Apr 17
26

Sermon: If The Lord Does Not Build It: Psalm 127

NT Reading- Matt 11:25-30

OT Passage- Psalm 127

For Sermon on 04/23/16

  1. Pray, Reflect, Planning Begins
  2. Read and Digest the thought of the text
  3. Identify the FCF- Our need to constantly set our minds of proper things, lest our sinful minds and hearts lead us away for the truth of God’s word.
  4. Research the Text

5.   Consider specific applications

6.   Collect Developmental Matter

7.   Create an Outline

8.   Practice

9.   Pray

10. Preach

Psalm 127

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children[a] of one’s youth.

5 Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Sermon Outline

INTRODUCTION

  1. Good Morning Church. As usual, it is an honor to be able to share with you God’s word on this Lords day.
    1. The NT reading today will be coming from Matt 11:25-30. And The OT text for today, and the scripture for which todays message will come from, is Psalm 127. I will read them out loud but feel free to turn and follow along in you bibles if you would like.
    2. Lets now give our attention to the reading of God’s Holy word.
  2. Read NT-
    1. Matt 11:25-30 At that time (Referring to Jesus teaching a crowd after revealing his messiahship to John the Baptist and as he was beginning to reveal his identity to the surrounding audience) Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Read OT

  1. Psalm 127- Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that  you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children[a] of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

PRAY

  1. Introduce topic and Sermon content

INTRODUCTION

  1. I do hope that everyone had a good Easter Sunday last week with their family and friends and that you were able to enjoy the season of remembering and reflecting on the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.
  2. If we follow the biblical narrative, we are now in the time where Jesus would have spent the apx. 40 days on earth before his ascension and before the Holy Spirit coming at pentecost.
  3. It was soon after the resurrection of Christ, Jesus appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus (of which our Church is named after).
  4. During the time Christ spent on the earth, post resurrection, it was further evidence (better yet final evidence) and confirmation of who Christ was and what Jesus had truly accomplished on the cross.
  5. And rather than completing His work on the cross, and immediately taking His rightful heavenly throne, Christ still continued to humble himself on the earth in His post resurrection body and teach his disciples further truths about the OT scriptures, Himself, and the connection between the two.
  6. The Lord was gracious, clearly, in the sending of His son for the atonement of His people’s sins. But even further grace was shown as he continued His stay on earth!
  7. Much of the scriptural topic that we will talk about today revolves around the immense goodness of God. But then again so does most, if not all, of scripture for that matter.
  8. The goodness of God is something in-itself that we could spend an entire Lord’s day reflection upon and talking about.
  9. But today’s message is not just about the goodness of God. It is equally about the sovereignty of God and the divine connection between the two.
  10. Actually, these two theological concepts are probably the two I spend the most time reflecting upon more than any other.
  11. God’s Goodness and God’s Sovereignty are both profound and both and mysterious.
  12. And Both seem very to be unique and distinct in their own right.
  13. But the interesting thing about today’s message is that Psalm 127 seems blend both of these seemingly unrelated theological concepts into what appears to be a harmonious union between the realm of God’s Sovereignty and the application of His Goodness.
  14. So let us first take a moment to briefly set the stage for the proper interpretation and application of Psalm 127, by first looking at the background of Psalm 127.

BACKGROUND

  1. The 127th Psalm is located in the 5th and final book of the broad categories of the Psalms.
  2. It is titled a “Song of Ascents. Of Solomon”. And most most scholars believe that these Psalms are identified as ‘Songs of Ascents’ because they were sung by pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem. In which the pilgrims had to ‘ascend’ to in order get through the mountainous areas as Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem exists within a series of hills and valleys and is located 2,500 feet above sea level; being protected on three sides by natural valleys.
  3. The Psalms of Ascents consist of 15 Psalms ranging from Psalms 120-134.
  4. There is some debate on exactly who wrote the Psalm, with scholars agreeing on either Solomon or David. This disagreement is mainly due to the scholars disagree of the Hebrew construction and the translation of the word “of”. Some view the syntax to mean a Psalm “of” Solomon”, where others interpret the word “for” Solomon.
  5. However, Calvin believes, along with other scholars, that there is no reason to NOT see Solomon as the author of this Psalm. And that a the writing and content of the psalm fit very well with the writings of Solomon.
  6. Thus, It does seem most plausible and likely that the author of Psalm 127 is, in fact, Solomon.
  7. So with some of this brief background information laid out the better help us under properly understanding and application of the Psalm, lets now take a closer look at the direct context and meaning of this Psalm.

EXEGESIS 

  1. VS. 1
    1. In verse 1, the poet displays that everything is ultimately dependent upon the blessing of God. The Author states that “Unless the Lord builds”, then those who build do so in vain. Note though that the verse does not say that Unless the Lord builds, then nothing will happen and there will be no building. Rather, the Psalmist says that the builder, minus God, does so in vain.
    2. Furthermore, in the second part of Verse 1, the author says that “Unless the Lord watches over the city”, then the watchman, minus God, watches in vain.
    3. The building of a house and safety of a city are both followed with a common duplication of the word “unless”. This type of repetitive wording is a common theme in Hebrew poetry, especially in the Psalms.
    4. The reasoning for this form of duplicative writing was to emphasize an extremely important point, saying something in two different ways, rather than just one.
    5. The overall point being that, all work outside of the hand of God is in vain. Without the involvement of God in human affairs, it is not only unwise to not involve God, it is nonsensical. For what can man do outside of the sovereign hand of the almighty God in heaven?
    6. This was a point that Job leaned the hard way, as God responded to Job’s trials in the book of Job chapters 38-42. If you have time, I would recommend you read these chapters, as God goes into great detail about his sovereign, complete, and holy reign over all creation.
    7. And as we look at verse 1,  we see that the Hebrew word that is translated as “unless” could also be translated as “never” or “without”, inferring the message that “without God, the builder of a house and the safety of a town are simply and ultimately not possible” outside of the sovereign hand and works of God.
    8. For without the Lord and His blessing, what could even exist at all? As Job was so gently reminded in Chapters 38-42 of his book.
    9. Furthermore, the fact that the author of Psalm 127 specifically chose to reflect on the Lord’s role in the building of a house and the safety of a city is a timeless principal that can directly be understand even in our culture today.
    10. For what two things could be more important in the sustaining of our direct safety concerns and needs than a home and safe city?
    11. Thus, the Psalmist takes two concepts (building of a house and sustaining of a city) that all of the readers would have clearly understood to communicate this simple trifold point: God gives, God provides, and God sustains.
  2. VS. 2.
    1. In verse 2, after setting the stage for the Lord’s role in the creating and sustaining of reality, the psalmist then transitions to the opposite perspective on God’s sovereignty in building and sustaining; focusing instead on the vanity of man’s hard work.
    2. The structure of the Psalm, again draws out a twofold contrast, this time contrasting Gods sovereign goodness with mans vanity in work.
    3. The psalmist stresses the meaninglessness of man’s long hours of work,  when it is done outside of the guiding and sovereign hand of the Lord.
    4. The poet states that in one’s rising early and resting late, that we engage in the “bread of anxious toil.”
    5. Now, the phrase “eating the bread of anxious toil” is very analogous in nature, being clearly understood by even the most elementary of readers. But when you take a moment to reflect on this statement and trace it back to its root, the statement become even more clear, meaningful, and profound.
      1. Turn with me if you will to Genesis 3:17 as I read verses 17- 19.
      2. The words in Genesis 3:17-19 come about after mankind had entered into sin and the Lord was telling Adam of the consequences of his actions in disobeying the commands of God.
      3. 3:17-19 And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,’You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;  and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
      4. Genesis 3:17-19 was most likely one of the main, if not the main, portion of scripture in the mind of the psalmist when referring to “ eating the bread of anxious toil” in vs. 2.
      5. In the garden, sin was brought into the world, and what did sin do? It separated man from his creator in every way, forcing him into a life of struggling to live and provide on his own ability instead of resting in the providential goodness of his creator.
      6. And though Psalm 127 is classified as an Ascent Psalm, in many ways it almost meets the criteria for being a messianic Psalm, as who other than Christ is able to free mankind from the bondage of self sustainability outside of the caring hand of the God of the Universe.
      7. Many believe that all Psalms can be indirectly tied to Christ, as do I, and that is certainly true here. Psalm 127 looks back to the effects of the fall in the beginning of scripture, while simultaneously looking forward to the benefits and glory of the messiahs atoning work on the cross.
    6. Directly after explaining the curse of the eating of the bread of anxious toil, the Psalm immediately contrasts the work of anxious toil, with the rest that God gives to His beloved.
    7. for it is God who is able to give rest in the midst of toil. And that rest is reserved only for His beloved.
      1. But note that it is not the Sleep that is contrasted with labor, rather it is contrasted with the trouble and care that come about from laboring outside of the hand of God. Sleep is evidently contrasted with the late working of those who do not give themselves up to God’s protection, which are clearly alluded to in the first part of the verse.
      2. And it it is at this point, at the end of verse 2, that the psalmist transitions to the comparatively different topic of children.
  3. Vs 3-5
    1. Verses 3-5 primary focus specifically on the fact that Children are firstly and primarily a gift from God.
    2. And as I first began to read and study this Psalm, I really struggled with seeing the direct connection between verses 1 and 2 with verses 3-5.
    3. For what is the connection between rest and anxiety, … and having Children?
    4. Surely there can be no logical connection between a good nights rest and children, could there!? (emphasize joke)…
    5. But in all seriousness, it was not immediately clear what the psalmist was trying to connect between these two concepts.
    6. We do know, however, that the Psalms is written with contrasting parallels, and dichotomies to further bring about more profound points. Thus, the two concepts could not just be arbitrary.
    7. So, upon further reflection and study, a picture of the combined concept of the Psalmist’s point began to appear, and it only became clearer and clearer as I looked deeper into the text.
    8. In verses 1 and 2, the poet reveals that God is both sovereign over the affairs of all things and that He blesses those who are his beloved with rest. And In vs 3, the author refers to children both as a heritage from the Lord and fruit of the woman womb; a gift from God. Also that these “children” will continue to bless and help care for the needs of the parent in the context of the broader community. Vs. 3-5
    9. Hence nearly the exact same point is being made in the two overtly contrasting topics of (work and rest) and (children and protection).
    10. The clear point the poet is displaying is this: that children are a blessing from God. And that rest is a blessing from God. And it is through God’s design that ones children will continue to sustain and bless the parent into old age. And that it is God who cares for and watches over the city. All means ultimately come from God.
    11. In addition, the author continues this point in verse 4 when he compares the children of ones youth to “arrows” being in the hand of a warrior. And of what use are “arrows” other than to protect the one from his foes and adversaries.
    12. Furthermore, in verse 5 the poet again extends the analogy of children and arrows, as he says that the one who fills his “quiver” with them shall not be put to shame.
      1. If you do not know, a quiver is a backpack like container where an archer would store his arrows until they were needed to be shot from the bow.
      2. Thus the analogy shows that a quiver full of arrows is likened to that of a household of godly and believing children.
      3. For in the same way that a household of ungodly and unbelieving children can bring about much anxiety and grief from the father, a household of godly and believing children bring about great joy and blessings. And he who has such children, “shall not be put to shame”
      4. For when enemies come to greet a father at the city gate, no shame shall come upon the father, for his children are his inheritance and protection.
      5. Thus not only does God use his sovereign ways to watch over the home and city of a man, he also uses the practical means of childrearing to bring about security and confidence in the wake of adversity.
    13. Therefore, what is the ultimate connection between the verses 1 through 2 and verses 3 trough 5?  Only that God is the one who is behind both the blessings given to man and the workings coming from  man.
    14. For who is behind the plans of Man? God alone.
    15. Who is the only one who truly sustains the city? God alone.
    16. Who is the one who blesses His beloved with children? God alone.
    17. And who is the one who that allows the creation and rearing of Children to further reinforce the gates of the City? God alone.
    18. It is God, and only God, who sustains all things under the sun.
  1. As I begin to conclude my sermon for today there are four points of application that I would like to draw from Psalm 127.

