United Church of God
Sermon Transcript — September 28, 2007
You know, brethren, the world that we live in is sometimes a bizarre, sometimes a curious, and often a very dangerous place, as we heard described so poignantly just a few minutes ago in the sermonette. But generally speaking, since this is the world that we have, this is the world that we live in, we've learned to adapt to the place that we live, to this earth, to this world; but we have to stop and ask ourselves, even though we're accustomed to it, is this world normal? I guess it depends on what normal means to you. The dictionary says that normal means "to comply with an established standard." It means "conformity with a prescribed rule or accepted pattern." Now, since the world truly has no uniform standard and lives by no prescribed rule, everyone is left to himself to decide what is normal. And the result, of course, is this world that we live in—an age of conflict, confusion, and contrast. A place that is sometimes wonderful and beautiful, especially with God's blessings, but a place that is also very difficult at times as well.
I'm going to read a couple of paragraphs to you from an essay called, "The Paradox of Our Time." It was written by a man named Robert Moorehead. Dr. Moorehead is a retired pastor of a Christian church near Seattle, Washington. This is a very widely circulated essay. You may have actually heard it attributed to someone else, but it was Dr. Moorehead who wrote this essay. Many of you have probably heard it or heard parts of it. He wrote:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more college degrees but less common sense, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts yet more problems, more medicine but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get too tired, read too little, watch too much television, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We have learned how to make a living but not how to make a life; we have added years to life, but not life to our years...
The essay continues a little further, but that's all I'm going to read for you at this point.
Dr. Moorehead wrote this essay in 1990, some 17 years ago; and if anything, it is even more true today than it was when he wrote that essay. It describes a world of paradox. It describes a world that is not in good shape. It reminds me of the last visit I made to my doctor for a physical exam. At the conclusion, he said, "Henson, you're going to have to get in shape." I said, "Round is a shape. I am in shape. This is the shape I'm in!" But the shape or the condition of the world that we are in is not a good one. But what choice do we have? This is the only world that we have. This is the world we have to live in. But, as a matter of fact, there is a way out.
Turn with me to Galatians, chapter 1. Galatians, the first chapter, and we'll begin by reading verses 3-4, Paul writes:
Galatians 1:3-4 — Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father...
Let me read that to you from the Amplified translation. It adds just a little bit to it, I think. It says, Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who yielded Himself to atone for our sins and to save and sanctify us in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of God, our Father.
What a reassuring and comforting statement. Dr. Avent was talking in the sermonette about the need for mankind to find comfort, and we have found that comfort in God's word. It says here in this passage that God has a plan and that it is His will and His purpose to rescue and deliver us from this present evil age. This time of year gives us an opportunity to focus on the promise of a different world, a world vastly different from the one in which we live. Mr. Martin gave us an overview of that plan on opening night. This morning I'm going to continue with the theme that Mr. Franks introduced yesterday, in which—again, Dr. Avent also was speaking of this earlier this same service—Mr. Franks spoke of a dramatic rescue mission that is already underway. Well, based on this verse here in Galatians, chapter 1, the title I've given to this message this morning is "Special Delivery." And this morning, I'm going to highlight three major steps in that plan of deliverance that is mentioned in Galatians, chapter 1. Each of these steps shows us that Jesus Christ is already at work to complete and to accomplish God's plan to deliver us, personally, each of us individually, and eventually, ultimately, to deliver all mankind from this present evil age.
The first step we'll review is one that was accomplished several thousand years ago when Jesus delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt. That's the first step we're going to consider this morning. So let's turn to Exodus, chapter 3, and let's read just a little bit about that time when Israel was delivered out of the bondage of Egypt. Exodus, chapter 3, begin in verse 7, it says:
Ex. 3:7-8 — And the Eternal said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey...
The people of Israel had become trapped in Egypt. Over the years, they had descended into absolute slavery. They were powerless. There was literally no way for them to be able to escape from the conditions that they faced. But the Eternal delivered them out of that bondage. Now, the one here who identifies Himself as the Lord, or the Eternal, as we express it, later in the same chapter, revealed Himself by the name of "I Am." That was the name of this God who delivered Israel. He also reveals Himself in this same chapter as the eternal self-existent God, "Yahweh." He reveals Himself by that name here in Exodus, chapter 3.
