The Good News: A New Day

Sermon Summary:

The Gospel of Mark introduces us to a pivotal moment in human history – the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. As John the Baptist’s era ends, a new day dawns with Christ’s proclamation of the good news. We’re reminded that God’s work always faces opposition, yet His plan prevails. Jesus announces that ‘the time has come’ and ‘the kingdom of God is near,’ signaling a profound shift where heaven intersects with earth. This isn’t just ancient history; it’s a reality we’re called to live out daily. We’re challenged to repent and believe, embracing a new perspective that transforms our lives and communities. As followers of Christ, we’re not just heaven-bound; we’re meant to be living examples of heaven on earth, offering hope in a broken world.

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Sermon Points:

• FORERUNNER TO FULFILLMENT: The era of preparation was over, and the time had come for the Age to Come to be announced and inaugurated!
• OPPOSTITION: God’s work is always opposed by the enemy.
• PROCLAMATION: Jesus had a message to declare – Good News!
• FULFILLMENT: It was about time!
• THE KINGDOM OF GOD: The reign of God in the Age to Come has begun!
• REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS!

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Key Takeaways:

• God’s work is always opposed by the enemy, yet God’s plan prevails
• Jesus’ ministry began at the perfect time in God’s plan
• The kingdom of God has come near, initiating a new era in human history
• Believers are called to repent and believe the good news
• The church is meant to be a living example of the new creation
• Christians should live as transformed individuals, showing the world a different way of life

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Scripture References:

• Mark 1:14-15
• Luke 4:14-21 (supporting reference)

Stories:

• The arrest of John the Baptist and its significance in launching Jesus’ ministry
• The story of Herod Antipas and his role in John’s imprisonment
• The preacher’s personal anecdote about his grandson Gideon and teaching him his identity in Christ
• Reference to N.T. Wright’s description of the church as a “small working model of the new creation”

Transcript

Well, our theme, as you know, for 2024 is together. As I was away last year in July, studying and praying for this year, that phrase or that word just stayed in front of me as I reflected upon the journey we’ve all been on as we are finding our way beyond this pandemic, the ramifications left over from the pandemic. And I just felt this calling from God to challenge us to learn what it means to be together. And so, this entire year, we have been exploring different facets of what that means. So, for the summer, our theme is together in the gospel, and we are reading through the gospel of Mark. So, in your devotional guides that you’ve gotten, you’ll notice you have two sets of readings. One of those is a narrative reading. It’s a longer reading, and you can read it in a different way. And so, I just felt this calling from God to challenge us to learn participate in that. And if you do that, by the end of July, you’ll have read through the entire gospel of Mark with your brothers and sisters in Christ here at our church. But then there’s a focal passage every week. We want you to zone in on it and dive more deeply into that one particular text. And we give you some encouragement on how to do that. And you know that we’ve talked about this a little bit already, but you know, in the summer, our routines change, our rhythms change. Many of you in this room have connections to school-age children, and that, even if you don’t, you know, that affects all of us. That calendar does. And so, this summer, I want us to think about this whole idea of evangelistic sensitivity.

