1 00:00:00,220 –> 00:00:02,800 I’m doing today something that we only rarely do, 2 00:00:02,800 –> 00:00:04,900 and that is to change the message 3 00:00:04,900 –> 00:00:07,760 from what had been planned. 4 00:00:07,760 –> 00:00:09,800 God willing, we will look at the story 5 00:00:09,800 –> 00:00:11,440 of the wise men and the witness 6 00:00:11,440 –> 00:00:15,520 that they bore to Jesus Christ, the King, next week. 7 00:00:15,520 –> 00:00:17,740 But today, I want to bring a message 8 00:00:17,740 –> 00:00:20,440 that I hope will help us to respond 9 00:00:20,440 –> 00:00:24,080 to the atrocity in San Bernardino 10 00:00:24,080 –> 00:00:27,340 and to other events that press in 11 00:00:27,400 –> 00:00:30,340 on the minds and the hearts of all of us 12 00:00:30,340 –> 00:00:33,759 in these difficult and dangerous days. 13 00:00:34,779 –> 00:00:38,139 Karne and I appreciate and try to see, when we can, 14 00:00:38,139 –> 00:00:42,419 the news analysis of Mark Shields and David Brooks 15 00:00:42,419 –> 00:00:46,259 on the PBS News Hour on a Friday evening. 16 00:00:46,259 –> 00:00:50,160 And they spoke this week of the real fear 17 00:00:51,220 –> 00:00:55,419 that is in the country following the events in Paris 18 00:00:55,419 –> 00:00:58,160 and then this week in California. 19 00:00:59,020 –> 00:01:02,040 Other shootings they said, of which there have been 20 00:01:02,040 –> 00:01:07,040 way too many, have produced sympathy, 21 00:01:07,300 –> 00:01:10,220 have produced waves of grief across the country. 22 00:01:11,620 –> 00:01:12,900 But this is different. 23 00:01:12,900 –> 00:01:15,540 In addition to these emotions, 24 00:01:15,540 –> 00:01:19,440 there is they said real fear. 25 00:01:21,260 –> 00:01:24,739 And I think that that analysis is exactly right 26 00:01:24,739 –> 00:01:27,860 and in the hours that followed in Friday night 27 00:01:27,860 –> 00:01:29,879 while working still on the wise men, 28 00:01:29,879 –> 00:01:32,860 my mind just kept returning to the theme 29 00:01:32,860 –> 00:01:36,300 of how a Christian responds to fear. 30 00:01:36,300 –> 00:01:39,720 And so somewhere around midnight I came to the conclusion 31 00:01:39,720 –> 00:01:42,800 that this is the area where we most need 32 00:01:42,800 –> 00:01:45,940 to seek the help of God as a congregation 33 00:01:45,940 –> 00:01:47,379 in the scriptures today. 34 00:01:47,379 –> 00:01:48,480 And so it’s for that reason 35 00:01:48,480 –> 00:01:50,540 that I invite you to open your Bible 36 00:01:50,540 –> 00:01:53,379 at First Peter in Chapter 3 37 00:01:53,379 –> 00:01:55,720 and particularly I want to focus your attention 38 00:01:55,720 –> 00:01:59,779 on Verse 14 and the beginning of Verse 15 39 00:01:59,779 –> 00:02:02,180 and these words in particular, 40 00:02:02,180 –> 00:02:05,820 have no fear of them 41 00:02:06,860 –> 00:02:08,960 nor be troubled, 42 00:02:10,100 –> 00:02:12,619 and you say how in the world are we to do that? 43 00:02:12,619 –> 00:02:13,839 Here’s the answer. 44 00:02:14,820 –> 00:02:19,820 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord, 45 00:02:20,419 –> 00:02:21,259 the Lord. 46 00:02:21,259 –> 00:02:24,000 There’s the scripture that’s before us today 47 00:02:24,000 –> 00:02:26,800 on Peter Chapter three verses 14 and 15 48 00:02:26,800 –> 00:02:30,100 have no fear of them 49 00:02:31,380 –> 00:02:33,039 nor be troubled, 50 00:02:33,919 –> 00:02:37,380 but in your hearts 51 00:02:37,380 –> 00:02:41,460 honor Christ the Lord. 52 00:02:43,300 –> 00:02:46,960 Now, Peter is writing to Christian believers 53 00:02:47,020 –> 00:02:50,399 who had many reasons to fear. 54 00:02:50,399 –> 00:02:55,119 They face the prospect of imminent persecution. 55 00:02:55,119 –> 00:02:59,800 Many of them face the prospect of violent death. 56 00:02:59,800 –> 00:03:02,160 If you look across chapter four, in verse 17, 57 00:03:02,160 –> 00:03:03,500 you’ll see he says there, 58 00:03:03,500 –> 00:03:08,399 do not be surprised beloved at the fiery trial 59 00:03:08,399 –> 00:03:13,639 when it comes, not if it comes, when it comes. 60 00:03:13,639 –> 00:03:15,800 And so they are living in the… 61 00:03:15,800 –> 00:03:16,960 I mean, they’re living in the shadow 62 00:03:16,960 –> 00:03:21,440 of Nero’s about to come, burning Christians. 63 00:03:22,360 –> 00:03:25,500 There’s every reason why these 64 00:03:25,500 –> 00:03:29,679 Christians would find themselves perplexed, anxious. 65 00:03:31,080 –> 00:03:34,380 And often, the fear of what lies ahead 66 00:03:34,380 –> 00:03:37,839 is actually harder than the reality when it comes. 67 00:03:37,839 –> 00:03:40,179 We know this from our own experience, 68 00:03:40,179 –> 00:03:43,220 you know, what will I do if? 69 00:03:43,220 –> 00:03:45,279 And that plays a way in your mind, 70 00:03:45,300 –> 00:03:48,139 how will I cope when? 71 00:03:49,580 –> 00:03:52,600 The Bible very significantly talks about 72 00:03:52,600 –> 00:03:56,679 the valley of the shadow of death, 73 00:03:57,699 –> 00:04:00,660 as if to say that the shadow itself 74 00:04:00,660 –> 00:04:03,580 can actually sometimes be worse than the reality. 75 00:04:04,860 –> 00:04:06,740 I don’t know how often a person has said to me, 76 00:04:06,740 –> 00:04:08,779 Pastor, it’s not dying that worries me, 77 00:04:09,699 –> 00:04:10,820 it’s all that goes into the 78 00:04:10,820 –> 00:04:13,119 wretched business of getting there. 79 00:04:13,119 –> 00:04:14,839 It’s the shadow of death. 