00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:25 Addressing the Olympic Opening Ceremony Controversy

01:31 Christian Response to the Controversy

03:52 Biblical Perspective on Evil and Repentance

08:26 Isaiah's Prophecies and Their Fulfillment

18:22 Prayer and Conclusion

Hey there, everybody welcome

to Wednesday's edition of

2

the daily Bible podcast.

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And, uh, I know a few of

you are at church on Sunday.

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This past weekend came up to me.

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He said, Hey, pastor PTO, what gives you?

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Didn't talk about the Olympic opening

ceremony in the podcast this week.

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And, uh, and true granted I didn't.

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And part of that was just oversight.

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I'll be honest with you.

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I didn't watch it live.

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And so it wasn't on my

radar as I was recording.

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Uh, but, uh, since then, certainly

it has made headlines and it has

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ruffled quite a few feathers.

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So, uh, I think it's, it's good.

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We should talk about it.

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We should take it head on and,

and figure out how should we

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think about this as Christians?

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Uh, you may have seen recently,

in fact, it was on the 28th.

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So what was that?

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Today is the 31st.

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That was just three days ago.

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I guess the Olympic organizers came out

and, uh, let me put this in scare quotes

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on a podcast, which is really hard to

do, but quote, I apologized unquote,

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uh, for, uh, the last supper depiction.

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And, uh, and yet it

really wasn't an apology.

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It was one of those apologies.

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That is really, Hey, if this offended

you, I'm sorry, but that's more

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your fault than it is my fault.

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I didn't intend for this.

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So I'm sorry you took it that way.

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That's not what we really

intended to do, which okay.

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Whatever.

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I mean, We'll leave that to them and God

what their intentions were, what their,

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their, their goals and their motives were.

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This is not an apology that,

that, that they issued here.

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It's it's just flat out.

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Not it.

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It's it's uh, Eh, you know what?

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Let's try to save some face here.

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Uh we're we're sorry that you soft

Christians out there got upset about this.

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Uh, but, but let's, let's talk about it.

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Should we be upset about it?

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Should we be.

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Angry at this.

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What should our response as

Christians should be to this?

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Should we boycott the Olympics entirely?

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Do we say, forget it.

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We're not watching any of this.

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This is all just a godless, uh

buchneri and display of, of depravity.

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And we're done with it and, and hands up.

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And we're up.

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Maybe, maybe let's, let's talk

through this for a second.

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Uh, what happened if you've, if

you've been under a rock for a little

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while, Then, let me just catch you

up, bring you up to speed on this.

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The opening ceremony had one.

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A particular section of it.

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Wherein, they brought in a bunch of

people, some men wearing female clothes.

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Let me just put it that way.

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Uh, and, and they brought them

all together in this display.

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It was very theatrical.

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It was very, uh, artistic and colorful.

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Um, there was a table, a long table that

was stretched out there and it, at one

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point everybody was lined up behind the

table in a scene depicting a very close.

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Replica of DaVinci's the last supper.

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Uh, and so immediately the parallels were.

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We're we're made that the similarities

were were observed and people began to,

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to point this out and say, wait a minute.

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This seems to be mocking Christianity.

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And what was the worst of it

is right at the center of it.

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Where in DaVinci's painting.

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You have Jesus.

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Uh, the Olympics decided right

at the center of that we're

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going to put a drag queen.

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And so that's what they did.

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And, and, uh, this was a, an

opulent display of everything

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that we, as the church would stand

up and say, this is not good.

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Uh, and then there came this golden or

the silver dome that came out on the table

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as though this was the feast, the center.

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Piece of the feast and in the dome was

lifted in there, sat a depiction as

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there they're claiming this is Dionysus,

some are and whatever it was, this blue

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individual on the table, it was, it was

very, uh, it was, it was very central.

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It was, it was uncomfortable.

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Is probably the best and safest word.

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That's the softest.

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Way that we could describe

this as is uncomfortable.

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But, but what should we think about this?

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Well, I've seen a couple

of responses to this.

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Uh, one response has been, you

know what, Christians build

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your bridge and get over it.

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I've even seen that

from some in the church.

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Hey, you know what?

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This is no big deal.

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Let's just move on with this.

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This is just the world.

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This is a bad look for Christians.

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We shouldn't criticize things.

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Uh, listen, I don't think that

that's the right response for us.

