Father we want to
recognize that gathered together in word and spirit you are with us and you are attentive to us and it’s good in your eyes for your people to gather to look together at your son to worship him to worship you to be realigned with our calling according to grace to be of another world of another kingdom
Lord so let us be attentive to the moment and desperate to benefit from the power of your word and wielded by the spirit and the power of your word in our minds and in our hearts
Father we are not
we are not important
our agendas our ideas of what we need to do where we need to go Father we only exist to serve your son Jesus life only is real and valid and eternal when it’s lived for your son
Lord in this moment we come to your word asking
Lord that the love you’ve shown us will further be revealed and further shape us and draw us near to your heart in the person of Jesus
Father we lift up many families who are still struggling in North Carolina many families who have lost loved ones in horrific ways God we pray for comfort and peace we pray for help for those who need help for getting out of dangerous situations still we ask God that your goodness your gospel would be made known to many through this hard thing Lord so we pray just for your hand upon all those involved with rescue and help there Lord we pray for sunshine Lord we pray that she would heal completely and God she’ll get her strength back Miss Diane to be safe as she travels home Lord we know you’re with us in all things and your purposes are good we pray you’ll bless our time we pray you’ll bless our offering Lord you would grow our increase so that Lord we may the more serve you with it
Father we give also our new facility to you we thank you for so much being done but Lord so much still has to be done just pray for strength we pray for wisdom we pray for provision we trust all things will be done in your time frame and we pray that in Jesus name Amen
well good evening
you would turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 20
Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3 Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3
, 2 through 5 John writes then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain and he seized the dragon that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shot him and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended after that he must be released for a while so this passage is I think without question um um the most infamous passage in Revelation for no other reason than it’s unendingly uh debated by different really smart godly people who love the Lord but what it’s doing Revelation and getting this far this is the passage I think I’ve dreaded the most reason being when when you preach a sermon you want to be sure your feet are on solid ground no one wants to hear a sermon and the preacher go I think so that’s not very encouraging on a sermon about eternal salvation or comfort you know or a number of other things so I will say there are a number of things here that speak to us and have spiritual application and can’t be denied then there are things where there are slightly different ideas on what they represent as is the point though with all of Revelation it’s not to look into the future and see who thinks they can figure out the details down to a T and say ha ha I’m right the point is to um treasure Christ more build up a greater anticipation more of who God is what God’s going to do so it should be unifying where I think it’s unfortunately it’s been more of a fracture point um for the church in a lot of ways so with that being said preaching just this little bit here I believe what I’m preaching is true or I wouldn’t do it um but but you know as Paul says you know we’re all going to be gathered in the air uh when the Lord returns one man has said we all reserve the right to change our mind in the air so could could could it not be this yes could it be something different and we don’t understand it could could be but I’m gonna I’m gonna preach this teach this and just kind of walk through it with you um and I think in the end we’ll still be benefited and edified by this passage so we ended in Revelation the 19th the very end and this was Jesus’s return on a white horse this was very triumphant and we came to a point where here at Armageddon Jesus um destroys um um the nations the enemies who were in league with the antichrist and the false prophet so they were destroyed and then we see in um verse 20 the beast and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur and the rest were slain by the sword that comes from the mouth of him who is sitting on the horse and all the birds were gorged with their flesh so John is moving on in 20 to what he sees next then I saw and so it’s it’s important to note that on the grand scale because at the very end here in Revelation you’re seeing God’s promise and power way back in Genesis made good so back then we see a serpent who was promised defeat that’s what we’re seeing happen um we saw a , a devil a, a um pseudo deity who wanted to be a God just like God Satan Lucifer who, who rose up in prideful ambition we see him thrown down so everything God said in the beginning here we see it fulfilled in the end and we’ve said it in sermons past in Revelation it proves the point that the devil Satan is God’s devil right this is this is God’s story and what we read is an angel and that angel is most likely uh Michael we see Michael back in chapter 12 verse 8 it’s the only angel that’s