80 00:04:14,860 –> 00:04:18,320 It’s the prospect of the whole thing, it’s the fear. 81 00:04:20,279 –> 00:04:24,000 So these Christians then, to whom Peter is writing, 82 00:04:24,000 –> 00:04:25,500 are in, I suggest to you, 83 00:04:25,500 –> 00:04:28,140 the most difficult position of all. 84 00:04:28,140 –> 00:04:32,739 They are not facing directly 85 00:04:32,739 –> 00:04:35,500 what is in their mind at a personal level, 86 00:04:35,500 –> 00:04:37,779 but they are dealing with the fear of it, 87 00:04:37,779 –> 00:04:41,220 the fear of violence, the prospect of persecution, 88 00:04:41,220 –> 00:04:43,820 the fear of loved ones being lost, 89 00:04:43,940 –> 00:04:45,179 and that’s what’s in their mind. 90 00:04:45,179 –> 00:04:47,619 Peter is their pastor, and he is their shepherd, 91 00:04:47,619 –> 00:04:50,100 and he’s under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 92 00:04:50,100 –> 00:04:54,500 writing to them so that these believers, 93 00:04:54,500 –> 00:04:56,059 these dearly loved believers, 94 00:04:56,059 –> 00:04:58,619 will be able to face their fears 95 00:04:58,619 –> 00:05:01,679 and live in the world with all its reality 96 00:05:01,679 –> 00:05:05,559 as they found it, and therefore as we find it, 97 00:05:05,559 –> 00:05:07,119 these words come to us today, 98 00:05:07,119 –> 00:05:10,540 have no fear of them nor be troubling, 99 00:05:10,540 –> 00:05:15,540 but in your hearts, honor Christ as Lord. 100 00:05:17,179 –> 00:05:18,660 By the way, before we go further, 101 00:05:18,660 –> 00:05:22,000 let me just remind you that this actually is 102 00:05:22,000 –> 00:05:24,540 at the heart of the Christmas message, isn’t it? 103 00:05:24,540 –> 00:05:27,019 This isn’t moving away from the Christmas message. 104 00:05:28,100 –> 00:05:30,459 What is the first thing that the angels say 105 00:05:30,459 –> 00:05:33,619 to the shepherds when they appear on Christmas night? 106 00:05:33,619 –> 00:05:36,779 Fear not, that’s at the very heart. 107 00:05:38,380 –> 00:05:40,179 Why is it that Jesus Christ 108 00:05:40,179 –> 00:05:41,019 came into the world? 109 00:05:41,019 –> 00:05:42,940 Many biblical answers to that question, 110 00:05:42,940 –> 00:05:44,880 but let’s focus in on this one today 111 00:05:44,880 –> 00:05:48,260 from Hebrews, chapter four, in verse 14 and 15, 112 00:05:48,260 –> 00:05:49,779 one of the marvelous statements 113 00:05:49,779 –> 00:05:51,739 in the New Testament about Christmas. 114 00:05:51,739 –> 00:05:53,980 Why Jesus Christ came into the world? 115 00:05:53,980 –> 00:05:55,140 Why did he do it? 116 00:05:55,140 –> 00:05:56,160 Listen to this, 117 00:05:56,160 –> 00:05:59,899 since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, 118 00:05:59,899 –> 00:06:01,239 we’re flesh and blood, 119 00:06:01,239 –> 00:06:03,660 He himself, that’s the son of God, 120 00:06:03,660 –> 00:06:05,279 partook of the same things. 121 00:06:05,279 –> 00:06:06,700 He became flesh and blood. 122 00:06:06,700 –> 00:06:07,619 That’s Christmas. 123 00:06:07,619 –> 00:06:08,880 That’s the incarnation. 124 00:06:08,920 –> 00:06:11,459 Why did he do it? 125 00:06:11,459 –> 00:06:12,559 Verse 15 says, 126 00:06:12,559 –> 00:06:17,559 “‘To deliver those who, through the fear of death, 127 00:06:17,799 –> 00:06:20,500 “‘were subject to life-long slavery.” 128 00:06:21,760 –> 00:06:23,140 And there’s the son of God, you see, 129 00:06:23,140 –> 00:06:28,140 and he looks at the world and here we are, 130 00:06:28,160 –> 00:06:33,160 and the fear of death brings a terrible, terrible slavery, 131 00:06:34,700 –> 00:06:36,839 and Jesus Christ comes into the world. 132 00:06:36,839 –> 00:06:38,019 He takes flesh and blood. 133 00:06:38,059 –> 00:06:39,459 Christmas, what’s it about? 134 00:06:39,459 –> 00:06:42,619 He comes into the world to set us free 135 00:06:42,619 –> 00:06:47,619 from that awful fear that enslaves. 136 00:06:47,660 –> 00:06:48,980 That’s what’s being said to us. 137 00:06:48,980 –> 00:06:50,500 This is what Christmas is. 138 00:06:50,500 –> 00:06:53,619 So, if anybody ever suggests to you 139 00:06:53,619 –> 00:06:57,940 that Christmas is all about some kind of escapism 140 00:06:57,940 –> 00:06:59,420 from the reality of the world, 141 00:06:59,420 –> 00:07:02,260 some kind of sentimental sitting around a tree and all, 142 00:07:02,260 –> 00:07:04,140 you say, well, not for a real Christian. 143 00:07:04,140 –> 00:07:06,940 Let me tell you what Christmas is all about. 144 00:07:07,019 –> 00:07:08,339 This is the only thing in the world 145 00:07:08,339 –> 00:07:11,920 that’s gonna enable a person to really face the fears 146 00:07:11,920 –> 00:07:13,579 that are right across the country 147 00:07:14,679 –> 00:07:19,019 in these difficult and dangerous days in which we live. 148 00:07:19,019 –> 00:07:20,059 Slavery to fear. 149 00:07:20,059 –> 00:07:23,220 Well, you see, according to Shields and Brooks 150 00:07:23,220 –> 00:07:26,260 that is exactly the situation in America today. 151 00:07:26,260 –> 00:07:27,079 They’re right. 152 00:07:27,079 –> 00:07:30,859 Surely there is a real fear in the country. 153 00:07:32,940 –> 00:07:34,420 What’s going to happen next? 154 00:07:34,459 –> 00:07:36,940 What if I get caught in a terrorist attack? 155 00:07:38,859 –> 00:07:43,059 My most vivid memory, folks, of the Sunday after 9-11 156 00:07:45,420 –> 00:07:49,079 is of a woman who spoke to me after the service right here. 157 00:07:49,079 –> 00:07:50,799 I had never seen her before 158 00:07:50,799 –> 00:07:52,420 and I’ve never seen her since. 159 00:07:52,420 –> 00:07:55,579 But she was here on that day and she said this. 160 00:07:55,579 –> 00:07:57,079 She was very concerned, she said, 161 00:07:57,079 –> 00:08:02,079 “‘Tell me how can I tell my children that they are safe?’ 162 00:08:02,959 –> 00:08:07,959 And I said to her, you can’t, you can’t. 163 00:08:10,600 –> 00:08:13,739 “‘Our calling as parents is to equip our children 164 00:08:13,739 –> 00:08:16,339 “‘to live in a dangerous world and to do that, 165 00:08:16,339 –> 00:08:19,640 “‘they need an authentic faith in Jesus Christ.’” 