As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes
concerning John, Yes, I say to you, and more
than a prophet, for this is he of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before your
face, who will prepare your way before you. Assuredly,
I say to you, among those born of women, there's
not risen one greater than John the Baptist,
but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven
is greater than he. And from the days of John
the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence. And the violent take it by
force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. And if you're willing to receive
it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears
to hear, let him hear. Let's pray. Father, Lord,
would you give us ears to hear this morning.
Father, we pray for the blessing and the help
of your Holy Spirit. Open the truth of your word.
May the truth penetrate into our hearts. God,
may you bring glory to your son through what
we hear this morning. We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen. Here we are. It's hard to believe we're
in the middle of November. Actually, in two weeks,
the Advent season begins and we'll begin to celebrate
the birth of our Savior and Lord. We like that
time of year. I think all of us do. We think
of Jesus in that manger lying there meek and
mild. We love the angelic proclamation of peace
on earth and goodwill toward men. We love to
celebrate that light has come into our darkness
and joy has invaded our sadness. But if we're
not careful, and this is the danger here, we
can begin to sanitize the gospel narrative. In
fact, we can begin to sanitize the entire scriptures.
For example, The story of Jesus' birth is often
viewed more in terms of like a Norman Rockwell
painting or perhaps a Charles Dickens novel.
But the Bible presents the truth in much more
stark terms. It doesn't try to sugarcoat. It
doesn't try to whitewash or hide anything. Jesus'
birth, that same time when the angels are proclaiming
peace on earth and goodwill toward men, shortly
thereafter, his birth was followed by the murder,
of all the boys in Bethlehem from two years old
and under. So that angelic proclamation, which
we love, was then followed by the loud cries
and lamentation of mothers weeping over the senseless
murder of their children. That is scripture.
The days in which Jesus lived were a very violent
time, but it's always been violent. In fact,
Jesus says in the text this morning, the kingdom
of heaven suffers violence and the violent take
it by force. With these words, what is Jesus
doing? He's waking us up. He's using strong language
to confront us with the reality that God works
in ways that we least expect and certainly under
conditions that we would not expect. I mean,
think, for example, that we're speaking this
morning of John the Baptist, the great prophet,
Jesus' very cousin. But he's sitting in a prison
cell waiting to have his head chopped off. That's
scripture. And as John was sitting in that prison
cell, he began to question and wonder, is Jesus
really the Messiah? Because things aren't turning
out exactly like I thought they would. He had
a preconceived notion. He sends two of his disciples
to Jesus and they ask him point blank, are you
the one who is to come or should we look for
another? But Jesus was not angry with John. He
was not upset with John at all. In fact, in our
text today, Jesus pays tribute to him. But there's
a whole lot more going on than just paying tribute.
In fact, Jesus, now there's crowds surrounding
him as there normally were. Jesus is inviting
the crowds that had come to him to consider what
God was doing in their midst. See, so many people
in Israel at that time, they missed the significance
of John's ministry because they expected God
to work in more predictable ways. That's why
Jesus asked the crowds, well, what did you go
out in the wilderness to see? I mean, they all
went out to John in that Galilean desert. What
did they expect to see out there? Were they looking
for the work of God? Or were they looking for
their preconceived notions of how God should
work? Because if you think about the ministry
of John the Baptist, it's surprising. It's surprising
that he was calling Israel to repent and be baptized.
Now what's surprising about that is there had
always been converts or proselytes from the Gentile
nations into Judaism, into the Jewish faith.
Well, how did these pagans, these Gentiles, show
their repentance? They were baptized as a sign
of cleansing and entrance into the Jewish community.
For those Gentiles being baptized, that showed,
first of all, that they were cleansed from their
filth of sin, but it also showed that there was
an abandonment to their former way of life. They
were leaving it behind and they were beginning
again. So then John the Baptist comes on the
scene. And everyone's familiar with Jewish washings.
