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Betraying Jesus – Part 1
Luke 21:37 – 22:13 (21:37 – 22:3)
October 11, 2020

This morning we transition into another new segment in Luke’s gospel.
Or you might say we transition back to a previous one.

Having finished His sermon on the end and the coming war,
Luke now returns to the flow of the story.

In a chronological sense,
The text actually backtracks all the way back to chapter 19.

At the end of Luke 19 we read:
Luke 19:47-48 “And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.”

In chapter 20 Luke began to chronicle that reality.
• We saw Jesus preaching the gospel in the temple.
• We saw attack after attack.
• And Jesus silenced every argument they had for Him.

• The chief priests tried to nail Him.
• The Pharisees tried to nail Him.
• The Sadducees tried to nail Him.
• No one was successful.

And then Luke related Jesus’ answer to the disciple’s question
Regarding the day He will destroy all their false religion.

But now Luke returns to the flow of events and you’ll notice that
The final verses of chapter 21 pick right back up where chapter 19 ended.

(21:37 – 22:2) “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him. Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.”

That’s pretty much how he ended chapter 19.
• Jesus is preaching daily.
• The people are hanging on His every word.
• The chief priests want to kill Him.
• But they don’t know what to do.

So after two chapters of explanation as to what Jesus was preaching
Luke has returned to the flow.
YOU’LL REMEMBER THAT JESUS HAS COME TO JERUSALEM
TO SECURE A CRUCIFIXION.

We have also noted that He will lay down His life ON HIS OWN TERMS,
Not the terms of the religious elite.

We’ve talked about before how the Jews often times tried to kill Jesus,
But were UNSUCCESSFUL.

Luke 4:28-30 “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.”

John 5:18 “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

John 7:25 “So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?”

John 7:30 “So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.”

John 8:20 “These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.”

John 10:39 “Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.”

We have learned throughout history that really no man is untouchable.
• We’ve seen brazen terrorists who thought themselves invincible be taken out, men like Saddam Hussein or Osama Ben Laden
• American history teaches of assassinated presidents like Lincoln or Kennedy.
• Roman history teaches of the assassination of Julius Caesar.
• The Bible recognizes the untimely deaths of men like Belshazzar, Alexander the Great, and Herod

History has seen some of the greatest and most powerful men taken out by their opponents, BUT JESUS IS ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT.

He is too much for man to handle.

John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

The death of Jesus is according to the prerogative of the Father.
No man has the ability to take His life unless He lays it down.

When it happens, it will be according to HIS TIMING,
According to HIS PLAN, and for HIS PURPOSE.

So you understand the frustration of the religious leaders.

This Man has challenged them and offended them for 3 years.
• He has healed on the Sabbath
• He has exposed their hypocrisy
• He has claimed to be the Son of God
• He has now entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt claiming to be King
• He has cleared their temple
• He has commandeered it and is preaching His gospel in it daily
• He has escaped every death plot
• He has silenced every argument
• The people are enamored with Him

And there is nothing they can do about it.

John 11:47-48 “Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

John 12:19 “So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

They were stuck.
They were frustrated.

And that is the reality that Luke has now brought back to the forefront.
The religious elite want Him dead but they can’t kill Him.

Their biggest problem today is the crowd.
(2) “The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.”

If you’ll remember this was also why they couldn’t answer Jesus regarding their rejection of John the Baptist.

Luke 20:5-6 “They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

But it wasn’t just being killed by the crowd that concerned them.
As we read in John 11, they were afraid of starting a riot which would bring Rome into play, and they feared losing their power.

SO THEY WERE STUCK.
And they “were seeking how they might put Him to death;”

And quite honestly they didn’t know what to do.

But God had already determined how Jesus would be captured and killed.

And God’s predetermined and for-ordained plan was: BETRAYAL

TURN TO: ACTS 1:15-19

After the ascension of Jesus, Peter preached to the faithful and reminded them that “the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”

Peter is either speaking about PSALMS 55, or PSALMS 41 or both.

Psalms 55 is a prophetic complaint by David.
• It was during the revolt of Absalom in which David had to flee.
• David’s former military strategist Ahithophel was now working for David’s son.
• Incidentally, Ahithophel would betray David and end up hanging himself

And David grieved not only the revolt, but the betrayal.

But more than just the story of David,
It was a prophetic announcement of the betrayal of Jesus.
Psalms 55:12-14 “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”

There was a prophetic picture of betrayal that was coming.

Psalms 41 was also a prophetic announcement of David.
Jesus Himself would reference this one during the Last Supper.

John 13:18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’”

Jesus referenced a different Psalm of David, He referenced Psalms 41:9

Psalms 41:9 “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

THE POINT IS THAT IT WAS GOD’S PLAN ALL ALONG.
He announced in the Old Testament and fulfilled it in the New Testament.

• He must be betrayed by one who ate His bread.
• He must be betrayed by one who fellowshipped with Him.
• He must be betrayed by one who was called a friend.

Jesus must identify with unjust betrayal.
Jesus must identify with the undeserved suffering of David.

Certainly we see this as part of Jesus’ preparation to be a faithful and merciful high priest.
• He knows David’s pain in betrayal.
• He knows Job’s pain in betrayal.

Job 19:19 “All my associates abhor me, And those I love have turned against me.”

Jesus could identify with all who have been betrayed.
But it is EVEN MORE THAN Jesus sympathizing with us.

The betrayal of Judas symbolized the total rejection of Jesus
By those He came to save.

John 1:11 “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

There is another prophecy which spoke to the betrayal of Jesus.
TURN TO: ZECHARIAH 11:4-14

(4-6) is a Preincarnate conversation between the Father and the Son.
• The sheep are afflicted.
• Their false shepherds are the enemy
• Jesus is to go and deliver them

(7-8) shows the ultimate defeat of the false shepherds
• Jesus humiliated them
• Jesus exposed them
• Jesus defeated them

We see that frustration right now in Luke’s gospel.

But then the story turns dark.
(9-14) reveals that the sheep He came to save also turned on Him
• He was betrayed and the price was 30 pieces of silver.
• And upon that betrayal Israel would be broken

The betrayal of Judas was symbolic of the entire nation.
• He was one who heard the preaching and teaching of Jesus.
• He was one who witnessed the miracles of Jesus.
• He was one who benefited from the blessings of Jesus.
• He was one whom Jesus came to save.

But he, like the rest of Israel, would reject this sovereign Shepherd
And betray Him on behalf of the former evil shepherds.
(Judas today, the entire crowd tomorrow)

And so Jesus is captured and killed
Not because He was evil, or outsmarted, or overpowered, or snared.
IT IS BECAUSE HE WAS BETRAYED

AND THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT OCCURS IN THE NARRATIVE.

(3-6) “And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.”

WOW! What a turn of events!
The religious leaders must have been blown away.

This was just too good to be true.
• One of His own was actually willing to sell Him out.
• One of His own would set Him up.
• One of His own would help us capture Him when no one was around to cause a disturbance.

They must have felt like the providence of God
Was finally showing up on their behalf.

I imagine Judas walking out of the room and they all just look at each with their mouths open in disbelief that they were finally going to get what they wanted.

They would finally be able to kill Jesus.
A desire that had eluded them for 3 years.

What they no doubt had failed to realize was that
This was all a part of God’s sovereign plan.

Later in the chapter Jesus will actually say:
Luke 22:22 “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

This betrayal “has been determined”

This is all part of God’s plan to bring Jesus to His atoning death.
He will be handed over and offered up as a sacrifice for sinners.

SO JUDAS BECOMES A REPRESENTATIVE PICTURE
OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL WHICH WOULD REJECT JESUS.

This makes understanding Judas very important.
• For in understanding him, we also understand Israel.
• In understanding him, we also understand the religious unredeemed today.

SO WE ARE LEFT WITH THE MYSTERY OF JUDAS.
Why would Judas betray Jesus?
And how do we handle such a character?

In the years immediately following the death of Christ,
• Judas received immense hatred in the historical record.
• He could not be spoken of with enough scorn for what he did.
• He was described as hideous looking and awful.
• He was painted as a man filled with maggots.
• He was seen as the ultimate of vile and detestable humanity.

His name became synonymous with treachery.
To call someone a Judas is to refer to them in undignified and treacherous terms.

In recent years, liberal theology has tried to sort of give Judas a pass.

Some of you have heard of the “Gospel of Judas”
Which the history channel tried to feature.
• It is a heretical and false gospel account,
• In it Judas is betrayed as the most beloved and faithful disciple.
• It is said that Jesus asked Judas to betray Him so that He could be killed and escape this earthly body and fulfill His role as Savior.

