Gospel Life Church

Revelation, the Slaughtered Lamb, & the Beast System 01/08/2017

Revelation, the Slaughtered Lamb, & the Beast System 01/08/2017

01/01/2017 Timothy Kain

Are You Listening? 01/01/2017

Are You Listening? 01/01/2017

01/01/2017 Timothy Kain

The Christmas Story from John 1 12/25/2016

The Christmas Story from John 1 12/25/2016

Asking as an Excuse or a Desire to Know 12/18/2016

Christmas Play 2016 part 1

Christmas Play 2016 part 2

Christmas Play 2016 part 2

Christmas Play 2016 part 1

Asking as an Excuse or a Desire to Know 12/18/2016

Which side of Jesus will you fall on, His wrath or His people.What do His people look like?Are you preparing even now for the coming of the Lord?Do you live like one of His people or like the world?Jesus came to make the rough places straight and He will do this through his wrath or through His redemption. Redeemed people live like Kingdom people and He will not be satisfied with the religious.Luke 3:3-8 NLT 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the LORD's coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.'" 7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.This citation from Isaiah in Luke is the key interpretive framework that the remainder of Luke and Acts is to be understood.“Prepare the way” is exactly why the church in the book of Acts was known as “The Way” occurring 6 times in the book of Acts (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22)It is what Jesus means when He says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”The call is the same to us today. Prove it!!! We often hear people telling God to prove Himself to them, that He is real, but the Scripture makes the opposite call.Are you clinging merely to your prayer, to the idea that you have been forgiven, but then are you failing to even consider that He demands a repentant people, poor in Spirit, that thirst and hunger for righteousness, that are oppressed in their taking up the cause of the oppressed or do you merely use religion to oppress others. So what is Luke talking about and where does this idea come from?Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth.Isaiah 40:3-5 NLT 3 Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!Isaiah 49:11 11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys.Isaiah 57:14-15 NLT 14 God says, "Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity." 15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.Luke 6:20 NLT 20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, "God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.Isaiah 62:10 NLT 10 Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see.The highway is a means of access to God and His city.The image of clearing the way for God’s people is present alongside a picture of His people as humble and lowly which is just what John the Baptist is calling for. The way to God is cleared for humble and righteous people. The leveling of geographic obstacles is a way of portraying God’s coming as powerful and without obstruction. Just as God parted the Red Sea in the Exodus so He will remove all of creation’s obstacles for His people as He delivers them. All of the life of ministry of Jesus can be seen in light of this prophecy for in these words we see all that Jesus was ever doing.The highway that clears the way for God’s coming is a purified heart.Isaiah pictures a new exodus and that is exactly what Jesus is initiating in His earthly ministry.(Isaiah 43:17-19 NLT) called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. 18 "But forget all that-- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.Isaiah is not just referring to a Babylonian Captivity but to God’s ultimate salvation through Jesus.We are in the midst of the new exodus where God is calling people to Himself through Jesus.(Luke 1:17 NLT) 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”Malachi 3:1-3 NLT "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. 2 "But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.Malachi 4:1-6 NLT The LORD of Heaven's Armies says, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed-- roots, branches, and all. 2 "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. 4 "Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant-- all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel. 5 "Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse."In the midst of His wrath there are those who still fear Him that the Lord remembers:Malachi 3:16 NLT 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.Luke 3:8-18 NLT 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." 10 The crowds asked, "What should we do?" 11 John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry." 12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13 He replied, "Collect no more taxes than the government requires." 14 "What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay." 15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am-- so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire." 18 John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.So what we see with the coming of Jesus, as predicted in Isaiah and Malachi is that the coming of Jesus sets people in one of two categories, and Jesus throughout His ministry is doing just that.How do we prepare for His coming? Its repentance. We act like its a choice to worship, to serve, to forgive, to sacrifice when we want to, if we feel like, and if its convenient, and if we spend our lives like this then the Woes of His fierce wrath will fall on us, so I say if you think you have received His salvation, PROVE IT, by the way you live that you have repented and turned to God.Do we think that our seeing others as a brood of vipers we are in turn able to live as a brood of vipers ourselves?How can we celebrate His birth if we live like He never came and is impotent and forgetful of His mission to set the world straight? Lip service, token religious gestures, half-hearted commitments, faith lived out of convenience, that is repulsed and draws back at the call to sacrifice will surely experience the wrath of the King of kings, Jesus.So we look out and see the chaos of our world and we must ask ourselves, are we part of the solution or are we part of the problem that Jesus will solve?