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We’re in a series together called Torn. This is the last part of the series that we have gone through together, began on on Resurrection Sunday or on Easter, talking about the lamb that was torn. And then last Sunday, referring to the veil that was torn when Jesus was torn as the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, we examined together. We know that the reason for his coming, the reason that the lamb was torn, was for the forgiveness of sin. So those who put their faith or apply the blood of the lamb to their lives. It was an illustration of Exodus chapter 12, and the way the people of Israel applied the blood of the lamb to rescue slavery from Israel, relating to the Messiah who would come and give his life on our behalf, that we may experience the freedom in him that we were created for. Jesus symbolically represented this by by his death on the cross. It tells us the end of Matthew, when Jesus gave up his life, that he breathed his last breath and the veil was torn in Jewish um, understanding, the temple was the place where God’s presence was made known. If you wanted to worship the Lord, you went to the temple. And when the veil was torn, it symbolized that the temple was no longer the place where God’s presence dwelt, at least the physical temple the Israel gathered to worship around in Jerusalem.
The veil was torn, and the New Testament tells us that we as believers have become the temple. God’s presence dwells within us with the lamb, and the veil was torn. That’s not the only thing that was torn. In fact, the the lamb and the veil were torn to represent something else that would also be torn. Bible tells us in Isaiah chapter nine and verse six, unto us a child is born, unto us a son will be given. He shall be called wonderful God Almighty. Excuse me, wonderful counselor, Almighty God, everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. So when Jesus was coming to offer through through his life on earth, was him being a prince. He’s coming to offer us as people peace. Sometimes when we think about salvation as it relates to Christ being the lamb that was slain for our behalf, we think of our rescuing, our salvation in him. But Jesus’s death was larger than just my immediate need and salvation. In fact, the Bible describes this this world as representing a kingdom and Christ representing his kingdom. And this world is contrary to the kingdom in which Christ desires and which Christ has brought forth, being the Prince of Peace. Jesus. When he came as king. And he died as lamb. And the veil was torn. The kingdom of this world. Was destroyed. It was fatally torn. But sin, Satan and death Christ became victorious over. Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter two and verse 14, through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
In First Corinthians 15 and referencing to death. Romans 623 says this the wages of sin is death, meaning the ultimate result of sin we see in death. And in first Corinthians 15 it says, the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ came and he conquered, and fatally, Satan is torn and sin and death along with it. Jesus and his coming heralded his victory. He said in John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. A theme that is related throughout all of the Bible is that of God’s kingdom. And we as people. Being created for his kingdom. Matthew chapter ten and verse seven. Jesus gave the the declaration of his kingdom. He says this as you go talking to his people, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Prince of Peace has come to deliver this kingdom for people. And Matthew 28 and verse 19, he and his. After his resurrection, he goes before his disciples, and he says, go into all the world and preach the gospel. In John 20 and verse 21.
Jesus said, peace be with you. As the father has sent me. I am sending you. These words that Jesus uses to express his kingdom, his painting a picture within the idea of what he of what he wants to accomplish with his people. So this word gospel. It’s a message of declaration. It’s not even an argumentation and trying to convince it’s a message of declaration. It’s a message of victory. Literally means good news. This word in John chapter 20, verse 21. This word for sent and sending comes from the same Greek word, which is apostolo. The word we use today as apostle. Jesus sending out apostles into the world. And this is apostle lowercase, not apostle office. Uh, uppercase. But God is saying he he came into this world. He was sent as an apostle. And so he is sending us as apostolo, as apostles, declaring this message, this gospel, this good news. The the the picture that Jesus is painting is one of a victorious king. Let me tell you why. When a king would go to battle. The people that were a part of the kingdom. They would want to know. Was our king victorious? They didn’t have internet, they didn’t have news. They didn’t have text messaging. And when a king would go out into battle and would would fight this fight, the people within the city they wanted to know, do do we belong to another king? Now? Was our king victorious? Is our kingdom expanding? Give us the news.
