...
>> Every summer, thousands of 
Christians from all over the 
world
gather here in Keswick in the 
heart of the beautiful Lake
District to come and meet with 
God, to be encouraged, inspired
and equipped to live for Christ 
in his World.  Here I am
standing on top of the old 
Pencil Factory, this is going to
be
the site of the Keswick 
Convention this year, for the 
first time
ever, all on one site, but sadly
of course because of Co-vid 19
we can't meet here in Keswick 
but we can gather together
on-line, Virtually Keswick 
Convention, so wonderful we have
got
a week of Bible teaching, 
seminars, sung worship, 
programme for
kids and of course for youth as 
well.  So very, very warm
welcome to you, whether it is 
your first time joining with
Keswick or if you are a regular,
it is great to have you with
us.  The theme this year is 
hope.  Because this is of course
a
time 
of uncertainty and anxiety and 
fear and grief.  It is an
opportunity for Christians to 
show their trust and know the 
hope
we have in Jesus Christ.  May 
the God of hope fill you with 
joy
and peace as you trust in Him so
you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Good morning and welcome to 
Keswick Convention, 2020, I am 
Anna. 
I am John Taylor.  We will guide
you through together with
Rebecca our signer, in a year of
unusual experiences, this is
yet another one, Keswick 
Convention but on-line.  We are 
coming
to you from live inside the 
Pencil Factory.  And we have got
many of the things you might 
usually experience about the
Keswick Convention but coming to
you, wherever you are.  So
whether you are a regular, who 
has been coming for years or 
this
is your first experience of 
Keswick Convention, it is great 
to
have you with us.
It is really great to have you 
with us, I think maybe to give 
us
a sense of togetherness and 
encourage each other, great to 
know
who is watching and where you 
are watching from.  Get in
contact, say Hi, show a photo of
where you are watching from. 
You can do that using the hash 
tag on social media or the
comment Sectionover the 
Virtually Keswick website.  I 
think it
is fair to say, we have got a 
real store in treat for you this
week, as part of the morning 
sessions, we are going to have
Jonny Carswell, to gives book 
reviews, fitting in the theme of
Keswick this year, which is 
hope, we will bees hearing what
Keswick Ministries has been up 
to this  year and the plans for
the too you churr, sung worship 
from EMU and at the heart, we
will hear from the living God as
his word is read and preached. 
It is our privilege to have 
Christopher Ash this week giving
our
Bible Reddings, writer in 
residence at Tyndale House.
Let's take a minute to come 
before the Lord in prayer.
Lord, even though we cannot all 
be physically together in one
place this year, we pray that as
we gather together virtually,
you might join us with your 
spirit.  Unite us as the Keswick
banner says, we might be all one
in Christ.  Though we do not
have the hills of the Lake 
District to remind us, let us 
lift
our eye to say you Lord.  In the
words of Psalm 1 blessed whose
delight is in the law of the 
Lord and meditates on his law 
day
and night.  Lord as we come 
before you at the start of this
week, we pray we might med date 
on your word, give us ears to
hear what you have to say to us,
that your Holy Spirit might
sink it deep in our hearts as we
ponder on it day and night.  We
pray we might be blessed as we 
delight in your word this week.
Father as we delight in your 
word, we ask you would give us a
fresh vision of your son, give 
us a deeper grasp of his gospel
and a new appreciation of what 
you have done for us in Him.  So
father we ask to give us hope 
because of your son Jesus, and 
it
is in our Lord's precious name 
we pray.  Amen.
Now over to Alannah and the 
band.
Psalm 100 calls us to enter his 
courts with thanksgiving and
courts with praise.  To bless 
his name.  With thankful hearts
let's praise him as we sing 
together.
ANNA:  Now it wouldn't be a 
meeting without notices, in a 
moment
we will hear about Keswick 
Fellowships that have grown up 
around
the world and in the UK, it 
wouldn't be Keswick without 
books,
have you finished the books last
year? 
JOHN:  Barely started.
ANNA:  Don't worry, Jonny 
Carswell won't let things get in
the
way.
JONATHAN:  There is no physical 
bookstore just as the bookstore
is virtually, the bookstore is 
available on-line.  It is
everything you will hope from a 
bookstore, a brilliant
selection, something for 
everybody, everything has been 
hand
picked we know it holds the 
Bible, it is good stuff, it will
point you to Jesus, everything 
is discounted, lockdown has Meg
more mad than it was before.  
Our prices are crazy, we will
recommend books in each session,
buy them individually and be
discould bed or buy them as a 
bundle each day, you will make a
greater saving because the 
discounts bigger.  Now we are 
turning
our attention to the book of 
Psalms this week, the Psalmist
begins "the person who delights 
in God's word, they are blessed,
they are the one who is are 
blessed" so we want to get you 
into
God's word and so we want to 
recommend some books that will 
get
you into the Psalms and goad you
studying God's word.  Dale
Ralph Davis, the way of the 
righteous in the muck of life, 
it is
a brilliant devotional book you 
can read as stand alone or use
in your devotions and walks you 
through Psalms 1 to 12 it is
accessible but really rich in 
its content and I really 
recommend
that to you.
Christopher Ash, Psalms for you,
a sort of commentary and
devotion combined together.  If 
you are preaching from the
Psalms you might want to use 
this as your commentary or your
devotion in the quiet times.  
Keswick produces resources each
year, they have a timely 
devotion Persevere, the world is
throwing us so many hassles and 
struggles, how is it that we
keep going?  This little 
devotion will help us to 
persevere and
finish the race.  If you buy 
these individually, retail about
22, or  23, we will knock 10 
quid off if you buy them 
together. 
Three for  12.50.  The person 
who delights in God's work, they
are blessed, lets's get stuck 
into God's word this week
together.
A passion for the importance of 
God's word, becoming like Christ
in global mission, saw the start
of the Keswick Convention, from
the earliest days that same 
passion also been spreading 
across
the UK and the world.  With 
distinction family likeness ands
biblical commitments, events 
joined with Keswick Ministries 
to
form the fellowship.  We vents 
joining today, desire continues
to be the believers, Copted and 
equipped to love Jesus Christ,
as well as serve the local 
church.
Today in the UK, there are now 
over 35 Keswick Fellowship
events, joined together with a 
memo of understanding and
meetings.  In 2016 and again in 
2019 Keswick Fellowship events
come together, the UK 
consultation, to share 
encouragements,
learn from each other and to 
give God the glory.
One event is Keswick Ayrshire, 
it has been running since 2018
with main speakers, including 
Jeremy - preached this year, at 
a
on-line event.
David I love it, cans exciting, 
for people to get togetherrened
worship God with so many 
brothers and sisters, it was 
amazing,
having local churches to glorify
God.  I am looking forward to
the next one.
One of the newest Keswick 
Fellowship events.
LAURA:  Ed in the UK was in 
Gloucestershire last November.
In 2019 we ran our first 
Cotswold Bible festival, over 
700
adults youth and children 
gathered together.  The gospel 
vision
for the day was centred around 3
words: encourage, equip, enjoy. 
Encourage one another as we are 
taught God's word together. 
Equip ourselves through engaging
seminars and book stall.  Enjoy
a fun and memorable day 
together.  A day that under God 
we trust
will grow into the future.
There is similar events in the 
Caribbean, Asia, Australia and
New Zealand, the Kay man 
islands, central and northern 
Europe,
Canada, parts of Africa.  This 
is a blessing, the spreading of
the gospel by fellowship events,
check out an event near you,
there is a map of the UK showing
where events are.  More details
on the Keswick Ministries 
website, or look in the office. 
We
look forward to hearing from 
you.
ANNA:  Great.  That is so 
encouraging to hear isn't it?  