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Uh, we've been in Isaiah

in our daily Bible reading.

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We're coming up to the end of Isaiah

pretty soon here, but if we can flash

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back all the way to Isaiah chapter five,

Uh, if you can think back that far,

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maybe grab your Bibles, open them up

there since we're in the Bible together.

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Isaiah five 20 whoa.

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To those who call evil.

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Good and good evil who put darkness

for light and light for darkness

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who put bitter for sweet and

sweet for bitter listen church.

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This is good for evil, evil, for good

light for darkness, darkness for light.

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That's what we witnessed in

this display in the Olympics.

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So I, it's not the right response

for Christians to just shrug

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our shoulders and say whatever.

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Get over it.

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That's wrong.

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This is evil.

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And as, as light in the midst of darkness,

We do have an obligation church to

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stand up and say, this is not good.

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This is wrong.

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This is evil.

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And so to take the stance that says,

well, Christians need to just not say

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anything about this and keep silent and

just move on with, with their lives.

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Because you know, it's a bad

look for Christians to stand

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up and say, this is wrong.

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That's that's not a good take at all.

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We do need to stand up

and say, this is wrong.

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This is evil.

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That's.

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What we're called to do is the church.

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That's part of our light.

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That's part of our salt in the midst

of this world is to say, This is wrong.

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This is not good.

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Okay.

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So we should have that response.

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We should stand up and

say, This, this is wrong.

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Now I you've heard me talk about

social media as a platform for making

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our stands and who's going to change

minds as social media and things.

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And I do think we need to take

that into consideration as well.

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I don't think this is a time

for us to go on a long rant on

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social media about this and.

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Everything else, mostly because I

just don't think it's going to be

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your most effective use of your time.

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But if you're with your family, if you're

with your coworkers, if you're with

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your neighbors and they say, Hey, did

you watch the Olympic opening ceremony?

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What did you think about it?

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Well then yes, church.

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I think you do have an obligation.

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And an opportunity to stand

up and say, you know what?

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I, I, it was, it was pretty awful.

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It was evil and here's why it was evil.

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And you even have an open door

to the gospel right there.

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So.

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Uh, yeah, I don't think we need to go off

and, and, and make this our platform on

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social media for the rest of the Olympics.

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But I also don't think that

we need to shrug it off and

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say, Hey, it's no big deal.

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Christian, just cry your river,

build your bridge and get over it.

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No, we, we need to call evil, evil, and

not sit here and even give tacit approval.

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To what we're seeing taken

place before us in the world.

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So I think the pushback from, uh, the,

the, the global scene is, is helpful.

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Uh, I think it's good.

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I think it's, it's, it's a good thing.

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I think this apology from them,

honestly, I think it's a farce.

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I think it's, it's totally empty.

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Uh, but as, as Christians, yeah, we

need to say, Hey, this is evil and

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we need to identify evil as evil.

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Now, what do you do with the

Olympics from here on out?

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Well, that's a decision for you to make

and for you and your family to make.

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Uh, this kind of gets back into the

realm of what do I do I shop at, at

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this store during the pride month?

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Or do I shop over here or

do I buy from this seller?

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Whatever.

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You know what that comes back

to a matter of, of conviction.

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And so for you as a, as a Christian,

as a Christian husband or father,

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maybe you're the leader of your home

or a Christian woman out there, a

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single person out there, you make

your decision on that based on your

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conviction, that the Bible encourages

us not to sin against our conscience.

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So if, if you have a conscience

that is, is soft to this, and you're

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saying that this is, I feel like

watching this is wrong for me.

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Don't watch it.

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Don't watch it.

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If on the other hand, you, as a

Christian are saying, man, that

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was evil and that was horrible.

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And that was atrocious.

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But, you know, does that have anything

to do with, um, watching Katie ludic, you

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try to swim in and win a golden in the

Olympic swimming, swimming competitions.

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Uh, no, I, I don't see

the connection there.

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Then, can you watch the Olympics

and cheer on team USA in that?

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Yeah, I think you have

the freedom to do that.

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This is a Christian Liberty situation.

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What's important is we don't cause a

brother to stumble one way or the other.

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So.

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Uh, make your decisions, Christian,

and in a bide by those decisions and

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make sure that this doesn't become

a divisive issue for you with other

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believers within the church is, is,

would be my main encouragement to you.

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If you're choosing not to

watch, then don't watch.

