1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:07,600 Let me pray for us. We come before you, Heavenly 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:12,880 Father, with your word before us, and we ask that you help us 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,160 to see Jesus Christ lifted and glorified. 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,160 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,040 pleasing unto you. Amen. 6 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,920 Good morning, everyone. That's a weaker for 11 AM. 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:32,360 What happened? Good morning, everybody. 8 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,520 OK, All right. For those of you who are new, my 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,640 name is Sulemani Megadi. I'm one of the pastors here at 10 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,280 the church. This is the fourth Sunday of 11 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,320 Advent. And the call like that we just 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:51,080 said a few moments ago, we prayed, says that we asked God 13 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,800 to stir up his power and with great might to come among us 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,400 because we are sorely hindered by our sins. 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,640 We want his bountiful grace and mercy to speedily help us and 16 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,400 deliver us. That prayer assumes that we need 17 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:12,760 help and it asks God to come among us and to deliver us. 18 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,360 But what exactly does that mean necessarily? 19 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,680 What does it mean that we need to be delivered? 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,160 What? What are we being delivered from 21 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,600 our sins? Yes, but what does that mean? 22 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,080 And that's what I want to talk about this morning using the 23 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,600 three passages that we read, the Psalm, the passage in Isaiah, 24 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,920 and the gospel. But we're going to spend most of 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:39,520 our time in Isaiah 15-9 found on page 579 in your Bible. 26 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:40,920 You can follow along if you wish. 27 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:49,320 Isaiah 59579. Now, I am a fan of space. 28 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,800 It's one of my favorite things that is not in the world. 29 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,080 I love space. I love its vastness, its 30 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,680 mystery, the sheer scale of space. 31 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,240 I love sci-fi and kind of one of those sci-fi nerds. 32 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,640 I love Star Trek and Star Wars. It's amazing. 33 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,720 I love the physics and the math behind what happens in space. 34 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,960 Fascinated by a collapsing star that becomes a singularity and 35 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,120 has such a huge amount of gravitational pull that even 36 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:22,560 light cannot escape it. That 1.3 million earths by 37 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,320 volume can fit into our sun. And I cannot conceive of that. 38 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,280 I don't know what that means. And our sun is not even the 39 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,720 biggest sun star in the Galaxy. It's kind of pretty average. 40 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:37,440 I, I, I love space, I really do. And when I think about that, 41 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,320 when I think about space and how huge things are, the moon, the 42 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,520 stars, the heavens, I understand why the psalmist says, O Lord 43 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,800 our governor, how majestic is your name in all the earth, 44 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,080 Because God's creation is glorious. 45 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:56,680 He has set His Majesty upon above the heavens, and he's done 46 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,440 all these wonderful things. Yet in his infinite wisdom, when 47 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,400 he looks at the vast universe, it's awesomeness. 48 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:10,080 He turns to us, you and me, and he says, you, you are my 49 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,800 crowning achievement. You are better than all the 50 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,080 stuff that's happening out there. 51 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,800 Wow. He crowns us with glory and 52 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,320 honor. He entrusts dominion of his work 53 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,840 over to us. That's amazing to me. 54 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,640 And if everything had remained perfect as it was intended to 55 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,920 be, no sin, no problems in the world at all, I would be out in 56 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,080 space night right now with my own Starship command, 57 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,080 gallivanting from one Galaxy to the other. 58 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,920 I would be having fun. I still plan to do that in the 59 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,200 new heavens and the new earth. And if you guys can convince my 60 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,440 wife to join me when that happens, that would be great. 61 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,280 But that's not what happened. Things aren't perfect. 62 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,720 Sin and death entered into the world because of our 63 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,520 disobedience. And the majestic work of God has 64 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,040 not been destroyed. There is still goodness and 65 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:03,280 beauty and truth, but it's been marred, It's been maimed. 66 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,960 And no one but the Lord Himself fully grasps the reach of sin in 67 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,920 our world and the consequences of sin in our world. 68 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,840 But I want to name at least four ways that this beautiful, 69 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,760 perfect world that God created is now marred and broken. 