They're familiar with proselyte baptisms. But
John comes on the scene and he begins to preach
a message about repentance. He's calling people
to repent and to be baptized. Nothing shocking
there at all. But he wasn't talking to Gentiles.
He was talking, rather, preaching to Israel.
looked at Israel, the Jewish people, and he said,
you need to repent. You need to be cleansed in
preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. Now
that's absolutely shocking. He was calling for
Israel, the covenant people, the chosen nation,
to get ready for their Messiah. So if you look
at John and his ministry, he stands as a bridge,
standing at the close of the old covenant and
the inauguration of the new. And in the text
today, as we're going to look at this, you and
I are confronted with some of the same questions.
Are we blinded by our own preconceived notions
or expectations? Or are we prepared to receive
God's ways even when they come in unexpected
ways? God doesn't normally work the way we would
expect him to work. And our Lord closes this
text with that familiar refrain, he who has ears
to hear, let him hear. This is the call for us.
Listen up. Don't miss what God is doing. So we
do well to open our ears this morning. Now let's
look at verses 7 through 9 again. I just read
them. I don't want to take the time to read them
again. But suffice it to say, great crowds following
Jesus. And you remember those two disciples that
John sent, they were there in the midst of the
great crowd. So the crowds would have overheard
their question. That question that John sent
them to ask. Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another? And I imagine
that the people, these crowds, because they're
still enamored by Jesus, they were wondering,
had John lost his way? Had he fallen away? Was
he so beaten down by his imprisonment that he
was now reneging on what he had earlier proclaimed
about Jesus? Because keep in mind... earlier,
John had emphatically and triumphantly declared
Jesus to be the Lamb of God, which takes away
the sin of the world, and he emphatically declared
him to be the Christ of God. And the crowds knew
that. That was John. He had told everyone about
Jesus. And now he's wondering if he's the one
to come? What's happened? Had this stint in prison
caused him to change his mind? And if so, what
did Jesus now think of John? Well, we can see
Jesus very clearly let them know what he thought
of John. But before he did so, he asked the crowd
a few questions. Because they had also gone out
to John. Many of them probably had been baptized
by John. What did you go out in the wilderness
to see? Just a reed shaken by the wind? See,
before Jesus, John had been wildly popular. He
had also garnered large crowds that had come
to him, not just in Galilee, but from all over
Israel, from Judea, Jerusalem, Galilee. People
from all over the nation were flocking to John
out in the desert. Now the King James, the New
King James says wilderness, but it's a desert
wilderness. And he's baptizing people there.
But what drew such large crowds? Jesus said,
did you go out there to see a reed shaken by
the wind? Reed grass was very common in that
area around the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
Rabbis would often use reed grass as a metaphor
for preachers or speakers who simply told the
crowds what they wanted to hear. So Jesus is
asking the crowds, do you think John was just
another man who tailored his message to make
it more palatable to the crowds? We think of
this with politicians. Rarely do you get a frank,
direct answer. They are always speaking out of
both sides of their mouth. Is that what you expected
of John? Absolutely not. John, John the Baptist,
he's a man of uncompromising integrity. In fact,
he was in prison because he would not soften
his message. He spoke truth to power. He spoke
truth to Herod Antipas. That's why he was sitting
in a prison in the first place. Jesus continues,
well, what did you go out to see then? A man
clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear
soft clothing are found in king's houses. He
says, let me ask you this question. Did you go
out to the desert wilderness to see a sophisticated,
refined dignitary? A man in royal apparel? That's
soft clothing there. He said, if that's the reason
you went, you went to the wrong place to see
the wrong man, because John the Baptist was known
for his ruggedness. His asceticism was widely
known. Do you remember how John was dressed?
John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather
belt around his waist. And what did John eat?
He didn't eat king's food. He ate wild locusts
and honey. That was his diet. And what about
his message? John was not known for exactly soft
peddling the truth. He was a bold, fiery preacher.
