WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.360 Well, good morning. 00:00:06.640 --> 00:00:07.200 There we go. 00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:09.439 It's good to see you all here. 00:00:10.540 --> 00:00:12.220 I was just talking before the service. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:14.320 We need to see the sun come out. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:18.039 We think the sun has shown about three days in January so far. 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.120 So either that or we're all going to go by sunlamps. 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:23.359 But it's good to see you here. 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:28.339 Hopefully the warmth of the love of God will warm our hearts this morning. 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:39.799 So, you know, this morning I want to begin with a question that I think is in the hearts of many in our culture. 00:00:40.019 --> 00:00:42.700 Both in the church and outside of the church today. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:49.079 And it is a question that builds on what we learned last week. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:53.980 If you're visiting, if you haven't been here, we are preaching a series through the book of Revelation. 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:59.000 And last week we learned about the coming judgment of God. 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:05.120 In fact, it is a judgment that has already begun and will have its fulfillment in what is to come. 00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:12.259 And as Pastor Nick laid it out, he reminded us that this judgment is actually a good thing. 00:01:12.259 --> 00:01:15.799 Because it means that God cares about the evil of the world. 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:19.159 And that in the end, evil will not win. 00:01:19.759 --> 00:01:24.219 But that justice will be brought upon this earth. 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:30.759 And so, it was meant to be a hopeful word to a church that was suffering persecution and evil. 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:34.060 And seeing it impact their very daily lives. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:40.340 And the cry, how long, O Lord, was met with the promise, I will come and do this. 00:01:40.340 --> 00:01:42.700 And so, this is what we learned last week. 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:44.980 But it raises a question, doesn't it? 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.680 Which is, well, why hasn't he done that yet? 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:55.900 Why hasn't he come to make it all right? 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:58.020 What is he waiting for? 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:01.960 It's a good question. 00:02:02.300 --> 00:02:03.659 It's an important question. 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:12.460 But the answer dovetails with the answer to the question that we saw at the very end of chapter 6. 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.620 Which is, on the day of judgment, who can stand? 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:18.439 Hold on to those things. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:20.159 Why isn't God waiting? 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:21.259 And who can stand? 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:23.859 And we're going to pull those things back together at the end. 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:25.579 To see where we go. 00:02:26.579 --> 00:02:30.460 We're looking at Revelation chapter 7 today. 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:36.560 So, if you want to turn there and you pew Bibles, it would be great for you to have it in front of you so you can follow along. 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:40.379 I didn't look up the page number, but Revelation is the last book in the Bible. 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:44.819 So, go to the back and then flip forward a couple pages and you'll probably be at Revelation 7. 00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:50.580 So, Revelation chapter 7 is our passage this morning. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.379 And let's go ahead and read it together. 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:08.300 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.480 that no wind might blow on the earth or sea or against any tree. 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:19.439 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising sun with the seal of the living God. 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:25.379 And he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:25.719 saying, 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:34.060 Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. 00:03:34.060 --> 00:03:43.159 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:46.180 12,000 from the tribes of Judah were sealed. 00:03:46.640 --> 00:03:48.479 12,000 from the tribes of Reuben. 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:50.920 12,000 from the tribe of Gad. 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:53.180 12,000 from the tribe of Asher. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:55.719 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali. 00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:58.139 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh. 00:03:58.259 --> 00:03:59.960 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon. 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:01.819 12,000 from the tribe of Levi. 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:04.439 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar. 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:06.460 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:08.639 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph. 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:12.860 And 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:42.840 13,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:43.879 13,000 from the tribe of anderer. 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:44.020 14,000 from the tribe of apex ninth. 00:04:44.020 --> 00:04:44.240 14,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:45.400 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:45.400 --> 00:04:47.620 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:47.759 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:48.560 14,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:49.500 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:50.720 Are there another one in Sulph cope in Israel? 