Well, my text for the message
this morning is the phrase in the first verse of Paul's second
epistle to Timothy. And it's the title of the message.
It's there in that verse, which I'll read. Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God. according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus, the promise of life. That's something,
isn't it, in these days, the promise of life. We're all living
longer is what they tell us. We've got to pay more into our
pensions because we're all living longer. You can't have your pension
until later because we're all living longer. But I don't know
about you. Maybe it's that you always have
got your ears pricked up for people about the same sort of
age as you, but we seem to always be hearing of people in their
early 60s that were famous and are dying. It seems like there's
been two or three in the news this week. We're all living longer,
but hey, hold on a minute. People still die. We're mortal
creatures. There are only, you know that
famous saying of Benjamin Franklin in the 1800s, he says there's
only two things that are certain in life. One is death, the other
is taxes. Death is certain. As Hebrews
chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 say this, speaking of Christ and
his people. He says, as the children, that's
Christ's people, are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same flesh and blood that through
death, that as a man in physical human flesh he might die and
in the process destroy him that had the power of death that is
the devil and the consequence of that and deliver them his
people who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage you ask people or they'll make light of it, they'll
make comedy of it, they'll make flippant remarks about it, they'll
not think it's ever going to happen to them but people are
afraid of dying I actually heard somebody admit that in the media
the other day that enjoying life but really in his quieter moments
terrified of dying and so it is this is the state of man we're
frightened of dying, the fear of death the fear of death but
here we have the promise of life Paul writes to Timothy and all
who enjoy the promise of life for whom in verse 10 we read
death is abolished can you imagine it as a newspaper headline death
is abolished and for whom abundant life is the experience and immortality
is the certain hope well I want to draw your attention to this
phrase, the promise of life, and ask these questions. On what
does the promise rest? Then, how is the promise manifested
to those that are the recipients of the promise? Because not everybody's
a recipient of that promise of life. What does it rest upon?
How is it manifested to those who receive it? And what is the
substance of that promise? What is it that you get? And
what comes with the promise in closing? So I want to draw your
attention to these things this morning. On what does the promise
rest? It's in verse nine. And I have
to say, I have to let you know that it was, this verse has been
buzzing around my head for several weeks now. I haven't been able
to get it out of my head. According to the power of God,
verse nine, who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. You who claim you are Christians,
you who claim you believe the gospel, test your doctrine against
that verse. There are many others like it,
but there's an absolutely crystal clear one, who hath saved us
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. On what does the promise
rest? On eternal, effectual salvation
in Christ. Who is it for, this salvation
that is in Christ? It's for us, he says, who has
saved us. You say, well that's not very
specific. It is, actually. It's a specific people. A very
specific people. His people. The people that the
Father gave to the Son before the beginning of time. The elect
of God. Oh, you say, that sounds like
a very small number. No, the Scriptures tell us it's
a multitude that no man can number. Of every tribe and kindred. Surely
it's only for the Jews, or for this people, or for good white
Westerners. No, it's for all people. Every
tribe and kindred. but nevertheless a very specific
people. The Bible calls them the 144,000
in the Revelation. Very specific number. And the
blessings of the promise are for a specific number. It's for
the people of God. We can't number them. We don't
know who they are. The only way they give any evidence
that they are the people of God is that they believe the truth
of that verse in the gospel of His grace. You know, when you
hear of offers that apply to everyone. You know, you think,
oh gosh, I've won a massive, great big prize. An envelope
comes through the door in the post and it's from Reader's Digest
or something like that and you're one of millions that's won a
prize and you suddenly think, hold on a minute, Anything that
applies universally, generally speaking, is pretty worthless.
