Don't Laugh too Soon
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 3rd May 2009
Passage: Obadiah 1-21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 I'm most of you aware that I've spent the last three weeks up in Katoomba with about 5 teenagers.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 Always a joyous experience.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 And we've been looking over those three weeks at the book of Revelation.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 And what a joy it has been to revisit this book.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:25 It is pretty clear as you look at Revelation that Jesus is the victorious king.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 He's the ruler, the Lord of all.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 He is the one who has all the power.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 He deserves all the praise, all the glory.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 He is the one who has victory over Satan.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 One of the things we'll remind of particularly that Satan cannot get to Jesus in any sense.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:43 Demons cannot move an inch without his authority and without his word.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 He has everything in the palm of his hand and in control.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:57 It's been a great reminder to see that he is indeed the victorious king over all the universe of all that is.
00:00:57 --> 00:00:57 Jesus.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 And this is the God that we've come to join together this morning.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:05 To worship.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 To honour.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 To praise.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:10 In humble submission.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 As Revelation 4 says,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:25 Jesus is the king.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:26 The king.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:26 He is the king.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:38 But if he is, why is it that Christians are often sidelined and squeezed out in our world if Jesus is our king?
00:01:38 --> 00:01:50 If he is God and king and ruler and Lord of all that is, then you'd expect Christians to reign triumphantly in society.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 But they don't.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 You'd expect Christians to be the first ones consulted on their opinions on things.
00:01:58 --> 00:01:59 But they're not.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:10 You'd expect people would look to Christians for guidance on how to live well and how to raise their kids and how to shape society.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:11 But they don't.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 Instead, Christians are pushed to the edge in society and mocked.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 In some countries, they are killed, certainly financially squeezed.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:29 If you're a Christian and you express a Christian opinion in the Sydney Morning Herald, you'll be mocked more than anyone else.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:36 If you go to university or TAFE and you stand up as a Christian, you'll have caught abuse on campus more than anyone else.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:42 The common voice is that the Christian church is a spent force.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 That's the common voice of our society.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:55 I mean, one of the reasons for it is that, frankly, Satan can't get to Jesus.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 And so he has a crack at his people instead.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 He can't get to Jesus, the victorious king.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:07 He's going to do everything in his power to make us a bunch of apathetic losers.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:15 But I wonder how you feel when people say Christianity is a spent force.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 Maybe they're right.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 Maybe we are done for.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 Maybe being a follower of Jesus actually is old hat.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 That what we're doing here this morning is just not worth doing anymore.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 But then again, people have said this sort of thing all along.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 It's not the first time that God and his people have been written off.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:35 In fact, I guess people have always done it.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 And we see it here in the book of Obadiah.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:45 People who have made exactly the same mistake of writing off God and his people just a little bit too soon.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:50 Obadiah is an unusual prophet because he tells us basically nothing about himself.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 He just launches straight into it.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:58 And so what we've got to do is we've got to get some of what Vandal was referring to about understanding the bigger picture of the Old Testament.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:04 We've got to pull some of that pictures together to put the jigsaw puzzle pieces in so that we can understand a little bit of Obadiah.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:14 So let's put some of those jigsaw puzzles in, those pieces in, and let's jump right to the beginning of Genesis where it tells us that we are living in a world that was good in the beginning.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 But it is now broken.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 Broken because we have all decided to go it alone, ignore God the creator.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:28 We have chosen to live, to relate, and to rule his world our way without his word being our authority.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 If we pick and choose what is right and wrong, we make the decisions, not God.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:44 And so basically the vast majority of the Old Testament is about the mess that we make when we try to live and rule and relate with our God at the center of our lives.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 But in the middle of that mess, God makes some very big promises.
00:04:50 --> 00:05:00 From Abraham, he says, he's going to become a special nation, a special people, and God's going to give these special people a land called the promised land.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:07 And that from these people in this nation, from their blessing will spread to all of the world.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 But along with the promises come warnings.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 God says, if you're going to be my special people and I'm going to give you special land, then you need to treat me like God.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 If you don't treat me like God, I will punish you.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:26 And the major punishment you're going to receive is I'm going to throw you out of the land.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 I'm going to throw you away from my presence.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 And they didn't listen.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 They were eventually thrown out.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 A huge army from Babylon marches into Jerusalem in one occasion.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 And if you weren't slaughtered in the first attack, you were carted off into slavery into Babylon.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 Jerusalem, the capital, was reduced to rubble because the people of God chose to not be the people of God.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:55 God said, I will give you the land, but if you go off chasing idols, if you go off being unfaithful to me, then there will be consequences.
