1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,800 Well please open your Bible at 2nd Thessalonians. We’re continuing our series in this marvelous 2 00:00:05,800 –> 00:00:13,940 letter that’s all about how Christ enables his people to persevere. In chapter one we have found 3 00:00:13,940 –> 00:00:21,020 so far three strategies for staying the course. The first is simply exercise faith and practice 4 00:00:21,020 –> 00:00:27,360 love if you want to have perseverance this is what it grows from exercise faith practice love 5 00:00:27,360 –> 00:00:35,240 and you will have perseverance. Second strategy trust what you suffer into the hands of God. God 6 00:00:35,240 –> 00:00:43,480 is just and so you can trust into his hands what is not sorted out in your life in this world. Third 7 00:00:43,480 –> 00:00:52,400 strategy anticipate your glorious future in Jesus Christ and what is that future you will see 8 00:00:52,419 –> 00:00:59,259 Christ’s glory. You will be glorified in him and he will be glorified in us his people the great 9 00:00:59,299 –> 00:01:05,019 company of the redeemed who are only in heaven for one reason and that has nothing to do with us. It 10 00:01:05,019 –> 00:01:13,099 is the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore our very presence there brings glory to him. Now the whole 11 00:01:13,099 –> 00:01:19,639 point of chapter 1 is this. When it’s tough to keep going when you’re weary of the battle when you’re 12 00:01:19,699 –> 00:01:26,059 fatigued in the struggle of living the Christian life of getting through what you’re facing. These 13 00:01:26,059 –> 00:01:33,580 are the things that we must build into our lives the strategies by which Christ enables us to 14 00:01:33,580 –> 00:01:41,800 persevere. Now today we come to chapter 2. The series is entitled staying the course when you’re 15 00:01:41,800 –> 00:01:47,879 tired of the battle. And chapter 1 as we’ve seen has been all about finding strength for staying the 16 00:01:47,879 –> 00:01:55,059 course. Chapter 2 is all about discerning or understanding the nature of the battle in which 17 00:01:55,059 –> 00:02:01,120 we find ourselves in this world. So think again about the battles that may wear you out. It may 18 00:02:01,120 –> 00:02:06,099 be a rebellious son a rebellious daughter a difficult colleague at work and just the 19 00:02:06,099 –> 00:02:11,440 the strain of dealing with that is wearing you down. Or perhaps you’re doing something 20 00:02:11,440 –> 00:02:16,360 for Christ you’re attempting to move ministry forward and you’re facing opposition at every 21 00:02:16,360 –> 00:02:23,080 turn. Or perhaps it is simply your own struggle with sin and temptation in your own inner life 22 00:02:23,080 –> 00:02:31,740 and you sometimes look at yourself and you say what in the world is going on inside of me. Well 23 00:02:31,740 –> 00:02:38,639 this chapter gives us wisdom for discerning the battle. What’s going on under the surface 24 00:02:38,639 –> 00:02:45,339 of the great struggle that you are engaged in in your life? This is the inside story if 25 00:02:45,339 –> 00:02:51,460 you like of what is going on behind the scenes and if you are going to stay the course then 26 00:02:51,460 –> 00:02:57,740 you need to be able to discern the battle. Now God speaks to us about this important 27 00:02:57,740 –> 00:03:04,160 subject in Scripture. In various places he lifts the veil so that we may have a look 28 00:03:04,160 –> 00:03:11,940 at the unseen forces that lie behind the events of our lives, and forces that operate in the 29 00:03:12,259 –> 00:03:18,220 spiritual realm. And perhaps the best known of these passages of scripture is Ephesians 30 00:03:18,220 –> 00:03:22,660 in chapter 6 that will be familiar I think to all of us perhaps more familiar than this 31 00:03:22,660 –> 00:03:28,399 passage, which is why I mention it might be. You remember that Paul says that our struggle, 32 00:03:28,399 –> 00:03:35,139 your struggle, my struggle, is not against flesh and blood. Our struggle is not essentially 33 00:03:35,139 –> 00:03:41,679 people, because behind the struggles that we may have with people. He says this. We’re 34 00:03:41,679 –> 00:03:48,160 struggling against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. That’s Ephesians 6 and 35 00:03:48,160 –> 00:03:54,399 verse 12. So he’s saying, understand this, people are not the problem. It may seem that 36 00:03:54,399 –> 00:04:01,520 way, but always remember this, that our struggle, your struggle and mine is not against flesh 37 00:04:02,100 –> 00:04:07,779 and blood, that’s not the primary issue. And so when you’re feeling worn out with this 38 00:04:07,779 –> 00:04:13,059 battle against the rebellious son or daughter or the difficult colleague or whatever, remember 39 00:04:13,059 –> 00:04:16,899 this, that behind him or her, there are spiritual forces at work. 40 00:04:16,899 –> 00:04:21,100 There’s more going on than his behavior, there’s something behind it. You need to understand 41 00:04:21,100 –> 00:04:26,480 what it is. When you’re struggling with the way that certain people do business in your 42 00:04:26,500 –> 00:04:32,359 industry, and it is really hard for you as a Christian, the real issue is not simply 43 00:04:32,359 –> 00:04:38,339 these people who you can think of and name right now. Behind them, there are spiritual 44 00:04:38,339 –> 00:04:43,640 forces that are at work in their lives, and more widely, you can’t see them, but you 45 00:04:43,640 –> 00:04:48,239 need to understand what’s going on. And it’s the same with your own struggle 46 00:04:48,239 –> 00:04:54,119 with sin. Sometimes you, you have this experience, you look into your own heart, you say, 47 00:04:54,119 –> 00:05:05,619 I hate myself. And you need to know what is going on underneath the surface so that 48 00:05:05,619 –> 00:05:14,399 you will know what it is that you should really hate. Wisdom for discerning the battle. 