Let us know. Is there victory? Are we able to celebrate? And when the King would fight the battle and the victory was won, the king would send someone out to proclaim the good news. And the person sent out was the apostle, the apostle, who would go sharing the gospel within the city, saying in declaration, the king is victorious, and the people would go into the cities and celebrate that the king had won the battle. I should say for us as people. Jesus has called you to be a part of his 18. Both being an apostle being sent forth in Second Corinthians verse five. Chapter five and verse 20 says this we are ambassadors, both a apostles and ambassadors. You’re part of the A team being called by God to go into the world to proclaim this message, the kingdom of victorious, that sin, Satan and death has lost. And Jesus. He has one. He is a Prince of Peace. His kingdom. Has come to establish peace. In our terminology today. Many times we don’t use the word apostle because often it’s abused and neglected and according to the way that Scripture communicates it to us in the Bible. And so rather today, many times we’ll use the word missionary. God sends everyone into the world to declare this message of beauty that Christ has accomplished on your behalf. Both Apostolow and ambassadors, and second Corinthians 520 it says this we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us.
Be reconciled to God. And this is what it’s recognizing for us as reconciled. The job of an ambassador. Is to work on the relationships between one country and another, right? When an ambassador represents the United States in another country, the job of the ambassador is really, honestly not to represent the holistic approach of the United States trying to get everyone’s a view. But do you know who the ambassador represents? President of the United States. What is it he desires to accomplish in this country? When the Bible uses the word ambassador for us as people, it gives us very plainly the idea that we are going a part of a into another country. Our our kingdom is not of this world, but we go into this world to represent our King as ambassadors. And it says this at the very end to be reconciled to God. What it’s saying to us is people. So we belong to the kingdom that is contrary to him. And God, as a gracious, peaceful king in his victory, is giving us the opportunity to be reconciled to his kingdom. He has opened the door. There’s a problem with that when you study Biblical Christianity as it resides today. Then is this. They say 90% of the world’s preachers preach to 10% of the world’s population. And of that 10%, it’s the majority of where Christians live.
And God has called us as light into darkness, and to places and to people that do not know him, to proclaim this message and listen how the early church did it. Acts chapter five, verse 42. They continue teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts chapter eight and verse five Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. Acts chapter 17 and verse three Paul, This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah. For lack of a better thought. You, as God’s people are called on a rescue mission in this world. And our message. The kingdom is here. The Prince of Peace has won with his own life. He is paid as a lamb who was slaughtered, and the veil was torn. That his presence may be indwelling you because you were created for him. And the kingdom of this world, of which sin, Satan, and death resides, is passing away. In Romans 510 it says this while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more having been reconciled, we shall shall be saved by his life. In Second Corinthians 518 now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. And he gave us the ministry of reconciliation. And the thought in Scripture goes this way judicially Jesus has won. The victory has been accomplished through Christ on the cross, and we’re waiting for the future when all things will be cast and punished before the King who will fulfill the ultimate of his kingdom.
Believe Scripture communicates it like this for us. The kingdom is already, but not yet. Meaning Jesus has brought the kingdom to us, and we’re awaiting the fruition of that kingdom to be completely fulfilled. And it says in Hebrews ten verse 13, talking about Jesus, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. And Jesus said things like this and talking about the coming of King of the kingdom of Matthew four, Jesus said, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But in Luke 11 and verse two, he says this pray your kingdom come, and your will be done. The kingdom is here. We’re waiting for the fullness of the kingdom to be made known as Jesus has judicially won the victory. And ultimately, we’ll celebrate that victory by bringing his kingdom to its fullness. The story goes like this. We talked about this with the firm of justification last week. But if you were to stand in a courtroom. And the judge were to pronounce that you are guilty of offending and violating the law that governs the land, you’ve come against the King. And Jesus, and being pronounced in that judgment now gives you the opportunity by his grace, because he has paid your penalty for you against a king in his own justice, offering you his grace by his life to give you the opportunity to come to the Prince of Peace, which you were created for and worship.
