Author: Jefferson Vann

HE IS OUR FATHER

Isaiah 64:1-12 NET.

¹ If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you! ² As when fire ignites dry wood, or fire makes water boil, let your adversaries know who you are, and may the nations shake at your presence! ³ When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. ⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him. ⁵ You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved? ⁶ We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind. ⁷ No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have rejected us and handed us over to our own sins. ⁸ Yet, LORD, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor. ⁹ LORD, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually! Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ¹⁰ Your chosen cities have become a desert; Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin. ¹¹ Our holy temple, our pride and joy, the place where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire; all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ¹² In light of all this, how can you still hold back, LORD? How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?

I don’t have a lot of memories of my father, but I do have a lot of memories of stories that people have told me about my father. He was not a mild-mannered man. His first name was Dewey, but everybody knew him as Buck. He had a reputation of being somewhat of a wild person. I remember my mother telling me a story about one day when she was listening to the radio. She heard about a man who had decided to box a gorilla. Then she realized that that man was her husband. Things were going pretty well for him until the gorilla decided to take his gloves off. The gorilla put him in the hospital. But if there was going to be a challenge my dad would take up the challenge.

I also heard the story of the day my dad grabbed me by the throat and dragged me out of the house. No, this is not a story of domestic violence. My dad grabbed me by the throat because I had swallowed an open safety pin. He dragged me out of the house to put me in the car and take me to the hospital. There, the doctors were able to close the pin, retrieve it and save my life. He was not being a hero that day, he was being a dad.

I am grateful to God for the many things that he has given me in my life. One of those things was a father who was there when I needed him to rescue me when things went wrong. Today’s passage is a prayer from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah is pleading with God to rescue him and his nation. He pleads with God based on his relationship with his nation. He says that the Lord is his nation’s father. He says his nation is the product of his father’s labor. He pleads with God to rescue his nation.

Isaiah remembered (3-5a).

Isaiah remembered the Father’s rescue in the past. God the Father performed marvelous deeds that surprised the nation of Israel. He did not stay in heaven but came down from heaven, and the mountains trembled before him. Unlike the gods of the other countries, The heavenly father intervened for the nation Israel who waited for him. That nation was in slavery in Egypt. The heavenly father sent plagues to force the pharaoh to release his children. When the Egyptian armies pursued his children in the wilderness, the heavenly father parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape. When Pharaoh’s Chariots pursued them, the heavenly father drowned them in the sea.

But the heavenly father is not just a rescuer. He is also a teacher. He comes alongside his children and teaches them the right thing to do. He gives them commands to guide their lives. He forms a covenant with those who delight in doing what is right. In so doing, He creates families free not just to survive but to thrive. This is the heavenly father that Isaiah remembers.

Unfortunately, Israel turned against the commands of his heavenly father and rejected the covenant. The results of this rejection were something that Isaiah learned to regret.

Isaiah regretted (5b-7).

Isaiah regretted the children’s desperate situation. The father, who could have protected them, is now angry with them. They had violated his covenant. They had disobeyed his commands. Consequently, there was no one left to rescue them. Isaiah is left asking how then they can be saved. He says they are all like one who is unclean. He says all their righteous acts are like menstrual rags in God’s sight. Their works cannot please God because even their works are sinful. Their worship is hypocritical. Their leaders are corrupt. Their religious professionals are defiled. The things they take pride in are shameful. How can they expect rescue from God if they are constantly disappointing him? How can they expect God to come near if they engage in practices repulsive to him?

Isaiah regretted what Israel had done to itself. The nation was supposed to be a tall and stately tree. But its leaves have withered. Its fruit has shriveled up. It has ceased to bear fruit. The nation is a fig tree that is cursed. The people’s sins have carried them away like the wind. They are a nation in exile. They are far away from any help. The father’s rescue is too distant. As a result of this distance, no one invokes the father’s name. No one tries to take hold of God. Everyone blames God for having rejected them and handing them over to their own sins’ consequences. But Isaiah dares to pray.

Isaiah requested (1-2, 8-12).