49 00:05:14,399 –> 00:05:19,279 That’s what chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians is all about. This chapter, then, is about 50 00:05:19,679 –> 00:05:28,000 spiritual forces that are at work in the world, that will be uniquely expressed in the future 51 00:05:28,000 –> 00:05:33,440 in one man who will appear on the scene at the time of Christ’s second coming. 52 00:05:33,440 –> 00:05:40,359 It is more broadly about the battle that all of us face in life, how that battle will intensify 53 00:05:40,359 –> 00:05:48,140 as we come towards the ultimate confrontation when Jesus Christ, himself, will be revealed. 54 00:05:48,160 –> 00:05:49,459 So that’s the relevance of this chapter. 55 00:05:49,459 –> 00:05:51,700 God willing, we’ll be in it for three weekends. 56 00:05:51,700 –> 00:05:59,100 It’s of huge importance for you and for me to discern what’s really going on in the battle. 57 00:05:59,100 –> 00:06:01,940 I hope you have your Bible open in front of you. 58 00:06:01,940 –> 00:06:04,399 Let’s look at what it says. 59 00:06:04,399 –> 00:06:13,239 First, the chapter begins with a rumor concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our 60 00:06:13,239 –> 00:06:15,700 being gathered to him. 61 00:06:15,739 –> 00:06:23,640 We ask, you brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report 62 00:06:23,640 –> 00:06:31,480 or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 63 00:06:31,480 –> 00:06:39,500 Now, evidently, word had got around amongst these new believers that the day of the Lord, 64 00:06:39,500 –> 00:06:43,600 we’ll come to that in a moment, had already come. 65 00:06:43,600 –> 00:06:48,140 It’s not immediately obvious exactly what this would have meant. 66 00:06:48,140 –> 00:06:54,399 It may be that some people who had come to the church, even that early on, denied the 67 00:06:54,399 –> 00:06:59,959 doctrine of the second coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and suggested that what we were 68 00:06:59,959 –> 00:07:05,260 to look for was really fulfilled by Christ’s spiritual presence that was already there 69 00:07:05,260 –> 00:07:07,160 in the church. 70 00:07:07,160 –> 00:07:11,679 Throughout history, that suggestion has often been made. 71 00:07:12,640 –> 00:07:15,959 They deny the doctrine of the second coming of the Lord, Jesus. 72 00:07:15,959 –> 00:07:20,359 They see ministry purely in terms of this world. 73 00:07:20,359 –> 00:07:25,040 They have often gone in the direction of instead of seeing the hope of the world in Jesus Christ 74 00:07:25,040 –> 00:07:30,459 and His return, they have shifted and they have said basically the hope of the world 75 00:07:30,459 –> 00:07:36,000 is in us, in the church, in the community that we’re able to create, in the good works 76 00:07:36,000 –> 00:07:40,720 that we’re able to do around the world and so forth and so on. 77 00:07:40,720 –> 00:07:45,440 It may have been thinking like that, that was troubling this early church. 78 00:07:45,440 –> 00:07:50,859 It’s not clear exactly how these ideas got around among the believers, but it does seem 79 00:07:50,859 –> 00:07:55,660 that people may have picked this up in different ways, which, if you think about it, is usually 80 00:07:55,660 –> 00:07:57,239 the case. 81 00:07:57,239 –> 00:08:01,839 If you have the Bible open there, you’ll see a reference to some prophecy. 82 00:08:01,839 –> 00:08:06,779 That is someone got up and said in a meeting that they’d had a direct revelation from God. 83 00:08:07,299 –> 00:08:11,440 God’s told me this, they said as people sometimes said, and people believed it, they said, the 84 00:08:11,440 –> 00:08:14,000 day of the Lord’s already come. 85 00:08:14,000 –> 00:08:18,179 It seems that there was a forged letter, Paul says, a letter supposed to have come from 86 00:08:18,179 –> 00:08:25,380 us, a letter forged as if it had been from Paul saying that the day of the Lord had already 87 00:08:25,380 –> 00:08:26,480 come. 88 00:08:26,480 –> 00:08:28,959 Added to that, it may simply have been a report. 89 00:08:28,959 –> 00:08:34,780 He uses that word there, prophecy, forged letter or a report, which is what we would 90 00:08:34,859 –> 00:08:36,419 call today simply a rumor, right? 91 00:08:36,419 –> 00:08:40,780 That got around, and you know how this kind of thing happens. 92 00:08:40,780 –> 00:08:44,380 People are meeting over breakfast, and they’re engaged in conversation, and folks are running 93 00:08:44,380 –> 00:08:46,700 into each other in the grocery store. 94 00:08:46,700 –> 00:08:48,840 Did you hear there’s a letter from Paul? 95 00:08:48,840 –> 00:08:49,840 Oh, yeah, apparently. 96 00:08:49,840 –> 00:08:51,979 We were talking about that in our small group last night. 97 00:08:51,979 –> 00:08:53,140 Apparently, Paul’s written a letter. 98 00:08:53,140 –> 00:08:54,140 Oh, yes, you heard about that? 99 00:08:54,140 –> 00:08:56,539 I hear he says that the day of the Lord has really come. 100 00:08:56,539 –> 00:08:57,979 Oh really, yes. 101 00:08:57,979 –> 00:08:59,380 How do we know that? 102 00:08:59,619 –> 00:09:03,419 You know, I heard it from my friend and her boss. 103 00:09:03,419 –> 00:09:06,320 His brother had gone to Corinth, and he says he spoke to Paul. 104 00:09:06,320 –> 00:09:08,280 You know that kind of thing, you see? 105 00:09:08,280 –> 00:09:09,500 And suddenly, it’s all over the church. 