The sense that we have during the summer in particular, new rhythms, new routines intersect different people that you might normally intersect in your normal way of life, if you will. And it gives you a perfect opportunity to do that. And so, I want you to zone in on that. And you know, engage people in conversation. It’s happened to me already. I talked to someone on Friday, just someone that I would not normally see, and had a chance to just talk a little bit about who we are. And so, you’ll have those opportunities, and I pray that God will use you to share a word about Him this summer as you make your way wherever it is that you might find yourself. Next Sunday, we’re going to gather here at five o’clock for a business conference. And so, our quarterly business meeting will be at five. But then at six o’clock, we’re going to broadcast our hundredth episode of our Tell Me More podcast. And you’re welcome to be here for that. We want to do a live podcast, if you will. So, we would love for you to join us. It’ll have an interactive feel to it. We’re looking forward to doing that. It’s going to be here in the sanctuary. So, with that said, let’s look at our topic for the day and the text for the day. I’ve entitled the message, The Good News, A New Day. And we are making our way through Mark’s gospel. Now, we’re doing that pretty slowly on Sunday. We’re doing that pretty slowly on Sunday. We’re doing that pretty slowly on Sunday mornings. Obviously, we’re on page one, and this is the third week. So, obviously, we’re not going too quickly. But we’re in it for two months, so you’ll have a chance to read through it and think holistically about the entire gospel. But I want us to make sure that we take in what’s happening on the very first page of this gospel because it’s truly monumental and significant regarding the entire history of the world. And I know reading it very quickly, it’s a short gospel. It’s the shortest one, and I get that. And Mark makes his way through the story pretty quickly. But his words are carefully chosen, and he communicates some deep and powerful truths. And I just want to make sure that we slow down enough to hear what he’s teaching us and what’s really going on in the world when you read Mark 1, particularly the verses we’ll look at today. So, with that said, I want us to look at just two verses, verses 14 and 15, and I’ll invite you to stand. Stand with me as we honor the Lord in the reading of the gospel today. And hear this gospel reading, Mark 1, 14. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. Thank you. You can be seated. So, what’s happening here? Well, let me give you, if I can, just an introduction to more detail. So, what is happening big picture just in these two verses? Well, what’s happening is what many of us refer to as forerunner to fulfillment. And what Mark is telling us is that the era of preparation was over, and the time had come for the age to come to be announced and inaugurated. And so, something significant is occurring right here in these two verses. It’s a shift in humanity. It’s a shift in humanity. It’s a shift in humanity. It’s a shift in humanity. It’s a human history. It’s a turning point in salvation history. So, you don’t want to miss these insights that are found in these two verses. Mark is a quick hitting gospels to the point. He’s already introduced us to John the Baptist. And he has connected John the Baptist to that season of preparation for the Messiah. But then you’ll notice what he tells us in verse 14, John was put in prison. So, after John’s public ministry ended, then it was the dawning, of a new day. It was time for the age to come to be announced by Jesus. So, when the door closed on John the Baptist’s ministry, the door now opens for the public ministry of Jesus. So, the forerunner era is over, and the time of fulfillment has arrived. Okay? Now, with that said, what does that mean? Okay? So, here’s what I’d like to do this morning is just point out some insights from this text, so that we don’t run roughshod past it, and we pause to take in what it really means. So, let me just walk us through that. First of all, opposition. You’ll notice a word in this text about opposition. God’s work is always opposed by the enemy. So, when God is at work in this world, just know that the enemy is also at work in this world. And it’s fascinating the way John juxtaposes this. Jesus came preaching good news, the announcement of the gospel. Well, what’s the context of the announcement of the gospel? The gospel is the announcement of the gospel. The gospel is the story of the imprisonment of John the Baptist. So, it’s quite fascinating that those are together. So, I want you to just, if you still have your Bibles on, just look at this text. Here’s