Marv's Final Message Part 4

[0:00] By way of announcements, I want to get this in because of the folks who are listening by way of electronics. Business meeting is scheduled for September 11 at 6 o'clock, two items of business.

[0:13] The Board of Elders will be making a recommendation to the congregation for Nathan Rambeck to be appointed as pastor of Grace Bible Church starting the first week of October.

[0:25] And those of you who are members, and everybody's invited to the meeting, whether you're members or not, but only those who are members will be voting. And we invite the attendance of all of you, and you'll have an opportunity to hear the information, and you'll be given all the details regarding the call, the possibilities, et cetera.

[0:46] You'll be provided with that information next Sunday. So you'll have a whole week to look over what the Board of Elders is proposing to you for your consideration, and then from that you can formulate any questions you might have, and you'll have freedom to ask them at the business meeting that is scheduled then on the 11th.

[1:08] In addition to that, the Board is recommending $50,000 to be set aside to take action initiating suggested ideas to upgrade the facilities.

[1:20] Committee of Grace Women submitted suggestions for adding new carpet, vinyl flooring, new drapes and painting of the sanctuary, vinyl flooring in the food room at the north end, also some other projects the Board is looking at but do not have costs for at this time.

[1:36] So what they are suggesting is that you provide this fund for them, for the elders to utilize at their discretion in accordance with the needs that they see having arisen, and then they will care for these items that the church has voted on one by one, and the place will get a facelift.

[2:01] And I can't believe it's been many, many years since we've had one, many years. So like everything, it gets old and outdated and out of style, and people need and want a fresh new look, so that's what they're talking about.

[2:18] And, you know, here's the difference between masculinity and femininity. We guys could take this and look at this for the next 200 years and think, boy, this stuff really wears well, you know.

[2:34] But femininity, no way. And that's just one of the several differences between masculinity and femininity. And it's one that drives us guys crazy sometimes.

[2:46] But anyway, it's part and parcel of the male-female situation. And all I can say is viva la difference. We wouldn't change it for anything.

[2:57] Now, I know you ladies would change a few things about us if you could, but, well, we won't go there. So, okay. What do I want to do now?

[3:08] I'll tell you. This is going to be different. This morning's message is going to be different. You have heard me in time past give you a few what I call introductory propositions to consider in the body of the message.

[3:28] But for those of you who haven't discovered it, confession is good for the soul, and I'm going to make a confession, okay? And this has gone on for the more than 50 years that I have been here.

[3:41] I have a terribly difficult time putting together and delivering a message. I know some of you may not believe that.

[3:53] Some of you may think that this is mock humility that I'm discussing, but it is true. And I think about my old homiletics professor that told you how to alliterate things and how to the three points in the poem and the main point and the second point and A, B, C, D, and he would turn over in his grave if he knew what I was doing because I don't even come anywhere close to that.

[4:19] And you know what? I've discovered what my problem is. My problem is I can't say anything while I am thinking you are not really understanding what I'm saying.

[4:35] So I begin to elaborate and explain, and there goes the whole message. I never get through it. I don't think I have ever finished a message in 50 years here that I began.

[4:49] I'm serious. I'm serious. Because I have such, I can't stand, I simply can't stand saying something that you didn't get.

[5:01] So I'm going to explain it. And when I do, there it goes, you know? And one thing leads to another. And speakers call these rabbit trails, which are cool, you know, take off on side issues.

[5:15] And I'm the inventor of that. I do that more than anybody. I just can't help it. So what I have done this morning, I've never done before.

[5:31] I'm going to read my entire message to you. And I have printed across the top of my list, stick to your script, Marv.

[5:50] Because I never do. So this morning, I'm going to labor to do that. And maybe after all these years, we'll get to it.

[6:02] So if you don't appreciate being read to, I understand. I apologize. You have my permission to drift off.

[6:16] But if you must snore, keep it down. Okay. Okay. The kingdom of heaven coming to earth is the focal point of the whole Bible.