Do see
that Virtually Keswick 
Convention website pages on 
resources for
more information on book 
recommendations and how to buy. 
On
another note someone who has 
played a big role, Peter Maiden 
has
sadly gone to be with the Lord, 
for us, and the family it is a
sad thing, for him it is a 
joyful day.  When he finally 
gets to
see his saviour, face-to-face.  
Peter was a man of great
integrity, the same preaching to
thousands or cleaning, he lived
out what Keswick Ministries hold
dear, hearing God's word and
his was a life shaped by God's 
word.  His was a live
characterised by a desire to 
become more like Jesus, lived in
service of God's mission, his 
passion for Jesus to be known on
a
global scale.  There is a full 
tribute on our website to Peter,
but we do want to thank God for 
his life and for his ministry. 
These are some of Peters own 
words from his book, "radical
gratitude" I am peaceful 
trusting in the Lord but sad as 
I think
of the things I will miss.  I 
feel sad thinking of Wynne and 
the
family and for me, but here is 
the important bit.  I am 100%
secure.  I am secure in God, in 
his covenant faithfulness, in
his sovereign grace and in his 
omnipotent power, the security 
is
not in me or my faithfulness but
in his.  Indeed, his
faithfulness is my only hope to 
keep me faithful to the 
end.
JOHN:  Thanks Anna, faith filled
words from Peter there.  Our
next song is going to remind us 
of a truth which we now know by
faith and which our dear brother
Peter now knows by sight, that
there are more than 10,000 
reasons why God deserves our 
eternal
praise.  Over to EMU.
ANNA:  Thanks guys, in a moment 
Christopher Ash will give us our
Bible reading preach from Psalm 
2.  But first, we have our
reading.  Each day, this week, 
our Bible readings are someone
coming from someone with a bit 
of history. 
JOHN:  Sandi Turner, from 
Saffron Walden Bible Focus.  
Earlier
we asked Sandie what being 
linked to Keswick mean to say 
her and
her event.
SANDIE:  You know, it is so 
heartening to know that we 
belong to
a network of people who share 
the same passion, that is to 
serve
Christians and to make Christ 
known through faithful Bible
teaching.  We have found a real 
sense of family within the
fellowship.  It has been great 
to meet and swap ideas, to share
the highs and the lows of 
running events, to hear from 
God's
word together and to pray for 
one another.  It is always 
really
exciting to hear of what God is 
doing in the fellowship.  He
does immeasurably more than we 
could ever think.
ANNA:  Great.  Well before we 
hear from God's word, let's 
pray.
The law of the Lord is perfect. 
Refreshing the soul.  Lord, as
we hear your word read and as 
Christopher preaches to us, may
your spirit be at work through 
your perfect word and your
servants.  Refresh our souls as 
we hear your voice oh Lord our
God.  Amen.
JOHN:  Amen.
...
SANDIE:  Today's reading is 
Psalm 2.  (On screen.  ) 
Well friends good morning and I 
don't know where you are,
watching this but I want to 
speak this morning about the 
strange
paradox of how to stay safe.  I 
don't know who you are watching
this, but I am pretty certain 
that you want to stay safe.  We
live in a dangerous world 
obviously the Coronavirus is in 
the
headlines but there are plenty 
of other things that will cause
us fears, fears from heart 
disease or life threatening
illnesses, dementia, accidents, 
break up of relationships, loss
of jobs, they are all manner of 
different reasons why we might
be frightened and want to stay 
safe.  And the theme of this
Virtually Keswick week is hope 
and I have chosen to speak from 
5
consecutive Psalms.  I think 
Psalm 1 was preached excellently
at
Keswick a year or two ago.  So I
am going to to take, Psalms 2,
3, 4 and 5 and 6.  There is 
something about consecutive 
Psalms,
there are links between them and
in a way they tell the story. 
Psalms 1 and 2 are the bright 
lights that shine their beacon
through the, the Psalms.  And so
I am going to speak from Psalm
2.  Psalm 2 offers us hope 
because Jesus rules.  Psalm 2 is
divides very 
naturally into 3 dramatic scenes
of 3 verses each,
then the so what question.  
Scene 1.  The first 3 verses of 
the
Psalm.  I call this one 
pointless riot.  In a waiverses 
1, 2 and
3, it gives us history come 
pressed into 7 lines.  So David
begins why?  There is a 
pointlessness about what he is 
going to
describe, why do the nations, 
all over the world and through
history, rage and the senses of 
a restless commotion, it is like
a mob rioting, Acts Chapter 19 
the riot in every  Ephesus.  You
feel a
feel of angry shouting.  Why the
people plot?  To murmur or
mutter, the med dating, this is 
a different murmuring or
muttering, they chat, they chat 
on chat shows, murmur in gangs
but it is all in vain.  Those 
words, why and in vain say, just
say to us that this mob, this 
depiction of human history is
pointless.  And you ask well, 
what is it?  Verse 2: the Kings 
of
the earth set themselves like 
Marshalling forces for battle. 
They take stand or take council 
together.  They set the
assumptions for society, what 
you are allowed to think and so
on.  And the picture is of, of 
Kings and rulers and if you ask
who of these Kings and rulers, 
you and I are incline to do say,
well these are the president of 
Russia needs to listen to this
Psalm, well he does, the 
President of Brazil, the 
President of
the United States need to listen
to this psalm, parents in
families, teachers, there is a 
sense in which you are alive, 
you
need to listen to this Psalm.  
If you are alive, you have power
to make a difference, if you are
frail and you are confined to
home and you feel you don't make
much difference.  You do make a
difference, whether you smile or
frown or what you say, how you
respond to people.  It makes a 
difference.  So when we get into
this Psalm we need to think 
about power, I want to encourage
you
as we get into this psalm, think
about the kinds of powers you
might have or I might have?  We 
have been very accustomed
recently to thinking about the 
power you might have because of
the colour of your skin, or you 
might not.  It is big in the
headlines, the power that comes 
or doesn't come from race.  It
might be from money.  You have 
money and you use your money as
an instrument of power.  Or it 
maybe power comes from a
privileged education or being 
well connected.  Maybe if you 
are
a pastor or minister of a 
church, you have a measure of 
power. 
There is a power that comes to 
some from good looks.  You are
beautiful or pretty or handsome.
People gather around you, you
are a magnet.  Maybe the power 
of a charismatic personality and
that gives you power.  There is 
the power of the mob, the power
of peer pressure.  Strangely 
there is even a paradoxical 
power
in victimhood and in a strange 
way.  We thinking about power 
and
we are thinking about a rioteses
crowd and a scene all over the
world.  This is a bunch of 
people, this is by us, by nature
are
always arguing and fighting with
one another but we are united
in this by nature against the 
Lord in capital letters, the
covenant of the Bible, anointed,
the Hebrew word from Messiah,
or Christ, against his King, 
what unites us is this, let us
burst their bonds apart and cast
away their cords from us.  In
other words I want to be free to
make my own decisions.  It is a
worldwide freedom movement.  
This is, this is human history, 
I
want to make my decisions and I 
don't want you to tell me what
decisions to make.  If God, 
there is a God in heaven and he
appoints a leader on earth a 
Messiah, I don't want that 
Messiah
to tell me what to do.  I want 
to get rid of him.  It is a
pointless rebellion.  Because 
there is a God in heaven but it 
is
a frightening rebellion, just as
it is frightening to get caught
up in a riot.  I want to say to 
you, whoever you are, as I say
to myself, that by nature, you 
are a part of this riot.  I
remember when I was at school 
and in the 70's, they were all
sorts of demonstrations against 
the Vietnam war and a boy who
was at school with me, played 
truant one day, he went up to
London and got caught up in one 
of these antivietnam
demonstrations.  When his 
teacher challenged him the next 
day
and said "you shouldn't have 
been playing truant and 
shouldn't
have been in London" he denied 
it.  But unfortunately he was
there on television in the front
row of the demonstration on the
evening news.  So he was guilty.
