May 6, 2011

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The same man who wrote the verses above also wrote, “by grace you have been saved through faith. . . it is the gift of God, not a result of works.”1

So why do we need to work out our salvation when works do not save us?

Because though we are saved by God’s unconditional electing grace2 through the gift of faith, the works we do prove that our faith is real. 3 Works are evidence of election.

That’s why on one hand Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father. . . draws him”4 (election), and on the other hand he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments5 (evidence of election). He ties both together when he says, “My sheep hear my voice (election) and I know them, and they follow me”6 (evidence).

Why God ordered it this way is seen in some of Jesus’ parables. He says that when the gospel net is cast into the sea of the world, it “gather[s] fish of every kind,”7 some righteous and some evil. The visible church is always a mixed catch, or always has weeds among the wheat,8 or always has goats among the sheep.9 What distinguishes the elect from others is that their God-given faith is demonstrated by their God-dependent works.10 Faith works through love.11

Words are cheap. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”12

Our works are not decisive in our salvation. They are evidence of God’s saving work in us. And that is why we must “be all the more diligent to make [our] calling and election sure” 13 by working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

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1Ephesians 2:8-9

2Ephesians 1:4; 2:5

3James 2:18

4John 6:44

5John 14:15

6John 10:27

7Matthew 13:47

8Matthew 13:24-30

9Matthew 25:31-46

10James 2:14-26

11Galatians 5:6

12Matthew 7:21

132 Peter 1:10

Matt 5, 6, 7 are amazing chapters where we see Jesus speaking in ways that astonished the crowds. He, in many ways, was correcting much of what had become a very dysfunctional way of thinking. He basically talked about how – as people who follow him – we must change. Those who have been born from above are new creatures – all things have become new.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also./No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Mt 6:19-21, 24)

NO IDOLS – Idols simply don’t fit in the life of God’s children.

The gospel is the the best news that has ever been and the best news that will ever be. Jesus – the perfect one – gave his life so that sinners could be forgiven. Jesus – on the cross – became our sin so that we could become right before God. Jesus is my righteousness. Jesus is my merit.

If you, this morning, see Jesus as your treasure, your Champion, the lover of your soul, your best friend, your savior, something amazing has happened. God in his mercy has opened your eyes to the magnificent beauty of Jesus. If you relate to Jesus the way you should you also know that you have no saving merit of your own – God has simply been merciful to you. We have nothing – Jesus has and is everything.

When God unites our hearts with the gospel it means that the sin that separates us from God has been removed and we can call him father. We are under God’s blessing and not his wrath. We are forgiven and he will care for us. He will always do us good and we will be with him forever. In a very real sense our final judgment has already taken place – it took place two thousand years ago. Our salvation is as strong and sure as the one who saved us.

Matthew 11:28–30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God’s vision in your life is a vision of restoration. Forgiven and loved by him, destiny secure, filled with the Holy Spirit – we are not only ultimately free, we are actually free. The many constraints that held us captive before Christ do not have the power they once did. There’s an amazing illustration of this in Luke 19:

Luke 19:6–9 – So [Zacchaeus the tax collector] hurried and came down and received [Jesus] joyfully. And when [Jewish crowd] saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.

The thing – money – that was the driving force in the life of Zacchaeus lost its attraction. Money’s attraction had been replaced.

As freeing as the love of Jesus is – or should be, our earthly tendency is to find amazement in God’s gifts rather than God himself. We fill our lives with hobbies and interests and distractions and purpose that create a type of fulfillment but, at best, a shallow and temporary one. We long for self-sufficiency and independence rather than God-dependency. Somehow the emptiness that is offered through our own effort seems more stable and attractive than the mighty promises of God. Finding fulfillment in things rather than God is idolatry.

In Scripture there seems to be a transition from idols as the carved images that were worshiped to the concept of putting other things before God.

Idolatry in the OT

Deuteronomy 5:8–9a – “ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…”

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Rom 1:22-23, 25 – Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. / …they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,

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1 Cor 9-10 – Paul lets go of every privilege – everything that’s self-centered – for the sake of the gospel. He wants nothing to get in the way of his testimony or interfere with his message – he runs the race to win it. He then gives an example of the opposite – Moses and all Israel were firsthand recipients of God’s mercy – they drank it in. Yet most of them fell away:

1 Corinthians 10:6–7 – Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

After experiencing, first hand, the beauty of God, they set it aside to follow the same things the world follows. Their lives, ultimately were unchanged – they were lost.