When we consider that in light of a couple of other verses, for example, in John, chapter 8, Jesus Christ stated that He was that God named "I Am." And in I Corinthians 10 we read that Paul says that Jesus Christ was the spiritual rock that led Israel through the wilderness. The point is this: the one who delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt was the one who became Jesus Christ. He was the God who delivered the nation of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, out of bondage and into the freedom of being God's nation and God's people.
Exodus, chapter 18, provides an interesting summary of the events and how they were viewed, how Moses viewed those events. In Exodus, chapter 18, verse 8, Moses here explains to his father-in-law what had happened, what had occurred in the recent months that brought them into the wilderness. Exodus, chapter 18, beginning in verse 8:
Ex. 18:8-10 — And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Eternal had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Eternal had delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Eternal had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the Eternal, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians."
So Moses recounted an amazing story to Jethro of how they had been delivered—the events that had taken place that were impossible, that were beyond belief and understanding, the miracles that they had witnessed, that they had come through in order to be delivered.
But why do we bring this up at the Feast of Tabernacles? Didn't we talk about this last spring when we were observing the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread? Isn't the Feast of Tabernacles supposed to be about a different stage in God's plan? Well, yes and no. Let's turn now to Leviticus 23. This begins to describe the Feast of Tabernacles here in verse 39, where we'll pick it up.
Lev. 23:39 — "Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Eternal for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest."
We've already been reminded that this feast is a fall harvest, which is given to us for an opportunity to rejoice, and a time of great celebration for all the blessings and the prosperity that God has given to His people throughout the year. It's a time of rejoicing, of celebration, a time of, generally speaking, greater prosperity because of those blessings. We understand, of course, from the sequence of prophecies that Jesus Christ will return and that this harvest celebration represents the millennial rule of Jesus Christ and the prosperity and the blessings that mankind will enjoy during the millennium, and we're going to continue to focus on that message, I'm sure, throughout the rest of the week. Let's continue:
Verse 42 — "You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths..." Why? Verse 43 — "that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Eternal your God."
It is proper that we should emphasize that the Feast of Tabernacles represents that coming millennial rule of Jesus Christ. That certainly is one of the most important lessons that we learn, but the Feast of Tabernacles also teaches us a historical lesson. It is intended to remind us as well of something that occurred in the history, at the very beginning of the nation of Israel. It is to be rehearsed by all generations to come, to be reminded that, as Israel was brought out of and journeyed through the wilderness from Egypt, they lived in temporary dwellings. They lived in a temporary setting. So during this week, we are also to remember this first step, this first stage in God's plan to deliver mankind from this present and evil world. We see, first of all and initially, the powerful hand of Jesus Christ who delivered Israel from Egypt. And it's a lesson that we are to remember and to consider during the Feast of Tabernacles.
We also certainly can see that there are many parallels and lessons for us as we recall the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and compare it to what Jesus Christ is doing now in our lives, which brings me to the second stage we're going to discuss this morning. The second stage of God's plan to deliver mankind is that Jesus is delivering us from this present evil age. Jesus Christ is delivering us from this present evil age. We note that Jesus Christ physically delivered and literally removed Israel from Egypt, from their life of bondage, from their slavery. We will see that we are not physically removed from our environment, but we are being spiritually delivered from our present and evil age or world.
Let's consider part of the prayer of Jesus Christ in John 17. John, chapter 17, begin in verse 15. It's interesting as well that this is a passage that we emphasize during our celebration of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and we find a very clear connection between the spring holy days and the fall holy days. Obviously, the fall holy days are a completion of the plan that is begun with the spring holy days. But we do not observe them so separately, they're not so partitioned that we just observe one at a time without consideration of the others. They're all tied together. They all weave together into the plan that is being fulfilled and that God has brought us into, made us a part of. So here in John, chapter 17, let's begin in verse 15, where Jesus in His prayer says:
John 17:15-18 — "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
Now, when He uses that terminology or makes that statement, Jesus is speaking specifically of the work that will be done by those disciples who were with Him. Those eleven who at that point were with Him and were faithful to Him, were going to be sent into the world, into society to continue to preach the message that Christ introduced. But we can skip down to verse 20 just for a moment, where Jesus says:
Verse 20 — "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word..."