Isaiah prayed for the Father’s intervention. Through the eyes of faith, Isaiah saw the Lord tearing the sky apart and coming down to save them. He heard the mountains trembling before the majestic, almighty God. He saw God as a raging fire igniting all the dry wood. The flames boiled all the water in the seas. Finally, God’s enemies knew who he was, and the nations shook at his presence.

After all, the Lord is their father. He is the Potter and they are the clay, they are the product of his labor. Isaiah prays for God not to remain angry at them. He prays for God not to hold their sins against them continually. He asks the heavenly Father to take a look at his children. If he only looks, he will see they are desperate.

The cities in Israel were once chosen cities, impressive displays of God’s blessing and human prosperity. But those chosen cities have now become a desert-a desolate ruin. The holy temple that was once the pride and joy of all God’s people-the place where Isaiah’s ancestors praised him-has now been burned with fire. All of those things that the people once prized and prided themselves over- those things are all destroyed.

Isaiah prayed and pleaded. He wondered how God could still hold back, how he could be silent and continue to humiliate his people. But God did remain silent. This prayer fell on what appeared to be deaf ears for seven centuries. It was not yet time for God to act, but God did answer Isaiah’s prayer.

God answered! (John 3:16).

The heavenly father loved his children. He loved his children in Israel. He loved his children in exile. He loved the whole world. We are all his children. God showed that he loved the world in this way: he gave his only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have permanent life. That is how God answered the prayer in Isaiah 64. Our heavenly father waited until just the right time to bring rescue and salvation to his lost children. That rescue and that salvation is found in Jesus Christ. He is the answer. Jesus is the answer for the world today. Beside him, there’s no other. Jesus is the way.

On this Father’s Day, we celebrate all our fathers: the ones who have passed away and those who are here today. But let us not forget that each of us has a heavenly father. He is not going to pass away. He is always here to stay. And he is here to bring rescue into our lives. He has sacrificed his son’s life to purchase that rescue for us. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; all of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his path, but the LORD caused the sin of all of us to attack him. Jesus came to seek us and to save us, to give his life as our ransom. His life, his death, and his resurrection were all part of our heavenly father’s plan. Our resurrection, glorification, and eternal life are also part of that plan. Our Father has not forgotten us. He is not asleep, and he is not silent. He has done what he can do to assure our ultimate victory.

Because of this, we can look at the words of Isaiah 64 differently today. They are not the words of a frustrated prophet trying to figure out why God does not act. They are a prayer that God answered. He answered that prayer in an unexpected way. Isaiah prayed for his people, but God responded for all people. Isaiah prayed for a supernatural display of power. God answered that prayer by sending a baby. That baby grew up and certainly did display God’s power. And he overcame the power of death itself. The supernatural display of God’s rescue is on its way. But God allows all of us to accept his solution to our problems today. The Kingdom is coming, but we can receive that Kingdom today.

Did Isaiah know that God would answer his prayer in such an unorthodox fashion? Read the next chapter! It begins with these words: “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; I appeared to those who did not look for me. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ to a nation that did not invoke my name.” It also includes this verse: “For look, I am ready to create new heavens and earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore.” We are going to face many disappointments in this life. But the next life will never disappoint. Our Father has a new universe filled with such wonder that we will not even think about this one. Our future destiny is so bright that our present reality will seem like a candle compared to the sun.

There remains only one question. Have you put your trust in God’s answer? Have you declared your faith in Jesus Christ? He is and always will be God’s answer. This Father’s Day, come to the Son.

THE SUPPORT PLATOON

Luke 8:1-3 NET.

¹ Some time afterward he went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna the wife of Cuza (Herod’s household manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.

When I was in the Army, I was assigned to the support platoon – a part of the headquarters company of my battalion. We provided particular support to our company and the other companies in the battalion. Besides the officers, most of the support platoon members were drivers, but I was not. I was part of a small team of specialists that provided the unit by purchasing and maintaining its weapons, ammunition, fuel, vehicles, general supplies, and equipment supply. We were proud of what we did because the unit could not function correctly without our support. The mission depended on us.