Col 3:5 – Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (greed), which is idolatry.

1 Peter 4:1–3 – Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

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Ps 115:2-11 – Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

Philippians 3:8a – Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…

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1 Jn 5:20-21 – And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

The gospel is the the best news that has ever been and the best news that will ever be. Jesus – the perfect one – gave his life so that sinners could be forgiven. Jesus – on the cross – became sin for us so that we could become right before God.

1 Peter 3:18a – …Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…

It is the death of Jesus and all that happened in his death that saves us. The resurrection is the victory cry. Jesus – alive again – means that it was all true.

1. – If Jesus is not alive he was a liar

Matthew 17:22–23a – As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”

2. – If Jesus is not risen we are not right with God – we are still in our sins

Romans 4:25 – [Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

When Jesus rose from the dead it was a demonstration that who he said he was and what he came to do was true – God had accepted the suffering and death of Jesus as full payment for sin. All those who take Jesus as their Champion are now right with God.

1 Corinthians 15:13–17 – But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

3. – If Jesus is not alive we have no priest interceding for us

Romans 8:34 – Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

4. – If Jesus is not alive he cannot come back for us

John 14:3 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

5. – If Jesus is not risen we will not rise again

1 Corinthians 15:20–21 – But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man (Adam)came death, by a man (Jesus) has come also the resurrection of the dead.

If Jesus has not been raised from the dead he is not the first of many who will follow. When Adam sinned death won.

6. – In the resurrection of Jesus all God’s promises of God – in the Old Testament – are true:

Acts 13:32–33a – Paul speaking of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles – “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus…”

• When God freed the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and instituted the Passover celebration – that was an image of how he would free us from the slavery of sin. The resurrection tells us that our old slave-master has been defeated and now has no power over us.

• The amazing, expensive, one-of-a-kind Old Testament temple; the place where God would meet his people is now a perfect reality in Jesus. The resurrection tells us that we are no longer separated from God. In Jesus God embraces his people.

• The high priest of the Old Testament – the one who represented the people before God – was a promise of the perfect high priest. The resurrection tells us that Jesus – our perfect high priest – now intercedes for us.

• The countless number of lambs that were sacrificed in the Old Testament was looking forward to the perfect sacrifice. The resurrection tells us that Jesus – the lamb of God – took away our sins on the cross.

• I mentioned on Friday night that even the food God gave the Hebrews in the wilderness – the Manna – was an image of Jesus the bread of life (John 6:32-35). The resurrection of Jesus tells us that he is our eternal food.

• The imagery in King David of the Old Testament was prophetic. King David was a living prototype – in many ways – of the perfect king who was to come:

  • King David was chosen by God – Jesus was chosen by God

  • King David became king in humility – he was a shepherd – Jesus came in humility

  • King David represented the people alone as he faced Goliath – his victory was their victory. Jesus faced God’s judgment for us alone – his victory is our victory.

  • King David was powerful in battle – Jesus killed sin

  • King David was even born in Bethlehem – just like Jesus.

  • King David was a refuge for the hurting:

1 Samuel 22:2a – And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to [David]. And he became captain over them…

Jesus was a friend of the tax collector, the leper, the Roman solder, the prostitute – all who were outcast.

The resurrection of Jesus shows us the amazing reality of fulfilled prophecy.

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If Jesus is dead all is a sham. But Jesus is not dead – he is alive. He is not a liar. Those who believe in him have been made right with God because their sin has been dealt with. He is – right now – at the right hand of God interceding for us. He will come back for us. Death does not hold us and all the things written about Jesus in the Old Testament are absolutely true.

Jesus lives – proof that the gospel is true. Jesus lives – proof that he beat slavery. Jesus lives – proof that he killed sin. Jesus lives – proof that he beat death itself.

On that Sunday morning two thousand years ago the check that Jesus wrote with his life, cleared the bank. On that Sunday morning two thousand years ago the check that Jesus wrote with his death cleared the bank. The funds he said he would

So, the question I have this morning for you is this – will you follow Jesus? Will you take him as your treasure and leave your idols? Will you confess your sin and believe in the one who killed sin and death?

