Revelation 12
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning today we are going to read about how a red seven headed torned dragon is defeated by a lamb turn to re ration 12 we are in the Book of Revelation working our way through the Book of Revelation and the Book of Revelation is recorded by the Apostle John who was exiled to the island of patmas for telling people about Jesus and while there it says he's in the spirit on the Lord's day he's worshiping and he hears a voice.
And then he sees a vision and he's told to write what he sees and so we are reading what he saw and it is fantastic and glorious and terrifying and we're working our way through the book and we've reached a pivotal point in the Book of Revelation and over the next three weeks we'll kind of be in this zone of the Book of Revelation so when you were in eighth grade ninth grade somewhere around there in an English class you were shown a chart probably that looked something like this and this is how a story is told this is what a good movie looks like this is you have Exposition which is hidden over here.
Under the drum cage so I'm sorry uh you have Exposition which is you know the beginning of the movie where the you know like in The Lord of the Rings where it's like there were seven rings given to the Elven Kings or whatever was just telling you the stuff that's happening you know like you're learning about like there's a guy who lives here and his girlfriend's mean or whatever like that's the beginning part and then there's conflict something happens that sends you know our Hobbit towards a Mount Doom or whatever there's like a thing that's going on they hit the baseball over the fence to the Beast like something happens that gets it going.
And then we have rising action and then there's a climax that ends they you know put on their PT flyers or whatever and outrun the dog and get the baseball back the the ring goes into the mountain somebody kills somebody else and we're super happy about it whatever ever that happens and then there's resolution we get to see him on the beach for like a 10-second clip or it just freeze frames and tells you what happened when they grew up or whatever we have resolution this is how a story is told we're used to this.
If someone dies in the first 20 minutes of the movie and you thought they were a bad guy you realize they're not the main bad guy unless this is a zombie movie like we you you know this kind of story you know this flow like I saw the movie Australia and they did this it was a good movie and then it just kept going for some reason and was like a whole second movie and I was just confused the whole time I was like what on Earth is happening why did this movie was a movie.
Now and I felt myself because they did it wrong I don't know if y'all have seen that movie it's wrong and so we just are used to this and you can't get it out of order this is the way it works well there's a thing in Middle Eastern writing called a kaym or a chastic structure in eastern literature it happens in Hebrew all the time happens in the Old Testament all the time that they're used to just like we're used to this we're used to this structure we can feel it we don't even have to think about it you don't go oh we've reached the point of conflict like you just you just follow along.
You understand what's happening you you know the pace well this is what a chastic structure looks like and it's different from what we've been in there's a point a then a point B and then a point C and then there's something that stands on its own or is the same kind of point back to back and then we have a matching c b and a on the other side and there's some really good Arguments for the whole book of Revelation is written in a chastic structure that there are direct quotes from chapter 1 to chapter 21.
And then there's a lot of parallel in the letters that are written to the churches and the promises that are made to them and then the promises that are fulfilled in the chapters 19 20 and 21 that there's uh the seven seals and the Seven trumpets and then we have the seven bows and the fall of Babylon and there's this moment in the middle that stands as the top of the pyramid or sometimes they turn it this way and it' be the tip of the arrow and that's where we are right.
Now which for an Eastern audience Middle Eastern audience they would have understood we've reached the point that's telling me what the point is that's where we are and if you've been following along with us we had the six seals where God's judgment is unfurled and there were uh Seven Seals but there were six and then there was a pause there was what the uh commentators call an interlude and I don't like that term but I hadn't come up with a better one.
So there was an interlude where John says look at this I saw this and then there's the seventh seal and then there were six trumpets and then an interlude where we pause and it's look at this and then there was the seventh trumpet and in some ways chapters 12 13- 14 are the interlude for the whole book it's this Vision that helps you understand this is the main thing and so for the next couple of weeks we're going to be and here's the point of the Book of Revelation and it's that a lamb defeats a dragon.
And then we're told what we are to do with that as we live out our days we'll get into that next week we're in chapter 12 this morning I'm going to pray and then we're going to read together Lord help us to see this help us to feel feel it help us to believe it and help us to go we ask this in the name of your son Jesus and by the power of the spirit amen Revelation chapter 12 and a great sign appeared in heaven.
