Epic Unveiling (Revelation 15)

With only eight verses, we have come to the shortest chapter our series through Revelation, but I don’t foresee that having any effect on the length of the sermon whatsoever!

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Recently I read of a certain pastor whose sermon was just a little too dry and we just a little too long.  When the service was finally over, the congregation left the chapel without even attempting to thank the preacher for his message.  Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful old gal who always commented on the pastor’s sermons.  “Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God,” she said.

The pastor was thrilled.  “No-one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before.  Tell me why.”

“Well – it reminded me of the peace of God because it passed all understanding and the love of God because it endured forever!”

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George Burns said, “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.”

If that is true, my sermons are hideous!  While I try hard to have a good beginning and a good ending, I have a very hard time keeping them in close proximity to one another!

Read Chapter 15

In Revelation 10:9 we are reminded that God’s Word is both bitter and sweet at the same time.  Here in Revelation 15 we read of God’s wrath, and that is a bitter thing.  We also read of our eternal victory, and that is most definitely very sweet!

VICTORY

“And I saw…those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” (v.2)

They had victory over his power, over his idolatry, over his character, over his influence and ultimately over his eternity.  In Rev. 15:2 those who had this victory over Satan are celebrating before their God.

THE CALL TO OVERCOME

• Rev. 2:7, “…To him who overcomes I will to give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
• Rev. 2:11, “…He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”
• Rev. 2:17, “…To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on that stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
• Rev. 2:26, “And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.”
• Rev. 3:5, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess His name before My Father and before His angels.”
• Rev. 3:12, “He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.”
• Rev. 3:21, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

If you overcome, these promises are for you.  If you succumb (give in), these promises are not for you.

ENDURE

This language of “overcoming” is very similar to other passages in the Bible that talk about “ENDURING“.

• Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
• Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
• Hebrews 3:14, “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”

Why is this so important?  This is important because I am looking forward to heaven with every fiber of my being, but it appears as though only those believers who “endure to the end will be saved“; only those who “overcome” have the promises of heaven.  I don’t want to quit before the end, but I know myself.  I know how prone I am to wander, prone to leave the God I love.  It was Jesus who said that if I don’t endure (overcome) to end, then salvation isn’t a promise for me.  This is very concerning to me, for obvious reasons!

So, then, is there any confidence that I too will be an overcomer in the end?  These words make it sound like it’s all “on me“.  If you overcome…if you endure to the end…if you withstand in the evil day…if you hold fast…

When I hear words like that, I think of a day in northern Minnesota when I was with a construction crew, re-roofing a house during a heavy rainstorm.  We endured the elements together.  I think of a high school basketball game when we came from behind to defeat a team that was much more talented than us.  We overcame the opposition and achieved the victory.

I think of moments that left me with a feeling of accomplishment.  “We did it.  We stuck in there.  We worked hard.  We gutted it out.  We overcame the elements and the opposition.  We endured the hardships, and it the end – we came out on top!”

Is this what the Bible is referring to?  Determination.  Digging in.  Trying more.  Working harder.  Sucking it up.  Gutting it out.  Is that the feel of Revelation 15?  Is God standing before the victorious believers and talking about how amazing they were and how impressed He is with them?

“You guys were wonderful out there.  I am just so impressed at how you overcame the opposition like that, and stuck it out…held on.  Welcome home to your eternal reward, fellas!  You deserve it…”

Or does this scene in Revelation 15:2-4 have a slightly different feel to it?

“And they sing the song [that Moses sang], the servant of God, and the song [about] the Lamb saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!  Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!  Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?  For You alone are holy.  For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

The focus here doesn’t seem to be their works or their efforts at all.  These “over-comers” are completely focused on the person and the work of Jesus!  So then, if this “overcoming” or “enduring” doesn’t seem to be owing to their ability…what is the significance of saying they had this “overcoming” victory?

Having been made in the image of God, we delight to praise not just life’s victories but also life’s victors.[i]  So you would think that, if this was indeed their victory, somebody would be celebrating them.  Yet, nobody is talking about them at all.  So then, if this victory is not about them, what does Jesus mean when He commands the church to “overcome“?

My overarching goal in answering this question is for our view of God to be massively expanded and for our view of “self” to be radically decreased in the process.

Where is my confidence that I will be an overcomer in the end?  How do I know that I will attain this overcoming victory?

• Start with John 15:5 where Jesus says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”
• Yet, Philippians 4:13 clarifies that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
• So there is nothing I can do without Jesus
• But there is nothing I can’t do with Jesus

In light of these two verses, how do I overcome spiritual opposition in my life?  How do I endure spiritual hardships against my soul?

Martin Luther said, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.”

We are beginning to see that “overcoming” isn’t through our strength or our will, but through Christ working in and through us.

• Zechariah 4:6, “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.”
• Romans 9:16, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

So how do I overcome?

Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

• Because of what Jesus did on the cross
• And because the cross is part of their personal story
• And they loved the gospel more than their lives

They overcame because they were in Christ, and He had already overcome the world.  In John 16:33 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Where is my sense of security, peace and confidence?  Jesus said that I can have peace that I will overcome, because Jesus has already overcome the world, and I can do all things through Him.

Because Christ conquered Satan, death and hell, when an individual invites Jesus to be his/her Savior, there is nothing that can stop them from having the victory…because Jesus has already overcome the world.

Rom. 8:37-39 says that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ because we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  We are not just conquerors; we are more than conquerors!

1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God (not my gusto, grit, guts or glory…but to God), who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is where we get our hymn “Victory in Jesus“.

1 John 5:4-5, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

This is the foundation of another great hymn, “Faith is the Victory“.

What is our part in this whole thing?

The answer that many of might be drawn to is “faith“. “Our part in ‘overcoming’ is to have faith.”

Okay, so what is faith?  What does it mean to have faith?

FAITH: “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”

Is that my part in overcoming?  I choose to trust completely in Jesus, and then He accomplishes the victory in me and through me (on my behalf)?  I put my faith in Him, and He does all the saving work?  Is that my part?  Is that the answer for which I am looking?

Is it like a five year old jumping off bunk bed into Dad’s arms?  The little boy makes the decision to trust in Dad and take a leap of faith, and then Dad does all the rest?  Is that what 1 John 5:4-5 is saying?

If faith is the victory that overcomes the world, the root question then is, “Where does faith come from?”

Because, if faith is something that comes from within me, then I do have something of which to boast because a part of it is on my shoulders.  Yes, Jesus is the one offering salvation, but I am making the decision to let Him.  He is doing 99.9% of the work, but .1% is still on my shoulders to allow Him to save me.

If this were the case, my first words in heaven might be something like, “Wow!  Thank you Jesus for saving me, but what a smart decision on my part to put my trust in You.  I’m so glad I decided to do that.  What an idiot that other guy was!  Yes, it was God who saved me…but I made the decision to let Him.  Meaning – I was smarter than the next guy who chose not to put his faith in God.”

This line of thinking would lead to a welcoming home party where Jesus says, “Here is your eternal reward of Heaven, that is 99% due to what I have done and 1% due to your wise decision in trusting me.  So good job doing that!“

Does that sound Biblical?  “Something stinketh in Denmark”, if you ask me.

Read Ephesians 2:1-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (2:8-9)

What is the gift here?  Salvation?  Not entirely.  The gift is “the faith” that leads to salvation.

Notice our spiritual plot before Jesus comes into the picture here in Ephesians 2:1: “DEAD“.  The question we must pose is, “If salvation is owing to faith in Christ, how is it that a dead person can make such an eternally wise decision?”

Actually, how is it that a dead person can make any intelligent decision? I mean…he’s dead! Right!  All of us our start out spiritually dead.  We are all on level ground here.

Romans 3:10-11 tells us that there is none who seeks after God.  No not one.  Nobody is seeking after God because we are all dead.

So where does this lead us?

1.         We are given the gift of faith

2.         That faith is trusting in Jesus

3.         In Jesus, we are more than conquerors (enduring overcomers)

4.         As “conquerors who overcome and endure to the end through Christ”, we have the promise and assurance of eternal life in Heaven.

Meaning: the victory is 100% through Jesus and because of Jesus…and 0% because of us.

• We don’t earn it.
• We don’t maintain it.
• We simply receive it through the faith that was gifted to us through Christ.

So then…what is my part?

1.         Repent of self.

2.         Rejoice in this amazing grace.

3.         Resolve to devote your redeemed life to glorifying your Savior.

4.         Reveal your faith through your good works.

This line of theology raises massive questions.

1. If faith is “a gift“, then what about all those people who don’t receive Jesus?

2. What about those who don’t endure to the end?  Does this mean you can lose your salvation?

• Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
• Hebrews 12:2, “[Jesus is both] the author and finisher of our faith.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

What is my confidence that my proneness to wander won’t swallow up my desire to overcome?  My confidence is that Christ will not “author” a faith that He will not also “finish“! God never does anything halfway.  He has never started a project that He has not also finished.  So if He has truly started the good work of faith within you, then He will see to it that He also completes it. Not only is this assurance based on His character, but it is also based on the promise of a God who cannot lie!

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Graduation…one of the greatest days in the life of a school-worn, homework-scarred student.  Finally, after so many painful hours caged in a stuffy classroom, the student is free to move on to a different season in life.  The other day, I was reminiscing back to my highschool graduation (so very many years ago!).  The overriding theme of my graduation gifts dealt with the Old Testament verse reminding me that God has a plan for my life.[i]  What an appropriate verse for the graduate amidst a season of such massive questions: What was I created for? What is my purpose? What should I do with my life?!

In reality, such questions aren’t solely for those graduating from school.  The verb “graduate” in Webster’s old dictionary means “to mark…differences of any kind”[ii]  Regardless of our age, we are always going through different changes in life.  My wedding day was a graduation ceremony of sorts as it marked the change from being single to being married.  A newborn marks the graduation of a husband into a father.  Parents graduate to being grandparents.  Well, some do!  My parents are learning to be content with having grand-puppies for a little while!  (As well as a grand-ferret…and two grand-parakeets!)

Throughout all the changes of life, these questions are still being asked: Is this what I’m supposed to be doing?  Was that a smart decision?  Do I have a plan for my future?  Is this really what God wants me to be doing with my life?  Instead of leading to answers, such questions often lead to anxiety.  For years, one of my biggest fears was that I would reach the end of my earthly life and discover that I had missed out on God’s plan for me.  I knew God had a plan…but I wasn’t privy to the details of it.  What if I missed it…or didn’t hear it correctly?  What if I somehow mistook my desires to be God’s desires?  Finally, the Lord opened my eyes to a passage in Matthew 22 that unfolded the truth of His plan for my life, and, true to His Word, that truth has since set me free.[iii]

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.”[iv] In other words, the number one greatest thing that any man is commanded do with his life is to love God obsessively.  Sadly, we tend to make life so very complicated sometimes as we worry about things that aren’t “worry material”.[v]  God’s ultimate plan for our life is not targeted at a particular career, or a specific spouse, or a certain home…His plan is targeted on our heart.  His plan for my future is for me to simply love Him obsessively… “to fix my affections supremely on Him.”[vi]  When this truth penetrates our hearts, the result is an overflow of freedom.  Are you a farmer? Love God.  Are you the local telephone man, a full-time mom, a retired school-teacher, a construction worker, a5^th grader?…God’s plan for you is the same: “Love Him Obsessively”.  That’s His plan for your life.[vii]

Yes, this is a commandment, but it is by no means a chore or a burden…it is the most noble and beautiful occupation known to man.[viii]  Just last week, Elizabeth and I celebrated four years of dating!  (It is my firm belief that husbands and wives ought to date each other all the way to heaven).  Even as I write this, I’m smiling as I remember back to the time when my mind was incapable of entertaining any thoughts aside from the breathtaking girl in my life!  My thoughts were constantly focused on how I could pour out my love on her…not because it was my duty but because of the raw, pure joy that it brought me, knowing that this beautiful woman received pleasure from my loving actions.  So it ought to be with our love for God.  “God ought to be perfectly loved and…whatever powers belong to men ought to be devoted to this object.”[ix]  Isn’t that an amazing thought…we were created to love.  Not as a slave performing for his master, but as a cup overflowing with a love it cannot contain.[x]

Several years ago, I gave Elizabeth permission to browse through one of my old journals from when I was in Jr. High.  (Very big mistake!)  She began laughing so hard at one point that her tears started soaking the pages!  Apparently, I went through a stretch as a 7^th grader when I “asked out” just about every girl in my class.  As each of them responded with a similar negative response, I would move down my mental list of who would be the “next best” girlfriend and proceed to ask her out the following day!  Finally, after all of my female bridges had gone up in flames, I moved on down to the 6^th grade class!  Liz accused me of being desperate…which was preposterous.  I just wanted somebody that I was allowed to love.

“Love the Lord your God.”  Sometimes that phrase can sound a bit abstract to us, and we have a hard time understanding the practical application of this commandment.  How do we love God with all our being?  For many years, the Israelites had no idea how to love God.  So, for their benefit (as well as for ours today), God gave them a “how to” list with 10 different examples of how to love God. [xi]  We know them as the 10 Commandments.  This title can be a bit unnerving as it tends to sound more like a legalistic set of rules…but that was never the heart of the Author.[xii]  Everything written in the law and spoken by the prophets was meant to lead us into something far deeper than just the surface value…all of this had been purposed by God to be used in drawing people into a love relationship with Him.

But, on par with humanity, the law was a stumbling block to the Pharisees because they got sidetracked with the rules (the letter of the law[xiii]), and they couldn’t see the overriding, glorious picture that God had painted in the Old Testament.  They missed the love.  Whatever stage in life you are in right now, God’s Word is begging you not to get such a tunnel-vision on the particulars that you miss out on His most important plan for you…to love Him.

So the question is not, “what should I do with my life?”, but rather, “how can I love God best with my life?”.  The reality of life is that we don’t always get to live out the dreams that we have for our lives.  I have no doubt that when I reach the finish line of my time here on earth, I will have dreams left undone…but, by God’s grace and through the abiding work of Christ in me, I will have lived out His plan for my life…regardless of the instruments I chose to use in the process.

“Love God with all…”

***For more on this topic of “God’s Calling on Your Life“, see James Knoop’s blog at (http://averageisawesome.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/regarding-the-lie-of-calling/)

“Made to Love You” ~ Toby Mac  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrT7sqV14_E

[i]Jeremiah 29:11

[ii] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

[iii] John 8:32

[iv] Matthew 22:34-40

[v] We make rules that God never made, we dwell on mistakes that God has long-forgotten, we worry over questions that God has already answered.

[vi] Barnes Notes, Page 236

[vii] The problem is that we are born with a sinful nature bent on loving the created over the Creator.  It is impossible for us to love God perfectly…and so Jesus did it for us!  That’s the story of the cross…Jesus loving God with every fiber of His being.  That’s why Jesus tells us in John 15 to abide in Him and He in us, because it is only through His indwelling Spirit that we have the capability of loving God at all.

[viii] If you have never known the love of Jesus…then it is impossible to love Him at all.  You can devote your life to full-time ministry, write a hundred books that change people’s lives, donate all your money to the poor…but if you don’t know the love of Jesus…then you have not done a single loving act (see 1 Cor. 13)

On the other hand, if you have truly experienced what it means to be loved by Jesus, then it is impossible not to love Him in return.

[ix] Calvin’s Commentary, Page 58

[x] Psalm 23:5

[xi] Matthew 22:40

[xii] Romans 7:6, “But now we have been delivered from the law…so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

[xiii] Romans 7:6

Oh, I desire that my life be abundant with “things that accompany salvation“. Such as radical joy, consistent contentment, a passion to reach the lost, and a life that is being daily transformed to look more like Jesus and less like myself.

A D.T.R. MEETING // John 6

D.T.R. is dating lingo for “Define the Relationship”.  It’s a conversation that is destined to be had in every serious relationship.  It’s where you sit down and hash out your desires and expectations for the relationship.  Where is this relationship going?

It wasn’t long at all after Elizabeth and I started spending time together that we sat down and had a relationship-defining meeting.  There in my apartment building, I shared with her my expectations for our relationship.  “I don’t want to date just for the sake of having a good time,” I told her.  “I see Jesus in you.  I enjoy you, and I want to pursue a relationship with you with the purpose of seeing if God might have marriage in our future.” And (praise the Lord) she stuck with me!

Well, that’s what we are going to do with Jesus right now.  We are going to take a few minutes to define our relationship with Him.

• What is my relationship with Jesus like right now?
• What I expect out of a relationship with Jesus?
• What does Jesus expect out of this relationship with me?

Several times throughout the New Testament, we are challenged to “examine ourselves”.  One such passage is 2 Corinthians 13:5 where the Apostle Paul writes,“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.  Prove yourselves…”

It’s important to note that Paul is writing this letter to the church at Corinth.  Paul is writing to people who are part of a church, and so it’s “church people” to whom Paul is challenging to “examine yourselves”.

Without a doubt, these “church people” are under the assumption that they are in the faith.  Yet, just because you are in the chapel this morning, does not mean that you are in the faith, and so Paul says, “examine yourselves”.

It’s similar to a dentist checkup.  You brush your teeth “regularly” (a word that means different things to different people),and yet you still go to the dentist office to have a checkup because maybe you’ve missed a tooth over the last six months.  Maybe you haven’t flossed as regularly as the dentist wants you to (or ever….), and there is something wrong with your teeth of which you are unaware.

So you go to the dentist and you say, “I’ve been doing what I am supposed to be doing, but I just want you to take a look at these to make sure that I’m okay.”

Maybe we think that we are doing everything that we are supposed to be doing.  We attend the worship services and the Bible studies.  We pray before our meals and have our regular time of devotions.  Yet, Paul writes a letter to “us kind of people” charging us to “examine yourselves” just the same.  Are you as okay as you think you are?

During Jesus’ physical ministry here on earth, He was constantly forcing people to examine themselves and to make informed decisions as to what their relationship with Him was going to be.  Jesus was constantly having DTR meetings with the people who were around Him.

John 6:1“After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 

• Just recently, they had watched Jesus heal people.  They were both intrigued and inspired, and so they are now following Him to this mountainside on the Sea of Galilee.

And Jesus went up on a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.’”

• In other words, this is going to cost a truckload just to give everybody a lick’s worth of bread!

“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’  Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.”

• What a feeling!  Well over five thousand people are gathering on this mountain to listen to you.  You want to be very careful in moments like these because this mass of people has the potential of really changing your ministry.  This could be the moment you really put yourself on the proverbial map.  People are packed to listen to you – so whip out your best sermon now!  If you have a joke up your sleeve that you save for special occasions – use it now.  A great ministry-building opportunity to be sure.

“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.’  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said,

This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world.’ 

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

• These folks are crazy about Jesus right now.  People love this guy, and why wouldn’t they?  He is healing people, performing miracles right before their eyes – turning sack lunches into buffets.  He’s a dynamic, captivating speaker.  They are so taken with this man that they are brewing plans to make him their next king whether He likes it or not!

In verses 15-23 we see that Jesus isn’t the least bit interested in such a promotion, and so “He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”  The disciples head back to the sea again.  Later on that night, as the disciples were on the water battling a great wind, Jesus walks on the water and meets up with his tired crew three or four miles into their voyage.  Yet, another miracle!

In verses 24-26the night is past, it’s about breakfast time, and yesterday’s crowd is hungry again.  “When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also go into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus”, andthey are asking if He can do that food thing again.

“And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, ‘Rabbi, when did You come here?’  Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you’…”

• They wanted breakfast, and Jesus doesn’t give it to them.  He calls them out. They are seeking Jesus, but not because of who He was…but because they wanted the free stuff.  They weren’t really after Him; they were after what He had to offer them.

So He offers Himself.

John 6:53, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believe in Me shall never thirst.”

He gives this fan base an ultimatum: Am I Enough?  This is the same question that faces us today: IS JESUS ENOUGH?

This people group was coming for what He had to offer, and so He offered them Himself!  How did they respond?

