Fundamentals of our Faith Part 11
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Intro:
Intro:
So, today we wrap our series
And if you happened to be joining us for the first time today, we have been talking through topics that are fundamental to our faith
Those topics that are crucial to our understanding of who God is, how He operates, who we are, what we were created to do and so on.
And so in every topic we look to the Word of God as our source of truth
And in every instance the goal is always to know God truthfully so that we may love Him honestly and serve Him faithfully
Now before we get going this morning I have a question for all of us
What is the worst movie of all time and why is it titanic?
Les Miserable may be a close 2nd (musical)
story of going to see it
But, the Titanic is the worst right? And why?
Because of the way it ends
We all love a good movie, a good story at that, and a well-told story builds in us a longing for a satisfying ending.
And naturally, if the story is well-crafted, the audience will begin to think ahead and ask the question, “how will this all end?”
And the best of stories are the ones with the best of endings.
Right? there was no reason for Jack to die!
There was plenty of room on the raft, and the story is fake! it’s not even real!
It just puts a damper on the whole thing
But, we naturally think about these things.
How will the story end?
How will this resolve?
How will my life end?
And when we begin to read the Bible, we are met with this same anticipation
Really, right from the beginning.
How does the story end?
And that’s what I want to talk about today.
So let’s pray and then we will jump in
pray
Flow:
Flow:
On the subject of satisfying endings, the Bible’s story does not disappoint. In fact, it is the most satisfying ending we could ever have hoped for or imagined.
I believe part of the reason we so crave a good ending is because we are living in a story that has one and we feel the dissonance of our place in the plotline.
One of the saddest realities that someone can live in is the belief that there is no overarching story that makes sense of the world
There is no grand story in which to participate
Therefore, our individual stories either end on nothing at all
That our lives are purposeless, aimless, and ultimately meaningless.
If you got nothing else out of today’s message than hear this,
That could not be further from the truth!
Christianity firmly rejects that notion!
You have purpose, direction, and meaning. Your life is part of a much larger story of an amazing creator who goes to great lengths to prove that’s true.
And all of this can be found in Christ Jesus!
Stories remind us that we are all living toward something
Meaningful stories make our lives come alive and we all want to live in a meaningful story.
So, what are we living toward? What is the goal?
Our final study in this series will be the study of final things
This study is called eschatology
Greek for “Eschatos” is last or final
And so, Christian eschatology would declare the good news that death does not have the final word. The ending of this story is a good one
Now, I know that just bringing up that topic does a lot of different things for different groups in the room
And I know that this topic can be a very polarizing one.
So let me just say, we aren’t pulling out maps and prophecy charts
We will only cover the essentials
While I believe it is very important to have thoughts and ideas and to do studies and form beliefs around the secondary issues of eschatology I also believe that there are a lot dangers that I’ve personally seen
Not to mention the improper handling of God’s Word around this topic
But I’ve also seen a lot of “christians” who seem to be far too concerned with how things with Christ ends when they should probably be asking if things with Christ have even began for them.
They can tell you a lot about how and when things will end but sure don’t look and act much like Jesus
And so again, while I think those things are important, I also think they can easily distract from the most important things.
Alistair Begg “The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things.”
So, I’m downplaying your maps or prophecy charts, but for today, we will stick to the “plain things.”
But, then the question arises, “what is plain about eschatology?”
Isn’t it all extremely unclear and confusing?
I think, one of the clearest insights we can gain from eschatology and one that altered the way I viewed it is its purpose
The study of last things is meant primarily for our comfort
It is meant to encourage the church in the essential of our future hope, issues like death, the return of Christ, the resurrection from the dead, final judgement, and a kingdom without end.