If the pictures were
shown of
the riot that is human history, 
you and I would be there every
one of us, every baby, every boy
and girl, every teenager, every
young person, every middle aged 
man and woman and older person,
we would all be there.  The 
Bible says that this riot is 
united
in one thing, we want to make 
our own decisions so it is
fascinating in the gospels in 
Luke Chapter 23 Herod and 
Pontius
Pilate who had been enemies when
Jesus came along, they became
friends because they were united
in not wanting him to rule over
them.  You find in Acts Chapter 
4 where this Psalm is quoted. 
You find everybody who matters 
all uniting against him.  The
last book of the Bible, 
Revelation Chapter 19 another 
echo, the
Kings of the earth with the 
armies gathered to make war 
against
him.  Again it is the same riot.
That is how the thing begins
with this pointless but 
frightening riot and you and I 
are part
of that.  So think power, think 
of the power that you have and
the power that I have simply by 
virtue of being living people.
The second scene is very 
surprising.  Because you might 
think if
this is a religious text that 
the next thing you are going to
get is a fall lanks of riot 
police with share shields ready 
to
quell the riot.  Instead the 
camera comes back from the riot 
and
looks up and we see one laughing
and so in Verse 4 the one who
sits in the heavens, the heavens
God's place, not a place in
this space time universe but the
place where the immortal God
dwells and he sits there, he is 
enthroned there.  It is a place
that is above the riot.  It is a
place that can't be touched or
troubled by the riot and he sits
there and can't be disturbed. 
He is laughing and he is 
laughing the Lord, the master, 
he holds
them in derision, it is not a 
funny ha-ha laugh.  As you might
laugh at Michael MacIntyre.  It 
is the laugh at the aabsurdty of
it, Thomas equinox, a strong man
laughs.  Martin Luther, like a
man trying to knock down a stone
tower with a few twigs.  But it
is a ha-ha laugh.  In Verse 5 he
speaks to them in his wrath,
his anger and fury.  There is a 
God in heaven Psalm 2.  He is
rightly angry, so I hear some of
you saying, well I don't like
the idea of an angry God but I 
wonder if that is right?  You 
and
I know what it is to feel anger 
when we see some terrible act of
racism and we have seen that 
recently, felt rightly angry at
that.  But if we can feel angry 
at that, is it not right that
God should feel angry at 
everything that is wrong with 
the
world?  God says in Verse 6 as 
for me, it is very emphatic in
Verse 6 "as for me I have set my
King on Zion my
holy hill" Zion
the name of the City of David; 
that David captured in Jerusalem
and it became a symbol, Zion of 
the covenant, the promise that
God made to David the King.  I 
have placed him on Zion, the 
King
in David's line and he is going 
to rule the world.
Now at this point a thoughtful 
person will object and they will
say, okay, I appreciate we are 
all fighting to see who is going
to be top dog, but, if a 
religion comes along and says, 
you
can't be top dogs because my 
religious leader is top dog.  
You
might say, surely all you are 
doing is replacing a whole lot 
of
bad governments by another bad 
government?  Of course you see
that often in human history, the
French Revolution and a bad
governance is replaced by 
another.  You see it in the 
Russian
revolution in 1917 again and 
again it replaces one bad lot 
but
by another bad lot.  So it is a 
big objection to religion.
Psalm 2.  What you need to 
remember, this is really 
important. 
You need to remember psalm 1.  
Psalm 1 describes somebody who
loves the law of God, who 
appreciates the 10 commandments 
and
the law of God gives the perfect
way to run the world.  Read the
10 commandments - we don't have 
time to do that now - you read
through and you see a beautiful 
ordered way in which the world
will be run.  This world will be
a far better place if people
kept the 10 commandments and 
Psalm 1 describes somebody who
loves God's law.  Now here is 
the thing.  There are lots of
connections between Psalm 1 and 
Psalm 2.  The implication is,
Deuteronomy 17.  If you have a 
King, Psalm 2 King who will rule
the world, he has got to be a 
Psalm 1 man and so all through 
Old
Testament history they waited, 
King David to whom these 
promises
were first given was sort of a 
Psalm 1 man some of the time a
bit.  Then spectacularly he 
wasn't in the matter of 
Bathsheba
and her husband and having her 
husband killed.  It was a
dreadful thing, certainly not a 
Psalm 1 thing.  All through Old
Testament history, waiting for a
Psalm 2 King who would be a
Psalm 1 man.  Some of them were 
good, Hezekiah, Josiah, they
were good Kings, but not many 
most of them were dreadful but 
all
down Old Testament history they 
waited and waited for a Psalm 2
King who would be the Psalm 1 
man.  Then he came.  In Verses 7
to 9 the third scene of this 
wonderful Psalm.  We move from 
one
pointless riot through the 
promise of one perfect King to 
one
praying son.
In Verse 7 we hear this man 
speaking, here is the Psalm 2 
King
who is the Psalm 1 man who loves
God's law and loves God and he
says "I will tell of the decree"
this is a man, this is one who
is going to be the second Adam 
who is going to govern the world
as it ought to.  I will tell of 
the decree and tell of something
unchangeable, fixed, solid, 
something that can't be 
overturned
by a referendum or anything like
that.  This is the solid truth;
the Lord he says in capital 
letters, the covenant God said 
to
me, you are my son.
Psalm 2 is fascinating because 
in Psalm 2 it is the only place
in the Old Testament you get 
these 3 titles; the anointed 
one,
the Messiah or the Christ; the 
King and the son.  These three
become very significant titles 
in the New Testament of the Lord
Jesus Christ, "you are my son" 
all over the Ancient World Kings
claim to be Son of God.  It is 
normal for them to say, I have
got God's authority to rule you,
you better do what I say and I
can bring you blessing.  But 
there is something much bigger
going on here.  The people of 
Israel were described as God's 
son
at the time of the exodus.  
Israel is my first born son says
God.  But there is something 
much deeper going on here.  
Because
God the Father says to this son,
something where are wonderful
in Verse 8 he says "ask of me" 
he invites him to pray.  This
Father in heaven who knows what 
his son needs before he asks him
and he says to him, I want you 
to ask.  If the son says well,
how much can I ask?  Sometimes 
in the Ancient World a King or 
an
Emperor can say, ask up to half 
my kingdom.  But here we have
something more and God the 
Father says to the Son, ask of 
me and
I will make the nations your 
heritage.  Ask of me, there is 
no
prayer that you can ask is too 
big.  You can have the world.  
It
will be your heritage, it will 
like the Promised Land, and it
will be the whole wide world.
There is a promise of conquest, 
you ask and you are going to
break them or rule them or 
shepherd them.  It is a world 
that
the New Testament quotes with a 
rod, it is a word used,
shepherd's rod, Psalm 23.  You 
can't resist this rod.  Dash 
them
in pieces like a potters vessel,
you take a piece - the other
day in the kitchen I slipped a 
couple of glasses slipped out of
my hand and smashed on the 
floor.  That is the kind of 
picture
you get here, you will break the
rebellion, it is why the
rebellion is so absurd that God 
the Father has given to this
Son, this great authority to 
rule the world.
Now Verse 9, that sense of that 
authority it is certainly
includes the power to crush 
rebellion.  Those who finally 
will
not submit will be, will be 
crushed, it certainly includes 
that,
it must include that.  But 
probably it also includes or 
hints at
something more hopeful.  You 
will shepherd them and it may 
hint
at a gospel breaking in order to
mend.  The kind of breaking
that is necessary for me and for
you and for every human being
we need for us to be broken 
before we can be mended.  That 
is
the promise to the son here.