And ultimately. The king will get the victory. But currently the Bible tells us in first John 519, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. In first Peter chapter five and verse eight, it says this be sober in spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. Ephesians 611 put on the armor of God that you may stand firm against the schemes of the devil. And Romans 620 The God of peace will will soon crush Satan under your feet. Jesus said in Matthew 1618, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against. Meaning there is a battle that is being waged, a spiritual battle by God’s apostles, God’s ambassadors being sent forth in this world. He says he will build his church, and the gates of hell will not prosper against it. This idea of the gates of hell, symbolizing that the the forces of Satan and his kingdom is this mighty fortress, and the power of God is so powerful that it can knock down these gates to go on the inside and on the inside. What we rescue are the people of God as we proclaim the message of God. The good news. The king has been victorious.
In Romans 1013 it says, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You are being sent on a rescue mission. In Romans 1014 it goes on and says, but how can they call on him? They have not believed, and how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? How do we represent this kingdom well? What does God desire for us to do as it relates to Scripture and representing our King and His kingdom? Bible tells us in First Peter chapter three. Verse 15, Peter writes to the believers within this passage of Scripture, outlining for them their desire, his desire, according to the Lord, to stand for Christ, and in a kingdom that may be contrary to him, this, this world. How do we stand for the Lord representing this new kingdom, this King in this world? If you were to read the the verse just before first Peter three and verse 15, you see in verse 14 that when Peter writes these three chapters, he’s writing to a church that’s going through persecution. He’s writing to a church that finds challenges and representing this new king, because this world does not belong to him and therefore fights against him. Can I remind you? Ephesians chapter six. Verse ten, 11 and 12. Begins by telling us to put on the whole armor of God. But it says this. We wrestle not against flesh and blood.
But against principalities and powers. Spiritual forces of darkness. It’s a spiritual battle God causes us to wage or calls us to wage. Fighting against the kingdom of Satan and sin and death according to the power of Christ that rests within us. Because the Bible tells us, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. And so when Peter writes chapter three and verse 14, he says, but even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear intimidation, and do not be troubled. But he goes on in verse 15, and he gives us three ways to stand for the Lord in the midst of adversity and kingdoms that are contrary to Christ. And it’s it’s marked off by commas. But this is what he says at first. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, to stand for Christ in a kingdom that’s contrary to Christ. He says, Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. We talked last week about the significance of the heart. Your heart. It was not created to lead. Your heart was created to be led. So we said in our culture today, we sometimes will say to one another, follow your heart or just follow your heart. But the problem with that is whatever is leading your heart is where your heart is ultimately going to go. Your heart isn’t created to lead. It’s created to be led.
Jeremiah 17 nine says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it? And here’s the reason your heart was created to be led. It’s because you as a person were created to worship. You’re created as a worshipper. And the beauty of your heart is that it was designed for God. And when your heart is being led by the Lord, it magnifies the beauty of who he is in this world. And so Peter gives this picture of our lives saying, in your heart today there is a throne. And that throne was not designed for you to sit upon it, but rather that throne was designed for Christ to reign upon it. He was created to direct your heart. Not that you should lead it, but that he should lead it. And so he says, Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart. And this word Lord acknowledges the King and his kingdom. Jesus is King and Jesus is Lord, and my my heart is created for him and worship. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart. He goes on in first Peter chapter three and verse 15, he says this always. Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. This concludes it with the thought of an attitude. With gentleness and reverence. Let me speak about gentleness and reverence for just a moment.