I remember once on holiday in Portugal, walking down the street,
minding our own business, and being accosted by a very pleasant
young lady who said, oh, just scratch this scratch card. There
might be a little holiday treat in store for you. Oh, come on,
we'll scratch. Guess what? We won! You'd never believe it,
would you? We actually won! We won the prize! And do you know what the prize
was? You ended up sacrificing two hours of your precious holiday
time going and listening to a sales pitch, because what they wanted
was not to give you anything. They wanted to take some money
off you. Anything that looks like it's for everybody, generally
speaking, turns out to be worthless. This is something radical I'm
going to say now. The true gospel is not an offer to everyone. It isn't. It's an irresistible
call to God's redeemed people. It's open to all in the sense
of those that have a sense of the burden of sin, who are weary
and heavy-laden with sin and self-righteousness, who are made
willing in the day of God's power to believe him. But it isn't. They talk about the free offer,
the open offer. We preach the gospel to all without
distinction. This is God's way. The gospel
is proclaimed to all without distinction. But it isn't an
open offer. It's the power of God to salvation,
to those that believe. It's an irresistible call to
God's redeemed. It's for a specific people, His
people. And they're distinguished. Look
at verse five. He's talking to Timothy about how he grew up. And as a child, this man Timothy,
this young man, had learned the gospel at home. It says, Paul
says, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith, the unfalse
faith, the true faith that is in you, which dwelt first in
your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, and I am persuaded
that in thee also. Unfeigned faith. People of faith
is the us. People of faith is the us who
have been saved and called with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. People
of faith, true faith. distinguishing faith that is
the gift of God because it's not of yourselves, lest any man
should boast. It's the redemption of the elect
that the scriptures are about. You say, where'd you get that
from? Turn over one page. Titus chapter one and verse one,
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according
to the faith of God's elect. We don't like that word. We don't
like that term. It rules people out. Who makes
you think that you're one of the elect? Why are you so much
better than we are? We're not saying that. We're
saying that God is a God of sovereign grace and the faith is the faith
of God's elect. That's the truth. The faith of
God's elect and the redemption of God's elect because why did
Jesus come into the world? You know this so well but this
is so that it shouldn't trouble you when you hear erroneous presentations
of the gospel. He shall be called Jesus for
he shall save Everybody? He shall give everybody a chance
to be saved? No. He shall save his people
from their sins. That's what the scripture says.
It's perfectly clear. It's only unbelief and rebellion
that denies it. and fights against it, the truth
is he came to save the people the father gave to the son before
the beginning of time. This is his father's will, he
said. In John chapter 6 he said, this
is the father's will who sent me that of all he gave me before
the beginning of time, I should lose nothing, not a solitary
one of them, but should raise them up at the last, should save
them from their sins, should raise them up so that they're
there in glory with me in those many mansions. And what is it
based upon? Again in verse 9, not according
to our works, not according to our works in any respect, not
on anything his people have done, This salvation, he saved us and
called us not according to our works. It's not because of what
you are. It's not because of how you've
been brought up. It's not because of the things that you think
you've done. It's not because of the choices
that you think you've made. Not in the slightest. Not at
all. It's in accordance with his purpose
and his grace. And do you know the way around
it is? Having saved us, he calls us. It's done. Having saved us,
He calls us. When was this purpose and grace
given to us? Before the world began. It's the fixed will of God to
satisfy justice fully whilst pardoning these people, these
sinners. That's His will, and it's fixed,
and it can't be frustrated because He is God. He's a just God, in
that He is holy, and His Justice pervades the entire universe. It pervades eternity. It cannot
be thwarted. He himself cannot ever change
and ever change his mind about his justice and about truth and
about righteousness. And he cannot, cannot just ignore
sins. It's impossible for him to do
so. But at the same time as satisfying justice fully, he's a gracious
God who pardons sinners. How is it those sins are dealt
with, every single sin, but your sins are either dealt with in
you, in the judgment, or they've been dealt with by Christ on
the cross of Calvary, where he was made sin, the sins of his
people who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. He's a just God and a savior.
He is just and justifier of those who trust him in Christ alone.