the way the NIV phrases it. Now, Mark’s already introduced us to John the Baptist. So, in verse 14, he just calls him John, after John was put in prison. Now, you know, the New Testament was written in Greek, not in English. And so, whenever the translators are trying to take this Greek text and place it in an accessible language for people to understand, they’re trying to take this Greek text and place it in an accessible language for us. They make decisions so we can hopefully better understand it. The New International Version is referred to by scholars as a dynamic equivalent translation. That means it’s not a word-for-word translation. It’s taking the meaning of the text as best they can determine and putting it in accessible language, particularly in our current vernacular, if you will. And so, if you look at where it says, after John was put in prison, the Greek text says this, after John was handed over, which is an interesting way to put it. It’s in the passive. In other words, John was handed over. Well, who was he handed over to? He was handed over to Herod Antipas. Now, you may remember Herod Antipas’ story. His daddy was King Herod the Great. King Herod the Great was this very famous king in Judea. When he died, his kingdom was divided among his children. Herod Antipas is one of the children of King Herod. He was given the northern part of Israel. So, Galilee, Perea, where Jesus grew up. And Antipas, he did something quite interesting. In about the middle of his life, he married his brother’s wife. Now, you know, we’re from Alabama. We do all kind of stuff back in Alabama, but this was a little unusual. And here’s what Herod Antipas said. His brother was actually his half-brother. They had the same dad. Herod was their dad. Two different brothers. And his brother and his wife divorced. He married her. Well, John the Baptist was preaching at the time. And John the Baptist called that out. And he basically accused Herod Antipas of improper behavior. In his preaching, Herod Antipas heard the message from John the Baptist. He received it well. He repented. And he became a follower of Jesus. It’s a great story. That’s not actually what happened. Y’all remember what Herod Antipas did? He put John in prison and cut off his head. So, a little different turnout than maybe we would have wanted. So, Herod Antipas, he was handed over to him. He kept him in jail for a while. And then he cut off his head. Here’s what’s interesting. That word, handed over. Remember, Mark uses an economy of language. He’s writing a quick-hitting gospel. That very word, handed over. Guess who else gets handed over in Mark’s gospel? Jesus. Seven or eight times, Mark will use that same word. Jesus, was handed over. And isn’t it interesting, when Jesus was in Jerusalem on trial, Pontius Pilate was overseeing it. Guess who also participated in the trial over the life of Jesus? Do you remember? Herod Antipas. Luke tells us Herod Antipas was in town when Jesus had been arrested. Pontius Pilate heard about it. And he said to Herod, hey, you’re the king up there in the northern part of Israel. You know these Jews. Why don’t you see what you think about Jesus? And so, Herod Antipas is going to actually appear in the story of Jesus. Now, so it’s interesting to me that here we are turning a page in history. This is a significant moment in salvation history, so I don’t want you to miss it. And notice it’s done in the context of opposition. John the Baptist is going to be martyred. Jesus is going to be crucified. And so, the forces at work, if you will, are opposing God’s will. And it almost could feel like, if you didn’t know any better, when John the Baptist was arrested, it’s almost like maybe the plan of God’s been thwarted. But that’s not really the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. God is going to take this to launch the public ministry of Jesus. I would tell you that today, 2024, the forces of evil are still opposing the things of God. You know, right now, you and I are sitting in the comfort of this room. We’ve gathered on this campus. We have fellowship together. We have had community together. We’ve studied the Bible together. We’ve worshiped together. We’ve done a lot of things together. We’ve done a lot of things together. We came here freely of our own volition, without any fear. Do you know that we have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world who can’t do that? You know, right now, it’s dangerous in some places in the world to be one of us. And if you follow some of these research entities that turn their attention to the church that’s being persecuted across the world, it is quite alarming. It’s very challenging for our brothers and our sisters in Christ who live in places like North

