God Wins
Revelation: All Things New • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsTheme: God will Rule Forever. Purpose: To Be Confident that God Wins. Gospel: Jesus' Return and Restoration. Mission: Grow in Faith in God's Power to Bring His Kingdom.
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Transcript
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
Introduction: Pop Warner Illustration.
12 - God Wins Over the Nations.
12 - God Wins Over the Nations.
Kingdom Definition
The Kingdom of God is anywhere that God reigns de facto in people’s life. It feels like and looks like Jesus and we recognize it when we see the Holy Spirit working manifesting his gifts, the Good News of the Kingdom is spoken and embodied with power, and people are living in obedience to God.
The Geography of the Kingdom is any territory spiritual & physical where God’s Kingdom principles are being obeyed
Vs. 18 reminds us of Psalm 2 which depicts how the Nations and its Kingdoms set themselves up to throw off the Yoke of God, and actually be against God. However, God is setting up His King on Zion (reference to the Messiah) who will be given all the nations of the earth as a part of His Kingdom, and those who do not align with Him will perish, but those who take refuge in him will be Blessed.
Why are nations in tumult, and countries plotting in vain?
The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire together against Yahweh and his anointed:
“Let us tear off their bonds, and cast their cords from us!”
He who sits enthroned in the heavens laughs. The Lord derides them.
Then he speaks to them in his wrath, and in his fury he terrifies them:
“But as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will tell the decree; Yahweh said to me: “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
Ask from me and I will make the nations your heritage, and your possession the ends of the earth.
You will break them with an iron rod. Like a potter’s vessel you will shatter them.”
So then, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son lest he be angry and you perish on the way, for his anger burns quickly. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
13 - God Wins Through His Judgement
13 - God Wins Through His Judgement
Wringing out a dirty Cloth as a picture of Judgement. - To be a part of God's Kingdom we are called to allegience with Christ over our Idols. This is why repentence is important. If we love our idols more than Jesus, judgement is God giving us over to our idols. If we are aligned with Jesus more than our Idols, then we are free for Jesus to strip them from us.
- If we idolize wealth - then we are secure in Christ to give over wealth.
- If we idolize comfort - then again secure in Christ to give over comfort now for ultimate comfort in eternity.
- If we idolize sexual desires - then we are reminded that there is no marriage or giving into marriage in the Kingdom - Christ's love will permeate us.
- If we idolize power and control - we will give all power and authority over to Christ to be meeked, and servant leaders.
- If we idolize knowledge - Then we will be content with what Jesus wants to teach us.
- If we want to bring our idols with us into the Kingdom, realize the Idols need to go, so we will go with them.
14 - God Wins Through Salvation.
14 - God Wins Through Salvation.
“On the eve of Jesus’ death, He assured His disciples that He would yet share with them the happiness and the fellowship of the Kingdom (Luke 22:22-30). And He promised that He would appear again. on the earth in glory to bring the blessedness of the Kingdom to those for whom it was prepared (Matt. 25:31, 34). Source: http://www.theopedia.com/kingdom-of-god
Psalm 115 might suggest that the "Reward" is not payment or wage for their work, but a Grace-filled Blessing.
Not to us, O Yahweh, not to us, but to your name give glory, because of your loyal love, because of your faithfulness.
Why should the nations say, “Where, pray tell, is their God?”
But our God is in the heavens; all that he desires, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell;
they have their hands, but they cannot feel, their feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot utter a sound in their throats.
Those who make them become like them, as does everyone who trusts in them.
O Israel, trust Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
Yahweh remembers us; he will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear Yahweh, the small with the great.
May Yahweh give you increase, you and your children.
May you be blessed by Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.
The heavens are Yahweh’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of humankind.
The dead do not praise Yah, nor any descending into silence.
It is we, we will bless Yah from now until forever. Praise Yah!
Christians should look forward to the consummation of the kingdom of heaven. It shouldn’t be something we fear or ignore. See this enlightening article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/looking-forward-to-a-heaven-we-can-imagine
The Church was able to die like Christ, because they new then the real party began.