The Bible never hides the reality that as Jesus lived his life he would be abandoned. As he worked many, many miracles, spoke the very words of God, and in himself brought to life the images God gave us in the Old Testament he was abandoned.

REJECTED IN HIS HOME TOWN

Matthew 13:54–57a – …and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him…

RELIGIOUS LEADERS – Early in his ministry as Jesus moved against the laws that the religious leaders created, they rejected him. The very people who should have been leading the people to Jesus, the biblical scholars of the day, the ones entrusted with the word of God turned against Jesus early on. As Jesus moved against the restrictions that the religious leaders enforced, they saw him as the enemy.

To make matters worse, Jesus then healed a man with a withered hand – on the Sabbath.

In Mark 2 we read how Jesus and his disciples, on the Sabbath, were walking through the grain fields picking and eating the grain. Because this was being done on the Sabbath, it violated the “work” restrictions of the Sabbath. Immediately after that…

Mark 3:1–6 – Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

CLOSE FOLLOWERS – In John 6 we read that many of those who seemed to be disciples of Jesus left him when he explained who he really was.

John 6:32–35, 66 – Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. / After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

JUDAS – We know that one of the disciples – Judas – who heard the words of Jesus and saw the miracles of Jesus betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver.

THE CROWDS – A few days earlier the people of Jerusalem lined the streets to receive their Messiah. Thy laid their garments on the ground for Jesus to walk on. They were his subjects awaiting his rule and the rescue he would bring. Miracle after miracle had been performed so that they would believe in him – there were people walking around who had been brought back to life by Jesus – so they would believe in him. All four gospels tell us that the crowds chose the release a murderer from prison if that’s what it took to kill Jesus.

THE DISCIPLES – Matthew 26:30–35, 56 – And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. / Soon after this Judas came with the crowds to take Jesus and at that point “…all the disciples left him and fled.”

GOD THE FATHER – As Jesus hung on the cross, disfigured from torture, abandoned by almost everyone there was yet still more. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)

Jesus was, in this moment, experiencing what he knew was coming. He was under judgment for the sins of all those he would save. God was judging the Righteous One so that sinners would be forgiven and Jesus truly would be glorified.

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From an earthly perspective most would see Jesus’ life as failure. From his perspective, however; from God’s perspective, this is his love for you in action. This is what it means to love the sinner.

1 John 4:10 – In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Galatians 3:13a – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us

Jesus died alone so that you wouldn’t have too.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Today is Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter. This is the Sunday when we remember how Jesus was received into Jerusalem as a king that would save his people – only to have the religious leaders and most of the people kill him a few days later. Jesus came to Jerusalem as the city was getting ready to observe The Passover. Passover is a time when Jews remember a critical event in their history – God liberating them from slavery in Egypt. Passover is more than just a remembrance of what God did. It is also a reminder of what God does – he delivers his people from slavery. Passover also had an element of prophecy in it – it was also a picture of what God would do in the future. And, two thousand years ago Israel was looking for someone who would again be God’s instrument of salvation – they were under Roman rule and could not seem to escape. Israel was looking for the Messiah. Passover was an appropriate time for Israel to anticipate God’s rescue.

In Passover Psalm 118 was a song that was center to their hope of rescue.

Psalm 118 – ^1-6Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?^8-9It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. ¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. ^21-29I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Now, hundreds of years later, God, through the cross, would rescue his children again – not from physical slavery – but from eternal death. God, through the cross, would kill the power of sin that enslaves humanity. This is the real rescue – an eternal rescue. This is the rescue that all of Scripture points too. This is the rescue that is imaged when God freed the slaves the first time.

Mark 11:1–10 – Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

There was GREAT anticipation when Jesus made his entrance. He was being welcomed by crowds that were more than ready to accept him – after all had proven himself time after time. He did what only God could do:¹

• Psalm 107:28–29 – Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (Jesus calmed the stormy sea)
• Job 9:8 (NIV84) – He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. (Jesus walked on water)
• Deuteronomy 8:16 – [God] fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. (Jesus fed 5,000 men and their families from five small loaves and two fishes)
• Psalm 68:20 – Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. (Jesus raised a widow’s son from the dead, Jesus raised Jairus’ – a leader of the synagogue – from the dead, he brought Lazarus back to life)
• Psalm 146:8a – the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. (Jesus healed two blind men – Matt 9, a blind man in Bethsaida)
• Psalm 103:2–3 – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases… (Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, he healed people with leprosy, he healed the centurion’s servant, he healed a woman with a blood disease, he healed many in Gennesaret)

So, what happened? How is it that one day Jesus is welcomed as the Messiah – with all the proof one could want – and a few days later the crowds were ready to kill him?

