1 Samuel 4
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer I am one of the pastors here as George just said we're in the book of First Samuel we're in chapter 4 today so you can go ahead and turn there we going through the whole chapter today uh we're in a section of 1 Samuel that's often called The Ark narrative It Centers on the Ark of the Covenant now some of you may have been here a couple of years ago when we were going through the book of Exodus and you remembered as we we got to the very end how sad you were that it was coming to a close and how excited you were that we got to walk through the.
Construction of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant so this may be really clear in your head others of you maybe not so much some of you may uh had a first experience with the Ark of the Covenant that I had uh when I was around 7 years old I uh I watched this uh this documentary called Indiana Jones Raiders the Lost Arc and I didn't know what the ark was but that was a big part of the movie and the Nazis are trying to get a hold of the Ark.
So they can harness its power so they can win World War II so when it gets to the end and they finally find the ark uh I was not prepared for what happened next I uh and I've been told that I that I ruin a lot of older movies which I think is more your fault than mine because if it's older than 10 years old I I I feel like I get to ruin them but I won't ruin it cuz if some of you may have not seen it.
But let's just say the ark is very serious and using it and misusing it for personal power and gain goes very very poorly for the Nazis and it left it seared an image in my head at 7 years old that very much scarred me for years to come and understanding this is a very serious object and a lot of times if you have any background in uh biblical background that is attached to a movie or a book when we're preaching we're having to undo some of that.
Because a lot of times it's like well that actually isn't what happened well that's not actually what if if your first encounter with the ark was that movie we can build upon that that actually does it takes it very very seriously and that's what we're going to see in this story today but before we jump into this story in a section called The Ark narrative I want to to help help us remember what the ark uh is so I got a picture that we used in The Book of Exodus this is a artist uh rendering from the description that we get in the book of Exodus of what the Ark of the Covenant would have.
Looked like it was made of gold and acacia wood uh you see there's gold rings and and poles that would carry it because you could not touch the ark because if you did you would die uh it is a box that has contain stuff contained in it it had the uh the the The Ten Commandments on the stone tablets it had the jar of Mana it had um Aaron's staff it had these objects that reminded them of what God did and bringing them out of slavery into the promised land.
But it also on the very top uh had what's called The Mercy Seat this was the seat where uh the presence of God resided uniquely amongst his people and this was uh in the uh innermost part of the Tabernacle called the holy of holies and there was great separation from the people uh and the Ark of the Covenant because this is where God's presence resided it was such a holy place that only once a year could a high priest go in there on the day of atonement it's called yam kapor and there are a lot of rituals he had to do to even enter into uh the presence of the.
Lord to minister and do his duties and if he didn't do this correctly he would die and we see some history that points to that as well that the Ark of the Covenant was a very holy holy object because God ruled and reigned from amongst his people and really this is the centerpiece that really the nation of Israel comes to to Worship the Lord that wherever the ark is in the Tabernacle that's where the Lord the people come together to Worship the.
Lord so this is very Central to their identity as Israelites as belonging to the Lord this is Central to their worship and it is is very holy we need that understanding because what we're going to see today with that kind of knowledge makes this story a tragedy in fact it's one of the most tragic stories in the Old Testament so we're going to see that play out but also we're going to see the importance of God's presence with his people and my hope is is that we as we.
See this in the story we'll be able to reflect and see how important the presence of God is for us today as Christians so we pray and we'll walk through this together heavenly father I pray that you would help us see clearly your word we would see the wonderful truth that our whole life should be aimed at being in your presence at seeking your presence and that would change us but Lord give us ears to hear and eyes to see we ask this in.
Jesus name amen all right we're going to pick up in the second half of verse one when it says now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines okay first time we've seen the Philistines show up in 1 Samuel we're going to see more of the Philistines this is one of the the biggest enemies of the people of God they are a see people that migrated that that settled on the coast and started to conquer different parts of the promised land and they're going to keep showing up as they're at war with the Israelites which is where we pick up it says they encamped at Ebenezer this is the Israelites and the Philistines encamped at.
Apek the Philistines Drew up in line against Israel and when the battle spread Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about 4,000 men on the field of battle so Israel suffers a big defeat now when you read the book of Joshua which precedes this book it tells the story of how they settled the promised land uh one of the things that's very clear is that when the people of God are in right relationship with the Lord it goes well for them on the battlefield.
When they are not in right relationship with the Lord it goes very poorly for them on the battlefield which leads them to question and wonder what happened in verse three when the people came to the camp the Elders of Israel said why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines so they rightfully understand the Lord is the one that gives victory in battle and the Lord is the one who sovereignly ordains defeat in battle so they understand based on their history this is what.
God does what happened why did this happen and it seems that they believe the reason they lost to the Philistines is because they did not have the ark it says let us bring the the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh that it may come Among Us and save us from the power of our enemies so they think wait wait the real reason we lost is we didn't have the ark if we had the Ark of the Covenant.
If we had God's presence with us we would have won this battle they don't for a moment consider the possibility that maybe they have sin that needs to be repented of they don't consider their history remembering they would have known the stories that come from The Book of Joshua they would have known the story of how they won at Jericho and then they lost at the Battle of AI because there was sin in the camp amongst the people they don't consider that.
For a moment what they want to do is they want a shortcut to Victory they don't want to do they don't want to do the tough work of examining their own lives in their heart and examining the people they want a shortcut they're looking for the cheat code when I was a kid I played video games and I played a game called Mario Kart and I thought I was good at it and I had friends that would come over and we' be playing on N64.
And then I would be going off doing the race and they would just run into the wall over and over again and I was like what are you doing and then all of a sudden there was a glitch in the game they hopped over the wall and they ended up winning and I was like what is this you violated the spirit of the game it's not the way it's supposed to be and that's the that's human nature we want shortcuts we want a cheat go we want a way to to to do not do the tough work.
But do the easy route in order to get what we want and that is what the Israelites have done they are so wward they they choose the shortcut and in arrogance their their idea is we will barge into the holy of holies we will take the ark from the holy of holies bring it out of the Tabernacle and bring it to the battlefield which remember remember how holy that place was remember that only once a year a high priest could go in there.
If he did all the right rituals they bypass all of them because what they have done is they've reduced the presence of God and the Arc of the Covenant down to a good luck charm if we have this good luck charm on the battlefield that's what's going to help us win verse four so the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubin and the two sons of Eli half n and Phineas were there with the Ark of the Covenant of.
God when you get more context and we begin to see really how Wicked This is because if you remember a few weeks ago when chat was explaining the story of the two sons of Eli we saw how Wicked their actions were in corrupting the priesthood that they were uh disobeying the Lord and showing contempt for the offerings the people would bring their sacrifices and they were taking the fatten portions which were meant for the Lord and they were seizing it by force from the people not only were they showing content.
For the Lord they were abusing their power as priests we also read that they were sleeping around with the uh with the women who served at the Tabernacle we saw this picture of how corrupt the priesthood had gotten how corrupted worship had gotten and the Tabernacle and these men are now leading the charge with the Ark of the Covenant so we see how Wicked This is and we're about to see that God is not a good luck charm and the Ark will not be misused.
For personal gain they are invoking the power of God in a way that is a Blasphemous reduction of God and his presence down to a good luck charm and that is going to go poorly verse 5 as soon as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp all Israel gave a mighty shout so that the Earth resounded and when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting they said what does this Great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean they had just won the battle they were victorious and they're wondering why are they.
So confident says and when they learned the Ark of the Lord had come to the camp the Philistines were afraid for they said a God has come into the camp and they said woe to us for nothing like this has happened before woe to us who can Deliver Us From The Power of these Mighty Gods these are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness take courage and be men oh Philistines lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you be men and fight.
So they kind of know the history history of Israel they miss on some details they know that the ark is Holy they know that with the ark with God and his people that they defeated the Egyptians they get it some of the details wrong they think it's many gods they misunderstand it's one they think it happened in the wilderness you know it happened in Egypt but they understand this is a big deal but they also the Philistines to their credit are courageous men and they're like we're going to fight not going to be slaves let's go.
Verse 10 so the Philistines fought and Israel Was Defeated and they fled every man to his home and there was a very great Slaughter for 30,000 foot soldiers of Israel fell and the Ark was captured and the two sons of Eli hafni and Phineas died so God finally enacts this judgment this prophecy that Eli's Sons would die and I appreciate how the pastor ALG uh summarizes this he says the Israelites thought they could trust in the presence of the Ark while paying no attention to God's demands they thought they could trust in his presence and do it their own way and not heed the Commandments of.
God the teachings of God the demands of God and they blaspheme the presence of God and it ends up in a massive defeat and more to the point the ark is captured which means that the unique presence of God amongst his people has departed verse 12 a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head which that's a sign of lament he would have torn his clothes he would have put dirt on his head this is lamenting and morning.
Verse 13 when he arrived Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching for his heart trembled for the Ark of God Eli knows how big of a deal it is that the ark left that he's trembling in fear awaiting news and when the man came into the City and told the news all the city cried out when Eli heard the sound of the outcry he said what is this uproar then the man hurried and came and told Eli now Eli was 98 years old and his eyes were set.
So that he could not see so Eli is very old at this point 98 years old he's blind which means he's at the roadside he's just listening just trying to hear any bit of news that's coming in and the first thing that he hears is a loud lament a loud cry and you have to think in that moment that his stomach just drops what has happened the benjaminite comes to give him the news in verse 16 it says the man said to Eli I am he who has come from the battle I fled from the battle.
Today and he said how did it go my son he who brought the news answered and said Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great defeat among the people your two sons also half and Phineas are dead and the Ark of God has been captured as soon as he mentioned the Ark of God Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate and his neck was broken and he died for the man was old and heavy he judged Israel 40 years.
So Eli gets three sets of bad news the first Israel suffered a massive defeat tens of thousands of Israelites are dead on the battlefield second second his two sons which they all we see is is the their lack of character their wickedness but they are his sons he remembers them as children he remembers them growing up his two sons are gone but the news that really moves him the the news that deeply affects him and deep distress is the fact that the Ark of.
God is gone and that new overwhelms him so much that he falls out of his seat and being old and heavy and commentators have noted this and I think they're on to something that he's probably likely heavy because he too participated in the wickedness of eating the fatten parts of the sacrifices that he was not supposed to that he permitted by letting his sons corrupt the priesthood that he participated this and the irony of this is that all of that weight that he carried in Rebellion against.
God descends upon him as he falls backwards and his neck hits the ground and he breaks his neck and he dies and then God also fulfills the prophecy that we saw earlier that when Eli's Sons die he does too and after 40 Years of judging with poor leadership and permitting sin in the priesthood God has brought his judgment and it's devastating for the entire family which is where chapter 4 actually takes a really unique turn it it it goes in a direction that you wouldn't expect that I wouldn't expect and it zooms in on something very specific amongst all the different things that are going on the thousands of Israelites that are dead in the.
Battlefield Eli and his sons dying it focuses on the wife of one of the sons of Eli verse 19 now his daughter-in-law the wife of Phineas was pregnant about to give birth when she heard the news the Ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead she bowed and gave birth for her pains Came Upon her so upon hearing this news she goes into some type of complicated labor where she is actually going to die verse 20 and about the time of her death the woman attending her said to Hero not be afraid.
For you have borne a son but she did not answer or pay attention and she named the child kabad saying the glory y has departed from Israel because the Ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband and she said the glory has departed from Israel for the Ark of God has been captured and that's how this story ends now kabad literally in the Hebrew it just means no glory and it's this picture of the glory has Departed.
Now names are significant in the Bible they they intentionally their names have meaning and kabad captures the in this tragic birth the greater tragedy that has unfolded and really the biggest tragedy that's happened in Israel since they settled the promised land hundreds of years ago but just as Eli was mainly concerned with the Ark of God being captured that is the most shock shocking part for her and the most tragic part for she names her son iabat the glory has departed and she is in death acknowledging this great tragedy.
Now it's hard for us I think to picture the loss of this and I tried to think of what it would be like to lose something like that in our own culture I talked with Chad about this I like is there anything that that would help us understand what losing the ark meant and there really isn't try thinking through the Declaration of Independence being stolen the Constitution being stolen for some of you maybe it's Howard's Rock like I just but there really is nothing that would devastate us like what's happening here this is a massive event it's huge.
And if you remember the book of Exodus and how it ended the final passage of the the book of Exodus if you remember this the glory of the Lord this wonderful event where it fills the Tabernacle and how beautiful and how wonderful how glorious this was and now the glory of God has departed has left meaning meaning the presence of God has departed meaning that it's very likely it's very likely they believe God has abandoned them in judgment and I think they would be right to believe that that is why this is such a devastating scene I mean it's.
So devastating that this is also the the the Tabernacle has been here in Shiloh for almost 400 years Shiloh is no more after this we don't know what happened we catch hints that it was destroyed historically they think possibly the Philistines came in and burn it down possibly the people just in lament tore it down but this the end of Shiloh so this is a devastating event and yet in the midst of this Devastation it focuses in on a nameless woman and you might think.
Okay well I mean we get this Cliffhanger about kabad I wonder how he's going to show up later he doesn't he's not important at all he gets mentioned one other time and it's just in relation to his brother just to help Orient the story he's insignificant but the reason that it focuses in on this ending is to show how utterly devastating it was for the presence of God to leave the people this is a massive event and it is a tragedy.
So what I want to do for us is I want for us to reflect upon that reality the importance of the presence of God and I want us to think about this in a few different ways here's the first if you are not a Christian My Hope Is that that we can compel you to see how wonderful and how glorious the presence of God is that we can help you see how beautiful it is to live a life seeking the presence of.
God that we have a God that took on human flesh and dwelt Among Us that Jesus embodied a life that we could not live and he died to death on the cross that we deserve he rose from the resurrection to conquer death so that we could be ushered into the presence of God in part now but in full later and the journey of seeking the presence of God is wonderful it is beautiful so much so that if you didn't have this presence it would be devastating have you ever had a friend or a family member that died that you just I mean you felt their absence like you you get together.
For a meal and you see that empty seed and you just you feel it you feel their absence the reason that you feel their absence is because when they were with you their presence was so good you're just you're reminded of just how wonderful it was to have them in your life that right there is a small picture of what life with God is like like that his presence is so wonderful that you don't want to imagine life without him you don't want to imagine what it would be like to not.
See how wonderful he is to experience his comfort and his strength and his power and his Mercy to experience that when you sin when you fall short that his blood covers Us that we have fellowship with him because of what he does for us that his presence is that good the Theologian a w toer once said nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleas pleasure of experiencing the presence of God and the reality is is that we come into this world trying to find that pleasure in.
So many lesser things and the reason we move from thing to thing to thing to thing from activity activity activity from person to person to person is because they can never satisfy but the presence of God does that's how huge this is and as Christians we only get to experience that in part now but as we saw as we finished the book of Revelation just a short time ago that our entire lives are aimed at making it before the presence of.
God to see him in full that that eternity that awaits us is far better than anything this world has to offer so my hope is that as you walk with us and I hope that you do that you will begin to see how wonderful the presence of God is that he is worthy of your life and your faith and your surrendering to leave this life behind to find your hope in him in seeking his presence that's the first thing I want us to.
See the second is that if you are a Christian I want us to receive the warning do not use the presence of God for personal gain God is not a good luck charm he's not a good luck charm to get what we want in this life that is blasphemy that is taking the Lord's holy name in vain and the Heart posture that exists and existed in the Israelites that they would arrogantly barge into the throne room they would barge in and take from the holy of holies the presence of.
God for their own personal gain that posture still exists today how often do we see politicians that invoke their faith and talk about Jesus and hold up Bibles in order to get votes and I'm not saying that every politician that's ever talked about their faith isn't genuine but boy oh boy it's clear a lot aren't that there is no fear of there's no fear of God in that approach to to misuse the presence of God in your life and speak up about in a way to gain it's Insidious it's evil Christians do this in a lot of different ways one of the ways that I.
See it happen is someone who's making a decision for their own personal what they deem as a gain for their own personal benefit when other people are trying to counsel them and they say no no no God told me no no no the the Holy Spirit showed this to me told no no God would never he he would want me to be happy with fill in the blank and the name of God and a relationship with God and therefore the presence of.
God is invoked as a means to get what you want not thinking about wait a second that the Holy Spirit embodies the Church we have this individualist individualistic mindset that we it's just us and God that's not how it is that we are amongst the body when you have other Christians that are trying to counsel you especially when they're pointing to his word and you say oh no no no I know God is cool with what I'm doing woe to us.
When we do this Christians do this when they live a good moral life for the sake of gaining blessing that I want to do the commands in order that I might be blessed and again you're invoking following his Commandments which is calling upon your relationship with him and his presence in order for personal gain see Prosperity preachers do this the false prophets who sell out Arena tours dangling faith in front of people for cash there's no fear of God in them and this awful heresy that's.
So widespread in this culture of people that pedal pedestal the word of God and dangling Faith out in front of others for Earthly gain I'll give you one more one of the things that I've noticed is that there are in the South particularly parents when they become parents start to take Faith in Church very seriously and then the moment the last kid graduates from high school they begin to f fade away and what that shows often not going to speak for every person that's ever done this.
But what that shows often is is that Church and God was a means of raising good moral children and the moment that you've done that God is useless to you we should be mindful of that there I could go on and on there are lots of different ways that we misuse the presence of God for our own personal gain and we need to understand that's blasphemous that is as arrogant as them going into the holy of holies and taking the ark.
So we should consider our own heart in this and here's the third thing I want us to see today some of you may right now feel abandoned by God some of you may feel that God's presence in your life has left with no certainty of his return and if you've been following Jesus long enough this is going to sound familiar there are times when we feel like the presence of God and everything that I've been talking about just feels so distant there are times times.
When you talk to the Lord when you're praying and you just wonder am I just throwing empty words into empty air there are times where God feels so distant there are times where the name kabad feels so appropriate because it feels like his glory feels so absent and if you follow Christ long enough you will experience likely that a marathon long faith that we have on this journey there will be times where you feel the distress of God God just feeling distant and the next question that I get.
When I talk to folks that are feeling this is why why does God's presence feel so distant why can I feel the presence of God if God loves me why does he feel so distant why does he feel so foreign I want to feel his presence I want to know him and there are certainly a few different biblical reasons that I can point to for Why God might act like this in certain seasons of life but the reality is is very often I don't know why and sometimes you might get that answer later on and sometimes you might not get that answer at all I don't know why.
But as opposed to using the rest of our time to try to understand why I'd rather be more practical and tell you what to do if you're in that state if you're in that state now or if you will end up in that state in the future I want to give you three very practical things that I picked up from a pastor I used to know that I think are helpful if you're in a season where the presence of God As a Christian feels.
So distant the first is seek seek though sometimes God feels distant it feels like his presence has been removed from us we as Christians are still called to seek him and you might respond and say why would I seek a God who doesn't want to seem found right now why would I seek after God I feel so lonely right now in the aftermath of the devastation of Jerusalem the Prophet Jeremiah has these words from the book of Lamentations chapter 3 he says.
For the Lord will not cast off forever but though he cause grief he will have compassion according to the abundance of a steadfast love for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men says he will not cast off forever though it feels like that right now because that may be the reality that he is distant in a way that you can't see him like you want to Behold Him you want to see him you want to experience him.
When you pray you want to feel feel his presence when you read his word you want to feel something you want to be right here but he's not cast off forever he's right here with you and I so appreciate that he he does mention though he causes grief and our God does this sometimes in ways we don't understand he will have compassion according to his steadfast love and I appreciate this verse 33 I Love Actually what the csb the Christian Standard Bible says it says.
For he does not en Joy bringing Affliction or suffering on mankind God doesn't enjoy this he has Sovereign purposes for you in this but it does not bring him joy and you will not be cast off forever I love what the pastor Matt Smur says he says here's the point if you're going through a rough time the God of Heaven is not messing with you he's not playing some cruel Cosmic game he finds no joy none in watching you suffer Christian believe that I don't know why this is happening right.
Now but God finds no joy in it and he has greater purposes in it and you may not feel his presence but he is with us God May indeed as David says in multiple Psalms hide his face from us hide the better part of his presence from us in ways we don't understand but David also says in Psalm 137 where shall I go from your spirit or where shall I flee from your presence if I Ascend to Heaven you are there.
If I make my bed and shol you are there he knows that though sometimes we can't clearly see God as we seek him as we seek to savor him to love him to worship him he's right here the whole time and yes I hope hope that he comes to the center of you in a way that you feel his presence but don't for a moment think that he has abandoned you cuz he hasn't our God is with us and as David says in Psalm 30 weeping may t.
For the night but joy comes in the morning I am Telling You for the Christian that is true I don't know how long the night is going to be but I do know that the morning is going to break and you are going to feel this compassion against you are going to feel his presence again and if you're in the middle of a season like that seek Him seek Him don't stop seek Him do the things that are good for your soul read the Scriptures even.
When you feel nothing seek him pray talk to God even when it feels like you don't even know if he's listening as doubts and lies come in that says he doesn't care pray seek him sing worship even if your heart feels nothing sing seek the Lord the second thing to do is to self-examine self-examine there may be reasons that God feels distant that you do not know there are some times though there are some situ situations where the presence of God feeling distant is self-inflicted that you have done things that have has led to this that was the story of the Israelites it was by their actions that the presence of.
God left them so we do things sometimes that lead to this in a way that pursuing sin and keeping it hidden numbs our soul to where we really can't sense God and the reality is we should self examine we should look at our own Hearts we should try to see as Psalm 139: 23- 24 say David says search me oh God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any Grievous way in me and Lead Me in the way Everlasting we should we should pray pray that like search me oh.
God know my heart see if there be any Grievous way within me and if there are Grievous ways expose them bring them into the light confess them before the Lord confess them to other Christians in your in your group begin to walk in the light because sometimes the choices that we make and the sin that we hide numbs us in a way where we can't see God very clearly and we should take account of that and we should repent and we should run back to.
God but let me be clear sometimes and a lot of times it's not hidden sin you're doing all the things Faithfully following Christ I'm sure you've got sin but you walk in accountability you repent of it and God still feels distant here's the third thing you can do is stare I'm made these all S's so you could remember that super Baptist of us seek self-examine stare stare deeply into the truths of God even when he doesn't feel present stare deeply into.
God because he's always present if you are in Christ Romans 3 8: 38-39 is true for you this is true for I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our lord there is nothing that separates you from the love of God he may not be in full Focus view right.
Now but he's right here and he's not going anywhere he still loves you the God who gave up his life to bring you into his presence nothing will separate you from him he's here and though he feels far and though his love feels far the objective true reality in spite of our feeling is that he is here the love that saved you the love that redeemed you the love that's holding you on right now now and the love that will carry you home is still present in your life.
If if you're a Christian if you're a follower of Christ and you're in a season where you cannot sense his presence I don't know why he's hidden the better parts of his presence from you but I know good and well from the Scriptures he is with you so stare don't stop stare deeply into the presence of God you know sometimes uh if you're in a place like this if you're a season like this that trying to stare deeply into God is like looking at one of those magic eyes one of those Magic Eye posters do you.
Remember those did I put did I put a picture in there on the slide is there a magic gu poster put that up there if I did yeah I did okay I did the right thing okay so if you're not familiar with these these were like at every elementary middle school classroom that I was ever in and the point of these is if you stare at it long enough or Chad said there's some way of doing it look at your nose I don't know.
But I never figured these out so I would look at these kind of posters and I would just see nothing I still see nothing and then all of a sudden someone says oh I see it it's a whale and it's like really I got nothing I just I mean I see nothing and sometimes when you're in a season where you can't sense the presence of God you be in community group and someone's got the Scriptures open they're just saying oh isn't.
God so good look at this truth look how wonderful he is our God loves us so much he's so powerful he's so mighty he's so Sovereign and I'm open up the Bible and you're just like I don't see it right now I don't know I I just can't see God clearly right now and sometimes that's what it feels like but what I'm here to tell you is don't stop staring you belong to God you are marked by him and one day he's going to break through and one day you are going to.
See him clearly you're going to feel his presence you're going to feel his love you want to feel his power God is going to break through so keep staring seek self-examine stare and you will see him clearly again the bad news for the Israelites is that their sin led to the presence leaving the good news is in a few chapters the presence of God is going to return the better news for us as Christians is that though we may be in a season where he feels far and distant he never left.
So keep persevering and stare deeply until we experience his presence again Matt's going to come up and we're just going to sing one song This Is A Hymn that we don't often sing It's called I stand amazed and I want us to stand I want us to sing this and you may be a Christian right now that is so feeling the presence of God and everything I just said just feels foreign it's no I just he feels so present I'm so ready to sing what I would encourage you do is to sing.
But in the moments where there's pauses between the words would you pray for the rest of your Church family would would you pray for the Christians in this room right now that want to feel the presence of God but they just can't and if you're one of those Christians right now I I want you to sing you may not feel the joy of the Lord in your heart you may not feel his presence the part of staring until you see his presence again is singing.
So I want you to sing and if you're not a Christian I want you to hear the message in this song and I want you to surrender your life to the God who's worthy of your life so that you can experience the presence of God from now into eternity let me pray Heavenly Father may you go to work on our hearts right now may you heal may we feel your presence may we worship and Delight in you Lord would you work mightily by the power of the Holy Spirit in us we ask this in.
Jesus name amen.
1 Samuel 3
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you'll grab a Bible and go to First Samuel we are working our way through the book of 1 Samuel and we in chapter 3 we have been seeing the growth and the development of Samuel and last week we saw uh judgment being declared against Eli who was the high priest and his two sons hne and Phineas and we are picking up in chapter three we're going to walk all the way through chapter 3 this morning uh we are going to read one verse.
And then talk for a while and if you haven't uh you know don't get terrified that we're going to do that with every verse we're just going to do that with the first verse and then we're going to walk through the rest of the story and we're going to make two big observations from this text this morning the first one is the importance the value the goodness of the word of God God and the second one is the importance and the value and the goodness of someone to declare the word of.
God so we're going to see that we need something to say and we need someone to say it and that's what we're going to be looking at as we work through this text this morning that that's the way God works he gives something to say and he gives someone to say it so um let's ask the Lord for help and we'll jump right in to chapter three Lord we pray that we you would bless this time as we uh seek to Value the word of.
God and to grow our appreciation for the word of God we ask that even in this moment uh that we would do that that we would Place great value on your word in Jesus name amen now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli and the word of the Lord was rare in those days there was no frequent Vision so this is setting us up a little bit giving us a bit of a setting of what's going on here and we're told that the boy Samuel.
Now that word translated boy boy is actually a decent translation of that word in that it does not give us a clear indication of how old he is at all we can say it's a boy and this is an infant and we can say the boys are back in town and that those aren't infants at all they might act childish but they're not infants that's the way this word is used this this Hebrew word it is the word that describes Moses as he floats down the the Nile and is picked up by Pharaoh's daughter it is the word that describes uh Joseph.
When he is 17 it is a word that describes several people who are committing uh High crimes in the Bible that they are referred to as this it's young man as a way to translate it it it it's a wide range so we know that he's been growing up we know that his he now has five younger siblings um I would Place him somewhere let's just say teenager he's probably in that zone could could press a little past teenager could be a little younger.
But it doesn't seem like it I think we're picking up with a 13 to 18 year old okay that's what boy means that's what we're looking at Samuel's been growing he's ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli but then it says this and the word of the Lord was rare in those days there was no frequent Vision now as you all well remember from last week in chapter two a man of God shows up and and declares this Proclamation against the house of Eli.
But the text is like don't get confused that doesn't happen often that's not a consistent thing the word of the Lord is rare we don't have someone who's consistently speaking on behalf of the lord it's not like when Moses was here and at the tend of meeting he actually met with God we have the tent of meeting but there's no there's been no meetings and actually as we to found out in Chapter 2 the tent of meeting has been the tent of a whole lot of really terrible things the priests have been doing that's what's been happening here and it says that the word of.
God is rare that there's no frequent Vision that we're in a time of drought and this is actually one of the things that God will at times it's a it's a punishment it's a judgment it's certainly bad add it's this is no good thing to have a drought of the word of God in Amos he actually says I'm going to send a famine but not a famine of food not a drought of water but of the word of God and you'll travel all across the country seeking it and you won't find it.
So in those days they knew what famine was they knew what hunger was they knew what was like even even for the people who struggle with hunger in our country there's food all around them but when they had famines if I don't have food my neighbor doesn't have food we we have to move we have to go to a different country we have to go to a different place we have to go see if it's been raining somewhere they had to travel.
For it there was no hope in the middle of a famine for there to suddenly be food that's not how it worked and so we're told that they're in a season of a famine of the word of God now we live in an interesting time because we have more access to the word of God you have more access to the word of God than anyone at any point in any time in history you right now on your cell phone can have multiple English translations you can have translations in other languages on your cell phone you can have someone read it to you on your cell phone you can be like I don't like the way.
That person's voice sounds and pick a different person to read it to you on your cell phone you can have multiple copies of the word of God nobody's going to try to take it from you we print them out and we we hand these out you can have this if you don't own a Bible there's a blue Bible sitting in the chair in front of you take that home we want you to have a Bible we want you to read it often that's yours it's a gift to you we want you to have the Bible we have access to the Bible I think we have more access to the Bible than like I said anytime.
In any history and maybe we have a very low appreciation for the Bible I think we're a little bit in our approach to the Bible like we are as Americans that we actually don't understand what the word famine means and I actually think we don't really understand what it's like to not have access to the Bible but historically and globally lack of an access to the word of God has been common and the idea that this is a right of ours that will never be taken away or can never be infringed upon is not true at this time they would have had had copies some copies of the the word given to Moses they would.
Have had some in the ark that's going to show up later in this chapter and then a whole lot in the book of Samuel it doesn't seem like they were reading it they certainly weren't following it but you needed someone to show up and prophetically speak the word throughout the Old Testament and then the word continues to develop and that gets written down in the time that Jesus is Alive walking on Earth his ministry here they would have had some written Scrolls at uh that you could go and they would read them.
When you gathered at a synagogue but the idea that you would have that at home was not a thing young boys would memorize the first five books if you were good at it you could go into the priesthood and memorize the rest of them a lot of them like Peter James and John they were like hey maybe you should fish but they would memorize the Scriptures then we went into the Middle Ages where they worked hard to translate their Scriptures were originally written in the language people used they translated it into Latin.
Because that was one of the languages people used but eventually it got to where Latin was what they considered the the holy good language and people didn't speak it anymore but that's what you would show up you would show up and they would have a Catholic mass a Latin mass and they would read in a language you didn't know and the reformers begin to press on this and say no we need it back in the vernacular we need it back in the language that people speak and they were killed.
For trying to do that Wickliffe translated into English he died but later they were like no actually he shouldn't have done that he's a heretic they dug his bones up and burned them they got to tendale first he was translating into English they strangled him and then burned him Martin Luther was working to get it into to German this was a thing that happened in the Reformation that they were fighting so that they could have the word of God in Geneva once they were they were this is where Calvin was they would on Sunday they would gather at Sunrise there was a sermon at 9: there was a sermon in the middle of the afternoon.
They had catechism where they trained children and then they had a sermon in the evening and then they had sermons at sunrise on Monday Wednesday and Friday where Luther was they would have multiple sermons like that on Sunday and then they would have three or four on different days during the week at different times in the morning at lunchtime in the evening they were gathering like this to study the word of God repeatedly to hear sermons proclaimed repeatedly because they understood the value of what it was like to not have it and the value of what it was like to have it we ought to Value the word we ought to meditate on it we.
Ought to memorize it we ought to study it when we come in here on Sundays we ought to give our attention to it this should not be the place where we plan our weeks do our meal planning play uh games on our phone that we ought to focused now some of you are using your phone to to look at your Bible I do not do that because I will be looking at my Bible and then I will think I wonder what that word means.
And then I will look it up and once I'm on the internet I might go anywhere and I'll realize I've suddenly learned more about foreign policy because I suddenly was I just was like okay hold on so there are many times in the morning where I will turn my phone off throw it away from me put it so far Out Of Reach just so that I at least have to go you're reaching for your phone don't do it so maybe you need to have a printed Bible.
But we need to have wrapped attention and appreciation for the word we ought to care this is one of the reasons why we as a Church read through whole books of the Bible this is why we start off so often by saying get your Bible out open to this page we want to work through books of the Bible together we want to care about the Bible we want you to hold the Bible look at the Bible read the Bible if we say something up here that doesn't make any sense we want you to be going that doesn't make any sense that's not what the text says this is why in our in our uh Community.
Groups throughout the week we get back together and we look at the same passage we're trying to study and grow in this together but we want to hold this in high honor and we want to appreciate the fact that we are not in a famine of the word of God the thing that we lack is hunger for the word of God and we want to be people who hunger for it and appreciate it I understand that many of you are busy with life most of us are busy.
Because we have filled our life with things if you were to say I am too busy to read the Bible I would respond to you that I've never actually met a person where that was true I think you have had time to do that in this past week you just have to filled your time with other things that are less important I do know of a mother at one point who had a bunch of small children and she said I have found that I don't have time to read the Bible like I want to.
So I've started memorizing it that way while I'm doing all the things I have to do during the day I at least have some verses in my head that I'm meditating on and memorizing so that by the end of the week I've memorized this many verses this much of a section of the text because I am having a hard time with my schedule fitting it in the way I would like to so if you said I'm having a hard time reading the Bible.
But I'm memorizing it I would say good but the idea that we just don't have time is really that we don't have it valued where it ought to be and we ought to be a people who value the word of God and we ought to understand that there are times where the word is rare and we don't live there so let's praise the Lord that it's not the case here and let's be people who love the word grow in the word.
So in the word believe the word meditate on the word memorize the word share the word with each other we're going to talk through some of that in our groups this week there are people in your group who do consistently read their Bibles and have figured out how to to build their schedule around that and for those of you who are like I've never really done this I don't really know how to do that would love for you to get with them this week and as yall discuss try to figure out how do I build this into my life I talked to people periodically who were like man I just I got all these big.
Decisions ision I'm having to make talk to men who are trying to lead their families and like I got all this stuff I'm trying to do and they don't read their Bibles and I'm always like good luck there's so much wisdom there's so much hope there's so much grounding there's so much uh that calls you to things that matter in the word of God that helps you reorient your life around things that are not stupid and that so much of us are just building our life around what all the other Americans around us tell us we should build our life around and we.
Look foolish and we have access to the word and should love the word study the word memorize the word and know that there are times where that is lacking okay I could keep saying all kinds of things but I will not verse two that's the setting a place where there is no word of God now I will tell you this in your Old Testament the the Jewish authors and this is true for the whole Bible but it's really true for for Jewish writers.
When they tell you a story they do not waste any time they don't give you details that don't matter they they they are very succinct in their storytelling this is Americans sometimes will be like well what about this what about that why isn't this here I wonder what that looked like and it's like yeah it doesn't matter they didn't tell you it doesn't matter you don't have to know that imagine it however you like but that that it's not there it doesn't matter.
But the stuff they do tell you matters and when it starts off by saying the word of the Lord was rare in those days it'd be like if you were starting to watch a movie and they were like in a time when all the heroes were dead and darkness Ruled the Land I'm like M I bet there's going to be a hero and he's going to fight some Darkness you guys like it's it's already told me what's coming and so when it says the word of.
God was rare it's like oh I think maybe we're about to fix this problem I don't want to give it away but we're about to fix this problem all right verse two at that time Eli whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see was lying down in his own place the lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was okay Eli's high priest he's very old he's going blind the next time they give us some descriptions about us They tell him tell us that he's very old he has fully gone blind and he's very.
Heavy so if you're picturing Eli old heavy can hardly see Samuel is growing in height stature and age and it says that Eli's in his place we don't know exactly where his place is but it tells us that AMU was sleeping in the temple I didn't know that was a thing so they had the Tabernacle set up the Tabernacle had the holy place and the most holy place in the mo Most Holy place there was the the veil that separated that only the high priest would go in there once a year and that's where the ark was.
When it says he's sleeping in the temple where the ark was I think he's in the Holy place not the most holy place I don't think he's actually where only the high priest went once a year because God says he'll kill you you if you do that so I think it just means he's near it rather than in in there he's just in the temple where the ark is because that's where they would delineate the temples where the ark is so I think he's there the the lamp hasn't gone out means that they lit these this lamp it was a uh seven oil burner lamp they lit it at night it would go out sometimes.
In the morning so middle of the night Eli's laying down Samuel's laying down middle of the night samel was in the temple all right then the Lord called Samuel and he said here I am and ran to Eli and said here I am for you called me but he said I did not call lie down again so he went and lay down Samuel hears the Lord calling him he pops up presumably out of sleep goes Eli's calling me I don't know how often this would happen.
But if Eli's eyesight is really dim it's possible that anytime he needed help he would holler at Sam Samu would go help him so he runs to him says basically yes sir you called me here I am you called Eli who now been woken up by Samuel presumably says no I didn't go back to bed so Samuel goes back to bed so he went and lay down verse six and the Lord called again Samuel and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said here I am.
For you my son lie down again so he does it again Samuel uh we don't know how long has happened between this we don't know if this was 5 minutes 30 minutes we don't know if Samuel went back to sleep we don't know if Eli went back to sleep but they have a repeat of this interaction in the middle of the night yes sir you called me no it didn't okay go back down all right verse 7 now Samuel did not yet know the.
Lord and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him so Samuel who's been growing who's been developing who's been serving doesn't yet know the Lord in such a way that when he calls his calls him he recognizes his voice he doesn't yet discern the voice of the Lord he doesn't yet relate to the Lord the way he's going to he does not yet know the Lord the word has not yet been revealed to him so he go and lays back down and the.
Lord called Samuel again the third time which praise the Lord that he keeps calling like you ever finally do what the Lord's been telling you to do calls you to repent call you and you're like you've been telling me this for a long time thank you Lord thank you that you keep calling thank you that you keep coming some of you became a Christian and it was like yeah but I had this opportunity and this opportunity and this opportunity and I.
Finally like get clicked and I broke and thank you Lord for keeping after me and the Lord called Samuel again the third time and he arose and went to Eli and said here I am for you called me I appreciate this the first time that Samuel goes it says he ran the second two times it doesn't use that word uses it uses he went Samuel's thinking he a little hesitation these second two times I think by the third time he's walking going somebody's crazy either I'm slipping or he's slipping I don't know.
If you've met many teenage boys I think Sammy would be leaning towards Eli's losing it I feel pretty on my game but there's some hesitation he's he's going he's not running he like uh and you know he's also got to be thinking if I'm going crazy I can't keep waking him up you know like if he like I don't know how to help him if he's going to keep hollering but if I'm also just hearing things I can't just be like hey I'm hearing stuff again like I you know this he's just going.
Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy so it clicks for Eli third time that he's come out of the temple saying you're calling me and Eli's like I'm I'm not Eli's also convinced he's not I'm not doing this but he goes oh the Lord's calling verse n therefore Eli said to Samuel go lie down and if he calls you you shall say Speak Lord for your servant hears so Samuel went and lay down in his place so Eli who has not been a good high priest Eli who has not been a good.
Father Eli who has been corrected and has led his sons in this moment he recognizes that's the Lord and he says here's what you're going to say when the Lord calls you say speak for your servant hears you say I'm listening and I'm your I'm your servant he went and lay down in his place and the Lord came and stood calling as at other times so now we're told the Manifest presence of the Lord is here in his Temple near the ark that.
When he said that the word was rare and there had been no frequent Vision we're now being seeing that the word is present and there's a vision to accompany it that he sees him he says Samuel Samuel which is a common framework Moses Moses Abraham Abraham Jacob Jacob there's this this double call this Samuel Samuel and Samuel said speak for your servant hears then the Lord said to Samuel behold I'm about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle that's an intro I'm just interested that.
God is so colorful in the way he describes this their two ears are going to tingle and the text says too he specifies this both ears this not their two ears are going to tingle on that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end and I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew because his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain them.
Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever Samuel young man has been woken up multiple times in in the middle of the night he is finally standing now face to face with the Lord and the man he was just talking to Eli he's now given a message about Eli and let's take a moment to consider the message God says everything that the the man of God declared I'm going to bring to pass and his house will not be atoned.
For forever will not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever this was one of the things that we looked at when we were discussing in our group this past week this isn't a if they don't repent this is a passing of judgment there will be no forgiveness for this and the reality of this is the reality that moves forward into the New Testament because you you want to look at this and go wait wa wait I thought God would forgive us I thought there was there was hope I thought there was we could repent how do you get Beyond repentance the answer is you scorn his sacrifice the way in which they would gain.
Forgiveness was through the sacrifice and they had rejected the sacrifice the way in which they would have hope is through the sacrifice but they had scorned the sacrifice they had rejected the sacrifice they had Dishonored the sacrifice they had blasphemed the sacrifice and therefore there is no more forgiveness for them because the only means by which they could be forgiven they had rejected and that's the reality that moves forward into the New Testament with Christ it is not that there are some s sins that are too big to be forgiven it is that.
If you reject the opportunity for forgiveness in the sacrifice where God meets us to atone for our sin for us if we reject and blaspheme against Christ and reject him and reject the sacrifice then there is no hope for forgiveness because there is no other place for forgiveness so that's what he's saying they will not be atoned for because they've rejected my means of atonement there is no other place to go for forgiveness now that's the message who who does God tell he says I declare to him.
Verse 13 I declare to him Eli I declare to Eli that I'm about to punish his house forever he's talking to Eli Eli but who's he talking to Samuel he's not talking to Eli he's talking to Eli but he's talking to Samuel so Samuel has been given a message with implications that this is to be spread specifically to Eli God woke Samuel up multiple times and gave him a message for Eli verse 15 Samuel lay until morning then he opened the doors of the house of the.
Lord it's possible he slept it says he he lay there that word can sometimes be used for sleeping like when someone say I'm going to go lay down they don't just mean lay down they're going to go to sleep it's the same kind of way that works but it also might just mean he just lay there with a heavy message and then he says he opened the doors of the House of Eli and Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli yeah have you noticed that Eli's called him my son multiple times this is who's been raising him this is who he's been studying under this is who he's been being developed by he's.
Got a horrific terrible message to give him he's young yeah I would say fear is involved here makes sense but Eli called Samuel and said Samuel my son and he said here I am and Eli said what was it that he told you do not hide it from me may God do so to you more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you I don't exactly know the interaction and the tone of how Eli had to call Samuel to him and the the way Samuel responded.
But at some point and maybe it was already really clear to Eli but at some point Eli is well aware of the type of message that Samuel has I don't know if he kind of seemed like he was avoiding him that morning I don't know if Eli stayed awake all night too and since Samuel never came back he was like and Samuel wakes up and don't really it's like you know but at some point he says tell me everything he said and he basically places a conditional curse on him may.
God apply all of it to you if you don't tell me verse 18 so Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him and he said it is the Lord let him do what seems good to him Eli's response humble resigned he accepts the message he says he's the Lord let him do what he sees fit and Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and he let none of his words fall to the ground that means that he confirmed him confirmed him as a prophet that's what none of his words fall to the ground that.
When Samuel would speak on behalf of God that he'd declare a thing none of that fell flat all of that was confirmed all of that came true he let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel from Dan to beeba you're like wow all the way from Dan to Beba yeah knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord that from Dan to berseba Dan's City high up north berseba city high really low down south it's like.
When we say things like Coast to Coast you know from sea to shining sea that sort of thing it's saying they all knew all Israel from Dan to BBA knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord one of the ways that that is translated in some translation is that the Lord kept appearing or continued to appear so that.
Now the tent of meeting is a tent of meeting again the Lord is now appearing at Shiloh the Lord is now speaking through Samuel Samuel is established as a prophet chapter 4 verse 1 and the word of Samuel came to all Israel that's how chapter four starts no more drought God has called established a prophet God is meeting and declaring through Samuel the word of the Lord is coming to all Israel from Dan to berseba they know prophecy has resumed God's word has resumed his leadership has resumed through His prophets this is wonderful.
For the people of Israel because they are in the middle of a season that needs guidance the temple has been the Tabernacle has been in Shiloh for years is it's been there and they have had the the time of the judges but the judges most often were not working in a prophetic role most often they were working in a uh a leadership role they were called by the Lord to do a task they would judge and oversee the people of Israel.
But they were not always speaking prophetically to the people of Israel but now we have a a prophet the word has come and then it says something very interesting though in verse 4 I mean in chapter 4 verse1 the word of Samuel came to all Israel now is it the word of Samuel or is it the word of the Lord yes cuz we're told at the beginning that the word of the Lord was rare and then it ends with this basically it's not anymore the word of Samuel has come.
But it's like is it Samuel's words yes is it the word of the Lord yes and this is the way God chooses to work he has a message but he chooses to have a messenger he needs to talk to Eli he talks to Samuel but Samuel is going to declare the message this is how he works throughout the Old Testament this is God's method for speaking is that he takes a person and he has a Herald he uses them to Proclaim his message he does this throughout the Old Testament.
And then something very interesting happens in the New Testament we're told in Hebrews that God had spoken many times through His prophets but now he's chosen to speak through his son and so that Jesus Christ comes the word of God became flesh to dwell among us and that Jesus comes is the Fulfillment of all of these promises of all of this hope Jesus comes to rescue and to redeem and then Jesus sends out his disciples to proclaim the message that there's forgiveness in his name that he is the sacrifice that he has died on the cross was dead buried rose again has ascended to heaven and that anyone who believes in him will be saved.
Will be forgiven we'll have hope but he sends his disciples to declare this and here's how the the book of Acts puts it so often as his disciples are going and sharing this this is Acts chapter 6 verse 7 and the word of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith which is great because we saw that they sometimes have problems and now they're becoming Christians it's excellent.
But that's not the point I'm trying to show you the word of God continue to increase what that's saying is that the Gospel spread that's how we would probably would word it the Gospel spread and there were many more disciples but it calls it the word of God that now there are Christians with the word of God in their mouth spreading the word of God this how it puts it in Acts chapter 12 it says but the word of God increased and multiplied and it doesn't mean the Bible got twice as big certainly they were writing letters.
But that's not what it's talking about here what it's talking about is the Gospel going forward people believing the Church growing because the Church the word of God had come to them and and now they were commissioned to go with the word of God in their mouths to people the thing that has happened in the New Testament is that we if you belong to Jesus and the word of God has come to you we are called and we are sent there is a new prophetic Ministry of Declaration of the word of.
God which is the Gospel to be spread we we say this every Sunday we say that we we know a message but we're surrounded by people who don't that the Church is plan a and there is no plan B and you are sent that's what God's been doing forever you stand in the line with Samuel when Peter preaches his first sermon at Pentecost he says we knew this was going to happen Joel told us this that the spirit was going to fall and that your Sons and Daughters will prophesy that will'll go forward proclaiming this message that this has happened.
And then they were sent I will tell you one beautiful distinction between us and Samuel Samuel had very bad news to declare Praise Jesus we have very good news to declare that there is forgiveness of sins that there is hope that there is joy that there is everlasting life that there is an eternal glorious King who has rescued us that loved us enough to die for us but far be it from us to not declare it Eli says to Samuel say speak.
For your servant hears and I think some of us right now need to take a moment to say to the Lord tell me tell me who I need to talk to I said earlier that the reformers they had four sermons on Sunday they had them all throughout the week I like preaching I'd be up for preaching more probably not that much seems like a lot we only do this once and it's not because we don't value this highly but it's because we've been sent with the word of.
God to people who do not know him and our goal is not to have you in this building a lot during the week our goal is that we would gather as people who love the word of God study the word of God Rest In Hope in the Gospel gather together to sing to worship and then we would go I don't I don't know if this is weird to you your pastors want you to join a bowling leag we want you to be a part of neighborhood watch we want you to join PTO.
And if you're like I don't like bowling I don't like PTO that's not the point it's not the point but if you've ever been a part of a PTO you know those people need Jesus if you ever been part of a neighborhood organization you know those people need the Gospel we want you to go and I I don't want you to care about the height of grass but I want you to care about the souls of the people who care about the height of grass we want your time to be taken up spent out in studying the word of.
God and then going to people who need that message you have good news to declare and y'all the people around us are miserable and lost they are without God and without hope in the world but we know we know what happens if you Scorn the sacrifice we know how good he is we know the rescue we know the hope we know the Gospel we know the joy we know the peace the rest the Comfort why are our mouths closed let's take a moment I'd like.
For you to close your eyes and if you're if you're a Christian if you know the Lord I'd like for you to to talk to him I'd like for you to ask him Lord who do I need to speak to Lord where do I need to serve we've been given a message of good news May we not keep it to ourselves so just take a moment where you are and ask that for Lord may we be a people who repent of Silence.
Lord we repent of a lack of care of your word or we ask that your spirit would move and that you would call and that we would listen some of you have neighbors and co-workers and people at the gym that you need to begin to be very intentional with and you need to tell them about the Gospel and some of you there are places in the world where the the Gospel is not heard where churches do not gather like this some of you have been feeling like maybe I'm called to Ministry maybe I'm supposed to be a pastor maybe I'm supposed to be a missionary it's tugged at you the Lord's called your name a.
Couple of times you felt it at different times at a youth camp at a retreat at a thing where you were pressed and you thought maybe I'm supposed to do that and some of you right now need to say Lord I'll go wherever you send me Lord I am your servant and I'll take whatever position you give me some of you right now need to stop thinking about this as if God has got to fill out a contract and you're going to sign it.
When you see all the details some of you need to sign your name and slide a blank sheet of paper across to the Lord and say you fill it in I'll go so God may your spirit move may we hear your voice Lord we are your servants may we serve may your blessing be on this Church for the Gospel to be proclaimed for people to believe for hope to be held out Lord we're thankful that our hope is in Christ and not in our service we're thankful that our hope is in the Gospel the blood that was shed we're thankful.
Lord that it's not about us and our ability to work and our ability to serve and our ability to declare but Lord may you by your grace Empower and send us as we have the joy of the Gospel may we spread it we ask and pray all this in Jesus name amen.
1 Samuel 2:12-36
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab a Bible and go to First Samuel we are working through the book of 1 Samuel together so far we have learned about elaa and his wife Hannah and Hannah was praying for a son and she was blessed eventually with a son and she named him Samuel and I don't want to give anything away but he's kind of important in this book um and we are picking up in chapter 2 where we are going to.
See the growth and development of Samuel compared to and contrasted with the uh sons of Eli hne and Phineas and we're going to see the wickedness of hne and Phineas and we're going to to kind of read through this story together make a few observations but then we will end with four observations from the text on the nature of their sin the nature of their wickedness and the nature of God's response to their sin and so that's that's what we're going to do with our time this morning will be in 1st Samuel 2: 11-36.
If you will join me in prayer father we pray that you would bless this time as we study your word help us to hear from you may your spirit guide us and lead us towards greater faith in Jesus name amen uh 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 11 then elaa went home to Rama and the boy that's Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest he is little he's been weaned so he's not in need of his mother anymore.
But he is a small child and he's been given to the Tabernacle at Shiloh Eli is the high priest his two sons hne and Phineas were told in chapter one were priests under him and so uh Samuel is now serving as basically a small boy participating in running tasks doing errands those sort of things developing and growing as he's been given to them at Shiloh and it's going to compare them back and forth so that's what it says in 11 it says that he's there the boy was ministering to the.
Lord in the presence of Eli the priest now the sons of Eli were worthless men they did not know the Lord and so this story is going to unfold in that manner we're going to go back and forth mostly looking at hofi and Phineas but we're going to see that contrasted with Samuel he's going to be in the background throughout and so basically it's going to say look at how awful the they are and then it's going hey look they're Samuel and that's basically how it's going to go back and forth um the sons of Eli were worthless men they did not know the.
Lord that is not how you want the Bible to describe you and it is particularly bad if you are the priests these are the priests it's not they they had one Tabernacle where all the people of Israel had to come to partake in sacrifice and this is where you would Worship the Lord they were not allowed to just do sacrifices wherever they were he said you'll have to do that in the place where I've chosen to make my name dwell which at this time was Shiloh.
Because they had not yet claimed Jerusalem and had not yet built the temple so you had to go to this place to see these priests and they don't know the Lord which means it's very possible as a person to know a lot about the Lord and not know the Lord to be around the things of God but not know God and that's the situation that they are in now it's going to expound basically upon their worthlessness help you understand what that means.
Verse 13 the custom of the priests with the people the custom here being this is what they practice not what they were taught to practice but what they were currently doing how they interacted with the people the custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice the priest servant would come while the meat was boiling so he would come while the meat was boiling with a three-pronged fork in his hand he would thrust it into the pan or Kettle or cauldron or pot which I love how that's written cover you can cook it however you want they were going to do this that's basically what it's saying into the pan.
The or Kettle or cauldron or pot all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself this is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there okay so if you're reading this we just told they were worthless we're told they do this thing and then we're told this is what they were doing to the people at Shiloh now I don't think many of us were like what you like is it supposed to be a four-pronged fork like I don't know what are the what are the rules here.
Well in Leviticus chapter 2 chapter 7 and all over the place but those are two specific places Leviticus 23 731 through 36 there are specific portions that the priests are supposed to eat they were only allowed to have certain sections of the sacrifice so what would happen is all the people would come to to perform a sacrifice there were portions that belonged to the Lord and it depended on the type of sacrifice there were peace offerings and wave offerings and burnt offerings and sacrificial off offerings and offerings.
For sin and offerings for Fellowship there were all kinds of different offerings and this is all laid out in Leviticus uh mostly is the place where that most of that is laid out it's in other places as well but they had portions that belonged to the Lord they had portions that belonged to the priests and then the person there were portions that belong to nobody they'd burn up or take out and throw away and then the the people who brought the sacrifice would eat the other portions and in some ways they were partaking in depending on the type of sacrifice they were partaking in sharing a meal with the.
Lord and so what we're just told is the priests were taking portions that did not belong to them they were supposed to have the right thigh and the breast of whatever the animal was but they're showing up and just skewering and potentially getting better parts of meat they don't want to eat the same thing all the time they're just going to come by and get some things that's the first thing that they're doing verse 15 moreover before the fat was burned the priest servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing give meat.
For the priest to roast for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw and if the man said to him let them burn the fat first and then take as much as you wish he would say no you must give it now and if not I will take it by force okay again we need a little context to see why I mean other than threatening to beat people up why this is bad Leviticus 3:5 and then well I'm sorry Leviticus 3 uh parts of two and three.
And then we'll look at verse 16 and 17 I just want you to see this Aaron's sons the priests that's that's Eli Hoff Phineas shall throw the blood against the sides of the Altar and from the sacrifice of the PE peace offering as a food offering to the Lord he shall offer the fat F covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails then it goes on and talks a lot about fat and different parts of the the body that had fat on them that were belonging to the.
