We're going to spend a few minutes in prayer, and so will you join me as we pray together?
We're going to pray for ourselves and for our city.
Let's come before our Father.
Heavenly Father, loving Lord, sovereign God, merciful Christ, we come before you this morning,
God, because we are so in need of you.
Lord, we sang that song earlier, but how long, God?
And there's a part of our hearts that longs for that day, Christ, when sin and evil will be removed from our world.
We will be fully reconciled with you, God.
God, our hearts cry out, come soon, Lord Jesus.
Lord, this world is not a home, and we long for our home to be with you, Christ, again.
God, but thank you that while you've called us for the season, for this to be a home,
for while we live in this world, God, you're so gracious.
You're so merciful.
God, thank you that while we go through trials and struggles, you, God, do not abandon us.
You're with us in the midst of it.
You're such a faithful God.
God, when we consider your many attributes, your holiness and your sovereignty,
but also your mercy and your tenderness, your righteousness, Lord, but also your grace, God,
your faithfulness to us, God.
We are brought to our knees, and we cannot help but worship your great and glorious name.
God, we come to lift our sights off of our circumstances around us and to worship you
and to declare that you are God and there is no other.
And so we've come to do that this morning.
God, we worship you not only for who you are, but also for what you've done in the gospel.
Thank you, Christ, that we are saved by the blood of Jesus, not by silver or gold.
We're not saved by our own efforts, but simply through grace alone, God.
We revel in your death on the cross, and we take great confidence in it.
Thank you, Jesus, so much for your grace.
Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross for us.
We so love you, Lord.
Christ, this morning we want to pray for the preaching of your word as we come to Revelation 11.
We pray, God, that you'll speak to us, God.
We pray your word will come alive, God.
As a church, we don't need to hear my opinions.
We need to hear you speaking to us from your word.
And so, God, as we come to your word, I pray it'll open up in our hearts,
and you'll speak truth and confidence, God.
You'll reassure us of the gospel, but also of your sovereignty.
God, I pray let your word speak to us this morning, God.
Comfort us and challenge us with your word.
Father, this morning we want to pray for Amelia again.
And just hearing from her is so wonderful.
Lord, we bring her work to the Hakka community in Taiwan before you.
And, Father, this morning we want to ask that you will continue to pour out your amazing grace on her.
God, won't you strengthen her and encourage her, Father God,
when at times it is lonely, at times she may feel isolated.
I pray your spirit will draw near to her and she will know your presence and your love, God.
I pray, God, for increased friends and friendships, God, and deeper friendships.
I pray for real sisters there that she can pour her heart to and share her life with, God.
And, Father, as she goes into this internship in this local church in Taichung,
God, we pray that you'll bless her work.
I pray she'll feel your smile upon her, God.
We pray for Amelia and we ask for your blessing to rest upon her.
God, we pray for Joanne in Japan who's just gone back this week.
We pray that you strengthen her and her work in Japan amongst the Japanese people.
God, thank you for these faithful women of God that have answered your call to the mission field.
And we pray that you strengthen them, Lord.
Father, finally, we want to pray for our city.
We want to pray for particularly the march that's planned for this afternoon.
We thank you, God, for a relatively peaceful weekend.
And, Father, we pray for peace to reign this afternoon, God.
God, we pray that there won't be violence.
Pray that people will stay safe.
Pray there won't be bloodshed, God.
We pray for peace this afternoon, God, in our city, Lord.
Father, we pray for healing and wholeness to come to our city, God.
We pray that we will hear your voice and see what you are doing and what you want to say to us.
Thank you, God, that how Hebrews says you are shaking the kingdoms of this world
to show that your kingdom is unshakable.
But, God, we do pray for our city.
We pray for the police.
We pray for our political leaders.
We pray for protesters.
And we pray for peace to be restored to our city, God.
We pray these things in your wonderful and your powerful name.
Amen.
Great.
We're going to listen to Revelation chapter 11 being read to us by Betty and Jonas.
So, come on up.
Amen.
The scripture reading comes from Revelation chapter 10 to 11.
Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen.
Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying,
Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.
So I went to the angel, and I told him to give me the little scroll.
And he said to me, Take and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter.
But in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.
And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it.
It was sweet as honey in my mouth.
But when I had eaten it, my stomach was made better.
And I was told, You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff.
And I was told, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.
But do not measure the court outside the temple.
Leave that out.
For it is given over to the nations.
And they will trample the holy city for 42 months.