This is not what we need, this is not what we expect, this is not what we’re willing to accept. Jesus may have wonderful gifts, and wisdom, and insight but we have our minds made up.

Predisposition of human thinking – sinful orientation

Leadership – Matthew 23:13 – “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

God’s purpose

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The first time Jesus came he came on a donkey as the One who would give his life so that the real enemy – Satan and evil – would be concurred. The next time he comes it will be on a white horse.

Revelation 19:11–16 – 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, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in 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.

Most people believe there is more to reality that we can see. We know that, behind what is created there is a cause. We know that behind any transcendent truth – like the existence of right and wrong, there is a truth-giver. We also believe that there is something after this earthly existence. We believe these things because they are self-evident – God has made this plain to us. The Bible fills in the details – it gives us “the rest of the story”. Today we want to talk about this – we’re going to examine heaven.

The Bible uses the term “heaven” in different ways – just like we do:

• Heaven can be used to represent the sky, stars, planets, etc – Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
• Heaven can be used to represent the dwelling place of God – Matthew 6:9 – Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Acts 1:9–11 – And [after Jesus' last words], as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Acts 7:55–56 – But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

• Heaven is also used to represent the eternal home or destination of all those who believed God and have their eternal hope in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:1–2 – For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling…

Luke 23:39–43 – One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

NEW EARTH / RENEWED EARTH

If we are to attempt to be biblical, however, we must also say that in the end there will be a new or renewed earth.

Now, one of the issues that can easily confuse us is the promise of a new earth.

Just as at some point those who have been redeemed by God will be given new bodies – we will be fully renewed and sin will be no more – there will come a day when creation will also be renewed.

2 Peter 3:13 – …according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Romans 8:21 – …the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Revelation 21:1–5 – 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. And 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 wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

AND – When Jesus returns for his children we will be given new bodies that are not corrupted by the ravages of this world. Our bodies will be like Jesus’ body.

So, this brings me to my last point – and this is the overriding point this morning. When Jesus spoke of our eternal state – when Jesus spoke of where we would be eternally, at the heart of things was the reality that WE WOULD BE WITH HIM.

JESUS TOGETHER WITH HIS CHILDREN

John 14:1–3 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 – For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Luke 23:42–43 – And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

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Psalm 73:25 – Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

John 6:66–69 – After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Philippians 3:8 – Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

As we broach the subject of God’s judgment, I’d like to make it as logical as possible. There are a few realities that leave humanity unable to say, “We didn’t know!” One of these areas of general revelation is the creation:

Romans 1:19–23 – For what can be known about God is plain to [men], because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Humanity has always looked at the natural world and attributed its existence to a creative cause. There is truth here. The creation that screams of a creator.

Another one of these realities that leave us without excuse is an innate knowledge of wright and wrong. We know that right and wrong exist – in a way that transcends the social construct. Right and wrong – as absolutes – exist.

Romans 2:14–15 – For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them…

If right and wrong exist, if law exists, there must be a law giver. And since right and wrong do exist from a law giver, we have the reality of justice – dealing with the wrong or making the wrong right. We know these things – there is a first cause, there is right and wrong, there is a law-giver, justice is a real pursuit. Right/wrong and the pursuit of justice are foundational to humanity, to any society, to our healthy existence. And, in this country every year, we spend billions of dollars to pursue justice. We, as humans, think that the pursuit of justice is a noble thing. I think – I hope – that you think the pursuit of justice is a noble thing. Without the pursuit of justice, evil wins.

James 4:12a – There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.

SHOULD WE PURSUE JUSTICE?

Matthew 23:23 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

We should pursue justice here – it is right for many reasons. The problem is that we cannot fully achieve justice here.

THERE WILL BE A FINAL JUDGMENT

There will come a day when each person will stand before the judgment seat of God (Rom 14:10). In this final judgment the judgment will be real – it is not earth-bound. This judgment will be at a level that makes our earthly courts look absolutely feeble. This judgment will not simply look at your sin against your brother. In this judgment it moves to sin against the Holy God of all reality. The judgment here will look into the heart.