166 00:08:21,279 –> 00:08:22,600 See, anyone’s kidding themselves 167 00:08:22,600 –> 00:08:25,320 if they want to live in the bubble illusion 168 00:08:25,320 –> 00:08:29,079 that somehow we can create some corner of the earth 169 00:08:29,079 –> 00:08:30,920 in which everything’s gonna be safe. 170 00:08:32,640 –> 00:08:34,840 And I’m saying to you today that Jesus Christ 171 00:08:34,840 –> 00:08:37,859 came into the world precisely for this reason 172 00:08:37,859 –> 00:08:40,559 that we should be delivered, we, 173 00:08:41,440 –> 00:08:44,979 delivered from living our whole lives 174 00:08:44,979 –> 00:08:49,859 in the chronic fear of the latest danger 175 00:08:49,859 –> 00:08:54,080 to stalk our world, as that is the human condition, 176 00:08:54,080 –> 00:08:56,260 a real fear sweeping across the country. 177 00:08:57,679 –> 00:09:01,140 And Jesus Christ comes into the world in relation to this. 178 00:09:01,760 –> 00:09:03,700 And let me therefore suggest to you today 179 00:09:03,700 –> 00:09:05,700 that this should be an area 180 00:09:05,700 –> 00:09:09,780 of our most distinctive testimony. 181 00:09:11,140 –> 00:09:16,140 And where there is a real fear in the country, 182 00:09:16,140 –> 00:09:20,479 God says to us, do not fear what they fear. 183 00:09:20,479 –> 00:09:23,380 That’s Isaiah chapter eight and verse 12 184 00:09:23,380 –> 00:09:26,500 from which Peter is actually quoting right here. 185 00:09:26,500 –> 00:09:28,799 Do not fear what they fear. 186 00:09:28,820 –> 00:09:33,799 The early Christians were people of hope 187 00:09:34,239 –> 00:09:36,599 in a culture of fear. 188 00:09:36,599 –> 00:09:38,200 That was what made them so distinctive 189 00:09:38,200 –> 00:09:40,559 and that’s why Peter goes on to say here, 190 00:09:40,559 –> 00:09:43,119 always be ready to give a reason for people, 191 00:09:43,119 –> 00:09:46,640 to people who ask about the hope that is in you. 192 00:09:46,640 –> 00:09:48,760 You know, there’s so much, you should be afraid. 193 00:09:48,760 –> 00:09:50,559 Why have you got so much hope? 194 00:09:51,520 –> 00:09:53,239 And you must be ready to explain 195 00:09:53,239 –> 00:09:54,760 that the reason is that the son of God 196 00:09:54,760 –> 00:09:56,940 has come into the world to deliver us from fear 197 00:09:57,020 –> 00:09:59,119 and I am living in the good of his coming. 198 00:10:00,059 –> 00:10:05,000 So this should be a distinctive area of Christian testimony. 199 00:10:05,000 –> 00:10:07,780 We live in a culture when many, many people 200 00:10:07,780 –> 00:10:10,020 have rejected our message. 201 00:10:10,859 –> 00:10:13,020 But these people who have rejected our message 202 00:10:13,020 –> 00:10:15,000 also were concerned for their children. 203 00:10:15,000 –> 00:10:17,179 They too wonder what the future holds 204 00:10:17,179 –> 00:10:20,140 and if around the country there are communities 205 00:10:20,140 –> 00:10:22,820 of believers who are more marked by hope 206 00:10:22,820 –> 00:10:25,859 than by fear, then there may be many 207 00:10:25,859 –> 00:10:30,859 who are drawn to think again about why that would be 208 00:10:31,020 –> 00:10:33,479 Give a reason as to the hope that is within you. 209 00:10:33,479 –> 00:10:36,940 It is the hope that raises questions 210 00:10:36,940 –> 00:10:39,380 for those who have not yet believed. 211 00:10:41,780 –> 00:10:43,820 Now here’s the problem, having said that. 212 00:10:45,359 –> 00:10:50,359 Sometimes it seems that there is as much fear 213 00:10:51,880 –> 00:10:54,900 in the church as there is in the world, right? 214 00:10:54,900 –> 00:10:55,840 That’s the problem. 215 00:10:56,679 –> 00:11:00,859 That sometimes it seems that there is 216 00:11:00,859 –> 00:11:05,760 as much fear in the church as there is in the world. 217 00:11:05,760 –> 00:11:08,320 And so I want to pose and try to answer 218 00:11:08,320 –> 00:11:10,580 from the scriptures two questions today. 219 00:11:10,580 –> 00:11:15,119 The first is why are there so many fearful Christians 220 00:11:15,119 –> 00:11:17,359 in the light of what we’re reading here, why? 221 00:11:18,760 –> 00:11:22,039 Why are there so many fearful Christians? 222 00:11:22,940 –> 00:11:26,140 And the second question, 223 00:11:26,140 –> 00:11:29,559 how can Christians overcome our fears? 224 00:11:29,559 –> 00:11:31,280 We all know what it is to have to face fear, 225 00:11:31,280 –> 00:11:34,760 how as Christians can we overcome our fears. 226 00:11:34,760 –> 00:11:37,080 You see, many of us will look at this passage 227 00:11:37,080 –> 00:11:38,200 in the Bible this morning, 228 00:11:38,200 –> 00:11:42,000 have no fear of them. 229 00:11:42,000 –> 00:11:43,440 And you’ll say honestly, 230 00:11:43,440 –> 00:11:46,200 yeah well it says that in the Bible but I’m not there. 231 00:11:47,059 –> 00:11:48,419 Well why are we not there? 232 00:11:49,859 –> 00:11:51,119 And how can we get there? 233 00:11:52,200 –> 00:11:54,440 How can we come to the place 234 00:11:54,440 –> 00:11:56,400 of living the kind of Christian lives 235 00:11:56,400 –> 00:11:59,380 that are described here that are marked more by hope 236 00:12:00,500 –> 00:12:01,340 than by fear? 237 00:12:01,340 –> 00:12:02,760 I can’t think of a greater question 238 00:12:02,760 –> 00:12:06,619 that would be before the people of God in these days. 239 00:12:06,619 –> 00:12:09,760 So these two questions today. 240 00:12:09,760 –> 00:12:11,179 Number one then, 241 00:12:11,179 –> 00:12:15,419 why are there so many fearful Christians? 