So John the Baptist was not some upper crust,
soft dignitary, nor was he a yes man for the
king. So Jesus then asked a third question. Well,
what, did you go out to see a prophet? Is that
what you went out there to see? He says, I say
to you, yes, he was a prophet. but more than
a prophet. In fact, this is the one that was
prophesied that he would go and be the messenger
before the Messiah. So now the people consider
John a great prophet. The Lord Jesus agreed with
their assessment. Absolutely. John is a prophet
sent from God with a message from God, but he
said there's more than a prophet in John. In
fact, he served a unique role in redemptive history.
John the Baptist was personally chosen by God
as the one who would introduce his son, the Messiah,
to Israel. Now Jesus quoted Malachi here, Malachi
3 .1. Behold, I send my messenger and he will
prepare the way before me. This is John. He's
the messenger. John is going to serve as a herald
to introduce the king to Israel. It's a pivotal
role in salvation history here. His ministry,
that of John the Baptist, it marked the end of
the old covenant as he introduced Jesus, the
one who would inaugurate the new covenant in
his blood. Verse 11, he says, Now friends, that's
an unbelievable statement. Was Jesus just using
hyperbole here? Was Jesus really saying that
John the Baptist was greater than Abraham, the
father of Israel? Was he greater than Moses,
the great lawgiver? Was he greater than the Jacob,
the patriarch who had the 12 sons of Israel?
Was he greater than King David? Was he greater
than King Solomon? I mean, think of the history
of Israel. It is filled with names of illustrious
men who did great things. And Jesus, was he really
saying that John the Baptist was greater than
any and all of them? Yes. That is exactly what
he said. He said, among those born of women,
that pretty much encompasses everyone. That's
every human being until the time of John the
Baptist. He said, there's not one that was born
that is greater than he. That's a strong statement.
Why was John so great? We don't normally associate
such greatness with John the Baptist. Isaiah,
the great Christ preacher, yeah, we get that.
David, the great psalmist of Israel, we get that.
John the Baptist? Yeah, but his greatness did
not simply lie in his person, but in his position.
His greatness was tied to the kingdom that he
was preaching of. What did John do? He's a forerunner,
right? So he came and he preached the arrival
of the kingdom. That is a privilege that no other
prophet in the entire Old Testament ever had.
They weren't given that. John uniquely preached
the arrival of the kingdom. But there's something
even more surprising in Jesus' words. That's
pretty shocking. No one's greater than he, except,
Jesus said, anyone who's least in the kingdom
of God is greater than he. What? You're saying
that John is greater than anyone who had ever
lived up to that time. And now you're saying
the very one who's least in the kingdom of God
is greater than John. What is going on here?
Well, Jesus is clearly contrasting two different
redemption errors. First of all, there's the
error of preparation. Proclaiming, all the prophets
proclaiming what is to come. Think of Isaiah.
Isaiah 7, the virgin will conceive. Isaiah 9,
his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace. That's Isaiah.
But he's proclaiming what is going to come. And
the entire Old Testament's like that. But now
you have the era of fulfillment. John and Jesus
proclaiming what has come. And that's what the
entire New Testament is going to be based upon.
And Jesus said the very least man or woman in
the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. How?
By privilege. Because he or she is in the kingdom,
actually in the kingdom, under the new covenant.
But John was the last in the old covenant. With
John, the entire Old Testament era came to an
end. R .T. France, in his commentary, he says,
The issue here is not John's personal salvation.
We're not doubting whether John was saved, but
his place in the scheme of salvation history.
For all his crucial role as herald of the kingdom
of heaven, because that's what he did. He heralded,
behold, the kingdom of heaven's at hand. John
essentially belongs to the old era, not the new.