mentioned it’s not worthy to see it’s not Jesus who chains by seizes the dragon Satan it’s not what happens it’s an angel and I think that’s important to show he never was really a formidable opponent to God it never was really a contest of power and wit it was enough for one of God’s angels to depose of this wannabe man master this wannabe God and I think the language is is precise here he is thrown into a bottomless pit which is synonymous with the abyss so uh we’ve seen the bottomless pit we’ve seen this the abyss before in Revelation in chapter 11 verse 7 that’s where the beast rises from um the demons and the man at Gennesaret that Jesus cast out out they mention the abyss the place where um demons were held into judgment um we read about the locusts in chapter 9 in Revelation they’re the ones that come out to torment uh non believers this is the place that the serpent is we’re told thrown into and he’s thrown there it says um after he is bound or one one commentator say it means to tie his hands up so he’s bound he’s tied up he’s seized and he’s tossed into the bottomless pit it shut it says it shut it but then it goes an extra step and it says that he sealed it he sealed it and the sealed it there is the same word used to talk about Jesus his tomb being sealed so that no one could open it um it’s the same uh kind of Hebrew the word there when the king seals with his ring um what Daniel uh will have to suffer in the lion’s den and he’s he’s closed off in the lion’s den so it’s the same shut up sealed up kind of extra measure that we’re being told is happening here um so to quote to quote mounts who I know have quoted quite a bit throughout this book um he says the intention of the passage is not to represent Satan as merely restricted but is rendered completely inactive during those uh thousand year millennial period um following the second advent in support of this position a number of new testament passages may be cited that shows Satan as extremely active in the present age so you have Paul when he says I was going to come to you but I couldn’t because Satan hindered me uh Peter says in first Peter uh that your enemy he prowls around like a luring lion you have Paul Satan Ephesians he’s the prince of the power of the air the spirit at work in the sun of disobedience so he goes on to say the purpose of the confinement is not to punish him but to prevent him from deceiving the nations the elaborate measures taken to ensure his custody are most easily understood as implying the complete cessation of his influence on earth
so when we get here we’re to see Satan bound he’s thrown the pit um it’s sealed Christ reigned on earth then during a thousand years Satan’s imprisonment what does that do what does that show us if Satan in the end is experiencing everything God said he would in the end effectively Satan’s impotence so we’re shown that Jesus has decisive power Jesus has reach there’s no power Satan ever had in his whole scheme to be a God there is no reach Jesus could never have stopped him from what he did do so the devil who dared contest Jesus’s power is being shown at the very beginning with the word of the Lord that your head will be crushed then at the cross of Christ Satan is truly defeated then the victory of Christ on the cross gets teased out even to the very end in a bigger way and you remember it’s been several months since we were there but when we were in 18 and you had Satan’s Babylon he had the city and he had everyone on his side and so this looks like he’s done it he’s got the world under his thumb but remember it self destructed we’re not really told why the beast turns on the city and it all unravels and it self destructs Erwin Lutzer notes that evil throughout time has always tried to find an empire he likens it to kind of what’s the different rites in modern history so the Holy Roman Empire then the Second Reich which would be Germany the First World War and then Hitler saw himself even by a supernatural experience he had when he was younger that he was the leader of the Third Reich so I’m not saying that Satan’s necessarily in every evil everywhere that’s him attempting the end I don’t know how that’s working behind the scenes spiritually but you can see these really major points in human history where evil tries to overwhelm yet it always falls apart even this last one that we read about with Babylon Satan can’t do the thing he wants to do so much so that’s an encouragement that Christ has that kind of power and Christ is the only one who has the reach to touch Satan everywhere he goes and everything he does if Satan is a liar who is very effective at lying he’s the father of lies right Jesus said he was a murderer from the beginning whatever he’s doing it’s not outside the all encompassing purposes and power of God if Satan is the prince of the power of the air at work and the sons of disobedience which feels pretty full if he can manipulate people as much as he wants if he can be a spirit that really holds human souls and clutches them how could he not be the one who wins in the end but that’s all a part of God’s plans if Satan is a roaring lion it’s not going to overwhelm the purposes and power and reach of Christ even in this age Satan seems to be winning the war when we look at eastern countries when we look at African countries when we look at mass slaughter when we look at immorality of our time and you think you see all these places where Satan is winning persecution is rampant