APPLICATION

  1. Be Humble before the Lord.
    1. Without God, we are nothing.
    2. All endeavors ever began by any man through all of history, all are through and under the sovereign hand of the Lord.
    3. When sin entered the world though the disobedience of man, the relationship between the creation and creator was severed. One of the primary downfalls that entered into humanity in that first sin was that man went from godly dependence upon the lord, to worldly independence.
    4. Mankind today often likes to boast of all of its accomplishments, yet very rarely is any credit given to God.
    5. In fact, just yesterday the world celebrated the anniversary of Earth day. As I read articles and saw news clips on events that took place across the world, so much attention was given to the sustaining of the creation, without a single reference to the Creator. And How foolish it is to worship the creation, rather than the creator. (Rom 1:25)
    6. As the Psalmist says to build or sustain without the direct knowledge of the sovereign hand of the Lord, is to do so in vain.
    7. So, Church, go to your creator, and be humbled before him as Job was when the Lord so graciously responded to his pleas and cries. Worship Him and Him alone for He is your sovereign creator.
    8. This brings me to my second point of application.
  2. God is Sovereignly Good over his creation.
    1. God is actively at work with watching over His creation. And not only is God just Sovereign over all things, God is Sovereignly good.
    2. As Paul tells us in Romans 8:28. God is actively at work, behind the plans and workings of mankind.
    3. The Lord is the one who sustains the works of man and brings them to fruition. And it is the Lord who blesses families with children to continue to grow both the family and the Church.
    4. But on a slight side note, I have often heard many Christians ask the question “If God is Sovereign, and He ultimately is going to work out all things for His good, then where does the line between my work and plans and his work and plans intersect?
    5. Have you ever struggled with this question before church?
    6. Well, this question merits an entire sermon in itself, maybe that can be my topic for next time. But I will briefly share with you the seasoned words of John Calvin on this point, as he comments on this portion of scripture,
      1. Calvin states, The Lord does not want us to be like logs of wood, or to sit idle; he expects us to put to use whatever abilities we may have. It is of course true that the heaviest part of our labors comes from God’s curse. But even if man’s original state of integrity had remained, God would still have desired us to keep busy. Adam was put in a garden to cultivate it. Solomon does not condemn what God approves, and certainly not the labor men undertake gladly at God’s command and offer to him as an acceptable sacrifice. But to keep men from being blinded by pride and from grasping at what belongs to God, he warns them that hard work wins success only so far as God blesses our labor.
    7. You see, church, the Lord works through the plans of man to ultimately accomplish His own sovereign plans. Nothing can thwart the plans of God. Yet man goes about his business on the earth. This relationship is a bit of a mystery. But when we acknowledge the sovereign hand of God as being behind our plans, God works through our work to bring about his ways and his purposes. And in doing so is actively working all things for good.
    8. So trust freely in the sovereign goodness of your creator, knowing that He will both direct your path and bring about His will.
    9. Thirdly,
  1. Children are a blessing and our future. Do not forget that.
  1. If you are a parent, the reality is you have had a day (or several days) where you wrestled with the fact that your children Do Not seem like a blessing and gift from God.
  2. But posterity is often represented as a blessing from God throughout the scriptures (Ge 30:2, 18; 1 Sa 1:19, 20). Children are represented as the defenders (arrows) of their parents in war, and in litigation. Thus, children are a form of divine providence for their parents.
  3. Let us remember this fact Church, and all be emboldened together to raising our Children in the light and knowledge that they are a gift from God. Regularly reflecting that our children are gifts on loan to us from outperform creator.
  4. The Church of tomorrow are the children of today. So Let us also not forget the awesome responsibility we have been given to raise up the next generation.
  5. Fourthly and Finally,
  1. True rest is only found in Christ.
  1. A good night of rest is a true gift from God, wouldn’t you agree Church.
  2. According to CDC, nearly half of American’s do not get enough sleep each night. They have declared sleep depravity as a public health crisis. This is bad news for many in America today.
  3. But even though resting well at night is most certainly a gift from god, and a good nights sleep most certainly was part of what the psalmist had in mind in verse 2., the true meaning of the word “sleep” is so much more than just a good nights rest.
  4. The sleep the psalmist refers to here is of a divine form, a form that only the beloved are able to partake in.
  5. In verse 1 workaholics are addressed. They begin their labors early and continue them late; and through constant anxiety they may lose all the enjoyment of that which they earn. Eating that unpalatable bread of anxious toil as they attempt to retire for the night.
  6. But those who are in fellowship with the Lord, however, enjoy their divine sleep.
  7. They are able to work hard, yet rest easy. They are able to toil, all while toiling for the Lord. They are able to rise early in the knowledge that the day ahead ultimately rests in the hands of the Lord.
  8. If you get nothing else from this message today, church, please at the very least get this “Do not eat the bread of anxious toil”. For it is a bread of which we were not made to digest.
  9. If Christ is your king, may you rest easy in all aspects of your life, partaking of the divine slumber only given to Christ’s own.
  10. If you do not know Christ, then it is my prayer that you are only further broken by my beginning and closing statement from Christ. In hopes that your creator is reaching out to you to offer the divine rest that only He can offer. And if you do know Christ, then Christian, may you be encouraged by your masters words, For Christ tells those who hear Him…

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

PRAY

Basic Outline 

  1. NT Read
  2. OT Read
  3. Pray
  4. Intro
  5. Story to bring about topic
  6. Merge to Gods Sovereignty and Goodness
  7. Resting in Gods Sovereignty and Goodness
  8. Lead into Psalm 127
  9. Background of Psalm 127
  10. Exegete Psalm 127
  11. Apply Psalm 127
  12. Final thoughts/recap
  13. Conclusion
  14. Pray
Posted in Sermons, Posted by Russell. Comments Off on Sermon: If The Lord Does Not Build It: Psalm 127

Apr 17
16

Sermon: This Jesus God Raised Up: Acts 2:14-41

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14-41

“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:14–41, ESV).

Introduction

Friends, here we have recoded for us the first proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ by one of his Apostles after his death, burial and resurrection. This is significant.

If you are a Christian and you want to know what a full presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like – if you want to know how to proclaim it – if you want to know what elements are to be present – you would do well to pay attention to what Peter said in this little evangelistic sermon preached on the day of Pentecost. The essential elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ are here. Indeed, you can go on in the book of Acts and find more examples of Apostolic gospel preaching, but you will find that, though the words and tactics change depending upon the situation, the essential elements of the gospel message remain the same.

If you are not a Christian – if you do not know what it means to have faith in Christ or understand why you should – then you also would do well to pay attention to this sermon, for Peter’s objective in it was to move men and women, boys and girls, to “repent and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of… sins, and… receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Do you want to have your sins forgiven? Then you must pay careful attention to what was said by the Apostle Peter long ago.

I would like to examine Peter’s evangelistic sermon in three parts: First, I will say a word about the setting. Next, I will make some observations about the message itself. And after that I will say a word about the call to repentance that Peter issues at the end.

The Setting

First a word about the setting.

Remember that Jesus had been crucified about fifty days prior to the events described here in Acts 2.

Christ rose from the grave on the third day after his crucifixion, which is the event we are celebrating today.

After his resurrection he walked the earth for forty days proving himself to be alive. Acts 1:3 says that, “He presented himself alive to [his apostles] after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, ESV).

After this Christ ascended to the Father. Acts 1:6-11 testifies to this saying,

“So when [his disciples] had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:6–11, ESV).

So the events described in the text we are considering took place about ten days after Christ ascended. It was on that day – the day of Pentecost – that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Christ, just as Jesus had promised. In Acts 2:1 we read,

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1–4, ESV).

What does it mean that these disciples of Christ “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”? It means that these disciples of Christ were given the supernatural ability by the Spirit to speak in other languages. The contexts makes it clear. Look at verse 5:

“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans’”(Acts 2:5–7, ESV)?

These men from every nation under heaven were astonished and in verse 11 they said,

“‘…we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine’” (Acts 2:11–13, ESV).

The disciples of Christ spoke in tongues, which means that they spoke in other languages.

Notice that there were two reactions to the proclamation of the disciples of Christ. Some, upon hearing about the “mighty works of God” that they proclaimed said, “what does this mean?”, but others mocked the disciples, saying, “they must be drunk!”

I used to think that the accusation of drunkenness came as a response to the fact that the men spoke in tongues. They heard them speak in tongues and so they reasoned, they must be drunk. Now I see how ridiculous that view is, for how could drunkenness produce the ability to speak a foreign language? Has anyone ever thought, I’m having trouble in Spanish class, perhaps a six pack would help? Indeed, if the disciples of Christ were speaking in “tongues” in the way that the Pentecostals and Charismatics do today, the charge of drunkenness would make sense. I can understand how someone, after listening to the unintelligible babble of the Charismatics, would walk away saying, “they must be drunk!” But that is not what was going on here. These men were given the gift of tongues by the Spirit. The Bible is clear about what this means. They were able to declare the mighty works of God to foreigners in their native tongue – that is, in a language that the disciple of Christ, who were all Galileans, did not previously know.

Why then the charge of drunkenness? Well, it was the message they proclaimed that brought that charge. As they testified concerning Christ – as they told of his life, death, and resurrection – some responded by saying, “‘what does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine’”.

This is the setting. Peter, along with the rest of the Apostles of Christ, had a captive audience on the day of Pentecost  – Pentecost being a Jewish holiday which came fifty days after the Passover. Jews from all over the known world had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and Pentecost. The outpouring the Spirit which, for these, resulted in the gift of tongues, certainly grabbed the attention of the multitude. It was to this captive audience that Peter, standing with the other 11 Apostles, began to preach saying, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:14–15, ESV).

The Message

But what about Peter’s message?

Pentecost Explained

First, notice that Peter had to explain the Pentecost event.

This is something that you and I will never have to do in our proclamation of the gospel given that what happened on Pentecost was unique and unrepeatable. We will never have to explain why tongues of fire descended upon us with the sound of a rushing wind enabling us to the speak in tongues. This was a redemptive historical event unique to that time.  It was the day upon which the promised Holy Spirit was poured out in fulfillment to the promises of scripture. The fact that this event is unrepeatable should not surprise us. Many of the events recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture will not be repeated. Should we expect God to descend upon Sinai to give the Ten Commandments again to us? Should we expect the Christ to be born again and again, to die again and again, or to raise again? Of course not. In the same way we should not expect a perpetual and never-ending succession of “personal Pentecost” events. True! The book of Acts records for us instances of the Spirit being poured out upon Gentiles and Samaritans in a way similar to how the Spirit was given to the Jewish disciples of Christ here on the day of Pentecost. But these were also unique redemptive historical events which demonstrated that indeed the Spirit was being poured out upon all the peoples of the earth, and not just to the Jews, just as Christ said he would. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son”. And this is why we are to “go and make disciples of all nations…”

Look at how Peter explained the Pentecost event. He appealed to Old Testament to show that what had just happened was in fulfillment to the scriptures. He said,

“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Acts 2:16–20, ESV).

Peter put the events of Pentecost into their redemptive historical context by quoting from Joel. It’s as if he said, “all that has happened today has happened because the time of which Joel prophesied has come. The last days of which Joel prophesied had come upon us.” The Spirit was poured out in this unusual way to prove it.

Jesus Lived, Died, and Rose Again

Having explained the historical significance of all that had happened on the day of Pentecost Peter then turned his attention the message that the others had already been proclaiming in languages that were, just moments ago, foreign to them. Remember that the disciples were busy declaring, what are called in 2:12, “the mighty works of God” in the language of foreigners. What were “the mighty works of God” of which they spoke. At first we are not told, but Peter’s preaching makes it clear, for his message is all about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These were the “mighty works of God” of which the disciple spoke.

Look at verse 22 where Peter says,

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:22–24, ESV).

Do you see that the gospel preaching of the Apostles, and all those associated with the Apostles, was nothing less than a presentation of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When we proclaim the gospel we must tell people about Jesus’ life.

He was virgin born. John the Baptists prepared the way for him. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand. He taught kingdom ethics. He performed miracles which were signs that validated his claims. He called disciples to himself, taught them, and then commissioned them to continue and then build upon the work that he accomplished.

Peter summarized the life of Christ with these words: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…” The life of Christ would have been familiar to his audience so he speak in this way.

When we proclaim the gospel we must tell people about Jesus’ death.

Peter summarized the story of Christ’s death with these words: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

Notice that the death of Christ – indeed, the whole life of Christ – was according to the “definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” The cross of Christ, we know from elsewhere in scripture, was determined by God from before the creation of the world. Listen to how Peter wrote to Christians in his epistle:

“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:18–21, ESV).

Though the death of Christ was determined by God in eternity past, those who had him crucified were still guilt for they did so willingly and from the heart. “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men”, Peter said. Of course, we cannot say that to anyone when we preach the gospel. It was undoubtedly true that some in Peter’s audience were indeed involved with the crucifixion of Christ. Not so with those to whom we preach.

But we must emphasize the death of Christ in our preaching. It was on the cross that Christ paid for sins. It was on the cross that Christ bore the wrath of God. It was through the cross that the work of redemption was accomplished for all who believe upon him. We must preach Christ crucified.

But we must also tell people that Jesus rose from the dead.

Listen to Peter: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

Christ rose from the grave in victory. He put death to death when he rose. He conquered the evil one. He earned eternal life, not only for himself, but for all who have faith in him.

And we must emphasize that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ all happened according to the scriptures. 

Do you see the way that Peter, though he himself spoke with Apostolic authority, shows from the Old Testament scriptures that the Christ was to raise from the dead. He quoted David from Psalm 16:8-11 when he said,

“For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence’” (Acts 2:25–28, ESV).

This Old Testament text, Peter says, is “concerning” Jesus. He then reasons that David, as great as he was, died and stayed dead, “and his tomb is with us to this day.” But David was a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:29–31, ESV). Peter insists that Psalm 16 is really all about the resurrection of Jesus.

We must be prepared to show that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ all happened according to the Old Testament scriptures.

Our church name is meant to be a perpetual reminder of this reality. For it was on the road to Emmaus, a small village outside of Jerusalem, that our risen Lord met with two of his discouraged disciples to show them that is “‘was… necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:26–27, ESV).

These are things we must do when we proclaim the gospel. We must tell the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection showing that all that happened happened according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God and in fulfillment to the Old Testament Scriptures.

Doesn’t this story sound familiar? Is it not exactly the story that the four Gospels tell – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Brothers and sisters, we must believe and proclaim that story to the world.

The Call

Let us briefly consider one last thing before we conclude. Peter did not conclude with the story pressed his audience to respond to it. Look at verse 37:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself’” (Acts 2:37–39, ESV).

When we proclaim the gospel we must urge repentance.

Peter urged repentance. To repent is to turn from sin and to Christ. Faith and repentance are the two sides of the same coin. It will do you no good to turn from your sin but to not trust in Christ. And will do you no good to say that you have faith in Christ if you do not turn from your sin, for faith without works is dead. Fruitless faith is the wrong kind of faith (James 2:20).

Peter urged repentance and for those who repent to be baptized, baptism being a sign of faith and repentance and the covenant of grace that God enters in to with all who believe upon Christ, the covenant mediator.

He concludes with this wonderful reminder that this promise – the promise of the gospel – is for all who God calls to himself. It is for you, your children, and for all who are far off, not just the Jews, but also the gentiles. Praise be to God.

Conclusion 

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Acts 2:14-41, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: This Jesus God Raised Up: Acts 2:14-41

Apr 17
9

Sermon: The Great Day Of Their Wrath Has Come, And Who Can Stand?: Revelation 6:12-17

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 2

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. So man is humbled, and each one is brought low— do not forgive them! Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Revelation 6:12-17

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:12–17, ESV)

Introduction 

About a week ago I read a message on a church sign that really bothered me. Those church sign sayings usually irritate me, but this one was particularly bothersome. It said, “Rejoice, Jesus is coming very soon!”

So what is the trouble with that saying? Two things:

One, the word “very” seems presumptuous – “Jesus is coming very soon!” How do you know that, I thought. We all agree that he will come again. And that he will come quickly, like a thief in the night, is also certain, being clearly revealed in the scriptures. And that we Christians should live with a constant sense of expectation is also true. But to declare with such certainty to all who drive by that “Jesus is coming very soon!” seems to go beyond what the scriptures have revealed. Did not Jesus explicitly say, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36, ESV). How then can you be so sure that he is coming “very soon”.

