back to index2022-03-20 Preparing for His Coming
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As Easter is coming up, I wanted to take a few weeks to prepare us. 00:00:10.520 |
Normally during the Easter, the Passion Week, we have Monday through Thursday, we have events 00:00:16.560 |
We kind of follow the outline of what Jesus went through during that week to prepare us 00:00:22.740 |
And then from Good Friday, we have Sunday morning where we want to take advantage of 00:00:30.680 |
I think, as I've been mentioning, and I've been talking to other churches and their pastor, 00:00:35.720 |
and I think we're all in agreement that the last couple years, that God has created an 00:00:40.540 |
environment that we haven't seen in for a long time. 00:00:44.160 |
Where there is, even in our church, there are people who are visiting a church who've 00:00:48.040 |
never been to church before, never entered church, who are beginning to seek for answers 00:00:55.360 |
Because I think because of the pandemic, people have been kind of distraught, asking questions 00:01:01.980 |
Or people who've fallen away in faith, went to church when they were young, wanting to 00:01:08.200 |
And what's going on right now with the economic situation, with the war that's happening in 00:01:14.420 |
And so more people are thinking about deeper things than just having fun. 00:01:19.740 |
And this is something that I think God has deliberately created for us. 00:01:23.280 |
And so each Easter, we want to be deliberate and take that time to share the gospel, invite 00:01:28.920 |
people to church that may normally not come to church. 00:01:32.120 |
But especially this year, we want to take this opportunity to not only prepare our hearts, 00:01:37.480 |
that God would really use this to revive us and renew us if we've been hardened in any 00:01:44.360 |
To take this time to really, like I'm going to commit this period to really focus our 00:01:51.200 |
But along with that, to take advantage of what is happening around us. 00:01:56.360 |
That there are people who are asking that we don't just kind of spend the next month 00:02:00.240 |
or so, you know, like the rest of the world, but be mindful of the non-Christians who are 00:02:06.520 |
in our lives to be a deliberate witness to share the gospel with them. 00:02:10.520 |
So the next three weeks that I'm here and then Pastor Peter Chung is going to give the 00:02:13.840 |
message on the Jerusalem entrance and then, you know, we have that Passion Week. 00:02:24.480 |
So each week as we walk through the passages that we would prepare our hearts and that 00:02:29.040 |
when we come to Good Friday, that we're not just celebrating a historical event, that 00:02:34.480 |
we really are able to walk with him and have personal convictions and convicted by what 00:02:41.480 |
So I'm going to read the passage in Isaiah chapter 40, just first two verses as we go 00:02:47.720 |
"Comfort, comfort, O my people, says your God. 00:02:51.840 |
Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity 00:02:57.520 |
has been removed, that she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." 00:03:05.360 |
Heavenly Father, we come before you asking for your guidance, for your Holy Spirit to 00:03:14.640 |
As you are the Potter and we are the clay, mold us and make us, Lord God, into what you 00:03:20.840 |
Sanctify your church, Lord God, that your name may be glorified. 00:03:25.920 |
You know, last month or so I've been reading through this book. 00:03:30.880 |
This is, this is actually my father's autobiography. 00:03:33.720 |
He kind of made it into a, like a very easy to read autobiography of when, you know, his 00:03:39.120 |
earliest memory all the way up to when he wrote this book. 00:03:42.800 |
And he made it into like a autobiography slash devotional. 00:03:46.860 |
So he would tell some story and then he would kind of have some biblical, you know, truths. 00:03:52.360 |
And so it's like an easy devotional read, right? 00:03:59.720 |
So when I read it, I mean, it was very interesting because it was by my father, but I was in 00:04:04.820 |
So I didn't glean as much as I could have, but it was interesting. 00:04:09.400 |
I didn't know, but I was reading it this time I found out that he was almost exactly the 00:04:12.520 |
same age as I am now when he wrote this book. 00:04:15.100 |
So as I'm reading it now, it has a different depth that I didn't see when I was in my 20s 00:04:19.720 |
because now I can kind of understand the perspective that he's coming from because we're at the 00:04:26.880 |
Now when I, one of the chapters was really interesting to me and I actually already mentioned 00:04:33.680 |
One thing that he mentioned was that how much he didn't like uniforms. 00:04:37.960 |
You know, and back in Korea in 1950s, you don't question leaders. 00:04:42.440 |