John 6:66, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”  (That’s what happened in 666.)

Jesus said, “I want to give you myself.  Am I enough?”  And most of these people said, “Nope.  No free bread; then I am checking out of this motel and going somewhere else.”

The mountainside was covered with Jesus’ fans that day…just not too many followers.

The fans came for the show.  They enjoyed themselves as they listened to Him speak.  They cheered on the miracles.  “Go Bread-Maker!  Do it again.”  The fans even came back the next day.  However, as soon as the show was done, the fans went home…because that’s what fan do.  They come for the show, and then they leave when it’s done.

The food ran out.  The novelty faded.  Jesus had become a bit uncomfortable for them, and so they quit.

Is it any different in our day today?  For example: why do people quit church?  The novelty fades.  The new pastor isn’t always new.  Eventually the honeymoon ends, and now it’s the same ‘ol face week after week.  Maybe the pastor isn’t everything we had hoped he would be in the beginning.  Maybe he changes the style of worship.  Maybe we get rubbed the wrong way by another member.  Or maybe our lifestyle is challenged by the elder, making us quite uncomfortable.  It’s so pathetic that it’s almost funny how many excuses we having for “quitting” the church.

Don’t miss Jesus’ response to this dissipating crowd.  What does Jesus do as this fan base turns to leave?  Absolutely nothing.  He doesn’t chase after them.  He doesn’t soften the message, doesn’t apologize, and doesn’t leave out the uncomfortable stuff so that they will stay.  If you aren’t here for Him, then He is okay with you leaving.

He didn’t try talking people into following Him.  If anything, He challenges them in their moment of decision.  In His DTR meetings, we hear Jesus challenging His would-be-followers to make sure they have counted the cost.[i]

Like the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus asking how he could have eternal life.  The slam dunk answer would have been, “Just say this magical prayer in your heart and come to our Sabbath worship services if you don’t have anything else going on…and that’s it.”

You’ve seen those television advertisements for certain medical drugs.  The guy is either golfing, fishing, playing football with his grandson or throwing the Frisbee around with his dog while some smooth talker tells you all the wonderful benefits of using this particular drug.  Then for legal reasons, they hire somebody else who talks 100 miles per hour telling you all of the negative possibilities that this drug could have on your body (all the while our main character is scoring birdies or hooking the 20-pound walleye.  Then the smooth talker finishes the advertisement by saying, “Ask your doctor if this is right for you.”

Jesus tells everybody straight up, “Hey, if you are going to follow Me, you need to know ahead of time what you are getting yourself into.  You need to know ahead of time that this is not going to be easy.  He doesn’t try talking anybody into a relationship with Him.  He wants for us to follow Him for He is…not for what He has to offer.

Even as a pastor, I fail too often in trying to make it easy for people.  I try so hard to cater to people’s feelings, comfort and conveniences.  Don’t worry about committing to Sunday morning worship if you have something else going on.  I understand that Bible study is at an inconvenient time, no problem.

In the process of selling an easy Christianity, we cheapen Jesus.  Ultimately, an easy Christianity isn’t offering a Savior; it’s offering a Santa Claus.  In promoting an easy faith – not only is our gospel a fraud, but our underlining theology is that the real Jesus isn’t worth the sacrifice.  Through our noncommittal, nonchalant, easy-going evangelism we are ultimately offering a cheap (and unbiblical) version of Jesus.  It’s no wonder Christianity is such a popular religion in our country.  It’s the easiest one out there!

I have two sisters in my extended family, neither of which are married yet.  Tara, my sister-in-law, is close (I think…hope!), but my sister Rachel seems to be as content as a mongoose in her singleness at this point in time.  (She’s only a sophomore in college – so I haven’t given up all hope just yet!)

Let’s say that I was sick of waiting for them to get married, and so I decided to take it upon myself to go to bat for them.  I decide that the best way to marry them off is to make it as easy and exciting as possible for the young suitor.  First, I plaster their mug across a billboard that I have rented for the occasion.  Underneath their picture, in bright neon letters, I list all of the incentives for pursing a relationship with this young lady.  Big brother will even throw in a free Corvette for the lucky man who wins her heart.  Then, I have hundreds of t-shirts printed with her picture on the front and bold letting across the back that reads “She’s Your Dream Come True!” 

Wouldn’t that cheapen who she is?  Whoever marries my sister needs to want “her”, not what she has to offer him.  He needs to be after the person – period.  (Obviously, I would never go to such extremes…)

Jesus isn’t after a fan club – He’s after a following club.  Jesus isn’t after attendance – He’s after hearts.  There on the side of the mountain, with over ten thousand people gather around, Jesus’ ministry was just budding with possibilities.  The attendance is there…now, if you can just keep them!

His twelve disciples were no doubt jacked at the situation.  Just be careful Jesus.  The possibilities here are huge.  Just be gentle with them, and please don’t start talking about eating your body and drinking your blood again…because that never seems to work.

Yet, Jesus was fine with watching this crowd dissipate before His eyes because they weren’t really after Him in the first place.

What is our goal here at Chalk Hills?  Is it for Jesus to pack a building or for Him to pack hearts?  How do we measure success?  A building can be packed with fans, and yet contain few followers.

In his book “Not a Fan” Kyle Idleman writes, “The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits but not so close that it requires anything of them.”

John 6:67, “Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’  But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

• Fans know about Jesus.  Followers know Jesus.
• Just because you know all about Jesus, doesn’t mean that you know Him.

Our Christian “Industry” Today:

• New Testa-Mints
• “Jesus Power” Remote Control Monster Trucks
• Pocket Angel Blessings for $1.29
• Jesus Action Figures of Him walking on the water

As a kid, I was a faithful supporter of this Christian “industry”.  I had the Christianized t-shirts, bracelets, CDs, posters[ii], bumper stickers, fish symbols.  My Sunday School sash had so many awards pinned to it, I looked like a distinguished Army General!

Yet, what I would eventually discover is that you can know an awful lot about Jesus (looking really good on the outside), and still not really know Him at all.  You can be that super church-goer, and not have a real relationship with Jesus.  My relationship with Jesus was so much more fan-based than follower-based.

I was so much more a fan of Jesus than a follower.

The story is identical in the sports realm.  If I was gambling man, I would put a serious bill on the table that there is no bigger Minnesota Viking fan than Jeremiah Knoop.  Just read some of my blogs under sports devos, and you’ll begin to get a visual of my mild obsession! I have wept more over the Vikings losses than I have over just about any other crisis that I have yet experienced in life!  (Please note: I am not saying this is healthy.  It’s just the way it is.)

In high school, my room was littered with Vikings posters – right next to my Jesus posters.  My Bible sat on the nightstand next the bed which was adorned with Viking sheets, Viking blankets, Viking pillowcases and Viking stuffed animals.  I had the Viking helmet (the one with the yellow braids), Viking clothes, caps, coats, jackets, towels, footballs, sports cards, autographed memorabilia, action figures, plaques, a giant stack of newspaper clippings.  I even had Viking pom-poms from the game that Cris Carter made his 100^th touchdown reception.

I was an unashamed, radical fan…and not just when it was safe!  One Sunday afternoon, I was living in Wisconsin (Enemy territory – the Green Bay Packers), and the Vikings were playing their green rivals.  The local café/bar was the hub of such events.  Every Sunday, the community would gather around the café’s giant flat-screen and watch the Packers battle their opponent.  Well, this particular Sunday their opponent was my Minnesota Vikings, and so by George there was gonna be some Purple and Gold in the house this afternoon!

Donning my Viking attire, I walked into the café that afternoon and found an open chair in the front row and cheered like a wild man for three hours amidst a host of Packer fans.  It’s hard to exit a situation like that when your team loses…just in case you were curious!

All of that didn’t make me a player; it just made me a fan.  If one of those Vikings players were to show up in our church worship service next Sunday, they wouldn’t be able to tell me apart from the rest of the church.  I know all about them, but none of them actually know me.  I’m not one of them.  I’m just a fan.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said that there are a lot of fans who know a lot about Jesus…but who never made a decision to follow Him.  These huge fans are going to stand before eternity and recite all of their “fan-ness”, and Jesus is going to declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me…”  I don’t know who you are.  Maybe you really were a huge fan, but you were never a follower…and so I don’t know you.

There is an eternal difference between being a fan and a follower.  Do you know Jesus?  Is Jesus enough?  Today would be a great day to have that DTR with Jesus.

• Spend time reading His word – listening to what you read – and then responding
• Spend time talking to Him – being engaged with Him on an ongoing basis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another DTR takes place here in John 3.  The question that we are forced to answer in this story is: “Is Jesus worth the cost?”

In this story, we meet a man named Nicodemus.

John 3:1, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”

• Prominent
• Extremely Religious
• Ruler of the Jews
• A man who worked hard to get to where he is at today.

Nicodemus is a secret admirer.  He wants a secret relationship.

“This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him’.”

He wants to have a secret relationship with Jesus because if people found out, it could cost him everything.  It would cost him his reputation, job, financial security, family and friends all in one fell swoop.  Yes, ol’ Nick had much to lose.  Hence, he attempts to have a relationship that wouldn’t require any real change in life.

How often do we attempt the same relationship with Jesus?  I can have a relationship with Jesus, and none of my friends at school need to know about it.  It can be a secret, side relationship.  Nobody at my job needs to know.  I don’t need to share Jesus with my spouse.  That is what Nicodemus is hoping.

However, he is about to find out that there is no way to have a real relationship with Jesus without it interfering with your life.  Following Jesus costs something.  It always costs something.

• Noah couldn’t keep his relationship secret.
• Moses couldn’t hide a relationship.
• Daniel couldn’t stay in hiding.

A real relationship with Jesus interferes with your life.  A fan can get by without it affecting his life.  Not a follower though.

James talks about proving our faith by our works.  You cannot separate belief from following.  Belief is backed up by footprints.  There is no such thing as a Secret Christian.  It’s a contradiction of terms.

In the New Testament, Jesus says “Believe in Me” four times less than He says “Follow Me”.  You simply cannot separate these two commands.

Maybe that’s you right now.  Maybe you are one of those who wants a relationship with jesus but only to the point that it doesn’t infringe on your life.

If having a relationship with Jesus doesn’t affect:

• The way you spend your time
• The way you spend your finances
• The kind of movies you watch
• The tenor of your conversations
• The friends you hang out with
• Your reputation in the community

Then I’m in.

Jesus says, “You can’t.  It doesn’t work.”

In verse 2 Nicodemus says, “We know You”, and in verse 3 Jesus says, “No you don’t.”

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’

Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Nicodemus wants to have a relationship with Jesus while maintaining the status quo of his old life, and Jesus says, “You must be born again”.  If you are born again, you don’t take your old life with you.   In being born again, your old life no longer takes precedence.  Being born again means starting over.  Your new life starts with Me now.  If you want a relationship with Me, it starts with Me.  I come first.  Everything else in your life is built on the foundation of a relationship with Me.  If you lose your family, you lose your family.  You start with me and build a new family.

This isn’t an uncommon scenario in many third world countries.  In Ethiopia, for example, the pastor will actually encourage people to reconsider following Jesus because of the great cost.  They have meetings with people before they receive Jesus just to lay out all that such a relationship may cost them.  If you want to follow Jesus, count the cost.  You will likely lose your job.  You may lose your family, and there is a great possibility that you will eventually eve lose your life. 

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

How does Nicodemus’ story end?

In John 7:40-53 Israel is divided over Christ.  The Sanhedrin (Pharisees and Sadducees) are divided over Christ, and they are trying to figure out how to deal with Jesus.  How do we get rid of Him?

In John 7:50, “Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’”

• His question may seem insignificant, but it’s a big first step for Nick.  He is stepping up and stepping out for Jesus.

“They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

• This may not seem like much of a rebuke, but Galilee wasn’t an esteemed background to be sure.  They are basically accusing Nick of being a “nobody” if he wants to side with Jesus.

John 19:38-39, “After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.”

He anoints Jesus’ body in a very expensive fashion, and this is not something that is now done in secret.  Christian tradition tells us that Nicodemus was eventually killed as a martyr.  He allowed Jesus to interfere with his life because being a friend and a follower of Jesus was so much more important than being a fan of Jesus.

In Philippians 3, Paul said that he counted everything else as loss in comparison to knowing Jesus.  Allowing Jesus to interfere with Paul’s life was the best decision that he ever made.

Jesus doesn’t sugar-coat what it means to follow Him, but He always promises that it’s worth it.[iii]

• I don’t do night-time relationships, but if you are born again and start with Me, then the reward is eternal life!
• If I am enough for you, you’ll find that I satisfy!
• Sell your richness, but you’ll have rewards in heaven!

It’s hard, but there is reward in heaven.  I’m not trying to enslave you.  I’m offering you so much more in Me than what you will ever find here.

It’s not about trying harder.  It isn’t about working more or being better.  It’s about honestly determining your relationship with Jesus and deciding what you want most.

• Do you want Him
• Or you just want the free stuff?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This message was also preached at the Seventh Day Baptist Church in North Loup, Ne.

DTR Meeting with Jesus

Epic Unveiling // Chapter Eight

As I studied through chapter eight of Revelation this week, I was reminded once again at how neglected this book is today. With over half a million sermons available on Sermon Audio, a resource that I frequent on a regular basis, there were two messages dealing with Revelation 8 (and both were by the same pastor).

John Calvin, one of the greatest theologians to ever live, wrote an extensive commentary on every book of the Bible except…Revelation. He couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around this particular book – and so he skipped it.

If guys like Calvin are bypassing this material, it’s no wonder we hear as little as we do about this book. Yet, I was also reminded this week, through a message by Pastor John Piper, that if only those things in the book of Revelation that are screaming obvious were to penetrate our hearts…it could change our church forever. If only the simplest truths were to actually take root in our hearts and minds – it would completely alter the way we worship and witness forever.

Jesus promised a blessing to those who read and practice this book, and we don’t need to know all the mysterious details for God to totally bless us in our study together.

Chapter 6 – First Six Seals (Revealing God’s will for the future of the earth)

Chapter 7 – God caring for His saints and caring for them throughout eternity

Chapter 8 – The Seventh (and last) seal is opened…and all heaven hushed its sound (8:1)

“And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” (8:2)

Here in this Seventh Seal John sees seven angels, each carrying a trumpet.

What is the significance of the Trumpet?

• This instruments appears approximately 100 times in the Bible:
• Used to symbolize the voice of God: Isaiah 58:1: Rev. 1:10-11; Rev. 4:1
• Used to signal God’s presence: Exodus 19:16, 19
• Prelude war: Joshua 6:20
• Gather a nation together: Judges 3:27
• Assist in worship: Nehemiah 12:35-412 Chr. 29:25-28
• Proclaim the arrival of a new season: Lev. 23:24; 25:9; 1 Chr. 15:24; 2 Chr. 29:27; Ps. 81:3; 98:6
• Announce the coming of a king: 1 Kings 1:34-41
• Usher in the glorious appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ: 1 Thes. 4:16

Here in the Bible, when the trumpet comes into the picture…people would do well to pay attention, because something important is about to follow.

Here in Revelation 8, each time an angel blows the trumpet, Judgment of epic proportion is unleashed upon the earth. While the first six seals were devastating…the seven trumpets that John sees in this seventh seal are far worse yet. Hence, the use of the trumpets.

REVELATION EIGHT

“When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (8:1)

• Some people have wondered if that means that there will be no women in heaven!

“And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” (8:2)

• God is issuing these trumpets as a symbol to the people that they would do well to pay attention to what is about to follow. It is actually an act of kindness (a last chance wakeup call) that God is given these trumpets.

“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” (8:3-5)

FIRST TRUMPET

“So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves[i] to sound. The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” (8:6-7)

• Is this directly from the hand of God or could this be indirectlyfrom the hand of God? While God is ultimately the One working here…could He be using human means to accomplish His will?
  • Exodus 3:7-8, “I have come down to deliver them…”
  • Exodus 3:10, “Come now, therefore, and I will send you…”
    • God is saying to Moses, “I am going to deliver Israel, but I am going to do it through you.”
    • I – Through – You

A number of commentators believe that this hail-like fire from heaven would have been the only imagery that John would have had if he was trying to describe the scene of a nuclear war. Ultimately, the Lamb is the One who is ushering this catastrophic judgment of hail-like fire from the sky, but could He use a nuclear war as the instrument of His will? Absolutely. Is our world prepped for a nuclear war? Again, absolutely. If nothing else, this makes for an interesting dinner conversation!

• In this “trumpet judgment” we see that “a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up”. Plant life was the first thing to be created after the earth was formed – and it is the first to be destroyed here in the end.

SECOND TRUMPET

“Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (8:8-9)

• Much of the judgments that are poured out after each of these trumpets are reminiscent of the plagues that God poured out on Egypt right before He took His people out and led them home to the Promised Land.
  • 8:8 – sea turned to blood
  • 9:2 – sun darkened
  • 9:3 – locust

THIRD TRUMPET

“Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water: and the name of the star is Wormwood[ii]; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.” (8:10-11)

FOURTH TRUMPET

“Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened: and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (8:12-13)

• “Woe, Woe, Woe”: meaning it is going to be worse yet in the final 3 trumpets.

Look for a moment at what God is taking away here in these “Trumpet Judgments”:

• Vegetation
• Water
• Ships
• Sun
• Moon
• Stars
• Day and Night

What did Job say the day that God allowed everything in his life to be stripped away? “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

APPLICATION #1 - WE NEED TO BE A GRATEFUL PEOPLE. (v.6-12)

Be careful what you take for granted…

• Sun, water, vegetation are all gifts.
• Breath is a gift (Take a breath right now. That was gift!)
• Sight is a gift
• Mobility is a gift
• Opportunities, Time – gifts
• Food, Shelter, Clothing – gifts
  • Do you have a place to stay? A roof under which you can sleep at night? It’s a gift; and it is a gift that not everybody has.
  • Do you have something on the menu for lunch? It is a gift.
  • Do you have a coat for the winter months? It’s a gift.

Here in America, we have adopted an attitude that “We Deserve”.

There was a pastor who was meeting a friend in the community for lunch at the local café. When the two men received their food, the pastor bowed his head and silently gave thanks for his food while the other man just started eating. When the pastor finished his prayer, his friend asked, “Were you praying for your food just now?” “Yes,” responded the pastor. “I was thanking the Lord for it.”

“Ah, I don’t do that”, was the other man’s reply. “I work hard for my food. So when I get it, I just dig right in.” With a subtle grin across his face, the pastor answered, “You know, my dog does the same thing!”

This “I deserve this” attitude is rampant in our country today, and any honest person outside of America will tell you the same thing. Only they often aren’t quite as cordial in their opinions of us.

1^st of all – we need to be reminded that we aren’t promised or guaranteed any of these things in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible are we promised food, shelter, clothing, time, another opportunity. [iii] The scene in Revelation 8 is God taking away things that we were never guaranteed to keep.

2^nd of all – there is only one “need” that we are promised in the Bible and that is Jesus…[iv]

• James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father…”
  • God has poured out His blessings…
  • But, while we enjoy the blessings – as a whole, our world has not recognized the Giver…and neither have we been thankful. (Much like the 10 Lepers in Luke 17:11-19)
• Romans 1:21, “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful…”

One summary of Revelation Eight: One day, our proud, little, ungrateful world is going to have our undeserved blessings stripped away because we have refused to acknowledge the Giver.

Take a minute to think through all the blessing that God has poured out into your life:

• A home
• Food
• Athletic Ability
• Health
• Family
• Transportation
• Eyesight
• Time
• An income

How often do you acknowledge to God that you are thankful for these things?

While the scene in Revelation 8 will one day take place, what can we learn from this chapter in the meantime? The answer: Be a thankful, grateful people.

Ephesians 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Not say thanks…GIVE thanks.
• While words are important – they can be so hollow when we don’t back them up with actions.