[6:29] It's called paradise regained. How that is to be accomplished and by whom is what the whole Bible is about.

[6:42] From Genesis 3 onward. It all centers about one individual who has always existed in an eternal relationship called the Trinity, comprised of three distinct persons who together constitute one God.

[7:03] One is referenced as Father, one as Son, and one as Holy Spirit. We previously admitted this relationship defies our comprehension when you do the math.

[7:19] All of these eternal beings were involved in creation and all are involved in redemption as the Father provides the Son to be the Redeemer of a fallen human race.

[7:36] And the Son was offered through the person of the Spirit. I would explain this to your inquisitive satisfaction if I could.

[7:49] But I cannot. While its comprehension escapes our ability to grasp it, it merely illustrates and reveals the great necessary gap existing between deity and humanity.

[8:06] Galatians 4 tells us that in the fullness of time, that is, when just the right time had come, which was about 4,000 years after the need for redemption arrived, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law in order that we might receive the adoption as sons.

[8:33] The Son God sent was to provide restoration for all the fallen creation by bringing the kingdom of heaven that God had eternally existed in heaven with down to planet Earth.

[8:49] All the ruin, destruction, and death that had engulfed our fallen Earth would be gloriously replaced with life, peace, joy, the absence of war and conflict, the elimination of disease and death.

[9:08] It is to be utopia or paradise regained. That is what Jesus Christ came to provide.

[9:19] That is what the Jewish prophets throughout the Old Testament anticipated and had anxiously awaited for 4,000 years from the time the need for redemption arose to the failure and fall of, as a result of, the fall and failure of our original parents, Adam and Eve, as described in Genesis 3.

[9:44] Such was the longed-for dreams and anticipation of the Jewish people to whom all this was promised. One electrifying day, about 2,000 years ago, a voice in the wilderness of ancient Judea in the land of Israel loudly cried out, Repent, repent, repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[10:16] Great numbers of long-expecting Jewish people came out to hear this man named John the Baptizer tell them the time had finally come.

[10:31] God was making good on His promise. His name was Jesus, whom John introduced as God's provision for the reclamation of the world that had been ruined by human sin.

[10:58] This one, this Jesus, from Nazareth, an obscure town up north in Israel, was to be the key. He was not merely a man, but a one-of-a-kind individual, a God-slash-man, not half of each, but all of each.

[11:22] And that, too, defies human comprehension, but it was what and who He needed to be in order to do what needed to be done.

[11:34] This one had to purchase ruined and fallen humanity by Himself balancing the divine scales of justice.

[11:46] Only He could provide the necessary payment for the rebellion and sin of humanity simply because of who He was. In His humanity, He was man's representative.

[12:01] In His deity, He was God's representative. Together, in this theanthropic person, He provided for all eternity the centerpiece of the universe.

[12:18] Never lose sight of that fact. The cross of Jesus Christ and what happened upon it is the very basis for everything. It is the centerpiece, the focus, of the whole universe for all time.

[12:38] He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us so that we might be made the very righteousness of God in Him.

[12:50] truly, this was, is, and shall always be the transaction of the universe. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.

[13:05] 2 Corinthians 5.14 If you miss getting this, it makes no difference what all you do get.

[13:17] You hear me? If you don't get this, if you don't connect this, if you don't understand this, if you don't deal with this, it doesn't make any difference who you are or what you have or what you've accomplished or how smart you are.

[13:37] Miss this and your connection to it, and it makes no difference what you do get even if you're an Einstein. It makes no difference.

[13:47] And that's because this is not something. This is everything.

[14:01] No exaggeration. This is everything. or it is absolutely nothing.

[14:17] But there's nothing in between. It's an either or. You can take your choice. You cannot reject both and you cannot accept both. That's precisely why Jesus said, he who is not with me is against me.

[14:34] But already I'm straight from my script. The Jews to whom Jesus came 2,000 years ago missed this.

[14:50] They didn't get it. Thankfully, a handful of them did. But they constituted the tiny minority. And they still miss it today.