Romans 3:19–20 – Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Hebrews 9:27 – …it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…

BE VERY CAREFUL IN YOUR PURSUIT OF JUSTICE

We can be easily deceived about this issue. While we should pursue justice here, it is not possible to achieve it here. God will judge perfectly – we cannot. Because we are sinful, prideful people we can easily see ourselves as judge with the power of justice in our hands.

Nahum 1:2 – The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Romans 12:19–21 – Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 5:39 – But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Luke 6:27–28 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

WHAT ABOUT ME?

One of our great and horrible tendencies is to somehow justify our own sin. We work it around in our brains so that it is not sin, or we compare ourselves to the worst case saying, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as…”, or we simply deny our sin. We longing for the day when justice comes – and we assume it will mean problems for others, but not us.

2 Chronicles 19:7 – Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.

Romans 3:9–12 – What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Have you sinned against God? Of course you have.

Romans 3:23 – …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

Have you ever been in a situation where you ask yourself, “Can this really be happening?” I think of the Howe family – years of Dale being with them and now he’s not? Can this really be happening? YES – what we all knew would happen at some point is now reality. There will come a day of judgment before God – all will be transparent – no more excuses – no more self-righteousness.

Jesus came to be the substitute before God for all those who would take him as their substitute. Jesus came in order to absorb God’s judgment for the sin of all those who trust him as their only hope of survival. I can face God alone or I can take Jesus as my Champion.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:36 – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 6:40 – For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 11:25 – Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…”

1 John 4:10 – In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the [wrath absorber] for our sins.

God is not like an earthly king.  The word of our King is reality – Jesus the King of Kings IS coming again. He is coming to gather those he has saved, completely eradicate sin and deal with treason – we will be with him forever.

John 14:1–3 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Acts 1:9–11 – And when [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Hebrews 9:27–28 – And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Do you think about Jesus coming again? Do you long for this? Are you anticipating this day? The way we connect with the Second Coming of Jesus is a barometer of the correctness of our vision.

SO WHAT?

Cling to Jesus, strip yourselves of all distractions, fight sin, pursue the Kingdom with all you have – THE KING IS COMING!

Context = Suffering for Christ – James 5:7–8 – Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts (live steadfast lives), for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

1 John 3:2–3 – 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 everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

All those who truly hope in the reality of becoming like becoming like Christ will find beauty in striving for purity now. If becoming like Christ is what you long for you will be fighting sin and pursuing purity. Those who long for Christ’s return will pursue Christ until he comes.

Titus 2:11–13 – [Jesus] has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for (as we wait for) our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…

The grace of God in the death of Jesus has killed sin and created a people who have the Spirit of Christ within them. Christ in us should move us to fight sin, defeat worldly passions, live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now – in anticipation of Jesus coming for us. Maybe like cleaning a house for company.

Luke 12:32–36, 40 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Matthew 24:37–42 – For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

2 Peter 3:3b–4, 10-11, 14 – …scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness… ¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Our King is coming back. When he does our faith will be made sight. The struggle will be over. When Jesus comes again he will bring the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and our eternal state – We will be with our Savior forever.

How we think about the Second Coming of Jesus is directly related to how we “see” him now. How we think about the Second Coming of Jesus is directly related to how we grasp the beauty and magnitude and kindness of the One who cared for us since before we were even conceived. If we see him rightly we will know the contrast between His ways and the ways of this world – and we will long for his coming. If we see him rightly we will desperately want lives that live in anticipation of his return.

Revelation 22:20 – John – He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

When Paul said in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…”, he was talking about all those, past, present, and future who have been or will be saved by the death of Jesus 2,000 years ago. In this statement Paul is using the term “church” to represent every person from every place on the globe, from every nationality and language, from every time – before Jesus and after Jesus – who was saved by Jesus. This is the universal church.

Scripture also speaks of the local church. The local fellowship of believers.

House – 1 Corinthians 16:19 – The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

City – 1 Corinthians 1:2a – To the church of God that is in Corinth…

Region – Acts 9:31a – So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.

JESUS BUILDS THE CHURCH

Matthew 16:18 – And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Acts 2:46–47 – And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

This is vitally important to understand. A church that is not built by Jesus is false.