I thought of the name “support platoon” when I read today’s text. It describes the work of a unique team that did what they did so that Jesus and his apostles could continue their ministry. They ministered unto the ministers. They served the ones serving.

background information

We have little information about the nuts and bolts of Jesus’ ministry to his disciples and his evangelistic campaigns in Galilee, Samaria, Judea, and Perea. We know that sometimes Jesus performed miracles to provide what was needed. The feeding of the five thousand, the feeding of the four thousand, and the coin in the fish’s mouth are examples. But evidently, Jesus did not habitually support his work with miraculous means. Sometimes, he relied heavily on the generosity of the people receiving the message. But other times, he recruited supporters who would manage the everyday needs of the whole team.

This particular mission was part of Christ’s initial ministry in Galilee. It was before Jesus commissioned and sent his apostles to the same area in his final Galilean campaign. Luke says that Jesus went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him. They watched him and listened to him. As he preached to the crowds, they observed and learned.

What was this kingdom of God that Jesus was preaching? It was the same kingdom of God that the Old Testament predicted. God was going to reign on earth. But first, he must reign in our hearts. The kingdom of God will not manifest first by overcoming the Roman empire. It will not come as the fulfillment of the eschatological hope first. No, it first comes by allowing God to reign in our hearts personally. The kingdom will most certainly come with power. The Christ must undoubtedly come in the clouds, riding a white horse with an army of angels behind him. But first, it comes through the word of God coming from the mouth of the Son of God, calling everyone to repent. That was the message of the kingdom that Jesus was preaching.

That was why Jesus and the twelve traveled from town to town and village to village. The kingdom of God is not primarily a political message. It is a personal invitation from God to every individual. Everybody counts. Now, to reach everybody, you have to go everywhere. That takes patient preaching and a great deal of personal support.

gratitude in action

Luke says that some women had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities. They were serving Christ out of gratitude for what he had done for them. They were people with independent means of support, but there was no mention of them being chosen because of their wealth. Remember, the rich young ruler was a person of means. He had great wealth. He wanted to join Jesus’ band of followers. He would have been a perfect fit if Jesus had been looking for people with money. But Jesus turned him down. Even Zacchaeus of Jericho was not invited to be a part of this support platoon. Instead, Jesus chose people who had been touched by him and experienced his healing and deliverance. These were people who did not have to be convinced by an argument. Their relationship with Christ was based on a personal experience with him.

They had known themselves at their worst; then they met Jesus. He made a difference in their lives. Unsurprisingly, these are the kind of people who are highly motivated to join Jesus and serve him. Remember the Gadarene who was possessed by a legion of demons? The Lord released him from that horrible bondage, and he first wanted to join the evangelistic team. But Jesus told him no. He had a mission for that man, but it was not to go elsewhere. His mission was to return to where he had caused the most hurt and instead minister healing.

But these ladies were different. They owed their lives to Jesus and they would follow him anywhere. Also, each appears to have been blessed with resources to ensure the mission could go on no matter where the Master led them.

a support platoon

We are not told where Mary Magdalen’s resources came from, but she was probably involved in some business venture she could manage while traveling. Joanna was the wife of Cuza, Herod’s household manager, so her income came from her husband. Incidentally, it took great courage to support Jesus while being related to a member of Herod’s staff. We are not told where Susanna and the “Many others” obtained their fortunes. But all of them were chosen by Jesus to assist and support him and the apostles. What a privilege it is to do something like that.

Our local churches have their support platoons as well. They are the unsung heroes and heroines of the kingdom’s mission. They make it possible for the message of the kingdom to go out. They make it possible for people in need to be helped in Jesus’ name. They make it possible for the gospel to be preached among all the nations. The mission of Christ has never been focused on a single locality, and even at this early stage, Jesus planned to go from town to town and village to village. Today, he calls on his followers and his churches to go and make disciples of all nations, in every language, among every people group. To do that, we need support platoons in every local church, denomination, conference, region, and nation. If we cannot go, we who stay must learn how to pray and pay for those who can go.

One other aspect of this particular support platoon needs to be addressed. Of all the potentially helpful supporters our Lord could have chosen, why this group of ladies?

Why choose women?

Part of the answer is that the Lord knows every heart. He knew who had what it would take to stand with him amid the complex problems that would have to be solved. He knew each lady’s spiritual gift. He knew their mentality, their psychological makeup. He knows all men, and he knows all women.