God is not looking for His people to say “thank you”, although that would be a great place to start. He is looking for people to give “thanks”. God did not just say, “I love you”. He demonstrated His love by giving His only begotten Son. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)

While we still have opportunity – it is our moral, ethical, biblical and just plain reasonable responsibility and privilege of giving God thanks…and one of the best ways we can show love and appreciate to our God is by showing love and appreciating to those around us.

• Loving People in Jesus’ Name = Loving God (Matthew 22:37-40)
• Giving a glass of water in My Name = You give it to Me (Matthew 10:42)
• Ministering to the Least of These = Ministering to Me (Matthew 25:40)

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

That’s the way it’s going to be in heaven. In REVELATION 4:9-10, Heaven is “Giving thanks and casting crowns…” Their voices are working in tandem with their hands.

GIVE THANKS TO JESUS BY GIVING THANKS TO THOSE AROUND YOU IN HIS NAME

Leaders (Sunday School Superintendent, AWANA Leader, Board Chairmen, Trustee Chairman, Employer, Husband)

• Pray for those under your leadership
• Supportthem
• Assist them
• Serve them
• Write them a thank you note
• Maybe give them a gift card

Employees

• When was the last time you wrote your employer a thank you card for giving you a job?

Those who are supporting you in some way

• Is somebody supporting you financially
• Is somebody providing you a home
• Is somebody providing you with food

Family Members

• Parents who raised you
• Sibling who has ever stood by your side

APPLICATION #2: WE NEED TO BE A PRAYING PEOPLE (v.3-5)

Right before these 7 trumpets begin to announce the destruction of the world, there is a Heavenly Silence. Why? Probably the hosts of heaven stand in dread awe—dumbstruck, as it were, with what is about to happen with the opening of the scroll. Yet, more than dread and awe are in this silence. There is something else that is happening in this profound silence.

In the midst of this silence, we have a dramatic presentation of the importance of the prayers of God’s people. All of heaven hushes its sound so that the prayers of the saints may be heard. Before the scroll is opened God wants to make clear to John and to his readers (us) the preciousness and the power of the prayers of His people.

What is our role right now as it pertains to the end of the world as we know it? To be a people of prayer. The two most powerful weapons that we possess are The Word of God and Biblical Prayer

Three things that we see about prayer here in verses 3-5

1. Why pray? Because it is the fragrance of Heaven!

• “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2
• Why Pray? Because it brings God joy.

As a whole, we can be such a selfish people…and our prayer life depends on whether or not we feel like praying – but how often do we stop and ask ourselves, “I wonder if God feels like hearing me pray?” We are aware of prayer being a benefit to “us”, but how often do we consider that prayer is also one of “GOD’S” greatest pleasures?

• Maybe you won’t feel like praying tonight when you go to bed…but I wonder if God feels like you praying?
• Maybe you won’t feel like praying the next time you sin…I wonder if God feels like you praying?
• Maybe you won’t feel like praying the next time you are evaluating a financial decision…

Doesn’t God ever get sick of my prayers? NOPE!

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
• Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”
• Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Think of the things you do for your spouse (that you don’t always have a desire to do…but you know how much they appreciate it)

• Maybe your spouse really likes her ear rubbed! Maybe, as the husband in this scenario, you don’t really get a kick out of rubbing her ears, but you know how much she enjoys it…and so you rub her ears because your desire is to bring her pleasure.
• Maybe she also really enjoys back rubs, foot rubs, shoulder rubs (rubs in general), and so you become quite adept at giving rubs because you know that they bring her joy!
• Maybe you don’t enjoy brushing your teeth, but you brush your teeth because you know it makes her happy!

Who are you really focused on in your prayers? Is it yourself? Or is it Jesus?

2. Why pray? Because our prayers are what God uses to usher in the end of the world.

The utterly astonishing thing about this text is that it portrays the prayers of the saints as the instrument God uses to usher in the end of the world with great divine judgments. It pictures the prayers of the saints accumulating on the altar before the throne of God until the appointed time when they are taken up like fire from the altar and thrown upon the earth to bring about the consummation of God’s kingdom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other words, what we have in this text is an explanation of what has happened to the millions upon millions of prayers over the last 2,000 years as the saints have cried out again and again, “Thy kingdom come . . . Thy kingdom come.”

• Not one of these prayers, prayed in faith, has been ignored.
• Not one is lost or forgotten. Not one has been ineffectual or pointless.
• They have all been gathering on the altar before the throne of God.

And the flame has been growing brighter and brighter and more and more pleasing in the presence of God. And the time will come when God will command his holy angel to take his mighty censer and fill it with fire from the altar where the prayers burn before the Lord, and pour it out on the world to bring all God’s great and holy purposes to completion. Which means that the consummation of history will be owing to the supplication of the saints who cry to God day and night. Not one God-exalting prayer has ever been in vain.[v]

“The fire comes from the very altar on which the prayers of the saints have been offered. This surely means that the prayers of God’s people play a necessary part in ushering in the judgments of God. “What are the real master-powers behind the world and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is the astonishing answer: the prayers of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth.” (Thomas Torrance, quoted in Morris, Revelation, p. 121)

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Since God is using your prayers as a means to an end: Don’t lose heart in your prayers! (Luke 18:1)

3. Why pray? Because it will be such a joy to be part of something so much bigger than yourself

Back in college, I had the opportunity of singing in the Northwestern College Choir when they recorded several different CDs. Now, while it is impossible to distinguish my voice from all the rest, I have the joy of knowing that I was part of that project. Did Mr. Sawyer (the director) need me to make that CD sound as phenomenal as it does? He most definitely did not need me! Yet, what a privilege it was for me to be part of something so much bigger than myself!

So it is with our prayers. Does God need your prayers? No, but what privilege to know that He desires them and to have the opportunity of being part of something so much bigger than ourselves!

Applications:

1) We are to be a grateful people

2) We are to be a praying people

;

Epic Unveiling // Revelation 7

The Unveiling of Christ in the Midst of Hard Times

Back in chapter six, John recounts all that he saw as Jesus opened the mysterious scroll containing God’s will for the future of His creation.  Each time Jesus breaks one of the seals, we are given a picture of Jesus’ wrath that is going to be unleashed in these end times.

We need to be reminded that God desperately loves the world, so much so – that He once poured out all His wrath of sin upon His perfect Lamb and only begotten Son, Jesus.  Here in Revelation, the wrath of the Lamb is being poured out (not because of sin – for God’s wrath was already poured out once for sin) upon a world that has rejected His sacrifice.  This day of wrath is not due to an unloving God, but rather it is the result of an unloving people who have rejected the great love of God.  If God allowed such wrath as Calvary to be poured out on His Son, do not marvel at the wrath that will one day be poured out on all those who rejected God’s precious gift.  Love was mingled with wrath the first time.  Utter judgment will be mingled with wrath this last time.

In recapping chapter 6 it will suffice to say that “it is hard times” for planet earth.  The goal of the human race at this point in history has shifted from vacations and Volkswagens and Veltins Pilsener and the slopes at Vail to simply…staying alive[i].  Even this most basic of human instincts eventually succumbs to a desire for death.  “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will fell from them” (Rev. 9:6).

The first six seals are broken in chapter six, but the seventh seal isn’t broken until chapter eight.  For as devastating as the first six seals were[ii], the seventh is going to be much worse yet.  In fact, it is so shockingly catastrophic that all of heaven is silent for half an hour (Rev. 8:1).  Even the angels are speechless during this time, and then when the judgment of the seventh seal begins to unfold, the angels can be heard screaming, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth.” (Rev. 8:13).

Before this utter devastation of the seventh seal is unleashed upon the earth, we have this calm in the midst of the storm here in chapter seven.

I was nine years old when my little sister was born.  Rachel was probably one of the best babies to ever grace our little planet.  While my spankings (even as a baby!) were as consistent and predictable as the morning sun, it was a rare day indeed when Dad’s hand would have warrant to make contact with Rachel’s little behind.  However, when all was not well in baby paradise, that girl had a scream that would make witches run for their lives.  God created her with a pair of lungs that would make fire sirens jealous. A horrible, deafening sound.

Graciously, however, God programed this child with a brief warning mechanism before the shriek was fully engaged.  There was a momentary, eerie calm as she sucked in all the oxygen that her little lungs could muster.  In that brief respite, her audience had opportunity to prepare for what was to come!

That unnerving, air-sucking calm is the scene before us here in chapter 7.

The Unveiling of Christ in the Midst of Hard Times. 

1.      Sovereignty of Jesus (even in the midst of hard times)

Revelation 7:1

There are four angels encompassing the earth, holding back these four winds[iii] which are symbolic of God’s judgment.  In visualizing the earth as a map, these four angels are stationed at the four, outreaching corners of the map, and their job, at the moment, is to keep the pending judgment from sweeping through the land just yet.

Revelation 7:2-3

Another angel, speaking on God’s behalf commands these other four angels to hold the wind of judgment until the appointed time.  “Don’t let this wind of judgment blow on anything until the time that God has predetermined.”

It is worth noting that such control over the wind was not an unfamiliar scene to the apostle in the audience.  This heavenly episode must have been powerfully reminiscent of the day Jesus rebuked the wind on the Sea of Galilee when the disciples were in the midst of a raging storm! (Mark 4:35-42)

John was in the boat the day that Jesus exercised His authority over the wind.  What a blessing for John to see this once again…only on a much larger scale!  What a special reminder to John that His beloved friend and Savior is still “the same yesterday, today, and forever”[iv].

Yes, even in the storms, God is Sovereign.  Every aspect of this Apocalyptic storm (and all of life’s storms) is in God’s control

In college I majored in Journalism.  One of the first things you learn in this collegiate field is “The 5 W’s and an H” that need to be addressed in every journalistic news piece. Who, What, Where, When, Why and How?  In the middle of this storm, God is in control of all these things.[v]  Before He allows this storm to come crashing down, He is going to remind His servants that He has not forgotten them…and that no matter what happens – He has claimed them as His own.

In verse 3 we hear the angel given the command not to harm anything “until”…  As Scott Krippayne so eloquently put it, “Sometimes He calms the storm, and other times He calms His child.”

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn’t mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child 

Yes, He “can” settle any sea, but it doesn’t mean He “will”.  Here in chapter 7, God is not taking His servants and removing them from a storm; He is doing something to prepare them for when the storm comes.

The Unveiling of Christ in the Midst of Hard Times. 

Life’s storms never affect more than what God intends.

• See Job’slife(Job 1:12; 2:6 and then eventually 42:10)
• Rahab(Joshua 6:17)
• Lot (Genesis 19)
• Israelites during the Egyptian plagues(Exodus 7-13)
• Noah

As the flood wasn’t allowed to destroy the earth until God had sealed up the door of the ark[vi], neither will this seventh seal erupt until God has sealed His servants…neither will your storms come until God is ready for you to go through them.  And when you do go through them – Greater is He who is in you… 1 John 4:4

As Jesus breaks the seals of this scroll and God’s plan for the end of Earth are unveiled…it’s not going to happen before He is ready.  It’s not going to happen after He is ready.  It is going to happen precisely when He is ready

2.     The Seal of Jesus

Revelation 7:3

A seal is a stamp that marks something as genuine…as in a document with the king’s seal.  It’s a means of identifying the validity of something.

            We have all sorts of seals today.  We brand (seal) our cows.  We mark our baseball gloves.  Our diplomas are marked with the school’s specific logo.

On the old Perry Mason Show, theHomicide Detective, Lieutenant Tragg would place his “identifying mark” on every object that he had previously examined in relation to a certain homicide scene. It was his security measure of making sure that nobody could falsely accuse him during a court hearing in regards to what he had or had not inspected.

We’re not told exactly what this SEAL is going tobe or what it is intended to accomplish …but there are a couple applications that (if not the main purpose) are important side purposes.

This seal will be a tremendous benefit to believers to easily distinguish between those who are really God’s people and those who just pretend.[vii]  There will be no riding the fence in the end times!  There will be no pretending.  Nobody will be asking the question, “Do you think so and so is a Believer?”

• God’s servants will be sealed with the mark of God (Rev. 7:3)
• Those who are not God’s servants will bear the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18)

You are not going to wonder, in a church worship service, who are really born again and who are just attending.  These seals make ones loyalty OBVIOUS as it will be smack dab “on their foreheads” (v. 4).  If I was living during this “Great Tribulation”, it would be such a comfort to me to know, without a doubt, those who were with me and those who weren’t.

The thing is – the Bible says that we are already sealed…and so our loyalty should be OBVIOUS NOW! 

• 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit.”
• Ephesians 1:13, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession, to the praise of His glory.”
• Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

QUESTION: Do I make it easy for others to know that I am a believer?  Is the Seal of the Holy Spirit visible in my life?  We are already marked men.  The question then is – if nobody else can tell (if it isn’t obvious to those around us), then do you really belong to who you think you belong?

• “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal:
• ‘The Lord knows those who are His’ &
• ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’.”
•                                                                2 Timothy 2:19

Application: You already bear the mark of God…Make sure your life reflects that.

Revelation 7:4-8

Here again, we need to be careful not to get bogged down with the mystery of this specific number and the specific people groups that are mentioned[viii]…and miss the heartbeat of what Jesus is revealing to John.

In order to spend any time thinking through this passage here, there are a number of questions that need to be addressed in the process:

• What does this passage reveal of Jesus?                    Subject of the Book
• How does this passage pertain to the church?           Audience of the Book
• How does this passage tie into the rest of the Bible? Context of the Book

Instead of spending our time digging through the logistics of this tribal list and the specific number that John heard…I want to use these 5 verses as a platform to look at several Biblical truths that are:

• Non-debatable in this passage
• And that hold true to the purpose, audience and context of this book as a whole.

God Knows His Chosen People[ix]

Though the children of Israel were scattered all over the world by this time[x], though their heritage is lost here on earth…it is not lost with God.  There is so much that can destroy your name here on earth, but in Christ…nothing is ever lost.

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost…” (John 17:12)

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Just because you ARE a Jew, does not mean you are a part of God’s chosen people.  Notice that not everybody from every tribe is sealed.  In fact, there are two Jewish tribes that aren’t even mentioned in this list.[xi]  Just because your folks are Christians – doesn’t mean that you are.  Likewise, just because you are a Christian – doesn’t mean your folks are.

Just because you are NOT a Jew, does not exclude you from being a part of God’s chosen people. 

• Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

Being a part of God’s family has nothing to do with your bloodline; it has to do with your heart-line.

• Galatians 3:28-29, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

It was common language back in this time period to interchange “church” and “the twelve tribes of Israel” to refer to the same people group because both represented God’s Chosen.[xii]

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God’s Chosen are always a remnant.

The number 144,000 is peanuts compared to the 14 million some Jews that are in the world today.  Breaking that down into a percentage, 144,000 is just over 1.5% of the Jewish population.  Without spending lots of time here, it’s enough for us to see that here on earth, God’s people are vastly outnumbered…even within their own groups.

• Romans 9:27, “…Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved.”
• Romans 11:2 & 5, “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew…Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”

Breaking this down for us here in America, we have a population of approximately 314 Million people.  Approximately 247 Million claim Christianity.  According to the statistic here in Revelation, that would mean that approximately 2.5 Million have actually surrendered their lives to Jesus.

This small figured would have registered to John

• “[The majority of the world is not going to be on your side]…” (John 15:18)
• “I chose you out of the world…” (John 15:19)
• “I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me…” (John 17:9)
• “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14)

Revelation 7:9-10

Today, we are pocket-groups of Christian, but…we won’t always be a remnant!  In the very next verse, John’s eyes are drawn back to a heavenly scene where, “Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations[xiii], tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (v. 9-10)

3.    Salvation of Jesus

JOHN’S DÉJÀ VU OF PALM BRANCHES & AND SHOUTS OF SALVATION

• John heard “Hosanna” (Save us) once upon a time = John 12:13
• This time he hears, “Salvation belongs to our God” (God has saved us) = Rev. 7:10

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BIBLE STUDY NOTES

(Still part of #3, The Salvation of Jesus)

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened[xiv], and the moon will not give its light[xv]; the stars will fall from heaven[xvi], and the powers of the heaves will be shaken[xvii].  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn[xviii], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

Here in Revelation 7, we both hear and see the salvation of God’s elect as He has gathered them together out of the four winds of judgment upon the earth – just as Jesus foretold in Matthew 24!

4.    Servants of Jesus

Revelation 7:9-15

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple.” Rev. 7:15

Service

1. Full-service Gas Station (They do exactly what you ask)
2. Servers at a restaurant (They give you exactly what you want)

These servants are fully aware of all that God has saved them out of – and their one desire is to worship and to serve.[xix]

Do I enjoy serving Jesus?  If a person on earth does not enjoy serving God now, what confidence does he have that he is going to be with Him in heaven…cause that’s what we are going to be doing throughout all eternity.

I was listening to my dad preach through Revelation 7, and he said that maybe what we need is a fresh view of hell – to remind us of all that we have been saved from.

5.     Sanctuary of Jesus (Revelation 7:16-17)

His people are finally safe! There is no more hunger, thirst, heat.  No more tears.  (You can also read of this beautiful scene foretold in Isaiah 49:5-10.)  Unlike the atmosphere that surrounded God’s people when they were slaves in Egypt, being a servant of God in Heaven is going to be our highest honor and greatest joy.

Another wonderful picture in verse 17 is that Jesus is still serving us.  Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in His last supper with them, here in eternity we read that He is wiping away their tears.  Even in Heaven, Jesus is still tending to His sheep!

6.     Shepherding of Jesus (Revelation 7:17)

Finally, the Lamb (who is also the Shepherd) will shepherd them throughout all eternity!  While He now bears the titles as “The Good Shepherd”, in Heaven we will actually be allowing Him to do all that His title suggests.  In this verse, “shepherd”is not just a title – it’s an action. “…for the Lamb…will shepherd them and lead them…” (v.17)  In this scene, His sheep are trusting, following, listening, and ultimately allowing Jesus to be all that He has longed to be for us since we were first created.

Revelation 6 // Epic Unveiling

In Revelation 4 & 5, John finds himself caught up in heaven, and the scene is incredible.  The setting is beautiful.  The atmosphere is electric.  The unity is contagious[i], and the worship is tremendous.  Most importantly, Jesus is unveiled as the Redeemer of His church[ii], “the Lamb who was slain” (5:12).  These two chapters are the result of love poured out.

The scene changes drastically from chapters 4& 5 to chapter 6.  Our view of heaven dissipates into an earthly scene that is full of chaos, darkness and death.  Put simply, it’s a mess!  Men are hiding from God instead of worshiping Him.  Jesus is seen as the judge of the World[iii], the Lamb who is coming with wrath (6:16).  This particular chapter is the result of wrath poured out.

Ever since before time began, God has had a plan for everything.  “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done…” (Isaiah 46:10).  In His infinite wisdom and sovereignty, we see in Revelation 13:8 that “from the foundation of the world” God had planned for His only begotten Son to be the Lamb that was slain.  God has always planned for Jesus to be a sacrifice for us.  Therefore, on the day that God made “the beast of the earth”[iv], He created the lamb with infinite comprehension of what it would always represent…the humble sacrifice of His pure and innocent Son.  Ever since sin was allowed access into our sphere, the sacrificial lamb has represented the covering of our sin, preluding the day that Jesus would shed His blood as the final and complete payment of sin.

The Lamb:

• Cain & Abel (Gen. 4:1-4)
• Abraham & Isaac (Gen. 22:7)
• Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) (1 Cor. 5:7)
• Proclamation of Jesus (John 1:29)
• Prophecy of Jesus (Isaiah 53:7)
• Always part of the plan (Rev. 13:8)
• Still bears the scars of sacrificial love (Rev. 5:6)

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Those who receive God’s incredible gift[v] and surrender their lives to Jesus have their beautiful ending told in Revelation 4-5.  The death angel passes over us because of Jesus’ blood!  Those who refuse God’s gift have a very different ending foretold in Revelation 6.