242 00:12:17,000 –> 00:12:19,099 But I want to give you this answer. 243 00:12:19,820 –> 00:12:23,320 Why are there so many fearful Christians? 244 00:12:23,320 –> 00:12:27,500 Because the self-exalting spirit of the world 245 00:12:28,619 –> 00:12:30,359 has so widely permeated the church. 246 00:12:31,880 –> 00:12:34,539 Why are there so many fearful Christians? 247 00:12:35,539 –> 00:12:40,539 Because the self-exalting spirit of the world 248 00:12:41,820 –> 00:12:46,820 has so widely permeated the church. 249 00:12:46,940 –> 00:12:49,440 Now I want you to see today that this self-exalting spirit 250 00:12:49,440 –> 00:12:54,440 Now I want you to see today that this self-exalting spirit 251 00:12:54,440 –> 00:12:58,179 is actually, at the heart, both of the rapid movement 252 00:12:58,179 –> 00:13:01,719 is actually, at the heart, both of the rapid movement 253 00:13:01,719 –> 00:13:04,119 away from Christian faith that we are seeing 254 00:13:04,119 –> 00:13:09,119 in our culture and in the rampant terrorism 255 00:13:10,119 –> 00:13:14,080 that is increasingly scarring our world. 256 00:13:15,599 –> 00:13:16,700 Think about it first. 257 00:13:17,539 –> 00:13:19,000 Now in relation to God, in relation to our culture, 258 00:13:19,000 –> 00:13:21,140 think about the things in the Bible 259 00:13:21,140 –> 00:13:23,320 that God does in relation to life. 260 00:13:23,320 –> 00:13:25,440 that God does in relation to life. 261 00:13:25,440 –> 00:13:30,000 God brings about the beginning of life. 262 00:13:30,000 –> 00:13:32,119 God makes us male and female. 263 00:13:32,119 –> 00:13:34,599 God makes us male and female. 264 00:13:34,599 –> 00:13:38,000 God tells us what marriage is, 265 00:13:38,000 –> 00:13:41,840 and God determines the time of our death. 266 00:13:41,840 –> 00:13:43,159 and God determines the time of our death. 267 00:13:43,159 –> 00:13:45,520 Now you think about the great social issues 268 00:13:45,599 –> 00:13:49,179 that are at the center of so much controversy in our time. 269 00:13:49,179 –> 00:13:51,599 One thing ties them together, 270 00:13:52,559 –> 00:13:54,559 and this is always at the root. 271 00:13:55,840 –> 00:13:58,880 We have been assuming the rights to do 272 00:13:58,880 –> 00:14:01,599 the things that belong to God. 273 00:14:02,679 –> 00:14:03,520 In other words, 274 00:14:03,520 –> 00:14:06,840 we want to be the ones who determine the beginning of life. 275 00:14:06,840 –> 00:14:08,900 What children should come to birth, 276 00:14:08,900 –> 00:14:12,520 and which ones will not see the light of this world. 277 00:14:13,380 –> 00:14:15,760 We want to be the ones who will make gender 278 00:14:15,760 –> 00:14:18,479 a matter of personal choice. 279 00:14:18,479 –> 00:14:21,419 We want to be the ones who define what marriage is 280 00:14:21,419 –> 00:14:22,559 and who it is for. 281 00:14:22,559 –> 00:14:25,039 And in that same frame of mind, 282 00:14:25,039 –> 00:14:29,539 increasingly we want the right to determine 283 00:14:29,539 –> 00:14:33,679 the time and the circumstances of our own death. 284 00:14:33,679 –> 00:14:35,679 In other words, everything that God does, 285 00:14:35,679 –> 00:14:37,000 we say now we now do. 286 00:14:38,739 –> 00:14:42,039 The same impulse, do you see, is at work in each case, 287 00:14:42,539 –> 00:14:45,580 we are in each case putting ourselves in the place of God. 288 00:14:45,580 –> 00:14:48,119 We want to remove him from the throne 289 00:14:48,119 –> 00:14:52,679 and to occupy the place of supreme authority ourselves. 290 00:14:53,960 –> 00:14:57,479 We have welcomed and embraced, increasingly in our culture, 291 00:14:57,479 –> 00:15:00,919 the satanic proposal from the Garden of Eden, 292 00:15:00,919 –> 00:15:03,960 you shall be as God. 293 00:15:06,200 –> 00:15:10,099 Now, it will be useful in our conversations in these days 294 00:15:10,140 –> 00:15:15,140 for us to understand that precisely the same problem 295 00:15:16,080 –> 00:15:20,719 lies at the root of the violent terrorism 296 00:15:21,580 –> 00:15:24,299 that is causing such fear and consternation 297 00:15:24,299 –> 00:15:26,000 around the world today. 298 00:15:26,900 –> 00:15:28,159 We’ve thought about who God is 299 00:15:28,159 –> 00:15:30,619 in regards to the authorship of life. 300 00:15:30,619 –> 00:15:33,880 Think about who God is in regards to the ultimate 301 00:15:33,880 –> 00:15:35,340 and the eternal things. 302 00:15:35,340 –> 00:15:36,159 Who is he? 303 00:15:36,159 –> 00:15:37,820 He is the judge. 304 00:15:38,659 –> 00:15:42,900 He is the one who on the last day 305 00:15:42,900 –> 00:15:47,900 will bring the immortal and the unbelieving to judgment. 306 00:15:49,359 –> 00:15:53,820 But now we have terrorists who see it 307 00:15:53,820 –> 00:15:58,479 as their job to bring justice and judgment 308 00:15:58,479 –> 00:16:00,580 to the infidels. 309 00:16:01,500 –> 00:16:05,299 We have in the jihadists another example 310 00:16:05,299 –> 00:16:07,979 of precisely the same root things. 311 00:16:07,979 –> 00:16:11,820 See, sin always comes from the same root and it’s man 312 00:16:11,820 –> 00:16:14,020 putting himself in the place of God. 313 00:16:15,659 –> 00:16:18,859 Instead of submitting themselves to the judgment 314 00:16:18,859 –> 00:16:23,580 of God and casting themselves upon the mercy of God, 315 00:16:23,580 –> 00:16:27,059 which is what any created human being needs to do, 316 00:16:27,059 –> 00:16:28,059 here are people who say, 317 00:16:28,059 –> 00:16:30,580 no, no, no, it is our place to exercise 318 00:16:30,580 –> 00:16:32,179 and bring in the judgment of God. 319 00:16:32,179 –> 00:16:34,280 And we’re going to do it around the world. 