To All the Nations

[00:00:01] So when I had my sabbatical last summer, we brought in Jordan Hubbard and Jeff Brooks, two of my friends. And Chad is quite familiar with those guys and their antics, and so he understands what y'all went through. And I'm so thankful that Chad has come and filled in for DJ as we have worshiped together. It's been just great, and thank you. Chad will be with us next week, and then. [00:00:33] And then we'll decide if we want to keep him or dj. I'm just kidding. [00:00:38] That wouldn't be right. [00:00:40] No, Chad. I'm very, very, very thankful for Chad. [00:00:46] When I was at Harding, I lived in a bit of a bubble there. Harding is like this weird globe of a place, at least in the early 2000s, where it still is. Okay, okay. [00:01:04] Where I remember coming out of my dorm one day, and my dorm was right in the middle of campus. [00:01:11] I had to turn left to go down to the music building and turn right to go up to the Bible building, and I was right in between. And I was walking out of campus, and it was to go to class. It was weird seeing someone in shorts at Harding at that time. Just walking can be a billion degrees outside. And you just. Well, I've got a. You know, khakis are the holy pant, and. [00:01:38] But I saw a woman, midlife, in very short shorts and a crop top, and she was smoking, get this, a cigarette. [00:01:59] And it was just such a foreign thing. I was just used to people, like, waving at you across a perfectly manicured lawn, saying, how is your spiritual life? And I would say, it's great. And they would say, me too. And we would just go on about our day, and just to see this woman passing through like a. Like a fish inside of a sandcastle. Just, what are you doing here? And she looked at me and raised her cigarette and said, don't worry, I don't go to school here. [00:02:38] I'm like, oh, I know that. [00:02:42] I am well aware. [00:02:46] But it was just so. [00:02:48] But it made me think about the bubble that existed, like, in Christendom altogether. It's this when someone walks in that's not like us. [00:03:04] It makes us do two things. I think sometimes our first reaction, we can kind of beat up on it. But it is your first reaction, and it's normal. Don't judge yourself as you go. Oh, my. [00:03:18] That kind of what is what? What? [00:03:21] But then your second reaction might be when they're not like us to wonder why there's a. Like us to wonder why the bubble existed. Why was I so throne off? [00:03:42] Well, it wasn't what I was used to seeing and that's fine, that's normal. [00:03:48] But a sense of you don't belong here is unacceptable in the kingdom of God. [00:04:03] We don't belong here, we don't belong here. [00:04:12] But by the grace of God, through the forgiveness of his son, the kingship of his Savior, we get together here, all different, unified under Jesus. We get together here. [00:04:29] We don't belong, no one does. And so part of our thinking might need to be adjusted just to say, oh, another person that doesn't belong, but they don't belong in a different way than I don't belong. [00:04:43] They've come at it from a different story, a different background, a different understanding. We're all here at the table together and that's tough work. [00:04:59] You know why that woman told me, don't worry, I looked worried. [00:05:08] I'm guessing she saw it on my face. [00:05:13] I didn't think about that until recently. I think about that woman a lot. [00:05:17] I was like, what could have been? I'm just kidding. No, just joking. [00:05:24] No, I think about her because like she just don't worry, I don't belong here. That just is such a, it was such, it was like a fever dream while I was wide awake. [00:05:35] But the reason she addressed me at all was, I'm guessing my face told her that she didn't belong. [00:05:49] One of the hardest parts of Christianity is getting a hold of your face. [00:05:56] I know, listen, that was a haha moment, but I think that was an aha moment for some of you. [00:06:04] And those are very closely aligned usually. [00:06:09] But like there's there, there is, there should be less of, oh, I'm worried, why are you here? [00:06:20] And more excitement for those who show up, trusting that all who arrive, God welcomes. [00:06:32] And so as a member of his kingdom, as a participant of his kingdom, I too welcome. [00:06:41] The passage we're in today says some bleak things. [00:06:49] It says some things about what's going to happen. And Jesus, or Jesus is describing some things in the disciples future to them, particularly about the destruction of Jerusalem. This is not, we're not going to take this and go, oh, I bet this is America. This is not a prophecy that you need to parse. [00:07:12] But he's going to talk about what will happen and then he's going to talk about what then will happen. [00:07:23] And I think we can connect with what will happen. But the then will, that's just a hope. [00:07:32] We'll start in verse one says, as Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the building of the temple. Oh, this is exciting. Look at it. Then he asked them, you see all these? [00:07:49] You see all these, do you not? Truly, I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another. All