die for us, to descend to Hades for us, to be resurrected from the dead for us. But as he ascends to God's right hand, surely he's done with his human mission. He can give back the name Jesus and just go back to being plain old God, right? Wrong. Forever. Forever. The Son of God.
is the Son of God incarnate. The God man. the scandal of Christmas. Holly and I have been teaching with each other in kids ministry. So fun. Y'all's kids are amazing. And what a privilege it is to try to make disciples of the littlest of our image bearers. And Jesus says, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child,
We'll never enter it. Man, we are learning from your kids. But last week, the pastor got called out. Sweet little Norbrick looked up at me with conviction and said, why are you doing potty talk? And she was right. I was trying to explain the scandal of Christmas that the Son of God became a man. I was telling them that.
that as God, never sleeps, but as a man, Jesus was tired. He had to go to sleep. I was telling them that as God, he's never been hungry. Well, Jesus at times was starving. He had to eat. And then I emphasized, and I did emphasize, he even had to go potty. So Nora was right to see the scandal in this. Do you see the scandal of Christmas? Do you see the scandal of
the incarnation. You can experience the love of God today because the Son of God became a man for you. And I know at times it can feel that that God is distant but I hope that we can see from from this passage is this one verse in John's gospel that that is the farthest thing from the truth.
And God doesn't just draw near once in history. His nearness is what he offers us every day. Jesus's brother James says, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. And so be honest with God in prayer. Tell him what he already knows. Maybe it's God, I don't feel your presence, but I want to.
Or God, know you are love, but that's the last thing I feel right now. Or God, life is hard. Help me please draw near to God this Christmas. Church Father Irenaeus in the late 100s wrote this, the word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did through his transcendent love become what we are that he might bring us.
to be even what he is himself. No, we don't become God. Irenaeus was not saying that. Adam already tried that. But God becomes man so that one day we will receive a glorified body like his and we will reign with our God man for all of eternity. And we don't have to wait for that day to get started on this, fam.
church, imagine if we understood Christmas, if we understood light in the darkness. I think it'll I think it could do two things. So two things and I'm done. First, it would transform us. we understood Christmas, it would transform us again. C.S. Lewis in the same book, Mere Christianity says every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.
transformed into his image. Advent, like Mark said last week, is a time to look back on his first coming. And it's a time to look ahead at his second. But in the meantime, we wait. We wait. Together, we wait. With our eyes on the God man, we wait. And it's in the waiting that we become little Christ.
And in second, understanding light in the darkness ought to thrust us thrust us into mission. Our P.S. sons and daughters of God, we are now the light of the world.
That's literally what Jesus calls you.
the light of the world. So let's go light it up from our neighbors to the nations. Amen. Amen. Let me pray.
Light From Light
AI Transcript
Amen. Thank you, Trisha. That actually goes very well with what we're looking at this morning. If you have your Bible, you can turn to the book of Revelation. We're going to pause, not Revelation, sorry, we're pausing Revelation for a few weeks. We'll get it back in the new year. The book of John, John chapter one, you can begin to make your way there. Let me go ahead and pray for us and then we'll open up God's word together.
Yeah, Lord, thank you for the opportunity to gather here.
Lord, thank you that you are sovereign. You know all things. You know all people. You know all that every person in here is facing. And so I pray, Lord, that you'd give each of us what we know not. You teach us what we are not. You'd make us what we have not. You'd give us now through your word in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. As I said, we're in John chapter one. We are pausing.
This just to enter into this season a little bit this Advent season one of the things that we've tried to do in our nine years as a church is to just remind one another that We do not exist on an island to ourselves that we are connected to something historic and rooted we join with the Saints from Generations and centuries ago and wherever we can we want to just say This is our moment. We are playing our part one link in the chain
Others will come behind us unless Jesus comes back sooner. But yeah we have a historic and rooted faith. so Advent is one of those times that we can do that. So we we do we go through catechisms like this. We go through liturgy because we're not our own. We go through liturgies of the season. Advent is this time in the church. It comes from the Latin word Adventus. It means coming or arrival. We almost always exclusively think of it as.
Jesus is first coming but that's actually not the purpose of Advent in church history. It's one of the purposes to be sure. But what what what the church did in about the fourth century and forward that they realized as the days were getting dark and that is not only physical but spiritual that they needed some hope and they needed to stir a longing and train and and disciple in themselves a longing for
hope. And so they looked back at the first coming the first Advent. They held on to that as a God who keeps his promises but they also looked forward to the second coming. What we've been studying in the book of Revelation and they held on to these two realities as they lived in the middle and in some dark times to train themselves. so Advent was a time of fasting of prayer. Some refer to it as the
the Christmas lint season where you pause, you fast, you pray, you confess sin. And so this is a way that the church has trained themselves to long for that which really matters. So this year we're going to pick up on the theme of light. each this week, next week, and then Christmas Eve, we're going to focus on this. And because it's one of the key themes around this time of year.