That's a very encouraging statement that Jesus added here because it draws us into that prayer. This prayer is for us as well, those of us who followed and cameinto and are drawn into and are a part of the church of God and the plan of God by the work of those who have gone before us.
But God does not remove us at this time from the world. At the same time, however, we are delivered from the ways of this world. What separates us from the ways of the world is mentioned in verse 17. It is the truth. The truth—the comforting understanding of what the plan is and the part that we can have in it and where we are in the development of that plan. We are separated from the world. We are delivered from the world because we have a different standard, because God has blessed us with an understanding of truth.
So we might go back again and kind of revisit the definition of "normal." Remember what I said? Normal means "to comply with an established standard, conformity with a prescribed rule or accepted pattern." In other words, the truth of God is what is normal. What is happening in the world all around us might be familiar. It might be what most everyone is participating in at one level or one way or another; but normal is not what everyone is doing. Normal is a conformity to that standard. Normal is God's truth, and that truth sets us apart.
Now, it's kind of ironic, I suppose, because to be set apart would make it appear that we're not normal, when, in fact, God's truth is what is normal and what's happening in the world is what's abnormal. But since we're in the minority, it would appear to others that we're the ones who are unusual and abnormal. In fact, the truth is what has helped us to become or to be rescued from, to be delivered from the world and it's ways. There are not very many of you. When we gather together at a Feast site, it's encouraging because there are several hundred, fifteen hundred or so or eighteen hundred of us here. That's very encouraging; but we come from quite a distance, in many cases, and from scattered areas. Chances are good that you're the only one in your workplace or in your class at school who is observing the Feast of Tabernacles, the only one who has made this special trip among many hundreds, thousands of people that you live among, that you come into contact with.
My parents began attending God's church when I was nine years old, so I've had the privilege of being a part of God's church virtually all of my life. My family moved around quite a lot, and it seemed like I was at a different school almost every school year, so I had to break in a whole new set of teachers every time the fall holy days came around. When I was in elementary school, my parents would come in and, you know, take me by the hand and take me to the teachers and explain everything; but that got kind of embarrassing to me after awhile, so I said, "That's OK. I'll take care of it." But they'd write me a note and, I don't know how it works now in high school, but I had to take this note from my parents to the office and then the secretary there would give me this pre-excused absence form and I had to take that form and go to every teacher. I had to have them sign off to give me permission to be gone for eight or nine days of school.
Now, you know, there's always one knucklehead that you have to deal with. Most of the teachers were fine. Most of them would...frankly, most of them didn't care; but there always was one, maybe two, that wanted to argue with you, that wanted to point out, as if I didn't know, that I was the only one in school that was doing this and what made me the exception? Now, that's quite a burden to put on a fourteen or fifteen year old. I'm sure that many of you have faced the very same thing in whatever the process or the system is that you deal with. Not to mention, of course, your friends, having to explain to them what makes you the exception and gives you the privilege of being gone. It also makes it more difficult, you see...when I was in high school and later when I was working, we went to such exotic places for the Feast as Eugene, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington. It wasn't difficult to explain that this is...we're only going because this is a religious convention. There's no reason to go...excuse me, we have some friends from Oregon...there's no reason to go to Eugene unless you're going to be there for a religious experience. It might be a little more difficult to convince folks, "Really, it's Panama City, but it's for religion. We're going there to go to church. Really! True! Promise!" But the point is, you stand out.
You're different. Whether you're asking for time off from work or time off from school, you're different; and it makes you seem like the one who is odd. You are the one who seems to be out of step. Now, we have two choices in that kind of circumstance. We can choose to be embarrassed and feel ashamed because we're not like everyone else, or, hopefully, we take the opportunity to recognize and value what an incredible blessing it is. Isn't it a shame that you're the only one in your workplace or in your school? Wouldn't it be normal or better if everyone could pause from their every day and to come to think and focus on what God is doing? Remember, normal is not a matter of what everyone else is doing. Normal is following the prescribed pattern of God's law and doing what God intends for us to do. It seems like a contradiction, but you are the only normal one, most likely, in your school or in your place of employment.