Once upon a time, God unleashed His wrath of sin on His Son, and Jesus took it willingly for you and me.  Here in chapter 6, we see the “wrath of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)”poured out on all those who refused to accept the gift that cost Him everything.

“For the wrath of God is revealed [unveiled] from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress [hold down] the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 1:8

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Growing up, I was the oldest of my sibling group.  I still am…the oldest.  Funny how that works!  Occasion, I would find good reason to pick on one of my three younger siblings. Eventually, they would tell you to stop it or they are going to “tell mom and dad”.  At that point, you have to decide whether or not you think they are bluffing!

If you perceive them to be serious (and then you believe the consequences to be as equally serious) – you then stop.  If you perceive them to be bluffing – you then “stay the course”. 

Over and over (throughout the pages of the Bible) God is telling us about the judgment that is coming against all who refuse to repent and trust in Jesus.  Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah, David, Daniel, Luke, John and our Lord Jesus are just some of the Biblical characters who heralded the message that judgment is eminent.

Here in Revelation 6, John shares with us that horrific day when Jesus finally proves that He cannot lie[vi] and unleashes the judgment that was not received at the cross.

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Read Revelation 6 = John sees that God was not bluffing when He warned of judgment.

If God is love, why would He do such horrible things to these people that He has created?

Well, God is Love[vii]…and in His great love – He made a way of escape.  Yet, He is also a God of justice, and if you will not experience that justice in what Jesus did on the cross…then you will experience it in the eternal wrath[viii] of God.

God loved us when we did not deserve it.[ix]  If you are among those in the scene of Revelation 4­-5, it is because of God’s undeserved love.  However, when Jesus pours out His’ wrath in chapter 6, it is most definitely deserved.  If you are among those in chapter 6, it’s not because of an unloving God but because of an unloving you.

As the seals securing the scroll of God’s will for the world are opened one by one, John is invited to see the horrific scene of what is commonly referred to as “the tribulation”.  According to the chapters 4 & 5, it seems as though the church is in heaven, and this time of tribulation is being unleashed against a world that has rejected Jesus up to this point.

THE SEALS

1.)    A man is given authority to conquer the earth [White Horse].  It will appear as though this rider is a victorious king.  He will have the appearance of one who is capable of controlling the world.

2.)    That image only last for a short time until an entirely different rider is seen [Red Horse].  Peace is taken from the earth, and the entire world is at war.

3.)    Following this war is another horse [Black Horse].  As a result of this world wide war, famine will cover the face of the earth.  The average working man will no longer be able to provide enough food for his family.

When I was in college, I felt as though this famine thing had ravished my land!  Unlike my seemingly wealthier college friends, I never had money to afford such culinary luxuries as Apple Bees.  Yet, my roommates graced such eateries on a regular basis.

There was, however, a diamond in the rough when it came to Apple Bees, and that was their celery sticks and nacho refills!  Every appetizer came standard with celery sticks, and as most college kids are not inclined to indulge in such greenery, it was my pleasure to take those sticks off of their hands!  Also, if I was so lucky to score a booth with someone ordering nachos, I knew that a complimentary refill of chips would be provided if one (such as myself) would simply ask for it.  And since the nacho was generally more than a single appetite could tackle, the refill basket would often go to waste.  Unless….

Some eat manna in the wilderness – while others dine on celery sticks and nacho chips!

4.)    Then, through war & starvation, over one fourth of the world’s population is killed off [Pale Horse].

5.)    Then, under the fifth seal, John sees an altar.  Under this altar are the souls of those who were killed for Jesus, and John hears that the killing isn’t over yet.[x]  In the midst of this tribulation time, there are many others who will receive Jesus and be martyred for their faith.

6.)    The sixth seal ushers in radical, natural disasters.  There is a massive earthquake.  The sun is shaded to black, the moon looks like blood.  Stars cascade from heaven to earth, the sky is ripped apart, and people are scared out of their minds.  However, it’s not the disasters of which they are most scared; the primary object of their terror is Jesus.[xi]

“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17

FIVE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”: What did Jesus want for John and the churches (and us) to see of Himself here in this chapter?

1.      Jesus is the Lord, the righteous Judge[xii].

Remember to whom this revelation was given: the churches, many of whom weren’t doing so well spiritually.  Ephesus left its first love.  Pergamos succumbed to false doctrine.  Thyatira become complacent with sin.  Sardis found it easier to fake church rather than be the church.  They had a name on the building, but weren’t actually doing anything for Jesus.  Laodicea had become comfortable in alukewarmlife.

They needed to know that the Lamb who was sacrificed for them once…will only be sacrificed for them once.  The next time He comes – it will be as Judge.

Here is the question for us: ARE YOU BE READY TO MEET JESUS AS “JUDGE”?

• Are you in love with Jesus?  It’s only the greatest commandment![xiii]  The church of Ephesus wasn’t.
• Do you have something in your life that is hindering your relationship with God – that you aren’t dealing with?  There was a church that had become complacent with such “hinderings”, and they needed to be reminded that Christ would be coming as Judge one day.
• Are you playing church?  Or are you really the “church”?

• “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Heb. 3:7-8)
• “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2)

2.      Even in times of tribulation, God is still in control.

• “…a crown was given to him…” (v.2)
• “…and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth…” (v.4)
• “…And power was given to them…” (v.8)
• “And a white robe was given to each of them…” (v.11)

3.      There is no lasting peace outside of Jesus.

Our world is full of “fixes” that don’t fix anything, cheap Band-Aids that promise a peace and produce nothing.

When I was still in grade school, I had some neighborhood friends over at my place.  At that time we had just recently had some house work done, and there was a pile of unused, pink insulation setting out in our back yard.  In case you are unfamiliar with this product, it has the appearance of cotton candy!

That particular afternoon, we were out playing in the backyard when a sinister thought entered my mind.  I tapped one of my friends (who shall remain anonymous…for my sake) and said, “Hey, you should try this stuff!”  “What is it?” he asked.  “It’s cotton candy”, was the reply of his trusted friend.

“No, it’s not.  You’ve got a pile of this stuff.”

Now, the key in a menacing situation such as this (as I had so learned from my other like-minded friends, who shall also remain anonymous to protect their childhood reputation…Jacob McGowan) is to maintain an unwavering poker face even in the early stages of skepticism!  If you believe it, they eventually will too.

“Yeah, it’s the leftovers of a party we had recently”, I responded in stride.  “It’s not quite as good as it was a couple days ago…but it’s still cotton candy.”

SOLD!  Gullible Johnny grabbed a handful of the artificially-colored fiberglass and ate it like a champ.

Again, if you have never handled this material before, it is advised to wear a mask during the duration of your exposure to it.  The contents of this stuff aren’t the healthiest to inhale into your system…much less partake of it as if it were a county fair snack!  (Obviously, I was not aware of this fact at the time.  Obviously.)  I am pleased to report that my friend lived through the ordeal, although he was out of commission for a brief spell after the incident.

I sold him a big, fat lie that day.

Satan is at work doing the same thing today, even in the church, promising peace in a retirement package, job security, a certain relationship, toys, drugs, abortion[xiv], etcetera.  It breaks my heart that we have bought into his lie – hook, line and sinker.  You would think that, after a certain amount of time, we would get wise to his lies and realize that “this isn’t cotton candy”.  This can’t be good for me.  This is not all that I was promised it would be.

In our government, we hear president after president promise peace in one form or another, but it’s only a deception because there will never be peace apart from Christ.[xv]

4.      Though it felt as though Rome was the “upper class” in their day, John sees a day when all “classes” will be totally done away with and only 2 classes of people will be left…

• Those who know Jesus (and are in heaven…rejoicing in Him)
• Those who don’t know Jesus (and are on earth…running from Him)

“When the game is over, the kings and the pawns go back into the same box[xvi].”  It’s where our souls spend eternity that really matter.  Those in Christ will spend eternity rejoicing.  Those outside of Christ will spend eternity regretting their decision.

5.      Living for Jesus is not at all easy now…but it will be worth it all then.[xvii]

“When He opened the firth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” Revelation 6:9

In our day, we act surprised when somebody does something “uncomfortable ” for Jesus.  If somebody empties a savings account to have enough money to go on a mission trip, our response would be one of two extremes.  Either we would respond with something like, “Wow, that’s incredible!  You are such a person of faith.  That is so amazing that you would do something like that!”  Either that or we would reprimand them for being so foolish with their finances.

Recently our church body donated a substantial amount of time and money into fixing somebody’s house (who is not a part of our church body), and the unanimous response from the community was, “That’s so amazing what you guys did!”

At the moment, Elizabeth and I have a family of four living with us.  They were complete strangers to us the day we invited them in…but they needed a place to stay, and we had bedrooms that weren’t being used.  They have been with us now for about a month, and the response that I hear on a regular basis is something to the tune of, “That amazing what you guys are doing for that family.”

How about hitch-hikers?  There is a stranger walking along the side of the road on a hot, summer day…do you pick him up?  While I am dangerous close to getting on a soap box that I should probably leave alone, let me just say that I have lost track of the number of walking strangers to whom I have given rides, and the most common response I hear from those who hear about my “adventures” is, “What are you thinking?  He could have been a mass-murderer for all you know.  I can’t believe you did that!”

This past week, I met a Village Missionary couple in their late 40s who left the business world in the big city of Denver in order to tell people about Jesus through the ministry of Village Missions.  What’s our response to such a decision?  “Wow, that’s crazy that you would do something like that at this point in your life!”

“Wow, that’s so amazing – you’re doing so much.”  No, I’m simply doing what Jesus told me to do.  Leaving our home for a mission field and leaving heaven for a cross aren’t on the same playing field by any stretch of the imagination…and yet somehow, those of us who have received Jesus’ sacrificial gift are still amazed when another Christian does something of this sort.

Jesus said “Follow Me”, and His life was neither comfortable nor safe!  These martyrs in verse 9 would tell you that following Jesus was neither comfortable, nor safe…but it wasn’t intended to be.

What does the term, “Christian” mean?  It means, literally, “Christ-like”.  So what was Christ’s life like?  It certainly was not comfortable, and it was not safe.  Technically speaking, if your life doesn’t look like Jesus’ life, then you are not a Christian (like Christ).  Right?  Sure, you may believe in Jesus = Believer.  However, if your life does not look like Jesus, then you are not a Christian.

When the church was first tagged as being “Christians”, they were being persecuted for their faith.  Their life was uncomfortable, and their life was unsafe.  And that’s when they were labeled, “Christians”.

Today, just ask yourself: Is my life uncomfortable in any way for Christ?  Is my life unsafe in any way for Christ?  Would I be labeled a Christian?  Jesus gave us everything, and what is so amazing is not how much some people are giving away…but rather how much some of us are hording for ourselves.

Without a doubt, it is radically exciting how much some of the folks here at Chalk Hills are giving of themselves for the cause of Christ.  It’s so totally exciting…but it’s not amazing.  What’s amazing is how much some of us are hording for ourselves after how much Jesus gave to us.

Q. What was it that these Christians, in verse 9, did to cost them their lives?  An. The Word of God and their testimony (the story that they were telling others…).  It wasn’t the paper and the cardboard cover that the communists in Russia were afraid of.  It was the way this book changed people’s lives of which they were afraid.  It was the way God’s Word was being lived out and spoken out in the lives of these Christians. 

They didn’t get in trouble for being model citizens.  They didn’t get in trouble for loving their neighbor.  They didn’t get in trouble for selling their possessions and giving the money to the poor.

They didn’t get in trouble for the way they lived but rather for the way the Word in their lives changed the words on their lips.  They got in trouble for talking about Jesus.

These last martyrs are losing their lives for the same reason that the first Christian martyr lost his’ life…for talking about Jesus.[xviii]

If you love your neighbor – great!  Such a lifestyle is a benefit to society and is a response to the second greatest commandment.[xix]  If you sell stuff and give the money to the poor – great!  But you’re not going to get in trouble for that. 

So when do we begin to find ourselves in a situation that reflects both Christ and these martyrs in verse 9?  It’s when we start opening our mouths and connecting the dots of our lifestyle for people to understand why we do what we do.

• How many of you really want your life to count for something?    Me too
• How many of you would love to lead somebody to Jesus?                Me too
• How many of you want to hear Jesus say to you, “Well Done”?     Me too
• How many of you would like to be persecuted?                                    Me neither

And therein lies the problem.  We’d rather be safe and comfortable then effective, and so we’re not saying anything about who Jesus is and what He means to us.  Our lifestyle is reflecting the deepest desire of our heart: safe and comfortable.  Leave the hitch-hiker.  You never know, he may be dangerous!  (Sorry!  Couldn’t help myself)

Same story with the church in Johns day, and they needed to be reminded that there was a Lamb in heaven that still bears the scars of an uncomfortable and unsafe life that was lived for them.  They needed to be reminded that following Jesus (by nature) will resemble the life He lived… uncomfortable and unsafe.  Yet, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  Though we go through the fire in this life, we’ve already seen what awaits us in the next, and there’s no comparison!

Epic Unveiling // Revelation 5

Read through Revelation 5

Just a reminder as we trudge through Revelation that, though much of this book is a mystery, there is still a blessing promised for those who read it.[i]  The challenge for us is to not get bogged down with all that we don’t understand to the point that we miss the heartbeat of what is happening here in these 22 chapters: namely, the epic unveiling of Jesus to people who desperately need to see Him.

Chapter four and five comprise one scene, and so we really wouldn’t need a chapter break.  Yet, nobody consulted me in dividing up this book, and so we work with what we have!  While the focal point of this book is Jesus, the background varies from chapter to chapter.  In chapter four, the background is the throne room in heaven.  Here in chapter five, our attention is directed away from the throne and onto a book (a scroll).

Revelation 5:1, “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.”

The Scroll

What might this scroll be?  For what it’s worth, here is Pastor Jeremiah’s take on this mysterious document!  Back in John’s day, it was customary under Roman law, to validate a will by having it sealed with seven seals, each from a different witness to verify the authenticity of the will.  If this scroll is indeed God’s will for the future of His world and His church, then John would have understood the meaning of the seven seals.  In chapter six, as these seals are broken and the scroll is unraveled, God’s will for the future is precisely what we see revealed.

• “God’s will, His final settlement of the affairs of the universe.”[ii]
•  “The book may mean the purposes and designs of God relative to His government of the world and the Church; but we, whose habitation is in the dust, know nothing of such things…”[iii]
• “The seven sealed book therefore is the comprehensive program of God culminating in the second coming of Christ.”[iv]
• “The book of the counsels, decrees, and purposes of God relating to His church, as to what more remarkable things should happen to it to the end of the world; which book was in the hand of the Father.”[v]

The idea here is that God has a book in which the history of the universe is already written. He has written the history of the world in advance.  In His hand He holds the history of the world, and only God can hold this scroll.

However, whether or not this is the correct meaning behind the scroll isn’t of utmost importance because the fact still remains that:

1. God is the only One who determines the course of history, meaning He is the only One who knows exactly how everything unfolds in the end.

2. God does have a book containing all the events of your life.[vi]  God isn’t crossing His fingers in regards to the future of His people, His church and His world.  Since before time began, God has known how all of this is going to climax in end.[vii]  Try as we may, there is nobody in the world who is “able“[viii] to handle the future outside of Almighty God.

Ultimately, this chapter isn’t about the contents of the scroll, but about “Who” is worthy to open it.  So this chapter ultimately reveals the worthiness of Jesus to do what no other heavenly being was worthy to do.

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Revelation 5:2, “Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’”

In the Old Testament, we read of the powerful work of just a single angel, wiping out thousands of God’s enemies in a single, cataclysmic moment.[ix]  Yet, here in Revelation it says that even this strong angel is unworthy to open this scroll.  Not even the strength of this heavenly being is capable of handling this book in the hand of God.

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Revelation 5:3, “And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 

History is brimming with folks trying to control, not only their future, but the future.  Yet, here in Revelation, it says that nobody is able to do such a thing.  We like to have our 5-year plans.  “In five years I want to be here, and I want to be doing this.”  It is okay to make plans, but don’t put your trust in your plans, because we are simply not capable of controlling the future.

James 4:13, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’.  Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’.”

James isn’t telling us not to make plans.  He isn’t telling us not to be planners.  What he says is that in the plans that you make for your life you need to acknowledge that all of your plans hinge on “if the Lord wills…”[x]

Yes, there is much value and wisdom in making plans, but we must remember that even our best-laid plans are not in our control.

Take yourself for example: Did your life turn out exactly as you planned it would?  I doubt it!  As much as we crave some semblance of control, the truth is that we are incapable and unworthy of holding the future in our hands.

——————————————————-

Revelation 5:4,“So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.”

John weeps because it appears as though there is nobody who knows how the events on earth are going to unfold, and that would be a scary thought, especially in light of the current situation in which John and the church have found themselves.

I have heard it said that hopelessness is perhaps the lowest feeling that a human being can experience.  To feel that there is no hope for your situation is when so many people put a period on the story of their life.

My cousin Aaron stole a gun and put a period on his life before he was out of high school because he felt like there was no hope for the situation he was in.  In this moment, between verses 4 and 5, this feeling of hopelessness begins to creep over John as it seems as though the future (both of him and of the churches into which he has poured his life) is uncertain.

When I was sixth grade, I had my first little girl friend.  We “dated” for a year, a month and 23 days (and eight hours…but who’s counting!) before she finally broke it off with me.  I was crushed.  I remember feeling as though my little world had just crashed into a brick wall, and there was no hope of putting the shattered pieces back together!

After several days of grieving, I decided the best way to deal with my heartache would be to get another girlfriend.  A brilliant plan to be sure!  So I “asked out” another girl in my class, and to my utter shock she said, “No”.  Well…not a biggy – I would just ask out another girl.  So the next day I did just that, and her response was a perfect echo of first girl’s: “No”.  Frustrating as it was, it was not the end of the world yet (nor the end of the female roster in my class).

So, with great resolve, I continued to ask out one girl after another, until I had nearly exhausted all of the available personnel…and they were all so negative.  Not a single one of them knew how to say, “Yes.”  So maybe I can empathize, however remotely, with John’s feeling of hopelessness!

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Revelation 5:5-7, “But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep.  Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals’.”

The Bible tells us that there is a time to weep[xi], but this is not that time.

• Because there is one who has prevailed to open the scroll[xii]
• There is one who is able to break it’s seals[xiii]
• One who is worthy to handle its contents[xiv]

Who is this being who is able?

• He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (v.5)
• He is the Lamb that was slain (v.6)

The elder introduces a Lion, but when John turns to look he sees, not a lion, but a Lamb.  The redeemed in heaven see Jesus as a Lion, the conqueror.  However, when John (who is not yet a part of this heavenly group) looks to see Jesus, he sees “a Lamb as though it had been slain...”

Isa. 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth.”

God loved you so desperately that He sent Jesus (His perfect Lamb) to die willingly for you.[xv]  Just as the Old Testament saints anticipated the sacrifice of Jesus through their sin offerings of a pure and spotless, sacrificial lambs, so Jesus was God’s pure and spotless sacrificed for our sin.

This is the Lamb that John saw in heaven.  John saw a Lamb standing (very much alive) as though it had been slain.  The sacrifice of Jesus is still fresh and current before God the Father.  The cross is not outdated in heaven.  Jesus’ sacrifice has not lost its power.  John sees a Lamb that still has the marks of sacrifice written on it!

“This form of speech is put to show the continual recent virtue of Christ’s death eternally effectual before God, as whereby once for all he hath purchased eternal redemption.”[xvi]

Because of Christ’s blood, God sees you as glorious and beautiful!  It doesn’t matter how you see yourself.  It doesn’t matter how others see you because the Lamb still carries the marks of sacrifice on it.  God sees you as glorious because of Jesus.

He says your past sin is passed.  Forget about it…because I did!