And so, you know, and my dad does not have that kind of personality. 00:04:45.640 |
He just kind of go with the flow type of guy, but he said how he protested wearing uniforms. 00:04:50.520 |
And the reasoning why he gave was how the uniforms don't give freedom for people to 00:04:57.280 |
The uniformity is beneficial to the people who are in authority, but for the regular 00:05:04.280 |
people to be able to really, you know, to grow the way that God had created them. 00:05:09.040 |
And the reason why I was interested in that is because that's always kind of been my own 00:05:13.700 |
Even the raising my own children, I didn't want them to become somebody that I made them 00:05:17.600 |
to be, but I want them to kind of express, you know, even if they struggle, even if they 00:05:21.680 |
stray, that it's their own faith that they're expressing. 00:05:25.480 |
And then, so I've always kind of been hands off in specifically what they do. 00:05:29.720 |
And that's kind of how even the ministry philosophy, I don't like seeing just uniformity, just 00:05:34.880 |
like you're supposed to do this because it's, I think true fruit always comes from what 00:05:41.120 |
And again, it was interesting to me because, you know, if I didn't read it, I would have 00:05:51.200 |
I don't ever remember having this conversation, but, you know, it was just interesting to 00:05:54.920 |
me as I was reading that, "Oh, he felt the same way." 00:05:57.680 |
So it made me more curious about what else he has to say that I didn't remember in my 00:06:03.160 |
Now, I share all of this because sometimes we can read the Bible as just historical facts, 00:06:09.280 |
theological things, and we get excited about theology without getting excited about God 00:06:16.920 |
You can study the Word of God all your life and not really come to a deeper affection 00:06:24.280 |
The point of our study, the point of everything that we do is to draw us closer to God. 00:06:29.880 |
And so when our extensive studies leads to greater knowledge without greater humility, 00:06:36.680 |
greater intimacy with Christ, it does more damage than good. 00:06:45.160 |
And so as we study the Word of God, we want to make sure that we're not only understanding 00:06:51.600 |
And so that's my intention for the next few weeks. 00:06:54.280 |
Even though we're going to be studying the Word of God, I'm hoping that we can understand 00:06:58.160 |
the heart of God, of what's going to lead to the cross. 00:07:04.520 |
If you've studied the book of Isaiah before, you know that the book of Isaiah is really 00:07:08.960 |
interesting because it has 66 chapters, just like the Bible. 00:07:13.920 |
And it's divided into two parts where you have 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 00:07:20.280 |
And the division in the book of Isaiah is exactly like that. 00:07:24.200 |
We have 66 books and we have 39 chapters of God indicting the nation of Israel, kind of 00:07:30.760 |
like the Bible says that the law was given so that sin will become utterly sinful. 00:07:35.440 |
And so God reveals through 39 chapters of why judgment is coming. 00:07:39.980 |
And then starting from chapter 40 on to chapter 66, it's promise of God's new covenant that's 00:07:47.040 |
And obviously specifically chapter 53 is a clear presentation of Christ and what he 00:07:53.520 |
And so it's interesting that the book of Isaiah is divided this way. 00:07:57.560 |
And so the text that we're looking at in chapter 40 is a transition from God's indictment into 00:08:02.840 |
the promise that he's making to the nation of Israel. 00:08:06.000 |
But in order to understand what he is saying, I want you to see what's happening and why 00:08:12.240 |
See, at the end of chapter 39, as he concludes the indictment against Israel, the historical 00:08:17.800 |
background behind that is the Northern Kingdom has already fallen. 00:08:25.000 |
And so the Southern Kingdom has been kind of moving along, but they were also in danger 00:08:30.320 |
because the Assyrians have become so powerful and they're surrounded by superpowers. 00:08:34.800 |
And so King Hezekiah, who was a good king, had an idea that if he aligned himself with 00:08:44.640 |
So he started to become chummy with the Babylonians. 00:08:47.240 |
And when, as he started building this relationship, he basically opened up the temple and showed 00:08:53.040 |
all of his inner courts and everything that they had, hoping that somehow if they aligned 00:08:58.900 |
themselves with them, that if the other superpowers come and attack them, that they would be safe. 00:09:04.560 |
Now obviously this very much displeased God because God wanted them, the whole point of 00:09:10.200 |
Israel's history is so that God can use them to glorify himself. 00:09:14.920 |
But by this time, even a good king, even Hezekiah, started to drift thinking that if they had 00:09:19.120 |