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses.
And they will prophesy for 1,260 days cloth and sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes.
If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.
They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying.
And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they desire.
And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom in Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
For three and a half days, some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents.
Because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here.
And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell.
Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to God of heaven.
The second woe has passed.
Behold, the third woe is soon to come.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying,
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
And the twenty-four elders who sat on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying,
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants.
The prophets and saints and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.
Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.
There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
This is the word of God.
Amen.
Okay.
Great.
Thank you so much, Betty and Jonas.
If you are new to Watermark, we are working our way through the book of Revelation, and we are about halfway through.
We are in chapter 11 today of 21, 22 chapters.
And you'll see, if you've got your Bible in front of you, the next chapter is called The Woman and the Dragon, which sounds very ominous.
We'll look at that in two weeks' time.
Next Sunday, we have a visiting preacher, Ryuta, from Japan, from Tokyo.
We'll be preaching, and we're looking forward to that.
But we are working our way through Revelation, and the last two weeks have been quite challenging.
I have found it quite hard work as we've gone through chapters 6 to 10.
And last week, we ended off at the end of chapter 10.
And the way it ends off, Betty read it to us this morning, is that John, in his vision, in his revelation, God says to him,
Go to the angel that you saw, and ask the angel for the scroll that's in his hand.
And so John goes, and the angel gives him the scroll.
The scroll contains God's words.
And the angel says, I want you to eat the scroll.
And as you eat it, it's going to be sweet at first, but then it's going to become bitter.
And so John goes, and exactly as the angel says, this is what happens.
He, in his vision, eats the scroll.
And it's sweet at first, and it soon becomes bitter in his mouth.
And the angel tells him, this is because though God's gospel is sweet, as you speak out his words, you're going to get a bitter reaction.
And this is a reference to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 3, where the same thing happens.
Ezekiel has a vision to eat the scroll.
And in his vision, God tells him, Ezekiel, you are to speak my words out.
And some people will receive the message that you are bringing, and the reaction will be sweet.
But some people will reject it, and the reaction will be bitter.
But don't mind about people's reaction.
That's not your responsibility.
Your job is to speak God's word out, whether they receive it or not.
And so the point that God gives to Ezekiel, and that God gives to John, and to the seven churches of Revelation,
and the point that he gives to us, is that even though at times there's a bitter reaction to the proclaiming of the gospel,
our job is to witness and evangelize, and we must do it nevertheless.
Okay, so that's how chapter 10 ended.
Now chapter 11, which we're going to look at today, picks up on this idea.
And in it, Jesus is going to show John that despite opposition to the message of the gospel,
Jesus is showing John how it is that the gospel is going to go forward in the earth,
how it is that God's kingdom is going to come to the world,
and how it is that God accomplishes his purposes in the earth.
Okay, so that's where we're going today in chapter 11.
And so let's look at how it starts off.
And the first thing is, God says this,
His kingdom comes in the midst of great suffering and opposition to his kingdom.
Look at verse 1 to 3 with me.
It says this,
Then I was given a measuring rod, like a staff,
and I was told, rise and measure the temple of God and those who worship there.
But do not measure the outside, the court outside the temple.
Leave that out, for that is given over to the nations.
They will trample the holy city for 42 months.
Okay?
Now, there is so much in chapter 11 which is referencing two books in the Old Testament,
the book of Ezekiel and the book of Zechariah.
It's going to keep on coming up.
In the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel also has this vision.
And in his vision, he has a temple, and he sees a man measuring out this temple.
And what happened is that just before Ezekiel's day,
the Babylonians come, 605 BC, they overthrow Jerusalem, and they destroy the temple.
And Ezekiel has this vision of this new, grand, and glorious temple.
This majestic temple in which God's presence is filled, and it fills the whole earth.
Except Ezekiel's temple was never, ever built.
It was never accomplished.
And the reason is because Ezekiel's vision was a prophetic picture that God was saying
of this is one day what the church is going to look like.
This is the temple that my Christ is going to build.
Not a temple made with bricks and concrete and stones.
It's a temple made with people.
The church is the new temple.
But just outside the temple, there is this court.
And John describes this outer court.
And in it, he says there is chaos.
The nations, that's those that oppose Christ, they are trampling this temple.
They are destroying it.
They're trying to overthrow it.
There's absolute chaos happening outside as they try and destroy the church, God's people.
And John says that this is allowed to happen for 42 months.