End-times meditations are not supposed to scare us to death
They are supposed to encourage and comfort
And that’s my goal and hope today
That if you are in Christ Jesus, after today, you will be encouraged and comforted through this topic
So, let’s walk through these specific topics and our comfort in them
Coming home with a good grade and a bad grade. Bad news first, good news second
Our comfort in bodily death
Our comfort in bodily death
The doctrine of end times comforts us because it assures us that death is not the end
It is the great equalizer though
6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Grass is a repeated metaphor for humans in the Bible
And it is meant to show the fleeting nature of our lives and the certainty of our deaths
If Jesus does not return in our lifetime, all of us in this room will one day die
And as we covered before, all humans die because sin = death and all have sinned
And at death our physical bodies cease to function, but our soul continues to live
death is a reminder of the curse of sin
But death, for the believer, is not all bad news. In fact, it’s not bad news at all
For death marks our entrance into the presence of God
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
It is true that for the Christian, our souls are immediately ushered into the presence of God
And it is then also true, that non-Christians are immediately ushered into torment of judgement and separation from God.
And we have the choice and you have that choice today
You have the ability to confess that Jesus is Lord of your life and know that whenever that moment may come, it won’t be the worst thing to ever happen to you but actually the best.
Even Paul understood the significance of the upgrade
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Paul knew, that at the moment of his soul’s departure from this world, he was with with Christ and that was far better than anything this world could offer.
And so, for the believer, there is comfort in bodily death because our reward far out gains our loss.
Comfort in Christ’s return
Comfort in Christ’s return
Eschatology also comforts us because it points us to a King coming back to make everything right.
And this triumphant return of the ascended Lord is what all of creation is groaning for
As we’ve seen before in Christ’s first appearance He dealt definitively with sin at the cross. In His second appearance he will bring the fulness of salvation already purchased.
Now, many have predicted and have tried to pinpoint when that will be but what the Bible teaches us is that no human manipulation can bring about Christ’s return and that no human calculation can determine His timing.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The time of the coming of Christ cannot be known, but what can be known is it is certainly coming.
So, in the meantime, we wait
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
And what the Bible also teaches us is that he suddenness and unknownness of Christ’s return should help us wait with sobriety, holiness, and mission. (1 thess 5.)
In other words, live with the end in mind.
And as you live preparing yourself for Christ’s return, take comfort in the fact that is returning
Comfort in Resurrection
Comfort in Resurrection
Eschatology also comforts us because our story does not end in death, but in resurrection
Because of the resurrection of Christ, we get to participate in resurrection with Him
Christ’s resurrection becomes our resurrection
His story becomes our story
His future our future
The Christian life is lived toward resurrection.
Death will not have the final victory, God will
8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. 9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Death itself will be destroyed!
Those in Christ will trade the shroud of death for robes of righteousness
Eschatology does not just concern our comfort in the future, it concerns our calling in the present
Right now, we want our lives, homes, relationships, and communities to be marked by the future hope we have
We are comforted by the fact that our lives do not end with death but resurrection
Our comfort in the final judgement
Our comfort in the final judgement
Eschatology comforts us because it promises us that justice will be served
When Christ returns, He will execute perfect judgement!
Everything will be made right
I would encourage you to go and read Rev 20. that paints a picture of all standing before the great white throne receiving perfect judgement.
And the idea that everything we have ever done will be exposed publicly is so distressing that some have argued that believers will not be present at the final judgement.
But the author of Hebrews counts this accounting as good news
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
For those of us in Christ, judgement is good news, because it ushers in the fullness our our salvation.
We have nothing to dread, because Christ has paid the penalty for us in full
So there is comfort even here, that justice will be had on the godless and mercy will be given to the righteous
Comfort in a Kingdom without end
Comfort in a Kingdom without end
You ever tell a kid a story and they keep repeating after every line, “then what happened?”
Well, I think sometimes we get here and we forget to ask that question.
Then what happens?
The Christian story, form the very beginning, is moving toward the end
To this very moment
The moment where the kingdom of God is finally and definitively established on earth
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Christ the King is coming to dwell with us
And not just dwell with us, but dwell with us forever!
He comes to make all things new.
I think we miss this sometimes, the message of the gospel isn’t that salvation is an escape but that it is a restoration
God isn’t going to destroy all things, God is going to restore and resurrect all things!
God is bringing heaven to earth!
so take comfort because eschatology is not about destruction but restoration.
And all of it is for the glory of God!
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Our understanding of the story that we are living in, from how it begins to how it ends shapes every aspect of our lives.
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