320 00:16:36,219 –> 00:16:39,820 Now what is the Christian response to a world 321 00:16:39,820 –> 00:16:42,340 in which men and women are increasingly 322 00:16:42,340 –> 00:16:44,739 putting themselves in the place of God? 323 00:16:46,739 –> 00:16:48,340 Well, the first thing to say here 324 00:16:48,340 –> 00:16:51,460 is that the cultural Christianity that pervades 325 00:16:51,460 –> 00:16:54,440 our country can offer no response whatsoever. 326 00:16:55,780 –> 00:17:00,780 Many of us have been raised raised with, shaped by, 327 00:17:00,940 –> 00:17:05,599 a diminished gospel, that says something like this, 328 00:17:05,599 –> 00:17:07,920 God loves you and all you have to do is say yes to him 329 00:17:07,920 –> 00:17:10,560 and you’re gonna be safe, secure and blessed forever. 330 00:17:11,780 –> 00:17:14,260 And so, thousands of people across the culture 331 00:17:14,260 –> 00:17:16,900 say yes to God and then spend the rest of their lives 332 00:17:16,900 –> 00:17:19,180 in some degree, either of irritation at one end 333 00:17:19,180 –> 00:17:22,020 or resentment at the other, that this God to whom 334 00:17:22,020 –> 00:17:24,219 they have said yes, has not made their lives 335 00:17:24,219 –> 00:17:25,339 as they want them to be. 336 00:17:25,339 –> 00:17:26,979 What is wrong with this picture? 337 00:17:27,939 –> 00:17:32,760 It actually has imbibed precisely the same 338 00:17:32,760 –> 00:17:36,719 root sin that we have just identified. 339 00:17:37,739 –> 00:17:41,420 The church in large measure has been permeated 340 00:17:41,420 –> 00:17:46,420 by the same self-exalting spirit that is at the root 341 00:17:46,660 –> 00:17:49,219 of the landslide in our culture and at the root 342 00:17:49,219 –> 00:17:51,599 of the terrorism that is causing so much fear 343 00:17:51,599 –> 00:17:54,160 in the world, that is that we see ourselves 344 00:17:54,160 –> 00:17:56,939 as the ones on the throne and God as the one 345 00:17:56,979 –> 00:17:59,079 who exists to serve us and to make our lives 346 00:17:59,079 –> 00:18:02,920 as we want them to be, that’s at the very core 347 00:18:02,920 –> 00:18:06,959 of the cultural Christianity in our country, 348 00:18:06,959 –> 00:18:09,079 especially over the last 50 years, 349 00:18:09,079 –> 00:18:12,619 and that kind of cultural Christianity cannot 350 00:18:12,619 –> 00:18:14,939 offer any response to what is around us 351 00:18:14,939 –> 00:18:19,739 because it is infected by precisely the same route problem 352 00:18:21,079 –> 00:18:22,680 that it seeks to address. 353 00:18:23,239 –> 00:18:28,239 And the self exalting spirit always produces fear. 354 00:18:30,079 –> 00:18:35,079 It has to because if you’re the Lord, 355 00:18:36,959 –> 00:18:40,640 if how you really see life, it was my life, 356 00:18:40,640 –> 00:18:45,640 my money, my family, if you’re the Lord, 357 00:18:46,300 –> 00:18:50,160 you’re on the throne, then anything 358 00:18:50,260 –> 00:18:54,280 that you cannot control will cause you fear. 359 00:18:55,599 –> 00:18:56,900 What if I get cancer? 360 00:18:56,900 –> 00:18:58,020 I can’t control that. 361 00:18:59,459 –> 00:19:01,979 What if I get caught in a terrorist attack? 362 00:19:03,119 –> 00:19:05,719 What if my children choose the wrong path? 363 00:19:07,040 –> 00:19:09,520 If you put yourself in the position of Lord, 364 00:19:09,520 –> 00:19:11,160 you will always live with fear. 365 00:19:11,160 –> 00:19:15,800 You have to because every time you come to a situation 366 00:19:15,800 –> 00:19:18,079 that you cannot control you’re the Lord. 367 00:19:19,079 –> 00:19:20,819 Well, what in the world’s gonna happen? 368 00:19:23,099 –> 00:19:26,160 Why are there so many fearful Christians? 369 00:19:27,540 –> 00:19:30,520 Because the same self exalting spirit of the world 370 00:19:31,979 –> 00:19:35,859 has so widely permeated the church. 371 00:19:37,239 –> 00:19:41,719 I run my life and I believe in Jesus. 372 00:19:43,060 –> 00:19:44,880 And friends that is not Christianity. 373 00:19:45,880 –> 00:19:48,959 Second question and you’ll see where this goes 374 00:19:48,959 –> 00:19:51,599 directly into what Peter says here. 375 00:19:52,520 –> 00:19:55,459 How then can Christians overcome their fears? 376 00:19:55,459 –> 00:19:56,880 Do you see what he says? 377 00:19:57,859 –> 00:20:00,599 Have no fear of them. 378 00:20:00,599 –> 00:20:02,160 We immediately say, how? 379 00:20:02,160 –> 00:20:03,000 I’m not there. 380 00:20:03,000 –> 00:20:03,839 How can I get there? 381 00:20:03,839 –> 00:20:05,040 Here’s how you get there. 382 00:20:05,040 –> 00:20:09,400 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord. 383 00:20:10,780 –> 00:20:12,479 You set Christ apart as Lord. 384 00:20:13,339 –> 00:20:16,780 You get off the throne that you should never have been on 385 00:20:16,780 –> 00:20:18,119 in the first place and you say, 386 00:20:18,119 –> 00:20:20,939 there’s only one who belongs on the throne of this life 387 00:20:20,939 –> 00:20:22,020 and it’s you Lord. 388 00:20:22,020 –> 00:20:23,780 You’re the only one who can handle 389 00:20:23,780 –> 00:20:27,079 all the unpredictable things 390 00:20:27,079 –> 00:20:29,300 that lie ahead in my unknown future. 391 00:20:30,339 –> 00:20:31,880 How do we become so fearful? 392 00:20:31,880 –> 00:20:33,819 Because we put ourselves on the throne. 393 00:20:35,140 –> 00:20:37,560 And now we are gonna overcome this fear 394 00:20:37,560 –> 00:20:39,219 at getting ourselves off the throne 395 00:20:39,219 –> 00:20:42,239 in your heart honor Christ. 