political power, that they would become safe. 00:09:22.520 |
So it's in that context that Isaiah is given this message to Israel. 00:09:29.480 |
In chapter 39, verse 6 through 8, it says, "Behold, the days are coming when all that 00:09:33.280 |
is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be 00:09:42.820 |
And some of your sons who will issue from you whom you will beget will be taken away 00:09:47.440 |
and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon." 00:09:50.880 |
So clearly this is an indictment against Israel. 00:09:53.660 |
Everything that you have shown, they're going to be taken away. 00:09:55.880 |
And then your children are also going to be forced to go to Babylon and they will become 00:10:06.440 |
Verse 8, "Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'The word of the Lord which you have spoken is 00:10:11.660 |
For he thought, 'For there will be peace and truth in my days.'" 00:10:16.860 |
Now the reason why he heard it as good is because that's exactly what Hezekiah wanted. 00:10:21.980 |
Because if our officials go and they take and we become one, we'll be safe. 00:10:29.660 |
That's how far Israel has drifted away from God. 00:10:32.980 |
And it wasn't because they were worshiping idols. 00:10:34.940 |
It wasn't because they weren't sacrificing at the temple. 00:10:40.580 |
And it's as a result of that, because you relied on Babylon more than me, now the Babylonians 00:10:46.580 |
are going to come exactly what you have pursued. 00:10:50.640 |
But they didn't understand that what they wanted was ultimately going to lead to the 00:10:56.480 |
And so this transition takes place from chapter 39, indictment against them. 00:11:01.140 |
But he reminds them what he said from the very beginning, that God's heart to them is 00:11:06.820 |
The judgment was coming in order to properly restore them to God. 00:11:12.180 |
And that's where he says in chapter 40, verse 1, "Comfort, O comfort my people," says your 00:11:17.500 |
"Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity 00:11:23.560 |
has been removed, that she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." 00:11:29.500 |
Now he's not saying here in chapter 40, after making the indictment, he said, "You know, 00:11:32.860 |
I'm just going to forget this and sweep this under the rug and pretend like it never happened." 00:11:39.020 |
He's saying once everything that has been ordained because of your sins takes place, 00:11:45.420 |
once you're taken into captivity, once you lose all the things that he says, and when 00:11:52.240 |
you become pitiful, and you become nothing, and you realize where you are, and you plead 00:12:00.960 |
to him, he's promising that he will give them mercy when you return. 00:12:11.240 |
God will never compromise his righteousness and peace. 00:12:15.980 |
He never compromises his love and his holiness. 00:12:20.260 |
He will always represent himself where both of who he is, what he is, is never compromised. 00:12:27.640 |
He will never look at our sins and say, "You know what? 00:12:30.160 |
For this one, I'm just going to sweep it under the rug because I love you so much, I'm going 00:12:37.360 |
Once the very thing that you think is going to bring safety and peace, you're going to 00:12:41.560 |
pursue it, and you're going to have it, not realizing that that is an indictment against 00:12:48.080 |
Paul says something very similar in the Corinthians. 00:12:51.320 |
One of the most harshest letters that Paul writes is to the Corinthians, where because 00:12:55.980 |
of the divisions in the church, their communion wasn't true communion. 00:13:02.180 |
Their fellowship was causing all kinds of divisions. 00:13:04.860 |
In fact, they said they were tolerating sin in the church that even the unbelievers, even 00:13:09.780 |
the pagans wouldn't tolerate because the church was so corrupt. 00:13:13.780 |
He was reminding them, "Do you not know that your body is the temple and the Spirit of 00:13:19.420 |
God dwells in it, and he who destroys it, he will also be destroyed." 00:13:25.300 |
Because he writes such a harsh letter, many of the Corinthians begin to question, "Who's 00:13:29.740 |
I thought God is a God of love, but why is this guy coming to us saying that he's going 00:13:40.540 |
Some were very deeply cut and hurt, and those who didn't repent were basically questioning 00:13:46.180 |
And so he writes in 2 Corinthians 7, he says, "For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, 00:13:51.940 |
Though I did regret it, for I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for 00:13:57.380 |
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point 00:14:02.380 |
of repentance, for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God." 00:14:08.260 |
He says God deliberately put pressure on them, cut them, because living with sin swept under 00:14:14.820 |