something I was watching yesterday reminded me the 20th century more martyrs were killed in the 20th century than any other time in church history if you see all that we can know looking at the end Jesus was in the beginning he is right now he will be to the end and in control because he has all power and he has all reach so this did not start with this did not start with two people and a piece of fruit that’s not what this started with yes it is things wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t mess up that’s not what it started with it started with a God who chose to create it started with a God who never fell out of control he never lost control of what was going to happen in time and space God didn’t have an oopsie moment it starts with God and guess what it ends with God and as I was studying this I guess the picture of Narnia you know before Aslan comes out and the whole of Narnia is frozen you know it’s a winter well it’s not a wonderland it’s frozen right and her rule her rule is everywhere that you can see and it looks like she won look how frozen it is look how terrible it is yet just around the corner all of the purposes that were hidden would be made known and everything that was said comes to pass and the ice begins to melt so don’t doubt God’s purposes when God seems to be working least in human history or in your life we do that don’t we when things get really bad and really hard we go it must be so that I misread the Bible somewhere it must be so I I I I I I I I I I I I I I must be some disqualifier as to why my life is is hard or why the Christian experience is hard you miss anything God just works the way he works and he works what seems to be through weak means a lot of times
so the the position here then that I’m I’m talking about this 1,000-year era that’s coming is what you would call historic premillennialism. Not prehistoric millennialism because that doesn’t mean anything, but I’ve said that accidentally many times. Historic premillennialism. And so I can’t address every possible angle of that position or every other position because even each major position on that 1,000 years has multiple sub-positions that people take even within that camp. So I don’t want to go down this rabbit hole of ideas because that’s not helpful. It’s not helpful. But just to kind of lay this out and why I think this is a literal millennial kingdom, to come here, I think the question we want to ask first is why can’t we just kind of get on with forever? If Jesus comes back, he destroys these armies, he throws the false prophet and the beast into the lake of fire, let’s do it. Let’s get eternity going, right? That’s kind of the question that pops up. So I want to say this about the millennium. I think the millennialism, the millennium will be a time when Christ reigns supreme as undisputed king of all the earth, incomparable in his distinction. So everybody everywhere is going to see Jesus is a better king, a better leader than anyone else ever could have been in any other nation but over every nation. Jesus, his law will be the law of the land and everyone will be unified. Everyone will be unified and subjected to it and it will be good and everything will work. So Jesus will be seen as the one good, rightful king. Again, this is what the Antichrist could not do.
So, moving on from there, the first thing I want to point out here, when we get to right at the beginning of 20, 20, 20, one thing that’s pointed out with that position is the then I saw. Then I saw. And those seem like insignificant words. Then I saw. So, then I saw. It’s chronological when you go from 19 to 20. So if you’re obeying basic rules of Greek grammar, moving from that chapter to this chapter, it’s next. The same with when you go from, from 20 to 21 with a new heaven and the new earth. It’s then I saw. It’s kai edon. And John MacArthur makes the point that Anthony Hakima, and Anthony Hakima is not a historic premillennialist. Anthony Hakima is an amillennialist. I’ll explain that in a second. He agrees that, that, that is not helpful to the amillennialist position. So the basics of that Greek, even he admits, lend itself to the argument. This is a chronological move to another phase of something else happening in time at the end of human history in the book of Revelation. So after that point, I will say this, that for me seems to be enough. If that’s what that is, that’s the plain reading of it. It’s chronologically next. I was talking to my grandfather about all this several months ago and given all these answers and things I’ve heard different scholars say about why the millennium needs to happen and what’s so good about it and all those things. And he said, it’s sometimes we just believe the Bible because it says things, even if we don’t get to know why those things are there, they just say them. So they’re there. That enough is convincing for me. The then I saw unless you want to bend that and it means something different. That sequence seems to be plain. But then I will say this on top of that. Why would you, if you had to give a biblical answer, why would you say that we need this literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth? Um, I think the, the best answer that I’ve heard to that. And again, I readily admit I did not make this up. This is not my studies per se. This is just reading the guys who spend their time studying this stuff in depth. Um, and if you’re interested to read more, I happily point you to the literature where they talk about it and go in depth. But I think the reason why, and