So John is seeing uhoh that's my fault if you go back to the first slide and you click the first one it'll clear all that stuff out and then you can click the slide that we're on yeah and then go to the slide we're on boom that was to help you know that Revelation 12 is the main point you saw how it was at the top of the arrow you're welcome now you'll remember it all right John is seeing something and he sees a sign.
Now a sign is not the thing a sign points to the thing and so he's seeing something that's a picture that points to a reality and so it says he saw a great sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of 12 Stars she was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth okay he sees a fantastically dressed pregnant lady she's clothed in the Sun the moon's under her feet she's got 12 stars on her head and there are other clues in this text that we'll get to.
But this is Israel this is the people of God throughout the centuries working toward she's pregnant with the Messiah and we'll see that she's going to give birth to the one who's going to rule with a rod of iron and she is dressed like Israel if you're familiar with your Old Testament in Genesis 39:9 Joseph gives a vision to his dad Israel and he says I saw the sun and the moon and 11 stars and they bowed down to me well Joseph would be the 12th star.
So this is Israel and the people of Israel this is the people of God throughout history working towards God's plan to give birth to the Messiah so that Israel is pregnant with the promised one that's what this is a picture of so it's fulfilled in Mary who gives birth but it's also all of Israel all of God's promises and it's all God's covenant people so it's the true Israel which is pertinent a little bit later in the passage but this is Israel who and giving birth.
For Jewish a Jewish audience they would have recognized the Sun Moon 12 Stars would would click so we have a pregnant Israel and another sign appeared in heaven this is verse three Behold a great red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns and on his heads seven diadems it's crowns so seven heads indicates Authority intelligence 10 horns indicates power strength seven crowns IND indicates Authority rulership now this Dragon when you picture a dragon this Dragon most likely would not have had wings.
For two primary reasons one it doesn't tell us that he has wings and two in first Century Roman Empire this word draco most often was represented and meant giant sea serpent it's just like a massive sea snake the Romans actually had a draco that they would have on a stick which was just like this monster head that was made out of gold or bronze and then it they just put like a streamer on it and they would ride into battle and it would catch air and you know like an evil battle kite.
And so this Dr would be like this massive sea serpent with some connections in the Old Testament to Leviathan and and if you read in Isaiah 26 2729 there's this picture there of him conquering Leviathan as like a future promise that this twisting Serpent and so there's this picture of what he's seeing is this massive seven-headed terrifying monster and it says his tail swept down a third of the stars of Heaven and cast them to the Earth uh this is most likely a reference to um demonic creatures that join in the dragon's rebellion and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth this Dragon we're told in.
Verse 9 is Satan himself this Dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she bore her child he might devour it so he sees this pregnant Israel and she's in labor and then there's a dragon that's come to take take the Messiah away to ruin all the promises of God that have been building up and this is Genesis one stuff where he when he gives the curse to The Serpent and says you'll crawl on your belly he says that there will be enmity between you the woman and woman's Offspring and you and he will you'll uh bite his heel.
But he will crush your head this is that picture of this promised one who's going to fight the dragon who's going to crush The Serpent and we're seeing that the dragon is here to destroy it she gave birth to a male child one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron that's Psalm two that's a promise that the Son of God is going to rule he's going to Reign he's going to rule with a rod of iron he's going to dash the Nations into pot into into uh pieces like hitting a clay pot we looked at this.
When we looked at the promises in the letters to the churches that he says you're going to rule with me he quotes that Psalm and they're going to be ruling with him and so this is this picture of Psalm 2 this is the picture of the Messiah this is Jesus is born and we we read these Passages at Christmas and at Christmas it's quaint but this is what's happening that the promise is being fulfilled by God and that the enemy wants to destroy it this is Herod going and sending to Bethlehem to kill all the children to try to sweep away this Messiah and this is the life of.