00:04:51.020 --> 00:04:51.939 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:52.340 16,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:52.340 --> 00:04:53.660 15,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:55.520 16,000 from the tribe of Israel. 00:04:55.620 --> 00:05:03.720 16,000 from the tribe a Christian. 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:04.060 16,000 from Israel. 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:04.819 17,000 from Israel. 00:05:04.840 --> 00:05:06.840 17,000 from Israel. 00:05:06.840 --> 00:05:08.020 18,000 from Israel. 00:05:08.020 --> 00:05:09.000 18,000 from Israel. 00:05:09.280 --> 00:05:09.879 21,000 from Israel. 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:10.240 18,000 from Israel. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:16.480 I said to them, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones coming out of the great 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:21.160 tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:26.639 Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple, 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:33.420 and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:39.939 neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them nor any scorching heat, 00:05:40.580 --> 00:05:45.939 for the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:54.439 of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Let's pray. Lord, we ask for Your 00:05:54.439 --> 00:06:02.020 help this morning as we sit under Your Word. Lord, help us to understand these visions as You would 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:09.599 have us to understand them. Lord, in our hearts, Lord, give us clarity of thought. In our hearts, 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:15.659 Lord, give us softness of mind to submit and to receive this Word this morning. And I pray for 00:06:15.659 --> 00:06:21.599 Your help that I might speak as I ought. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:31.600 Amen. So, friends, what this passage reveals is this, that God is withholding His ultimate judgment 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:38.240 in the world because He is in the process of redeeming for Himself a people from the whole world 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:47.580 who will worship Him forever. That's the answer to the questions. Let me explore how that's true. 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:51.659 We're going to look at the passage. This is what we're going to do this morning. We're going to first 00:06:51.659 --> 00:06:55.620 look at the content of it. We're going to look at the structure. We're going to try to answer some 00:06:55.620 --> 00:07:01.360 questions that are raised from it. And then we're going to look at three implications of that for us 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:06.439 and for our church. So that's what we're going to do structurally. If you're a note taker, we're going 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:13.620 to have first content, two points, and then implications, three. So there's your outline. So first, 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:22.560 in verses 1 through 8, what we see is a vision of the sealing of God's people to be preserved 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:28.439 through judgment, right? So again, you see the beginning of this vision starting after this, 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:34.600 I saw. And this is a literary clue to say this is a new vision. This is a new thing. And remember, 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:39.759 last week we had six bowls, and we're waiting for the seventh. It'll come in chapter 8. But there's 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:45.819 this almost interlude. There's this interspersing of this other vision in the midst of it that I 00:07:45.819 --> 00:07:54.519 think is related to what comes before, as we've talked about. And what you see is that the agents 00:07:54.519 --> 00:08:00.959 of judgment, the angels, are standing at the four corners of the earth waiting to bring this judgment 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:08.959 that God has said on the earth. And yet what you see is God not saying, go do this, which is what we 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:13.680 would expect from the end of chapter 6. But wait, wait, wait, there's something else going on here. 00:08:13.979 --> 00:08:22.539 And this angel arises from the dawn, and he bears the seal of God. And this sealing is so important. 00:08:22.659 --> 00:08:27.379 If you look through in verses 1 through 8, sealed is repeated in chapter 2, or in verse 2, and verse 3, 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:33.299 and verse 4, and verse 5, and then again in verse 8. Who are those who are sealed? Well, remember, 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:40.179 apocalyptic literature is often based on Old Testament. What we see, if we go back to Ezekiel 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:47.319 chapter 9, there is a command and a vision. There's a vision of these six men who were 00:08:47.319 --> 00:08:55.419 sent into Jerusalem to bring judgment on the people of Israel because they had forsaken God and turned to 00:08:55.419 --> 00:09:01.779 idolatry. But in the middle of that, there was one who was given a seal, and he was sent to go out, 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:11.279 in verses 4 through 6, to seal those who wept at the idolatry of Israel and who grieved at the 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:20.019 fallenness of God's people. And so John is pulling on this vision, this concept of a sealing, 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:26.399 not the sealing on a roof, but the seal that comes like when you drop wax and you put a signet ring in it, 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:31.799 a sealing, this one's mine, that God is going to do with his people. 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:39.159 This is what you see as we go on in Revelation. In chapter 9, verse 4, we will see that those who 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:46.600 are sealed are protected from the fifth trumpet and the impact of that. We will also see that in 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:52.679 Revelation 14 that the seal seems to be the very name of God put on the forehead. Again, this is 00:09:52.679 --> 00:10:00.259 apocalyptic imagery, but it's connected with being sealed with the very name of God, as if God were 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:08.279 saying, these are mine. And it is distinct in the book of Revelation, as we'll see later. You all have 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:13.459 heard about the infamous mark of the beast. We'll get there and explain it, but there's a distinction. 