Turn back to Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 13. There are many who have gone before us who have walked this same path, who have also been the few who were normal in their age, in their time, in their society. Verse 13 is a summary verse. It refers back earlier in the chapter to the examples that have been given of Abel and Enoch, of Noah, Abraham, Sarah, those faithful servants of God who were given, miraculously, some level of understanding. We sometimes wonder what it might have been that they did understand. How much detail did they have? What did Noah really understand about what was happening? Or Abraham. He was given certain promises. How did he really understand that they would be fulfilled? How much did he grasp? Well, for that matter, how much more is there beyond what we think we know, that is yet to be revealed and that we will at some point experience? But verse 13 refers back to those pillars of faith, and it says:
Heb. 11:13-16 — These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Because of their faith, those who are listed here in this chapter were delivered from this world. They lived their lives in the promise of a greater, a spiritual world, something that was far beyond what is offered here. Like those who have gone before us, we also live in this world in anticipation of a different world and a much better world. We have grown as well as they have to the point that we have absolute confidence in these promises. What we are here celebrating and what we focus on for this entire fall holy day season really is the very hope of our lives, and it's all based on faith. It's based on God's spirit working in us to convict us, to convince us, to give us confidence and understanding. We embrace those promises, we hold them close to us because that is our life—a better world— and Christ is delivering us from this world right now by that calling, as He leads us and works in our lives.
The people that God has called out of this world have always been pilgrims and strangers. Whatever historical era or nation or culture or government or social organization, God's people have never fit into this society or into their society. Now, we can live there. We can exist there. God will bless us within that environment as we look to Him to care for us and protect us, but we don't really fit, do we? We don't really fit that structure.
The word "stranger" used in verse 13 means "to be a guest or a foreigner." The word "pilgrim" means "to be a resident foreigner, one who lives among but is not part of a nation." We still live among, we're part of our communities, we live within this culture, this society; but we are not part of it. We have already, to that level, in a spiritual sense, we've already been delivered out of this present evil age. And that's the lesson of a booth. That's the lesson of a tent, a tabernacle. A tabernacle is a portable dwelling. It's not permanent. It represents a journey. It represents a passage. It means that we are on our way someplace else.
We see here in verse 15 that Abraham and Sarah and others, they in particular, could have gone back to the country that God had brought them out of, could have gone back to their homeland; but they didn't. They didn't look back. We, too, could. We could step out of this plan any time we want, but I hope that that's a frightening thought to you. Wouldn't it be terrible to have the hope and the strength that we have in our grasp right now, but to turn away from it and to let it go and to step back into darkness of a world that is confused and has no normality, has no standard. The faithful learn the lesson of tabernacles. We have learned that we are on a journey, that what we have now is temporary, that we are being delivered; and as with Israel, following the pillar of cloud and fire, Jesus Christ is leading the church. He's the head of the church, and we follow where He leads us, and we're not part of the world around us.
But there's another aspect of that that I find also to be very encouraging. Turn to Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 19. Paul here writes:
Eph. 2:19 — Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God...
First of all, I recognize that specifically and in the context of this letter or this epistle, Paul is referring to the Gentiles who had now been incorporated into God's church. The Gentiles were not excluded. They were invited in; they had become part of the church itself, so it's speaking in that general sense; but, on the other hand, I think we can find another application, because as we saw in the book of Hebrews, we're all strangers and foreigners; and we've been brought out of a world into something different.
Mr. Franks yesterday mentioned, if I jotted down the statistic correctly, that there are nine million refugees in the world today—nine million people who have no place and nothing. Now, a refugee is not the same as a pilgrim, not the same as a stranger. A refugee has nothing—no land, no community, no structure, no government. A refugee is just a person that nobody wants and is cast aside because their homeland has been taken from them. Notice, the Bible does not refer to us as refugees. Paul says in Philippians 3 that we have a citizenship in heaven. We have citizenship, and here Paul points out in Ephesians 2 that we've been drawn together into the household of God. We're not just cast away. We're not wandering around with no place that we belong. We've been brought into the household of God. And within this structure of the church, we draw together in unity. We draw together in purpose. We share that hope of the promise of a world to come and we're involved with preparing a people and preaching the gospel. We have an identity. We have the promise that we share together of a better world. We are the household of God. This is our identity and this is our future. We've been drawn out of, called out of, a different way, a different society; and we've been brought together into the household of God.