But it was the exhortation to “rejoice” that bothered me the most. “Rejoice, Jesus is coming very soon!”, the sign said. Now, if this were the title of a sermon that was to be delivered to Christians, I certainly would not complain about the word, “rejoice”. Indeed, it is right for those who have faith in Christ to rejoice at the thought of his return. Indeed, the one in Christ – the one who has faith in him, who has been washed by his blood, who’s sins have been forgiven, who have received Christ’s righteousness as their own, being justified through faith in him and adopted as children of God – should rejoice at the thought of Christ’s return. But this exhortation to rejoice at thought of Christ’s return, was delivered, not to those in Christ, but to all who passed by. Without out a doubt many (if not most) of them do not have faith in Christ. Should they be encouraged to rejoice at the thought of his return then? The Holy Scriptures say no. To the non-Christian we should say,  not “rejoice”, but “repent, for Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

For the one who has faith in Christ the second coming of Christ is pure gospel. It is all good news. It is on that day that all who are in Christ will receive their eternal reward – the reward earned, not by themselves, but by Christ and received by the instrument of faith.

But for the one not in Christ – for the one who stands guilty in his or her sin – the second coming of Christ is pure law. For them it is the day of judgment – the day where they will be held accountable for their sins. It seems most strange, then, to encourage the one not in Christ to “rejoice” at the though of that day. If we loved the non-Christian at all would we not instead say, “repent”?

When Jesus broke the sixth of seven seals on the scroll which he received from the Father’s right hand John was shown a vision which revealed something about what will happen to the world and to the ungodly on that last day when Christ returns.

The passage can be divided into two parts. First, the demolition of the universe is portrayed. After that, the wrath of God and of Christ poured out upon the wicked is shown. The scene is most terrible and should cause us to think with great sobriety concerning the time of the end.

I would like to make three general observations about this passage in order to prepare the way for two main points.

The first observation is that this vision clearly alludes to other Old and New Testament texts to make it’s point. 

There are many Old Testaments texts that should be considered before attempting to interpret Revelation 6:12-17. For example Isaiah 13:10–13; 24:1–6, 19–23; 34:4 should be considered. Also, Ezekiel 32:6–8; Joel 2:10, 30–31; 3:15–16; and Habakuk 3:6–11. The Isaiah 2 passage that I read at the beginning of this sermon clearly serves as a backdrop to the vision of the sixth seal. When you read these Old Testament passages you’ll notice that they all speak of God’s judgments. Some refer to partial and restrained judgments that will come upon Israel, for example. Others clearly refer to the final judgment. But the language of Revelation 6:12-17 is clearly drawn from these texts. The vision that was shown to John assumes a familiarity with these texts. The judgment scene of the sixth seal is cut from the cloth of the judgment scenes of the Old Testament.

The same could be said concerning the New Testament. Listen to the words of Christ in Matthew 24:29: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29, ESV). Hear again his words in Mark 13:24: “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mark 13:24–25, ESV). And listen to the Apostle Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost. Quoting Joel he reminds his listeners that God , “will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day” (Acts 2:19–20, ESV).

What the Christ, along with his Apostles and Prophets, say directly elsewhere in the Old Testament and the New is portrayed in the vision shown to John, and through John revealed to us, with the opening of the sixth seal.

The second general observation is that this is clearly a depiction of the final judgment.

This becomes clear when we, first of all, notice the connection between seals five and six.

Remember that,

“When [Christ] opened the fifth seal, [John] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ (Revelation 6:9–10, ESV)”

The question of the martyrs was, Lord, when will you judge the earth dwellers? When will you judge the wicked? Initially the answer was simply “rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:11, ESV).

But here with the opening of the sixth seal something of that final judgment which the martyrs called for is revealed. John was given a glimpse of the judgment of those who dwell upon the earth.

Two, notice how complete the judgments in this vision are. The judgments described here are extensive and thorough.

Notice that every realm of creation is effected.

Notice that all the peoples of the earth (those not in Christ) are touched.

How you can read this text and come away thinking, this judgment is partial and limited, I do not know. It is clearly the final judgment being portrayed here.

Three, notice that the events described here are said to happen on “the great day of their wrath”, “their” referring to God and to Christ. Do you see it in verse 17? This vision describes something of what will happen on “the great day of [God and Christ’s] wrath”.

This is not a description of a limited period of tribulation but rather a description of what will happen on that last day – the day of God’s wrath.

Four, notice that the imagery found in the sixth seal will reappear again in Revelation in other places where the final judgment is described.

Revelation 16:17-21 comes to mind. Here the final judgment is described again with the pouring out go the seventh bowl of God’s wrath.

“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, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe” (Revelation 16:17–21, ESV).

Certainly you can recognize the repeated reference to a great earthquake and the removal of every mountain and island. These things are repeated to help us recognize that the same event is being described, but from a different perspective.

Brothers and sisters, the vision shown to John with the opening of the sixth seal was clearly a depiction of the final judgment.

The third general observation is that we here have proof that the book of Revelation is organized, not chronologically, but thematically. The book clearly recapitulates. It tells the same story over and over again from different vantage points. 

The pre-tribulational, pre-millennial, futurist types tend to want to interpret this vision as if it were describing something other than the final judgment. They need it to be a description of a temporary, restrained, and limited judgment. Why? It is because their system rests heavily upon the idea that the book of Revelation is organized chronologically. In their view the events described in chapter 20, for example, must happen historically after the events described in chapter 19.

But again there is strong evidence that the book is not organized chronologically. The fact that the birth of Christ is portrayed in chapter 12 proves the point. At the end of chapter 11 the seventh trumpet is blown, which again describes what will happen on that last day. But in chapter 12 we are taken back to the birth of Christ. The chronological order of the book does not match the order of history from beginning to end.

The fact that we are given a glimpse of the final judgment in chapter 6 also proves the point. The must recapitulate It tells us how things will be in the time between Christ’s first and second comings, and it does so over and over again, moving us from the time of Christ to the end of time providing us with a slightly different perspective with each pass.

The seal cycle has now brought us to the time of the end. The first four seals revealed the four horsemen who have been permitted by God to roam the earth even now (indeed, they were active even in the days of Zechariah!). The fifth seal revealed what happens to martyrs when they die. They are alive with Christ even now! And the sixth seal takes us to the time of the end giving us a gimps of how things will go on that last day, “the great day of [God and Christ’s] wrath”. But chapter 6 is not the last chapter in the book of Revelation. The book consists of 22 chapters! How can this be if we have already come to the last day? The answer is to see that book recapitulates.

The same can be said regarding the relationship between chapters 19 and 20. Chapter 19 will take us to the end with the pouring out of the seventh bowl – seals, trumpets, bowls. But Chapter 20 will take us back to the first coming of Christ describing to us how things will be in this age between his first and second coming now that he has ascended to the right hand of the Father, having defeated and bound the strong man, and having received the Kingdom that was already “at hand” in the days of his earthly ministry, but not yet consummated.

Friends, the book is not organized chronologically so that the chronology of the book matches the chronology of human history. Instead, just like Genesis 1 and 2, the book recapitulates. It tells the same story over and over again from different angles, emphasizing one thing and then another in order to paint a full picture of how things will go in these last days.

Now that we have made these general observations, let us consider two main principles drawn from the text itself. They are these: One, in the end the heavens and the earth will be dissolved. Two, in the end all the peoples of the earth will be subject to the wrath of God and of Christ.

In The End The Heavens And The Earth Will Be Dissolved  

First, see that in the end – on that last day – the heavens and the earth will be dissolved.

Look at verse 12:

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Revelation 6:12–14, ESV).

Notice that the created world is broken down into seven parts:

One, the earth will be shaken by a great earthquake.

Two, the sun will became black as sackcloth.

Three, the full moon will became like blood.

Four, the stars of the sky will fall to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.

Five, the sky will vanish like a scroll that is being rolled up.

Six, every mountain will be removed from its place.

And seven, every island will be removed from its place.

You’ve grown comfortable now the book of Revelations use of numbers, particularly the number seven. It symbolizes something total or complete. The point is this: The final judgment will affect, not just humanity, but all of the created world. In the end – on that last day – there will be a radical, total, and complete disruption of the current order of things.

Peter said so in his epistle. Listen carefully to 2 Peter 3:1-10:

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up [kept, preserved] for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day [Revelation 20]. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:1–10, ESV)

What Peter says here in a most direct way concerning the dissolution of the heavens and earth is depicted in the vision shown to when the sixth seal was broken by Christ.

Some wonder how to take the words of Peter, “the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved”. Will the creation be dissolved as in completely done away with and replaced with something totally new? Or are we to think that this current world will be radically changed by passing through the fires of judgment and then renewed or restored – perhaps we should say, glorified.

I take the second view. In the end the heavens and the earth will be dissolved, as in destroyed or broken down, before being renewed. In other words, there will be a relationship between the new heavens and the new earth and the old one. But the new one will far supersede the old in glory.

Think of the relationship between Christ’s earthly body and his resurrected, spiritual, and glorified one. His earthly body was dissolved – destroyed and broken down. But it was that same earthly body that was raised to glory.

Think of the relationship between our earthly bodies and the resurrection bodies promised to us. They will new and glorified bodies, but not unrelated to the ones we have now.

The tree is far more glorious than seed, but the two are related.

Brothers and sisters, know for sure that in the end – on that last day – the heavens and the earth as we know them now will be dissolved.

All The Peoples Of The Earth Will Be Subject To The Wrath Of God And Of Christ

Second, see that in the end all the peoples of the earth will be subject to the wrath of God and of Christ.

Look with me at verse 15:

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15–17, ESV)

Notice that humanity is broken down into seven parts:

One, the kings of the earth.

Two, the great ones.

Three, the generals.

Four, and the rich

Five, the powerful.

Six, the slave.

Seven, the free.

I will not repeat what I said about the number seven just a minute ago, but the same principle obviously applies. The wrath of God is here poured out upon all humanity. It will be full and final.

Notice that the majority of the peoples listed are powerful: kings of the earth, great ones, generals, the rich, the powerful. Why? Are these the only ones deserving of God’s judgment? No! But remember the context. It was the martyrs who were asking the question, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” It is typically the powerful who persecute the weak. But in the end the wrath of God extends to all – to “everyone, slave and free”.

What to these do? They hide “themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us’”. When this imagery of men hiding in the caves when God appears in judgment is used in the this Old Testament (Isaiah 2) it is because the men are guilty of idolatry. They are found busy worshiping god’s that they have fashioned for themselves and when the one true God appears – the Creator of heaven and earth and all things seen and unseen – they flee. They would rather be buried in the rocks than face the wrath of God that has come upon them.

Notice here that these are are fleeing “from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” God and Christ will judge in the end.

Here is a question: Will Christians experience this? Will they be among those fleeing from the wrath of God and of the Lamb?

The answer is clearly, no.

One, remember that vision is an answer to the question asked by the martyrs. It is the non-Christian – the one who has rejected and opposed God and his people – who are in view here.

Two, these are called the people “of the earth”. That is a phrase that will repeat throughout the book of Revelation always in reference to the non-Christian. The Christian belongs ultimately to the heavenly realm. The non-Christian belongs to the earth. George Caird in his commentary on the book of Revelation notes that the ungodly “are at home in the present world order, men of earthbound vision, trusting in earthly security and unable to look beyond the things that are seen and temporal” (Caird, Revelation, 88).

Three, remember the observation that was just made concerning the imagery in Old Testament of men hiding themselves in the caves when God appears in judgment (Isaiah 2). They are hiding because of their idolatry. These are not worshippers of God, but rather worshippers of self and of the things of this world.

Four, other passages of scripture make it clear that although Christians will certainly experience tribulation in this world, even great tribulation, they will never be subject to the wrath of God or of Christ.

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11, ESV)

There will be a rapture on that last day. It will not be secret rapture, but the Lord will return with a trumpet blast. And it will not be a rapture seven years prior to the last day – the scriptures nowhere teach that. But there will be a rapture on that last day so that those in Christ be caught up with him in air only to return with him in judgment. The last day will be a very busy and complex day.

Application 

Let us apple these truths before concluding.

One, see that eschatology matters. What we think about the end will effect the course of our lives. When I travel somewhere that I haven’t been before I’ll put the address in Google Maps. That destination or end point will determine a lot of things. When should I leave and what turns should I make? And if I get off course it is the clearly defined end point that helps me to correct my way. So it is with eschatology. To have the end clearly settled in your mind will enable you to choose your steps wisely today, by the grace of God.

Two, let us cultivate a proper view of this world.

I believe that the Christian is to enjoy the good things of this world to the glory of God. This is God’s creation, isn’t it? We are to engage in this world. We are enjoy certain aspects of culture and help to enrich it. Were to engage in politics. We are to do our work with thanksgiving and to the glory of  God. It is only right for the Christian enjoy nature, the arts, food and drink, friends and family. But never should we live as though this is our permanent home. We are to recognize the fallenness and finitude of this world.

Remember that the ungodly “are at home in the present world order, men of earthbound vision, trusting in earthly security and unable to look beyond the things that are seen and temporal” (Caird, Revelation, 88). The Christian, while not disengaged from this world, is not at home here either. We are sojourners passing through. That principle, if we would only take the time to meditate upon it, should have impact our lives greatly.

We’ve already read from 2 Peter 3:1-10 where he warns that the heavens and earth will be dissolved. In 3:11 he begins to apply that truth to the lived of believers saying,

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11–13, ESV).

What sort of people ought you to be in light of the eschatology of the Bible? You should be pursuing holiness and godliness, of course. And where should your hope reside? In the promises of God concerning the arrival of “a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”.

Thirdly, and lastly, this passage should compel us to trust in Christ. Here we see what our sins deserve. We must be found in Christ if we are to live! To be found not in Christ is to come under the condemnation and wrath of the Father and the Lamb.

A question is asked at the end of the passage we have been considering. The idolators “hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” The answer is implied – no one can stand. For no one is found to be righteous apart from having the righteousness of Christ given to them by faith.

When Christ came for the first time he did not come to judge or to condemn. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16–17, ESV). But here we recognize that when Christ returns again, whenever that day may be, he will come to judge the ungodly. May we be found trusting in him, clothed in his righteousness, on that day.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Revelation 6:12-17, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: The Great Day Of Their Wrath Has Come, And Who Can Stand?: Revelation 6:12-17

Apr 17
2

Sermon: How Long, O Lord?: Revelation 6:9-11

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 79

“A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord! But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise” (Psalm 79, ESV).