God calls us to allow him. To reign in our hearts. God also calls us as people. To reach hearts. Gods after our hearts. The greatest gift you can give God this morning. It’s the throne of your heart. We as people. It’s going to tell us in the middle of this section to give a defense to everyone who asks to give an account. Listen, in Christianity, our truth is solid. Here’s the reality of it. Sometimes we use that truth as a Billy club to beat people up, to prove that I’m right and you’re wrong. Right. God doesn’t give us truth to elevate ourselves. God doesn’t give us his truth to prove to people I’m right and wrong. So that makes me better than you. God gives us his truth to serve the hearts of others. And when you look at the way it’s painted within Scripture and Philippians chapter two, Jesus says, have this mind in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, who, though being the form of God, thought it nothing but but became in the form of a servant, he humbled himself to the cross even. Even death on the cross, the Bible tells us. God’s desire. It’s for us to use our position in him to serve as he served. To lower our selves, to reach the hearts of other people in the attitude you carry in the way that you use truth determines how you’re doing that right. God, you’ve created me in this world as a heart that belongs to you.
There’s a heart that reflects you. And with gentleness and reverence, recognizing that me, I was once an alienated from you and your kingdom. I was once, as it says in Romans 510, an enemy. And you’ve called me as an ambassador to reconcile. And your desire, and being Lord of my heart is to be able to use me and surrender to you to reach the hearts of others, just as you reach my heart by serving me. And we use truth to lift people up in him. Not to bash them. In Christianity. This is how we know that we’re living mature lives. Spy living selfless lives. When you look within. The idea of religion. Religion in itself. It comes up with a system of laws and rules and the whole, the whole purpose of the laws and rules are to create a standing for you where God owes you, right? I mean, you live this religious law, and then it puts God in this position where he has to give you something like he’s he’s the one that’s intended to serve you because you’ve obeyed the system of rules. It’s not selflessness. But really it becomes about selfishness. I give for the only purpose of so I can get. And God owes me. You know, within Christianity, we do the same thing with grace. First Corinthians chapter nine. Paul’s wrestling with the body of believers over this idea of grace and the liberty that we have in Christ, the freedom that we have in Jesus.
All things are lawful for us, but all things are expedient. Paul says there is liberty that you have in Jesus. But there are things that we can do in Jesus that don’t speak to the hearts of others. Matter of fact, it becomes such a stumbling block that the message that we are to carry. Becomes a backseat over the message that we are carrying in our selfishness rather than. Selflessness. I’m not. I’m not even going to go through a list of things that are and aren’t and what they are. I don’t even think it matters. But what matters is this. Proclamation of the King. That message. And laying myself down. But others may hear the beauty of who Christ is. I don’t need to put other stumbling blocks ahead of Jesus. First Corinthians chapter nine and verse 19, Paul says, I become all things to all people, that they may come to know Christ. It’s about looking to the world and just simply saying in gentleness and reverence, what is it for you to come to know Jesus? How can God use me to speak to your heart? When Peter writes this, he says, Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. If someone’s going to have the throne room, let it be Jesus. When you speak to people, do so in gentleness and reverence.
But this is what he summarizes all of it in the middle here, he says, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. This word of giving an account or an answer is where we come up with a thought of apology or apologetics in Scripture. It’s a reasonable defense. I don’t want to say this arrogantly as people. I just want to say this honestly. But when it comes to Christianity in regards to truth, there is nothing you need to be afraid of. There’s nothing hiding underneath some hidden blanket somewhere that we’re trying to keep covered up. Because our pursuit as people is truth. And when it comes to God and being able to make a difference, God created you. Body, soul, spirit. God said, love him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. When it comes to faith. Faith isn’t blind. Ignorance. Face should be logical. Faith makes sense. God paved the way for him. Let me give you an illustration. I listen to Ravi Zacharias a lot. He’s a Christian apologist, and he had just visited an area of the world that has a predominant belief system, and they asked him about it afterwards. And he compared it to pink elephants hunting pink elephants. Right now, if you YouTube pink elephants or Google pink elephants, I know there’s one video that pops up on YouTube of a pink elephant.