106 00:09:09,500 –> 00:09:10,739 There’s a prophecy here. 107 00:09:10,739 –> 00:09:14,940 There’s a forged letter there, and there’s lots of rumors all over the place. 108 00:09:14,940 –> 00:09:20,200 And the word is getting around that the day of the Lord has already come. 109 00:09:20,200 –> 00:09:26,059 And this has, notice, alarmed and unsettled the believers. 110 00:09:26,340 –> 00:09:29,520 Now, that is hardly surprising. 111 00:09:29,520 –> 00:09:35,340 Because if it was the case that Paul had really said that the day of the Lord had come, 112 00:09:35,340 –> 00:09:41,479 that would be a flat-out contradiction of what he said in 1st Thessalonians. 113 00:09:41,479 –> 00:09:44,659 And many of you will know that passage in 1st Thessalonians, 114 00:09:44,659 –> 00:09:47,039 where he writes these words chapter four, 115 00:09:47,039 –> 00:09:50,960 Christ will come down from heaven with a loud command. 116 00:09:50,960 –> 00:09:53,840 He’ll come with the voice of the Archangel. 117 00:09:53,840 –> 00:09:57,219 He will come with the trumpet call of God. 118 00:09:57,219 –> 00:10:00,539 The dead in Christ will rise first. 119 00:10:00,539 –> 00:10:05,979 And after that, we who are still alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. 120 00:10:05,979 –> 00:10:09,419 Obviously, that has not happened yet. 121 00:10:09,419 –> 00:10:13,299 So, if Paul had said that the day of the Lord had already come, 122 00:10:13,299 –> 00:10:15,340 it would be a flat-out contradiction, 123 00:10:15,340 –> 00:10:18,460 he would have to have changed his mind, 124 00:10:18,460 –> 00:10:22,159 which would undermine apostolic authority. 125 00:10:22,159 –> 00:10:25,820 And since they had believed the gospel that Paul had preached, 126 00:10:25,820 –> 00:10:28,599 that would rupture the very heart and the foundation of their faith. 127 00:10:28,599 –> 00:10:31,739 If you can’t trust what the Apostles says, where else can you go? 128 00:10:33,460 –> 00:10:36,880 So, it is very important for Paul to write this letter 129 00:10:36,880 –> 00:10:40,200 and to put the record straight. 130 00:10:40,200 –> 00:10:41,880 You understand the problem? 131 00:10:41,880 –> 00:10:46,280 Forged letter, rumors, false prophecy. 132 00:10:46,280 –> 00:10:47,900 Now, how does Paul reply? 133 00:10:47,900 –> 00:10:49,940 Look at verse 3. 134 00:10:50,039 –> 00:10:56,080 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. 135 00:10:56,080 –> 00:10:58,280 For that day – that is the day of the Lord – 136 00:10:58,280 –> 00:11:03,820 will not come, until the rebellion occurs, 137 00:11:03,820 –> 00:11:09,539 and the man of lawlessness is revealed, 138 00:11:09,539 –> 00:11:13,880 the man doomed to destruction. 139 00:11:13,880 –> 00:11:15,359 Now, this verse, at least, is simple. 140 00:11:15,359 –> 00:11:17,140 Paul is quite clear. 141 00:11:17,140 –> 00:11:20,140 The day of the Lord has not yet come. 142 00:11:20,140 –> 00:11:23,059 The rebellion must come first. 143 00:11:23,059 –> 00:11:26,799 The man of lawlessness will be revealed first. 144 00:11:26,799 –> 00:11:31,359 Then comes the day of the Lord. 145 00:11:31,359 –> 00:11:32,919 Now you say, now what is this day of the Lord? 146 00:11:32,919 –> 00:11:35,940 Well, the day of the Lord is described in verse 8. 147 00:11:35,940 –> 00:11:38,760 It is the day when Jesus Christ will overthrow 148 00:11:38,760 –> 00:11:41,940 the lawless one, with the breath of his mouth, 149 00:11:41,940 –> 00:11:45,799 and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 150 00:11:45,859 –> 00:11:48,299 And since on this marvelous day, 151 00:11:48,299 –> 00:11:50,219 Christ destroys the lawless one, 152 00:11:50,219 –> 00:11:52,059 it stands to reason that the lawless one 153 00:11:52,059 –> 00:11:55,539 must be revealed first. 154 00:11:55,539 –> 00:11:57,539 So Paul is making the simple point, 155 00:11:57,539 –> 00:11:59,780 first, the lawless one is revealed. 156 00:11:59,780 –> 00:12:01,460 Then the day of the Lord will come 157 00:12:01,460 –> 00:12:03,559 when the lawless one who has been revealed 158 00:12:03,559 –> 00:12:06,260 will then be overthrown. 159 00:12:06,260 –> 00:12:07,460 That’s what he says. 160 00:12:08,700 –> 00:12:11,859 Now I want to attempt two things today. 161 00:12:11,859 –> 00:12:15,020 The first is that I think we need to know something 162 00:12:15,039 –> 00:12:17,400 about the man of lawlessness. 163 00:12:17,400 –> 00:12:18,719 Who is he? 164 00:12:18,719 –> 00:12:19,739 What does he do? 165 00:12:20,960 –> 00:12:24,239 But then secondly, I want you to see today 166 00:12:24,239 –> 00:12:27,840 what all this has to do with us. 167 00:12:29,280 –> 00:12:33,359 Because what we learn here will give you wisdom 168 00:12:33,359 –> 00:12:36,640 for discerning the battles and struggles 169 00:12:36,640 –> 00:12:39,479 in which you find yourself today. 170 00:12:39,479 –> 00:12:40,640 So if you’re thinking at this point, 171 00:12:40,640 –> 00:12:42,979 this sounds like we’re getting a little remote here. 172 00:12:42,979 –> 00:12:45,140 I promise you we’re not. 173 00:12:45,140 –> 00:12:49,099 It’s coming right back to discerning the battle 174 00:12:49,099 –> 00:12:52,340 in which you find yourself today. 