Choose Your Reality
End of Days • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsIf I am not condemned then I am free to reflect the glory God intended for me to reflect from the very foundation of time.
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Transcript
The beginning of John chapter 8 is one of my favorite stories of Jesus.
A woman, caught in the very act of adultery as it is written, is brought before Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees.
They tell Jesus that the law says she should be stoned to death, “So what do you say?” they asked - they were trying to trip him up.
This is the story where Jesus doodled in the dirt.
After a little bit, Jesus stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
What did Jesus do there?
I’d never thought about it like this until I studied Revelation 12.
What Jesus did was He eliminated her accusers.
The last two verses spell that out, “10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
So here is the question I want you to hold in the back of your mind as we study Revelation 12: If I have no accuser, if Jesus wipes out my accuser, then what does that mean to me?
If there is no one to accuse me, what does that mean?
The imagery in Revelation chapter 12 is wild, isn’t it?
Here’s this woman going to have a baby and it’s an agonizing birth.
The word for agony in verse 2 means torment - she’s going through torment during this delivery.
We see a giant red dragon, so large that it’s tail can sweep stars from the sky and so powerful that it can spew a river of water from its mouth that would flood the whole earth if the earth itself didn’t stop it.
The woman grows wings like an eagle and flies away.
This is weird - but it’s not.
You know it is apocalyptic - written to make you feel and think all at the same time.
It’s full of signs and wonders and symbols that can mean all kinds of things.
I loved when Austin talked about time last week - how we are stuck with tick-tock minute by minute time, but God sees all of time all at once.
That’s enough to blow your mind, right?
So, think about the two witnesses that Austin talked about last week.
Their ministry, their time to prophesy was 1,260 days and then it would look like they were destroyed, but they weren’t.
And here we are in chapter 12 and this woman is whisked away into the desert to live protected for - how long?
1,260 days.
A coincidence?
I think not.
Is this a literal 1,260 days - we want it to be.
A lot of people have written a lot about this almost 3 1/2 year period - but it’s not literal.
We’re going to talk about this is a bit.
See, here’s the deal.
Hold you finger on Revelation 12 and turn in your Bible to Acts 1:6-8.
I ask you to do this to make it what we are going to read just a bit more real.
If you have an edition of the Bible where Jesus’ words are written in red, notice that verse 6 isn’t red.
What does it say?
Acts 1:6
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Who is the “they” there?
It’s all of the people who were with Jesus after the resurrection - I suspect one person asked but they were all gathered around wanting to know the answer.
“Is this the time?”
And what was Jesus’ answer?
Acts 1:7-8
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.”
Hmmmm.... It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.
His authority - no one else’s.
His business - and on one else’s.
So tell me what is going to be of the most benefit to us?
Trying to figure out how every current event in the world corresponds to the signs and wonders and symbols in the Book of the Revelation?
Or, is it of more benefit to us to receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will enable us to be Jesus’ witnesses everywhere, that will enable us to live like Jesus?
Since Jesus told us knowing the times is none of our business, I vote for answer B, receiving the power of the Holy Spirit because that is how Jesus wants us to live.
This is important - and in a few minutes we’ll find out why.
Revelation 12 explains what happened and is happening to make John 8 and Acts 1 work.
We are going to do three things this morning: We are going verse by verse to dig out the meaning, then we’ll talk about the reality that God wants us to live in and has empowered us to live in and finally we’ll talk about the unreality we often choose to live in but don’t have to live in.
So let’s dig in.
The story opens with a great sign appears in heaven - this isn’t in the sky - we are back in heaven where Yahweh and all of His angels reside.
There is a woman there clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The woman is not Mary - or at least Mary alone.
There are several places in the Old Testament where the sun, moon and twelve stars are used as metaphors for Jacob, his wife and the twelve tribes of Israel.
The same symbols are used on the robes the high priests wore when they entered the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for the people to God.
This woman is Israel - she is all of the prophets and all of the people of God through all of the ages - including Mary - and as we see her flee - she includes us - the church.
She is the people of God on earth - first the nation of Israel and now all of the Church.
She’s about to give birth and she is in torment.
It’s a long, hard labor and if you’ll think back on our studies in Joel and Daniel and Isaiah, you’ll remember the times Israel was overrun by other governments.
How their people suffered as slaves under Pharoah, how the Persians and now the Romans dominate them and make them suffer.