Lord and says and the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing Aroma all fat is the Lord's it shall be a statute forever throughout your Generations in all your Dwelling Places that you eat neither fat nor blood so the priests were coming by saying give us raw meat don't cook it first and the person who was there knew more or was trying to follow more than the priests were because they would say Let Me Burn the fat off.
Then he can have whatever he wants and then they would respond do you want to fight a priest today this system is wicked they are not following the Lord verse 17 thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt Verse 18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord a boy clothed with the linen ephod which is a a little linen priest outfit you know how cute little kids are.
When you put like a suit on them or whatever that's that's Samuel he's running around in his little little ephan and his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice which is such a sweet kind of sad part of the story she sees him once a year she comes up she's been sewing him in ephod she's making him closeth she's guessing how big she's how big he's getting.
But she takes seriously the the blessing that he was when she prayed for him and she take seriously her desire for him to know the Lord and I would just say that as parents care about your children knowing the Lord care about him serving the lord I realized at one point when I would go pick up my kids from Kid City I would say did you have fun which something I want I want them to have fun in Kid City but I realized that week after week as I was asking that question do you have fun do you have fun I was helping them frame up what the point of kid city was.
So I've started asking what' you learn about Jesus today what you learn about the Lord because that's actually what I want for them truth is if kid city was only fun and they didn't learn about Jesus we would have failed miserably so we wanted to be mostly Jesus and some fun all right but we want them to know the Lord and that's what she cares about she's blessing him and bringing this ephod each year then Eli would bless ELCA and his wife and say may the.
Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord so then they would return to their home indeed the Lord visited Hannah and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters and the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord okay she is blessed she does have more children and something else that happens in this story is time just passed by she's had five children now so Samuel has gotten bigger and older and hoffi and Phineas have dragged out the amount of time they're doing this nonsense that's what just happened we just had a little Montage like a little you know the seasons went by it was a.
Little fast forward and then suddenly Samuel's taller that's what happened here now Eli is verse 22 now Eli was very old and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance of the tent of meeting so now we find out something else that they're doing using their position to either extort exploit or just to entice no matter what this is wickedness not to be done and he said to them why do you do such things.
For I hear of your evil dealings with all these people from all these people know my my sons it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad if someone sins against a man God will mediate for him but if someone sins against the Lord who can intercede for him so he corrects them but they would not listen to the voice of their father for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death that.
God is passing sentence and judgment on them you can almost feel them sneer and scoff at the correction now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man I I love how this story is written we've zoomed in this conversation where Eli is correcting his sons he's correcting the priests and he just says they disregarded and then it's like we pass out of the the place where they're having this conversation.
Look look Samuel's taller look at him doing a good job that's basically what the text says he's grown in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man and I want to say this we we have uh kid city fourth and fifth graders most of the time they go they have their own they're in here with us when we sing and then they go have their own um class that they're a part of and then once a month they're in the room and and you're in the room.
Today do you see see that God's eye was on the growth and development of a child do you see that Samuel was growing in favor with the Lord and with men what you do matters what your heart is doing matters how your acting matters that you develop and grow you can you are not too little to serve the Lord you are not too little to bless people you are not too little to partake in the things of God it's an encouraging part of this text.
Verse 27 and there came a man of God to Eli and said to him thus says the Lord did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt and subject to the house of Pharaoh did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest to go up to my altar to burn incense to wear an ephod before me I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel a man of.
God just appears and corrects the high priest and this is one of the things that's been true for the people of God as God has dealt with Humanity since the very beginning and something that is still true and we need to be aware of the word of God has a authority over the people of God the people of God do not have authority over the word of God that he shows up and speaks the word of the Lord specifically to the high priest just corrects him says here's what the.
Lord says it's like it almost feel like he walks in goes where's the high priest Eli says I'm a high priest he says sit down the Lord has something to say there is no council no Creed no Church history no no power no position no anything that has authority over the word of God the word of God has authority over the Church and we are to be people who love the word study the word know the word and follow the word there's just this glimpse of that in this moment.
But what he says what he starts off with what he's speaking on behalf of God is didn't didn't I Choose You and he's talking to Eli who's a son he's a levite and a son of Aaron he says didn't I choose you when you were still in Egypt meaning that God had chosen for the levitical priesthood and specifically the line of Aaron to be the high priest to do this role and the way the Bible talks about it is that they were chosen special and it was a blessing to them.
When they come into the land they don't the Levites don't get a um a portion of the land it says over and over again the Levites don't have an inheritance because the Lord is their inheritance he says didn't I choose CH you to walk up the steps of my altar didn't I choose you to stand before me didn't I choose you to share my table like you were invited in that's where he starts verse 29 why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded.
For my dwelling and honor your sons Above Me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of My People Israel therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever but now the Lord declares far be it from me for those who honor me I will honor and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed behold the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house.
So that there will be there will not be an old man in your house then in distress you will look with envious ey on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel and there shall not be an old man in your house forever the only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out and to grieve his heart and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men and this that shall come upon your two sons Hof and Phineas shall be the sign to you both of them shall die on the same day and I will raise up.
For myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind and I will build him a sure house and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever and everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say please put me in one of the priest's places that I may eat a morsel of bread judgment has been passed on the line of Eli he says we the line was going to run through you.
But not anymore more we're actually told in Second Kings I'm sorry First Kings chapter 2 27 it says so Solomon expelled abiathar so this is later this is when Solomon's King abar from being Priests of the Lord thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh eventually Eli's house is no longer the priesthood it moves to to Z zadok who is still a levite still of the line of Aaron and just not Eli's line they had been placed in a position of service and a position of belonging to the.
Lord but they didn't know the Lord and they used it for their own personal gain and he says your whole line is going to be dead or weeping and begging for bread because of how you've handled this now I want to make that's that's the story that's the section of text we're reading today I want to make four observations from this story the first one is I think we should see the wicked abuse of power that hofi and Phineas did I honestly think that's one of the things that would stand out most to us as we read this text that they were granted a position that was meant to be a blessing that was meant.
To be service and they used the position for their own gain for their own glory for their own good the God speaking through the man of God says you have fattened yourselves and I can't read this without giving serious consideration first and foremost to the role of pastors I couldn't read this this week without thinking about the position the office of elder or Pastor in a Church you see they had to have priests and you had to interact with these priests.
If you were going to go offer sacrifices you had to interact you had to go to Shiloh you had to interact with these priests and so this was happening you were you were stuck in the situation and Christians are supposed to belong to a Church and supposed to have pastors it's one of the roles that meant to exist in your life if you belong to the Lord now you can move around and go find a different pastor but you're meant to have one they couldn't change this up they had to the.
Lord had to work and intercede but we live in a culture right now where we're seeing consistently Pastor abusing their role doing some of this same stuff and it's wicked it's disheartening and there there needs to be those who would go into the pastorate to serve and to love and to take seriously the call of God and know the Lord but you can read story after Story right now people who have mishandled it chosen sin walked in hiding or who have used it.
For their own personal gain and glory and there is some fearful comfort in this story that God sees God knows and God responds and certainly this is one of the reasons why things were such a mess in Israel that those who were supposed to be leading them towards the Lord were not I'm certain it created a lot of cynicism and Brokenness and we can see that culturally as well where there's a lot of people who have Church hurt but I'm thankful that the.
Lord responds but we do need to take seriously the roles and positions of trust that we have I would think the next step of trying to look at that and understanding the abuse of power would be for for anyone who's in a position of trust a teacher a doctor a babysitter a manager at your job that you would take very seriously that you use your authority to serve and to love and to care for people rather than to just benefit yourself I think we need to.
See that from the text I think we need to see the abuse of power but I also think we need to acknowledge wrap our mind around that that is not the primary thing that God addresses when he shows up he doesn't really talk about that it seems as if that's more of a symptom of the problem but the main thing is something bigger and deeper and something that I think that we would largely ignore that there's actually a foundation of their sin or there's an aspect of sin that's underneath why they're doing these things that he comes at here's what it says in.
Verse 17 thus the sin of the young young men was very great in the sight of the Lord for he's going to tell us why the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt it doesn't say for they bullied the people of Israel which they did but that's not the main problem 29 when the man of God speaking he says why then do you scorn that's to treat with contempt my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling and honor your sons Above Me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of My People Israel.
So there's this contempt and honor scale that he's addressing the next verse he says Those Who despise me the main issue here is that they are dishonoring the Lord now we don't live in an honor culture we actually live in a very dishonoring culture we just do and there's some parts of that that I think are okay and appreciate or whatever but we don't hold many things sacred as a as a people there's not much that's taboo there not much that's off limits there's not many things that we would plug our ears about and refuse to.
Listen to because it's sacred and to be defended so we're not set up well to understand why this is the bigger issue there are a few places I was I was I was digging around trying to figure out where where are there a few places culturally where we might just go okay hold on stop I think there are some places in South Carolina if you were traveling and you had to stop you were taking back roads to get to the beach or something and you had to stop and get some gas and there was five or six people sitting out in front of the gas station you were walking into the gas station they had.
A brick wall here and they had painted a mural on it let's say on that mural mural there was an American flag or let's say on that mural there was a painting of Martin Luther King Jr and let's say the moment that you saw it you and spit on it I think in certain places in South Carolina the rest of your day would go poorly and it's not that you spit on the wall because if you did that to any brick wall people might think you're gross.
But I don't think they would be up in arms it's that the wall represents more it has something more to it there's something there that's represented that's bigger than the wall there's something there that's sacred you see I think so often when we consider what what's right and wrong what's good and bad and we talked about this some when we did our Series in Exodus and looked at the Ten Commandments that the framework we mostly use is fairness and then we use harm does it hurt somebody.
If you can prove to us it hurts somebody Americans will think it's bad for the record it is but I'm just letting you know that that's one of our main ones this is why when they were trying to stop piracy of like DVDs or whatever people downloading stuff the whole ad campaign was it's not a victimless crime they want they needed you to know that you were hurting someone because if they just said stealing is wrong the people downloading the stuff didn't care they had to try to convince you there was harm.
But that those are the ones that we understand understand but if we look through something and we go I don't think it's hurting anybody and I don't really understand why this would be a rule in the first place it can't be that bad none of us even after we found out the rule I don't think we're scandalized by them eating fat we were just like well okay he said not to this is very clear to me with with having children there are times where we give instructions to our children and the actual thing doesn't matter a lot.
For example if I say you have to clean this up before you go play the actual thing doesn't matter a lot that's a different rule than don't stab your brother that one the actual action matters a lot but if I come into the room and they're playing and they haven't cleaned up the bigger issue is dishonor that's the problem disregard lack of respect contempt and culturally we go yeah but that's not that bad so there's a there's an issue here where.
God gives instructions and if we don't really understand it or if we don't really really agree or if he hadn't done enough to convince me or if I don't really see who it hurts we'll say things to ourselves like well it's really not that bad and what we need to understand we're saying is he's really not that glorious he's really not that big he's really not that good he really doesn't matter that much that's a big problem to dishonor hold with in contempt belittle the.
Lord and the things of the Lord matters immensely and one of the things that we need to realize is that that means there's a current of contempt that runs underneath our sin that it doesn't matter what the action is it can still have this current of contempt that runs underneath it I I walked in on my youngest son at one point in his room and he immediately stopped doing what he was doing and looked at me well what you doing buddy.
And then he said I'm sorry and he told me what he was doing and I was like why are you sorry for that he said you told me not to and I had not told him not to do that thing I don't know what he had gotten confused that was not a rule that anyone had ever given him but I immediately was like you're still in trouble though because in his heart he's rebelling against me so I had to have a whole discussion with him about you broke a non rule.
But you broke a bigger one and there's a reality to our sin that has this current of contempt dishonor and disrespect that runs underneath it and so that when we would let ourselves off the hook cuz we would go well this is just in the privacy of my own home This only affects me this doesn't really bother anybody I don't understand I see it somebody in your group talks to you about it you go I see it's written there but I don't.
But I don't see it I'm going to need him to do a little more work to convince me and the problem isn't that his rules are wrong is that we just don't think he's all that glorious and all that honorable and all that big and that's what the problem in this text was that's why he shows up and doesn't say you did this you did this you did this he shows up and says you've held me in contempt and we need to be mindful to not just.
Look at the sin but to look at the sin underneath the sin and consider what's my heart doing here and do I hold him as glorious and big is he weighty which leads us to the next observation I think we should make which logically flows and again might strike like us is is odd did you notice who the the man of God spoke to is Eli not Hoff and Phineas he mentions them he doesn't speak to them and he says to Eli why.
Then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling and honor your sons above me see Eli's the high priest Eli's their father by the nature of his position by the nature of his relationship he should have addressed this differently because if you're reading the story you go wait wa wait Eli didn't agree he corrected them he told them they were wrong hold on hold on hold on you're fussing at the wrong guy Eli knew it was wrong he said it was wrong yeah.
But he let it keep going I'll give you an example to help you picture it let's say I'm in high school let's say I invite a friend over to my house let's say he starts being disrespectful to my mother for the sake of this hypothetical situation we will say my dad is not there so the story can continue let's say I correct him I say no don't talk about that in the house don't say that in front of her hey watch your mouth whatever let's say he continues at some point I'm going to choose who has more weight and who gets more honor at some point I'm going to choose who the room tilts towards.
And if I want to keep the friendship if I want the person to think I'm cool if I want this relationship to work then it'll shift towards my friend and will dishonor my mom and God speaks to Eli and he says you let the room shift to your sons and you joined in the dishonoring there is a type of holy protection that we are meant to have where we say no the Lord will be honored as long as I'm present and we're around we will hold that the.
Lord is Honorable and I'm not going to listen to this I'm not going to partake in this this matters with the things that we watch and listen to the jokes that we tell or that we listen to the shows that we watch where we say well it's not that big a deal the people that we hang out and we go well that's not that big a deal this is one of the things that's happening in Church discipline is that we're trying to pursue someone and call them to repentance.
But one of the things that happens at the end of Church discipline is we collectively as a Church say we're going to hold to the Holiness of God the room will not tilt towards you we have to stand as if he is glorious we cannot continue so he shows up to Eli and he says you let them have more weight you gave them more honor this matters immensely this is how Jesus teaches his disciples to pray Our Father in Heaven may your name be honored as holy may we live like you're the most glorious like you're the most wonderful May our hearts be in tune with you may we follow you like we trust you.
Like we love you like you're good even when we don't understand even when we don't know why the rules will rule even in the midst of things that we would desire and our desires are contrary may we walk with you fourth final observation Christ is the solution to the problem of these Wicked priests Jesus is the solution to the problem of these Wicked priests I love verse 35 in the middle of pronouncing judgment he says this and I will raise up.
For myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind and I will build him a sure house and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever I will get a priest who does what's in my heart and in my my mind there is a glorious gracious Sovereign willfulness of God a loving stubbornness when we think of willfulness so often we think of it in negative context my mom my entire life would periodically.
Look at me and go you're the kid I had to read the strong willed child about she'd be in the middle of saying something about one of my brothers you know the real criminals here and she'd be like yeah they did that and then she'd stop and go but you're the one I had to read a book about and it's like I'm not even like that anymore you guys I'm so easy to get along with delightful we think of willfulness so often in the negative context.
But there's a beautiful glorious wonderful willfulness of God that he looks in the middle of this broken mess and says I will fix it I'm going to have what I want and what he wants is a priest who loves and serves what's in his heart and was in his mind and in his heart is a priest that's going to sacrifice himself so that he might rescue a people for himself what's in his mind and in his heart is that God himself would join us to make a way.
For us in the cross oh don't we want a God who looks in the middle of our mess and says I will have it work out glorious and for the good of the people who would come to me it's wonderful we're told in the New Testament see it should shifts to zadok but zadok doesn't fulfill This Promise he's not still going in and out before the Lord he doesn't do it forever Jesus does we're told in Hebrews repeatedly that Jesus is our high priest that he's the one who stands the priest was meant to represent the people to.
God and God to the people and they're bad at it consistently but Jesus isn't Jesus actually answers the question that Eli asks Eli says verse 25 if someone sins against a man God will mediate for him but if someone sins against the Lord who can intercede for him he looks at his sons and says y'all are the priests y'all are supposed to help intercede but you're actively directly sinning against God what do you think where's your hope what's going to happen and our hope is that there's a great high priest who is fully man and fully.
God so that he could represent God to us and us to God and that he could take our place as first Timothy says for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and Men the man Christ Jesus so that as we look into our souls and we see a current of contempt running underneath all of our sins sin we can go to the Lord and we can say praise be to Christ that you sent a priest praise be to you.
Father that you sent a priest that I have hope that I have a mediator that will atone for my sin that has been directed at you in a Heart full of contempt every time I've disregarded you every time I've Dishonored you every time I've acted as if you did not matter praise be may Jesus cover my sin and forgive me and give me hope and he says he's going to have a high priest that stands before him forever and that's our hope the band's going to come back up we're going to sing together and celebrate together that we have a high priest I would encourage you to consider your sin I would encourage you to.
Ask what is underneath it why do I think it's okay why do I keep coming back to it what does I really want from it what does really believe about it I would encourage you to ask am I living in such a way that I act as if God is small or easily Dishonored easily disrespected and I would ask you to take a moment if you've never trusted in Christ to say Lord I need forgiveness I need someone to stand in between me and you.
And if you've trusted in Jesus take a moment to say Thank You Lord that I do not stand before you without imediator and then let's take some time to praise Christ for his love and the Lord for his willful gracious Sovereign willfulness his stubbornness to redeem a people for himself let's s.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer I am one of the pastors here we are in the book of First Samuel right now we're in Chapter 2 so you can go ahead and turn there in your blue Bibles also will be on the screen we're going to be in verses 1 through 10 as we continue to walk through this uh uh 1 and 2 Samuel throughout this year so I don't know what you were doing uh last Sunday uh but I was having a lot lot of fun uh I was watching the Super Bowl a game that people said was kind of boring.
Because it's a very one-sided Affair but I had a very I guess you could call it delightful experience and watching Kansas City just get murdered it was it was very it was very exciting for me see I'm a Colts fan uh and uh we're in the same conference refences them and for the last I don't know eight years and really the next decade like we're not going to make the Super Bowl because that team well we're not going to make the Super Bowl.
For a lot of reasons but outside of just being a bad franchise right now we don't really have much of a shot uh at making it past Kansas City and I've had to watch these games where they kick our teeth in and kick other people's teeth in and then once like the game like you know goes to commercials I have to keep seeing their faces endless amounts of commercials and they just are really good they have the best quarterback they have one of the greatest coaches of all time and they've gotten a big head the last few years I go watch uh clips of their after the.
Second Super Bowl in a row whenn they had a year ago and just coming out of it just like we're going to three repeat like just real you know and that's not unique to Kansas City it's not unique to their fan base not unique to their team teams that get really really good do this they just they get a big head they think very much of themselves and when they fall there it wasn't just me like I there's a universal response of like yes.
Now part of that you can say is pettiness and I won't concede that an aspect of that is pettiness but I might argue that part of that is Holiness th this is the one of the themes that runs throughout the Scriptures like this is what our God does he humbles the proud he gives grace to the humble so I would say that it wasn't all bad to see this and the way that I wanted to see it uh the proud are eventually humbled that is inevitable you cannot read the Scriptures without seeing this over and over and over again that those who put both hope in themselves.
And then make much of themselves God eventually brings low and what we're going to see today in 10 verses it was the Scripture reading that we had earlier it is both a prayer and it is a song that celebrates that God indeed does humble the proud but he also does raise up the lowly as James chapter 4 in 1 Peter 5 teach that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble it's not just a new testament teaching it is deeply rooted also in the Old Testament as.
Well so we're going to see the C ation of God both humbling the proud and raising up the lowly and we're going to see how that's celebrated and how that also ties into the bigger story of the Scriptures with this theme that runs throughout the Bible so my hope is that as we sit in this that we would both be worshiping God for who he is but also it would serve as a warning to our souls and also be held out as a wonderful hope.
So let we pray for us and then we want through this together heavenly father I pray that you might help us sit under your word this morning that where we have doubts where we have arrogance that the parts of our lives that need to be brought in submission to you by obedience to you by faith in you that you might do that this morning that you might put our defenses down for the next few minutes to help us see clearly your heart and that we would not leave unchanged we ask this in.
Jesus name amen all right so uh we introduced the book of First and 2 Samuel and if you are here I'll just quickly highlight what we were doing last week uh this book was all meant to be read together so uh the way this used to be was all one 1 and second samel were all one big story together over time they had to separate into two because of the different Scrolls that they had and the limitations so it's all meant to be read together and one of the things that we saw last week is that uh 1 and 2 Samuel is this big buildup to the establishment of the Throne of David and that's.
Where this is going we're going to see some of these Old Testament stories of David and the establishment of his Rule and his Reign that goes on forever so we're going to get there but we have some stories ahead of us before we get there first is uh the first major person in 1 and 2 Samuel is who the book is named after Samuel he's the prophet the last judge in the period of the judges and he establishes the Throne of David anoints David as king.
But we got to see his origin story which began with his mother and what we saw last week is Hannah uh that she was one of two wives of ela uh the other wife was panana this wife was a uh really a rival wife panana had lots of children and Hannah had none and we saw that panana provoked her grievously that she uh really tortured her with this that we looked at the pain of infertility but also the cultural stigma that was attached to infertility at the time that panana was was constantly uh uh poking at pouring salt into this painful wound.
And then we saw how Hannah uh humbled herself before the Lord in deep longing prayer and then God answers her prayer and gives her Samuel and what happens going into chapter two is this uh this prayer and this song that celebrates this so it says in verse one and Hannah prayed this and and this is a prayer but when you look at the original language in the Hebrew it's very clear there's also really lyrical elements here that are similar to much of what we.
See in the Book of Psalms so this is not just a prayer but it's also a song so that's what we're looking at this morning and it's and it's actually a song of Thanksgiving this is often called the song of Hannah specifically it's a it's a song of Thanksgiving of praise to God for what he has done so and Hannah prayed and said my heart exalts in the Lord my horn is exalted in the Lord my mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation all right.
So in that first verse what we see is that there are really autobiographical elements that she's telling her own personal story in this which that that happens we see it here we see it in the Book of Psalms see it in songs that are written today some of the songs that Matt and I have written for m city music there there's autobiographical elements that show up in shades of those songs this is a very common thing that happens in songwriting and she's talking about her experience with this my my my I uh she's recounting this testimony and she says my heart exalts which means Rejoice she rejoices in the.
Lord she says my horn and that's animal horn and in the Hebrew that is symbolic of strength she says my horn is exalted which is to be raised up to be glorified in the Lord so she says my heart rejoices in the Lord but then she says really my strength is lifted up in the Lord so she's praising God that in the Deep experience of sadness and loss that she carried with her for so many years as show she so deeply longed.
For the blessing of a child that finally God has raised her up and she is rejoicing in him and then she says my mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation so her mouth derides or really the literal phrasing here is to to uh open wide against her enemies meaning that she has an answer to her enemies now when I was studying this uh commentaries bent over backwards to say well I mean this is actually this is bigger than just panana this is this this is this is actually enemies in general and I'm not a Hebrew scholar and I haven't spent years studying.
First and 2 Samuel but I do have eyes and in reading the first chapter the main enemy that shows up is the woman who tortured her for years so it is enemies plural so it's certainly more than panana but it's not less than this has to be in her mind thinking about the person who made her life so miserable for so long that that she finally has an answer to this schoolyard bully who provoked her for so long and while the answer I would like to.
See is just a you know just a she she doesn't because she's better than I am she responds by rejoicing in the Lord she says look look at this child how good is God how wonderful is God and she continues that in verse two there is none holy like the Lord for there is none beside you there is no Rock like our God so this is very similar to Moses's song in Exodus 15 when he talks about who is like you oh.
Lord Holiness uh Majestic and Holiness awesome inde Deeds doing wonder who is like our God she has that same theme here who is like our God who's like our God who can be built upon like this this rock this firm foundation and she really stops using personal pronouns at this point so a little bit of she was starting at the beginning this I my me this this personal testimony and now she's looking at everyone else say come on do you see how good our.
God is there is no one like him there's no one holy like him there's no one who could be built upon like him and she's inviting everyone else to worship God because of what he has done to her and what he does to his his people and then she continues in verse three talk no more so very proudly let no arrogance come from your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are way so she says.
Because there is no one like our God it is time to put the Arrogant speech away talk no more proudly let arrogance not come from your mouth this is what she's getting at because God humbles the proud and he gives grace to the humble and for so long she heard the pride and the arrogance of penum sure the pride and the arrogance of someone who boasted in what God had given to her and she says let no more of this speech happen.
For all of that is weighed against the God who is the God of all knowledge and The God Who will bring judgment upon us his actions are weighed so we get the next five verses example after example of unpacking that idea that God humbles the proud he gives grace to the humble and she's going to hit them back to back to back to back to back to back to back so let's look at these examples that she gives of how God does this verse four the bows of the mighty are broken.
But the feeble bind on strength and this is a picture of the mighty armies that have strength have strength in their archers their bows are Mighty but every single Mighty Army eventually Falls and that proves to be true over and over every strong power eventually Fades and Falls so God humbles the proud but then the feeble by not in strength God will raise up others verse 5 those who were full have hired themselves out for bread but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
So it's a picture of those who had full bellies for so long eventually are having to finally work hard to get that again but those who are hungry they will be filled up they will be eventually satisfied and this picture of opposing the the proud and giving grace to the humble continues with her next picture the back end of verse 5 it says the baram has born seven but she who has many children is forlorn and it's a really a shades of her own story that those who have uh who have no children will eventually they will have born seven.
But she who has many children is forlorn that is sad and worn and it's a picture of the reversal of Fortunes here God humbles the proud he gives Grace to The Humble verse six another one the Lord kills and brings to life he brings down to shol and raises up God gives life and he takes it away verse 7 the Lord makes uh poor and makes rich he brings low and he exalts the God gives wealth and he takes it away.
And then we get verse eight he raises up the poor from the dust he lifts the needy from the ash Heep to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of Honor but God raises up the poor and the lowly to a place of royalty this is what our God does and then she gives another explanation of why for The Pillars of the Earth are the Lords and on them he has set the world and that is a picture of.
God securing the foundations of the world that is a poetic picture of how The Sovereign ruler and Creator and ruler and reer over all things sustains creation every aspect of it that's God's providential work that he has determined in every ocean on every Shore just how far every day the tide comes in and he has determined how far it will go out that God has placed the Earth on the exact tilt that it is supposed to be in the exact distance it is supposed to be from the Sun at every.
Second of existence God upholds all of creation which is why we should never ever be prideful never boast in ourselves never boast in the things that we have it be like the kid who is struggling to graduate and he's in this class where he's failing I can say this and identify with this because I did the eighth grade twice but it' be like this kid who is just trying to graduate and the teacher looks upon him and has mercy and says all right I'm going to put you with these two students and he gets paired with the valorium the Salud atorium number one number two in the class and he gets pair with them.
Of course they're going to do the bulk of the work and they're they do such a good job that it's an A and that's presented and then all of a sudden at the end of it all he begins to beat his chest and say look at the work that I've done I'm going to graduate now look at how awesome my work is and it's foolishness and that that's that is in denome what we look like we boast in ourselves and we.
See this so often some some of it's really built into the American ethos of how we think about things that I've earned this that I've built this and that's usually said pitted against others who are asking for help or handouts I've earned this I've built this and the reality is is that you have earned this with the very measure of intellect God granted to you you you've earned this the very measure of how uh skilled you are that was given to you that you were born some will call this the the geographic Lottery you were born in the US and were able to accomplish these things.
Because you weren't born in a place like Lithuania where maybe you were not able to accomplish these things that you got every every break that you ever got was given to you by God the fact that you have air in your lungs and a heartbeat to accomplish the work that God has called you to do was a gift and was given to you so those who boast in themselves and boast in their work really beat their own chest to their own demise and the picture of this is foolishness.
Now there's another bad way to read this another bad way to read this is to look at some of the examples that are given of having strength having children having wealth and think that's the problem in and of itself so you can read this and go yeah Eat the Rich like just really have this that the problem itself is is someone who is in a higher position but that's not the problem that is at hand here it is the posture that the individual has with what they've been given it is the posture of their heart with the prosperity that.
God has bestowed upon them and God brings judgment upon them over and over again you see this throughout the Bible you see Pharaoh and his arrogance and in his pride before the Lord and you see eventually that ends up with him on the bottom of the Red Sea you see later in when Babylon takes Juda Nebuchadnezzar the king who started to pridefully make much of himself and the Lord took his sanity away from him for a period of time you see in the New Testament the book of Acts.
When King Herod when people are praising him like a God and he does not reject their praise well you see that God strikes him dead and immediately God brings judgment he humbles the proud in this life or Worse the next but this is what our God does and he also raises the lowly he raises the lowly either in this life or the next and that theme runs throughout the Scriptures God raises up the Israelites who were slaves for hundreds of years and he raises them up into a mighty nation that conquers that.
God chooses Christ chooses fisherman and a traitorous tax collector and a zealot and a bunch of unimpressive people to build his Church this is what our God does he raises up the lowly and this is what Hannah is singing and celebrating as she also praise in verse n it says he will guard the feet of his faithful ones but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness for not by might shall a man Prevail so no matter how smart or how strong or how rich or how beautiful or how powerful is not by strength that man prevails.
God will guard the feet of his faithful ones but the wicked shall be be cut off in darkness and then in verse 10 it says the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to Pieces against them he will Thunder in heaven so this reads very similar to other Psalms like Psalm 29 which talks about prideful Kings it says in Psalm 29 he will break them with a rod of iron and dash to them pieces like a Potter's vessel very similar language the adversaries of the.
Lord shall be broken into pieces and against them he will Thunder in heaven then then this is how she ends the song verse the rest of verse 10 the Lord will judge the ends of the Earth he will give strength to his King and exalt the Horn of his anointed he will give strength to his King and exalt the Horn of his anointed that is a very curious ending it's curious because Hannah doesn't have a king and it's pretty unlikely that she's going to live long enough to.
See her son grow old and anoint the first king of Israel so who is she talking about why is she sing and he will give strength to his King and exalt the Horn of his anointed why does she end the song like this so I'm going to argue that it's possible that someone finishes the song for her that someone like Samuel who lived to see the first king of Israel in the establishment of the Kingdom later finished the song it's possible some will argue.
Well actually she knows the Old Testament law and the Old Testament law sometimes gives shades of and foreshadowing of a kingdom that is to come and a king that is to come it's possible here's what I believe I believe the Lord gives us the music that we sing I think he gives the words he tells us what to say and in Hannah's situation I think God gave her the words as a prophetic foreshadowing of the future king of God's anointed king that's what I think is happening here and here's the really cool part.
When you get to the end of 2 Samuel when you get it to the end there's a similar song by David when you get to 2 Samuel chapter 22 you get a song that captures his life that has some similarities in verse two of chapter 22 he says he said the Lord is my rock and my Fortress and my deliverer my God my rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the Horn of my salvation my stronghold and my refuge My Savior you save me from the violence.
Then we get this similar imagery of God as a rock God as a deliverer God is the Horn of my salvation and when you get to the end of his song which is quite a bit longer it's 50 verses not 10 so David really went for it when you get the very end of his song this is how he ends it in verse 51 great salvation he brings to his King and shows steadfast love to his anointed to David and his offspring forever.
So this language of great salvation he brings to his King and shows steadfast love to his anointed is very similar to Hannah's song This anointed king and this Offspring forever now here's the really cool part if you take what God is doing in Hannah's song and you pull that thread towards David and the song that he writes and then you pull that thread even farther about a thousand years we're going to see very similar things that are said and sung by a young woman named Mary in Luke chapter 1.
And when Mary sings a song in Luke chapter 1 after she's been with Elizabeth her cousin John the Baptist is in Elizabeth's womb leaps in the presence of Jesus in her womb after this we see this this song in Luke 1 verse 51-55 he has shown strength with his arm he has scattered the proud and the thoughts of their heart he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their heart God humbles the proud he has brought down the mighty from their Thrones and exalted those of humble estate.
God lifts up the lowly he has filled the Hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his Mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and to his offspring forever the anointed king that Hannah for shadows and the anointed one which is another way of saying the Messiah that David also speaks of is the son of Mary Mary the son of David the Son of God this is all pointing forward to Christ.
God has been writing this type of Redemption Song this Redemption of the lowly through different people for a very long time and then that song comes to life Mary gives birth to the Messiah who embodies the very heart of Hannah's song that Jesus The God Who establishes the foundations of the Earth that this God In the Flesh humbles himself by becoming man God humbles himself by becoming man and Philippians 2 says to the point of death he's humbled to the point of death even death on a cross.
And then our humble savior comes for faithful ones now if you misunderstand the song of Hannah and all the foreshadowing that is happening in these songs concerning the Messiah you might wrongfully conclude that Jesus is coming for the good guys the faithful ones here is the good guys the bad guys get judgment but the good guys they get rewarded but that's not what Hannah was singing about and that's not the message that flows through Hannah to Christ now Jesus comes for the lowly and the prideful are brought low and one of the clearest examples we.
See that the ministry of Jesus is that Jesus is preaching quite consistently religious leaders are in the crowd and the religious leaders would have they would have taught 1st Samuel 2:9 in the synagogues he will guard the feet of his faithful ones but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness for not by might shall a man Prevail they would have taught this very message and completely misunderstood who the faithful ones were they would have misunderstood who Jesus is talking about.
Because Jesus came for the lowely he came for the lowly and they and their arrogance and their pride and their disdain of Christ and what he was doing well they all eventually are humbled and the picture of 29 being cut off in the darkness was one that was waiting for them and the very bad ones that the Pharisees had a problem with tenor uh Sinners Tax Collectors prostitutes these are the very people that Jesus came for these are the very people that.
Jesus dined with and they're also the very people that in humility left those lives behind by putting their faith in Christ Jesus came for the lowly now I've heard people that don't believe in God heard people make the argument that Jesus in faith is a crutch for weak people so just a crutch for the simple it's a crutch for the weak and I've also seen Christians try to combat that idea and say and try to fight with it and the way I respond to that accusation is that it's not just a crutch.
For L it is life support for the weakest our faith in Christ is life support for the lowly for those who realize they cannot save oursel we cannot save ourselves it is life support for us and that happens in faith in Christ but it also happens in the very sustaining strength that we get to operate out of all of our days as weak people dependent upon the mercies and the strength of our God if you look at the life of the Theologian John Calvin he got married.
When he was was 30 uh and he was married for 9 years uh he had a sweet relationship with his wife that was filled with a lot of pain and suffering they had four uh infant children that they lost never got to see grown children they uh towards the end of those nine years she got very sick and was sick for a while and she eventually passed away and Calvin in reflecting upon this he says may the Lord Jesus support me under this heavy Affliction which would certainly have overcome me had not he who raises up the prostrate strengthens the weak and refreshes the weary stretch forth his hand from Heaven to me and I.
Just I so appreciate the truth of that for the for the life of a Christian that in all types of circumstances which may never improve in this life that we can be lifted up and strengthened by daily faith in him he strengthens his people when we come to him over and over and over again and again that does not mean that things get better faith in Christ is not mean that you are going to have your situation get better you may never be able to Bear children like Hannah you may always live just above the poverty line things may never get better in this life.
But God gives us daily mercies daily strength until one day when we are eternally exalted so my hope is that as we reflect upon the song of Hannah as we think about this in our in our prayer and meditation this week as we discuss this in our community groups we might see how wonderful it is to worship a God that does humble the proud but through faith brings Grace to those who come humbly to Christ the band's going to come up and we get to celebrate that as we take the Lord's Supper.
Then on the night that that Jesus was betrayed he took bread and he broke it he said this is my body that was broken for you that he took the cup and he said this is the cup of the New Covenant as often as my this is my blood shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this you Proclaim my death until I return and what this meal gets to be for us as Christians is the regular admission that we cannot save ourselves it is the regular confession that we need the daily minute by minute sustaining of our savior that he is our very life support that we need Christ.
So deeply and we come in humility to the table asking God to give us the strength that it takes to make it day by day it is also an opportunity for us as Christians to recognize that we also have shape es of Pride that has Stained all aspects of our soul and it should be a point of reflection for you to come to the table and realize and ask some of the tough questions where are you trusting in yourself and boasting in that trust where are we in Pride and in arrogance denying our every moment need of Christ and the good news of the Gospel is that.
Jesus J dies even for the prideful and the blood that he shed on the cross covers Us in our sin and our Rebellion so you can come into the T come to the table in Repentance worshiping and delighting in Christ if you are not a Christian please do not come to the table the Scriptures make this clear this is a meal for Christians for God's people but there is an invitation for you and that invitation is Christ that is our God saying come in humility come come to me in faith come to me with the admission that you have sinned against the.
God of the universe but he loves you so much that he gave up his life for you that you may not walk in arrogance or Pride anymore but you might humbly find your dependence upon him that is the invitation and my hope is that you would not pass it up but that you would take it let's pray Heavenly Father we pray that you might help us come to you in humility we pray that anyone who is here that has not experienced your Saving Grace that they would right.
Now in humility come to you PL Place their faith in you and you alone and put no hope in works and put no hope in anything they bring they would give their sin and their life to you and you would save them God I pray for us as Christians that you would expose the rot of of of Pride that is so pervasive in our lives and that you would help us in humility come to you you would help us depend upon you.
For daily strength and need until the day we are eternally exalted we ask this in Jesus name amen.
1 Samuel 1
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Spencer I am one of the pastors here we are in a new book so we are uh don't be too excited we are out of the Book of Revelation we are in uh 1 and 2 Samuel where we will be for the majority of this year uh so you can go ahead and go there should be on page 129 in your blue Bibles it's in the Old Testament so you can go ahead and flip there now uh Revelation as we talked about uh repeatedly was a genre of Scripture that was apocalyptic.
So you had to interpret and read the book of Revelation in light of its genre and 1 and 2 Samuel uh gets to really a genre of Scripture that is the majority of what you read in the Scriptures and that's narrative uh these are stories and these are Old Testament stories uh now the way that we approach uh Bible stories and Old Testament uh stories and this is just a little bit of the Bible nerdy details that inform how we both teach and approach and interpret these uh stories is from a School of Theology a stream of theology called biblical theology which.
If you're going to Brand a a theology that's the way to go because you can't argue with that like how could you possibly dispute biblical theology it's biblical so uh but that is what it's called and the the approach of biblical theology is looking at uh the stories of the Bible from Genesis all the way to Revelation and to understand them as one larger story so all the individual stories and all the individual teachings are tied into one grand narrative one they'll use the word uh phrase uh meta narrative one grand story of the Gospel of God's Redemption of his people.
So when we approach 1 and 2 Samuel we are looking at it from that approach how does this fit into the Grand Story of God's Redemption of his people now in order to do that well we need to have kind of a quick refresher where we are in the Old Testament uh to understand uh when when first and 2 Samuel show up so if you remember a few years ago we were in The Book of Exodus which is the story of how the Israelites were enslaved.
For 400 plus years and then Moses was raised up to lead them out of Egypt and after the 10 plagues they uh come out of Egypt they start wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and that is when they receive uh the that's when Moses receives from the Lord the rest of the Old Testament law the first five books of the Old Testament so Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy then Moses dies uh Joshua leads the people into the promised land and they settle the promised land the Book of Joshua is named after Joshua.
Then once they settle into the promised land the 12 tribes of Israel have have landed where they're supposed to where God has given them this this land The Next Period of time is the period of the judges so that's the Book of Judges for 300 to 400ish years is this period of time where the people of God are at times and they seem brief worshiping the Lord like they're supposed to that all all the things they received in the Old Testament law had to live in right relationship with.
God and right relationship with one another that they're doing that well and then things quickly fall apart when they start worshiping the idols of the land and the book of Judges is this is the people doing all types of wild and if you read the Book of Judges it's a lot of rebellion a lot of sin a lot of Brokenness and then God raises up a judge who uh leads the people back who kicks out some of the enemies leads them back to repentance and things go.
Well for a bit and they fall apart and it's this cycle for hundreds of years and the Book of 1 Samuel comes at the very end of the period of Judges so it comes right at the end of that period of time judges 21:25 you see this refrain that shows up throughout the Book of Judges in those days there was no king in Israel everyone did what was right in his own eyes and that is where first Samuel shows up is a period of time where people are consistently doing things wrong doing things their right in their own eyes there is no king in Israel.
So if you're unfamiliar with the book of 1 and 2 Samuel uh you might think this is a book about a God named Samuel or written by a God named Samuel and that would be a good guess uh but that's not the full picture uh first and 2 Samuel uh was at one point all one scroll one one story over time in the way they used to to write and record these stories down the Scrolls were uh it was too big.
For one scroll so it's separated into two separate Scrolls first and second Samuel but it's all meant to be read together as one one uh story that covers not just Samuel but actually one of the main figures that arises in the book of 1 and 2 Samuel is David So largely is about David but not even really David the person what's most important and the main theme of the book of 1 and 2 Samuel is David's rule in reign it is the Throne of David that becomes really the centerpiece of 1 and 2 Samuel 2 Samuel 7:16 says and your house and your kingdom shall be made uh shall be made sure forever before me.
And that is God establishing his Covenant with David that the Throne of David would continue forever which is one of the main points of 1 and 2 Samuel so we're going to see how all of that plays out but we got a lot of stories to get to before we get to that and over the next few months here's what we're going to see we're first going to see the emergence of Samuel who is a a a prophet he's a priest and he is the final judge in the period of the judges.
Then we're going to see the first king of Israel emerge and that is Saul and we're going to see his rise his pretty epic downfall and then we will see the emergence of David and and David his his rise some of the best parts of David some of his failures but the EST establishment of the davidic Covenant the Covenant with David that establishes the Throne of David forever and we're going to look at that but before we get into all of those big themes all these big uh stories that are weaved together we have to get to the origin story of Samuel in chapter 1 and the origin story of Samuel in chapter 1 is.
His mother Hannah so today and next week we're actually G to look at the story of Hannah so let me pray for us and then we'll jump in This Together uh Heavenly Father we we thank you for your word we thank you that week in week out we get to sit under the authority of your word we get to learn about who you are how you save what you are doing and what you call your people to so Lord may we have open ears to hear and receive your word May may you bold us and shape us into your image through faith through repentance and through delighting in you Above All Things We ask this.
In Jesus' name amen all right so let's pick up in chapter 1 verse one there was a certain man of ream zofim of the Hill Country of Ephraim whose name was Ela the son of jeroham the son of eliu the son of toou the son of Zu and ephi he had two wives the name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other panana and panana had children but Hannah had no children so we'll pause there so an ephrathite which is the tribe of Ephraim there's a man named elaa.
Now elaa has two wives Hannah and panana which that should stand out because he has two wives and not one the design of marriage clear from Genesis 2 onward is that a man would have one wife that's how it's supposed to be but when you read the Old Testament you see men step out of that Norm and and usually when that happens almost all the time this happens it goes poorly which I know might seem shocking it's just from Jacob all the way you.
See to Solomon this is not the way it's supposed to be and when they enter into polygamy it does not go well so that is what this man does and this this was more common in the Old Testament because uh men who are wealthier could do this could provide for uh multiple families but that's the first thing that stands out but that's not the main point of emphasis that shows up in these first two verses what stands out uh should be glaring as you read this is that Hannah was childless the Hannah was childless she was struggling with infertility.
Now if you've ever walk with someone who's struggling with infertility it is an incredibly painful thing to witness it is painful to see someone who Longs for the blessing of children um mean the Scriptures speak about children as a blessing from the Lord as a Heritage from the Lord that children are a blessing and to see someone that wants that blessing wants something that is absolutely good want something that is the pattern of of creation and marriage and they cannot have it and they are reminded every single month of the loss of not being able to have this blessing it is painful and and and and it reads.
So clearly that in the Scriptures but it's not just what is so uniquely painful about infertility the layer that we miss sometimes when reading the Old Testament and the New Testament is that uh infertility was emotionally painful but also it was a uh it was it was in their culture a much bigger loss than ours from the sense of your children were your Social Security they didn't have a social social safety net so if you didn't have children you it there's a chance later on that you might be in poverty that's why the Bible's the Bible speaks.
So intensely about caring for widows and this was this was the care for people that that did not have children when they grew old to take care of themselves so this immediately when you read this jumps off the pages oh this is a pain ful scenario verse three now this man used to go up this is elaa used to go up year by year from the city to worship from his City to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh where the two sons of Eli hni and Phineas were priest of the.
Lord all right so at this point uh the Tabernacle that we learned about in The Book of Exodus this is where God ruled and reigned from this is where people came to worship and the presence of God the Tabernacle is at a place called Shiloh and there the levitical priest who oversees the worship is Eli and he has two sons uh hni and Phineas now we're going to learn more about them in the coming weeks so we'll spend more time on them later.
But this marks the period of time in the judges when Eli is the priest so verse four on the day when elcana sacrificed he would give portions to panana his wife and to all her sons and daughters but but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her though the Lord had closed her womb and her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her because the Lord had closed her womb so went on year by year as often as she went up to the house of the.
Lord she used to provoke her therefore Hannah wept and would not eat and elaa her husband said to her Hannah why do You Weep and why do you not eat eat and why is your heart sad am I not more to you than 10 Sons so we'll pause there like polygamous marriages that you see in the Bible Jacob Rachel and Leah his wives there is rivalry amongst these wives which makes sense we are designed for those who are called to marriage to give your love and Devotion to one woman that your sole romantic attention is.
For your husband is for your wife and any woman that gets in the way of that should be opposed that's how it's supposed to be so these women were set up for failure the Rivalry makes sense and panana has the upper hand in this rivalry she has children she has lots of children and Hannah has no children and panana used that as a weapon of war in this rivalry kneeling her attacking her the most painful part of Hannah's reality she's hitting it over and over and over again.
So not only does Hannah not have the sole romantic attention and affection of her husband not only does she not have children her Ral is provoking her it say provoke her grievously who is flaunting her barness and her own prosperity and is attacking her over and over and over again now I've never seen that in real life I've seen that in film I've seen it in television which when it happens and you witness that in film and TV it's like you you were you wanting one of the main characters to be gone it's just it's.
Because it's so evil what a hateful thing to do what a cruel thing to do to someone who is enduring this much pain and loss and again if you've ever seen someone who is reminded regularly that their hopes were not answered their prayer was not answered that the Lord who is Sovereign over the womb who can give us the blessing has not given it it's so painful and to think of someone just pouring salt in that wound over and over and over again is an exponential amount of pain that Hannah is regularly enduring and her husband sees this why that's why back in.
Verse 5 it says but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her though the Lord had closed her womb so when they would go and make sacrifices at Shiloh he would give a double portion of the sacrifice which the Hebrew for this double portion it's hard to interpret but this seemed to be an extra portion that was given it could have been two sheep two sheep heads actually that was given to sacrific to the Lord for from Hannah and that's.
Because he he loves her he sees her in her sadness he sees her in her pain and he sees the robbery that's happening and he tries to console her and he he gives this extra gift and he says Hannah why do You Weep and why do you not eat why is your heart sad am I not more to you than 10 Sons I mean he it's clear he loves her so deeply and when you hear that am I not more to you than 10 Sons.
If you understand this you understand the answer is very clear it's like it's no it's I'm missing something that's so that's so want and our pain is so evident and people listen people have tried to analyze Hannah's pain and her story and tried to see maybe maybe she loved the the the the loved children too much and it's possible that maybe she idolized wanting children too much which certainly could be a factor and undoubtedly that that probably was one that's that's very common with those who struggle with infertility.
But children are a blessing from the Lord and and and this reads as painful because it is evidently painful that infertility hits at some some of the parts of your soul that you didn't even know existed so you can try to analyze her response and her heart and all of that but that the Scriptures are clear in this anytime this kind of infertility shows up it's just painful and it should be understood as such so if you are someone who is struggling with infertility like you you should do the things that are good.
For your soul you should seek Christ in the middle of your suffering you should have people who give you the Gospel you should tell the Gospel to yourself you should have people people that that remind you of your identity in Christ should not walk in this alone you should have people in your life who are walking with you who are praying for you who they AG grieve with you who appoint you to Christ you should do all those things but if you are grieved over this your grief is merited it is understandable and the Scriptures clearly show that to be and in her pain and her desperation we get to.
See a very holy response picking up in verse 9 it says after they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh Hannah Rose now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the Temple of the Lord she was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly so in her sadness she goes to the tent of meeting she goes before the presence of the Lord she's deeply distressed the language of we're going to see in a moment is is anxious deeply vexed clearly sad clearly depressed and she prays she prays into the night she pours her heart out before the.
Lord that in her suffering that in her anxiety that in her sadness she pours out her heart to the Lord when I've walked with people who are suffering for a variety of reason who are struggling with anxiety who are struggling with depression one of the things I want to ask is are are you praying and it's not just to hear yeah I yes no like I I am I want to push further and say well what does that prayer look like.
Because what I've noticed about my own soul and what I've observed it's not unique to our Church but it's widespread in American Western Christianity is that we don't pray quite like this that we don't come before the Lord like this with deep Long prayers and our depression and our anxiety pouring out our heart before the Lord that's what that's what Hannah's doing she's pouring all of her anxieties casting her cares upon the Lord all of her sadness she's pouring it out before the.
Lord verse 11 it says and she vowed a vow and said oh lord of hosts if you will indeed look on the Affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant but will give to your servant a son then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life and no razor shall touch his head so in these deep prayers she makes a vow and the the context of this vow makes it clear that this is a Nazarite vow she's going to dedicate her son in the tradition of number six which is the Nazarite vow this is dedicated service of the.
Lord now if you read number six the Nazarite vows that were taken were usually temporary at some point they they ceased but she has made a Nazarite vow on behalf of this promised this hope this hopeful son for his whole life that he would always serve the Lord and she makes this vou and she's pouring out her heart before the Lord and she's continuing to pray and as she's continuing to pray Eli takes notice verse 12 as she continued praying before the.
Lord Eli observed her mouth Hannah was speaking in her heart only her lips moved and her voice was not heard therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman and Eli said to her how long will you go on being drunk put your wine away from you but Hannah answered no my Lord I am a woman troubled in spirit I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord do not regard your servant as a worthless woman.
For all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation so out of great anxiety and vexation this deeply troubled distressed Soul she is praying and pouring out her heart so much so that perhaps she has lost the voice to utter prayers out loud and she's praying from the heart as her mouth is just silently praying before the Lord and Eli looks at this and mistakenly says oh this woman has in her drunkenness come before the presence of the.
Lord he is trying to rebuke her for this but Eli is wrong and she says I I'm I I am not a worthless woman I am not numbing my pain with strong drink or wi no I'm pouring out my soul before the Lord and he sees the pain and sees the faith and the fervency of her of her spirit as she's coming before the Lord and again I just want to pause and highlight what an example we have in Hannah what an unbelievably beautiful example of someone who in deep anxiety in deep sadness in the midst of loss and pain pours out her heart before the.
Lord and whatever you might be struggling with that may be so deeply anxious and distressed in your soul or deep sadness whatever you might be struggling with my question is is are we responding like her are we pouring out our heart like this do we do this have we ever done this because that's what we should be doing as the people of God and in our anxieties and in our sadness and distress we we should like this like the example of Hannah pour out our heart before the.
Lord and I know that when I prescribe that as an example that we see from the story that what might be responded is oh well I mean there a p typical Pastor to say and pray about it and just just go pray some more which is typically what's happened in our culture and I think and my hope at least is that you've been here long enough to know that we are not overly simplistic when it comes to anxiety we're not overly simplistic.
When it comes to depression we're not overly simplistic when it comes to issues that are related to mental health but I would want to push us on that I think whol scale I don't I don't think that we have this type of response in the middle of our anxiety have this type of response in the middle of depression have this type of response in the middle of our sufferings and I do think that while it may not certainly fix all all the different facets of your anxiety all the different facets of your depression undoubtedly it will Aid in it that coming before the.
God who sees all of it and pouring out our heart before him absolutely will in some degree or another help and we should do this y'all do not downplay prayer because of the complexities of the mind and the soul and the body see this as a beautiful example to follow as she's pouring out her soul for hours upon hours before the Lord so Eli sees this holy fervor in Hannah and he responds with a blessing verse 17 then Eli answered go in peace and the.
God of Israel Grant your petition that you have made to him and she said let your servant find favor in your eyes then the woman went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad so he gives this Priestly Priestly brother blessing Hannah leaves she eats she's no longer sad verse 19 then they Rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord and they went back to their house at Rama and alaa knew his wife and the Lord remembered her and in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son and she called his name Samuel.
For she said I've asked for him from the Lord so this story turns to John that as she pours out her heart the Lord hears opens her womb she conceives and she gives birth to Samuel can you imagine how excited she would have been the first morning she puked her guts from morning sickness was this a one-off did I eat something bad last night and then the next morning it hits again and with a smile as she's wiping puke from her mouth just it's.
Finally happening can you imagine how thankful she would have been with every pound she gained just Overjoyed at the gift that God had given her can you imagine the delightful worship of the Lord as women who known her story for years came and felt her belly and prayed blessings over this child what a beautiful beautiful part of the story so fast forward a few years verse 21 the man Al canana and all of his house went up to offer to the.
Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his V but Hannah did not go up for she said to her husband as soon as the child is weaned I will bring him so that he may appear in the Pres presence of the Lord and dwell there forever so she plans to make good on her f verse 23 alcana her husband said to her do what seems best to you wait until you have weaned him only may the Lord establish his word so the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
And when she had weaned him she took him up with her along with a three-year-old bull an eve of flour and a skin of wine and she brought him to the house of the Lord at shine and the child was young so Hannah woman of Faith makes good on her vow makes good on her promise and when she had weaned him which in their time would have been anywhere from 2 to four years old she delivers him to the service of the temple.
And then leaves so much so that we'll see uh in the coming weeks that she sees him yearly that she's knitting together a len and ephed which is a Priestly garment that he's going to grow out of in a year and she keeps bringing a new one every year because she's seeing him grow once a year verse 25 then they slaughtered the bull and they brought the child to Eli and she said oh my Lord as you live my Lord I am the woman who was standing here in your presence praying to the.
Lord for this child I prayed and the Lord granted me my petition that I made to him therefore I have lent him to the Lord as long as he lives he is Lent to the Lord and He worshiped the Lord there and that ends our first chapter of Samuel so she Parts away with Samuel this future Prophet this future priest and final judge over Israel and it all begins with the faith of Hannah now when I read this story I'm struck by a few different things.