Now, what on earth is 42 months?
42 months makes up three and a half years.
Now, remember in the book of Revelation, there's this number that keeps on appearing.
The number?
Seven, right?
And the number seven in the book of, or in the Bible, but especially in the book of Revelation,
is the number of completeness, of fullness.
In other words, when something happens seven times, God is telling us that this action is completed.
Three and a half years is half of seven, which means that it's a limited period of time.
God is saying for a shortened period of time, not for the whole of history, for a limited period of time,
that I'm allowing, I will allow the nations, those that oppose me and my kingdom,
to trample on my kingdom and to oppose my church and my purposes and the gospel going out in the nations.
For a period of time, those that oppose me will be allowed to inflict difficulty on the kingdom of God on earth.
And so, that's what God's saying.
Now, the key question for those of us that are believers, and if you're here this morning and you're not yet a Christian,
we're so glad you're here.
You're so welcome.
It's great to have you with us.
But the question this passage asks for those of us that are Christians is this.
When opposition and persecution comes our way, when following Jesus costs you dearly and you're reviled or rejected for it,
what should you do?
How should we respond?
You see, for the Christians in the first century, being a follower of Jesus meant, at the very least,
that they would be ostracized and kicked out from community.
You'd go to the marketplace and you wouldn't worship the emperor, and so you'd be cut off from business deals.
You'd be on the outskirts of society.
You wouldn't be in the in crowd.
As people are making business deals and arrangements and inviting people to social gatherings,
you would kind of be at the bottom of the list, at the very least.
But at worst case scenario, being a Christian in the first century meant being thrown to the lions
or maybe being left to rot in some jail cell at the bottom of some building.
And so how should these Christians in first century Roman Empire respond?
Friends, how should you and I respond?
Well, look at verse 3 with me.
Look at what happens here.
God says that during this time, for 1,260 days, which is the equivalent to 42 months,
which is the equivalent to three and a half years,
for this same time period, this limited period that God is allowing this to happen,
rather than retreating into self-preservation,
rather than thinking how to avoid suffering,
Jesus sends his witnesses out to bear witness to the fact that Jesus is Lord.
Look at what verse 3 says.
I will grant authority to my two witnesses, says Christ,
and they will prophesy, that means they will speak my word,
for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth.
And so the first thing is, how does God accomplish his purposes?
How does the gospel go forward in the world?
It goes forward in the midst of suffering and opposition and persecution.
But that leads us to the second thing, which is this.
God's kingdom comes through Christian witness.
You see, these two witnesses, why are they clothed in sackcloth?
The answer is not because they're poor and they couldn't afford any other clothes.
The reason is because in the Old Testament, when someone wore sackcloth,
it was a symbol of calling people to repentance.
It was a way of saying, Christ is Lord, and come back from rejecting him.
And so while the church is being opposed because of their faithfulness to Jesus,
God, at that very same time, he says,
this is the time for his witnesses to speak out and to let the world know that Caesar is not Lord,
Rome is not Lord, the systems of this world are not Lord, Christ is Lord.
Jesus is Lord.
Let the hope and the peace and the freedom that people are looking for and longing for
is not found in the systems of this world.
It's found in the person of Jesus.
That was their message.
And friends, that's still the message of the church today.
See, again, if you're new to church here this morning,
you may be surprised to hear that the message of the church is not primarily
how to make your life more comfortable or convenient or better.
That's not why Jesus came to earth.
Now, following Jesus will sometimes make your life better.
Sometimes it'll make it more inconvenient.
But that's not the primary message of the gospel.
The message of the church is not simply how to be a good citizen in society,
although Christians should be good citizens in society.
We should pursue peace and well-being.
Friends, if you're new to church, you may be surprised to hear
the goal of the church is not to make people feel better about themselves
or improve themselves.
Though if you believe the gospel, it does help you in the way that you think about yourself.
Though, friends, the message of the church and the message of the gospel
is that all people, Asians, Westerners, black, white, rich, poor,
all people everywhere are under the consequences of our sin
and that salvation and peace are found in no other source,
no other solution other than coming to Christ and surrendering our lives to Him.
This is the message of the church.
And this is the message that the witnesses in verse 3 are given.
Now, here's the question.
Who are these two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11?
Well, on the one hand, they are a picture John has at the back of his mind.
He has these two great witnesses in the Old Testament
that spoke up for the glory of God and the cause of Christ.
He's thinking of Moses and he's thinking of Elijah.