Now, do you see what Jesus is doing here? I mean,
these are shocking words. And let me just say
to you, church, this morning, do you see the
incredible power privilege that God has bestowed
upon you, allowing you to be born under this
new covenant. You have a greater privilege than
even John the Baptist had because you live under
this new covenant inaugurated in the bloody death
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Under the old covenant,
sacrifices were repeated endlessly. Never could
they remove sin. They could only cover sin. But
under the new covenant, Christ's Once for all
sacrifice of himself actually took away sin.
Hebrews 10. For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats could take away sins. You
could offer them all. You could take every bull,
every goat from here until the end of time and
they would not take away your sin. Verse 14.
For by one offering he that is Jesus Christ has
forever perfected those for being sanctified.
Took one lamb. The lamb of God. That's new covenant.
The old. Had a mediator. Mediated by Moses. Moses
was a faithful servant in the house. The new
also has a mediator. But it's the eternal son.
Hebrews 7. By so much more, Jesus has become
a surety, a promise of a better covenant. 9 .15.
For this reason, he is the mediator of the new
covenant. Go back to the old covenant. The law
was written on stone. It commended righteousness,
but it could never produce it. It couldn't create
it. But under the new, the Spirit writes the
law on our hearts, and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit
of God, empowers our obedience. Hebrews chapter
8, verse 10. For this, and he's quoting Jeremiah
here, this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord. I will put my laws in their mind. and write
them on their hearts, and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. And the old, you
had a high priest, and yes, he could enter into
God's presence, yes, but only one time a year.
In the new, and I think this is probably the
greatest privilege that you and I have that we
often neglect, every believer has open, continual
access to the throne of grace. Hebrews 10, therefore,
brethren, having boldness. You never had boldness
in the Old Testament. They were afraid. Are we
going to be struck dead in the presence of God?
We have boldness to enter the holiest. That is
the holy of holies. How in the world do you have
boldness to go in there? By the blood of Jesus
Christ. Under the Old, the Holy Spirit, yeah,
he was present. He came, he empowered selectively,
temporarily, anointed kings and priests and prophets.
But in the New Covenant, The Holy Spirit indwells,
takes up residence within all believers permanently.
Remember on the day of Pentecost, Peter preaching,
he's quoting Joel, but he says this, but this
is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it
shall come to pass in the last days, that the
last days are the days after Christ's death and
resurrection, says God that I will pour out my
spirit on all flesh, young men, young women,
old men, old women, everyone who has come to
faith in Christ. The old covenant centered on
ethnic Israel. The new covenant creates one new
humanity in Christ. Galatians chapter 3 verse
28. There's neither Jew nor Greek. Jew nor Gentile.
They don't exist in the church. There's neither
slave nor free. There's neither male nor female.
For you're all one in Christ Jesus. And Jesus
is looking at that crowd. He says, it's for these
reasons that the very least person in the kingdom
of God is greater than John the Baptist. Yeah,
you're greater because you have a greater covenantal
privilege than John ever had. It's the privilege
of the new covenant. John, he preached the arrival
of the kingdom of God. But you live in the inaugurated
kingdom that John preached. He said, it's here.
You take up residence within it. You have a greater
privilege. Verse 12. And from the days of John
the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence. And the violent take it by
force. The kingdom John preached about and the
kingdom Jesus preached about, both, same kingdom,
was not without opposition. And friends, there
has always been opposition to the people of God,
to the work of God, from the earliest times,
from the earliest days until now. It began with
Cain killing his righteous brother Abel. That's
the first murder we see. But then you go into
the prophets. It doesn't matter. Take any prophet.
The prophets were often treated contemptuously.
Many of them were killed. You can read back that
time that wicked Ahab and even more wicked his
wife Jezebel, they slew a lot of the righteous
prophets. Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet,
spends considerable time in a dungeon for preaching
what God had sent him to preach. Isaiah, just
the greatest prophet, I think, of the Old Covenant.
He was ultimately, literally, sawn in two for
faithfulness to God. As I said earlier, when
Jesus was born, shortly thereafter, Herod, the
Tetrarch, he had all the babies in Bethlehem
murdered. John, where is he right now as Jesus
is speaking? He's in a prison waiting to be executed.