It’s not pink. I checked it out. There’s no such thing as a pink elephant. But what he was saying is this. He said faith to a lot of people. It’s like pink elephants. And he gave a story. He said there was a man who left the place, and he went out and he met his friends and he said, listen, God showed up to me, and and he was a pink elephant. And God said that this is now the new truth. And all of us want to follow that. And his friends and all of us should follow it. And his friends looked at this man, and he and they said to him, okay, well, we want to talk to this pink elephant to validate whether or not it’s true. So where did you see this pink elephant? He said, I met him in the bar. He said, let’s go meet the pink elephant in the bar. And they said, well, there’s a problem with meeting the pink elephant in the bar. If you go to talk to the pink elephant, wouldn’t you know it? The pink elephant disappears before you get there. The pink elephant does not accept conversations. How do you validate what’s true? Simple trust of someone else. So I think when God created truth. He created it in a way that we could know it. We could test it. Beyond someone else’s validation of it. Sometimes I had a.
I got a degree in philosophy and theology, and one of the things that required me to do is go to Washington, DC and study under religious leaders and ask them questions about faith and reasoning and life. And and this is what I found out. When you start asking questions. There’s a lot of faiths that just begin to crumble. A lot of beliefs that are important to us. Um. I have no foundation beyond a spiritual acknowledgement. Right. When it comes to God’s Word. When it comes to testing truth, there is a validation outside of an individual’s truth claim that we can investigate. Meaning if the pink elephant isn’t there to test and ask questions, and you could ask. Ask the question where is your historical accuracy? Where is your archaeological evidence? Where is your manuscript evidence that that what you’re proclaiming as truth has been historically related to us as truth? Now when it comes to the Bible. Comparatively to every belief in the world. And I don’t say this to mock. I just say this honestly to you as people. Nothing holds a candle. And there is nothing even close to the validation of Scripture and God. For Christ is. What that says for us as people. Don’t be afraid of truth. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. I mean, if you’re here this morning, you’re wrestling with questions like, I mean, how do I even know God’s words? Real.
How do I know Jesus is who he said he is? How do I know that’s not a pink elephant? Ask. Now I can’t read everyone’s heart. Come ask me if you got a friend that’s known the Lord. Ask them if they don’t know. Come ask me to write. And truth. Faith. You don’t throw your mind away. In fact, Peter saying the exact opposite here. Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. It’s reasonable. Trusting in in Christ isn’t this blind ignorance, but it’s a matter of embracing the reality of the truth that’s there. I don’t. To be honest, when I came to know a Christian, I don’t follow Jesus. I didn’t follow Jesus. Because I just had a feeling to follow Jesus. I followed Jesus. Because I tried to disprove Jesus. A point in my life. I was at a place where sin and living for the world had left me empty. But if I were being honest with you, I still loved living for it. Sin, though temporary, brought me joy. But I was a point in my life where I wanted to look for a career that would bring me peace. Feel like at the end of life, I could hang up my hat and feel like I did something important. And so I started investigating religions. And try to disprove them all. And that Jesus.
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to make a defense. Don’t chase pink elephants, but look at the truth of who God is. And when you go into this world, recognize what God has called you to reach his hearts. The greatest gift that we give to God this morning, and being sanctified as his people or hearts, and what God has called us to, and reaching this world as we wage the spiritual battle, is not to fight against people and not to beat up people, but to reach their hearts as Christ desires to reach their hearts. Luke chapter 15. It was a beautiful portion of Scripture that defines the heart of Christ. It’s three parables. Jesus tells one of the lost sheep, the other of the lost talents, and finally the lost son or the prodigal son. All three of these stories carry one theme for us as people and understanding God’s position. Being in his kingdom is seeking us and our lostness to come and know him. He is giving everything to pursue us. I love at the end of of those three stories in Luke chapter 15, The Prodigal Son. It records that the father is looking for the son who has left the family, and he sees him coming down the street. And then it says to us that the father takes off running for his son, and he’s been clothed in pig filth. If you know anything about pigs and Jewish people, those two don’t mix.
