Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve held our study on the Book of Revelation.

Last time we were together, we covered the opening of the first 4 of the Seven Seals opened in Revelation Chapter 6.

So before we get back into the study, let us do a quick review of where we are at.

You will remember that the Apostle John is in the Throne Room of Heaven.

He was translated up to the Throne Room of Heaven after writing the 7 letters to the 7 churches in Asia Minor.

I think it is important for us to understand that there is a direct link between the letters to the seven churches and John’s vision in the throne room of heaven.

It was a wakeup call to the churches then and it should be a wakeup call to the churches today.

Now, John is in the throne room and he witnesses the awesome and mighty power of God.

It is a fearful and dreadful sight as John describes the flashes of lightening and peals of thunder coming from the throne and all of heaven surrounding the throne and giving continuous worship to God.

Chapter 4 we see the ongoing worship of God the Creator and Sovereign.

In Chapter 5 we see from the throne is the emergence of a scroll sealed with 7 seals.

This is consistent with a legal document and likely nothing less than the title deed to the universe.

And as the scene unfolds in the throne room the heavenly beings ask, Revelation 5:2-3 “2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,”

It is at this point we see the Lamb of God revealed, who was slain and now alive.

This is obviously Jesus.

And it is he and he alone that can open the seals of the scroll.

And as the resurrected Lord emerges onto the scene all of heaven worships the Lord Jesus Christ.

With that, we witness the commencement of the opening of the seals.

Understand that the opening of the seals is the commencement of the execution of God’s judgement on the earth.

As Jesus begins to break each of the 7 Seals, a judgement released.

In every release, judgment, and verse, God is in control.

This is not the prophecy of satan’s diabolical plan.

These are not events that will happen ‘willy-nilly.’

This is God’s judgment on the world for the purpose of redeeming the entire world and extinguishing the damning effects of sin and evil forever.

This is God’s plan, God’s power, God’s sovereignty.

The four horsemen are released because God commands it so.

The seals are opened because God opens the seals.

Therefore, our faith and our hope must always remain steadfast in Him and Him alone.

Now the last time we met we looked at the opening of the first 4 seals as they are opened one by one.

With the opening of each of the 4 seals, a horse and horseman is released into the world.

The first is a white horse and he concurs the entire earth giving a false peace (Rev 6:2).

This is likely the antichrist or a world leader who will bring false peace to the earth.

He has a crown, although not a diadem but a stephanos or victor’s crown (Rev 6:2).

This rider is going to bring false peace to the world.

Perhaps because the world will be in such chaos after the rapture.

He is going to do it through power, deception, and satanic worship.

The second seal is broken and a red horse appears.

This horse will now bring war to the world that was enjoying a false peace.

The third seals is opened and a black horse emerges, bringing famine and tremendous inflation.

And then we concluded with the fourth seal being opened and a pale green horse emerges bringing death to the earth, killing 25% of the population.

War follows false peace, Famine/Inflation follows war, and death follows famine.

What I want you to understand is that these are just not tragic events, but they are means of deception and control unleashed by the antichrist and his systems (and ultimately God's judgment on a world that has rejected Him).

The same way we saw world control over the COVID pandemic.

The same kind of manipulation we are now seeing through control of energy, the environment.

The global stage is being set.

Every single one of these seals is setup for opening at this very moment: Conquest, War, Famine, Death.

This is a progression into the final judgement in a depraved and rebellious world that hates God.

Before we get into the remainder of Chapter 6, let me ask you something very important: What does all this mean to us today?

Because all of this, including the 5th seal, is being setup in the global systems today.

Our world is becoming increasingly depraved by the day and anyone who dares question the establishment, use the wrong words, tweet the wrong message, is automatically censored or even jailed.

If you are to speak out of order in topics such as race, the war in Ukraine, homosexuality, climate change, or the pandemic, you are automatically censored or cancelled.

This should be an alarm bell to us all because they are not in harmony with Scripture.