We read earlier Romans chapter 8 verses 28 to 30 in that earlier
reading, and you notice the linkage there. It was according to his
purpose. God has a purpose, a determined
will. he has foreknowledge because
of his foreknowledge foreknowledge doesn't mean he knew beforehand
it means he determined beforehand to predestinate to order the
steps of these people that they come to know the salvation that
God has procured predestinated them to be conformed to the image
of his son has to be saved to be conformed to the image of
his son and having foreknown them according to his purpose
having predestinated them he calls them and how does he do
it by the foolishness of preaching he sends a preacher he calls
them and those he called he's justified them and those he's
justified he's glorified you say I don't feel glorified as
far as the purposes of God are concerned you're glorified now
he's glorified his people now It's just that it's yet to be
apprehended in the experience of the believer, what we shall
be. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know this,
when we shall see him, we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is. This is God's eternal purpose. You might have a purpose to do
something, I might have a purpose to do something, but everything
I have a purpose to do seems to be frustrated by one thing
or another. you plan to have a barbecue and
you have a lovely week of weather and the very day that you intend
to light the barbecue the showers come blowing across because we
can't control things like that, that's just our human experience
but God's eternal purpose cannot be frustrated by anything and
it's that that underpins this promise of life why do you rely,
you know if I make a promise to you I promise you that this
time next year I'll do such and such a thing for you and you
think Should I bet my shirt on that? Should I mortgage the house
against that promise? Probably not. Why? Because you
know full well I'm no more capable of keeping that promise than
you would be or anybody else would be. But God is. God is
absolutely certain, by nature of who he is, he is able, it's
his eternal purpose, and it cannot be frustrated by anything, and
it underpins this promise of life. You can believe his promise
of life. You can rely on his promise of
life. You can take comfort in your darkest hour. from this
promise of life because it's God that has made this promise
of life and it's a promise of life which is not just oh God
has promised me life there's lots of people think like that
no this is a promise of life which is in Christ Jesus what
does that mean it's in God himself it's in God become man to save
his people. It's in God who partook of the
children's flesh that he might die the death that the children's
sin called for under the justice of God, and that he might pay
that price, and that he might satisfy justice, and he might
save his people, he might pay the price, redemption's price
to the law of God. and that he might rise from the
dead, that vindicated, he might prepare a place for his people.
It's certain. It's finished. It's in him. This
promise of life is in him who has done so much. He's done everything
that's necessary to save his people from their sins. And when
was it determined? When was it determined? If this
promise is for you and for me, when was it determined? Which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Not when
you decided to believe him. You know, the majority of the
world that calls itself Christian says this, that everybody else,
everybody is in the same position, but that God gives everybody
a chance, and it's down to the will of the individual freely
to choose God or to choose not for God. It doesn't say that,
does it? Where do you get that doctrine
from? You cannot possibly get it from the scriptures. It says,
according to his purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus, before the world began, before you were born,
before your ancestors were born, before the world began, before
Adam was born, before Adam fell, before Adam fell, before there
was any sin, this purpose and grace was given to his people,
in Christ Jesus, before the world began. This book, this revelation
of the purpose, the saving purpose of God, doesn't this just mark
it out as different from everything else that has ever been written
in literature? This is unique. Before the world
began. Such that, such that. Because
it was done then, and it was God's eternal purpose. Paul's
reaction to it, again, which we read earlier in Romans 8,
verse 38, he says, I am persuaded. I'm convinced. that neither death,
what's going to separate you possibly from this promise of
life? Death? No, neither death nor
life. nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, or any other creature shall be able to separate us
from God's love in Christ. Jesus said, My Father is greater
than all. None can snatch his people from
his hands. This is what the promise rests
upon, this promise of life. its eternal, effectual salvation
in the Lord Jesus Christ. But how is it manifested? If
you and I say that we're his people this morning, we're amongst
the us who have been saved, how is the promise of life manifested
to you as the recipient of the promise? Well, I believe in two
distinct ways. there's an external way of believing
objectively in propositions that the scriptures put to you that
are preached by preachers declaring the truth to you you believe
those truths and then there's an internal perception of the
promise there's an internal manifestation of the promise let's look at
the external first in verse ten but is now made manifest The
promise is made manifest, the promise of life is made manifest,
based on the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, is now made
manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel. Belief. Belief in the appearing
of Christ. You say, well, lots of people
believe that a man came to earth who was called Jesus of Nazareth,
who did a lot of good things, who taught a lot of good things,
he's up there with the great teachers. Lots of people believe
that a man called Jesus Christ walked this earth just over 2,000
years ago. Lots of people believe that.