• “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
• “…For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
• “…made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)

In Our Unbiblical Rating System of Sin:

• Murder is worse than hate
• Premarital sex is worse than lust

Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that is was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…”

• Jesus equals hate with murder

Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was aid to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

• Jesus equals adultery with lust

In heaven there stands a lamb that was slain for all of your sin…for all of my sin.  There does not exist, on this earth, a sin that is worse than another sin.  On Sunday morning, our chapel is filled with a host of sinners whose concealed pasts would embarrass even the worst of us.

What we need to remember is that God doesn’t have a rating system.  God doesn’t care about your past sin.  God doesn’t care what your baggage is because His Son paid for it all.

So let it go.  What sin are you holding in your life?  Let it go.  What sin do you think is worse in somebody else’s life?   Let it go.  God did!

• John sees a Lamb who took our sin to the cross
• The redeemed in Heaven see a Lion who conquered our sin to the uttermost

What a comfort to know that Jesus is still both sacrificial Lamb and conquering Lion in Heaven!

This Jesus who created you (John 1:1) is also the one who went to the cross to change history in the redeeming of His creation (John 3:16).  Jesus created history and then altered the course of history, and therefore, He is the only One who is worthy to know God’s will as to the final events of history.

This past week I had the extreme privilege of praying with three different people to invite Jesus into their lives.  History changed this week for three different people!  What is their past?  It doesn’t matter at all what their past is.  I can tell you what their future is…because there is a lamb and lion in heaven.  JESUS.

Prayer: May we be responders to all that we have seen unveiled here in Heaven

Epic Unveiling // Chapter 4 (Part Two)

In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, the church is going through tough times (both physically and spiritually).  In chapter 5 and on through the rest of the book, we are given a glimpse into “the end of the age”[i], and it’s a catastrophic scene to say the least.

Here Chapter 4 is a gem in the middle of apparent chaos, a respite in the midst of incredible mayhem.  In the hub of what seems to be mass pandemonium, we get this picture of Jesus on His throne (4a) and He is worthy of worship (4b).

Last week (in verses 1-5) we saw a glimpse of the power & the authority of Jesus who rose from the grave and is seated on heaven’s throne just as He promised.  This is the stage that is set for the worship service that takes place here in the second half of this chapter.

Read 4:1-5 = Jesus sitting on His throne in Heaven

The second half of this chapter is a scene in heaven where the people and creatures in heaven are gathered around the throne worshipping this glorified Jesus.

The fact that this scene is taking place in heaven means that it deserves our special attention because…it was Jesus who taught us to pray that Our Father in Heaven would grant that the way things are done in Heaven would be the way things are done here on earth.

• “In this manner, therefore, pray:
• Our Father in heaven,
• Hallowed by Your name.
• Your kingdom come.
• Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
•                                                                     ~ Matthew 6:9-10

Having spent the last number of months looking at what “church worship” is to look like, it is imperative that we see what worship looks like in heaven so that we might see what God’s will is for our worship here on earth.

Read 6-11 = The Worship Scene

The rest of this scene is so something that is so heavenly and so out of this world that John has a hard time describing the scene!

• Rev. 4:1, “And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet…”
• Rev. 4:3, “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance.
• Rev. 4:7, “The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.”
• Etc.[ii]

Electricity Example

This past week we had a crew doing some electric work in our back yard.  As I stood there in my kitchen watching them tear down some telephone poles and work their magic in fixing some electrical problems we were experiencing, I began to wonder what it would be like to go back in time to a group of people living on a deserted island during the Stone Age and tell them about the wonders of “electricity”.

How hard would it be to describe such a complex phenomenon to a group of individuals who don’t have the slightest concept of such an intellectual marvel?  If all you had at your disposal were words and images from the Stone Age, how would you even begin to describe such a colossal invention?

“I’m here to tell you about an incredible thing called ‘electricity’.  It’s like a powerful spirit that runs along hard things, like vines.  But they’re not real vines…the humans make the vines, and then they string these vines from tree to tree.  First they cut down the trees, strip off all the branches and then replant them back in the ground.  Then these vines go from these bare trees into square things in their huts.  More vines attach to this square thing and run to their boiling pots.  Then, the vine spirit makes something like a fire so that they can boil water without actually having any smoke in their hut.  These vines also run from the square things into other round things on the top of the roof making something like mini suns that create light in their homes, even when it is dark outside…”

It’s tough, man!  It sounds goofy, but that’s all you’ve got.  I think John was pulling his hair out as he wrote Revelation, saying “Man, I wish you could have seen it.  It is impossible to share all that I saw, but I’m told I have to and so this is my best shot!”

Yes, there is so much more to electricity than that, but that is about the extent of the imagery that you have at your disposal.  You don’t mention the molecular nature of matter.  You don’t utter a word about atomic weights or currents.  Never do you use terms like microchips, generating capacity, watts, ohms or volts because none of these words exist in their language.

Here in Revelation, John is trying to use words and images that we can understand…all the while knowing that it sounds so goofy and bizarre because the imagery that he has at his disposal just isn’t anywhere near satisfactory to adequately depict what his eyes have just witnessed.

Before the actual worship service…we get a glimpse of Heaven’s Sanctuary (Rev. 4:3-6).

• Beautiful Stones (v.3)
• Fantastic Colors (v.3)
• Glorious Congregation (v.4)
• Powerful Sound Effects (v.5)
• Incredible Landscape (v.6)

This past week, I had the privilege of seeing the chapel building of Mission Hills in Denver, CO. were Ryan Zimmer currently serves as the associate worship pastor.  Their chapel cost $29 million to construct, and it is impressive to say the least.

Yet, as impressive as it is, it doesn’t touch this scene here!  It is peanuts compared to Heaven’s sanctuary!

This whole scene is more magnificent than we have words or images to describe!  One thing that we can take away from this is that the throne room of Heaven is going to be like nothing we have ever seen or heard!  The sights and sounds of heaven are going to be so far beyond the best of what we have experienced here on earth.

Take a minute to think through the most amazing things you have ever heard or seen here on earth:

• Watching the sunset on the Sea of Galilee
• Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon
• Swimming in Engedi Springs in Israel
• The smell of coffee in the morning
• Newsboys singing “Entertaining Angels” live before a sea of faces

As amazing as moments like these are, they are “less than nothing”[iii] compared to what awaits us in Heaven!  We don’t have words to describe how beautiful and wonderful Heaven is going to be.
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Then we get to the worship service in Heaven in verses 8-11.

My buddy Jacob recently watched one of my sermon videos online where I preached for almost an hour and said he was surprised I still had a job!

Look at the worship time frame in heaven: “And [these creatures] do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come.’” (Rev. 4:8) 

In heaven, being gathered together with your heavenly family, worshiping before the throne of Jesus, is going to be your favorite thing in the world.

Heaven’s Worship!

• Intense worship
• No bulletins
• No clocks (a pastor’s dream!)
• No announcements
• No stopping…

Self-Examination Questions:

• Do I worship God in my life non-stop?
• How often throughout the day do I even acknowledge His existence, much less His holiness!

This host of heaven is worshipping God all the time.  Maybe their appearance is a bit of a mystery…but their main occupation is no mystery.  These wonderfully strange, heavenly beings are worshipers because it’s what they want to do.  It’s what gives them pleasure…what they were created to do.

This past week, Ryan was telling me about a book that he read recently that dealt in part with the certain decibel levels needed to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable and safe worshipping.  In our culture, there is a lot of truth to that.  We feel so much more comfortable worshiping when the surroundings are “just so”.

In heaven, we see a group who wants to worship…who live to worship.  Their eyes are fixated on Jesus, and their worship is fueled by the object of their desire – Jesus, not by a certain decibel level.

Side note: I’ve heard it said that earth is the quietest place you will ever live.

• Hell = Intense Screams
• Heaven = Intense Praise

If the conditions need to be right for us to worship, then on what is our attention really focused?  If there was nothing else on a Sunday Morning, except for Jesus, would that be enough to draw you in?  Is Jesus enough, or does the preaching have to be creative and engaging.  Does the music need to be tight and artistic?  Does the decoration need to be symmetrical?  Deep down, what fuels my worship?

Can I worship when there are some wrong notes in the music or when the preacher goes longer then the comfortable 30 minutes?  What am I really focused on when I come to a worship service?

Here in this heavenly scene, we see that the worship is intense because it’s all about Jesus.  Period.

Jesus is unveiled as:

• Holy
• Lord
• God
• Almighty
• Eternally involved
• And He is enough to fuel non-stop worship!

Our life in Heaven (which is supposed to begin now) will be all about Jesus.  So the question, then, is: “Is my worship, here on earth, all about Jesus – as it is in heaven?”

Or do we worship…

• Our Kids
• Our Grandkid’s
• Our Spouses
• Our bosses
• Our coaches

Who receives the majority of our time, money, thoughts, decisions and energy?  Who takes priority on Sunday morning?

As a father, I don’t know what it’s like to have to choose Jesus over my children, but as the child, I know exactly what it’s like.  Growing up, I knew that my dad loved me like crazy, but He wouldn’t skip worship for me.  Dad wouldn’t place his family over worship for anything, and I love that about my dad.

In the four years of my high school basketball career, I can remember very few games that my parents missed.  Not only did he and mom attend all our home games, but they would also drive six hours and book a motel room to watch our road games!  My parents were my biggest fans in high school.  Yet, I knew that I was not my dad’s priority.  As devoted as he was to his son, He was far more devoted to his God.  He worshiped God first, and, again, I love that about my dad!

Back in college, I had the opportunity of traveling through Europe on a music tour.  During our stay in Germany, we attended a Sunday service at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig where Johann Sebastian Bach served as the choir director for 27 years.  Outside of this building of worship is the statue of none other than Mr. Bach himself.

While he was, without a doubt, one of the greatest musicians of all time – his musical reputation does not put him on an equal pedestal with God.  God said, “You shall not make for yourself any graven image”[iv], and yet outside this chapel in Leipzig, the image that steals your attention is that of the musician.

If that isn’t enough, when you enter into the sanctuary your eyes are drawn to the front of the room where his remains are buried.  There in the front of the sanctuary is Bach’s bronze-plated grave.  So, while the preacher is pointing to God, the landscape is pointing to Bach.

The question for the church today is this: “WHO ARE WE WORSHIPPING?”  Who are we pointing to in our lives?  Are you absolutely positive that you are not worshiping the musicians?  I know that nobody here at Chalk Hills worships the pastor =), but I wonder if that isn’t often the case in other churches. Who are you worshipping in your life?  Is it your spouse?  Your grandkids?  Your coach?  Or is it really, truly Jesus?

Heaven’s central figure is Jesus…not people, not your kids, not you.  We are called to love our wives, to love our families, but they are NOT to take priority over Jesus in our lives.  In heaven, the only thing you’ll be focused on is Jesus, and Jesus taught us pray this way, “Here on earth, as it is in Heaven…Your will be done.”

Revelation 4:9-11 is the offering part of the worship service

• They are giving Him glory
• They are giving Him honor
• They are offering their thanks
• They are giving Him power over their lives
• They are giving Jesus their crowns

CASTING CROWNS

These heavenly beings are giving their crowns to Jesus.  What a beautiful image!  The crown is the symbol of who I am (my status, my position, my name), and they cast them before the feet of Jesus.  The crown is the symbol of who they have become and all they have achieved.  It’s the symbol of everything of value in their life, and they are casting them before the feet of Jesus.

YOUR WILL BE DONE…ON EARTH…AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

What are you surrendering to God?  You know the beautiful hymn, “I Surrender All.”  Whenever that songs is played during a worship service, I can’t help but wonder how we might be forced to alter the lyrics if the song was to adequately reflect the way we really live.

Most church folk, if they were honest, would sing, “I surrender a tenth.  Some to Jesus I surrender, a tenth to Him freely give.  Sometimes I will love and trust Him, in His presence on Sunday mornings live.”

We don’t squabble too much about donating a tenth of our finances, time, energy and resources to Jesus – but “surrendering all” is just a song we sing on Sundays sometimes.  Don’t ask me to actually live that way!

CLOSING QUESTION:
What am I really surrendering in my life that resembles a crown?

• Surrendering “My Best Years” to… Adopt a child?
• Surrendering “My Home” to… Leave for the Mission field?
• Surrendering “My Finances” to… Support a Missionary or to assist in the work of the church?
• Possibly Surrendering “My Career” to…Share your faith on the jobsite?
• Surrendering “My Friends and Family” to…. Be bold about your relationship with Jesus?

What am I surrendering to God that remotely resembles a crown…verses peanuts?  Just how worthy of your crown is Jesus? 

Is He worth:

• Surrendering your addictions?
• Surrendering your laziness?
• Surrendering your passivity?
• Surrendering your image?
• Surrendering your Time?

Worthy: What exactly is Jesus worth to you?

To these heavenly creatures…He is worth their best.  To the early church…He was worth everything because, without Him, they wouldn’t even exist.

“In Him we live and move and have our being” ~ Acts 17:28

What are you then surrendering to Jesus that resembles a crown?

Epic Unveiling // Revelation 4 (Part One)

• Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…”
• Revelation 1:11, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches…”
• Revelation 1:19, “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.”
  • Three Different Time Periods
    • Things in the past                    (things which you have seen)
    • Things in the present              (things which are)
    • Things in the future                (things which will take place after this)

Revelation 4:1, “After these things, I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven.  And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’”

Up to this point in Revelation it’s been all about the church scene here on earth, but here in chapter four, we are ushered into a brand new scene.  In chapter four, John relays what he saw regarding the future.  We have now reached the “after this” part of Revelation.

John is given a vision of Heaven, and in chapters 4 and 5, and (through his writing) we are ushered into the throne room of Heaven, and the theme of this particular is “The Power and Authority of Jesus”.

Again, Revelation is not primarily about things that are going to place in the future.  According to Revelation 1:1, the purpose of this book is primarily to unveil the person of Jesus.  So, here in chapter 4, the revelation is of the power and authority of Jesus.

Remember back to Matthew 28:18 when Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”; well that is exactly what we get to see here in chapter four.

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Something peculiar happens in this chapter though; the church seems to disappear.  The past three chapters have been drenched with a subtheme of “church”, and now we suddenly don’t hear the word “church” again until the conclusion of the book.

Why is that peculiar, you may wonder?  Well, because it was for the church that this book was written in the first place.[i]

Since this book is written for the church that has seemingly vanished, for what little it may be worth, I want to share with you what I think happened to the church and how I reach that conclusion based on Scripture.

The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which literally means, “to call out of.”

• People who know Jesus as their Savior and Friend who are, as Jesus said in John 17:16, “not of this world”.
• 1 Thess. 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
• 1 Cor. 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall al be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound[ii], and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
• Hebrews 11:13-16, “…they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland…But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

The church (by definition and by promise of Jesus) isn’t sticking around here on this earth forever.  So, for the church to disappear from the earthly scene is only expected.

Since this book is written to the church and since we are now given a sneak peek into Heaven’s throne room (which is where Jesus promised He was taking His church “after these things” are over[iii]), it stands to reason that the church must have transitioned into this new scene – just with a different name since they are no longer “the called out”.  Having reached their homeland, they are now “those called in”.  Since the word “church” no longer fits this redeemed people, it stands to reason that this people group is still a major focus in this epic unveiling, only now referred to with more heavenly-appropriate titles such as elders, saints, bride, redeemed.

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• Revelation 4:1a, “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven…”
  • John saw an open door because He knew Jesus as His personal Savior.
  • What door will you see when you stand on the brink of eternity?
    • Is heaven’s door going to be standing open?
    • Or is heaven’s door going to be shut?
  • Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?

Revelation 4:1b, “And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here,’…”

• What a beautiful thing to hear from Jesus!
• In John 14:3 Jesus said, “I will come again and receive you unto Myself…”
  • That’s what John heard.  What are yougoing to hear when you stand on the brink of eternity?
    • “Welcome Home”?                 (Matthew 25:21)
    • Or “Depart from Me”?           (Matthew 7:23)
  • Again, the answer to this question boils down to whether or not you really do know Jesus as Your Savior, Master and Friend.

Revelation 4:1c, “And I will show you things which must take place after this.”

Jesus did notsay…

• Things that will probably take place
• Things that I assume will take place
• Things that I hope to see take place if everything goes as planned

Jesus knows EXACTLY what’s going down in the future.  Acts 15:18 says, “known to God from eternity are all His works.”

• Jesus says that these are the things which “MUST” take place after this because I [Jesus] am the One Who is planning it all!

The world is not spinning out of control.  The world has always been spinning out of our control, but the world has never been spinning out of control.  To John and to the church of his day, it probably felt as though the world was on a violent spiral to a rocky bottom[iv]…like a bad roller coaster ride.

Several years ago, my bride took me down to Disney World for my birthday.  (While the trip was labeled as a birthday present for me…I’m not convinced her motivation was entirely selfless as she has always loved this particular amusement park!)  In her altruistic generosity, she purchased tickets for three different parks and made it possible for us to spend an entire day at each particular park.  (Maybe I need to clarify here that my favorite amusement park adventures are the “lazy river” and “train” rides.  I would take a slushy and a stationary bench over a rollercoaster any day!)

Yet, the lazy rivers are far and few between there in the wonderful world of Disney.  For some reason, roller coasters seem to dominate the landscape.  One particular day, I somehow ended up on a roller coaster called “The Hulk”.  Normally, I would know better than to strap my fragile body onto any high-powered contraption with such a terrifying title, but by this point in my birthday hurrah I was no longer thinking as clearly as I would have liked.

It actually turned out to be super fun…for the first six seconds.  After those first six seconds, it was simply miserable from there on out!  It was one of those life-experiences where you find your mind giving instructions to the rest of your body: “Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.  Close your eyes.  Go to your happy place.  Don’t puke on the lady in front of you.”

When the ride had finally parked back at home base, somewhere in the chaos between my ears I could hear directions coming from the loudspeaker for everybody to please exit to their right.  As disoriented as I was by this point, I felt I was making good progress just to be standing upright, let alone comprehending the monotone directions coming from a bored supervisor.  At any rate, I started cautiously exiting the ride, but not according to proper procedure, apparently, because the loudspeaker came to life once again.

“Sir, to your right.”

I knew that announcement was directed at me because I was the only person left on the ride by this point.  Yet, it apparently took me too long to process the directions because the loudspeaker boomed to life a third time with a rather frustrated tone asking me if I would “PLEASE EXIT THE RIDE TO YOUR RIGHT, SIR”.  Quickly concluding that I must have been going the wrong way on my first attempt, I figured I had a decent chance of pleasing the supervisor if I were to try exiting in the other direction.  When the loudspeaker remained quiet, I knew that I had successfully exited that horrible, green apparatus of death.  Though my sweetheart was waiting by the “Re-Enter” sign when I had finally made my way down the exit ramp, I personally would not be harnessed next to her.  No, I would be the guy sitting on the nearby bench with a slushy and a brown paper bag!

That to say, I think I have a good visual to attach to what these churches might have been feeling during this point in history!

Yet, here in chapter four, Jesus shows John a glimpse of the end, and that IT’S ALL PLANNED OUT!  It’s not a roller coaster ride gone bad.

• “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed
• And in Your book they all were written,
• The days fashioned for me,
• When as yet there were none of them.”
•       ~ Psalm 139:16

As crazy as your life gets, it’s never out of control.  It’s just out of your control.

• Either that can frustrate you
• Or it can encourage you to rest in the fact that “you’re in better hands”.
  • I don’t have control, but I know that God does, and because of that I can rest in the fact that my life is going to turn out so much better than if it were all up to me.  The fact that life is out of my control is actually the best case scenario when Almighty God is in the equation!

Revelation 4:2, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.”

• The throne is set in heaven
  • The real throne is not in Rome
  • The real throne is not in the White House
  • True control does not proceed from popular culture

It’s like one of those shopping carts that have a little plastic car attached to it that a mother’s child can sit in while she shops.  On this little car is a plastic steering wheel that allows the child to feel like he or she is in control even though it’s obvious to everybody else in the store that mom is the one who is ultimately in control.