70 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,520 The first one is the creation itself has been subjected to 71 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,080 futility. That's what Paul says in the 72 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,160 book of Romans. Sin and death have bent creation 73 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,560 out of shape such that it no longer functions the way it's 74 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:37,640 supposed to without resistance. And we feel that resistance at 75 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:41,040 every turn. I was at a park one time, not in 76 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,080 DC, but I was at a park one time with my wife who were just 77 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:45,840 walking through. It was a gorgeous day. 78 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:51,080 And all of a sudden I started coughing and there was like snot 79 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:52,920 running down my nose. I felt like I was having a 80 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:54,560 headache. I was like, what in the world is 81 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,520 going on? The trees were trying to kill 82 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,800 me. We had to hightail it out of 83 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:01,360 them. When we left the park, I was 84 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,080 fine again. Everything was fine. 85 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:04,760 It was OK. Now, I don't know if that's the 86 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,720 result of sin, but that was definitely uncomfortable. 87 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,800 It felt like a groaning. The ground produces thorn, 88 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,160 thorns, and thistles. Death is woven into how the 89 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,360 natural order operates right now. 90 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,480 Every beast of the earth is naturally afraid of us, so we 91 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:22,400 are their enemy and creation. Creation groans in ways that we 92 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,920 can't handle. Earthquakes, storms, diseases, 93 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,400 signs that things are not the way that God wants them to be 94 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,400 yet. But sin and death have also 95 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,360 broken every human being from the inside, each of us. 96 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,640 And this is where Isaiah 59 is particularly helpful. 97 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:44,000 That passage was written in a different setting, but it names 98 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,480 some things that are very familiar to all of us. 99 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:51,480 In verse 3, the prophet says, For your hands are defiled with 100 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:53,960 blood and your fingers with iniquity. 101 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:58,160 Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness. 102 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,840 We are unable on our own to live holy and righteous lives because 103 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,560 we've been cut off from the source of holiness and 104 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,160 righteousness himself, God. And so we are slaves. 105 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,800 The sins, impulses and desires, the things that we are supposed 106 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,040 to do, we don't want to do. And we don't do the things that 107 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,560 we're not supposed to do. Oh, that's the that's what we 108 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,880 love to do. And that inner broken nature 109 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:28,400 shows up in other ways too. So verses 10 and 11 of Isaiah 110 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,440 59. We grope for the wall like the 111 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,200 blind. We grope like those who have no 112 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,800 eyes. We stumble at noon as in the 113 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:39,560 twilight, among those in full vigor. 114 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,720 We are like dead men. We all growl like bears, We moan 115 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,720 and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but there 116 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,040 is none for salvation. But it is far from us. 117 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,520 This is the language of despair, of hopelessness, of 118 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,640 meaninglessness. Yes, sin causes outward 119 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:01,560 rebellion. Oh, but the things in our hearts 120 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,600 that arise as a result of this fracture in our lives, it breeds 121 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,840 fear and insecurity and numbness and exhaustion of all sorts. 122 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:15,320 And sin has also soured our relationship with one another, 123 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,680 with other human beings. We were made to love one 124 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:22,360 another, but we live in distrust, and understandably so, 125 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:24,000 because we constantly hurt each other. 126 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,160 Sin creeps into every corner of our lives and it incarcerates us 127 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:33,160 in in these prisons of bitterness and unforgiveness and 128 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,920 wrath and dissensions and jealousy and covetousness and 129 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,320 malice and all sorts of wickedness. 130 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,640 We bite and devour one another, which is precisely what the 131 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:48,920 enemy of our soul wants. And all of this flows from the 132 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,920 4th and deepest effect of sin. We have been separated from God 133 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:59,640 Himself. Isaiah 59 verse 2 says verse one 134 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,240 and two say, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it 135 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,520 cannot save, or his ear dull that it cannot hear, but your 136 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,560 iniquities have made a separation between you and your 137 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,480 God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that he 138 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:19,040 does not hear. We no longer honour God as God. 139 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,400 We do not glorify him or give him thanks. 