Stories: Part 4

We are looking tonight for the last time at the theme of story.

Four sermons, we have looked at those four kind of big points that we see throughout scripture.

! Once upon a time, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and then we see that an enemy entered in.

And thirdly, we see a rescuer came in the Lord Jesus.

And tonight we look at happily ever after.

And my argument is that that is the kind of great overarching theme of the Bible.

And all the stories that we tell each other are kind of pointing us.

They are hinting to us of a greater story.

Someone said to me last week, it was great to be reminded of films of the 90s and the early 2000s.

And I've really enjoyed studying this theme.

I think one of the things I've really enjoyed is those of you who try to take notes.

And so those of you who normally take notes of my structured sermons, realizing that there's not much structure and there's lots of thoughts.

And the notebook shuts.

And about ten minutes later, the Bible shuts.

But I think it's been helpful.

It's been helpful to me to preach in a different way.

And I hope it's been helpful to you.

Next week we start Jeremiah.

Alright.

They lived happily ever after.

Happily ever after.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if that was true?

They lived happily ever after.

They are some of the most beautiful and haunting words that have ever been spoken.

Why does the end of a great story leave us with a lump in our throat?

Why does the end of a TV series that you leave, you finish, leave you kind of longing for more?

And if we've not become entirely cynical, some of the best endings in films and in books and in TV series leave us in tears, don't they?

Why is that?

Well, I've been arguing because God has set eternity in our hearts.

Every story that we tell is an attempt to put into words and images what God has written in our hearts.

Remember how the Chronicles of Narnia end.

Then Aslan turned to them and said,

You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.

Lucy said,

We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan.

And you've sent us back into our own world so often.

No fear of that, said Aslan.

Have you not guessed?

Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.

There was a real railway accident, said Aslan softly.

Your father and mother and all of you are, as you used to call it, in the Shadowlands, dead.

The term is over.

The holidays have begun.

The dream has ended.

This is the morning.

And as he spoke, he no longer looked to them like a lion.

But the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.

And for us, this is the end of all the stories.

And we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.

But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story.

All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page.

Now, at last, they were beginning chapter one of the great story.

Which no one on earth has read.

Which goes on forever.

In which every chapter is better than the one before.

It is magnificent writing.

It is even better theology.

There is a longing in the human heart for the happy ever after.

And so firstly, every story has an ending.

Every story, including yours, has an ending.

I wonder if you've faced that.

Even if you get a taste of Eden in this life.

If you're one of the fortunate souls that finds love and happiness in the world.

You cannot hold on to it.

You know this, don't you?

Your health cannot hold out forever.

Age will conquer you.

If you live long enough, one by one, your friends and your loved ones will slip through your hands.

And your work will remain unfinished.

Your time on this stage will come to an end.

Like every person gone before you, there will come a time where you will breathe your last breath.

And then what?

And then what?

And if that is the end of the story, it is a tragedy.

But Beth was right.

Life is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Sooner or later, life will break your heart.

Or rather, death will break your heart.

Perhaps it's going to take for you to lose someone that you love.

To shake you from that denial.

That the final enemy is death.

It will come.

Every story has an ending.

Is there no way out?

Do we have a future?

Our enemy is a thief.

And it's stolen from our hearts.

The magic wonder.

And the promise of a life lived happily ever after.

We live in a city where very few people live with hope.

To those without faith, our enemy, the devil, has whispered, your story ends with an accident.

And there's nothing really beyond this.

This is as good as it gets.

There's no wonder, is it, that people drink too much.

People eat too much.

And they watch too much TV.

And they anesthetize themselves with scrolling.

And they live beyond their means.

And basically they opt out of thinking.

And if they allow themselves, just for a moment, to feel the depth of their actual longing for life and love and happiness.

But they won't do that.

And if they allow themselves just to think about it for a moment, they will despair.

And so they don't think.

So they escape.

Or more than anything, they numb themselves from reality.

They amuse themselves, as Neil Postman says, to death.

That's what's happening.

Our culture has numbed itself, isn't it?

So it doesn't have to think.

Our phones distract us.

We refuse to allow ourselves any silence or any space just to stop and think.

When you try to drive people to the logical conclusions of their arguments, they refuse to go there.

They opt out.

But what is Act 4?

Act 1.

Once upon a time in the beginning.

Act 2.

Evil enters.

Act 3.

Well, the rescuer, the redeemer comes.

But what is Act 4 in the Bible story?

