091: Luke Parry - Meditation on the Kingdom

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help each one of us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to hear. And now let's hear more about this week's talk. This week's class is the meditation from the Melbourne School of the Prophets by Brother Luke Perry. I think the title is The Kingdom. Luke does a study and a meditation here on the kingdom and the return of Christ, the events right before the return of Christ, and shows how encouraging they can be. And I think it shares some of his very clear vision and some of the things he has studied and imagines how it will be when we go, when Christ returns, calls the saints to the judgment, what the judgment may be like. He does say specifically that there will be a 10-year period of the wedding feast. And I don't know, I wouldn't say he argues that that's a necessity, but I think he's using that as a construct. And I agree there is some evidence for specific times like that. But yeah, again, it's helpful whether or not it's true. It's helpful to have specifics here to build out our visions, which I think is what Luke is doing. Again, very beautiful class, very emotional. And I'm very excited to share it with everyone. Chris and I think this is actually

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   the fastest class, fastest turnaround we've ever delivered a class, because this class was presented this week, just a couple of days ago, if you're listening to this on Sunday. But we're very excited to share it with you now. And Brother Luke actually says specifically to message him, people who are listening to the class when it was being published at the Melbourne School of the Prophets, message him with your visions of the kingdom. So I got in touch with him and asked for his WhatsApp number and sent him my visions of the kingdom and asked him if, you know, since we're posting on the podcast, if he'd be willing to get other messages of people's visions, either days or weeks or months after he gave this class and he agreed. So here is Luke Perry's WhatsApp number, country code 61403-499-328.

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   If you feel inspired from this class and want to let Luke know, that's his number if you want to message him on WhatsApp, as he, you'll hear, tearfully invites people to do. Very beautiful class, very encouraging, and I'm very excited to share it with everyone. Please keep your suggestions coming. Again, we are really living off this now with the posting two classes a day, or two classes a week, excuse me, and looking forward to anything that you're hearing that is impactful. We hope this class is helpful for people and you have a great week. Here is Luke Perry on the kingdom.

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   So tonight, I want to talk about the kingdom. Now, I find it interesting that throughout the world, different countries of the world, each country has their own special, important day, which is relevant to that country. So the French, they have their Bastille Day, where they celebrate the glorious revolution. The Americans have their 4th of July celebrations, where they celebrate independence. And even in Australia, we commemorate Australia Day, the arrival of the British First Fleet and settlement in Australia. But there's going to be a day that's going to be coming, which is going to be forever commemorated by the whole entire world across the planet. It's the day which the Father has set aside.

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   It's the day when Jesus will return to the earth, as described in Matthew 25, with all his holy angels with him. And by and large, I think that's going to be a day which is going to be largely go unnoticed by the world. But for us, the faithful, the saints in Christ, it is a day when everything is going to change.

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   Everything is going to change. The scripture describes that day when there will be time no more. The day of opportunity will be over. And we are ticking hour by hour, day by day, we are getting closer to that day. It's not a matter of if it will happen, but when it will happen.

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   And none of us can escape the reality of that day. Personally, for me, I think that the day that Jesus Christ returns will be just like any other day. Any other mundane, routine, boring day. A day which, for me, gets quickly swallowed up in all the busyness and urgentness of emails, of phone calls, of messages, of questions, of problems, of all things I have to work through, which are all of a sudden very important and urgent.

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   But it's going to happen. And on that day, suddenly, everything will change. That God's angels will come and collect me, the one who remains, to come and meet with the Lord. There's going to be a rush of emotions, which is going to flood through to me when that realisation happens, that Jesus has returned.

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   There's going to be shock and fear. There's going to be excitement. There's going to be a bit of dread. There's going to be joy, relief and happiness. But it finally, I think, finally, that day has come. After years and years of talking about it, of reading about it, the time has come that Jesus is back in the earth.

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    And it's time to go and meet him and to stand before him. And I believe that I'll be taken away and I'll be taken to a very large, wide plain. Which will be filled with thousands and thousands of people. People taken from all throughout time. Accountable and raised and brought to stand before Christ.