396 00:20:43,400 –> 00:20:45,979 The Lord, here we’re getting to the heart 397 00:20:45,979 –> 00:20:47,400 of what a Christian really is. 398 00:20:47,400 –> 00:20:52,119 A Christian is a person who submits the whole of their life 399 00:20:52,119 –> 00:20:54,959 to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 400 00:20:54,959 –> 00:20:57,079 And that of course is the polar opposite 401 00:20:57,079 –> 00:20:58,900 of everything that is going on 402 00:20:58,900 –> 00:21:01,079 in terms of the great drift of our culture 403 00:21:01,079 –> 00:21:06,000 and in terms of the great events of this age in our world. 404 00:21:07,280 –> 00:21:09,680 Do you see this, that when Jesus Christ 405 00:21:09,839 –> 00:21:13,640 is the Lord of your life you have reason for confidence. 406 00:21:13,640 –> 00:21:14,479 Why? 407 00:21:14,479 –> 00:21:18,280 Because he is Lord and there are no things 408 00:21:18,280 –> 00:21:20,540 that are beyond his control 409 00:21:20,540 –> 00:21:23,040 and when it comes to you, think about this. 410 00:21:23,040 –> 00:21:27,199 Honor in your heart, Christ the Lord. 411 00:21:27,199 –> 00:21:29,640 He is sovereign over your birth. 412 00:21:29,640 –> 00:21:31,380 He was sovereign over your birth. 413 00:21:31,380 –> 00:21:34,000 He is sovereign over your life 414 00:21:34,000 –> 00:21:37,000 and he is going to be sovereign over your death. 415 00:21:37,939 –> 00:21:42,280 Think about this, sovereign over your birth 416 00:21:43,920 –> 00:21:48,640 means that of all the millions of people 417 00:21:48,640 –> 00:21:50,719 who potentially could’ve come into existence 418 00:21:50,719 –> 00:21:52,579 through the union of your father and your mother, 419 00:21:52,579 –> 00:21:54,859 God chose to bring into existence you. 420 00:21:54,859 –> 00:21:56,040 He created you. 421 00:21:56,040 –> 00:21:56,920 He made you. 422 00:21:56,920 –> 00:21:58,219 He wanted you to be. 423 00:21:58,219 –> 00:22:00,479 Isn’t that glorious? 424 00:22:00,479 –> 00:22:02,119 God wanted you to be. 425 00:22:02,119 –> 00:22:05,760 He made you and sovereign over your life, 426 00:22:05,859 –> 00:22:07,640 sovereign over your life means this. 427 00:22:07,640 –> 00:22:09,239 That all that has happened to you, 428 00:22:09,239 –> 00:22:11,420 the good that you’ve enjoyed, 429 00:22:11,420 –> 00:22:12,800 the evil that you have suffered, 430 00:22:12,800 –> 00:22:15,420 it was all known to God from before the beginning of time. 431 00:22:15,420 –> 00:22:17,099 Life has been full of surprises 432 00:22:17,099 –> 00:22:19,239 and unexpected twists and turns for you. 433 00:22:19,239 –> 00:22:21,599 But nothing has ever come as a surprise to Him 434 00:22:21,599 –> 00:22:23,459 before a word is on my tongue, 435 00:22:23,459 –> 00:22:25,020 Oh Lord, you know it completely. 436 00:22:27,160 –> 00:22:30,219 And God works through all that has happened in your past 437 00:22:31,619 –> 00:22:34,199 and whatever will happen in your future. 438 00:22:35,800 –> 00:22:39,640 He works in and through it all to advance His great purpose. 439 00:22:39,640 –> 00:22:42,280 The purpose for which He has brought you into being, 440 00:22:42,280 –> 00:22:46,739 which is that a reflection of His dearly loved Son 441 00:22:46,739 –> 00:22:51,739 will radiate from you forever for His glory 442 00:22:51,800 –> 00:22:53,479 and for your great joy. 443 00:22:53,479 –> 00:22:55,579 And God will work through everything 444 00:22:55,579 –> 00:22:58,359 that happens in your life, the best and the worst, 445 00:22:59,599 –> 00:23:00,699 in order to advance 446 00:23:00,699 –> 00:23:05,020 that great God-glorifying and joy-giving purpose. 447 00:23:05,780 –> 00:23:06,619 In you. 448 00:23:08,599 –> 00:23:09,439 He’s lord. 449 00:23:09,439 –> 00:23:11,239 That means He’s sovereign over your birth. 450 00:23:11,239 –> 00:23:12,859 That means He’s sovereign over your life. 451 00:23:12,859 –> 00:23:16,859 And it means this, He is sovereign over your death. 452 00:23:16,859 –> 00:23:20,859 God knows exactly how and when I will die. 453 00:23:22,160 –> 00:23:23,560 That’s a great comfort to me. 454 00:23:25,319 –> 00:23:29,599 Jesus Christ is in complete control of the timing 455 00:23:29,599 –> 00:23:34,000 and the circumstances and the outcome of your death, 456 00:23:34,000 –> 00:23:35,359 which, for a Christian believer, 457 00:23:35,400 –> 00:23:37,400 will be an immediate translation 458 00:23:37,400 –> 00:23:40,119 into the glorious presence of the Lord. 459 00:23:40,119 –> 00:23:43,800 Psalm 139, In your book were written 460 00:23:43,800 –> 00:23:45,920 the days that were formed for me. 461 00:23:45,920 –> 00:23:47,160 You’ve numbered all my days, 462 00:23:47,160 –> 00:23:49,959 I need therefore to learn to number mine. 463 00:23:51,520 –> 00:23:53,859 George Whitfield has a wonderful phrase 464 00:23:53,859 –> 00:23:55,660 that I’ve often found helpful, 465 00:23:57,000 –> 00:23:58,459 and I hope that you will too. 466 00:24:00,119 –> 00:24:02,339 Whitfield said this, 467 00:24:02,339 –> 00:24:07,339 we are immortal until our life’s work is done. 468 00:24:09,760 –> 00:24:10,599 I love that. 469 00:24:12,079 –> 00:24:13,839 By the way, don’t use that 470 00:24:13,839 –> 00:24:17,800 as an excuse for our responsible behavior. 471 00:24:17,800 –> 00:24:19,119 If you’re driving at 90 miles an hour 472 00:24:19,119 –> 00:24:20,160 down the wrong side of the road, 473 00:24:20,160 –> 00:24:24,459 you are not to use this as a justification. 474 00:24:25,380 –> 00:24:27,520 Remember, Satan tried that one. 475 00:24:27,520 –> 00:24:29,739 Oh, Jesus jumped from the pinnacle of the temple, 476 00:24:29,739 –> 00:24:31,780 nothing bad will happen to you, no, no. 477 00:24:32,699 –> 00:24:35,099 But here’s how you can use that marvelous truth, 478 00:24:35,099 –> 00:24:36,699 and it is a great truth. 