And it is Revelation 21, verse 4.

Revelation 21:4

Then I saw, Revelation 21, verse 1.

Revelation 21:1

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

Where's the echo?

Where's the echo?

Deja vu?

Where have you heard that before?

Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth.

How did the Bible begin?

Genesis 1, verse 1.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Revelation 21, it's a deliberate echo, isn't it?

And that had been promised in the middle of the Bible.

Isaiah 65, verse 17.

Isaiah 65:17

Behold, I will create a new heavens and a new earth.

It had been promised by Isaiah.

But it's been foreshadowed by the life of Jesus.

That as he walks through the Middle East 2,000 years ago,

when he touched the blind, they were able to see.

When he touched the deaf, they were able to hear.

When he touched the lame, they leapt up to their feet and walked and danced.

And when he called back the dead, they came to life again.

We see him again and again, wherever humanity was broken, Jesus restoring it.

The coming of the kingdom of God.

He restores the world that he made.

He gives us a trailer of what will one day be.

And God whispers this into the very warp and woof of creation.

He speaks to us through creation of this.

Think of the creation that we enjoy.

Think of the dead of winter.

Winter is great, isn't it, for about a week and a half.

But if it was always winter, you know you get what January was like this year?

It was unbearable, wasn't it?

It went on for months, it seemed.

So dark, so wet, so windy.

If it's also always winter, life is unbearable.

Every tree lifeless.

Every flower gone.

The grass wet and brittle.

And the world cold and silent and bleak.

But spring breaks forth, doesn't it?

The blossom begins to come out on the trees.

The grass begins to grow again.

The daffodils appear and then the bluebells.

Creation is telling us.

It's what we long for.

We long to leave the winter of the world behind.

And if we will listen to creation,

it will point us to the great restoration.

The restoration of spring and summer is pointing us precisely to what God is promising us.

To the miracle that one day he is going to make all things new.

That's what he says in Revelation 21 and verse 5.

He was seated on the throne and said,

Behold, I am making all things new.

There's a new heavens and a new earth.

And of course, this has started already.

Let me read you these words.

Very early on the first day of the week,

when the sun had risen,

they went to the tomb.

And they were saying to one another,

Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?

And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back.

It was very large.

And entering the tomb,

they saw a young man sitting on the right side,

dressed in a white robe,

and they were alarmed.

And he said to them,

Do not be alarmed.

You seek Jesus of Nazareth,

who was crucified.

He is risen.

He is not here.

See the place where they laid him.

But go tell his disciples and Peter that he's going before you to Galilee.

There you will see him,

just as he told you.

He was crucified.

He has risen.

He is not here.

Those are the words which end Mark's gospel.

They are the most stunning,

unbelievable,

happiest ending to a story you could possibly imagine.

But it's not just a story in history.

For those of us who have trusted in Christ,

and are united to Christ,

actually it's our story, isn't it?

Because 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20 to 21 says,

1 Corinthians 15:20–21

In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.

He said,

The firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For as a man came death,

by a man also came the resurrection from the dead.

He is the firstfruits.

And because he has risen from the dead,

you and I will rise from the dead.

I get up early on a Sunday morning before the sun is up.

And there's a moment, isn't there,

when you're up that early,

and you start to see just the first bit of light.

You see the sunlight before you see the sun.

There's that first bit of sunlight,

the first rays.

It's not so dark as it was.

What is that telling you?

It's telling you that the sun is coming up.

The daytime is coming.

And so it is with Jesus' resurrection.

We see the light.

And it's telling us that our resurrection is coming too.

As certain as the sun will come up,

when we see the first rays,

as certain is our resurrection,

because of Christ's resurrection.

So the question is this.

Will everyone have a happy ending?

Will everyone have a happy ending?

Jesus told a parable to get our attention.

He actually told a story.

He said the kingdom of heaven

may be compared to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son,

and he sent his servants

to call those who were invited to the wedding feast.

But they would not come.

And so again,

the king sends another servant saying,

tell those who are invited,

see, I've prepared my dinner,

the reception's ready,

my oxen and my father's calves,

they've been slaughtered,

everything is ready.

Come to the wedding feast.

But they paid no attention.

And they went off.

One to his farm,

another one to his business.

The truth is,

not everyone lives happily ever after.

Because most people

do not want the life

that God offers them.

And they won't come to the wedding reception.

They reject his story.

And they reject him.

And they reject his son.