it is biblically convincing to me is because Jesus is the better Adam. So when you go back to the garden, what are the, what are the two big roles entrusted to Adam? Adam is, uh, told to have physical, uh, dominion over the earth. So he’s supposed to subdue it. He’s supposed to, uh, make something out of it. He’s supposed to, uh, uh, utilize it. So Genesis one 26, um, then God said, let us make, make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, uh, the heavens over the livestock, over all the earth and over all creeping things that creep on the earth. So God created man in his own image. So Adam is a vice regent. He is made in the image of God. And as a vice regent, he is called to subdue rule over the earth. Genesis two 15, the Lord took the man and put him in. In the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. So second thing, Adam uniquely has as a privilege and responsibility, um, is a priestly function. So what, what does a priest do? A priest lives in the same space where God lives. A priest spends their time knowing God, imitating God, showing other people what it’s like to live in a way that honors God. Well, what did sin do to those two things? Well, one sin ruined the dominion thing. Um, whether we’re talking about a hurricane in North Carolina or, uh, you know, Israel or Ukraine or whatever war you want to point to, or every way that nations do and have disobeyed the law of God. And then in a moral sense, everyone is separated from God. Why? Because while we have the image of God, it’s marred. And so that priestly privilege Adam had was ruined. Adam failed. Jesus, Jesus uniquely does and is what the first Adam never could. Jesus showed us that he was Lord of heaven and earth. He did so, uh, by miracles. He did so by teaching and preaching God’s law. Jesus was morally perfect. Jesus was as the God man in the presence of the father in the spirit for his, the entirety of his life. So Jesus is the better Adam who fulfills what God started in the garden. So to say it in like my own way, Satan doesn’t get even the consolation prize of, well, at least I ruined God’s earth and Adam never did the thing that God told him to do. And I get that at least. I think this is a big, no, you don’t. The better. And second, Adam will, we’ll even make this order, though it’s temporary function work as it was supposed to, according to God’s plan. So what you’re seeing is then in Genesis three, when we’re told that, the seed will come and what will the seed do? That’s Jesus, right? He’ll crush the head of the serpent. That’s not just a spiritual defeat at the cross. It is that, but it’s teased out all the way to the end toward Jesus physically here. And now is ruling for those thousand years, putting everything back in order the way the first Adam never could. That, I think, fulfills for me a biblical reason of why the thousand year reign of Christ is so.
I have probably more quotes than it’s worth reading on that. But just to quote one, one scholar on that, the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. Since the devil’s work is not only spiritual in its character, but also physical and institutional in its effects, right? We should interpret Genesis three 15 as God’s promise to restore not only Adam’s spiritual rule, but also his physical role on earth in time before the advent of the new heavens and the new earth. Because Jesus is the head of a new humanity. So if you say that’s really convincing and I agree with that, I see it’s biblical. If you don’t necessarily like that, I’m not going to make you believe that to a T although I think you have to agree Jesus is the better Adam of nothing else because the writer in the book of Hebrews says Jesus is the better everything, right? He’s the greater high priest. He’s the better Moses. He is everything. The first Adam was not. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll give a fourth reason then why I would be in favor of a literal thousand year reign of Christ. So the opposite position of this would be what is called all millennialism. And so all millennialism takes the literal thousand years of Christ that’s supposed to happen at the end of the church age. Okay. So you’ve got everything we’ve read with Satan coming. And, and the entire book and he comes and Jesus comes back. Then there’s that. What all millennialism does is kind of pull it back and making an allegory. The allegory is it’s just it’s spiritual. It’s a spiritual rule. Jesus is ruling in heaven right now over the church age. And Satan is he’s held back, but he’s not actually seized. He’s not actually stopped completely. So Satan can still do the things he’s doing during this church age. All right. So we’re in the church age. Christ is ruling the church is making the advances it is making. That’s all part of God’s plan. But Satan’s not really loose to the degree he wants to be to deceive the nations. So it’s a it’s a it’s a different approach to understand that. And again, I have many theologians who I love and respect. And they would fall there. But obviously, as I’ve said, I don’t I don’t like that one because of the then I saw. Two, it is worth noting, and this is an argument from church history, not from the Bible, but that view, the all millennial view didn’t really popularize the way that it was from third, fourth century, even all the way up to the, the formers of that that wasn’t as present in the first couple centuries. So one one patristic scholar. And again, if you’re interested, I’ll be proud of you. If you