will be thrown down. [00:08:03] Not even one. [00:08:05] So when he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately, saying, tell us, when will this be so? This big building that they were proud of, they said, look at that. And Jesus said, not even one stone is going to be on top of another. It's going to be reduced to rubble. And they say, when will this be? [00:08:25] And what will the sign of your coming? What would the signs be of your coming and the end of the age? [00:08:35] He tells them, beware that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name saying, I am the Messiah, and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place. But the end is not yet so. Look at wars and rumors of wars and people who are saying that they're the anointed king and they too can save you. [00:09:05] There's been so many false messiahs, and they may not claim I'm the Messiah, but my goodness, sometimes they lead us astray Anyway, people who claim to be an anointed leader, and there's wars and rumors of wars, and it's just they want to scare you into believing that unless you follow them, then it's gonna be trouble. I'm the only one who can fix it. They'll say, and Jesus tells his disciples, don't panic in those moments, because the end is not yet, for nations will rise against nation, and kingdom will rise against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Now, Paul uses this analogy, too. [00:10:18] The beginning of the pain of birth. [00:10:24] It's an apt analogy for what Jesus is going to do finally to bring life into a place where they're aching for new life to be. [00:10:37] That just all of this is just the beginning. So sometimes people catch on to words like this. They say, oh, well, there's wars and rumors of wars, and the end is near. And that's actually the opposite of what Jesus said. Jesus said, when there's wars and rumors of wars and there's all of these things that are happening, and earthquakes, that's just the beginning. [00:11:01] The earth is longing for redemption. [00:11:09] You know that in pain and poverty and illness and brokenness and death and deceit, hunger, you Know the world out there and in here is just longing for new life, longing for resurrection, hoping to be with those who they've lost, hoping to see those again. [00:11:45] Also. [00:11:48] I'm at the stage in my life where. And this is. I know I'm young, I get that. I'm so sorry. [00:11:59] I'm at the stage where, like, my left knee has been old for a long time and it used to be fine, but now every once in a while, out of nowhere, I just. James Brownett where you just, you know, like, all right, I'm a soul dancer now. Just in the middle of Walmart and just kind of get. It's like, nope, not. Not this step. And then I have to, like, no more of that. [00:12:31] No more aches and pains like we are. We are. You can feel in your body the long for new life. [00:12:40] You can feel it when you walk around. When you get up in the morning, whenever you go to that funeral or you go to that hospital room, you can feel the longing, the pain for new life. Both Paul and Jesus call this birth pangs. [00:12:59] There is new life coming and the body wants it, but it's hurting in the process. [00:13:08] He said at this very beginning of this, they'll hand you over to be tortured, he says in verse nine. [00:13:17] And they'll put you to death and you'll be hated by all the nations. Because of my name, because of Jesus, we are going to be hated. Now, don't be the type of person who eggs that on. [00:13:34] Don't be a Jesus jerk. [00:13:38] But there is. [00:13:41] There is. [00:13:43] The world is not going to jive with Jesus, I guess, said James Brown. And then jive came out of my mouth and I really apologize for it. [00:13:51] That was unintentional. [00:13:55] The world's not going to connect with the way of Jesus. If you've paid any attention at all to the way of Jesus, you as someone who hopes to follow Jesus, know good and well that the way of Jesus is difficult for someone who's trying. [00:14:12] So it should come as no surprise that those who aren't trying to follow Jesus don't follow Jesus. [00:14:22] That should not be shocking. [00:14:25] The world is going to hate you for this. They're going to throw you in prison, they're going to torture you. They're going to be hated and many will fall away and they'll betray one another and they'll hate one another. [00:14:42] And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. [00:14:55] It's a bleak picture, isn't it he's telling us what will happen. [00:15:04] They'll fall away from the love. [00:15:11] The love of many will grow cold. [00:15:16] But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Do you remember what grew cold earlier? [00:15:28] It's the love. [00:15:30] And when love endures to the end, when love endures all the way to the end, there's salvation there. [00:15:44] And I love that this isn't the end of the comments. [00:15:47] Like, it would feel as though this would be a great place to stop. Let's stand and sing. It's gonna be real tough. [00:15:56] It's going to get real bad. And a lot of people are going to walk away. And all the nations are going to be at war with one another and they're going to hate you. And the nations are