I was with a group of people recently,

and they were joking around.

They were telling,

they were talking about something

that they'd done.

And one of the people in the group said,

I mean, you'll go to hell for that.

They all laughed.

You know what people think of

when they think of things like that, isn't it?

Don't smoke, don't drink,

don't have one night stands.

Don't drink, don't smoke,

or chew,

or go with girls that do.

Some of those things are sinful.

Some of those things are sinful

when they're taken to excess.

But that isn't really understanding

what sin is.

Primarily,

sin

is a rejection of God.

Primarily,

people are in hell tonight

because they have rejected God.

And they've rejected God's invitation.

They have refused him,

and they've rejected his son.

It is a refusal to let God be God.

It is a refusal to listen to his invitation.

But tonight,

tonight God is patient with you.

He's patient with you.

Not wanting anyone

to perish,

but all to come to repentance.

But if you say to him,

no,

clearly I do not want you,

and I do not want your son.

And if you persist in saying no

and refusing him,

in the end,

God gives you

what you want.

The biblical picture of hell

is that of being outside.

It's of being outside,

of being in darkness.

The picture of hell is death,

not life.

The way that the Bible describes hell,

the way that Jesus describes hell,

is one of bitter regret.

of endless separation,

of being without hope,

of the agony of knowing then

what you should have known now,

but of not being able

to change your circumstances.

George MacDonald,

in his book,

The Last Farthing,

said this,

the man weeks

from the final struggle of death

in absolute loneliness.

Such a loneliness

as in the most miserable moment

of deserted childhood

he never knew.

Not a hint,

not a shadow of anything

outside his consciousness

reaches him.

All is dark,

dark and dumb.

No motion,

not the breath of wind.

Never dream of change.

not a scent

from a far off field.

No sign of God anywhere.

God has so far withdrawn

from the man

he is in God's prison,

his own separated self.

And I have to say to you tonight,

that doesn't have to be

the end of your story.

It doesn't have to end like this.

Stop being proud.

Stop refusing

and rejecting God.

Stop making yourself

the main character

of the story.

Take your place,

rightful place,

in God's story.

And you can be rescued

from a lost eternity.

From an eternity

of regret

and an eternity

of sorrow

and an eternity

of sadness.

And it's why

those who have been

redeemed,

it's why

those who have been

rescued,

we cannot help

but sing.

It's why

when we try to describe

the new creation,

we can't really do it.

What would it be like?

It would be like feasting.

It's described

as the greatest party

you've ever been to.

It's joy unspeakable.

But we also have to say

we're not there yet.

That day

has not yet come.

And so tonight

you have the invitation

of life.

I have set before you

life and death.

Now choose life,

Moses preached

to the Israelites.

That is the offer

of the gospel.

The message of this story,

choose life.

For God so loved

the world that he gave

his one and only son

that whoever believes

in him shall not perish

but have eternal life.

Jesus says,

come to me

that you may have life.

I came that you

might have life

and have it abundantly.

And this is eternal life

that they know you,

the only true God

and Jesus Christ

whom you've sent.

And so the end of the Bible,

Revelation 22,

Revelation 22:17

verse 17 says,

the bride and the spirit

say come

and let the one

who hears

says come

and let the one

who is thirsty

come.

Let the one

who desires

take

the water

of life

without price.

Act 4

is the happily ever after.

It's the restoration

of life

as it was meant to be.

It's the return

of the beauty

and the intimacy

and the adventure

that you were created

to enjoy

and you've longed

for every day

of your life.

And yet better than that

it's immortal.

Because once

human beings

stood in the garden

and they knew

joy and peace

but they lost it.

But in the new creations

we will never lose it.

It cannot be taken away.

Sunrise

and sunset

tell the tale

every day

remembering

Eden's glory

and foretelling

Eden's return.

And then the king

will say to those

on his right

come you are blessed

by my father.

Take your inheritance

the kingdom prepared

for you since

the creation

of the world.

And Paul tells us

that the inanimate creation

around us

is longing for this.

The trees

stand on tiptoe

waiting

with eager longing

for the revealing

of the sons of God.

Creation

which has been

subject to futility

which goes wrong

has been subjected

to futility

in hope

that one day

creation

will be

set free

released from its

bondage

to corruption

and it will

obtain the freedom

of the glory

of the children

of God.

Romans 8.