But another reality is relevant to this question. It is a reality that Luke accents in his Gospel. Luke goes out of his way to always mention the women associated with Jesus every step of the way. If we are looking for information about Mary, the mother of Jesus, look in Luke’s Gospel. Luke also mentions Elizabeth, Anna, the widow at Nain, Jairus’ daughter, Mary, and Martha (sisters of Lazarus), the widow who gave the two small copper coins at the temple. Luke also mentions the slave girl who identifies Peter during Jesus’ trial. He also mentions a group of women who are mourning and wailing for him. Jesus addresses them, saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. For this is certain: The days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore children, and the breasts that never nursed!’”

Luke mentions, “The women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee followed him, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then, they returned and prepared aromatic spices and perfumes.  On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment. Early Sunday, these went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly, two men stood beside them in dazzling attire. The women were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then the women remembered his words, and when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women who told these things to the apostles. Some of these same ladies in the support platoon were there at the resurrection!

Luke shares Jesus’ parable about a woman who mixes yeast with her dough. Another parable has a woman looking for a lost coin. He warns women not to divorce their husbands to marry another man. He tells his listeners to remember Lot’s wife. He encourages them to be persistent, like the widow who kept appealing to the unjust judge.

Even after writing his Gospel, Luke was not finished telling us about all the women that mattered to Jesus and his kingdom. His companion book, Acts, continues with Peter’s sermon announcing that God had poured his Spirit on all people and that sons and daughters would prophesy. One of those daughters was named Tabitha of Joppa. Peter raised her from the dead, and because of her testimony, many at Joppa believed in the Lord. One was named Mary, the mother of John Mark, who was holding a prayer meeting at her house. Another, a Jewish woman with a Greek husband, had a son named Timothy, who would be helpful to Paul in his ministry to the Greeks. Another woman named Lydia opened her home to Paul. She and her family were baptized, and her home became the first church in her city. Another woman named Priscilla would help to train Apollos in theology.

Paul elaborates on the principle that all this information points to in his letter to the Galatians. There he says that there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Christ dissolves all the social and political barriers. When we become part of his kingdom, the barriers that separated us in the world cease to matter. Every society still struggles with that reality. We will probably continue to struggle with the ramifications of this equality until our Lord returns. But, for Jesus, it is already settled. We are all one in Christ. The gospel is liberating. If true, why not have a support platoon of women caring for Jesus as he preaches and the apostles as they learn? Indeed, the door is open for anyone called by Christ and empowered by his Holy Spirit to do whatever he calls them to do.

The New Testament mentions many women who proved to be exceptions to the idea of only men in ministry. Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Lydia, Euodia, Syntyche, Apphia, Nympha, Phoebe, Priscilla, Junia … their names are listed because these women mattered. If history has chosen to ignore their roles in building the kingdom, it is not because they didn’t matter. It is because history has been mainly written by people who don’t want to admit our essential equality.

But the Lord wants us to stop ignoring one another. He wants us to appreciate one another. We are all different. That is a good thing. But our differences are not supposed to keep us from living up to our potential. Jesus has a role for each one of us, regardless of the categories the world puts us in. Remember the support platoon if you think you cannot do anything significant for Christ and his kingdom. Whatever the Lord wants, he will call people like you to do it.

GOD BACKSTAGE

Romans 8:26-30 NET.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, ²⁹ because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

A few weeks ago, I was out at Saint Paul’s church getting ready for the food bank items to appear. The main shipment comes in a trailer, and we are responsible for unloading that trailer and preparing the items to be distributed. To unload the trailer, we need a tractor with forks attached to it so we can unload the pallets in the trailer. On this particular day, the trailer had not yet arrived, so several of us men were standing around the tractor talking. There was a little boy among us. I don’t think he was quite school-age yet. The tractor driver noticed this little boy. He saw that this little boy was eyeing the tractor in awe. So, the tractor driver called the little boy over to himself. We helped the little boy into the driver’s seat. The tractor driver was still there, but he wanted the little boy to have the thrill of driving that tractor. So, the little boy sat in the tractor driver’s lap and steered that tractor wherever he wanted it to go. And for a few minutes, the little boy enjoyed driving that tractor in circles around the front of the church. We could all see the little boy beaming. He will never forget the first day he drove a tractor. We all know that that little boy was not driving that tractor. He was turning the wheel but not actually in control of the tractor. Someone else was allowing the little boy to have this experience.