All through Old Testament 
history they waited.  Then, John
the
Baptist as we call him at the 
beginning of the gospel is 
having
a busy day of baptising people, 
he baptises his cousin Jesus
from Nazareth and a voice from 
heaven, most wonderfully comes
and says, words from this psalm 
"this is my son, you are my Son,
my beloved one" you get it again
in the gospels at the
transfiguration of Jesus "this 
is my Son listen ..." in the
psalm.  You are my son, you get 
the word today, today I have
begotten you.  Now for an Old 
Testament King it was
straightforward, you become King
in David's line, you are
anointed or crowned and in that,
in a sense that day you become
by virtue of your role, you 
become God's son but the 
question is
asked if this is fulfilled as it
is in Jesus Christ, who is the
Psalm 1 man who loves and lives 
by the law of God and is given
this promise of Psalm 2 to rule 
the world, if this is Jesus,
what does today mean?  Because 
you read the New Testament and
discover the Lord Jesus Christ 
has been King, has been Son of
God from he certainty, he is the
eternal son.  The New Testament
indicates, - if you want to look
it, acts 13 Verse 33.  Paul
preaching.  Talks about the 
resurrection of Jesus, God has
fulfilled his promises by 
raising Jesus and he quotes this
line
"you are my son, today I have 
forgotten you" the beginning of
the letter to the Romans, Jesus 
being declared or Son of God
appointed in power by 
resurrection.  The New Testament
indicates
that at the resurrection of 
Jesus, Jesus is made Son of God 
in
power, he has been Son of God 
from all eternity, the father 
has
loved him as son, the son loved 
him from all eternity.  Now in
resurrection, he is appointed 
Son of God in power, given the
name that is above every name, 
giverren all authority from
heaven and earth, he can rule 
the world.
Through today, the gospel of 
Jesus, the worldwide mission of 
the
church, the good Psalm 1 
beautiful, rule Psalm 2 of Jesus
of
Nazareth increases and grows 
through the world until one day 
it
will be complete.
There is the drama, a pointless 
riot of which we are all a part.
A perfect King and a praying 
son.  The Psalm then ends by us
answering the question: so what?
So you ask the question, if
this is what is human history is
like, if it is true that you
and I by nature are people that 
want to make their own decisions
and don't want to be told what 
to do by God or God's Messiah, 
if
it is true that God has placed 
his King on the throne of the
universe, if it is true that the
Lord Jesus Christ is the
fulfilment of Psalm 2 because he
keeps Psalm 1 and this is going
to be the perfect government of 
the world.  If that is true, you
and I need to know what to do.  
Verses 10.  Now therefore O
Kings be wise.  The tone of 
voice is like a parent saying to
a
child, now youngster, don't be 
silly.  Only these are Kings and
rulers, these are powerful 
people.  Martin Luther said it 
would
have been absurd to say this if 
it weren't for the one who said
this.  Now Kings be wise and not
stupid.
The message of Psalm 1.  To me, 
who love to make my own
decisions and love to be my own 
boss and autonomous and hate to
be told what to do and Psalm 2 
says to me, Christopher, don't 
be
stupid, don't be stupid, be 
wise.  Be warned rulers of the -
so
here is what to do, Verse 11 
serve the Lord, bow down before 
the
God of heaven with fear, 
reverent fear, rejoice, because 
the
government of Jesus is a good 
government but rejoice with
trembling, isn't that a strange 
expression?  Rejoice with
trembling.  How does that get to
work?  That gets to work
because we rejoice because the 
government of God through Jesus
is the government the world so 
desperately needs.  You and I
spend a lot of our time 
complaining about governments, 
sometimes
with good reason.  But the 
government we need is the 
government
of Jesus.  Because it is the 
government of the law of God 
which
is the way the world is meant to
work.
But we rejoice with trembling, 
because the one before whom we
bow is the immortal God and his 
son the King.  So, Verse 12
"kiss the son" that is the kiss 
of homage, I guess the nearest
we get to that is the custom of 
kissing the ring of a sovereign,
as a sign of pledging loyalty, 
bow before the son.  Not just
take the knee before the son, 
take both knees before the son. 
Kiss the son with the kiss of 
loyalty.  Lest he be angry and 
you
perish in the way for his wrath 
is quickly kindled.  Again you
have got that anger thing there.
This is a good anger.  But I
need to bow before Jesus because
there will come a time when the
Lord Jesus Christ who is the 
most perfect and loving man that
human history has ever seen, 
there will come a time when with
righteous anger, he will punish 
the wicked finally.  When the
Psalm says his wrath is quickly 
kindled, it doesn't mean he is
impatient and badtempered as we 
might be, if we say someone is a
hot tempered person, always 
flying off the handle because 
the
Bible says that God, God the 
Father, God the Son, God the 
Holy
Spirit, is slow to anger and 
patient and waiting giving us
opportunity to turn and to trust
but the point about quickly
kindled is that when judgment 
comes, when human history is
rolled up, it will happen so 
quickly there, it will be too 
late
to do anything about it.  You 
and I, even in recent events 
have
seen how quickly something can 
happen to the world which 
changes
the world dramatically and we 
have seen that in the events of
the Co-vid 19 crisis and 
pandemic.  Well the final 
judgment at
the end of time will happen 
quickly when it happens.  You 
and I
need to be warned while there is
time and we need to bow the
knee to the Lord Jesus.
But here is the paradox.  I 
began with the strange paradox 
of
safety.  You and I naturally 
think that in order to be safe, 
we
need to hold on to every bit of 
power that we have got, we need
to shield ourselves, we need to 
guard our power, our financial
power, our relational power, we 
need to guard every power that
we have got in order to keep 
ourselves safe and fight in a
dangerous world.  The strange 
paradox of the last line is this
"blessed are those who take 
refuge in Him" the strange 
paradox,
the place of safety comes when I
resign my power and I hand it
over to God's perfect King to 
the Lord Jesus Christ.  Martin
Luther says that this psalm, the
Holy Spirit teaches and
consoles uses so that we cling 
bravely to this King, we think
much more of him than the 
tumultus, it can't exist without
tumultus.  It is a dangerous 
world and we are in the midst of
one great history long riot but 
if we take refuge in Jesus, then
we will be safe forever.
The next psalm will show us very
soberingly, just what a
dangerous world it is and we are
going to be cast straight in
through Psalm 3 to times of deep
suffering.  But never forget
this final line of Psalm 2 
"blessed are all who take refuge
in
Him."  Let's be quiet for a 
moment and I will close us with 
a
prayer are.
.
Gracious God our heavenly Father
we thank you for the
extraordinary love and goodness 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, your
flaw lesson.  Thank you that his
government is the one that the
world needs and we asks that we 
might be wise, we might kiss the
son that we might bow the knee 
to Him and that rejoicing with
trembling we might take refuge 
in Jesus.  We ask it for Jesus
sake, amen.
JOHN:  What a fantastic place to
start our week on, eternal
safety would be asked if we 
would kiss the son, bow the knee
in
worship to Jesus.  Our next song
is a lovely reworking of a
Charles Wesley him, encouraging 
us to worship Jesus, to rejoice,
he is our Lord and King.
JOHN:  Let's pray, rejoice in 
glorious hope for Christ the 
judge
shall come.  Father we are so 
quick to forget that you have 
set
your Son on Zion's hill, you are
our Messiah and the judge of
the world.  Impresses upon us 
his matchless sovereignty, we
might tremble before him and 
serve him rightly and comfort us
with the hope that if we are 
his, we are safe, we are blessed
and it ises in your Son's name 
we pray.  Amen.
ANNA:  Amen.