175 00:12:52,340 –> 00:12:54,219 So please hang in with me. 176 00:12:54,219 –> 00:12:56,700 Let’s look first then at the man of lawlessness, 177 00:12:56,700 –> 00:12:57,760 who he is, what he does, 178 00:12:57,760 –> 00:13:00,719 and then we’ll see what it has got to do with us. 179 00:13:00,719 –> 00:13:02,659 The man of lawlessness, who he is. 180 00:13:03,640 –> 00:13:04,900 Let me just describe it this way 181 00:13:04,900 –> 00:13:07,059 and we’ll look at the words that are used 182 00:13:07,059 –> 00:13:08,280 in scripture here. 183 00:13:08,280 –> 00:13:12,559 In summary, the man of lawlessness is a person 184 00:13:13,099 –> 00:13:14,880 who will appear on the scene 185 00:13:14,880 –> 00:13:18,320 shortly before the day of the Lord. 186 00:13:18,320 –> 00:13:22,400 Evil will come to its head in this person. 187 00:13:22,400 –> 00:13:27,119 Human rebellion against God will climax itself in him 188 00:13:27,119 –> 00:13:29,559 and it will climax itself through him 189 00:13:29,559 –> 00:13:32,159 and under his leadership. 190 00:13:32,159 –> 00:13:33,479 We are told three things, 191 00:13:33,479 –> 00:13:37,719 three very important words are used about this man. 192 00:13:37,719 –> 00:13:40,460 First, verse nine, his coming. 193 00:13:40,460 –> 00:13:43,619 The coming of the lawless one will be 194 00:13:43,619 –> 00:13:46,200 in accordance with the work of Satan. 195 00:13:47,260 –> 00:13:48,859 Second thing we’re told about him 196 00:13:48,859 –> 00:13:51,219 is that he will be revealed. 197 00:13:51,219 –> 00:13:54,080 Most distinct word that’s used there, verse three. 198 00:13:54,080 –> 00:13:55,780 The day of the Lord will not come 199 00:13:55,780 –> 00:13:59,479 until the man of lawlessness has been revealed. 200 00:13:59,479 –> 00:14:02,619 The lawless one has been revealed. 201 00:14:02,619 –> 00:14:05,760 Thirdly, we’re told about his counterfeit miracles. 202 00:14:05,760 –> 00:14:08,000 I’m looking at verse nine here. 203 00:14:08,000 –> 00:14:09,960 The work of Satan will be displayed 204 00:14:09,960 –> 00:14:14,960 in all kinds of counterfeit miracles and signs and wonders. 205 00:14:17,520 –> 00:14:21,479 Now, who do you think of when you think 206 00:14:21,479 –> 00:14:26,280 of someone who’s coming and someone who is revealed 207 00:14:26,280 –> 00:14:27,960 and the one who does miracles? 208 00:14:27,960 –> 00:14:30,619 There’s only one who comes to your mind, isn’t there? 209 00:14:30,619 –> 00:14:33,599 Coming, revealed, miracles, Jesus. 210 00:14:34,400 –> 00:14:38,099 Jesus, chapter two and verse eight. 211 00:14:38,099 –> 00:14:41,479 The Lord Jesus will destroy the lawless one 212 00:14:41,479 –> 00:14:43,960 by the splendor of his coming. 213 00:14:43,960 –> 00:14:46,299 Chapter one and verse seven speaks about the day 214 00:14:46,299 –> 00:14:49,799 when Jesus Christ is revealed. 215 00:14:49,799 –> 00:14:51,239 And you read through the Gospels 216 00:14:51,239 –> 00:14:54,280 and Jesus is the one who works true miracles, 217 00:14:54,280 –> 00:14:59,000 true signs and true wonders and still does today. 218 00:14:59,000 –> 00:15:00,239 Now you see the point of this. 219 00:15:00,239 –> 00:15:04,239 This man therefore is a parody of Christ. 220 00:15:04,239 –> 00:15:07,940 He will be the antithesis of everything 221 00:15:07,940 –> 00:15:11,280 that is in our Lord Jesus Christ, 222 00:15:11,280 –> 00:15:14,159 which is why when the apostle John 223 00:15:14,159 –> 00:15:15,960 writes about this same person, 224 00:15:15,960 –> 00:15:17,840 he gives him a different title. 225 00:15:17,840 –> 00:15:20,919 Paul calls him the man of lawlessness. 226 00:15:20,919 –> 00:15:23,799 John calls him, you with me? 227 00:15:23,799 –> 00:15:25,940 The anti-Christ. 228 00:15:25,940 –> 00:15:26,880 The anti-Christ. 229 00:15:26,880 –> 00:15:29,400 That’s one John chapter two, in verse 18. 230 00:15:29,400 –> 00:15:30,219 Dear children, 231 00:15:31,119 –> 00:15:31,940 when this is the last hour, 232 00:15:31,940 –> 00:15:33,039 and as you have heard, 233 00:15:33,039 –> 00:15:35,260 the anti-Christ is coming. 234 00:15:35,260 –> 00:15:37,619 That’s John’s way of saying the same thing. 235 00:15:37,619 –> 00:15:39,559 Even now he adds, 236 00:15:39,559 –> 00:15:43,679 many anti-Christs have come. 237 00:15:44,679 –> 00:15:47,619 So let me just read this comment from William Hendrickson 238 00:15:47,619 –> 00:15:49,599 that I found very, very helpful 239 00:15:49,599 –> 00:15:53,039 in summarizing who this man of lawlessness, 240 00:15:53,039 –> 00:15:55,380 the anti-Christ is. 241 00:15:55,380 –> 00:15:57,419 Hendrickson says, 242 00:15:57,460 –> 00:16:01,239 Satan cannot become incarnate. 243 00:16:01,239 –> 00:16:03,260 That’s worth thinking about, by the way. 244 00:16:03,260 –> 00:16:06,799 Satan cannot become incarnate. 245 00:16:06,799 –> 00:16:08,299 Only the Son of God can do that. 246 00:16:09,140 –> 00:16:10,940 Satan cannot become incarnate, 247 00:16:10,940 –> 00:16:15,619 but he would like to imitate the second person 248 00:16:15,619 –> 00:16:18,500 of the Trinity as far as he possibly can. 249 00:16:19,320 –> 00:16:21,900 He yearns for a man 250 00:16:21,900 –> 00:16:25,619 over whom he will have complete control 251 00:16:25,619 –> 00:16:27,320 and who will perform his will, 252 00:16:27,320 –> 00:16:28,880 that is Satan’s will, 253 00:16:28,880 –> 00:16:33,880 as thoroughly as Jesus performed the will of the Father. 254 00:16:34,280 –> 00:16:37,119 Now, that is precisely what the man of lawlessness is, 255 00:16:37,119 –> 00:16:40,840 the anti-Christ, the parody of Jesus, 256 00:16:40,840 –> 00:16:44,200 the antithesis, the dark antithesis 257 00:16:44,200 –> 00:16:47,799 of everything that is in our Lord and our Savior, 258 00:16:47,799 –> 00:16:49,580 that’s who he is. 259 00:16:49,580 –> 00:16:53,119 And secondly, I want us to see what this man 260 00:16:53,119 –> 00:16:57,539 who is completely under the control of Satan does. 261 00:16:57,539 –> 00:17:00,640 Very important to know how you recognize 262 00:17:00,640 –> 00:17:02,200 the activity of Satan. 