were, he makes sixty one footnotes in in his chapter on all of that. And he shows pretty clearly not that it maybe isn’t there at all, but the mainstream of what the church was believing. Up until the third fourth century period was a plain literal reading of that it’s a thousand years coming so couple things to keep in mind here largely speaking and I know I have the microphone so if someone disagrees with me they don’t get to disagree back largely speaking Augustine origin are seen as the ones who birth better. Or worse for language sake all millennialism now here’s what’s worth noting about both of them origin was very influenced by platonic thought Augustine was very much so in the swing of the monastic movement of his time so they both were very wary of very condemning of any sort of physical pleasure in fact origin condemned those who wanted a literal physical thousand years. In fact, as wanting so because they were sensuous they wanted pleasurable sensuous delights Augustine had some interesting views on physicality and what is and isn’t okay with a physical body the body’s bad the spirits good so that is that is outside the scope of biblical literature those are influences of the time for those men so that crops up several times. In those two men and it takes off even to the point where if you believe in a literal reign of Christ that was almost considered heretical for a while because this spiritual eyes allegorical view took hold so that’s the opposite view and I’m not saying it’s definitely wrong and there’s no merit to it and bad people believe that I don’t I’m not doing that I’m just kind of giving a sketch of where. That comes from again. The same scholar would say in the mind of our naus and most of the church prior to origin and earthly kingdom following the return of Christ is not merely what revelation 20 teaches the central tenet of the faith because it functions to reinforce the central truth of Christianity that there’s one God who in love has created this world for us and us for it. Who is personally. Entered this world in order to redeem us for a future in this world and who will ultimately triumph in this world over the forces that are arrayed against him so again kind of coming back to that same idea of Satan gets no victory anywhere Jesus will be seen to be the winner in the king in every arena spiritual and physical so what what are problems with a. Historic. Pre millennial view nothing is without its problems and this is where I want to go back to humility because there are just things that we can’t know everything about right and if you don’t accept that you’re going to end up being one of those guys on YouTube with a three hour long video and this whiteboard a hundred miles long and you get to the end of this video and it’s got 19 different colors on it and maps and charts and and it’s like. What are you doing this not anybody’s business to to put on paper and fill in every little blank so I am happy very happy to say I take what can be seen and accept what I don’t know but but one problem with this is that that’s brought to that view is where these people come from because if you accept a literal rain. We’re told that at the end of the. Thousand years there’s going to be a bunch of people who rebel against Jesus before the new heavens and new earth come and they’re going to get in league for one last fight where God blows them all out with fire from heaven so how are you getting these people because at the end of 19 were told that Jesus through the false prophet the Antichrist in the lake of fire and then all of these men.
The flesh of kings captains mighty men free and slave small and great they’re they’re all destroyed too so that’s a very fair question where are these people coming from. Two possibilities one is not literally every nation on earth joined league with Satan in Armageddon so you had maybe nations on the outskirts. Of the world who are neutral and so you’ve got just a remnant of people and or when Jesus destroyed all the armies at Armageddon he didn’t then go find everyone’s wife and children and kill them too so it’s it’s. All present Armageddon not all people on earth now if that’s true and valid that means you’ve got glorified saints right and non. Glorified people living together for a thousand years. If you’re Christian Jesus comes back glorified great but then we’re saying there has to be this population of people who are still susceptible to sin. Right and isn’t that weird to consider that solution the only response to that is. Jesus when he was. Resurrected was in his glorified body Jesus lived for 40 days with his non glorified disciples right he fellowshiped with him he ate with them for 40 days until he ascended so if Jesus does it there does it have to be so outlandish that that would be the case in that thousand year millennial period but again I’m giving you I think what are. The best arguments angles problems I think of that. View. On on that so. I don’t know if that’s really boring or windy but that that’s a lot on the millennium. Why I think it’s literal some issues with it. Ultimately though I think it points to why Jesus is. The coming king. However we. Understand the nature of the millennium. I think we’re all left with this one undeniable hope filled truth. Okay. Satan. Runs within the bands of God’s providence. God’s people are immune to defeat. Satan may tempt. He may batter. He may scheme. He may press us to the point of death. He may press us to. To death. But Satan cannot conquer. Faith.