479 00:24:36,699 –> 00:24:39,420 You use this truth when you are struggling with fear. 480 00:24:40,579 –> 00:24:42,099 So here’s someone who’s really afraid 481 00:24:42,099 –> 00:24:43,160 to get on an airplane, 482 00:24:43,160 –> 00:24:45,020 and you’re gonna get on an airplane. 483 00:24:45,939 –> 00:24:49,959 And you sit down and you put on the buckle, 484 00:24:49,959 –> 00:24:52,839 and they’re going through the pre-flight routine. 485 00:24:53,699 –> 00:24:56,540 And you’re anxious, and you say to yourself, 486 00:24:56,540 –> 00:25:00,640 I am immortal until my life’s work is done. 487 00:25:01,640 –> 00:25:04,479 You’re going in for a screening for cancer, 488 00:25:05,439 –> 00:25:06,920 or a treatment for cancer. 489 00:25:08,000 –> 00:25:09,939 You’re anxious about your own condition 490 00:25:09,939 –> 00:25:12,020 and what’s gonna happen, and you say to yourself, 491 00:25:12,020 –> 00:25:14,040 here’s how you comfort yourself with this great truth 492 00:25:14,040 –> 00:25:15,920 that Jesus Christ is in control, 493 00:25:15,920 –> 00:25:18,219 not only of my birth, my life, but also of my death. 494 00:25:18,219 –> 00:25:19,180 You say to yourself, 495 00:25:19,180 –> 00:25:24,040 I am immortal until my life’s work is done, 496 00:25:24,040 –> 00:25:28,939 and on the day that the purposes that he has for me 497 00:25:28,939 –> 00:25:31,380 on this Earth are finished, 498 00:25:31,380 –> 00:25:33,660 I don’t want to be here one day longer. 499 00:25:33,660 –> 00:25:34,979 I want to be here every day 500 00:25:34,979 –> 00:25:37,520 until I’ve completed the work that he’s given me to do, 501 00:25:37,520 –> 00:25:40,400 just as Jesus completed the work father gave him to do. 502 00:25:40,400 –> 00:25:42,439 And then I want to be in his nearer presence, 503 00:25:42,439 –> 00:25:45,579 and that’s exactly what he has made me for. 504 00:25:45,579 –> 00:25:47,780 That’s a Christian approach to these things. 505 00:25:49,760 –> 00:25:51,199 And it’s wonderfully freeing. 506 00:25:52,219 –> 00:25:56,540 You know, the freedom from fear that a believer enjoys 507 00:25:56,540 –> 00:25:57,839 is beautifully expressed, 508 00:25:57,839 –> 00:25:59,500 and I know some of you were brought up with this, 509 00:25:59,500 –> 00:26:03,040 and it’s very rich in the Heidelberg Cadachism, 510 00:26:03,040 –> 00:26:05,020 a great, great document that, 511 00:26:05,020 –> 00:26:06,780 through questions and answers, 512 00:26:06,780 –> 00:26:08,319 teaches the Christian faith. 513 00:26:08,319 –> 00:26:10,979 And the very first question is this, 514 00:26:10,979 –> 00:26:14,680 what is your only comfort in life and in death? 515 00:26:14,680 –> 00:26:16,660 What’s your comfort in life and in death? 516 00:26:16,660 –> 00:26:18,199 And indeed, what’s your only comfort? 517 00:26:18,199 –> 00:26:19,020 Because, ultimately, 518 00:26:19,020 –> 00:26:21,260 this is the only thing on which you can rely. 519 00:26:21,260 –> 00:26:23,400 This is the ultimate answer to fear. 520 00:26:24,400 –> 00:26:25,839 And the answer is this. 521 00:26:25,839 –> 00:26:27,500 That I am not my own, 522 00:26:28,800 –> 00:26:33,640 but I belong body and soul in life and in death 523 00:26:33,640 –> 00:26:37,280 to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. 524 00:26:37,280 –> 00:26:38,579 Isn’t that marvelous, 525 00:26:38,579 –> 00:26:40,599 that you would be able to say that? 526 00:26:40,599 –> 00:26:42,180 What’s my great comfort in life? 527 00:26:42,180 –> 00:26:43,160 Whatever happens to me, 528 00:26:43,160 –> 00:26:46,719 what’s my great comfort in death whenever it comes to me? 529 00:26:46,719 –> 00:26:48,439 Here’s what it is. 530 00:26:48,439 –> 00:26:49,839 That I am not my own. 531 00:26:49,839 –> 00:26:51,359 You see, I’ve got off the throne. 532 00:26:51,359 –> 00:26:53,719 I’m not the Lord of this little life. 533 00:26:55,420 –> 00:26:58,380 Trying to steer it on these waters of the world. 534 00:26:59,880 –> 00:27:04,079 No, I belong body and soul in life and in death 535 00:27:04,079 –> 00:27:07,839 to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. 536 00:27:07,839 –> 00:27:09,760 It goes on to speak of how he’s bought me 537 00:27:09,760 –> 00:27:11,040 and then this beautiful line, 538 00:27:11,040 –> 00:27:14,359 he also watches over me in such a way 539 00:27:14,359 –> 00:27:17,359 that not a hair can fall from my head 540 00:27:17,359 –> 00:27:20,160 without the will of my father in heaven. 541 00:27:21,760 –> 00:27:24,680 He’s in exact control of my birth, 542 00:27:27,719 –> 00:27:31,760 of my life, the timing, the circumstances, 543 00:27:31,760 –> 00:27:32,920 theoutcome of my death. 544 00:27:32,920 –> 00:27:34,680 I trust him as my Lord. 545 00:27:36,680 –> 00:27:40,920 Now friends, there are so many implications 546 00:27:40,920 –> 00:27:43,739 as we seek to work out these things in our lives. 547 00:27:44,880 –> 00:27:47,239 Let me just give you one and then we’re through today. 548 00:27:47,239 –> 00:27:52,239 One is, that we learned to use the word my tentatively 549 00:27:57,199 –> 00:28:01,800 as if it were always in parentheses. 