263 00:17:02,200 –> 00:17:04,400 What does a man who is completely 264 00:17:04,400 –> 00:17:06,839 under the control of Satan do? 265 00:17:07,880 –> 00:17:11,599 And we’re given two answers to that question in verse four. 266 00:17:11,599 –> 00:17:13,199 Here’s the first. 267 00:17:13,199 –> 00:17:17,760 He will oppose and will exalt himself 268 00:17:17,760 –> 00:17:22,319 over everything that is called God 269 00:17:22,359 –> 00:17:24,479 or is worshiped. 270 00:17:24,479 –> 00:17:27,520 He will oppose and will exalt himself 271 00:17:27,520 –> 00:17:31,520 over everything that is called God 272 00:17:31,520 –> 00:17:34,160 or is worshipped. 273 00:17:35,000 –> 00:17:36,380 Now notice that it does not say 274 00:17:36,380 –> 00:17:38,300 that he exalts himself over God. 275 00:17:38,300 –> 00:17:39,400 He can’t do that. 276 00:17:40,359 –> 00:17:41,300 He might think he can. 277 00:17:41,300 –> 00:17:42,719 He might try to, 278 00:17:42,719 –> 00:17:47,040 but nobody ever exceeds in exalting themselves over God. 279 00:17:47,040 –> 00:17:48,079 That’s impossible. 280 00:17:48,959 –> 00:17:51,020 What he does is he exalts himself 281 00:17:51,020 –> 00:17:53,800 over everything that is called God, 282 00:17:53,800 –> 00:17:57,219 over everything that is worshiped. 283 00:17:57,219 –> 00:17:58,400 In other words, 284 00:17:58,400 –> 00:17:59,880 over everything that is worshiped, 285 00:17:59,880 –> 00:18:01,819 everything that is called God in the world, 286 00:18:01,819 –> 00:18:04,900 he exalts himself in other words over all religion. 287 00:18:04,900 –> 00:18:07,619 That is really the only way to understand that phrase. 288 00:18:08,739 –> 00:18:09,560 Now, folks, 289 00:18:09,560 –> 00:18:10,959 have you noticed in our culture 290 00:18:10,959 –> 00:18:12,359 and not only in our culture, 291 00:18:12,359 –> 00:18:14,479 but much more widely across the world 292 00:18:15,319 –> 00:18:20,319 that many people are buying into a growing consistent consensus 293 00:18:21,359 –> 00:18:25,140 that religion promotes intolerance 294 00:18:25,140 –> 00:18:27,579 and intolerance promotes violence. 295 00:18:28,640 –> 00:18:31,119 That is a growing consensus 296 00:18:31,119 –> 00:18:32,540 that is widely felt 297 00:18:32,540 –> 00:18:34,719 and increasingly felt throughout our world. 298 00:18:34,719 –> 00:18:36,040 You hear it all the time. 299 00:18:36,040 –> 00:18:37,800 How many problems in the world today 300 00:18:37,800 –> 00:18:40,079 have at their root religion? 301 00:18:40,079 –> 00:18:42,680 And so a growing number of people 302 00:18:42,699 –> 00:18:45,339 are coming to believe that religion 303 00:18:45,339 –> 00:18:47,060 in and of itself has a category 304 00:18:47,060 –> 00:18:48,859 irrespective which religion we’re talking about. 305 00:18:48,859 –> 00:18:51,020 All religion, any religion 306 00:18:51,020 –> 00:18:53,199 is actually a force for evil, 307 00:18:53,199 –> 00:18:56,180 a root of violence in the world. 308 00:18:57,979 –> 00:18:59,819 One of the ways that you hear that 309 00:18:59,819 –> 00:19:01,660 is when people say this, 310 00:19:03,339 –> 00:19:06,599 I am interested in spirituality 311 00:19:06,599 –> 00:19:09,500 but I’m against organized religion. 312 00:19:09,500 –> 00:19:11,500 Has anyone not heard someone say that? 313 00:19:13,260 –> 00:19:15,199 They say it’s all around us. 314 00:19:15,199 –> 00:19:17,239 And not just I take a pass on organized religion, 315 00:19:17,239 –> 00:19:20,599 I’m against organized religion. 316 00:19:22,319 –> 00:19:25,599 Now that is the mood of our time across many cultures 317 00:19:26,560 –> 00:19:27,920 and I have no doubt therefore 318 00:19:27,920 –> 00:19:29,540 that our time is ripe 319 00:19:30,560 –> 00:19:33,239 for a leader who will exalt himself 320 00:19:33,239 –> 00:19:37,239 against everything that is called God 321 00:19:37,239 –> 00:19:39,079 or his worshiped. 322 00:19:39,079 –> 00:19:41,920 In other words, a leader who will exalt himself 323 00:19:41,959 –> 00:19:43,239 against Islam, 324 00:19:44,400 –> 00:19:48,040 a leader who will exalt himself against Christianity 325 00:19:48,040 –> 00:19:51,439 and against Judaism and against Hinduism 326 00:19:51,439 –> 00:19:53,479 and against Buddhism. 327 00:19:53,479 –> 00:19:56,979 And he will say a plague on all your houses. 328 00:19:57,959 –> 00:19:59,959 Religion is the source of intolerance 329 00:19:59,959 –> 00:20:01,239 and violence in the world 330 00:20:01,239 –> 00:20:02,959 and we must break its power. 331 00:20:02,959 –> 00:20:05,239 It’s religion that’s dividing the world. 332 00:20:05,239 –> 00:20:06,880 Let’s get rid of all of it 333 00:20:06,880 –> 00:20:09,000 and then we’ll have peace. 334 00:20:09,000 –> 00:20:10,640 Not that hard to imagine, is it? 335 00:20:12,280 –> 00:20:15,880 That message will resonate with people cross-culturally 336 00:20:15,880 –> 00:20:17,040 across this world. 337 00:20:18,719 –> 00:20:21,300 People who are desperate to throw off the shackles 338 00:20:21,300 –> 00:20:22,319 of their religion. 339 00:20:24,640 –> 00:20:26,540 And as he brings forward that message, 340 00:20:26,540 –> 00:20:30,400 he will gather people cross-culturally to himself 341 00:20:30,400 –> 00:20:32,219 on a worldwide basis. 342 00:20:33,839 –> 00:20:35,300 But it’s just as I think about that, 343 00:20:35,300 –> 00:20:39,439 I do not find that at all hard to imagine, do you? 344 00:20:39,439 –> 00:20:40,280 Really? 345 00:20:41,079 –> 00:20:43,040 Doesn’t seem that far off to me. 346 00:20:44,319 –> 00:20:45,579 Our time is right for it. 347 00:20:47,719 –> 00:20:50,199 Now notice what he does next. 348 00:20:50,199 –> 00:20:52,619 The first thing is that he exalts himself 349 00:20:52,619 –> 00:20:53,859 against all religion. 