I thought about that story when I read today’s passage. The apostle Paul is talking about all that we go through in the process that we refer to as our salvation. But the apostle Paul is describing these things from a different perspective. He’s describing all of the process of human salvation from God’s perspective. He explains that even though we feel that salvation is a complex process for us, God is backstage, ensuring that what he wants to happen happens.

We have been looking at the book of Romans from the standpoint of how it describes the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, we saw in this chapter that God has a beautiful plan for our destiny. Paul called it the revelation of the children of God. When Jesus returns, all God’s plans for us will be revealed. We don’t know about what God has planned for us. We can only speculate about our future. It is hard for us to see beyond the grave. But we know God has a plan for every believer to be part of his restored, revived, renewed universe.

In today’s passage, Paul describes God’s process to get us from where we are now to where he plans us to be. His point is that we can live with confidence today, knowing that God is involved in every step of the process that will lead us to our final destiny. I want to walk us through Paul’s argument in today’s text to show we can have that confidence.

God is backstage in our prayer lives (26).

Paul says that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. In the spiritual realm, we are so weak that we don’t even know how to pray. Jesus once told a story about two men who prayed. One prayed with pride. This man’s prayer never reached heaven. He didn’t know how to pray. Another man prayed, “God be merciful to me, a Sinner.” That prayer reached heaven. What was the difference between the two prayers? Paul says that we do not know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He makes it possible for our prayers to reach heaven. He makes our prayers worthwhile.

He does this by inexpressible groanings. Now, this is not the first time that Paul mentions groanings. Earlier in this chapter, Paul said That God’s children are suffering presently. He said that we groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. We have a hope of eternal life through the gospel. But that hope is not yet realized. We believe in eternal life, yet our bodies continue to grow old and die. We believe what God promised us, but we have not yet experienced the fulfillment of those promises. And so, we groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption and the redemption of our bodies.

But not only do we groan inwardly, but also the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. The universe itself is crying out in need of God’s restoration. Humans can do all we can for conservation, but we need God for restoration. The universe around us is falling apart; it needs another miraculous touch from its creator. And, because we are part of that decaying universe, we also groan inwardly seeking that restoration. But Paul tells us in today’s text that the inner groaning that we are experiencing is not from ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit within us connecting with our eternal God and causing us to long for his destiny for us.

So, there is a specific way in which the Holy Spirit helps us when we pray. He helps us connect with the one who can make a difference in our lives today and for eternity. We don’t know how to pray. We don’t have the words to say. We don’t have the thought processes to communicate what needs to be communicated. So, God’s Holy Spirit steps in and communicates for us backstage. This is not speaking in tongues. This is divine speech that goes beyond tongues. God can say what needs to be said when no language can express it. This happens when you spend hours just in the presence of God, not knowing what to say. God is there and he is filling in the gaps. He’s saying what you would say if you knew how. His divine presence makes a difference even if you cannot feel it.

God is backstage in our thought lives (27).

Paul calls God the one who searches our hearts. He says the Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the Saints according to God’s will. The text says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for the Saints in line with God. That means that something is going on in our thoughts. We are thinking our thoughts, but behind the process backstage, a God ensures that our thoughts align with his thoughts. God has a plan, and we have a plan. But our plan does not always match God’s plan. But God’s Spirit works within our hearts to ensure that the things we plan will eventually result in what God plans. I’m sure you have experienced times when something turns out right with your life and you don’t know why. You also experienced times when you wanted something to happen and it didn’t happen and then you learned that it was best for you that it didn’t happen. Paul is describing God at work behind the scenes in the thought lives of believers. We like to think that we are the ones who are making the decisions for our lives. But the fact is many things affect the decisions that we make. Many things affect the thoughts that we have. Paul is saying that God is behind the scenes like a driving wind in the sails of our lives. He provides the power to turn our lives in the direction he wants them to go. Even our past failures are part of this process. God knows what we are thinking and how to turn our thoughts in the direction he wants them to go.

God is backstage in our circumstances (28).