Now, of course, the promise of the kingdom will yet be fulfilled. The church is not the kingdom, but the church is the household of God.It is the gathering of those that have been called out, and we are working and progressing together toward that kingdom. For now, God has called us and Jesus Christ is delivering us. He is the head of the church, the captain of our salvation, the firstborn of many brethren. He is leading us through the wilderness of this age to a better world to come. So, again, this festival of booths, this festival of tabernacles reminds us that as members of the household of God, our place and our life, for now, is temporary; and we look ahead to something that is so much better because Jesus Christ will deliver us there. He is leading us, protecting us, providing for us every day as we continue to look to Him.
Have you ever tried to explain to someone what you do and why you go to the Feast of Tabernacles? Years ago I worked for a computer manufacturing company before I was hired into the ministry. At this one particular point, we were about to complete a major project, one of the most important and largest scope of projects that this corporation had undertaken in quite some time. They were about to release a whole new line of engineering workstations. At that time, I was the manager of a documentation group; and in that capacity, I was responsible for the development of a virtual library of user and programming and system manuals and marketing brochures that would be introduced at the same time as this new line of products.
Well, about two months before the shipping date, before this project was to be completed and the first products would go out the door, my manager had a meeting with all of his managers. He reminded us how critically important this project was and that, frankly, as far as he was concerned, the future of our corporation depended on the success of this project, which we had all been completely dedicated to for two years. And now, it was nearly complete. And because it was so important, because that shipping date was nearly upon us, he told us there would be no one who would be allowed to take vacation during the month of September. Hmm. Of course, you know when the Feast of Tabernacles fell in that particular year. He said there would be no reason for anyone to take any personal time off because of the importance of this project. Well, I thought that over for a little bit, prayed about it a bit, reviewed the status of my component of this project to make sure that it was on track. Then one morning I went in to work and I said, "Jerry, we need to talk." And I explained to him why I would be taking about ten days off right in the middle of the month of September.
I've never seen anyone look so shocked. Never seen anyone look so stunned. "Didn't I make myself clear? NO ONE is taking any vacation during that month because this is such...what could possibly be more important than finishing this project?" I said, "Well, in the first place, my part of the project will be finished; and in the second place, yeah, it is. To me, this is more important than the project that we're about to complete." Well, I didn't think when we began the conversation that his mouth could open any wider, but at that point it did. So he said, "OK, what is this Feast of Tabernacles? Why are you going? What are you going to do that's so important?" Well, I explained it to him, what we do and why it's so valuable to us; and he just sat there and shook his head the whole time.
You see, I think he thought, when I said Feast of Tabernacles, I think he thought we were going to have about a ten-day toga party, you know, just laying around eating grapes and drinking wine and... "Just how do you 'feast' for eight days? What are you talking about?" So I told him, "Well..." And again, he repeated back to me what I had told him. He said, "OK, so you're telling me that you go to church in the morning, OK, and then you play with your kids in the afternoon, then you have dinner with some friends, OK. And you play with the kids some more, and then you go to bed and you get up and do the same thing the next day?" I said, "Well, that's kind of the essence of it, but it really has much more meaning than that," but it just didn't penetrate.
He had no concept of what it means to take a week of your life and feast, and the elements that we do...think about the components. Each individual element all by itself would be difficult to explain in terms of the importance and the value and the pleasure and the good things that come out of it for you. But I was insistent that I...I said, "Well, I'm sorry, Jerry, but my part of this project is done and I will be taking...I've got the vacation coming and I need...you know every year I take off at about this time, and this is when it will happen this year." And he just shook his head. He was quiet for about thirty seconds; he just muttered to himself. Finally he stood up and walked out of the conference room and he said, "Go to your Feast of Tabernacles!" At that moment I kind of thought, this might be how Moses felt when Pharaoh said, "Take your people and go worship your God!"