Satan cannot conquer. Faith. He cannot snatch us from God’s hand. So friends our faith. Is powerful not because we are exercising it. It’s my faith. No. It’s because the object of my faith. The Lord Jesus. Christ. He is able to do all he promises to do. And if he is the object of my faith. Satan can never ultimately defeat me. That’s why we’re told earlier in the book. How do the martyrs win? It says they they win. They conquer by the blood of the lamb. And the word. Of their testimony. The testimony. Paul. Says in 2nd Corinthians. We have this treasure in jars of clay. To show that the surpassing. Power belongs to God. And not to us. Reflected in every way. But not crushed. Perplexed. But not driven to despair. Persecuted. But not forsaken. Struck down. But not destroyed. Always carrying in the body. The death of Jesus. So that the life of Jesus. May also be manifested. In our bodies. For we who live. Are always being given over to death. For Jesus sake. So that the life of Jesus. Also. May be manifested. In our mortal. Bodies.
Christ is the conqueror. You’re a jar of clay. And how fragile. And susceptible to breaking. Is that thing. Let that comfort you. Let that comfort you. How often do we take false comfort in. How strong we think we are. How much we think we can take. How much we think we’ve learned. How good we think we are. Paul says. No you’re a jar. Made of clay. Rejoice in that. Because in your frailty. Christ is your strength. Christ is your power. Christ is keeping you.
Small bits of life. Grand cosmic scale. Christ is. Christ is. Your conqueror. Christ is. Your. Victor.
God has you in his hand. Satan might. Poke. In between the fingers. But he can’t take you out. Of God’s. Hand. Faith. Saving faith. It conquers. Because it’s faith in a conqueror. And what this does. And I think what this passage. Passage shows us. Is this.
That very popular. Passage. That’s quoted at large. I guess in just society. Pride comes before fall. Right. We’ve heard that. We’ve used that. It’s a humiliating scene for Satan. Because. Pride is ultimately humiliating. Whether it’s a demon. An earthly king. A Hollywood celebrity. Or your next door neighbor. Who rages against God. Any kingdom built. Apart from. Against. God. Necessarily. By virtue that it’s not God’s kingdom. It must fall. When you and I. When anyone builds. An empire for self. That’s something of a delusion. Isn’t it? It’s to no longer participate. In this world. In God’s reality. It’s an imaginative thing. There is only one universe. One God. One Lord. One king. And we are called to live in. His kingdom. And so you see here in 20. The ultimate humiliation. Of. God’s enemy. And so also. Those who. Who side with. Him. Pride comes before. A fall. John’s apocalypse. Revelation. As much as it is a foretelling. Even if it’s a fuzzy one at times. And quite see it there. It’s certainly a blaring siren. Friends.
And it pleads with each of us. Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself.
The end comes.
Swiftly.
The end comes swiftly. Forever is just around the corner.
Repentance. The time of repentance will come to an end. And. The eye. The discerning eye of God. Will see. Deep into. Your. Heart. And you will be laid. Bare. And he will judge. And condemn. And that condemnation. Judgment. Will be. Unbearable. Unbearable for an eternity. Unbearable for an eternity.
Is holiness then your pursuit? That’s what I’m going to ask you. Is holiness your pursuit? The Hebrew writer tells us. Strive for holiness. Without which. No one. Will see. The Lord.
So it’s. It’s a careless sort of attitude. We have a lot of times. Isn’t it? I see vices. I see things in myself. And I strive. Shrug it off. And I’m not. Daily. Trying to root. Out my sin. I really don’t want. It noticed. I don’t want someone to call me out on that. Why? Because it’s pride. I don’t want to be told I’m wrong. I don’t want to be told. My kingdom has to crash. Who wants to be told that? But that’s what we have to long to hear. If we’re to be with God. That’s what we should long to hear. If we want to be found. Holy in God’s sight in the end. Be ruthless. Be ruthless.
Richard Baxter says. Spend your time in nothing. Which you know must be repented of. In nothing. On which you might not pray. For the blessing of God. In nothing. Which you could not review. With a quiet conscience. On your dying bed. In nothing. Which you might not. Safely. And properly. Be found doing. If death. Should surprise you. In the act.
Comprehensive. It’s exhaustive. No one gets. To live a Christian life. Of partial obedience. Partial holiness. Partial holiness.