New Testament Reading: Revelation 6:9-11

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:9–11, ESV)?

Introduction 

Brothers and sisters, there are three principles that arise from the text that we are considering today. First of all, we must come to terms with the fact that in this life there will be Christian martyrs – some Christians will indeed die for their faith in Christ. Secondly, Christians should take comfort in the fact that God keeps his martyrs – to die in Christ is really to live in his presence. And thirdly, we should remember that God will avenge the blood of his martyrs in the end – though the wicked seem to prevail in this life, they will not prevail forever, but will certainly face judgment.

Let’s take these principles one at a time: Read the rest of Sermon: How Long, O Lord?: Revelation 6:9-11 »

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Revelation 6:9-11, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: How Long, O Lord?: Revelation 6:9-11

Mar 17
19

Sermon: The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse: Revelation 6:1-8

Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 1:7-17; 6:1-8

The Old Testament reading for today is from Zechariah 1:7-17 and 6:1-8.  The prophet Zechariah ministered to the people of God in the 6th century B.C. after they returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity in Babylonian. Indeed, the return to Jerusalem must have been exhilarating. But after some time the people found themselves living in challenging situations. To put it simply, the heathen nations flourished while Judah struggled. It is not hard to imagine the question on the people’s minds – “where is our God?”, they wondered. “Has he abandoned us?” With that as the background, here now the reading of God’s word.

“On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, ‘I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem’” (Zechariah 1:7–17, ESV).

“Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ And the angel answered and said to me, ‘These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.’ When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, ‘Go, patrol the earth.’ So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, ‘Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country’” (Zechariah 6:1–8, ESV).

New Testament Reading: Revelation 6:1-8

The sermon text for today is Revelation 6:1-8. Before reading the text I would simply like to point out that the experience of the Christians living in 90 A.D. was not all that different from the situation of the people of Judah living in Jerusalem after returning from exile. In both instances the people of God had experienced a great act deliverance. In both instances the people of God had high hopes. And in both instanced the people of God struggled in this world, being assaulted by troubles from with and without. The question, therefore, was the same. Where is God in the midst of this? Notice that the vision shown to John shares much in common with the vision shown to Zechariah 600 years earlier.

“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!’ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:1-8, ESV).

Sermon

I would like to propose to you that all humans must find a way to make sense of the world around them. Some go about the business of making sense of the world casually and even unknowingly. Others approach the task with more of a deliberate intensity – we typically call these philosophers and theologians. But every one must do it. Everyone must, to one degree or another, make sense of the world. It would be very difficult for an person to function at all in the world without first making some sense of it.

This task is necessary both for the Christian and the non-Christian. Both must have a worldview. The same questions confront us all. What are we? Where did we come from? What is the purpose for our existence? Is this world all that there is? What is right and wrong and how do we know it? Is there a God? If so, what is he like and what is our obligation to him? What of the evil and suffering that we see in the world? How are we to understand that? And if there is a God how are we to understand his relationship to the evil and suffering that we see in the world?

Both the Christian and the non-Christian must wrestle with these questions but we go about finding the answers to them in very different ways.

The non-Christian looks to the stuff of this world as ultimately authoritative in his or her quest for truth. What exactly is given the place of supreme authority will differ from person to person. For some it is human reason – “I believe this or that because it makes rational sense to me!”, they say. For others it is emotion – “I feel like this is true”, they say. Others base their opinions upon experience. Others still upon scientific investigation.

The Christian, while not denying the usefulness of these things, understands the limitations of human reason, human emotion, human experience, and yes, even scientific investigation. It is outside the scope of this sermon to explain why these are inadequate to serve as our final authority for truth. For now I will simply say that they are inadequate because of our creatureliness, and more than that, our fallenness. We are limited creatures – we do not know all. And we are fallen creatures – we must remember that even what we do know is potentially distorted by our sin. We are, by nature and apart from Christ, twisted. And we tend to twist truth wherever it is found.

So the Christian looks, not to the things of this world as our highest authority for truth, but to God. God is truth! And we believe that this God has “at many times and in many ways… spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV). This God who is truth has determined to reveal himself to us. He has revealed himself to us in human history – he walked with Adam and Eve in the garden; he spoke to Abraham; he revealed himself to Moses and to Israel when he delivered them out of Egypt. Above all, he has revealed himself to us by sending the Christ, who is the eternal Word of God come in the flesh. God has reveled himself in human history, and he has appointed and anointed men to write the Scriptures which are an inspired record, interpretation, and application of those great historical events.

What does the Christian have, then, as his authority for truth? We have the word of God – the Holy Scriptures, Old Testament and New. It is to this authority that we submit our lives. We do not seek to establish an authority of our own, but rather to submit to God, to Christ, and to his word in all things.

Friends, the Holy Scriptures provide answers the worldview questions listed above. May I suggest to you that your mental health, and more than that, your maturity and stability in Christ depends, in large part, upon your worldview. The question is this: is your worldview Biblical? In other words, have you adopted God’s view of the world as your own? Have you submitted to God and to his word, or have you decided to remain independent from God to find your own way and to craft your own view of things. Here is the difference between the Christian and non-Christian, then. The Christian hears the word of God and surrenders to it. The non-Christian, upon hearing God’s word, recoils from it, and makes his own path.

Of all the worldview questions that I listed above I would imagine that the last two are the most difficult for the Christian to answer. I find that Christians tend to be relatively united in answering the questions, What are we? Where did we come from? What is the purpose for our existence? Is this world all that there is? What is right and wrong and how do we know it? Is there a God? If so, what is he like and what is our obligation to him? But I find that we are often divided when pressed to answer the question, how are we to understand the evil and suffering that we see in the world? And how are we to understand God’s relationship to the evil and suffering that we see? Indeed, the world is filled with suffering. The evils that we face in the world cannot be denied. The question is, how we are to understand these sufferings especially as they pertain to God. Where is he in relation to the suffering?

Is he the direct cause of it? Does he do the evil? Our Christianly impulse is to say, certainly not! We think of passages such as James 1:13 which says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13, ESV). Also 1 John 1:5, which says,“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, ESV). By no means would we ever suggest that the Holy One is the author of sin.

Then should we say that he has nothing to do with suffering at all? Indeed, many who call themselves Christians today would take this view. “God has nothing to do with the sufferings experienced in this world”, they say.  That view seems attractive at first. It seems to protect God’s reputation. But the view cannot stand for it contradicts the clear teaching of scripture as well as our basic understanding of the nature of God.

Listen to what Isaiah 45:5-7 says:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:5–7, ESV).

Indeed the scriptures are clear from beginning to end that God is King over all. He is Lord Most High. Nothing stands outside of his sovereign control.  Here again the word of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah:

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (Isaiah 46:8–10, ESV).

Indeed, our God is the one true God, the creator of heaven and earth, and he has decreed all things that have and shall come to pass.

Remember the scroll that John saw in God’s right hand as he was seated on the throne. What is it? What does it symbolize? It symbolizes the decree of God who is the King. Christ alone was found worthy to break the seals, and when he does what is reveled to us except that which God has decreed.

When I decree something, it might happen. When God decrees something, it happens.

Our confession beautifully summarizes the Bible’s teaching on the decree of God in chapter three, saying that “God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass…”

When did God decree? From all eternity, that is, before creation. And who counseled God to decree what he decreed? No one! He decreed “in himself” and “by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will”. His decree was freely made and it is unchangeable. And what does is it pertain to? Only the good that comes about in the world? No, but “all things, whatsoever comes to pass”. This is an accurate summary of what the Bible teaches on this subject.

The confession is careful to make qualifications though – qualifications which are also derived from Holy Scripture. Chapter three paragraph one continues, saying, “yet …is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.”

The language of our confession is most helpful here. It brings out what the scriptures have to say on this subject. Though it is true that God has decreed all things, we must maintain that he is, at the same time, not the “author of sin” nor does he have “fellowship with any therein”. Nor does he “violate the will of his creatures”, but rather works in such a way that he brings about his purposes through the free choices of his creatures. He brings about his purposes, not always in a direct way, but often through second causes.

The language of permission is helpful here. God carries out his decrees, sometimes directly, but often through permission. He permits evil and even uses it to bring about his ultimate purposes and the supreme good.

Listen to the way that our confession summarizes the Bible’s teaching on this subject in chapter five paragraph four: “The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that his determinate counsel extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, which also he most wisely and powerfully boundeth, and otherwise ordereth and governeth, in a manifold dispensation to his most holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the creatures, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.”

God has decreed all things that will come to pass. This must include even the “first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men”, but the sinfulness proceeds “only from the creatures, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.”

What then must we say about sin and God’s relationship to it? One, he is not the author of it nor does he take part in it. Two, he is certainly sovereign over it having decreed all things and providentially bringing all things to pass. Three, God does so through second causes, through means, and by way of permission. He has permitted sin and suffering. But notice the language of our confession. Chapter five paragraph four says that It is not by a “bear permission”. In other words, the permission is not meaningless or purposeless. Instead, God has permitted what he has for a reason.

If I had to choose only one text of scripture to illustrate these principles it would have to be Acts 2:22-25. There we have an account of Peter’s preaching after Pentecost, and he confronts those who crucified Christ in this way:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:22–24, ESV).

Was there ever an act more sinful that the crucifixion of Christ? Was there ever suffering greater than his suffering? And yet even this happened “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God”. But who committed the sin of crucifying the Christ. Did God sin? No, the creature sinned by willingly hanging the Christ to that tree. God decreed it, then, and permitted it. But was it a bear permission – a meaningless and purposeless permission? No, through the crucifixion of Christ God brought about much good indeed.

I do not claim to understand all of this. And I do not claim to have the ability to articulate the mechanics of it. Indeed, the issue is infinitely complex and beyond our ability to comprehend. It is mysterious to us. But the scriptures do reveal to us what we must and must not say. Though the particulars remain mysterious, we know where the boundaries are. God is not the author of sin, but neither is it outside his sovereign control. Sin, even the first fall and the sin of the crucifixion of Christ is to be understood as an outworking of the decree of God.

Your wondering what all of this has to do with the four horsemen of the apocalypse, aren’t you?

I would argue that what John saw upon the opening of the first four seals of Revelation 6 is a depiction of the principles that I just articulated to you especially as pertains to the tribulations experienced by God’s people in the world that come as a result of military conquest and political persecution.

In other words, what John saw when the first four seals were opened answers the question, how am I to understand the suffering that I see in this world that comes, even upon God’s people, by way of warring nations and persecuting powers?

Put yourself in Syria, friends. Imagine that you are a Christian there. Imagine being persecuted for your faith. Think of the devastation all around. Imagine your children thin and hungry. What would be the question on your mind? Would you not wonder where God is in the midst of it?

The answer that Revelation 6 gives is that he is on the throne. He is permitting and even using the sin and suffering to advance his purposes, bringing judgment upon his enemies and also refinement to him people.

Notice that John is still looking in upon the throne of God as described in chapters 4 and 5.

He see’s the the Lamb standing there before the throne and he brings to open the seals, one at a time. And when the seals are opened things begin to happen.

The first thing that happens when each of the first four seals are opened is that “one of the four living creatures [says] with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’”. Remember that these four living creatures, strange in appearance, are angels who have to do with God’s activity to all four corners of the earth.

And when the creatures say “come” a horse appears with a rider, or riders, on it. John says, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse!” And then “out came another horse, bright red.”  And then,  “I looked, and behold, a black horse!” And the, “I looked, and behold, a pale horse!”

The description of these horses should, without a doubt, remind us of the visions that Zechariah saw as described in Zechariah chapters 1 and 6.

John describes each of these horses has a rider, or riders, on them. Th rider on the white horse “had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. “ The rider on the bright red horse “was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.” The rider on the black horse “had a pair of scales in his hand.” And John “heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!’” The riders on the pale horse were named “Death and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”

Who or what do these horses and their riders represent?

It is interesting to note what do the dispensational pre-millennialists say? Warren Wiersbe claims that the rider of the white horse is Antichrist. Here is his explanation:

“Daniel states that there is a ‘prince that shall come,’ who will make a covenant with Israel to protect her from her enemies (Dan. 9:26–27). In other words, the future world dictator begins his career as a peacemaker! He will go from victory to victory and finally control the whole world.”

I disagree with Wiersbe, but I want you to see what he does here? First, he misinterprets Daniel 9 and expects his reader to assume that his view of that text is the correct one. In fact, it is better to see the reference in Daniel 9 to a “‘prince that shall come’ who will make a covenant” as referring to Christ. Ironically, Wiersbe says it refers to antichrist. After misinterpreting Daniel 9 he then imagines that the opening of the first seal describes something that will happen in our future. Where the text of Revelation teaches this, I still do not know. After making this to be only about the future he then forces his faulty interpretation of Daniel 9 upon the text of Revelation 6 and voila! you have the opening of the first seal now supporting the dispensational, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial scheme.

But clearly it is not Daniel 9 but Zechariah 1 and 6 that is behind this text. And what did the visions of Zechariah 1 and 6 communicate to their original audience? Were not the people of God who had returned from exile in Babylon struggling? Were they not facing persecution and poverty? The nations around them were at peace and were prospering, but they, God’s people, were pitifully poor and weak – they were persecuted and pressed down by their enemies. When Zechariah saw the vision of the colored horses and their riders who’s job it was to patrol the earth, what was the message? Was it not this – that God is Lord over all the earth – that he has the power to put down nations and to raise them up? Was not God saying the people of Israel, I am God and will accomplish all my purposes? Was not that the message communicated through Zechariah to the people of God in that day? Should we not assume, then, the same basic message is being communicated here in Revelation 6? Is not the church now being comforted by the fact that God is Lord Most High, that he sovereign over the nations of the earth. Though nation rise up against nation, and though political powers persecute, God’s purposes will prevail, for he has decreed and things, and is bring them to pass even today.

I hesitate to give an exact answer to the question, who do these horsemen represent? I’ve already quoted Wiersbe who presents the idea that the first horsemen represents the anti-Christ. He is certainly not the only one who hold to that view. Others say the first horsemen is Christ himself. Some say the riders are demonic and evil, others say they are good. To be quite honest, I don’t think that the horses and riders are meant to symbolize any one particular creature or person, but rather the idea that God is active in this world bringing about his purposes of judgment and redemption continuously. He is sovereign over all and brings about his purposes both directly and indirectly, through means, and by permitting both angels and men to do what they will do freely.