But one of the things that I'm struck by is that after all of those years of pain after all of those years of longing for the blessing of this child that she at 3 years old drops him off and gives up her only son that she just leaves him knowing that she's going to miss out on his childhood knowing she's not going to be the one that raises this child knowing she's going to miss out on so many memories I mean.
When my children entered into kindergarten for the first time my wife my wife was a weepy mess which is almost Universal in dropping off your child for school and we were going to see them hours later and she's dropping off her son to be raised by someone else and every year she's in there in her home praying for her boy knitting together this ly and epid trying to probably guess at how big he's going to be waiting to see I wonder how tall he's gotten this year I wonder how his voice sounds.
Now I wonder what his smile I wonder if his laugh has changed knowing that she's going to miss out on so much when I read it this time around it's just it sticks out so clearly that how could a woman give up her her her promised long waited for only son and when I think about this story in light of the greater story of the Gospel it so clearly demonstrates the character and the Heart of Hanah that reflects the heart of.
God that reflects the heart of a God who loves his people so much that he'd be willing to give up his only son that as the Scripture that is the memory for this month that whosoever Shall Believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life the love that Hannah has for God and How Deeply she loves the Lord is a reflection of how much God loves the world that he would give up Christ on a cross for our sins so that we could Delight in him.
For eternity it's a beautiful picture of the Gospel now one of the things that is going to be the tension that we feel as we walk through 1 and 2 Samuel is we're going to come across people like Hannah that there's so much that you should want to emulate about her character about her faith about who she is and how she loves God and then we're going to see other people that emerg like Saul that are cautionary tales you're going to.
See that the things you should not do the type of Faith you should not have and then will say people like David where you get a mix of here is a man worth emulating and then you read further on you're like here is a man not worth emulating because you're going to see a mix of both good and bad and here's the tension and this is kind of the this is the behind the scenes of how we should approach this book there are kind of two main ditches on how to understand these stories one ditch is only focusing on the characters the people in these stories and and and looking.
So intently at what they do that you're just creating really moral lessons from their lives and I'll be honest for a long time and still even today that's a lot of the way that that books like this Old Testament stories like this are preached that's a lot of the ways they're interpreted that when you get to David it's instead of looking at what's happening in David and Goliath that we'll read about later on it becom comes more of how can you have courage like David and how could you fight the Giants in your life and moral lessons are the focus of these stories.
But what I have seen is an overreaction to another ditch and this is the ditch that I came up through and it is only seeing these stories through the lens of the greater story of the Gospel and ignoring the people in them and and the character that is displayed and the Foles that are displayed and only seeing it through the lens of the Gospel and I came up with preaching and sat under preaching that looked at this other side and said how dare we David is not the hero of the story.
Jesus is the hero of the story try to moralize these stories as as just slaying your Giants ridiculous and that's where I came up and what I've come to realize is is that wisdom is approaching these stories from the middle path and not falling in the ditches and realizing that yes we should look at these stories for the character that's displayed in them and we should look at Hannah and see the faith that she demonstrates and see how she responds to depression and her anxiety that we should learn from the lessons whether they be good or bad from the people in these stories.
While also realizing that each of these stories are a part of a bigger story that while Hannah demonstrates unbelievable faith and love for God that her Main Place in the story is that God raises her up to give birth to Samuel Samuel the final judge who establishes and is used to anoint and establish the davidic kingdom the Throne of David that will not end and seeing how this all ties together as a whole that when we get to 2 Samuel 7:16.
When God makes his Covenant with David and says and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me that we can remember that began with the faith of Hannah who gave birth of this son who anoints this man who God looks at and says your throne will never end and we see that all the way to the end of the Bible all the way to what we read last week Revelation chap 22 what you thought we were getting away.
But we're back baby Revelation 22 this is what Chad preached last week I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches I am the root and the descendant of David the Bright Morning Star that all the way at the end of the story we see the Throne of David did not end because this was all God's Grand Story and purpose to bring about Christ the Jesus who bled and died for our sins the Jesus who conquered death at the Resurrection The.
Jesus who after the work that he finishes ascends to the right hand of God the Father where he sits on the Eternal Throne of David until he comes back to gather his people and make All Things New in the Kingdom that never ends we're going to seek to tie all of this together and my hope is that we would be wise readers of the text that both will see stories like Hannah that instruct us that correct us that show us what it looks like to be faithful men and women of.
God while remembering God in these stories is bringing about his Redemption the band's going to come up and we're going to worship and My Hope coming out of this is that we would be wise readers of the text that even as you read this on your own that you would seek to be tying these all together and we would be a people that look at our need and the Brokenness the suffering and the sadness and the anxiety and all the things that make this life painful that we would.
See our only hope is Christ and that we would place our faith in him that we would out of that Faith bear fruit of repentance and one of the ways that we can see the the type of repentance that we're called to have is to look deeply in the stories like this and CE oh and may I be a man and may I be a woman who can embody the faith that God gives to Hannah to respond as the Christian that he has called me to be let's pray heavenly.
Father I pray that you might help us as we journey through this book together be instructed be taught about your bigger story of the Gospel God I pray that you might help us see see even today this beautiful example we have in Hannah undoubtedly there are people here that are struggling with infertility that are struggling with things that have brought vacation to their soul and God I pray that you might help them run to you just as Hannah did and for some of that that means Faith.
Lord that there are those that have been trusting in their own Works their own self their own hope for far too long and I pray that you'd help them see right now that the reason they're so deeply tired and vexed and sad is because they do not know you and that they would Place their faith in you and there are Christians here that in their faith are struggling are anxious are weary and tired and as we run to you and Lord may you give us the feet to run to you and the heart to pray to you and to pray long and unceasingly to you that you might meet us and Grant our petitions in.
A way that is for our good and For Your Glory we ask this in Jesus name amen.
Revelation 22:6-22
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles go to Revelation chap 22 it is the last chapter in the Bible so we are finishing up the Book of Revelation today we are in the uh what is some people call the prologue or the conclusion of the Book of Revelation and also it's it's the final word in the Revelation of God to us it's the last thing that was given spoken to to the Church and so we get to.
See God's kind of end to the Scriptures as we look at this together today when we when we started the Book of Revelation we tried to explain kind of in general what we were looking at and I want to show you kind of how we broke it down when we began we said that this is an apocalyptic book apocalyptic being the um genre of writing so there's history there's narrative there are the gospels there is prophetic works and and apocal alpic is specifically a revealing that's what apocalypse means and that's why we in English it's called Revelation it's a revealing it's.
God pulling back the curtain and showing us what's really going on and that's this book is an apocalyptic book and a letter written to A persecuted people so it was written at a specific time to a specific group of people to these churches in Asia Minor in the first century who were in the middle of being persecuted in the middle of hardship in the middle of difficulty under attack telling them to endure because Jesus is coming and as this book letter is finished and as it's concluding we're going to.
See today that it ends on the note of reminding them Jesus is coming he will return he's on his way his return is imminent that's the way this book ends that's the reminder for the Church in the middle of difficulty in this book we the beginning of the book is it we call the intro or the uh the prologue which is where we find out that John's receiving a Revelation that he's receiving this Vision that he's going to write it down he's supposed to write what he sees.
Then we go into two to three chapters 2 and three are the letters to the churches and then in chapter four he's taken to the throne room then we see uh the the Seven Seals and the Seven trumpets and then there's this kind of Crescendo section in the Middle where it really in Jewish writing was the the main point and that's these signs in heaven that are seen where multiple times during that the it pauses looks at the audience and says this is a call to endure this is a call to the endurance and the faithfulness of the Saints.
And then we saw the the bows and then Jesus's return and Triumph and judgment and now we're in the conclusion the epilogue the the last words of this that's where we are today we're going to pray and then we're going to jump into the text Lord our hearts are dull our ears are heart of hearing we ask for your spirit to help us so that as we read and consider your return May that awaken in us the appropriate amount of fear the appropriate amount of Joy the appropriate amount of Hope as we long.
For you to set things right we ask this in Jesus name amen Revelation 22: 6 and he said to me these words are trustworthy and true and the Lord the God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his Angel to show his servants what must soon take place that he that said it is likely the angel from the beginning of the book of Revelation it could also be the angel that was most recently speaking to John which is one of the Seven Angels who had one of the seven bowls it is not.
Jesus but he's going to quote Jesus and that's going to be important a little later on as we're going through this text but this is an angel for declaring this message and he says that his words are trustworthy and true and the the Lord the God of the spirit of the prophets has sent his Angel to show his servants what must must soon take place and that um is basically how the Book of Revelation starts that this Angel has been sent to show his servants what must soon take place that this is going to happen and this was in the be the very end of the.
First century when John was exiled on Patmos and saw and wrote this Vision verse 7even and behold I am coming soon blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book so that I is Christ it's Jesus is coming soon blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book that we are to be people who hold to the truth of the Book of Revelation and there's going to be several places in this uh chapter that we're going to.
Look at today where it's going to refer to some specific promises around the The Book of Revelation but it also is uh as Christians we just kind of understand that this applies specifically to the Book of Revelation but it also applies in general to the Scriptures that we're to be people who hold and keep to the word that we're to be people who know our Bibles and encourage one another with Scripture who point one another to Scripture who seek together to study it one of the things I'll do sometimes.
When our group meets is I'll say we study this because we believe it sits above us our goal as a community group is not to discuss what we like and don't like here if you want to confess that you don't like something confess it that's fine Now obey it you can dislike it you're a sinner there's going to be parts of the Bible you don't like it's not something you wrote it's something he wrote it's obviously going to contradict you in some places nobody's ever read the Bible and been like exactly that's what I've been saying all along no there are places here where it grades against us it it works against us it rubs.
Us and we're supposed to fall in line but this is something that we're to be people who love the Bible who love these words and who keep it and hold to it and specifically in the Book of Revelation we are to be people who hold to the coming Rescue of the king that when he peeled everything back he said you see all this chaos you see all this evil you see all that's going on endure endure endure because there's a king who wields a sword and he's on his way.
So we're to be people who keep to this verse eight I John and one who heard and saw these things and when I heard and saw them I fell down to worship at the feet of the Angel who showed them to me but he said to me you must not do that I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book worship God okay this is is where it's important that this is an angel speaking the words of Christ uh the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses don't hold that we should worship Christ as.
God that he's not a deity that he's not God himself he is obviously worshiped in the Book of Revelation we just read together where we are to sing to the lamb where the whole earth spoke blessing and glory and honor and power and might and wealth like all belong to the lamb so there's obvious places where Christ is worshiped and here we have Angel speaking it gets confusing because we don't get to see it but it's clear that we have an angel speaking this as a Herald to John and he's going to quote Christ later he's going to say I.
Jesus but he's quoting so if we were in medieval London and a Herold walked in and blew a trumpet everybody stopped they un unfurled a document and said he ye by order I King Humphrey the second we wouldn't go that's not King Humphrey that's a child in the king old you're obviously a liar we would understand he's speaking on behalf of the king that's what's happening here that this Angel is proclaiming on behalf of Christ declaring this message that's what we have here and what he's saying is that John as he takes all this in just Falls before the angel in worship and the angel immediately is like stop that don't do that which is.
One of the ways that you know Christ he he accepts worship because he's God there are people who fall before him on Earth in the gospels and he allows it but Angels who are demonic accept worship but those who are worshiping God follow God don't that's one of the things you'll see someone them fall down before him they go no no no no get up no no no no no no no no no you don't worship me and I love that that's included John writing this was like.
And then I tried to worship the angel and I got fussed that like if you've been reading the book of Revelation you're like this is a lot think how John felt like he he's overwhelmed at the end of this he just Falls and I think it's in honor of what he's seen and in honor but the angel says no no no no no let's you worship God I'm with you and with you and your brothers We Worship the Lord together and we are to worship.
God and God Alone which if Christ accepts worship that means he is God and we worship Him verse 10 and he said to me do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near now one of the beautiful things about thist Scriptures is that it is clear it's clear but it's deep or if you think about it like maybe a an excellent painting or the Cy Chapel or something where it's it's obvious but it's intricate what I mean by that is.
When we look at the Scriptures some people will act like Scriptures has all this hidden meaning you got to really dig to the bottom and only the people who know this secret they they know the truth but everybody else is no the Bible is clear Jesus Christ has come to rescue us from our sin God made the world good we rebelled we cannot on our own save ourselves Jesus came because God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever would believe in him would not perish.
But have eternal life it's clear our hope is in Christ and Christ Alone in the work that he's done on the cross we're saved by faith alone not through works like these things are clear in the Scriptures but it's deep it's intricate there's a lot of places where it weaves in on itself where it shows the intricacies and one of the things I've thoroughly enjoyed in the Book of Revelation is seeing where it tags back and references and parallels Old Testament passages that give depth not not added Clarity it's not like it's confusing without it.
But it gives depth to it it adds richness to it and this is one of those places where as I was studying this I got very excited to see an added layer of depth here so when he says do not see seal up the words of this book we're just like okay but I think John would have gotten cold chills because that's a reference to the interaction with the Prophet Daniel which is the largest Old Testament apocalyptic book and there's a lot of parallels between the Book of Revelation and Daniel I want to show you this in Daniel chapter 12 Daniel has seen all this Vision he's heard all this stuff he's written it down.
He asked a question and they answer it he asked a question about timeline and they answer it and I love what Daniel writes I heard but I did not understand he asked the question and they answer and he goes H and then he just writes down well I heard what he said but I sure don't know what it meant I wrote it down for you but don't ask me because I don't know what he meant and then he says then I said oh my.
Lord what shall be the outcome of these things so he follows up he has another question and he said go your way Daniel for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end so he looks at Daniel Daniel's asking questions about this and he goes seal it we're not there yet and then John sees all this and he says don't seal it we're there if you watched the Marvel movies and Doctor Strange is dying and he looks over and says we're in the end game.
Now that's what's happening here where John is being told we're here you know what what we weren't ready for before when Daniel wrote Daniel was looking ahead but you see Daniel was looking at the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ and he was looking at history as it had to play out and some of the things weren't going to happen until Jesus came the first time until Jesus died until Jesus rose until he had accomplished his Earthly task of being the suffering servant that's all happened John's looking and they just said yeah we're it's happened.
Now this is why the book of Hebrews is going to say things like we're in the last days second Peter is going to say that first Peter is going to say the end of all things is at hand 1 Corinthians 10 the end of the ages has come they they understood that the work that had to happen through Christ had happened and now we're in the end times so if anybody ever ask you when do you think the end times will be.
Now you should look around first though and make it more you know suspenseful you don't but it's it's been that's that's what's happened this isn't sealed this can happen you know there there it just waiting on the imminent return of Christ you know how when you would get mad at somebody and You' say ain't nothing between me and you except for air and opportunity you know what I'm talking about that that's the situation we're in where it's all on his timing.
Now we're not waiting for the further fulfillment he can unroll it as as quickly as he wants he can return whenever he wants it's imminent and then uh Daniel says and this is just a further connection many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined but the wicked shall act wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but those who are wise shall understand and this is what happens here he says don't seal it which parallels with Daniel.
Then he immediately goes into the same idea of the pure and the wicked he says let the evildoer still do evil and the filthy still be filthy and the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy behold I am coming soon bringing my recompense with me that's repayment bringing what is owed bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done I am the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the beginning and the end.
So this is Christ saying the same things that he who was Seated on the throne God the father said it's the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end Jesus says that's me and I'm bringing judgment I'm returning to repay each for what they have done and there's this statement in there that is let evildoers still do evil and the filthy still be filthy and the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy and I think part of that is just a declaration that that stuff's going to continue you until he returns that there's still going to be goodness righteousness Holiness those things aren't going to it's not going to disappear.
But there's still going to be evil and filthiness that's not going to disappear either so for the person who says everything's going to fall completely apart and there'll be nobody faithful no no no there'll still be people faithful and for the person who goes we're going to usher in and everything's going to be perfect and wonderful and beautiful no there's still going to be evil and filthiness those things are going to continue but I also think some of what is happening here is that it's it's a genuine.
See there's a there's a problem because you're you're listening to it and you're going okay have the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy fills genuine like that's what he would want but for him to say let the evil do or still do evil and the filthy still be filthy it's like what what part of I mean one of the main things of this book is a call to repentance so what's being said there but I think when he says I'm coming soon bringing my recompense with me it feels like a.
Father who's saying the phrase keep it up meaning that if you're doing right keep it up the words mean what they mean keep it up keep going keep laboring keep fighting for what is good but if you're not doing what you're supposed to and your dad says to you keep it it up he does not mean that my dad didn't use the phrase keep it up he just said all right that's all he'd say all right you knew that meant keep it up find out you want to.
See what I'm capable of you can find out real quick that's what that meant so if he was on the phone and we were making noise he opened the door and told us keep it up and close the door we didn't go I guess he wants us to be loud I don't know we knew it meant and I think that's some of what is being said here when he's saying continue in what you're in I'm coming bringing repayment with me and y'all that's wonderful and that's terrifying it's wonderful.
For those who are in Christ he sees he sees your labor he sees your effort you know how you you sin then you confess sin and there's part of you that thinks confession made it worse even though confession was the part of getting rid of it but it just feels worse but he sees that faithfulness as you give away money as you give away time as all the salesmen that are on your sales floor lie through their teeth constantly you say things like I don't know I'll find out.
For you and your sales are worse because of your honesty he sees it he knows it this is how this works following Christ there are times where things we could cut Corners we could make shortcuts we could do things and he says no let still do be holy still P pursue Holiness still fight against sin still repent still do what's right even when it's hard he sees it and he he repa and it's also a promise for those who are in Christ that they don't get away with it that those who have gotten away with it here harm someone use their power.
For evil use their influence to completely malign to sideline to put somebody in a bad position to whole whole classes and types of people who have worked in their way to give themselves more while they give everybody else less those sort of things where you're looking and going what is going on is there not Justice does he not see and there's this moment here where it's Christ is almost you can feel his hand tighten around the sword and he says I.
See behold I'm coming and that's terrifying if you don't know him and if when he returns he is not your welcomed savior Just Your Righteous judge this is one of the things that I will remind people periodically when we're walking through counseling we're studying the Scriptures together sometimes it seems like they think it's them versus me and I'm I'm just you have a lord I have a lord who is coming to repay and that's wonderful and that's terrible so may we live in light of that truth trusting in the goodness that he is the beginning and the end the.
First and the last the judge of all things we say this all the time we say this on Sundays we say as we're leaving we know that judgment is coming another way to say that is we know that the judge is coming verse 14 blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates outside are the dogs and Sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolators and everyone who loves loves and practices falsehood outside means not in the city it doesn't mean on the road to the city trying to get in it just means they're.
Not here it's it's a way of saying Lake of Fire outer Darkness some of the things that we've seen throughout the Book of Revelation and throughout the Scriptures they're they're not here they don't belong but it says blessed verse 14 blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life life and that they may enter the city by the gates y we lost the Tree of Life the tree of life was in the garden.
And when they sin and rebel specifically God says there has to be an angel placed at the Garden and a flaming sword in case they try to come back because they no longer have access to the tree of life that if they tried to get the tree of life it was going to go very poorly for them very quickly and that's been all of humanity has had no right to the tree of life until Christ paid the debt of our sin and in the new heavens and the new Earth we get to walk you sinful you br busted broken you perfectly known perfectly washed perfectly clean get to walk through the gates welcome and get.
To go to the tree of life and eat you have the right to it it's a beautiful promise uh if you want to do a study on it at some point there are seven blessings in the Book of Revelation this is the final one seven times where it says blessed are those this is the final one and it says blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life now one of the questions you should ask is how do you wash your robes does that mean he just said he's coming and he's going to repay.
So the immediate thought would be I better get it together but that's not in the Book of Revelation how you wash your robes it's Revelation 7 he sees all these people with white robes he says who are these clothed in white robes and from where have they come the angel says to him these are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb you wash your robes in the work of Christ in his Holiness not yours you are made clean by his righteousness which means that all those who've come to.
Jesus and said I'm dirty unless you wash me he's washed every time you've sinned and you've thought I'm so guilty I deserve to be punished that's true the washing is done with blood but by God's grace and mercy and Glory it's done by the blood of Christ not by us so that the payment is made so that when he returns turns and gives to those according to what they have done he does not repay those in Christ for their sin he repays them.
For everything they've done that was good he returns and we only get good things it's wonderful that's the Hope here that those who have trusted in him are washed are welcome through the work of Christ and that when he returns the repayment is only blessed blessing verse 16 I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches I'm the root and the descendant of David the Bright Morning Star so Jesus sent the angel to Proclaim these things to the churches to bless the churches to encourage the churches to call them to endure.
And then he says I'm the root and descendant of David the Bright Morning Star meaning that he is the Messiah the promised one who was to come the Fulfillment of the the line of David the Bright Morning Star is a reference to numbers which is a prophecy of one who's going to come and who's going to conquer and who's going to rescue this hope of the Messiah Jesus says that's me verse 17 the spirit the Holy Spirit and the bride that's the Church say come and let the one who hears say come that's that come is to Christ the spirit and the Church are saying come.
Lord Jesus we're we're ready you're welcome we want you to return come it's a call to Jesus then it says this and let the one who is thirsty come let the one who desires take the Water of Life without price if you've been walking through the Book of Revelation with us or if this is your first time and you're reading this and you're saying I I want that I want forgiveness I want when Jesus returns for that to be good and glorious and wonderful I want that to be the day I've been longing.
For I want that I want to belong here maybe you show up and and you don't know who's new and who's not new and you're looking around the room and you're seeing people talk to each other and be excited and and you're seeing the love that shared here and you're going I I want that if you're thirsty come if you want that you can have it that's the promise that you can go to Jesus and say I want your forgiveness and he gives it and I want your mercy and he gives it I want to belong I want you to rescue me I want you to save me I want you to help me.
He does the Bible tells us that nobody will be put to shame who trusts in Jesus nobody says I was banking on Jesus I was hoping he would help I would hoping he would rescue I would hoping he would wash I would hoping he would make me clean I was hoping in him and that doesn't work everybody who trusts in themselves everybody who trusts in something else will be put to shame it will fall apart but nobody who trusts in Christ will.
If you're thirsty come you get to say Lord save me help me rescue me and he will he Delights to he loves you so much he died so that he might do that he shed his blood so that you might be washed clean that's his hope that's his Delight that's his Joy Heaven rejoices when that happens the one is thirsty come let the one who desires take the Water of Life without price Verse 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.
If anyone adds to them God will add to him the plagues described in this book and if anyone takes away from the words of the pro of the book of this prophecy God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book we are to take the Scriptures seriously throughout Church history that we understand that this is particularly specifically describing applying to the Book of Revelation but it also Christians if just always understood as the Book of Revelation stands at the end of God's Revelation to us as a general understanding of how to treat the Scriptures.
When Jesus says not the little Dash that crosses the tea or the Little Dot that dots an eye will perish from the law all of it will stay all of it will hold all of it belongs that we're to be people who hold to and believe the word we're to be people who don't take away from it you you should be very careful the times when you want to say well that doesn't really count now there are places where we see that there are things that from the Old Testament that are fulfilled in Christ that he's fulfilled the law on our behalf we don't have a sacrificial system anymore.
Because we have a sacrifice but the Scriptures teach us that we understand that there are some places where things have changed as the Revelation is is unfurled but we can't look at things and go well that's not really what that means and we understand a little better than that now and we don't really apply that part but we're to be people who trust and know the word and believe it and hold to it and hope in it as we trust and believe and hope in Christ This is not to say that.
If you ever at any point are confused about a thing or say anything wrong suddenly your salvation is in danger that's that's not what this is being said here but it is to say to those who would try to make new Revelation on behalf of God or would try to cut large sections of the Scriptures out it's an indication of that they don't belong to Jesus verse 20 he who testifies to these things says surely I am coming soon amen come.
Lord Jesus these are the last two things that are written in the Scriptures one of them is Jesus says I'm coming soon and if you're paying attention he said soon many times in this text this is the fourth one where the word soon shows up just in this section that he's coming soon he's coming soon he's coming soon now Peter tells us that his Reckoning of soon is different than our Reckoning of soon in second Peter chapter 3 and I I just in general we know that you base soon off of the person who's speaking not the person who's listening this is most evident.
When dealing with children when will that happen the adult says soon the adult is operating on an adult timeline the adult also knows what soon means in that sentence for them because they're the one speaking so if my son says when is Christmas and it's November I can say soon but I know the whole calendar I can see it in front of me he doesn't and he can the same day say when is dinner and I can say soon and I have not lied to him either time.
But when I give him dinner he's thinking boy Christmas is about to be here and one of the things we need to understand is that when the Lord says soon that's some of what is to be understood that's what Peter says that a day to him is a thousand years a thousand years a day he's on a different timeline and he also sees it he knows exactly what's happening but the other thing we're supposed to understand is when he said don't seal it up soon means soon Peter says really he's not delayed he's patient he's kind there are those who belong to him who have not yet repented of their sin confessed him there are.
Those who will spend eternity with him that have not yet we have missionaries hadn't made it to him yet there are tribes and tongues and languages and people that needed somebody to go so that they might gather around the throne there are people groups there are those who need to belong to Christ and will worship him for eternity and he is returning soon but he also loves them and is at work with patience so that they might come but we stand where this soon is sooner than.
When John heard it and we should respond like the spirit like the bride and like John and say come Lord Jesus and I think one of the things that we should test our Souls with is how much do we say that long for that believe that hope for that how much do we actually look forward to the return of Christ I have a cousin who has worked in several political campaigns and when you're working in a political campaign you want that politician to get elected that's what you're working towards.
But the people who are working higher up in political campaigns it's not just this is the person they like so they're handing out some flyers it's that when this person gets elected they go from being in the campaign to being in the cabinet they they go work for them they go belong now if they don't win you don't have a job and you really built your last year or two or three years off of this person winning and y'all there's a hope and a longing.
For political positions political leaders that can put the Church to shame at times because we aren't living with the hope and the longing for Christ's return the way we ought to and I think we ought to look and say does my money look like I've pinned my hopes on Christ does my time look like I've pinned my hopes on Christ does the way I interact with my neighbors look like I've pinned my hopes on Christ does my hope and longing for my children.
Look like I've pinned my hopes on Christ I think sometimes when you talk to parents about their children they're hoping things like Comfort success a good job a nice life I don't know many parents and you say what do you want for your children and they look at you and say I want them to have such a thirst for the Gospel that they get run ragged for the sake of Christ I hope they bleed for him I hope they suffer for him I hope they get him whatever it takes there are places that do not know Christ there are neighbors in your people in your circle that do not know Christ I was thinking this.
Morning that if I found out I won't but if I found out 30 minutes before that Jesus was about to return I do not think for one half second I would think man I was really hoping to find out whether or not the Chiefs would three repeat but I might think I really should have told my neighbors about Jesus and there's a longing for the return of Christ there's an aching for the return of Christ that when John hears he's going to come soon he says yes come.
Lord Jesus and John is exiled on the aisle of Patmos for proclaiming the Gospel and there should be an ache and a longing in the Church that manifests itself daily in how we interact with the world around us as we long for the return of Christ but y'all he is going to return and it's going to be wonderful he's going to undo everything that's wrong he's going to restore what is right he's going to be praise and glory and honor to his name he's going to be Vindicated and Justified among the Nations he's going to be held high he's going to be praised he's going to be glorified we are going to gather with the.
Church with the Saints we are going to be washed and made new and we are going to stand in his radiant glory for all eternity come Lord Jesus he's going to wash away our sin make us whole we will be fully known but there will be no shame no guilt no lingering doubt come Lord Jesus that he's going to return and restore and make right and bring Jud judgement on the wicked and crush the head of the serpent and he's going to cast death into the Lake of Fire come.
Lord Jesus that he will one day sit ruling and reigning as the king with his enemies as his foot stol come Lord Jesus that everything that is broken in our bodies and in our minds everything that we've all this anxiety and fear and overwhelming nature of everything that's around us will be but a a hint of a whisper of a memory that points to the Glorious Radiance of Christ who rescues and redeems redem Sinners come Lord Jesus and the final words of the text the grace of the.
Lord Jesus be with you all amen y'all he doesn't say so get to it he doesn't say so you better keep it together now he's in the text he's called us to endurance he's called us the faithfulness he has but his final words are may his grace be with you may the forgiveness and the mercy the freedom and the joy of belonging to Christ be with you and I will tell you this Grace the genuine joy and freedom of Grace is what drives us to tell other people not fear the Delight that we have and knowing that we're forgiven is what drives us to confess the knowing that Christ will return and he will rescue.
And he will redeem and he will save someone like me who does not deserve it is what makes us want to tell others that we might live in Grace in just a moment we're going to take communion together and communion is one of the ways that we live in Grace it's one of the consistent reminders we we take communion off often it's one of the consistent reminders that we need the work of Christ to atone for our sin and that we have the work of Christ to atone.
For our sin I have appreciated that as I dip it and hold it and walk back to my chair that there's some realness it reminds me of the reality of the hope I have in Christ it reminds me of he actually shed his blood there are times where the juice drips on my fingers and I think no it really ran his blood was really spilled I am really washed because he really made the payment and then we get to live in Grace and we get to partake and say come.
Lord Jesus come rescue come bring Hope come bring restoration and then we get to leave and go live like our hope is in the imminent return of Christ who repeatedly tells us he's going to come like a thief we will not know when it's coming if you have not trusted in Jesus we invite you to if you are thirsting for salvation and hope and forgiveness you can have it not based off of you but based off of him Church family take a moment to confess to repent to.
Remember why you need the Gospel and then take communion if you are not a Christian communion is not for you you were invited to trust in Jesus but communion is not for you because you are not yet in Grace and you are not yet ready for him to come let's pray father may your grace be with us may you help us to endure and Lord may you come quickly in Jesus name amen band's going to come back up we're going to sing together and take communion.
When you're ready.
Revelation 22:1-5
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning what a joyous morning y'all this this is some of the best mornings all year um my name is Spencer I am one of the pastors here and uh we are in the final chapter of the Book of Revelation the final chapter the Bible you can flip there on your blue Bibles uh the text will be on the screen today um some of you may have started a reading plan uh at the beginning of this month uh or uh I read the Bible in a year plan we as a Church.
For those who want to be a part of we have a read the Bible in two years plan but both of them um and many of these plans they start the same way they start in the book of Genesis and you read the first two chapters of Genesis and you see creation and you see the Garden of Eden but they also most of them end in the same place too they end in this Final Chapter they were in in the Book of Revelation.
And if you read the beginning and the end you're going to see some similarities you're going to see Eden and then a version of Eden that kind of jumps off the page especially in the passage one verses 1 through five that we're in uh today because the New Jerusalem is a lot like Eden you're going to see a river that very much resembles the the the river that flow through Eden you're going to see it flow through the New Jerusalem that you're going to.
See the tree of life uh again in the the new heavens and the new Earth and what we're reading today and that's because it's very much like Eden which is why theologians will often say that this is Eden restored the the New Jerusalem is Eden restored uh but I actually think that doesn't quite capture uh what's happening in this passage I I think it's a little more than just restored uh you could say reimagine you could say revamped you could say reloaded.
But there's little something extra to this that we're going to see in some of the pictures that we're going to sit in today uh and one of the things I find helpful about and the reason why we slow down as we're finishing out the Book of Revelation one of the things I found helpful in sitting in these pictures is it holds out the end for us in a way that is helpful for our souls it's just so deeply helpful I was listening to a book yesterday and and he was making the argument that people can endure almost anything.
If they know there's an end to it so I mean that that can be a hard workout that can be a really tough project at work like you actually grind and and get to the end of it as long as there's an end like humans need an end uh to be able to make it to it and we have that and I I just another five verses where we get to hold that out in front of us and see this is the end.
For the people of God for Christians this is where we are going and it is helpful for us as we seek to embody what is one of the main themes of this book The Book of Revelation uh it will help us endure to it so I'm going to read the first these first five verses then we're going to walk through a little more slowly uh then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life bright as Crystal flowing from the Throne of.
God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city also on either side of the river the Tree of Life with its 12 kinds of fruit yielding it fruit each month the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations no longer will there be anything a cursed but the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads and night will be no more they will need no light of lamp or sun.
For the Lord God will be their light and they will reain forever Endeavor let's pray Heavenly Father we pray that you might open our eyes to behold the end of reality in a way that would compel our hearts to live every single moment of Our Lives striving for life with you in the new heavens and the new Earth God that will take the breaking of our desires for lesser than things here that will take really for some here today even the breaking of their hope that they put in this life.
So they might put their full hope and faith in you but Lord none of this can be accomplished outside of the work of the Holy Spirit so God I pray that you would work you'd open our hearts to receive your word and it would change us to live striving for that day in Jesus name amen all right so let's sit in this first few pictures verse one it says then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life bright as Crystal flowing from the Throne of.
God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city so let let me stop there for a moment there's something that's that's really beautiful here that's actually not the main point but I don't I think it's worth stating that this is a city but it's also Rural and it's got some rural elements in it it's it's a garden type City there's this beautiful river that flow goes through it there's uh the tree of life that we're going to.
See in a moment that's fruitful that this is a a Garden City now Chad made the point last week that for some of you that aren't as big a fan of the Cities which Chad also he's from the country he very much loves the country this is hard to be like oh this is where we're going it's it's a city some of you are like ah this but that means there's a lot of people right that's not really my style my wife was uh a big fan one of her favorite movies was The Little Mermaid growing up um it's.
If you haven't seen it um it's about a mermaid and she's little and she really wants to not be a little mermaid she wants to be a little human so she uh she desires to to walk and to be amongst the humans and she sings a song that says I want to be where the people are and my wife like she loves that movie but like it just it breaks right there because she has a shirt that says I want to be where the people aren't cuz she's just not we've talked about this like this be a lot of people there and it's like yeah yeah there's there's going to be a lot of people.
There it is a city and there will be lots of uh people for sure but I don't think that we quite fully understand uh what it will be like to be amongst thousands of years of saints that are living in perfect harmony with one another perfect love binding us together in the presence of God it won't be chaotic it will be beautiful and wonderful in the ways that we can't wrap our minds around but it's not just a city there's these these elements that that bring it to life in a way that is different than some of the concrete jungles that we have here uh in uh in on Earth we do have there I.
Think one city that might picture this somewhat is the city of Singapore um they're they're striving to make this uh Singapore more like a Garden City so there's lots of really pretty landscapes that they've kind of built into the fabric of these buildings because um it's a it's a small country and a small City and you if you look at a bunch of pictures of Singapore you might see elements of like how really neat uh they have built the city but even that quite can't capture it I think you can think of some of the most beautiful elements of creation and Landscapes across the world I think you can use your imagination to think about.
The physical side of what the city will be I think of of the Mountains of Montana how beautiful they are I think of the City of Cape Town South Africa which is a beautiful city you can sort of piece it together but even all of these wonderful uh parts of creation these wonderful cities these wonderful things that we have here on Earth don't quite help us capture what it's going to be like and how beautiful it's going to be I mean Chad even last week was walking us through the the design of of of the city and the gate and the walls and how the streets of gold and the gyms and all of it.
And it's wonderful but we still can't quite wrap our minds around how beautiful it's going to be and yet the physical side of the city is not even the main point the the spiritual reality that's at play is far bigger In this passage far bigger than what we're just physically trying to to picture here because the spirituality plays are wonderful it says the Water of Life this River that's bright as Crystal and all of its beauty flows from the Throne of.
God the father and Christ the son and this is Ezekiel imagery as well uh The Book of Ezekiel chapter 47 and Eden kind of coming together to help us see this wonderful clear Crystal River which is also hard for us to to to picture because the Conger which is a few feet away wherever whatever distance that is is not clear it's quite mudy but this beautiful clear River pictures something bigger than just the physical reality at play there is this uh picture of eternal life that flows from.
God and that's what this is this is pointing to eternal life and really Eternal satisfaction you see water is for you need water to live without a a few days without it you will not live so we're always drinking we always needed to sustain us and there's going to be this eternal sustaining this eternal life that flows from God that fully satisfies it would be a place where we don't thirst any longer there will be Eternal flourishing and and power and Glory that flows from.
God to the people of the city that we'll get to experience for eternity God's eternally sustaining his people satisfying his people says the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life bright as Crystal flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city and then it says also on either side of the river the Tree of Life with its 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month the leaves of the tree were.
For the N the healing of the Nations so a few different things going on here so this is if you read Genesis 2 this is the tree of life that we see uh in the Garden of Eden and it's and its back but it's also again it's Ezekiel 47 Ezekiel 47:12 says and on the banks on both sides of the river there will grow all kinds of trees for food their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail but they will bear fresh fruit every month.
Because the water for them flows from the sanctuary their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing so this is what Ezekiel was picturing and seeing and its final form now as Chad talked about last week there is no Temple God is the temple and the picture here is God Sanctuary dwelling living with his people and as he lives with us forever he will sustain us forever he will provide for us forever that the the the tree of life is a picture of Eternal provision that.
God will for eternity provide for his people that there's this appetite in us to be satisfied and God will fully and forever satisfy this urge for fulfillment will be eternally found in him and we can't miss that how how wonderful that would be because so much of our life is searching for the next thing that will satisfy and the next thing that will satisfy and God is saying it is here it is here and you'll eat of the tree and you will be satisfied.
So there's there's a part of that that's really wonderful to sit in to to to realize how wonderful that's going to be but also there there's this idea of of harvest and and fruitfulness that happens every month that if you've ever tried to grow something you know the Harvest is brief if you get it like right now I have a apple tree in the backyard and we lived in this house for 5 years and it has not bore one apple not a one I mean.
Jesus says you'll know a tree B its fruit so it's possible it's not an apple tree it's possible it's a disappointment tree it just never bears fruit and I am about to heed the rest of Jesus's words and cut that sucker down throw it in the fire but I've also got some peach trees that I've planted they're more mature peach trees and I'm excited about the possibility of South Carolina peaches showing up here in the next uh few months but then even that has to go right like it's the the freeze has got to stop at some point and it can't show back up late in the season and freeze the buds and kill the.
Peaches and then maybe just maybe if all the conditions are correct in June we'll have a harvest of peaches maybe but that's that's that's work this side of the Fall now that's the thorns and thistles of trying to see fruitfulness and striving to get it and that's our lives y'all that's what we do that we work and strive really hard to carve out moments of of of enjoying the fruit like you might work really really hard to have that one week of vacation that's supposed to be.
So good and so wonderful and you put all your like I just and and that that's going to bring the rest that you need or the enjoyment that you're looking for that you save up money so that you can be able to go to the concerts that are so enjoyable like in a couple of weeks there's a band that I'm obsessed with called the red clay Strays and they're coming to the township and I just missed out the tickets sold out and I you know on the secondary Market they're just ridiculously priced.
So I'm just holding out hope like someone is just going to say hey I can't make it the day of and I get in somehow to see 90 minutes of musical magic but it's just like even just that just that that brief moment of of of fruit that you get to enjoy from your labor as we're searching for that everyone's working hard for those pockets of Joy those pockets of memories and when you finally get them one it's still not enough.
But there is a day that is coming and the picture here of the fruitfulness that God provides is that it will be every month it's not just for a month every month you get to enjoy the fruit that comes from God to be satisfied to have it all eternally met in him and you get this picture of a tree that provides the type of longing that we've so deeply wanted and also its leaves are for the healing of the Nations and the imagery of this is that all the nations every tribe nation and tongue every Christian that has endured and suffered through trials through persecution through the plight with sin and its effects in our.
Lives that there is a day coming where healing happens that the suffering and the trials and the Brokenness of this present life will be eternally healed this is what we saw when uh chapter 21 when it says that he will wipe away every tear from our eyes that it will be a distant memory and I find that to be incredibly encouraging there's a Puritan Pastor English Puritan Pastor in the 17th century named Richard Baxter um and I quote him from time to time you may not know who he is he he was a pretty big deal back in the day.
So big that like in the 17th century he like outsold Shakespeare in popular literature so he was he was a uh a massive deal and he began writing in his 30s when he was told by a doctor uh that he was going to die he was sick we probably think now he had tuberculosis and he was told that he was going to die and he actually didn't he actually lived into his 70s but he lived Liv every day basically in a lot of pain always sick always in pain.
But the first book that he wrote when he was told that he was going to die uh was the Saints Everlasting rest and this book was meant to help picture where we are going and the Eternal rest that we will have from this painful life of sin and suffering and death and I love this quote that he has he says though every man naturally bth sorrow and loves the most Merry and joyful life yet few do love the way to Joy or will endure the pains by which it is obtained they will take the next that comes to hand and content themselves with Earthly Pleasures rather than they will Ascend to heaven to seek It.
And yet when all is done they must have it there or be without it woo he I mean he says that he he articulates The Human Condition well we don't love suffering we don't love sorrow we don't love this we actually love joy but the reality is is that where true ultimate Joy is found most of us don't want the endurance that it takes to get there the pain that comes with that we don't want the calling of the Christian Life that is a denial of self that is seeking uh to be obedient to the will of of.
God that may call trials upon your life and difficulty upon your life that we don't want that that we will content ourselves with lesser pleasures and distract ourselves with lesser Joys and he says oh I love that quote that we'd Ascend to heaven and seek it that we' be a people the Ascend to heaven the Ascend to the city of God to ascend to where ultimate Joy is found and if our aim of our life is not to find Joy there we won't have joy at all and I.
So appreciate what he presses upon us and for the next 40 Years of his life after he wrote this book in pain he ascended through suffering and trials and persecution he ascended to the city of God to heaven or there will be a day where you have joy and you have provision and there is a healing that comes that wipes away the pain of this life where there will be no more war and no more trauma you will not be haunted by your past anymore.
If you do think of your past you will think of it in the most mature glorified state where all you were led to is this endless Praise of God because God I don't deserve to be in the city because of what I have done but because of what you did for me Jesus Christ on the cross I get to worship you and Delight in you for eternity and that'll be the way that we think about our past verse three we continue to.
See more pictures here it says no longer will there be anything ACC cursed but the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him there won't be anything a cursed a cursed is living under the curse of sin no more sin no more living under its curse we just got out of the Christmas season where we sing Joy to the World it's a hymn that Isaac Watts uh wrote and hundreds of years ago.
Now I wasn't there when Isaac Watts wrote this hymn uh but I I think you can look at the hymn and study what he's saying and maybe come to the conclusion that it actually wasn't about Christmas that actually Joy to the world is about this it's about the new heavens and the new Earth that certainly we I love to sing at Christmas because Christ's coming initiates that right but when you look at Joy to the World when you get to to the stanza that says uh no more let sins and Sorrows grow nor Thorns infest the ground he comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found that is all this language.
There is a day coming where there is no more sins there is no more Sorrows the Thorns that make this life fruitless will be gone that he will make His blessings flow for as the cursed is found that that everything that is painful about this life that the curse has touched will be replaced with his blessed Reign like that's wonderful news to know that the curse will not have an effect on us any longer that the death of loved ones that the difficulty of Life uh and and and work and relational Strife with one another that the persistent sin and Temptation that plagues us will be no more that is a wonderful thing to.
Look forward to that in the city of God will be nothing that is our cursed we will live only under the perfect reign of God and we will worship him we will worship him now sometimes when this idea shows up I've heard it said with certain people that will say I just don't know how great Heaven is going to be or how great this is going to be the new heavens and new earth I mean just we're going to sing all the time and it's like.
First off I don't think you're fully picturing because sometimes it's like this disembodied experience we're just floating like angels singing all the time and it's like I don't you're not picturing this well like we have texts that help us see where this is going you need a better imagination based on the text like I want to point you to bigger things that are happening here but also what I think happens is what is undersold is singing itself and worshiping God I think what happens is is that this is kind of seen like I this isn't all that joyful and I I want to push us on on it should be like.
If if if you stand cross-armed and kind of quiet and don't engage in the worship that both we are offered to Delight in in worshiping God and also very clearly commanded to from the Scriptures but you're missing out on this joyful delighting through singing To Our God you're missing out on something wonderful and beautiful like have you ever been in a stadium when the big play happens like this year if you were ly enough to go to the bazou Gamecock game where in the final seconds rocket Sanders got the shovel pass and bulldozed five people into the end zone and the stadium erupted in such a loud praise that it registered on the RoR scale.
Here locally or have you ever been at a concert where a band at the height of who they are and what they're doing playing their best song Maybe you saw journey in the 80s and you were like there when y'all shouted Don't Stop Believing and you felt the electric joy that was in the arena all of that does not compare to the type of worship and joy that we get to have in Christ for eternity so if you are bored with singing or bored by that idea you have not tapped into the joyful worship that we have in Christ.
Now and your imagination is not expanded enough on what it will be when we actually get there and we should we should grow in that now into eternal eternity that leads us to verse 4 which i' argue is probably one of the most powerful and beautiful Promises of the Scriptures verse four they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads they will see his face that we will behold the face of God we will behold the face of.
God Moses who had an intimate relationship with God in ways that hardly any other human who has ever lived will he desired to see the face of God he desired to see the glory of God that is bound up in his face and God tells him in in Exodus 33 you cannot see my face and you cannot see my face and live you will die because sinners in our sinful State cannot behold the glory of God and live we are not capable of living that our sin the presence of.
God we we can't we can't do it and there's this desire to see the face of God but there is a day that is coming that with resurrected bodies that aren't are not under the curse with eyes that are perfectly glorified we will behold the face of God we will see him how wonderful is this that's what makes everything that we're reading about here so much more wonderful like I I I was uh out of town a couple of weeks ago.
For a week and I so missed home and I just when I drove the eight hours back to home when I got home I I didn't go man when I pulled in the driveway look at look at the vinyl sighing on the house and then I stepped in I didn't go oh the luxury vinyl plank flooring look at the backsplash in the kitchen like I just that wasn't what I was excited about I miss my people I miss my wife I miss my kids and I wanted to.
See them and and everything that we're reading about that is so glorious about the tree of life and the city it's not home without God it's not wonderful without him it's just not God is what makes it so deeply wonderful and and and when the Scriptures in Psalm 19 in Romans chapter 1 tell us that creation reflects the invisible attributes of God that some of the attributes that are bound up at the very character of who God is is revealed in his glory and creation I mean think about that being in the desert sky and looking up and seeing the Majesty of the Milky Way or being able to.
See the snowcapped Rockies or the northern lights or the most beautiful parts of creation that all of that is but a mere reflection of the glory of God that is bound up in who he is which is revealed most plainly in his face the face of God the idea here is that you don't truly know someone unless you have seen their face which you know that right like there's there's there's a part of you that until you've seen or you've felt their face that you actually you don't really know them fully that's why.
When you're trying to picture somebody that you're just just like you're you're thinking as soon as you see their face oh yeah yeah that person so was part of when when Co was happening was so frustrating because you couldn't see someone's face but there's something about the face of God that you will actually know him that we will actually know our God like we're supposed to know him that there's this Transcendent power and Glory that flows emanates from him that we.
See in part here in this life that will see in full with brand new eyes to see and behold him and then there's this intimate knowledge of who he is that we will know him like you know your best friend you will know him and that is something that the people of God have longed for Moses longed for it in the book of Exodus uh Philip in John chapter 14 wanted to see the father like there's this this desire to see his face.
Because the power and the glory the majesty and the Wonder and the beauty that's bound up in his face that's why in numbers 6 and the Priestly blessing that's put upon the people it says may his face shine upon you that his character and His glory and his goodness and his blessing may shine upon you that you might live in light of his blessedness that is bound up in knowing him and beholding his face there is a day coming where there will be no more separation between.
God and man that we will not fearfully tremble in his presence that we will see his face we'll be marked by him we see the language of of name on the forehead here this something we seen throughout the Book of Revelation that you will belong to him he claims you you will belong to him and we will Behold our God for who he is the perod and Pastor Richard sibs once wrote he said the Christian will desire to see the beauty of.
God in his house that his soul might be ravished in the Excellency of the object ravished there in the 17th century meaning overwhelmed in joy and that the highest powers of his soul his understanding will and affections might be fully satisfied that he might have full contentment that the desire for the Christian is to one day behold and see God in a way that we will be ravished in the Excellency of who he is that all of our will in our affections and our ultimate desires that that God-shaped hole that we've tried to fill with lesser things here on Earth to be satisfied that.
For the Christian that will be fully filled by God in a way where we will see him and we will no more want and no more uh seek for other things because we'll be fully satisfied in the Excellency of Christ ravished in the Excellency of Christ for eternity what a beautiful gift that we will give have as we get to see and behold and know our God and the final picture I want to look at here for today is in verse 5 and he says a night will be no more they will need no light of lamp or sun.
For the Lord God will be their light and they will reign forever and ever and the first part of that is that there will be no more night night is where suffering is is felt uh where sin infects and does its damage that's the the picture of night here that won't exist anymore that in the city of God there will only be perfect light and righteousness that emanates that flows from God himself there will be no more darkness no more pain no more sadness no more sin and it says they will reign forever that we will reign with.
God forever in the garden God made Adam and Eve to coign alongside him by giving dominion over the world and that rain was broken and fractured when they chose to find their ultimate delight and satisfaction in something else other than him and that rain has been fractured and broken ever since but there is a day that is coming when the perfect reign of God will be invited into to Reign alongside him until then we need to see that clearly because there's a part of us.
Now that wants to rain here on Earth there's a part of us that wants to create and to and to make kingdoms here on Earth that we think are going to satisfy us but you need to understand it never will like we had the snow day this this week and my kids got to play in the snow and they built a a a a snowman very small and we're excited about it because it's yeah you should be this is South Carolina the fact that we had enough snow to build it even a small snowman is amazing and they were.
So excited to build it and what happened just a few days later sun came and it's gone and that's us y'all that's what we do we build these kingdoms here on Earth thinking they will fulfill they will satisfy they will bring joy if I just have this if I just have that if I can just accomplish this if I can just accomplish that then I'll be okay and then you do it and you're not okay and it's because those things fade and they don't last.
But you're invited into a reigning with Christ that resounds for eternity that has only fruitfulness and and and blessing and satisfaction and joy that does not end so this is where we see that Eden really takes a further step and how it's pictured in the New Jerusalem in a way that is just a little bit better and I think a way that doesn't get discussed enough of how Eden is actually not quite as wonderful as the New Jerusalem is the idea of everything that it will take to actually get there of everything that you'll endure to actually get there in The.
Lord of the Rings series uh when the hobbits leave the Shire Sam wise Gangi is one of the hobbits who goes on this journey to save Middle Earth he he misses the Shire he loves the Shire he didn't want to leave in the first place he loves it and throughout the three books and three movies you see over and over again that he is longing for the Shire he's longing to get back to the sh he misses it he thinks about the food and the hills and how beautiful it is and at the end.
When they finally defeat evil when it finally ends when he gets back to the Shire he appreciates it so much more for what it is because of everything it took to get there and that's why I think the New Jerusalem is going to be that much better that everything that we endure in this life and all the sufferings and all the trials and all the sin and all of the Brokenness and all of the death that all of it that once we.
Finally get there we'll understand oh man how wonderful is this the journey it took to get here was so long and it was so hard and I lost so much but I gain so much more the sufferings of this present life make the enjoyment of the fruit of the tree beholding the face of God it makes all of that so much sweeter which is why we are called to endure that's why at the End of This Book God is helping us.
See the very theme of Revelation to endure because that's where this is going we should leverage all of our Lives to ascend to ascend to the city of God where he will Rule and Reign and we will rule and Reign alongside him for eternity the band's going to come up and we will have an opportunity to worship but I don't want to miss something the reality is is that there undoubtedly is folks here that have actually not fully made this the ultimate aim of their existence that the aim of your life is not to make it to live with.
God forever and enjoy him that if you're honest with yourself the aim of your life is to build kingdoms here to find enjoyment here to find satisfaction here and what Richard Baxter said was true that if you don't make that the end goal God and life with him forever you'll miss out on on Joy for eternity my hope is that if you are honest with yourself and you come to the realization that your life is not fully centered on pursuing God and loving and delighting in him into eternity that right.
Now that in humility you would trust in him that you'd place your faith in him that you'd realize that because you have sought to build kingdoms here on Earth you've sought to be satisfied with lesser things here on Earth that is what Adam and Eve did they rejected God and Ed they they went after lesser things and the wages of that Pursuit what we earn because of that is death and hell but God loved us so much that he did not leave us in our sin.
But he came Jesus Christ came to live a life that we could not live to die on the cross for our sins to have his blood cover our Rebellion so that we might be resurrected into New Life The Very Waters that we s celebrated this morning and the change that happened in the Millers in their life is because they trusted fully in the grace of God and what he has done for them that is offered to you so that you might make the end of your life the chief end of your life there and that you'd spend the rest of your days ascending to that eternal glory ious reality.
But that will not come if you do not humble yourself in faith and as we sing to pray and to ask Jesus to cover your sins and to give you new life in him so that you might in the weeks to come stand in these Waters and declare the change that has happened so that one day you might actually be with us as the people of God by the river by the tree of life looking at the face of God God beholding him forever let's pray heavenly.
Father I pray that you might break the hearts of those who were lost in this room to behold you to trust in you fully and for those of us that that are Christians that we just keep running after lesser things we keep trying to desire Lessing things we we keep trying to chase after things that do not satisfy that we would right now through worshiping you and beholding you repent and turn to you that we might Ascend to the city of.
God and live our lives in light of that we ask this in Jesus name amen.
Revelation 21:9-27
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab a Bible and go to Revelation chap 21 we are finishing up the the Book of Revelation in the next few weeks and we have reached the part of the Book of Revelation where we are getting to see into eternity getting to see the new heavens and the new Earth and one of the things that you should do when you're reading the Bible is you should ask why is this here what is this meant to to teach me what is this meant to tell me why why did they use these words and not other words why did they include this information.
But not other information that's one of the things that you do when you study the Bible why is this why did they give me this amount of information and not less or more that's some of what you're trying to do when you're looking at it one of the questions we're asking this morning is why why is this here well the The Book of Revelation was written to the Church in distress with a call to endurance I was written to a Church that was in the middle of difficulty hardship pain doubt frustration times where they were going what what is.
God doing and why is this not working and we're trying to follow him but we're being persecuted and it's this call to endurance and then in this this letter this book that's written to these churches and this Church in distress at the end it says look at how wonderful all of this is look at where we're going look at how how good it's going to be but if you'll remember that the point is endurance then we start to answer the question of why is this here it's helping us.