[15:05] Along with most of the rest of the world. Be assured that of which we speak is everything or it is nothing.

[15:19] Jesus' second coming will be as a conqueror of the evil satanic forces and all of Satan's followers as described in Revelation chapter 19.

[15:32] That's a graphic portrayal of the second coming of Christ and what it's going to be like when he does. The Jewish nation to whom the Messiah was promised rejected their Messiah in his first coming because they were fixated on the description given of his second coming.

[15:53] not his first. And Jesus was not making second coming noises. Only first coming.

[16:06] Hence, despite all this uncontested, all of his uncontested miracles, the Jewish leaders were focused only upon a Messiah who would restore Israel to its former glory as under Solomon centuries earlier.

[16:26] Israel was chafing under Roman rule with thousands of Roman soldiers occupying their land, taxing their people, and ruling them with an iron fist.

[16:42] Their position was if Jesus of Nazareth would rout the Romans and then establish Israel as the premier nation, we will follow him.

[16:53] Yes, he would be our Messiah, but anything less, we will not settle for, no matter how many miracles he performs. The ruling establishment we designate as the deep state of Israel then put out the word.

[17:14] and the fear was all Jesus is going to accomplish is to rile up the people causing an insurrection that Rome will put down brutally and we will lose our position, our prominence, our privileges, and our perks.

[17:40] so it's Jesus or us. Bottom line, Jesus has got to go.

[17:52] And we won't turn to it, but for reference, you'll find it in Luke's gospel chapter 11 and it's in the 50s verses somewhere there, 52 or 3 or someplace if it didn't move.

[18:05] and it says that from that time on the Jews planned to kill him. We have to get rid of Jesus before Rome gets rid of us.

[18:24] Jesus has got to go. They had no idea whatsoever what was really afoot and neither do the Jews today.

[18:36] This is why the principal Jew, in addition to Jesus, Paul the Apostle, called his own Jewish countrymen as being blinded from the truth and he himself admitted to having earlier been one of the most blinded in the person of his former life, Saul of Tarsus.

[19:02] So now, what about this kingdom? Jesus was there. John said the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[19:16] So where is it? He's not making any moves to being the Messiah we expect. The key to its absence is in Luke 19 11.

[19:32] And in Acts 1, and we will perhaps turn to those if I give you enough time. In Acts 1, the disciples asked Jesus as they were gathered together in the Mount of Olives immediately before he ascended back to heaven.

[19:46] And they had no idea that he was going to do that. But they asked him the question, Lord, is it at this time, that is, after the crucifixion, after the resurrection, after the 40 days you've spent here on earth with us, now, are you going to do it now?

[20:06] Are you going to establish that long awaited kingdom now? Jesus didn't say, oh, you fellows, you've got this all wrong. There isn't going to be any literal actual kingdom, not a physical kingdom established here in Israel for the ruling of the whole world.

[20:22] You guys have it all wrong. It's going to be just a spiritual kingdom. He had every opportunity to correct them, but he didn't, because our question was legitimate.

[20:34] It is going to be an honest-to-goodness physical, earthly rule and reign on the earth with Jerusalem as the capital of the world, not just Israel, but Israel will be the leadership nation for the entire planet.

[20:53] And Christ will be enthroned as king. And they were asking him, are you going to do that now? Well, they had every reason to think that he probably could.

[21:06] After all, resurrection now is a reality, and he's there before them in a glorified body. And Jesus said, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power, but you shall receive power.

[21:22] After that, the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Judea, and the most parts of the earth. And then he started rising physically, right?

[21:36] And their eyes are popping out and they're going, whoa, what is this? And he's leaving, he's leaving. And he's leaving them in charge.

[21:46] and they stand there dumbfounded looking at each other. What? What? What? And an angel appears and said, hey, you men of Galilee, why stand you here gazing up into heaven?

[22:05] This Jesus who was taken up from you shall so come again in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. Now, you fellows have got your marching orders, get about your business as much.