Though the kid is turning the steering wheel left, the cart is only going to go left if mom has already predetermined to go left.  The kid gets to feel in control, but those feelings don’t equal truth.  The real throne in this situation is with the one pushing the cart from behind.

Though our world is full of men who think they are sitting on various thrones, in God’s eyes they have as much control as that little boy with his plastic wheel that is attached to nothing!  God is still the one who is pushing everything from behind the scene (Proverbs 21:1).

• The throne of thrones is set in heaven.  No matter what you are going through or how the world is unraveling around you, here is an epic unveiling…the real throne is still in heaven, and there is only room for one on this throne.  What an encouragement to John, to the churches then and to the church today if we allow it to be.

Revelation 4:3-5, “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.  Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.  And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.  And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

The throne of God is surrounded by 24 other thrones.  On these thrones sit the elders that (I believe) symbolize the church that overcame through the blood of Christ.[v]

• There are 24 elders
  • God’s chosen people in the Old Testament consisted of 12 tribes.
  • Jesus’ personally chosen group in the New Testament consisted of 12 apostles.
    • 12+12 = 24 people representing the sum of those whom God has chosen[vi].
• These elders are donned in white robes
  • Jesus promised white robes to the church that “overcomes”. (Rev. 3:5)
• They are wearing crowns of goldon their heads
  • Again, Jesus promised such crowns to the church that was “faithful until death”. (Rev. 2:10)
• They are sitting on thrones
  • Jesus promised such authority to His church that “overcomes”. (Rev. 2:26-27)

If these elders do refer to the church, then Revelation 4 and 5 paint the church in whole different light.  One day the tables will be turned.

In this day, the church is the laughingstock of media.  We are the individuals the movies degrade.  We are the ones labeled as outcasts of sorts.  But one day we will be transformed into a very different, glorious light.

• 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
  • That is precisely the scene here in Revelation 4 and 5.  Jesus is being revealed, and in His revelation of Himself, we see our own selves revealed as to “what we shall be”.

However, whether I’m right in regards to who these elders are doesn’t really matter because they aren’t the focal point in this scene anyway.  Though these elders are decorated with crowns, look at what they are doing with these crowns… “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy, O Lord,’…” (Rev. 4:10-11).

This scene isn’t about the identity of the elders.  This scene is about the power and authority and worthiness of Jesus.  These elders are just background to a scene that is glorifying the person of Jesus.

Revelation 4:5, “And from the throne proceeded lightings, thundering, and voices…”

We see in verse 5 that this throne is surrounded by visible and audible displays of power and splendor.

I remember heading home after a Sunday evening bible study one night when I was still in elementary school and opening the chapel door to a lighting storm of postcard proportions!  Neither before nor since have I witnessed a lightning storm quite like this one.  As I stood there underneath the entryway awning, it felt as though I was standing in the middle of an electricity globe.  Electricity encompassed the night sky.  Standing in the midst of these non-stop electric currents, I remember being struck (pun intended) with the realization of how much power was coursing through the sky above me!

A number of years later, I was on a camping trip with a high school buddy.  That night, a thunderstorm erupted, and we lay wide awake in the tent just listening to the thunder clouds explode around us.  We were both just waiting for one of the nearby trees to collapse on top of us.  A very powerless feeling to be sure!

Perhaps that’s the message in this heavenly scene.  True power reaches its source at the throne of God.

• That’s why prayer is so important
• That’s why acknowledging our weakness and resting on Christ’s strength is so important
• That’s why God’s promises are so precious because only He is powerful enough to carry out what He says.

All of this builds up to the worship scene where angels, heavenly creatures and elders gather around the throne and worship the One who is worthy.

Romans 14:11 assures us that one day, “Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 

• Either you will bow out of holy fear, joy and excitement…as a friend.
• Or you will bow as a defeated foe.

It will not be just an okay day when Jesus comes back.  Nobody will be doing “fine”.  You will either be doing “most excellent” or “not good at all”.  The question then is: when this heavenly scene unfolds, will it be something of which you take part?

Romans 10:9-13 tells us that anybody can be part of this scene, but you have to do business with God through His Son Jesus first.  Don’t wait to do that.

Epic Unveiling // Revelation 3

A few reminders:

• The church is around 60 years removed from Christ’s physical presence with them, and it seems to be wearing on them.  The church is struggling to say the least.
• The church is in the midst of a time of tribulation and persecution, and it was a very fitting time for Jesus to unveilHimself to John and the churches and to remind them:
  • I am still here             (Hebrews 13:5)
  • I am still working        (Romans 8:28)
  • I have not left you alone (John 14:18)

Remember, the point of Revelation is not for us to know how the “end times” is going to unfold.[i]  The purpose of this book according to Revelation 1:1[ii] is for a weary disciple and a struggling group of churches to get a fresh glimpse of their Lord and Savior, Jesus.  Revelation is Jesus revealing (unveiling) Himself to people who desperately needed to see Him.

Actually, the deeper we get into this book, the more we will realize that we too desperately NEED to see Jesus (through this book) today.

READ THROUGH REVELATION 3

As I read through chapter 3, one of the first things that jumped out at me was the stamina of the churches.  Spiritually, it seems as though these churches are exhausted, hanging on by a thread.

• 3:2, “…the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”

The church of Sardis is on the verge of being no more.  What little they do have going for them is about ready to die.  They’re a struggling church.

Maybe you can identify with this feeling!  You’re just a breath away from your candle blowing out spiritually.  You feel like you’re on your back, and two second have past…and you are “this close” from the hearing the hand slap the mat indicating that “it’s all over for you”.

• 3:4, “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments…”
• 3:8, “…you have a little strength…”
• 3:11, “hold fast what you [do] have…”

I don’t doubt that there are some of us who are at this point right now.  Getting tired, being exhausted, losing stamina is part of the human experience.  The question is not whether or not you are tired or burned out in your walk with Christ…but rather how you will respond when those times come.

Q.  Will you give up or fill up?

It was soon after I received my driver’s license that I took a three-hour road trip to visit my best friend.  Not anticipating the return trek, I emptied all of my available currency on “non-fuel related items”!

After spending several days frolicking about his neck of the woods, I turned on the ignition to initiate the journey home and noticed that the gas gauge was on empty.  I suppose I was too proud to ask for financial assistance from my buddy, so I decided to see how far I could get on an empty tank and an extended prayer!

Halfway through my return voyage, the gas gauge was now an unhealthy distance below the empty mark, and I decided that it was probably unwise to attempt the final leg of the trip without putting at least a little something in the gas tank!

So I stopped at a gas station, and left no floor mat and no seat cushion unturned in pursuit of loose change.  Having exhausted my search, I managed to scrounge up 86 cents.  (Side note: in case you ever plan on pumping 86 cents worth of gas into your car, just be forewarned that it’s slightly awkward when you go to pay for it!)

That small donation pushed the gas gauge almost back up to empty, and I finished the remaining hour and a half on precious fumes and unceasing prayer!

Sometimes I feel like that car; if I were to put anything into my spiritual tank – I might get back up to empty.  It seems as though these churches here in Revelation have reached this point.

When I was growing up in central Minnesota, my dad would take my two brothers and I to go help him cut wood in a nearby field.  It was a summer highlight for us elementary-age boys!  We’d get so excited to “go work” with Dad!  He would drive his old Farmall B tractor, and we would ride behind in the trailer down the 2-mile stretch of road to the field.

Dad would take his chain saw and cut down the trees and then slice them into manageable sections while we piled the wood into the trailer.  “Work” always went stellar for the first hour, but then we would eventually get tired (and a little bored…) and wander off in search of something less grueling and more fun.  It was the same story every time, without exception.  There were four people working at the beginning; mid-way through the afternoon, there was only one who was working, and the other three were building forts and having stick/sword fights.

We were staying busy and having fun, but we weren’t doing what we had come to do…we weren’t doing what our Father was doing.

That lack of energy down the stretch wasn’t unique to us three boys.  It’s been a recurring theme throughout man’s existence.

In Mark 14:32-42, Jesus asks His disciples to pray for Him on this eve of His betrayal and arrest.  In just a matter of hours, Jesus is going to start the heart-wrenching journey to the cross, and He longs to have His disciples lift Him up in prayer.

“Sure thing, Jesus.  You can count on us.  We’ve got your back.”  How long did their enthusiastic response last?  A whole hour.  Mark writes, “Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?’…Again He went away and prayed…and when He returned, He found them asleep again…Then He came the third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?’”

You see this same phenomenon happen in the Church. In Acts 2, the church is siked out of their minds for the mission to which they had been called.  They are pouring themselves out as an offering to a world who needs to see Jesus.  They are fellowshipping together.  They are preaching the unedited gospel of Christ.  They are standing up for what they believe in.  They are loving the least of these.  Here in the beginning, all that mattered to the church was JESUS.

However, by the time we get to Revelation, the church is barely hanging on spiritually.  They have grown weary in the “work” of the gospel and have resorted to playing with the various cultural sticks of their day – keeping busy but not with the task to which Jesus had called them to in the beginning.  By the time we reach Revelation, the church has lost the passion, zeal[iii] and love[iv] that they had back when this whole thing started, and so Jesus shows up here in this Book of Unveiling to light a fire in their midst once again.

Several words of encouragement and exhortation that the church (both then and now) can glean from this epic unveiling in chapter three are:

1. GOD IS NOT SURPRISED BY OUR WEAKNESS AND OUR FAILURES.

• Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
• Psalm 139:15, “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
• Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…”
• Ephesians 2:1-6, “And you He made alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world…But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…”
  • In other words, Jesus knew all about my pathetic heart before He died on the cross for me.  He knew everything about my sinful ways before He suffered for me.  No, my weaknesses and failures are no surprise to God.
• 1 Corinthians 15:42-43, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.  It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.”
  • The very fabric of our being is weak.  Why?  So that in our weakness, we might glorify our Creator by acknowledging our desperate need for Him and by living as though we desperately need Him.
• Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
  • God is not surprised by our weakness because Jesus Himself walk in our shoes.  He experienced first-hand the struggles that we face.

Here in Revelation 3, Jesus is not saying, “Wow, you guys really are a piece of work.  I had no idea you were going to turn out to be such a pill!”  Au contraire; He has already told them that He died for them while they were still dead in sins.  He saw the sum total of their mistake-ridden life, and He still gave up His life for them.  The story doesn’t change with us today.  God saw our whole life before He sent Jesus to the cross.  Jesus isn’t “beside Himself” because they haven’t turned out like He’d hoped.  Instead, the Bible tells us that He is right there “beside them” because He has always known their weakness.[v]

2. WHILE GOD IS NOT SURPRISED BY OUR FAILURES, NEITHER IS HE RELAXED WITH OUR FAILURES.

Something that you never hear God say is, “Oh, it’s just a stage that they’re going through right now.”  “Oh, they just struggle with that particular thing, and that’s just the way it is.”

He knows our sin and loves us desperately (even in our sin)…but sin makes God sick (Rev. 3:15-16).          The church’s la-ti-da attitude toward sin, toward life, toward serving God, toward the mission of the church made God sick.  God is not surprised by our sin, but neither is He tolerant of our sin.  God never tolerates sin, and Revelation 3 is no exception.

To the end of ridding the church of the mediocre passion and lukewarm heart that Jesus hates, we see Him here in chapters two and three walking among the churches – not thumbing them out of existence but rather engaging them with encouragement and exhortation to deal with these various spiritual roadblocks.

• Rev. 3:3, “…Hold fast and repent…”
• Rev. 3:5, “He who overcomes shall be [rewarded]…”
• Rev. 3:12, “He who overcomes, I will [reward] him…”
• Rev. 3:20-22, “…If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and [have a relationship with him]…To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame …”

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Side Question:  Why were we created in weakness if it leads to that which makes God sick?

Because if our weakness turns us to Christ (instead of complacency) then God is glorified in a way that only our weakness could accomplish.  We were created in weakness so that we might rely on His strength; that we might trust in Him, lean on Him, rely on Him.  As a watching world sees God’s strength at work in weak Christians – then our weakness is accomplishing more than our strength ever could!

When Fathers say, “God, I’ve got a family, and I can’t do this on my own.  I need you.”  When you turn to God and say, “I’m weak.  You be strong on my behalf.”  Then God gets to do just that.  He gets to come in and take care of your life, and through our weakness He is glorified as our Provider, Protector, Shepherd, Sustainer, Peace, Comfort.

Shortly after I had learned how to ride a bicycle, Dad and I went on a 4-mile bike ride together on the minimum maintenance roads near our home in central Minnesota.  About half-way through this particular bike ride, my little legs become utterly exhausted!  Apparently, Dad had put too much stock in his young, riding companion to take him on such an extended expedition!  I said “Dad, I’m done.  You’ve got to help me, dad, because I can’t go anymore.”

In his sheer genius (at least in this little boy’s mind) Dad found took some twine from a nearby fence post and tied one end to the back of his bike and then fastened the other end to the front of mine.  After the twine was securely in place, he asked me if I thought I had enough muster left in me to stay on my bike and steer while He pulled me the rest of the way back home.  So, I still participated in the journey…but it was Dad who did almost all the work!  Any dairy onlookers who happened to be grazing nearby could clearly see that Jeremiah was making this trek because of the work of his father who was going before him!  If cows could give praise, the little boy in the rear wouldn’t have been receiving any of it that afternoon.  It was the father who would have received all the praise because of his work through my weakness.

Similarly, if the church would simply acknowledge our weakness and say, “God, we need You to work in and through us.  We’re not throwing in the towel, but we are most definitely surrendering our life to Your strength” then only God knows how much He could accomplish through our weakness.  It’s for that reason we were created in weakness.

Paul said that if he was to boast about anything, it would be in the fact that he is weak and therefore, on my behalf, Christ is strong (2 Cor. 11:30).

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        3.  GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN TOO MUCH TO LET THEM PERSIST IN SIN.

• Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”
• Proverbs 13:24, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”

When it came to those verses, there was no doubt in my mind that my dad desperately loved me!  My dad loved me often my whole life.  I received spankings as often as most kids received vitamins!

Yet, he did it right.  Dad sandwiched his discipline with love.  He’d start the spanking deluxe with the infamous words, “You know that I’m going to do this because I love you.”  POW!  Then he would top it off with a hug and a reminder that “I did that because I love you.”

I remember thinking, “Dad, love really hurts man!  Dad, can I show you love some time.  See how you like it!”  If you love your kids, you are going to discipline them; that’s just the way it is.  It’s called “Tough Love”.

God is not on a rampage here in Revelation 3.  He’s on a love-page.  He loves His church, and so He is reprimanding them out of love.

4. TRUST THAT GOD KNOWS MORE ABOUT LIFE THAN YOU DO.  SO LISTEN WHEN HE SPEAKS AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY.

• Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  AKA: Do life God’s way.

Here in Revelation 3:17, we hear the church of Laodicea saying, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing…”  WE DON’T NEED A THING.  OUR CHURCH HAS GOT IT TOGETHER!!! 

Major red flags here.  Jesus responds to their preposterous self-praise by saying, “…[actually] you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked – ”  (3:17b).  You have no idea what kind of a mess you’re in right now.  You think you have it all together – you don’t!  You’re quite a sight, actually.

It’s interesting that the church who thought they were doing the best was the church that received the harshest rebuke.  Why?  God hates pride because it wars against repentance, and repentance is how we change.

5.  THOUGH HIS BRIDE (THE CHURCH) IS BREAKING HIS HEART, THIS CHAPTER IS NOT A “DEAR JOHN” LETTER.

Though Jesus is in the process of blowing the lid off and exposing all the junk in their lives in chapters two and three, it is not a “Dear John” letter.  He doesn’t say “I’m through with you.  You are so messed up – I can’t deal with this any longer.”  He doesn’t say that.

Here’s what He says instead, “I counsel you, [do business with Me]…Behold, I stand at the door and knock” and I want to have a relationship with you.  Open up to Me.  Let Me help you.  (Rev. 3:20)

I think there are a lot of us who need to hear this word from Jesus.  Notice that it wasn’t to non-Christians that Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock”.  He says this to the church because there’s a chapel full of people with closed doors who need to let Jesus come in a door a changing work in their lives.

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A couple Father’s Day thoughts from Revelation 3

• Here in Revelation we see a Father who pursues His children
  • Dads, pursue your kids!
• We see a Husband pursing His bride (the church)
  • Husbands, pursue your bride!
• We see a Father who isn’t complacent or passive
  • Men, if we don’t stand up for what it right – then we aren’t answering the call that God has placed on our lives.
    

    ---

EPIC UNVEILING // Revelation 2

Revelation 2 opens with Jesus walking in the midst of the churches.  He is not a god who is aloof and distant somewhere in the clouds…

• He is the God who promised to never leaven them, nor forsake them, Heb. 13:5
• The God who is even right now in their midst
• The God who is searching their hearts, Rev. 2:23Epic Unveiling (Revelation 2)

God is doing an examination in their midst, and these two chapters are a brief diagnostic of the spiritual condition of these seven churches.

Recently, I was reading about a man who underwent a serious surgery.  Having woken up from his surgery, he looked around and saw two other patients in the room who were also awake.  Breathing a sigh of relief, the he looked at the other two patients in the nearby beds and said, “Thank goodness that’s over.”

“Don’t get too excited,” one of the patients replied. “They had to open me up again because they left a sponge inside me.”

“They had to cut me open again too,” said the other one, “just to recover one of their instruments.”

Just then the doctor poked his head in and asked, “Has anyone seen my hat?”

These next two chapters (2-3) are a series of letters to the churches with an examine report included.  Revelation 2-3 is an unveiling of how these churches have done in the past and how they are doing right now.  A report card.

Report Card: reveals our progress in a certain area for the purpose of letting us know what areas we are excelling in and what areas we need to work on improving.  Actually, it’s probably meant more to inform the parents regarding which areas their child needs to work on.

• It’s a way of saying:
• “Dr. Mr. & Mrs. Knoop,
• Your son is doing quite well in English, but Science and Math are kicking his pants! 
• He’s also struggling in History, Health and P.E.”

I hated report cards, because they usually had an unpleasant effect on my home life for a while. Since I didn’t care nearly as much about improving my grades as I did about being comfortable (and disclosing my report cards to my parents was generally never a comfortable thing) it was much easier for me to keep my educational progress concealed from my parents than to deal with the repercussions.

So my game-plan throughout elementary and Jr. High was to stuff all of my bad tests and negative report cards in a memory box that I had stored away in my closet.  My parents required that we show them our report cards, and so I decided to honor their wish…but I would just wait until I was 18 or so before I followed through with it!

I hid my progress reports because Honesty often hurts.  Whether it’s being honest about yourself to somebody else…or being honest to somebody else about them.  It’s hard to be “humbly honest” to others regarding things we see in their life that might need improvement, and so most of the time, we choose the road with least resistance and keep our mouths shut.

• “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…” ~ Proverbs 27:6
• “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be kindness…let my head not refuse it.” ~ Psalm 141:5

Here in Revelation 2-3, Jesus loves His church enough to be honest with them.  In this report card that we are privy to, there are parts of this report card that are positive, and there are areas that need some work… —————————————————-

• EPHESUS:                 2:1-7
• SMYRNA:                  2:8-11
• PERGAMOS:             2:12-17
• THYATIRA:              2:18-29

—————————————————-

• SARDIS:                    3:1-6
• PHILADELPHIA:     3:7-13
• LAODICEA:              3:14-22

—————————————————-

SEVEN CHURCHES

• Some good (2)   -  Smyrna & Philadelphia
• Some bad (1)     -  Laodicea
• Some mix (4)     -  Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, & Sardis

As we read through some of the negative stuff on these church’s records, we need to recognize that Jesus doesn’t share these things to degrade the church.  His heart, as the High Priest in charge of the candlesticks, is for them be the light of the world they were created to be (Matt. 5:14-16)[i]…and so He is simple exposing things that are hindering their light so that the problem might be remedied.