Clearly war and the effects of war are depicted here. The rider on the first horse conquers with sword. The rider on the second horse seems to depict civil war. The rider on the third horse depicts famine. A days worth of bread costs a days wage. The riders on the forth horse depict death and the grave, which is the result of the three listed before.

We have in the first four seals, therefore, a picture of what Christ said these last days would be like. He taught his disciples, saying,

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:4–14, ESV).

What Christ says directly in Matthew 24 is depicted in Revelation 6. The heavily scene also communicates this: in the midst of all, God is enthroned. These wars and famines happen because God has decreed it and has permitted it for reasons we cannot fully comprehend. Also, in his mercy he has limited the tribulation. Only a fourth of the earth is subjected to the tribulation in this period; and bread, oil and wine can still be had.

Conclusion

Friends, these first four seals not only depict how things will be in the future, perhaps even with greater intensity, but how they are now and how they have been. It is here from this heavenly vision  that the Christian who suffers is to draw encouragement. We are encouraged, not by the ridiculous notion that God has nothing to do with the suffering we see in the world, but that he is involved. Indeed he is working all things together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28, ESV).

 

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse: Revelation 6:1-8

Mar 17
12

Sermon: Excommunication: The Process And It’s Implications: Matthew 18:15–20

NEW TESTAMENT READING: MATTHEW 18:15-20

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:15–20, ESV).

INTRODUCTION 

It should be clear to the members of Emmaus as to why we have broken from our study of the book of Revelation to consider again the topic of church discipline with special attention given to the issue of excommunication.

Three months ago we held a congregational meeting to, among other things, present one of our members to the church for discipline. Today we’ve called for another congregational meeting with the intent of bringing that discipline case to a conclusion by way of excommunication.

Brothers and sisters, excommunication is a very serious thing. It is a weighty matter, one that we do not take lightly. There is great power in the act of excommunication. When Christ spoke of the decision of the church to excommunicate he said,

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:18–20, ESV).

Please recognize that when a church excommunicates one of it’s members according to the command of Christ there is spiritual and heavenly power in it. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (that is assuming that what we have bound and loosed has been bound and loosed according to the truth of God’s word, and not according to the inventions of man). There is great power in the act of excommunication, friends. How important it is, therefore, that we understand what excommunication is. And once we have understood it, how important it is that we wield this weapon with great precision, caution, and care.

Perhaps you have noticed that I have used the first person plural pronoun “we” a lot in this introduction. That is very intentional, for it is we the church who have the power to excommunicate. It is not we the elders alone; it is not we the elders and deacons alone; and it is not you the members alone; but we the church who have the power to excommunicate. It is the whole church – the officers and members together, each group doing their part – who has the power to excommunicate. How important is, therefore, that we understand what excommunication is. And, once we have understood it, how important it is that we wield this weapon with great precision, caution, and care.

So what is excommunication? Excommunication is the disciplinary action of a local church to remove one of its members from the membership on the basis of his or her stubborn disobedience to the commands of Christ, or divisive distortions of the doctrines of Christ. It is the end of the disciplinary process. It declares that although the person may profess Christ with his or her mouth, they have denied him by their way of life. Excommunication, therefore, puts to an end all of the benefits of Christian fellowship for the one excommunicated. It also puts and end the obligations of the Church as it pertains to the care of the persons soul.

Excommunication is the word that we use to describe what Christ stated in Matthew 18:17, saying, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17, ESV). To excommunicate is to put a person out of the church and into the world, for his or her unrepentant way of life has made it plain that that is where he or she belongs – in the world and not in the church.

Excommunication is the word that we use to describe what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5. To the church in Corinth he wrote, “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man [this proud and stubbornly unrepentant sinner] to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:4–5, ESV). To “deliver a man to Satan” is to put a man out of the church, which is the kingdom of God, and into the realm of Satan, namely the world. Notice that the goal of excommunication is “the destruction of the flesh”, that is, the destruction of his sinful way of life,  “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord”. The goal of excommunication is still repentance. Our prayer for the excommunicated one is, Lord save them. Bring them to repentance. May they repent, believe upon Christ, and walk according to his ways, bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.    

Excommunication is what the church must do if she is to obey the commands of scripture. Christ clearly commanded that put out from our midst the unrepentant sinner. Paul also says so. He states things most strongly in 1 Corinthians 5, which I have already made reference to. That chapter concludes with these words:

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:9–13, ESV).

That phrase, “purge the evil person from among you” is an interesting one. It is clearly an allusion to many Old Testament passages that warned Old Covenant Israel to get rid of the sinner, lest sin spread amongst the people of God. “Purge the evil from your midst”, or “purge the evil from Israel” is a phrase found, for example in Deuteronomy 13:5,17:7, 17:12, 21:2; 22:21, 22, 22:24 and Judges 20:13. How was Old Covenant, nationalistic Israel to purge the evil person from their midst? Not by excommunication, but by execution. When Paul uses the phrase “purge the evil person from among you” to sum up what he has to say about excommunication the clear implication is that what execution was to Old Covenant national and fleshly Israel, excommunication is to the New Covenant, multiethnic and spiritual Israel, that is, the church. The nation of Israel was to be vigilant in their pursuit and promotion of holiness. The most potent weapon in their fight against lawlessness was the sword. The church is also to pursue holiness.  See too is to “purge the evil person from among” her. But her weapon is not the sword, but the word and Spirit. She does not have the power to execute, but to excommunicate. “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4, ESV). Excommunication is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual one. What we bind on earth is bound in heaven, Christ says. There is spiritual power in the act of excommunication when we agree with one another on earth in Christ’s name.

Here is the obvious principle communicated in each of these passages that seems to be ignored in so many of our churches today: Christ’s church is to pursue holiness. We are to pursue holiness individually, but also corporately. The object of the church should not be to grow big, but to grow in a way that is holy and true according to the scriptures. Those are two goals that are very different. They produce two very different kinds of churches. Holiness matters, friends. If it were so then how could Paul use such strong language, saying, “purge the evil person from among you”?

It is true, we are saved by grace! It is true, God has poured out his love upon us in Christ Jesus! It is true, we are not saved by the keeping of God’s law, but through faith in Christ alone. These are precious truths that we must remember and never forget! But we must also remember that we have been redeemed, not to serve self, but Christ. We are slaves, not to sin, but to Christ! The law no longer stands over us to condemn us, for Christ has obeyed the law for us. But that does not mean that we are lawless. No, God’s law is still to be followed. We are to keep it, not for salvation, but to the glory of God and for our good.

What did Christ say? “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). Christianity is not legalistic, but neither is it lawless!

Listen to the promise of the New Covenant from Jeremiah 31 and see that the New Covenant cannot be lawless:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31–34, ESV).

The church is to pursue holiness, friends. The church is to be a disciplined organization – one that has standards for entrance, one that is active in the maintenance of it’s membership, and one that has the right of excommunication should those standards be violated in an unrepentant way. The standards are not man’s standards, but Christ’s – how important that principle is! But there are standards for membership in Christ’s church , namely faith in Christ and a way of life that is consistent with that profession of faith. The Christian life is to be marked by repentance. The Christian life is to be lived in obedience to God’s law, for it has been written on the Christians heart. The Christian is to pursue holiness in a disciplined way.

THE PROCESS

Matthew 18 is all about discipline. It’s all about the process by which holiness is to be pursued  within the church. And there is a clear progression to it. There is to be self discipline. After that, mutual discipline. After that church discipline. Then lastly, excommunication. If a church is committed to carrying out this process according to the way of Christ it will go a long way to advance her fight against sin.

Self Discipline

Notice, first of all, that Christians are to constantly discipline themselves. Here I am referring to the individual’s commitment to examine themselves according to the word, to confess particular sins as sin, and to turn from them. This is to happen moment by moment, day by day, Lord’s Day to Lord’s Day.

Look with me at Matthew 18:7:

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Matthew 18:7–9, ESV).

The language is exaggerated. Christ does not really want you to cut off or pluck out body parts. What’s the point? Identify sin (how can you do that if you do not have a law by which to examine yourself?). And once you have identified it, do what you need to do to overcome it.

Confess it as sin. Resolve to turn from it. Pray that the Lord give you victory. Go to the word of God for help. Go to your brothers and sisters for help. Go to your pastors for help. Remove the source of temptation, if possible. Do everything in your power and in full dependence upon Christ to fight against that sin. That is what Christ is calling you to do. The language is exaggerated in order to get your attention concerning the seriousness of the matter. Don’t play with sin. Turn from every sin quickly and fully. Examine your thoughts, words, and deed against the backdrop of God law, and repent whenever you are found to be in sin.

Christians are to constantly discipline themselves. If everyone did, there would never be church discipline nor excommunication.

Mutual Discipline

Sometimes mutual discipline is required. This is what Christ describes in Matthew 18:15:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:15–16, ESV).

Notice that mutual discipline is to happen in two stages.

First, if a brother or sister sins and you know about it you are to go to them alone to them their fault. “Brother, you have sinned offended me with your words”, or “Sister, you are sinning and it is bringing shane to the name of Christ”, or “dear friend, you are sinning and it will lead to your destruction if you do not turn”. This is the kind of a face to face meeting that needs to take place first. Hopefully the brother or sister will listen and repent. If they do, you have gained them – you have been used by God to bring them back from their wandering.

If they do not listen you are to take one or two others along with you. The reasons for this should be obvious. One, the thought of gathering one or two others to confront the unrepentant one should make you pause to ask the question, is the person really sinning or am I just being petty? Do you see how that would be? When you bring one or two others along you are not only inviting them to inspect the one that you think is in sin, but also you. Maybe you are wrong. Maybe you have misunderstood. Maybe you don’t have the full story. Others can help you see more clearly if you are indeed in error. Two, if the person is indeed in sin that charge needs to be established by more than one witness.  The principle is stated in Deuteronomy 17:6: “On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness” (Deuteronomy 17:6, ESV). It was true in civil cases involving capital punishment in Israel, and it is true concerning discipline within the church. Charges must be “established by the evidence of two or three witnesses”.

This is mutual discipline. First, it is to happen one to one. Second, if there is no repentance one or two others are to be brought along to serve as witnesses. The standard by which we judge is God’s word, not the traditions of men. The goal is repentance. The motivation is love for God and Christ, his church, and the one who has been caught up in sin.

Church Discipline

If mutual discipline fails, church discipline is required. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church”, Christ says (Matthew 18:17, ESV).

When Christ said “tell it to the church” he was anticipating the church that would be born after his death and resurrection and after Pentecost. The book of Acts tells us all about the founding of the church. The letters of Paul instruct us concerning the church. Clearly Jesus had in mind local congregations consisting of officers and members, that is, elders, deacons, and congregants.

If the mutual discipline does not bring about repentance the matter must be brought to the church. It is natural for the matter to be brought first to the elders of the church, since they are tasked with the leadership and shepherding of the flock, but they are to bring the matter to the body if indeed there is one on their members who is stubbornly unrepentant, living in a way contrary to the word of God. The matter is to be told to the whole church – not just the elders, not just some within the church, but the whole church. The church, having heard the matter, is to then call the unrepentant one to repentance with one voice.

Excommunication

“And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17, ESV). Here is what we call excommunication.

Do you see, brothers and sisters, how serious the church is to be in it’s quest for purity?

None of us are perfect. If perfection were the standard for coming into the church and remaining in the church, there would be no church. None of us are perfect. But the the church is to be distinct from the world. The church is the assembly of the redeemed. The church is the bride of Christ. The church is the house of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. The church is to marked by holiness. The church made up of those who have faith in Christ. And true faith produces obedience. True faith involves repentance.

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9–12, ESV).

No one here is perfect. But if you are a member of Emmaus that means you have professed faith in Christ and it is expected that you will indeed walk with Christ in way that is consistent with your profession of faith. If you will not, then it is only right that we excommunicate in obedience to the scriptures.

IMPLICATIONS

So I have again outlined the discipline process for you. The church is to be a disciplined organization. If self discipline fails, there must be mutual discipline. If mutual discipline fails, there must be church discipline. If church discipline fails, there is no other option except to excommunicate.

Another way to think of discipline is in four stages. One, go to your brother or sister alone if he has sinned. Two, take one or two with you. Three, tell it to the church. Four, the church is to excommunicate if each of these stages fails to bring about repentance. Repentance at any stage would end the process. Repentance would require forgiveness from the one offended, and restoration of the repentant. No repentance requires excommunication. The hope after excommunication is that unrepentant one would repent and come to believe in Christ truly.

I would like to briefly draw your attention to some of the implications of texts like Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5. By “implications” I mean that although Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 do not state these principles directly they must be so given what is clearly said.

First of all, these passages imply that the church is a local assembly made up of people who have professed faith in Christ and have willingly joined. Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 command us to put a person out of the congregation if they fail to live out the Christians faith. But could you possibly put a person out of something that they have not willing joined? It would be strange, wouldn’t it, to receive a letter in the mail informing you that you had been kicked out of a club that you never joined? I think this is a problem for our Paedobaptist friends who make their children to be a part of the church at birth – they did not willingly join. It is also a problem for churches that are closely associated with a particular culture or state. There have been, and even are, places in the world where to be born into a particular country means to be born into a particular church. We say no. The church is local assembly made up of people who have professed faith in Christ and have willingly joined

Similarly, these passages also imply the need for local church membership. There must be some way for local churches to identify who is it that belongs to them. Who is a part of them? Who are the pastors responsible for? Who is subject to the discipline process that we have outlined above? For how could a church ever exercise church discipline, much less excommunication, without first knowing who it’s member are? I can’t even begin to imagine how this would work. If it is true that you can only put out those who have come in, then there must be a way to come in! This is what we call membership! It is the process by which those who profess faith in Christ join themselves to a local congregation. The membership process, whatever it looks like, must be clear, consistent, and deeply biblical.

A local church needs to know who it is that is joining them. Are they Christian? Do they understand and believe in the gospel? Are they living in a way that is consistent with their profession of faith? In other words, do they make a credible profession of faith? There is no way to know for sure, but we must try to receive true Christians! It would be awkward to carelessly receive members only to have to immediately intact discipline, don’t you agree?!