See what the Finish Line looks like it's helping us understand now why we would want to endure it's easy to see what's right in front of us and see why we would want that and one of the beauties of the Book of Revelation is that we actually get a picture of what's to come so that we might Foster in our hearts a desire for that and in some ways what we're doing today is we're we're like a soldier who in the middle of Despair or difficulty in the middle of a watch at night.
When there's fear and anxiety prior to a battle when they're riding to it that pulls out a picture and looks at it to see someone they love in a place that they love and to remind themselves why they're fighting to see something that makes it worth it and to remember this is this is why I'm here this is what I'm defending this is what I'm striving for this picture and that's some of what we get here is we get a picture that reminds us oh this is why we would strive this is why we would endure this is what we're fighting.
For let's pray and then we're going to not go into battle we're just going to look at the pretty picture that's what we get to do today and so it's it's an exciting this morning for us let's pray father we thank you for this glimpse into Glory we ask that you would awaken our hearts to see it we praise your name amen Revelation CH 21 verse 9 so this is John he's seeing a vision he's writing what he sees then he says.
Then came one of the Seven Angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me now John here paying attention writing what he sees one of the Angels who just poured out judgment on the earth starts coming towards him I think there's a moment where it's like but this has happened to him before in in chapter 17 one of these angels came to him and when the angel came to in that time he said come with me I'm going to show you the prostitute and he takes him and he shows him the city of Babylon which is the Pinnacle in some ways of the rebellious nature of humanity.
Turning from God and running from God it would have represented Rome but it would also represent all of humanity turning and running from God it would represent the final version of Rome whatever that is this Pinnacle of rebellion and so this time he says something similar but the exact opposite come and I will show you the bride the wife of the Lamb so last time he said I'm going to show you a prostitute and he showed him the city of Babylon.
Now he's going to say I'm going to show you the bride and he's going to show him the city the New Jerusalem and he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem all right real quick that is a direct reference to Ezekiel and John's been doing this a lot there have been a lot of connections to the Book of Ezekiel Ezekiel had this prophetic vision of the in time kind of New Jerusalem this prophetic vision of the remade Temple he talks about a river he talks about the Trees of life he he foresaw U the war of Gog and Magog there's all these connections between.
John and Ezekiel and it's not as important right now but it's going to be real important later in the text but I want to show you that one spot where he's that happens to Ezekiel it happens to John and in some ways John's keeing in his listeners or readers to I'm seeing the same thing Ezekiel Saw and there's already been a lot of references but this is another one okay and he showed me the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from.
God so the the city's been in heaven with God and now it is descending because God's making a new heavens and a new Earth he's making all things new and so this city it's coming down out of heaven now heaven is the place where God dwells it also is the way that they refer to the skies the heavens above declare your glory and in some ways we like to think of it as a place but in in some ways heaven isn't.
So much spatial as it is relational but in this picture we see coming out of Heaven descending to Earth the New Jerusalem the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God having the glory of God its Radiance like a most rare Jewel like a Jasper clear as Crystal so he's trying to describe this he one of the things that we need to understand is that the city isn't just the stuff in the city although he's going to talk a lot about the stuff in the city.
But he announced this is the bride so we we've got some figurative language here because that's also what the Church is referred to as when Jesus God God throughout the Old Testament would talk to Israel and he would say he's he's the groom and they're the bride when Jesus shows up he starts calling himself the groom capital T capital G groom the groom he I'm I've come to marry Israel it's a it's a bold claim because it's a claim to Divinity John the Baptist says I'm not the groom I'm the best man I just got to be excited.
When he showed up but now I just kind of Fade Into the background it's not not my day but this bride is coming down and it's the city but what makes a city is not just the stuff in the city but the people in the city so that this is both a place and a people because that's how you get a city if it doesn't have people it's a ruin if you show up to New York and nobody's there I would suggest don't go in something bad has happened unless you.
See Will Smith and a dog just don't just don't go in so it's both a place and a people and y'all it's descending adorned like a bride this picture of the groom and the bride finally finally this anticipation this waiting this longing this is what we've been holding out for this is why we're here that's that's some of this picture for us that that Christ in some ways is going finally my bride nothing stands in the way anymore we've waited long enough everything is finished.
When when we just read last week where God the father says it is done that's some of this picture it's finally we've reached the moment that we've all been waiting for so this bride is coming down but then he says this because he's trying to describe it he says it Radiance was like a most rare Jewel like a Jasper now if you don't know much about Jasper this is what Jasper looks like and I doubt you were picturing that now there's different colors of Jasper.
But that like I'm just picturing like when I realized when I would realize when I was picturing gyms like if you make me picture like picture a gym I would just picture um like Hobby Lobby plastic ones that's the only gym like I've never h like I'm just picturing like a plastic this is prettier and then he says like Jasper clear as Crystal so he says now picture of Jasper you picture that and he goes now picture it's clear what exactly I think he's trying to describe something that's very difficult to describe it is gloriously beautiful.
And then he throws a bunch of words at you that you're like those I don't know how to and he's like I'm telling you so that but clear you're welcome it's going to be beautiful all right 12 he's describing something absolutely beautiful and he's going to keep doing it 12 it had a great high wall with 12 gates and at the gates 12 angels okay so he sees the city and part of what makes the city is a wall and he says this has a huge wall great high wall that means safety protection.
If there's a city that that the Church the bride is going to dwell in where there's no fear you think about how much of your life is affected by fear how much of your decisions are affected by fear the purchases you make the way you live the way you Drive where you go where you don't go who you interact with how you feel when you're interacting with people so much of life is built around fear not in this city there's no fear in this city it's beautiful.
So there's great high wall and there's an angel posted at all the gates so good luck trying to get in if you ain't supposed to be in that's kind of how that works it's this picture of protection guarded safe and on the gates the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed and on the East three gates on the north three gates on the south three gates and on the west three gates this is exactly what Ezekiel Saw same picture and the wall of the city had 12 foundations and on this them were the 12 names of the TW Apostles of the Lamb.
Okay if you want to enter the city you have to go through a tribe of Israel so in some ways what's being pictured here is not just honoring the tribes of Israel but that the people in the city belong to the tribes of Israel that it's Israel that dwells here that in order to enter the city you are entering into in some ways Israel but you're not entering into Israel without walking on the work of the Apostles that Israel is Seated on founded on the proclamation of the Gospel.
So that this is not a city that has some Jewish people and some Christians that's not the picture here because to belong to Christ is to belong to Israel and to belong to Israel is to belong to Christ there aren't 24 Gates and you can either enter by an apostle or an A A A Tribe you have to enter by both and there's this picture of the people of God are the people of God and that the the New Jerusalem is the true Israel is the true Church and it's also beautiful that the those who the apostles who proclaim the Gospel that.
God honors them that that the work when we say sometimes we'll say that the the Church is plan a and there is no plan B for proclaiming the Gospel that that's built into how this city works that the Church was meant to go Proclaim that's what the apostles they were sent ones to go share this message and so there's this picture of the Gospel that it's founded on the proclamation of the Gospel it's founded on Mission work and it's what it's how you belong to the people of.
God which lines up with Romans and Galatians where the true sons of Abraham are those who are Sons by faith really cool verse 15 the one who spoke with me had a measuring Rod of gold to measure the city and its Gates and its walls again reference to Ezekiel because the angel that comes and meets Ezekiel takes him to a high mountain shows him the city also has a measuring Rod this measuring Rod though is made of gold if if you were interacting with some ambassador from some other place they seemed wealthy.
But every time they pulled out a tool or an instrument they pulled out a pin yall were doing some math problems they pulled out a protractor they needed to measure something they pulled out a tape measure and everything they pulled out was made of gold eventually you you'd be like I'm sorry where are you from what is this place that this the measuring Rod is gold I think that speaks to the absolute wealth of the New Jerusalem but I also think it speaks to the preciousness of the New Jerusalem that even the instruments used to measure it are glorious.
So he's holding a measuring Rod of gold to measure the city and its Gates and its walls the city lies Four Square its length the same as its width and he measured the city with his Rod 12,000 stadia I know you're like that many stadia yes that many stadia it's length and its width and its height are equal okay so 12,000 stadia is like 1300 to 1500 miles that's a big city I'm going show you a picture of that size it be like this size.
So the most uh the uh the Bigg City we have New York has 8.8 million people it's a DOT well it's not even a dot it would be a DOT if they put it on here Philadelphia is a DOT which I thought way to give Philadelphia some love and not put New York but Dallas is on there Houston two cities in Texas I don't I don't know exactly who made this map but that's how big it is it's not going to be located there I just showed y'all that.
Because y'all driven this place more it's probably going to be located here but I don't think y'all have driven around there much some of y'all have been there and some of y'all have driven around there but not a lot and I wanted you to get the scope but it'll probably be there if the new Earth has similar geography but there's something to this city it says that it's length and its width and its height are the same so this is actually how the city is described which means that we don't quite understand what he's seeing this exists in some sort of scope that we can't really wrap our head around you you know.
When you're um when you're watching a sci-fi movie and the the spaceship's coming back into Earth and it catches on fire for a little bit that little I'm going to catch on fire zone of the atmosphere is like 62 miles up and this goes 1500 miles up we don't have any cities like this I don't know what that says I don't know if that speaks to the size of the new Earth I don't know if that speaks to existence existing on some sort of existence that we don't understand how to exist in that way don't even know the words to use other than exist.
But what he's seeing is glorious and unfathomable and beautiful and wonderful and big okay and he says he also measured its wall 144 cubits by human measurement which is also an angel's measurement I love that verse I don't have any insight I don't have any good good way to explain other than him just being like they use cubits too you guys I don't know if that tells us that a one one commentary I read said well this would have to be regular size Angels instead of like the big siiz ones that we've already seen and it just was like sure I guess that's helpful it's not a giant Angel.
If they both use cubits I don't so anyway I just love that it's there uh Isaac and I were discussing it this week he thinks it's so that we won't be annoying with the information he said it's for the guy who goes well hold on a second is that how Angels measure that John was like yes that's how Angels measure so anyway 144 cubits which would be 26 16 ft so cities have walls it's part of what makes a city a city it this is this is why in in the book of Nehemiah that the people around Jerusalem didn't really care that a bunch of Israelites came back.
But they had an absolute fit when they started rebuilding that wall all the people around them started going no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no which is like half of the book of Nehemiah is just people going no no no no no no no no no don't build Build That Wall and the reason why they didn't want to build the wall is because the wall meant protection the wall meant that they belonged the wall meant that they had some ability some agency some existence.
And so he's looking at this wall and he says that it's 216 ft tall so I look this up average height of the Great Wall of China our greatest wall arguably it at least call you know call dibs on the name 26t average height which I I find we're kind of bad at picturing so I've walked around the building today if you're standing in our gym or outside of our gym the height of that wall the one that's gray and has mil City painted on it it's probably around 22 23 ft this that's a big wall the Great Wall is this wall is 10 of those it's a big wall.
Now it is a Tall City 1500 miles but the wall is impressive that if you were trying to come to this city and John having to see it well you would walk up and go I mean it's taller than some of the buildings in downtown like a 15-story building is right around 200 or so feet so it it's big but then he says all right listen this 216 ft wall the wall was built of Jasper which I showed you earlier while the city was pure gold like clear glass the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of Jewel the.
First was Jasper the second Sapphire the third aate the fourth Emerald the fifth Onyx the sixth Carnelian the seventh chrysite the eighth Barrel the ninth topaz the 10th chapra the 11th Jin the 12th amethyst the 12 gates were 12 pearls each of the gates made of a single Pearl and the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass y'all first of all there's no list of stones like that in the Bible this one's different so if you're like wait is that the 12 Stones on the ephod that the high priest wore no it's not there's no list like it.
If you I would encourage you to go Google those rocks those stones to get a picture of what this thing looked like but I don't think we're meant to figure out the meaning I think he's articulating Beauty I don't think this is like a code to crack I think it's something to wonder wonder at not wander Wonder this is the wall on the out outside these are the the gates that take you into the city first of all each gate is a pearl the biggest pearl we've ever found is like 62 pounds.
So when you when all the kids are released just pick one of those about that size of a pearl that's the biggest one we've ever found most of them are like you know like this so that means unless God just created it that there's some really big oysters but it's speaking to the magnitude and the glory and the beauty of the exterior wall of the city John hasn't even made it in if you were walking down a street and you saw a jewelry store and the outside was encrusted in Jewels you would be inclined to think those aren't real you still wonder why they were still there cuz you would think people would take those.
But if they were real you'd then be inclined to think a couple of things one how how dangerous are these people that nobody takes these how well policed is this city what did they hide in the safe if this is on the exterior wall what's inside John is staring Starry Eyed at the exterior wall of this city which is glorious Beyond Reckoning 216 ft tall bedazzled in all sorts of gems the each gate is a pearl one Pearl and it's just like and it speaks I think to the absolute wealth of this city it speaks to the safety of it the lack of fear and it also speaks to the value system.
So that it's beautiful and glorious but y'all they're Paving the streets with gold we can walk on it and it's beautiful but at some point people I think are just walking because they're not enamored with gold anymore it's beautiful it's ornate it's glorious you think about the fact whenever we find gold like if you found gold historically how much Bloodshed would follow like when whenever we found something good it it you strike oil you get all these things like difficulty blood like these things people pack to it there's some good that can come out of it.
But there's gold would pass from hands to hands to hands just based off of who was most violent and here's a city where the outside is is glorious beyond all human Reckoning perfectly safe and they just don't value that stuff the way they used to and we're about to see why so just keep going 22 he's about to say something that is startling shocking appalling I saw no temple in the city if you know Ezekiel and you realize that he's been saying I'm seeing what Ezekiel Saw I'm seeing what Ezekiel Saw I'm seeing what Ezekiel Saw I'm seeing what Ezekiel Saw and he's referencing Ezekiel Ezekiel 37 Ezekiel 38 Ezekiel 39 he's going to reference.
Stuff in Ezekiel 46 and 47 when you get to you're going through the book of ezek at Ezekiel 40 the angel with the measuring Rod starts measuring the temple and that's Ezekiel 40 chapter 41 42 43 44 45 and 46 we're measuring the Temple and so everybody going he's there he's there he's there he's there and he goes you no Temple what what do you mean no Temple that was the we were what we were Ezekiel in our way to the temple what do you mean no Temple something.
So much better I saw no temple in the city for its Temple is the Lord the God the almighty and the lamb we don't need a temple because they're there the temple represented the place where God met with Humanity the place where he had placed his presence in small portion so that you could interact with him where he had marked the nation of Israel as belonging to him they had the temple the temple stood as the example that they were the chosen people the temple was the place where they could meet with.
God hear from God the temple was the place where one person could interact in his presence once a year after having sacrifices there's no Temple because God himself is there it's like saying this house has no phones right cuz all the people I want to talk to are here we don't need them anymore he's there this is what we said last week makes heaven heaven that we get God this is why you can pave the streets in Gold because they're just not that important anymore it's not that glorious anymore.
Because the glory of the Lord is there his presence is there there's a there's a Billy Joel song where he says wherever we're together that's my home he talks about living all over the place he's singing to some girl and he's saying but wherever we are Wherever You Are that's where I belong and that that's Christians with the Lord where wherever he is that's Heaven he's that glorious he's that good he's that wonderful there is no distance between us anymore I I was struck by the concept that.
Because of the work of Jesus because there's no stain of sin that what is communicated throughout the New Testament is that we don't there's no separation anymore and and now it's not just no separation between us and sin but there's because of sin there's no separation at all they're literally actually there with him but that if you belong to Jesus you could walk into the holy of holies the high priest was only allowed to go once a year and for for one time after sacrifices.
But because of the sacrifice of Jesus if you could travel in time you could walk into the holy holies and not be struck dead because you've been covered by the blood of Christ and this his manifest presence is there and the the Church for all eternity just gets to participate with him belong to him and the times when we when when that part isn't exciting for us is is just an example of how our hearts need to be awakened to how good he is to how glorious he is.
But if you've ever had those moments when you've really interacted with the presence of God when the spirit's really spoken to you worked in a way in your life and you felt that moment of just like you brushed against eternity it's that but we're capable of handling it I always feel like you ever seen um you know they can run electricity through a pencil it's cool if you can Google it run electricity through a pencil uh it's bad for the pencil though the pencil will run electricity through it.
But it also burns up and that's the way I feel sometimes in the moments where I really have felt the presence of God or the spirit at work where it's like this is amazing please stop it's like this is wonderful beyond all Reckoning but I can't handle it it's like it's like he can send a little bit of his presence his work his glory through something but it's like I can't I'm not designed to handle it and I think that what happens.
When we get prepared with an eternal weight of Glory as Corinthians says is that when we get here we can handle it we're actually conduits of the ability to carry the weight of the glory of God and therefore we are delighting eternally in his presence beautifully and wonderfully overwhelmed but able to handle it and that's this picture there is no Temple because there's no separation because he's there and the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it full of the glory of.
God gives its light and its lamp is the Lamb I do I do not know if that means there is no sun or moon it just says this city doesn't need it but I don't know but in some ways if you'll think about the way the reason why people have worshiped the Sun forever and the way we are dependent on the sun we need the sun we need its warmth we need its light we need heat we need what it does to plants we need the Sun.
And then he John just says yeah it's like the sun lives in that City the warmth the heat the life he's there beyond all comparison beyond all Reckoning there's no there's no need you don't need that you need you need the Lord and you've got it it's a beautiful picture by its light this is the lamp of the Lamb by its light will the Nations walk and the kings of the earth will bring their Glory into it this picture of submission this picture of worship this picture of invitation it says and its Gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night there massive wall huge Gates which speaks to protection defense.
Safety and then it says the gates are never shut which also speaks to Absolute peace and safety and y'all the gates face east west North and South they're always open and there's this picture of this city that sits in the center of all creation says come to the Nations come you're welcome there's not One Direction that's that's not welcome all the nations are welcome all the kings are going to come and bring their Glory into it I think that is meant to be a picture of the Gentiles being invited in rather than something.
For us to Think Through wait there are other kingdoms how does that work I don't think that's what're meant to do there it's it's referencing prophecies from Isaiah from Ezekiel this picture of this invitation this welcoming of the Nations it's actually a proclamation of the Gospel and what Jesus has done that the Nations will come in but it does say this verse 26 they will bring into it the glory and the honor of the Nations everything good makes it into the city there are things that are beautiful about your culture and I don't care what culture you come from there are things that are good and beautiful about way yall approach life or Humanity or.
Music or something there something where you've tapped into something about the nature of God and his personhood and his character and there are things that are absolutely terrible about your culture where y'all are wrong and stupid and you should should stop and that's the way it works but y'all everything good makes it biscuits are in heaven all of the good music all of the creativity all of the beauty it it's not just one culture that that makes it all the nations show up there's this beautiful thing in the Book of Revelation and it plays out also in the rest of the New Testament where you belonging to a people group and having a certain language.
And tribe and type of hair and skin and flavor profile is beautiful and celebrated spicy food is there and that bland nonsense that English people eat is there it's there all the good parts of it and it you ever you ever you know how you can enjoy something because it's new or you can enjoy a person because they think so differently than you and they are so different than you and that you can also enjoy the times when you run into someone who is.
So much like you that you're just like oh this is easy we've seen the same stuff like the same stuff enjoy the same stuff your mama sounds like my mama that's great and the heaven has that where we all belong to each other and there's this Joy of getting to still be us in some ways but the redeemed glorious version of us that all the nations bring in what's good but it gets better but nothing unclean will ever enter it nor anyone who does what is detestable or false.
But only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life nothing unclean will ever enter it nor anyone who does what is detestable or false but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life I realized as I was studying this that if if John began to describe heaven the new Heavens the new Earth the New Jerusalem and he used pictures like a mountain an expanse a rich Valley if he only used like Wilderness pictures flowers trees River I'd have just been like thank you he says I.
See a city and I immediately have some hurdles to jump CU part of me is like do we have to live in the city or can we live somewhere else but as I was contemplating this first of all there is a river there are some trees there's some beautiful stuff coming you know so it's not not just City but I realized what makes a city beautiful is the people and what makes it terrible is also the people like we we my my wife and I were trying to plan a trip to New York we almost went last year things got a little busy we're talking about going at some point and I'm just going to.
Walk around go that's my that's my plan when you talk to people about going to New York you get really like one of two responses they either say o y'all should and they tell you some way to partake in culture something that humans have done y'all should go see this thing that a bunch of humans built y'all should go taste this thing that this type of human Cooks y'all should go to this place and see these type of humans that's what they tell you or they say need to be careful and they're not afraid I'm going to get run over by a Subway what they think is going to happen is that one of those.
Humans there is going to attack us I lock my doors at night I am not scared of raccoons I haven't once thought maybe they'll get in the house that's not that's not what I'm doing it's people y'all here's a city that's never known a lie it's never known malice it's never known selfishness here's a city that's filled with brothers and sisters who eternally belong to one another if you turn down an alley in New York and notice someone was following you spun around to engage with them and it was your cousin who you hadn't seen in a year the respon you immediately the whole situation you what are you how what are the odds how.
Did this happen and there's an entire city where we belong to everybody and they belong to us we would trust everybody we Delight to see everybody to interact with everybody and our self-doubt and self-conceit and self- focus and fear and anxiety doesn't exist what the Pinnacle of creation is not the stuff that God made but the humanity that God made that he imprinted His image on it but we've only ever seen the version that also is fallen into sin and one day we get to dwell in a city where that is removed and there's nothing false or fake or evil or Wicked and there's just joy and belonging and love and fellowship and friendship eternally.
John is going to see a couple of glimpses of things that are in the city but in so many ways it looks like he doesn't really enter it he doesn't really get to partake he's gotten us to the to the walls he's looked down the street he's seen some of the massive size he's noted that there is no Temple but he hasn't really gotten to participate and it's glorious and wonderful and beautiful and inviting and it says only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life enter meaning only those who have trusted in.
Jesus and his finished work but that we enter not by Behavior or moralism or our own goodness our own righteousness we enter by the blood and the work and the glory of Christ and then we are made new the wonderful beautiful thing about belonging to Jesus is that you are given his righteousness you won't mess Heaven up you'll participate fully and freely forever made right and new by Jesus and we are to be people who take the time to remember this know this welcome this and at times.
When we're doubting or frustrated or fearful and we need some endurance I would encourage you to open up the Book of Revelation and go to the back and say what am I holding on for where is my home pull that picture out and look at it and remind yourself why you're fighting let's pray father we're thankful that we have a glorious hope and a glorious home and a glorious future purchased by Christ and we just get a glimpse of it in the description that John gives us.
But Lord may we hold on May we endure may we say no to sin that's right in front of us so that we might say yes to a a home that has a Founder who is God that we might look forward to a city where everything works as it's supposed to and we have the culmination of culture and goodness and the display of your work in humanity we ask for you help in your grace and the work of the spirit in.
Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up and as a Church we're going to take communion communion is where we celebrate and remember the meal that Christ had with his disciples the night before he was crucified and he took bread and he broke it and he said this is my body broken for you take eat all of you and he takes a cup and he says this is my blood shed for you in a New Covenant take drink all of you and it is.
For those who belong to Jesus we are to regularly remind ourselves that we stand with the blood of Christ covering us the sacrifice of Christ covering us and we stand between his crucifixion and his return and so I would encourage you this morning to whatever picture captures a little bit of your longing and a little bit of your ache that you would take that to the Lord this morning and just thank him for the hope of a Salvation accomplished by Jesus and ask him to help you to continue to endure one more day one more week one more year as you follow Christ towards your home.
If you are not a Christian this is not for you but the gates are open for you to trust in Christ and for you to place your hope in him so when you are ready Church family we'll take communion there's gluten-free communion in that back corner over there.
Revelation 21:5-8
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab a Bible and go to the Book of Revelation chapter 21 we're going to pick up where we left off last week we have been working our way through the Book of Revelation throughout the fall and we are finishing it up in the next few weeks and we have made it to the end and not just the end of the book of Revelation not just the end of the Bible.
But the the end of existence as we understand it now we've made it to what is restoration consummation the the Fulfillment of all the promises we we talk sometimes when we're trying to help articulate the Gospel we we even will train on this sometimes and explain it to our Church family that uh our culture doesn't know the Gospel story anymore they don't know the Bible story anymore and so sometimes it's very helpful to explain creation fall Redemption restoration that God created the world and is good that it has fallen into sin that.
Jesus comes to bring about Redemption and then eventually everything is restored it's renewed it's made new it's beautiful and good again and we are in the Book of Revelation where we get to see restoration we get to see things made new and made good again and as we're looking at this today uh in some ways we're going to see the text is going to talk about an inheritance it's going to refer to a Heritage and a portion which are inh it's inheritance language um it's the language that was used in the Old Testament.
When they were allotting uh land for tribes that they would have a Heritage or they'd have a portion it's what's given out and we're going to see this is given to all of humanity that if you exist as a human you will receive some form of this you'll get this Heritage this portion you'll receive some of it and it one part of The Inheritance one part of the the heritage is unfathomably glorious beautiful wonderful un unpictured By Us in its Excellence delight and joy and the other portion is unfathomably eternally awful destructive horrific and all of humanity is going to end up with one or the other eternally good eternally bad.
If you went to a will reading let's say your your great-grandfather died he was very wealthy you go to the will reading you're there with all the other great grandchildren and it's announced that every great grandchild will receive $1 million and a vacation home except for you you will receive two cats and I know what you're thinking that's twice as bad as one cat and you're right your great-grandfather figured a way to double the punishment you even if you like cats your.
First your first instinct would be what why what what did they do what did I do what did they do to deserve that what did I do to deserve this that would be the question you would be asking what is the dividing line between us why did all of them get that and I got this if before his death your great-grandfather had announc to you all of my great-grandchildren will receive $1 million and a vacation home or they will receive two cats I think your follow-up question would be what's the H how are you going to decide what's the dividing line.
Then you would get to why two cats you know you'd ask that later but first you'd be asking what's how do we get to be in one line or the other and in this text we're going to see these drastically different inheritances and what we're going to ask this morning is what's the dividing line what did they do what did they do and what makes the difference let's pray and then we'll jump into the text Lord we ask for the active work of your spirit as we read your word that we might hear that we might.
See you that we might repent and that we might enjoy life eternal life that is only found in you we ask this in your gracious name and by the work of the Cross amen Revelation 21:5 is where we're going to start and he who was Seated on the throne said now that is God that's who is Seated on the throne he's been seated on the throne throughout the Book of Revelation this is God this is the one to whom they they cast their crowns down they worship this is he who is Seated on the throne was the one holding the scroll and he asked who is worthy to open the scroll and was holding it.
Out to see and he's the one who gives to Christ when he arrives like this is God Eternal king of all things Seated on the throne behold I am making all things new behold is a fancier word to say the southern look at here but that's what he's saying pay attention to this look at this see this I am making all things new and we talked about this some last week with the new heavens and the new Earth the New Jerusalem we're going to talk about it some next week as it begins to picture some of that.
For us but there's this moment when everything gets renewed and restored and made wonderful and beautiful and good again that that the creation that we have now as good and as beautiful as it is because it's creation but then there's fall and so we only get the Fallen version and we only interact with it as Fallen people so even when we're interacting with good things like truth and love and beauty I'm still interacting with them as me it's filtered through my own ability to.
See it enjoy it think about it my own sinfulness get mixed up in that even when I'm enjoying the best of all that the world has to offer I I'm still sinfully filtering it through myself and working with it in I'm I'm messing it up and then we also get the Beauty and the the wonder of the world marred by sin as as Paul puts it in Romans that it's that God subjected the world to bondage to corruption that it's in bondage to corruption that it's corrupted.
So that even though the the heavens declare his majesty they they Proclaim his glory even though that he's his eternal nature is seen in the way the world is made we are only ever interacting with a marred version of it but there's coming a day when we won't we'll spend some time next week trying to imagine some of that trying to think through some of that which is hard for us to do because we've only ever interacted with this one my.
When I was thinking about this I was trying to think about the fact that even in the world that we're in now there's still stuff that we desire that we long for that we convince ourselves if I could just have this I'd be happy this would fix it if I could just achieve this if I could just reach this if I could just have this kind of life this kind of stuff like we're constantly in this creation pursuing parts of this Creation in a way that we think will satisfy us and it's the brok version of it my uh my mom.
When she was growing up she used to go to her aunt Reba's house and y'all do youall know who Rea McIntyre is it's not her um she went to her aunt rea's house and uh at her aunt rea's house her her sister and her cousin um would play with baby dolls and that was what they did they had she always looked forward to go they have baby dolls and she remember when she got older she went back and she got she was visiting her aunt reben she said can I.
See the dolls and so her aunt Reba showed them to her and her cousin had a little girl baby doll that my mom said had all kinds of accessories uh you could comb her hair you could you know rock her in a little rocker she had like a straw leg she was this little baby doll with multiple dresses you know decked out she said her her sister had a little boy baby doll not a lot of accessories but her sister had always wanted to have boys and was.
And then she said she saw the one that she had played with and something terrible had happened you know how like pretty doll hair versus doll hair once it gets all messed up and there's like no fix in that like it just that's what it looked like and it was just a head and a torso no arms no legs no clothes and so she said she asked she said a Reba what happened to my doll and her aunt Reba looked at her and said honey that's all your doll ever was you only ever had a head in a torso like I don't nobody did anything to it that's your doll and I kind of feel.
Like when God makes all things new we'll finally have the eyes to see it and we'll be like the stuff I was chasing after longing for pursuing was only ever a head and a torso like that was it like the thing I was chasing after was only ever this mess this is what it was supposed to be like this is so gloriously good so he's making all things new and it's wonderful then verse six he says this I'm sorry verse 5 also he said write this down.
For these words are trustworthy and true so he who Seated on the throne looks to John and says write this down this is trustworthy this is true which the Bible is trustworthy and true everything he says is trustworthy and true but for some reason he wants to go out of his way to say this is write it down again drawing our attention to something wonderful that is to come and the amount of trust that we can have in it he said to me.
Verse 6 it is done I am the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end this it is done pairs with Jesus who on the cross said it is finished and when Jesus says that he's talking about his work that he came to do the work of redemption is finished that there's a hope of redemption now in Christ because the debt of sin has been paid that when we place our faith in Jesus the work of Salvation is finished.
When God says it is done he means that the full application of the work of Jesus is done Redemption has been accomplished we are in restoration that's what he's talking about I'm making all things new it is finished so that Christ's work in some ways was finished his Earthly work was finished on the cross and now God the father's work is finished in accomplishing his will throughout eternity he says I'm the alpha and the Omega which is the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
So it be similar to saying I'm the A and the Z the beginning and the end so he's saying the same thing twice there I'm the A and the Z I'm the alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end that he is the point of all existence in creation that it's from him and to him from him and for him it is carried out through him that he's the Genesis and the apocalypse and The Eternity that it's about him and he is big ancient beyond our Reckoning wise beyond our understanding and that it is about him that he's the beginning and the end he said write this down I'm the beginning and the end.
Speaking of his majesty and His glory then he says this to the Thirsty I will give from the spring of the Water of Life without payment the one who conquers will have this Heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son okay so Heritage this is the first inheritance it's the first portion that you would drink from the Water of Life that that is and we'll see later as we look a little more at that a a potentially a reference to the Holy Spirit.
But it's this call to life full life real life eternal life that those who conquer get life eternal full vibrant life and then he says it's to to the one who conquers now that that's the message in the Book of Revelation it's a call to endurance consistently in the sections where we get most caught up in the dragon and the Beast and and the mark of the beast and all this stuff there's these pauses in it where it says this is a call.
For the endurance of the Saints and so this idea of conquering this idea of accomplishing these promises receiving these promises to those who hold on to Christ those who make it to the end and this is what they receive Water of Life eternal life and then he says I will be his God and he will be my son uh my son is in fourth grade and he has started doing analogies youall remember analogies like the um this is to that as that as to this stuff they'd make you do in school.
So like a hat is to your head as a sock is to your foot yeah you guys you nailed it you're ready for the SAT um there in In this passage he says I will be his God and he will be my son and if I was doing the analogy and it said God and then it said blank is to blank I would not have written son it would need to say father then I would put son but it says God and son like.
If I was talking about wife and I asked her to marry me I said will you marry me you'll be my wife and I'll be your if I say anything other than husband it would seem like I went out of my way to communicate something like I went out of my way to try to like if I said you'll be my wife and I will be your landlord immediately it's like hold on what you you're Community like if she said she said yes I will be I you you will be my husband and I will be your project manager it'd be like wait what what about what are we talking about.
And so when he says I will be your God I will be his God and he will be my son it's it's it feels to me when I was reading this text like he went out of his way to communicate something that he's really telling us something beautiful about the nature of our relationship the nature of the relationship of those who belong to Christ those who receive this inheritance and y'all this this is what you have longed for your entire life that he would be your.
God and that you would be his child now son here does carry the idea of receiving an inheritance so don't ladies don't get tripped over that this is what we need we need him to be our God and then we get get to be and the longing of our souls are satisfied with him being our God and with us being his children let me let me show you what this happen What Happens here by him being our God there's a couple of things that happen one he's big enough to actually forgive he's he he by being.
God he he can actually make when he says you're forgiven you can be forgiven this is one of the problems they had with Jesus they kept being like who do you think you are he thought he was God this is this is what he was doing he was showing that he was God but this is when he says you're forgiven when he says that you receive Mercy when he says that he holds these promises he's actually big enough to hold them like.
If you were if you were at Costco and you were looking at something and someone standing next to you said you know what just put that in your C you can have that you can just you can take it I'll walk with you out to the parking lot your immediate question would be who who are you do you have the authority to make that declaration because if you're just some guy offering to help me steal something no thank you but if you're William Costco III and you have the authority to do this.
So when he says that he'll be God that means that all the promises get to be verified and like he he can he can actually forgive he can actually redeem he can actually restore but also the best parts of our lives are when we cease to have them be about us you your most free most Joy most wonderful moments of your life are when you've forgotten you exist and it doesn't happen often it's one of the reasons why uh Middle School was.
So awful it was some of your most self-aware that you ever were you could not not think about yourself and it was it's torment and just so you know that's one of the things that torments us now is that when we think the most about ourselves and how we're thinking and how we're feeling and how we're whatever it's torture that by him being God it means that we can actually be swept up in something bigger than us and you've only tasted that at times.
When you were on a team or cheering for a team when you were in a at a concert sometimes it happens on Sunday mornings when we're singing and we we can forget about ourselves and what we think and what we like for just a moment we just catch that for a moment sometimes that's when you've been at the top of a mountain or at the bottom of a mountain staring at a mountain or when you were looking at the you were flying in the airplane you got to.
Look out and just these moments you had in life where you forgot about yourself and we caught up in something bigger you were free there was Delight there was joy and that's one of the promises that comes with he'll be our God is that he's actually big enough that we can get swept up and that he's wonderful that he's good he's big enough to handle our praise our Delight our worship this is what we've been pursuing that we would be a part of something that was bigger than us and and Christians brothers and sisters as a Christian that you've had those moments where you.
For just I mean and I'm talking about moments 4 seconds 5 seconds maybe a few minutes where you brushed up against the real presence of God and it was the most wonderful thing that's ever happened and you also thought you were going to die you know what I'm talking about it's like you tried to breathe in Eternity for just a moment and it's overwhelming and the promise of this is is that there will be a time when we can handle it.
When he's made us to be able to Bear the weight of glory and we'll be able to be swept up in the immensity of God and not destroyed by it but able to he'll be able to channel it through us and it'll be wonderful and then he says not I'll be his God and he'll be my worshipper follower which is true those are all true he says son which means you'll belong you'll belong you'll be welcome you won't be in heaven thinking I'm.
So glad I'm here but I hope he never makes eye contact with me because then he'll know I'm not supposed to be here we'll have a seat at the table the son of the king doesn't have to go ask for permission to see the king he just gets to go see the king you'll belong you'll be home you'll be home like you you've had that Taste of Home here you've had some places where you were free and part of the reason what makes it home is that you get to forget about yourself you get to just be free.
For a little while you you get to not worry about yourself you get to feel like you you belong here nobody's judging nobody's look like you you just get to be and maybe you had that with a certain group of friends or maybe you had that your actual home growing up or maybe you had that like I don't know where you've but you've had some moments where you've tasted this idea I just belong here and you'll eternally belong and be caught up in how wonderful and good and glorious he is this is what makes heaven heaven.
God and our ability to have him and know him and relate to him is what makes heaven heaven and this is what your soul has been longing for the uh African Church Father Augustine in his confession he wrote our hearts are restless until they rest in you meaning that everything else we've ever tried to fill ourselves up with ultimately fails we're we're we're Restless it's like drinking salt water it promises to satisfy but then it doesn't like a like a table that's been cursed by a witch that looks beautiful and as soon as you start eating the food it turns to gravel in your mouth like that's that's everything that you've ever chased after you.
Said if I could just have this I'd be fixed I'd be fine everything would be good and it just never it never satisfies it never works they were only meant to be enjoyed in relation to him and so they all fall apart when they become an ultimate object of something that would that would fully fix us and so we're longing for something that ultimately will never rest until we rest in him and we get that Spencer said it would be like we talked about this week he said it would be like.
If somebody told you I'm going to give you your dream home if you want a big house it's big if you want a small house if if it's like a brownstone walk up with a little Terrace and a garden that's your thing cool in a little walkable neighborhood if it's like there's not another human Within A Thousand Miles you're on a ranch it's just you and cows and chickens and like a five rifles or whatever it is whatever it is.
Then but then it was you get you get your dream home but your spouse your children your friends whatever like there's this they they can't come and immediately we'd be like oh no deal because it won't be home without them and Heaven's not heaven without God if if he said I'll give you all the stuff but I won't be there that's not heaven because we'd still be restless we'd still never find satisfaction because we were made to find it in him you do realize that's the Supreme Delight of a creature is to worship our creator we were we were meant to get lost in worship of our creator and without that that's why we're running.
Around finding things to worship finding things to to label ourselves with finding things to be bigger than us that we can cheer for or pull for because we're meant for that but he says this will be the inheritance endless life and I'll be his God and he'll be my son verse eight but as for the Cowardly the faithless the detestable as for murderers the sexually immoral Sorcerers idolators and all Liars their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the.
Second death First Heritage eternal life with God as God and you as a child belonging to him second one L of fire and sulfur that if you stood on the seashore and looked out and it wasn't an ocean it was fire and Jesus says the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die meaning that it is eternal EX external and internal torment the idea of having worms Eternal external and internal torment we say every week some version of this world's broken and marred by sin and we know that judgment is coming this is what we're talking about there's an eternity of torment and we believe that that there's an eternity of life.
Joy and there's an eternity of torment and unending destruction so let's read the list as for the Cowardly so those who gave in those who stood by those who retreated those who should have spoken but didn't those who should have St stood up but sat down the Cowardly the faithless those who should have believed those who should have held on those who should have stuck it out but didn't the detestable those who chose sin and wickedness those who got so used to it they ceased to.
Notice it those who said well this is what our culture is like and participated because it didn't stand out as for murderers narrowly defined as those who actively on their own took life were broadly defined took a life that shouldn't be taken were broadly defined is those who do not love life cherish life value life which would make us need to consider our view of The Unborn or the times that we flippantly say things like I wish we would just bomb them off the map the sexually immoral those who chose to give in to their own desires to pursue sexual sin not acknowledging the value the weight the beauty that.
God gave to it the fences and guard rails that he put around it not acknowledging his will or his design but choosing what we wanted satisfying and gratifying our own desires the sexually immoral Sorcerers those who threw the use of drugs spells intentional Desir to gain power a rebellion against God's good design for the world and unwillingness to submit to his will a pursuit of demonic and evil Powers have tried to gain control which just so you know as westerners we were tracking with the list until we saw sorcerer which might mean that you undervalue or misunderstand the actual power of demonic influence in the world World idolators those who worship something else other than.
God pay homage to it bow down to it run after it some of that would be visible intentional like a totem pole or a statue or a shrine some of that would just be the effort that we put into pursuing something that doesn't have the image of God on it but has the IM image of Benjamin Franklin on it and we've told ourselves this will satisfy this will fill me up this will make life good this is what's worth worshiping pursuing something that was created rather than the Creator as our Supreme desire and all liars those who do not stand with the truth do not trust.
God and ultimately reject the truth of Christ their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death that we should ask what's the difference what did they do what did they do how how does one get to be in this one or that one just so you know every person in this room will be at that will meting every person in this room will receive one of those inheritances every person you know every person who's ever existed every person who has the stamp of the image of.
God on them will receive one of those what's the difference because I think if we're honest we're in that list you you want to you want to negotiate with the list how much to what extent how cowardly how faithless how much sexual sin do it just one put you on the list or is it like a lot is it like a percentage and if you wanted to just say well I guess the opposite would be true so it would be the Brave the faithful the pure The Honorable those who worship the.
Lord and the Lord alone and did not give into idolatry like you would want to say it's just the opposite but if you do that if it's just the opposite then you have to perfectly uphold the positive version because any one of the negative versions will drop you into the other list so what's the distinction in the text he who was Seated on the throne said behold I am making all things new also he said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true and he said to me it is done I'm the alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end to the Thirsty I will give from the spring of the Water.
Of Life without payment to the thirsty Praise Jesus not to the good not to the holy not to the moral not to those who succeed at besting the list that is coming to the Thirsty I will give of the spring of the Water of Life without payment you see we want to make payments something in our souls demands payment that we would have to somehow pay for this and we're not wrong payment is needed but Jesus makes the payment and we get to receive it by being thirsty what you bring to the table is need and nothing else you bring sin you bring your resume that looks a lot like that list that we just.
Read and you say I'm thirsty I need you because if you don't forgive I'm not for for given and if you don't give Mercy I won't receive mercy and if you don't pay for this I can't pay for this I'm dry I'm parched I'm thirsty and that's what he says if you're thirsty line up you can drink freely this is not something that's just said here this is a promise that was coming God speaking through Isaiah the prophet says this come everyone who thirsts come to the waters and he who has no money come by and eat we would say I I don't have I can't do it I'm not good enough I don't have.
The payment he says come you ever had someone say like come we're going to eat and you said I don't have any money they said I'll pay for you and then you went and ate so he's saying come I can't do it no come come buy wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your your labor for that which does not satisfy why are you chasing after things that ultimately will fail you come come receive your heart's desire.
Listen diligently to me and eat what is good Delight yourselves in rich food incline your ear and come to me hear that your soul may live this isn't just food food wine wine no that your soul made live I will make with you an Everlasting Covenant my steadfast sure love for David that the promise that's made to David that's fulfilled in Christ gets made to us that's how we become sons that we're welcomed in that he's accomplished this through Jesus and it is Everlasting paid.
For by him he goes in verse six he says seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon you turn to him and you say I have need I need forgiveness if you would to look at me right now and say but I've done.
So much bad stuff I've been so wrong I would say he abundantly Pardons and I would say it's not about you it's about him look look at this John 7 this is Jesus on the last day of the feast the great day so Jesus had a feast with all the Jewish people Jesus stood up and cried out if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of Living Water.
Now this he said about the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive for as of yet the spirit has not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified you are a creature and your freedom comes from self-forgetfulness it comes in Christ that you would believe in him that you would come and not say here's what I've done here's how it's about me here's what I've accomplished here's how I'm weak here's how I'm cowardly here's how I'm sinful here's how I'm marred and broken and weighed down by sexual sin and idolatry here's all the ways I've run you don't come talking about you you don't come proclaiming your glory your goodness your ability.
You don't come with a resume you come and you say I believe in you I believe it's about you I believe that you're the beginning and the end I believe that you're the one who's made the payment and I believe that my hope is in you and I believe that if I'm going to receive forgiveness it's going to come from you I'm going to get Mercy from you I'm going to get wholeness from you and it's going to be to the glory and the praise of.
Jesus that I am rescued it's about him and we get to be free all you get to be is thirsty that's the invitation Revelation 22:17 the spirit and the bride say come and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come let the one who desires take the Water of Life without price do you desire forgiveness do you desire Mercy do you desire rescue do you desire to have the fullness of God for eternity do you desire to belong to him do you desire to have your soul fixed do you desire.
Then come and say I'm thirsty I need you I believe in you I don't believe in me I Believe In You Church family if you've trusted in Jesus there is not a Christian who is not thirsty meaning that there will not be a time when you have fully come to where you don't need him you don't long for him anymore you don't thirst for him anymore you don't need forgiveness anymore you're well behaved enough that you don't show up on that list it does not at some point shift to you we stay thirsty needing his forgiveness needing his grace needing his Redemption.
And then none of those labels stick to us because of the work of Christ you aren't on that list if you belong to Jesus and not because of you but because of him it's been paid without price from you it's been paid by him but we stay thirsty meaning we continue to repent we'll always have a need for repentance and we'll always continue to say Lord I need you I need your grace I need your mercy it will stay about him it will not shift to being about you.
And if you don't know Jesus if you've never trusted in Jesus there's a story in second Kings chapter 5 I love this story there's a Syrian commander of an army named non and he is more powerful than you he's just conquered Israel and he has leprosy so he has all the all the wealth that his country can provide all the power that his country can provide he's got everything that he could possibly have at this point and he's dying he has leprosy he's going to die he finds out that there is a prophet in Israel and in a roundabout way he.
Finally makes it to Elisha he's ready to pay he's ready to prove his value he's ready to prove his worth he's ready to to offer what he can offer Elisha doesn't even come out to see him Elisha just sends his servant out there and he says hey we know why you're here Elisha said go dip yourself in the Jordan River seven times and you'll be clean he's offended he says we have better rivers in Syria and he goes to leave and his servant stops him and says hold on did he really just say wash and be clean why would you not do that did he really tell you something as wonderful as wash and be.
Clean why would you not do that so he goes and does it and his leprosy is gone y'all did the one seated on the throne really just say if you're thirsty come did he really just say do you have need because it's about his generosity it's about his grace it's about his forgiveness it's about his goodness and he just announces if you need if you're broken if you're thirsty if you've been longing and never satisfied come to me and you will be fully eternally satisfied why would we not come why would we not do that and Christian who believe this why would you not continually turn to him and say thank you.
For your mercy thank you for your grace thank you for your Redemption Lord I thirst and I long for you because I will never never earn this if you don't trust in Jesus and you're planning on leaving today or if this seems offensively simple I would just say did he really just say come and you'll have life why would you not come let's pray father we ask Lord I ask in the name of Jesus Jesus that around this room right now that your spirit would be at work that.
For the person who is wrestling with you that they would surrender for the Christian that feels weighed down by their sin that they would confess that they would see that they're trying to satisfy themselves with something else that they would confess and that they would feel the the mercy and the grace and the Redemption and the Hope in the work of Jesus Lord I pray that we would believe and that we would drink deeply from Life in Jesus name amen the band's going to come back up and in a moment we're going to sing together and as best we can as a Church family we're going to forget ourselves and try to have a a.
Taste of being swept up in something bigger than us fixing our eyes on a glorious God but where you are right now I would just say if you're thirsty if you haven't yet surrendered to the Lord if you haven't yet you've been chasing everything else come to him and say I Believe In You Jesus and I need your help I need your forgiveness and if you're a Christian and you've been wandering from him or you've been feeling overwhelmed by your sin or you've been seeing sin in your life and wondering how am I not going to fail how am I not going to fall that you would come and say.
Lord help me to endure and help me to thirst and help me to long and Lord get me to the end because it's all about you let's sing.
Revelation 21:1-4
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Here so we are back in the Book of Revelation yes you should be excited so this is we've labeled it part three you're not going to open up your Bibles to Revelation 21 and see part three it's just how we've broken this up uh but let me just recap a little bit uh of where we've been and kind of how we've looked at this final book of the Bible uh we have said that this book is an apocalyptic book and a letter written to A persecuted people telling them to endure.
Because Jesus is coming that it is a different genre of the Scriptures it's apocalyptic so there are there's heavy imagery and pictures and they're not always one to one with what they're pointing to but they actually are pointing to a true reality that is going to come much of what we have seen thus far has been pictures of the Judgment that's going to come upon the Earth but that's about to change as we move into part three it is a letter we saw that in chapter 2 and three as we saw this is written to seven churches.
So the context for what we are we've been waiting through and trying to understand is in light of who it was written to seven different churches who were persecuted heavily persecuted you can see that in the letters that uh that were written to them from Jesus to these churches but you also we know this historically it was a very persecuted uh time for the Church and the main encouragement of this book from the beginning to the end of it is to endure to endure.
Because Jesus is coming to to make it to the end I was I saw a screenshot of a of a quote from a Pastor Dan ortland he said that so much of the Christian life is just hanging on and he said that doesn't mean that we're not called to flourish as Christians all of that's true but the reality is as you see in the Scriptures some of of the encouragement is just keep going just keep enduring just hang on and that's the encouragement to a group of churches that are suffering immensely.
For the cause of Christ to endure because one day Jesus is going to come and he is going to judge and right every wrong but he is also going to give you your reward for conquering and y'all we have arrived at part three which is that it is the reward so we're going to slow down and these final two chapters and look at the reward this is this is this is some of the really really good stuff like when we share the Gospel one of the ways that we teach sharing the Gospel is creation fall Redemption restoration.
So God created this world to be in relationship with us and it was good but Adam and Eve sinned and brought sin into the world that was the fall and we live under the weight of the fall and sin that affects us but there's a proclamation from Genesis 3 all the way through the Old Testament that one day someone would come and bring Redemption and that was found in the person of Christ who became flesh and dwelt Among Us and live the life we could not live and die the death we deserve the die on the cross and Rose to conquer death and the resurrection he offers Redemption to those who trust in him.
His finished work but the last part of the Gospel is restoration it is the restoration of how this was supposed to be all along and that is Revelation 21- 22 so we're going to slow down we're four verses today and we're going to look at these pictures uh specifically to see how beautiful it is and what is coming for God's people and my hope is that we'd see and Savor them and my hope is that would is that for us as Christians that we would live our lives in light of these two chapters that these two chapters would be some of the most primary and important chapters of the Bible of any literature that's ever.
Been written because they would guide Us in how we are supposed to live in light of Eternity so I'm going to pray for us and then we'll walk through these four verses together heavenly father I pray that you might help us see with open eyes what you have in store for us God I pray that we would not be a people that just stare at this and walk away but we would stare intently at it we'd be not just hearers of the word.
But doers of the word we would live our lives in light of of Eternity and if there is anyone here that has not put their full hope in you my hope is that you would soften their heart towards faith and you so they can experience the glory that awaits those who are in Christ we ask this in Jesus name amen all right we're going to be in verse one first then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the.
First Heaven the first Earth had passed away and the sea was no more so again this is the shift in Revelation John who's been seeing all of this this has been the revealing to him the Revelation to him of how it's all going to end he's been seeing these pictures of judgment but now he's going to see the reward for it awaits the people of God and what he sees first is a new Heaven and a new Earth for the old Earth and Heaven have passed away way.
Now when you study these passages uh these verses deeply what happens is that theologians get really BG down this verse right here and and there's a huge debate over uh how much of the old Earth and new and old uh Heavens are carry into this new heavens and new earth and on one side you've got a side that argues very intensely that no like God brings judgment upon the Earth he burns up the world in judgment this is all this is all.
So new almost like out of nothing new and the other side says no that there's there's there's continuity there's there's some of the some of what was good in this world is brought into the new Heavens the new Earth and they fight back and forth and I honestly don't find the debate and the the focus that they have on this verse all that helpful for us I think the reason they do that is they want to see how you should treat the earth.
Now and it affects how you view the world and the environment all that stuff and I just I don't even think you need that I think you can go to Genesis 1 and see as as image bearers were called to have dominion and take care of this world but man if you get lost in that debate you have missed the point of what's actually beautiful and happening in this passage because when he says then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth.
For the first Heaven the first Earth had passed away what's wonderful about that is the celebration that everything that is painful and broken about this present world is gone and that's like you I don't put this that right there just sit and celebrate that I mean that that's what so many passages in the Bible looking forward to like in Romans 8 when when Paul he he talks about this the waiting for this he says that creation Waits with eager longing for this that creation Humanity the very rocks everything is longing.
For us he says the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption they'll be set free from the pain and the stain of sin in this world he says that the whole creation has been groaning together groaning together in the Pains of child birth until now that the very animals the very creation everything that God has made is is longing and groaning waiting for something beautiful and new and he says we also Gran imly as we await the Redemption of our bodies that there's this Collective longing and groaning.
For the pain of this life to be over this current creation is in bondage to Decay and it's groaning because the presence of death and sin still exists now certainly certainly there are parts of this life that are good and beautiful I'm not denying that at all go there there is so much of God's goodness and his Beauty that's all over creation and it's wonderful I mean I love babies and I love sunsets they're wonderful then all of a sudden somebody takes a van and Rams it through a crowd on New Year's Eve and it's just like M never ends some version of that happens over and over and over again this creation is groaning.
There are hurricanes and earthquakes and tsunamis the very everything is in chaos and longing for this to come to an end so the bigger point is that all of this is passing away and he sees a new Heaven and a new Earth and all the pain of this present life is passing away now what happens over the next two chapters is some both picturing of what awaits the people of God the reward for those who conquer that we saw so uh much in Chapter 2 and 3.
But also what is passing away and we're going to see glimpses of what's being left behind in the old Earth and the first thing that we see is the sea was no more the first thing that that that is referen is the sea was no more now may seem like what what's what's the point of that why is the sea so bad is is the new Heavens new Earth there all going to be land I mean it certainly looks like that's the case.
But that's not the main point of what he's getting at and commentators are are en largely in agreement about this the point of the sea passing away isn't to picture just dry land the sea represents chaos the sea is a chaotic force and you would know this if if you ever spend time on the open ocean it is chaotic like when I was in college I got to study abroad and I was on a travel I was in a study abroad program that was on a ship and we traveled the world and we left uh the port of Casablanca Morocco to go down the coast of Africa and they prepared us said we're going to.
Hit this really rough patch of sea and so we got excited and we went up to like a classroom and uh and the ship was turning so violently back and forth we watched all the the desks in the classroom pile up in a big ball and just crash into the wall back and forth back and forth and we're 19 and just we're running with it having fun cuz you're 19 and you're dumb but I hear people in the other classroom they chose poorly I could hear them screaming.
Because those desks were hitting them we chose wisely but just the whole this giant ship was just nothing in the chaos just back and forth back and forth the sea is a chaotic force in the picture here is there is no more chaos there is no more disorder there's peace and that means the Hurricanes that literally hit our country and other parts of the world that's also the hurricanes in our life the chaos in our life but when you remove all the chaos what you get is Everlasting peace and that's the new heavens and the new new Earth are it is a picture of everlasting peace I mean AR aren't you tired of the chaos.