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    The scripture tells us it's so crystal clear. We must all stand and appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give account to ourselves, to God. And when I think about judgment, and when I think about the enormous reality by that, I'm very confronted with it. And my gut and my stomach churn, is churning and swirling with all sorts of emotions.

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    My head races with so many different thoughts, it's hard to stop on one individual thing. Because, unlike all of us, nobody likes to be judged. We feel very uncomfortable being judged. And in particular, the thought of standing before a righteous judge who I can hide nothing from. A judge who can look at me and figure everything out about me in one look.

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    Who knows me better than I know myself. And that righteous judge is going to categorize me, as we've looked at today and last night, in either one or two categories. I'm either going to be wise or foolish. I'm either going to be faithful or unfaithful. I'm either going to be classified as a sheep or a goat.

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    And there's no appeal. There's no second chance. And that decision is final. And if I'm classified as a sheep, I'll then be taken to enter into the joy of my Lord. To inherit the kingdom made from the foundation of the world. To share in all the wonders of eternity. But if I'm deemed to be a goat, it's to be sent away from my Lord.

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    And this is why I get so conflicted. This is why I have such a rush of thoughts in my head. Because I know, I know, that within me I'm flawed. I know it. I know I'm flawed. I'm found out. That my works and my lifestyle are found wanting. That's the honest truth. I can't hide that from my Lord.

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    But I wrestle that back. And you would do that within your own mind. You wrestle those thoughts back within your own mind. You wrestle. And you change your mind backwards and forwards. And I think upon what could possibly be one of the most simplest scriptures we know. In Ephesians chapter 2. By grace are you saved through faith.

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    Not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. And this is where the great churning in my mind battles. Because this is where faith overcomes fear. I have no righteousness of my own that can receive a payment of eternal life from our Lord. There is none of that. I only have the filthy rags of good intentions.

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    Of continual destruction. Of ill discipline. And habitual sins that I cannot overcome. But this isn't my victory. This is Christ's victory. This is the victory that he wants to share with his followers and with his disciples. And I believe. And I know. And I have faith. That I am in Christ. That I am adopted into God's family.

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    All through faith. And my desire is to stay in Christ. To be in him. To walk in the ways of the Spirit. My desire is to have a character which is conformed to the image and to the character of Christ. And I am striving. And continuing to strive. To walk in the pathway of discipleship.

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    And I know that you are too. That I am striving. We are all striving. We are all seeking. We are all trying to patiently endure. To do God's will. To develop within me the ways of God's Spirit. And I am striving to put my faith in action. To keep walking. To keep heading towards that kingdom.

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    To be in Christ. Falling and rising again. Falling and rising again. Staying in Christ. To share in his victory. And so this is why I wrestle back. This is why I fight against that natural gut feeling of fear and dread. I know.

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    Because I build on my faith. And I know. I can trust. In God's mercy. We can trust in that. That God has reserved for me. One of his sons. A great treasure. That he has for me an inheritance. Which is incorruptible. That he will finish in me. The great work. That he has started.

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    That God is going to take. Great delight. In saving me. In rewarding my faith. And it will be God's great joy. To graciously grant me. A place in his kingdom. So within that enormous crowd. Which we will be gathered in. Of all the accountable. We can lift our heads in confidence. And I will cry with joy.

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    I'll smile with happiness. Because I can be confident. I can. I know I can be. In the mercy of my God. And Christ is going to separate me. Onto his right hand. To be with the sheep. And he's going to shout triumphantly at me. Come you blessed of my father. Inherit the kingdom of God.

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    And I'm going to feel that surge of God's power. Come straight over the top of me. That my corruptible nature of bondage. Is going to be washed away. Like dirt in a shower. That I'm going to share. That divine nature. And it's going to happen immediately. In a twinkling of an eye. That the fog from my mind will be lifted.