Partial obedience. And partial holiness. In fact. Is really. The most fertile soil. For sin in your life. Satan is not seeking for you. To necessarily be anti-God. As much as he wants you. Just to be nonchalant. About him. It’s that kind of attitude. Where sin. Like a vine. You don’t notice it first. It weaves. And whirls. Up. In. And through your heart. And soul. And it grips you. Why did it grip you? Because you weren’t on. Guard. You looked foxes in the vineyard. And they ate all the fruit. Friends. You must. We must. Daily. Be. Repentant. We must daily. Hate our sin. We must. Daily. Weekly. Want. Others. To point sin out. In our life. And isn’t it. Isn’t it so telling. How wicked. And sinful. We really are. When. Our church experience.
Is. Spent. So little. With other people. Having the feeling. And freedom. To address sin. In my life.
How little do we want that for ourselves. How little do we give the license. To people we know. Who love us. To help us. Stay. On the straight and narrow. It’s far more likely. Isn’t it. In your Christian experience.
If someone were to call you out. Or you were to call someone else out. Even if you said. In a spirit of love. I’ve been praying. I want to share this with you. Fill in the blank. What an offense. Who do they think they are. You drive home. Mumbling under your breath. This is a good. Healthy culture. For lukewarm holiness. For lukewarm holiness. So who knows you. Truly and intimately. It doesn’t have to be everybody. But does someone know you. And does someone have the license. To obey the scriptures. And calling you out on sin. And vice versa. These are necessary. Parts. Of being holy.
And then last. I want to make this point. I know this is long.
Such a coming humiliation. And judgment. Should. Should. Fuel. Passionate evangelism. So. Let me say this. Sermons on revelation. Ought not be preached. Only from. A pastor to his people.
Sermons on revelation. Ought to be preached. From the Christian. To the non-believer. If. The book of revelation. Is worth. Anything. You might not. Bring up the first time. With a bit about. The dragon. And the woman giving birth. And running into the woods. And all the. The stuff. But the book of revelation. Is not. A technical book. For a few people. To figure out. It is. It is. A banner. To hold over your life. It is a message. For each of us. To proclaim. To proclaim. To those who are on their way. To judgment. Do not leave. This book. In this room. Do not leave this book. In the upper echelon. Of academia. This book. With its savior. And its dragon. And its coming end. And a new heaven. And a new earth. And judgment of fire. That should be. On each of our tongues. That should be a message. Where familiar. With sharing.
Let that be incumbent. Upon you.
Jesus will reign. For a thousand years. Jesus. Has always reigned. And he’s reigning now. Let’s believe it. Let’s live by faith. Trust what we know to be true. Even if everything looks frozen. Let’s live in light. Of a coming Christ. Living in light of a coming Christ. Means living wholly together as a church. But also. Sharing. The good news of salvation. That judgment may not come. To many.
And it’s also very. Practical in the end. It’s all very practical. In the end. And I wanted to. I wanted to read.
I wanted to read. Alicia’s. Band post from last night.
Be in prayer. About who we. Are able to reach. At our new building. To. This is like a three point sermon. To. Know that even. Though dealing with. With insulation. And drywalls. Has not been fun at all. It is kingdom work. This is God’s church. Not ours. And I find that very encouraging.
Three. Get ready to be telling people. About Jesus. In our own. Church parking lot. I mean. They are literally coming to us. Asking what we are about. I know I shared about. About how God really made me get used to. Openly praying in front of others. And sharing the gospel in Peru. But who knew it was preparing. Me for people. Who would walk up to me. Daily. In our parking lot.
It’s been a long process. But it’s worth it.
Let’s pray together.
Father help us. Get over ourselves.
Tear down our pride. Let’s pray together.
Overwhelm our unbelief.
Lord help us to get out of the way.
That the Lord Jesus may reign supreme.
In every heart. In every mind.
Expose every. False idol.
Expose every sin. That we love so dearly. Expose. Our cowardice. And our unwillingness. To give up certain sins. Our unwillingness. To obey completely.
Forgive us. For our carelessness. Of souls on their way to hell. Forgive us. Ignite a flame for the gospel. Give us the courage we lack. To share the gospel.
Christ Jesus. You are our king. And you are our coming king.
We want to be found faithful. And holy. And laboring. At your return. And it’s only by your grace. That we will. We trust that. We will. You’re with us.
We pray these things in Jesus name.
Amen.