the rug may seem to bring you peace for the moment, but until God is declared righteous 00:14:23.920 |
and we are intimately in fellowship with him, no amount of money, no amount of political 00:14:29.700 |
peace, no amount of economic stability is going to bring the true peace that only Christ 00:14:40.180 |
We may have different philosophies of raising children, but there is no parent who loves 00:14:43.820 |
their child, who does not discipline their child if they know that that child is headed 00:14:51.220 |
Now some of your friends may ignore it, even though they're convinced that you are headed 00:14:58.040 |
They may ignore it because they like you, but they like themselves more than you. 00:15:04.100 |
They don't want you to say, "Oh, you're judging me." 00:15:08.700 |
So even though you're headed toward the wrong direction, they may not say anything to you. 00:15:13.260 |
But the ones who love you, they will say something. 00:15:18.020 |
You will say something to your brother or your sister or your mom or somebody you really 00:15:23.300 |
love, because no matter what you may think of me, I'm more concerned about the harm that 00:15:32.020 |
So living in this fake peace is not true peace. 00:15:38.060 |
We're just kind of sweeping it under the rug. 00:15:39.940 |
And this is what God is trying to tell the nation of Israel. 00:15:42.160 |
Even though harshness, even though God speaks harshly and you will experience suffering 00:15:45.940 |
because of your sins, God's heart is always gentle. 00:15:55.100 |
So he says in Isaiah 42, verse 3, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning 00:16:03.060 |
He's speaking specific to the nation of Israel. 00:16:06.740 |
He said he's going to allow their sins to take its course. 00:16:11.300 |
And when they become pathetic, like a bruised reed, when they become useless, like a burning 00:16:17.940 |
wick, and when they get thrown to the ground to be trampled, when everybody walking by 00:16:23.860 |
said they're not going to have pity on you, you don't throw away trash. 00:16:33.340 |
But God says that even when the nation of Israel becomes that pathetic, he said he will 00:16:41.420 |
Isaiah 49, 15-16, "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion in the 00:16:48.100 |
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you." 00:16:53.100 |
He said even after all of that, even after rebelling, he said, "Because I made a covenant 00:17:00.180 |
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands. 00:17:06.500 |
Do you remember when you were young, what you put on the palm? 00:17:24.220 |
Let's say you woke up and your anniversary is next week, and you screwed up the last 00:17:32.780 |
three years, and then you want to make sure, so you inscribe it on your palm to make sure 00:17:38.820 |
so every time you do something that you're reminded, right? 00:17:44.500 |
He's saying that I've inscribed you on the palm of my hands. 00:17:50.060 |
Even if a woman forgets a nursing child, I cannot. 00:17:59.220 |
After all that they have done, even after crucifying their Savior, he says, "Because 00:18:07.300 |
you're my nation, you're the apple of my eye," he said, "I will not forget you." 00:18:10.900 |
In fact, we bring this all the way to the New Testament. 00:18:13.700 |
Apostle Paul is writing to the Jews who thought that they had a righteous standing before 00:18:21.380 |
The whole book of Romans is to bring indictment to the nation of Israel. 00:18:25.980 |
Those who have the law will be judged by the law. 00:18:28.020 |
Those who don't have the law will be judged without the law, for all have sinned and fall 00:18:33.820 |
And because he's making this argument, he knows what the Jews are thinking. 00:18:36.980 |
If we're all under the judgment of God, what place do we have? 00:18:41.940 |
Have we fallen to the point where God is moving on from the covenant that he gave us? 00:18:47.420 |
He answers this question in chapter 11, verse 1 and 2 in Romans. 00:18:51.420 |
He says, "I say then, God has not rejected his people, has he? 00:19:02.500 |
God said that I've written you in the palm of my hands. 00:19:07.820 |
For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 00:19:12.580 |
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew." 00:19:16.900 |
Some people think that because they've broken God's covenant over and over again, that God 00:19:21.260 |
decided to move his covenant to the Gentiles now, so they're done. 00:19:29.380 |
God makes it very clear that the covenant that he made with Israel, despite their sins, 00:19:33.940 |
at one point, when it is time, he's going to renew this covenant with them, because 00:19:42.900 |
In Romans chapter 11, verse 11, he says, "I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, 00:19:50.020 |
But by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them jealous." 00:19:54.020 |