140 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:27,160 Instead, we exchange his glory and serve other gods of our own 141 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,000 making. And without God's intervention, 142 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:32,600 this is the world that we would continue to live in. 143 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,320 A place of endless plans and constant anxiety, of earnest 144 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,480 talk about justice alongside quiet, everyday cruelty. 145 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,360 We try to love our neighbor, yet our hands are still defiled with 146 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,520 iniquity. We speak about truth, yet our 147 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,920 lips learn to twist it. We build systems to uphold 148 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,880 righteousness, then discover how easily it is that we can turn 149 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,840 these systems to serve us instead. 150 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,360 We want to say peace. We want peace, but we don't know 151 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,600 the way of peace. Our education, our influence, 152 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,920 our good intentions, no matter how hard we try, will never heal 153 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,320 the human condition. Every step toward the good bears 154 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,520 the mark of our sin. We are not standing outside the 155 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,600 problem trying to fix it. Humans aren't the solution, we 156 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:22,120 are the problem. That, my friends, is the state 157 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,480 of the of humanity in the world that we live in. 158 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:30,640 Isn't that such great news? This is what God wants to save 159 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:34,200 us from. So Isaiah doesn't leave us 160 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,880 without a solution. In verse 15, the Lord saw it, 161 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,560 and it displeased him that there was no justice. 162 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,560 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no one 163 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:50,320 to intercede. Not that no one was praying, 164 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:53,240 there were people who were doing that, but that nobody was doing 165 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,080 it perfectly in holiness. Nobody was righteous enough, 166 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,840 clean enough, holy enough to deal with sin at its source. 167 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,040 So God does it because He's the only one who can. 168 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,600 He steps in, Isaiah continues. Then his own arm brought him 169 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,040 salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 170 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,080 He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of 171 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,400 salvation. Yeshua, that's the word there on 172 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,720 his head. He put on garments of vengeance 173 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,920 for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 174 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:31,200 Them frightened words. God is arming himself for battle 175 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,240 here. So on the one hand, that means 176 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,040 judgement, because justice matters to God. 177 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,920 He will set things right. Righteousness will fool the 178 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:43,560 earth, and those who refuse to repent will face judgement. 179 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:46,600 But that's not the whole picture. 180 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:53,520 God also promises salvation. And so verse 20 he says, and the 181 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:58,000 Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from 182 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,840 transgression, declares the Lord, there is a Redeemer who is 183 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,880 showing up. Who is this Redeemer? 184 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:10,720 The book of Isaiah introduces us to someone that he calls the 185 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,200 servant of the Lord. This is somebody that God has 186 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:18,120 chosen who is obedient, who is faithful, and who brings 187 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:23,160 salvation through suffering. He bears the iniquities and 188 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,840 transgressions, and of his people, He takes them on himself 189 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,320 and brings them salvation. So Isaiah 59 shows us why the 190 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:35,080 Servant is needed. Israel's sin problem, our own 191 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:39,240 sin problem had not been solved. There was king after king after 192 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,400 king, even sons of David who came who could not deal with sin 193 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,200 because they were imperfect. So God declares that there's a 194 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,840 Redeemer coming, and the Redeemer himself speaks in 195 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,200 Isaiah 49. He says, And now the Lord says, 196 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:57,600 Who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back 197 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,240 to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, For I am 198 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,840 honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my 199 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,840 strength. He says, it is too light a 200 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,000 thing, that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes 201 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,040 of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel. 202 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,680 No, that's not enough. It's too little. 