But, you know, chances are real good that you got at least a sideways look from someone recently as you were making your plans to be here. They think, in many cases, what you're doing is really weird, really odd. I also know that some of you have struggled through some very difficult personal times in order to be at the Feast, because the Feast is so important to you that you are willing to sacrifice and to work and to struggle in order to be here.
Sometimes I picture the congregation, especially on opening night, kind of like the walking wounded. We straggle in, we're a bit distracted because of all that we've been through and all the hassle and the work and the travel, but we're here! Why? Because we have that hope and that promise of a different world; and we are determined to be there. And brethren, I'll just say this much: As determined as we are to be here for this week, I certainly hope and pray that that determination is within us to be there not just for the picturing of the millennium, but to be there when it happens, because this is nothing compared to what it will be like. And the effort that we put forward to be able to be here is nothing compared to what lies ahead of us. We've got to have that vision and that determination and that recognition that Jesus Christ is delivering us from this present evil age.
So there are a lot of people back home who might think that you're kind of weird, you're pretty strange. You know, "Whatever happened to them when they got to be a part of that church?" And they just shake their heads when they think about what it is that you do and that you believe. In the meantime, many of them are putting giant paper spiders in their front yards, lining their sidewalks with dead pumpkins, buying little tiny candy bars to give to children who dress up like cartoon characters and dead people; but YOU'RE weird! You're strange because of what you believe. What an incredible blessing it is to be delivered from this present evil age and to have that encouragement every day in our lives.
Turn to II Peter, chapter 2, verses 7-8. This is talking about...actually, the context begins back in verse 4. Peter is pointing out that God deals with those who rebel against Him and who need to be punished. It talks about the time of Noah. In verse 6 he begins talking about or writing about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, how they were turned into ashes. But verse 7, it says:
II Pet. 2:7-8 — He delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)...
That really does describe us as well, doesn't it? We also are tormented by the world that we live in, that we're not part of, by the lawlessness that surrounds us. The evil and the dangers of this world are oppressive, and they are worrisome, and they're emotionally painful. How can we not hear, as we did earlier, of the shootings at Virginia Tech and not shake our heads and shed a tear for the people that were killed; and, in some cases, it is even more devastating for those who survived. The world we live in is a deadly place. It's a destructive place. It's Godless. It's lawless. And we are not part of it. We have no place in it because of what Jesus Christ is doing in our lives. And as Lot was delivered from wicked Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus Christ delivers us as well. The word "oppressed" used in verse 7 means "to wear down with toil or to harass." I think we often feel harassed by the conditions that we face, by the world that we toil our way through. "Tormented" literally refers to the physical pain of torture, and it is painful for us to experience and to witness, to be around, what this world is suffering through.
Lot, it says in verse 9, was personally delivered from that evil environment by the Lord, by the same one who delivered Israel, by the same one who is delivering us, by Jesus Christ. Now, Satan will continue to try to draw us back into his world. And we know how skilled he is at deceit, of making something look good, when, in fact, it is poison. We know that, but we have to be on guard to protect ourselves against it, because he is so powerfully deceptive.
Consider Luke, chapter 4, verse 5. I just want to consider for a moment what Satan has to offer and how it's possible that he could draw us back away from the understanding and the promise and the hope that we have. Look at the way he approached Jesus Christ.
Luke 4:5-6 — Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish."
Satan, as the god of this world, has the power and the authority to bless, to give so-called "good" things to those who yield to him and are a part of his system. This is the way that Satan tempted Jesus Christ. I would submit that he tempts us in the exact same way. He wants us to think that there's got to be an easier way to do this. In effect, Satan was offering Jesus the same reward; but He would have had to fall down and worship Satan instead of the Father. And, of course, Jesus was not willing to do that; and, of course, we must not be willing to do that either.We must not submit to or put ourselves back into the control of what Jesus Christ came to deliver us from. But, let's be honest. There's much in this world that Satan can make look very enticing. And it's possible that he could draw us back into the world that Jesus Christ is delivering us from. Our lives must always represent that kingdom that we look forward to.
Turn to Philippians, chapter 1. We'll read verse 27. Paul makes a comment here, or uses some wording here, that is almost like it's in passing, but I think it makes a very important point to us. Paul writes:
Phil. 1:27 — Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ...