Remember, both Elijah and Moses stood firm in their testimony that God is God
rather than the powers of their day, even in the face of great opposition.
Remember, Moses stood up to Pharaoh, that pagan king of Egypt,
and he demonstrated God's power through various plagues.
Elijah stood up to Ahab, that wicked king of Israel,
and he demonstrated God's power through amazing prayer.
But at the same time, both Elijah and Moses face incredible opposition and persecution for their stand.
Both of them at one point decide to run away and save themselves
because the opposition is so fierce that they are convinced
they're going to be killed by those that they are witnessing to.
And yet both of them find that in the face of opposition,
God is with them and empowering them for the task that he's called them to.
And in this way, they are models for what all Christians should be.
But then on the other hand, John here is writing,
and he's thinking not just of these two,
he's actually picturing all Christians everywhere throughout the ages.
You see, we may think these two witnesses refer to Tim Keller and Billy Graham, right?
The two great heroes of our age.
Or John Piper, Ravi Zacharias.
They're going to come and save the church.
Or maybe we think they refer to the two missionaries,
Joanne and Amelia.
They're going to go out and take the gospel to Asia.
Or maybe you think they refer to the pastors and the preachers.
But look at verse 4.
Look at what he says here.
He calls them to lampstands.
Now in the book of Revelation, what do lampstands always refer to?
They refer to churches.
That's right.
They're like the church in Smyrna, or the church in Ephesus,
or the church in Laodicea, or Philadelphia,
or that church in Ebenezer.
You see, the lampstands, which are the witnesses,
are local congregations of God's people gathered that declare the wonder of God.
In other words, friends,
the kingdom of God advances or goes forward through the witnesses,
not of celebrity preachers and pastors,
but through everyday witness of ordinary Christians like you and I in our places of work,
in our schools, in our universities, in our neighborhoods,
as we seek to follow Jesus and advance His cause.
J.D. Greer, who leads the church in the U.S.,
he asks a challenging question.
He says this,
what if we made our primary consideration when pursuing a career,
where we can most effectively be used in the mission of God?
Lots of factors go into where we choose to pursue our career,
where the money's good,
where our families live,
where we want to live.
These are all valid.
They're not bad things.
But why wouldn't the advance of God's kingdom be the largest factor?
You see what he's saying?
The gospel goes forward,
not just through celebrity leaders and pastors and mega Christians,
it's actually through the faithful witness of ordinary Christians
in their ordinary places in the cities in which God calls them.
But then we see a twist.
We see a surprising twist.
And that's not that not only the kingdom of God comes out through our witness,
not only does the kingdom of God go in the midst of suffering and opposition,
but actually the kingdom of God advances,
God establishes his kingdom,
and the gospel goes forward,
not just despite our suffering,
but because of our suffering.
In other words,
the gospel advances not just in spite of opposition,
but through opposition that the church encounters.
Look at verse 7 with me.
Look at what he says here.
When they,
that's these two witnesses,
when the churches,
God's people,
had finished their testimony,
the beast that rises from the bottomless pit,
okay,
that means satanic forces.
We're going to talk about that in the next few weeks.
The beast will make war on them,
and will conquer them,
and will kill them.
And their dead bodies will lie in the streets of that great city.
For three and a half days,
that's that limited time period again,
some of the peoples and the tribes and the languages and the nations
will gaze at their dead bodies
and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them.
They will clink glasses and say cheers and raise a toast to one another,
exchange presents,
because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
I don't know if you remember,
in Luke's gospel,
Jesus is betrayed by Judas.
He's arrested in the garden of Gethsemane,
and he's put on trial,
this mock trial throughout the night.
And in the morning,
the religious leaders want Jesus to be crucified,
but they don't have the authority to put anyone to death in the Roman Empire.
And so they take Jesus to Pilate,
and they say,
Pilate,
this man is causing an uproar,
we better get rid of him before he causes you any more problems.
And so Pilate questions Jesus,
and Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent.
But he doesn't want to let Jesus go,
because that's going to ruin his political career.
And so Pilate's kind of like,
not sure what to do.
Pilate hears that Herod is in town.
And so he sends Jesus to Herod,
and says,
Herod,
here's this man,
I don't know what to do,
what do you think we should do?
So Herod interviews him,
and Herod comes back and says,
no,
I think we should kill him.
And so Pilate says,
okay,
fine,
sentence him to death,
and Jesus is sent off to be crucified.