I read an article shared on Facebook the other day
• Where a modern day evangelical claimed to have been convicted by God for condemning Judas saying “Whom am I to say?” if he was saved or lost.

Was Judas Saved?

I saw another group of posts going around
• About a guy who got a tattoo on his arm that read “Judas ate too” indicating not only the compassion of Jesus, but also the acceptance of Judas.

Point being there has been a push to sort of minimize what Judas did.
And I understand why. By declaring Judas saved and accepted
Then really any and everyone is getting in.

The life of Judas has also been the subject of debate regarding the sovereignty of God.

For instance:
If God preordained that Jesus would be betrayed and if betrayal was necessary, can God really condemn Judas for simply doing what God foreordained him to do?

And it sparked a heretical debate.

It is a common debate regarding God’s sovereignty over salvation.
People today even see God’s sovereignty as unfair and would use it to blame lostness on God instead of sinners who reject Christ.

Since Judas is a picture of one fulfilling the foreordained purpose of God in betrayal he becomes and important discussion regarding where sovereignty fits with those who reject Christ.

SO YOU SEE WHY UNDERSTANDING JUDAS IS SO IMPORTANT.
• We have a man here who lived among the 12
• A man who preached the gospel and worked miracles
• A man who kept the money bags for the ministry
• A man who lived with Jesus for 3 years as an intimate follower
• A man totally unrecognized as a traitor by his contemporaries

And this man betrayed the Lord and though he felt obvious sorrow,
Never returned to the Lord and ultimately hanged himself.

There is an obvious thread of HYPOCRISY and DECEPTION
That must be addressed.

And I want us to do that this morning, and likely some more next week.

In verses 3-6 there are 4 points to be made about Judas as he fulfills the ghastly role as the one who will betray Jesus and bring His death into reality.

#1 THE CAUSE
Luke 22:3a

“And Satan entered Judas who was called Iscariot,”

Luke is very careful to make sure you and I
Are aware of the spiritual reality behind all of this.

• On one hand we certainly have a sovereign God who is fulfilling His word regarding the betrayal of Christ.

• But we also have the god of this world and his enmity working with all of his might to satisfy his hatred and desire to destroy Jesus.

Luke makes sure you see “Satan” here.

And here we read that “Satan entered into Judas”

It is the most terrifying demonic possession we have ever read about.
• This isn’t just a demon, it isn’t even a legion of demons.
• This is the prince of darkness.
• This is the god of this world.

Satan himself entered Judas.
Judas at this point becomes a puppet.

It brings to our mind a sobering reality that we should never forget.
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

NOW, WHAT I DON’T WANT YOU TO DO
Is to read this and all of a sudden give Judas a pass.

“Well, it wasn’t Judas’ fault, Satan entered him and did that”

Satan entering Judas was not an act against his will,
But rather in perfect harmony with his will.

Back up and see who Judas was BEFORE Satan entered him.

John 6:70 “Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

Jesus had pegged Judas long before Satan ever entered him.

We read
John 12:1-6 “Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”

There we read that BEFORE Jesus and the twelve even arrived in Jerusalem Judas had ALREADY had the intention of betraying Jesus.

What you have to understand about Judas is that
He wasn’t just possessed by Satan at the end.
Judas was a child of Satan his entire life.

JUDAS WAS A SLAVE OF SATAN.

And listen, this may be hard to hear, but
EVERY LOST PERSON IN THE WORLD IS IN THAT SAME BOAT.

Those who are not redeemed (a term that means “bought back”)
Are born as children of Satan and are currently slaves of Satan.

(Don’t we remember the fall of Adam and how he sold himself to the enemy and now, in Adam we are all born in sin and death?)

All the unredeemed are children of the devil.
Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

• You were born in Adam with a nature bent toward sin.
• And when you sinned, when you took the bait.
• You became a slave to sin.
• You became a prisoner of sin and of Satan.

Jesus came along and started offering to free men.
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

And if you’ll remember, the crowd didn’t like the insinuation that they were slaves.
John 8:33 “They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

But Jesus was very clear.
John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

And COINCIDING with your slavery to sin is the reality that you are of the devil.
John 8:38-47 “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Jesus revealed it even to these Jews.
• They were certain that God was their father and Jesus said no.
• You are of your father the devil.

They were children of Satan.
• John the Baptist called them a “Brood of Vipers” literally “sons of snakes”.

You are not born a child of God.
You must be born again to become a child of God.

Remember:
John 1:11-13 “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Unredeemed man is not just neutral.
If you are not a redeemed child of God
Then you are still a child of the devil.

John’s epistle lays this distinction out further.
1 John 3:4-10 “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

John gives two camps.
• Those who are redeemed by Christ.
• And those who are still owned by Satan.
• There is no third category.

And some lost man might say, “Well I don’t believe in Jesus, but I’m not a child of the devil.”

The answer is that they are and don’t know it.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Very simply put, they are deceived.

Paul’s very ministry was to rescue those who were enslaved to Satan.

When Paul gives his testimony, he recounts:
Acts 26:15-18 “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ‘But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’”

Paul’s job was to turn men “from the dominion of Satan to God”

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

THIS IS CERTAINLY TRUE OF JUDAS,
And in reality it is true of all unbelievers.

It is not as though Judas was some devout follower of Jesus
Who just got unluckily chosen to be used by the Devil.

No, Judas always belonged to him, as do all unbelievers,
And as a slave of the evil one he became the chosen vessel
Through which Satan would work.

THE POINT IS THIS.
• No amount of fellowship with Jesus…
• No amount of listening to Jesus preach…
• No amount of witnessing Jesus’ miracles…
• No amount of being involved in the ministry of Jesus…

Could change what Judas was.

The only thing that could change Judas
Was if he would repent and place His faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Judas never did that.
Jesus called him a devil long ago.

Judas did what he did because he was a lost man.
(And all lost men serve Satan in one way or another, even religious lost men)

Did Judas love money?
• Yes, we read about him pilfering the money bag.
• We know he’ll betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

Was Judas a liar?
• Yes, he spent 3 years pretending to love Jesus, when he didn’t.
• He told people to believe a gospel that he had rejected.

Judas was a phony and a fraud.
And he was a slave of the evil one.

As to this notion of Judas being a victim?
No, he wanted to betray Jesus.

As to this notion of Judas being the favored disciple?
No, Jesus called him a devil.

As to this notion that Judas might have been saved?

No
John 17:12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Jesus called him “the son of perdition”
That is an idiom which means “one devoted to destruction”

Matthew 26:24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

John 19:11 “Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Acts 1:24-25 “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Judas was lost, and Judas went to hell.

If you’re looking for the reason why Judas did what he did,
It’s because even though he pretended to be a follower of Christ, he was actually a son of the devil.

There is much more to discuss regarding Judas,
But first let’s just make the obvious point that must be made.

Judas was the primary picture of Israel.
• He was exposed to truth and rejected it.
• He was religious but lost.
• He claimed to be a child of God, but was in fact a child of the devil.

And so Judas also becomes a picture
Of those who associate with the church today,
But who do not know the Lord.

AND THE WARNING IS CLEAR.

DO NOT ASSUME THAT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION WILL SAVE YOU.
If living with Jesus for 3 years didn’t save Judas
Then growing up in a Christian home won’t save you.

As a sinner you are slave to sin,
You are a child of the devil,
And he will use you for his own evil purposes.

The only freedom for you personally is to repent of your sin and place your faith in Christ that you might be set free and born again.

John 1:11-13 “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

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Revival: That Your People May Rejoice In You
Psalms 85
October 4, 2020

The conversation of revival is never too far from the lips of the church.
• Sometimes we talk of revivals of old and how God moved in history.
• There was a time when revivals were routinely scheduled and planned.
• Often times events that appear successful are credited with having brought revival

And then there are times like in our day today
Where the culture is shifting so quickly into depravity
That the need for revival is often spoken of.
I hear it quite often today, that America needs revival.

And I certainly agree with that.

I would point out, what is often times missed in the fact.

Revival comes from the Latin word REVIVERE (ree-vee-ve-ree)
It is “RE” which means “back”
And “VIVERE” (vee-ve-ree) which means “to live” or “life”

The word means “back to life”

So obviously before a person can be “RE-vived”
They must have first been “vived” to begin with.

I point that out primarily to make sure that everyone here understands
That it is NOT a fitting prayer to pray for America to have revival.
It IS however fitting to pray for the American church to have revival.