Carolina, or Somalia, or Eritrea, or Yemen, or Libya. Those are some of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians. In fact, they can’t gather like this because of persecution. Even in a country like Nigeria, that is filled with millions of Christians. Do you know that last year, over 4,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria just for being Christians? That was the only thing they were doing. And so, we’ve gathered on this campus. We’ve gathered on this campus. We’ve gathered on this campus. And so, the forces of darkness are at work in this world. But it’s more than that, y’all. It’s not just in the hard-to-live places. The forces of darkness are actually working on the streets of Arlington. I mean, Satan’s opposing the good things of God right now in our own community. And because he has declared war against the things of God. So, there’s opposition. There always has been to the work of God. Second thing I want us to look at this morning is proclamation. Jesus entered into a ministry of proclamation. Proclamation. Well, he had a message to declare. Well, what was his message? Well, look at what this text says. It was the gospel. That’s what that phrase means. The good news. The gospel of God. That’s what Jesus was proclaiming. And notice what the text says. He went into Galilee. He went into northern Israel where he was from. He’s leaving the wilderness. He’s been baptized by John the Baptist in the wilderness. He spent 40 days being tempted by Satan. And now, his ministry begins. And he goes not to the wilderness now. Now, he goes to the densely populated area of northern Israel. And he’s out of the shadow of Jerusalem. And so, he has some room and freedom, if you will, to proclaim this good news. He went about preaching. And what was Jesus preaching? Well, here’s what he was preaching as best we can tell. We don’t know everything. But we know enough to know. He was announcing a new day has arrived. The good news needs to be believed. It’s a display of power. It’s on display in history now through him, his presence, his provision, his plan, his path, the way. So, the good news is God’s plan to redeem the whole world, to fill the earth with his glory now has commenced. And it has begun. So, what did Jesus preach about? Well, we know he talked about the kingdom of God. We have some of the evidence in the scripture. But let me just give you an example of what we know he preached about. So, if you still have your New Testament available, if you look at Luke 4, here’s an example of the kinds of things Jesus was saying in Galilee, where he was from. Luke tells us a little more detail than Mark does. Mark just says he was preaching the good news, okay? Well, if you look at Luke 4 in verse 14, here’s what Luke tells us. He says, okay, Jesus is launching a ministry. He’s returned to Galilee and the power of the Spirit. And news says, he went to Galilee and preached throughout that entire region. So, people were hearing about him. And he was becoming well-known. If you look at verse 15, he went to their synagogues. He was teaching in their synagogues. Everyone praised him. So, he went to the people of God. In other words, he went to Israel. He went to the Jews who lived in northern Israel. And he visited them in their houses of worship. And so, look at verse 16. And then, he went home. He went to Nazareth, where he went to the people of God. And so, he went to the people of God. And so, he went to the people of God. And And on the Sabbath, he went into the synagogue as was his custom. So, in other words, Jesus was a regular worshiper in the synagogue. So, he went to worship. Well, when the Jews gathered to worship in the first century, they did a number of things in worship. One of the things they did was they had readings of the Scripture. The Scripture was contained on scrolls. So, they would have a reading of the law. They would have a reading from the prophets. They might have a reading from the writings, the wisdom material. Then, there’d be comments made about it. So, Jesus is in worship in his hometown in the synagogue in which he was raised. And he stood up to read. Look at verse 17. Now, one of the things they did was they just read through the Scripture. Okay? So, he’s there on the day that this Scripture is the assigned reading. So, his hand, the scroll was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written. Look at what he reads. The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he’s anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Now, all the Jewish men who were in that synagogue, because they were meeting together as men. Women would be in a separate place. But Jesus is proclaiming something. Here’s what he does. He reads a text that everybody in that room would have interpreted as a messianic text. In other words, the people that were there that day for worship, the people that were there that day for worship, the people that were there that day for worship. They were longing for the day that the Messiah would come. They were hopeful they’d still be alive when the Messiah came. And they would read a text like this and they would say, yes, one day the Son of David is going to come. He’s going to be anointed by the Spirit of God. He’s going to do things that nobody else can do. He’s going to set the captives free. He’s going to perform all of these miracles. Wow, can you imagine? What would it be like to be alive when he comes? You remember the guy that was in the temple when Jesus, they took Jesus in. To bless him as a baby. Y’all remember that story? And he held Jesus and he said to the Lord, you can take me home now. I’ve seen everything. I’ve seen all I need to see. In other words, I’ve lived long enough to see the Messiah. That’s how these people were. Notice what happens next. Look at verse 20. Then he rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and he sat down. Now it’s time to teach. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began by saying to them, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Can we all just say wow? That’s what they said. I mean in Hebrew. Because this is one of their own. And he’s reading a text that he knows everybody in the room interprets this as a messianic text. And he finishes reading it. He sits down and says, it’s here. It’s me. This right here has just been fulfilled. In other words, it’s on. A new day has launched. So when you read this back in Mark 1, don’t run past it. What Mark is telling you is, it’s on. There’s the proclamation. Good news. That good news includes the message, it is a brand new day. Well, how do we know that? Because Jesus proclaimed something in verse 15. Fulfillment. It was about time. You know, Luke and Mark share a lot of similar stories. But Luke’s a church historian. Luke likes to give you the context of what’s happening. I love Luke. Y’all are gonna see me and Luke hanging out in heaven. I mean, you know, if he’s amenable to it. I mean, because of my love for church history. So when Luke tells this story, how did Jesus begin his ministry? When did Jesus begin his ministry? You know what Luke says? If you go back and read Luke, Luke will tell you earlier in Luke 4. Well, it’s the 15th year of Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was in Jerusalem. Herod the Tetrarch was in Galilee. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. That’s Luke. Luke gives you, here’s the calendar. Look at these dates. Line all the dates. Look at the dates. Look at the dates. Look at the here’s when he starts. What does Mark say? It was just time. That’s all Mark has to say. When the time was right. It was about time. And he doesn’t just say it that way. He uses an interesting word. Once again, in Greek. You know, Greek is a more robust language than English. And so, the Greeks had ways of talking about things. And I think that’s one of the reasons the New Testament is written in Greek. Because it’s so robust. So for example, the Greeks could talk about time, and they could just use different words. They might use the word chronos. Chronos is this kind of time. We get our word chronology. In other words, what time is it? That’s chronos. They could use the word eschatos. That’s the end times, the final time. They could use the word eon. They could talk about the age, the age to come. Sometimes they use the word kairos. Kairos means meaningful time. It means significant time. You know, when you and I say, well, when did that happen? Man, at just the right time. I mean, he got here at just the right time. That’s kairos time. That’s the word here. When the time not just had come, the Greek text says, when the time was full. In other words, it was about time. And so, when did Jesus begin his ministry? At just the right time. And it was about time. God was at work. And now this heavenly calling to be lived out on earth is on display. When was Jesus born? The Bible says in Galatians 4, when the time was full, God sent forth his son. When did Jesus begin his public ministry? Mark records the message of Jesus when the time was full. When is Jesus going to return? At just the right time. That’s just how it works. So, the scripture views time that way. Now, you know, human beings, we’re enamored with time. We can’t help ourselves, can we? I mean, we talk about it all the time. What time is it? You know, you particularly pay attention to that. I don’t know. What time is it on Sunday morning? What time is it? And isn’t it funny that you will tell somebody what time it is? And you know what time it is right now in Arlington, Texas? It’s whatever time U.S. Congress says it is. Isn’t that fascinating? In other words, why did you run your clock up on Daylight Savings Time Sunday? Because Congress voted and said, here’s the day to turn your clock an hour ahead. And not a one of us got up that morning at 2 o’clock and said, you know what? I’m tired of the Congress just running my life. I’m not doing it. No, you did it without even knowing it because everything’s done automatically. I’m old enough to remember when you have to do it manually. You know, go in and get that microwave done and then get the one on your, you know, on your cooktop done. And then the one on the coffee maker. And they’re all off by like two minutes. And if you’re OCD, it just drives you crazy. If you don’t care as much about it, then it’s all good. But isn’t it funny how we reckon time? You know, the Mayans were interested in time. So, they had a calendar. The Mayan calendar. They tried to count the days. They tried to mark time. Julius Caesar, he was the Caesar in Rome. You know, he wanted to mark time. So, he had a calendar developed. It’s named for him, the Julian calendar. The only problem is that calendar, which was accepted in the Western world, is off just a little bit. It took them a while to figure it out. But they did. They figured out it’s off. So, all of a sudden, you got equinoxes showing up when they weren’t supposed to show up, according to the calendar. Made it really dicey. So, during the Reformation era, Pope Gregory, in the 1580s, decided to fix it. So, he had