And at the end of Luke 23,
there's this amazing line,
and it says,
that day,
Herod and Pilate became friends,
because up until this point,
they were enemies.
See what's happened there?
Here are two people
that previously had nothing in common.
They actually didn't get on at all.
But they find some kind of commonality.
They find that they are unified.
What brings them together
is their mutual dislike
for their opposition,
and for Jesus,
who's causing an uproar.
That's exactly what John is saying
is happening here.
Here in the streets,
those that oppose the gospel
and the cause of Christ,
they persecute Christians,
and they're celebrating,
and they're exchanging presents,
and they're toasting,
and high-fiving one another.
Yeah,
we got rid of those
that have tormented us
and caused us such problems.
And the reason for this,
because the church,
those who hold that life and salvation
are found in nothing
except Jesus and His sacrifice,
not Caesar,
not Rome,
not politics or wealth,
those that hold that Christ alone
is worthy of worship
are considered a threat.
They're viewed as some kind of plague
that must be exterminated
for the well-being of society.
And yet,
this is all part of God's sovereign plan
to bring His kingdom to earth,
to establish His kingdom
and His glory.
And we see this
because throughout the book of Revelation,
the word witness
and the word martyr
are almost used interchangeably.
Wherever there's a witness for Jesus,
they end up being martyred,
and whenever there's a martyr,
it's because they were witnesses for Jesus.
Tim Chester says it like this,
the church is persecuted,
Christians are martyred,
and at times the cause of Christ
seems defeated,
but the church survives
and comes back with renewed strength,
and the cause of Christ
continues in history.
Again and again,
throughout history,
regimes have risen,
and it's looked as if
they would wipe out the church,
but those regimes have gone,
and the church has come
through persecution strong.
It has been victorious
through suffering.
And so the point that John is making
is that the God-given,
God-protected calling
of the people of God
is to bear witness to Jesus,
but that does not mean
we'll be spared from suffering
or death,
but rather that the suffering itself,
just like the Jesus that we follow,
will be the ultimate prophetic sign
to the world
that God's kingdom has come,
that He's establishing His kingdom,
and ultimately,
the nations will glorify Him.
150 years after
the book of Revelation is written,
this early church father
called Tertullian
famously said this.
He said,
the blood of the martyrs
is the seedbed
for the gospel to go forward.
It's the blood of the martyrs
that's the seedbed
for the gospel to go forward.
In other words,
he's saying it's as Christians
suffer opposition
that the gospel flourishes,
doesn't retreat.
I shared the story
a few weeks ago prematurely,
so I'll share it again properly.
1555,
okay,
so almost 500 years ago,
in the city of Oxford
in London,
these two bishops
are being arrested
and killed,
Hugh Latimer
and Nicholas Ridley.
And the reason is
because they are telling
the Queen of England,
Queen Mary,
that she needs to repent
and come to faith in Jesus.
And she doesn't like
being told that.
So she has them arrested
and thrown in jail
and eventually she decides
that they're going to be
burnt at the stake.
And so,
one October day
in Oxford,
these two bishops
are taken to Town Square
and they are tied
to the stake
and there is hay
put around their feet.
There's a bag of gunpowder
put around their necks
and hanging there
so that as the flames
come up,
it's going to catch
the gunpowder
and explode in their faces.
And while this is happening,
the younger of these two
called Nicholas Ridley
is a little bit nervous.
You can see
he's a bit fearful.
And so Hugh Latimer,
who's this older,
wiser saint,
he turns to Nicholas Ridley
and he says this,
Be of good cheer,
Master Ridley,
for we shall this day
light such a candle
in England
as I pray by God's grace
will never be put out.
You see what he's saying there?
He's saying,
they think that they've got us
because they're killing us
but they don't know
that we've got them.
They don't know
that actually by killing us
they think they're going
to quieten the gospel.
This is going to propagate
the gospel.
They think they're going
to quieten the church.
This is going to send
the message of the gospel
out even further.
Be of good cheer,
Master Ridley.
This day we shall light
a candle by God's grace
that shall never be put out.
And so this week
I heard the story
on Friday night
of the Korean revival.
I'm sure some of you
will know this.
May you know it better than me.
1865,
this young Welsh man,
Robert Thomas,
is that right?
He's a missionary to China
but he's got a heart
for Korea.
He goes down to Korea
and he walks amongst
North Korea,
Pongyang,
for two months
learning everything he can.
He then goes back to China
but he's desperate
to go to Korea.