350 00:20:54,880 –> 00:20:56,459 Plague on all your houses. 351 00:20:57,859 –> 00:21:00,599 The second thing is he sets himself up 352 00:21:00,599 –> 00:21:02,800 in God’s temple. 353 00:21:02,800 –> 00:21:07,520 Verse four, proclaiming himself to be God. 354 00:21:08,500 –> 00:21:11,260 Now if you want to understand the core 355 00:21:12,400 –> 00:21:16,660 of how Satan works, it’s right here. 356 00:21:16,660 –> 00:21:17,599 It’s right here. 357 00:21:18,500 –> 00:21:20,099 So please follow me carefully. 358 00:21:21,560 –> 00:21:25,760 If he sets himself up in God’s temple, 359 00:21:26,859 –> 00:21:28,479 what does he replace? 360 00:21:30,479 –> 00:21:32,020 So to answer that question, you simply have 361 00:21:32,020 –> 00:21:34,180 to think, what is in God’s temple? 362 00:21:35,180 –> 00:21:36,560 He comes into God’s temple, 363 00:21:37,140 –> 00:21:39,839 whatever is in God’s temple is what gets pushed out. 364 00:21:41,160 –> 00:21:43,839 So what is in God’s temple, many of you know this. 365 00:21:44,839 –> 00:21:46,560 At the center of the temple, there was a room 366 00:21:46,560 –> 00:21:49,599 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, 30 feet high. 367 00:21:50,699 –> 00:21:53,160 And it was called the most holy place. 368 00:21:53,160 –> 00:21:56,040 In the center of that room, what was there? 369 00:21:56,040 –> 00:21:58,199 There was a box, a wooden box, 370 00:21:58,199 –> 00:21:59,599 the Ark of the Covenant. 371 00:22:00,859 –> 00:22:03,640 In Old Testament times, in the ark was what? 372 00:22:03,660 –> 00:22:07,540 A copy of the law of God. 373 00:22:08,959 –> 00:22:11,920 So when we read about a man setting himself up 374 00:22:11,920 –> 00:22:14,319 in God’s temple, we are to understand 375 00:22:14,319 –> 00:22:18,400 that he is replacing the law of God with himself. 376 00:22:20,060 –> 00:22:23,479 That is why he is called the Lawless One. 377 00:22:25,420 –> 00:22:26,780 What else is in the temple? 378 00:22:28,199 –> 00:22:30,939 On top of the ark was a lid. 379 00:22:31,520 –> 00:22:34,780 And that was the place where once a year, 380 00:22:34,780 –> 00:22:36,319 you remember in the Old Testament 381 00:22:36,319 –> 00:22:37,780 that the high priest came in 382 00:22:37,780 –> 00:22:41,099 and had the blood of a sacrificed animal 383 00:22:41,099 –> 00:22:43,020 and he sprinkled that blood on the lid, 384 00:22:43,020 –> 00:22:46,819 on the cover of the ark. 385 00:22:46,819 –> 00:22:49,060 And the sprinkling of blood was to atone 386 00:22:49,060 –> 00:22:52,199 for the sins of the people. 387 00:22:53,680 –> 00:22:56,060 So when we read about this man 388 00:22:56,060 –> 00:22:58,219 setting himself up in God’s temple, 389 00:22:58,239 –> 00:23:02,199 we are to understand that he is replacing 390 00:23:02,199 –> 00:23:07,199 New Testament terms, the sacrifice with himself. 391 00:23:08,640 –> 00:23:11,400 In other words, he’s proclaiming himself as the savior. 392 00:23:11,400 –> 00:23:15,040 He’s obliterated all religion, a plague on all your houses. 393 00:23:15,040 –> 00:23:17,859 Around me, we will find world peace 394 00:23:17,859 –> 00:23:19,459 once we got rid of all the rest. 395 00:23:20,719 –> 00:23:23,040 Third, in the Old Testament, 396 00:23:23,040 –> 00:23:25,239 we read about how the glory of the Lord 397 00:23:25,239 –> 00:23:28,040 came into the temple, filled the temple, 398 00:23:28,040 –> 00:23:30,040 the presence of God on a number of occasions 399 00:23:30,040 –> 00:23:31,880 came down in a great cloud. 400 00:23:31,880 –> 00:23:34,520 1 Kings chapter 8 tells us about the time 401 00:23:34,520 –> 00:23:37,099 when the priest could no longer fulfill their service 402 00:23:37,099 –> 00:23:39,479 because of the cloud, the glory of the Lord 403 00:23:39,479 –> 00:23:40,880 filled his temple. 404 00:23:40,880 –> 00:23:44,400 So when we read about a man who sets himself up 405 00:23:44,400 –> 00:23:47,619 in God’s temple, we are to understand 406 00:23:47,619 –> 00:23:52,439 that he is attempting to replace God with himself. 407 00:23:52,439 –> 00:23:55,839 That is why it says here, he sets himself up 408 00:23:55,839 –> 00:24:00,680 in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 409 00:24:03,040 –> 00:24:04,599 Now Paul is saying in verse seven, 410 00:24:04,599 –> 00:24:07,160 understand this that the Spirit that leads the man 411 00:24:07,160 –> 00:24:11,359 to do this is already at work in the world. 412 00:24:11,359 –> 00:24:14,119 When you think about that, it becomes very obvious, 413 00:24:14,119 –> 00:24:16,319 this is what sin does. 414 00:24:16,319 –> 00:24:20,040 At its core, this is what Satan’s work looks like. 415 00:24:20,040 –> 00:24:23,219 It is putting yourself in the place of God, 416 00:24:23,219 –> 00:24:26,099 it is putting yourself in the place of God’s law, 417 00:24:26,099 –> 00:24:29,380 and it is putting yourself in the place of Christ’s 418 00:24:29,380 –> 00:24:32,900 sacrifice, and you know what the spirit looks like? 419 00:24:34,060 –> 00:24:35,500 It’s about me. 420 00:24:36,619 –> 00:24:38,819 That’s putting yourself in the place of God. 421 00:24:39,859 –> 00:24:43,660 No one tells me what to do, that’s putting yourself 422 00:24:43,660 –> 00:24:45,420 in the place of God’s law. 423 00:24:46,699 –> 00:24:48,900 I’m a good person, 424 00:24:48,900 –> 00:24:52,780 that’s putting yourself in the place of Christ’s sacrifice, 425 00:24:52,859 –> 00:24:54,900 Luke’s a great person, you don’t need it. 426 00:24:56,500 –> 00:24:59,699 Do you see the spirit at work in the world today? 