We put up lights, we decorate our house with lights, we look towards the light. We all need light. And we need that physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally. We all need light. I came to realize after growing up in Colorado where we have a lot of days of sunshine that I actually need light. So we moved to Brno, Czech Republic to do church planting there.
We landed on December 17th, not knowing anyone, not knowing the culture, not knowing the language, not having any friends, having come from some great, amazing ministry elsewhere. But as we landed there, in more ways than one, it was dark. My daughters would tell you that as you cross the border from Austria into the Czech Republic, they would feel a darkness descend.
There was a spiritual darkness. That's why we were going to be light there, but you could feel it. But there was a physical darkness as well. I remember not only was it just gray and overcast like for six months straight, like the fog was so thick that I couldn't see from here to the back of the room in our yard. And this is where we landed, December 17th. And so we tried to do what we could to try to brighten it up and make a home. And so we went and bought lights. We made about 35 trips to Ikea.
And we're like, got to get a tree. We got to get a tree in this place. so where else would you go to get trees, real trees than Ikea? So that's the only place we had seen. And so they sent me on to go get the tree by myself. That's the first problem. But I went to go get a tree. I showed up there. There's like two, maybe three trees. And they're all like five feet foot tall. And I found the thickest one I could. And it was like five foot tall and like,
eight foot wide. It was a bush really. And I brought it home and to this day my wife and daughters roast me for that tree. Like like remember that Charlie Brown bush that you brought into our house. I'm like it was the only option. Like why you roasting me. Like I should have sent you. But that's what we had. We put lights on it. But yeah those dark days literally and physically spiritually.
I experienced for the first time in my life seasonal affective disorder. Winter blues. A kind of seasonal depression. I come to learn later that a lot of my other friends and missionaries, that they would get these happy lamps where for the first 20 minutes of the day you just kind of take in light. I didn't know that. I was just like, man, this sucks. on so many levels. Like this sucks. I felt...
like a pressure on my chest. was hard to breathe at times. I'm like, what is wrong with me? I've never felt this in my life. And yeah, again, because we need light. We were made for light. We were made for light on all these different levels. And that's true for all of us. Like this time of year, there's a lot of great things, but there is a lot of expectation on these things.
And there's a lot of misplaced expectation and hopes and dreams like, we're going to get together as a family and we're all going to get along. Well, good luck with that. Or there's pressure like, I got to find the perfect gift and this will help and unlock this relationship. Good luck with that. Or there's desires and longings that you would receive the perfect gift. But everyone's telling you, if you get the Red Rider BB gun, you'll shoot your eye out. There's just pressure to this time.
And far from being, for many people, far from being the most wonderful time of the year, the pressure of the season actually is a very difficult time of the year. Maybe that's your story here today. Maybe you're like, man, I don't feel any of this. In fact, all this just reminds me of the brokenness of this world. When I think of Christmas, I often think very fondly of my mother.
how she loved love love Christmas. And even as a single mom, would she would make it a magical time. She'd decorate the house. She'd put up the tree. She'd start putting gifts under the tree and it would just grow. But Christmas morning would come down and and there was just a ton more. And it was a magical, great time. And then as we started having our own daughters like she she went overboard to bless them and and to to make this a great time whenever.
she could for their lives. And every year we think of her as where we put up her Christmas village. But it's also a reminder that she's not here. When she was in her 50s, she got ALS and died in her 50s from ALS. And she should be here. And so you're like, man, this season is awesome. And yet the season is a reminder that not all is as it should be.
wait to this season. It is the most wonderful time of the year not because of what is happening but because of what happened. That's why we say that and I want to look at that we want to look at that over the next few weeks so if you have your Bible we're in John chapter 1 but let me just remind you of John's story. John is writing this gospel possibly the same John who wrote Revelation and if that's the case he probably wrote both of these at the
Near or at the same time. But John is an old man now looking back on his life and all that he's seen when he wants to sit down and tell the story of Jesus. John when he was a teenager, probably the youngest disciple, just a teenage boy, a rabbi comes along the shore at the Sea of Galilee and says, John I want you to follow me and he...
leaves his nets and he leaves his boats and he leaves his family and he begins a three year journey of traveling with Jesus and learning about the kingdom of God and seeing just amazing miracles and the teachings of God and the heart of God and he's absolutely transformed by that. He comes to believe that Jesus is who he says he is and that Jesus will do all that he promises he will do. John was there when Jesus was betrayed.