And the Lord Jesus would eventually inaugurate
his kingdom how? Through his bloody death. The
kingdom of heaven suffers violence. Why? There's
satanic opposition. Satanic opposition, demonic
opposition. They hate Christ, they hate the gospel,
and they hate the church that proclaims it. And
that's the way it's always been. And so God's
kingdom is often violently attacked by unbelievers
who oppose the kingdom. We see that in direct
places like Nigeria, Sudan, North Korea. We see
that. But it's always been a violent opposition,
and it always will be until the time when Christ
returns. But this goes against the grain of what
we normally would imagine. Our preconceived idea
says, well, the kingdom of God, it's going to
go and conquer all its foes. And it does. But
there is some warfare taking place. It's going
to be opposed. Yes, God is building his church,
and there's not a thing Satan can do about it.
The gates of hell will not prevail. They won't
stop the church of God. It cannot defeat the
church of God. But Satan still tries to stop
her, often through violent means. And we shouldn't
be surprised by that. Jesus and the violent take
it by force. Think about Jesus. They killed our
king. They killed the king. But they did not
realize that he would rise from death and kill
them. He would ensure their defeat. See, today,
even today, as we sit here in this lovely building
where we gather each Lord's Day, even today,
the forces of darkness still seek to violently
take the kingdom by force. They still do. And
we're not, now we, again, where we are, we live
in a moment of reprieve, if you will. A moment
of relative ease, peace, prosperity. But that's
unique. It's our experience, but it's not the
experience of most Christians. What do we do
when the violent seek to violently overthrow
us? Revelation chapter 12 verse 10. Then I heard
a loud voice in heaven saying, Now salvation
and strength and the kingdom of our God and the
power of his Christ have come. For the accuser
of our brother who accused him before our God
day and night has been cast down. And they, that
is the saints, they overcame him, that is Satan,
by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony. And they did not love their lives
to the death. It's interesting. How did they
overcome? The blood of the lamb, that is, by
the word of their testimony, and they didn't
love their lives. So by the blood of the lamb,
they trusted in Christ. They trusted in what
Christ had done. They trusted in his sacrifice.
And they boldly, the word of their testimony,
they boldly proclaimed their allegiance to him,
even amidst the threat of death. We're going
to kill you if you keep preaching in that name.
They kept preaching in that name and they killed
them. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of
the church. I mean, there's a bloody history
throughout church history. But the kingdom of
God stands firm even in the face of violent opposition
and death. Verse 13, Jesus said, for all the
prophets and the law prophesied until John. So
there's a stopping point. And if you're willing
to receive it, He, John, is Elijah who is to
come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
So the prophets, who? All the old covenant. They
prophesied that the kingdom of God was going
to come. As much as they had revelation. They
couldn't understand it all. Go back and read
Daniel. Daniel has great interpretation, great
insight. He says there's going to be a kingdom
that's going to be made without hands. It's going
to come and destroy all the kingdoms. And he's
preaching about the kingdom of God. So there's
this kingdom coming. And they're all preaching
about it. And then John the Baptist comes and
he says, the kingdom has come. It's at hand.
So he's not simply another prophet. He's the
final Old Testament prophet. With him, that time
of anticipation ends and the time of fulfillment
begins. So John's like the hinge on which redemptive
history swings. All Old Testament prophecy terminated
with him. And the era of fulfillment began. In
fact, Jesus said John was the fulfillment of
Malachi's prophecy about Elijah going to come.
Now Malachi 4 .5. He says, Behold, I will send
you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of
the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Capital
L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That is Yahweh.
Before God comes. Now the Jews knew this prophecy.