No, it's more than that. John, in his first epistle and
the fourth chapter, says that we're to try the spirits. What
he means is, test the preachers. Test the preachers, whether they
be of God. Test those that are purporting
to teach you spiritual truth. whether they are actually teaching
you spiritual truth. Don't do, as I said, was it last
week or the week before, about testing preaching, that you're
not to test it, you're just to say, what does it have to say
to me? Definitely not, you're to test it. Try the spirits,
whether they be of God. And then he gives you the criteria
by which you're to test. Every spirit that says that Christ
has come in the flesh is of God. Now you think, In the way our
language puts it, that doesn't seem a very demanding test. It
is. This is what it means. It means
that the fullness of the Godhead has become man for the purpose
of saving his elect people, of standing as the substitute for
a particular people. the appearing of Christ is that
He came that He might save those people who are sinners whom the
Father gave to Him before the beginning of time you believe
that you trust that He came that He partook flesh as you have
flesh and as you must die for the soul that sins it must die
and the life is in the blood and the blood must be shed He
came as a man in real human flesh, flesh and blood and on the cross
of Calvary that blood was poured out You are redeemed, not with
corruptible things like precious stones and gold and silver, but
with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb, without blemish
and without spot, examined like the Passover lamb. They examined
it for 14 days. He was kept and examined under
the law in that public ministry for three and a half years. Throughout
all of his life, growing up in his home, he was examined. He
was a perfect lamb. Christ, our Passover lamb, is
sacrificed for us. He came, you believe these things,
God became man in Christ to save his people. He became man in
Christ to fulfill all the Old Testament promises. For the scripture,
from start to finish, declares the gospel of grace in Christ.
For these are they, said Jesus, which speak of me. And beginning
at Moses and the prophets, he expounded to them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. All those Old Testament
promises, all those types, all those shadows, they were all
fulfilled at Bethlehem and in his life that followed. It says
in 1 Timothy chapter 3, just turn back a couple of pages if
you want to look at it, 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16, and without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. What's the mystery
of godliness? was manifest, made known in the
flesh God was manifest in the flesh justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, received up into glory is now made manifest by the appearing
of our Saviour Jesus Christ He appeared and came for the purpose
of salvation This promise is manifested as you believe that,
as you believe in the ministry of Christ, as he walked this
earth as a man on behalf of men, his people, as he walked this
earth as the substitute for his people, as he walked this earth
subject to his own divine law, as he was examined as he was
tempted in all points just as we are, yet he without sin, as
he fulfilled all the prophecy in all the types and was found
perfect in every way, because he was doing it for us, that
we might have the promise of life, that we might have salvation,
and we have confidence in the redemption that is in his blood
through the gospel. you see he's come he's done all
that is necessary and we have confidence in that redemption
that he has accomplished and we know he has done it in Hebrews
2.14 for as much as the children have flesh and blood so Christ
took on flesh and blood that he might stand in our place walk
in our place talk in our place, do everything under the examination
of God in our place, and then go to the cross of Calvary bearing
our sins in our place. He came, he did that. John said,
we beheld his glory. Those who walked with him, those
who saw him, we beheld his glory. Our Passover lamb, we beheld
his glory. And redemption is in his precious
lifeblood. So that he cried out on the cross
of Calvary, it is finished. and on the basis of that I apprehend
that promise the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus not
only did he go to the cross but he rose from the dead The third
day he rose from the dead. Why are you seeking him? He is
not here. He is risen, the firstfruits of those that sleep, as the down
payment of what will be the experience of every one of his children,
to rise from the dead. The body will die, certainly
the body will die, but we will rise from the dead, just as he
did. The assurance of resurrection on the basis that it proves God
accepted the sacrifice. it satisfied the justice of God. Acts 17.31 says this, he's given
assurance unto all men, given assurance unto all men in that
he, God, hath raised him, Jesus, from the dead. Romans 4.25 says
he was given up for our transgressions
and raised for our justification. And we know that we are the elect
of God and the recipients of the promise of God, of all of
the promises of God, of this promise of life which is from
God. We know that because His Spirit
has set us apart, this is what Paul says to the Thessalonians,
2 Thessalonians 2.13, we know you are the elect of God, he
says, effectively, I'm paraphrasing it, He says, we know you are
the elect of God because his spirit has set you apart. Sanctification
of the spirit from this world, set apart from this world in
order that you would believe the truth of the gospel of his
grace. So there are those external things
that Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh. The gospel is manifested
by the appearing of our savior, Jesus Christ. You see, it's so
different. This gospel of the truth of God,
the saviour had to appear, the promised one had to appear, and
he did. He appeared. It's made real in your experience. You have the foundation of the
promise of life because he has come. But not only that, external
things that you trust in, you see and you trust in. But verse
7, there's an internal witness as well. Verse 7, God has not
given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind. Not given us the spirit of fear.