Now, if God has done with the nation of Israel, what is he making them jealous for? 00:20:07.980 |
He's making them jealous, because the time has come that this jealousy would cause them 00:20:11.540 |
to bring revival, and that the nation of Israel, the covenant that he made with the nation 00:20:17.780 |
Now, you may ask, "That's great for the nation of Israel, but what does that have to do with 00:20:25.420 |
It has everything to do with us, because the God who is faithful to his covenant to the 00:20:29.860 |
nation of Israel is the same God who is faithful to the covenant he made with us. 00:20:35.340 |
So as much as we can trust God and his compassionate and loving heart to the nation of Israel, 00:20:41.340 |
despite all that they have done, he says, "Comfort, comfort my people," says the Lord. 00:21:02.220 |
But in the midst of all of that, he waits patiently for us. 00:21:10.460 |
How often have we thought we have exhausted his grace? 00:21:14.660 |
How often have we convinced ourselves that we're not worthy of the communion table? 00:21:20.520 |
How often does somebody else tell us that you're not worthy? 00:21:23.540 |
How often has Satan indicted you because of your weakness? 00:21:29.460 |
I pray that as this has comforted me over the years, that it would bring comfort to 00:21:38.780 |
Isaiah 43 to 4 says, "A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the Lord in wilderness. 00:21:43.340 |
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 00:21:46.180 |
Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low. 00:21:49.900 |
And let the rough ground become a plain and the rugged terrain a broad valley.'" 00:21:56.400 |
The reason why Isaiah uses that imagery is because the nation of Israel, they established 00:22:03.180 |
six cities of refuge, spread out all over Israel. 00:22:09.600 |
And all the best roads in Jerusalem and in Israel led to the cities of refuge. 00:22:15.980 |
They spent so much time, energy, and money to make sure, literally, to cut down any hills 00:22:21.460 |
or mountains or any valleys that got in the way. 00:22:24.980 |
So that somebody who had to flee for refuge in this city could have the easiest and the 00:22:33.260 |
All of that was established to ultimately point to Christ our refuge. 00:22:38.980 |
That the Messiah was going to come and He's going to be the high priest over these cities 00:22:44.280 |
of refuge to point to us to run to Him in times of trouble. 00:22:49.200 |
And that the easiest and the best roads always leads to Christ. 00:22:53.380 |
That's why John the Baptist came in Matthew 3, 3, and 4. 00:22:55.760 |
This is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "The voice of one crying 00:22:59.760 |
in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord. 00:23:05.140 |
The reason why Isaiah is saying this is because Hezekiah thought that if he built a bridge 00:23:11.740 |
to Babylon, that if he had allies on his side, that their country would be safe. 00:23:20.280 |
That if they give them the inner chambers and say, "Oh, this is what we have," maybe 00:23:27.900 |
And this is the reason why he's reminding the nation of Israel that they are not your 00:23:33.340 |
I mean, as I mentioned, we're living now with people in our generation who is looking 00:23:42.900 |
Because we don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. 00:23:47.000 |
Every time we think it's going to be over, there's some other variant that's coming 00:23:54.320 |
With the economy going the way it is, every time we turn around, the gas is going up. 00:24:00.580 |
I mean, for many of us, it's just inconvenient. 00:24:02.820 |
But there's a lot of people with the gas prices going up, can't go to work. 00:24:09.620 |
Even though many of us, maybe we're financially well enough, it's just an annoyance. 00:24:17.120 |
And then you have the war that's happening in Ukraine. 00:24:21.520 |
And there's more and more as things go along, the talk of, is he crazy enough to use the 00:24:27.480 |
And if he does do that, what's going to happen? 00:24:31.100 |
Is this going to trigger another World War III? 00:24:33.560 |
Does that mean that the NATO is also going to retaliate with nuclear bomb? 00:24:37.720 |
And they said that we have enough nuclear bombs distributed in the countries that can 00:24:49.480 |
No wonder people are anxious, that everything that we've been trying to build can slap 00:24:53.720 |
a finger because of one crazy guy, this one nation, it could all be over. 00:24:59.920 |
Now we think to ourselves, I mean, we've lived this long and we've seen crisis before, and 00:25:07.120 |
We may tell ourselves that, but we know the reality is it can happen. 00:25:13.380 |
And even if it doesn't happen, even if that is not the end, we know end is coming. 00:25:26.600 |
What are you waiting for in the next stage that you think is somehow is going to bring 00:25:35.360 |