They knew the coming of the day would be a day
ushered in by the Lord's Messiah. So they were
always looking for Elijah to come first because
they knew he would come first and prepare the
way. So when they would celebrate Passover, there's
an empty chair for Elijah. With the hope that
he would come that night. In fact, the Jews still
do that. As they celebrate Passover, they have
an empty seat for Elijah because they're convinced
that Elijah, nor the Messiah, has yet come. But
Jesus said, no, he's come. John the Baptist was
Elijah. Now, was Jesus saying that John the Baptist
was Elijah reincarnate? No, not at all. In fact,
John, John the Baptist, when he's directly asked,
are you Elijah? He said, no. In John chapter
1, verse 19. Now this is the testimony of John,
John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests
and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are
you? Now why are they asking that question? Because
he's gathering all these crowds. People are flocking
to him. And he says, he confessed, he did not
deny, but he confessed, I'm not the Christ. I'm
not the Messiah. And they asked him, well then,
are you Elijah? Now why are they asking about
Elijah? Because they knew Elijah must first come,
Malachi 4 .5. And he said, I am not. Are you
the prophet? That's what Moses prophesied about.
There will be a prophet arise like me, him you
should listen to. And he answered, no. So why
did Jesus say that John was Elijah and John said,
no, I'm not? Well, John the Baptist was not the
reincarnate Elijah. Of course he wasn't. But
he did come in the spiritual role and power of
Elijah, preparing the people to receive their
Messiah. Now, do you remember when John the Baptist
was conceived? His conception was also miraculous.
His father, Zechariah, and his wife, they did
not conceive. They were now past childbearing
ages, and she conceived. Elizabeth conceives.
And then the angel goes to Zechariah, John's
dad, and what did he say? Luke 1. But the angel
said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, that's
John the Baptist's father, for your prayer is
heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you
a son, and you shall call his name John. and
you will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in
the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's
womb, and he will turn many of the children of
Israel to the Lord their God. That's what Malachi
4, 6 said, by the way. He will also go before
him. Now notice the angel telling Zechariah the
priest, he will go before him, that is Christ,
in the spirit and power of Elijah. John's ministry
was reminiscent of Elijah's ministry. He even
dressed like Elijah. Remember I told you John
wore the rugged clothing, a camel's hair garment
with a leather belt. That's exactly how Elijah
was dressed. Where did John minister? Out in
the desert. Where did Elijah minister? Out in
the desert. And so John is fulfilling the prophecy
given by Malachi that Elijah will first come,
but here's where the rub. The people missed it.
They couldn't understand it. Which is why Jesus
in verse 15, he says this, he who has ears to
hear, let him hear. Many people in Jesus' day
did not understand, but they lacked the ears
to hear what Jesus was saying. They didn't have
a heart of belief. Their eyes were blinded, their
ears were deaf. The people missed the ministry
of John the Baptist because they expected something
else. They were expecting Elijah in the person.
But they didn't just miss John the Baptist. That's
bad, but it's terrible what they missed next.
They also missed Jesus the Messiah because of
their false preconceived notions of what the
Messiah should be and do. Did you know that?
They wanted a political military deliverer. They
got Jesus. They wanted the Messiah to ride down
a war horse. Jesus rides in on the donkey. They
didn't have a category for him. He did not fit
their expectations. And that's a danger for us
today. Do you know how many people will say,
I don't think God would fill in the blank. My
God would never. They have this preconceived
idea of how God should work. But God's ways,
God's ways often don't fit into neat categories
of how we think life should work. That's true
for all of us. I mean, have any of you ever been
surprised by the way God has worked in your life
or the route he took? Of course you have. So
we have these preconceived notions that we think,
well, this is what God would do. And when that
doesn't align with what's taking place in our
life, and it has in my life, I've told you many
times, if I were writing the script of my life,
if I held the pen, I would not have written it
the way God did. I've often been surprised by
his ways. Think of little girls growing up, dreaming
of their wedding day. Does that mean that they
will grow up and have that wedding they've always
dreamed of? No. Not everyone gets married, even
if they want to. And you're saying, but that
doesn't, no, yeah, most do, but not everyone.