427 00:24:59,699 –> 00:25:02,380 I mean, just to say it is so obvious, isn’t it? 428 00:25:02,380 –> 00:25:06,339 Here’s the bigger question, do you see it in yourself? 429 00:25:07,859 –> 00:25:09,380 Do you see it in yourself? 430 00:25:09,380 –> 00:25:10,920 You say now I’m a Christian, I know, 431 00:25:10,920 –> 00:25:13,020 I’m talking to you and I’m talking to myself. 432 00:25:14,020 –> 00:25:15,540 You have faith in Christ, 433 00:25:17,219 –> 00:25:18,819 but your own experiences 434 00:25:18,819 –> 00:25:21,979 that you find something, this impulse rising up within you, 435 00:25:21,979 –> 00:25:23,540 it’s a mystery to yourself, 436 00:25:23,540 –> 00:25:25,900 you do not understand what rises up from within you, 437 00:25:25,900 –> 00:25:27,060 it distresses you. 438 00:25:28,680 –> 00:25:31,819 Here you are, you’re in Christ, your sins are forgiven, 439 00:25:31,819 –> 00:25:34,739 the power of sin over you is broken, 440 00:25:34,739 –> 00:25:36,579 but its presence is not yet removed, 441 00:25:36,579 –> 00:25:39,380 there’s some kind of an abyss within you, 442 00:25:39,380 –> 00:25:41,780 and the mystery of sin remains within you, 443 00:25:41,780 –> 00:25:46,060 there are hidden depths of pride and of self-righteousness 444 00:25:46,060 –> 00:25:50,199 that lurk in your soul and lurk in my soul, 445 00:25:50,280 –> 00:25:53,300 and they’re there in the souls somewhere 446 00:25:53,300 –> 00:25:56,599 of every person you meet, and this is our battle, 447 00:25:56,599 –> 00:25:57,900 it really is. 448 00:25:59,800 –> 00:26:01,780 See, here I am a pastor, 449 00:26:02,819 –> 00:26:04,719 and you know, at least some people 450 00:26:04,719 –> 00:26:08,180 have excessively kind thoughts about pastors, 451 00:26:08,180 –> 00:26:10,219 most of them are little children, 452 00:26:10,219 –> 00:26:12,760 I mean, I had a little girl 453 00:26:12,760 –> 00:26:14,319 who was saying to me the other week 454 00:26:14,319 –> 00:26:16,760 that she thought that I sleep here in the church, 455 00:26:16,760 –> 00:26:19,959 isn’t that a wonderful thought, wonderful thought? 456 00:26:20,000 –> 00:26:23,819 Just last Sunday, a little girl came up to my wife, 457 00:26:23,819 –> 00:26:27,439 and she said, can I ask you a question? 458 00:26:27,439 –> 00:26:30,739 She says, does Pastor Colin ever read 459 00:26:30,739 –> 00:26:33,739 any other book except the Bible? 460 00:26:33,739 –> 00:26:36,300 Isn’t that wonderful, it’s wonderful, you see? 461 00:26:38,140 –> 00:26:42,380 Well, listen, would it be possible 462 00:26:42,380 –> 00:26:45,839 for a pastor to succumb to a spirit 463 00:26:45,839 –> 00:26:47,939 that says it’s all about me? 464 00:26:48,719 –> 00:26:50,420 Well, you’re nodding already. 465 00:26:52,839 –> 00:26:54,579 Would it be possible for a pastor 466 00:26:54,579 –> 00:26:59,260 to develop a spirit of nobody tells me what to do? 467 00:27:00,859 –> 00:27:03,800 Well, if you can see how that could happen in a pastor, 468 00:27:03,800 –> 00:27:07,060 can you not see why it’s precisely the same for you? 469 00:27:08,339 –> 00:27:10,319 This is the reality for all of us folks. 470 00:27:11,160 –> 00:27:14,459 This is our battle! 471 00:27:15,400 –> 00:27:20,060 The secret power of sin is already at work in you. 472 00:27:20,060 –> 00:27:20,920 It is! 473 00:27:22,239 –> 00:27:24,000 And it destroys. 474 00:27:25,140 –> 00:27:27,959 Here’s a marriage this weekend in the orchard 475 00:27:27,959 –> 00:27:29,099 and it’s crumbling. 476 00:27:29,099 –> 00:27:30,219 And why is it crumbling? 477 00:27:30,219 –> 00:27:31,060 Right now! 478 00:27:32,680 –> 00:27:36,439 Because someone is saying it’s all about me. 479 00:27:37,839 –> 00:27:40,719 Someone is saying, I decide what’s gonna happen. 480 00:27:41,719 –> 00:27:44,540 Someone is saying, I’m right, I’m a good person. 481 00:27:46,339 –> 00:27:49,380 And it is the mystery of sin that destroys marriages, 482 00:27:50,599 –> 00:27:55,020 it destroys businesses and folks it destroys churches 483 00:27:57,099 –> 00:27:59,099 and it’s looking to destroy you. 484 00:28:01,579 –> 00:28:04,439 So, this is the great battle of your life 485 00:28:04,439 –> 00:28:06,400 as it is the great battle of mine 486 00:28:06,400 –> 00:28:08,060 and it will be until the day we die 487 00:28:08,060 –> 00:28:10,020 because we’re right at the core of What Sin Is. 488 00:28:10,540 –> 00:28:14,219 The mystery of sin, this is what sin is made off, 489 00:28:15,660 –> 00:28:17,579 putting yourself in the place of God, 490 00:28:19,380 –> 00:28:21,680 putting yourself in the place of His law, 491 00:28:23,300 –> 00:28:27,479 putting yourself in the place of Christ’s sacrifice, 492 00:28:28,839 –> 00:28:29,739 that’s the battle. 493 00:28:32,780 –> 00:28:34,319 Now, that leaves us with the question, 494 00:28:34,319 –> 00:28:35,719 how do you overcome that? 495 00:28:37,280 –> 00:28:39,859 That’s the battle, how am I gonna make progress? 496 00:28:40,000 –> 00:28:41,160 How am I gonna prevail? 497 00:28:42,839 –> 00:28:43,680 Well, I have to tell you 498 00:28:43,680 –> 00:28:45,540 that’s what we’re gonna look at next week, 499 00:28:45,540 –> 00:28:48,800 but I thought, I can’t leave you hanging there, 500 00:28:48,800 –> 00:28:50,660 so let me just give you the headline. 501 00:28:51,540 –> 00:28:53,520 It’s in verse eight. 502 00:28:53,520 –> 00:28:55,199 See, work backwards. 503 00:28:55,199 –> 00:28:58,119 We’ve said there’s the man of sin, the man of lawlessness, 504 00:28:58,119 –> 00:29:00,800 and behind him, there’s the spirit of lawlessness, 505 00:29:00,800 –> 00:29:03,160 and that’s with us even now. 506 00:29:03,160 –> 00:29:05,079 Let’s just ask this question, 507 00:29:05,079 –> 00:29:07,479 how is the man of sin destroyed? 