Yes, it's a tremendous blessing to have the comfort of the understanding of the plan of God. It's a tremendous benefit in our lives. It relieves us of a great deal of anxiety and concern and fear to know that there is a plan—it's already at work—and Jesus Christ is busy in our lives to deliver us from this world; but it also places upon us a great deal of responsibility, because it's not just a matter of being comforted—it's also a matter of being actively involved in representing that kingdom, that world that is to come, the one that we're going to be delivered into.
...let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ...I think in a very real way the gospel of Jesus Christ is summarized by these very days, the fall holy days in general. It's the fulfillment of the coming of the kingdom of God; and our conduct, Paul is telling us, needs to reflect that understanding that God has given to us. It's a burden of responsibility that Jesus Christ expects us to carry.
In another previous job that I once had, I was required to work one weekend a year. It was at an electrical wholesale company, and they did a physical inventory of the warehouse once a year. There are gazillions of little pieces to be counted and accounted for in an inventory of that kind of a business, and so it's very strictly enforced. My boss told me in the first year that I was there, he said, "No one gets off on inventory weekend." He said, "If you grandmother dies, forget about going to the funeral. You'll be here." Well, my grandmother died many years ago, so that wasn't going to be an issue; but I had to go to my boss's boss, actually the president of this small company, and tell him why I would not be there on Saturday to count the inventory. Of course, he fumed and he snorted and he got really very angry, and he said, "Well, what if everyone was like you?" Well, I didn't say much at the time, but I thought to myself, "Yeah! What if everyone...that's a good question."
All of us can ask that question of ourselves. What if everyone was like you? What would the world be like then? If, or as, we are conducting ourselves in a way that's worthy of the truth that God has given to us—the gospel of Jesus Christ—then the world would be a much, much better place, wouldn't it? But we have to stop and remind ourselves, I think, from time to time, in the day-to-day routine, the hustle and bustle of life, to remind ourselves that whatever we do, wherever we go, our conduct—actually the word "conduct" is from a Greek word that means "citizenship"...again, it shows that connection we have to the kingdom of God—our conduct should properly reflect the good news of the coming kingdom of God, and reflect that we have, personally, been delivered from the ways of this world and now we're awaiting the coming of that new world. So, Jesus Christ, right now, is working in our lives and, spiritually, He is delivering us from this present evil age, preparing us for that kingdom, that world, that age that is to come.
So, very briefly, then, to get to the final stage—I'm going to cover this very quickly, because I'm sure that others will cover it in more depth throughout the rest of the week—but the third stage of this deliverance is that after He returns, Jesus will physically and spiritually deliver all mankind from this present evil age. When Christ returns, He will physically and spiritually deliver all of mankind. Israel was physically delivered; we're being spiritually delivered; there will come a time when all of mankind will be both, physically and spiritually delivered from this present evil age.
Let's look just briefly at a couple of passages that describe that time. Zechariah, chapter 14, begin in verse 8.
Zech. 14:8 — And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem...living waters will flow out of the capital city of the world, Jerusalem...half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur...that this living water will go out from Jerusalem.
Verse 9 — And the Eternal, Yahweh, Jesus Christ, shall be King over all the earth.
When Jesus Christ rules over this earth, living waters will flow out from Jerusalem. Those waters represent the physical and the spiritual restoration of this earth—a time of healing—physically, spiritually, emotionally.
Ezekiel 47 describes how the waters that flow from the temple will heal and restore the oceans and the rivers and that wherever those waters go, there will be life. Remember that the world is going to be physically in very sad shape by the time Jesus Christ returns, by the time He arrives. For all that will take place during the time of His intervention, during the time of what we call "the day of the Lord," as He defeats the armies, the physical human armies of Satan, there will be a great deal of destruction; and this earth will be in a shambles. He will set about to restore the physical aspects of this earth to make it healthy and safe once again. He will deliver mankind from that previous evil age, from the destruction that came upon it because of the adversary, because of Satan.