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:20.240 God's people are sealed by his name. Those who have the mark of the beast, whatever it is, and that's 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:28.519 coming later. Those are marked with a different mark, the mark of rebellion against God, okay? And we'll 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:38.419 see that in chapters 13 and 16 coming up. So in this vision, the angel says, wait, hold back the judgment 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:46.759 until we are done sealing those who are God's. And friends, we know as we read the rest of our Bible, 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:55.319 we think about a passage like Ephesians 1, 13 and 14, describing the effect of salvation 00:10:55.319 --> 00:11:03.539 on believers in the church of God. Chapter 1, it says this, in him, that is in Christ, you also, 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:09.120 when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:16.360 with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, until we acquire possession 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:27.720 of it to the praise of his glory. God says, hold back the judgment because I am sealing more and more 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:36.639 people, right? And he says, and I know every one of them because there are 144,000 of them, right? 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:44.000 And when God gets to 144,001, he's done, right? Isn't that, no, hold on, hold on. That's not how 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:50.159 apocalyptic numbers work. We've seen numbers already. There are seven horns and seven eyes and 00:11:50.159 --> 00:12:00.259 24 elders. Numbers in apocalyptic literature are not meant to be given as calculated numbers, 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:06.240 but they're meant to be symbols, just like lots of the other images are. So what is the number 144 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:11.700 symbolized? Well, there's lots of different things. It's fascinating. I did a little research. The 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:18.580 church of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon church, says that there are, it's a special class of people 00:12:18.580 --> 00:12:23.680 who minister in the world that are distinct and have special privileges and that will have special 00:12:23.680 --> 00:12:32.300 eternal glory because of that. If you read the Jehovah's Witness website, they will tell you that it's a 00:12:32.300 --> 00:12:39.480 special class of people who will rule with God in heaven over the new earth that will be recreated in 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:47.259 their vision. So both of them take this 144 and make it a special class. There's also, as many of you 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:56.379 probably know, there's a strain of evangelical Christianity which would talk about this as being 00:12:56.379 --> 00:13:05.139 there are 144 special descendants of the Jewish people who will be saved before the end, okay? 00:13:05.139 --> 00:13:11.580 And that's partly because we see right after this, there's this 12 tribes list and they think this 00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:18.059 is a special thing that God is doing. Now look, we know from Romans 9 to 11 that God has this, a love 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:24.019 for the Jewish people that is unique and special and he does have a plan for their salvation. But I don't 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:32.039 believe that's what this passage is saying. I think instead 144,000 is saying there are 12 tribes, 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:37.699 we're going to multiply that by itself. We're going to square it so you can see how glorious it is. And 00:13:37.699 --> 00:13:44.199 then we're going to multiply by a thousand so that we have 144, which is 12 times 12, that's 12 squared, 00:13:44.319 --> 00:13:50.699 times a thousand. What is this signifying? God knows the fullness of his people. 00:13:52.199 --> 00:13:56.439 And he's going to wait until the, for that judgment to finally come 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.440 so that the fullness of his people will be rescued. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:08.840 And that's what's being, and these are those who are preserved through judgment. And we will continue 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:15.440 to see that. These are not those who are somehow spirited out of the great trials or persecution. 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:21.400 And so we see this as an ongoing thing that is happening during the church age, maybe with some 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:29.319 intensifying power near the end that may be coming at any time. But we know that this is an ongoing 00:14:29.319 --> 00:14:38.419 thing that will build towards the knowledge and the confidence that one day God will come with the 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:48.039 final judgment. He will end this process of judging the world by completing it. But he will do so when he has 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:54.500 completely redeemed each one that he knows, each one that he will save. 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:02.639 And this is a great hope and a great promise. Think about the believers in the first century. 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:12.279 A small church under a Roman rule facing terrible persecutions. This vision reminds them, 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:20.439 God knows his own, and he will not forsake you. He will preserve you through even the judgment. 