But the time of that is over - the labor pains are closer together and are much more powerful.
The baby is coming.
A red dragon appears in heaven with seven heads, ten horns and seven diadems on his heads.
Seven means perfection or completeness, right?
John is letting us know that this dragon is the ultimate evil - there is no one more evil - there will be no revelation of someone more evil ever.
We are at last meeting pure evil face to face, and what is a part of this pure evil?
Ten horns - and we know the ten horns are ten governments.
You know, the governments that we all have grown to look at as our saviors, as the ones who will make life peaceful and fulfilling for us.
Those governments are the very vehicles that the dragon will use against the woman and her child and his brothers and sisters.
And this dragon has seven crowns.
Now, remember, all of us who are Christ followers will one day get a crown - a golden crown of victory - a stephanos - remember?
The dragon’s crowns are diademata - diadems - crowns like a king or queen wears that show they are in charge.
We don’t want that kind of crown, we want a stephanos - a crown of victory - and we’ll have one if we persevere and conquer.
This dragon is so big his tail swept down a third of the stars from heaven - stars can be people or angels.
I go with angels - they are the dragons cohorts.
The dragon sees the woman is about to give birth, so he positions himself perfectly to catch the baby and devour it.
If you’ve ever been in a birthing room, imagine instead of a doctor or a midwife standing ready to catch the baby, there is the most evil, vile person you could ever imagine standing there to catch your baby.
Yeah, that shudder you just felt is what John wants you to feel here - it is that frightening.
She gives birth to a male child, and John quotes from Psalm 2:7-9
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
We know this child is Jesus and, try as he might - by inspiring Herod to kill all of the boy babies, he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, by inspiring crowds to yell, “Crucify him,” he couldn’t devour the baby.
Instead, the baby was caught up to God - Acts chapter 1 happens.
The woman flees to the wilderness - she runs to the desert, but now here’s the deal.
Now pay attention, you don’t want to miss this - we think of the desert as a barren wasteland with no water, food and lots of heat - and it is.
But - remember the Exodus - they went through the wilderness and what happened?
God protected them and God provided for them and God led them to the Promised Land.
The woman - the church - is in the wilderness which is the greatest place we could ever be.
We are in a place where God is protecting us and God is providing for us and God is leading us and He will continue until He leads us to a land flowing with milk and honey - a land of no more death, no more pain and no more tears.
He is doing this right now - this is the reality He wants us to live in - the reality that He is providing for us and protecting us and leading us every minute of every day in a place where we can’t control boo on our own.
The woman - we - will remain in this wilderness 1,260 days but it’s not 3.45 years - it’s not literal time - but it is a limited time - and that’s the point.
The woman - the church - us - we will remain in the wilderness - under God’s protection - from Acts 1 until Revelation 21 however long that takes.
Let’s talk about God’s reality for us - we’re going to keep taking the story apart, but I want us to remember what Jesus told the woman in John 8 - How could He say that to her and be saying that same thing to us right now?
This war in verse 7 is actually a courtroom battle.
From verse 9 we know the dragon is called “the devil and Satan.”
He is the accuser and the deceiver.
The courtroom is in heaven and since the earliest book in the Bible - the book of Job - was written, Satan has been accusing His creation before God.
He has pointed out our sinfulness and our unfaithfulness and our weakness to God forever.
And what’s worse, by doing that, Satan implies that God Himself is deficient - that somehow God wasn’t good enough or powerful enough to create a being that would respect Him enough to follow Him.
Not only are we flawed to the core, we represent a flaw in God.
That’s Satan’s accusation.
In the courtroom, the Archangel Michael, the prince warrior angel appointed by Jesus argues the case and he wins.
Now this is big, it doesn’t sound it to us but it’s probably the biggest thing to happen for us ever in all of history - Satan is disbarred - he is no longer allowed into the courtroom.
He is removed from heaven and he will never be able to bring another case against anyone ever.
God will no longer hear his accusation against any of his children, for all eternity.
That’s why Jesus can say, - “Has no one condemned you… neither do I…go your way and sin no more.”
No one condemned her, because there was no one to condemn her.
Jesus neutralized the accuser.
Now listen to me - some of you who dog yourselves out all of the time - you’ve done this wrong, you’ve done that wrong, you’ve got a sin list against yourself a mile long - listen to me - if you are God’s child, Yahweh is not listening to any accusation against you.