This morning I’d like to look at a few of the metaphors Scripture uses:

** SHEEP **

1 Peter 2:24–25 – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

John 10:11 – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Key message – We are dependent on Jesus. All we do, have, and will be is because the kind Shepherd cares for us.

** TEMPLE **

In its most basic sense the O.T. Temple was the dwelling place of God. This is where God met his people. The temple was where god was. Sin may have corrupted our ability and our willingness to see God but God has not left. The temple reality in Scripture is rich. The O.T. Temple was where God met his people. Jesus is pictured as the true temple – Jn 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” It would be logical that the saved people of God here, those filled with the Holy Spirit here, would also be the temple.

Ephesians 2:19–22 – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 – Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Key Messages – The local church is – in a unique sense – where God is revealed.

** BRIDE OF CHRIST **

Revelation 19:6–7 – 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…

Ephesians 5:25, 31–33 – Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

In the Old Testament book of Hosea, Israel is pictured as the unfaithful wife of God. God had Hosea marry a prostitute to show the contrast between the faithful Hosea (God) and wayward wife (Gomer).

Key Messages – The image of the church as the bride of Christ is meant to show intimacy, faithfulness, and sacrifice.

** THE BODY OF CHRIST **

Romans 12:3–6a – For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…

Starting with verse 9 Paul talks about the need for love

1 Corinthians 12:12–26 – For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose… ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Key Message – The church must be unified in order to function as it should.

The fellowship of believers is made up of all believers. Whoever you are – you are important. Your background, your talents, your giftedness, your story is important, your healing and victory over sin is important:

• We should appreciate each other.

• We are dependent on each other.

• What we bring to the fellowship is important but cannot stand alone.

1 Cor 13 Paul talks about the need for love in the fellowship

You’ve probably heard the saying that the only sure things are death and taxes. Well, that may seem correct but the Bible doesn’t include taxes in the “certain” category. It does include death however.

Isaiah 40:6b-7 – All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.

Job 7:7–10 – Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good. ⁸ The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone. ⁹ As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up; ¹⁰ he returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore.

James 4:14b – For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

The older we get the more death seems to invade our lives. Not only is our physical death getting closer but we see death capture people in a seemingly endless variety of ways. The longer we live the more we see this monster take our parents and take our friends, take our children and take those who are young as well as those who are old.

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BASIC PRINCIPAL OF LIFE AND DEATH

God gives and sustains life. Sin and rebellion separate us from God and must, by definition result in death. It’s like the deep sea divers of old – oxygen was pumped into their diving helmet through a hose, a lifeline. If you separate from the lifeline you die.

God gives and sustains life:

Job 12:10 – In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Job 33:4 – The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Acts 17:28a – for “In him we live and move and have our being”…

1 Timothy 6:13a – I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things…

Our sin and rebellion separates us from God and must result in death

Genesis 2:17b – …in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Romans 6:16 – Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 1:15 – Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

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The Bible actually speaks of death in four ways:

Physical death:

Hebrews 9:27 – And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Spiritual death:

Ephesians 2:4–5 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…

Eternal death:

Matthew 10:28 – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Death to sin:

Romans 6:6 – We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:11 – So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

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After death comes the final determination of our eternal disposition.

The Bible says there are two inevitable realities coming but they are not death & taxes – they are death and judgment – they are death and our eternal disposition:

Hebrews 9:27 – …it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

2 Thessalonians 1:9 – They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

Daniel 12:2 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Jesus came in order that we might be reconciled to God. Jesus came to reunite us with the Life-giver.

The good news is that two thousand years ago Jesus came to save those that had been separated from God. Jesus came to reconnect us to the Life-giver. On the cross Jesus absorbed the consequence of sin. The perfect one dies – the sinner lives. Those who abandon the problem and cling to the solution live – those who abandon self and cling to Jesus live.

Just as the sin of that first man became the reality of all who were aligned with him, so too the perfection of the Second Man becomes the reality of all who are aligned with him.

Romans 5:18–19 – Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:17–18a – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…

Colossians 1:21–22 – And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

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Romans 10:9–10 – …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Psalm 23:1–6 – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John 14:1–6a – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

Psalm 72:12–13 – For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.

1 Corinthians 2:9 – …“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 15:53–55 – For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?