(Isaiah 58:6 NLT) 6 "No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.CONCLUSION:So what I want you to see is that the OT is setting up the dominos that the NT begins to push over that will culminate in the grand finale of Jesus’ return.So what we have in the book of Luke is a warning and an understanding of what it means to be prepared for the way of the Lord.As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, He didn’t just come to make us feel warm and fuzzy but to call us back to God. We should read the Gospels this Christmas season to ensure that we are truly His people that He will remember and that His wrath doesn’t still fall on us.When Jesus returns is not when I want you to have a moment of clarity. On that day I don’t want you to fall down in dread but to life your hands in victory and joy.So what’s it going to be, the baptism of the Spirit or fire?(Luke 24:46-49 NLT) 46 And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.' 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”Isa 32:15 until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. Isa 44:3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. Isa 59:21 "And this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken! Joe 2:28 "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. (Isaiah 49:6-7 NLT) 6 He says, "You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." 7 The LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the one who is the servant of rulers: "Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the LORD, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Isa 32:15 until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. Isaiah 43:10-12 NLT 10 "But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. "You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God-- there never has been, and there never will be. 11 I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. 12 First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD.(Isaiah 44:8 NLT) 8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses-- is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock-- not one!"Isaiah 49:6 6 He says, "You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”Acts 13:46-48 NLT 46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, "It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, 'I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.'" 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.Acts 28:26-28 NLT 26 'Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes-- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' 28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”(Isaiah 6:8-10 NLT) 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me." 9 And he said, "Yes, go, and say to this people, 'Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.' 10 Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing."Isaiah speaks of the restoration of Israel built on 6 crucial themes that play a significant role in the book of Acts (Beale, NTBT, pp. 701–703):The reconstitution of Israel begins in Luke with the establishment of the 12 apostles who represent the regathered 12 Tribes of Israel.Acts 2:5 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. This refers to Isaiah’s prophecy of the ingathering of dispersed exiles.The Coming of the Spirit (Acts 2 & see above Isa 32; 44; 59)Initial repentance of multitudes in Israel (2:41–47; 5:14; 6:1, 7; 11:24; 12:24)The rebuilding of the Davidic Kingdom (Acts 15:13–18)Acts 15:13-18 NLT 13 When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: 16 'Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the LORD, including the Gentiles-- all those I have called to be mine. The LORD has spoken-- 18 he who made these things known so long ago.’The inclusion of outcasts among God’s true people like the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26–39)7. Word of the Lord(Isaiah 2:3 NLT) 3 People from many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For the LORD's teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.(Isaiah 45:22-24 NLT) 22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. 23 I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me." 24 The people will declare, "The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength." And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.(Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT) 10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.(Acts 6:7 NLT) 7 So God's message (the Word of God) continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.(Acts 12:24 NLT) 24 Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.(Acts 19:20 NLT) 20 So the message about the Lord (the Word of the Lord) spread widely and had a powerful effect.“Despite opposition the world makes its way and accomplishes its goal of creating the church community, which, in contrast to the Jewish establishment, is identified as the true heir of Isaiah’s new-exodus and restoration promises (Beale, NTBT, p. 702).”“The church is the commencing fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah’s restoration. Beale, p. 703.Jews at the time of Jesus believed that their exile had continued into the first century which explains Luke's emphasis on Isaiah’s restoration promises in the coming of Jesus and the Spirit.