Jesus where he's tempted and where he's taken to the cross and crucified this is where Satan is working any way he possibly can to try to undo God's plan with the Messiah and it says that if he really understood if the rulers of this age really understood what would happen on the cross they wouldn't have done it but they they do because they don't understand exactly what's going on and they're trying whatever they can to destroy it and it says but her child was caught up to.
God and to his throne so in the vision the dragon doesn't get the child the child goes and rules with God on his throne this is Jesus and the woman fled Into the Wilderness where she has a place prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days all right we looked at that number last week and we're going to see it again next week 1260 days is exactly 42 months if you use the Jewish 30-day month so any of youall who did quick math and thought it was wrong haha it's exactly 42 months or later In this passage it's going to be called a time times and half a time it's.
Three and a half years and we looked at it last week it's this this um prophecy that was made in the Book of Daniel for something that was going to happen when Antiochus took over and there was going to be this great time of tribulation and persecution and then John is saying that it's not just that time it's actually stretched that picture of that tribulation is stretched over the time from the time Jesus is resurrected and the temple is destroyed till the end and there's a lot of hints that that makes sense where it lines up with the trampling of the the Gentiles over the the temple Mound which.
Jesus says will happen until the end which Daniel says will happen till the end which uh they say will happen for 42 months last chapter we were just in there's this picture of this is meant to drag it out it'd be like if we said when we enter the Helen that lasts forever you'd have a picture of the destruction but then you're dragging it out so that's what it's saying this this time of tribulation is lasting but the beautiful part here is that she's being nourished during this time it's meant to bring to mind this picture of tribulation and difficulty and attack she she's being protected and we'll.
See a picture of that later cuz it's going to bring it back up it just tells us that here okay now War arose in heaven Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back this is prophesied in in Daniel 12 and John saying I saw it that Michael and his angels make war on the dragon his angels vers 8 but he was defeated that's the dragon they fought back but he was defeated and there was no longer any place.
For them in heaven and the Great Dragon was thrown down that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the Earth and his angels were thrown down with him and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ it's Jesus have come for the accuser of our brother has been thrown down who accuses them Day and Night Before Our.
God accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them Day and Night Before Our God Jesus conquers the authority of the Christ has come and Satan is expelled from before God his realm is limited he's been cast out the accuser who accused day and night is cast out and then it says this and they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they loved not their lives even unto death therefore Rejoice oh heavens and you who dwell in them.
But woe to you oh Earth and sea for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short so there was a time where Satan had more mobility and the ability to enter into the presence of God and then he's cast down and he's relegated to Earth he's imprisoned and he's in great wrath because his time is short now this has played out for at least 2,000 years since Christ's Resurrection now and we might say.
Well that's not a short time but our scope's real limited like it's like when you're interacting with a toddler and they're not eating their food and you're like we can stay here all day because sitting for 10 minutes for a toddler is like half their life y'all like it's just like it'd be like if I made you sit for a week like it's a long time you can outweigh a kid this is one of your superpowers as a parent it's like bro I got all day you going to eat that food you going to live in this chair you will not.
Remember a time that you existed before this chair existed that's actually one of the great perks of getting older you remember when it was so hard to do anything that took an hour it just wait you you had to sit still for an hour you had to wait for an hour one of the look there's a lot of ne ne negative things about getting older you know your body starts betraying you and all that stuff and people talk about that but one of the great perks is that time isn't as bad anymore like you get stuck at a doctor's office.
For 2 hours that's fine if you don't have somewhere to be like if you got small kids at the house and I'm stuck at the doctor's office for 2 hours that's like I'll be like take your time doc I know you got to help people I no need to Ruth I can wait I I got time and the Satan says his time is short because he's had a lot of time and y'all the angels that didn't Rebel have a lot of time still coming enjoy and peace and prosperity Satan's been relegated he's been limited and he's got a destruction that's coming and pain and turmoil that's coming and it says he's in great wrath thrown.
Down to the Earth verse 13 and when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the Earth he pursued the woman that had uh pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child but the woman was given given the two wings of the Great Eagle Eagle so that she might fly from the serpent Into the Wilderness to the place where she is to be nourished for a time and times and half a time so that's 1260 days or 42 months or three and a half years again representing this Church age some will read this and say that's just Israel like ethnic Israel and I spent some time trying to study this.