a group of astronomers who worked for the church. They built a planetarium. Some of you have been to Rome with us. When you go to Rome, you can go to the Baths of Diocletian, which has been turned into a massive church now by Michelangelo. And Pope Gregory used that church. There’s a meridian line in that church to mark the seasons, to mark time. And he brought these men together, and they created what’s called an improved calendar, known as the Gregorian. The Gregorian calendar. And changed the way we count leap years. And most of the world has now adopted that calendar. It was hard at first, because the Pope declared it in 1582 as the calendar. And so, you had Protestants who were just emerging out of the Reformation who didn’t want to use it because it was a papal declaration. You had the Eastern Orthodox Church who didn’t want to use it because it came from Rome. And what’s fascinating about that is, for a little while, both Protestants and Eastern Orthodox people chose to use the calendar of a pagan emperor in Rome rather than a pope in Rome. It’s kind of funny. It’s kind of funny how it all works out. But eventually, the Western world agreed. And so, consequently, if I were to ask you what day is it, you will tell me. You’ll quote the actual date from the calendar. That decision was made back by Pope Gregory in 1582, and you’re still living with it. Time is fascinating. Well, here’s what I would tell you about God. God has the calendar. And God reckons time not in months, but in crucial, meaningful moments in time. Because He… He exists beyond time. And here’s what God said when John the Baptist was arrested. It’s time. And Jesus then went forth, and He preached. Well, what did He preach about? The kingdom of God. That was the heart of His message. The reign of God in the age to come has begun. That’s the heart of the message of Jesus. That’s what this text says. The kingdom of God has come near. The rule, the reign of God. Which? The kingdom of God has come near. Because you see, in the scripture, the perspective seems to be this. There are two ages. There’s this present evil age, and there’s the age to come. What happens in the ministry of Jesus? The age to come now intersects this present evil age. It doesn’t overwhelm it yet. Duh. Look how evil this world is. It doesn’t overwhelm it yet. John the Baptist still gets arrested. Jesus will be crucified. The church will be persecuted. There’s all kinds of things. There’s all kinds of things that show evidence of the present evil age. However, there are glimpses, though, of the age to come. That’s now intersected, if you will, this present evil age. The kingdom of God has now arrived. And Jesus proclaims the announcement of the kingdom of God. And so now heaven and earth, if you will, have merged together. They’ve intersected. And there’s this great pull of history that is pulling history toward God’s desired end. What is good and what is godly. It’s finally here. We don’t have to wait about it. We don’t have to wonder. I wonder when the kingdom of God is going to find its way on this earth. It’s already here. It’s already happened. Jesus brought it with him. Jesus will. How many times will you hear in the teachings of Jesus? He’ll say, well, the kingdom of God is like this. We know the kingdom of God is like that. You know, the kingdom of God is now here. It’s not out yonder. It’s right here. The kingdom of God is actually within you, Jesus will say. So the kingdom of God, which is to me the inauguration of the age to come, already here now on earth. Heaven and earth have now intersected. And it’s a powerful, powerful. Reality. Don’t miss it. Because that’s what’s happening on page one of Mark. And so, what does that mean? How does it apply to you? Well, here’s the application Jesus gave it to us very simply. Repent and believe. Repent believe. In other words, in his day, you had to receive this message. Turn from your perspective. Turn from your own direction. Turn from your small, very limited horizon, limited view. And embrace it. Embrace a brand new era. In other words, you’ve got to accept that Jesus is proclaiming a powerful truth that the new age has come. The new era has launched, initiated by the Messiah. So walk away from your perspective and your world and your way of living and walk towards the heavenly way of living. And let heaven and earth intersect in your own life. You know, I would say that for us, we still face that. It’s so easy to be captivated by our low living. We can march through our own drum. We have to have a new perspective. A new day has dawned. And so how are you and I supposed to respond today to the message of the good news? Well, we repent first. We repent. We admit that our way of doing things is not the best way. That our path is not the best path. That our understanding of reality is not the real understanding of reality. We have received something powerful, something new. Jesus announces. It is a new day and the reality of the age to come is now here on this earth. So repent. Change your mind. Change your behavior. Change your actions. And confess me now and believe. Believe in Jesus. Trust in Him. Put your faith in Him. God has given you and I the chance to live totally in a life of transformation that will last for eternity. Because something new has happened. So y’all, don’t miss it. Okay? Don’t miss it. Are y’all still with me? Think about it. What happened in the wilderness with Israel? God told Israel, build me a house. And He did. They did. They built in the tabernacle. And what did God do?