And so he joins
this French naval trading ship
that's going to go to Korea.
But halfway along the trip
the French vessel
decides not to go to Korea
to go to Vietnam.
So he abandons that ship
and joins another
American trading ship
that's on its way to Korea.
But this trading ship
is causing a few problems
as it gets to Korea.
This Robert Thomas
decides to join
as he wants to get to Korea
to be a missionary
but he goes as a translator
on the ship.
And as the ship
comes towards Pongyang
it's sailing up the river
there's a whole lot
of opposition
and they are eventually
attacked.
But Robert Thomas
takes his Bibles
and he throws them
onto the banks
of the river
to try and at least
get these Bibles
out there.
But before he can even
get onto the banks
there's this fight
and this war
and they are all killed
on the ship.
And so Robert Thomas
never goes back to Korea.
He went previously
the year before
for two months
but on this trip
he never even
sets foot
on the banks of Korea.
All he does
is he throws his Bibles
ashore.
But there's a general
that takes these Bibles
because he wants
to put wallpaper
on the house
where he lives.
And so he takes
these Bibles
and he tears the pages out
and he casts them
as wallpaper
on his house.
And the people
start to read
the words
in the Bible
and they start
to realize
that Jesus
is Christ.
And this revival
breaks out
and within 15 years
there are 100 churches
planted in Pongyang.
It's this Christian
center in North Korea.
But Robert Thomas
paid with his life.
Friends,
it's the blood
of the martyrs
that is the seed
bed for the gospel
to go forward.
And that brings us
to the fourth
and the final point
that is God's kingdom
comes with spiritual life.
Because the kingdom
of God
doesn't only come
despite suffering.
It doesn't only come
through suffering.
It comes when God
by his sovereign will
implants spiritual life
into his people
and into a society.
Look at verse 11
with me here.
It says this
in verse 11.
These witnesses,
God's people,
they've been fought against,
they've been killed
because of their testimony,
they've been left for dead
like trash on the street.
Those that have killed them
have celebrated
their great victory
because they killed them
and they've destroyed the church.
But then verse 11
says this,
after three and a half days,
that's that limited time period again,
a breath of life
from God
entered them
and they stood up
on their feet
and great fear
fell on all
those who saw them.
Though they are killed
for their witness,
they do not stay dead
but rather
their death
leads to life.
And the point
that Jesus is making here
is not simply that
you may suffer
but don't worry
it all ends
alright in the end.
The point
that Jesus is making
is though things
may be difficult,
it's okay,
there's a happy ending
at the end of the day.
The point
is that the life
of the Christian
follows the life
of Jesus
which is that
the road to glory,
the road to life
passes through
Mount Calvary.
You see that?
Remember Jesus
went through Calvary
to get to
resurrection life.
Friends,
the pattern
of the Christian
is the pattern
of Jesus
that it's death
that leads to life.
You see a Christian
is not just someone
who believes
that Jesus is God
that's good
you do need to believe that
but even the devil
knows that Jesus
is God
and the devil
is not a Christian
in case you
thought he might be.
No, a Christian
is someone
who follows Jesus
who has come
to trust in him
and obey him
and love him
and follow him
and imitate him
and that means
the pattern
of Jesus' life
is the pattern
of our life as well.
Remember Jesus said
if anyone wants
to follow me
let him pick up
his cross daily.
Friends,
a Christian is someone
who is daily learning
what it means
to follow Jesus
by forfeiting
our own life
for the sake
of his glory
but the irony
is in that place
as we lay down
our lives
actually we find life
and that's the great
promise of the gospel
and we see it here
in Revelation
that ultimately
both spiritually speaking
and from the perspective
of heaven
in God's economy
it's through dying
that actually we find life.
It's through dying
that the church
comes alive.
It's through suffering
persecution
opposition
that the church flourishes.
Again,
Tim Chester says it like this
Jesus is showing his church
that God's people die
and yet live.
In fact,
life comes through death
because we are united
to Christ
our lives are shaped
by his death
and resurrection.
His death
and resurrection
are not just the means
of our salvation
they are also the pattern
of the Christian life.
Whenever you see people
receiving spiritual life
whenever you see a living
healthy
vibrant church
you can be sure
that behind the scenes
someone is dying
dying to self
or suffering
some kind of hardship.
And friends,
that's the great paradox
of the Christian life
that the more you try
and hold on to your life
and preserve your life
the more you try
and maintain your status
and your honor
and your comfort
and your name
the more you end up
losing it.