This week it seems much more likely given the way that the New Testament treats Israel and the way that the the Christians would have understood Israel and John who's part of ethnic Israel but also a Christian is that the Church is the Fulfillment of the promises to Israel capital I Israel so that Abraham we're told and you look at Romans you look at Galatians we're told that Abraham had Ishmael but ishma wasn't a son of the promise the promise was to Isaac.
And then Isaac has two sons but Esau is not the promised son it's Jacob that it there's this there's this it's not just blood hereditary Israel but it's the true Israel it's the Covenant people of Israel and so there's this picture that the Church that as God makes war against Israel and as he makes war against the Church God's Israel the Covenant people that the Church Will Survive will be nourished and protected and that's what it says that throughout this she'll make it it says the serpent poured out water serpent poured water like a River out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with a flood.
So it's in a fire breathing Ser serpent it breathes water which may be representative of lies and language it could just be War something is poured out against this woman but the Earth came to the help of the woman and the Earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth a lot of pictures here parallel uh The Exodus God says he bore them on Eagles wings and she's given Eagles Wings she's taken to the Wilderness that's where.
God took the people of Israel uh the Earth opens at one point to to swallow up a rebellion in the in in The Exodus and here it opens up to swallow up what the enemy is bringing forth but she's protected God is protecting her then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her Offspring on those who keep the Commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus and he stood on the sand of the sea there's some who say that she's just ethnic Israel.
And then he goes and turns his attack on the Church I think it's that she's the Covenant people of God that she is the Church and he goes to attack Christians he's not going to be able to conquer the Church but he can kill some Christians that he goes after those who hold to the testimony of Jesus this is similar understanding as when John writes his letters uh second John and third John where he says to the elect lady and her children the elect lady being the Church her children being the Christians.
So it's this corporate and individual understanding Ben Johnson is part of 1040 hope he helps uh Mission work happen in the 1040 window where there's a lot of conflict and difficulty and he he got stuck at one point and and was in a war zone this past year and here's the thing about Ben Johnson you can kill Ben Johnson but you can't defeat the Church you can kill the missionaries that Ben Johnson is helping but you can't defeat the Church they can persecute the Church in North Korea and in Iran and and in Libya and they can kill Christians.
But they can't defeat the Church they can line them up on the edge of the sea and have them wear in Orange and make a video and mix their blood with the ocean you can kill Christians but you can't kill the Church and we're going to read next week about this war that the dragon is waging against Christians but it's possible for us to read Revelation 12 and think this is a chapter about the dragon and how scary he is and miss that he got conquered this is a chapter about Victory it's not about the Dragon.
And if you say okay well where where did how did he get conquered you might be tempted to think Michael did it but chap verse 11 tells us how he was conquered it says look back at verse 11 and they that's the brothers that's the Christians that's who he was accusing they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they loved not their lives even unto death that he's been conquered he's been defeated that's the.
First thing I want to say he's been conquered in in the first letters to the churches when he's when we went through those weeks and we talked about the letters of churches every single one of them ended with to those who conquer to those who conquer to those who conquer if you conquer if you conquer if you conquer and we've hit Revelation 12 we've hit the the point of the spear the tip of this pyramid and it says they've conquered and we get to hear how as we read through that over and over again and we wanted to conquer we want to be the ones who conquered we going to make it to the end.
And says here's here's how they did it and so we're about to see how how and how far we're going to see how how and how far how do how do we conquer how do we conquer how far how by the blood of the Lamb he's defeated by a lamb th this lamb is Christ we're told in Revelation 4 they say look the lion of the tribe of of Judah so born out of Israel of the tribe of Judah the lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered and he says.
When I looked I saw a lamb as if it had been slain this is Jesus who conquered through seemingly being conquered who conquered through his death who conquered through his blood who conquers through his righteousness and his sacrifice that he's the lamb that pays for sin that we conquer by the blood of the Lamb it says they conquer this is the Church this is the people who belong to the Lord it says they conquer by the blood of the lamb and do you know how beautiful that is that it doesn't say they conquer how by their obedience by their morality by their righteousness by being the ones who get everything right by doing what they're.