00:05:56 --> 00:06:00 And so the consequences came, and that's the way it was for 70 years.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 Maybe you don't need to go and do that college course.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 I think I maybe just summed up the whole Old Testament just there.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 Let's pray and finish right now.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:13 We need to know this before we make any sense of Obadiah.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:23 Because this prophecy that came from Obadiah was delivered after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 God had warned them that this was going to happen, and it did.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 There are two main parts to this prophecy.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:43 Verses 1 to 16 are directed against Edom and the descendants of Esau, who lived next door to the southeast across the other side of the Dead Sea.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:50 And verses 17 to 21 focus on the vindication of Israel and the final establishment of God's kingdom on earth.
00:06:50 --> 00:07:03 The main point, I think, of the prophecy seems to be that God's oppressed people should take courage because he is still king.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 He is still master of the universe.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 He has not lost control.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 How do we know that?
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 How do we know that he's the master of the universe?
00:07:17 --> 00:07:23 Well, he could not proclaim this judgment upon Edom if he was not their God and king.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:31 So as God punished his people for obedience, what was Edom doing?
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 It's pretty simple, really.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 Edom had written off the people of God and written off their God.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 Edom had taken advantage of the situation.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 They had seen Israel's calamity, and they thought,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:47 Excellent opportunity to boot some people while they're down and to rub some salt into the wounds.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 But they'd made a mistake.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 God had not finished yet.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 He isn't done for.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 His promises still stand.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 He is still king.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 And he still rules.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 So let's pick it up.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 Vision of Obadiah.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 I want you to have your Bibles open.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 Page 895.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 If you're using a pew Bible.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 If you're not, then it's...
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 Obadiah is between Amos and Jonah.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:09 So take it easy.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 You'll flick straight past it if you don't take it slowly.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 Between Amos and Jonah.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:19 So let's launch straight into it.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 Verse 1.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 The vision of Obadiah.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 This is what God says about Edom.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 We've heard a message from the Lord.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 Rise up and let us go against her for battle.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:37 Edom is about to be in some very serious trouble here.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 There is an old saying,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 Pride comes before a fall.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 And this is what's about to happen to Edom.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 See it there in verse 2.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 See, I will make you small among the nations.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 You will be utterly despised.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 In spite of how it looks,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 God is going to reverse it all.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 Israel looks like nothing at the moment.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 And Edom looks like the grand, you know,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 poobah of the world.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 But God said he's going to all change.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 Edom thought they were on top of the pile.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 That they were untouchable.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 They were in the big league.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 No one can bring them down from the big league.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 Oh, how many times over world history have we heard that sort of thing before?
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 And God's response is there in verse 4.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:21 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 from there I will bring you down.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 They are suffering from the self-deception of pride.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:34 When a person is in bondage to pride,
00:09:34 --> 00:09:40 they take whatever opportunity that they can to exalt themselves over others.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:48 Nations, adults, even children all have one thing in common.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 Apart from the grace of God,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 apart from God working in us
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 and changing us to be more like Jesus,
00:09:56 --> 00:10:01 we will derive our pleasure from other people's failures.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 It's the heart of sin.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:11 It soothes our inadequacies
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 and it magnifies our successes.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 And God says to not just to nations,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 but to adults and to children from there,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 I will bring you down.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 I will bring you down.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 And so from verses 5 to 9,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 there is a terrible picture of what the future holds for Edom.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 It's going to be so bad that they wish they had just simply been robbed
00:10:34 --> 00:10:38 and everything that they had was just done away with
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 and they were just destitute.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 Verse 5,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 If thieves came to you,
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 if robbers of the night,
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 oh, what a disaster awaits you.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 Would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 If grape pickers came to you,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 would they not leave a few grapes?
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 You see, the point is that the land of Edom
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 will have nothing left.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 It's heading for extinction.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 God is saying here
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 that a thief would be more merciful than I will be for you.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 You know, when,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 I've never heard a story when someone's been robbed,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 their house has been robbed or something like that,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 that they've come home
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 and everything's gone.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 My underwear is gone.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 My socks are gone.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 The curtains are gone.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 The knives and the forks are gone.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 Everything's gone.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 My goodness, they've flogged the dog kennel as well.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 Everything's gone.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 And the dog that's in it.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 It's like, I've never heard that story.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 They take the valuables
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 and they leave the rest.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 And God says,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 I won't be like that for you, Edom.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 I won't be like that.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 I will destroy everything.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 Down to verse 7.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 All your allies will force you to the border.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 Your friends will deceive and overpower you.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 but you will not detect it.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 Even their friends are going to turn against them
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 and stab them in the back
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 and they won't even see it coming.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 And why is this going to happen?