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    That my eyesight will be straight. And sharp and clear. That my back will be straight. And I will stand upright. Tall and strong. And brothers this is just the beginning. This is just the beginning. That's the first step. That's going to happen when our Lord returns. There's so much more to come. See the scripture seems to allude.

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    That from when the return of Christ. Through to the first day of the establishment of the kingdom. Is a 50 year period. And it's been put forward. By Bible students. That there will be a 10 year period. At the beginning of that 50 years. Which will be the marriage supper of the Lamb.

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    A time of great joy. Rejoicing and happiness. When all the dread. When all the worry. When all the concerns and burdens of this life. Are past and gone away. They are no more. And we can get personally acquainted with Christ. With all the faithful people. And like minded of ages past. That's the time.

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    When I rejoice. To see my wife. My family. My brothers and sisters. My ecclesia. All there together. And in that day. I want to see. Those who have battled in this life. The battlers. To find lasting relief. I want to see those. Who have struggled with sickness. To be made whole. I want to see those.

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    Who have been oppressed. By wickedness. Given justice. I want to see those. Who are strangled. By the black dog. Given release. I want to see those. Who have faithfully. Endured through trial. Be rewarded. And given rest. And those. Who sorrow greatly. To be given comfort. There's some of the things. I long to see.

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    For all to be made right. In this world. And it will happen. When our Lord returns. And brothers and sisters. Like. Our relationships. And our connections. That we have. With each other now. They can be inhibited. Can't they? They can be inhibited. By you know. The distance that we are. Separated. By generation gaps.

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    By perhaps. Self-doubt. That we have. Or you know. The arrogance of some. Or pride. Or shyness. Or social awkwardness. And in the kingdom. All those things. We've washed away. And think of. And imagine the connections. And the bonds. And the relationships. That you can form. Stronger bonds. With your brothers and sisters. When those things.

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    Have been removed. And so. I want to meet. And I want to form a bond. And a connection. With all the saints. Of the bygone eras. Of all the wonderful characters. And faithful of the bible. From Adam and Eve. Of Noah. The great patriarchs. Abraham and Sarah. Isaac. Rebecca. Jacob. And Leah. I want to see.

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    And I want to talk to. And I want to be a friend. With the colossus. Moses. And his servant Joshua. The great judges. Gideon. And Samson. That wonderful woman. Who changed a nation. Hannah. And her son. The great man of prayer. Samuel. I want to talk to Jonathan. To David and Bathsheba. I want to see.

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    The great prophets. Of the Old Testament. The wild man. Elijah. His protege. Elisha. The great. Royal kings. Hezekiah. And Josiah. The captive. Daniel. The scribe. Ezra. The queen. Esther. The messenger. Malachi. I want to see Mary. That wonderful girl. Who was given the privilege. To be the mother. Of our Lord. I want to see.

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    The faithful disciples. Who we learn so much. From Peter. James. And John. I want to see Paul. A man who's a Pharisee. Changed by Christ. Many. Many more.

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    And above all. The one I want to see. Is Jesus Christ. And I want to see him. I want to sit next to him. I want to listen to him. And talk to him. And soak up everything. That he has to say.

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    I want to go on a long. Long walk. With Jesus Christ. And I want to listen to him. And talk to him. All about his life. All about my life. I want him to correct me. I want him to instruct me.

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    I want him to open my eyes. To all of God's work. In my life. And those ten years. They're going to be the best days. Of our life. The best days. Of our life. Better than your wedding day. Better than the birth. Of your first son. And you and I. Will finally be.

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    The best version of ourselves. All the battles. And the struggles we have. With our nature. With our captivity. To our habitual sins. And failures. The way it's so easy. To think. And to do evil things. To do the wrong things. How it's so natural. To think unpleasant thoughts. To have skewed motives. To seek the approval.

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    Of others above God. All of these things. Which I am so imprisoned to. Which wear me down. Which depress me. Which suck the life out of me. They will be gone. And they're going to be replaced. With a will to serve God. A bias. Instead of towards the wrong thing. Towards the right.