508 00:29:07,479 –> 00:29:09,520 Because if we know how the man of sin is destroyed, 509 00:29:10,239 –> 00:29:11,599 then we will know how the spirit behind him 510 00:29:11,599 –> 00:29:13,619 that we are up against is gonna be destroyed. 511 00:29:13,619 –> 00:29:14,459 You with me? 512 00:29:15,400 –> 00:29:18,199 So look at verse eight, how’s the man of sin destroyed? 513 00:29:20,099 –> 00:29:24,180 The Lord Jesus will overthrow him 514 00:29:24,180 –> 00:29:27,739 by the breath of his mouth 515 00:29:28,800 –> 00:29:33,800 and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 516 00:29:33,959 –> 00:29:36,199 That is an amen moment, is it not? 517 00:29:36,199 –> 00:29:37,520 That is an amen moment. 518 00:29:37,520 –> 00:29:41,459 The Lord Jesus Christ will overthrow him 519 00:29:41,459 –> 00:29:42,280 how? 520 00:29:42,280 –> 00:29:44,079 By the breath of his mouth. 521 00:29:44,079 –> 00:29:46,040 In other words, when Christ appears, 522 00:29:46,040 –> 00:29:48,459 you know, it’ll be, whew, you’re gone. 523 00:29:49,560 –> 00:29:53,160 That’s how the sovereign power of Jesus Christ 524 00:29:53,160 –> 00:29:54,199 will be exercised 525 00:29:55,880 –> 00:29:59,640 and he will destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 526 00:29:59,640 –> 00:30:03,760 Now take that in and follow the path. 527 00:30:04,640 –> 00:30:07,300 If the man of sin is destroyed 528 00:30:07,300 –> 00:30:09,180 by the breath of Christ’s mouth 529 00:30:09,180 –> 00:30:11,540 and the splendor of his coming, 530 00:30:11,540 –> 00:30:14,619 it follows that the secret power of sin 531 00:30:14,619 –> 00:30:16,380 will be destroyed in the same way. 532 00:30:16,380 –> 00:30:17,219 How? 533 00:30:17,219 –> 00:30:20,079 By his breath and by a splendor. 534 00:30:21,319 –> 00:30:22,160 His breath. 535 00:30:23,079 –> 00:30:25,880 His life, his spirit. 536 00:30:26,819 –> 00:30:30,880 That is how you will prevail in your battle 537 00:30:30,880 –> 00:30:35,680 by the breath of God, by the presence and power 538 00:30:35,680 –> 00:30:38,579 of the Holy Spirit in your life. 539 00:30:39,680 –> 00:30:43,079 Breathe on me, breath of God. 540 00:30:44,439 –> 00:30:46,859 Fill me with life in you 541 00:30:46,859 –> 00:30:50,719 that I may love what thou dost love 542 00:30:50,719 –> 00:30:53,560 and do what thou wouldst do. 543 00:30:55,000 –> 00:30:57,640 And not only his breath, his splendor. 544 00:30:58,599 –> 00:31:02,599 See, when you see his splendor, 545 00:31:03,520 –> 00:31:06,119 you will not be taken up with your own. 546 00:31:07,400 –> 00:31:09,760 This is a huge principle in the Christian life. 547 00:31:10,760 –> 00:31:13,640 You cannot be taken up with your own splendor 548 00:31:13,640 –> 00:31:17,079 while you are looking at the splendor of Jesus Christ. 549 00:31:17,079 –> 00:31:18,640 If you’re taken up with your own splendor, 550 00:31:18,640 –> 00:31:20,199 your own glory, your own achievement, 551 00:31:20,199 –> 00:31:23,400 your eye at that moment is not on the Lord Jesus Christ. 552 00:31:24,319 –> 00:31:27,400 And the way that Christ delivers us 553 00:31:27,400 –> 00:31:30,040 from the deadly destruction of preoccupation 554 00:31:30,040 –> 00:31:33,760 with our own glory is by showing us His. 555 00:31:35,239 –> 00:31:38,599 Which is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3 verse 18 556 00:31:38,599 –> 00:31:42,640 that it is as we behold the Lord’s glory. 557 00:31:42,640 –> 00:31:47,579 That’s how we are transformed into His likeness. 558 00:31:48,979 –> 00:31:51,280 Which is why gathering for worship every weekend 559 00:31:51,280 –> 00:31:54,959 of such huge importance for the dynamic 560 00:31:54,959 –> 00:31:56,479 of your spiritual life. 561 00:31:57,900 –> 00:32:00,719 Your hope of overcoming the secret power of sin 562 00:32:00,719 –> 00:32:04,959 in your life lies here that Christ breathes His life 563 00:32:04,959 –> 00:32:09,959 into you, and your hope of prevailing in the battle 564 00:32:10,079 –> 00:32:13,560 lies in seeing and beholding His glory 565 00:32:14,640 –> 00:32:19,640 that will transform you into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 566 00:32:21,619 –> 00:32:23,119 Let’s pray together, shall we? 567 00:32:24,839 –> 00:32:27,920 Father, we see this mystery of sin, 568 00:32:29,680 –> 00:32:34,619 not only in the world but also in ourselves. 569 00:32:37,560 –> 00:32:40,780 I see today how deep that route goes in me. 570 00:32:42,880 –> 00:32:47,479 I see in myself that spirit that rises up 571 00:32:48,300 –> 00:32:52,680 and says it’s all about me and nobody tells me what to do 572 00:32:52,680 –> 00:32:56,099 and I’m such a good person. 573 00:32:58,160 –> 00:32:59,079 Deliver me. 574 00:33:01,280 –> 00:33:05,420 Deliver me from this mystery of sin 575 00:33:05,420 –> 00:33:07,300 that is at work within me 576 00:33:09,160 –> 00:33:12,420 and sustain me in this great and lifelong battle. 577 00:33:15,060 –> 00:33:16,739 Thank you for your dear Son, 578 00:33:18,339 –> 00:33:19,979 thank you for his breath, 579 00:33:21,699 –> 00:33:23,640 thank you for his splendor, 580 00:33:25,560 –> 00:33:28,119 thank you that by his breath and splendor 581 00:33:28,119 –> 00:33:32,260 he will destroy the man of lawlessness forever. 582 00:33:34,500 –> 00:33:38,660 Now overthrow the consuming love of self in me, dear Savior, 583 00:33:40,180 –> 00:33:43,180 for these things we ask for Christ’s sake, 584 00:33:43,180 –> 00:33:45,939 and everyone said, amen.