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If somebody else chooses

to watch them, then.

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That's okay.

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You can let them watch it.

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There's there's Liberty.

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There's freedom in this either way

on either side of the aisle, but, but

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fundamentally, what do we do with this,

this opening, the scene, this depiction.

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Uh, Hey, we've got to stand

up and say, this is wrong.

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This is darkness.

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This is evil.

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And we've been called to be

lights in the midst of darkness.

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So there you go.

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You didn't ask for, well, some

of you did I take that back?

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Uh, if you didn't want that this

morning, then, then it's blame a

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couple of the people that, that at the

church that asked for it this morning.

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But, uh, no, there you go.

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That's my take on the

Olympic opening ceremony.

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If you were curious, anyways, let's

jump into something, uh, that has

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a little bit more eternal value

for us, and that is God's word.

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Isaiah 59, 60 61 62 and 63 minute.

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We've got a lot of ground to cover

and I've taken up almost 10 minutes

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already talking about the Olympics.

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So let's jump into.

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Isaiah Isaiah 59.

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Uh, verse one behold, the Lord's hand

is not shortened that it cannot save

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nor his ear Dole that it cannot hear.

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And so when Isaiah 59 1, we

get the answer to the question.

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God asked all the way back

in Isaiah 50 verse two.

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When he said is my hand

shortened that it cannot redeem

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or have I no power to deliver?

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Well, he answers that question.

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Isaiah does force them 59.

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What the Lord's hand is not shortened

that it cannot save, or is it

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your dull that it cannot hear?

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And so that's, that's

an encouragement to us.

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He will listen.

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The contingency is, is the

people needed to return to him.

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The people needed to repent.

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In, in, in re for sake, their sinful

ways and, and come back to him.

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And he was willing to save.

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He was willing to hear, in fact, second

Chronicles, seven, 14 through 15.

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If my people who are called by my name,

humble themselves and pray and seek my

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face and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven and I will

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forgive their sin and heal their land.

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Now.

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My eyes will be open and my ears attentive

to the prayer that is made in this place.

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Again, we gotta be careful and not grab

that and say, well, this is a verse

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about America and America can repent and

listen, America can repent in in God will

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hear, and God will do great things here.

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Um, I'm convinced of that.

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I pray that God will bring revival

to our nation, but that verse,

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that passage was for Israel and in

God was promising the Israelites.

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Hey, if you repent, I'm going to hear you.

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Isaiah 59.

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One is affirming the same thing.

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And the reason they needed to

repent is verses two through 13.

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This is the depravity.

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This is the wickedness.

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This is the, the evil that's

taking place there in Israel.

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You'll look at some of the

descriptors they've got.

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Uh, the fact that they're swift to

commit evil, their thoughts are sinful.

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They're multiplying transgression.

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They're denying the Lord.

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They're committing

deceit and they're lying.

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And the result is verse two, your

iniquities have made a separation

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between you and your God.

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Your sins have hidden his face

from you so that he does not hear.

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So the, this is a call to repentance.

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Isaiah 59.

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Listen, here's your sin.

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But if you will repent, God will hear.

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God will listen.

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God will return.

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God will return you to himself.

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That is.

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Verses 14 through 21 then because

of this evil, the reason they need

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to repent is judgment was coming.

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Judgment was coming.

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But so too is a Redeemer

for all who would repent.

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And so.

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And as at 59, you kind

of have the full gamut.

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You've got the offer saying, Hey.

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Repent turn to the Lord.

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He's going to hear verses two through 13.

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Cause here's all your sins verses 14

through 21 and judgment is coming.

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But again, you need to repent because

verse 20, a Redeemer will come to

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Zion, a Redeemer one who will will.

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Purchase you back.

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That's what a Redeemer does it purchases?

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And in a Redeemer will come

to Zion to those in Jacob who

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turn from transgression that.

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The concept of repentance to turn from,

do turn from transgression, says the Lord.

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So Isaiah 59, repent.

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Repent, repent.

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Repent.

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You need to repent for the

Lord is going to judge.

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Chapter 60, uh, what Isaiah

prophesies here seems to be a bit of

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a mashup between both the millennial

kingdom and the new Jerusalem.

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And so those are different by the

way, the new Jerusalem is different

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than the millennial kingdom.

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The millennial kingdom is

still here on this earth.

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Okay.