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 Why is Edom going to disappear from the map?
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 The reason is there in verse 10 to 14.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 And it all came down to what Edom was doing
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 when Israel was facing God's punishment
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 for their unfaithfulness.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 In these verses,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 Israel is called Jacob and God says to Edom,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 you will be covered in shame.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 You will be destroyed forever.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:22 On that day,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 you stood aloof
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 while strangers carried off his wealth
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 and foreigners entered his gates
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 and cast lots for Jerusalem.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 You were like one of them.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:37 A terrible picture of how Edom took advantage
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 of Israel's day of disaster.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 They looted with the looters.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 They waited at the crossroads
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 as Israelites attempted to escape
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 from the Babylonians.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 The Edomites were there with their swords
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 cutting down those who were trying to escape.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 And those they didn't cut down,
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 they captured them,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 handed them back to the Babylonians.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 Because,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 Edom has made a terrible mistake
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 because it was the people of God.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 And even though they are being punished
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 for their disobedience,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 they are still the people of God.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 And so,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 God says to the Edomites in verse 15,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 the day of the Lord is near
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 for all nations.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 All nations.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 All nations,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 including Edom,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 those nations around Edom,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 and every nation since,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 and every individual since,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 as you have done,
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 so it will be done to you,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 your deeds will return
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 upon your own head.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 And just like you drank
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 and parted in your victory
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 on my holy hill,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 so all the nations
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 will drink continually.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 They will drink and drink
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 and be as if they had never been.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 They're going to face the consequences.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 Every nation that looks so strong
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 will be destroyed.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 Amen?
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 Don't give me any nukes you've got.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 Don't give me any troops you've got.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 Don't give me what your economy's like.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 Every nation that looks so strong
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 will be destroyed.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 Obadiah says that God
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 has far from finished with Israel.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 He is still God.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 He still rules.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 He won't be defeated,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 nor his purposes thwarted.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 And that is how the shortest book
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 of the Old Testament finishes up.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 Edom has been gloating
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 because Israel has done it tough.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 But the tables are about to be turned.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 Edom is going to end up as nothing
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 and the kingdom of God
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 will still flourish.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 There will be no survivors
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 from the house of Esau.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 But, in verse 21,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 it says this,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 to govern the mountains of Esau
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 and their kingdom
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 will be the Lord's.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 Obadiah,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 these words from Obadiah
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 were fulfilled in a surprising way.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 He says that Edom will disappear
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 and it has.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 I've got a world map
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 sitting on my desk.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 There's no Edom
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 on my world map anywhere.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 It's gone.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 It was overtaken so many times
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 that not even a trace
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 of it exists anymore.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 Not even a trace
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 of it exists anymore.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 But there is another kingdom
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 that has grown and flourished
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 all over the world.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 Verse 21 says that it's God's kingdom.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 When Jesus came,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 his first public words were,
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 the kingdom of God
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 is at hand.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 The kingdom of God
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 is at hand.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 The deliverer has come
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 as Jesus walked up
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 that hilly road
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 to Jerusalem.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 People were there
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 waving palm branches
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 and laying them
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 at his feet
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 because they recognized
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 the king
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 and the deliverer
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 has arrived
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 at his city.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 But Jesus brought deliverance
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 in an unexpected way.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 You see,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 the crown that Jesus wore
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 was a crown
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 with thorns in it.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 The deliverer
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 was nailed to a cross
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 as a criminal
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 and he dies there
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 as a substitute.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 A perfect sacrifice
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 for the sins of the people.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 Opening the way
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 for us to be right for God.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 Right with God.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 Opening the way
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 for us to be forgiven
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 for all of our apathy
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 and unfaithfulness.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 And then he rose,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 he ascended,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 and he rules with God
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 over a kingdom
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 that has no borders.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 And frankly,
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 it's a kingdom
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 that doesn't look
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 like much.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 If you're not convinced
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 by that,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 have a look around you.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:42 Just ordinary people
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 have taken Jesus' claim
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 to be king seriously.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 It's a kingdom
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 that people laugh at.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Certainly plenty
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 who have laughed
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 at this king.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 People take delight
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 in sidelining
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 Christians
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 as irrelevant people
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 of the past
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 and some of that
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 is actually justified.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:05 Obadiah got it right
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 when he said
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 to the Edomites,
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 you can laugh, guys.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 You can mock.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 But God's kingdom
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 is going to stand forever.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 He's going to still be here
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 when you're all gone.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 When we're all gone.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 When all of our vain
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 attempts to immortalize
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 our lives
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 have long been demolished.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 God's kingdom
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 will still stand.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 Long after the great powers
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 of this world
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 have come
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 and gone,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 his kingdom
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 will still stand
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 because he is
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 the sovereign king
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 of all that is.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 Friends,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 can I just
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 implore with you
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 a moment
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 and just bear with me
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 for this one.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 We need to get this.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 We need to get this,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 right?