Oh, it's a right thing to fear God. You know, they used to talk
about somebody being one of trustworthy character. They would describe
him or her as a God-fearing man or a God-fearing woman. Somebody
who feared God. Because the fear of God is the
beginning of knowledge. The reverence for God. The respect,
and I mean that truly, not lightly, the respect for who God is, for
his power, for his person, for his character. It's a right thing
to fear the living God, to fear him as his children. Just as a child in a loving relationship
with its parents, that child, as much as they feel comfortable
in the presence of the parents, should fear. in a right way,
in a respectful way, so the children of God should fear God. But this
is talking about the spirit of servile fear, the spirit of terror
as to what this person might irrationally do to them. God
has not given us the spirit of fear. You know like the slave
might be fearful of the master, who at a whim might tie him to
a stake and whip him with a bullwhip. You know, that sort of fear.
God has not given us that spirit of terrified fear as to what
he might do to us. What is he next going to bring
to us? No, he hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but what
spirit has he given us inside us? He's given us the spirit
of power. What's the power he's talking
about? Is it not the gospel? Paul says in Romans 1, the gospel,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto
salvation. The power of God in the gospel
of his salvation. He's given us that spirit within.
He's given us a spirit of love, which is not like the spirit
of the world, that spirit of self-sacrificing love, which
is in his Son, which is the characteristic of his Son. He's given us that
spirit of a sound mind, a sound mind you know when the one he
found on the other side of the Sea of Galilee who was mad and
couldn't be controlled and he lived in the tombs and would
cut himself and would scream and shout and was uncontrollable
and Jesus came to him and then you see him later on in that
account we looked at it just a few weeks ago and he's clothed
and in his right mind in his right mind a sound mind he's
given us the spirit of a sound mind a sound mind in this world
where there's such uncertainty where there's such futility that
is believed you know the one thing that you're not allowed
to believe as a teacher in schools today. You know, I was a teacher
40 years ago and the things I used to teach, I would be immediately
banned from teaching these days in our schools because you're
not allowed to teach creationism. You're not allowed to let it
be known that you believe in creation. It's, you know, of
all the terrible things that you can tell kids, that's one
of the key ones that is prescribed these days in our state schools.
You're not allowed to tell children that God made them. No, they're
the products of pointless evolution. And that's where we've come to. But he gives his people the spirit
of a sound mind. A sound mind. What's going on? What do we make of the world
as it is? We've got a sound mind. It's all in his hands. We don't
mind. We're not fearful. We can sleep easy. I can lay
me down and sleep easy, as Psalm 4 says. I'm not concerned about
these things. And he gives us that inner witness. Romans 8, 16. The Spirit witnesses. The Spirit of God witnesses with
our spirits that we are the children of God. Well, hurrying on. What's
the substance of the promise? Verse one, the spirit of life.
Verse 10, life, life. He saved us and called us. Sorry,
verse 10. He's made manifest by the appearing
of our savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. The substance
of the promise is life. Abundant life. Jesus said, I
am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. And what sort of a life is it?
It's eternal life. It's endless life. Hebrews 7.16
calls it the power of an endless life. It's the experience of
the power of the Gospel. Salvation in the Gospel. It's
through the Gospel, in verse 10, it's through the Gospel that
this is brought to life. Brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel. In the declaration of the Gospel,
it has come to light. It's made manifest, it's open.