When our thought lives are in line with God, that is when we know that all things work together for our good. Romans 8:28 is a proof text, and sometimes it’s used as a life verse. But there are certain things that people think that verse says that it does not say. It does not say that all things are good. It says that all things work together for good. There are a lot of bad things that happen in our lives. We are not being faithful to the scriptures if we say that those bad things are good. But we are faithful to scripture if we say that even those bad things are being used by God for our good.

A good Old Testament example of this principle is the life of Joseph. In the book of Genesis, we read about the life of Joseph. We read that his brothers hated him. They hated him so much that they arranged for him to be taken as a slave and moved to Egypt. In Egypt, his bad luck did not improve. He was wrongly accused and wound up as a prisoner. Even when he helped other prisoners out, they forgot him. But eventually the Lord not only rescued him from that prison but enabled him to become a chief official in Egypt. There was a famine in the land and Joseph was in charge of the food supplies of Egypt. That is when he meets his brothers again. When they discover That Joseph is a chief official in the land, they fear for their lives. But Joseph told them not to be angry with themselves because they had sold him into slavery. He said that God had sent Joseph ahead of them to preserve life (Genesis 45:5). Later, after their father died, the brothers were sure that Joseph was going to take his revenge and have them killed. They throw themselves down before him and proclaim that they are his slaves. But Joseph once again reassures them. He says, “You meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people as you can see this day” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph had several horrible things happen to him in his life. But as he reflected on them, he realized God worked in the background in those circumstances. God had a plan, which was for Joseph’s good and the good of all of his people.

The apostle Paul had several bad things happen to him in his life. But he also learned the truth that Joseph had learned. The truth is that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Our circumstances are not God’s means of condemning us. They are the ways that God is using to accomplish his will. We need to gain the proper perspective about our circumstances. We are not victims of blind luck. We are tools that God uses to accomplish his will. It sometimes hurts when God uses us this way. But everything works out for our good and for those who God wants to bless. He is working in the background. He is working backstage in the circumstances of our lives.

God is backstage in our destiny (29).

God has predestined us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. God’s purpose is for Jesus Christ to have many brothers and sisters. While Jesus is God’s unique son, through the process of salvation, he is making more and more children of God. This is God’s destiny for you and me. We are destined to be divine royalty in God’s eternal Kingdom. But our present reality does not conform to that ultimate destiny. What Paul is saying in today’s text is that God is backstage, ensuring that that will happen. He is not leaving our destiny to chance. He is at work in our prayers, at work in our thoughts, in our circumstances to make us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. That should be a comfort to all of us.

When I lived in the Philippines, I noticed something unusual. Some of the most beautiful exotic landscapes and territories were in places that were hard to get to. The roads were bumpy. The lanes were narrow. It took a long time to get to these places. Traveling to these places puts lots of wear and tear on our vehicles. When we got to these unique places, we were always glad we got there. We were always thankful that such beautiful places exist. But getting there was difficult. In today’s text, Paul says that our lives are like that. Getting to our ultimate destination is a tough thing to do. But our ultimate destination is worth it.

One of the things that the apostle Paul taught the churches he established in his missionary tours is “We must enter the Kingdom of God through many persecutions” (Acts 14:22). When we face difficult circumstances as believers, it is not an indicator that we are doing something wrong. It may be verification that we are doing something right. This life that we are living now is not designed to be perfect. It is intended to build in us a perfect heart. If you know your life aims toward a beautiful destiny, you can sing while shackled to the prison floor. Troubles and trials cannot stop you. You know that God is at work backstage in the circumstances of your life. You know that his purpose is your good and your perfect eternal destiny. The glory you will face in the future is worth the trouble you face to get there.

God is backstage in our choices (30).

Finally, in today’s passage, Paul lists five things that must happen in the life of every human being who will eventually be saved. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be predestined. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be called. He says that anyone who is going to be saved must be justified. He says that anyone who will be saved will eventually be glorified. Now, every one of us is somewhere on that list. None of us has accomplished everything on the list. The last item is glorification. I look around this room today and I see a lot of people who are on their way to glorification. But none of us are there yet. But the good news that Paul tells us in today’s text — the news that makes all the difference in how we live our lives today is that we are not responsible for one item on the list. All of the pronouns in Romans 8:30 or third person masculine singular. It does not say I predestined; it says he predestined. It does not say I called; it says he called. It does not say I justified myself; it says he justified me. So, Paul concludes the list by saying that God has glorified us. He did it by his sovereign choice, and eventually, it’s going to show in our lives. Paul has already said that we will know we’re glorified when we see Christ when he returns. He said that God’s glory would be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). This will happen the moment we see Jesus Christ descending from the clouds. At that very moment, a transformation will occur in our lives.