JOHN:  Thank you for joining us 
this morning, stay in touch via
the website, information for the
rest of the week, the books
that John than Carswell suggest 
to do us, and the donation using
the top right-hand of the 
website screen.
ANNA:  In a moment, we will have
a short coffee break, fancy a
biscuit?
JOHN:  Always,.
ANNA:  After you can choose what
you would like to join in, stay
with us is for a seminar from 
Mike Reeves, or the youth
programmes.  On the website you 
will find the red and green
tiles, click on those to join in
with those streams.  But for
the morning seminar, stay here, 
and we will be back with you
shortly.  See you in a moment.
JOHN:  Can excellent back, 
thanks for joining us again, 
hope you
found yourself something to eat 
and drink.  Our kids and youths
programme is starting right now.
Anna remind us how we access
that?
ANNA:  Go to the home page of 
our website, click on the either
the red or the green, Keswick 
youth or Keswick for kids.
In our seminar slots we will 
have a different speaker each 
day,
today is Mike Reeves, he is 
President and Professor of 
theology,
as well as being the author of 
books.  He going to be speaking
to us on the future hope, our 
biblical hope in the new heaven
and earth.  With the new way of 
doing convention, there are new
opportunities for interaction, a
question and answer session
after the seminar, submit your 
questions via the text number we
have got, so get in touch while 
Mike is speaking, with any
queries before Dr Matthew 
Sleeman will come to help us 
answer a
few of them.  Without further 
ado, over to Mike Reeves.
MIKE:  I would like you to 
imagine, imagine you are a 
Israelite
in the days of Moses, leaving 
Egypt and it is Yom Kippur, the
great day of atonement Aaron, 
dressed in pure linen has just
sacrificed to go to the sin 
offering.  Now that, I think 
should
be a familiar moment to you, 
rerecognise that day of 
atonement
sacrifice is a picture, a type 
of Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
What would happen next on the 
day of atonement, he would take
the blood of that sacrifice 
through behind the veil into the
Holy of Holies, the tabernacle
and sprinkle the blood over the
mercy seat.  We recognise the 
true high priest, Christ taking
the blood of his offering into 
the true Holy of Holies, the 
true
tabernacle, there to offer 
himself as the true sacrifice 
for God
the Father.  We are standing in 
a special day of atonement held
once every 50th year.  Every 50 
years, when the high priest
would take the blood and 
disappear into the Holy of 
Holies, all
the people would hold their 
breath.  You would be able to 
hear a
pin drop because a once in a 
lifetime event is about to 
happen. 
When the high priest would 
disappear behind the veil, he 
would
then, when his work was done, he
step back out and when he
stepped back out, a trumpet 
would sound.  Here is how we 
hear
about it in Leviticus 25 from 
Verse 9.  On the day of 
atonement,
sound the trumpet throughout 
your land.  Consecrate the 50th
year and proclaim liberty in the
land, all its inhabitants it
shall be a Julie for you.  So 
the high priest, go through to 
the
Holy of Holies and stepped back 
out a trumpet would sound
annoyancing jubilee and in that 
year, debts would be cancelled,
slaves would be free and the 
very land itself would be 
allowed
to rest.  So no sowing or 
reaping would be done, it was to
be a
fore taste of the Bible's cosmic
hope, the time when all our
debt will be cancelled, all our 
bondage to sin will be ended,
when the meek will inherit the 
earth.  Does any of this sound
familiar?  The awaited high 
priest reappearing?  The 
trumpets
sounding announcing an atonement
- the Lord will descend from
heaven with a sound of the 
trumpet.  The trumpet will be 
sounded
and the dead will rise.  It 
should sound familiar, just adds
the
high priest was a picture of 
Christ's ascension to heaven so 
the
return was a picture of Christ 
especially in the jubilee year
and in those little details, we 
find a truckload of comfort. 
Because we see that, it is the 
very same man who went into the
Holy of Holies who steps back 
out.  The man, who goes into
heaven is the same man who comes
back out.  It is as the angels
told those gorping disciples 
when Jesus ascended, this same
Jesus who has been taken from 
you into heaven will come back,
the same way you have seen him 
go into heaven.  The same high
priest that returned from the 
Holy of Holies, the same man who
will return from heaven.  When 
the trumpet sounds and the judge
of all the earth appears, we 
will see the same one who died 
to
make atonement for us.  There is
the great comforting
application for Christians.  He 
is the one we wait for.  The
Heidelberg catechism puts this 
directly, asks a wonderful,
question 52, it asks, what 
comfort is it to you that Christ
shall return to judge the living
and the dead?  It is strikingly
phrased isn't it?  Because you 
could expect how scary is it to
you that Christ shall come to 
return to judge the living and 
the
dead.  But he asked what comfort
is it for you?  The answer you
are supposed to give?  What 
comfort is it for me N all my
sorrows and persecution, I lift 
my head and wait eagerly from
heaven the very same person who 
submitted himself to the
judgment of God and is removed 
all the curse from me.  That is
who we wait for.  The judge of 
all the earth is the one who 
died
in screaming agony on the cross 
for us.  Meaning when he
returns, brothers, sisters, do 
you think he could forget you? 
Do you think he could reject us?
Given the blood he spilled for
us?
So Christians confidently long 
for the day of the judge to 
come. 
We are a people known for crying
"your 
kingdom come, come Lord
Jesus" we eagerly await the 
blessed hope and the return of 
our
Lord Jesus Christ, as it was 
before Joshua took the people 
into
the Promised Land, remember, 
before Joshua took the people 
in. 
Canaanites, they would burn 
their sons and daughters as
sacrifices to their Gods and 
make the land wretch at their
presence so, foully depraved 
were they.  The sounding of the
trumpet at Jericho meant a 
judgment that would be 
deliverance. 
The evil would be removed for 
the healing of the land that the
people of God would inherit.  
Just so, Jesus is our true 
Joshua,
Jesus is the Greek form name 
Joshua, he is our Joshua that 
comes
to cleanse the earth.  It is why
the creation waits in eager
expectation, his judgment means 
the destruction of evil for the
renewal of this creation.  On 
that great day, all those
believers who have gone to be 
with him already, they will 
return
with him.  Now in his victory 
train and we who are left will 
be
caught up with them and we will 
sing a victory song with the
martyrs, with departed parents, 
spouses, all the cloud of
witnesses we will cry "where O 
death is your victory, where is
your sting, death has been 
followed up in victory" so the 
day of
Christ's return will be a 
glorious dayment judgment.  A 
judgment
we can look guard to, confident 
in Christ, look forward to,
eagerly waiting victory of his 
righteousness, over everything
that is evil in us that will be 
removed and everything wrong in
creation, it will be a day of 
gorgeous transformation, when 
his
eternal purpose to perfect a 
people for himself will be
complete.  You see already, by 
the spirit he is transforming 
us. 
Think of 2 Corinthians 3 Verse 
18 we all with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord,
transformed into his image with
one degree of glory to another 
"so contemplating Him by faith 
we
are right now being transformed 
into his likeness.  But on that
day, when Christ actually 
reappears, when we clap eyes on 
his
physically at his second coming 
then 1 John 3 Verse 2 says, when
Christ appears we shall be like 
him for we shall see him as he
is.  So the sight of him now by 
faith begins to transform a
spiritually but the sight of him
then, face-to-face, will
finally make us body and soul 
like him.
That full unveiled physical 
sight of the glorified Jesus 
will be
so majestically affecting our 
bodies will transform around us.
When we see him in the full 
sweetness and awesomeness of his
glory, when we behold him it 
will mean the blasting away of 
all
the sin and pain that is in us. 
The theologians used to call
that sight that beatific vision,
because it will be a happy
sight and we need to dwell on 
this, because we need to be
careful when we talk about the 
many, many blessings that the
Lord will bring on his return.  