550 00:28:01,800 –> 00:28:03,800 I’m trying to teach myself to do this. 551 00:28:04,920 –> 00:28:09,920 To use the word my as if it were always in parentheses 552 00:28:12,319 –> 00:28:14,079 and therefore to use it tentatively, 553 00:28:15,020 –> 00:28:20,020 in other words, my home, my home. 554 00:28:20,739 –> 00:28:21,579 I love my home. 555 00:28:21,579 –> 00:28:22,780 I hope you love your home. 556 00:28:22,780 –> 00:28:26,739 My home means the house that God 557 00:28:26,739 –> 00:28:30,800 has entrusted to me for a time, for a time. 558 00:28:33,900 –> 00:28:38,900 My children, my family, loved ones who belong to God 559 00:28:44,719 –> 00:28:47,760 who have been lent for a little time to me. 560 00:28:50,119 –> 00:28:54,180 My work, my role, my position, 561 00:28:55,280 –> 00:28:59,119 a calling to service that has been given to me 562 00:28:59,119 –> 00:29:03,979 for a time, my money, my friends, you can work this out. 563 00:29:05,400 –> 00:29:08,180 My life, my life? 564 00:29:09,219 –> 00:29:11,260 What is my life? 565 00:29:11,260 –> 00:29:13,400 Oh, all the things that you wanted to say about your life. 566 00:29:13,699 –> 00:29:15,000 What do I wanna do, I’m disappointed about this. 567 00:29:15,000 –> 00:29:16,280 My life. 568 00:29:17,699 –> 00:29:18,719 My life. 569 00:29:19,819 –> 00:29:22,420 The opportunity that He has given to me 570 00:29:22,420 –> 00:29:25,599 to serve at His pleasure in this world 571 00:29:25,599 –> 00:29:27,380 until He calls me home. 572 00:29:27,380 –> 00:29:28,520 That’s all that it is. 573 00:29:30,219 –> 00:29:31,619 And you know, friends, we will do much better 574 00:29:31,619 –> 00:29:33,319 when it comes to dealing with loss, 575 00:29:33,319 –> 00:29:35,560 whether that be the loss of people that we love, 576 00:29:35,560 –> 00:29:37,119 whether it be the loss of position, 577 00:29:37,119 –> 00:29:38,900 whether it be the loss of property, 578 00:29:38,900 –> 00:29:40,880 if we believe and remember 579 00:29:40,880 –> 00:29:43,619 that what we have belongs to God 580 00:29:44,699 –> 00:29:48,680 and is loaned to us for a time. 581 00:29:49,640 –> 00:29:50,859 Spurgeon says this. 582 00:29:50,859 –> 00:29:55,140 A man does not cry when he has to return 583 00:29:55,140 –> 00:29:58,260 a tool which he has borrowed. 584 00:29:58,260 –> 00:30:00,859 He knew that he borrowed it. 585 00:30:00,859 –> 00:30:03,619 He never called it his own, 586 00:30:03,619 –> 00:30:06,619 and when he hands it back he is thankful 587 00:30:06,619 –> 00:30:10,060 that he had it for such a long time. 588 00:30:11,579 –> 00:30:14,660 You know friends, the last time Moses spoke 589 00:30:14,660 –> 00:30:19,660 to God’s people, before he died, 590 00:30:20,819 –> 00:30:21,660 he said to them, 591 00:30:21,660 –> 00:30:25,020 look, I’m putting before you two ways of life. 592 00:30:26,359 –> 00:30:28,260 There is a way in which you will be blessed 593 00:30:28,260 –> 00:30:30,660 and there is a way that is always cursed, 594 00:30:31,699 –> 00:30:33,060 a way that leads to life 595 00:30:33,060 –> 00:30:34,939 and there is a way that leads to death. 596 00:30:34,939 –> 00:30:37,260 I really feel a little like that 597 00:30:37,260 –> 00:30:39,000 at the end of this message today. 598 00:30:39,819 –> 00:30:43,459 We live at a time when the great movement 599 00:30:43,459 –> 00:30:48,060 of our culture is to crown self as Lord. 600 00:30:50,079 –> 00:30:51,280 Go down that path 601 00:30:51,280 –> 00:30:53,280 and you will always be haunted with fear, 602 00:30:55,119 –> 00:30:56,439 always haunted with fear. 603 00:30:58,119 –> 00:30:59,800 There can be no greater curse 604 00:30:59,800 –> 00:31:01,880 than the curse that is found on that path 605 00:31:01,880 –> 00:31:05,239 and no greater misery than what is found at its end. 606 00:31:06,040 –> 00:31:09,800 And so I want to say with Moses, 607 00:31:09,800 –> 00:31:11,880 choose the path that leads to life. 608 00:31:11,880 –> 00:31:12,719 And what is that? 609 00:31:12,719 –> 00:31:14,880 It’s the path on which you get off the throne. 610 00:31:16,199 –> 00:31:18,859 It’s a path of which you crown Jesus Christ 611 00:31:18,859 –> 00:31:20,619 as the Lord that he is. 612 00:31:21,920 –> 00:31:25,140 Bow before him as the sovereign over your life. 613 00:31:25,140 –> 00:31:26,339 Think of this. 614 00:31:26,339 –> 00:31:28,900 When you are able to say, 615 00:31:28,900 –> 00:31:31,640 for me to live is Christ, 616 00:31:32,239 –> 00:31:35,319 then you will also be able to say, 617 00:31:35,319 –> 00:31:38,079 and for me, to die is gain. 618 00:31:39,060 –> 00:31:41,579 You’ll be able to say with the apostle Paul, 619 00:31:41,579 –> 00:31:45,719 if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, 620 00:31:45,719 –> 00:31:47,160 we die to the Lord. 621 00:31:47,160 –> 00:31:49,040 So whether we live or whether we die, 622 00:31:49,040 –> 00:31:51,000 we are the Lord. 623 00:31:51,000 –> 00:31:53,280 So you see he’s applying the central doctrine. 624 00:31:53,280 –> 00:31:57,680 This is where this great victory over fear is found 625 00:31:57,699 –> 00:32:02,459 when this savior is the sovereign lord over your life 626 00:32:04,880 –> 00:32:07,459 and over your death and over your eternity 627 00:32:07,459 –> 00:32:10,920 and you know it, and you’re his and he’s yours. 628 00:32:12,160 –> 00:32:15,859 What in the world do you have to fear? 629 00:32:17,040 –> 00:32:21,640 Father, we bow before you 630 00:32:24,199 –> 00:32:26,040 in a moment of time 631 00:32:28,199 –> 00:32:31,160 where the nation that we love 632 00:32:31,160 –> 00:32:33,560 is experiencing new levels of fear. 633 00:32:36,619 –> 00:32:39,680 And we ask that, as the people who have come to know you, 634 00:32:39,680 –> 00:32:43,040 you will make us people of hope in a culture of fear 635 00:32:45,180 –> 00:32:47,520 because we’re not simply a religious version 636 00:32:47,520 –> 00:32:48,380 of the culture, 637 00:32:50,560 –> 00:32:52,520 but we really have got off the throne 638 00:32:54,160 –> 00:32:56,800 and crowned your Son, Jesus Christ 639 00:32:58,599 –> 00:32:59,680 as the Lord. 640 00:33:00,859 –> 00:33:04,040 So hear our prayers in Jesus’ name, Amen.