The unredeemed in our nation need salvation.
It is the church that needs revival.

Far too often our prayers for revival
Have more to do with the stopping of an evil culture,
But the call for revival is for the church to be brought back to life.

For example:
Revelation 3:1-6 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

That is an example of a church in need of revival.
• They were in effect dead.
• They lived on past accomplishments.
• There were only a few who weren’t soiled with the sin of the world.

• They needed revival.
• They needed to wake up.
• They needed to repent.

This is the purist form of revival.
When the church recognizes that she is the one who needs to repent.

Psalms 85 is a tremendous song about revival.
It is a great picture of the attitude and desire of true revival.

And in a day where revival is sorely needed, it is a very fitting Psalm.

We’re just going to break it down into 3 points tonight.
#1 THE CONCEPT OF REVIVAL
Psalms 85:1-3

What we read of here in these first 3 verses is merely
The Psalmists recognition of the unchanging character of God.

The Psalmist has read His history.
• He is well aware of what God has done in the past.
• And certainly it is what he is going to pray for later in the Psalm.

But before he asks for revival,
He first sets the foundation for exactly what he means.

• By revival, he DOESN’T mean economic prosperity…
• By revival, he DOESN’T mean cultural peace…
• By revival, he DOESN’T mean physical health…

Those are NOT the things the Psalmist has in mind.

He mentions things like
“restoration” “forgiveness” “atonement” “propitiation”

Rather, by revival what the Psalmist is talking about
IS A RECONCILIATION WITH GOD.

He knows that is the problem.
• God is angry.
• God has been offended.
• God’s wrath abides.

And until that situation is settled, none of the others will either.

Fortunately the Psalmist knows
THAT GOD HAS FIXED SUCH PROBLEMS IN THE PAST.

“O LORD, You showed favor to Your land;”

What do we call that; when God shows favor that is undeserved or unmerited?
• We call that grace don’t we?
• Some even define it as “God’s unmerited favor”.
• It is when God does something for you that you do not deserve.

Ephesians 2:1-6 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

God’s favor given to those who did not deserve it.
And the Psalmist says we know You have done this in the past.

Not only that:
“You restored the captivity of Jacob.”

That would be a deliverance from calamity or from consequences.

• Many here see this verse and assume the Psalmist speaks of the return from Babylonian exile, but that is unlikely.
• If that were in view, he would have referred to them as Judah, not Jacob.
• But the reality is that God has “restored the captivity of Jacob” countless times.

Go read the book of Judges.
Judges 3:12-15 “Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.”

• Ehud was the “James Bond” type judge who snuck into the upper room chamber and stabbed the king and escaped out the window.

Judges 6:7 “Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian,”

• And then God raised up Gideon

Judges 10:10 “Then the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.”

• And then God raised up Jephthah

There is story after story after story of times when God
“restored the captivity of Jacob” and saved them from their calamity.

They didn’t deserve deliverance.
They had rightly brought this hardship on themselves.
But God in His grace, restored them anyway.

“You forgave the iniquity of Your people;”
• Forgiveness is often spoken of us “refusing the right to punish”.
• My how many times God has done that.

Psalms 103:10 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

God had the right from the fall to condemn the entire human race,
But He is instead forgiving.

Instead, God treated someone else as they deserved to be treated.
“You covered all their sin.”

That speaks of atonement.
• It is where God poured out His wrath, which they deserved, on an object of sacrifice.
• Certainly it is a picture of Christ and what He did on the cross.

Time after time Israel sinned and deserved condemnation,
But God in His grace forgave them
And accepted a substitute on their behalf.

Romans 3:25 “Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”

All the wrath for the sins of Israel, God poured out on Christ.

He took sinful people, who deserved condemnation
• And instead showed them grace,
• Delivered them from their consequences,
• Chose not to punish them for their sin,
• And poured out His wrath on a substitute instead.

This is a very fitting place to insert the “Selah”
Since such a deed must be pondered.

This is where you would ordinarily stop the song
And partake of the Lord’s Supper.

And one has to marvel just for a moment in the statement, “all their sin”
For if God had only covered most of it, they’d still be in trouble.

It was simply a marvelous gift of grace that God time after time
Poured out upon His people.

And the result:
(3) “You withdrew all Your fury; You turned away from Your burning anger.”

Was God angry? Yes
Was God furious? Yes

But He satisfied that anger, by pouring out His wrath on a substitute,
Thus forgiving His people, restoring their captivity,
And showing them undeserved grace.

We call that propitiation.
• It is appeasement.
• It is placation.
• It is satisfaction.

His anger was gone.
We understand that.

Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We love everything about those first 3 verses.
They are a perfect description of the grace of salvation
Which God’s people have received.

And the Psalmist is recognizing that God did that very thing many times over for the children of Israel.
• We saw God do it for Abraham, for Isaac, for Jacob
• We saw God do it for Moses and the children in Egypt
• We saw God do it for Joshua and the armies of conquest
• We saw God do it often throughout the period of the Judges

It is just who God has been for Israel.
He has been a gracious God
Who restores, forgives, atones, and turns away from anger.

But for the Psalmist IT IS MORE
Than just a verse of praise for what God has done.
These 3 verses represent the hope of the Psalmist.

Certainly he is rejoicing in what God has done, but more than that,
The Psalmist wants God to do it again.

What God has done before, may He do again.

These 3 verses are the Psalmists concept of what revival looks like.
• Revival for him is when God shows grace that is undeserved.
• Revival for him is when God restores His people from their calamity.
• Revival for him is when God forgives the iniquity of His people.
• Revival for him is when God atones for the sin of His people.
• Revival for him is when God turns away from His burning anger.

That is his concept of revival.

When he asks for revival, it’s not just about
God stopping the wicked or God restoring peace and blessing.

When asks for revival, he means reconciliation with God.

And based upon that, he now moves forward.
#2 THE CRY FOR REVIVAL
Psalms 85:4-7

The first two words tell the story.
“Restore US”

What You’ve done before, do again.
• “Restore US, O God of our salvation.”
• “And cause Your indignation toward US to cease.”

What You did for them so many times in the past, now do for us.
• We are a people in need of grace.
• We are a people in need of restoration.
• We are a people in need of forgiveness.
• We are a people in need of atonement.
• We are a people in need of peace with You.

Not only is it a humble plea to God, but it is also
A tremendous recognition that ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE IT.

There is no other means of restoration.
There is no other means of deliverance.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, there is no hope at all
That America will be delivered through political means.

There is no hope whatsoever that the government can fix anything.
• Donald Trump cannot save America.
• Joe Biden cannot save America.

Perhaps one of them can save the economy,
But they cannot produce peace with God.
There is but one hope, that has always been God.

And let me point out something else that is often overlooked.
The Psalmist prays, “And cause YOUR indignation toward us to cease.”

I hear mentioned often in our day that God will judge America.
(I think by that people mean that God will take away or comfortable lifestyle)

TURN TO: ROMANS 1:18

(18) “The wrath of God IS revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”

And it’s because
“even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God.”
You know that.

But what does it look like when God’s anger breaks out against a people?
What does it look like when God’s judgment falls on a people?

• Poverty?
• Nuclear attack?
• Natural Disaster?

How would we recognize if we were under the wrath of God?

Well Paul said God’s wrath “is revealed”.
How?

(24) “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…”

He speaks of idolatry where people worship the creature over the Creator.

If idolatry exists, it does so because
God has allowed it to exist to the detriment of those who practice it.

What else would God’s wrath look like?
(26) “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions;”

You know he is referring to homosexuality.
That which produces the due penalty of their error.

What else would God’s wrath on a land look like?
(28) “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind…”

Ultimately to do improper things.

God’s wrath is not only revealed in what He does to a nation,
But at times also by what He allows.
He allows people to have their sin and the consequence of that sin.

God IS judging America.

BUT THIS IS ALSO BIGGER THAN AMERICA.
We are talking about God’s displeasure with His people (the church)

What would some signs of that be?
How about:
Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. “People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.”
How about:
2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Our Sunday school class this morning
• Studied Daniel 8 and how the apathy had grown so great in Israel as to the burden of worship that God allowed them to lose public worship for 6 ½ years.

I see in America where
• To so many Christians attending corporate worship is such a hassle and burden and think it would be fitting if God allowed for us to lose the freedom of it.
• To so many Christians Bible preaching is not preferred.

THE PSALMIST COULD SEE THAT – GOD WAS ANGRY WITH THEM.

So the Psalmist asked:
(5) “Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?”