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    And the good thing. To want to serve God. And this is when I will be satisfied. When I will wake up. From the slumber of sin. To the full. Likeness of Christ.

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    And once those ten years. Are over. Then Christ. And his multitudinous bride. Are going to reveal. Themselves to the world. Israel is in trouble. They are in serious. Terrible. Terrible trouble. The Gogian host. Has laid them waste. On the mountains of Israel. And we leave now. With Christ. For what is going to be.

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    The ride of our lives. That Christ will appear. On Olivet. His feet. Will touch that mountain. And it will split it in half. With the biggest earthquake. And shaking. Which will reverberate. Around the entire globe. And this will commence. Forty years. Of preparation. For the kingdom of God. If you think. That your life is busy now.

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    As a Christadelphian. That's nothing. Compared to this time. And what we need to do. To prepare the world. For the rulership. Of Christ. Armageddon. Is only going to be. The beginning. Elijah. Needs to head out. Into the world. To regather. The Jewish people. In a second exodus. The mid heaven. Proclamation. Of revelation.

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    Needs to go out. To all the governments. And the nations. Of this world. Those. Who want to fight. Against Christ. Those who want to resist. His rule. Will need to be dealt with. And the healing. Of this earth. After the plunder. Of pollution. Needs to begin. And a temple. A magnificent temple. Like has never been seen.

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    Will need to be built. In Jerusalem. Now all of these. These are enormous tasks. Which Christ. And the saints. Will dedicate. Dedicate themselves to. Without. Any sort of tiredness. Without. Any sort of weariness. They will dedicate. Their time. And their collective. Talents to. And personally. I want to go forward. Into the world.

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    That is broken. That is distressed. And I want to give them answers. I want to give them answers. From the Bible. You see. At the moment. When we try and talk to people. About the Bible. They are not interested. At the moment. People. They are just not interested. At all. People are so much.

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    Suffocated. With entertainment. With materialism. They see the ways of God. As boring. As the Bible. Boring. And disinteresting. A bit of a joke. But in that day. People. Will want answers. And the Bible. Has those answers. And I would love. To go to people. And open up. A Bible to them. And patiently.

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    And carefully. Take them through. The things of God. I would love. To do that. For people. Who finally. Want to hear. To bring. A desperate. People. To Christ.

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    So. Brothers and sisters. There is. There is just so much. To look forward to. There is so much. To look forward to. Let's not let. Let the glitter. And the distraction. Of this. Life. Make us. Lose sight. Of the glories. Ahead. And if. If there is some of you. Out there. Who. Perhaps you are not.

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    Baptised. Or you haven't. Committed yourself. To a life in Christ. Don't be afraid. Don't be scared. Of making that step. God has called you. And he is. And he is offering to you. Such a wonderful opportunity. He wants to save you. He doesn't want to destroy you. He doesn't want to embarrass you.

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    He wants to give you. The greatest thing. That he could ever give you. If you would but believe. And have faith. So. Tonight. To end our day.

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    I want you to think about. The return of Christ. Ahead. I want you to think. About the confidence. You can have. In the mercy of God. Think about that. Let that confidence. In God's mercy. Inspire you. In your everyday life. In your walk in Christ. In the person that you are. And that you want to be.

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    Think about the certainty. Of that day. And let your faith. In that. Drive you forward. Think about the role. That you would like to play. In establishing God's kingdom. On the earth. Talk about it. With the people. That you have now. Share. With yourself. Sorry. Share with others. What you would like to do.

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    And let them tell you. What they would also like to do. Hit me up. On the WhatsApp. Please. Tell me. What you long for. In the kingdom. I've stood here. In front of you. And cried. For like 20 minutes. I would like you to do the same. I think that's only fair. I want to be there.

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    I'd love to be there. With you. And reform some of those. Connections and bonds. Which slip through distance. Brothers. See yourself there. In that. Accepted crowd. And on the right hand of Christ. See yourself. Inheriting the kingdom of God. And reigning with Christ.

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