Of this life I know I am I mean you work so hard to bring order to chaos and something always happens maybe you work really hard to get your house in order for the new year cleaned it and immediately some minions destroyed it just it's it's insane how quickly in five minutes they can just wreck a place I mean you work so hard at at your job to make everything in order the way it's supposed to be and then one thing fails and it's all out of whack all of your work up in flam it seems some vers that happens over and over again you work.
So hard to get ahead to pay bills to get out of debt and then you get hit with another major medical event and you're left with more debt some version of this happens over and over again you your marriage or your friendships they lack the peace that you so desire and you put effort you put work in and they still are just chaos and disorder and all the striving and all the Toil and all the work that you put into it you're more anxious you're more tired you're more defeated you're more saddened.
Because life is hard sometimes it just is but there is a day coming where the sea is no more and there is no more chaos and there's only wonderful peace an endless era of Peace what a wonderful eternity to live live in to be at peace every single day for 10,000 years beyond the second picture we get pick up in verse two it says and I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned.
For her husband now we're going to spend a lot of time on picturing this New Jerusalem and the verses that are coming ahead and we're going to see what this is like in the weeks to come but what I make very clear here is the final state of reality is not going to heaven it's Heaven coming to Earth and that's something that I think that we don't uh understand like we're supposed to in Western Christianity so much of the emphasis is going to heaven that that that's that's how we think about this this that the endgame is going to heaven and that's not what we.
See here no it's Heaven coming to Earth last month my wife's grandfather passed away and at the visitation I Was preparing my oldest two children uh I thought they were ready for this and if they wanted to I was like you can view his body and I had done a lot of work to prepare them for this and somebody who was very well-meaning came alongside and just said said well you just need to understand that's his shell what he has now is a newly resurrected body with.
Jesus in heaven and I was just like I've got work to undo this now because this that's not the final picture very clear here that that the picture that we see in the end let me just actually take a step back what happens when we die is that our body dies and our souls our immaterial self departs the body and if you are in Christ and you've put your hope in him you go to be with Jesus in heaven that is true I I mean that's why.
Jesus looks at the thief on the cross and he says today you'll be with me in Paradise our immaterial self our soul goes to be with Christ but that's not the end we saw this in the Book of Revelation the souls the martyrs that there's this longing for restoration to happen longing for it to come to an end Chad referenced in chapter 21 as we finishing up Revelation in part two back in November was the resurrection that the hope of Christians is our Resurrection bodies.
And when the resurrection happens we'll finally come to live here in the new heavens and the new Earth this is where it ends and that is wonderful news and what we get in verse two is that I saw this holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband that the imagery we get here is of a marriage very similar to if you remember back in Revelation 19 Jesus in the Church and the wedding that happens with.
God and his people but there's a wedding of Heaven and Earth that happens here and it's this beautiful endless celebration of the joy that happens when finally this is how supposed to be yet again that Eden is restored in this beautiful Eternal State a perfect City that comes to be here on Earth and the imagery we have is lovely this is why the theologians call this the kingdom consummated this is what everything is going for when finally the kingdom comes to its final State.
When Jesus came he initiated the coming of the kingdom and when he ascended on high we live in between what theologians call the already and not yet that When Jesus ascended on high the kingdom is going it is an advancing and it is wonderful but it is going somewhere and it is to this picture right here when the New Jerusalem comes to Earth what a wonderful day will be what how how wonderful is it going to be to live under the perfect reign of Christ it just just how wonderful is it going to be to live under a perfect good loving righteous King you have never done that we have never done that no not.
Not even close the best version of a ruler that you could think in this earth pales in comparison to the Glorious Eternal reign of Christ that God's people will live under then we get this next imagery in verse three and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying Behold The Dwelling Place of God is with man he will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God over the Christmas break I got a couple of days where I could get away to hunt and just took two days separate days and just took 24 hours to go hunt in different parts of the state.
And when I got back my kids were ecstatic they were so I mean I walked through the door and it is Daddy they're so happy because they see me as I really am the coolest guy in the world they just I see what no one else can see and it's just from their perspective it's right the the the comments they make is just like it's just not good when you're not here and it's just everything from their perspective is the way that it's supposed to be.
When we're all together and that is but a tiny glimps of what it is going to be like when we dwell with God when we live with him how it was supposed to be what a wonderful eternity that awaits when we dwell with God in the city of God we're going to spend even more time on this in Revelation 22 because some of this imagery comes back in a different way but I don't want us to miss how great it is to dwell with.
God and how all of the Scriptures is longing for this because in Genesis 3 When sin enters into the world what you see throughout the rest of the Bible is that Humanity cannot dwell in the presence of the Triune God father son Holy Spirit we cannot dwell in the presence of God we saw that in the book of Exodus a few years ago when we walked through Exodus we saw the construction of the Tabernacle which later became the temple and the construction of the Tabernacle and the temple was the the innermost room was called the holy of holies where God's presence ruled and reigned from.
But there was great separation between that room and the people a great curtain had to be built and constructed so that we couldn't be in the presence of a holy and perfect God in fact only one day of the year the day of atonement D kapor could uh one priest who done all the rituals right enter into to do the rituals in there get in get out and it was a fearful experience because Sinners cannot dwell in our sinful state in the presence of a holy and perfect.
God we cannot stand but we will stand one day we will eternally stand and dwell in the presence of God because sin will be no more because we will have glorified IED resurrected bodies in a city where there is no sin and we will dwell in the presence of God we should long for that we should long for that perfect wonderful relationship I want you to think about some of the best friendships you've ever had I mean really good ones maybe you had a friend that y I mean you're.
So close maybe you moved away or they moved away I got a friend uh for my time in Louisville I'm actually going to see him in a week I got to go up for one final class for my coursework and I'm going to spend time with him and his family and we'll do we we don't to see each other hardly anymore but we'll pick up right where we left off just like we always do and we'll talk for hours him and his wife and his beautiful children we'll just have the I mean just it's a wonderful friendship and we're probably never going to live in the same city again.
But man it's just so good when we get to reconnect and those are the type of friendships that are so sweet and so valuable the friendships you've had with other Christians the deep love and admiration for one another and even the best possible friendship you could cultivate in this life those types of friendships they don't hold a candle to the fellowship that awaits Us in the city of God they don't hold a candle to the fellowship that we have with our.
God when we dwell with him when we live with him they don't hold a flame to the the fellowship we have with the Saints collected in the city of God and you need to believe that because so much of our hope is in relationships now so much of our hope is in relationships in the here and the now that there are some of you that are so deeply longing for romantic love and you and you want a spouse and you you're not even not even the cultural Narrative of of the one and all the things that that we shy away from.
But no just a genuine desire to have a spouse and there's this longing for that that some of you are married and your marriage is not what what you want it to be your spouse isn't the person that you want them to be and you're longing for a better spouse a better version of them some of you have children who have grown up and they've gotten older and they don't call like they used to and they don't talk to you like they used to you.
Remember the days when you could come home from a hunting trip and they were just so excited to see you and that doesn't happen anymore and it hurts don't they know all the time and the effort and the sacrifice and the years that you've given up for them and you're longing for that so if you're longing friendships are difficult and you're longing for friendships that are deep and Rich and this life is just filled with so many friendships that just don't seem to work like you want them to there's something in US these deeper desires.
For relationship and I'm here to tell you that will never be satisfied here they'll never be satisfied in this present life and they weren't meant to because all of our deepest longings for relationship all of our deepest longings for intimacy all of our deepest longings will be satisfied there you were made for another life and another world you were not made for this one so they will never be satisfied here but they will be when you dwell with God now we don't get what the dwelling is going to.
Look like spelled out for us we get some beautiful pictures here I think that looking at the text when it says Behold The Dwelling Place of God is with man he will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God I think we look at that and we can dream a little bit based on that and we should should dream and think about what will it be like to to to walk with.
Jesus by the river that we're going to see in a few verses just a walk with him the omnipresent God who has time for you to walk with him and to converse with our savior to spend time with our God to have perfect friendships and relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ there's no self-interest none of the things no relational weirdness at all just together joyfully with God worshiping and delighting him have you ever been in a room where you you didn't really belong like you just you felt honored to be there it's happened a few times in my life I just I just got to be somewhere be in the presence of something wonderful.
And I just was like I don't I don't I don't belong here this is awesome I'm glad that I'm here and I think some version of that goes on for eternity where you just this is so great like I don't belong here I don't deserve this I don't deserve to be with God I don't deserve to be in this beautiful city I don't deserve to be in this place and that feeling is never going to get old what an honor it will be to be in the presence of.
God to dwell in the perfect embodiment of love and the fullest version of joy that is found in the person of God for eternity what a wonderful glorious perfect God to dwell with and then the fourth the final picture we'll get is in verse four says he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and Death Shall be no more neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away my kids are getting bigger.
But they're still small enough that when they cry about something that I I would say is worth crying about every now and then they cry about thing I'm like you this stop just dry your own tears up you should not be crying about this but the things that they should be crying about I get to scoop them up hold them in my arms and I can take my thumb and wipe away the tear from their eyes and dry their tears and what a what a wonderful picture of a.
God whose Mighty and gentle hand will take his thumb and he will dry the tear from your eye and that tear will never never return I mean let that imagery saturate your soul what a wonderful picture that we have there is a day that is coming where pain and death and suffering and all the parts of this life that make creation grown they will be former things that everything that's painful about this life will be former things that everything sad will come untrue there will be no more funerals there will be no more deathbeds where you say goodbye to the ones that you love I was talking to miss Louise about this a.
While back Miss Louise is one of our admin assistants she's 86 and she's at the stage of life where people that she's known for 50 60 70 plus years friendships for decades throughout the year people that she's known and love for so long are dying and I asked her I just said I does that ever get easier because it's happening more she said no no I've known these people for decades it's hard every single time the reality is is that if you live the good long life that everyone wants to live you live into your 90s you will experience more death and loss than most I mean that that you can ask that some of.
Our older Saints in our Church our older brothers and sisters in Christ that many of the retire much of their retirement is spent in hospitals and in funerals and the golden years are not as golden as our culture makes them out to be but there is a day coming where the death of death will be final there is a day coming where there won't be any more morning there won't be any more sadness there won't be any more funerals doesn't that sound.
So good that sounds so incredible that you'll never get a phone call that crushes you and crumples you to your to a seed I don't that's there's a day coming where you won't be at the hospital bed when somebody passes last month when my wife's grandfather passed away a man that we love so deeply and fiercely and loved our family so deeply and fiercely I ended up volunteering to stay the night that he actually passed and to look up and see after all of his suffering that he was.
Finally gone and to wake up his sweet beautiful bride of 62 years someone so dear to us we named our son after her and tell her that he's gone there's a day coming where that never happens again there's a day coming where you you don't Embrace someone and bitterly cry each other's arms all of that will be former and will pass away all of it will be gone that is a wonderful day to look forward to and more death no more loss no more pain you.
See what he says there says pain nor pain anymore no more pain talked about this in the past that for the last seven years I've had daily chronic back pain and the last couple of years I finally was able to figure out after all the doctors I've gone to and figure out what it is and it's actually two problems which is awesome and like the first problem is is there's a set of nerves in your lower back called the clonial nerves and uh and mine are just like they're just always angry sometimes like a lowlevel anger somewhat noticeable and sometimes like an angry teenager they just rage and I I went and the reason we.
Found this out is I got a a I got a a temporary nerve block and then came back to the office and I was I was lit I was so jacked like I was with Chad and I was just like man look at this a pile of books pick up with bad form nothing it's amazing he's like you're really doing it man I said I am doing it and just doing all the things that would make my back just fire just was great.
For like hours and then the followup was like now you're going to we'll go in and do a nerve burn we'll burn it all away and it didn't work and she's like well I'm going to do it again but like it's that won't work we can put like this little thing on your spinal cord it's like it's like a you know that'll like shoot that I I got young kids I ain't think I ain't about to be the guinea PID for that I'll wait.
And then the second thing was I've got like I've got a kidney condition that always produces sediment and sand and stones and didn't realize that was going her 30 it was just like all the things started hitting and then talking to my dad I was like no that's a thing that you're probably going to have for the rest of your life I was like sweet thanks Dad and the reality is is that that's some that those are going going to continue until the day that I die and thankfully there's medicine that can limit some of the pain that is involved.
But pain is an everpresent reality and some of you I know personally I've walked with you talked with you you're enduring so much worse you're enduring chronic pain that is so much more painful and every day it is hard to exist every day is hard to move forward the disease and the disorder that you face is so deeply painful so some of you are dealing with mental health pain that's so everpresent and it's so deeply painful the reality is is that all of us to some degree or another are going to endure pain.
And if you haven't you will it's like I'm 25 I'm doing great yeah but when you're 35 you won't be and when you're 75 you definitely won't be the life is filled with pain but there's a day coming where all of that pain is a distant memory the pain that you feel so deeply present in your body that is withering away day by day all of it will be gone and I know it feels long and it does but Paul who experienced more pain than we probably ever will with the sufferings that he did.
For the cause of Christ in 1 Corinthians 4 he talks about that pain he says it is light and momentary in comparison to the weight of Glory beyond all comparison that even though that we pain that you might feel right now that feels so present when you experience the weight of Glory dwelling with God with no more pain no more sadness no more suffering No More Tears it is light and momentary by comparison everything that is painful about this present life will not make its way into the new Heavens the new Earth.
For the former things have passed away and they will not exist there now we'll pick up in verse five next week with more of this wonderful imagery about what is Left Behind and what we eternally cling to but I don't want to miss something to kind of set up the context of how we should view these passages because when you look look at how John describes all of this what's revealed to him when you hear from the Throne of voice crying out saying these things you know what you don't catch a hint of you know what there's not a shred of about the old earth that is passing away Nostalgia not there's not one part.
Of any of we're about to read that looks back at the old Earth that looks back at what we're living in right now and says oh man weren't those days good not a shred of it you know why because this life truly isn't good not eternally good not the kind of good where all this is going so they're not looking back at any of the old Earth with Nostalgia at all because everything that is sad and broken that Mars some of the good and Beauty that's in this world will be gone and we need to receive that.
Because so many of us have a have a taste of nostalgia and enjoy this life in a way that puts Our Hope here and so many of us are putting our hope in this life in this body in this reality right here right now and the Scriptures are lifting your eyes to the final chapters of the Bible to say you need to be here you need your gaze here because that is where ultimate goodness is found that is where ultimate Joy is found that is where Pure Love is found that is where Holiness is found that is where truth and glory and everything that you could possibly want that you are.
So deeply striving for in this life now that is where you will be satisfied we have Mis placed hope because we don't believe these pictures and live our lives in light of everything we're going to read over the next few weeks and my hope for us as Christians is that we would see these pictures and be so utterly convinced of how wonderful they are we would live with our Compass set to the New Jerusalem that that would be our North Star we would live our lives in light of Eternity.
But if we're going to do that you have to believe this you have to put your hope and this God who is bringing all of this to this conclusion and as you do this you begin to see some of the things that we put hope in this life in now and we do what we're always called to do we turn from them we stop putting our hope in lesser things we put our hope in The God Who has unimaginable Pleasures for us in the eternity that is to come and my hope is over the next few weeks those of us that haven't fully bought into that we would and it would change every single day.
Until we in Christ make it here the band's going to come up and we're going to take communion and communion for Christians is an opportunity to do just that that Jesus on the night that he was betrayed he took bread and he broke it he said this is my body that was broken for you he took the cup of the New Covenant he said this is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this you Proclaim my death until I return that the the Lord's Supper is both looking back at the cross of what.
Jesus did for us but also looking forward to this so for Christians it's an opportunity for us to take an accounting of our soul to realize where have we misplaced hope and to see these pictures as so compelling to say Lord I want that help me live towards that help me run towards that help me leave all of this behind with all of my hope there but if you're not a Christian if you're do not place your faith in Jesus please do not take part in the Lord's supper please place your faith in Christ there is unimaginable Glory waiting.
For you Pleasures waiting for you Joy waiting for you in the next life aren't you tired of chasing after that here and being disappointed at every single turn that will never end and it will only end in Eternal disappointment My Hope Is that you would stick around with the the next few weeks you'd see how good this eternity is that Jesus secures for us through his blood and that you place your faith in him let's pray heavenly father I pray that you might help us be.
So compelled and overwhelmed by these pictures that we'll see for the next few weeks that it would change how we live now that we be a people that are not easy fooled and satisfied with lesser things here but we'd hold on we'd endure we would make it to the end because the end is better and Lord if there's anyone here who has not put their full hope and their full faith in you Christ may you soften their heart and open their eyes to the realities that await them.
If they would simply trust you in Jesus name amen.
giv 2024 Week Three
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
If this is your first time with us want to welcome you my name is Isaac I'm one of the pastors here at mil City we're glad that you decided to join us this morning uh as Chad mentioned at the beginning in the announcements we are in what we call our give series um the every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas when uh the consumerism in our culture has taken it up three levels that we want to um not be conformed to this world.
But be transformed by the renewal of our mind and so we go to the Scriptures to see what does Jesus have to say about where we can find life even in the way that we approach our money and our stuff and so this morning as we start off what I want to do is I've got a couple quotes that I want to read from uh for you from some authors who have been reflecting on um our cultural moment and our approach what our money what our stuff is and seemingly what it has been doing to us.
And so this first quote it comes from an author named John Steinbeck this was found in a letter that he wrote he writes this a strange species we are we can stand anything God and nature throw at us except only plenty if I wanted to destroy a nation I would give it too much and I would have it on its knees miserable greedy and sick this next quote comes from Thomas Soul he was College economics professor he writes this the fact is is that the average person in the United States.
Today lives better than royalty did in past centuries kings and queens of past eras lived in smaller less comfortable homes without many of the conveniences that people today take for granted the average person in the United States has access to Modern Transportation Healthcare and technology that even the richest people of earliest centuries could not have imagined this final quote comes from a writer named Arthur Brooks he says this in many ways there has never been a better time to be alive fewer Among Us are poor fewer are hungry fewer children are dying and more men and women can read than ever before how strange.
Then to see such anger and great discontent in some of the world's richest nations in the United States Britain and across the European continent people report great une easiness about their own Futures that seems to border on hopelessness wow these are some startling quotes some startling thoughts when you begin to contemplate and realize that they're talking about the daytoday world that you and I live in that we have seemingly in this cultural moment built up such Prosperity but where has it gotten us have you not felt the anger have you not felt the discontent have you not felt the anxiety maybe you feel hopeless we need a different way to approach our money.
And so that's why we go to the Scriptures so a couple weeks ago Spencer taught on financial wisdom for eternity that we are forever creatures and so we want to approach our finances in light of such then we talked about financial wisdom for the future that we don't just live today there are days ahead and what we're going to do this morning is we're going to look at Financial wisdom for today that we do live in today so how do we approach our finances and our stuff in light of what the Scriptures teach.
So let me pray and then we will Dive In Father we thank you very much for your word in the way that it reveals who you are and what you're doing because left to ourselves we can't figure it out that we turn to silly things like money and trinkets and stuff to try to solve our problem but we need something bigger we need something better so would you reveal to us what that is this morning Jesus name amen so if this is where we are at.
If any amount of what these authors have reflected on written on is anything true then we need some kind of different approach to the way that we handle our money and our stuff in our everyday life and so let's turn to Luke 12 you can open your Bible and turn there we're going to start in verse 15 uh Spencer he preached on this two weeks ago and he was looking at it mainly from the perspective of Eternity we're going to go back through.
Look at this teaching of Jesus again and consider how does this apply to my everyday life so Luke 12 starting in verse 15 Jesus he's responding to a guy who shouted out from the crowd asking if he can solve some dispute between he and his brother and he says take care and be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions and he told them a parable saying the land of a rich man produced plentifully does that sound familiar and he thought to himself what shall I do.
For I have nowhere to store my crops and he said I will do this I will tear down my Barns and build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to my soul soul you have ample Goods laid up for many years relax eat drink be merry but God said to him fool this night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared whose will they be so is the one who lays up treasure.
For himself and is not rich toward God so Jesus interjects into this man's question and he has this Punchy statement where he says be on guard against covetousness because life isn't found in the abundance of your possessions and then he tells this Parable uh to highlight this idea that there isn't life in all the stuff that we have and this idea of covetousness that Jesus is talking about here it's not anything new this wasn't the first time that this idea of covetousness has come up as a matter of fact this idea of covetousness this drive within us this inner desire to take what isn't ours and try to make it fulfill our deep inner longings.
It's been around since day one of sin right look back at Eve and the way that she took the fruit of the tree was it not born out of her seeing something that wasn't hers and she desired to have it well if we're honest Eve she had one tree that wasn't hers the rest of the garden was hers and Adams to tend to and take care of it was just one tree that she wasn't supposed to have that didn't belonged to her how many things have you scrolled past driven by walk down the aisle of watch some advertisement.
For that wasn't yours now I'm not making a one toone comparison between the fruit from the tree and the twinkie that's on the Walmart shelf no I'm making a onetoone comparison to that feeling that desire that began to swell up in Eve that is also within us and we are a thousand times more in a day inundated with things that are not ours that would pull our attention this is deep Heart level stuff Jesus is talking about real issues of belief on the line here and how easily do we just hit the buy.
Now with one click on Amazon when your friend comes walking in Rocking those new Nikes and you think oo those are shiny bright got to get me a pair of those how easy after uh your coworker comes walking in holding the latest iteration of the iPhone all of a sudden your phone's not good enough you got to reason 20 things long as the why it's the worst thing you've ever owned ever for those of you that know me you know I'm a I like tools I'm a tool guy I like to build things I like to uh fix things make things new and uh you got to have.
Well you don't have to have tools but tools are super handy when it comes to fixing things and uh uh if you're like me and you like tools maybe you found yourself watching some videos of some other guys that whether they be reviewing tools or maybe they're building a thing and inevitably if you're like that you'll come across some video and you'll see some tool that isn't in your toolbx and boy oh boy when that comes up you start to think wow that's a that's a cool tool and it's got you.
See that it's got that new design on there man that thing can you imagine what I could do with that I mean I'm not building a 10,000 ft house but if I were that tool would be great and then all of a sudden and me even just watching a simple video my heart is drawn trying to take a thing that's just a thing and trying to make it something that it's not because the tricky thing about it is that inherently there's nothing wrong with clicking the button on Amazon there's nothing inherently wrong with a pair of Nikes there's nothing inherently wrong with a new tool or a new phone.
So what's the problem the problem is us the problem is in my heart the way that I'm approaching all of this stuff we're we're so easily driven by making decisions out of covetousness it is our base mode of operation ation that we're so often not purchasing from a place of contentment but we actually believe we need this stuff let for a moment just to have a thought exercise I want you to ask yourself the question do I really need the stuff I buy.
So often I'm not talking about the groceries you have to buy so you can eat I'm not talking about the bills you have to pay you know what I'm talking about do you need the stuff you buy so often and if you answer no then what I would argue is that there's a follow-up question that you also must ask why do I buy this stuff I don't need so often and if you come to the conclusion well it's because I want to I would say you haven't gone deep enough search deeper in your heart ask the spirit of.
God to reveal your heart to you and what I would venture to guess is that what you will begin to find at the core is what Jesus calls covetousness what you will find in the depths of your heart what we so often find in the depths of our heart is that we're trying to find life in the abundance of our possessions but Jesus said it doesn't work that way and he doesn't stop there in his teaching he continues on and this honest reflection of our hearts and what we truly need.
So let's pick back up in verse 22 and he said to his disciples therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life what you will eat nor about your body what you will put on for life is more than food and the body more than clothing so Jesus he comes in and he gives a command that's directly born out of what he's just said that's what the therefor is is that he's tying what he has just said with what he is about to say.
So this idea that life doesn't come from the abundance of possessions is informing this command that he's giving of do not be anxious now if you're in the room this morning and you struggle with anxiety especially when it comes to your finances when you think about your bills then you might be thinking thanks I hadn't thought about that and you feel like I don't have control over my anxiety it's ruling over me it's the one in the driver seat Well Jesus he gives the command he only gives commands that are good that are lovely and true and he's going to help us out here he's going to start to give us reasons why this command.
Is good good and I think through it we'll begin to see and learn that maybe we have a little bit more say over this anxiousness in our hearts than we think we do Jesus continues on he says consider the Ravens they neither sow nor reap they have neither Storehouse nor barn and yet God feeds them so Jesus he's talking to this crowd I'm sure there are many among in the crowd that are maybe a little bit worried about what money looks like things are tight Maybe some of them are worried about what food is going to be at the table that night.
Jesus says don't be anxious have you thought about birds and I think that can be our response we laugh what what are you do what are you talking about Jesus but let's be honest here Jesus he's a wise guy so let's consider what he has to say have you considered the birds have you thought about that little chicky that's perched on the tree branch outside your kitchen window as you do the dishes when that Cardinal comes and lands on the rose bush right outside your living room as you sit down have you contemplated that bird it's life do you know that it doesn't work it makes no paycheck do you know that it doesn't have.
A savings account for some bird emergency that might come up do you know that there's no health insurance for when that little Bird's Wing breaks and yet what does Jesus say God feeds them God cares so much for that little bird that you just saw and contemplated that as it's fluttering about not even worrying about working and toiling trying to get a paycheck month to month God feeds them he cares for the birds now get this Jesus says of how much more value are you than the birds this is.
So simple yet it's so profound we know it in our heads and it's even easy to say out loud with our mouths I am more valuable than a bird try it try saying it simple isn't it but how does it show up in the way that we are worrying about our finances has this truth really sunk into our hearts that our father cares for us that he loves us so deeply he loves us and cares for us more than the birds that he feeds every day.
Jesus continues and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his lifespan we don't even have the ability to add time to our days I'm sure there's some study out there that talks about being anxious actually makes you live less but if then you are not able to do a small a thing as that why are you anxious about the rest how great is it that Jesus considers out adding an hour of life just a small thing this is another Tuesday he he thinks he sees.
So far beyond what you and I do and he takes that lens for how to look at life and then he comes at us and he asks the question why would you worry you're not in control of all of this why when you open the Bank app on your phone three times a day does your blood pressure shoot through the roof don't you know that I provide for you when it's three days out from your next paycheck why do you frantically reconsider every life decision that you've ever made don't you know that I care.
For you do you know that the father cares for you deeply he loves you deeply and he tends to every need that you have Jesus he has one last picture to paint for us to help this sink in he says this consider the lies how they grow so we've thought about Birds now let's think about flowers they neither toil nor spin yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not a raid like one of these but if God.
So clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven how much more will he clothe you now I think this reference to Solomon is maybe a little bit lost on us because we're so far removed from the time uh but Solomon he was king of Israel when it was at the height of its economic Prosperity it was a great nation you know it had a lot of wealth and Solomon he would have been one of.
If not the richest man that ever lived in all of Israelite history now I'm not going to try I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to name some pop icons here in front of you but whatever movie star or music legend or somehow now on the list Tik Tock star that you can consider that has the most elegant of apparel it doesn't even compare to a lily a simple flower that our God cared so much that he would clothe a plant in such beauty do you not know that he cares.
For you our father he loves us he cares deeply for us he's providing for us this is why there is no need to be anxious Jesus continues oh you of little faith ouch that stings if we're being honest where was all this talk of him caring for us but I think it stings because Jesus has now gotten to the heart of the issue the word of Jesus it's just cut through flesh and Bone and what has it exposed it's exposed that we're placing our faith we're putting our trust in something other than the one that cares.
For us that's what you and I at our base nature do we put our trust in something that does not care for us don't you know that life isn't found in the abundance of your possessions that don't have a mind enough to even consider you as a thing we've been living our lives with this idea that maybe some of this stuff in the world out there it can it can maybe resurrect what's dead inside of me we've been spending our money day in and day out thinking that there's life in the abundance of our possessions we've mistaken that high that we get.
When we receive a package with the Amazon logo as true Eternal Kingdom Life this isn't it and we need to know where to find this kind of life that Jesus is talking about well he's not done talking so let's keep reading verse 29 and do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink nor be worried for all the nations of the world seek after these things and your father knows that you need him he says don't go there stop buying things like that stop spending your money that way everybody's tried it it it never works stop instead seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you fear not.
Little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give give you the kingdom our heavenly father knows what we need he knows what you need it is his pleasure God finds so much joy in giving you his kingdom he's aware that you need to eat to have strength for the day he knows that he knows you need lunch after this he knows that you need clothes on your back to protect you as these days get oh so cold he knows that I need a massive jacket.
Because I can't take it he knows about that water bill that you have he knows about that rent check that's due at the end of this month after you've spent your money on presents and secret Santas and white elephants and stocking stuffers he knows about that $50,000 of student debt that you'd have and you don't know how you're going to make this next payment he knows do you know that he cares do you know that it is his pleasure to give you his kingdom that is his desire he loves you more than lies and more than Ravens he loves you.
So much that he gave you his own son he gave you his own life real true life that's what he's given us and so while we continue to look for the for look for life and the abundance of our possessions Jesus comes and he says hey it's not there life isn't there I know where life is it's found in me and the father loves and cares for you so deeply that he's tending to your every need and this is a beautiful wonderful encouragement who would not want to live in light of this truth.
But there's a question now that we have to ask what does this mean for me in my every day it's beautiful news that the father cares for us he's tending to us he loves us us but what does that mean for me and the way that I live out every day in approach to my money and my stuff surely it's got to mean something cuz all we've talked about so far is that you and I our Baseline Drive is toward covetousness and fear.
When it comes to our money and our stuff the things that most often rule our heart is covetousness and fear well we know there's no life there I know you felt the anger and the discontent and the anxiety and the hopelessness surely it's not where we've been looking for life so what we're going to do with the rest of our time is that first I want to walk through some practices some ways that we can participate in this life that Jesus is offering us.
And then we'll look at one final principle that Jesus closes with In this passage so practical thing number one for us in Hebrews chapter 13 the author writes this keep your life free from Love of Money and be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you so we can confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me so the author here he writes that the love of money is combed by being being content and the practical application that comes out of this I think is a little expli uh implicit rather than explicit he doesn't immediately come out.
Say what it is because if I were to tell you go be content you'd be like thanks but what does that look like what does that mean and there are two things that we do according to this passage we be content and then what's the other thing we can confidently say the Lord is my helper so the thing that we can do that we can engage in in a practical day-to-day basis to not put our hope our life in the abundance of possessions.
Because it doesn't come there is to rehearse the truth that the Lord is my helper that if you want to work to combat the covetousness in your own heart every day you get to rehearse this simple truth you ready for it Jesus is better than everything else assuming it won't be too hard for you to remember that cuz we say it enough times on a Sunday morning but it's a simple truth that we get to rehearse and as we sit in that remembrance that.
Jesus really is better and he's given us himself he's given us his life we begin to be washed with contentment and there's real life there so that's practical step number one that daily we get to rehearse the truth that the Lord is my hel that Jesus really is better than everything else number two now this one might sound a little outlandish stop buying things that you don't need to scratch and itch stop buying things that you don't need to scratch and itch how many of you have ever had poison ivy or maybe poison oak poison sumac I mean.
Look it can be any rash of any kind if you're not raising your hand you're lying everybody's had a rash what's the thing they tell you not to do when you get poison ivy or whatever asash don't scratch it oh but what do you want to do oh you just want to get in there you want to scratch it some of us we try to play it off you know I'm just just with my palm just a little bit with my palm.
But we want to scratch it the very thing that seems so right that we just want to do is the thing that is making it worse that's why they say don't do it and when it comes to the way that we buy stuff if we don't stop engaging in the things that drive us to covet why do we think that anything will change 100% rehearse the truth but if you just keep go going and buying everything that you can get your hands on to don't you know that you're scratching your itch don't you know that you're making it worse.
Jesus said that if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out and if your hand causes you to sin cut it off what do you need to get rid of to help you be content that's the opposite way of what we think we think what do I need to get to be content what do you need to get rid of to be content do you need to delete the Amazon app from your phone do you need to get rid of your Amazon account completely you'd be like one in a million do you need to be like me and you got to be careful what kind of entertainment you consume what kind of videos you.
Watch cuz it'll just drive you to covet you'll just want more of what's not yours and you'll think there's life there do you need to stop going to a particular store because there's literally not a single thing there that you need I I don't know what it is for you but if we can see this in terms of Heart level unbelief My Hope Is that the spirit would Empower us to take actual steps toward freedom in our life actual steps toward freedom from coveting.
And then we would sit in the freedom and the joy of contentment that's practical step number two stop buying stuff we don't need to scratch and itch number three in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus he's teaching on the model prayer the model prayer starts off by saying Our Father in heaven so first of all we're addressing the father who cares for us deeply and in the middle of the prayer Jesus says give us this day our daily bread so every day Jesus wants us to go before the.
Father the one who cares for us immensely and to ask him to provide for our needs now notice that Jesus didn't qualify it with whether you're rich or you're poor he doesn't qualify it with whether you're pantry is full or empty he doesn't qualify it with whether there's one pair of jeans or tin in your dresser it doesn't matter that every day we are to go before the Lord and say father would you take care of me today would you put food on my table.
Today would you put clothes on my back today that every day we can rehearse this truth over and over that we can go before the Lord and pray asking that he would tend to us now you take this teaching from Jesus on prayer and you combine it with what Paul says in Philippians chapter 4 he says don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving make your requests known to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.
Jesus that if you're here this morning and you are anxious about your money that you are worried about the bills that you have due go before the Lord and pray and everything will work out for you no beyond your understanding beyond my understanding because maybe our situation won't change a lick the peace of God will become ours that is this third daily practice in the way that we can find Life as we approach our money and stuff is that we can pray to our.
Father asking that he would tend to us because he cares practical step number four for us in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 the author writes this everyone also to whom God has given given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil this is the gift of God everyone here has stuff H maybe you got more maybe you got less but the wisdom from the author here is that we should accept what we have.
Because it's a gift it's given to us from God we should rejoice and be thankful for what God has given us because every good and perfect gift that exists in your life has come from him that's what the Scripture teaches us that whatever it might be for you a house a car meals vacations job random knick-knacks whatever it is the day-to-day wisdom of how to approach this is to be thankful to go to God and thanks for what he has given this and it's also beautiful here.
Because I think we can maybe begin to be driven by guilt as we consider all this stuff but the author says that we can enjoy it because it's come from him we're coming up on Christmas you know all the little kids that get gifts and they're just full of joy that Mom and Dad have given them something you can't help but just play with it and it brings you such Joy it brings joy to our father that we would enjoy the things that he has given us.
But the heart posture is one of thanks recognizing that it's come from him not because we've managed to work enough to get it so with these four practices that we've talked about we rehearse the truth that Jesus is better than everything else that we stop buying things we don't need to scratch and itch that we go before the Lord in prayer asking that he would tend to us and that we we give thanks for the things that he has given us to enjoy there's one final principle that we have that.
Jesus talks about In this passage in Luke so let's go back to Luke chapter 12 pick back up in verse 33 this is right after Jesus has just said that it is the Father's good pleasure to give you his kingdom so what does he say after that sell your possessions and give to the needy provide yourself with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fade where no Thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is there will your heart be also when we live in such a way that our treasure is bound up in our possessions when we're living selfishly we're living in greed we think it's about us but what does Jesus offer instead he says give to the needy Jesus says that participating in true life is participating in generosity that's where true life can be found this is how Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 6 he writes as for the rich in this present age which what I've learned up to this point is that's me as.
For the rich in this present age charge them not to be huy nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy they are to do good to be rich in Good Works to be generous and ready to share thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life did you see it Paul just told us where we can find True Life where we can take a hold of true life and it's not through the Amazon button or the stuff that we've managed to jam into our closets it's in.
Our generosity it's in the way that we would give and give and give so there are two final practical ways in which in our everyday life we can approach our money and our stuff in a way that actually produces life in US so using a language from this passage in 1 Timothy we are to be rich in good works that's another practical step for us and it's such a good play on words be rich in good works that desire in us that drives us to seek after wealth should be the same fervor that drives us to participate in good works that's what Paul says that's what it means to be rich in good works.
Now we don't have time this morning to talk about every way that you could participate in Good Works the Bible is full of them Paul writes all about them in his letters whether be hospitable helping the weak being patient helping the widows and orphans living peaceably with others forgiving one another bearing one another's burdens on and on and on the list can go you can go read it for yourself and I don't know what it would exactly look like for you.
Today tomorrow the next day for you to participate in one of these kinds of works that the father has laid before you in your day but you can participate in it and when you do you'll start to experience real life when it's no longer about me and about what I can get but about what I can give to help others to support others to build others up all of a sudden there's life there there and lastly we are to be generous Paul says we are to be ready to share this means that we should be people that give our money and our stuff away that should Mark our lives that we would give our money.
And give our stuff away if you want to come back that the greed that's buried in your heart cuz you've come to the realization that Jesus is right and there's no life there be generous give your money away somehow there is life there donate to the local Church donate to overseas missionary work like 1040 hope donate to relief organizations like Oliver Gospel Mission or to Providence home donate to our give project and help house a family donate to help widows or orphan care help pay the water bill of that person in your group that's been saying money is.
So tight right now give to your coworker who's worried about the amount of food that their children are going to have at the end of the week give and give and give and as you give experience the life that is found there that Jesus is giving to us because he has given us life in his generosity I'll close with this aw toer he writes this he says materialism has become the enemy of the spiritual life in craving what we do not have we lose sight of the.
God who provides for our deepest needs we don't live in a world that helps us to practice trust over anxiety we don't live in a world that helps us to practice contentment over covetousness and we don't live in a world that helps us practice General generosity over greed so we must be vigilant and recognizing our need for deep Heart level change and then when we see it begin to rear its ugly head that we would confess it that we would turn to.
Jesus and say would you forgive me at the cross you have given for given me yourself please forgive me and then we would get to actually walk in the new Resurrection Life that Jesus is giving us every single day as we approach our money and our stuff this new life that Jesus offers it's not theoretical it does not just exist in the way that we talk to each other it does not just exist and the way that words are coming out of my mouth right.
Now no this life exists in power for freedom to live apart from sin and as it relates to our money and our stuff well this power can show up in the three principles that we have talked about this morning that we can be content not Covetous that we can be faith filled not fearful and we can be generous not greedy and as the band comes up I would just remind us of the daytoday practices that we have talked about because it shows up in every day.
Remember it's not just ethereal it's real stuff it shows up in our actual lives that we can can give our money and our stuff away that we can stop buying so much stuff that we don't need to scratch an itch that we can participate in the good works that the father has laid before us and we can give thanks to God for how he has taken care of us and given us things to enjoy we can petition before the father every day.
Father would you take care of my needs today and we can rehearse the simple Gospel truth that Jesus really is better than anything else that this life has to offer because there's no life in this world apart from Jesus and when we do these things when we slowly begin to engage in this kind of Lifestyle we are participating in the Eternal Kingdom of life that Jesus has brought that's what it looks like so let's go before the Lord now and praise him and exalt him to rehearse the truth and to go before him and ask would you take care of me.
Today.
giv 2024 Week Two
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
But that forms the basis for our approach to money but the Bible also has very practical things to say about how to think about tomorrow throughout the Proverbs throughout the Scriptures there's different passages that help us see how to think about tomorrow in light of Eternity and that's important uh because a lot of times we don't think about that and there are consequences for that I heard a story recently uh about a couple that was meeting with uh Financial planner they were meeting uh to talk about retirement uh and and they're in the early ' 70s and and they you know the a lot of the the money they had saved over the years the.
The financial planner was talking with them and saying hey at some point you you know you should retire this is an ongoing conversation that was happening uh every year as they met together to talk about their plans and finally uh after many years of doing this the planner just looked and said hey like you you really should like you see what you've got your fine and then they responded by saying well we we'd like to we just want to make sure that all of our debt is paid off before to which the planner said what debt they had not ever disclosed that they had debt.
So he began to do some digging and upon further investigation looked that they had actually lots of debt that they had uh 13 credit cards with high outstanding uh uh uh uh loans on those that were gaining upwards of 35% interest that they had a uh a construction loan that had not been paid off they had an HVAC loan that had not been paid off they had a loan for a mattress a fancy bed that had not been paid off.
When all of this was pieced together it became abundantly clear that they had way too much debt and he had to say no actually you're you're right you're you're you're not going to be able to even have think about retiring until you're in your mid late '70s until all of this gets addressed and that reality set in upon them now some version of that story happens over and over and over again there's far too many people far too many Americans far too many Christians that aren't prepared.
Because they're not thinking that far ahead so we want to be a people that are financially wise and we do think about that our hope and our riches are in the life to come but that doesn't mean that that we bury our head in the sand that doesn't mean that we're not thinking about the very practical implications of what it looks like to think about tomorrow and that's what I want to do today is I want to just get very very practical.
Look at what the Scriptures have to say about this so I'm going to pull out four different principles of financial wisdom for tomorrow four different principles that we'll look at and God willing if we can begin to learn from the very practice practical teachings from the Scriptures on this we can be a people that both balance what it means to have our minds and Eternity to set our hope in riches and The Eternity that is to come with Christ while also not being foolish in how we think about our money here.
For the days that we have here on Earth so let me pray for us and then we'll walk through this together heavenly father I pray that you might help us be wise be wise in a way that changes the way that we live that changes the way that we think about money that changes the way that we plan for tomorrow but in order to do that you have to work in our hearts so we might not just be hearers of the word.
But we might also be doers of the word so we ask this in Jesus name amen so in planning for these four principles I talked to Raz Bradley he's one of our uh pastors he is actually just say hey man do you want to teach this because this is what he does he he does retirement and and life insurance he's he's a he's a lay Pastor here so he's not on staff here I said do you want to teach this and he said no I can't my job does allow me to do that.
So I lean on him a little bit and trying to put this together so his thoughts will be here scattered throughout but he won't get in trouble with uh the SEC and all the things he's got to report to so four principles of financial wisdom for tomorrow starting with the first the wisdom of savings the wisdom of savings I uh my wife and I we got married we moved to Louisville Kentucky uh where I was in seminary I worked at a coffee shop she taught dance at a studio.
So we were not uh financially killing it we were paying our bills or paying our way through Seminary uh but uh our budget was very very tight and in the first couple years I remember we had a major medical bill hit and it was like $1,000 which was like a a a lot a lot a lot a lot of money it's a lot of money anyways it was a lot a lot of money then because it was like man we we don't make anything how in the world and I panicked and I freaked out and she needed her husband in that moment to be subber minded needed to be uh uh faithful.
But was just like I don't know what we're going to do just just like and she's just like oh this isn't good and some version of that has happened like 15 times uh well not the panicking part but the some some version of a of a of a Big Bill hitting like it's all of a sudden it's a medical bill all of a sudden the car broke down all of a sudden some version this happened 15 times throughout our marriage which just keeps happening over and over again and I am no longer surprised.
Because that's life I'm I'm not surprised by anymore I've grown to be like no that that's stinks let's let's pray let's think let's strategize but we're going to be okay because it happens over and over and over again and one of the things we had to learn early on was we need to build some emergency savings that was important for when things happened that it's foolish to actually spend everything that you make Proverbs 21:20 says precious treasure in oil are in a wise man's dwelling.
But a foolish man devours it and this we see a lot Proverbs this this General proverbial teaching on it's wise to have some stuff stored in your house because if you spend everything that you get that is foolish that you will not have things for when the day of trouble comes uh when you read Proverb 6 which is the proverb about uh that Solomon uses the example of uh The Ant and how hard the ant works that's the main teaching of that is that you should work hard be like the ant.
But one of the things that that the example of the ant does is that it stores up it gathers for for when it when things are going to be difficult down the road this is an example of we should be thinking in the immediate future we should have stuff saved up because things are going to hit like I I I've I've said this I know this is a common saying but it's like man I feel like every time we get ahead something else happens and it just hits again and it's it's like we should no longer be surprised you we should not be caught off guard that.
When something finally hits and you watch your savings do this again that's life unless unless you're in a in an an exceedingly High tax bracket that's that's always going to hit and it's going to affect you you you you've got to be prepared for these things preparation is not seen as a bad thing it's seen as wise I mean goodness the whole Narrative of of Genesis 41 of Joseph and Pharaoh the main the main picture of that is God's ultimate Redemption story that's happening through Joseph preserving the life of his brothers.
But buried in that is the very wise thing that when the seven years of famine happened the Lord prepared them for that and that's very practical Proverbs 21:5 says the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance but everyone who is Hasty comes only to poverty that you get this picture of those who are diligent in their planning and their foresight well they're going to be okay but anyone who's Hasty anyone who just spends what they get anyone who makes quick decisions.
Well that's foolishness and that only results ultimately in poverty you need to plan diligently which means that you need to say no to things all the time because there's so many things things that culturally VI for your for your wallet so many things that you can spend your money on and we have to learn to say no so that we can be diligent in planning ahead and be wise otherwise poverty is at the door and it will come 44% of Americans cannot pay.
For a $1,000 bill in an emergency 44% of Americans do not have $1,000 saved up an emergency savings when a bill comes that's a problem and it's a problem that's common we should be thinking ahead we should be diligent and saving for when that comes that's why people like Dave Ramsey who Dave Ramsey is a big uh is a Christian Financial uh Guru who gives wisdom on this I don't buy into everything Dave Ramsey says but I I I think a lot of it is very very wise and he's adamant about getting your emergency savings up to $1,000 as fast as you can.
And then from there he expands it out to 3 to six months of living expenses what you should have for emergency savings and think about that 3 to six months of of your spending of your monthly spending and budget that's easily $10,000 for a lot of Americans and that is easily the price of an HVAC unit these days right it's how quickly this can come so we can't be Hasty we must must be diligent must plan we must begin to grow what it means to actually uh have savings.
For when stuff happens the Scriptures are very practical on this and the second principle I want to look at is the wisdom of counting the cost the wisdom of counting the cost Luke 14:28 Jesus is teaching and buried in his teaching he says in verse 28 for which of you you Desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the costs whether he has enough to complete it now that isn't about that that main teaching in Luke 14 is not about uh counting the cost of building a tower it's about the cost of discipleship.
Jesus simply gives an example about a builder it says surely a builder is going to count the cost before they build a tower you should also count the cost of what it means to follow me because if you follow me you're going to suffer it's going to cost you but the very practical piece of wisdom that he uses is no Builder should build a tower without counting the cost it's very similar to Proverbs 24:27 which says prepare your work outside get everything ready.
For yourself in the field and after that build your house this is IDE idea of you should count the cost you should think ahead in counting the cost before you do a thing before you make a decision it's wisdom that was important thousands of years ago it's wisdom that's important for any person that's going to build something today but it's a principle that we should expand out towards everything that we do you should consider the costs before you make any purchase.
So why we're not Hasty that's why we're slow that's why we're diligent that's why we're thoughtful you should consider consider the cost before you purchase anything that is wise one of the things that I joke regularly about is owning a Prius and it's for obvious reasons it's very low hanging fruit it's a comical car it's it's not nice especially the one that I have it's very it's older and it's yeah it it it should be made fun of but the reality is is that I'm thankful that we have it.
Because it it's very helpful practically for our budget like it's very practical one of the values I have is I want my wife to always drive something nicer than me it's not a law but I just like the idea of her serving her in that way for it has something nicer than me but the reality this this car is so low maintenance the cost of ownership is so low I'm not proud of it I was in a parking lot once drop it off my kid and a guy who drove the exact same year make model in color Prius came up to me and started geeking about his car and I was like how why are.
You not ashamed of yourself why are you talking to me I don't want to talk to you we should never ever talk about this ever again like this is not a thing that should ever come up but the cost of Shame is worth it to me it just is because we live in a time where the American dream sells you on you should have an upgrade to the new or nicer vehicle and it's just I mean the amount of car debt that we have in this country is insane and it's.
Because it's just the expectation of living here that you should have something that's newer and nicer and I don't think people count the cost that's involved in doing that I think they may at some level consider yeah okay well it's going to be about I don't know three four 500 bucks a more on a monthly payment and I'm going to you know that that that that's tight for us but you know I deserve this I've worked hard for this and then they go and purchase it and all of a sudden it's like I don't know.
If we have room in our budget it's like yeah because that wasn't the only cost I mean a lot of it's I mean people don't even think about this but it's I mean sometimes they upgrade to a bigger truck and it's like those tires cost a lot more now don't they they don't think about the fact that you that you maybe you bought something that requires more gas and that's an annual cost at the end of the day you don't think about the the premiums on your insurance just shot through the roof you went from owning a a vehicle that was like $5,000.
Now it's $30,000 and your insurance premiums now are higher your property taxes on a car are much higher now and property taxes on vehicles in the state are pretty high comparison to other places you don't think about that was all of a sudden I mean you don't think about the fact that the maintenance on that vehicle now just went through the roof because now I would know this but V cars now have like sensors in them like computers and they like think about things and you can they have a car that you know that that that tells you there's a car coming in the lane beside you.
Well that that all every single one of those is a little tiny little computer thing part now it's in the mirror and the side mirror gets hit and it's no longer a $50 fix it's a $500 fix and all of a sudden you didn't count the cost and now you're wondering why you're behind on something like that and I could take that example and expand that to how's I can expand that to so many other things we don't regularly consider the cost before we make hasty decisions and we live in a in a culture that just feeds us materialism it feeds your soul with you need this you need this you need this you need.
This and we just think I deserve this I've earned this I need this I mean some of you are like I I have counted the cost and I can afford this and it's like well but should you is the question that's the bigger question with a lot of this is that should you have the newest and nicest all the time everything is Case by case on these type of decisions I would make a blanket rule on anyone for these types of decisions.
But the reality for many of us is ultimately it's going to be a sliding scale somewhere is that if I spend more on this thing I spend less here which might be savings which might be generosity and we're making these decisions sometimes quickly and sometimes not counting the cost and we're moving this all over the place and the more that we get pulled into the American dream the more we get pulled more into materialism the more we get pulled more into I got to upgrade and and keep up with my neighbor and do all these things the less we have.
For savings generosity the things that ultimately are very important and eternally matter but a lot of these decisions are are made much worse wiser if we actually will consider and count the cost before we make decisions that's the second principle we should heed from the Scriptures is counting the cost the third is the wisdom of debt-free living the wisdom of debt-free living debt is not your friend it's not main uh teaching from the Scriptures on this is prbs 22:7 the rich rules over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender the rich rules over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender that.
When you take a loan from anyone any company that ultimately you owe them and you are not free now there's a lot of debate and off often sometimes heated debate on this passage and the application of it because you get some that'll say see it's foolish or even sinful to ever have debt of any kind and this will be more on the Dave Ramsey side of things has more a little more Nuance position than that but it's just this that it's always always always bad and another side is going to say no this is a little more no this is proverbial the point here is that you shouldn't uh you should be mindful about the.
Debt that you take on you should be M like listen there's there's and I'm not going to solve that debate at all uh today but make no mistake wherever you fall in this debate here it's like you need to understand that regardless when you take on a mortgage and I would argue personally taking on a mortgage is a good thing that's a good way that's one of the easiest ways to build uh long-term wealth in our country so I personally think it's.
Okay to take on some debt like that but even make no mistake the moment you sign a mortgage note you you are not free that will hang over you until it is paid off doesn't changed the wording on this at all the bar is a slave of the lender there's a claim against you until you pay it off you are not free and debt is not your friend that couple I talked about the very beginning that into their 70s they have this burden upon them and it's there and they are not free that every night.
When they lay their head on a mattress that is fancy and great to sleep on they're not free and that's the reality for many of us many of the things that we own are not free that that we're slaved to the lender that we owe something on it y'all it is almost never wise it's it's rarely I would say wise to to owe credit card debt that you can not immediately pay off it's just unwise and yet Americans are about $1.17 trillion dollar in personal credit card debt that's not even we're talking about the government debt there personal American finances over a trillion dollars right.
Now in credit card debt and y'all know the 20 25 30 35% interest on that stuff I'm I mean it's it's a noose around the neck I did B vacational I did Real Estate and pastoring for years I still have my license I don't do as much real estate anymore but one of the things that used to I just boggled my mind was in real estate uh The Lending limits uh you could borrow up to for your primary house you could borrow up to a.
Third of your gross monthly income to purchase which means that if you have um if you make $3,000 gross every month so that's not that's not net that's $3,000 before taxes so before Uncle Sam takes any money if you made $3,000 a month you could borrow money for a house that costs you $11,000 a month that's the that's the Freddy May Freddy Mac that's the lending limits that's insane that's insane that that's allowed like that makes no sense at all I mean what I mean $3,000 Uncle Sam takes it you're getting closer to $2,000.
Now you're $1,000 out of monthly payment and you got $1,000 to pay for health insurance you got $1,000 to pay for food you got $1,000 to pay for everything else that's insane y' our whole system is built on debt it's insanity and it's foolishness and we're so used to it we're so fine with it we we we we we deal in debt all all the time and the Bible says it's foolishness that you make yourself a slave to someone else you are not free.
When you make the decision over and over and over again and I would plead with you that if you are in debt right now you need to get out of it that 2025 it needs to be the year where you aggressively tackle your debt now the good news is is we're offering a financial wisdom class starting in January that Shar Atkins is going to uh teach this and it's going to be extremely practical and I would encourage you to sign up.
For this because it's gonna and and up even beyond that we have a financial care team that comes out of that that's going to help that will sit down with you that will look through your budget that'll help form a budget if you don't have one that will help you tackle an aggressive plan to be able to get out of debt so that you can be free we care about this as a Church and we want to walk alongside you but the.
First part of the problem is diagnosing that you have one and heeding this third principle fourth principle the wisdom of preparing the wisdom of preparing and specifically what I mean by preparing is for retirement the idea of retirement doesn't explicitly show up in the Scriptures and the reason it doesn't is because it was completely different time and culture that in their time you had family land and you had lots of kids which were your Social Security you had children that would take care of you.
When you were older you had the same trade the same land you worked that together and when you got older and you could not work anymore and an honor-based culture your children were absolutely going to take care of you on that same piece of land with that same family trade now that does still happen in other parts of the world today that is why in other countries they have lots of children still because that is your Social Security but we are very different very different culturally very different time all of that.
So what do you do with that because we don't live in the same time and culture as the Bible how do you defend the idea of saving large amounts of money for retirement I would argue it is the summation the summary of these three principles that we just walked through if you I I if if having when you build savings for when Trouble Comes when a uh when a major medical bill happens that's wise but if you're not building savings for.
When Trouble Comes when you are in your 70s and 80s and 90s if you're lucky if you're not building for that you're not thinking ahead head because that is a trouble that is coming that we should count the cost and what we purchase but we also should count the cost on what it takes to live in our later years and shouldn't just assume I'll be all right I have so security if you want to talk to some of our older wiser Saints in our Church it's not that simple that you should count the cost that we uh should be a people that are aggressively getting rid of debt and by the time that're older we.
