Key Life Network

Steve Brown: I don't know the future, but God does. Let's talk about it on Key Life.

Matthew: Key Life is a radio program for struggling believers, sick of funny religion and pious clichés. Our host and teacher is seminary professor Steve Brown. He teaches that radical freedom leads to infectious joy and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown: Thank you, Matthew. We’ve spent a long time on this. In fact, longer than I thought we would. We’ve been talking about the basics of the Christian faith. We’ve covered so many subjects like truth, how to begin if you’re just a person who’s thinking about being a Christian, and how to live with power.

What about the Bible? How to pray, how to deal with sin, yours and somebody else's? How to know God’s will? How to deal with the fact that Christians are human too? How to share your faith and the difference the church makes? We’ve got to do one more thing before we end this series.

We’re going to begin a new series in a week or two, and that series is going to be about truth and how it applies to guilt, shame, regret, and fear. I’ve been working on a new book, and we’re going to write that book together. I’m going to appreciate your comments as I get into teaching what I’ve written.

You can say "that’s heresy," or you can say "you go," or you can say "why don’t you say it this way?" Who knows? We may end up writing a book together and I’ll get all the credit for it. But at any rate, that’s the plan for the future. Talking about the future—and please notice the segue—what happens when you know the future?

Let me give you a text. Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." When Lincoln Steffens returned from Russia—this is back in 1919—he said this publicly: "I have been over into the future and it works."

The comment from the lips of Steffens was, of course, not accurate. He had not yet seen the millions of people who died because of what was happening in Russia in the Communist Revolution. However, the same words, when spoken by a Christian, point to a reality known only to those who are in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Unbelievers think the future is a frightening spectrum of the unknowable. The scientist thinks the future is the product of undetermined causes. The philosopher thinks the future is only the subject for abstract discussion. But for the Christian, the future is the exciting prospect of seeing Jesus Christ put it all together.

We had an interview on our talk show recently with a man who had written a book—and we loved him, and it was a great program—who talked about invisible grief. We all grieve when we lose somebody we loved, or we lose our jobs, or we go through a tough time.

But there is a grief that is far deeper than that. When you wanted to get married and it didn't happen, or when you did get married and it was awful. When you realize that things are not going to change, when you realize you can’t have children... it goes on and on. It’s a deeper and an invisible grief.

But the guy who wrote the book said something good at the end. He said, "I don’t want to be crazy about this or use it as a place to bail and not deal with the real issues. But don't forget the Book of Revelation. Don’t forget, when you go through grief that can’t be changed and all you can do is lament, don’t forget heaven and getting home."

There will be no more tears, no more grief, no more pain, and no more unfulfilled dreams. That’s true of a Christian, and we know that the future includes that. But it includes something else: the return of Jesus Christ to clean up the mess.

Not too long ago, I watched a movie on television. As the tension mounted, there wasn't a calm person in the room except me. Everybody was frightened except me. No one went to the kitchen to get snacks except me. Do you know why the movie didn't bother me?

Because I’d seen the movie before! That’s why. I knew exactly what was going to happen. I knew the end, and because I did, the beginning and the middle were not nearly as puzzling and as frightening. The Christian has the same edge on the world.

In the midst of the fear, the crisis, and the chaos, the Christian knows how this thing is going to turn out. Somebody said, "I understand Revelation." And I said, "No, you don’t." And he said, "Yes, I do. Jesus wins in the end." That's true. It really is.

Sometimes when I’m going through a tough time and I’m scared and I’m alone and I wonder what’s going to happen, I think: "Jesus wins in the end." You think about that. Amen.

Matthew: Thanks, Steve. What a difference it makes when we know the future. Tomorrow, we’ll continue in our Welcome to the Family series and get into why knowing the future makes a difference. Hope you will join us for that.

Two weeks ago we marked the 40th anniversary of Key Life’s first broadcast way back in 1986. Kind of an exciting milestone. In case you missed it, we’d like to share a short excerpt with you from that broadcast. Then stay tuned because after the clip, I’m going to tell you about a special free offer.

Mike Kellogg: Is it really possible to know you're going to heaven? Pastor Steve Brown of the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church.

Steve Brown: But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Mike Kellogg: I'm Mike Kellogg, welcoming you to the very first edition of Key Life. Our speaker is Steve Brown, pastor of Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church in Key Biscayne, Florida. Now let's join Steve as he begins our study in the Gospel of John. Steve.

Steve Brown: A number of years ago, I reached a crisis in my ministry. I was standing beside open graves and I had absolutely nothing to say to those who had tears falling on the dirt beside those graves. I realized the fact that I was a social worker do-gooder in the pulpit.

I was giving forth good philosophy and good sociology. I was giving good pastoral counseling, but no lives were being changed. Over a number of years, I came to the realization in my own life that my problem was that I had no authority.

It was at that time, and through the help of a number of brothers and sisters in Christ who cared enough to be honest with me, that I came to the realization that that authority was Jesus Christ and His word, the Bible. I decided on my knees one day that no matter what else, from then on, I was going to preach, I was going to teach, and in so far as God's grace was operative in my life, I was going to live what the Bible, God's inerrant word, had to say.

The first book I ever taught was the Gospel of John, because another John by the name of John DeBrine told me that that was where I ought to begin. I stayed one verse ahead of that poor congregation at that particular time.

I would get to the seventh chapter of the Gospel of John and I would get on my knees and say, "Father, I don't like this one bit. I've said everything that I know about the Gospel of John and dadgummit, you keep repeating yourself."

And the Father said, "Stephen," that's what He always calls me when He's upset, "Stephen, keep on going." And I did, and He did His thing and I want you to know, ladies and gentlemen, it changed my life. I saw people coming and changing and growing. Ladies and gentlemen, I saw love.

If a Bible teacher teaches a particular book or passage of the Bible because he has personal reasons for doing so, he probably ought to close up his Bible and go home. So I have some other reasons. First, the Gospel of John is reflective rather than biographical.

About 92% of this Gospel according to John is not found in the other Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give the event; the Apostle John, from the perspective of time, looks back and gives the significance of the event. Secondly, one of the great things about our congregation is that on any given Sunday morning, there will be people here who are brand new Christians.

Hardly a Sunday passes that someone doesn't introduce a brand new brother or sister to me. Time after time in this congregation, I've met people who are searching for the truth. They say, "Reverend, I don't buy it and I don't like it, but if it's true, I need it. I haven't found it in a bar and I haven't found it in a bed and I want to see if I can find it in a church."

In this church, I see many, many mature Christians and I know of no book in the entire Bible that fits all of those needs more than the Gospel of John. Finally, the purpose for which John wrote the Gospel. You'll find that in John 20, verses 30 through 31, and John writes these words:

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

Matthew: We’d like to send you that entire first Key Life broadcast on CD for free. This is definitely a limited time offer, so right now while you’re thinking about it, call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That’s 1-800-539-5433.

You can also email Steve at keylife.org to ask for that CD. To mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the US and Canada. Again, just ask for the free CD featuring the first Key Life broadcast.

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