Sermon Tone Analysis

Main Application/ point: The world is in pain.

I think in today’s world we can take one three approaches.

You can ignore the amount of brokenness in the world and pretend it doesn’t happen.

You can be looking over your shoulder in a sense, living in fear because you find yourself living in a time where people will show in a church and open fire.

Or take a snipers position at a concert and kill defenseless people.

Some people will place vain hope in political leaders.

Some will try to convince themselves that some way, some how, we will be able to fix the things we see on such a regular basis.

We don’t want to go through life as bitter dooms dayers, but here’s the deal, as long as we live in a world of broken people who are searching for some form of meaning and purpose, we will see people seeking it in the wrong places, and finding themselves in unimaginable darkness, where people grow up to be people who do unthinkable things.

Passage lead in:

The Millennium (Latin for 1000 years)

I want us to look at a passage of scripture that is probably the most debated passage in the Bible.

The reason for this, is a hermeneutical reason, the discussion brought up in this passage has a profound impact on how you read the rest of scripture.

There isn’t another topic of scripture that has consumed my mind like this one.

I know some of you (because you’ve told me) would rather I just preach my perspective and leave the ambiguities to the text books, but here is my thinking.

When I woke up one day and realized that there where other views besides what I had always thought, I was very frustrated with that.

Maybe it was rebellion, I call it a hunger to understand, but I set out to understand this thing as best as I could and you know what I found?

That while I ended up going full circle and returning to what I had originally thought, I realized that this is an open handed discussion and that very great minds (Billy Graham, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, Wayne Grudem....) all disagreed about this passage of scripture, it is pretentious, it is foolish and I personally believe, it is sinful for Christians to divide on this (that right there is controversial).

And it would be unreasonable to expect anyone, my self included to step into this pulpit and say that I know with 100% certainty who is wrong and who right on this.

Now, I do believe it is very important, because like I said, it affects how you read your Bible.

When I read, I try to read it from two of three perspectives we are going to look at because they are the most probable in my mind and draw out the applications based on both views.

I’m not being dogmatic against the third, I just think it has much higher hurdles than the other three and it is a fringe theology that I would suspect not many of us have entertained.

All of these perspectives have hard questions to answer, if you don’t think so, you haven’t studied it enough.

My approach has been to think of it not in terms of “which one is wrong” but rather, “which has the least amount of problems.”

So today, I want to make you aware of the three, but I will preach the one I am most convinced of.

What is the Millennium and why should I care?

The

2. Satan can only do as he is permitted

(ESV Strong's) 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Satans power limited (TCRB)

/ / / / / / / /

(ESV Strong's) 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

32 And he said to them, “Go.”

(ESV Strong's) 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

3. Testimony for Jesus and His Word will come with attack

(ESV Strong's) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.

(They must respond to Jesus)

(ESV Strong's) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.

(They must respond to Jesus)

(ESV Strong's) delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

3. Testimony for Jesus and His Word will come with attack

3. Testimony for Jesus and His Word will come with attack

(ESV Strong's) 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

ESV Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

ESV Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”