Life and immortality. And it's a contented life. A
contented life. Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy
6.6, Godliness with contentment is great gain. This abundant
life that he gives is a life that is full of the knowledge
of sins forgiven, and of peace with God, and of a hope of eternal
life, and of a calmness of spirit about things. Calmness of spirit,
released from anxiety. Yes, things happen in everyday
life that cause anxiety, but you just step back from it. and
look at the situation regarding eternity for those who are the
people of God calmness of spirit released from anxiety and it's
immortality as well that has come to light through the gospel
immortality, immortality released from the bondage of fear of death
that Hebrews 2 14 or thereabouts says through fear of death all
their lifetime subject to bondage but immortality released from
that and he's abolished death. He's abolished it. What has he
abolished? We still die, our bodies die.
Clearly that is not abolished. It's the second death that Revelation
speaks of. It's the death of eternal condemnation
that he has abolished. You know just as a couple of
hundred years ago slavery was abolished in most of the of the
free democratic world. Slavery was abolished, it was
no longer permissible for a man to own another man for the purpose
of doing work for them. I know you might find pockets
of it in corrupt societies today, but in societies subject to the
rule of law and the rule of law and order, Slavery's been abolished,
and it would have been a headline. Slavery abolished. Well here's
what Christ has done. Death has been abolished. You
imagine how those who were slaves would see that headline. Slavery
abolished. the right of a man to own you
and do with you what he wishes and never let you go and keep
you for his purpose to work for him and serve him and never be
free for yourself and then the day it's announced slavery abolished
and here's the scriptures who hath abolished death do you hear
this slaves of sin as you were? do you hear this sounding out? he has abolished death death
the wages of sin is death he has abolished death in the gospel
he's brought light he's brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel this is the promise of life which is in Christ
Jesus it all sounds endlessly good and it is but we're here
now for a while and i just want just in a minute just in closing
what comes with the promise Is it endless sunny days? Is it nothing other than the
benefits of the promises? Well, look at verse 8. Paul says
to Timothy, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. You're going to come across people
where there's going to be difficult situations, he's saying. Don't
be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. But be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel. according to the power of God.
There are afflictions of the gospel that we experience. We enjoy, as believers, the promise
of life which is in Christ Jesus, but there are afflictions of
the gospel. It's not without cost. Jesus said, don't set out
on a journey without counting the cost. Don't start a project
without counting the cost. You've got to bear your cross,
you've got to bear the reproach of Christ, as Moses did. You've
got to give up those things for the sake of the gospel of Christ. What are the afflictions of the
gospel? Hatred of the world. You say, the world doesn't hate
me, the world quite likes me. You tell them that his purpose
and grace was given to his people alone in Christ Jesus before
the world began. And then you'll see what Jesus
said when he said, if the world hate you, then remember this,
it hated me first as the world hated him and his message of
sovereign grace you know, it did, John 6 he spelled it out
clearly and they all went away and he said, are you going to
go away too? they said it was a hard saying, who can stand
this, we don't want this message and they all left him and the
ones that stayed said this, as we do you have the words of eternal
life, to whom shall we go? we can't go anywhere else no,
the hatred of the world sidelining, persecution, incompatibility
with the world. Do you know there's a spirit
abroad today, and it's interesting and intriguing and disturbing,
but we need not be disturbed because God is in control of
it all. You see it in the media, you see it in drama. I like occasionally
watching police-based dramas, and I don't know if any of you
saw the, what's he called, Wallander, isn't it? It's the Swedish one.
and it was very interesting the episode last week where it had
a very strong religious evangelical twist to it and the society that
there was a severe problem everything that decent society used to call
wrong and sin fifty years ago maybe less than that now is regarded
as morally upright and good The opposite is exactly the other
way around. What used to be black is now
white, and what used to be white is now black. Absolutely twisted
around. And that drama brought that out
quite clearly. We're living in interesting days.
Who knows what will happen? What we do know is this. God's
purposes will overcome. He will fulfill his purposes.
He will keep his people. He does give to his people. this
promise of eternal life, the promise of life which is in Christ
Jesus. You see, we have to count the
cost now, but knowing the cost, Paul says this in Romans 8.18,
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
in us. That is the promise of life.