47. Evil In The New Creation Series

[IN GOD’S IMAGE 47 – EVIL IN THE NEW CREATION]

This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli

Last time we looked at how Jesus’ resurrection was more than His being resurrected to immortality. It also heralded the arrival of the new creation and the kingdom of God being established on earth.

• We also started to address the question as to why this period between Jesus’ resurrection and His second return is also the prophesied millennium.

• As we have seen, the course of humanity has been set on a whole trajectory as a result of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

• It is the age of the New Creation. There is no going back to the old, decaying structure of the fallen creation.

• Viewed purely from an earthly perspective of time and space it may appear as though the kingdom has not yet arrived, but viewed spiritually, it came into being at Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

• At this present time, this knowledge can only be discerned spiritually through faith by the people of the new creation.

• But at His second coming, Jesus and His saving work will be unveiled (revelation) for all to see. This is when the visible and the invisible merge as one in the new heavens and the new earth.

• Until that time, the kingdom remains veiled behind chronos time.

• But make no mistake, there is no going back to the old decaying structures of this present evil world.

The second point that needs to be made about the kingdom of God is that it is a kingdom that grows over time.

• When we look around our troubled world today, it’s obvious to any rational person that sin, evil and death still exist.

• We will look at the question of this evil is allowed to continue shortly, but for now we need to understand the kingdom of God is designed to expand over time.

• Luke 13:18-21 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

• We see Jesus comparing the kingdom of God to the growth of a tree. We don’t plant a seed and gather the fruit the next day.

• The kingdom of God began with Jesus’ resurrection, then expanded to 3000 at Pentecost, and has since spread around the world.

• But it has not as yet reached its fullness, and won’t until Jesus’ second coming.

• V.20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

• Again we see the element of time introduced into the process. Yeast has to be mixed with the dough and then given time to rise before it is baked.

• This example also reinforces our first point about learning to view events from a spiritual perspective.

• In the same way we cannot see the chemical process of the yeast at work in the dough, we don’t always see God’s hand in how the kingdom of God is expanding behind the scenes of world events.

• So we live in a period that theologians call, “between the times,” a reference to the beginning of the new creation at Jesus’ resurrection and when the kingdom of God reaches its fullness at Christ’s return.

• Although this is frustrating to those of us wishing the fullness of the kingdom now, we have to be patient and recognize God has designed it this way for a purpose - so the greatest number of people can be saved.

A third principle addresses the question of evil.

• Even though the kingdom of God has arrived on earth, it’s obvious to any rational person that sin, evil and death still exist.