going to be your enemy. And you're going to be the good guys. They're the bad guys. And then all. And if you endure with love, then you will be saved. Fantastic. I'm the winning team. I'm here on a Sunday. [00:16:19] And then he says, and this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to the nations. [00:16:37] And then the end will come. [00:16:42] Okay. [00:16:44] I endured to the end. [00:16:47] I found salvation. [00:16:50] And the credits don't roll there. The curtain doesn't draw closed at that verse. The next stage is then all of those people who were causing wars and rumors of wars and persecution and hurt, they're going to be proclaimed the good news, too. [00:17:15] Wait. I persevered this whole time, and I've gotten here to the end and I've kept the love. I've kept the faith. And those nations that persecuted me, we're going to take the good news and walk out there to them as well. [00:17:31] The free gift of the grace of Jesus, the open table at the communion of our Lord, the unity brought. They're going to get to hear that message too. Yes, and thank God. [00:17:46] Our God is rooting for the nations to be saved. [00:17:51] Our God is rooting for the people who Jesus died for to follow Jesus. [00:17:59] Our God roots for the broken to be healed, the hurting to be welcomed. [00:18:06] The story that Jesus paints here is one of people persevering through persecution and then turning around and proclaiming a message to the persecutors. [00:18:21] To saying to those who hurt them, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do to say to the world around us. [00:18:33] You're welcome at this table, too. [00:18:37] You remember me from persecution. Remember me when you told lies about me. Remember me from this or that. [00:18:44] I'm still here. I still have the Love of Jesus. And I'm still proclaiming the kingdom of God to anyone who will listen. [00:18:58] What if someone walks in to this church and they're wearing a shirt that says God is dead? I've seen the shirt. [00:19:13] What a place of hurt they've gotten. To get there, what would the kingdom of God's reaction to that need to be? [00:19:28] How would we fix our face? [00:19:35] Because if we are going to invite people to this church, people are going to show up with, at times, an antagonistic relationship with God. [00:19:51] We can invite atheists, agnostics, antitheists, people who believe in God and think he's not all that great. [00:20:03] And the table's open. [00:20:07] There is no hoop at our door. [00:20:11] Just a door. [00:20:13] There's no password for the table, just a seat. [00:20:22] The world. When we proclaim the gospel to them, that Jesus is alive and rules, that our sins are forgiven, that grace abounds, that love wins. [00:20:36] When we proclaim that to the world, we've got to be a people who believe it enough to live it out. [00:20:47] And then when someone walks in that quote, unquote, does not belong. We fight every instinct and we turn to the world with the gospel. [00:21:02] We turn to those who are different with gospel. The good news is a unified body of believers who have found hope and community in the Savior, Jesus. [00:21:16] We are ready for them. [00:21:23] There are churches I know of that have a smoking section. You remember the 90s, you could smoke on planes. I was telling my kids this the other day. Remember? You could smoke on planes, just trapped in a tube with no air circulating. Just. [00:21:45] The church had a smoking section. No one used it ever. [00:21:51] But they wanted people to know that everybody's welcome. [00:21:59] Harding didn't have a smoking section. [00:22:05] And at times, not everyone felt welcome. [00:22:10] And that's not Harding's. That's not. I'm not blaming anybody for that. [00:22:16] Because if we want to be a people who live out the gospel, the kingdom of God in this place, we have to be a people who puts effort into fixing our face and welcoming the different, that we do not look up or down on anyone. And we definitely don't look them up and down. [00:22:45] But we are people who welcome. [00:22:50] That's our goal. [00:22:52] And I'll tell you this. It's not just a good practice. It is the gospel of Jesus. [00:23:01] The kingdom has arrived. [00:23:04] All are welcome. All are invited. [00:23:08] The kingdom of God is here. We are ruled by Jesus, the resurrected Savior. [00:23:15] Maybe you don't feel like you belong. [00:23:19] Maybe you feel like your troubles are too much. You just. I don't want to burden somebody else with all I got going on. We want to pray with you. We want to. If you've never been connected with Jesus, we want to connect you with Jesus. We want to. [00:23:33] We want to unite you in Jesus. Death, burial, and resurrection through baptism. We want to celebrate with you your confession of the gospel of Jesus. [00:23:44] But if you're just struggling, you need someone to pray with. I'll be down here at the front. We'll have prayer team members back at the back willing to pray for you, whatever you need this morning. [00:23:58] We welcome you in the name of Jesus. We welcome you in the name of the gospel. [00:24:04] You are welcome here. [00:24:07] Please come forward or go find someone to pray with. As we stand and as we sing.