If you know anything about Jewish custom and patriarchs, it is offensive for the patriarch to be seen working and running down the street. And here he is running after his son, who is clothed in pig filth. So it is with a picture of Christ. I want that heart for this world. King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has won the victory. Prince of Peace, who has given me the opportunity to be reconciled to a kingdom, to enjoy him forever in a faith that isn’t just blindness, but makes sense that I can share. With gentleness and meekness just reaching hearts. Jesus has this idea of comparing things that were lost so that we can best understand his kingdom and and what its pursuit is after. And so I started thinking this week, what are what are some things I lost? What are some things that were important to my kingdom that I wish I could have held on to? I wish I could continue to see, and I just started immediately thinking about my family and just one of the losses that we went through. When I was 23, Stacey and I had gotten married. And we were. Getting ready to move to Utah. And our desire was to see churches in Utah. And and I remember just married just a week in the marriage. I went to this class, my my church was putting on church putting on about about marriage and how to understand biblical marriage and what God desires for marriage.
I’m like, sign me up. I’m going to knock this baby out of the park. Ours is going to be perfect, right? Hey. It is. I’m just kidding. And I remember I’m sitting there for the very first session. And I look across the room and wait until my wife, she’s late from work, coming in. She’s supposed to do this with me because we’re going to do this perfectly together, right? And. And all of a sudden she walks in the room and she’s just streaming with tears down her face. And I get up and I immediately walk over and we walk out and she tells me her mom, her mom just passed. Unexpectedly, we we lose her mother. And we’re planning this move across the country. And now we’re dealing with this devastation, loss. And I remember at the end of the service, she had this specific song that Stacy’s mother loved. It was by bread. It was everything I own. And I remember we played it at at this message, at this service at the end, just to express our hearts on the loss that we experienced in our our little kingdom in this world. And this is how it goes. You guys probably already know it. So you younger or older generation, right? You want to sing in your head, just go ahead. But is this is there someone you know? You’re loving them so, but taking them all for granted.
You may lose them one day. Someone takes them away and they don’t hear the words you long to say. Ready? I would give anything I own. I give up my life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own. Just have you. Back in. Just a touch you. Once again. I think that’s the heart of Christ. It’s a secular song, but I think it’s the heart of Christ. Coming to a world for redemption. Coming as a king who recognizes the kingdom of which we belong. It’s one of sin. It’s one of death. It’s one of sorrow. It’s one of heartache. It’s one of brokenness. And he he is a prince of peace. And he has given his people a message of declaration of reconciliation to a king who has already paid everything. There’s nothing to to worry about owing this king, but what he is after is your heart. He just wants your heart and surrendering to him because he has paid your debt on the cross. His kingdom. Romans chapter nine and verse one, I see Paul reflecting a similar thought of his kingdom for people that he desires and brokenness. Just to know this King. He says this in verse one With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.
I would be willing to be cursed forever cut off from Christ if that would save them. First Peter three. Gives us the outline. Of identity for us as people to wrap our heads around being called in this world to make the proclamation of what’s been torn. Aleichem was torn on your behalf, symbolizing through the veil that was torn that you may know him personally, and he has demonstrated this by conquering sin, Satan, and death. The Prince of Peace has come that you may know him. And so as people this morning, this is the way it’s made known. To recognize your heart belongs to something, but it’s designed to belong to the Lord, to allow him to to be Lord of your heart and Lord of your life. The greatest gift you give to him today is your heart. Being ready then, to defend this King and the beauty of of who he is, and reasonably answering to the world of the hope that we have in Christ. And this is how we do it. By serving their hearts. The maturity of the mark of the believer is seen and your selflessness. Our humility as people in Christ. It’s not weakness. It’s confidence. It’s confidence in the identity that we have in a king that has already declared his victory, which we know we belong. So with ease, we can go into a world that’s falling apart and serve it in its heart for the sake of Christ.