The Kingdom will be exciting - “God delegates rule of his creation to us, and we’ll reign with him over his new creation. We’ll have things to do, places to go, people to see. Heaven is guaranteed to be a thrilling adventure because Jesus is a thrilling person—the source of all great adventures, including those awaiting us in the new universe.” - Randy Alcorn.
Relationships will be full of love.
Sin, Death, Idols, Crying, pain, will be no more - Again on Relationships full of Trust. Paul Helm writes, “The freedom of heaven, then, is the freedom from sin; not that the believer just happens to be free from sin, but that he is so constituted or reconstituted that he cannot sin. He doesn’t want to sin, and he does not want to want to sin.”
The Kingdom is Good News - “On the other hand, when Christians understand heaven is an exciting physical place on a redeemed world with redeemed people in redeemed relationships without sin and death, where there is music, art, science, sports, literature, and culture, it’s a great source of encouragement and motivation. “They all lived happily ever after” is not merely a fairy tale. It’s the blood-bought promise of God for all who trust in the gospel.” - Randy Alcorn
15 - Application Point:
Turn from your Idols - What are they? Are you able to give them up? (I suspect no, on our own effort)?
Align yourself with Christ. - He can remove your Idols now, and if not now, his grace is sufficient.
16 - God Wins by Restoring Creation.
16 - God Wins by Restoring Creation.
17 - Bible Project - "Heaven and Earth"
18 - Many people fear Climate Change. - Some are Deniars, Some are obsessed, but a Christian Response is...
Recognizing Creation as a Gift from God that is good.
We are called to be good stewards of Creation. - No matter what you believe about Climate Change, our commission is the care for the gift we have been given.
Sin broke not just our relationship with God and us, and Humans and Humans, but also Humans and Creation. We do harm to Creation.
As New Creations ourselves in Jesus we can grow in our capacity to care for creation. Humbly doing our best under the Grace of God and the Lord’s leading, while without huberous thinking that we can save creation on our own.
Creation Care is gratitude for us, and is a humble attempt at leaving a world suitable for our children and grandchildren.
Finally, recognizing, however, like in our relationships, and in our relationship with God, we will not be perfect, and We need Christ to come back to restore creation, and He will. That is our hope.
So we work with urgency to care for creation, but not despair.
19 - God Will Rule Forever.
19 - God Will Rule Forever.
“The prophets expressed their hope in a new world, where God’s rule would be extended universally–a time of peace and justice under God which would never end (Isaiah 2:4; Daniel 7: 14; Zechariah 14:9).” – Joel B. Green
vs. 19 reminds us of the temple which was a foreshadowing of the real thing, the actual presence of God. The Earthquake, Thunder, loud noises, and lightnings are reminiscent of God's descent on Mt. Sinai, but it is also how John ends the 7th Seal. It is a picture of God coming to earth to rule.
You may be wondering, like me, “Why does it sound like the end of the story, and we are only half-way through?” - Because Revelation is not one big timeline.
Chart of 7’s - So this passage is the same story told from a different perspective.
The 7 Seals depict the nations causing harm when they hunger for conquering other nations.
Judgement looks like these Nations getting what they gave.
The Church is protected for eternal salvation from this judgement as God marks out those who patiently endure. They are the ones who like Jesus show a different way of sacrificial love.
Then God Comes.
Here with the 7 Trumpets, They depict that the nations are really being ruled by their gods (or the demons.
Judgement looks like the plagues of Egypt where the gods are shown to be false, powerless, and not good (Harmful)
The Church in the midst is to share the Gospel and live sacrificial lives to help people see their gods are false, powerless, and harmful.
Then God comes to kick out the gods, and the nations and people who cling to them, so they do no harm anymore, and Those who align with God/Jesus are saved eternally.
Same Story from a different perspective - We are half way through Revelation, and we could end here, because we have the full story in summary - Bad stuff happens in our world because of sin, The Church is called on a difficult mission, And Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead. But there is so much more - John in Revelation will tell this story more times, with more details, and from different perspectives.
20 - Conclusion:
Call to align ourselves with Christ
Opportunity - Baptism Sunday.