You may call it something else, but any bridge, any road that leads us anywhere outside from 00:25:40.820 |
Christ is going to bring upon us more judgment than good. 00:25:46.380 |
And that's why he's reminded the nation of Israel. 00:25:49.200 |
He said he was going to come in Isaiah chapter 118. 00:25:52.060 |
He starts out by this promise, even though he's going to spend 39 chapters indicting 00:25:57.660 |
the nation of Israel, the very beginning of chapter one, he says, come now, let us reason 00:26:02.620 |
together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. 00:26:08.140 |
Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. 00:26:12.720 |
He tells them that before he indicts them, before he spends 39 chapters detailing why 00:26:19.300 |
judgment is coming, he says, no, but I will make you like wool. 00:26:24.580 |
Now imagine if you're hearing that, and that's just only one verse, but in almost every prophet 00:26:31.240 |
where there's an indictment, there's also a promise that he makes, just like he does 00:26:38.540 |
There's going to come a time when the Messiah is going to come, that he's going to suffer 00:26:42.100 |
for our sake, and he's going to bring about a new age where he's going to remember his 00:26:46.900 |
covenant that he made with the nation of Israel, and he's going to wipe away sins. 00:26:52.660 |
And all this is going to happen through the Messiah. 00:26:59.700 |
Because we've heard this, and we sing about this every single Sunday, so it's become so 00:27:05.740 |
I would say the majority of you, if I asked you what the gospel is, it's like Jesus Christ 00:27:09.960 |
loved me, you know, despite my sins, he died for our sins, he was crucified on the cross, 00:27:17.760 |
And so some of you can be a bit more articulate and fill in the details, but whatever the 00:27:22.720 |
case is, we know the general outline of what Christ has done for us. 00:27:28.560 |
See the Old Testament covenant, when the prophets started prophesying this, they couldn't believe 00:27:45.400 |
Even as they are prophesying, they couldn't believe it. 00:27:47.820 |
So in 1 Peter 1, 10 through 12, it says, "As this salvation, the prophets who prophesied 00:27:51.980 |
of the grace that would come to you, made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to 00:27:56.640 |
know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted 00:28:01.080 |
the suffering of Christ and the glories to follow." 00:28:07.080 |
Christ is going to come and he's going to suffer? 00:28:10.660 |
And that's how we're going to be made white as snow? 00:28:13.160 |
It goes on, "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you 00:28:17.680 |
in these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel 00:28:22.460 |
to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." 00:28:28.920 |
Even the angels as their prophecy is going out or looking into it, it's like, "What? 00:28:33.840 |
He's going to make us new by the blood of Christ? 00:28:43.680 |
Even as they are prophesying, this was unbelievable. 00:28:47.620 |
But now we are on this side where we have seen clearly what he has done and majority 00:29:06.600 |
In and of itself, none of that is bad, but the gospel message and the sacrifice has become 00:29:15.520 |
so mundane because we sing it, we memorize it, we study it in VBS, but the reality, God 00:29:29.760 |
If I told you that I'm going to give everybody in this room a Tesla, would you believe it? 00:29:37.800 |
I said, "Well, I know you don't have money, so let's ... We're fantasizing, right? 00:29:48.560 |
Some of you may, some of you may not, but I think most of you will be skeptical. 00:30:01.840 |
Something as trivial as money, that all it is is like I just need to empty my bank account, 00:30:11.440 |
If you decide to be generous, you'll be talking about me the rest of your life. 00:30:21.840 |
Let me guarantee you that's not going to happen, but I'm just like, we're fantasizing, right? 00:30:28.420 |
So anybody who got that is going to be talking about that the rest of their life. 00:30:39.920 |
And yet when we talk about the son of God who created the universe, died for sinners 00:30:49.760 |
and rebellion, was crucified, resurrected, all the while knowing our rebellion, past, 00:31:19.600 |
See, that sounds like a mad person to declare that son of God purchased me with his own 00:31:27.880 |
blood and then to have the rest of our lives look no different than anybody else. 00:31:40.440 |
And if you do believe that, why do you not look any different than me? 00:31:47.680 |
Why do the very things that scare me, scare you? 00:31:51.520 |
Why are you tempted by the same thing that tempt me? 00:31:54.880 |
Why are the things that the world holds for the same thing you hope for? 00:31:59.920 |
You see, what we sing and praise and memorize and teach has become so mundane and pedestrian 00:32:11.800 |