Also, the person joining needs to know what they are joining. They must ask, what are the beliefs of this church? What are the expectations? And of course the beliefs and the expectations of the church must not be unique from church to church – they must not be the inventions of man – but biblical. The local church is obligated to teach and defended God’s word, not their own. The local church is obligated to encourage a biblical way of life amongst it’s members. The pastors work is ministerial. The pastor is to serve Christ. He is to uphold God’s word within the church. We do not have the freedom to invent doctrines or to make laws. We only have the power to teach what has already been written and to uphold God’s laws. But the one joining the church must know these things. They must know what they are joining themselves to. The must join willingly and knowingly.

There are a lot of educators in my family. From time to time I’ll hear of a student who has been expelled from the school. But what happened before that child was expelled? Did they not first enroll in that school? Were the expectations of the school not first communicated to him? Did not the teacher go over the class rules on the first day of school? Certainly! For it was only after the repeated and willful breaking of those stated rules that the child was could be expelled. He joined willingly and knowingly, and he was removed having failed to uphold the standards of that institution.

Churches without formal membership are destined to be disorderly churches. They cannot excommunicate in obedience to the command of Christ for no one has ever joined! People attend those church, they do not join! You see the difference, don’t you? Friends, you do not go to church – you are the church! You are members of the body of Christ. The “pastors” of these churches without membership are destined to become, not pastors, but only preachers. People will come to listen to them, they do not expect to be shepherded by them, for they have not become a part of anything, they only attend something.

Actually, I would argue that most of the churches who say, “we don’t believe in formal membership” really do have a membership process, they just don’t know it. The fact that they are offended by what I just said proves it. “We do pastor”, they would say. “We do more than preach! We shepherd the flock!” Good! I’m glad that you do! But the fact that you say that you do proves that you have some way of determining who is with you and who is not. You do have a “membership process” then. But I would argue that your membership process is secret. It exists within the minds of the pastors and members. No one agrees upon what exactly it is but everyone agrees that at some point a person transitions from being a visiter to a member of that church. Where that line is is unclear, but there must be a line. Is it when the person fills out a communication card for the third time? Is it when they have come for a year? Is it when they begin to give? Who knows? What I do know is that a church that handles membership in this way will be disorderly and will rarely, if ever exercise discipline. How could they? The careless way in which members are brought in makes it nearly impossible to put them out with any sort of authority.

Let me emphasize the main point again before moving on. Local churches must have a way to answer the question, “who is a part of us?” That process should be clear, consistent, and deeply biblical. The standards for membership in the local church must be exactly the standards set forth in the scriptures – not less, and not more. Faith in Christ is required. Baptism is required. Living in a way consisted with your profession of faith is required. The membership process, what ever it looks like, is there to make sure these things are so in the life of the applicant. The process is also there  so that the applicant has an opportunity to really get to know the church, to understand it’s doctrine and it government.

Thirdly, these passages imply that local churches should respect one another in discipline cases. Here is what I mean by respect. I mean that if a person comes to them and it is discovered that they are under discipline or have been excommunicated from another church, that new church is obligated to either uphold the decision of the original church straight away or to investigate the discipline case themselves, if they feel there is reason to do so. Both of these actions would be respectful.

To say to the one under discipline – “you are not welcome here. Repent of your sin, go back to your church and make things right with them before moving on”,would obviously be respectful of the original congregations authority (authority given to them by Christ, mind you!). But if it seems to the new church as if discipline was not done properly at the original church, it would be respectful for the new church to investigate the matter. It would be right for them to say to the original church, “so and so has come to us. He says that you handled the discipline badly. Out of respect for you we are coming to you to investigate the claim. May we speak to those who witnessed the matter?” It may be that they uphold the decision or oppose it. But if they oppose it, they should really oppose it! They should make their decision having thoroughly investigated the matter. But to receive a person in who is under discipline or who has been excommunicated from another local church without any real consideration given to the decision of the original church is most disrespectful. Also, it puts that new church at risk and brings shame upon them and the name of Christ, for they have most likely received an unrepentant sinner into their midst. They have forgotten that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6, ESV). In due time that unrepentant sinner will have his negative effect upon that new and undiscerning congregation. The cancer is now theirs to deal with.

Fourthly, these passages imply that both law and gospel are to be active within Christ’s church. The good news – the gospel – is that Christ has died for us and that we are forgiven of all our sins by his grace alone and through faith alone. Nothing we do can contribute to our salvation in any way. But that does not mean that the Christian life is a lawless one. God’s law has been written on our hearts, if we have truly been regenerated. We have been freed from sin and are now slaves of Christ. If we love him we will keep his commandments. Therefore, anyone who is says, “I love Christ”, while actively sinning in a stubborn and unrepentant way shows by his actions that he does not know Christ truly.

Fifthly and lastly, these passages imply the church is to be filled to the brim and overflowing with love and forgiveness.

There is has been so much talk today about discipline, confrontation, and even excommunication. These things are negative things when considered by themselves. But what motivates us to do it? Why would we even think about following the process that Christ and his Apostles have set forth? Is it not our love for God and Christ that compels us? Is it not our love for the church, which is the bride of Christ? And are we not moved by our love for one another? Why would we possibly take the time and invest the energy into this were it not because we love one another deeply? Trust me, there are easier ways to do church. I understand why people are tempted to go to a church rather than be a part of one. I know why pastors stop being pastors and become only preaches instead. Preaching is kind of enjoyable. It’s clean and somewhat of a glamorous task. Pastoring is hard and messy, especially when it comes to discipline. Why do it? Is it not because we love one another?

If we are going to confront sin in others we must be moved to do so by love, and we must stand ready to forgive. The hope is that the person will repent, and if they repent we must extend forgiveness! This means that we must have already forgiven them in the heart!

Peter understood this. After he heard Jesus teaching on discipline here is the question he asked: “‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV), and then we have that powerful parable of the unforgiving servant.

How important it is that we be filled to the brim and overflowing with love and forgiveness. We may do church discipline, but we will not do it well if we are not moved by love standing ready to forgive should the one who has sinned repent.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Matthew 18:15-20, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: Excommunication: The Process And It’s Implications: Matthew 18:15–20

Mar 17
5

Sermon: The Seven Seals, Broadly Considered: Revelation 6; 8:1-5


New Testament Reading: Revelation 6 8:1-5

“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!’ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6, ESV).

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:1–5, ESV).

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, we have now come to another section in the book of Revelation. You are beginning to see just how structured the book is. In fact, I can’t think of another book of the Bible with more of an explicit and obvious structure than the book of Revelation. In particular you’re beginning to see just how important the number seven is to the organization of this book. Remember that in the opening chapter John saw a heavenly vision where Christ was seen walking in the midst of seven lampstands. These, we were told, represented seven churches. And then that heavenly vision of Christ walking in the midst of the seven lampstands gave way to chapters two and three which contain the letters written to those seven churches. Do you see that the seven churches were first symbolized by the seven lampstands, the general message being that Christ walks in the midst of his churches, and then much more was revealed to and about those seven churches in the seven letters that followed? Likewise, in chapters four and five, John records for us another heavenly vision. In the first part of this vision everything focuses upon God enthroned. After that Jesus the Christ takes center stage. This time he appeared, not as one like a son of man, but as a lamb that had been slain, with seven horns and seven eyes. And remember that in this vision Christ was seen interacting with another object with seven parts to it. This time it is not a seven pronged lampstand, but a scroll with seven seals on. God had it in his right hand and gave it to Christ, for he alone was found worthy to open it. What does that scroll with seven seals symbolize? It symbolizes this general truth: that God has written a decree. He has a plan for human history. John was invited to come up in to heaven so that he might see “what must take place after this.” What are we to expect is written on the scroll front and back? Should we not expect that it is God’s decree concerning what “what must take place”, from John’s day forward? And if that is what is symbolized by the presence of the scroll sealed with seven seals in God’s right hand, what do you expect to happen next in the book of Revelation? Well, just as the sight of Jesus standing in the midst of the seven pronged lamp stand gave way to the revelation of the content of the letters to the seven churches, so too we should expect the sight of a scroll sealed with seven seals given to Christ to give way to the opening of those seals.

Indeed, that is what we have before us. Revelation 6 and 8:1-5 describe to us the opening of the seven seals, one after the next. With the breaking of each seal something new was revealed to John, and through John to us, concerning how things would go from that day forward. John was progressively shown the things that “must take place after this”, “this” being a reference to his day, and not ours.

We will devote at least three sermons to the seal cycle. Today I wish to overview the seal cycle, making general observations abut it. Next Sunday we will take a break from Revelation to consider a  topic that we need to address. In two weeks we will return to consider the first four seals in detail, for they go together. In three weeks Dr. Renihan will be preaching. And in four weeks we will come back to consider seals five through seven.

So the task today is to consider the entire seal cycle broadly, and to make some general observations about it, before closing with application. My hope is that we will leave here today with a clear understanding of what these seals signify in general. I have seven observations.

The Seal Cycle Is Intimately Connected To All That Has Come Before And All That Will Follow In The Book Of Revelation

First of all, it is important to recognize that the seal cycle is intimately connected to all that has come before it and all that will follow it in the book of Revelation.

In the introduction to this sermon I emphasized just how obvious the structure of the book of Revelation is. The book certainly consists of parts. Those parts are easy to identify, and it is important that we recognize them! But is also important that we recognize how the parts of the book of Revelation fit together to make up one whole and unified book. The book is highly structured, yes. But it is a unified book. It has one story to tell. It has one message to communicate. From beginning to end it proclaims this message to to the people of God: “Here is how things really are now in heaven! Here is how things will be on earth in the time between Christ’s first and second coming! And here is how it will be in the end! Now live accordingly. Walk faithfully in this world. Worship Christ. Serve Christ. Witness to Christ. Never turn back.” That is the message of the book of Revelation. It was as much for the people of God living in John’s day as it is for us today. Though the book consists of parts, the parts fit together to make up this unified whole.

The Christ who opens the seals is the Christ who received the scroll from the Father enthroned in heaven. This is the same Christ who addressed the seven church and who was seen walking in the midst of them in the opening vision. The whole book, therefore, is

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1–3, ESV).

So, although it easy to recognize that we have now entered into a new section of the book of Revelation it is important to see that each section coheres with what has come before and what comes after. The vision of chapters four and five flow naturally into the breaking of the seals in chapters six and eight. And the breaking of the seventh seal will, as we will see, flow naturally into the sounding of seven trumpets, and so on and so forth. The book tells a story.

There Is No Indication In The Text That A Gap Of Time Stands Between Chapters Five And Six Of The Book Revelation

Secondly, we must recognize that there is no indication in the text that a gap of time stands between chapters five and six of the book Revelation. 

This observation should sound familiar to you. I made the same observation about the chronological relationship between chapters three and four of the book of Revelation when we began to study chapter four. Remember, there is no mention of a gap of time there either. In 4:1 John was invited to come up into the heavenly realm where he would be shown “what must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1, ESV). The plain and simple reading of the text should lead the reader to believe that John would be shown something of how things would go from his day forward. No gap of time was indicated.  In other words, the text does not say,  Come up here, and I will show you what must take place a long, long, time after this, but only “after this”, “this” being a reference to how things were in John’s day as described in the letters to the seven churches. There is no mention of a chronological gap separating the events described in chapters two and three from what is described 4:1 onward. I am simply noting that there is no mention of a chronological gap at beginning of the seal cycle either.

Why does this need to be said? Well, as you know, the popular interpretation of the book of Revelation today says that what is described in the seal cycle will come to pass only in our future. In other words, they the popular interpretation – the futurist interpretation – teaches that what the seals symbolize has not happened yet, but will someday. Notice that with this view a huge chronological gap is imagined and is inserted somewhere after Revelation chapter three? The thought is that chapters two and three were about how things were in John’s day, and then chapters four and onward, or perhaps six and onward, describe how things will go, not in the future from John’s vantage point, but in the future from ours. This means that a chronological gap of nearly 1,927 years has to be read into the text of Revelation.

Our interpretation is quite different from the futurist’s. It is that the seal cycle describes, not only what will happen at the very end time in the events connected with the return of Christ and the final judgment, but also how things will be in these last days – that is, in the days between Christ’s first and second comings. The New Testament is clear that the last days began with the first coming of the Christ. The writer to the Hebrews began his work with these words: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV). The book of Revelation is indeed about the last days, which are the days in-between Christ’s first and second coming’s. These are the days in which John and his original audience lived, and these are the days in which we live. In other words, the message communicated through the opening of the seven seals was just as pertinent to John and his original 90 A.D. audience as it is for you and me today. Indeed, the message communicated through the opening of the seven seals was just as pertinent to John and his original audience as it will be for the Christians who happen to be alive in the days immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. For, we have set before us here a depiction of how the world will be in these last days. In these last days we will hear of wars and rumors of wars, and then the end will come. Christ told us all about this directly. The seven seals of Revelation depict it.

There is no reason whatsoever to think that what is depicted to us through the breaking of the seven seals pertains only to events immediately preceding the end of time. The book of Revelation gives us no reason to think in this way, nor does any other place in scripture (no, not even the book of Daniel).

I could combat the futurist interpretation – and I do feel obligated to combat it, for I think it is a distortion of the text of scripture – by emphasizing again how the book of Revelation insists that the things portrayed in it would happen soon after its writing. Remember that John was repeatedly told that “the time is near”. I could also emphasize again how it was assumed that the audience who originally received the book of Revelation in 90 A.D. would be able to fully understand and apply this book to their own lives – not parts of the book, but the whole book from beginning to end. Remember the blessings pronounced upon the reader! “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3, ESV).  I could again stress that all indicators point, not to a chronological gap – as if a few things in the book of Revelation were pertinent to the churches to whom the book was addressed and other things will only pertain to people alive in our future – but to the assumption that the original audience would see and experience most of the things portrayed in this book, the obvious exception being the return of Christ and the consummation. But all of that has been said in previous sermons. For now I would simply challenge the futurist to show us where there is evidence of a chronological gap separating the events described in chapters one through three, or one through five, from the events described in the rest of the book.