Debt should be way far behind us that if we're thinking about those first three principles and then thinking about our own Culture The Logical next step is planning ahead for in the final years of our life we should be a people that are thinking like this and I'm going to give some additional on with those uh principles I'm going to give some additional Scriptures that help us think through this and how to uh think about this wisely Proverbs 1211 says whoever works his land will have plenty of bread.
But he who follows worthless Pursuits will have plenty of poverty now the very direct teaching there is is that it's good for you to just work hard at what you've been given to do and there will be abundance you'll be fine that's the general proverbial wisdom there work hard don't cut quarters and and chase after foolish Pursuits because what can happen is is is you might be in your 50s and go oh no I'm I don't think I have a month I don't think I have enough built up.
For retirement and then you might go and choose risky Endeavors to try to make up the Gap that you should have been thinking about all along no work hard prepare think ahead be diligent and put away a little bit at a time a little bit at a time another nugget of wisdom that we get from the gospels is one of these teach that Jesus has that's buried in a teaching when Jesus is teaching on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 which is about a bigger thing that he's teaching in that he makes a very obvious example in Matthew 25: 27.
When the master responds to a man who buried his money in the ground out of fear he says then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest now again there's bigger teaching that's going on there but buried in that is the very obvious example that Jesus gives here that you you could at least instead of burying your money in the ground have put it in something that gains interest and that's where like financial advisers like Raz get really excited like they just I think they go too hard In this passage they just love it love it love it love.
It love it so if you're a Christian and you do financial planning like this is the this is it right here you PR this thing on pillows and put in your office or whatever it is they do but this is this is it like it's like it's it's just very very easy wisdom on the surface right there to be thinking about how can I actually choose wise Investments how can I think about interest and compound interest and all these things these are things you should be thinking about as you think ahead.
If you have children you should be thinking about them in this as well Proverbs 13:22 says a good man leaves an inheritance to his children children's children but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous and that very general proverb is just this General picture of leaving something to your children is good it'll bless their children and their children's children this is the idea of generational wealth but if you don't be laid up for other purposes that aren't good and it's like there's a whole lot of ways that can be misapplied and misunderstood you certainly can leave your kids way too much and it be be bad.
For them but it's this idea of forward thinking ahead and building something for the rest of your days now I think those principles that we talked about earlier do give the foundation for retirement I think these passages help us think wisely about that but here's the difficult thing as Christians as you take everything that we've said about building savings and all of this and you hold that against everything that we said last week which is says do not store up riches here on Earth and it's like man how do we do both how do we walk wisely in the principles the Scripture gives us to think about this.
While also not building storehouses that we talked about last week how do we do this wisely in heed 1 Timothy 6:17 which says As for the rich in this present age charge them not to be hauy nor to set their hopes on the and certainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy it's like man H how do we not love riches so much and trust God for daily provision as we think ahead how do we he what we looked at last week Luke 12:15 and he said to them take care and be on your guard against all covetousness.
For one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions it's like how do I hold these principles and the wisdom here while also having the heart that says I don't want to store up riches here on Earth I I want to invest in the Kingdom that is to come that's the difficulty of Christian Living and and wisdom and I would say it is walking open handedly before the Lord in all of this that is practicing these wise things open-handed that.
If God looked at you in your later years and says I want you to give up this amount of dollars from the nest egg that you've been building the question is would you respond with yes or would you tightfisted go I don't know I I don't know if I can heard another story about a financial adviser who was meeting with this uh woman who's in retirement and they're looking at her monthly uh budget based on her retirement and and she was spending a lot and they were talking with her saying Hey.
Listen I I think that to be mindful of this because you're spending a lot but the the truth of it was she wasn't spending it on herself she was actually spending it on generosity that upwards of about 35% of her budget was was being given away in her retirement and they're trying to teach her and say tell her and said listen I you need to be careful here if if you continue this pattern you might run out of money we might need to re consider you know good thing you're being generous.
But you might need to reconsider some of this and the woman looked at them as serious as could be and said I will cease to give when I cease to live I will cease to give when I cease to live I will die before I stop being generous because that woman knew what her her life was ultimately about that's it y'all that's how we should that's that's it we should be a people that wisely handles our finances in a way that is forward-looking.
But it's so open-handed in how we look ahead that we would be so growing in generosity that at the end of our life we'd still be giving as much as we could away because we understand that ultimately the kingdom of God is more important ultimately investing in missions ultimately giving to the local Church ultimately investing in adoption care ultimately investing in Eternal things is more important that's it we should have the mindset that says yes I will walk wisely but I will cease to give.
When I cease to live I will plan for tomorrow but I will live for eternity that is how we should walk as Christians as we plan for tomorrow with our hope in eternity the band's going to come up and I want us before we take the Lord's Supper today I want us to consider this because in reality many of us have not heeded the wisdom of the Scriptures on this that there are some of us have are are continually racking up debt and and and and it's just there some of us are spending everything that we get and we're not thinking wisely some of us have saved Lots.
But it's been the danger of storehouses and it's not been entrusted to the Lord in a way that is seeking to be open-handed with our finances all of us undoubtedly have failed in this area but the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus meets us in our failure he meets us in our shortcomings here that when we take the Lord's Supper we come we take the bread and the juice and we're reminded in the night that Jesus was betrayed took bread and he broke it he said this is my body that was broken.
For you that as often as you eat and drink you so you Proclaim my death until I return so as Christians yeah sometimes we stink at this and yeah sometimes we've been foolish but Jesus pays for fools with his blood and we come receiving the Forgiveness that we have in Christ but we also come asking him to change your hearts so that we might not be fools for very long that we might be thinking about eternity and also planning for tomorrow in a way that brings him honor and Glory.
So yeah we some of us have really messed this up but that table is for messed up Sinners and we come and we come in Repentance and we come enjoy worshiping him so when you are ready as a Christian come to the table if you're not a Christian please do not take part in this this isn't for you we want you to take part in faith in Jesus so you can understand some of these teachings that we're trying to apply to us as Christians.
But when you are ready come and take the Lord's Supper there's glutenfree in that back corner over there let me pray for us heavenly father I pray that you might help us heed the wisdom of the Scriptures so that we might be a people that walk wisely about our finances that we might be people that our hearts are so firmly fixed in the eternity but we might also be wise about tomorrow and that will only come through your work in our heart.
So we pray that you would and we ask this in Jesus name amen.
giv 2024 Week One
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here so we are not in the Book of Revelation uh we are taking a break for that uh from uh The Book of Revelation of the next few weeks we'll jump back in in the new year to finish out that book uh every year around this time we do what's called a give series it is an opportunity for us uh to in a season where the birth of Christ gets co-opted by our culture in a way that is materialistic and um consumeristic and uh and really detracts from what we're supposed to be celebrating we get to re-evaluate our heart's posture.
When it comes to money and generosity so we have a give series and then we also will have a give project which Isaac will come back and announce later what this year's give project is but that is a practical way for us to live out the implications of the Gospel and what it means for us in practicing generosity so this year specifically uh we're going to be looking at Financial wisdom in this gift Series so in uh week one so this week we're going to be in financial wisdom.
For eternity uh in week two we're going to see Financial wisdom for tomorrow so what does it mean to to plan and think ahead uh wisely and in week three we'll talk about financial wisdom for today how to have a daily mindset when it comes to a daily wise mindset when it comes to finances today we're going to be in the Book of Luke 12 so you can go ahead and flip there we'll get to that in a moment uh a few years ago I read from uh the.
First page of a novel called The Testament by John Grisham uh in a sermon and I wanted to bring it back because I find that first page and how it grabs you and brings you into the story I find some of the things that are said in this unbelievably helpful especially for what we're going to talk about uh today uh but this is a billionaire and he's talking and he says I own the tall glass building in which I sit and 97% of the company housed in it below me and the land around it half a mile in three directions and the 2,000 people who work here and the other 20,000 who do not I.
Own the pipeline under the land that brings gas to the building for my fields in Texas and I own the utility lines that deliver electricity and now least the satellite unseen miles above my head from which I once barked commands to my Empire flung around the world my assets exceed $1 billion I own silver in Nevada and copper in Montana coffee in Kenya coal in Angola rubber in Malaysia natural gas in Texas crude oil in Indonesia steel and China my company owns companies that produce electricity and make computers and build dams and print paperbacks and broadcast signals to my satellite I have subsidiaries with divisions and more countries that anyone can find.
Let me pause there this man is rich obviously right Warren Buffett Rich Elon Musk I mean this is the kind of person that culturally is put forth as these are the wise Financial gurus these are the ones in magazines they get invited on podcasts these are the ones that you should look to for financial wisdom he continues I once owned all the appropriate toys the yachts and jets and Blondes the homes in Europe farms in Argentina an island in the Pacific thorough breads even a hockey team.
But I've grown too old for toys the money is the root of my misery I have three families three Ex-Wives Who Bore seven children six of whom are still alive and doing all they can to torment me to the best of my knowledge I fathered all seven and buried one I should say his mother buried him I was at of the country I am a strange from all the wives and all the children they're Gathering here today because I'm dying and it's time to divide the money.
So that's the first page and I I love John grisham's description here because it pictures Well precisely what Jesus teaches that having all the things and making all the money ultimately looks foolish in in the end and yet those are the kinds of people who have that type of success that we look at as the financial sages of our time that we look at and say oh if I could be like that person if I could make Financial moves like that and the Bible says that this is a fool the culture says this is wise and the Bible says this is foolishness and it's.
So clearly when you see a man at the end of his life who's experienced all of this and is devoid of any bit of joy and it's so clear in what we're going to see today what I want to help us see is that if you want to be financially wise you must have an eternal outlook on your money on your things because if you don't you will be a fool let's pray heavenly father I help pray that you would help us.
See this so clearly from your word today God we desire to be financially wise people but we need to hear your word and then do your word do this in Jesus name amen all right so we're in Luke 12 Jesus uh is doing what he's doing he's teaching and then all of a sudden in chap 12: 13 it says someone in the crowd said said to him teacher tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me but he said to him man who made me a judge or Arbiter over you.
So if you don't read the gospels enough you'll miss moments like this because moments like this it just I love it Jesus is just awesome because at this point in his ministry Jesus is a traveling Sage he he's a he's he has wisdom and people are coming to him and asking him about anything that's on their heart the most pressing thing on their heart they want Jesus to speak into their situation and this man in particular the most pressing thing upon his heart is that his brother is going to get the line share of The Inheritance or all of it and he wants.
Jesus to tell his brother tell him tell him to share this inheritance and Jesus says no which I think is awesome just says no who made me a judge and arbiter over you and you could look at this and think oh is Jesus being dismissive here and he's not he's not being dismissive at all because what he's doing is he sees this man's heart and he redirects what is more important to be addressed here and it's not the fact that he's going to get the inheritance it's.
Verse 15 and he said to them take care and be on guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions so Jesus this this man he he has the chance to ask the Living God In the Flesh of infinite wisdom he could ask him anything he has his ear his direct ear he could ask him anything and the most pressing issue on his heart is things it's money it's an inheritance and Jesus sees his heart and he says no you must guard against this covetousness.
For your life does not consist in the abundance of possessions so that's the main point that he makes here this man brings this concern he addresses that concern he says your life is more than accumulation of things and then Jesus Takes that truth and he builds upon it with a parable verse 16 and he told them a parable saying the land of a rich man produced plentifully which the beginning of this parable already a rich man with plentiful land in their time they would have understood this oh this is someone who is wise this is someone who we should learn from.
If a man has a plentiful producing land and he's prosperous this is one of the ones that we should go to our culture is the same these are the people that get invited on podcasts and invited on TV shows to discuss their wise financial management strategies so Jesus takes the land of the rich man produce plentifully verse 17 and he thought to himself what shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops this man is so wealthy he has run out of places to store his grain he's like I don't have nowhere else to put this my barns are filled I've got enough.
For my family I've got enough for planting next season I've got enough uh to sell I don't know what to do with all of what I have and then he has an idea Verse 18 and he said I will do this I will tear down my Barns and build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods so he thinks the problem here is the barns they're not big enough I don't have big enough storage for all that I need.
So that's what I'll do I'll tear these down I'll build bigger Barns and therefore when I get more and more and more I'll have room for all that I have and he's excited about this plan and then he goes to assure himself in verse 19 and he says and I will say to my soul soul you have ample Goods laid up for many years relax eat drink be Mary and he just he just looks at a situation and he's just like oh with this plan I'm set I I'm good.
For the rest of my life I can store all the grain I'll never have to worry about grain again I could have a famine and I'll Breeze through that and we'll eat and we'll drink and we'll be merry now other than the agricultural context which we may not be familiar with and the language here of speaking to your soul which we do that we're not familiar with that language but that's assuring our inner self okay I'm going to be okay all of this is very familiar.
Because this right here literally is the goal of the American dream this is it you want to be able to make it to a place where you have so much in abundance you don't have to worry about money anymore that we don't have to worry about things anymore that we can get to a place where we've have we've accumulated so much that we can rest and we can relax and we can eat and drink and be merry for all of our days all you need to do is level up you can get a bigger house you can build a Bigg garage you can get a different property it's all you need to do and you.
Finally will be okay you will live The Good Life that is so pervasive and so uh universally understood in our culture this is how you should live but this is not a good plan and then verse 20 it says but God said to him fool this night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared whose will they be so it is the one who lays so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward.
God and the title of this Parable is commonly referred to as the rich fool he says fool you're going to die you're going to die and who is going to have your stuff not you and then you get that final point so is the one who lays up treasure for himself so the point of this at the end is to critique this idea that's so ingrained in the in a human nature and is also pervasive in their culture but also in ours that storing up Treasures here and not being rich towards.
God is foolishness and not just foolishness foolishness that receives judgment because it is a shortsighted view it lacks the wise Eternal Outlook that we are supposed to have because the aim of our life should not be maximizing Joy here it should be maximizing joy in eternity but our minds are so fixed here now the next 10 verses Jesus addresses uh anxieties that we have about daily living and we're going to skip that we're going to come back to that in a few weeks this idea uh that uh needs to be ingrained in our soul.
For daily living to be financially wise daily but when you skip down to verse 32-34 this is all big one chunk of teaching that flows together and you're going to see the concluding thoughts that Jesus gives here verse 32 it says fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom sell your possessions and give to the needy provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no Thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is there will your heart be also okay what I want to do with this passage is I want to work backwards from verse 34 back to help us see what Jesus is trying to help us understand so that we can be financially wise with this eternal mindset so he starts or ends with verse 34 for where your treasure is there your heart will be also so that's the big concluding thought we have a treasure problem we have a that's a value problem what you value that's where your heart's desire is is where you're going to ultimately spend your resources it it reveals your spending reveals what your heart wants.
So we have a treasure problem so you need to ask yourself what are you treasuring what are you dreaming about what are what what consumes your thoughts regularly this is revealing the heart this is revealing what we're actually beholding over the Lord so verse 34 for where your treasure is that your heart will be also so working backwards says provide yourself with bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no Thief approaches and no moth destroys.
So the problem is is that we are treasuring things that do not last we're not treasuring ultimately him we're treasuring created things that do not last which is something that we need to have so ingrained in our understanding that everything that you work for everything that you strive for all of the Blood Sweat and Tears in this life that you put into to purchase things every one of those things will eventually rust will eventually be destroyed almost everything and likely everything that you ever will buy will end up back in the ground I mean think about that the things that we get.
So anxious about the things that we so fix our minds upon the things we so deeply desire the things that we leverage all of our efforts for all of that will end up in the ground the new truck that you so want because if you think if I can just get this truck if I can just get to this right here this full size but just get here I'm going man life will be better in just a short amount of time that will be in a junkyard it'll be sold.
For parts it eventually will end up back in the ground the house that you want I'm tired of where I'm living I'm tired of this situation if I just get this I'll arrive I'll be okay that two is going to end up one day back in the ground it will be torn down something else will be built in its place all of the things the newest gadgets that get thrown at you right now if you just have this watch or this phone or this 3 four years gone forgotten the newest clothes fill in the blank everything that you work.
For all material things all of it goes back to the ground rust it destroys it fades away and yet so much of our heart's desire is those things and so much of our efforts are for those things it's a treasure problem it's a value problem and we value the created far far too much and that's why Jesus addresses this and it's not just here it's all over the gospels because people will say man they just say I like Jesus but I don't really like the Church cu the Church just they seem to care and talk too much about money and I say.
Well I don't think you like Jesus because if you read what he says you'd see that he too talks about this and the reason that Jesus talks about this is because money reveals what you want most in this life that that money reveals ultimately what we worship in the place of God that's why he tackles it so much you can be the kind of person that never lives generously but doesn't buy a bunch of stuff just saves it and stores it into an account over and over I mean just keep and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and what that reveals about your heart is that you.
Value security here as opposed to trusting the Lord with your security as opposed to when you get more to be able to give more no storing up of riches in an account somewhere as a means of controlling as opposed to yielding control to the Lord may be the kind of person that all of your paychecks go to toys they go to vacations they go to experiences they go to things and what that reveals about our heart is that we find comfort in those things that we find comfort in created things as opposed to finding our comfort in the.
Lord I'm not saying that all of those things are bad what I am saying is if that becomes the chief aim of our life is to gain that vacation is to gain that object then what we have revealed is that ultimately our comfort is found in those things and not the Lord do you see how this works it it reveals what's happening in our heart so how do we not gain money bags here that will fade but store up treasure in heaven working backwards in.
Verse 33 it says sell your possessions and give to the needy so if we can identify the problem of our hearts and realize what we're worshiping in the place of God and realize what we're actually treasuring over Christ then we can start to first ask God through faith and repentance to change our heart's desires and then begin to take actions steps that lives out that Faith through works and the works here are sell your possessions and give to the needy the problem with the man in the parable is that nowhere in his calculus.
When he has too much grain is he thinking you know what I could do I could take the excess here and I could look at the people in our town that don't have enough and give to them nowhere in this calculus says oh you know what I could do with the excess that I have is not build bigger barns but actually give more to the temple he is nowhere in his mindset the idea of generosity and it's because his life is bound up in the accumulation of things and that's the lesson.
For us as well that generosity is an action step to kill the desire for things here that when you give generously you are making making a statement of faith that says I trust the Lord because what I could do with this is I could store up things for me so that in the day of trouble I will be okay as opposed to saying you know God I I want to live open-handed here and give to this here and if that day comes I will be.
Okay because I will be with you and you walk with me you'll provide for my needs not all my wants but you provide for my needs that there are actions steps that we get to take as Christians to say I don't love things I love God my flesh does my heart is is wicked and deceitful and it loves things but you've created in me a new heart and I'm changing and I Belong To You therefore I don't want these things I want you Christ.
So yes I like just take my rip my hands open and give me a heart that actually wants to give away that takes the margins of what you've generously given to me because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the father lights James 1 everything comes from the Lord and what we have been given we say I want to in faith entrust to you I want you to help me give I want you to give Church family before me that I can give to that is in need I want to give to the local Church I want to give to missions I don't want to love things I want.
To give the orphan care I don't want to love things over you God will you help me see what do you want me to be generous towards so that we don't fall into the same trap as the man who said you know what I will build bigger storehouses that's the action step that God gives us and when we do this continue to work backwards verse 32 we live for a better Kingdom he says fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom that we get to live.
For a better Kingdom when we've been given much and we entrusted to him we say I'm I I belong elsewhere I mean an 18-year-old who gets a trust fund or inheritance they get a sizable chunk of money and they go off to college and say you know what I'm going to do with all of this money I'm going to have the sickest dorm room on campus I will go hard in this dorm room it is going to be amazing it's going to be better than anything that anyone has which I didn't even know that was a trend apparently.
Now when people go to college like they just they take pictures of these Swanky dorm rooms and I'm like that is not how it used to be it was survive with a mini fridge like I mean it was it was not but but if it how to see him go spend all of his money to have this really awesome dorm room and then in four years he graduates and he can't take it with him and the and the stuff that he could take isn't even new anymore everyone looks at that and says what a fool how dumb.
For you to spend you had all you were given all of this and you spin it all in a dorm room and the irony of even having that posture realizing it's exactly what we do in this life this life is here for a moment it's a vapor it is here it is due in the morning and then it is gone and we say I will maximize all of the joy right here right now to build a kingdom here because I don't believe that the father's kingdom is actually better that's what we do and my hope is is that as we approach this that being in the Book of Revelation will have set us up.
Well that being in the Book of Revelation for as long as we've been if helps us stay in this eternal mindset week in week out we've seen over and over again the end is going to come Jesus will return judgment day is going to happen there is a kingdom of light and a kingdom of darkness and we've seen the Eternal implications of that over and over and over and over again and my hope is is that that Eternal reality will be.
So impressed into our heart that we will actually begin to look at our finances and go oh I get it actually I I now more than ever get it this none of this is going to last that I I want to leverage everything that I have that I can for the kingdom that is to come for riches that will never fade I hope that helps us here because the problem for us undoubtedly is that if all of our finances were laid bear.
If we brought forth our budgets if you combed through the spreadsheets of our spending if you look through the credit card statements the bank statements the cash receipts if you looked at all of it my fear is that it would reveal that we value things over God we value and treasure created over the Creator we value and treasure building kingdoms here as opposed to Living For The Kingdom that is to come that it would reveal glimpses of building storehouses I mean some of you are going into you're racking up mountains of debt to build a life here that will not last some of us are building literal storehouses like I a few years ago we.
I was like we man I just we don't have enough room in the garage and we built this this little shed in the back and was putting the lawnmower and stuff in it and I just felt it I was like oh man I'm literally building a storehouse in my backyard I just felt that I was like I this has got to be enough right some of us are losing sleep regularly over thinking about how to protect the things and keep the things that we've got in this life right.
Now some of you are consistently scrolling through Instagram and you're looking at people's lives and you're seeing all the things they have and the vacations that they go on and covetousness is brewing in your soul in a way that makes you so discontent right now brothers and sisters we cannot be financially wise we cannot be financially wise if the very things we leverage our lives for are temporary because Jesus calls that foolish you can live a life where you manage your money.
Well according to the world and at the end of the day you'll still be a fool you could stroke the largest check to this give project and still not address the problem of your heart or be blinded to the reality that we have elevated created above the Creator and my hope is is that after months and months of spending time looking at the end of The Book of Revelation that we would begin to finally practice this in a way that helps us.
Look at the American dream and say with a resounding Force no I don't want that I want you Jesus that we look at the imminent return of Christ and we'd say no I'm living for that return in that day and not for the here and now and when we get back to the Book of Revelation part three we'd look at the section that we'll finish him which is the new Heavens the new Earth and we'd see it with new eyes I know that you what you more than anything want right.
Now is to get more of the Book of Revelation vation so I'm going to sneak it in right here cuz I want to show you just a glimpse of where we're going in Revelation 21: 18 and 19 this is a glimpse of the new heavens and the new Earth the city of God that comes down it says in verse 18 the wall was built of Jasper while the city was pure gold like clear glass the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of Jewel some of the most valuable objects in this life some of the things they put in museums some of the things that we.
So would love to have are literally concrete and 2x4s in the city of God you catch that that everything that we could possibly think is the most treasurable thing is just Pavement in the city of God if we want to be wise our mind must be there not here and we need to ask Jesus to change your hearts be oriented towards that reality as opposed to the one that is right here I'll close with this the missionary Jim Elliot once said he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
If you understand that every material thing you could have in this life you're not going to keep you're not a fool for giving it away that if you ultimately realize and believe that the Eternal Kingdom that is to come that will be here for 10,000 years forever more that we're investing in that you haven't lost anything and that's the hope that we would have as we do this gift Series this year that we would believe that and have our minds so fixed on the Eternal things of.
God that would actually begin to help let truly live generously and be financially wise people the band's going to come up we're going to sing a song called my worth is not in what I own and I hope that if you're unfamiliar with it just sit in the truth of the words of the song If you're familiar with it Sing Sing even if it's a confession like I don't believe this because I do I think I think I really do believe that my heart is bound up in the things that I have that I own that we come to Christ who was crucified.
For our greedy Covetous hearts and we say Jesus cleanse me change me that I might not worship things over you that I might believe not my own power but by the power of the Holy Spirit that my worth really isn't in the things that I own that it's bound up in you and you alone but may this be a song of confession may be a song of wor worship for some of you maybe a song of repentance and maybe for some of you a a a song that leads you to Faith in believing.
For the first time that our only hope is Christ it is the only Solid Rock to build upon then God willing we can walk that out Faith living out Works to be financially wise.
Revelation 19:11-20:15
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab a Bible and go to ma oh goodness Revelation chapter 19 I don't know I want to go to Matthew all of a sudden I go to Revelation chapter 19 maybe I'm maybe uh some of you were we're really excited for a second you're like we're done in Revelation no we're not today is the last day we will be in the Book of Revelation for the year um and we will go into our GI series next week.
And then we will pick back up and finish out Revelation in January Lord willing uh but we're going to be in Revelation we've reached the part as Spencer told us last week in the Book of Revelation where Jesus rides in on a white horse defeats the dragon and rescues his bride the the beautiful part of so many stories we tell is playing out in the story of humanity and God is at work to rescue and to redeem his people we're going to go through a decent amount of text this morning in in chapter 19 and 20 and there is a lot in chapter 19 and 20.
And so I I want to take a second to kind of frame up how we're going to approach some of this this morning in the book made to stick they recount a story of a uh teacher who's teaching a journalism class to high schoolers and it's one of their first days and he's trying to talk to them about writing a headline or the the lead line of a story where you you basically get the gist of the whole story in one line you help boil it down in one line this is the way prior to clickbait this is the way that newspapers worked they didn't just get go something crazy happened click here to.
See if you're going to die they didn't do that they told you exactly what happened at the top and then the lead line was exactly what happened and then you got more information the further you went but if you only read a little bit you got the gist of the story and so he was teaching them how to do that and he put this on the board Kenneth L Peters the principal of Beverly Hills High School that's the school they were at announced.
Today that the entire High School faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a colloquium in new teaching methods among the speakers will be the anth will be Anthropologist Margaret me college President Dr Robert Maynard Hutchins and California governor Edmund Pat Brown put that on the board he said okay students write the headline write the lead line you're you're writing for our school newspaper write it out well they had a general understanding of who what when where why they're going to write the lead.
For this most of them just rearranged the information trying to stuff it all into one coherent sentence he takes up all the papers he reads through them sets the papers down and goes no this is the headline there will be no school next Thursday that's going to sell your paper that's the conclusion at the end of that if the entire faculty is gone y'all don't have to be here and there's a danger in Reading Revelation 19 and 20 because there's so much wildly interesting things in it.
And so many details that we can divert ourselves into those details and miss the headline miss the main point and so uh everything in Revelation is worth studying and there is much that could be spent studying and going through chapters 19 and 20 we could actually spend as much time as we've spent so far in the Book of Revelation going through chapters 19 and 20 but we are not we're going to zoom over and get the the big conclusive picture this morning.
Jesus is Victorious that's what we're going to see he is utterly and completely Victorious and we're going to see how and against whom and there's going to be a lot of very interesting things that maybe you'll be excited that we don't spend a lot of time on or maybe it will hurt your feelings I don't know but we don't want to miss the point so if if we don't know how all the the the um faculty is going to make it to Sacramento we don't know who's car pulling with who or what what they're going to have.
For lunch we're just going to land on there's no school next Thursday and that's some of what we're going to do in this text as we see how Victorious Jesus is so let's pray and then let's start in chapter I mean in verse 11 Lord we pray that we would honor you well that we would see you clearly that you would help us to rejoice in your coming complete Victory in Jesus name amen uh this is not to say that these details aren't important it's just that we wanted as we studied the Book of Revelation to help our Church family not read Matthew to Jude.
And then stop and start back over in Matthew but to actually have the just understanding the big picture of what is happening in the Book of Revelation what is going on and there are a lot of times where people focus in on smaller details and miss the point we don't want to do that so Revelation 19:1 this is John seeing a vision and writing it down a prophetic picture of the future then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse the one sitting on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes War it's a white horse the one sitting on it is faithful and true he judges and makes.
War in righteousness in Chapter 13 those who worship the Beast said who is like the Beast and and who can fight against it they're about to find out who can fight against the Beast because he makes War it says his eyes are like a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems and he has a name written that no one knows but himself he is clothed in a robe dipped in Blood and the name by which he is called is the word of.
God this is Christ this is Jesus riding in on a white horse crowns on his head fire in his eyes a robe dipped in blood to make war and to judge now there's a question here as to if he's riding in to make war why is his robe already dipped in Blood and I think there are two pictures here that may be give us some some clarity on what is going on one is I think it's his blood I think we.
See throughout this that he is a lamb who was slain that he is covered in his own blood and that it is by his blood that he gains Victory those behind him are riding white horses and they in clean white linen which we're told in Revelation chapter 7 that the Saints have washed their clothes and made them white in the blood of the lamb and so that he is the one who is marred he is the one who is come humbled in his own blood.
But there's also a reference to Isaiah 63 the the back part of Isaiah chapter 60-65 have a lot of overlap with the Book of Revelation and in chapter 63 there's someone who has a robe covered in blood and Isaiah asks who are you and he says he's the one who has tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God and that he's covered in the blood of his enemies and we're told in this chapter in verse 15 we'll read it in a moment that.
Jesus is going to tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God and so we have this dual picture here of Jesus who has shed his own blood but that ultimately is the one with the authority to judge and make War and who will tread the wine press that we saw in Revelation 14 where they were reaped and placed in a wine press for judgment and we need to see Jesus in both ways so often I think when we picture.
Jesus or when other people speak of Jesus we refer to the way he came to us the first time humble Meek we're going to celebrate that at Christmas that he was born in in a stable in a barn he was placed in a Manger that he was humble and meek that he was humiliated on a cross that he was in so many ways conquered executed but he is no longer when he returns he came once in humility he comes back in Victory he came to us.
First in meekness he comes back to us with fierceness that the whole world has to reckon with if we know him in his humiliation we need to know and love him in his exaltation and as Christians we ought to celebrate and Delight in both that he is kind and humble that he rides in Humble and seated on a donkey that he's coming to rescue his people as a slain lamb but that he also rides in on a white horse as a Victorious King who is king of kings.
Lord of lords and will rescue and redeem the world and we need to see him and know him and love him as both verse 14 and the armies of Heaven arrayed in fine linen white and pure were following him on a white horse I heard a pastor say one time that if someone tells you to meet them for a fight and they show up wearing all white they have some expectations about how that fight is going to go he shows G Christ is wearing a robe dipped in Blood and those who follow him are in fine linen white and pure from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the Nations.
He will rule them with a rod of iron he will tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God the almighty on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written king of kings and Lord of lords this is the Glorious conquering exalted Christ who is coming to set things straight verse 17 then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead come gather.
For the great supper of God to eat the Flesh of Kings the Flesh of captains the Flesh of Mighty Men the Flesh of horses and the Riders the Flesh of all men both free and slave both small and great uh as I was studying this I came across a quote from um uh a a comment a commentator named barlay who says this is a bloodthirsty picture far more in line with Old Testament apocalyptic expectations than with the Gospel of Jesus Christ reads this passage and says this doesn't seem to fit this seems like it doesn't fit with the New Testament basically takes issue with this passage as.
If it is somehow in congruent with the Gospel but this is actually a part of the proclaimed Gospel that we have heard over and over again there is wrath coming there is Judgment for sin John 3 where we get for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life it goes on to say this right after that whoever believes in the son has eternal life whoever does not obey the son shall not.
See life but the wrath of God remains on him or Colossians 3 when it lifts off sin and rebellion and it says on account of these the wrath of God is coming or Romans 59 since therefore we have now been justified by his blood much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God Jesus saves us from sin and saves us from the wrath of God the just wrath of God on sin and this picture of Jesus conquering and judging is not in congruent with the Gospel it is what makes the Gospel.
So gloriously beautiful that we deserve destruction that we deserve to be destroyed and crushed struck and that Jesus was crushed and struck that Jesus is the one who paid the penalty of sin so that we might have hope and we might be saved from the wrath of God there is wrath coming and those who trust the son will be saved but he is coming with wrath to judge and to make war verse 20 uh verse 19 and I saw the Beast and the kings of the Earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army we we saw this.
When we were looking at the bowls now it's been some weeks but I don't think it's been much time in the Book of Revelation we're in the day of the Lord we're in his judgment being poured out and we saw that the people of Earth are not remorseful they hate him they've gathered to make war on him that it's obvious that he's revealing himself and their response is not begging for mercy but Waring against against him and so they've gathered to make war and he's come to make war.
Verse 20 and the Beast was captured and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image now we've talked about this a good bit the Beast is a representation of all the king kingdoms of Earth that exalt themselves against the glory of God and the false prophet is the false religions and the soft power and the love of money and all these things that exalt themselves against the glory of.
God it does seem like there may be a full culmination personified at the very end but the Beast and the false prophet are captured these two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire that burns with sulfur and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse and all the birds were gorged with their flesh he has an army behind him but he's the one who slays here's the headline the Beast and the false prophet are defeated.
Jesus is Victorious all of the full culmin culmination of the glory of humanity that raises itself against the knowledge of God all of our love of wickedness all of our Rebellion all of our systems that that we've set up to to glorify ourselves and to rebel against him all of our governments all of our power all of our wealth all of it all of our false worship is destroyed is removed and all those who have followed and trusted in that are slain they have risen against Christ and been utterly defeated.
But he's not done he keeps going then I saw an angel coming down from heaven okay now it it is unclear when we're in the Book of Revelation some what is sequential and what is sometimes it's not what happens next it's what he sees next now it's quite possible this is sequential and he's just seeing this and it's actually playing out in time it's also possible that he's being seen he's seeing different things that are happening at different times but he says.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain and he seized the dragon that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the Nations any longer until the thousand years were ended after that he must be released for a little while it's a couple of things we need to touch on one I want you to.
See that the two times that Satan has been he was cast out of Heaven once by Michael he's thrown into a pit once by another angel I think sometimes we have in our mind that Satan is somehow on the level with Christ he is not he is not he does not find his is equal in a member of the trinity in the Son of God he does not when he is grabbed and taken places it's it's accomplished by Angels he's bound and placed in the abyss in the pit.
For a thousand years and it's sealed over him now this is where we get the idea of the Millennium people will talk about the thousand year reign or they'll talk about the Millennium Millennium is just this word uh translated into English we spent some time on this if you're suddenly very very excited we spent some time on this in our uh Revelation training weekend and we did that because we didn't want to read passages like this and not talk about them.
But we also didn't want to spend a ton of time on it on a Sunday morning so if you're interested in the Millennium and views on the Millennium our training weekend is recorded and online and I will also happily talk to you about it actually very excitedly talk to you about it because I'm thoroughly enjoying studying The Book of Revelation and going through all of this I will not excitedly talk to you about it this morning because I want to make sure we.
See the main parts of what's Happening Here I will tell you that there are several views on the Millennium that are faithful to the Scriptures that are held by people who love Jesus who are taking the Bible seriously there's premillennialism which says that Christ returns prior to the Millennium and the Millennium is a literal 1,000-year Reign on on Earth there is a millennialism pre meaning that Christ comes before that's where pre comes from a means no amillennialism just means there is no literal Millennium they're going to read this as uh a spiritualized picture of what is happening a recapitulation which we've seen a couple times in the Book of Revelation it's not out of sync.
With the text it does not take this as literally as premillennialists take it they're going to basically say that Satan is bound at the cross and that he used to have control over all the nations and the Gospel now he's been bound in such a way that the Gospel can spread to all the nations it used to just be the Jewish people and everybody else didn't believe now the Gospel can spread to All Nations so they're going to hold that he's Bound in some ways.
But not bound in other ways and that this Resurrection is taking place when people place their faith in Jesus that it happens spiritually and then later it'll happen physically then there's a thing called New Creation millennialism which is trying to bridge some of the gaps on some of the difficulties between some of those interpretations we're going to read a little more I will point out a few more things about those as we go but we're not going to spend a ton of time on those.
And if you're interested in like I said are some of you have already glazed over some of you are annoyed that I'm not going to keep talking it is what it is then I saw Thrones this is verse four and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed that's all it says about them so you might say well who are those who who's that those to whom the authority to judge was committed that's what the text tells us there's some speculation that we won't talk about there are there are Thrones and he sees those to whom the authority of the judge was committed also I saw the souls of those.
Who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who had not worshiped the Beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years the rest of the Dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended this is the first Resurrection blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection over such the.
Second death has no power but they will be Priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for a thousand years now there's a whole lot of things that we could look in at that but Jesus Christ resurrects his Church those who belong to him are brought to life this is what he says in John 6 that anybody who believes in him he'll ra raised them up on the last day that he raises up the Church this is what we read together that the perishable will put on the imperishable I don't know.
If you've noticed this but your body isn't the best I know it's weird for me to have to be the one to break that to you but it fights you it falls apart it doesn't hold up the way you want it to there are things about yourself that don't work properly could be your eyesight your Mobility your digestion I don't know but you've got some problems recently I got btis in my elbow which is it's just from using my elbow it's it's like I was using my elbow to do stuff.
And then my elbow was like don't like that I'm going to make you pay for it it's like what is that have you been talking to my knees did they get you in on this but it's so far beyond that sort of stuff y'all our bodies war against us and our flesh Wars against us such that we desire sin so that we spend our days fighting against our own desires so that we can try to keep our heart close to the.
Lord that we try to keep in step with the spirit that we are at war against ourselves and and against Decay and against the work of sin as far as the curse is found that it's run through existence and there is a day when we'll hear the trumpet and the voice of our King and we will rise and in in a moment in the twinkling of an eye the perishable will put on the imperishable and we will reign with the King that all that we've struggled against all that we've failed in all that we've fallen short in will be gone in a blink.
Jesus Christ the Victor raises his Church to be victorious with him verse 7 and when the thousand years are ended Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the Nations that are at the Four Corners of the earth Gog and Magog which is a direct reference to Ezekiel chapter 38 that's where Gog and Magog come from to gather them from B for battle their number is like the sand of the sea and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the Saints and the Beloved City.
But fire came down from heaven and consumed them and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and sulfur where the Beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever okay real quick if there's a literal Thousand-Year Reign on earth like a new Eden as the premillennialist would hold and they have Credence in the text to do that one of the questions that comes to them is.
Then who are these people that come wage war against the Saints and they have to try to answer that and they give some answers but that's one of the tensions that they have in this text the amillennialists don't have this tension they just say this is a recap of what we just read where he fights against the beast at the in chapter 19 that he's bound and then at the end of all things the the control that he has he's released back out to lie and to cause problems.
But the problem they have is that he is both deceiving and not allowed to deceive at the same time which is confusing they also have a problem with the fact that they're going to T say that Resurrection earlier is spiritual not literal but everywhere else it's used in the Bible it's literal they're also going to say that came to life the first time it's mentioned means spiritually and it came to life the second time it's mentioned means literally and I recently read someone who was interacting with that idea and they said it's the exact same phrase with the exact same words.
And if you want me to believe it means this here and and something else down here then words have no meaning throw your Bible away which I thought was an aggressive way to argue against that but they were just saying there's some problems with how you're interpreting this text New Creation millennialism says there actually is a creation and that when Satan is released from the abyss so are all those who have been placed in the abyss and that is who comes with him to wage war which is interesting.
But it's a new idea and people are trying to try to see if the next holds that up and we'll bear that weight but as you can see there are things that are good and uh that each one of those views has to answer I have one that I lean towards but you can hold different views here and still be faithful and I would encourage you to go check out our um training weekend on it but to get in all of that is to miss the point.
But did y'all hear what just happened they marched up over the broad plane of the earth Sur rounded the camp of the Saints the Beloved City but fire came down from heaven and consumed them it wasn't even close they're gone in half a verse and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and sulfur where the Beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever Satan is defeated Jesus is Victorious and as a pastor I sit with people who are under spiritual assault who are being lied to who are walking in fear as the enemy has been at work to harm them.
And there's a day when he doesn't get to do anything anymore except for suffer there's a day when his power is broken his lies are gone his influence is gone his authority is gone and he is subject fully in torment before Christ and His glory that all the fullness of the rebellion of humanity is destroyed and Satan himself is crushed he who has been the enemy of God since the beginning since the garden and who has worked to ruin everything and to take as many captive as possible he is torment Ed day and night forever and ever to the glory and the Conquering King Christ to his exaltation and his Praise.
Jesus is Victorious but he's not done verse 11 then I saw a great white throne and him who was Seated on it from his presence Earth Earth and Sky fled away and no place was found for them what picture that for a moment he sees a throne and then he just says and everything R it just ceases to it runs away so that at this moment the only thing that exists the central existence the all existing one is the throne and him who Seated on him everything else is just it's him reality has come to bear and I saw the dead Great and Small standing Before the Throne and books were opened the dead Great.
And Small kings queens famous people wealthy people powerful people people all the popes AA the Hun Jeff Bezos every big famous person and then every person who tears ticket stubs was enslaved nobody knows her name nobody pays any attention to him all all the dead Great and Small are before the Lord and books were opened so then now there's books then another book was open so we have books and we have another book it's it's going to be real pertinent here in a minute books were opened with a lot of books.
And then another book that stands out as distinct from those books then another book was opened which is The Book of Life this is referenced several times it was referenced uh earlier in Book of Revelation as the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain Revelation 13 the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain so there's the Book of Life the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain and so there are books and the Book of Life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done and the Sea gave up the Dead who were in it death.
Hades gave up the Dead who were in them and they were judged each one of them according to what they had done so the books declare the Deeds of all those great and small we'll come back to that in a minute verse 14 then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire this is the second death the Lake of Fire so earlier it said those who were resurrected in the first resurrection the second death has no hold over them they will not taste the.
Second death which is eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire eternal torment forever and ever but did y'all see what just happened Jesus through his authority and his victory and his power kills death conquers death death and Hades are thrown into the Lake of Fire death is no more the rain of death is gone in the past month in my family and our Church family there's been death in your life and in your relationships there's been death your entire life life the shadow of death clings to you like your own shadow it's.
So much of what we choose to do or not do is because death lingers on the periphery so much of how we interact with other people how we live how we treat our children is because death is somehow always just at the edge of our sight and every time death comes near there's something in us that says this isn't how this is supposed to be and there's something in us that hates death and can I tell you that Jesus does too and that one day death is destroyed death is conquered death is brought into full subjection into under him who is life that death has no more sting and no more Sway and no more.
Hold and no more power that death might get me unless Jesus returns death will but that as Christians we can face death and we can say you might get me but he's going to raise me up and then he's going to get you death is destroyed Jesus is Victorious and that is glorious wonderful news and for all of us who've tasted the bitterness of death there's a hope of a conquering King who rides in on a white horse and Justice is served.
But I want you to see verse 15 and I want us to consider these books as we finish up our time verse 15 says this if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of Fire so the Lake of Fire which is reserved for the devil and his angels the Lake of Fire where the Beast goes where the Prophet goes where Satan goes where death goes everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire.
So there are books and then there's another book which is The Book of Life which means that in all the other books there was not found anything sufficient to save all the other books hold your deeds and your Deeds this you'll be there by the way I don't know where you'll fall on the greatness or the smallness scale but you'll be there and all the books that will record and display your Deeds are sufficient to condemn but not sufficient to save.
If you'll think about it and you'll think about your life that makes perfect sense if someone followed you throughout your days just to see if you broke US law eventually they have enough evidence to convict of some infraction if your mom followed you around to see if you broke her rules eventually she would find evidence to convict but God who oversees the entire world and has put in place things like truth and beauty and goodness and love we have effectively in our rebellion and our sin and our lack of faith given all the data we need all the evidence needed to condemn.
But nobody using those books is saved so there are books that record your deeds and if you know your deeds and understand that yes if God were to open that up and you were to stand before the king of kings in his glorious might as he is Seated on the throne and your Deeds were to be read you know the feeling of Shame and regret and fear that you would feel good there's a greater danger for you which is the danger the Pharisees were always in which is to long.
For this day and say I can't wait till he reads the book and sees how great I am oh I can't wait till that day comes and he reads the books of my deeds and he he applauds me and says how wonderful I am Jesus tells them there in far greater danger that Pride before the Lord is much more dangerous that they would they would believe that they are sufficient in themselves so for us to look at this and go if my Deeds are read I'm in trouble yes and you need to know that.
If you think you aren't you're in more trouble but y'all there's another book that's not about what we've done but about what he's done there's a book called The Book of the life of the Lamb who was slain and it and only it and him and only him are sufficient to save so they read your deeds and then they just see do you belong to Jesus then none of it sticks because the debts been paid there is no condemnation there is no judgment that befalls those who are in Christ and everything bad becomes untrue there is no more human human rebellion and false worship there is no more enemy there is no more death there.
Is joy and salvation and hope with Christ because of the work of Jesus and the lamb that was slain Jesus is Victorious he conquers all our enemies 1 Corinthians 15:20 says this but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep for as by a Man Came Death by a man has come also the resurrection of the Dead for as in Adam all die so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
But each in his own order Christ the first fruits then it is coming those who belong to Christ then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every Rule and every Authority and power for he must Reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet The Last Enemy to be destroyed is death for God has put all things in subjection under his feet amen let's pray Jesus we thank you for your Victory we praise you as the supreme ruler over all things you are king of kings.
Lord of lords and may we rejoice in the hope of the victory to come and may we endure in the hope of the victory to come all praise to your name amen the band is going to come we're going to sing and we're going to take communion where we celebrate as a foraste what Jesus has accomplished where we celebrate that his blood was shed for us that he came in humility and we long for the day that he returns in Victory We Stand between those two moments in history Jesus's sacrificed.
For us and Jesus's coming exalt a and rain and if you have not placed your faith in Jesus if you not trusted in him if you know that you would stand before him and those books would be read and they would just be sufficient to condemn but your name would not be in the Lamb's Book of Life because you have not surrendered and asked for mercy and help and I would say do that now ask for Grace now ask for Mercy.
Now ask for hope now ask for salvation now if you know some of the things that would be in the book of your Deeds that would condemn you ask Christ to cover them by his blood so that on this day you might Rejoice with the Saints in new life rather than stand in rejection of God's salvation and carry the weight of your own condemnation but for those of us in the room who've trusted in Christ may we joyously celebrate that his blood covers Us that his body was broken.
For us and that we have a hope hope and a future held secure in him and then may we sing together as we fix our eyes just for a moment on what is to come.
Revelation 19:6-10
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Is Spencer and I'm one of the pastors here we are been moving through big chunks of the Book of Revelation uh like last week we went through two chapters and some change today we get to kind of camp out in five verses which I'm excited about we're in Revelation chapter 19: 6-1 I am uh bear with me this morning I'm getting over some funk that's been going around so I have no idea what's going to come out of this voice but I'm sure it'll be lovely I um I love weddings uh weddings are a lot of fun I love The Angst of the moment uh that's you can just.
See bound up in the groom when he walks out I don't think I've ever seen a groom that's not just nervous because the weight of the moment is just so big and then when the do is open and his lovely bride is walking down the aisle the joy in both of their eyes and just the excitement and really the naivity of the pure joy which is what the way it's supposed to be and there just excitement um I love the vows that they take.
When I do weddings I do serious vows um because it's a serious moment and uh even if I'm performing this ceremony like I I I tell everyone and I myself reflect upon like my own vows that's a moment to remember the Covenant of marriage and how uh important it is to honor this Covenant um I love wedding receptions um I appreciate weddings that that do receptions well and have really good food um you know I I mean I do I got I'm went to a wedding that had endless shrimp cocktail and it's like yes absolutely just non-stop just quietly going back and forth trying to not get as much judgment that like I've murdered this.
Shrimp cocktail spread I love we're in the South so if you've got a good quality mac and cheese that's well done uh if you have uh a good spread of meats I really appreciate that I love weddings to have good food and good drink and really responsible wedding parties that can enjoy the moment but aren't sloppy and just can be responsible adults having fun um I love dancing I'm not the uh I'm not the first out on the floor kind of guy never have been that's just not my role in the party.
But but I do enjoy uh uh dancing with my wife as we get to go and have fun I enjoy wedding anthems Don't Stop Believing Mr bright side shout like just I mean I I so love it I love when they leave like I just love the seeing them excitedly going out on this adventure uh I love weddings I don't think I'm alone in this I think it's a widely accepted experience that most people enjoy good weddings and that's true in this culture that's true.
If you look at weddings and cultures across the world that's true when you look throughout history that in every age like weddings when they're written about no matter what year it is what century it is like weddings are are a joyous event they are some of the best versions of humanity this side of Eternity therefore it should come as no surprise that a wedding is one of the most joyfill hopeful themes that runs throughout the Scriptures from Genesis into Revelation let me read our text.
For today Revelation 19: 6 and following then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude like the Roar of many Waters and like the sound of mighty peels of Thunder crying out Hallelujah for the Lord Our God the Almighty Reigns let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous Deeds of the Saints and the angel said to me write this blessed are those who were invited to the marriage supper of the lamb and he said to.
Me these are the true words of God then I fell down at his feet to worship him but he said to me you must not do that I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy what sometimes gets missed is this great theme that goes from Genesis to reev ation so much so that uh the buildup to this is is often missed the the theme that this is and Bible nerds will call this a motif that's the word Motif it's just a grand theme that flows from Genesis to Revelation that has this one grand theme that.
Kind of flows throughout the entire story and if you if you don't understand the buildup to this and you just jump into Revelation without understanding the backstory you you miss how beautiful and how wonderful this moment is it was be like just starting with the second Lord of the Rings movie and then all of a sudden an old man just pops out in the forest you're like oh they're excited to see him that's nice but you admiss that that's Gandalf and in the last movie he died this is a really big deal.
So without the backstory you miss how big that moment is and that's what if you don't understand the backstory that goes into this joyous wonderful event that all of the Scriptures are looking forward to you miss it so that's I want to do today I want to fill in the backstory I want to walk from Genesis to Revelation and just kind of go through from old into the New Testament to see this grand theme of this love story that plays out throughout the Scriptures and my hope is is that as we walk through this by the end of it we would understand the gravity of this moment and it would make us fall more in.
Love with our savior for who he is and what he's done for us so I'm going to pray for us and then we'll walk through this together heavenly father I thank you for this picture that the Church has longed for for so long God I pray that you'd help us understand how big this is and that we would aim and Orient Our Lives to get that wedding Altar and we ask this in Jesus name amen all right so we're going to start in Genesis chapter 2.
God uh makes Adam and he sees that it's not good that Adam is alone so he forms Eve from the rib of Adam and then brings them together in the first marriage and this is what God pronounces about their marriage in Genesis chapter 2 he says therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh and the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed so we get the creation of marriage as a gift to humanity and there's a lot of theology as in what's what's the point of marriage and there's lots of different purposes it's a partner it's a.
Partner for Holy intimacy it's a partner for the rearing of children for the building of families for the building of societies there's a lot that goes into this and then all of a sudden when you get to chapter three this beautiful Harmony that they enjoy is disruptive when the enemy Satan the form of a serpent comes into the garden and lures and entices them into rejecting finding satisfaction in their God by satisfying themselves in lesser things and then all of a sudden sin comes into the world through sin through their Rebellion against.
God through their rejection of God through trusting the word of the enemy over God sin enters into the world but it also enters into their marriage and strife begins so much so that the very first actions really after this some of the very first things that are said Adam blames Eve he says it's her fault it's this one you put with me and you see Strife begin and that trickles down into the rest of humanity and affects marriages even into today.
But if you read the rest of the Scriptures just keep going through the Old Testament it you don't really see much more about marriage other than it's just a part of society it's a part of families it's just part of the building up of the nation of God it's just a it's just it's a building block but by the time that you get to the prophets in the Old Testament we start to see something that marriage is actually a picture it's actually pointing to something bigger than just the horizontal relationship between husband and wife.
When you get to Isaiah 54 verse 5 God who is consoling his people who are enduring and going to endure more trials and are going to suffer more in Isaiah 55 54:5 he says for your maker is your husband the Lord of hosts is his name and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer the God of the whole earth he is called and we get this picture here where it says your maker God is your husband that this Covenant relationship that.
God has with his people is like that of a husband the Lord and his wife his people and you get this picture of marriage that points to something bigger that this is God and his people in this Covenant relationship together so much so that it's got this the Lord of hosts is his name the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer it's this this language of he's the husband who defends and strengthens and upholds his wife it's picturesque I mean there.
If you've if you've been in marriage long enough you know at some point one of you is going to struggle and one of you is going to uh to be in a season where you're just not okay and in Christian marriage by the power of the Holy Spirit the spouse who is doing a little bit better gets to by not his or her own strength but the strength of the Lord uphold and help carry through their spouse through the other side of it and that's this picture here of.
God he's he's I'm your Redeemer I'm your husband I'm going to I'm going to be with you I'm going to help you get through this and we see that marriage is is bigger than just husband and wife and this theme continues in Isaiah 62:5 on the back part of verse 5 it says and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride so shall your God Rejoice over you you and we get another picture here that the Lord he says like a groom who rejoices over his bride like a new husband who's just excited about his bride.
And if you if you've been there you've seen this it's it's wonderful I mean to see a husband who's just excited to be married and he's excited about his his new wife I remember when I first got married uh back in the day on Facebook they had this uh uh in the About Me section they had these activities so in college I had all these activities I don't remember what they were but I'm sure they were profound um and I had all these activities.
And when I got married I deleted all of them I just put marriage cuz I was that excited I like I'm just I'm married in the whole first year of marriage all I can do is talk about and that's that's a that Zeal that Joy that's what the Lord has over his people right he loves his people he's zealous for his people he rejoices es over his people what a wonderful picture of our God that those who belong to him he rejoices over them he celebrates them he's excited about them and that's the picture that.
God has for his people this deep Fierce love that is profound and it is precisely why when his people reject God why the response is so intense and so fierce in judgment that when the people of God re reject their maker reject their Covenant husband reject God for lesser Idols you get passages like Ezekiel 16 you look through the chapter of Ezekiel 16 I'm just going to pick out a few parts of it but God is addressing how they've forsaken him.
For forign idols and in verse 8 it says when I passed by you again and saw you behold you were at the age of age for love and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you declares the Lord God and you became mine just look at that of just how how much God loves us how much God loves his people and he says I I covered you with the corn of my garment it's this deep love that.