that we forget what it was like when we first met Christ. 00:32:17.040 |
That's why the Bible keeps saying, "Remember the height from which you had fallen. 00:32:20.640 |
Remember how mind-blowing it is that the God of the universe loved you." 00:32:27.900 |
See, we have become so comfortable, and what we are adopting to is a cultural Christianity, 00:32:40.040 |
Scripture tells us that when Jesus comes in second time, he's described in Revelation 00:32:44.480 |
chapter 114, his head and his hair were like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like 00:32:53.460 |
Just like it was mentioned in Isaiah chapter 118, he's going to make us like white as snow. 00:32:59.880 |
He's described in his second coming as coming as white as snow. 00:33:04.720 |
Zechariah chapter 3, 3-4 gives us the clearest picture of how he was going to make us white 00:33:10.840 |
"Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. 00:33:14.580 |
He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, 'Remove the filthy garments 00:33:19.360 |
Then he said to him, 'See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you 00:33:26.480 |
He was going to make us righteous by giving us his garment, taking off our filthy rags 00:33:35.320 |
That's exactly what it says in 2 Corinthians 5-21, "He who knew no sin became sin so that 00:33:40.160 |
you and I may become the righteousness of Christ." 00:33:45.000 |
Again, step away from the numbness that we've allowed ourselves to step into, the lukewarmness 00:33:53.800 |
that we've allowed to be a regular part of our lives. 00:33:57.040 |
Take a step away from that and hear that like you heard that for the first time in your 00:34:03.800 |
Son of God, the very reason why you and I have breath, why the universe works the way 00:34:13.640 |
that it does, instead of seeing us and being disgusted by our sins, he says, "Comfort, 00:34:28.840 |
He drew near to us and he suffered on our behalf. 00:34:34.600 |
Even now, it says, "It's his kindness that leads us to repentance." 00:34:40.800 |
When we see filth, our natural instinct is to move, put it in the trash. 00:34:47.520 |
And if it's beyond us, we'll move to another neighborhood. 00:34:51.080 |
And if people act that way, we keep them at an arm's length. 00:34:58.320 |
So when we travel, we go to the best and the nicest places. 00:35:03.760 |
You don't go to dangerous places because our natural instinct is, if it's disgusting, keep 00:35:15.120 |
And he knew what it would mean for him to remove himself. 00:35:22.200 |
So he wants to reveal to us, because we didn't even recognize how filthy our sins were, he 00:35:32.060 |
Even Hezekiah didn't recognize the sin in his own heart. 00:35:36.760 |
So once it has been revealed, once the judgment has come, he said, "Comfort, comfort my people." 00:35:44.560 |
He says in Isaiah 46, verse 8, "The voice says, 'Call out,' then he answered, 'What 00:35:50.960 |
All flesh is like grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 00:35:55.040 |
The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord breathes upon it.'" 00:36:00.460 |
You notice here, he says, "It's not just circumstance. 00:36:08.360 |
When he breathes on it, surely the people are like grass. 00:36:11.040 |
Grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. 00:36:16.580 |
Whatever that we naturally run to refuge, when God breathes his breath, will it stand 00:36:23.400 |
You know, what's happening in Ukraine, I mean, it is, the whole world is watching. 00:36:29.600 |
It's gut-wrenching to see young children, wives, young families fleeing for their lives. 00:36:36.180 |
But people in Ukraine, they're not any different than us. 00:36:49.120 |
Hospitals, working, people working hard to save up enough money for retirement. 00:36:54.260 |
Their lives didn't look any different than us, but all of a sudden, war broke out. 00:37:00.060 |
Now the bombs are hitting and schools are being wiped out. 00:37:06.300 |
Whole neighborhoods, whole cities are being wiped out through this war. 00:37:12.620 |
Everything that they worked for, everything that they hoped for, everything that they 00:37:23.700 |
And as much as we are sorrowful for what we are seeing physically, the book of Revelation 00:37:30.460 |
tells us that this is going to happen worldwide. 00:37:40.060 |
But whatever it is, the Bible says that it is going to happen. 00:37:45.420 |
So if the Ukrainians knew that the Russians was going to come in and the hospitals and 00:37:51.220 |
the things that they valued so much was going to be wiped out by one bomb, would that have 00:38:10.940 |
There's a reason why the Bible says not to build your house upon sand. 00:38:15.180 |
Because as soon as the breath of God comes, it will all be wiped out. 00:38:30.140 |
So as Christians who believe that He saved us, He saved us of an empty way of life, recognizing 00:38:36.940 |