The apostle John discussed that transformation. He said, “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is” (1 John 3:2).

The apostle Paul tells us in today’s text that the creative statement from God that will make this happen has already occurred. From God’s standpoint, your glorification has already happened because God has already decreed it. He has already glorified you. You and I have not experienced that glorification yet, but it is just as sure as our justification by the blood of Christ. We are just as sure that we will eventually conform to the image of Christ as we are that the blood of Christ saved us. Our future is inevitable. Our present path may be bumpy. It may be a long row to hoe. But the result is eternal glory And matchless beauty. This is true not because we work for it but because God has decreed it.

You may be a Christian today, but in your heart, you wonder if you will make it. You don’t like your life. You have such a difficult time doing the things you do. They don’t seem to matter. You wonder if you are missing something. You wonder how to be a faithful Christian if life is hard. But God’s word to you from today’s passage is, “Hang on, brother and sister, because God has this. He is in control. The sovereign God who took Joseph from the prison and made him a Prince is in charge of your life. Hang on, brother. Hang on, sister. He is not through with you yet.”

FOCUS

Matthew 24:9-14 NET.

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. ¹⁰ Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, ¹² and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the person who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

We are continuing our study of Christ’s eschatological discourse. Jesus gave that sermon on the Mount of Olives in answer to three questions his disciples asked him. They asked him when the temple was going to be destroyed. They asked him what would be the sign of his coming. And they asked him what the sign of the end of the age would be. We saw last week that Jesus answered the third question first. He answered the question about the end of the age. Instead of giving a date for the end of the age, Jesus explained the age before his second coming. It was going to be characterized by three things. First, there was going to be a lot of false messiahs. Leaders would rise and try to get the world to follow them. Second, there would be a lot of international strife and warfare. And third, there were going to be a lot of natural disasters. We’re going to characterize the age in which we live now and anticipate the coming of Christ. Jesus’ command in that section is for all of us to watch out so we are not misled.

Jesus is still teaching about this present age (13-14).

In today’s passage, we see that Jesus continues to describe this present age. He gives us clues that he is still answering the same question. We know the word end shows up in verse 13 and verse 14. Verse 13 tells us that the person who endures to the end will be saved. Verse 14 tells us that the gospel is going to be preached all over the world, and then the end will come. So, Jesus is still describing the age in which we live now. We live in an age when God’s people are called on to endure. And we are still living in an age when the gospel message has to be proclaimed to every nation. Jesus says that that proclamation must continue as a testimony to all nations, and the end will come.

This is a vital truth that we cannot afford to ignore. The age in which we live now is when God has determined the gospel must be proclaimed. God has a plan and called on us to fulfill that plan. But it is going to be a difficult age in which to do that. That is why the church is called on to persevere until the end. God has given us a task, and it is a difficult task. The nature of that difficult task is one of the main reasons we have this passage that we’re looking at today.

The age will be dangerous for true believers (9).

In verse 9, Jesus tells the disciples that they will be handed over and persecuted and killed. We know that that is just what happened. All of the apostles were persecuted. All but one was killed for their faith. During the past 20 centuries, the church has sought to reach the nations for Christ, and those nations have hated it in return.

But I need to explain something about the text as it appears today. You will note that in verse 9 and verse 10, the sentences begin with the word then. Some people read those statements as if Jesus is describing a new period. But we know that that is not how it happened. The persecution of Christians began immediately at the foundation of the church. Danger has plagued us throughout all 20 centuries. So, why does Jesus begin those verses with the word then? In that context, the word then means at that time. He is describing again the entire New Testament age.

The church will be characterized by division and deception (10-11).