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The millennial kingdom precedes.

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Eschatological the creation of

the new heavens and the new earth.

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And so there's a difference

between those, those two places.

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And yet here, there's a little

bit of a blend there for

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Isaiah and, and that's okay.

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It's okay for us to see that.

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Because again, sometimes reading

scripture, it's like, we're looking

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from one mountain peak to the

next mountain peak and we don't

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see all the valleys in between.

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And so Isaiah prophetically is

looking from the mountain peak

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of the millennial kingdom to the

mountain peak of the new Jerusalem.

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And so here, that's what we see

and there's elements that specific.

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Specifically focus on the redemption

and future kingdom of Israel.

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That's the millennial kingdom.

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And yet there's others that

borrow from the language.

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John uses to describe the situation

in the new Jerusalem, which would

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follow the millennial kingdom.

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And so we see the both there.

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Uh, for example, Isaiah 60 11, your

gates shall be open continually

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day and night shall be they shall

not be shut that my people may

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bring to you the wealth of nations.

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Okay.

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Compare that to revelation 2125

talking about the new Jerusalem.

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Its gates will never be shut by day.

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There will be no night.

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Okay.

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So that's new Jerusalem.

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Uh, Isaiah 60 19, the sun shall

be no more your light by day,

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nor for brightness shelter.

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The moon give you light, but the

Lord will be your everlasting light.

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Okay.

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Isaiah 60 19.

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There's no sun.

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The Lord is going to be

your light revelation.

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2123.

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The city has no need of sun or moon

to shine on it for the glory of God

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gives it light in the lamp is the lamb.

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So again, mountain peaks, no valleys,

Isaiah and Isaiah chapter 60 is seeing

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things about the millennial kingdom for

Israel, but it's also seeing, he's also

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looking forward and seeing things about

the new Jerusalem, the eternal state.

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In the new Jerusalem there.

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So there's, there's a little

bit of a mashup there.

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And again, that's fine.

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Prophetically.

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It works with what he's

doing there in the chapter.

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Isaiah 61 then.

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Uh, this is, uh, uh, first two verses

at least should sound familiar too.

341

If you've read the gospels because in

Isaiah 61, 1 through two, we find a

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passage that Jesus himself actually

quotes in Luke chapter four, verse 18.

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He reads this in the synagogue

there and applies it to himself.

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He says, today, this has been

fulfilled in your hearing.

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The verses the spirit of the Lord, God

is upon me because the Lord has anointed

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me to bring good news to the poor.

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And it sent me to bind up the

brokenhearted to proclaim the

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Liberty to the captives and the.

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Opening of the prison to those who are

bound to proclaim the year of the Lord's

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favor in Luke chapter four, Jesus reads

that they're in the synagogue in Nazareth

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and says today, this has been fulfilled.

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In your hearing.

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And so there's a partial fulfillment

of this in the first coming of Christ.

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Uh, and the rest of chapter 61,

the chapter, again, looks forward

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to the future deliverance of

Israel and the restoration of her

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kingdom in, again, the millennium.

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Uh, you shall be called for

six priests to the Lord.

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They shall speak of you

as ministers of our God.

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You shall eat the wealth of the nations

and in their glory, you shall boast.

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Isaiah 61 6, that verse that I just

read during the millennial kingdom, the

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Israelites are going to serve as a kingdom

of priests to the other nations there.

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They're going to represent God to the.

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The other nations still

presently there on the earth.

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This is currently a description applied

to the church that we are a kingdom of

365

priests, but the rest of the context

of Isaiah 61, including the second

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half of verse six, doesn't easily

apply to the church of the church age.

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Uh, we're not eating the wealth of

the nations and, and, and we're not.

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Glorying.

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The glory of the nations.

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We just talked about that.

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In our opening.

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The nations are mocking

the church right now.

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Right?

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And so here we see a verse that

yes, currently in this dispensation,

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we, as the church, our kingdom of

priests, that's what Peter says.

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However, that does not mean

that we have replaced Israel.

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Israel in the future will again,

return and be that kingdom of priest.

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Again, during that

millennial kingdom period.

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All right, Isaiah 62, then

Isaiah 62 focuses on more on this

380

future redemption of God's city,

specifically of Jerusalem of Zion.

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And God's people.

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Look at verse 11.