[22:15] Wow. So what about the kingdom? And it was all about timing. It is not for you to know the times nor the seasons which the father hath put in his own power.

[22:35] And bottom line of all of this that we're going to examine now is a secret. It's called a mystery.

[22:45] And the biblical meaning of the word mystery escapes us because it isn't the same as how we interpret it. A biblical mystery doesn't mean something that cannot be known.

[23:00] It's just a complete puzzle and nobody can figure it out. secret. But a better word that expresses the meaning of mystery is the word secret.

[23:14] That's the key. The mystery is a secret. It doesn't mean it is something that can't be known, but it does mean it can't be known unless somebody lets you in on it.

[23:29] Somebody clues you in. It's like seeing something written in code and you have no idea what the message is because it's all scrambled and it doesn't make any sense.

[23:42] but if somebody gives you the key to the code, you can apply the code to all of those letters and numbers and everything and voila, there's the message and you get it because you've got the code.

[23:57] It's called breaking the code so it becomes intelligible. That's what this is all about, this kingdom business. It is proclaimed, it is preached, it is promised, it is anticipated, and when John the Baptist came and made those magical statements, kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent, people thought, wow, this is it, this is it, and the one who was supposed to be the king of the kingdom didn't end up on a throne, he ended up on a cross.

[24:37] What is this? This makes no sense at all. And some, I am convinced, were absolutely persuaded that that was proof positive that Jesus was not the Messiah.

[24:48] Because it's unthinkable that God would ever allow his chosen Messiah to be crucified. That's crazy. That's absolutely nuts. And that's why when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said that some consider the preaching of the cross to be absolute foolishness.

[25:07] The word is moronic. It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard of, that somebody that wasn't even smart enough to keep himself from getting crucified by the Romans is supposed to be the savior of the whole world?

[25:19] Come on. You buy that religious garbage? Paul said the preaching of the cross is foolishness, is moronic to those who do not believe.

[25:35] But to those who believe, it is the power of God. For in that cross, your redemption was provided.

[25:52] It is amazing how people can, with disdain and criticism, look upon the cross as slaughterhouse religion.

[26:04] And they have no idea it was what transpired on that cross that provided for them the opportunity to have their sins forgiven.

[26:15] And there's no greater need that humanity has than for sins to be forgiven. And if you're thinking you're a nice person and you don't have any of those, then you're also self-deceived.

[26:30] because all of sin comes short of God's standard. So, bottom line is, yes, there's going to be a kingdom.

[26:46] The kingdom comes in two stages. Two things are required, just two things, for that kingdom of heaven to be established on earth. Two things are required, just two things.

[26:58] two things are and one of them has already been realized. That's what Paul was talking about when he says, or Peter rather, in Acts chapter 3, when he says, God has performed this.

[27:13] Jesus has performed this. He's taken care of obstacle number one, and that was that the Messiah should suffer. he did that.

[27:26] It's over and done with. God's part is finished. So, he tells his audience there in Acts 3, now, Israel, the ball's in your court.

[27:39] Now it's your turn. God has made the way available. What are you going to do about it? And many believed. A great many more were added to the 3,000 that believed on the day of Pentecost, and a great many more.

[27:54] But then when you look at the very next chapter, the persecution begins. And it is Jews persecuting Jews.

[28:06] No Gentiles involved. Don't blame the Romans for this. Romans have nothing to do with this. This is Jew on Jew. And it is all about the identity of this man, Jesus of Nazareth.

[28:19] Who is he really? Because if he is who he claimed to be, the way, the truth, and the life, if he is the light of the world as he claimed to be, if he is the bread of life as he claimed to be, if he is the Alpha and Omega as he claimed to be, then absolutely nothing matters more than you being rightly related to this one.

[28:52] Now, if he isn't, forget it. It's all off. It's just religious garbage. Forget it. Dismiss it. Don't lose any sleep over it. It's nothing. But as I said earlier, it's everything or it's nothing.