So, in verse 9, Jesus says that all the nations will be our enemies. But, to make matters worse, in verses 10 and 11, Jesus says we will have another enemy. That enemy will be ourselves. The Church of Jesus Christ will be plagued by division and deception throughout this age. We are not going to get along with one another. Instead, we are going to betray one another and hate one another. That is the opposite of what Jesus calls the church to do. He commands us to love one another and respect one another. He calls on us to be united. He wants us to care for one another. But he warned his apostles in this sermon that we would be tempted to turn against one another during this entire age.

He also warns us that this entire age will be plagued with deception and false prophecy. False prophets will appear and deceive many. Who are these false prophets going to deceive? They can’t deceive unbelievers, for unbelievers don’t know the truth to begin with. No, the deceivers will be seeking to deceive the church. They will seek to draw away believers from the faith. They will come with new ideas and seek to lure believers away from the gospel.

Some false prophets dress like sheep and appear to be true believers. Some dress like politicians, scientists, or educators. Their outer appearances vary, but their aim and goal remain the same: They want Christians to stop believing the truth of the Bible. It does not matter what they replace it with as long as they replace the gospel.

The church will also be characterized by lawlessness and apathy (12).

So, Jesus is teaching that during this age in which we live, The church will be attacked from the outside and from within. The nations will criminalize the Christian gospel. The churches will apostasize. They were rebelling against the gospel itself. How will the church respond to this dual attack? Jesus says there will be an increase in lawlessness. Note that Jesus is not describing the world here. If you look back at verse 9, Jesus began this section with this statement: “Then they will hand you over.” So, Jesus is talking about “you.” In that context, “you” means the Christians — the disciples. So, when Jesus says that lawlessness will increase, he talks about lawlessness among professing Christians.

He also says that the love of many will grow cold. Again, he is not talking about the world here. The love that Jesus is talking about is the love of Christians. He has called his church to love. But Jesus says that the love that should be in every Christian will grow cold during this age. Not every Christian will be like this. But Jesus says the love of many will grow cold. This is a challenge for all of us. Jesus is calling us to live above and beyond the nature of this age. The church is being called on everywhere to loosen its grip on the Kingdom of God. The world wants the Church of Christ to be apathetic. The world wants us to look upon the life of someone whose life is destroyed by their actions and to affirm them in their choices. Love does not do that. When love sees someone in a burning building, love rushes in to rescue them. Love does not walk by and let them burn themselves to death.

When Jesus said that the love of many would grow cold, he said it with a tear in his eye. He knew that when the church ceases to love, it ceases to proclaim the gospel. When the church is intimidated into staying quiet, people on the way to hell are never rescued.

Jesus commands us to persevere and stay focused on the gospel (13-14).

Jesus said the person who endures to the end will be saved. This age is not one in which we must blend in with the world. We must stand apart from it. We must resist the temptation to fall in line with the nations. When they bully us to keep quiet, we must endeavor to speak all the louder.

And this final verse, many people think, is just out of place. They believe that somebody tacked on this statement about the gospel being proclaimed. But it is not out of place. Proclaiming the gospel is God’s plan for every Christian during this age. Note I did not say every preacher. I did not say every pastor. I did not say every Sunday school teacher. I said every Christian. The world wants us to confine our proclamation of the gospel between 11:00 and 12 every Sunday. But Jesus gave us no such instructions. He did not tell us to preach in a church. He told us to preach to the entire inhabited earth. That’s a whole lot of ground to cover. But it’s a lesson we must understand and obey. We will not fulfill Jesus’ command by simply putting on a worship service for one hour a week. We have to learn to preach everywhere. There are lost people everywhere, and we are commanded to seek them out.

Some people believe that Jesus predicted that the church would triumph and everyone would eventually be saved. They believe that when Jesus returns, he will return to a world that has already accepted him as their savior. That’s not what I get from this passage. Jesus is not describing an age of triumph. I wish he were. But how Jesus described this age tells me that we will always be fighting an uphill battle. It is always going to be challenging to be a Christian. It is always going to be a difficult thing to get the gospel out. And that’s why Jesus calls on us to persevere despite the challenges.

We are running out of time. We need to stop being distracted by our internal squabbles, false prophets, and temptations to sin. Most of all, we need to focus on getting the gospel message out to those who need it.