That isn’t an accusation against God as though He has been angry too long.
• No, the Psalmist is merely pointing out that God has the right to be angry as long as He wants, but the Psalmist hopes He won’t.

God has been merciful in the past, the Psalmist hopes He will now too.
That God will allow His anger to subside.

And then here comes the million dollar cry.
(6) “Will You not Yourself revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?”

I want you to see the result or consequence of revival.
• He doesn’t want revival so that we can return to our preferred level of comfort.
• He doesn’t want revival so that we can enjoy life in peace and safety again.

WHAT IS THE REQUEST?
“That Your people may rejoice in You”

Revival is NOT for the purpose of producing comfort.
Revival is for the purpose of rejoicing in God.

I see in our world today a church that is grieved by society.
• We see homosexuality
• We see abortion
• We see rioting and protesting
• We see media deception
• We see political corruption

So we hear a lot about praying for revival.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

That is prayed over and over.
God heal our land!

But often times I fear that the request is SIMPLY A CRY
For God to let us get back to our American way of life that we miss.

THAT IS NOT A CRY FOR REVIVAL

A prayer for revival is a prayer for satisfaction in God.

Even in that famous 2 Chronicles 7:14 did you notice what they were told to seek?

“seek My face”
(not seek a better land)

And incidentally, let me point this out as well.
We think of God healing our land as God healing America.

That is not a proper application.
Israel was the covenant people of God, so in a sense to heal their land was to heal where God’s people dwelled.

If you want a more appropriate understanding,
TODAY IT WOULD BE FOR GOD TO HEAL HIS CHURCH.

This is the prayer for revival.

Until the church wants God more than stuff or comfort
There will be no revival.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Remember Asaph?
• He was grieved because he didn’t have “stuff” like the wicked did.
• When God finally brought him to repentance, his entire prayer changed.

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

He isn’t looking for the world anymore, he only wants God.

You are familiar with Paul’s great statement in Philippians 3.
• Remember, how he lost all things in order to gain Christ.
• I count them but rubbish Paul said in order to gain Christ.
• I just want Christ.

Do you remember how he ended the chapter?
Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Paul told the Philippians to follow his example because there were many,
Even those who associated with the church, who did not.

• They were people who didn’t want Christ, they just wanted the world.
• They wanted full bellies and earthly things.
• And Paul said they were enemies of Christ.

This is what it means to seek revival.
IT IS TO SEEK REJOICING IN GOD.

We’ve been reading the ending of Ezekiel
In our Sunday night scripture readings,
And I know to you it is incredibly boring as we read the intricate measurements of the temple.

You want me to tell you why it was a big deal to them?
• Because they had just witnessed God leaving their temple.
• And they had just witnessed Babylon burning their temple to the ground.
• These people lost God and their access to God and it was catastrophic.

But God gave Ezekiel a great vision of a rebuilt temple, and the real joy is coming in the last verse of the book.
Ezekiel 48:35 “The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.'”

That is what it means to cry for revival.
• Until that happens…
• Until the church wants Christ…
• Until the church just wants God and not the world…

THERE WILL BE NO REVIVAL.
The Psalmist wants God.
(7) “Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD, And grant us Your salvation.”

I’m quite certain the American church wants the wicked to stop,
But I’m not sure the American church wants God more than anything else.
Until we do, there is no revival.

The Concept of Revival, The Cry of Revival
#3 THE CONDITIONS OF REVIVAL
Psalms 85:8-13

We love how the Psalmist begins this segment WITH CONFIDENCE.
“I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones.”

Where does He get this confidence?
• Namely that God is unchanging, and who He was, He still is.

But notice the Psalmist, as he waits for God,
Has very pointed instruction to the people.

“But let them not turn back to folly”

The word for “folly” there is KICLAH (kiss-lah)
It literally means “stupidity”

Don’t let the church back to doing stupid things,
Like operating without a desire for God,
Or seeking the world more than seeking God.

We don’t ask for revival just so we can get back to life as we wanted it.

“let them not turn back to folly”

(9) “Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him”
It is that reverential awe.

Those who fear God…
Those who respect God…
Those who honor God…
His salvation is near to them.

HE GIVES REVIVAL TO THEM.

And again, we see the great benefit of revival
“That glory may dwell in our land.”

THAT GOD MAY RETURN!
(And again, when you see “land” think church)

That God may return to our church!
We are talking about an atmosphere
Were God is desired, respected, and welcomed.

Ephesians 3:17 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

He wasn’t talking about Christ moving into their hearts as in salvation, but rather that Christ would “settle in” in their hearts; that Christ was welcomed there; that Christ was honored there.

Remember, this was the problem of Laodicea:
Revelation 3:17-20 “’Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

• They didn’t desire Christ.
• They didn’t even think they needed Christ.
• He was outside knocking to come in.

THAT IS THE ISSUE HERE.
• That Christ is sought, adored, loved, desired, respected.
• That He is the chief aim of the church.
• That His glory and His good pleasure matter more than anything else.
• That our chief concern in all things and every time we gather is that Christ is pleased.

That is the idea of revival.
• You matter more than anything.
• I was stupid to think my will or my desires were important.
• I was stupid to think the world could satisfy.
• You matter more
• We desire You, we honor You
• Please be satisfied in us.

And the Psalmist goes on.

(10) “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

• “lovingkindness” (CHECED) and “truth” are linked.
• “Righteousness and Peace” are linked.

You don’t get one without the other.

The notion of praying for peace without seeking righteousness
Is ridiculous.

He continues, explaining this
(11) “Truth springs from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven.”

The word “truth” there can also be translated “faithfulness”
Which is a better fit here.

And notice the two times the word “from” is used.

According to the Psalmist where should “truth” or “faithfulness” come from? “earth” (us)

WE GIVE TO GOD FAITHFULNESS.

And where should righteousness come from? “heaven”

GOD GRANTS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

And then he says it a 3rd time to make sure you get it.
(12) “Indeed, the LORD will give what is good, And our land will yield its produce.”

When you read “produce” there, think fruit; as in righteousness.
It comes from God.
We produce it, when God gives it.

And so what is the point of the Psalmist?
We want peace.
We want God’s favor.

But it only comes when we are righteous.
And righteousness only comes from God.

And He only gives it to those who sincerely seek Him and fear Him and desire Him.

(13) “Righteousness will go before Him And will make His footsteps into a way.”

Again, He is the giver of righteousness.
He makes the way.

I hope you see the point,
We had run through these last verses sort of quickly.

But you have here a great point by the Psalmist.
• The cry of revival is a cry for God.
• The conditions of that cry are that we desire Him and we are devoted to Him.
• And when He comes the righteousness which produces peace comes with Him.

Does that make sense?
If you want revival, get your mind off of all the ways you want America to change.

And look into your own heart and ask yourself
If you want Christ more than anything else?

To pray for revival but to only want better circumstances
To go back to a life of apathy is not a prayer God is going to grant.

Download Here:

The Coming War of Jesus – Part 4
Luke 21:5-36 (29-36)
October 4, 2020

Well, we’ve been enough weeks on this now that you are well aware
Of the topic of discussion here with Jesus and His disciples.

• They commented on the beauty of the temple.
• He told them He’d tear it down.
• They asked when?
• And Jesus has answered.

I suppose you could really divide His answer into 3 main categories.

THE ALERT (5-19)
Before answering Jesus gave the disciples a warning they needed to hear.
THIS WAS OUR FIRST THREE POINTS.

#1 DON’T BE DECEIVED BY OPPORTUNISTS
Luke 21:8

• Those who mislead people by claiming they have answers to the end.

#2 DON’T BE DISMAYED BY ORDINARY EVENTS
Luke 21:9-11

• Often times those false teachers use tumult and tragedy, as a catalyst for proving the end is upon us.
• Jesus reminded that not all disturbances are indicators of the Day of the Lord judgment.
• Many are just the result of the sin curse and a fallen world.
• Wars and earthquakes have been going on for a long time.

#3 DON’T BE DISTRACTED BY OPPRESSION
Luke 21:12-19

• Jesus revealed that along with wars and disturbances the disciples could also expect persecution.
• But none of these things should distract them from their primary calling which is to preach the gospel to the world.

So we would say that Jesus first sounded an alert to the disciples.
They were clearly interested in the end,
Jesus wanted to make sure that their interest didn’t open them up
For deception or distract them from their main purpose.