[29:07] You can't have it both ways. One of the two. Make up your mind. How long will you halt between two opinions? When Jesus said, he who is not with me is automatically against me.

[29:23] And I've talked to people about this and they say, hey, no, no, no, don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against Jesus. I think he was a pretty neat guy. I don't have anything against him. But this idea of dying for the sins of the world, me being a sinner, I just can't get into that.

[29:40] I'm a good person. And that's part of our faulty assumptions that lead us astray.

[29:51] So, two things necessary for the kingdom to be established, and the first has already been accomplished. God has done his part in the death of the Messiah. And the second part is the acceptance and embracing of that reality by the nation of Israel.

[30:10] Right now, today, Israel is a nation not the least bit interested. Do you know how they refer to Jesus, their Messiah? Do you know how they refer to him, for the most part?

[30:23] That man. That man. And that's speaking kindly. Many are of the opinion that it is that man that is responsible for our being such a persecuted, downtrodden people for centuries, scattered from hither and beyond, persecuted, chased out of here, go here, chased out of there.

[30:52] They call us the wandering Jew. You know whose fault that is? that man. Because we, Jewish people, we were accused of killing God.

[31:05] Yeah. That's what these Christians think. Jesus was God and the Jews killed him. So what are you going to do about that? Kill the Jews!

[31:17] That's the whole basis of persecution and you know who's behind it? Not the Jews. the adversary. Satan.

[31:29] He's behind it. You cannot believe how much Satan hates Israel. And how much he hates anybody who loves Israel.

[31:45] Israel. This is one reason the U.S. of A. is in satanic crosshairs. We have been an enabler of Israel.

[31:57] A supporter of Israel. We have given them refuge like no one in the world has given them. And Satan's opinion is yeah, and you're going to pay for it too.

[32:12] He hates everyone and anyone who loves Israel because Israel with all of their naughtiness, with all of their rejection, with all of their vindictiveness, with all of their crucifying or contributing to the crucifix, they were complicit in it.

[32:33] The Romans carried it out physically but it was at the instigation of Judas and the chief priests and all the rest that had him railroaded and Pilate was just their lackey who was put in a political no win position and he caved.

[32:50] And Satan is so clever. Listen, none of us here with all of our intelligence combined, whatever that may be, none of us is a match for the adversary.

[33:08] he has powers of understanding and, well, we don't know what all his powers are but there are more than all of ours combined for sure.

[33:24] And he is hell bent on thwarting the plan and program of God and upon whom is it centered?

[33:35] Centered upon Jesus. So you know what? This is absolute, this is sheer evil genius. Do you realize that most of the people, most of the people who have persecuted the Jewish people down through the ages, most of them are not lovers of Jesus.

[33:58] Do you ever understand that? They're not lovers of Jesus. They're not saying, oh, we've got to kill these Jews and persecute these Jews and force these Jews into making a Christian profession because they killed my savior.

[34:10] No, no, no, no. Matter of fact, the animosity that the world at large has historically against the Jewish people trying to eliminate them is irrational, completely humanly irrational.

[34:27] So how do you put that into action? If you've got an evil genius behind it, it's not a hard sell, and he has convinced multitudes over the years to persecute the Jew, the Christ killers, Christ killers.

[34:43] Oh, I guess that means you really love Christ. Well, well, I could take him or leave him. You know, the vast majority of the people who committed atrocities against the Jews were not lovers of Jesus.

[34:59] The most, that most of them were, were tolerators of Jesus. You cannot, there is no way under God's heaven that you can justify the persecution of these people, biblically, theologically, morally, or any other way.

[35:22] And yet, the beat goes on to destroy these people. And it's all because they are the key to God's future program.

[35:36] And Satan knows it. He isn't stupid. He's evil, but he isn't stupid. And as you go through human history, you will see time after time, all of the conflicts, the wars, everything.

[35:51] And I'm not suggesting that we are right in blaming the devil for everything that happens. Christians, we've got enough ornery genes in us to be really nasty and vile.