Isaiah 11 prophesies a time when the world will be covered with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the seas. Finally, the world will be normal! The world will be saturated with truth, with knowledge, with understanding, and with hope. That veil that Paul spoke of will be lifted, and people will have the opportunity to understand and to be taught and to follow, to come to realize that a new world has begun. Sometimes we play a little bit of a game when we try to imagine what a certain aspect of life will be like in the millennium. It's especially interesting to talk to your children about that. What would school be like? What will lunch be like? What will it be like just to...what will your friends be like? What's life going to be like when everything changes, when the world is saturated with God's truth, and that's the way that everyone is learning to live? It's an interesting mental exercise, and I think it helps us to try to envision in practical ways what the new world is going to be like and why it is we want so much to be a part of that new world.
Let's consider another verse that describes some millennial-like events and changes on this earth. In Zechariah, chapter 8, we'll read just a couple of verses here. We'll read verses 21-23. This is a beautiful scene that's described here. It says:
Zech. 8:21-23 — The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us continue to go and pray before the Eternal, and seek the Eternal of hosts. I myself will go also." Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Eternal of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Eternal. Thus says the Eternal of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
There's going to come a time, after Christ's return, that the people of Judah will be reconciled to Jesus Christ. The people of Judah will come and will experience some very strong, maybe bitter repentance when they recognize and understand and realize their Messiah had already come, and now He's come back for the second time; and they'll recognize who He is, and they'll learn to turn to Him and to worship Him; and because of their example, others will follow. Judah in particular, Israel in general, will finally be the nation God intended them to be—a beacon, a light, showing the way that the world, that the nations, should live. And even those vast and powerful nations that have never known the true God, who worship other forms of gods, will become convinced that they need, also, to seek the God of the nation of Judah and of Israel. And they will recognize, they will come out of the destructive ways of a previous life, a previous world; and they will come into this new age, this new world, where Jesus Christ is king; and they will learn to worship and to seek Him. They will seek Jesus Christ. They will come to Him to learn of Him and to repent and to devote their lives to Him. They will be both physically and spiritually restored.
Jesus Christ will be the king of that earth. It says, "We have heard that God is with you." One of the prophetic names of Jesus Christ is Immanuel, and that word "Immanuel" in the Hebrew means "God is with us." The nations will come to understand that this being who has returned, who now rules over the earth, is God; and they will learn to seek Him. They will be both spiritually and physically delivered; and that new age will be underway, the time that we focus on, in particular, during the Feast of Tabernacles.
So as we saw in Galatians 1, God has a plan. It is His will and His purpose to rescue all of mankind from this present evil age. Of course, it gets even bigger than what we've talked about, because, as we'll be reminded at the end of the week, there's a plan as well to deliver all of those who have already lived and died, who have not had the opportunity to receive that hope.
Let's conclude in I Corinthians, chapter 15. It's a very short passage here, a very short statement, that's one of the favorites of mine, one of my favorites in all of the Bible. If you go back to verse 20, it's speaking of Jesus Christ, how He's been resurrected and has become the firstfruits, the very first one to be born into the kingdom of God through a resurrection and how our hope now is in Christ because of the fact that He has been resurrected.
I Cor. 15:22-23 — For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order...There's the plan. You see, God has a plan. All will have an opportunity to be a part of that eternal life through Jesus Christ, but each in order, each in his own time...each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
Verse 24 is the short statement that I find so exciting. It says: Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father...
Here's the ultimate final delivery, when everything that we know about, everything we picture through all the holy days, that we anticipate, that we live for, that we're looking forward to, when all those who have ever lived have had their opportunity, when that last child is born into the kingdom of God, then comes the end. And then Jesus Christ delivers the finished product to the Father.
I wonder what that moment is going to be like. I wonder how we're going to feel as we look out across this vast family that we are now a part of, and we see Jesus Christ, the Alpha has come to the Omega. We've come from the beginning of God's plan to what we know of it, which really is itself just the beginning; but the part of God's plan that we're a part of now and that we have some understanding of, will come to its conclusion. That short phrase, "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father," brings a whole host of mental pictures to mind. You can think about it. Your imagination can take off with what it will be like as the plan builds toward that moment and all the final preparations are made, as the children of God are gathered together for the formal presentation and dedication of the family, as the kingdom is delivered to the Father. What an incredible blessing it is, brethren, to be here this week, to be comforted and strengthened, to be encouraged and inspired, to worship God the Father and Jesus Christ, for making us a part of Their plan, to deliver all mankind from this present evil age.