For instance, there is a bill in our legislation that would make it a crime for a doctor to refuse hormone therapy to a child wanting to chemically altar their gender by stopping their puberty or through genital mutilation.

Now what does all this mean?

The Bible tells us that God will turn a society over to their reprobate minds and ungodliness and it always centers around sexual deviance.

This is what is happening in our culture and our entire world today.

There is a story about Disney today about how they are intentionally including a character and message in every one of their films and shows encouraging homosexuality and transgenderism.

Romans 1:18-32 describes the wrath of God that is poured out in the world when people openly and definantly rebel against Him and His creative construct.

This will be seen like never before in the last days and we are seeing the foreshadows of that wrath today.

There is eschatological wrath – that is the wrath that will fall on the Earth at the end of human history in a time called the time of tribulation.

And it is the wrath of abandonment.

Look at verses 24-28 of Romans 1:24-28

Conscience, family, civil law/government and the church are four ways the Spirit restrains sin in the world.

Romans 1 shows what God does to societies when societies leap over those bounds; what happens is sexual revolution, homosexual revolution, then reprobate mind.

America has leaped beyond those restraints and God has given us over to those different kinds of perversity.

When man abandons God as revealed in creation; when man abandons God as revealed in conscience; when man abandons God as revealed in Holy Scripture, suppressing the truth, God judges that society.

(MacArthur) And though that society may consider itself to be wise, it is really debased.

The heart becomes darkened when God is abandoned, and then God abandons the darkened heart.

(Elizabeth Prata)

What you see in Romans chapter 1 is the sequence of what happens when God abandons a nation.

First, verse 24 says, “He gives them over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity” The second thing that happens, when God abandons a culture, is found in verse 26, “God gave them over to degrading passions.

The third step, verse 28, “God gave them over to a depraved mind” – that’s a mind that doesn’t function; There is a lunacy of the minds of men as a result of their rejection of God.

We are seeing this on a massive scale today in our country.

Would you ever in your years imagine that we would be debating on weather we should be teaching kindergarteners how to change their biological sex… or even not know what biological sex really is?!

“A depraved mind (in the original language) is one that’s tested and found useless; therefore, disqualified for its intended use.

The reasoning faculty has been corrupted by the influences that surround it.

… A depraved mind, reasoning faculty so corrupt that it must be rejected as non-functioning.”

(MacArthur)

Also characteristic of this depraved mind is they become “haters of God.” We’re living in the outpouring of the wrath of God in the category of His abandoning a culture, and we’re living in the sequence that is here: a sexual and homosexual revolution, a reprobate mind that is permissive of everything, including murder on a massive scale.

Throughout history, wide-scale homosexuality has been an indicator that the culture has completely abandoned God.

You say, “Well, our society cultivates tolerance, and you’re giving hate speech.”

What I’m talking about is not hate speech.

According to liberals and progressives of you say anything at all that is not sanctioned by them, it is called hate speech.

Is that tolerance.

What is hate speech: affirming deadly and soul crushing sin on the fear of not being seen as culturally sensitive; or warning someone of the wrath that is to come.

I do not doubt that these struggles of the flesh are real and powerful in each person struggling with sexual sin.

But being Mr Nice Guy isn’t loving them - that’s the real hate speech.

We exist as a church to proclaim the kingdom of God.

Why?

Because we know there is no other way to be saved except by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

We have been given the keys to the kingdom of God and the truth of God’s word.

We are entrusted to uphold that truth and lovingly share that truth of that word to an unbelieving world.

That’s the ministry of the church.

And I’m here to tell you that if you give your life over to sexual sin, adultery and fornication you will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The exact opposite is being taught in public schools and dare I say the doctrine of demons is being shared in private schools as well.

The devil is at war with our families, our children, and our very soul.

It is our job to shine of light of truth into that darkness.

It is not our job to bend the truth of God’s word to make people feel comfortable about their sins.

I know that is hard to hear, but I would rather knowing I am facing my Lord after giving Him everything I got, than face him with shame for compromising his saving grace.