God has for his people pitted against verse 15 and 16 what happens he says but you trusted in your beauty and played the because of your Renown and lavished your whings on any pass her by your beauty became his you took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines and on them played the the like has never been nor ever shall be and you get this picture of marriage which was this love story that turns into a tragedy because the people of.
God have worshiped Idols in the place of God and and what they were doing is is a lot of times you think oh just how silly it is to bow down to W an object it's like that actually they they didn't un they didn't look at this wood an object that's just that's what I'm bowing down to this was an object that represented the God of Baal who provides rain for the fields and fertility and I'm not getting what I want from.
God here so I'm going to run to this God instead I'm going to go to Ashera pole instead I'm going to go to these foreign Gods who can provide for me and God is saying you play the horror you've gone to other things you've reject that's the all the language we've seen in Revelation so far and this spiritual adultery it's from the prophets and it's this picture of a rejection of God by the time you get to the prophet of Hosea in Hosea chapter 1.
God raises up the prophet Hosea to literally be a living Parable and he tells them that you're going to marry a a promiscuous woman and she's going to you're going to have children you'll build a family and a life with this promiscuous woman and she's going to cheat on you and your life will be a living Parable for what the people of God have done to me in Hosea 1:2 it says when the Lord first spoke through Hosea the Lord said to Hosea go take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.
For the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord and the life of Hosea is this picture of God who loves and pursues and yet the people reject and they run to idols and lesser things and then this continues all the way to Malachi chapter 2 at the very end of the Old Testament yeah that was not enough not enough when you get to chapter 2 verse 11 at the end of the Old Testament it says Judah has been faithless and an Abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem.
For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which he loves and has married the daughter of a foreign God and the Old Testament closes with this theme of of marriage pointing to this bigger reality and it this marriage is in disrepair the people of God have not remained faithful no matter how much God loved them no matter how much God blessed them no matter how much God protected them over and over again they say no I want this instead of you no I'd rather have this way instead of your ways and there's this longing as the people continue to Rebel as they continue to cheat.
And if you ever seen or endured cheating or adultery it's bad enough it's painful enough in the act itself but it's so much worsened when the person says yeah you caught me but guess what I don't care I'm going to keep going with this person cuz I don't want you and that's what's happened the people of God keep rebelling they keep running to other things instead of God and there's this longing for the marriage to be fixed for something to happen.
And then a prophet in Nazareth begins to preach and that is when the restoration of This Love Story begins when Jesus begins his ministry the Pharisees criticize him and his followers for not fasting and Jesus responds but he uses a very some very specific language and in Mark 2:19 it says and Jesus said to them can the wedding guest fast while the bridegroom is with them and he uses very specific language because he calls himself the bridegroom he's the groom and he says can can they fast.
When I the groom are with them he's using the language that's been pulled throughout the Scriptures in the prophets to say the groom is here and he's coming for his bride and then John the Baptist who at this point realizes that his work is done John the Baptist speak speaking in John 3 says the one who has the bride is the bridegroom the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice therefore this Joy of mine is.
Now complete he must increase but I must decrease and John the Baptist ends his ministry by exalting Christ he's like I'm I'm the best man my job is here he is he's here the the the groom has come and I'm I'm taking a step back now and then Jesus continues this in some other Parables he teaches about this wedding Feast that is to come and he pictures this wedding Feast that's going to include not just uh the people of God that were the Jewish people.
But also the Nations and you get all of this language that gets pulled throughout the rest of the New Testament but then you get to Ephesians 5 which gives us really the fullest clearest picture of what this love story was all about now when you read Ephesians 5 a lot of attention is paid to uh the roles that God tells of husbands and wives where God tells the husband to love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up.
For her and a lot of times when we're teaching this like husbands you were to lay down your life like Christ did sacrificially for your wife it's the sacrificial love and then he looks at wives and he says wives submit to your husbands whe it's just this picture of your husband is meant to lead the home you're meant to follow him and we teach this that wives you should follow the lead of your husband this is the picture of the design of marriage and a lot of attention rightfully.
So gets paid to that but there's something bigger that's happening in Ephesians 5 by the time you get to the end of Ephesians 5 it's very clear in Ephesians 5: 31-32 at the end of this passage it says Paul referencing Genesis 2 says therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh so he quotes Genesis 2 and then he says this this mystery is profound and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the Church.
So marriage is about this one flesh partnership it is about holy intimacy and marriage it is about the raising of children it is a building block for families it is a building block for societies but that's not the biggest part that's not the main thing marriage was and is and is always pointing to something bigger the bigger love story of Christ Jesus and his bride the Church that's what marriage is and that is why I'd argue that for every Century throughout time marriage in every culture has been this joyous event whether the people know why or not there is a reason why weddings are.
So joyous it is because it points to the most beautiful relationship God and his people Jesus Christ and the Church that he claims I mean goodness you read you read Revelation 19 and it's this picture of Christ being united with his bride and this wedding and then literally what Chad's going to walk through next week he slays the dragon so he gets the girl and he slays the dragon that is the basis for every classic tale you know why because it's based on the biggest love story that has ever existed.
God and his Church that's what this was always about now now now that you know the backstory let's read this text again in Revelation Chapter 19 Verse 6 then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude like the Roar of many Waters and like the sound of many of Mighty peels of Thunder crying out Hallelujah there's this this unbelievable rejoicing like if you watched the the game last night the yeah woo yeah that stadium was shaking and that's got nothing compared to this.
When this thunder peels of Thunder crying out Hallelujah for the Lord Our God the Almighty Reigns let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory and we've seen this type of rejoicing so much in the Book of Revelation because judgment is coming but that's not what it's only about there's this rejoicing because finally ever since the longing in the garden it is going to be fixed Jesus Christ is going to wet his Church it says for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready like a bride who's done all the right steps who has been faithful to wait in and engagement and is.
Now clothed herself in the white linen cloths of Purity and is now ready to receive her groom the bride is ready to receive Jesus verse 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous Deeds of the Saints and the picture here is twofold the righteousness is the is the picture here clothes the Church first by no work of Our Own It says it was granted to her and the good news of the Gospel is that though we don't deserve it.
Jesus Christ through faith in him bestows his righteousness upon us every good deed and perfect work of Christ is placed upon us I love what RC Sproul says he says Adam said don't blame me blame my wife the second Adam Jesus said don't blame my wife blame me that's the Gospel y'all that Jesus says don't blame the Church I will go to the cross I the sacrificial lamb will have my blood shed for her I will give her my righteousness no I'll take the blame.
So the first part of this is a God who comes for his bride and rescues her and prepares her with righteousness not of their own but the second part of this it says the fine Lin is the righteous Deeds of the Saints So within this when we believe the Gospel we live out the Gospel and we endure and the works that he's the the workmanship that he's created for us Ephesians 2 and we remain faithful in endurance and the these two come together in this beautiful wonderful picture as the bride of Christ has made herself ready.
Verse 9 and the angel said to me write this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb and he said to me these are the true words of God blessed are those who invited oh the day that that's going to be listen I don't I don't know what this Feast is going to be like I'm acing dream about it I can picture it but the only thing I've got are are the best wedding experiences I piece together where it's like oh you had this beautiful ceremony you had this beautiful reception with this amount of food and and this and I I could piece all of these together and I'm like.
Oh man but none of those quite capture what is coming this eternal feast and celebration that happens like we can't quite imagine how it's going to be every wonderful picture of love love that we have here it's a pale comparison to what awaits us and it's this wonderful picture that John is losing his mind on so much so that in verse 10 it says then John says I fell down at his feet to worship him but he said to me you must not do that I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of.
Jesus the angel says no you you have misunderstood this this he says no worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy so John loses his mind a little bit he gets corrected here but it's just this joyfill event the wedding between God and his people that will be eternally satisfying when the kingdom is finally consummated the people of God will get to behold God to be so known by him in the perfected state that awaits us and to know him that that intimate language of knowing and being known that's what that's what awaits the Church of.
Jesus Christ and that love is so overwhelming and it's so sad because so much of this life is stumbling around trying to find what we think is the purest form of love people are looking for I'm I'm just looking for the one meaning they've looking for uh this romantic uh person or I'm looking for the purest form of friendship or I'm so deeply wanting the affection of my children I want the affection of my superiors and we're looking for all these forms of love.
Jesus says it's me it's me I'm the one your soul needs I'm the one that ultimately completes you I'm the one that ultimately satisfies you it's me no person a friend no human can satisfy this longing and we just don't understand how we just we can't conceptualize how wonderful that love is DL Moody was a was a preacher in the 19th century in Chicago in the Great Fire of 1871 in Chicago that burnt down quite a bit of Chicago DL Moody's Church was burnt to the ground his home was burnt to the ground and most of his Church their homes were burnt to the ground.
So utterly devastated imagine that this place burning to the ground all your pastor's homes burning to the ground and most of your homes burning to the ground completely devastated and he was in this deep dark depression and suffering longing in the darkness and he said that in this day this this this this this time of prayer when he was immersed in prayer seeking the Lord the lord gave him a glimpse of this heavenly love that awaits us gave him just a a slice of this love that we're going to experience in Christ in eternity and he says I cannot describe it I seldom refer to it it is almost too sacred an experience to name.
He goes on to say I can only say that God revealed himself to me and I had such an experience of his love that I had to ask him to stay his hand and it's like he caught a glimpse of this unbelievably Purity that this pure form of love that was so satisfying and so overwhelming that he just said I had to ask him just to stop because he's not in the glorified state yet in our in our sinful State I just I I just can't quite take it yet and it's just we we don't understand what kind of love that is we don't understand what kind of intimacy that is we don't understand what.
Kind of Union that is but that's held out for us if we just endure in the engagement because that's where we're in right now we're in the period of Engagement and we have to endure and the problem for us is that we're not good at that that we will take the Lesser things now we're like the person that goes to the best concert like whatever that is for you the Aras tour Eagles in the 80s like what fill in the blank whatever that is.
Okay and you go to the concert that you're so excited about and all of a sudden the opening band comes out and they're just mediocre so like have you ever been to a concert where there's so mediocre that the people are talking louder than they're playing and it's just finish up but you look at that and you say I did it I finally saw the best there is and I'm going home and you pack up and you leave before the main event that's how foolish we are in this life to be.
So I mean CS Lewis was so right we are far too easily pleased to worship lesser things to put our hope and satisfaction in lesser things part of remembering the Gospel is remembering the end that there is a day coming where a final Feast awaits us and yes the engagement is long but the weight is worth it the weight is worth it faithfulness is worth it and on that day I promise you if you wait if you remain faithful you will not regret the road that it took to get there.
But we must endure brothers and sisters we must endure we make the aim of our entire lives to make it to that altar we make it the aim of our entire lives to make it to that feast and yes we are going to struggle everyone who has chosen to follow Christ and has struggled I'm telling you is going to be worth it those of you who have consistently uh denied those persistent fleshly Earthly desires within you and you've chosen to believe that.
Jesus is better over and over again I'm telling you the weight is worth it those of you that have chosen to not build kingdoms of sand here kingdoms of Earthly Pleasures here and comfort here but you have leveraged your life to build into the Eternal kingdom of God you have given yourself away your time your talents your money to see the Gospel go forward because you are investing in the great feast and the satisfaction that awaits you it will be worth it those of you that have risked your relational capital in your workplace or in your homes or in your neighborhoods or with your friends to share the Gospel and it's made you.
Look weird but you so desperately want to see those people in your lives at that wedding Feast I'm telling you it is going to be worth it those of you that have chosen obedience obedience down some of the most difficult paths that you would have never chosen personally but God said you are going down that road and you said by faith I will go it will have been worth it those of you that have chosen chosen to not settle for an Earthly marriage with someone who does not love.
Jesus and you are getting older and it may be singleness for the rest of your days but you have chosen to remain faithful because you know that you have a husband who is much better you have a savior that you will await that is much better and you will Faithfully endure putting all of your hope for intimacy all of your hope for completion all of your hope for longing in that day it will be worth the wait those of you that are enduring right.
Now in a season of marriage that is difficult and right now you want to head for the door but you endure by faith remaining faithful because you know that your ultimate hope is not in a marriage here but it is the marriage that is to come those of you that have chosen to endure hard to endure the hardships of sharing the Gospel to go where God has told you to go even when it's difficult those of you that endured every single trial this world has to throw at you.
But you've said I will believe that Jesus is better at every step of the way it will be worth it because that day is coming that day is coming and that Eternal wedding Feast awaits us so endure endure endure because one day we will behold him for who he is we will walk down the aisle and it will all have been worth it and one of the ways we remember that is by taking the Lord's Supper the van's going to come up and we take this meal regularly.
For a reason because it is meant to remind us of what Jesus did for us on the cross that on the night that Jesus was betrayed he took bread and he broke it and he said this is my body that was broken for you and he took the cup of the Covenant he said this is my blood that was shed for you that as long as you eat this you Proclaim my death which we remember what he did for us on the cross.
But it says until I return so the Lord's Supper is a meal of remembrance remembering both what Christ did on the cross for us that we did not deserve that he shed his blood for us so that we might secure the invitation to the wedding Feast that awaits us it is a meal of remembrance that looks back but also looks forward because it is a meal that points forward to the feast that awaits us so when you come to the table you're not just remembering the wonderful sacrifice of Christ.
But you remembering that faithfulness and endurance is worth it because that meal That Never Ends the day where I behold God in an intimacy that that I will never wrap my head around in this side of Eternity is worth it so it's a meal that strengthens you to endure you to fight to believe the Gospel and to endure so Christians come to the table joyfully remembering what this meal points to but if you are not a Christian if you not trusted in Christ as your only hope do not come to this table you need to run to Christ you need to believe that what he has.
For us is better than anything this world has to offer and humility right now you need to lay down your life Believe In Christ trust that his death will cover you so that one day you will Behold Him when you walk down the aisle but you must believe in him and my hope is that you would now let me pray Heavenly Father help us see how wonderful how powerful how beautiful the wedding Feast is that awaits us Lord help us by faith every day endure help us catch a glimpse oh.
Lord that we be be like DL Moody that we might catch a glimpse of your love that would be so overwhelming that we would have to ask you to stay your hand because it's just too much God we want that love to help us see that what awaits us is better so Lord reveal yourself in Jesus name amen.
Revelation 17-19:5
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here we are in Revelation chapter 17 and we're going to be going through 17 18 all the way into 19 uh today you can turn in your blue Bibles uh you can follow along on the screen as well but we got some quite a few verses to work through as we're getting closer to the end of uh working through this book before we jump in I want to play a quick game of would you rather would you rather be prosperous or would you rather struggle a few of you half halfhearted would you rather be comfortable or uncomfortable.
Okay would you rather be safe or at risk of danger okay would you rather drive a Tesla or a Prius the this it's an easy answer if you've been in the Church long enough you know you're Bob you're like oh I don't know if I should should I say comfortable is so good is good should I say that uh safe is better I think if we're honest there's an instinct in us that makes all of those answers fairly obvious it's not that any of those desires are bad in and of themselves it's not being comfortable or prosperous or safe is bad and of itself the problem is is is that often times those aren't directed.
Towards Christ or we'd find our comfort in him we find our provision in him we find our um prosperous in him we wouldn't uh seek other things we we we so quickly jump to those things as opposed to the Lord and finding those in him now that is built into human nature uh and there's a group of people that know that and they know that very well they're called politicians they just they know and every election cycle like the one we just went through plays upon those do do you want to be comfortable again do you want to be prosperous again do you feel unsafe and every four years some version of that shows up.
Over and over and over again it's playing into this this very human desire and when your side wins everyone's happy it's j ENT celebratory and if your side loses you're sad depressed I we saw that this week we saw that four years ago and happens every four years there's something within us some desires that are within us that are so easily displayed and what this few chapters in The Book of Revelation is going to do it's going to address those deep desires that have been in humanity.
For thousand thousands of years we're going to see what happens when those hopes uh are destroyed and my hope is is that we we will see the danger of what it means to be a Christian Living in a fallen world that plays to those desires and that we would respond in a way that we're supposed to and that God calls us to in faithfulness so I'm going to pray for us and then we'll walk through the text together hely father I pray that you might help us.
See what the Gospel saves us from and who it saves us to that we might not be people that are so influenced by the culture of our time that are molded and shaped into your image through your power so confront us in your word expose our desires so that we might respond in faith and in Repentance and and ultimately delighting in you over all created things we ask in Jesus name amen all right so we're going to start in verse one.
Then one of the Seven Angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me come I will show you the Judgment of the great prostitute who is Seated on many Waters again this is John in the vision the angel says come and I'm going to show you the next part of this vision and I'll show you the Judgment of the great prostitute who is Seated on the many Waters with whom the kings of the Earth have committed sexual immorality and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the Dwellers of the Earth have become drunk and he carried me away in the in the spirit into a Wilderness and I saw a woman se s.
Sitting on a Scarlet Beast that was full of Blasphemous names and it had seven heads and 10 horns the woman was arrayed in purple and Scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and Pearls holding in her hand a golden cup full of Abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality and on her forehead was written the name of mystery Babylon the great mother of prostitutes and of Earth's Abominations so one of the things we saw a few weeks ago when we.
First were introduced to Babylon is that this language of sexual infidelity of immorality is actually pictures of idolatry this is language of the prophets of the Old Testament this is a picture of unfaithfulness but not wor worshiping the one true God by by worshiping created things in the place of God and the leader of this idolatrous worship of created over the Creator is called the Great prostitute the Harlot who is Seated on the many Waters and the Harlot here is Babylon.
Now when they hear Babylon they certainly know that a few centuries before this the nation of Babylon that once existed was a dominant power that dominated that region of the globe that had influence upon the Nations Financial dominance military dominance luring the people into their idolatrous practices so they would have known oh all about Babylon and how it existed but for these readers it would have been very clear to them that this isn't Babylon that he's talking about Rome he's talking about the Roman Empire.
Now as we've seen and as we've continued to talk through this that they in their context these seven churches we saw the very beginning receiving this letter are thinking Rome but we uh a few Millennia removed from this get to take a step back and see that this is not just Rome Babylon was an example of Rome and Rome ultimately is an example of all the kingdoms of the world that oppose the will of God that oppose his people and ultimately pointing forward to in the future some great Kingdom some great power that has this type of influence over the Nations.
Because as we're going to see in the moment the the streams of water that the The Prostitute is sitting upon those are the Nations that she has influence over and in her influence it's it's idolatry it's economic it's religious it's cultural and and it very much also is economic as we're going to see in a moment just like all roads led to Rome and through Rome all business in that time if you wanted to be prosperous it all went through the Roman Empire and all the kings of the Earth all the kings that the Romans ruled over all the kingdoms that parts of their Kingdom all them became prosperous off of the great prostitute the.
Harlot Babylon but here it's not just the Harlot it's not just the great prostitute she's sitting on a beast and it's the Beast with seven heads and 10 horns that we saw back in Revelation chap 13 and when Chad walked us through that then what we saw then was the Beast is representative of Rome which means we have two here that represent Rome we've got Babylon the Great prostitute and the Beast we have two different representations of Rome here and I would argue that the Beast is the military might of Rome the sword and power of Rome and the great prostitute is the economic cultural idolatrous influence of Rome and how both of those go.
Hand in hand together you've got political power you've got military power combined into one luring the Nations into rejecting the one true God and worshiping him and worshiping created things in the place of the Creator so the angel is helping us see this and this is why it's important if we don't see the danger of the Harlot if we become too comfortable with prosperity with comfort with safety then we'll find our comfort and safety living under the rain of a harlot and that's why it's important.
For every age of the Church as they've read this and the other problem here is the Harlot is not just in power but she's drunk off the martyred Saints and their blood as we pick it back up in verse six and I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints the blood of the martyrs of Jesus this is all the Christians who were killed by the Roman Empire killed by the principalities and all the kingdoms that Rule and reign in a way that oppress Christians over the last 2,000 years that's the picture of what's Happening Here and he says.
When I saw her I marveled greatly but the angel said to me why do you Marvel I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the Beast with seven heads and 10 horns that carries her which when I read that at first I'm excited because I don't know if you've been studying this book I just want I want clarification all over the place can you please tell me what this means so when when I read that I get excited oh you're going to tell me what is it kind of verse eight the Beast that you saw was and is not and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.
And the Dwellers of the earth whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will Marvel to see the Beast because it was and is not and is to come so not as clear as I want it to be but he is doing something here we're told the Beast was and is not this hearkens back to Revelation CH 13 when the Beast received its mortal wound and I think what's Happening Here is this General picture of the work of the Enemy being hindered by the cross of.
Jesus Christ by the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the advancement of the Church that the work of the enemy is hindered so the Gospel spreads across the globe that's my best read on this that the Church has been persecuted and has continued to be persecuted but not fully in what is going to come in the future there's a greater more widespread persecution that will happen when the Beast rises from the bottomless pit when he's no longer hindered in the way that he has been and again I believe that's the enemy at work just as he a work at Rome just as the devil pulls the strings in the Roman Empire that we saw.
So clearly when we read the letters in uh chapter 2 and chapter 3 and it's evident in today as he pulls the strings behind every single government Force because he has dominion and reign on this Earth so my best read to Revelation this point is that they were thinking about Rome but again this is pointing forward to a romeike power that is going to come verse n this calls for a mind with wisdom the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated there are also seven Kings five of whom have fallen one is the other has not yet come.
And when he does come he must Ser he must remain only a little while okay there are moments in the Book of Revelation where theologians and different readers have very very different opinions on what's Happening Here and when I read some of these commentaries sometimes it feels like Choose Your Own Adventure because it's just I this one says this and this one says this because this is hard as we said apocalyptic Scripture is hard to interpret but there I think some things we can.
See here the Seven Mountains and the woman seem to be an illusion to Rome because Rome had Seven Hills and even a coin that was Meed around that time uh shows the woman on the Hills of Rome so this is picturesque of Rome and the economic power that it has in this region but then you get to okay well this is talking about Rome but then it says five of whom have fallen we've seen these Kings five of whom have fallen it's like.
Okay well what are you talking about and then you read one commentary and it says actually you know we can we can chart this out this was Julius Caesar and then Augustus and then Tiberius then Claudius and then Nero and now it's the emperor diishan and it's like maybe that seems like a good explanation and then you read another one and it says oh no no no this is bigger than just Kings this is whole Empires this is the Egyptians then the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Persians and the Greeks.
Now the Roman Empire and maybe I possibly and then there's this language of one that is not yet to come which is future looking and when I piece it all together I don't know that's where I land after studying this I like I don't know you can poke holes in a lot of those theories and then it just keeps going verse 11 it says As for the Beast that was and is not it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven and it goes to destruction and it's like.
Okay got some interesting theories on that all right keep going verse 12 and the and the ten horns that you saw are 10 Kings who have not yet received royal power but they are to receive Authority as kings for one hour together with the Beast these are of one mind and they hand over their power and authority to the Beast so we get a little bit of pictures here that we should be familiar with at this point in Revelation the 10 horns here is the language of Daniel 7 and some will.
Look at this and say okay maybe this is the 10 10 different kingdoms that Rome ruled over these client states that that Rome ruled over at the time or maybe it's 10 future kingdoms over also that are under this future great Empire and it's like I I honestly don't I don't know for sure but they rule together with the Beast now up to this point there a lot of things that I'm just like I don't know and we said the very beginning of the series there be some moments where it's like I don't know this is a good argument this is a good argument just depends on how you interpret it.
But then there are some things that show up that are so abundantly clear and verse 14 is one of those moments they talking about the beasts in these Empires the 10 horns they will make war on the lamb and the lamb will conquer them for he is Lord of lords and king of kings and those with him are called and chosen and faithful and it's like I know exactly what that means that however this is going to unfold and however this is meant to be interpreted it is abundantly clear that.
Jesus wins we sang that song you've already won it is it is written that Jesus ultimately has Victory as the King of Kings at the L as the Lord of lords so however this is going to unfold Jesus ultimately wins which means that his Church the Christians who are chosen who belong to him will also share in that victory that no matter what persecution you're facing no matter what suffering you're enduring no matter hardships that you are facing you have victory in Christ it is written the lamb wins.
Verse 15 and the angel said to me the waters that you saw where the where the prostitute is seated are the peoples in multitudes and Nations and languages I referenced that earlier but that's the Seated on the waters this is the Nations the langu the all the nations all the peoples verse 16 and the 10 horns that you Soul they and the beasts will hate The Prostitute which is a bit of a plot twist because now we see that the Beast hates the Harlot continue they will make her desolate and naked and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.
For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over the royal power to the Beast and until the words of God are fulfilled and the woman that you saw in the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth so the Beast hates the Harlot the Beast hates this great prostitute and ultimately will be devoured by the 10 horns by the 10 kingdoms more directly Babylon which could be seen as Rome which we.
See as this future Kingdom that has lured the people in to idolatrous worship that has dominated economically one day it's going to cave in on itself by God's Sovereign will and the Beast will destroy this great prostitute so that's the end of chapter 17 then we get this shift into both celebration at the fall of Babylon and mour at the fall of Babylon we're about to read is actually Poetic Justice very literally this is poetically written to show the justice that is coming down and what we're about to read feels a little bit like a courtroom drama have you ever seen a verdict that is handed down in a very emotional emotionally Laden case where.
This man is convicted of murdering this woman and there's tension because you don't know how it's going to be decide and all of a sudden the verdict is read guilty and on one side you've got this joyous celebratory I mean people will literally shout in a courtroom with joy they will hug and they will Cry tears of joy and they will they will they will say hallelujah they are excited the justice has fallen down but then on the other side of the courtroom you've got mourning you've got lament you've got sadness and that's chapter 18 in ver in chapter 19 that we're about to.
See is that when Babylon Falls you have two responses here and we're going to see both of them starting in verse one after this I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great Authority and the Earth was made bright with his glory so John sees another part of the vision in verse two and it says and he called out with a mighty voice this great Angel Fallen Fallen is Babylon the Great this is this is a joyful Herald the victory is happened that Babylon has fallen it's Fallen Fallen it's Babylon the great she has become a dwelling place.
For demons a haunt for every unclean Spirit a haunt for every unclean bird a haunt for every unclean and detestable Beast for all nations have drunk the wine of The Passion of her sexual immorality and the kings of the Earth have committed immorality with her and the merchants of the Earth have grown Rich from the power of luxurious living so the idolatry which is picture with sexual immorality which also would have included some sexual sin but the chief picture here is idolatry and infidelity against the one true.
God and all of its Financial dominance that was weaved in with this idolatry is denounced Babylon and its Financial dominance to lure in the Nations is celebrated as its downfall has happened and the Nations that got drunk off of this Unfaithful well we're going to see in a moment that they are mourning but the heavens are rejoicing Babylon was a dwelling place for demons for every a haunt for every unclean and evil thing and it is now over verse four then I heard another voice from Heaven saying come out of her my people lest you take part in her sins lest you share in her plagues he says please just the people of.
God the Church that reside in and under the authority of Babylon has come out of her don't take part in her idolatrous practices don't take part in her sins because if you do you'll take part in her plagues which is you'll take part in her judgments four verse 5 her sins are heaped high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities he has brought judgment verse six pay her back as she herself has paid o pay back others and repay her double.
For her Deeds makx a double portion for her and the cup she mixed verse 7 as she glorified herself and lived in luxury so give her a like measure of torment and mourning since in her heart she says I sit as a queen I am no Widow and mourning I shall never see like in her pride and in her luxury and her vengeance upon those who don't take part in her idolatry she's pridefully saying I'm I'm I'm a queen the party will keep going the part is not going to stop I will not mourn I will not be a widow deceived self deceived in her Pride verse eight.
For this reason her plagues will come in a single day death and mourning and famine and she will be burned up with fire for Mighty is the Lord God who has judged her and the picture is when judgment comes it will be swift this Mighty Empire will fall and it will fall quickly verse n and the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
So the heaven rejoicing God's people rejoicing and then now you've got oh the Nations the kings that were involved in with this type of idolatrous worship this financial dominance are mourning this is the side of the courtroom that is sad verse 10 they will stand far off in fear of her torment and say alas alas you great City you mighty Babylon just remembering oh how great wasn't it wonderful when Babylon was in power for a single hour your judgment has come these are the Nations who joined battle Babylon and the spiritual adultery who enjoyed the party who lavished in the decadence who chased after other gods they will mourn and they'll be.
So shocked that it fell apart so quickly and then we get this long list this long list of of the things the merchants the ones who made money off of Babylon all the things they're mourning that they lost starting in verse 11 the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore so think Babylon this Mighty Empire the chief buyer on the market for all everything in the world they used to buy all these things.
Now they're they're mourning CU now no one can buy their cargo and it says cargo of gold silver jewels pearls fine linen purple cloth silk Scarlet cloth all kinds of scented wood all kinds of Articles of ivory all kinds of Articles of costly wood bronze iron and marble cinnamon spice incense myrr frankincense wine oil fine flour wheat cattle and sheep horses and chariots and slaves that is human Souls which not the main point of the text but something that I never noticed until reading this that each one of those Commodities is just stated as such until you get to the last one.
When it says slaves and it says that is human Souls which I would argue shows the evil of slavery in itself I would argue that's a condemnation there's nothing else not one of those Commodities get to qualifier the last one does and it says oh because they're human Souls which you used to traffic in which is the mark of a wicked nation in Babylon not the main point but I wanted to point that out so then it continues in verse 14 the fruit of which your soul longed has gone from you and all your Delicacies and your splendors are lost to you never to be found again you could.
See how sad they are the party is over no more Delicacies no more splendors the fruit of which there Souls longed for and desired is gone never to be found again verse 15 the merchants of these Wares who gain wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment weeping and mourning alow and have you ever been in a situation where you've disciplined one of your kids or you've been the kid amongst a few kids that are being disciplined is like the other two like the other two of mine they instinctively know that it's time to back away it's like they don't want to catch the heat they just I'm I'm not getting.
Involved in that I didn't have any part of that and that's these Merchants are like we're sad that's happening but it ain't happening to me and they weep from afar verse 16 alas alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scar adorm with gold with jewels and with pearls for a single hour all this wealth had been laid waste I mean that long list of all the things all the wealth all the decadence all of the all the goods destroyed.
So quickly and they're in mourning and all ship Masters and seafaring men Sailors and all those all whose trade as on the sea stood far off and CED cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning you can even picture that the ships that are at Bay not going to Port one because there's nothing there to get but too they don't want any part of the Judgment that's falling Upon This Nation mourning from a distance what city was great what city was like the great City and they cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning what city was like the great City.
Verse 19 they threw dust on their heads as they wept and M crying out alas alas for the great City where all who had ships at Sea grew Rich by her wealth for in a single hour she has been laid waste you get this repeated refrain of how sad it is that it's Fallen but oh how quickly it fell and how shocking it was that it fell verse 20 Rejoice over her o heaven and you Saints and apostles and Prophets for.
God has given judgment for you against her and you get this rejoicing on the other side Oh Heaven you Saints and apostles and Prophets for God has given judgment for you against her and it's this joy that as we saw earlier in Revelation the prayers of the Saints Rising like incense stored in the bowl of Wrath that was poured out the people for centuries have prayed for justice to come down pray for the blood of the martyrs to be have a response from.
God that falls upon the evil of this world verse 21 then an angel took up a stone like a great Millstone and threw it into the sea saying so will Babylon the great City be thrown down with violence and will be found no more and the sound of the harpist and musicians of flute players and trumpeters will be heard in you no more and a Craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more and the light of a lamp will be will shine in you no more and the voice of a bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no.
More for your Merchants were the great ones of the earth and all nations were deceived by your sorcery and in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth and you see the party Came Crashing Down no more music no more Milling no more light no more marriages no more happiness it will come crashing down and in her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints and all who have been slain by the Earth slain on Earth and that's this picture of judgment falling upon Babylon.
For all the persecution it did to the people of God so Babylon will receive its Fierce judgment and chapter 19 vers1 we see and the heavens are rejoicing after this I heard what seemed to be a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out Hallelujah Salvation and Glory and power Belong To Our God for his judgments are true and just for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the Earth with her immorality and has Avenged on her the blood of his servants Heaven rejoicing that Justice is fallen down verse three once more they cried out Hallelujah the smoke from her goes up forever and ever and the 24 elders and the four.
Living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was Seated on the throne saying amen hallelujah and from the throne came a voice saying praise our God all you his servants you who fear Him small and great and the heavens Rejoice at her destruction from which the smoke never ceases to go up from and the elders shout hallelujah amen her judgment is Swift and complete and that's where we'll stop today before we get into the next part of 19 next week there's a lot of don't know in the Book of Revelation and a lot I can't figure out what it points to though in my feeble attempts I've tried.
So I don't know what Babylon is going to be fully I think every the history of the Church you see this this repetition where each each time in Church history they think it they know what Babylon is because they think Jesus is coming soon and he is coming soon just not in the time frame that we think of soon but in the time of the Lord so I I don't know when this is going to happen I don't know exactly what it's going to.
Look like I don't know what the makeup of Babylon is going to be but I do know and I can see that many of the descriptions of the corruption and the prosperity that Babylon had are very picturesque of what we enjoy in the west like I don't I don't know for sure but there ain't no way you read 18 and 19 in see the descriptions it would be foolish to not be reflective and not think wow a lot of this is what we enjoy in the west a lot of this is what we enjoy in America all these pictures of all these Goods all of the economic dominance that that is exerted over it's like.
I I don't know how you can't read that if you're going to try to penpoint on your time and in your context I don't know how you don't look with him I said that a few weeks ago and I think it's even more clear here therefore I think it would be foolish for us to excuse ourselves and to not look at this and realize and hear what the angel says the fruit in verse 18:14 the fruit for which your soul has longed has gone from you and all your Delicacies and your splendors are lost to you never to be found again.
And if I'm honest like I just there are Delicacies and splendors that that I enjoy here now that when they're taken I'm just sad that Expos this desire for created things over the Creator that my soul Longs for I don't think I'm alone in this I think we all think about this we reflect upon our own reality and our own selves that there's this part of our soul that longs for the delices and splendors when they're gone we lose our minds the power goes out.
For 3 days for 4 days for a week and the things that we lose that we we Lo we exposes the intentions of our hearts and the desires of our hearts and I think we'd be foolish not to be sobered by this because this soers me and it exposes what my heart wants and we would be shortsighted to not hear Revelation 18:4 when he pleads come out of her my people lest you take part in her sins lest you share in her plagues and not just be absolutely say oh.
Lord help me because there's a real part of me that wants to take part in the sins I love the financial security and the financial dominance of the American dollar and I love all the things that it can buy and when I don't have it I feel less okay and that exposes our hearts and he says be careful L you take part in her sins L you take part in the idolatrous practices don't think little wooden objects think anything that we worship in the place of.
God anything that our heart so desired that if we don't have it we're not okay that that when those things are taken away is the moment we should realize oh no I I so badly want to take part in sin in these sins and he the next part says lest you take part in the plagues because if we're not careful and we so align ourselves with the kingdoms of this present world if we're not careful and we so enjoy the things of this present world and what our culture has to offer and a way that lures us away from worshiping the one true.
God we have run to the prostitute for satisfaction and don't be fooled the plagues will come and when it falls and when judgment comes you will fall with it too it is a warning shot that we should receive with humility so here the call that says come out of her don't hear me I'm not saying America's Babylon I'm not saying America's Babylon but boy a boy wear the same type of clothes sometimes wears the same typee of clothes that we see here that the prostitute wears in chapters 18 and 19 and we should absolutely with humility say I want to come out of it.
Jesus and the only way to do that is running to the cross of Jesus Christ the band's going to come up and we're going to sing and before you rejoice at the good news of the Gospel reflect upon it because there may be some of you who have never actually tasted and seen that the Lord is good you've only tasted the Delicacies and the splendors of this present world so much so that that is only your heart's desire and the God of the universe is looking at you R.
Now saying come out of her my people come out of her you don't don't take part in the sins of this world don't take part in the satisfaction that is found this world be satisfied in Christ and that means that in humility you confess your sin and you run to Christ and you see the death that he endured on the cross and the Wrath that was poured out on him as a picture of the Wrath that will be poured out on you.
If you don't trust in Christ but the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus went to the Cross to endure that judgment for you so that you might not have to but you must in humility submit yourselves to Christ trust in his death that your sins have been paid for by him and Trust in the resurrection that brings you to life the living hope that we sang about earlier that brings you to life so that you might not stand in the sins of the culture.
But you might run to Christ and be spared the Judgment that is to come and for the rest of us that have trusted in Christ we must be sober in our assessment of our own hearts and we do the exact same thing we run to Christ and we say Jesus I've so sought to be satisfied by created things I've so sought to be comforted and for my safety and for my prosperity in this present moment in this present age and I don't want to be here.
When the plagues come help me run to you help me repent of these sins help me trust in you we're going to have some time to do that this week in community groups I would invite you to to be a group this week so that you can do that so we can walk this out in Repentance and so that we can be a people that are on the side of the courtroom that is rejoicing when the Judgment comes but that only comes.
If we are motivated by faith and repentance and running to him.
Revelation 15-16
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
All right so uh when the Church gathers um we we praise Christ uh we we have moments where we have times of of Thanksgiving for what God has done for us we have times of Praise uh we have times of of confession uh one of the things that uh that also is a category of an approach to worship is lament um it's something that uh that the people of God have done uh for thousands of years uh is not just acknowledge.
Because we're a people that are in between life and death we have the Life of Christ in us and we have the sting of death in this world and all the pain that comes with it uh and we acknowledge both of those as we praise Christ for what we just sang and Christ Alone we all of that truth is beautiful and also we still feel uh the pain in this life um and and there's a proper place for that that category is lament where we get to um from the posture of our heart that might be hurting uh from the posture of our heart that is uh suffering through pain or loss uh through the.
Trials of this life that are difficult that come to bear on our souls on our bodies that we get to have a time where we just lament before the Lord we are uh sad before the Lord knowing that one day all things will be made new knowing that one day there will be no more sting in death knowing that one more day there there will be no more sin uh but until then we're people in tension and within that tension we do have this category.
So I'm just going to give a moment as we have this time of prayer to just sit in silence and if that's where your heart is right now uh to really uh uh cast those cares upon the Lord uh and then I will close this in prayer of lament so bow your heads in silence and pray e father we we love you and we thank you for sending Jesus we thank you for the truth of what we just got to sing we thank you that no power of hell no scheme of man will ever pluck us from your hand we live uh waiting.
For the day when all things are made new and at times the the pain of this world the physical suffering that happens upon our bodies because of death the emotional Strife the spiritual warfare the death of friends all of that is hard and I pray that you would sustain us that weeping may tear for the night but joy does come in the morning and sometimes that morning does feel far off so I pray in the meantime that you'd renew us every morning that you sustain us.
For the day and that you'd keep our eyes fixed upon everything that we've been learning about in this series and the hope that is going towards When Heaven comes to Earth and death is no more and until then be our guide be our comfort be our friend in Jesus name amen good morning uh my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab a Bible if you will and go to Revelation chapter 15 we're going to be in chapter 15 and 16.
Today we are are working our way through the Book of Revelation and we are following along as John is seeing vision and he is writing it down he's writing what he sees and we're following along as the Apostle John writes this down um we are going to be looking at what is called the Bold judgments today and we're told that with the Bold judgments the wrath of God is finished he's pouring out his wrath on Earth and his wrath is finished as it is poured out on the earth through the Bold judgments and we have been taking some time to consider the wrath of.
God together because it's one of the major themes that the Book of Revelation keeps coming back to this idea that God judges this idea that God um has wrath for Humanity and for the Earth and for the Rebellion that has taken place and that's a little bit difficult for us especially for people who are culturally kind of Western it the idea of a wrathful God doesn't sit well with us culturally it's not something that our culture celebrates and and some of that you have to realize that you do have a culture you have things that just seem right to you.
Because because well they're right that's just you know that's just the thing like biscuits and gravy like it just as good it exists I watched a video of people in uh England and they were feeding biscuits and gravy to students who were like what is this and they were calling the biscuits scones and then they were like what's this mess on top of it and it's like magic eat some you know I one time I ate some Indian food and I almost immediately just spit it back out onto my plate.
Because my brain did not register it as food because there wasn't a single flavor in there that I had ever had before so my immediate visceral bodily reaction was don't know what that is but don't swallow it and it was food it was fine I ended up eating some and I grew culturally that day I expanded my horizons I still prefer biscuits and gravy but that's fine but there are certain things that we just culturally appreciate that we just make sense to us and one of those is that.
If there is a God he's a God of love if there is a God he's loving he's kind he's merciful and culturally we're fine with that if you say anywhere well I just believe God is loving even the the non-Christians the atheists in the room the people who did they'll just go H they're fine with that but the idea that there's a wrathful God who P punishes and judges sin doesn't sit well with us and I was reading in uh reason.
For God Tim Keller said that he had grown up in the Church and that he as he was getting older just kind of was like he wasn't sure just wasn't sure he believed this and he said he had that kind of that inclination of well if there is a God he's a God of love but as he had gotten a little older and was going to school he started said he just wanted to study up on other religions and he said he ran into a problem the idea that there's a.
God of love if there is a God he's a God of love that he cares about us he hears our prayers he knows us he said the problem was he didn't find that in any other religion Buddhism doesn't teach that Hinduism doesn't teach that Islam he said God can be merciful but he's not personal and the idea that he actually personally cares about you is a bit offensive to them that you know him and can talk to him and that he loves you and knows what's going on this it's not how it works he said the problem he ran into was.
For him to make the assertion if there is a God he's a God of love he had to get that from the Bible which means that we have to understand from the Scriptures who this God is and I would argue today and we're going to look at it as we look at the concept of his judgment that his love and his wrath are not in conflict with one another but actually his love is the reason that he's wrathful and that we're going to.
See that these complement one another and go together so Revelation 15 verse 1 then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing seven angels with seven plagues which are the last for with them the wrath of God is finished okay uh to to keep along with where we are in the Book of Revelation we have had Seven Seals that were unfurled we had seven trumpets that were sounded and now about to have seven bowls that are poured out all of those are God's judgments being poured out on the earth some people will argue that that's recapitulation which just means each one's recapping and they're just showing the same thing over and over again I'm.
Not sold on that I actually think that the seals play out over time the trumpets play out over time and that when the last trumpet is sounded is when the day of the Lord is officially happening where Christ is calling his people to himself because we're told in other places that that'll happen at a trumpet sound and Paul says it'll be at the last trumpet we have trumpets here there's a last one and when it was blown it just says the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our.
God and there's a celebration and then the text of Revelation pauses and goes back and retells the whole story of the Gospel and brings us to in what we read last week in chapter 14 The Harvest of the earth and so I think the bowls are playing out where the Earth has been harvested the wheat has been brought into the barn as Jesus puts it at one point in a parable that those who belong to him are brought in and that what we're seeing in the bowls is part of the pressing of the wine press of the wrath of.
God being poured out on those who do not belong to him so this is part of the day of the Lord as he's bringing judgment on the earth it's my understanding of where we are so it says which are the last for with them the wrath of God is finished verse two and I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire we saw a sea of glass in chapter 4 this was before the Throne of God and it says and also those who had conquered the Beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of.
God in their hands and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb so we see those who belong to Jesus worshiping singing and Spencer mentioned this last week but there's this picture of joy and it says they all have Harps and there's a way for us to cartoon this and make it seem really not as amazing as it is but there's a real picture of joy and delight and freedom and hope that happens here where they've gathered and they're worshiping there's something about singing and worshiping.
For those people who know how to play instruments there's something about being able to just be a part of the music and join in in worshiping in that way and join in and playing that that we that the Church gets to partake in and so there's this beautiful picture of worship here and it says great this is what they're singing great and amazing are your Deeds oh Lord God the almighty just and true are your ways oh King of the Nations who will not fear oh.
Lord and glorify your name there's two things I want us to see as they start to sing we're told wrath is about to be poured out and then we're told they're singing Just and true are your ways but the song is he's right he's just wrath is deserved that's one of the things that's paired in this passage is that we're going to see that wrath isn't some sort of overreaction by God but it's just and right and then it says who will not fear and glorify your name and that question kind of rings out throughout the rest of this chapter and we're going to.
See that it does have an answer then it says for you alone Are Holy all the nations will come and worship you for your righteous acts have been revealed that he is right to do what he is doing not only is he judging but he's right he's just he's true these things are good verse 5 after this I looked and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened so this is the tent of witness was given to the people of Israel this is Tabernacle and it says it it's opened and he actually at one point says you're going to make a tent like the one I showed you it's possible this is.
The one he showed him the one that exists somehow in God's Heavenly realm and so that's what's opened and out of the sanctuary came theeven angels with the seven plagues clothed in pure bright linen with golden sashes around their chests and one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the Seven Angels were finished.
So these seven angels come out wearing bright white linen they're given seven golden bowls and then the the tent of witness behind them fills with smoke and this happens a couple of times in the Old Testament it's this manifestation of the greatness and the glory of God is present in the tit of witness and it says nobody can enter until the bowls are poured out then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels this is chapter 16 verse1 telling the seven angels.
So presumably God speaking out of his glory tells them go and pour out out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God there's a interesting thing that happens in this passage these seven angels are holding seven golden Bowls the last time we saw golden bowls they were with the creatures that were before the throne and with the elders and they were filled with the prayers of the Saints and so there's this connection in the text between prayers and God's Wrath and that I think can strike us as odd or off-putting.
But it makes so much sense if God is actually loving if we believe that and if we believe that he actually hears prayers then he has Wrath if he actually hears those who cry out to him in pain and distress and anger and he actually cares then there are things that happen where the only appropriate response is wrath I have a wife and two children if someone is hurting them actively aggressively harming them I'm not supposed to go hey you know stop just wrap it up.
When you can I mean that seems that's not it's not how I'm supposed to respond this Incorrect and if we're to assume that God hears the prayers of the people of Earth he is right and just and true and good to have wrath I'm just read you one quote to narrow it down to one issue to just help us understand that we we want a God who has wrath this is from the website uh rain's website r a i NN it's an anti-sexual violence organization every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted and every nine minutes that victim is a child it's an American in a place where we have relatively good laws and things.
That are enforced and protections that are in place every 68 seconds that means that while we study this passage together if this hour of the day is average 30 or 40 or so people will be sexually assaulted three or four of them will be children and if we have a God who hears prayers we want him to have wrath the end of that quote just says meanwhile only 25 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison means 900 75 of them will keep going we want a.
God who sees we want a God who hears and we want a God who has wrath and that if he actually loves and actually hears then he has wrath and there's this connection between prayers and the wrath of God I think sometimes we have this completely backwards culturally we think that somehow wrath calls into question God's goodness it is connected to his goodness and if he did not have wrath if there was no judgment that would call his goodness into question it would be the absence of Wrath that would make us question whether or not he was actually good not the presence of it verse two.
So the first Angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and harmful and painful sores Came Upon the people Who Bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image so if we're being honest and in our understanding and framework of the the concept of Wrath we've immediately run into a problem because there's part of us who agrees yes there are certain egregious terrible sins and horrible things and there are oppressions and and wickedness that play takes place and runs rampant in the world throughout history and throughout time and even right.
Now those things exist and that there should be some justice and wrath for them but the line doesn't say that he draws it just clearly around those worst people the line is drawn Those Who Bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image we've been told throughout the Book of Revelation if this is your first Sunday with us or if you've been trying to track but have missed some things you either worship the Beast or you worship the lamb so the line here is everyone who doesn't belong to.
Jesus which immediately causes us some problems not as Christians but as Americans in our cultural con construct of things it's like well hold on second how is that fair doesn't that feel like he's just worship me or you're in trouble I watched a clip of Bill Maher recently where he was talking to someone about the Bible and he said I've read some of the Bible and God is very vindictive and capricious and mean-spirited he he's like a toddler who throws tantrums and there's part of us who goes yeah.
Okay so if he' this cultural thing to push back and just go okay so you worship him or he's going to punish you sing to him or he's going to crush you that's fair that's good that's a good question let's keep going and see what this text tells us the second Angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became like the blood of a corpse and every living thing died that was in the sea in the seals we saw that certain things affected a fourth of something we saw in the trumpets that certain things affected a.
Third of something when we get to the bows it's all it's total he is pouring out his wrath and with it the wrath of God is finished as it's poured out on Earth but everything the sea becomes like blood and everything dies verse four the third Angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the Springs of water and they became blood and I heard the angel in charge of the waters say just are you oh holy one who is and who was.
For you brought these judgments so there's an angel who's has some authority over Waters and those waters are now blood and the angel says you're right just this this is good you've done well just are you oh holy one who is and who was for you brought these judgments for they have shed the blood of saints and Prophets and you have given them blood to drink it is what they deserve and I want us to take a moment to know we've said.
If there's a good God he has wrath if he actually loves he has wrath if he's genuinely knows and cares about people he has wrath he's not okay with all of this and that that wrath does not call his goodness into question second thing we need to understand is that there's part of us that genuinely desires that this last sentence it is what they deserve there's a part of you that wants them to get what they deserve however you define them.
But there's part of us that wants that that longs for that that hopes for that this is I hope they get what they deserve I hope they get what they have coming I hope it catches up to them you know this if you interact with certain movies television shows you can feel this deep strain of this inside of you I I know I look I I watched the movie gladi Gladiator I wanted comist to die so bad Patriot I wanted that Colonel to die Harry Potter I wanted that pink lady to die I didn't care that much about Voldemort he hadn't sold me on he was the worst.
But that pink lady I was genuinely upset when I saw her in the next movie after the horse people had taken her I was like I thought they killed her why is she back there's part of us that has this desire for justice you want them to get what they have coming and y'all that's fiction in reality we want that anybody who's ever faced genuine hardship and the evil in the world that has a face and a name and a person behind it there's this desire.
For them to get what they have coming and there's actually hope here that eventually they will get what they deserve there are some people who will look in this and say well that means that Christians must be really vindictive and harmful people it's actually this truth that keeps us from being vindictive and harmful people because we're told in the Scriptures that this isn't our job it's his that we're to offer grace and mercy pray for our enemies and to know that he'll sort it out at the end it's the thing that lets us put the sword down.
If there is no God who judges and if they don't ever get what they deserve then we have to bring about judgment but we're told that he does it he's just and he's right to do it he's better at it than Denzel and Liam niss he handles it correctly he is righteous in his execution of it and that we get to defer to him this actually gets us live with a hope there's encouragement here verse 7 and I heard the altar saying yes.
Lord God the almighty true and just are your judgments if he's loving he has Wrath that doesn't call his goodness into question and there's a real part of us that genuinely knows that's right and desires it problem I think we run into is that there's a part of me that really wants to be the one who decides how that works and there's times when I read the Scriptures and I think ooh was he just and right in his judgments is that actually how that should um is that actually how that should work I um I thoroughly enjoy football um there's a thing called a a booth review in football something will happen on the field.
They'll make a call the white hat will come over turn his mic on if it's working you'll hear him otherwise you'll hear well what he said was the previous plays under further review what it means is there's some people in the booth the booth we don't know how many people are in the booth we don't know where the booth is located but there's a booth you guys there's a booth it's been sent to the booth what the booth is going to do there's two assumptions.
For the booth the Booth's going to tell us what the right call is but there's two assumptions that go into that one the booth has the rules and knows the rules the booth is right unlike the person in the stands next to you going let him play ref there intentional grounding the booth knows the rules okay the booth knows the rules and secondly the assumption is the booth has the right angles from cameras to see what actually happened so the booth knows what's right and can.
See it and I think we have two options when it comes to how we interact with stuff like this one I can assume that I'm in the booth I know what's right and I have the appropriate vantage point to make the call I'm in the booth my judgment's in the booth therefore I can read and see what God does and then I can tell you whether or not he's right or wrong because I'm in the booth I have the right angle and I know what's right and wrong.
For the record that started with us in the garden when we ate from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil we all said thank you very much I'll climb in the booth I'll decide what's right and wrong I'll decide what's good and evil I don't want to have God in the booth so that's option one is I'm I'm in the booth option two is God's in the booth we'll get to option two in a second there's some problems with option one Beyond it's wrong and stupid some problems with option one one I'm going to read a few quotes to try to help you.
See this uh one's from CS Lewis interact with some of their ideas CS Lewis was a a Christian writer thinker he wasn't always a Christian at one point he was a pretty hardened atheist and he said that the reason he was an atheist the reason he didn't believe in God at all was that he looked around the world and said this place is a mess look at all this wickedness look at all this evil there came be a God but the problem he ran into and to force CS Lewis to use my illustration was that he realized he had put himself in the booth as.
If he had the rulebook but the problem he ran into was to be intellectually honest he had to admit that there was no rule book if there was no God that actually if we're all in the booth then really we're just all on the field and we can say what we think we can can yell our opinion but nobody can really verify whether we're right or wrong because there's no official rule book it's just who's the loudest who's the most persuasive who's got the best force of Personality who's the most aggressive whatever.
But we're all on the field he one of the problems he ran into is that he wanted to look at something and say it was actually evil objectively eternally evil whether you thought so or not and it wasn't just his opinion that it was wrong and in order for it to be actively objectively evil he needed something above him that's CS Lewis this is a a quote from Michael ruse Michael ruse was in a debate with John Linux John Linux is a mathematician who's a Christian M ruse is an atheist also wildly smart and they were debating Michael ruse was trying to make a point he's making some other point.
But he said a quote that I want to share with you he was just talking from a Christian perspective he's not a Christian but he was trying to make a point he said you would see a person and you would say here's a person made in the image of God and that's what makes them evil if they were just a wild dog they would be dangerous but they wouldn't be evil and he said so if you're a Christian you would say heck Kimler who's one of the SS Nazis who did atrocities you'd say he's deeply evil not just dangerous.
But evil and and the reason being he's made in the image of God and he has run morally against something so you could say a bear is dangerous but you can't say it's evil because Bears don't have morals you can say a wild dog is dangerous but it can't be evil because it's not morally uh Crossways with something objective and true and so he's made a very valid point he was trying to make another point but he made a very valid point he was making CS Lewis's point which is.
If you want to objectively say something is actually wrong if you want to look at the world and say there are real atrocities and that's not just your opinion then you can't be in the booth there has to be something above you otherwise you can just say Nazism is bad in that it causes some problems for certain people but you can't say it's evil and you can say that collectively your group of people thinks it's a worse opinion and this is where Tim Keller says that he'll every once in a.
While push somebody when they're saying something like well we all know you can't treat children like that we all know you shouldn't treat women like that we all know that this thing about racism or whatever is bad and he said he just every once in a while would gently say historically and globally we don't all know that there are actually other cultures who think it's fine to treat women that way and then he said he would just ask what makes you.