Heaven intersected earth and the glory of God descended. And then the presence of God was with Israel in the wilderness. They then translated that to Jerusalem and they built the temple. And what happened in the temple? The glory of God descended. And that’s where God was present on this earth. And that’s where God was present on this earth. And then what does the Bible say about the ministry of Jesus? The Word became flesh and He dwelt among us. In Greek, He tabernacled among us. And we beheld the glory of the one and only. So the glory of God now through Jesus has invaded this earth. And so heaven has now met earth. You know, sometimes we spend a whole lot of time thinking about wanting to go to heaven. And I’m okay with that. As long as we don’t miss out on this reality, heaven has already come to earth. Heaven has already merged together with earth. God Himself has already visited this place. This planet. And guess what you are? You are supposed to be a living example of the intersection between heaven and earth. You’re supposed to be a model of what it’s like to be someone who’s been transformed by the power of the gospel so that you are no longer captivated by this present age, but you are already living somewhat in the age to come. And you and I are to be models for our world because our world needs it desperately. Our world. You do know about our world, right? I’m talking about our world. I’m not talking about the first century. I didn’t live in the first century. But it’s no different really than ours. Because our world is trapped in a never-ending cycle of brokenness and chaos. And it cannot find its way out. Our world is broken. patterns of behavior in our world are just repeated over and over and over and over. When will human beings learn? When? That vengeance and bitterness. And an unwillingness to forgive. And pride. And greed. And lust. And envy. When will human beings learn that none of that ever results in anything good? When will humans learn? Look at our world. Our world is captured by it. It cannot find its way out because there is no way out unless God intervenes. And so Jesus has come to show us the way out. Jesus has come to give you a chance. To find the way out. See, sometimes you sell yourself short. And you sell the church short. I know you do it. Because sometimes you look at yourself and you think, well, I’m, you know, I’m just a, I’m just a guy. I’m just a girl living my life. That’s all I am. And I go to a church. I mean, we’re just a church. No. Come on, y’all. Come on. You know what you are if you’re a Christian? You are a forgiven. Redeemed. Rescued. Spirit-filled. Redeemed. Of Jesus. And heaven has come to take up residence in you. You now have a taste of the glory of God through the Holy Spirit in you. In your church. It’s not just a church. This is a purposeful community of followers of Jesus who are living our lives purposefully to show this world there’s another way to live than the way you’re living. It doesn’t mean that we’re perfect. Of course we’re not perfect. This present evil age is still here. But we’ve been redeemed and rescued from this brokenness. This broken cycle that never works and we can live a different way. God’s going to, He’s going to stay after you. I’m just telling you, He’s going to stay after you if you’re a Christian. He will not leave you alone. You know, right now at our house, we’ve got little Gideon at our house, okay? Josiah and Adrian, our son and daughter-in-law are on a vacation. And for the very first time, our little almost two-year-old grandson is spending the nights with us. Okay? Here’s what we’ve learned. You’ve got to stay with him, y’all. I’m just telling you right now. Do not. Do not. Just let him go. He can’t help himself. Now, he’s sweet. He’s cute. He’s smart. He’s beautiful. But you know what? He’s almost two years old and you just can’t let him go. I’m already letting him know who he is though. You know what I told him last night? Gideon, let me tell you who you are, boy. You’re a wiles. I’m going to tell you that right now. That means something. And you know what you’re going to be? You’re going to be a follower of Jesus. And you’re going to find your way in this world. And you’re going to make a difference in this world. You’re not going to live like everybody else lives. I’m going to tell you, you’re going to live into that name. We’re going to teach you who Gideon is. You’re going to know. Now, he’s only two years old. But he already needs to hear all this stuff right now from his poppy. I’m telling you. I am not going to leave him alone. You know why? He’s mine. He’s my grandson. My other grandkids. Some of them are in here right now. I ain’t going to leave you all alone either. You’re mine. I love you. You think God’s going to leave you alone? You see, God’s looking down at you and he sees you for who you really are. And he sees you living in the middle of this broken, chaotic, dark world. And he wants to make sure you know that’s not you. That’s not you anymore. You don’t live in the futility of your mind anymore. That’s not who you are. You are a redeemed, transformed follower of Jesus. Praise God. You’re not just heaven bound. You’re an example of heaven on this earth. And that means you and I engage in relationships that are different than the way the world lives. The world does not know how to get along. My stars can’t we figure that out. That path is a dead end every time. But you and me, it’s different. Because heaven has come to earth. You know why? The time has come. The kingdom of God is now here. Repent. Believe. And you know what you do? You keep repenting. And keep believing. And you keep repenting. And you keep believing. That’s how this works. You just keep repenting. And you keep believing. This last week, I spent the week listening to N.T. Wright teach on the book of Ephesians. Now, come on, y’all. you know what N.T. Wright likes to say? He said this a million times about the church. He said, what is the church? He said, the church is a small working model of the new creation. Think about that. A small working model of the new creation. In other words, the new humanity is in the church. It’s still a work in progress and in process. Of course it is. But it’s an example of heaven and earth merging together where the glory of God is on display in the lives of real people. What do we call that? We call that the new humanity. And in the new humanity, the old barriers are gone. The barriers are erased that separate human beings from one another. In the New Testament era, that would have been the Jews and the Gentiles. That would have been male and female. That would have been slave and free. All those barriers were destroyed by the gospel and the creation of a new humanity. Whatever the barriers are now in our world, they’re melted by the power of the gospel and the fire of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. They’re no longer in effect because we live in community together and we’re an example to the world to show them that you can do it. And if we can’t do it, then heaven help us. If we can’t do it, if we can’t show how people from all walks of life, different perspectives, different backgrounds, different experiences that are divisive in the world beyond us, if we can’t show our world examples of how we can live together in community, then we need to get our act together is what I would say. Because the gospel, the gospel is good news. The kingdom of God is on display. It’s on display in us. May it be so.