We might say that the next category would be THE ANSWER (20-28)
Where Jesus actually answered their question of “When?” and “What?”
WE SAW THIS LAST WEEK

#4 DON’T BE DISCOURAGED BY OBLITERATION
Luke 21:20-28

• The fact is that the end will be terrible.
• There will be an Abomination of Desolation where the Anti-Christ desecrates the temple and declares himself to be god.
• Jerusalem will be totally laid waste.
• People will fall by the sword.
• There will be signs in the cosmos that will terrify men

In short, it will be the days of God’s vengeance
On those who did not recognize the time of their visitation.
They refused to see Him the first time, and thus they are under God’s wrath.
But God will use this time of turmoil to make sure they see Him the second time.

And yet the message from Jesus is that His disciples should not fear this,
For this will be God’s wrath and we have been
Saved from the wrath of God through Jesus.

In fact, Jesus said, (28) “But when these things begin to take place straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The coming of Christ will mean death to His enemies,
But it will mean salvation to His followers.

Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”

That was the message of Jesus.
So we have heard THE ALERT
We have heard THE ANSWER

This morning we’ll enter the final category which is THE ADMONITION.

These are the commands of Jesus
Regarding how we are to respond and live
In light of the information Jesus has given us.

It is the explanation of Jesus
Regarding how the church should respond
To the announcement of His return and coming judgment.

And this final segment includes the final 3 points of the sermon.
#5 DON’T DOUBT MY OATH
Luke 21:29-33

In verse 29 we receive a simple parable from Jesus.
• No doubt the parable serves as a break from the heavy truths of the reality of the coming days of vengeance.
• What Jesus just described is heavy and harsh as He speaks of the judgment of the wicked and His return.
• But He is moving into a new point and this parable provides a perfect segue into that new point.

(29-30) “Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.”

Jesus is simply referring to common observations from nature
That indicate to us that we are about to move into a new season.

I’ve heard them my whole life, as have you.
How do you know when winter is over?
How do you know when you’ve had your last freeze?
• When the mesquite tree leaves out because “Mother nature can’t fool the
mesquite tree”.
• When the buzzards return because “Buzzards don’t like frozen food”

We know that when that happens “summer is now near”.
Since in Texas we only get 3 days of fall and 5 days of spring,
When the freeze is over, it’s about to get hot.

We understand what Jesus is talking about.
We know what it is to recognize a sign of the seasons.

Someone could come up to you and say, “I’m afraid summer might never come this year”

But you saw the buzzards landing on a leafed out mesquite tree
And you know they’re wrong.

(31) “So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.”

When the events start to take place, as Jesus said they would,
You know that the rest of the events will follow.
When the war of Jesus starts, you know He will finish it.

You don’t necessarily know when exactly you can predict the first 100 degree day, but you know it will come.
AND NO ONE CAN TELL YOU OTHERWISE.

And THIS IS AN IMPORTANT reminder from our Lord since you all know that we live in a world of MOCKERS.

2 Peter 3:3-10 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

• No, He has not yet returned.
• No, all of the promises have not yet been fulfilled.
• But, we’ve seen the first signs come true.
• We’ve seen the leaves on the fig tree.
• So we know the rest is coming.

It is confirmation from our Lord not to allow doubters and scoffers
To cause us to think it might not happen.

In fact, there is a very serious (though often difficult to understand) promise from our Lord here.

(32) “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.”

OK, so I’ve told you about the view known as PRETERISM.
• The view that believes all the promises of the end were fulfilled in the past.
• Hyper-Preterism even says that Jesus has already returned and the
resurrection has already occurred, etc.

That view primarily arose because of an inability to reconcile this verse.
• They read it, knew a generation in the Bible is 40 years,
• So everything must have occurred within the next 40 years
• And AD 70 and the destruction of the temple became the focused event.

• Granted they saw no signs in sun and moon and stars or dismay among
nations or the roaring of the sea.
• Every eye did not see the return of Jesus as was promised.
• We did not see the Anti-Christ, his abomination of desolation or the battle of
Armageddon

But in order to reconcile this one verse
All of those things were spiritualized and the preterist view was born.

We certainly don’t agree,
But it does force us to deal with the problem of the verse.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “this generation will not pass away until all things take place?”

A scoffer could use that verse to try and discredit the second coming altogether
Saying that Jesus was wrong, and it didn’t happen.

But there is a translation possibility here that I think gives us the answer.

The Greek word of “take place” is GINOMAI

And the aorist verb form here has many facets regarding timing
When you translate it.

For example, it can also be translated “begin to be” or “begin to take place”

TURN TO: LUKE 1:12-20

So you recognize the story about when the angel met Zacharias and told him of the coming birth of John the Baptist.

In that announcement there were many things that were prophesied as to that which would take place.
(13) You will have a son
(13) You will name him John
(14) You will have joy and gladness
(15) He will be great and filled with the Holy Spirit
(16) He will turn many back to the Lord
(17) He will be a forerunner to the Messiah and will make the people ready
Those were the promises.

You also remember that Zachariah doubted it
And in verse 18 said, “How will I know for certain?”

And here was the angel’s answer.
(19-20) “The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

Notice the angel said “you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place”

“take place” is the same word GINOMAI that Jesus used.

Now, let me ask you, when did Zacharias regain his ability to speak?

Luke 1:62-64 “And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.”

The angel said you won’t speak until “the day when these things take place”
• But when Zacharias spoke, John had yet to enter ministry.
• He had not yet turned any hearts back to the Lord.
• He had not yet served as a forerunner.

In fact, all that had happened was the very first part of the prophecy, namely that he was born and named John.

So we understand what was said and what was meant.

What was clearly meant was that “you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things BEGIN to take place.”

In my opinion that is the best way to read Luke 21:32.
“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things [begin to] take place.”

With that understanding we have no problem
Seeing the destruction of the temple in AD 70 as the beginning,
And as something that this generation actually saw.

But that doesn’t mean that everything has happened yet.
It only means that the destruction of that temple was like when the first leaf appears on the fig tree. That was the start of the war.
• When you see that, know the rest is coming.
• When you see the first leaf, know more leaves will arrive, and eventually summer will be here.

THAT IS THE POINT BEING MADE HERE.

To which Jesus goes on to say:
(33) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

WHAT IS HE SAYING?
THIS WILL HAPPEN.
• Don’t doubt My oath.
• Don’t let mockers discourage you or deceive you or cause you to doubt.
• Don’t let the delay cause you to give up.

You may only see the leaves today,
But trust Me, summer is right around the corner.

He is coming.
Acts 1:9-11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

And church our conviction to this end is absolutely essential.
The second coming is the final consummation of all that Christ did.

It is the day of His judgment.
It is the day of His righteous kingdom.
It is the day of the fullness of His salvation.

We do not yield on things like the virgin birth or the crucifixion or the resurrection.

WE CANNOT YIELD ON THE SECOND COMING EITHER.
• It doesn’t matter how long it takes.
• It doesn’t matter how hard it gets.
• It doesn’t matter how loud the scoffers become.
• We are resolute, He is coming!

2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Jesus does not want His church to wobble for one instance
Regarding the certainty of His return.
IT WILL HAPPEN.

Don’t Doubt My Oath
#6 DON’T BE DOMINATED BY OBJECTIONABLE LIVING
Luke 21:34-35

When Peter wrote that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

He went on to ask:
2 Peter 3:11-12 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!”

If Christ is going to destroy this world and all the evil in it, does that give you any insight as to how you might want to be living?

Of course it does!
You’d choose “holy conduct and godliness”

And then Peter continues:
2 Peter 3:13-15a “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation…”

• If He is going to come and destroy this wicked world for its wickedness
• And set up a new world were righteousness dwells
• Then “be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless”.

And by the way you should look at the delay in His return
As Him being patient while you get your act together.

And finally Peter says:
2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Which is the same warning Jesus gave.
And don’t be deceived while you wait.

If judgment is coming on evil,
Then perhaps you should consider not being evil.

Well that’s precisely the warning Jesus gives here.
Don’t be dominated by objectionable living.

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;”

What a serious warning!

When Jesus tells you not to let your heart be “weighted down”
The word there is BAREO which means “burdened, troubled, or overcome”

It speaks of a person who has given himself to wanton pleasure.
• Here Jesus mentions “drunkenness”
• The word for “dissipation” refers to nausea that accompanies being drunk
• And Jesus mentions “the worries of this life”

Mark 4:18-19 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

You put it together and we’re talking about a person
Who gives no thought to the coming judgment. Or if they do give thought to it, they don’t let it affect their behavior or their lifestyle.

Welcome to a warning that America needs to hear.
Welcome to a warning that the American church needs to hear.

Drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, gambling, foul language, indecency, etc.

People who even though they know the Lord will return and judge evil, DON’T SEEM TO CARE
Because they happily participate in it any time they so desire.

Jesus warns against that!

In fact He says that “that day…not come on you suddenly like a trap;”

It’s like a deer feeder.
• It offers to the deer everything it wants for happy living.
• The deer gets consumed, craves the corn, and BOOM
We are reminded of His warning back in chapter 17 when He told us of the days of Noah
Luke 17:26-27 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”

He told us the days of Lot
Luke 17:28-30 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”

And of course He gave us that sobering warning:
Luke 17:32 “Remember Lot’s wife.”

He is talking about being ready for that day!

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

The temptation to pursue the pleasures of this world is a trap!
It’s a trap!

It is Satan’s way of keeping people distracted and entertained
So that they are not ready for the day of Christ’s return.

(35) “for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.”

It is coming.
Be ready for it!

Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Get ready!
Luke 12:43 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”

YOU UNDERSTAND THE POINT.
• Do you believe Christ is coming?
• Do you believe He is coming to destroy evil and set up a righteous kingdom?

• Then why in the world would you live in wickedness?
• Why in the world would you spend all your passion and resources to obtain things in this world?

This is the application of Jesus to His answer.

SINCE
• Days of vengeance are coming
• He will judge the wicked
• He will destroy this world and create a new one where righteousness dwells.

Don’t doubt what He said.
Don’t be dominated by objectionable living.
Be ready!

And finally:
#7 DON’T BE DEFEATED BY THE OPPONENT
Luke 21:36

Here we come to the CONCLUDING STATEMENT of Jesus’ answer.
• He’s warned them of the dangers of deception and distraction.
• He’s explained to them the vengeance that was coming.
• And He’s told them how they should live as they wait for the day.

And now, He leaves them with one last word of admonition,
And it is regarding the importance of prayer.

“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength”

“have strength” is a Greek word
That actually means “to prevail or to overcome”.

Luke 23:23 “But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”

The call here is for the disciples to understand that they are in a battle.
There is a real temptation that occurs in this life.
• The temptation is to let your guard down regarding the end.
• The temptation is to sort of move the coming of Christ to the back burner.
• The temptation is to become consumed with the things of this life.

• Maybe it is to be deceived by all those opportunists…
• Maybe it is to be distracted by the tumult of life and quit ministering…
• Maybe it is to be discouraged and doubt that Christ will ever come back…
• Maybe it is to be dominated by the worries of life…

Wherever it comes from, it is the understanding that
The temptation and battle of this world
Is to ultimately live for this kingdom and not the next.

And according to Jesus, this is a battle which must be overcome.

Consider those 7 letters to the churches in the book of the Revelation.

Each of those churches has different issues and different struggles.
• Ephesus has left her first love.
• Smyrna is persecuted and facing death.
• Pergamum is compromised with false disciples.
• Thyatira is worldly and consumed with the world.
• Sardis is dead and no longer focused on their mission.
• Philadelphia is tired and needs strength to finish well.
• Laodicea has totally missed the point, their fake and don’t know it.

They all have their differing issue.
But in one sense the command to every one of them is the same.

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’”

Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”

Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

Revelation 2:26 “He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;”

Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Revelation 3:12 “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

It is a consistent message with Jesus, to all the churches,
And the same message He gives here to the disciples.

With the end in view…
With an understanding of impending judgment…
With the temptations of the world all around you…
YOU MUST OVERCOME – YOU MUST PREVAIL

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

In the Revelation we read:
Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

We must overcome his deception, his temptation, his distractions,
And be focused and faithful to the Lord.

And notice here in Luke THE SECRET to doing that.
“But keep on the alert at all times, praying…”

• How do you prevail?
• How do you overcome?
• Where does this strength He speaks of come from?

It comes from prayer.
It comes when we rely upon Him.

What causes us to rely on Him and run to Him in prayer?
Being alert.
• Stay aware of what is going on.
• Stay aware of temptation.
• Stay aware of the imminence of His return.

Let that awareness drive you to Him in prayer
That you might find the strength required to prevail.

And when you prevail there are two realities that accompany it.
This is what it means to overcome.
This is what you need strength to achieve.

“to escape all these things that are about to take place.”
“to stand before the Son of Man.”

I realize that in one sense this verse seems to read like,
• You need to pray for strength so you’ll be strong enough to escape;
• You need to pray for strength so you’ll be strong enough to stand before Him.

But that’s not really idea here.

WHAT HE IS SAYING IS THAT
You need to pray so that you can overcome the enemy.

• Because when you overcome you will “escape all these things”
• And when you overcome you will “Stand before the Son of Man”

What we’re talking about here is
• People who overcome the temptations and allurements of the world.
• People who overcome the distractions and deceptions of the world.
• People who remain focused on Christ, His kingdom, and His return.

Those who overcome like this will escape the coming vengeance.
Those who overcome like this will stand before the Son of Man.

THAT’S THE POINT.

Hebrews 2:3 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,”

Hebrews 12:25 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”

So you’ve seen the Lord’s ALERT – don’t be deceived or distracted
You’ve seen the Lord’s ANSWER – days of vengeance are coming.

And now you see the Lord’s ADMONITION
• The Lord is coming, it’s a fact, take it to the bank.
• He will judge wickedness, so be ready and don’t be worldly.

Let your sole focus be
On overcoming the world and its temptations
Be alert to those temptations and pray for His strength
So that you will escape the coming wrath
And so that you can stand before the Lord.

THAT IS A HELPFUL ADMONITION.

SO, ARE YOU?
• Do you know Christ will return?
• Do you believe He will judge wickedness?
• Do you believe He will destroy this wicked world and its passions?
• Do you understand the need to seek righteousness?
• Are you overcoming?

You say, I wish I was overcoming, but I’m not.
• Are you praying?

This should be the consuming focus of the believer.
Namely that we are found faithful to Christ when He comes.

That when He comes we can lift up our heads in hope.
1 John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”

That’s the goal isn’t it?

Then take the admonition of Jesus
• Drop your preoccupation with the world.
• Focus on Christ, His return, His judgment,
• And pray and strive to be found pleasing to Him.

Luke 12:43 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

According to Jesus, there is a war coming.
In fact, it already started and it’s going to get worse.
Make sure you are on the winning team.

SIGN UP DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 14

SIGN UP HERE

(NOTE: Registrant info is the parent, attendee is the student)

If you do not wish to pay via credit card online, or if you have arranged with First Baptist Church to have your child sponsored, type GRACE in the promo code and it will waive the fee.  But we still need you to go through the online registration process.  Thank You.

MORE INFO COMING SOON, BUT HERE IS SOME PRELIMINARY INFO:

• Check in will be at 4:00 on Friday – October 23 (We’ll get started at 5:00)
• D-Now will conclude following our Sunday morning worship service at noon
• All parents are invited and encouraged to come to the final Sunday worship service @ 10:30 Sunday morning.
• Boys will be camping out in tents at the baseball field (Ball Field bathrooms – Bush Showers)
• Girls will be in host homes
• Kids will get wet and dirty at times
• Students will receive a D-Now T-shirt on Saturday night to wear Sunday
• We try to be careful (we will be taking temperatures upon arrival, and watching kids) but we do not enforce COVID-19 restrictions, all of that is left to the parent.
• We will honor your request for your child.  For example if you tell us you want them wearing a mask, we’ll make sure they do it.

PACKING LIST FOR D-NOW (always prepare for the elements – rain, cold, etc. – especially for boys)

• Bible and Pen
• NO ELECTRONICS
• BOYS: Prepare to camp in tents (cot or sleeping bag and pillow, possibly an extra blanket, bug spray, flashlight)
• Boys will be using bush showers (yes, hot water heated in a barrel, it’s great)
• GIRLS: Prepare to stay in host homes
• Toiletries (toothbrush, soap, shampoo, etc.)
• Towels (1 for showering, 1 for wet games)
• Old clothes (Saturday afternoon offers graffiti wall painting and paintball)
• Sunscreen, shoes you can run in,  prepare for cool evenings or wet weather
• Appropriate Clothes (nothing formal, but everything modest)
• A pair of jeans for Sunday morning worship (we’ll provide a D-Now T-shirt)
• Good attitude

Download Here:

Going To Church
Psalms 84
September 27, 2020

“Let’s Go To Church”
• It was a common phrase in our home growing up.
• It’s just something we did.