Because our constant danger is,
we will set our hearts on the 
blessings and not on him.  That 
we
will long for the Messianic ban 
yet but not the Messiah, we will
want the crowns but not the 
King.  But before all else the
delight of the saints in glory 
is the enjoyment, the head
filling, heart melting adoration
of Him! 
When in your right mind now, 
Paul said, my desire is to 
depart
and be with Christ which is far 
better.  For Paul, heaven would
not be heaven without Christ.  
The bride longs to be with her
bridegroom.  That is what the 
church longs at the bride of
Christ, we long to be with the 
bridegroom.  More than anything
else our hope to be with Him.  
God will be the glory and the
delight of the saints.  That is 
what we have been designed for,
that is the heart of the eternal
life which we have been saved,
God the Father is eternally 
enjoyed gazing on the perfection
of
his Son and on the day he 
returns he allows us fully to 
share
His own happiness in Christ.
That is why our bodies will 
transform because we will see 
Him. 
That is why we will have perfect
life and joy because we will be
with Him.  Christ is the jewel 
in the crown of our hope.  He is
the fountainhead, source of all 
the blessings of the new
creation, the creation will 
become a thoroughly good place
because every knee will bow to 
him.  Right now sin makes things
eccentric, balance, wrong, all 
things will find what they are
meant to be.  Now, just as 
believers don't understand why
Christians will look forward to 
that day, they equally they
don't believe it is going to be 
happen because there is no
obvious indication in the world 
that this is going to to happen,
as the world goes on, the world 
doesn't look less spoiled or
peaceful.  Here is the things 
that we need to remember 
friends,
Amid all the world shaking that 
is going around us, our
confidence does not come from 
looking at the world; it comes
from Jesus.  The ever faithful 
God of truth has promised and no
matter how many promises God has
made, 2 Corinthians 1 Verse 20
they are yes in Christ.  More in
fact than just a promise, in
fact the clock is ticking the 
many new creation has already
begun, raised from death to a 
new life, Christ is now the 
first
born, the first fruit of new 
life.  The head of the new 
creation
and so his resurrection, 2000 
years ago has started an
irreversible tide of life.  It 
is a tide that will sweep 
through
all creation.  Isaac Watts, put 
it like this in his classic joy
to the world, he wrote "joy to 
the world, the Lord is come.  
Let
earth receive her King, let 
every heart prepare him room and
heaven and nature sing.  No more
let sins and sorrows grow and
nor thorns infest the ground - 
my favourite lines - he comes to
make his blessings flow far as 
the curse is found.
When Christ returns he will 
finally and completely undo the
fall.  Here in this world that 
he made.  In Genesis 3
sin bought
death and pain in childbirth, 
brought marital difficulties, a
world hard to work full of 
thorns and thistles and he comes
to
make his blessings flow as far 
as all the curse is found.  He
returns here to his creations he
once declared good, spoiled by
sin and he will overturn and 
heal all the brokenness.  So the
heavens and the earth, the whole
cosmos will be restored and
revived.  It means brothers and 
sisters our hope is not pie in
the sky when you die.  We will 
go to be with Christ when we 
die,
if we die before he returns.  
But our hope is to return with 
him
to be in our victory train.  So 
to see these trees, these
fields, this creation renewed 
because the one through whom all
things were made, he will undo 
the chaos, he will mend and bind
his original handiwork back 
together.  In Matthew 19 Verse 
28
Jesus called it "the renewal of 
all things, when the Son of man
will sit on his glorious throne"
it is why Paul tells us in
Romans 8 Verse 22 that the whole
creation has been groaning as
in the pangs of childbirth, as 
we wait eagerly for adoption as
sons, the redemption of our 
bodies Z. our hope to see this
creation; not thrown away, not 
to see this creation thrown away
and we go elsewhere, Christ's 
people will return with him here
to creation renewed.  That is 
our hope.
But in fact this doesn't mean he
will merely restore Eden.  The
story of the gospel is not just 
paradise regained.  When the son
of man sits on his glorious 
throne, it will be better than 
Eden
when Adam was in charge because 
Jesus is better than Adam.  So
there will be more glory in the 
days of the Son of man than ever
there were in the days of the 
first man.  As the last Adam is 
so
much superior to the first, so 
will His reign be, the first man
Adam was meant to rule under 
creation, everything under his
feet, he fell and all creation 
with him.  What about the last
man?  The last Adam?  The Son of
man?  Well behold says Daniel 7
Verse 13.  He saw before him was
one like a Son of man, coming
with the clouds of heaven, 
approached the ancient of days 
and
led into his presence, given 
authority, sovereign power, all
nations of people every language
worshiped him.  We read
Verse 14 Daniel 7 his dominion 
is everlasting that will never
pass away, his kingdom is one 
that will never be destroyed. 
What a difference!  Oh it will 
be good before Adam fell
completely good.  But he was 
fallible.  He had only what Paul
called a natural body.  One 
Corinthians 15 Verse 44.  In 
Adam's
day there was a tree to avoid, 
the threat of a serpent.  With
Christ we have so much more.  We
are not mere creatures, the
adopted children of God.  
Sharing the beloved sons own 
life and
righteous status and he is 
infallibly faithful.  He, as a
glorious imperishable body, 
defeated death.  Paul called it 
a
spiritual body, 1 Corinthians 15
- the sort of body we will have
when these bodies of ours are 
transformed into and perfected. 
When he appears in that body, it
will be no threats left, the
tree of life, no serpent to 
threaten us.  Dear brothers and
sisters we have a Christ that 
outsteps Eden itself.  Right now
yes, we see so evidently the 
creation sliding back into the
willful darkness, then Christ 
will drive that darkness away 
and
the creation will be sufficient 
suffesed, it
will be shared with
the liberation of God.  He will 
enjoy Christ's reign here, the
sound of weeping will no longer 
be heard, the lion will lie down
with the lamb, the desert will 
bloom like the rose.  The plough
man will overtake the reaper, 
the mountains will run with new
wine and the man, this time, the
faithful man, at peace with the
ancient of days will reign in 
this paradise and this Son of
man's wonderful rule will never 
fail and will never be
destroyed.
JOHN:  So much to keep 
pondering, thank you for that 
wonderful
seminar.  I love the image of 
the returning Jesus, being the
same Jesus who loves us and gave
himself for us.  That is so
reassuring.  Now we have the 
chance to put questions which 
are
assimilated from the seminar to 
Dr Matthew Sleeman, which will
be a joy, Matthew, say how you 
are doing and where you are?
MATTHEW:  Hello, I am in London.
I it is cloudy but not
raining, what is it like for you
guys in Keswick?
ANNA:  Typical Keswick weather, 
torrential  downpours.
JOHN:  Yes, wet.
MATTHEW:  Lovely to be with you.
ANNA:  We have had a few 
questions, we will jump in 
there, with
the first one.  How does the 
resurrection fit with our future
hope?
MATTHEW:  Thanks for asking 
that, I think when we think 
about
the resurrection, we think back 
to Easter Sunday and if we had a
time machine, if we could travel
back through time and space
back to Jerusalem, back to an 
April Sunday morning, about 
what,
1990 years ago, we could be 
there and see not just a story 
or a
wish fulfilment but an actual 
historic event, Jesus coming out
of his tomb alive, a whole 
person.  That is the difference 
about
question hope, compare to do 
when we say, I hope the sun 
might
come out in Keswick this 
afternoon, Christian hope has a
substance, a history, a 
geography about it.  That lives 
on now
and changes our lives.
ANNA:  Yes, what about our 
resurrection Matthew?  Why do 
you
think that fits in with the hope
of the future?