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:29.339 So the second vision then starts with verse 9. Oh, there's so much more I could tell you about the 00:15:29.339 --> 00:15:36.699 12 tribes. If you have questions about that, come talk to me later. But the second vision starts in 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:44.900 verse 9, and it continues. And again, we see this verbal clue, right? After this I looked, or after 00:15:44.900 --> 00:15:51.740 this I saw. Again, we see now a second vision in chapter 7, and what we see is again people. But now 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:56.620 these aren't people on earth who are being sealed before the judgment, but these are people in the 00:15:56.620 --> 00:16:04.180 throne room of God, what we've seen in chapters 4 and 5, right? People in the throne room temple of God 00:16:04.179 --> 00:16:15.059 worshiping before the king. And these are people from every nation, from every tongue, every tribe, 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:26.479 every peoples. What a glorious vision it is. If the 144 and the 12 tribes is a picture of fullness, 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:35.539 this is an even greater amplification of this idea of God's fullness, that he is going to be at work 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:44.759 throughout the whole world to gather people so that they can worship him in this victory celebration. 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:51.899 They wear white robes, which is a picture of victory. They hold palm branches, which is a praising 00:16:51.899 --> 00:17:00.959 that would be used to celebrate a victorious military leader. And they sing the song, salvation 00:17:00.959 --> 00:17:10.279 belongs to our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb. And these are new people in the throne room 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:17.920 vision. Well, we've seen them in chapter 5, but they're back again, right? They've added on to the angels 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:24.980 and the 24 elders and the four living creatures, this vision of people, the whole of creation gathering 00:17:24.980 --> 00:17:32.980 around God to worship him. And they say, as people from every tribe and tongue and nation worship God 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:42.539 and say, salvation belongs to you, they say, amen. Amen. God, let it be so that to you, God, be all honor and 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:50.240 praise and glory. And then the passage continues in verse 13. There's this little conversation between 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:58.240 the elder and John. And at the end, the question is, who are these? Who are these people? Who are the... 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:05.019 And in the end, the elder says, these are those who've been brought through the great tribulation. 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:12.519 Now, I want to stop here for just a minute because, again, in our church history, particularly in 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:17.500 America in the last 200 years, there's lots of conversations. If you've ever read Left Behind or 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:23.720 seen the movies, you know that there's... If you're like me, you grew up young, old enough to remember 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:31.500 the great movies of Hal Lindsey and the Thief in the Night movies and things like this idea that there's 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:35.779 going to be a great tribulation and God's going to rescue people out of it. And this very specific 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:43.000 way about how all these things play out. And some of it comes from Revelation. And if you haven't 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:47.980 picked up on it yet, that's not quite how we see Revelation. We don't think that's the best reading 00:18:47.980 --> 00:18:54.880 of it. The great tribulation, though, is a theme that we see throughout it. Matthew, in Matthew 24, 00:18:54.880 --> 00:19:02.600 Jesus said, and the days are coming when there will be a great trial. And he describes, I think, 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:09.100 in one way, the fall of Jerusalem to Rome in AD 70 and the destruction of the temple. But it seems, 00:19:09.320 --> 00:19:15.380 as you look at his description, that it's more than that. It's the ongoing, the coming of those who 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:20.680 would claim to be saviors but aren't saviors. Those who would claim to proclaim truth like prophets but 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:26.080 aren't speaking truth. And the judgment of God that will continue. And it dovetails with what we've 00:19:26.080 --> 00:19:32.279 seen in Revelation so far. That the church is living in an age where God's judgment has begun, 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:40.080 but it's not yet full and complete. And it will come to its fruition one day. We also see in Daniel 00:19:40.080 --> 00:19:47.519 chapter 12, verse 1, there's a vision that he's talking about. It says, and there shall be a time of 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:55.539 trouble or tribulation. That's the same word. Such as never has been since there was a nation till that 00:19:55.539 --> 00:20:01.319 time. But at that time, your people shall be delivered and everyone whose name shall be written, 00:20:02.139 --> 00:20:09.279 shall be found written in the book. So there's this, there's this theme that John is picking up in this 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:15.119 great tribulation. But rather than it being this just distinct future, and I'll just throw it out there, 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:19.439 some people think it's seven years or seven or three and a half years or something like that. 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:27.099 Recognize that we're in the age when the tribulation has begun. And yes, maybe there will be an 00:20:27.099 --> 00:20:34.519 intensification before the end. But this thread doesn't seem to be as specific as some would want 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:43.139 it to be. And so I just want to say this is what I think what God is doing is he's gathering his 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:51.140 people through this whole period who will be saved in and through this tribulation that will include 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:58.460 God's judgment as well as the persecution and trials of living in a world that does not love God. 00:21:00.060 --> 00:21:05.820 Those who will be saved are those who, just want to stop on this for a minute, whose robes will be 00:21:05.820 --> 00:21:12.500 washed in the blood of the Lord. Now, have you ever washed anything in blood? No, you've never done it. 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:17.859 I promise you. Because when we get blood on our clothes, it stains it. It doesn't wash them clean. 