So confident that your culture is better why do you think historically white Western culture is better than that culture why do you think that your culture that comes from this this place is better than that culture the point he's trying to make is not that it isn't just that if you think you're in the booth then so are they and who's to say who's right we need something to appeal above us y'all it's absurd to think that we have the right vantage point you you don't even have the right vantage point in your arguments about traffic or your arguments with your spouse or roommate y'all we we you've gotten pink eye before and you want.
To judge God it's silly you can't even eat dairy without having an upset stomach and you're in charge it's absurd to think that we're in the booth so here's what I want to put to you you God is in the booth which means that when he makes a call that you disagree with you don't say well that seems out of proportion maybe the problem isn't that he's overreacted maybe the problem is that you've under reacted maybe the problem isn't that he's overreacting to sin and false worship maybe the problem is that that we're under reacting to sin and false worship maybe it's not that there's a whole bunch of good people that are doing fine.
And he's just capricious maybe they aren't that good and they aren't that fine and there's actually something more more broken about it than we understand and that he's just and right and maybe we ought to Humble ourselves rather than exalt ourselves verse eight I think the problem is that we can willingly say at times okay I can see how he does this with the ones I agree with but then we want to say but what about all the normal people what about all the regular people what about all the good-hearted people that are just out there that just get caught up in this whole thing verse eight let's.
See what what this text tells us the fourth Angel poured out his bowl on the sun and it was allowed to Scorch people with fire and they were scorched by the fierce heat and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues they did not repent and give him glory earlier the Saints sang who will not fear you and give you glory and we're about to find out they did not repent and give him glory verse 10 the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the Beast and its kingdom was plunged Into Darkness people gnawed their tongues in anguish and curse the.
God of Heaven for the pain and sores for their pain and sores they did not repent of their deeds the sixth Angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the Kings from the East and I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet those we were introduced to in chapter 12 and 13 the false prophet was called the.
Second beast but now it's called the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs maybe they appeared like frogs maybe they hopped like frogs that maybe he saw them hopping out of their mouth like frogs for they are demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the almighty so what we see is they Curse God they don't repent they Curse God they don't repent and then they start Gathering to fight.
God and we're going to read about that battle later and see how it goes for him verse 15 behold I'm coming like a thief bless is the one who stays awake keeping his garments on and he may go that he may go about not go about naked and be seen exposed and they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon so they gather for battle at Armageddon Armageddon just means Mount megiddo megiddo is a place where several battles were fought in the Old Testament it's not a mountain.
So there are some questions as to whether or not that's exactly what this is talking about but it's just a name for a place verse 17 the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying it is done and there were flashes of lightning Rumblings peels of thunder and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth so great was the earthquake the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the Nations fell.
God remembered Babylon the great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath and we'll learn about Babylon the great next week and every island fled away and no mountains were to be found and great hail Stones about 100 pounds each fell from heaven on people and they cursed God for the plague of hail because the plague was so severe I think that I have had a picture in my mind and I'm willing to bet that you have had it as.
Well well of a whole bunch of people being very remorseful and saying we were wrong I see you now help me forgive me and God saying no I didn't know I didn't know no that's not the picture we see here and even where in the beginning of Revelation it says They Mourn or where Jesus says they'll be weeping and nashing of teeth it seems like they only respond to their plight They Mourn themselves and how it's affecting them They Mourn their sores they don't mourn their sin and the truth is that makes a ton of sense.
God begins to reveal himself in judgment and the response is not oh you must know something about Sin I don't you must know something about my wickedness I don't I need to turn and be rescued the response is how dare you well if there is a God like that then I've got a I've got some information for him I'd like to give him a pieace of my mind if that's the kind of God you worship then I I'd love to be able to tell him something I'll reject it it just presses it further they've already rejected.
God they already have no desire for him they already have no love for him and then when judgment begins to fall it does not soften them it hardens them it verifies their opinion I knew he was wrong I knew he was comicus I knew he was vindictive I knew he was evil how dare he it's not that they're just genuinely good-hearted these people that have been worshiping and following the Beast and they hadn't had a chance we're told in Romans 1 they've had a chance they've seen his goodness displayed in creation they've seen his goodness.
And then they see his power displayed in judgment and the response is not oh how great you are the response is absolute refusal to get out of the booth no no humility no respect they curse him they get further entrenched in their hatred and then they get what they want which is not him they get their own Glory they get their own self-satisfaction they get their own self-aggrandisement they get to carry the weight themselves and that means destruction if you absolutely reject the source of all goodness and joy and hope and love in the world.
Then you will get an existence without goodness and hope and joy there is no good apart from him and if you want the weight of your own existence to Bear down on your shoulders if you want the weight of your sin if you want the weight of life and judgment and and all that is right and wrong to Bear down on your shoulders you'll get it but it'll be far more than you can bear and the response is not Contrition it's rebellion and it's cursing.
God and hating God and saying see see what he's like and things far worse than that y'all there's a moment in this text where Jesus speaks the text is oddly interrupted with the voice of Christ it's John recounting what he sees it's John writing I saw the fourth angel I heard all this eye language is John except for verse 15 behold I am coming like a thief that's not John that's Jesus it's in the middle of saying that they're going to start Gathering an army to go wage war against.
God which y'all if God is fully revealing himself in in heaven and they can see him doesn't that make sense like there's part of me that goes yeah that's exactly what we do all right well we're going to go down I'm going to I'm going to go down shooting a nuke at him then it'll be worth it let's fight him there's no repentance there's no oh my goodness let's fall but it's not what they they don't do that they start gathering.
For war and in the middle of that Jesus says behold I'm coming like a thief blessed is the one who stays awake keeping his garments on that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed Jesus says don't be here when this happens I'm going to show up at a time when you're not ready and all that will be left is rebellion and destruction all that will be left as wrath and hatred don't be caught unaware Jesus he interrupts this whole thing and says don't be there don't choose this.
Jesus interrupts human history with his life with his death with his resurrection y'all we have no excuse our entire calendar is built around the fact that Jesus broke history in half well we didn't know we did we knew we know that he interrupted everything to bring about rescue and hope and joy and salvation and that he would pay for the wrath of God that's what we told that he's a propitiation when the altar yells out that altar is this picture of somebody's willing to pay.
For sin that something will shed blood so that we aren't covered the altar cries out and says he's just then Jesus says don't be there behold stay dressed be ready don't be exposed don't get caught with no covering we're told in the Book of Revelation that they're covered in white that the Saints are because they've washed their robes clean in the blood of the Lamb there is wrath for sin the question is is it going to be poured out on you or is it going to be poured out on.
Jesus are you going to follow the Beast and catch wrath are you going to follow the lamb who who took wrath for you and so Jesus interrupts this and he says don't be there don't be caught unaware into the Church don't act like this day isn't coming don't be so lulled to sleep by our culture that we stop caring that there are friends and neighbors and loved one who who are going to get what they've been seeking which is their own self aggrandisement which leads to destruction and don't tell yourself I've got time.
Because he's coming like a thief in the night Jesus says if you knew what time the thief was coming you wouldn't let your house be broken into that's not how it works but in the middle of judgment he does what he's done this whole time which is enters into it and says come don't be there Jesus enters into the middle of our judgment takes our sin for us pays the price for us so that we might be free and that we might glorify him that we might gather and sing praises to the lamb.
Because he's good not because we are and the hope for us is Christ and not anything else may we be people who understand that his judgments are true and righteous and just may we sing his praises and may we not be caught unaware let's pray yes Lord God the almighty true and just are your judgments just and true are your ways O King of the Nations who will not fear oh Lord and glorify your name for you alone Are Holy All Nations will come and worship you.
For your righteous acts have been revealed in Jesus name amen
Revelation 14
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here we are continuing to walk through the Book of Revelation we are in chapter 14 today so you can follow along on the blue Bible it's on page 599 and the blue Bibles it's at the back of the Bible but we are continuing to walk through this uh bit by bit we're in chapter 14 today uh Moses and the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy uh which is a second reading of the law before the people people of.
God go into the promised land in Chapter 30 he presents two very clear options to the people of God he says you can choose life and good or you can choose death and evil and in life and good is abiding by The Commandments the teaching of the law to live in Covenant relationship with their Covenant God by not worshiping the idols of the land that they're about to inherit from God so you can choose to worship God and God alone and you will have goodness or you can choose to reject.
God and chase after lesser things you can chase After idols and you will get death and you will get evil and that Clear Choice that's given to the people of God is foreshadowing of the rest of the history of Israel if you read the history of Israel things are good when they are worshiping God and God alone when they stray after other idols and they worship idols in the place of God it goes poorly for them but there's a clear choice between good and evil between worshiping.
God and rejecting him for idols and that choice is pulled throughout the whole rest of the Bible all the way into the Book of Revelation and this chapter that we're going to be into today so as we read chapter 14 we're going to see this very clear choice has two very different ends and the reality of Revelation 14 should be impressed Upon Our Hearts because it's the same choice we have today so I'm going to pray for us then we're going to walk through this together uh heavenly.
Father I pray that you would open our hearts to receive your word that we might have ears to hear and not walk away unchanged but by the power of your spirit through your word may you mold us and shape us into a people that Choose Wisely in Jesus name amen all right so pick up in verse one it says then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the lamb and with him 144,000 had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads all right.
So that's packed with a few different images and as long as we've been in this book uh and all the different things we've seen we got to do some recap from time to time back in the day the only option you had for watching a television show was waiting a week like you just couldn't hit next you waited a week and a lot of things happened during that week and by the time you got back to your favorite TV show if you want to.
See Jack Bower do his thing in the next hour you needed to know what happened the last hour because a lot happened that last hour and we got to do that a little bit with this book because it's just at times it's just packed with imagery and it's like we actually already encountered the 144,000 we we saw this back in chapter 7 uh and I'm not going to recount everything I'm just going to give you the quick recap of what we talked about.
When this number 144,000 came up Chad and I uh both read this as symbolic uh uh imagery of the Church the 144,000 is the picture of the entire Church over Church history the collective people of God when you break down that number 144,000 it is uh 12 * 12 * 1,000 so 12 in the Bible is a very symbolic number in the Old Testament it's the 12 tribes of Israel and all of the 12 imagery that came with that 12 Stones uh 12 bull sacrifices.
But also when you get into the New Testament you have the 12 disciples uh and their full number isn't complete when Judas betrays Jesus and meets his end when they have the 12 apostles they have to actually fill his slot so not everyone's accounted for until they have a 12th so 12th is this idea of fullness throughout the Bible of completeness of everyone being accounted for and as we talked about on uh that given week uh that this is the Church symbolic again like we like we've said throughout the Book of Revelation very debated people have different takes people in our own Church have different takes on this.
But the way that we preach this is this is the collective Church so this imagery then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the lamb Jesus and with him 144,000 that's the Church who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads now if you remember from last week we saw the very last verse of last week in Chapter 13 was a different mark it was the mark of the beast it was the number 666 and Chad spent some time walking through what that is and a lot of the different takes in Church history of what that was viewed uh to be.
So I don't want to also have to go through all of that again but I'll just summarize that the mark of the beast the number 666 is bad you you don't want to be marked by the Beast you want to be marked by the father you want to be marked by the father and not uh the evil one so that you got two choices there you could be marked by the father belong to the 144,000 or you can be marked by the Beast and belong really to the kingdoms of this world there is no middle ground here you you're picking a jersey.
Okay this is not you know House Divided where you've got really classy Garnet like stitched in with really tacky orange you choose a side here that's it's one of the other okay and that's what's being presented here you can belong to the 144,000 you can be marked by the father or you can belong to as we're going to see the kingdoms of this world be marked by the Beast so picks up that language of 144,000 and then in verse two it says and I Heard a Voice from heaven like the Roar of many Waters like the sound of thunder the voice I heard was like the sound of harpus playing on their Harps and they.
Were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth and I just a theme that I did not expect in this book it's a sub theme is uh is singing like you just see it all over this book the song we just sang comes out of Revelation chapter um four and five and it's just there's just singing and I just love this that the people of.
God singing worshiping God and it just even has this language of it's a no one could learn the song except the 144,000 there's this special song that we get to sing uh years ago I was I was waiting in line to get into a show to see a band that I liked it was a band called uh Switchfoot and they uh are a band they're not really a Christian music artist but they are Christians and their music if you listen to it you can actually pick up some of the themes that they're U that they're writing about.
But I was in line and there's a guy in front of me and and he was talking to his buddy and he said yeah I think this band like I heard that they're like a Christian band and the other guy was like no dare you to move which was like their big song of the time he's like it's not a Christian song at all and I just listened to that I was like I know that song and that song is very much about salvation I had ears to hear it.
Because I I Bel at that point I belong I just became a Christian I belong to Christ I could pick it up and listen to it and that's just there's something about the people of God know this song they they worship and delight in God I love this picture that we see throughout this book and then it continues in verse four it is these who have not been defiled who have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins it is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes these have been redeemed from mankind as.
First fruits for God and the lamb and in their mouth no lie was found for they are blameless and the image we get here is the language of Purity and the language of Purity here is about faithfulness to God and God Alone this is the language that really flows throughout the prophets in the Old Testament into this book right here of faithfulness to the one true God not spiritual adultery by Chasing After idols but faithfulness to the one true God this is the Church that.
God has gathered and saved and redeemed and set apart so this is who you can belong to if you choose Christ and to be marked by the father then we get three different messages from three different angels and we're going to pick up with the first angel in chap in verse six then I saw another Angel flying directly overhead with an eternal Gospel to Proclaim to those who dwell on Earth to Every Nation every tribe and language and people and he said with a loud voice fear.
God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made Heaven and Earth the Sea and the Springs of water so this first Angel comes and proclaims the Gospel over all the Earth every tribe it's a picture of the Gospel going forward to every tribe Every Nation every tongue every people before Christ comes back every tribe Every Nation every tongue every people is going to hear the Gospel that the new Heavens the new Earth it will be every tribe Every Nation every people every tongue it's a picture of this and it proclaims the Gospel the summary of The Gospel here is fear.
God and give him glory fear God give him glory worship Him and th this is this is the hope of the Gospel it it's not just that we love God and we do we love God because he loved us so much that he gave up his son for us and his son was crushed for our sins that we might have life with him and have our sin paid for it's that also God is powerful he's fearful I mean if you ever been in a storm where you didn't have shelter and just felt exposed at the power power of lightning and crashing Thunder that's a small tiny glimpse of the power and the glory of.
God that's we should fear Him and and it poses really the question why and the answer here is because the hour of the final judgment has come the hour of the final judgment is near so fear Him worship Him oh you Saints worship Him this is the God who's worthy of worship second Angel comes along verse 8 another Angel a second followed saying Fallen Fallen is Babylon the great she who made all nations drink the wine of The Passion of her sexual immorality.
So Babylon if you read the Old Testament what you're going to see uh is this nation that is great and as powerful that God raises up to ultimately bring judgment upon his people for rejecting him for Idols so Babylon led by uh King Nebuchadnezzar comes into Jerusalem destroys the temple completely and takes the people as captives and brings them into Babylon and they live as captives for 70 years and readers of the Bible these people who are receiving these letters are hearing this and they they they know the story of Babylon Babylon is an ruthless powerful Empire that enforced power upon the people and also it's a an Empire that enforced its idolatry upon the.
People you this this great Babylon language is directly out of Nebuchadnezzar's mouth at one point if you read the book of Daniel you'll see Nebuchadnezzar boasting about his great Empire this great Babylon and if you also read the book of Daniel you'll see that that uh at one point he sets up an idol and he forces all the people including the Jews to worship and bow down to the idols to the idol that he set up and Shadrach Meshach and abedo decide no we will worship the one true.
God we will not bow down and then you read the rest of the story they're thrown into the fiery furnace God Saves them but Babylon for the reader for the hearer of this draws your mind to an Empire that is both powerful ful with its sword with its economic power that all the nations had to uh serve and also its idolatry and that's the language here the the language of passion of infidelity it's not uh literally sexual sin though that would be included in the idol worship the primary picture here is the language of Old Testament prophets it is Fidelity to the one true.
God and this Babylon with its power and its influence uence and its sword and its economy that have forced upon the Nations also this idol worship so those are the two kind of things where Babylon sticks out now throughout Church history Babylon in the Book of Revelation uh was seen as this uh great power and when you think about from the context of the hearers of this letter remember chapters 2 and three of The Book of Revelation these seven churches that were reive this letter.
When they hear Babylon undoubtedly what they are hearing is Rome that Babylon is an example ultimately of what Rome is because Rome embodied all of the same problems that Babylon did it was a powerful dominant Empire they controlled all the land for miles it was a dominant Empire that economically controlled uh every rule every every everyone that it ruled over it was a very like Babylon very rich culture it was prosperous uh it was uh consumeristic that was built into uh the economy of Rome.
So much so that um there's a u in Rome today there's a there's a Hill Called Mount tachio and and that Hill actually is an artificial Hill it's not real dirt it's actually made made of pots Pottery over time because what they did back in the day is they were so prosperous at their time they could take pots of oil used the oil and instead of like everyone else was doing reused that pot they just threw it on the hill so they just collected over time that's how rich they were you couldn't do that back.
Then they didn't have that kind of wealth but they did and they they were a a a a powerful economy that also infused idol worship that's what we saw when you read chapters 2 and 3 you saw that if you wanted to participate in those local city economies if you wanted to participate and what it meant to be a full Roman citizen you need to go to the temple and commit um idolatry which would include sexual immorality but you you see this this picture that they Infuse sexual sin at the service of their Idols you saw.
If if you read Roman history you'll see some of the Corrupt Practices they did they they practiced widespread in fantasy where if you had a baby that was born with defects or was born with the wrong uh gender if you didn't want that gender or if it was uh born out of wedlock say ah no they would go and they would set those babies out in the cold and expose them uh for death the Christians were known at the time for being the people that would come in and scoop those babies up I you go on the list I mean this the Roman culture was uh widely Pagan and lost and these hearers would be.
Hearing Babylon be thinking oh I know exactly what he's talking about he's talking about Rome that one day Rome is going to Fall Fallen Fallen is Rome the great now as we read this and as the rest of Church history reads this we see that yes Rome certainly is a great example of Babylon but it's not the only one that over time you know Rome Falls over time this is a picture of all the kingdoms on the earth that do this they both have great power and force that power upon the people and also lure people and force people into the worship of idols and what we've seen kind of in this book that's specifically.
Here that this is moving towards one day a great Empire that will do just this that just before Jesus returns there will be a Babylon type Empire that is so powerful that enforces it power upon the people and also lures people into worship of idolatry so this is a foreshadowing of what's going to happen when we're going to about later in the Book of Revelation so it's picturesque of all the kingdoms that do this but also one day there will be a kingdom that does this that embodies.
So much of Babylon so much of Rome and that is coming and the the the choice here is that you can belong to the 144,000 you can belong to the Church you can belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and be marked by the father or you can belong to Babylon you can be marked by the beast but you cannot have it both ways as the second Angel comes in third Angel verse 9 and another Angel a third followed them saying with a loud voice.
If anyone worships the Beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand he also will drink the wine of God's Wrath again if you align yourself this what chap was getting out last week if you align yourself so much with this Kingdom of this Earth if you do this hear the language of judgment he will also drink the wine of God's Wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day.
Or night these worshippers of the Beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name and if you align yourself with the kingdom of this Earth this picture of judgment is what awaits if you bear the mark of the beast this is the picture of judgment and the image is I it's heavy it says you will drink the wine of God's Wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger tormented with fire and sulfur and the presence of Holy Angels in the lamb the smoke of their torment has no end I mean this is fierce imagery of the wrath of.
God poured out on those who reject him and when we encounter language like this if we're honest language about hell language about this eternal suffering the wrath of God it's uncomfortable and there's an instinct that just says can we just move on from this but burying our head in the sand and not embracing the language of what the Bible talks about here is foolish nness because these Vivid terrifying pictures of an ending wrath on those who are marked by the beast on those who align themselves with the kingdom of this world with those who align themselves with Babylon over the kingdom of.
God is a reality which should make every reader in every age of Church history who comes across the Book of Revelation look at this letter and go what what kingdom do I belong to every person that's ever lived under a king or a prime minister or a president should ask themselves am I aligning myself with this kingdom is this Kingdom that I'm is this is my kingdom like babyon and I think it would be foolish for us to read this and start thinking is it China is it the New China Russia Iran superpower can it it would be foolish.
For us to outwardly just assume that it's going to be something like that and not actually do the humble reflective work and ask what are the similarities between Babylon and our country now listen I feel like I live Between Two Worlds because actually I love our country when Fourth of July hits I'm game like I just Toby ke on repeat I go hard I just because I do I do very much I do love the the nation that I live in I think my love.
For the nation I live in sometimes blinds me to the reality of the similarities between our own country and Babylon our own country and Rome because there are a lot of similarities we like the Romans have dominated the world old economy for 80 years since World War II I mean it's us the dollar and and we're the ones that are in control largely some similarities some parallels there that's something we preach about all the time the idol of the American dream we hit this over and over again.
Because it's something that we so easily are it's so normalized in our culture that you would just worship the idol of the American dream and go hard and serve that and make every choice in line with leveling up and being comfortable in this culture and it's very similar to how Rome was I mean goodness the the greed and materialism is W so woven so much in the fabric of our culture that in the very way that we culturally celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas is.
So stained by it so we talk about a gift series every year we lose our dagam MS every year around gifts around around Christmas because we're so bought into consumerism and and and and it's I mean goodness y'all they had Mount tachio which was some pots we have landfills for days all over that are filled with things you bought six months ago and we think that's normal and in the age of over time it's not normal compared it's not it's not and we we buy into this we like the Romans worship pleasure and we have a celebration and almost Evangelistic Joy of all forms of sexual sin we like the Romans have our own version.
Of child sacrifice on the altar of prosperity and having the choice to preserve your future and your ability to have sexual exploration that you want our abortion is very similar to their child in fanton and I I you can make parallel after parallel after parallel after parallel between us and Babylon our country is fallen and is Earthly just like every Kingdom that has ever existed and I would rather live in this Fallen Kingdom than anywhere else CU I so appreciate freedom of religion I.
So appreciate freedom of speech that allows me to preach and proclaim the Gospel without retribution I so appreciate the ability and the rich history of this country and churches that have flourished and proclaiming the Gospel and sending missionaries all across the world but thankfulness for living here does not mean that I align my primary Allegiance here Not For a Moment thankfulness for for for being born chosen by God to live here geographically does not mean I line myself with a red white and blue over King.
Jesus Not For a Moment because the enemy of this world the devil pulls the strings here in this country just like he pulls the strings in every country that has ever existed the prince the power of the air has power of the principalities he has power over every Kingdom he is at work from Rome all the way to here and blind to that reality is foolishness because here is my fear my fear is is that if we are so blind to this reality.
If we just blindly go along with all the cultural norms because we think we're great and we're awesome we will miss we'll miss what's truly at stake my fear is that there's so many self- professing Christians who especially in election Seasons like this put their hope in the future of this country so much that if one day a leader comes along and demands they participate and whatever that Mark is going to be what the mark of the beast is going to be that Christians that are undiscerning or or self-proclaimed Christians that are undiscerning are just going to go along with whatever that is and will have eternal regrets.
For doing so now more than ever we need to fear God and his wrath and accept the picture that is being painted for us of what is going to happen so we might not blindly follow anyone or anything we might put our allegiance to Christ and Christ alone because if you are not careful you will become a citizen of Babylon one day and you will have eternal regrets for doing so now that's a sharp warning just like we've seen throughout this book it's t it's filled with sharp warnings.
But buried in that sharp warning is actually an encouragement It's actually an encouragement for those who align themselves with the kingdom of God those who are being persecuted for their faith those who are being ostracized and set outside the cultural norms because of their faith this is actually an encouragement to endure and that's where this goes in verse 12 it says in verse 12 here is a call for the endurance of the Saints those who keep the Commandments of God and their faith in.
Jesus and I Heard a Voice from Heaven saying write this blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord from now on blessed indeed says the spirit that they may rest from their labors for their deeds follow them this is meant to if you live in a Babylon likee land if you're being persecuted if you're feeling any form of of heat for aligning Your Allegiance with Christ in a way that makes you look different this is an encouragement for you to endure.
Because one day you will have something greater one day you will be somewhere greater if you endure if you don't fold if you hold out if you cling to Jesus if you're marked by the father and then you don't accept the mark of the beast that we're holding out for something greater years ago I was in Cape Town South Africa and I got to go to Robin Island which is the uh an island off the coast of uh Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held.
For 18 years of his 27e imprisonment and I got to go visit and we walked through the the prison uh that he was in that those political prisoners were in we went to the Limestone mines where we got to we where they were forced to mine uh work in these mindes so much so that Nelson Mandela's sight was his his tear ducts were permanently damaged uh from the work that they did day and day out there now during his imprisonment they told Mandela they said you can go free.
If you actually just recant your political activism against the apartheid government which at that time was a racially segregated government that black South Africans couldn not participate in the government like white South Africans he said if you just if if you just recant your political teachings if you recant your activism you go free you don't have to be in the prison anymore you don't have to work in the minds anymore just give up and he didn't because he was working for a better reality.
For South Africans he was working for a free South Africa where everyone was equal that so he rejected that false idea of freedom because he was holding out for a better version of Freedom a better reality and he persevered and we as Christians have a so much better hope that awaits us our hope is so much greater the new Heavens the new Earth the 144,000 the Church of Jesus Christ worshiping the Lord but we have something so much greater so much more powerful.
So much more wonderful it is worth our endurance it is worth our perseverance it is worth rejecting the the calls of our present cultural moment to fold to accept morality that is not okay to reject the Gospel no we should endure that this this this is a shot in the veins for us to see there is a day coming that is ultimately better there's an eternity that is coming that is ultimately better therefore we should endure because one day before the new Heavens is the new Earth and everything we're going to Delight in.
When we get to Revelation 20 21 and 22 there is a day coming where there's going to be two harvests and that's the last thing we see in chapter 14 that we should endure because Harvest is coming let's look at the first harvest verse 14 then I looked and behold a white cloud and seated on the cloud one like a son of man with a Golden Crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand and another angel came out of the temple calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud put in your sickle and reap.
For the hour to reap Has Come For The Harvest of the earth is fully ripe so he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the Earth and the Earth was reaped that is the first harvest and the first harvest is Christians this is the language of Jesus the son of man coming on the clowns Daniel 7 language this is the language of Jesus harvesting the people of God this is Matthew 13 the parable of the wheat and the tears the wheat and the weeds the wheat is the people of.
God and Jesus is coming and he will gather his people once is fully ripe once every tribe Every Nation every tongue has heard the Gospel and there's he's going to gather his people for they'll be spared the final judgment which is the second harvest let's look at the Second Harvest verse 17 this we'll close with today then another angel came out of the temple in heaven and he too had a sharp sickle and another angel came out from the altar the angel who had had authority over fire and he called the loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle put in your sickle and gather the Clusters from the vine of the Earth.
For its grapes are ripe so the angel swung his sickle across the Earth and gathered the grape Harvest of the earth threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God and the wine press was trotted outside the City and blood flowed from The Wine Press as high as a horse's Bridal for Stadium the Second Harvest is a harvest for those who have rejected Christ For Those Who Bore the mark of the beast for those who align themselves more the kingdom of this world than the Kingdom of Heaven and the language of this judgment is graphic and violent the language of Christ judging the Earth it's grapes red grapes that are trampled in.
A trotten pressed in a wine press and the juice is Flowing out and you know what that imagery is that is the imagery of the Nations who have rejected Christ the peoples who have rejected Christ being crushed and their own blood so high that it flows for six 1600 stadia that's 200 miles at the height of a horse's Bridal that's about this High a river flowing for 200 miles like that it is intense Judgment of a real reality because a harvest is coming one where the Saints of.
Jesus Christ will be gathered and one where judgment is coming and that judgment will involve blood and the choice for us is witch blood you can stand in your own blood you can align yourself with the kingdom of this present world you can enjoy everything this culture has to offer you can say I want a little bit of Jesus but I actually want the world as well you can try to earn your way to God on your own good works you can live a life that is not surrendered to the one true king.
Jesus and one day you will stand in your own blood and your own judgment but the good news of the Gospel is you don't have to because God the Father loves you so much that he sent Christ to have his blood spilled for you because the choice that you have is Christ that's what's offered to you that you can choose Jesus that you can choose to have your sin placed upon the lamb who was slain for you you can choose to have his blood speak.
For you to have your sin covered but that's the choice that we have it is God in Christ or it is this world it is good or it is evil and our plea throughout this Series has been please choose Jesus please choose the lamb do not have eternal regret as you face the Judgment of Christ for living a life that was not surrendered to the one true king choose Jesus Brian's going to come up he's going to start to play for us as we get ready to take the Lord's supper and my hope is you would take a moment to let that Choice bear upon your soul there are some of you here that have.
Been around you've been thinking about the idea of Christ and Christianity been thinking about the idea of of throwing your life before Christ and giving yourself to him or maybe for the first time God is making it clear that you've not done that and the choice is yours right now don't come to the table come to the lamb Jesus blood was shed so that you might have life in him for eternity so that you might belong to the 144,000 to the whole full Church of.
Jesus Christ so you might Worship in the new heavens and the new Earth for eternity that offers for you but you have to come you have to confess your sin you have to confess your belief and the and the lamb who was slain for you and the lamb who walked out of the Tomb and conquered death for you that offer is for you but you have to take it and believe if you are a Christ Chris the reality for us is that we have both loved.
Jesus and we have loved this world we have so put our hope in this culture in ways we should not have and you have the moment right now to reflect and to repent that we can sit in a moment and recount the ways in which we've trusted in ourselves we've loved this culture we've loved this present age we've loved the consumerism and all the things of this world and we we get to not shamefully but joyfully come to the table and we get to take the bread and dip it in the juice and we get to.
Look at the the grape of the grape as a picture of both Jesus thank you for dying for me and thank you for not one day pressing me in judgment in judgment that I deserve so you get to joyfully solemnly come to the table reminded of your sin reminded of your savior and reminded because of nothing you have done but only because what Christ has done you will be spared judgment the choice is ours.
Revelation 13
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here uh grab a Bible and head to Revelation chapter 13 it'll be on page 599 if you grab one of the blue Bibles in the seat in front of you we are working our way through the Book of Revelation and if you've recently joined us and started being around on Sundays uh in the past couple weeks past couple months as we've been going through this book and if you're unfamiliar with the Bible as a whole you may be thinking to yourself is this what the whole Bible is like no it's not.
But the Book of Revelation is an apocalyptic book it Is God revealing to the Apostle John what's really going on behind some of the things that we can normally see and an apocalyptic book you get a lot of signs and pictures of things that point to something else and and it's very Vivid and striking and this is one of the things that we talked about when we first started working through this book we we went through this sentence here this is an apocalyptic book and it's a letter written to A persecuted people it's written.
When the Church was in distress it's written to these churches in Asia Minor in the Roman Empire where they're facing persecution where they're not fitting in financially they don't get to operate and do business the way they used to they're being arrested they're being persecuted there's difficulty and distress in the Church and one of the things that God does when there's difficulty in distress and we see in the Book of Daniel and we see it here is that he begins to speak in this nature he begins to give Vivid and striking images to try to help us.
See and the reason being in the middle of pain and chaos and difficulty and fear and doubt sometimes the nor noral means of just speaking and writing letters some of that just gets a little lost it's harder to hear every parent who's ever gone hey in the middle of a bunch of kids doing something they freeze and look at you that's not your normal way of talking to your children hopefully hopefully they don't get home from school and you go hey like no you aggressively you get loud there's a moment where you're trying to cut through the noise this is why in the middle of battle and conflict the signals that sent or a banner.
Or a horn or we're going to set fire to this thing and that'll be your time to go there's never been a general who was like all right and then I give you one of these it'll be time to move it's like that's not that's not how it works in the middle of difficulty and conflict we need something clear and so there's Vivid and striking images in the Book of Revelation because God's trying to break through the noise and help them feel feel something.
See something before they're able to hear something before they're able to to understand what's going on and so we're in the middle of a big sign that John is seeing and John is writing what he sees and we said last week that we're in the part of the Book of Revelation where we find out what the point is that there's some clarity given in chapter 12 13 and 14 we've reached this moment in the Book of Revelation where it's helping us understand the whole point of the book and there are some wild things that we're going to.
See this morning and we're going to spend some time on them but we don't want to miss the point because there's a moment in this text where John pauses all of that and looks directly at us and clarifies what's really going on here and what we're really supposed to take away and so we're going to spend some time on that as we go through this now where we left off last week we said this is one of the main things that's happening in this book is that we're told how the Church conquers that Christ through the blood of the Lamb has conquered the dragon that.
Jesus has defeated Satan through the cross and through his sacrifice that the dragon has been conquered and he's been cast down there was this time when he had some Mobility some freedom to go present himself before God and accuse humanity and he's no longer able to do that it says he's cast down and he's cast down in great wrath at the cross where Jesus conquers him and now he's going to begin to wage war against the Saints and this is what we.
See uh 12:1 17 where we left off last week then the dragon that's Satan 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 so the dragon has gone to make war on Christians and we're going to see how he goes about that in Chapter 13 so let's pray and then we'll begin to work through this text.
Father we ask that you'd give us the ears to hear and to believe and to respond as John intends us to we thank you for this message and this picture this clarification this revealing we ask you'd help us to respond in faith in Jesus name amen so the dragon standing on the sand of the sea and it says and I saw a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven heads with 10 diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads and the Beast that I saw was like a leopard its feet were like a bear's its mouth was like a lion's mouth and to it the dragon gave his power.
And his throne and great Authority so John sees this terrifying Beast come out of the water and there's a couple things that we should notice when this happens one is the the Beast mirrors in some ways the dragon the dragon has seven heads and 10 horns and seven diadems and the Beast has seven heads and 10 horns and 10 diadems that there's this almost a um incarnation of the Dragon in the Beast that in some ways this Beast is called forth in a way that's going to represent the dragon and we're going to.
See that play out but there's this mirroring but there's also something that happens here that connects to the Book of Daniel so the Book of Daniel is the primary apocalyptic book from the Old Testament Ezekiel has some apocalypsis in it but uh Daniel has more and there's a section in Daniel chapter 7 where four beasts come out of the Sea and the first one is like a lion the second one is like a bear the third one is like a leopard with four heads and the fourth one is unlike the other ones.
But it has 10 horns and so what just came out of the sea here is all of those smoosh together because it's like a lion like a leopard like a bear and it has seven heads which that would be all the amount of heads from The Book of Daniel and it has 10 horns like from The Book of Daniel and in the Book of Daniel we're told very clearly that each one of those beasts represents Kings and kingdoms so it's a king.
But it's also a kingdom and we're told in Revelation 17 that this Beast also the seven heads are Kings the 10 horns are Kings and that this Beast is also Kings and kingdoms that wouldn't have been lost on the original readers and so Satan the dragon wants to wage war on the Saints and he calls forth Kings and kingdoms he raises evil political power out of the sea and we're told in verse 5 that there's going to be given Authority for 42 months which in our understanding of that and we've talked about that a bunch 42 months 1260 days time times and half a time is from the moment that.
Jesus resurrects and the temple is destroyed all the way through Church history and so there's going to be this political power that takes place over the course of history where Jesus says that the time of the Gentiles will have to be fulfilled before he returns and we still have a destroyed temple with Gentiles on it and chapter 11 says that they're it's given over to the Gentiles for 42 months so we just understand that 42 months to be this dragged out period.
Now it's possible that there will be a final climactic version of some of this and that it'll play out over time in iterations and then there'll be a big climactic version and that some of the text in here makes it seem like that may be the case but the dragon is working through political power throughout history and exercising Authority through political power throughout history and John's pulling the curtain back on that we're going to see he says this and he gave the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority to it one of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound.
But its mortal wound was healed and the whole earth marveled as they followed the Beast so there's a lot of speculation as to some of the particular of things like that statement one of the Mortal one of the heads had a mortal wound and it was seemed to be healed one of the things we're going to see as we zoom out a little bit as we look at this Beast is that in some ways the dragon the Beast and then we're going to.
See a second beast create their own Unholy Trinity and that this Beast does some things to mimic Christ that it seems like it dies but it comes back and there are some who will say that that's kingdoms over and over again seeming like they fail but this continual power continues to happen where one Empire Falls but another one Falls and this Beast just lives forever and people continue to worship it and there are others who will say there will be a specific version of that that happens later and that may be the case we cannot in this text Chase every one of these little things.
Because we'll miss the point and thankfully John pauses the action to tell us the point as we go through it but this Beast seems like it's going to fail and doesn't and the whole earth marveled as they followed the Beast and they worshiped the Dragon for he had given his authority to the Beast and they worshiped the Beast saying who is like the Beast and who can fight against it I want you to see how that plays out they're worshiping the dragon he just said the whole world Marvels as they follow the Beast they're worshiping the dragon and the reason they're worshiping the dragon the re reason they're giving their worship to Satan is.
Because he's given his it says for he has given his authority to the Beast and they worship the Beast so what John is saying is that the enemy Works through Kings and kingdoms and political power and that we are drawn in worship to that and then John goes okay what you see is a castle what you see is a territory line what you see is a parliament and then he pulls it back and goes there's actually a beast and that worship of the Beast rolls up in worship of the Dragon to give our love and allegiance to give our life and our energy and our hope and our faith to a kingdom rolls up.
Worship to the dragon now John says not John Paul says that all authority Heavenly uh all uh governing authorities Earthly authorities have God's permission says that in Romans 12 that we're to live under Authority and that Authority is good because it's ordained by God he tells us to pray for kings and everybody in high place so that we might live a peaceful and orderly life and then it's like well well hold on John but Paul says governing authorities are okay and they have the sword and that they're allowed to exercise Authority and we should submit to that.
And then John's telling us nuh-uh it's a secret Beast who's right and the answer is yeah they're both right what Paul is saying is as Christians we should live in society we're not to be Anarchist trying to burn everything down we should hope for a peaceful we we should hope for the kind of situation we're in where we get to to travel and share the Gospel and nobody's hunting us but what John is saying is yeah we should hope for that.
Because our Hope's in Christ we shouldn't put our hope in the Kingdom we we shouldn't put our faith in the Kingdom we shouldn't put our love in the Kingdom we shouldn't be overwhelmed with Devotion to the to the kingdom because ultimately all of that no Kingdom on Earth is working no uh government on Earth is actively working so that you might love and follow Jesus and the enemy is at work in governments on Earth to distract and to woo and to conquer in a way that pulls us away from Christ.
And so we are to be as Peter tells us Exiles who have a citizenship in heaven and it says they say who is like the Beast and who can fight against it they give singular praise to the kings in the kingdoms that sentence should only be said about God we sang it a minute ago who who is like our God that that's for him that's not for political powers and so we have a tension as Christians to live as good citizens in the land that we're in.
But also if our land is telling us we're not allowed to tell people about Jesus well that's a part where we're going to be bad citizens and we'll talk more about how this plays out with us I don't think it means you can't be in the military but you've got to wonder where your heart is and pay attention to where your Allegiance is and where your hope is and what actually really trusting in and at the end of the day what you believe we're going into an election season no I'm not going into it we're in it sorry we're about to have an election that's what I meant and it's really easy.
For us to Care a whole lot more for you to have a whole lot more concern and worry and emotional energy for who's going to be in the white house for 4 years than you've had about whether or not you're neighbors will spend eternity with or without the Lord in a long time and that we care more about that than we care about some of these other things and we're missing what's really supposed to be going on here and John's pulling the curtain back and going y'all all these kingdoms are going to fall and ultimately they're trying to divert our worship to the dragon the American flag will not fly over the New Jerusalem that.
Belongs to Christ verse 5 and the Beast was given a mouth uttering hay and blasphemous words and it was allowed to exercise Authority for 42 months it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God blaspheming his name and his dwelling that is those who dwell in Heaven All right so this Beast is exercising Authority and it has Blasphemous names on its heads we're already told that but it also begins to just blaspheme God and it blasphemes it speaks against him it raises itself up over and against him and we've seen this throughout history in leaders and rulers who were given Divine status who accepted worship who were held up as gods and we've seen this.
In kingdoms that maybe they didn't say this ruler was God but they held up their their Kingdom as worth full devotion and Allegiance and would live forever that this this King and kingdoms raise themselves up against God but there's something that's very interesting that happens here so the dragon is an accuser and a deceiver and he's cast down he used to spend time accusing the Church to God he's not allowed to do that anymore we're told in chapter 12 that there is no accuser that stands before.
God anymore but he's still accusing and deceiving just here and now he's accusing God to us he no long gets to stand and accuse us to God but he's at work to accuse God to us to blaspheme against God and there's something else that he's doing that's very interesting and very encouraging not that he's doing it it's not encouraging but way it's worded is encouraging it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God blaspheming his name which we all should be tracking we understand how you could do that and his dwelling that phrasing is where he Tabernacles that is.
So it's about tell us what his dwelling is that is those who dwell in heaven now if we were writing that we might would have said that is heaven but it doesn't say that is heaven it says that is those who dwell in heaven and throughout the Book of Revelation it's going to talk about those who dwell on Earth but every time it talks about those who dwell on Earth it's specifically referring to those who don't believe so what it just said is he begins to blaspheme Christians which some of that makes sense yeah he's accusing Christians he accuses.
God but he accuses Christians we see that where Christians are mocked and made fun of and attacked globally this is a thing but that word blaspheme needs to hit your ear and you need to register it because some of the accusations made at you by the enemy one of our problems sometimes is that if he accuses Jesus we might would argue with him Jesus doesn't love you and you say that's not how Jesus is but then he might hit you with no one loves you or you're unlovable and we accept that.
Because it feels humble but if Christ dwells in you that's blasphemy against him if he's tabernacled in you if he makes his dwelling among you as 1 Corinthians 3 says do you not know that the spirit of God dwells in you that you are his Temple that this is blasphemy it's not just an accusation but it actually rolls up just like praise for the Beast rolls up in worship to the Dragon accusation against the Church can roll up in blasphemy against.
God to tell you that you're no you'll never be forgiven for that well that's only true if Jesus doesn't do what he says he does no one loves you that's only true if Jesus isn't good and so some of the things that we walk around repeating and hearing I heard a pastors say that the enemy works by accusation and agreement he accuses us of something and we agree but some of the things that we let roll around in our head and that we feel like I'm just the I'm the worst I'm it's like no no people say.
Well I'm chief of Sinners Like Paul yeah Paul was talking about that in the context of his forgiveness to the praise and the glory of Christ and so that sometimes we accept these things but they blasphemies against a holy God who has rescued and redeemed us in Christ and you need to quit listening to it because it's not about you it's about Jesus if you belong to Christ those kind of accusations don't get to stick because they would UL timately have to make something untrue about.
Jesus that is true and we get the good things from Christ because of Christ not because of us and so we get to walk in freedom but he's accusing and blaspheming also verse 7 it was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them and Authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and Nation here again we see the Beast mimicking some of what Jesus Does by having every tribe and language and people and Nation it's possible there's a future version of this that is some sort of global power.
But y'all every people in language and tribe and nation is under some form of king or leadership or government that they can put their trust in and when Satan is tempting Jesus in the desert it says he shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and says if you'll worship me I'll give this all to you he's called the the God of this world that he has some authority over this and he's working out governing authorities in a way that divert us from Christ that place Our Hope in them and ultimately claim our worship.
But I want you to see something else in verse 7 it says and it was allowed well who allows it God so when John's pulling this curtain back he's saying you see a parliament you see a capital building you see a castle there's really a beast and there's really a dragon but looming up above them seemingly even unseen by the dragon is the God who allows some of this to play out for a time but then ultimately draws it to a close that all of this plays out under God's Great Authority he's not actively at work in doing these things he's allowing some of this to play out as he works Redemption out in history.
And one day the enemy will be destroyed but the conclusion isn't up for grabs it it's not like the enemy might win he only works at the allowance of God who one day says time's up but it says he was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them and Authority was given it over every tribe and people in language and nation and all who dwell on Earth will worship it everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain.
If anyone has an ear let him hear if anyone is to be taken captive to Capt ity he goes if anyone is to be slain with the sword with the sword must he be slain here is a call for the endurance and Faith of the Saints so this Beast is going to conquer and kill and capture and work against the Church then I saw another Beast rising out of the earth it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.
So this isn't a wolf in sheep's clothing this is the dragon in sheep's clothing and in some ways it's trying to mirror the lamb but it's just part of the dragon as well it exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first Beast whose mortal wound was healed so this second beast shows up and points back to the first Beast so when you worship the first Beast your worship rolls up and praise to the dragon just as.
Jesus says no one comes to the father except by me the worship for the Beast rolls up in praise to the dragon and the second beast shows up and points to the first beast and we have an evil Unholy Trinity at work to lead praise and worship to the dragon but this Beast is at work now again this is a sign this is a picture so it represents something else and so here's what it says it performs Great Signs even making Fire come down from Heaven to Earth in front of people and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the Beast it deceives those who dwell on Earth telling.
Them to make an image for the Beast that was wounded By The Sword and yet lived it is possible that some of these signs and things will take place in a very real fashion in the future but this Beast is at work in soft power if you have the first beast at work through political power and through conquering this one shows up and it works like a prophet from the Old Testament to call people to worship of the first Beast it's working through signs and wonders it's taking on the role of a prophet to point people to the.
First beast and so this is and we're going to see it's both religious and financial it's working like a prophet and it's going to work through financial systems to try to bring about worship for the first beast and so that may be specifically referencing something that's going to happen but it also is playing out over time as there have been civil religions and world religions that call for adherence to the authorities and the governing authorities have always liked the religions that help the governing authorities have power they get rid of the ones that cause problems they keep the ones that say do what's right and in every place where the government has grown in authority.
And power you will see that they'll keep the religions that help their Authority and power and they'll get rid of the ones that don't they'll make it more difficult for them to exist and that's what this second beast is doing 15 and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the Beast so that the image of the Beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the Beast to be slain so your options are worship or die also it causes all both small and great both rich and poor both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or the forehead.
So that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the Beast or the number of its name so again this may have some future really crystallized version of this but one of the other things that happens here is that this is tied into economic existence which we see that the letters written to the first seven churches had that involved that they were poor that they were having a difficult time operating and functioning and working in a society that they had to Worship in order to exist in and they were not doing that and one of the things that the Jewish people were told in the Old Testament.
Was to put a fanry on their wrist on their hand or their forehead which was a small Torah scroll that helped them remember who they were and what they were about so one of the things that may be happening here is that the second beast gets you to worship the first Beast because of your love for money that he makes you about buying and selling that what your hand is trying to do and what your mind is thinking about is buying and selling that there's this economic aspect of participation in a worshipful way with the.
First piece so it may have a future fulfillment but it also can be a sign pointing to playing out over time the call that if your local first Beast is doing really well usually your economics are doing really well also Verse 18 this calls for wisdom let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the Beast for it is the number of a man and his number is 666 if you don't know much about the Book of Revelation or Christianity you probably still know something about this there are one million guesses as to what this is getting at the further you go the crazier the math gets and you can make the math do.
Whatever you want to do there are a few that make a little more sense but there is no consensus so I'm going to give you some of the options and then we're going to make sure we don't miss the point of this passage while this is very intriguing it's not the point of this passage so here are a couple of your options one is one of the commentaries point out that he calls for wisdom and then he says calls for understanding and to calculate the commentary was just pointing out that most of the people just get into the calculate part they're just doing math problems and he says.
But usually when the Bible calls us for wisdom it's beyond just he said anybody can do math it's calling us for some sort of understanding that is spiritually discerned and so he was just trying to say that may not be the best way to go about it and I thought that was a good argument but there is a thing called gatria matria which is taking words and adding them up to get a number it doesn't work in English because we have letters and numbers.
But in Hebrew and Greek and Latin their letters were their numbers so you could write a name out and you could do a math problem there was a guy who like graffitied a thing that said I love her whose number is 545 or something like that and it wasn't like an old school phone that only needed three digits it was he had added her name up and someone could do the math and try to figure out he's in love with Tina or whatever.
So there are people who have taken and tried to figure out what does this name add up to because it says it's the number of a man and his number is 666 if you take this was written in Greek but if you transliterate it into Hebrew and spell it a little differently than it normally is spelled you can get Nero Caesar so a lot of people think that this maybe was Nero Caesar and that he he was doing it in Hebrew and people would have to figure that out you can get the Beast.
If you transliterate it to Hebrew you can also get Nero Caesar if you do it in Latin and spell it a little bit differently uh irenaeus who was a disciple of polycarp who was a disciple of John so he's like this John's spiritual grandson he didn't know he wrote a commentary on this and he was like gave some options and then he just ended with it'll probably be clear when it's really important so he just said seems like a future thing they'll figure it out out and I think that's a good argument maybe that's how that'll play out the phrasing it's the number of a man is used later.
When it talks about a cubit it says it's the measurement of a man and it doesn't mean One Singular man is 18 in tall it means Humanity uses this number it's humans number and so there are some who say that's actually what this is saying that seven God cre the world in six days and he rested on the seventh and seventh is a complete cycle and it it brings to the end of something and so they would have festivals that lasted seven days or lasted 14 days they had a uh things that would happen every seventh year they had a Year of Jubilee that happened every seven s years it's 49 years.
And so they're just saying that really what this is getting at is the full culmination of the power of humanity is going to equal a trinity of incompleteness 666 maybe it is written out as 666 rather than just a six a six and a six I I don't think that it is extremely clear it does take understanding and calculation and I'm I lean a little bit with irenaeus which is maybe it'll be clear when we really need it to be clear the original readers would have most likely seen in the Beast the Roman Empire and they wouldn't have been wrong.
And then later people saw other Empires and other kingdoms and other powers and I don't think they were wrong either because I think this is how this works you look out in the world and you see the Beast and John saying yeah that's how Satan's at work that the Roman Empire was the beast but the Roman Empire Falls and then something else Rises and there have been powers in China and Russia and yeah and the United States is also a very powerful political power.
And if we don't see the enemy at work in that we're missing something now we're not in a season where we're being conquered there are Christians being conquered in Iran and Algeria and North Korea that they're having to deal with the he's conquering them but we're not in that season that way but we are in the one where there's a a whisper and a call to political power and influence and financial gain and to just love the Beast and participate in its ways and have your hope set here.
But there's a moment in this text where John stops I I I uh I don't know if you watch plays I really like plays they're excellent if they're done well they're amazing and if they're done poorly they're amazing so plays are amazing you go to a middle school play and they crush it that was awesome if they fail the whole time it's still awesome you can't laugh real loud cuz their parents are there but it's awesome so my wife and I can't sit with each other.
Because we cause problems but I love plays but there's a thing that happens in plays every once in a while where everybody freezes and the lighting changes and the main character steps out and just looks at the audience it's just something between you and them this happens in in Hamilton he gets right to the end but the point is freezes and then he turns and goes he's going to talk to you he's holding a gun that's why I'm doing that because they don't want you to miss the point and there's a moment in this text where everything freezes and John turns.
So look at verse eight all who dwell on the earth will worship it that's a fearful statement everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain everyone worships the Beast everyone loves the Beast everyone bows to the Beast unless before the foundation of the world your name was written in the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain if you belong to Jesus you don't worship the Beast you don't love the Beast you can't and you make it out Everyone Falls prey to the Beast except those who've been rescued and Redeemed by.
Jesus everyone places their hope in the Beast everyone bows to the Beast everyone wants what the Beast promises except for those who belong to Jesus and so I'll hear Christians every once in a while go I just what if I take the mark what if I what if this happens what if that happens and it's like it won't if you belong to Jesus because he will keep you and the Beast Rises and falls and on the bookend of that the whole life of the work of the Beast and the dragon on the book end of that.
If you belong to Jesus your name was pinned in the book and you live for eternity that in the promised existence of those who know Christ in his rescue plan and hope there's a moment where where the Beast gets to throw everything he has and the Church doesn't fall and those in Christ don't fall and so John says that and then everything freezes and he looks at us and he says if anyone has an ear let him hear if anyone is to be taken captive to captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be slain with the sword with the sword must he be slain here is a call for the endurance and Faith of the Saints why is the Book of Revelation written in the middle of distress and pain and confusion and doubt God speaks and he says there's a beast and he has Authority and you may be conquered you may be taken captive you may be killed endure and Trust because I wrote your name down before I spoke the world into existence and I sent my son as the Pinnacle of History to pay with his blood.
For your life so that you might belong to us forever and ever and ever and ever and no Beast I don't care how many heads or horns it has can take you away from me now you may have to endure here for for a time but you will live enduringly forever because of the rescue of Christ and right now we aren't actively being rounded up hunted conquered we're not being taken into captivity or slain with a sword it's possible that'll happen it's possible you're sent somewhere that that happens it's possible that things change drastically in our country and that happens.
But right now we do have a beast that is luring us and whispering to us and trying to woo us into a love that we cannot get into and we cannot worship the Beast and we cannot follow the Beast and we can't place Our Hope in political parties or in financial systems and our participation and all of that has to happen on a level of Exiles who have a citizenship somewhere else and a hope somewhere else and a king somewhere else and I don't know where your faith fits in and how you think about it in your life.
And if it's just a part of something do and it's one of those things that's kind of a part of life for you and it's a little bit of a thing that you take place in and it fits in when it fits in or if it's something that's maybe a little bit more of your time in life but you have to understand that if you really really really belong to Jesus then your faith is something that exists outside of time and has existed before the foundation of the world will keep you and will stand in the face of the Beast and all his power and all his strength that the dragon the.
First Beast and the second beast cannot conquer those who belong in Jesus in any sort of meaningful way because as soon as he kills us we rise and I don't know what kind of fears and doubts you have and I don't know what right now is Whispering to you in our culture walk away from Jesus everything would be easier if you just came this way but you can not you must endure and hold fast to your faith in Christ because that's where our hope and our eternity is set and sealed.
And if you want to this morning place your faith in Jesus and say I need something that can stand in the face of the Beast and I need a hope that is held secure can I tell you if you'll do that all it means is that before the foundation of the world he wrote your name down and he will keep you and he will save you and you will hold on to the end Christians will endure and we're called to endure you're going to make it to the end.
So make it to the end you're going to keep your faith so keep your faith faith here's a call for the endurance and the faith of the Saints let's pray Lord Jesus by the power of your spirit may we endure as we're tempted into sin as we're tempted as we're fearful as we stare out into the world and we see so much chaos and destruction may we see with Clear Eyes what's really going on where our hope really is and may we endure and trust you in.
Jesus name amen
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.