I might pose the question a little differently to our futurist friends who are pre-tribulational pre-millennialists. To them I would say, where is the secret rapture that supposedly kicks off all of these future end times events? The truth of the matter is that this so called secret rapture nowhere to be found in the book of Revelation. Actually, it is nowhere to be found in the New Testament.  Don’t misunderstand – there will be a rapture, that is, the reassertion of the just and the unjust on the last day. But it will not be a secret rapture  – one only for Christians and then another for everyone else following seven years of tribulation. This theory is based upon a faulty reading of Daniel. The book of Daniel is then given priority over the book of Revelation. And then the book of Revelation is made to conform to what the pre-tribulational pre-millennialists think Daniel is saying. Things couldn’t be more backwards. As we saw last week Revelation advances and explains Daniel, and not the other way around. Revelation makes Daniel more clear, not the other way around. The difference of opinion that we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are futurists is obviously a hermeneutical one. We have the same Bible, but they are interpreting the New Testament in light of the Old. We firmly believe that the Old Testament should be interpreted in the light of the New. The fact the the book of Daniel concludes with things being sealed up, whereas Revelation begins with seals being opened supports this notion.

I understand that for those who are unfamiliar with all of the different views on the book and Revelation and the end times this what I have just said is about as clear as mud. Thank you for bearing with me. For those familiar with the debates, I hope this is helpful.

Here is the point: there is no indication in the text of Revelation that a gap of time stands between chapters three and four or five and six. The burden of proof, therefore, is upon the futurist. They must demonstrate their position from the text. It will not do to claim that their position is found in the blank spaces that separate chapters and verses.

Brother and sisters, the seal cycle describes, not only what will happen at the very end time in the events connected with the return of Christ and the final judgment, but also how things will be in these last days, both in heaven and on earth.

The Opening Of The First Four Seals Reveals That God Is Active In Executing His Judgments Upon The Earth Now In These Last Days

Thirdly, see that the opening of the first four seals reveals that God is active in executing his judgments upon the earth now in these last days.

We will return to the first four seals to consider them carefully in a couple of weeks, so I’ll keep my comments very brief. Notice three things about them for now.

One, notice that the horsemen are sent by God into all the earth. They go to do what they do at the decree of God. The are said to go when the seals are broken. Those seals were opened by Christ. And Christ received the scroll from God. Whatever the horsemen do they do because God sent them to do it.

Two, notice that when they go out they bring judgment upon the enemies of God in the form of military conquest, civil war, famine, plague and death. Here is the place where Christians – especially American Christians – need to pay attention. It is common, I think, for Christians to imagine that God is in control of some things, but has nothing all to do with the bad things that happen on earth. The book of Revelation, and indeed, the whole of scripture, says otherwise. God is sovereign over all things. Nothing comes to pass apart from his decree. He does not do or cause evil, but he does permit it and use it to bring about his ultimate purposes.

I do not have the time to demonstrate this principle from scripture today, not to address all of the questions that naturally arise out of this doctrine, but it is important that I state the principle generally here. Do you see that these horsemen go being sent by God? They go when the seals on God’s scroll are broken by Christ. The rider on the white horse was given a bow and a crown and came out conquering, and to conquer. The rider on the red horse was permitted to take peace from the earth and was given a great sword. The riders on the pale horse, “were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”

The opening of the first four seals reveals that God is active in executing his judgments upon the earth now in these last days. He judges now in many ways. In particular the seal cycle is concerned to remind the Christian that when we hear of wars and rumors of wars, God is sovereign even over that.

Three, notice that what the horsemen do describes the current, and not merely future, state of affairs. Simply look at the world around you. Do you not see their activity in the world now? Look back upon history do you not see their activity in the world then? Actually, read your Old Testament and you will see evidence of their activity, but you’ll actually see the four horsemen. This concept is not new, but old. One of the ways that God brings his judgment upon a sinful people is by permitting one nation to raise up against another, or by allowing one people to turn in upon itself in war. God will sometimes use famine or plague to judge. This is not a pattern or principle unique to the time of the end, but one that has been common throughout human history.

In fact, the four horsemen that John saw in his vision were seen by the prophet Zechariah hundreds of years earlier in a vision shown to him. I will not read the passages today – we will reserve it for a future sermon – but Zechariah 6 is very significant. Ezekiel 14:12-23, and Deuteronomy 32:23-25 are also significant passages. Together they make it clear that God, even in the  Old Testament time, is active in executing his judgments upon the earth.

The opening of the first four seals reveals the fact that God is active in judging his enemies even now through the process of giving them over to war and the results of war, which are often famine and pestilence. To quote G.K. Beale, “Believers need to understand the dual role of these calamities so that they can accept them in a positive manner as tools of sanctification, yet also realizing that these same trials are punishments upon unbelievers.”

Do you see it, friends. It is a myth to think that Christians will be spared from tribulation. It is a myth. Read your Bibles better. Study history. Look at the world around you. How could you possibly believe that God’s people will be spared from tribulation? No, we will have trouble in this world. The trouble will work as a punishment upon the enemies of God, but will sanctify the one who belongs to Christ.

Do you remember the words of Christ in John 16:33? To his disciples he spoke these words: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). Christians will sometimes be caught up in tribulation – wars, famines, and plagues – but the Christian is to “have peace” in the midst of it and is to “take heart” knowing that Christ has overcome. He has “conquered” the world.

God’s Judgments Are Restrained For Now

The fourth general observation that I would like to make about the seven seals is that they communicate that God’s judgments are restrained for now.

Remember that in 6:8 when the fourth seal was broken and the riders on the pale horse were sent out “they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8, ESV).

We’ve been in the book of Revelation long enough that you should know the answer to this question: should we take the fraction 1/4 literally? I think not. The idea is that though God is active in judgment in the world today his judgments are restrained for now. Someday his judgments will be unrestrained – he will judge fully and finally. Now, they are restrained. They are retained mercifully. They are restrained for the sake of God’s people and also so that the remaining elect might be brought it.

After the seven seals are opened, seven trumpets will be blown. And notice something about the seven trumpets. The first four of them also reveal God’s judgment upon the earth. We have recapitulation. What is portrayed by the seal cycle will be portrayed again in the trumpet cycle, but from a different vantage point. But notice that it is not “flat” recapitulation. Progression is communicated. For in the trumpet cycle a third of the earth is said to be affected. What is the meaning? Again, the meaning is that God’s judgement are restated, but there will be progression as history unfolds. Things will go, not from bad to good, but from bad to worse.

But it is important to recognize the clear message in both the seal and trumpet cycle:  God’s judgements are restrained for now.

Although The Saints Are Not Immune From Earthly Suffering, They Are Indeed Preserved

Fifthly, notice that although the saints are not immune from earthly suffering, they are indeed preserved.

It is the opening of the fifth seal that reveals this. There the focus shifts from earth to heaven. “When he opened the fifth seal, [John] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (Revelation 6:9, ESV).

John saw the souls of Christians under the heavenly alter. Specifically, he saw the souls of those who had been slain for, or on account of, the word of God and for, or an account of, the witness they had born.

What is the basic and general message communicated in the opening of the fifth seal? It is twofold: One, this age is clearly an age in which Christians will experience suffering and tribulation. Christians will suffer trials and tribulation. Some will even be killed because they proclaim the word of God and witness to Christ.  Two, it is clear that to die on account of Christ is not really to die, but to live. Therefore, “we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8, ESV).

Chronological or Redemptive Historical Progression is Revealed WithIn The Seal Cycle

Sixthly, notice that chronological or redemptive historical progression is revealed within the seal cycle.

To put it another way, though there is no evidence of a gap of time coming in between the beginning of the seal cycle and what came before it (which would necessitate that the whole of the seal cycle be fulfilled only in the future) there is certainly evidence of chronological or redemptive historical progression within the seal cycle itself.

In other words, though the seal cycle is not relegated completely to the time of the end, it does take us to the time of the end. We should not push the seals to the end, but they will carry us there.

Seals six and seven clearly teach that the final and full judgment of judgment of God will come, and when it comes will come suddenly.

“When he opened the sixth seal, [John] looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand’” (Revelation 6:12–17, ESV)?

Sounds like the end to me.

The seventh seal picks up where the sixth leaves off and continues to portray judgement. There is said to be silence in heaven, which symbolizes the solemnity of judgment. And John also described, “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:5, ESV).These things appear in Revelation wherever the judgment of God is portrayed.

So, though there is no good reason to push the whole seal cycle off into the time of the end, seals six and seven do take us there. The seven seals portray in sweeping fashion how things will be in this world and in heaven in these last days on to the consummation. There is chronological or redemptive historical progression revealed within the seal cycle.

Delay Is Communicated

Seventhly, notice that delay is communicated within the seal cycle. The message is that God will indeed judge fully and finally, but the end is not yet. There will be a delay.

The principle of delay is communicated in two way. One, through explicit statements found within the text. And two, through the literary structure of the text.

First, let us consider the explicit statements.

Remember that when the fifth seal was opened John “saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.” The had a question for God. Actually, it’s the same question that a lot the saints on earth have. “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” How long until the final judgment? That was their question. And here is what they were told: “Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:9–11, ESV). Delay. The end is not yet.

The scriptures give different reasons for the delay between Christ’s first and second comings. In Matthew 24:14 we hear Christ say, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14, ESV). What must happen before the end comes? The gospel must be preached throughout the whole world and to all nations. Paul, in Romans 11 is considering the history of redemption into two phases – a time focused upon the Jews (the Old Covenant) and a time focused upon the Gentile (under the New Covenant). He says “lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26, ESV). According to Paul the true Israel of God is all who believe upon Christ from amongst the Jews and the Gentiles. According to him the end will come only after “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved.” So what must happen before the end comes? All of God’s elect, from both Jews and Gentiles, must come in, that is to say, come to faith and be saved. But in Revelation a different reason is given. Evidently there are a certain number of martyrs destined by God. When the last martyr dies, then the end will come. It is not as if the scriptures contradict one another. It is that each of these passages answer the question, “how long”, in a different way. The gospel must be preached in all the earth! All of God’s elect must be brought in! The number martyrs must be filled up! Then then end will come.

Delay is communicated with the words “rest a little longer” spoken to the souls of the saints in heaven. But it is also communicated by the structure of the book of Revelation. Did you notice something strange about the scripture reading today? To read about the breaking of all seven seals we had to skip chapter seven.

A literary gap exist between the sixth and seventh seal. Chapter seven is, what commentators have called, an interlude. Chapter seven describes in detail the sealing of the 144,000 on earth and then a great multitude in heaven from every tongue tribe and nation. I will explain that chapter in the months to come. For now, notice that there is an interlude – a delay in the literary structure – between seals six and seven.

The same feature is found in the trumpet cycle. The sixth and seven trumpets are separated by chapters ten and eleven which describe the recommissioning of John, and the ministry, martyrdom and resurrection of the two witnesses. I’ll explain that text later. For now, notice that there is an interlude – a delay in the literary structure – between trumpets six and seven.

In both cycles the reader, or the hearer, of the book of Revelation is rolling right along. It seems as if everything is going to be brought to a conclusion, but then there is an interlude. It gives the sense of delay.

Notice, though, that in the bowl cycle, there is no delay.  For the bowl cycle describes, not God’s limited and restrained judgment upon the earth, but the full and final judgment of God upon all the earth.  There is no interlude there. Things roll right along – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Why? Because these are the seven bowls filled with the wrath of God to be poured out fully and finally upon on the earth.

The seals and the trumpets communicate delay because they describe, not only the end, but also the sweep of redemptive history leading up to the end. They eventually describe the end, but before that they describe how things will be in heaven and on earth in these last days. The end will come, but it is not yet.

Conclusion 

By way of concussion I would like to show you just how similar the seal cycle is to the words of Jesus found in Matthew 24.

Jesus’ disciples asked him the same question that the souls of the martyrs asked God. How long will it be? When will the judgment come? Here is how he answered them:

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:4–14, ESV).

What Jesus spoke in Matthew 24, he depicts in the seven seals of Revelation 6 and 8.

Brothers and sisters, let us live according to these things.

Let us be at peace on this world, knowing that God is sovereign over all.

Let us see tribulation for what it is – judgment upon God’s enemies, but means of sanctification for his people.

Let us not fear death. For to die in Christ is to live.

And let is not avenge ourselves, knowing that God will indeed judge fully and finally in the end.

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Revelation 6; 8:1-5, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: The Seven Seals, Broadly Considered: Revelation 6; 8:1-5

Feb 17
26

Sermon: The Triumph of the Lamb: Revelation 5


Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 2

“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.’ And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. ‘But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.’ And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2, ESV).

New Testament Reading: Revelation 5

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” (Revelation 5, ESV).

Introduction

Do you see, brothers and sisters, that Revelation 5 comes to focus upon Jesus the Christ? He takes center stage in the vision that was shown to John. He is the one symbolized by the lamb that John saw “between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders”. In chapter 4 everything focuses upon God enthroned. God is the one worshipped there. But in chapter 5 everything comes to focus upon Jesus the Christ who was slain, who is alive forevermore. He is the one worshipped here.

We learn three things about Jesus in this passage:

One, in all of God’s creation Christ alone was found worthy to open the scroll and to break it’s seals.

Two, in all of God’s creation Christ alone was found worthy to open the seals because he has accomplished our redemption having won the victory by his sacrificial death, triumphant resurrection, and victorious ascension to the Father’s right hand.

Three, in all of God’s creation Christ alone was found worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

We will return to each of these principles in a moment. For now, notice that Revelation 5 begins with a predicament.

John “saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And [John] saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and [John] began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:1–4, ESV).

When we are told that John “saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll”,  we are to understand this to be an anthropomorphism. God does not really have a right hand, does he? When we ask or children the question, “What is God?”, we teach them to answer saying, “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being…” (Baptist Catechism, 7). Our confession rightly says that God is “a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions”.  Jesus told us so when he said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24, ESV). It is important to understand that whenever the scriptures use human characteristics (either physical or emotional) to describe God they are anthropomorphisms (or anthropopathisms). They are human characteristics being attributed to God, though God does not really possess those characteristics. Remember when God showed Moses his glory this is how he did it: He put him in a cleft of the rock, and covered him with his “hand” until he had passed by. Then he took away his “hand” so that Moses could see his “back”. Why? So that Moses would not see God’s “face”, “for man shall not see [God] and live” (see Exodus 33:20–23). Friends, God does not have a face, a hand, or a back. He is “a most pure spirit, invisible, without [a] body.” But these anthropomorphisms help us to better understand what happened with Moses. Did he see God? Yes he did! But did he see the fulness of God’s glory? No he did not. God shielded him from it with his “hand”; he only allowed Moses to see his “back”; God’s “face” was hidden from Moses, lest he be consumed by the fulness of the glory of God. These are human characteristics applied to God, who is not human, but divine. We must not take the anthropomorphisms literally, but we must understand that truths about God are being communicated by them in way that we can comprehend. When we read that John “saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll” we are not to think, God has hands!, but rather, God is enthroned in heaven as King, and he is issuing his decree by stretching forth his strong right hand, just as an earthly king would. That is what is happening here. John saw a vision of God enthroned, and God is now issuing forth his decree.