Supposed to by keeping it together by being loving Enough by not sinning bad enough and doesn't say that it says the blood of the Lamb let me show you how this works this is Colossians 2 and you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh so this is you were he's talking to the Church and he says this is who you were you were dead in your trespasses you were rebellious you were sinful you were broken you had no ability to fix this you were dead not you were kind of bad in your trespasses or you were a little dirty in your trespasses no you were dead in your trespasses that's.
You without Jesus God Made Alive together with him him being Jesus the resurrected Jesus the lamb that was slain having forgiven us all our trespasses if you place your faith in Jesus you were forgiven all of your trespasses all of your sin all of your Rebellion you say well what about yes that but if I yes but you don't know I don't care I mean I care about you but all your trespasses are forgiven in Jesus by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands you had debt in your sin that weighed on you that you were going to have to pay.
For that you were going to be required of you that was going to be taken out of you and that Jesus by his blood has canell the record of our death it says this this record of debt he set aside nailing it to the Cross well what was nailed to the cross Jesus was nailed to the cross and we're told that he who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God that your debt has been paid in.
Jesus that he has conquered we have conquered by the blood of the lamb and then we we we got that we're tracking that's the Gospel we're wrapped our head around it and then verse 15 says he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him what well that's this that's who are the rulers and authorities that's the accuser being thrown down he's disarmed what he used to have was the ability to say you're a righteous.
God look at how sinful they are look at this debt that they owe punish them if you're so good if you're so righteous if you're so just destroy them look at how sinful they are look at how broken they are how are you letting this slide and he accused day and night before God he was before God accusing Non-Stop and now by the blood of the Lamb he has nothing to say we're actually told by John that we don't have an accuser before the.
Father we now have an advocate Jesus Christ the righteous who is a propitiation for our sin that if you have sin you don't have an accuser you don't have someone who's saying look at what they've done look at what they said look at how they've acted look at how they treated people look at how they've sinned look at their immorality look at their shame look at their guilt you don't have that you have one who stands before the father and says they are covered by my blood that one belongs to me their debt has been paid and to the glory of Christ and his grace and to the praise of his name and his blood.
We are free and there was a a moment in history when Jesus rose and the debt was paid that God looked at Michael and said get him out of here I just imagine Michael being like gladly and Michael made War but he conquered because of the blood of the lamb and the debt has been paid and there is no accuser there's an advocate and there's something that you have to see clearly I had a conversation with one person in our Church this past week where they said.
Well you know I'm such a terrible person and then they went on to explain something I said hold on a second do you mean that you understand that you sin and so you shouldn't be surprised that you sin and you'll have to repent or do you mean that you're a terrible person because if you're in Christ you're not a terrible person you're you're made righteous there there's no accusation that sticks to you and she said we we say all the time like we're we're terrible and it's like yeah without.
Jesus 100% you have no hope if you don't have Jesus you're not fixing this you don't conquer by your righteousness your goodness your morality your IQ you don't you don't but you conquer by the blood of Jesus and once the blood of Jesus is entered in there are no trespasses the record of your debt is canceled there's nothing to bring up there's no accuser there's an advocate you are free to the glory of God you are free and we don't walk around with our head down going I'm.
So terrible no I'm free I would be terrible but Jesus is wonderful and his blood has covered me and to the praise of his name in his glory I'm covered we conquer by the blood of the lamb and the enemy is silenced and cast out praise God so that every once in a while people say but I'm not strong enough I'm too sinful I'm just too broken you know sometimes you're talking to kids and they say something that makes sense from a kid's perspective.
But it's just so stupid and irrelevant like if you looked at a kid and said do you want to go bowling and they responded with I can't I don't know how to swim and it's like it's not in a bowl I don't know it's not is doesn't it doesn't pertain to this that's what we sound like when me say yeah but I'm so sinful but I'm so broken I just I can't keep it together I'm not good enough it's like yeah we conquer by the blood of the Lamb it's irrelevant.