383

Verse 11 of Isaiah, 62 behold, the

Lord has proclaimed to the end of the

384

earth, say to the daughter of Zion,

behold yourself Batian comes behold.

385

His reward is with him and

his recompense is before him.

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We're getting ready when we jump back

into John, not this weekend because

387

it's birthday weekend this weekend,

but the weekend after that, we're

388

going to tackle the triumphal entry.

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And there's some parallels between.

390

Uh, Zechariah nine nine, which has

rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, shout

391

aloud, a daughter of Jerusalem, behold,

your king is coming to you righteous and

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having salvation humble and mounted on a

donkey on a Colt, on a foal of a donkey.

393

So there's a bit of a fulfillment in

Isaiah 62, 11 and Zechariah nine nine

394

in the triumphal entry, which Jesus.

395

Uh, that, that he is the one.

396

He's the one bringing salvation.

397

Isaiah 62 11, his reward is with

them as recompense before him.

398

And so this is forward looking

to the Redeemer forward, looking

399

to the Messiah coming yet in

the future, God was promising.

400

This reversal of judgment

in the curse on the people.

401

So again, Isaiah has so

much of this pattern.

402

Judgment redemption judgment,

redemption judgment redemption.

403

And he's focused here on

the hope of Israel still.

404

Uh, that exists in the future.

405

All right.

406

Finally, Isaiah 63, Isaiah 63.

407

Verses one through six is, is a terrifying

scene of the Lord returning from judgment.

408

So he is judged the nations and

his garments are stained red

409

with the blood of his enemies.

410

Uh, this day is going

to come in the future.

411

And in verse two, the question

is, why is your peril red?

412

And your garment, like one

who treads the wine press.

413

W what is what gives.

414

And the, the responses I have trodden

the wine press alone in is it's.

415

I trod them in my anger.

416

And trampled them in my wrath.

417

So again, redemption now

back to judgment here.

418

Uh, verses seven through 14, Isaiah begins

to pray and recounts the Lord steadfast

419

love and his past deliverance of Israel.

420

So.

421

Chapter 63 and into chapter 64, there's

this, this prayer that Isaiah gives.

422

Uh, and so he's, he's

praying for God's mercy.

423

He's praying for God's patients.

424

He's praying, uh, even though they

had become such a rebellious nation.

425

He's praying and pleading for God to act

and show mercy to the people of Israel.

426

Um, as he returns now to the present

situation facing Israel, so that

427

the profits now back as, as you

know, they're a series on the scene.

428

He's heard about Babylon now

through the prophecy, and now

429

we're saying, okay, God, please.

430

Please be merciful to us as a nation

and he's casting himself and his people

431

on the mercy of God here in chapter 63.

432

All right.

433

There we go, man.

434

That's a, that's a lot in this,

this text and these five chapters

435

here that we just covered.

436

But, uh, yeah, tomorrow we, we

finished the book of Isaiah.

437

So pretty crazy that we're

already at the end of Isaiah here.

438

Uh, which should be, uh,

uh, a win and a check.

439

Mark is another book.

440

Done this year and the daily Bible reading

daily Bible podcasts, but let's pray.

441

As we wrap up God, we thank you.

442

Uh, for salvation.

443

We thank you that there's

a future coming that.

444

John does see for us and describe

for us in revelation where there

445

is no sun anymore, because Christ

is here because your full glory is

446

the light in all the light that we

will need forever and ever in ever.

447

And so we look towards that mountain

peak right now, maybe for some in the

448

valley, maybe for some listening to

this they're they're hurting right now.

449

They're suffering there.

450

They're going through it.

451

They're there maybe even

in, during persecution.

452

And yet Lord, we know

that that mountain peak.

453

After we get there.

454

There's no more valleys after that.

455

After we, we, we get to

that new earth, new heavens.

456

We're with you, you say behold, the

dwelling place of God is with his people.

457

That that is going to be such an amazing

reality because that will mean that

458

forever from that point forward, that will

never be interrupted again for us because.

459

There's not going to be any more sin.

460

And that is a day man, that we long for,

that we pray for, that we plead for.

461

It's what drives us in parts of St.

462

Maranatha come Lord Jesus.

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And in the meantime, God help us

to be faithful as a church to be

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doing the work that we need to do.

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Uh, fulfilling and completing the

mission that you've given us to do.

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And we pray this in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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So you guys tomorrow for another

episode of the daily Bible podcast.