[36:03] And someone has made the observation that even Christians can commit sins and lay the blame at the devil's doorstep that make him blush.

[36:16] But he is the chief instigator. He is the mastermind behind most of it. Well, now we are living in the mystery period of the kingdom and it is spelled out in Matthew 13 and all I want to do is introduce it and then we'll have to conclude it by saying we'll continue this next week.

[36:36] So open your Bibles please for just a few moments that remain to Matthew chapter 13 and I want to set the stage for this and it is very, very critical stuff.

[36:48] Very critical stuff. Historically, I want you to know what has happened and that is in Matthew's gospel chapter 12 there is a crisis that occurs and what the crisis was was the leadership of Israel coming to the conclusion that Jesus has got to go.

[37:12] And this ties in with the John 11 passage where it comes right out and says that they decided to kill him. and they have accused him even though they did not deny the reality of his miracles.

[37:26] They accused him of performing his miracles through the power of Satan. Well, that whole idea is quite ridiculous because Jesus answered by saying, listen, if I'm performing these miracles through the power of Satan, then how can his kingdom stand?

[37:44] because if I'm doing it through his power, I'm defeating him and he's defeating himself by letting me do it. That's crazy. And again, you know what that is? It's illogical. People, fallen people think with an illogical warped mind.

[37:59] Please understand that. We all need the truth of scripture to straighten out our thinking because it is askewed. It is part of our fallenness.

[38:11] When Adam and Eve fell, their brain fell too. Everything about them fell. And they handed that down to us. How else do you think we human beings are able to come up with all of the utterly ridiculous, stupid, cockamamie ideas that we have?

[38:28] Where in the world do we get the idea? If you don't like being a boy, you can be a girl. Does that transcend stupidity or what?

[38:41] Where in the world do people get? And do you know what else it's linked to? Evolutionary hypothesis. If evolution is true, there is no God in the beginning.

[38:51] It didn't create the man and evil because woman and evil because there is no God. Then, if you can do something to change your sex or at least make you think you have, go for it.

[39:03] Why not? Why not marry someone of the same sex? In fact, why bother to get married? And on and on the beat goes because if there is no God, you are your own God.

[39:21] Whatever pleases you. Whatever strikes your fancy. And nobody else has the right to tell you you're wrong about anything. You know why? Because there is no wrong.

[39:34] There is no right and wrong. There is no standard. You make your own standard. And if you don't like the standard that you're living with tomorrow, change it. No big deal. You're in charge. This is where the U.S. of A.

[39:48] is right now. I'm not saying most of the people are that way because most of the people aren't. But most of the people who are have really big mouths and big egos and the media salivates with these people.

[40:12] Why? Because they are news. You're not news. You're old hat. You're all, oh, in the beginning God created the heavens.

[40:25] What's news about that? That's, that's, that's, we don't buy that. But when you talk about the weird, incredible things that people are coming up with without hardly a month going by, that's news.

[40:42] That'll sell. And the world just falls all over it. It's amazing. Do you ever give any thought to all of these magazines that you see in the supermarket as the checkout right there when you go to the checkout?

[40:57] all of these magazines on display and they have the most ridiculous statements on it about, well, some of them are so ridiculous I, just crazy, just crazy stuff.

[41:09] You stand there and look at the headlines and you're like, what? What? so-and-so wants to marry a baboon? What? Well, I've got to read about that.

[41:20] You get, get that piece of trash and take it home and of course it's never what you thought it would be anyway, but it sells a stack of magazines to a bunch of suckers who don't have any better than, it's crazy.

[41:32] This is, this is, this is, this is the world we're dealing with. This is what's going on. And you know what? It has become the norm. Yeah.

[41:45] It has become the new norm because Jesus never spoke in parables before. This is all new. He's changing his game plan, changing the methodology and he's saying, behold, the sower went out to sow and as he sowed some seeds fell by the rodents and the birds came.