But paradoxically
the more you're willing
to give up those things
for the sake of Christ
actually you find
that you gain life
and you find
you gain Christ as well.
And that's true
for the individual
and it's true
for the church as well.
Be of good cheer
Master Ridley
we shall this day
light a candle
that I pray
by God's grace
will never
ever be put out.
And you see friends
this is because
this life
this vitality
that's given
to the churches
is not a result
of human ingenuity
or human leadership.
Look at what it says
in verse 11.
After this limited
time period
it says
a breath of life
from God
entered them.
Well I mentioned
this earlier
how chapter 11
is full of these
references to
Ezekiel and Zechariah.
The first century church
as they read
that line
they immediately
would have remembered
a very similar line.
You see in Ezekiel 36
Ezekiel has this vision
and in this vision
he sees this valley
full of dead
dry bones.
This valley that's just
full of these dry bones
there's no life in there.
And in this vision
God comes to him
and says
Ezekiel
can these bones live?
And Ezekiel says
I don't know God
you alone know.
Humanly speaking
no but with you
who knows right?
And so God says
Ezekiel
speak my words
to these dry bones.
And so Ezekiel does
he speaks God's word
and as he does
the bones start to rattle
flesh and muscle
and sinew start to form
and these bones
start to become
human bodies.
And then God says
Ezekiel
speak again.
And he speaks God's word
and it says
the breath of God
entered these bones
these bodies
and they stood up
on their feet
like a great army.
Well that's exactly
what Revelation said.
As the breath of life
came into them
they stood up
on their feet
like a great army.
Except
in the Hebrew Bible
the word for breath
pneuma
from where we get
the word
I've forgotten
where we get that word.
Pneumatic
what's that sickness
when you
pneumonia
there we go
thank you
doctor
all the doctors
in the back left
corner there
where we get
the word pneumonia
the word for breath
in Hebrew
pneuma
is the same
as the word
for God's spirit.
And so as the breath
of God
comes into these bones
God's spirit
comes into these bones
and they come alive.
In other words
what God is saying
is that revival
happens
by a sovereign
move
of his Holy Spirit.
it's not the work
of human ingenuity.
You can't
you can't grow church
or establish
God's kingdom
on earth
just by doing
things well
and putting on
a good show.
It's the spirit
of God
that breathes
into dead
souls
and gives them
life again.
But that's also
a reference
to Zechariah chapter 4
because in Zechariah
chapter 4
Zechariah has a vision
and in this vision
he sees two olive trees
that are like
two lampstands
and they are
guarding the temple.
And Zechariah
says God
how are they going
to do it?
How are they going
to guard your temple?
And God says
this is how
they are going
to do it.
Not by might
not by power
but by my spirit
says the Lord
by my breath
by my pneuma.
And so friends
the point that Jesus
is making
is that the church
is victorious.
The kingdom of God
will advance.
The gospel
will go out.
It doesn't merely
survive.
It doesn't merely
just make it through.
The kingdom of God
will survive
and will advance
and will thrive
because though
it once was dead
God breathes
his spirit
and life into it
because the church
is fundamentally
a spiritual organism.
It's not just
a group of people
that are trying
to do life together.
And that's why
the church
is so precious
because it's
his temple
and it's his presence
that's in here.
But it's also
why the church
will stand.
Friends
the future
of the church
doesn't depend
on me.
That's good news.
It doesn't depend
on you.
It depends
on Christ
who is the head
of his church
and he will stand.
Friends
the church
will stand
and will never
become overcome.
Individual Christians
will mess up
and make mistakes.
Churches will make mistakes.
Pastors and preachers
do dumb things.
We lose our way
for sure.
But the church
God's witness
on earth
will stand
throughout the ages
no matter what
the opposition
if
if we maintain
our witness.
If we speak
his word.
Friends
the great irony
of the church
is that the more
we try and save
ourselves from
persecution
the more we end
up dying away.
And yet the more
we embrace
opposition and
suffering for the
cause of Christ
the more the church
flourishes.
And so look
finally as we come
to a close
and what is the
consequence of this?
How does this all end?
Well look at verse 13
with me.
It says there are
these dramatic
events
at the end
of that hour
a bunch of people
some people
reject God
7,000 are killed
in this earthquake.
It's a small number
but then it says
the rest
were terrified
that means
they were humbled
and they gave glory
to the God of heaven.