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 We need to get this
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 day by day.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 God is not just
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 our king
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 here at St. Paul's
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 or the king
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 of the Christian church
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 in Sydney
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 or the world.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 He's the king
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 of all
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 the universe.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 He's the God
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 of all
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 the universe.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 There may only
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 just be
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 a handful
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 of us here
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 and thousands
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 out there
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 at the moment
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 at Chatswood,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 but he is their God.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 They may not know it,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 but he is their God.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 He is their king.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 He is their ruler.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:24 So brothers and sisters,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 we should not
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 listen to the world
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 that says
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 that we are done for.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 We should not believe
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 the lie of Satan
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 that it's all
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 just too hard
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 and so just
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 shrink back
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 in apathy
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 and hang on tight
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 and just hope
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 to the end.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 We should never
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 shrink back
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 and say
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 it's just too hard
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 to hold the gospel
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 out there.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:52 But have we?
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 When we see
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 the task
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 of bringing
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 the kingdom
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 of God
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 to Chatswood,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 does it make you weary?
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 Does it make you
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 downcast?
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 Do you feel defeated?
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 Do you feel like
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 one of the Israelites
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 there
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 being cut down
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 on the roadways
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 and just think,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 oh look,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 hang on,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 look,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 I've got heaven
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 so that's good.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 You know,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 stuff the rest.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 As long as I know
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 where I'm going,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 that's awesome.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 Do you feel defeated
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 before you even begin?
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 My understanding
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 is we're three years
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 into a vision
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 here at St. Paul's
00:19:28 --> 00:19:32 and are you tired
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 of it already?
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 Are you tired
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 of it?
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 Are you tired
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 of it as if
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 we were fighting
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 a battle
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 of flesh and blood?
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 Let me remind you
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 that Jesus
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 is their king too.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 He is their God too.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 The message of judgment
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 that over die
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 proclaimed
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 was proclaimed
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 to a king,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 to a people,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 to a nation
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that did not recognize
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 their God and king
00:19:55 --> 00:19:58 and he called them
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 to repent.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 One of the ways
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 that I think
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 Christians reveal
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 their weariness
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 in the battle
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 is what we tend
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 to do
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 is we,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 you know,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 batten up the windows
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 and down the hatches
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 and we put on
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 bulletproof vests
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 and,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 you know,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 we become a Christian
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 subculture
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 within the culture.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 We hang on
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 for dear life
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 and,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 you know,
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 we've got heaven
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 and that's going
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 to be fantastic
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 and we're just
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 going to hang on.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 We're just going
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 to hang on
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 and so we fight
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 about the things
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 that are in here
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 as we batten
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 down our hatches,
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 we start fighting
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 about the things
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 within the building
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 and other things
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 like that.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 We do Christian stuff
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 but in the end
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 the world can go
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 to hell in a handbasket.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 We become proudly
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 self-righteous
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 and confident.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 We are the people
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 of God.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 We've been forgiven.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 They haven't.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 And we enjoy
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 totally relevancy
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 and we get judged
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 for the things
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 that Israel
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 was judged for.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 Friends,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 that's why Israel
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 was judged.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 That's why the Israels
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 were judged.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 They were told
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 to be a blessing
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 to all the earth.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 No, no,
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 we've got sacrifices
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 to make.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 We've got songs
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 to sing.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 We've got temples
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 to build.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 We haven't got time
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 to be a blessing
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 to the world.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 I wonder what
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 your response
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 has been to the vision
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 set by St. Paul's
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 leaders a few years ago
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 to see a thousand
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 people giving glory
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 to God in this place.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 Do you think
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 it's ambitious?
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 Do you think
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 it's ambitious?
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 Do you think
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 it's not possible?
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 Do you think,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 I mean,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 seriously,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 come on.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Do you think
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 it's not possible?