But we live

tonight

in between

Acts 3

the triumph

of Christ

and Acts 4

the happily ever after.

we have a glorious

future

in Christ

but this tale

is not over yet.

The story

is not over.

I was thinking

to myself

I think that is

the phrase

that I use

more than

any other phrase

in pastoring

this church.

The story

is not over.

So the heartache

in your life

the unfulfilled

longings

the betrayal

that some of you

have known

the sin

that you continue

to struggle with

the apparent

failure

of your life

the sickness

that will not

go away

the false

accusations

that you struggle

with

the child

that has

rejected

the gospel

and is far away

the difficult

marriage

the separation

that you feel

the story

is not over.

And we are living

in the days

of Christ's victory

but we are not in

the happily ever after yet.

We're not home yet.

Jesus said

I am going to

prepare a place

for you

and I will come back

and take you

to be with me

and in my

father's house

there are many

rooms.

There's plenty

of room

in my father's

house.

And what will it

be like

in my father's

house?

Well

God will dwell

with man

and they will

be his people

and God himself

will be with them

as their God

and he will wipe

away every tear

from their eyes

and death

shall be

no more

and neither

shall there

be mourning

nor crying

nor pain

anymore

for the former

things have

passed away

and he was

seated on the

throne and said

behold I am

making all

things new.

So I've been

arguing that we

live in God's

story

in the beginning

and then evil

enters in

and Christ

comes to

conquer

and then

finally the

happily ever

after.

So three

things about

this story

for you to

take with you

in this week.

The first

thing is this

things are not

what they seem.

Things are not

what they seem.

And where

would we be

if Eve had

recognised

the serpent

for who he

really was?

And then the

carpenter of

Nazareth

fixing coffee

tables and

shelves.

He's not

who he appears

to be either.

There's far

more going on

in this story

than meets the

eye isn't

there?

You live in

a world of

two halves.

One part that

you can see

and one part

that you

can't.

And I

would argue

that you must

live and I

must live as

though the

unseen world

is more

weighty

and more

real

and more

dangerous

than the

part we

can see

because we

live by

faith

and not

by sight.

This week

things are

not what

they seem.

Secondly

this,

we are at

war.

The story

of the

Bible is a

love story.

It's the

greatest love

story.

It's a

beautiful love

story but

it's in the

middle of a

life and

death battle.

Just look

around you.

Look at the

church in this

country.

Look at the

casualties

strewn across

the field.

the lost

souls,

the broken

hearts,

the captives,

those who

fought well

once but

now have been

wounded partly

through their

own fault.

And it is a

war.

war.

And we

must take

this battle

seriously as

Christians.

There is a

war for the

human heart.

And there is a

war for your

heart.

And there is a

war for your

children's heart.

And so fight.

Number three,

and I don't

know really how

to put this,

but number

three this

week,

you matter.

You have a

crucial role

to play.

It is one of

the themes

in films,

the kind of

insignificant

person who

has a vital

role to play.

Think of

Frodo in

Lord of the

Rings,

Lucy Pevensey

in Narnia,

think of

Wheezy in

Toy Story 2.

Think of all

the films,

there is

insignificant

characters

that have

a very

important role

to play.

And I think

I am scared

as a minister

of a reformed

church,

and I think

we are scared

in church

like ours

of a

self-esteem

gospel,

a gospel

where we

put ourselves

at the

centre,

and it's

half the

truth that

is.

It is a

really dangerous

thing to

underestimate

your role

in the

story.

If you do

that,

you'll lose

heart,

you'll miss

your lines.

And this

great story,

this epic

story that

we take our

place in,

you two and

I have also

reached the

point where

we must

find our

courage

and fight

for the

hearts of

others,

for your

family.

You know

the scene

in the

film,

don't you?

It could

be any

film,

really.

The hour

is late,

much time

has been

wasted,

but it's

not too

late.

And there

are great

things to be

done,

and there

are great

sacrifices

to be

made.

And you

won't lose

heart if

you really

understand what

is going

on in

God's

purposes,

in God's

story.

And you

won't lose

heart where

this story

is headed,

and what

your lover

has promised

you.

And so

this week,

I think it's

encouraging,

isn't it,

going to this

week with

these three

things.

Things are

not what

they seem.

You are

at war in

this love

story.

And you

matter.

You have a

crucial role

to play.

God has

put you

where you

are in

your

circumstances

for you

to fight,

and for

you to

stand,

and for

you to

play your

role,

because the

story's not

over.

Let's pray.