See at the end
of chapter 9
there's all these
dramatic events.
Remember in chapter 9
there's earthquakes
and there's calamity
and there's disaster
and there's chaos
and there's all these
strange things
that are happening
and it says
but the people
did not repent.
They don't turn
from their idols.
But yeah
they do repent.
So what's the difference
between chapter 9
and chapter 11?
The difference is that
God's church
is a faithful witness.
Friends
how is revival
going to come to Hong Kong?
It's not just
through doom
and disaster
and calamity.
It's through the witness
of his people
through his church.
It's through faithful
followers of Jesus
witnessing to the point
of death
that will bring the nations
to repentance.
And so what does that mean?
It means three things for us.
Firstly
it means this
that Hong Kong
needs hundreds
and hundreds
of more churches
faithfully proclaiming
the gospel
of the kingdom of God.
Friends
it means we need
more leaders.
We need more elders
and pastors.
We need more worship leaders.
We need more CG leaders.
We need more university
ministry leaders.
We need kids ministry leaders.
We need men and women
that will take someone
under their wing
and read the Bible
with them
and disciple them.
Friends
our city is desperate
for hope
and the hope of the city
is in the witnesses
of God
God's church standing
and proclaiming
that Christ is Lord.
Secondly
it means this
it means that
if you're not a Christian
Jesus is calling you
to follow him today.
Friends
if you're here this morning
and you're not yet
a follower of Jesus
today is the day
that he's calling you
to come and follow him.
Friends
Jesus is not inviting you
to himself
so that he can simply
improve your life
or make your life
more comfortable
and convenient.
Jesus says that
if you follow him
it will be inconvenient.
He may even ask you
to die for your faith.
Jesus may even send you
as a missionary
to some foreign land
where it will cost you
your life.
Friends
following Jesus
will cost you daily
and dearly.
Jesus is not asking you
to add a little bit
of Jesus to your life
to your already busy life.
Jesus is calling you
to lay down your life
to follow him
to the cross
to make him
your first priority
in your life.
Jesus is calling you
today to pick up
your cross
and to follow him.
Friends
if you don't know him
today is the day
to change that.
Come to Jesus.
And then thirdly
it means this
it means if you are
a follower of Jesus
he's calling you
to be a faithful witness
in the city
at this time.
Friends chances are
that will mean
opposition and persecution.
Chances are
you'll be misunderstood.
Chances are
you'll be accused
of being bigoted
and hypocritical.
Chances are
it will cost you
dearly
if not financially
then probably
your reputation
certainly your pride
and your ego.
But he's also
promising you this
that in that place
while it feels
like you're dying
a thousand deaths
that death
will lead
to life.
He promises you
that though you die
you will be raised
he will give you life
both in this lifetime
and in the life
to come.
Friends Jesus
calling us to follow him
with everything we have.
Will we do it?
Let's come to him
in prayer now.
Let's do that together.
Lord Jesus
we come before you
and we thank you God
that you are such a
magnificent
and faithful God.
Christ
in our day and age
we don't like
the idea
or
let me put it this way
Father
in our day and age
we feel entitled
to a comfortable
and a convenient life.
And God
when things don't
go our way
we
so easily
feel sorry
for ourselves
we feel victims
of some
agenda
against us.
God
you cut against
the grain
and you promise us
that in this life
we will have trouble
that following Jesus
following you God
means that we are
inviting difficulty
into our lives.
But God
you promise that
that death
will lead to life.
Father
pray for those of us
God
that maybe feel
spiritually stagnant
we feel
spiritually dry.
Father
won't you
in your grace
and your mercy
won't you bring us
to the end of ourselves
that we may find
true life again.
God
I pray
Father
where we've
tried to hold
on to our lives
and
I pray
God
that you will
intervene
and intercede
that God
you will
cause us
to die
to ourselves
that we may
find true
life in you
Lord.
And God
I pray
for Watermark
and I pray
for every church
in Hong Kong
I pray
for the English
churches
and the Chinese
churches
I pray
God
that we
will be
faithful
witnesses
to our city
I pray
God
that the
kingdom
of God
will come
to Hong Kong
I pray
that the
gospel
will advance
God
I pray
Lord
that
your
kingdom
will come
God
because
your
church
does not
shrink
back
in the
face
of
opposition
but
that
will
stand
Lord
make
us
a
faithful
witness
we
pray
we
pray
these
things
in your
wonderful
and your
powerful
name
Amen