203 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,080 No, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation 204 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:23,320 may reach to the end of the earth. 205 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,440 And therein lies the mysterious, wondrous truth of Christmas. 206 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,240 The solution God gives to the sin of the world is not a 207 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:37,800 sequence of reforms or a moral checklist or a spiritual 208 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:42,000 technique or a list of rules that if we just follow hard 209 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,920 enough, we'll make everything right. 210 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:50,280 The solution is a person, a Redeemer, a judge, a savior, a 211 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,760 king, Jesus Christ, God from God, light from light, true God 212 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:56,960 from true God. Amen. 213 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:02,800 That's the solution to the problem, and it should help us 214 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,640 breathe very easily. It should make us excited that 215 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,520 that's the solution. And I imagine that when the 216 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,680 people of Israel first heard the promise that Isaiah speaks about 217 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:17,120 in these chapters, they were probably ecstatic with joy, yes, 218 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,120 eagerly awaiting the arrival of this Yeshua. 219 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:27,360 Maybe it'll be this year, next year, next year. 220 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:35,400 Decades pass, centuries even up to 750 years past. 221 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,920 God's people lived in expectation, longing for their 222 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:42,480 Deliverer, their Yeshua, their salvation to come. 223 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:50,320 Then at last, God moves. The waiting ends, but not in the 224 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,160 way that the people expect. Keep in mind, the language of 225 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,160 Isaiah 59 is that God is putting on armor for battle. 226 00:13:57,880 --> 00:13:59,760 But he doesn't come with the trumpet blast. 227 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,080 He doesn't come with an army, not even with the public display 228 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:07,080 of power. He comes silently, quietly, in 229 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:12,040 the background. Joseph, a devout and righteous 230 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,040 man. He's betrothed to a woman named 231 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,600 Mary, and she's found to be with child before they get married. 232 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,680 And he's a righteous man, so he doesn't want to cause her shame. 233 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,320 He's going to divorce her quietly. 234 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,440 And then an Angel of the Lord tells him in the dream, Joseph, 235 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:31,240 son of David, don't do this. The child that is being 236 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,600 conceived in Mary's womb is of the Holy Spirit and you are 237 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:41,400 going to name him Jesus because he will save his people from 238 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,800 their sins. Jesus, God saves That is Isaiah 239 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,360 59 in the flesh. The solution to what is broken. 240 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,720 I'm saying it saying it again is Jesus and will always be Jesus. 241 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,080 And that healing reaches every, everywhere. 242 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:02,960 The sin has done its damage, so Jesus clothed himself with 243 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,320 righteousness and salvation, and throughout his life he lived 244 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,160 under righteousness. At his first coming, His 245 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:13,480 judgement is aimed specifically at sin itself, evil and death. 246 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:19,160 Of course, This is why Paul can say that he who knew no sin, 247 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,240 Jesus, was made to become sin so that we might become the 248 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:27,160 righteousness of God. All that I have spoken about, 249 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,880 the brokenness of the world, the wickedness it's suffering, Jesus 250 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,920 takes upon himself. He bears the punishment for it, 251 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:38,200 destroys its power, and in its place he offers true light. 252 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:43,080 And when he does this, he condemns sin in his flesh. 253 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,760 The fracture between God and humanity is healed. 254 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:51,080 Those who are truly joined to Jesus Christ have become new 255 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,720 creatures. The old has gone, the new has 256 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,640 come. Not only that, the fracture 257 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,160 between us. Jesus tears down those walls of 258 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:04,160 hostility, walls of fear and resentment and history and tribe 259 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,720 and place, class and race and ideology. 260 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,840 And he makes one people out of what was divided before. 261 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,200 He addresses the inner brokenness that we carry inside, 262 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,720 the despair, the fear, the captivity and wickedness in our 263 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,040 hearts. He provides healing and meaning 264 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:24,720 that will be fulfilled when he finally comes and wipes every 265 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,160 tear away from our eyes and undos. 