And though he initially scattered, unlike the other disciples, we know that John came back and kind of stood near to the events. And he writes from firsthand experience of all that they were doing to Jesus and his beatings and his floggings. He was nearby when they took Jesus to the hill at Golgotha, stripped him naked, gambled for his clothes, and then raised him up after driving thick seven-inch nails through his wrists and his ankles. He saw
Jesus hanging there, bleeding out, struggling for air. He was there. John records in chapter 19 that when Jesus looked and he saw his mother Mary and then he saw John nearby, he said to John, John, this is now your mother. Take care of.
So John then from that day forward would take Mary to live with him and he would care for her until her death. He would take her to Ephesus where she would spend out the rest of her days. But he had this tight, tight, close relationship with Mary. Think about that. He knew the story of Christmas. He knew all the details. If anyone knew the details.
of the angels and the shepherds and the wise men and King Herod and the flight to Egypt. It would have been John. John could have heard that story. Mary telling other people and him asking questions all the time. But we know that three days later, explosive joy comes on the scene, back on the scene. John encounters the resurrected Jesus. And from that day forward, every day of the rest of his life, he is
telling the story of Jesus. He's come to believe He is who He says He is and that He'll do all that He promises He will do. We read about it in the book of Acts. And He goes to Ephesus. He helps plant that church. But now John is an old man and he's seen some things. He believed that Jesus is who He says He is, but even still, He's lived through very dark days. He was there when His first
When his friend Stephen becomes the first martyr for his testimony about Jesus. He saw them stone him. He saw a young man named Saul on the side giving approval and directing the stones. He was there when he heard about that same Saul coming to believe Jesus is the Messiah and saw Saul grow and become a leader of the church. He saw some very very dark days when
When Nero turned Rome's attention to the persecution of both the Jewish people and this new Jewish cult called Christians, he saw friends and church members dragged off to the slave markets in Rome. He heard about how they were being crucified, put to death, dipped in tar, burned alive to light Nero's gardens. He heard the reports or he was there.
When in the 70 A.D. when the Spasian by the direction of Nero rolls in with the Roman army into Palestine, rolling Jewish town after Jewish Jewish town, dragging off men, women and children to the slave markets in Rome. He heard about or he was there when the Spasian surrounded the Jerusalem, left his son in charge, and for seven months they they surrounded Jerusalem. No one could go in or out.
People were dying of starvation, plagues were breaking out. And then finally Rome breaks through, burns down the temple. Very dark days indeed. Again, his life was not a fairy tale life. And again, if this is the same John or if he knew the other John who wrote Revelation at the end of the first century there looking back and
And they're saying, it looks like it feels like darkness is triumphant. And so he sits down to write his gospel. And in the sitting down of writing his gospel, he does not start where Matthew, Mark and Luke start. He doesn't start with the details about the angels and the shepherds and the birth announcement. None of that, he says before any of that can have an effect on us. We've got to go somewhere else.
even though he would have been the one that knew all the details. So it's significant to us to think about where John starts his gospel. John chapter one, verse one. says, in the beginning was the Word. Now we know from down in verse 14 that that means Jesus. The Word is Jesus. And there's a lot that could be said on that. That could be a sermon in itself. But let me...
Just put Jesus's name in there just to be crystal clear. In the beginning was Jesus. And Jesus was with God. And Jesus was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Jesus all things were made. Without Jesus nothing was made that has been made. Jesus or John doesn't start with Luke and Matthew start with the genealogy. He's like no no we got to go.
further back than that. got to go back. We got to reach back to eternity past to begin the story of Jesus. In fact there is no beginning to the story of Jesus. That's John's point. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God. This is intentional language that is echoing Genesis chapter one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. John wants us to know the very first thing you and I should know about Jesus is that he is part of the
triune God. That's the whole. In the beginning was Jesus. And Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. Again this is intentional triune language. Three persons, one essence. That's where John wants us to ponder the person, the eternal nature and character of Jesus. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made. Without Him
nothing has been made. We should take some time to consider the nature of Jesus. Not just Jesus as an infant. That is an amazing part of the story to be sure. But Jesus as the infinite one. Jesus who is the creator of all things. The way the apostle Paul writes it in his letter to the Colossians is this.
Chapter one verse 16 I'll put on the screen says for in Jesus all things were created things in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Jesus and for Jesus reason the whole universe exists he is before all things and in Jesus all things hold together and he is the head of the body the church.
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything Jesus might have the supremacy for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus. It is staggering to think about. If we would just maybe take some time to pause in this very busy season to think about the eternal
nature of our God. To ponder in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. It is staggering to the intellect. Or as Sinclair Ferguson said, I saw him in a clip this week, he said this, he says, if your intellect has never been staggered by the reality of the incarnation, then you don't know what the incarnation means. This is what John wants us to get.