So the command for the churches (and us) is to listen because this is stuff we need to hear. (vs. 7, 11, 17, 24)

Read Chapter Two

• So much encouragement in this letter for John, for the universal church and for us today.
• There is also much exhortation in these letters (again, both for the churches then, and for us today)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Morning:

1. 1.      Broad look at Christ’s Unveiled Word for His Church
   1. a.      Starting with the encouragement
   2. b.      Then at the exhortation
   3. c.       Close with Christ’s Challenge to the Church

This Evening

1. 1.      We will zoom in and take a closer look at the churches here in this chapter
2. 2.      As well as a number of other key verses in this chapter
3. 3.      Pull in more Scripture throughout the rest of the Bible

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ENCOURAGEMENT

While the details of each individual church differ, there are several themes that appear in each church…

1. “I know“

• I know your works…(2:2, 9, 13, 19) His eyes of fire see what you do for Him that nobody else sees.[ii]
• Where you live         (13)                 (tough neighborhood, family life, roommate…)
• What you are going through (9)
• What you are about to go through, (10) and I know how it all ends

He is walking among the churches… (1), searching the minds and hearts… (23), and He says, “I Know”

What a comfort to John about himself What a comfort to John regarding those who were dear to him, people that he himself could do little or nothing to help

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#2 – And He says, “I will give to each one of you according to your works” (vs. 23)

“I WILL GIVE”  (vs. 7, 10, 17, 23, 28)

• Promise to the churches and to each of us as individuals (each one of you)…
• When you live for Christ, He promises over and over in His Word to bless you
  • Hebrews 11:6, “…He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him…”
  • Doesn’t necessarily mean physical blessings
  • Sometimes He blesses you with an overwhelming sense of peace // or joy // contentment

What an encouragement to this old man, exiled here on this desolate, volcanic island!  Jesus says, even on this forsaken island – I still see you.

• “Where can I go from Your Spirit?
• Or where can I flee from Your presence?[iii]
• If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
• If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
• If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
• Even there Your hand shall lead me,
• And your right hand shall hold me.”
•                                                                         ~ Psalm 139:7-10

I see you, John.  I’m with you, John.  I know your works; I know where you dwell; I know what you’re going through – and it has not been in vain…for “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me…” (Revelation 22:12)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#3 – Jesus is Everything You Need – (Not just in general…but in specific)

EPHESUS (v. 1)  “He who holds the seven stars (angels, messengers)[iv] in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the [churches].” 

When Rick prays for me (his pastor) before I preach, he prays that the message would be true and accurate according to God’s Word.  Well, the Church in Ephesus struggled with having messengers who weren’t preaching an accurate message.

What a hardship that would be for a church family and for those pastors who were trying to preach “sound doctrine”.  I imagine that questions must have surfaced about the future if so many “messengers” were going the way of the world: “Is our pastor going to make it?” “Is he going to cave too?”  No doubt the pastors (who were intimately aware of their weaknesses) had the same questions about themselves. I do

“To the angel (messenger…the pastor) of the church of Ephesus…I am the One Who holds you in My right hand.”

• Church: be encouraged, your pastor is held in the right hand of Jesus Christ!
• Pastor: be encouraged, you are held in the right hand of Jesus Christ!

• And as J. I. Packer said,
• “You are not strong enough to fall
• While God is resolved to hold you.”

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SMYRNA (v. 8) “The First and the Last, Who was dead and came to life”

Smyrna was going through some incredibly tough tribulation, and in this persecution, some of them were about to face prison and then death.  They needed to be reminded that Jesus is the “Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the First and the Last who was dead and came to life” so that even in the valley of the shadow of death, they might find peace and hope in the Jesus who also went through this valley and came through “to life” on the other side.

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PERGAMOS (v. 12) “He who has the sharp two-edge sword”

• Hebrews 4:12, “Word of God, sharper than any two-edge sword…” (see also John 1:1, 14)

Pergamos struggled with false doctrine.  They needed truth, and that’s what Jesus was for them.  He is the Word full of grace and truth. 

It’s my guess that some of you here need to experience Jesus in this way.  Some of have been sucked into the words of the culture, of your peers, of popular opinion, of the news…and you need the One who has the truth.[v]

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THYATIRA (v. 18) “The Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass”

• Son of God = Holy, Perfect, Pure, All-Powerful,
• Eyes like fire = Passionate; Piercing through to the heart;
• Feet like fine brass (also 1:15) = Judgment, Refinement

Thyatira had become complacent and comfortable (or, at the very least, tolerable) with sin, and they needed to hear from a God who is pure and holy and sees their hearts and is not okay with their complacency in sin.  They needed a God who loved them enough to deal with their indwelling sin so that it wouldn’t destroy them in the end.  (See James 1:14-15)

As a little boy, hearing the feet of Dad coming down the stairs (after I had done something wrong) was all I needed to hear to know that I needed to repent and change my ways!

Perhaps, some of you need to see Jesus unveiled as the Son of God who is going to deal with sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***  Here in chapter two, Jesus unveils Himself as the God who is whatever we need Him to be for us as a church and as individuals. ***

• Do you need a friend?              Matthew 11:19; John 15:13-14
• Do you need a counselor?       Isaiah 9:6
• Comforter?                              John 14:16; 2 Corinthians 1:3
• Redeemer?                              Isaiah 63:9; Job 19:25
• Provider?                                 Genesis 22:14; Philippians 4:19
• Hope?                                      1 Timothy 1:1
• Peace?                                     Ephesians 2:14

NOW…A WORD OF EXHORTAION

#4 – He is also the Judge and the Disciplinarian when we need it.

As much as God knows the things we do in secret for His glory, He also knows those things we do that are not according to His heart…the things we do that are against His heart and that do not honor Him or bring Him glory.  And His promise is true for these things as well: “I will give to each one of you according to your works.”

There are a number of churches that have such things in their report card that need to be dealt with.  “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you…” (v. 4, 14, 20)

God loves His people too much to let them continue in sin and so He says, “Repent…or else” (v. 5, 16, 21).  We read over and over in the Bible that God delights in repentance, not punishment.[vi]  That’s why Jesus came to the cross.  But (in His relentless love) He does threaten terrible things if we will not repent (v. 5, 16, 22-23).

This is where biblical command to the “FEAR GOD” really comes into play.  Over and over and over in the Bible, God’s people are commanded to fear Him.

As you look across America today, I think we fit in pretty well with Paul’s words in Romans 3:10-18 where he says that people aren’t seeking after God and “there is no fear of God before their eyes”.  We approve of the command to love God, but we don’t give much thought to the command of fearing God.  We’re not sure how to reconcile the two commands together.  They seem to contradict each other.

A helpful illustration for me is in my relationship with my dad.  I had an unquestioning confidence in Dad’s love for me, and so I didn’t fear him as a person.  My place in the family as his son was never hanging in the balance.  Yet, because Dad loved me and wanted the best for my life, I knew that he would NEVER let my disobedience go un-dealt with, and that gave me great cause for fear!  Again, I never feared that my dad would disown me or abuse me because of my disobedience…but I feared often about how he was going to deal with me in my disobedience!  Because (in love) HE ALWAYS DEALT WITH MY DISOBEDIENCE!  Dad wasn’t part of the movement that counted to three before they took action!  Shucks, Dad never even counted to “one”.  Because of that, I didn’t grew up with the notion that I had two free seconds to continue being disobedient before I made that 3rd second gamble on whether or not dad was actually going to follow through with his threat.

• I didn’t get away with sass,
• I didn’t get away with eye-rolling
• I didn’t get away with pouting
• I didn’t get away with delayed obedience
• I didn’t get away with NOTHING.  EVER!

Because there was no doubt in my mind that dad meant business with me (and that he would always carry through with what he said) – I had a healthy, productive, biblical fear of my dad!

Make no mistake, church, when God threatens – He means business, and you would do well to fear and to respond accordingly.[vii] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLOSING = Jesus’ Challenge to the Church

1. 1.      Repent
2. 2.      Listen to the Holy Spirit
3. 3.      Overcome (don’t give up)
4. 4.      Be faithful to the end
5. 5.      Hold fast (hang on; hang in there ‘til Jesus comes back)

It’s called a challenge because it’s not easy…but the Bible promises that doing life Jesus’ way is worth it in the end.

            Paul’s victory cry in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 sums it up beautifully…

PRAYER

• Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…to His servant John”

This John is the same guy who wrote the Gospel of John and the three New Testament letters from John.  His gospel was written first, sometime between AD 60 and AD 90.  His three letters were written around AD 90 at a time when sound doctrine was being challenged by an explosion of false teachings.  Finally, the book of Revelation was written several years later in AD 95-96 while on the island of Patmos.  By this time, John would have been one of the last surviving eyewitnesses of Jesus.

• Revelation 1:1, “things which must shortly take place…” 

That word of prophecy was given almost two thousand years ago.  Not exactly how I would define “shortly”.   Yet, we need to remember that our timetable is not synonymous with God’s.  “Beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).  Even if Jesus doesn’t come back for another thousand years, what is that in light of eternity?  It’s a blink.  A flash.

Perhaps a better translation of this particular Hebrew word would be: “quickly” or “swiftly”.   Though, to us, it may seem as though Jesus is taking His sweet time in coming back, when Jesus does comes back, His work is most definitely going to unfold “quickly”.  “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Actually, the longer God waits before His “swift” return is for our benefit.  The longer we are kept here on this planet, the more time we have to share the good news of Christ with others before eternity begins.  “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come (eventually) as a thief in the night (swiftly), in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:9-10)

• Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written it it…”

There is a blessing that God has promised in this book, but it only applies to those who read, hear and respond accordingly to what they read and hear.  “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

• Revelation 1:4, “…Grace to you and peace from Him…”

It’s worth noting here that grace comes before peace.  There is no true peace for those who have not first experienced God’s grace.  The “peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:9)” can only be enjoyed when you have been “saved by grace” (Eph. 2:8).  Paul is writing this to folks who have tasted God’s grace in the shed blood of Christ, and this letter is a means of reminding them of the peace that they can have (even during these extremely tough times – Rev. 2:9-10).  When God’s grace has captured your mind (as it captured the mind of John Newton, author of Amazing Grace), then there is a beautiful peace that circumstances and mistakes and hardships can’t touch.  God promised that “[He] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on [Him].” (Isaiah 26:3)

• Revelation 1:5, “from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth…”

Having been encouraged himself, John then proceeds to encourage both the Asian churches and the church here at Chalk Hills with the promise of grace and peace based on the character of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the faithful witness to the fact that we can know this peace regardless of our circumstances.

• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)
• “…we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)
• “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:20)
• ”If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

These verses (and a host of other similar verses) attest to the fact that Jesus stands as a faithful witness on our behalf against anything the devil or the world may throw our way.  I can be at peace with myself (regardless of my past, present or future) because Jesus is at the witness stand testifying that I have been washed in His own blood (Rev. 1:5) and that I am “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5).

He is also “the firstborn from the dead”, meaning that He conquered the grave.  Death could not hold Him, and since we are in His hands – neither can it hold us!  Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)  If there was nothing else in John’s life that could be depicted as “peaceful”, there was a peace in knowing that death was not the end.  Death was simply a doorway into paradise because John’s Savior had defeated death on the cross, and He now holds “the keys of…Death” in His hands. (Rev. 1:18).

Not only is He the faithful Witness and risen Savior, but He is also the “ruler over the kings of the earth”.  Oh, what encouragement this must have been to John, who had been exiled to Patmos by one such earthly king.  What a peace this must have been to the churches who were finding themselves at the end of kings’ pointing fingers.  Regardless of the authority they appeared to possess, Jesus surpassed them all.

• Jesus once said to Pilate, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”  (John 19:11)
• “…for He is Lord of lords and King of kings…”  (Revelation 17:14)

Though these earthly kings played god, they were mere puppets in the hands of God Almighty because “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  (Proverbs 21:1)

• Revelation 1:5b-6, “…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us *a kingdom of priests[i] to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.”

Just another reminder as to the point of this book; an epic unveiling of the eternal glory of Him who loved us and shed His own blood to wash us from our sins.  As J. Vernon McGee put it, “This is a Christocentric book.  The glorified Christ is the subject.  Don’t get your eyes on the horsemen or on the bowls of wrath or on the beasts – they are just passing through.  Fix your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.”[ii]   “To Him…to Him be glory…”

As for us, we have been fashioned to be a kingdom of people who “proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness, into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  Just as the priests would minister to God in the tabernacle and in the temple, so it is our eternal privilege to spend forever glorifying the character of God before His throne.  (And it is going to be anything but boring…just in case you’re wondering.  It’s going to be the highlight of eternity!)

• Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pieced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen.”

For those of us who know Jesus as our Lord (boss) and Savior, Christ’s return is going to be the greatest day of our lives.  However, for those who are of the earth and not of Christ, this is going to be a day that is horrendous beyond their worst nightmare.

• “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Joel 2:30-31)

Yes, this day is going to be both “great” and “terrible”.  It all depends on who you know! [iii]  (See my sermon notes for Joel, Part Two: http://jfknoop.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/the-day-the-lord-comes-joel-part-two/)

Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…”

This is a theme that we will become familiar with here in this book:

• “Immediately I was in the Spirit…” (Revelation 4:2)
• “So he carried me away in the Spirit…” (Revelation 17:3)
• “And he carried me away in the Spirit…” (Revelation 21:10)

Nothing productive EVER happens in life that doesn’t involve the work of the Spirit.  The church didn’t have a chance of being effective unless the Holy Spirit came and filled them first (Acts 1:8).  The Spirit descended upon Jesus before He began His ministry (Matthew 3:16).  This epic unveiling of Jesus Christ and the events of the future (as they pertain to the work of Christ) are given to John through the working of the Spirit.

As a church, this is an illustrative reminder that we won’t be going anywhere of eternal significance if we aren’t “in the Spirit”, allowing Christ’s Spirit to work in and through us.  Just as Revelation is a highly forgotten book, so author Francis Chan rightly titled the Holy Spirit, “The Forgotten God”, and it doesn’t take but a glance to see how this un-remembering is affecting the American Church today.

The other thing worth noting about this verse is that, even on this deserted island of Patmos, John was honoring the Lord’s Day.  He wasn’t picking up a couple extra hours at the rock cutting factory.  He wasn’t fixing leaks in his cave roof.  He wasn’t spending the day with a television remote in his hand.  On this special day, he was “in the Spirit”.

• Revelation 1:11, “…What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia…”

If this vision was only meant for John, there would have been no need for him to write it down in a book.  No, this vision was given for the benefit of the church as well.  Also, unlike Daniel’s vision (Daniel 8:26), John is given specific instructions to make sure this prophecy remains unsealed (Revelation 22:10) because people need to read it.

Revelation 1:12-16 = The Vision of Son of Man

• Clothed – As the Eternal High Priest
• Snow-white hair – Eternal wisdom, perspective and insight         (see sermon notes for this chapter)
• Eyes of fire – Enthusiasm and energy     (see sermon notes for this chapter)
• Feet like brass – Symbolic of His role as the Great Judge
• Voice as the sound of many waters – Authority and power in His Words
• Countenance like the sun – Strength and glory

Revelation 1:17, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”

This apostle, who had a casual relationship with Jesus during His earthly ministry, is now lying at Jesus’ feet as a dead man.  The glorified Son of Man is sight far more magnificent and terrifying than a mere human being is capable of beholding.  He wasn’t giving Jesus a big high five followed by a fist pound explosion; he was doing the face plant!

It’s a bit concerning how often I hear Christians tell me that they don’t fear Jesus.  Let there be no mistake, John fell at His feet as dead.  He had a very holy fear of Jesus, as we are commanded to throughout the whole of Scripture.

• “Now this is the commandment…which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you…that you may fear the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)
• “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever…” (Psalm 19:9)
• “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!  There is no want to those who fear Him.” (Psalm 34:9)
• “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)

Revelation 1:17b, “But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid…’”

Here comes one of the wonderful paradoxes in the Bible.  While we are commanded to fear the Lord, John also hears Jesus say to Him, “Do not be afraid!”  While the glory of Christ is a beautifully terrifying sight for John’s mortal eyes, the character of Christ also assures this saint that he need to be afraid because “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Growing up, I wasn’t afraid of my dad, but I most definitely did have a healthy fear of Dad!  I knew he loved me and cared about me, and so I wasn’t afraid of him as a person.  However, I think I had a healthy respect of his role in my life and his authority to deal with situations in a manner that most definitely spurred a fear within me at times.  An appropriate fear for the relation we had as father and son; the same relationship we have with our Father in Heaven.  We are both commanded to fear God, and yet (at the same time) to not be afraid of Him because…

• “I am the First and the Last” (vs. 17)
• “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.  Amen (It’s true!) (vs. 18)
• “I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (vs. 18)

Revelation 1:19, “Write the things which you have seen (past) and the things which are (present), and the things which will take place after this (future).”

• In this book, Jesus is unveiling much about the past
  • There are calculated to be over 500 references or allusions to the Old Testament in Revelation; meaning, half of this book is dealing with things in the past. [iv]
  • In other words, you can’t really get a clear picture of what God is doing in the Old Testament without studying the book of Revelation because this final book brings everything in the Old Testament to a climax.  It completes the Old Testament, and vice versa.
    • Take its ties with Genesis for example:
      • In Genesis, the earth was created; In Revelation, it passes away
      • Satan’s first rebellion was in Genesis; His final rebellion, Revelation
      • In Genesis, darkness was called night; while Revelation refers to a time and place where there is “no night there”
      • In Genesis, sin entered the world; it finds its eternal exit in Revelation
      • The curse was pronounced in Genesis; removed in Revelation
      • Genesis is the beginning of sorrow; Revelation is its end
      • Babylon (man’s city) was being built in Genesis; destroyed in Revelation
      • Satan’s doom was dictated in Genesis; carried out in Revelation
      • Etc.

Christ unveils things dealing with the present – things pertaining specifically to Jesus Christ and His church in Asia

Finally, this book is also a disclosing of future events – the end times and the coming Day of the Lord.  Namely, that Jesus is coming, and He will be victorious when He does come.

Epic Unveiling // Revelation 1

I)      Brief Context: John in Exile – 1:9

• The year is A.D. 95 (or thereabouts)
• Jesus had created the church (Matt. 16:18), died for the church (Acts 20:28), raised from the dead and promised that He was coming back for His church (John 14:3)
• In the years that followed, the church caught like wildfire (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 6:1; 8:4-5; 9:31, 35, 42)
• They began turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6)
• Because of their influence on the world, one of the greatest persecutions in church history began taking place
  • Herod Agrippa I – killed the apostle James in AD 44 (Acts 12:1-2)
  • Nero – garden of Christians set on fire in AD 67-68
    • Over 1 million Jews were exterminated
    • Jerusalem was destroyed
    • Under his rule, Peter was crucified upside down
    • Under his rule, Paul was beheaded
  • Andrew – is also said to have been crucified
  • According to tradition, James son of Alpheus was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned,
  • Mark – was reported to have been dragged through the streets by a team of horses
  • Simon – was sawed to pieces
  • Bartholomew – was whipped to death
  • Thomas – was speared
  • Jude – killed with arrow

The Roman Emperor Domitian came on the scene & became the first emperor to DEMAND WORSHIP OF HIMSELF – which, for obvious reasons, made him furious with the Christians who refused to give worship to any human being other than the resurrected Jesus Christ.

• Under Domitian’s rule – Luke was hanged
• John was boiled in oiled – but was miraculously saved.

Having survived the whole boiling episode, John was then exiled to the island of Patmos (AD 95) because, like the rest of the early church, he wouldn’t keep quiet about Jesus no matter what kind of persecution he endured (Revelation 1:9).   John was somewhere around 90 years old when his exile took place.