And what did John see in God’s right hand? He saw a scroll with writing on the front and back sealed with seven seals.

If we are familiar with the Old Testament the scroll that John mentions should bring a number of passages to mind, the foremost being Ezekiel chapter 2, which we have already read. There the prophet Ezekiel describes his commissioning. God sent him to proclaim the word of God to the people of Israel concerning, one, the judgment that would come upon them, given their rebelliousness, and two, the promise of God to preserve a remnant, given God’s faithfulness to his covenant (see Ezekiel 16:59ff. and 20:33ff., for example). So the message of the prophet was twofold. It was mainly bad news – destruction is coming – God will judge, given your rebelliousness. But there was also good news peppered throughout – God will preserve a remnant and restore, because he is faithful to his covenant promises. And how was the prophet commissioned to preach? Remember, it all started in Ezekiel 1 where we are told of the vision Ezekiel saw – a vision very similar to the one that John saw described to us beginning with Revelation 4. And then in chapter 2 of Ezekiel a scroll was given to the prophet. The scroll – just like the one described in Revelation 5 – had writing on the front and back “and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10, ESV). If we were to read on into Ezekiel 3 would would see that Ezekiel was then commanded to eat the scroll – he was to ingest it – to make it a part of himself – so that he might then proclaim it to the people. If we were to read the rest of Ezekiel we would then encounter the actual preaching of the prophet. We would read of the prophesies that he uttered in the coming years – prophesies that predicted both the destructions that would come upon rebellious Israel, and also prophesies that foretold of the preservation of a remnant for the sake of the establishment of God’s covenant. That is a summery of the book of Ezekiel.

Brothers and sisters, it is essential that we make the connection between Revelation 4 -5 and Ezekiel 1 and 2. The connection is obvious. And the connection helps us to know what to expect from the rest of the book of Revelation. Ezekiel chapters 1 and 2 set the stage for the rest of that book. There the heavenly vision and commissioning of the the prophet are described. And the rest of that book contains prophesies concerning judgment and also promises concerning the preservation of God’s elect. Most of those prophesies and promises were fulfilled as history unfolded leading up to the first coming of Christ. Here is the point: given the obvious similarities between Ezekiel 1 and 2 and Revelation 4 and 5, should we not expect, therefore, that the book of Revelation will also contain prophesies concerning judgment and promises concerning the preservation of God’s elect from the time of it’s writing up until the next monumental redemptive historical event, namely, the second coming of Christ? Indeed, that is what the rest of the book of Revelation will be about – the judgment of God’s enemies, the preservation of his people, and the fulfillment of his promises, up to the very end of time. That, my friends, is the king’s decree that is written on the front and the back of the scroll that John saw in God’s right hand.

Notice that this scroll was sealed with seven seals. It was common in the ancient would to seal important documents with a wax seal. The document would be rolled up. A bit of hot wax would be dropped onto the seam, and the author would impress the wax with an mark unique to him. The document would be then be delivered and the recipient would know whether or not the information was kept secure depending upon the condition of the seal. If the seal was broken then there was reason to believe that the scroll had been read by someone who should not have read it. The scroll in God’s right hand was sealed with seven seals, indicating that the information contained within was most sensitive.

If we are familiar with the Old Testament another passage should come to mind when we are told of the seals. We have already seen that a close relationship exists between the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation. I’ve pointed out (though I have not taken the time to demonstrate it to you) that the content of Daniel 7: 9-27 and Revelation 4-5 mirror one another. The vision of the son of man in Revelation 1 is based upon Daniel 7. The book of Daniel, like the book of Ezekiel, was written a long time before Jesus’ birth and it too contains many prophesies concerning what would happen in the days leading up to the birth of the Christ. But consider this: in Daniel chapter 12 we see that some things were revealed to the prophet concerning the very end of time –  concerning the resurrection and the final judgment. But the information given to Daniel was very limited. Listen to Daniel 12:1-4:

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:1–4, ESV).

What does this passage describe? It describes the great tribulation, the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the final judgment, and the eternal reward. It describes all of that, but very briefly. And Daniel is commanded to “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end”. As the passage progress we see Daniel pressing the Lord for more information. “What will the outcome of these things be?”, he asks. Daniel was not given much more but was again told, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9, ESV). And in verse 13 he was again told, “go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13, ESV). This is how the book of Daniel concludes.

So we have the book of Daniel written long before the birth of Christ. It contains many prophesies concerning what would happen in the days leading up to the birth of Christ. It also contains some prophesies that speak to what will happen at the end of time when Christ returns, but the information concerning that is very limited. Daniel, as he pressed for more information, was told “go your way”. “The words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end”. Daniel, “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end”.

Think about it.  Think about how the book of Daniel, written in the 500’s B.C., is related to the book of Revelation. The book of Daniel concludes with information being withheld. Things are hidden. The book is sealed. But this is also where the book of Revelation picks up. John sees a vision of God enthroned. In his right hand is a scroll with seven seals on it. Those seals will be opened. The book of Revelation picks up where the book of Daniel left off. Revelation builds upon and advances Daniel.

Remember that John was a Jew. He was very well acquainted with the Old Testament. He knew Ezekiel and Daniel backwards and forwards. What do you think he expected, then, when he saw that scene unfold before his eyes? Without a doubt he thought, here it is! Here is the revelation that Daniel longed to see! Here is the decree concerning how things will go from this day forward. There’s the decree. It’s in the scroll, written front and back! Without a doubt that was his expectation. He expected to receive the message contained within the scroll just as Ezekiel did.  Also, remember the loud voice that John heard at the beginning of this vision. The Lord said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1, ESV). He must have been so excited to hear it – so eager to receive it. Without a doubt he would have instantaneously made all of these connections and would have been overwhelmed with joy at thought of seeing what Daniel and the other prophets longed to see, but were limited.

But a problem remains. The scroll was sealed with seven seals. The scroll, at this time, was as inaccessible to John as it was to Daniel. It was sealed – it was closed off to him.

It is no wonder, then, that John began to weep loudly after he saw “a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.” (Revelation 5:2–3, ESV). No one in all of God’s creation was found worthy. “No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.”

Here is where Christ enters the scene. And when he does we learn three things about him.

Christ Alone Was Found Worthy To Open The Scroll And To Break It’s Seals

First of all, we learn that in all of God’s creation, Christ alone was found worthy to open the scroll and to break it’s seals.

Listen to the announcement that one of the elders made to John in verses 5. He said,  “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals’” (Revelation 5:5, ESV).

This is obviously a reference to Jesus who is the Christ. And the way that Jesus is spoken of here is very significant.

He is called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”. That is a majestic title, isn’t it? But was is the significance of it?

Remember that when Jacob, who was then called Israel, pronounced blessing upon his son’s near the end of his life he compared his son Judah to a lion and prophesied that a perpetual royal dynasty would come from him. He said,

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:8–10, ESV).

Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of this prophesy. He is “Lion of the tribe of Judah”.

And he is also called the “Root of David”. This too is a regal title!

Remember that David was the best of Israel’s kings. And remember that it was prophesied that David’s dynasty would be everlasting – David would never lack a man on the throne (2 Samuel 7). But the people of Israel would eventually be defeated and taken into exile. It seemed as if the promise made to David concerning an everlasting kingdom was failing. But Isaiah the prophet prophesied that after the exile the day would come when a shoot would spring forth from the stump of Jesse (Jesse being the father of David, and another way of referring to David’s lineage). In others words, after the exile it looked as if the flourishing dynasty of David had been cut to the ground and destroyed. But Isaiah the prophet prophesied saying,

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit… In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10, ESV).

The dynasty of David seemed dead, like a tree cut to the ground with only a stump remaining. But the day would come, said the prophet, when life would spring forth from that stump and bear fruit, not only for the Jews, but for all nations.

Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of this prophesy. He is the “Root of David”.

It is because of this that Jesus is the only one in all of God’s creation who is able to open the scroll and to break it’s seals. He is worthy because he is the Christ. He is more than a prophet. “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11, ESV).

Christ Alone Was Found Worthy To Open The Seals Because He Has Accomplished Our Redemption Having Won The Victory By His Sacrificial Death, Triumphant Resurrection, And Victorious Ascension To The Father’s Right Hand

Secondly, we learn that Christ alone was found worthy to open the seals because he has accomplished our redemption having won the victory by his sacrificial death, triumphant resurrection, and victorious ascension to the Father’s right hand.

In verse 5 one of the elders said to John, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5, ESV).

Jesus was able to open the scroll because he had conquered.

What did he conquered? The rest of the Revelation along with the rest of the scriptures make it clear as to what he conquered. He has conquered death. He has conquered Satan. Indeed, he has conquered all of the enemies of God fully and finally.

But how did do it? How did Jesus conquered these powerful foes?

What John describes next reveals it to us. Verse 6: “And between [in the midst of] the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6, ESV).

Now you expected this because you are familiar with the text of Revelation. But do you think this is what John expected to see? Or, if you imagine that this were the first time you had read Revelation, is this the image that you would expect to see – a lamb standing as though slain? I think not. After hearing the announcement, “weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered”, what do you expect to see? Something powerful, of course. Maybe something like what John described in chapter 1 where he saw,

“One like a son of man…the hairs of his head.. white, like white wool… His eyes… like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:13–16, ESV).

You expect to see a powerful figure. But instead the one who has conquered appears as a sacrificed lamb. It’s a jarring transition.

What is the meaning of it? The meaning is this: Christ has conquered death, and Satan, and all of the enemies of God by giving himself up for for us as a willing sacrifice.

“He was in the form of God, [but] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV).

That is how “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered”.

Notice that he was slain, but now he is seen standing in heaven in the midst of the throne of God. How did he get there? Well, he rose from the dead and ascended to Father.

He has seven horns. Horns symbolize power. Christ has all power. Remember, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [him]” (Matthew 28:18, ESV).

And he has seven eyes. The seven eyes symbolize Christ’s omniscience. He sees all. Remember how he spoke to each church saying,  “I know”. But the eyes are specifically said to represent “the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth”. Christ sees all things even to the ends of the earth, and he has also promised to send the Spirit to support his elect in every age.

In verses 7-10 John says, “And [the Lamb] went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth’” (Revelation 5:7–10, ESV).

There is a lot going on in this scene.

One, notice the transaction that took place between God and Christ. God gave the Lamb the scroll.

Two, notice that prayers were offered to Christ. The elders held “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Remember, the elders are angels who represent God’s redeemed on the earth. The prayers of the saints we brought before Christ by them.

Three, notice that worship was given to Christ. “They sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth’”

Jesus was found worthy to open the seals because he is the redeemer of God’s elect.

He has “ransomed people”.  To ransom is to “to cause the release or freedom of someone by a means which proves costly to the individual causing the release—‘to redeem, to set free’”. We were slaves to sin and death. Christ has freed us by his blood, if we know him.

He has “ransomed people for God”. We have been freed so that we might belong to God.

He has “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Do you remember Jesus high priestly prayer in John 17: Father “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word” (John 17:6, ESV).

By the way, the doctrine of limited atonement is clearly taught here. By his shed blood Christ ransomed, payed the price for, and set free, not all people, but people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

And what were these ransomed to do? To be “a kingdom and priests to… God, and… [to] reign on the earth.” We have been ransomed so that we might worship and serve God.

Why was Christ alone found worthy to open the seals? Because he has accomplished our redemption having won the victory by his sacrificial death, triumphant resurrection, and victorious ascension to the Father’s right hand. Only he is worthy to reveal and bring about the conclusion to the story in which he is the central figure and hero.

Christ Alone Was Found Worthy To Receive Power, Wealth, Wisdom, And Might, Honor, Glory And Blessing

Thirdly, notice that in all of God’s creation, Christ alone was found worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

Verses 11-14: “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” (Revelation 5:11–14, ESV).

This seen is the most majestic of all. John’s view grows far more expansive. Instead of focussing in upon the throne and the creatures surrounding the throne, all of God’s creation is brought into view. He sees thousands upon thousands of angels along with “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea.” And what are they doing? The are worshiping God and Christ.

Christ, they say, is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” He is worthy to receive it because he has earned it by his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.

It is only right that both God and Christ receive “blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” Amen.

Application 

Let us consider a few possible points of application before we close.

First of all, I would ask you this: have you believed upon Christ Jesus? Have you confessed your sin? Have turned from it and looked to Christ in faith? Have you asked God to forgive you because of what Christ has done for you? Have you made Christ Lord? Do you see that Christ is the redeemer? If you do not belong to him then you belong to the enemy. We must look to Christ in faith if we hope to be saved.

Secondly, having believed upon Christ, have you made him the central thing in your life? Notice that in the heavenly realm God and Christ are central. They are worshipped and served there. They alone are considered worthy of praise. Such is not the case on earth. Man is made to be central in this realm. We worship and serve ourselves. We worship and serve the creation rather than the creator. But things should be very different among the redeemed. Our lives should follow the heavenly pattern, and not the worldly one. God and Christ should be central for us. And this mindset should be evident to all who look in upon us. Our lives should be different. Sadly, it is oftentimes hard to tell the difference between the one who names the name of Christ and non-Christian today. Worldliness is rampant within Christ’s visible church. It should not be so. We have been redeemed by Christ for God to live in his kingdom as priests, offering up acceptable worship to him.

Thirdly, are you living in this world according to the way of Christ? He conquered by laying his life down for others in humble submission to the Father. Do you bear the same characteristic? Are you humble before God and man? Have you died to self completely, living instead for God and for others? All of our remaining sin and corruption exists only because we have failed to put to death the flesh and to live according to the Spirit to the glory of God and for the good of our fellow man. Die to self, friend. Live to God. Pursue holiness. And as you do rejoice, for the Lamb, who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered for you and me and all who are in Christ Jesus in every place and in every age.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Revelation 5, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Sermon: The Triumph of the Lamb: Revelation 5

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that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)

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