The story of Jesus didn't start at the birth of Jesus. No, what happens at the birth is this infinite triune God. takes on a second nature. He enters into our flesh. This is amazing. But before all that, this is the one who cherubim and seraphim constantly proclaim his play phrase. This is one who speaks and quasars and black holes and galaxies and the universe comes into existence.
This is the one who is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. He is all majestic. He's glorious. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords before there is anything. This is Jesus. John wants us to be blown away by this fact. goes on. He goes on to describe this Jesus in Jesus, verse four, was life. And that life...
was the light of all mankind. In John's gospel, often when it says life, he is using a Greek word, zoe. It means spiritual life. He could have used the word bios, biological life, but his point in his gospel is in Jesus is where we find spiritual, eternal life. And only in Jesus is where we find that. There's bios everywhere, but life is in
Jesus, Zoe is in Jesus and that life was the light of all mankind. This is life. Now, he says this life is the light of all mankind. That is good news, as I've already said, we need light. But our relationship to light is fraught with tension, isn't it? On the one hand, we need light. To show us the way to...
to lead us home, to bring a hope and lightness to our lives. We need light physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally. We need light. But on the other hand, we don't like the light because it exposes us. His light is all-encompassing light. His light is such that He knows everything, every thought, every deed.
every action, every motive of the heart. His light lights that up and we scatter from that. In fact, that's what it says in John 3 19. Here's the verdict. Light has come in the world, but men love darkness because their deeds were evil. And so there is this on this one hand, we are drawn to light. It's the only light that can lead us home. On the other hand, we don't want to be exposed for who we are actually are. There's darkness in our hearts, but this is
What makes the gospel so beautiful friends? This is what's amazing. As Pastor Tim Keller would often say, the gospel is this, that on the one hand, because of the light, you will see that you are more broken, sinful, and in need than you ever thought you possibly could be. That's what the light does. Man, I am really lost. And on the other hand, because of the light, because
God knows everything and yet and still He still sends His Son. You are more loved and accepted and beheld by God than you could ever dream was possible.
exposes us but it leads us home if we would just step in to the light. This is why we want to have a culture of repentance in our church. Not because we want to just focus on our sin but because when we bring it into the light now we can take it home to God and say, I know who you are. I know what you've done. I know what you will do and yet I still come. I still enter in to bring you life and
light well then in verse five he says it says this the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it the light shines in the darkness light always wins right it can seem like and it can feel like in our lives that the darkness is winning but but wherever you bring light you can see the light
Darkness cannot extinguish the light. Where there is light, it always wins. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Listen, friends, if you've walked with Jesus long enough, you know this to be true personally. mean, I'm looking out.
in this crowd and I see so many of you. You've walked through the valleys of the shadow of death.
Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Again, I know your stories. I see you. It's a privilege to be a pastor. Like almost everyone I'm looking at, I'm thinking of these stories. man, those were dark days. But light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
light shines in the dark. mean, again, I could just go on and on and on. If you walk with Jesus long enough, you know the reality of this verse. Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome.
Few years ago we were in Amsterdam. We were visiting with some church planners and some people doing ministry there. Amsterdam is this beautiful city that is incredibly dark spiritually.
You know, there's the whole red light district and everything and the people of Amsterdam are very permissive and they're like, isn't it great that we have all this, but we're dealing with these ministry leaders and they're like, let me tell you about what they think is so great. These women are coerced, they're trafficked here. These are image bearers who are forced to give themselves away to man after man, to after man. It's just a, it's a dark, dark place. And as we're walking through these, this red light district with our daughters and
Jen has this necklace and the necklace actually had a verse on it. It's John 1 5. The light shines on the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. She was just like hold on to that just as that reminder and whatever we're going through the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Again this is my story. This is your story. Advent is an invitation to the church to
train our eyes to build in us hope and focus a right longing in our hearts. So how should we respond? I wrote about four different ways that we could respond here and there's many, but I decided just to give you one. Just one. This week, at some point this week, however the rhythm of your life looks, I would just encourage you to take some time to wonder.
To train your wonder at the truth of the eternal and glorious nature of Jesus. Just pause. Maybe read these five verses. Maybe memorize these five verses. Maybe fast and pray like the church has done for centuries. Maybe miss some lunches or 24 hours where you just ponder the character, the nature of who Jesus was and is.
and is to come. Train your longing. Train your hope. This is the most wonderful time of year. Not because of what is happening necessarily, but because of what has happened. God came near. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life,
And that life was the light of man. Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Amen. Amen. Let me pray for us.