• Patmos = small, desolate, volcanic island in the Aegean Sea – where the Romans banished criminals.
• Here in this desolate place…
  • Banished from civilization, from family…
  • Taken from his church families scattered throughout Asia…
    • Who desperately needed John’s influence because:
      • Being 60 years removed from Christ
      • Having endured so much tribulation (Revelation 2:10)
      • Surrounded by all the other secular, cultural, religious influences
      • They had grown lukewarm in their relationship with Jesus (Rev. 3:15)
      • They left their first love (Rev. 2:4)
      • They began to hold onto other belief (Rev. 2:14)
      • They became relaxed in sin (Rev. 2:20)

JOHN FOUND HIMSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF PSALM 61:1-2 AT THE END OF THE EARTH

Questions that might having been coursing through my mind if I had been in John’s sandals:

• Was that short little run really all Jesus had intended?
• Is God done?
• Is the mission lost?
• Is the church over?
• Is this really how it all ends?
• Where are You, God?

This leads us to REVELATION 1:9-11 where John sees Jesus in a vision and is then told to write his vision in a book and send it to the churches scattered throughout Asia as a means of great encouragement and exhortation to them during this difficult time.

This book that is almost untouched in our churches today…was likely the most cherished book for the churches back then.

• Because it was the glorified Christ assuring a tired, weary, persecuted church that:
  • No, this is not the end.
  • No, the mission is not lost.
  • No, the church is not over.
  • Yes, I am still in control of this world.
  • I have not forgotten all of my promises to you
  • Neither have I forgotten you

This was Jesus saying “I know what you’re going through, and it is not in vain.” ~ Revelation 2:8-10

• Like a group of sailors, lost at sea, desperate to catch a glimpse of the shore, John and the Church are desperate to catch a glimpse of Jesus…and here on the island of Patmos, Jesus does just that.
  • He shows Himself to John (through a vision) and to the churches (through John’s book of the vision) – Rev. 1:10-11
  • And He shows them “things which must…take place [in the coming days]” (Rev. 1:1, 19) and that in these coming days (when the world gets CRAZY) ~ HE IS STILL IN CONTROL.

Before we even begin…let’s just pause for a second to acknowledge that maybe some of us are in a similar place today.

• Tired (spiritually, emotionally, physically…)
• Feel like our faith is burning out
• Spiritually, you feel like you’re on an island all by itself
• Maybe you’ve begun to tire of fighting for what you know is right, tired of always being at odds against the culture…and so if you were honest, you’d describe your relationship with Jesus as “lukewarm” – toned down a bit from what it once was
• Maybe you’ve become relaxed in a certain sin

Then, I can’t tell you how excited I am to go through this study with you…because this book was written for you…

“…God gave Him to show His servants…” (Rev. 1:1)

• Are you a servant of God (remember last week’s message?)
• Then this is for you

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it…” (Rev. 1:3 & 22:7)

***THE ONLY BOOK IN THE BIBLE THAT SPECIFICALLY PROMISES SUCH A BLESSING***

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This morning:

A)   Set the compass for this journey through the Book of Revelation

1. What’s the objective of our study?
2. What’s the purpose of spending the next FIVE MONTHS in this book?

B)    Outline the main points of chapter one

C)    Close by looking at a Revelation of Jesus that we are given here in vs. 12-18 to both challenge and encourage us throughout the rest of our week

This evening:

A)   Dig deeper into the main points of the chapter

B)    Connect other passages in the Bible to what is going on here

C)    Look at several verses that we won’t even touch this morning

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We find our compass for this journey through the Book of Revelation in Revelation 1:1

REVELATION: Taken from the Greek word “Apokalypsis” = meaning “unveiling”, “disclosure” or “revelation”.

• The primary purpose of this book is NOT to disclose future events.
• The primary purpose of this book is NOT to unveil the end times.
• The primary purpose of this book is NOT to reveal the details of the Great Tribulation.

While these “things which must shortly [quickly] take place” is a purpose of the book, it is not “THE” purpose.  Not the primary purpose.  In this journey through this book, the future events are like the scenery outside our window.  We are meant to see these things along the way, but these “things” are not where we need to set the compass of our hearts and minds.

The primary purpose of this book comes in the first five words: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”.

Notice:

• Revelation is singular.  The point of this book isn’t to show us multiple things; the main point is the unveiling of One…and that is of Jesus Christ.
• Not “from” Jesus Christ…it’s the Revelation “of” Jesus Christ

Maybe you say that “of ” is the same as saying “from” and that it could just as easily read, “The Revelation from Jesus Christ.”  Couldn’t that be a possible translation?

According to verse one, with whom does this revealing originate?  Where does it start?  Who is it ultimately from? Answer: GOD (meaning, God the Father).  So then, technically, it would be not be “from” Jesus.  This revelation starts with God – is then given to Jesus – then to His angel – to John – in a book to the churches – and into our hands today.  So then, this book is not primarily a revelation “from” Jesus as it is a revelation “of” Jesus.

The compass of our study is Jesus.  The primary purpose of this book is the revealing of the risen Jesus.  Our objective in this study is to look at Jesus, to see Jesus, to know Jesus more.

• We don’t need to know what happens in the end times
• Nearly as much as
• We need to know Jesus when our end times come.

Eph. 1:15-23 – “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ…may give to you the…revelation in the knowledge of Him…”

Acts 1:6-8 – “…It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you…shall be witnesses to Me…to the end of the earth [be it Patmos or Africa or Kansas! ]…”

• The point is not “the times”
• The point is “knowing Jesus and sharing Jesus” in “the times”

That’s the point of the church & (as we will see over the next several months) is also the point of this highly neglected book.

           Pretend I am Sports Car Dealer offering you a Ford GT90 (once labeled as “the world’s mightiest supercar”) for free!

In convincing you that this is a car worth owning, I begin to share the specs with you: White, carbon fiber body panels; body designed with all sorts of stunning angels and curves; roofline cut doors; all-blue interior; all-round double wishbone suspension and five-speed manual gearbox borrowed from the Jaguar; siamesed 5.9L quad-turbocharged V12 block engine taken from the Lincoln Mark VIII; 720 horse power; top speeds of 235 mph.  Well worth the 3 Million Dollar price tag…but I’m offering it to you for free.  It’s a gift.  All you need do is accept it and drive it!

However, since you’re not exactly sure what a “wishbone suspension” means, and “quad-turbocharged” sounds a bit confusing – you decide to decline the offer.  Imagine that you pass up on this stunning car because you get hung up on some of the details that are confusing to you.

That would be a tragedy of epic proportions!  The engine and suspension details weren’t the point.  The point is: IT’S A REALLY NICE CAR!

Such is the tragedy of this book.  Jesus is showing us the most glorious picture of Himself that we will see in the entire Bible…and we decline because we don’t understand all the details.  We’ve missed the point…and as a result, we’ve then been missing out on the blessing.

READ CHAPTER ONE

II)   Main Points of Chapter One

1. Jesus is Coming Back / Just like He promised He would in John 14
   1. Rev. 1:4, “Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come…”
   2. Rev. 1:7, “Behold, He is coming…”
   3. Rev. 1: 8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
2. The Church makes it to the end!
   1. Superman Television Series from my in-laws for Christmas
   2. Superman will get himself into serious trouble at some point.  The situation appears hopeless.  The villain has got Superman in some terrible predicament…and you’re left wondering how in the world he could possibly make it out alive.
   3. Yet, I have something that neither Superman nor the villain has.
      1. I have the next season with his picture on the cover of the box.
      2. So I know that “somehow”, Superman makes it out alive

Same with the Church…

1. With statistics like “five churches closing their chapel doors for the last time every day”, the situation appears a bit bleak at times
2. And yet, we see here in this “end times” book that the church is still in the picture!
   1. Encouragement for John (in exile)
   2. Encouragement for the churches specifically mentioned
   3. Encouragement for us.
      1. Jesus said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18)
      2. He is not only the Author; He is also the Finisher
      3. Not only the Beginning, but also the End
      4. Alpha and the Omega
      5. First and the Last

3.  We Need Not Fear the End (vs. 17-18)  

As you read the news and hear the major headlines (or just look outside your window for that matter), for many, there is cause for concern.

1. However, for the real church, there is no cause for fear because our Savior Who holds eternity in His’ hands also said that we are held in His’ hands
   1. John 10:28-3
2. d.      We need not fear the end because…We have been made been made perfect in Christ!
   1. Seven Churches
   2. The number “seven” is the number of perfection.
      1. Jesus tells John to send His letter to the church x7
      2. We need not fear the end because we have been made perfect in Christ Jesus (John 17:23, Col. 1:28, Heb. 12:22-24)
      3. As we will see, these churches all have their problems.  

Onlookers would say that these churches are “crazy messed up”, and (as far as the visible facts are concerned) they are right in their assessment.

1. However, our facts do not always equal God’s truth
   1. OUR facts are: the church is littered with problems
   2. GOD’S truth is: we have already been made “PERFECT” in Christ
      1. Eph. 5:25-27 = refers to us as a “glorious church”
      2. Romans 8:16-18 = Refers to our True Revealing when the visible facts are removed from sight and the church is seen for what it really is: the glorious body of Christ.

AN EPIC UNVEILING OF CHRIST AS THE PRIEST IN OUR MIDST

Rev. 1:13-17

• “Son of Man” [i]
  • The same Jesus Who came to Earth
  • Who was born as a man
  • Who died as a man on the cross
  • Who shed real blood, his blood, to cover our sin (Rev. 1:5)

“The High Priest”

“And in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.” ~ 1:13

The word translated “garment down to the feet” is not used anywhere else in the New Testament but is almost always used in the Old Testament to refer to the robe of the high priest.  The golden band across his chest shows two things: the fact that it is high (around the chest) instead of around the waist and the fact that it is gold both show that His priesthood is no middle rung position.  No, He is most definitely the High Priest, the final high priest who brings all the priestly work of the temple to an end.  There is no more need for animal sacrifices with all their priestly labors.  Verse 5 says that Christ “washed us from our sins in His own blood.”  This High Priest is so great that he shed his own blood (Rev. 13:8) to wash sin away once for all by the sacrifice of Himself.

• White Hair
  • Symbolizing age.
  • Wisdom / insight / perspective = eternal perspective
  • Proverbs 16:31
    • Age was a crown
    • Something to be admired, respected, achieved

In this passage, we see that Jesus is old!  He is the oldest human who ever lived.  Psalm 90:2 says that “before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”  The point of seeing the Son of Man with a head and hair as “white like wool, as white as snow“, is to reassure John, the churches, and us today that Christ has an eternal insight into His plan for our lives.  In Him is an everlasting perspective of which we are only privy to a miniscule portion.  Here in this passage in Revelation, Jesus is given the same description as the “Ancient of Days” in the book of Daniel (7:13).  Ever heard the phrase, “wisdom beyond your years”?  Well, Jesus has wisdom beyond years.  Before time began – Jesus was, and so in Him is perfect wisdom regarding the events of our lives yesterday, today and tomorrow.

• “the things [in the past], and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this” ~ Rev. 1:19
• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End…the First and the Last,” ~ Rev. 1:8, 11
• “yesterday, today and forever” ~ Heb. 13:8
• “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done,” ~ Isaiah 46:10

Our culture does all we can to hide our aging.  We fight against aging because in our sinful, fallen state we lose those things that make life worth living.

• Eyesight = Driver’s License Eyesight Test
• Hearing = It’s been years since I’ve had a conversation with my grandma because she can’t hear me.
• Mind

NOT THE CASE WITH JESUS.  Nothing is lost in the eternal age of the Son of Man.

• Eyes of Fire (1:14)

Jesus still has the same fire in His eyes.  He is still excited.  There is still sees everything that is going on in your life.  There is enthusiasm and energy in Jesus regarding His perfect plan.

           God’s Plan for the World and for your Life is coming from One who is all-wise, has perfect insight, eternal persepective and from one who is still radically excited about His plan.  He is not bored.  He has lost any zeal for your life.  He has not forgotten you, John.  He has not forgotten you, Asia.  Neither has He forgotten you, Chalk Hills.  There is still a fire in His eyes.

CLOSING: // Revelation 1:13 & 2:1 //  This Jesus is walking in the midst of the churches.  He is not aloof somewhere watching from a distance.  He is here, walking among us, doing His High Priestly work in us… trimming the wicks, carving the wax = so that we might be the candlesticks we were meant to be.

More on Rev. 1 tonight at Bible Study…

PS.  A FANTASTIC video to watch about John’s exile on the island of Patmos is by Dean Jones called, “St. John in Exile”!  I can not recommend it enough.  You can purchase it on Amazon for under $10: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1563713942/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1338918156&sr=8-1&condition=new

Fight for Slavery // Luke 15:11-32

Memorial Day

Memorial Day: The day we set aside to remember those who spent their lives to purchase our freedom.

What is Freedom?

• The right to act, to speak, or to think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
• The absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic (dictatorship) government.
• The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
• The state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily.

To our military men and women, this freedom…has been worth whatever price tag comes with it, and so they have given whatever was required of them to purchase this for us.

• “Who more than self their country loved
• And mercy more than life.”
• ~ America the Beautiful

And so we honor our soldiers for what they have done because this freedom is something for which we all long.  We all want to be free.  Nobody dreams of someday becoming a slave.  No normal person hopes that one day, he will have the opportunity of being in bondage.

           It’s what’s implied behind the question, “What are you going to do when you grow up?”  “When you are free from your parents’ control, and can make whatever choices you want to make for your life, what are those choices going to be?”

           When my younger brother was just a little tyke, he had two different life aspirations.  He either wanted to be an astronaut…or he wanted to be an elephant.  One way or another, he was bound to make a name for himself!  Since that time, however, I think he has relinquished his dreams for the whole specie change!

Up to this point, their sacrifice has been sufficient.  We still enjoy the freedom to say what we want to say about what we think.  We have the freedom to own firearms.  We have the freedom to vote.  Freedom to have as many children as you can handle.  Freedom for further education.  We have the freedom to worship in public on Sunday Morning if we want to.  Some of us are exercising that freedom and have come here this morning, and then there are a number of folks who have exercised that freedom by staying home!

Today, we praise the Lord for this freedom that we enjoy and we honor those men and women who have given up so much to purchase this freedom on our behalf.

But…Not All Freedom is Worth Fighting For…

• While there is a freedom that allows us the opportunity of experiencing life to fullest of what God intended…
• There is a freedom that appeals to our senses…but that only destroys us in the end

Not All Freedom is Worth Fighting For

*** In fact, there is a freedom that needs to be “fought against” at all costs. ***

Luke 15:11-32

The Prodigal Son’s Dream of Freedom

• I want what I want
• I want to spend my life on the things  that I want
• I’m tired of your rules…tired of your structure…tired of the limitations you put on me
• I want to be my own man
• I don’t want anybody to tell me what to do…
• I want to be FREE

How did his’ freedom pan out for him?  Was it everything he’d dreamed it would be?

Vs. 24, “For this my son was dead (not free)…he was lost (not free)…”

Gen. 3:16-19 = Adam & Eve

• They were going to do what sounded good to them
• They weren’t going to be restricted by silly rules
• They were going to be free to have what they wanted to have…to do what they wanted to do…to be who they wanted to be…

How did their freedom pan out for them?  Was it everything they were told it would be (Gen. 3:4-5)?

• When we are completely free from all outside force…
• When there is nobody directing our lives…
• When our own will determines the choices we make…
• When I am the ruler of my life…

What kind of life does this sort of freedom promise?

• Gen. 6:5, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that the intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
• Jer. 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked [incurably sick], who can know it?”
• Rom. 3:10, “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous.  No not one.  There is none who understands.  There is none who seeks after God.  They have all gone out of the way.  They have together become unprofitable.  There is none who does good.  No not one…Destruction and misery are in their ways.  The way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”
• Eph. 2:5, “Even when we were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ.  By grace you have been saved.”
  • Outside of Christ coming and making us alive…every single one of us is living a life that Paul says is “dead”.

Left to myself and the devices of my own heart – the Bible gives me a “heads up”…it’s not “the dream” life.

           James 1:14-15 = Left to myself, sin is going to reign, and God warns us here that sin only ever leads to death.

***There is a freedom that enslaves & there is an enslaving that frees.***

           John 8:30-36, “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’  They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, “You will be made free”?’  Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  And therefore is the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’”

If you abide in My Word (if you do life MY WAY) – then you will experience a freedom that the rest of the world only dreams of.

           “That sounds like slavery to me.”  IT IS!  It’s a beautiful slavery!

           Romans 6:22-23, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God [whose slave you are] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So what is Paul saying here?  If you throw your chains to Jesus, then you are no longer a slave to anything else.  When your chains are in Christ, you are no longer a slave to culture.  You are no longer bound to popular opinion.  You are no longer a servant to peer pressure.  When you give your chains to Christ, then you experience a freedom of which the rest of the world only dreams.

Romans 1:1, “Paul, a bondservant (or a bond slave) of Jesus Christ.

Phil. 1:13, “my chains are in Christ”

God is ALL that is ABSOLUTELY GOOD in the World…and so anything that is separate from Him (anything free from God) has only one potential end, and that is DESTRUCTION.

In being CHAINED TO CHRIST … You are free from the rest of the world.

In being CHAINED TO CHRIST …  You are chained to what is GOOD and free from all else.

What a beautiful thought!  When you are chained to something, you can’t get away from it.  In being chained to God, you are chained to that which is totally and absolutely and wholly good.  So, being chained to Christ, you can’t get away from that which is good.  No matter how you try, you can’t get away from the good that God has for your life – because you’re chained to that good!

Paul fought for slavery in Christ Jesus. 

AMERICA, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT APART FROM CHRIST – FREEDOM IS ONLY AN ILLUSION!

When our Cocker Spaniel was a just a puppy, my bride and I were living in a small town in Wisconsin.  Since we didn’t have a fenced in yard, we kept her chained to a tree in the front yard when we weren’t outside with her.  While our dog has always been an extremely happy dog, I am completely convinced that she is also mildly handicapped intellectually!

For cheap entertainment, Liz and I would watch her frolic around and around the tree until her chain was so short that she could no longer move at all.  With no intellectual capacity to consider turning around and going the other way around the tree, she would sit there in that confined space until one of us would come out and demonstrate the path she need take to create for herself a little more slack!

As her leash became less and less constrained, I think she got this idea in her little head that she was getting close to total freedom, but that wasn’t the case.  Perhaps she felt free for a minute, but that wasn’t the reality of what she was experiencing.  In truth, all she was experiencing was the slack in a leash that was about to pin her right back where she started in a few moments as she ran around and around the tree in the opposite direction!  She wasn’t experiencing freedom.  She was experiencing slack in a chain that was still there.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: “One Nation, Under God…with liberty (freedom) to all”

Our founding fathers understood that we must be “under God” (under His authority and control) if we are to experience real freedom from the rest of the world.

There is a huge push to get rid of that phrase today “under God” today.  (For some examples, check out this debate forum: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100225115817AADC0Ya)  As a nation we have reached the point where we now also want to be free of God…and so we go back to our original question and ask, “Where do we anticipate that this sort of freedom is going to lead us?”

Where has it led us so far?

• 3,322 abortions every day
• Court systems
• Doctored Text Books
• Told what to preach
• Told how to discipline our kids
• Told how to spend our money

LORD’S PRAYER: You take control of my life 

• Take control of our church
• Take control of my marriage
• Take control of my family
• God, You take control of this country

Here’s the call to the church: Today, if we fight to keep God at the center of our country, then we fight for that which our soldiers also gave their lives.  We fight for freedom.  We fight to be “under God”, then we fight for ultimate freedom…and then we stand together alongside our soldiers.

Where does this fight for freedom through slavery start?

• Give your heart to God
• Give you marriage to God
• Give God control of your family
• Families surrendering their church under the Lordship of Christ
• Churches inspiring their communities to submit to Christ
• Communities inspiring their states to find their chains in Christ
• The pray that the rest of America follows suit

Father, bring us back under Your authority so that we might once again be a nation that is “Under God” so that we might once again be nation that experiences the freedom You long for us to know.