that everything, all human beings, everything that we value, like grass, like flowers, in 00:38:48.900 |
But when the testing comes, will it stand the test of time? 00:38:54.380 |
It is only reasonable, only reasonable thing that a believer in Christ would do is to invest 00:39:06.620 |
That when the day comes and all that we value, all that we are tempted about ends, what will 00:39:20.020 |
Everything that I've invested in is back there. 00:39:26.020 |
And then he says in Isaiah 49-10, "Get yourself up on a mountain, O Zion, bear up good news. 00:39:34.540 |
Lift up your voice, O mighty Jerusalem, bear up good news. 00:39:38.740 |
Say to the cities of Judah, 'Here is your God. 00:39:41.060 |
Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. 00:39:45.540 |
Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him.'" 00:39:49.220 |
If you knew that Jesus was coming tomorrow, how will that change your perspective? 00:39:54.860 |
I know for a fact, if I knew that I only had one more day, the only thing that I would 00:39:59.940 |
be concerned about are the people that I need to tell about Jesus. 00:40:05.380 |
And I believe you will agree with me 100%, that if you knew that you only had a day to 00:40:10.740 |
live, you're not going to be concerned about your neighborhood, you're not going to be 00:40:15.740 |
The only thing that you're going to be concerned about are the people who do not know Christ. 00:40:20.140 |
So therefore, he says, recognize, cry out, recognize who we are, recognize that only 00:40:28.620 |
And if you recognize that, stand up on a mountaintop and proclaim to the other people the hope 00:40:38.180 |
My prayer is, as we prepare for the resurrection, His suffering, that we don't just pass this 00:40:47.620 |
by like just another holiday, that we would use this time to recalibrate our hearts, our 00:40:54.060 |
mind, our thoughts, and prioritize what ought to be priority, to major on the major and 00:41:03.380 |
If we've had that value flipped upside down, where we're majoring on the minor and minoring 00:41:08.100 |
on the major, maybe this is a time for us to recalibrate, to consider deeply where we're 00:41:15.980 |
And as Isaiah says in chapter 40, 27, "Why do you say, 'O Jacob,' and assert, 'O Israel, 00:41:21.540 |
my way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?'" 00:41:30.820 |
It seems like you could say all of this stuff, but where is he? 00:41:35.300 |
God answers in 28, "Do you not know, have you not heard, the everlasting God, the Lord, 00:41:40.980 |
the creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. 00:41:46.700 |
He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might, he increases power. 00:41:51.820 |
Though youth grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, those who wait for 00:41:59.300 |
To wait is not just to passively sit and to see what God's going to do. 00:42:02.860 |
Wait, meaning that you recognize that our refuge is in him. 00:42:15.700 |
Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. 00:42:27.460 |
So as we are headed toward Easter and more and more people are searching, I pray that 00:42:35.660 |
this would be for all of us to calibrate our hearts, to anchor ourselves with Christ, and 00:42:47.300 |
As much as many of you are watching television and seeing the Ukrainians and some of you 00:42:52.380 |
in tears because you see the suffering of these people, whatever your politics may be, 00:43:00.420 |
that Ukrainians have incited compassion in your heart. 00:43:06.500 |
That's why we were able to collect $47,000, because you want to do something. 00:43:13.020 |
As much as you have compassion for those who are physically suffering, I pray that God 00:43:19.500 |
would open our eyes to see those who are in spiritual poverty, that they are just as bad 00:43:27.580 |
in situation, that we would kneel before the Lord pleading on their behalf, that however 00:43:35.900 |
life that he has given us, however long this life may be, that I would use that time to 00:43:41.380 |
tell as many people as possible that Christ is a compassionate God. 00:43:52.560 |
As we ask our praise team to come up, let's take some time to pray. 00:43:57.740 |
Again, if our hearts have strayed, to confess that before the Lord. 00:44:06.120 |
If you've just accepted lukewarmness and whatever lukewarmness kind of leads to, and you just 00:44:10.500 |
accepted that, just like Hezekiah, you have no idea where this is headed, the fruits that 00:44:17.900 |
it will bear on you, on your children, to come before the Lord, to really come before 00:44:31.220 |
Let your word convict me, guide me, renew me, that everything that I profess to believe 00:44:37.820 |
is exactly the way that I respond to you, that I may worship you in spirit and in truth." 00:44:41.900 |
So let's take some time to pray as our worship team leads us.