Think of young couples. You get married, you
dream of having kids. Does that mean every couple
does? No. I think of people who eat right, take
care of their body, discipline themselves. They
exercise. And they get a diagnosis that's life
-threatening or terminal. And that doesn't make
sense. Well, we all know the person who has smoked
all their lives and ate pizza and never exercised
a day in their life and they're like 95 and great.
That doesn't line with our neat categories, does
it? But what's the purpose? If you have ears
to hear, listen to what the Spirit's saying.
God's ways are not our ways. For his ways and
his thoughts are higher. How high? As high as
a heaven is above the earth, so are his ways
and his thoughts above our own. So high you can't
understand them. So what is the Spirit saying?
If you have ears, hear. Hear what? He's saying,
listen up. Pay attention. The kingdom of God
came through a very unexpected way, through a
very unexpected king. And the bottom line is
that, yes, God does not work in the ways that
we think he should at those times. We lean into
the scriptures. At those times, we trust God
even when we cannot understand him. Again, it
doesn't make sense to me how some of his choicest
servants were brutally beaten and martyred. If
I'm God, I'm like, no, I'll destroy your oppressor.
And he says, no, he allows them to be destroyed.
He allows them to suffer. He allows them to be
overcome through death. See, our reality doesn't
fit into what we thought should have happened.
Because Jesus said, hey, I'm making all things
new. You're looking for the eschatological fulfillment
of the kingdom. You're looking for the kingdom
in its final form where death is erased and sorrow
is no more and tears will never be shed. That
day has not yet come. Pastor Kyle read right
before that final song, be of good cheer. In
the world you will have tribulation. You're going
to. Jesus told the twelve and by extension told
his church, that is us, in the world you will
have tribulation, but be of good cheer, meaning
take heart, Why? I've overcome the world. You're
going to have a tribulation. But this is not
the end. The story has not yet had an amen given
to it. There's more chapters to come. So what
do we do? We recognize a couple things. The king,
our king, he has come. The kingdom is here. It's
within us. Jesus said the kingdom was within.
It's in our hearts right now. It's in seed form.
It will come in final form. So what is the marching
orders? What is it that Jesus would have us to
do in light of this passage? Follow him without
distraction. Follow him without being tripped
up over his ways. And friends, that is so much
easier said than that. That's why we need each
other. Because I was thinking about this morning.
We were singing and I was looking around and
I looked over here. I'll be honest. I looked
over there and I was thinking of Jay and I was
thinking of Doris. And I'm thinking, man, in
January, this section is pretty full. We're in
November. It's not. Who can predict what a year
we'll bring forth? What's 2026 going to do? I
don't know. I have no clue. God's ways will not
be our ways. We'll be surprised at some point,
won't we? But what do we do? Where else do you
go? You lean into him, church. You've got to
trust him. It was this time last year that Brother
Larry got his diagnosis. It's a year later, he's
not with us, but he's in heaven. The story's
not yet done. And this is what God said, don't
be surprised. And I know that's easier said.
I want to drill that down. Don't be surprised
in the circuitous route that God may take you.
Because he is weaving a beautiful story. And
one day, all the seed blocks of suffering will
be revealed with glory. And then it's worth it.
And for all eternity, we will be sitting around
praising God, thinking his way was perfect. Wow,
God, that's amazing. I'm astounded how you worked
that out for your glory. But he does. He's the
great chess master. He always calls checkmate.
He never loses. So what do we do? We trust him.
We trust him. We trust him. We cling to him.
We cling to him. We rally around each other.
We hold our hands and we keep having, hey, guys,
you're going through a difficult time. I'm praying
for you. I will be there for you. That's why
we have to be together as a church. We need each
other in this game of life so that our faith
is not falling and we continue on trusting our
king even when it doesn't make sense. Let's pray.
Father, thank you this morning.