MATTHEW:  Yes, the hope of the 
resurrection isn't just Jesus
2,000 years ago, but Jesus as 
the first fruits of a 
resurrection
of the living and the dead that 
our hope is a hope that
someone's described as faith 
looking forward.  All faith of 
any
kind, whether we are believers 
or unbelievers, looks forward 
but
our hope is looking guard to 
Jesus not just Jesus risen from 
the
dead 2,000 years ago, but Jesus 
returning to earth to raise us
from the dead.  What will that 
be like?  Will we be spirits no
because we see in Jesus himself,
his flesh, his skin, his whole
person.  Jesus who ate food with
his disciples when he was
raised from the dead.  A Jesus a
real person who holds out to us
real hope for us as whole 
people.  Your resurrection, my
resurrection as we trust in 
Jesus, is as real as his.
JOHN:  Thanks so much Matthew, a
question here about Israel. 
What is the place of the land of
Israel in our future hope?
MATTHEW:  Good question again, 
thank you for asking it, the
place of Israel as a land in our
future hope, is amongst the
nations as we heard from Mike 
this hope, this Christian hope 
is
for a whole creation, creation 
that is groaning, longing what 
is
is going to be fulfilled, there 
in the midst is the jewel in the
crown, is that place where God 
worked his purposes through the
years of the Old Testament 
creating the circumstance the 
promise
where Jesus would be born, where
a people would be looking for a
Messiah.  But now, where is that
hope of Israel?  It is all
around us, to the ends of the 
earth but the start of Acts when
the disciples say, now is the 
time to restore the kingdom to
Israel.  Jesus slides back the 
screen, chose them a bigger
picture of the whole world to 
the ends of the earth caught up 
in
his hope.  Where is Israel at 
it's finest and most faithful 
now,
it is looking upwards to Jesus, 
to Him enthroned in heaven just
as we are in London, just as we 
trust you are in Keswick.  Just
as we are, wherever we watch 
this today.  Wherever we are, we
are caught up, by faith, with 
Jesus as our Lord.
JOHN:  Thanks, kind of linked to
that, what hope should we
expect for political change here
and now?
MATTHEW:  Wow there is a big 
question, as we look at our 
news,
years and decades, we see things
rise and fall and kingdoms and
countries and wars around us, 
what is our hope in this?  On 
one
level it is a complex hope, we 
live in a world where people
suffer even Christians suffer 
particularly Christians suffer 
but
so do other people.  Also we 
live in a world as we heard this
morning in our Bible reading 
where Jesus rules at God's
right-hand as we are told in 
Psalm 110 he rules now in the 
midst
of his enemies.  Just as we saw 
in Psalm 2 those who would plot
against Jesus and his rule, who 
would seek to shake off what
seems to be chains from Him and 
embrace a false freedom that is
in opposition to Him.  All we 
see in terms of politics, I 
guess
the kinds of things we see in 
our news, the rising and falling
of countries and situations, our
world as it ticks but as it
ticks away towards when Jesus 
returns.  What will happen 
before
then?  The Bible is less focused
on that and more focused on the
certainty of Jesus returning and
if we are watching this in a
situation where politics is hard
and oppressive for a Christian,
or whether we are in a situation
where politics is comfort and
easy for a Christian.  Whatever 
we are facing, keeping our eyes
fixed on Jesus is, so, so 
important.  The world around us 
will
bewitch us with politics and 
fears, but faith that is looking
guard, hope that is faith 
looking forward will have that 
as its
focus even in the complexity of 
its things.
ANNA:  Thank you on a slightly 
different note, if Christ is
returning to reign here, how we 
make sense of Bible passages
that seem to suggest that the 
earth will be destroyed?
MATTHEW:  Yes there's complexity
here, let's think it through, 2
Peter Chapter 3 where so - 
suggest that everything is 
burned up
and disappear, but when we look 
underneath what that is meaning,
less about the world being wiped
out and more about the world
being wiped clean and made new. 
What is the hope that Jesus is
holding out to us, a hope of a 
new heaven and earth not just us
disappearing on a spaceship to 
Anne ancient heaven.  But God, a
Jerusalem that comes from heaven
to earth, where the tree of
life.  Not the tree of 
temptation, but the tree of 
life, the
other tree in the Garden of 
Eden, flourishes throughout the
year, no more pain, no more 
suffering or tears.  That is not
a
world that has been wiped out.  
It is a world which gloriously
in Jesus has been wiped clean, 
and you might remember in Mike's
seminar, talked about in 
Matthews gospel Jesus talks of 
the
restoration of all things.  The 
new creation.  That is a
wonderful hope with Jesus, a 
wonderful earthly hope with Him.
JOHN:  Thanks, another question 
for you about that kind of
future hope and reigning with 
Christ, how shall we reign with
Christ in the new creation if it
shares our freedom?  If the
creation shares our freedom?
MATTHEW:  Are you meaning our 
freedom being set free from sin
and suffering those kinds of 
things.
JOHN:  Will it look like I think
is the question, reigning with
Christ?
MATTHEW:  Hard to say, in many 
ways the Bible describes what it
is not and lacking, there is no 
death.  I guess if you are an
undertaker there won't be any 
business, you will be eternally
furloughed, sorry!  (laughter). 
Seek other employment.  There
is no more suffering, no more 
crying, I don't know what we 
will
use tissues for, maybe tears of 
laughter and delight of being
with the Lord.  When I try and 
think about it beyond that, 
often
in life, I have more of 
something and it seems to 
satisfy me
less.  One doughnut is 
delicious, 3 is okay, 16 is 
sickening.  I
wonder whether the good things 
of the new creation will just 
get
better and better?  Richer and 
richer?  That actually that line
on the graph that would go down 
instead goes up.  God's glory
increases, our delight in God's 
glory increases.  The delight of
the creation around us 
increases, the trees, that, I 
don't know
if trees think and feel, as much
as they do, as they fear
deforestation, suddenly trees 
delighting in a world that God
intended.  Not just trees but 
gloriously, son ons and 
daughters
of the first Adam made new in 
Jesus, the second Adam.  Not 
made
new to be bored, not made new to
be tired but to grow in kind of
delight in God.  I can only 
picture it in those kinds of 
ways
but that for me is something 
that helps me, when I am
struggling, when life is hard, 
when I am disappointed and also
something that helps me when I 
am excited and satisfied to
think, this isn't it; there is 
more to come.  I am looking
forward beyond just the here and
now but also thankful for what
Jesus gives me, here in the here
and now.
ANNA:  Yes absolutely, I am into
that Matthew.  In the same way
how does that future hope give 
dignity to the work we are doing
here today, here and now?
MATTHEW:  Work is something that
is on our hearts and minds,
this Co-vid 19 this year in a 
sharpened way, will I have work?
But beyond that, when work is if
you like is normal.  This is
hard, this is sometimes boring 
or tedious, this is frustrating.
How can hope reach into that?  I
think it is that sense of, of
biblical hope being faith 
looking forward that not only 
helps me
look beyond my work so my 
greatest success is not in my 
career. 
But nor is my greatest 
disappointment in my work.  My 
greatest
success can look beyond and I 
can trust that to Jesus.  When
work is frustrating and hard or 
just not simply there, I can
appreciate that by looking 
beyond again to Jesus.  That our
daily bread that he promised us 
includes daily hope.  What does
that mean?  I can be patient at 
work.  I can pray that I will be
loving at work.  That I will be 
Christ like at work.  If work is
complex and challenging then I 
will have the wisdom of Christ 
in
real-life situations.  To be 
able to live for Him that hope 
that
sinks into me and flows into me 
and in some way that is are seen
but in some way that is are 
inside as well.  Jesus is 
changing
how I work for His glory, he is 
seeing it.  He is rejoicing in
it and my hope is when I stand 
before him and he says "well
done, good and faithful servant"
that includes not just going to
church but how I have lived at 
work, how I have lived at home
and how I have related with my 
family and friends.  A hope of
Jesus who has equipped me now 
for his delight then.  That I
think helps me in the hard times
at work.