I know we didn’t make every service or every function, but missing certainly wasn’t the norm.
• I grew up on Sunday School, Big Church, Training Union, and Big Church again.
• Wednesday nights were RA’s and Mission Friends along with a meal.
• Summers were VBS and eventually youth trips.
• We attended every night of the Fall and Spring revivals.
• We came to every Lay Renewal that was scheduled.

As kids we didn’t always appreciate that commitment.
As a kid church was never designed to be flashy,
It was supposed to be reverent.

As a result, as kids, we didn’t like church all that much.
• We appreciated the occasional hand bell choir or Lord’s Supper
• To break up what seemed like pointless monotony
• But otherwise church was routine and boring.

And as my generation grew up we’ve seen a decline in church attendance.

I remember as a teenager talking to my 70ish year old pastor about the day when his church scheduled their first half-week revival as opposed to the week-long versions he was used to.

The church decided to stop the revival on Wednesday night because Thursday and Friday night football had routinely squashed late week attendance.

He told me how he went down to the church on Friday night, sat on the outside steps, and glared at everyone driving by to the football game.

We’ve seen it, that people quit wanting to go to church.

The reason of course is because we were in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
THE TRUE DRAW OF CHURCH
Was never supposed to be the gratification of the flesh,
But the satisfaction of a spiritual longing.

Non-believers aren’t supposed to have fun at church.
1 Corinthians 14:24-25 “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”

But, we’ve all, in one way or another seen how
“Going to church” has been losing its priority.

• Many churches no longer even attempt Sunday night services.
• Those that do see a dramatic fall off in attendance.
• The Live Stream we’ve offered scares me to death because of scattered comments I hear from people who say, “I just decided to watch from home”

I haven’t been nearly as concerned about government restrictions
As I have about apathetic responses from Christians who are ok with it.

Andy Stanley has not only canceled services until January, but has repeatedly stated that going to church is not necessary or even commanded by Jesus.

I’ve read far too many posts that say things like:
• “The Church has left the building”
• “We don’t need a building to be the church”

It is a more spiritualized version of what I heard my dad’s cowboy friends say for years growing up,
“I don’t believe you have to go to church to worship God”

Now, to be certain, not everything I just talked about is bad.

• The church certainly is not a building, it is the people.
• You can and should worship God everywhere.

But what seems to be forgotten in a lot of these circles is this.

1. The draw of going to church should have nothing to do with the
flesh and everything to do with the Spirit.

2. While we can worship Christ anywhere, it is clear that the intent,
and therefore greatest fulfillment comes when we gather together.

And just so we’re clear, the reason for the decline in church attendance
Has nothing to do with the church’s inability to entertain
And everything to do with unregenerate hearts
That don’t love Christ or His church.

I bring that up to you here in the introduction
Because TONIGHT we study the ultimate “Go to Church” Psalm.

There’s really not another like it.

It is dedicated to “the Sons of Korah”,
Who were of course the temple singers.

But it seems to be written by a man
• Who is presently not a part of the corporate assembly,
• But who terribly wants to be,
• And even prays for the strength of God to grant it.
And the simple truth he reminds us of in this great Psalm is that
Genuine believers genuinely love going to church.
And if they don’t, theirs is something desperately wrong.

Now, I would not pretend to be as pure or holy as the Psalmist here,
But I do understand the desire to be a part of corporate worship.
And I’m betting you do too.
• I miss it when we don’t have it.
• I miss it when everyone doesn’t come (especially in this COVID time)
• I missed it when we had to cancel for two weeks last month.

I understand his longing to return to worship.

Tonight, we simply work our way through it
And see the heart of a man who loves corporate worship.

Depending upon the position of your heart,
• This Psalm may encourage you,
• It may convict you, I don’t know,
• But it’s a great plumb line to look at from the heart of God.

There are 3 things we see here about our Psalmist.
#1 HIS DESIRE (to attend corporate worship)
Psalms 84:1-4

Our Psalmist begins with a mouthful regarding the joys of worship.

“How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

Obviously we’re NOT talking about structural beauty here,
Even though the temple may have indeed been beautiful.

The Psalmist simply spoke of his desire to be where God dwells.
We understand what he means.

We are aware of what Solomon said when he built the temple.
1 Kings 8:27-29 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! “Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.”

We understand what the Psalmist means by “dwelling places”.

This is the place where God caused His name to dwell.
• This was the place where His glory had moved in to rest.
• This was the appointed place where worship and atonement would occur.

So in the Psalmist’s mind,
This was the greatest location in the world to commune with God.

AND COMMUNING WITH GOD WAS THE GOAL.

Psalms 73:28 “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Psalms 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

Psalms 65:4 “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”

Like David and Asaph,
The Psalmist here also desires to be as near to God as possible.

He says, “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD”
• This wasn’t a desire for fleshly satisfaction.
• There was a longing and a craving in the soul that could only be satisfied here.

Of all the allurements and attractions the world could offer,
None could satisfy the inner most being like the presence of God.

His soul needed this.
His soul longed for worship.

But of course, who ever heard a soul?
Who ever saw a soul express anything?

That is why he says, “My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

His body rises up to allow his soul to express itself.

We see this implied in Ephesians 5.
Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”

The filling of the Spirit was indicated by the outpouring of praise.

So it is with the Psalmist.
He simply has a desire to be where God is
And to allow his soul to be satisfied
With the one thing that truly satisfies it.

In fact, he longs for it so much that he has actually BECOME ENVIOUS.
(3-4) “The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah.”

• The Psalmist remembers the birds that live under the eve of the temple.
• He remembers how the swallow might come down and land upon God’s altar.
• He thinks of the temple servants and the custodians
• He thinks of the choir singers and priests who live on the grounds

Daily their job is be in the temple, and daily their language is praise,
And daily their soul is in full satisfaction.

Can you see that this man wants to be at the temple?

Derek Kidner pointed out a New Testament application.
He wrote, “The Christian equivalent is ‘love of the brethren’ who are individually and collectively God’s temple.”
(Kidner, Derek [Kidner Classic Commentaries; Psalms 73-150; IVP Academic; Downers Grove, IL; 1975] pg. 334)

What Kidner points out to us is that
• This Psalm takes on a whole new meaning when we realize that the Psalmist
didn’t long for a structure, but the fellowship of God’s dwelling.

• And since the dwelling of God is now the church, or even more accurately the
members of the church, the desire of the Psalmist is for the fellowship of
the saints.

Psalm 84 is not about a man wanting to climb a secluded mountain
So he can spend time alone in prayer,
It is the song of a man who wants to be near the temple of God,
Which today we know as the saints.

It is a hunger for corporate worship and fellowship.

A distinguishing mark of Christianity is love the brethren.
1 John 5:1 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.”

In fact, John had just said:
1 John 4:20-21 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”

Beyond that, John even made it clear that
Those who did not endure in the fellowship were not genuine believers.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

John understood that Biblical Christianity includes a love for the saints.

That is not just a love at a distance, but a love that meets together.
• It is a love where we encourage one another.
• It is a love where we challenge one another.
• In Matthew 18 it is a love where we discipline one another.
• It is a love where we provide for one another.

There is certainly a desire to assemble together.
In fact the Greek word for church is EKKLASIA
It actually means “the assembly”

And the reason we love the assembly of the saints
Is because we are no longer in the flesh,
But we are those who are born again, children of God, spirit filled,
And who desire the fellowship of other redeemed saints.

It’s NEVER been about fleshly satisfaction.
It is about fellowship with those who share our ambition.

2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

• We love to hear the word of God.
• We love to sing the praises of God.
• We share a common view of sin and holiness.

The corporate gathering of the church is a tremendous place of rest.
OF ALL THE PLACES WE GO DURING THE WEEK,
None of them are as fulfilling and as rewarding and as peaceful
And as joyful and restful as the assembly of the saints.

And when we’re not here, we long for it.
It is a soul satisfying fellowship with God through His people.

That is why the Psalmist has such a strong desire to be here.

AND QUITE FRANKLY, TO THAT I MUST SAY,
If your desire is not to be a part of a fellowship with the saints, then not only are you living in sin (because we’re commanded to do it)
But there is also a something way off in your heart.

What do we learn about the body of Christ from Paul?
• None of us have all the spiritual gifts do we?
• None of us can claim to be all the parts of the body can we?

No, regarding gifts:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

Paul would even say:
1 Corinthians 12:29-30 “All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?”

What am I driving at?
• You may certainly be able to pray on your own, sing on your own, study the Scripture on your own.
• And you certainly have all of the Holy Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit
Has chosen to reveal Himself differently in each believer,
And so in a sense, if you want to enjoy the fullness of who He is,
Then you’re going to have to fellowship with other believers.