266 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,920 Death and even creation is not left out. 267 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,440 Paul says that the natural world groans waiting to be set free 268 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:38,880 and it's hope is bound up in the redemption of the children of 269 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,200 God. One day I will be able to walk 270 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,400 into a park and the trees won't try to kill me. 271 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,440 That's amazing. Jesus is not a partial fix to 272 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:51,480 sin and evil. He is God's whole 273 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:57,160 all-encompassing answer to it. I know that almost every sermon 274 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,400 I've preached in the last few months has used examples from 275 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,160 Nigeria. This is the last time this year. 276 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:11,480 I promise, my country suffers from corruption at every level. 277 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,880 Is anybody here familiar with the with the, with the phrase 278 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,280 419? You are the blessed few. 279 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:19,440 OK, there's some of you who get it. 280 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:23,599 You are the blessed few. 419 is taken from our Criminal Code and 281 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:28,280 it's now globally recognized as shorthand for scams. 282 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,080 If you ever get an e-mail from a Nigerian Prince, don't read it. 283 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,920 Don't even open it. Things have grown so desperate 284 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,480 that a common saying among the everyday person is it to the 285 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:41,800 leaders. Look, we don't even mind if you 286 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:43,480 steal. Oh, please, go ahead and steal 287 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,680 the money. Just give us the natural, basic 288 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,160 things. Give us water, give us food, 289 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:49,840 give us power. That's all we want. 290 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,040 That's it's so bad that it's like, yeah, go ahead and steal, 291 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,560 but just give us the basic necessities, how far we have 292 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,720 sunk in human dignity. Jobs are scarce. 293 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,880 Food is expensive and often hard to find. 294 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:05,680 Vast numbers of people live in grinding poverty. 295 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:07,440 And you. Add to that the terrorism in the 296 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,280 north and you and the banditry and kidnapping in the South and 297 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:14,000 the original killings throughout the country, it's like leaving 298 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,640 your house is an act of faith. It is. 299 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,040 There are multiple fronts for for for practicing your faith, 300 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,800 unsafe roads, harassment by security forces that are meant 301 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,280 to protect you, and of course there's constant threat of 302 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,720 militant attacks, especially in a time like this during the 303 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,080 Christmas holiday season when sectarian violence is very, very 304 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,400 possible. Healthcare weak and you 305 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:41,640 constantly hear people spending hours, myself as well talking 306 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,880 about what the solution is. We need better systems, 307 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,360 policies, reforms, all good things. 308 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,720 And we always end with, oh, we wish we had people of integrity 309 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:51,680 and power. And that's right. 310 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,400 And that's true. But the problem in my country 311 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,280 and also here is that not the solution is not wrapped up in 312 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,360 any human being. There is no one who can bear the 313 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:05,600 weight of this problem except Jesus. 314 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,520 Only Jesus. This last Sunday of Advent 315 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,560 should remind us that Jesus is not one solution among many, nor 316 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,920 is he just part of the solution. He is the solution. 317 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,680 While policies can restrain evil, they cannot heal the 318 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,040 heart. Systems can organize life, but 319 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,920 they cannot make it. New methods can improve 320 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,480 outcomes, but they cannot save. And even Christian ethics, 321 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:37,320 truth, justice, compassion, they cannot stand on their own. 322 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:42,520 The moment you sever virtue from Jesus, it slowly becomes 323 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,040 something else, something more sinful. 324 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:50,000 We see this again and again. You cannot build a Kingdom out 325 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,480 of good things while rejecting the good king of the Kingdom. 326 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:58,440 Just not possible. And we should breathe a sigh of 327 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:02,160 relief that we are not the saviors we were never meant to 328 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:08,800 be, that only Jesus saves. What does that mean for us? 329 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,040 I think the most important thing for all of us is that it means 330 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:19,440 we must repent. If you have not surrendered your 331 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:24,600 loyalty completely to King Jesus, then you're still bound 332 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,320 up in your sins. You're still going to continue 333 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,000 groping for meaning, for salvation, for freedom, for 334 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,480 hope. You're going to grope in areas 335 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,000 that will never satisfy or provided. 