You have been declared innocent in God’s eyes.
The words spoken to the woman are God’s very words spoken to you.
John 8:10-11
Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
The accuser has been neutralized.
Now listen to me and don’t miss this - because you have heard something similar before, don’t tune this out.
How is God able to do this - to count you innocent?
Revelation 12:10-11
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
The loud voice is human - probably one of the 24 elders.
He declares that salvation - our rescue from living in bondage to forever do the wrong thing.
He power - to know God - to experience God - to live a holy life - to choose freedom.
The kingdom of God - His leading and protecting and providing for His people
The authority of His Christ - the one who called all things into being by His words
All of this is ours because there is nothing left for the accuser - who accused us before God both day and night - there is nothing left for him to accuse us of.
We have been declared innocent.
Now listen - here is where we have power - this is our power - “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb...”
By receiving as our justification, by understanding that for us to be free, Jesus had to live a sinless life, die on a cross to take our portion of God’s wrath, to be buried and raised to life on the third day and now to ascend into heaven where He sits at God’s mighty right hand.
It took that to free us and give us our power.
And what is that power - how do people see that power?
“And they have conquered him, who is him? - Satan - and they have conquered him by receiving Christ’s salvation and “by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Acts 1:8 - it’s not just to witness - it is our power.
This is how we manifest change in this world.
Vote right - sure - but don’t expect much.
Speak Jesus - and expect to see the world turned upside down.
Listen to me - you know what I’m noticing - I’m noticing that in this sea change we are experiencing where we are suddenly the enemy, we are gaining our voice.
The more we are pressed, the more we speak God’s truth.
And the more we speak God’s truth, the more convinced we are and the more fearless we become.
And there may come a time when someone with clout challenges us and because we have said the truth about Jesus so many times we’ll think, we’ll what’s one more, and we’ll say it again.
Because we know that we know that we know, that the salvation and power and kingdom of God and the authority of Christ has come and it is ours.
Jesus is saying to you right now this minute and he’ll say it every minute from now until eternity rolls, “Neither do I condemn you, go your way and sin no more.”
And he’ll say it every time and when you start believing it, it will free you, it will make you want to shout to the world that you are free and they can be too.
That’s the reality that God has created for us.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Who can condemn us?
There is no one because Jesus has neutralized our accuser.
“And the great dragon was thrown down…and all of his angels were thrown with him.”
And baby did that make him mad.
Revelation 12:12b, “But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath (that means anger and fury), because he knows that his time is short!”
The dragon goes after the woman to destroy her.
But what happens to the woman, she gets eagles wings - sounds weird, right?
Nope. Isaiah 40:31
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
And where did she go?
To the wilderness to be nourished for what most consider to be about 1,260 days - 3 1/2 years - a time, times and half a time - until Revelation 21 comes along.
But the dragon isn’t finished.
He spews a flood of water out of his mouth - a flood of persecution - like a giant tidal wave flooding across the face of the earth to devour everyone and everything in it’s path.
Except it doesn’t - the earth stops it - something miraculous intervenes.
The dragon is livid and he goes off to persecute all of those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
And Chapter 12 ends ominously.
And the dragon stood on the sand of the sea.
The sea always represents chaos - nothing good comes from the sea.
If this had a soundtrack, you would hear deep, minor chord bass rumblings.
Now here’s the deal.
The dragon is after Christ followers - even today.
His two methods are deception and accusation.
You can choose to live in the unreality he creates.
You can listen to the accusations - that everyone is out to get you.
Or you can do nothing right.
Or you can never get ahead.
Or your not good enough, or whatever accusations float through your mind.
You can listen to the voices in the media as they call truth hate speech and you can cower in fear - never speaking Jesus’ name for fear of offending or being called out.
You can choose to live in Satan’s unreality and be in bondage for the rest of your life and maybe for all eternity.
Our you can choose God’s reality.
That no matter who accuses you of whatever, if you are a Christ follower, the One who matters refuses to hear the case.
You didn’t, you shouldn’t have, why did you - all of the voices whispering in your ears are from an accuser who has been banished from the presence of God.
Why would you listen to him?
You are free - I am free - we are free - for now and forever more.
Our power is Jesus.
And because the Holy Spirit fills us we can’t stop talking the freedom He has given us.
Jesus.
Our salvation, our power, our King, our confidence.
Jesus.
May His name be the last word you ever speak.
Let us pray.