JOHN:  Great a question here 
from Mark, thank you Matthew, 
what
should we do now in the face of 
evil and of injustice and of
greed and destruction?  We do 
not know the time nor should we
seek it.  Do I sit and wait or 
do I act?
MATTHEW:  Great question Mark 
thank you it is a sharp 
question,
what I do now?  I don't think it
is a question of we let go and
led God, fold my arms and sit 
down and wait for Jesus to 
return. 
No Jesus encouraged his 
disciples then and for all time 
to watch
and to pray.  I think holding 
those two together is really,
really important that we are 
prayerful, we are connecting our
action, our activism, our living
with Jesus who is in heaven,
who has sent his spirit to us.  
So we certainly pray, but also
we watch.  What does that mean 
to watch?  It means maybe we
campaign in legal ways, Gods 
honouring for change.  We are 
not
satisfied with what is now, we 
are groaning with creation and
part of that is not only for 
ourselves, and our churches - 
but
looking at people around us and 
the societies we live in. 
Perhaps one of the things that 
Christian hope wants to grow in
us are seeds that is, much more 
dormant than other seeds in the
crop that is Christian godliness
is that kind of involvement,
that kind of relational 
involvement with people around 
us.  Mark
that is not a simple question; 
it is not a simple answer.  But
hopefully is broad picture 
there, watch and pray as part of
your
Christian hope and be involved 
where changing where you live,
where you are for God's glory.
JOHN:  Thank you Matthew, 
another question here, we will 
see our
beloved pets again?
MATTHEW:  Ha-ha!  Yes,.
JOHN:  Yes ...?
MATTHEW:  I am not a pet lover 
myself, let's start off with
pets, imagine I have got a dog 
and I love him.  Will he be in
heaven?S I imagine all the love 
I have for - I won't make up a
name it will be Fido, any 
other name,.
JOHN:  Rover can!
MATTHEW:  I think the love ands 
the overness will be in heaven,
the love of humans and people is
richer and  deeper.  Jesus at
the transfiguration, Moses is 
there, the disciples recognised
them as such.  I don't think it 
is because Moses has 10
commandments on rocks under his 
arm.  But hey, they are real
people, they are real 
individuals that life in Christ,
hope in
him isn't just some humanity 
cloud, it is real people.  It is
Peter on the boat saying save me
Lord as he walks in the storm. 
You and I perhaps in our last 
breath and in a moment before 
they
are trying out, Jesus, son of 
David, have mercy on me, not 
just
us but me and you.  It is a 
thief on the cross saying 
remember
me Jesus when you come into your
kingdom and Jesus promising him
and each of us who comes to him 
by faith.  A place with him in
paradise.  I have got a long way
from dogs but I hope that
helps.
JOHN:  Give us a minute on this 
if this is all right?  Should we
recycle still and seek to help 
with environmental issues?
MATTHEW:  I would say yes 
absolutely, why wouldn't we?  We
are
not here to trash this planet.  
If Jesus isn't going to return
for generations to come, let's 
be good ancestors, you know,
let's be those who steward this 
planet in ways that suggest we
care and we care beyond 
ourselves for God's glory and 
for the
service of neighbours now and 
neighbours to come.  Yes, John,
get recycling.
ANNA:  Yes, so well last few 
minutes Matthew, Mike talks of 
the
danger of setting our sights on 
the Messianic ban yet  banquet 
and
not on the Messiah, how we fill 
ourselves with Christ?
MATTHEW:  That is helpful, as I 
get older, I think about it
more.  Assist my body gets, as 
my body wears away, I need Jesus
to hold me up.  The real person,
blessed is the person who
believes in him without seeing. 
I want to pray for God's
blessing upon me and you and all
who hear in that regard.  Peter
said we love him but we haven't 
seen him.  I want to pray, I
will love Jesus, that you will 
love Jesus, Jesus the real 
person
who is coming back, Jesus who 
cared for the people he healed. 
Jesus who cares for those he 
will raise from the dead.  Jesus
who cares for each of us 
watching, who knows us, who is 
the
shepherd who will not settle for
99 sheep.  This is the Jesus
who will return.  He won't leave
one of his children in the
grave.  He will gather his flock
and he will delight with us as
the bridegroom delights with the
bride.
JOHN:  Thank you I will pray as 
we come to the end of our Q&A. 
Father we thank you for your 
son, he is the good shepherd, he
laid down his life for his sheep
and pray that we would hear his
voice and follow Him, work for 
Him, live for for him and wait
for Him until the final day we 
will see him face-to-face.  
Amen.
Thank you so much for your time 
Matthew and answering so
helpfully, see you again soon. 
ANNA:  Thanks Matthew.  Well 
that is the end of our morning
programme here but do stay tuned
for count everyone in.  In the
UK, there are over 1.5 million 
adults with disabilities and
Count Everyone In is passionate 
about reaching the lost of those
for Jesus, Pete and Christine 
Winmill will bring us a short
devotion that is accessible to 
all at 12:00 o'clock.
JOHN:  Otherwise we will see you
all this evening at 8:00 p.m.
for our evening celebration, a 
fantastic time and we will see
you back tomorrow morning, 
hopefully, 10:00 o'clock as we 
look
at Psalm 3 and 9:00 o'clock for 
our prayer meeting.  Thank you
for being with us and enjoy your
afternoon.  Take care.
My name is Pete Winmill.  I 
along with my wife Kris teen and
Janneke Klos, this week, we will
bring you a short thought, a
prayer, a signed Bible verse to 
learn.  So for today.  Hope. 
Because Jesus rules.  But our 
Bible reading for today comes 
from
Psalm 2.  Verse 10 and 11.  (On
screen)
Over to Janneke now.
God made a world full of 
different countries and nations.
Each
of those countries and nations 
have someone who run it, can be 
a
King, queen, President, a Prime 
Minister or Emperor or maybe
even a General.  Sometimes our 
Kings and queens and Prime
Ministers have to make difficult
decisions for the good of their
nation.  Sometimes, they get it 
right.  But sometimes they get
it wrong too.  They are people 
just like you and me.  Just like
you and me, they sometimes do 
the wrong thing.  They sometimes
make mistakes, and make bad 
decisions.  But the Bible tells 
us
that Jesus is the King of Kings.
Jesus is the one who rules
over all.  Jesus is the one in 
control.  Now he never makes any
mistakes.  Psalm 2 Verse 10 
reminds us that Jesus gives
instructions to our earthly 
rulers, to our Kings and queens 
and
Prime Ministers.  Because Jesus 
wants to help them with the
decisions they have to make.  
That gives me hope.  Because if
Jesus helps them, they are much 
more likely to make good
decisions.
CHRISTINE:  Thank you that was 
really interesting, really
helpful.  Thank you for 
reminding us that Jesus is the 
King of
Kings and the Lord of Lords.  
You know, we are called to pray
for our leaders, yes, Jesus is 
the King but we have a Queen and
a Prime Minister who need our 
prayers, they need to listen to
what Jesus has to say and we can
pray they will do that so that
they make wise decisions for all
of us.  Shall we pray now?
Jesus, you are the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords.
Now it is back to Janneke.
JANNEKE:  May the God who gives 
hope, fill you with great joy. 
May you have perfect peace as 
you trust in Him.  May the power
of the Holy Spirit fill you with
hope.
Romans 15 Verse 13.
PETER:  Thank you, I wonder how 
you found that?  I don't know
about you, but I have a lot of 
practising to do.  It is 
good-bye
for today and look forward to 
seeing you again tomorrow as we
continue our series in hope.  
Thank you.