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Maybe you've heard
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 the mocking,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 the laugh,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 the ridicule,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 you've read
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 the Sydney Morning Herald
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 and you've written
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 this world
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 that is written
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 of God
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 and his people.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 Maybe you've
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 forgotten the word
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 of God
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 that clearly
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 proclaims
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 that he rules
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 the world.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 He didn't just,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 he's not just
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 the ruler of Eden
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 back in history
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 but he rules
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 the world now.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 He's the king now.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 He's the one
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 who holds the stars
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 in the sky now.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 He's the ruler
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 of every life
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 out there in Chatswood
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 right now.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 They can't even
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 draw a breath.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 They can't even
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 raise a mocking hand
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 or humble,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 sorry,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 or mumble
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 a blasphemous curse
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 under their breath
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 without the God,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 the king,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 allowing them
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 to give them
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 that breath itself.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 He is their king.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 He is their God.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 They might not know it
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 but one day
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 they will.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:35 one day calamity
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 is coming
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 and friends
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 we're going to do
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 everything we can
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 to make sure
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 that does not happen.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 He is the God
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 who turns the course
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 of nations
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 and history
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 and lives
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 as he pleases.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 No Christian
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 should ever have
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 the jitters
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 that this world
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 is careering
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 out of control
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 towards a meaningless end
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 or that the task
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 that God has given us
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 to reach disciples
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 of all nations
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 is impossible.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 We must never forget
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 that we're involved
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 in a war
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 and that means
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 wartime lifestyle.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 It's pretty obvious
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 if the Christians
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 around you
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 are getting killed
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 as they are
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 in many parts
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 of this world
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 it's pretty obvious
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 them were involved
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 in a fight.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 I'm not so sure
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 in Australia
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 that we realise
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 they're in a fight
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 with all our creature
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 comforts,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 our achievements,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 our laziness
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 and our busyness
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 that we realise
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 that we're actually
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 a war.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 A war
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 that we are told
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 to take the fight to.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 A fight to them.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 Not,
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 you know,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 let's all go
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 and get gun licences
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 and,
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 you know,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 and buy some rifles.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 I mean,
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 I'm a strong believer
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 in that personally
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 but,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 not that we're encouraged
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 to do that.
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 But we fight
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 with different weapons.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 We fight
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 with different weapons,
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 not the weapons
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 that they use.
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 We fight
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 with different weapons.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 We are called,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 friends,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 to pray.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 We are called
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 to proclaim Jesus
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 and persevere
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 in godliness.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 That is the fight.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 We fight
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 with prayer,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 with proclaiming Jesus
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 and persevering
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 in godliness.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 We must realise
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 that the fight
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 is on
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 but Jesus
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 is the victor.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 Satan prowls
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 around like a lion
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 wanting to devour us,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 wanting to distract us,
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 to move us
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 into apathy,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 to move us
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 into ungodliness.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 Do we believe
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 for a moment
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 that God,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 that Jesus
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 is victor
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 and that for any moment,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 at any point in history,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 that if he so chooses
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 he could but stamp his foot
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 and the nations
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 will bow to him
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 in worship?
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 Do we actually
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 believe it?
00:24:39 --> 00:24:44 Well therefore,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 do we pray for it?
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 Not qualified prayers
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 but do we pray for it?
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Do we pray
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 and preach
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 and persevere
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 in godliness
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 and give
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 and administer
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 and plan
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 and order
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 our church life
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 as if
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 we believe it?
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 I'm expecting therefore
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 that we'll have more people
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 at four o'clock
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 this afternoon
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 prayer meeting
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 than maybe we've had
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 in the past.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 He is God.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 He is King.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 He is Lord.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 He has the victory
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 through the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 He commands the winds
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 and they obey.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 He places the stars
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 in the sky
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 and continues
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 to hold them
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 in the sky.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 He knows the depths
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 of the universe.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 He speaks but a word
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 and the world
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 is formed
00:25:34 --> 00:25:37 and he is our God.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 He is our King.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:43 God is not finished
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 with St. Paul's
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 but he's also
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 not finished
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 with those 30 people
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 out there
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 in our neighbourhood.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 So let's take up
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 the weapons
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 that he's given us.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 2 Corinthians 10.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 We don't fight
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 with the weapons
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 of this world.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 We don't fight
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 with the weapons
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 of this world.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 Let's take up
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 the weapons
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 that he's given us
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 of proclamation,
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 of prayer,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 of perseverance
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 and godliness
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 and get into
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 the battle.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 Jesus is the King
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 of all of Chatswood.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 Amen.