336 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:41,640 And Advent says to you, the Redeemer is coming, so turn from 337 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,160 your sins and receive the light of salvation. 338 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:51,040 But even if you are a believer, you are surrendered to Jesus. 339 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,920 You've embraced his salvation and fully who he is. 340 00:20:54,400 --> 00:21:00,880 You must continue to repent. In fact, for a believer, 341 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,640 repentance must be a daily habit. 342 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:09,000 It must be a path of life. We must come to Jesus every day 343 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,280 and say, I have sinned against you. 344 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,360 I have murdered with my anger. I've committed adultery with my 345 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,960 eyes, with my heart. I've not kept my promises to you 346 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,360 or to other people. I've sought vengeance for my 347 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:22,880 enemies rather than love them and let you handle their 348 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:25,040 justice. I've not given to the needy. 349 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:27,320 I've not fasted and prayed as you desire of me. 350 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:29,760 I've not forgiven others as you have forgiven me. 351 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,320 I have been anxious and worried over everything and not trusted 352 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,000 in your goodness to provide. I've not treated others as I 353 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,760 would have them have them treat me. 354 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,520 I've preached, taught, believed false doctrines, and this is my 355 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:46,280 house on sin rather than the solid word and work of Christ. 356 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,440 I have not loved you with my whole heart, and I have not 357 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,080 loved my neighbors as myself. Friends, this great salvation 358 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:59,840 means that we must continually repent, and then we must live 359 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,480 like we have repented. God puts on righteousness and 360 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,120 salvation. Jesus does the same thing. 361 00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:09,120 He puts on righteousness and salvation. 362 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,240 And then Paul calls us to do the same thing in Ephesians chapter 363 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,600 6. The full armor of God, the 364 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,040 righteousness, the salvation, the belt of truth, the shield, 365 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,680 the faith, the sword of the Spirit, the shoes of the gospel 366 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,760 of peace. With prayer, we carry these 367 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,360 things with us. We bring this armor to bear on 368 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:35,360 every single daily task, whether it's I'm writing an article, I 369 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:38,600 am writing an e-mail. Is it submitted to the truth and 370 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,400 righteousness of God? As I'm wrestling with this 371 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,720 decision, does it come from faith or something else? 372 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,720 As I'm entering this particularly difficult 373 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,040 conversation with my family or with my friends, am I coming in 374 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,920 with the gospel of peace or am I coming there to dominate? 375 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,600 As I interact with friends and neighbors, do I raise up faith 376 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:05,840 just so I can refuse anything that breeds lies of suspicion 377 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,280 and contempt? When sin tries to hinder my walk 378 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,960 with Jesus, am I standing firm with the Word of God and saying 379 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,760 no? Am I using the armor daily to 380 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,840 love God and to love my neighbor as myself? 381 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,280 This is where Advent wants us to be. 382 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:30,560 We began by praying. Stir up your power, O Lord, with 383 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:35,920 great might come among us. Jesus is the answer to that 384 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,520 prayer. He has come among us, and in him 385 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:42,880 and through him his power is stirred up within us. 386 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,080 The Lord who holds galaxies together, who set stars in their 387 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,080 courses, and measures the universe without any strain at 388 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,480 all, He does not remain distant. He comes. 389 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,200 He enters into the smallness of our world, the depth of our sin. 390 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:03,760 He takes on flesh, He bears what we cannot, and he redeems us. 391 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:09,960 Friends, Jesus saves and only Jesus saves. 392 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:20,520 Let's pray. You have presented us, Father, 393 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:22,960 with a great salvation in your Son, Jesus Christ. 394 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:29,880 May we come before you in full repentance daily to surrender to 395 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:34,440 Him, to receive from His hand the salvation that He promises, 396 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,560 so that you are glorified, and your salvation is extended 397 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,840 throughout all the earth. In the name of the Father, and 398 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:43,920 of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 399 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:45,160 Amen.