If you've trusted in Jesus you've been washed clean you've been made whole the eny has been disarmed You Are Holy and blameless and above reproach you are the righteousness of Christ because of Christ so we get together and we Praise Jesus and we point to Jesus and we celebrate Jesus so that's how how by the blood of the lamb but then we're going to get a second how it's by the blood of the lamb and it says this and by the word of their testimony.
Well we're told over and over again that the testimony is the testimony of Jesus that that this is bearing witness to Jesus Paul John says he's on the island of Patmos because of the testimony of Jesus meaning he was telling people about Jesus they told him to shut up that he's going to make war on those who hold to the testimony of Jesus but it's testifying to Jesus it's the witness of Jesus it's where Jesus in Acts 1:8 says you will be my Witnesses this is where Paul in Romans 10 says how are they going to believe in someone they've never heard about how are they going to hear about them unless someone preaches.
How are they going to preach unless they're sin we say this every Sunday we know who Jesus is we know what he's done and God's plan for people to hear that is the Church the Church is plan a and there is no plan B so you're sent we say that every Sunday go because of this how is the serpent conquered by the work of Jesus and a whole lot of people who won't shut up by the work of Jesus and the most annoying person in the office by the work of.
Jesus and that neighbor who keeps trying to meet me by the work of Jesus and people who actually e with effort leverage their time and their money and their energy to send people as missionaries to other countries where people don't want to hear it this is one of the reasons why as a Church we don't do a whole lot in this building because we don't want you to think that your job as a Christian is to be in this building you have a job you have a neighborhood we want you to have time we want you to coach little league join a gym get in a knitting club go to a painting class do gardening.
Join a wck league whatever sports ball do it we want you to be around people who don't know Jesus people have lamented to me before it's so hard to be at my job because I'm the only Christian and I'm always like Jesus snuck one in you're in a mission field you're in start praying start laboring you have neighbors you have people around you do you know how much they don't want to hear about Jesus do you know how much we're surrounded by people who absolutely need to hear the Gospel and don't want to y'all y'all might you might have a coworker you might have a neighbor who will randomly show up here on a Sunday.
Or some other Church something might happen in their lives and they feel like they need to hear the about Jesus and figure that out and that may happen that's a small percentage the rest of them need somebody to testify to go and to speak we're sent and we're supposed to be intentional and care because y'all it's how the dragon is conquered by the blood of the lamb and the word of the testimony that Christians tell people about Christ as what we're supposed to do.
So how by the blood of the Lamb how by people telling people about the blood of the Lamb you might say but I don't I don't know enough or or sometimes people say stuff like yeah but but I'm a sinner I can't I can't tell people about Jesus I'm so messed up you're not telling them about you you're the reason you love Jesus is that you're so messed up that's why I love him if he didn't sa messed up people I would be doing something else we talk about forgiveness we talk about Redemption we talk about Grace we talk about Mercy we talk about his blood that covers Us not our works that cover us.
We have the message if you know Christ you have everything you need to tell somebody about him You' got the spirit work in you and you have the message to declare that Jesus saves Sinners you say but I mess it up I don't say it right okay work on it you've practiced your golf swing in the last year you've gotten better at pickle ball you know the names of you've studied all kinds of things this one matters don't let the enemy lie to you and tell you you're not ready or capable or you don't have the words or whatever go there are people around us who don't know.
Jesus and their fate is to join the serpent in destruction or there can be those who give a testimony to the blood of Christ how how how how far verse 11 and they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they loved not their lives even unto death you could not shut them up if you wanted to the best thing you can do your last resort is to kill them and every time you do it there are more who keep saying the same thing they love not their life even under death and y'all everybody loves their life it's assumed it's built in it's built in that.
We we protect ourselves this is why Jesus can say love your neighbor as yourself even people who are depressed or whatever they still want good things to happen for themselves we still are designed to be self-protecting this is why Paul can say to love your wife the way you love your own body it's built in that we love our life it's built in that we love ourselves we're designed to be that way to have some sort of self- protection selfdesire to to want things to be good.