We also know that regarding the parts of the body, we are all different.
1 Corinthians 12:17-19 “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be?”

You need what they offer.
You are incomplete without the body.

So, a believer who has decided that they can “worship God on their own”
And that they don’t need the fellowship of the saints
Is either foolish, deceived, or downright disobedient, and is arrogant.

True Believers Desire Corporate Worship
This Psalmist does.

The desire he has for corporate worship
#2 HIS ENDURANCE (to even arrive at corporate worship)
Psalms 84:5-8

He says, “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You”

So, he’s moved from praising to God to talking about the strength of God.
Why?

Because if he’s going to ever make it to the corporate worship,
He’s going to need the strength that God provides.

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion!”

That is to say, he dreams of making the trip,
But he knows he’ll need God’s strength to do it.

I just wonder how many times in your life you’ve had to ask God for the physical strength to allow you to be able to attend worship?
• I know some of you have.
• I’ve seen many with physical ailments who sit in pain just to be here.
• Many however see any infirmity or sniffle at all to be justifiable reason.

Could you imagine?
• Wanting to go to church so badly,
• But realizing that the trip is physically beyond you,
• And so the only way you can do it is if God gives you the strength?

THIS PSALMIST IS PRAYING FOR THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH
TO BE ABLE TO COME.

WHY?
(6) “Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;”

“Baca” has a sort of concealed interpretation.
It likely either means “weeping” or “thirsty”

Either way, it speaks of a hard journey.

In fact, to get water, they have to dig their own springs.
“they make it a spring”

Now certainly, God in His providence,
Has been known to help them.
“The early rain also covers it with blessings.”

And hence you see why he’s praying.
• He’s going to have to pass through a difficult valley, with no water,
• And he either needs the strength to dig a well
• Or he needs God to send a rain and give him a puddle.

It’s a hard journey and he needs God’s strength to get there.

And he describes the journey like this:
(7) “They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion.”

“strength” is another interesting word.
• The Hebrew language has no vowels.
• Every word is just a series of consonants and vowels are added by interpreters.

The interesting thing is that the consonants for “strength” are the exact same as the consonants for “ramparts” which is a fortified wall.

And it may be that the Psalmist is speaking of
The great struggle of passing over wall after wall
Or hurdle after hurdle to get here.

• It’s not an easy journey.
• It’s a difficult trip through a barren valley and over many walls.
• It is not for the faint of heart, and so he needs God’s strength.

See his prayer?
(8) “O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah”

That is him begging God for the strength
To be able to go to corporate worship.

Those of you who went to Malawi
Are likely already thinking about our Malawian brothers and sisters.

On Sunday and Monday we had days packed with worship services and preaching.
They were going on in two different locations and we would switch locations at noon.

We were told that Pastor Felix’s congregation from Mozambique would not be there on Monday because in order to come for Sunday they had had to borrow bicycles.

This was so that they could make the 80 mile ride over a mountain to get to church, but they had to return the bicycles and so they would have to leave Monday morning.

And then surprised to see that they loved the services so much that after sleeping on a concrete patio all night, they had decided to stay until lunch and risk getting home after dark.

And then, even further, we see Pastor Felix show up at the afternoon service to hear a sermon he’d already heard once one more time.

Do you think they prayed about the journey?
• God, provide bicycles so we can go…
• God, give our leg’s strength to make it…
• God, keep us safe as we travel at night…
• God, watch over my flock as they leave without me…

Do you understand what these people went through
Just to be able come to corporate worship?

And their story isn’t even strange in Malawi.

What about the UNDERGROUND CHURCH that meets under threat of punishment?

We often read:
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

That’s an easy passage for us to read because
• Most of us drive cars to church,
• When we get here we sit on padded pews
• With air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.

Hebrews was written around AD 64.
Incidentally, it was AD 64 when Rome burned and Nero blamed it on Christians
And started feeding them to the lions.

Do you understand why some of them had gotten in the habit of skipping the assembly?
And still the writer of Hebrews called them back.

CONSIDER THE EARLY CHURCH.
• All of these Jews show up at Pentecost.
• 5,000 of them are saved.
• There is only 1 church in the entire world.
• The apostles and their preaching is in 1 location.
• If you want to hear the teaching of Jesus, you have to be in Jerusalem.

But people didn’t bring enough money to stay.
Where would all these travelers lodge?
What would all these travelers eat?

The cost and inconvenience of corporate worship would be high.
The cost of the assembly would be steep.

What do we read?
Acts 2:43-47 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

• They didn’t have a building so they commandeered the temple.
• They didn’t have a fellowship hall so they met from house to house.
• They didn’t have a bank account so they started selling property.

Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

How important was corporate worship to them?

Notice not a single citizen of Jerusalem, when asked to sell property, or feed the multitude said, “Why don’t you send them home, after all, you can worship God anywhere.”

There was priority here, even though it was hard.
They endured obstacles to have worship.

That is what the Psalmist prayed for.
I want to be a part of corporate worship, but I need strength just to get there.

That’s loving the assembly isn’t it?

The desire he has for corporate worship
The endurance he shows to attend corporate worship
#3 HIS SATISFACTION (from participating in corporate worship)
Psalms 84:9-12

Now he has arrived.
• He has entered the temple.
• He has made it to worship.

And it also begins with a prayer.
“Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed.”

In other words,
“I’m here to fellowship with You, please fellowship with me.”

• It’s not a desire for entertainment.
• He doesn’t come in wanting to know if there’s coffee of pizza.
• He just wants fellowship with God.

That’s the attraction church.

(10) “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

The implications here are rich.
He traveled all this way, through all this hardship, because he longed for worship.

How long is it implied that he gets to stay?
• “a day”
• He says “a day in Your courts”

You rode a borrowed bicycle 80 miles over a mountain
To spend “a day” in church?

Yep.

And if that’s not enough, when he got there all the SEATS WERE TAKEN.
“I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

So you didn’t even get a seat?

Those who went to Malawi are thinking about those ladies who rode from Mozambique who couldn’t even squeeze in the room,
But had to set outside and listen through the window.

That’s what the Psalmist indicates.
All I could do was stand at the threshold and listen.

And don’t you love it,
It was better than anything I could have gotten from this world.

And we live in a day when people skip church for anything.
• I’m tired,
• I went to Lubbock,
• I went fishing,
• I was playing golf,
• The superbowl was on

I don’t talk a lot about attendance.
It’s always felt a little self-serving and maybe even legalistic to harp on it.

But honestly, what runs through my mind
When people aren’t interested in meeting with God’s people
Every chance they get is,
“What’s wrong with you?”

Do you really find more satisfaction, fulfillment, and joy in the tents of Baal than you do in the household of God?

Is a television program or sporting event or anything this world offers really as much a satisfaction to your soul as fellowshipping with the saints?

I can tell you it’s not for this Psalmist.

(11-12) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

“a sun and shield” – that is all that is positive and all that is protective.
• Heat
• Life
• Protection

“The LORD gives grace and glory”

Where else can you get those things?
• Do you know any other market for grace?
• Do you know any other market for glory?

“No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
• Is there any other worldly entertainment that can promise you every good thing?
• When did God ever cheat you out of something good?

It is amazing to me how little corporate worship
Seems to mean to the children of God.

The Psalmist says that corporate worship for the redeemed is a blessing.

In fact, he said it THREE TIMES in the Psalm.
(4) “How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!”
(5) “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You.”
(12) “How blessed is the man who trusts in You.”

Where else do you get that?

• This Psalmist didn’t need entertainment.
• This Psalmist didn’t need comfort.
• This Psalmist didn’t need a seat.
All he needed was to be in God’s house with God’s people
And it was the full satisfaction of his soul.

• To be where all the spiritual gifts are manifest among the congregation.
• To be where all the parts of the body of Christ can come together.
• To be where in one accord the entire room is in agreement that Christ deserves glory.
• To be where Christ’s word is proclaimed, and loved, and seized, and praised.
• To be where passions align
• To be where eternal hope is common
• To be where sin is not acceptable
• To be where holiness is the goal

Where else in the world can you be and enjoy that?

And if it’s available to me for 7 or 8 hours a week,
Then I want to be a part of every one of them.

Because nothing this world offers
Can compare with the corporate worship
And fellowship of the saints.

• We desire it when we aren’t there.
• We endure hardship to be there.
• Because we are satisfied in the soul when we are.

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”