For ourselves to want Comfort to want whatever and then it says but there's a love that's greater than that love and these people love Jesus more than they love themselves when we say Jesus is better than everything else we mean up to and including you and your heartbeat that's the love of Christ the love for Christ and the mission goes forward with death defying missions because Jesus is better than everything and so the Church proclaims the Gospel in the face of death this past week I was watching a documentary called Sheep Among Wolves is about uh the Church growing in Iran they were talking to missionaries and Christians there they were translating.
For that were talking about all the persecution that they face all the attacks secret police rapes and murders imprisonment talking about having to prepare themselves mentally for that and one of the missionaries who's from the West who was there said yeah he said they they share the Gospel even though the consequences are immense he said in the west we don't even have real consequences and we don't share the Gospel somebody in this the same documentary series says that it seems like the West has had a lullabi sung over it the enemy's just going sh go back to sleep y we don't even get to death we don't even get to loving Our Lives more than.
Death we we don't get to loving Jesus more than our couch and there are people around us who don't know him and we don't care but the dragon is conquered by the blood of the Lamb the testimony of the Church in the face of unending odds of Destruction and we move forward because death is not the end for us so they love not their life even unto death and God is glorified and praised and people are saved and they get to stand in eternity with Nations and languages and tongues gathered around the throne praising his name unendingly.
Because Jesus Christ rescues and redeems Sinners and then those sinners go and tell people and when someone tells them to shut up we just keep going John Piper put it this way he said the goal of a Christian is not to stay alive it's to stay in love he said he hear so many Christians so many times saying well I'm gonna do this and I'm going to do that and I'm gonna and he said all it is is I'm going to stay alive I'm going to stay alive we're going to fight we're I'm going to stay alive and he said that's not the goal of a Christian our goal in the middle of tribulation.
Difficulty and persecution is not to stay alive our goal is to stay so in love with Jesus that we don't care about our life God help us because you have people around you that don't know Jesus and we're sent let's pray Jesus we thank you that you have conquered our sin with your blood and that we do not earn anything from you but that everything has been freely by your grace given to us and may we not sit stuck in guilt and shame as.
If you had not paid the price and canel the debt and nailed it to the Cross as if we have an accuser and not an advocate we praise your name that you stand before the father and you say we're welcome and we're washed and we're righteous because of your glorious Grace and goodness and you have paid the cost and it is finished so Lord may we live in Freedom and joy and Delight with our heads up smiling towards you because of your grace and your goodness towards us.
Lord may we tell people and trust your spirit to work may we not be lulled to sleep by Comfort entertainment and distraction and cell phones maybe not waste hours a week doing things that don't matter and have no Eternal purpose the only Eternal purpose they hold is to keep us out of the fight distracted by the enemy and far from telling anyone about your glorious goodness that their Eternal weight is just to kneecap us God may your spirit work and may we Proclaim and may we go out of our way to get to know our neighbors and our co-workers and may we tell them about how good you are.
Because you have set us free in your own goodness and by your mercy and your love and we are free and we have a hope and Lord we pray for your Church around the globe and we pray for those in this room who should commit to go to a place where their life is at risk we pray that you would strengthen and give endurance to the Saints around the globe who cannot gather like this cannot say the name of Jesus in public have to figure out a way to hide everything.
So that they might follow you and Lord may you strengthen them and encourage them and Empower them and may you send some people from this very room to go to places where they have to risk everything because you're worth it Lord we're thankful that the Church is unconquerable and we're thankful that Christians have something better than life in Jesus name amen Matt's going to come back up and we're going to take communion and my invitation to you this morning as you take communion.
Because communion is a is for Christians to celebrate the blood of the Lamb my invitation to you this morning is to take a moment and then when you come and take communion to remember that you have Redemption and freedom and Reconciliation and life and resurrection and forgiveness because of the work of Jesus to take communion in Joy this morning if you need to repent if you need to confess if you need to talk to someone in our Church family and tell them that you've sinned against them do that.
And then come and Delight in the Glorious risen and re resurrected saving King who shed his blood for us if you're not a Christian communion is not for you but Jesus is offered to you that you might trust in him and follow him as Matt plays when you're ready we'll take communion.