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:27.299 When you get blood, it's one of the hardest things to get out, right? Cold water. But the picture here 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:33.119 is that actually those who are saved are saved through what we've already seen and talked about 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:41.960 a number of times. That Jesus the Lamb, through the shedding of his blood, will wash away our sins. 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:51.119 Fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:57.180 are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become 00:21:57.180 --> 00:22:03.059 like wool. This is what Jesus does, and this is the people of God that he's going to redeem. 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:10.839 Those who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, who by faith have taken on what Jesus has done for 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:18.720 them and allowed him to give them a clean heart, a new spirit, a new life in him. 00:22:22.139 --> 00:22:28.599 So this is what God is doing. His judgment will not be for the destruction of all, 00:22:29.459 --> 00:22:36.980 though it will be for some. He is waiting. Why? Because he is increasing the fullness 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:47.059 of the numbers of his own people. 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 9 and 10. If you want to, go read the whole 00:22:47.059 --> 00:22:51.519 chapter because it's really fascinating because it's people asking the same thing. You believe in a 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.660 God who says he's going to judge the world, but I don't think he's coming, so why should I pay any 00:22:55.660 --> 00:23:03.039 attention to you? Peter says, oh, the judgment is coming. But then he says this in verse 8, 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:30.740 Friends, this is what God is doing. 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:39.120 You are here because God has been patient. Can you imagine if a generation earlier God had finally 00:23:39.120 --> 00:23:44.420 heard the cries how long and said, okay, now is the time, and he had come, where would you be? 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:53.759 Not with these people worshiping God around the throne for eternity. God's patience is for our 00:23:53.759 --> 00:24:03.799 redemption and our salvation. And this is the beauty of why this passage is interspersed in the broader 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:11.819 context of judgment in the book of Revelation, so that we might know this great truth, so that we might 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:17.879 have confidence that it is not just that God will judge, but that God is doing a redemptive work 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:27.300 in the midst of this working towards that. So what does this mean for us? If that's what the passage 00:24:27.300 --> 00:24:39.340 kind of says, what does this mean for us? Three things, I think. One, the church experience will look like 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:48.480 both suffering and preservation, okay? This passage tells us that we will come through the great 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:54.939 tribulation, that those who are being saved are being saved in the context of judgment that has 00:24:54.939 --> 00:25:06.419 started and its fullness will come. And so we have to see that suffering is expected, and yet God will 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:13.279 preserve us. We know that in the end, there is nothing that God can do, that the world can do 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:22.759 that will stop that victory from happening. And look, we've lived in an age where the church has 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:31.680 struggled. When we've taken on the victorious position, it has often been ugly. We've often taken on victory as a 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:38.640 ha-ha, we've won and you didn't kind of picture. But we need to recognize that this victory that is 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:48.580 coming comes, one, at the cost of the Son of God, and two, not because of any merit of our own. 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:55.180 So Christians are meant to have confidence in this victory, but not pride, not arrogance, 00:25:55.180 --> 00:26:02.160 not lording it over others, but instead inviting people saying, please come, come out of the storm 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:09.180 into the refuge. Please come, though you will suffer for this. Because remember, this is what 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:15.660 Jesus has promised us. He said, if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they hated me, 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:22.120 they will hate you also. If God is going to come and judge a world in rebellion against him, 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:33.919 the world is going to hate God and his people, and we will suffer accordingly. And so as a church, 00:26:33.939 --> 00:26:38.899 we need to hold these things together. We are a suffering church and a victorious church. 00:26:39.719 --> 00:26:47.599 We are both going to see potentially unspeakable things happen to us because we follow Christ, 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:56.819 and yet we know that in the end, God will hold us through and deliver us. And friends, there is 00:26:56.819 --> 00:27:07.439 nothing like, there's no strength like what knowing this can give to Christians. It gives us courage to 00:27:07.439 --> 00:27:15.599 live for him, not be afraid of what others think of us. It gives us strength to resist sin and temptation 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:20.779 because we know that there's a greater good, a greater place that God is taking us to. 00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:30.619 It gives us endurance to know that when we reach the end of our strength, God's strength to be faithful, 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:37.539 to preserve us through whatever we're facing, has not failed, and that he will carry us through. 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:46.899 And it gives us hope. It gives us hope when we falter and fail that he's washed us with the blood of the Lamb, 00:27:47.899 --> 00:27:56.059 and that we are forgiven in Christ, and that even in our failure, his victory invites us back in 00:27:56.059 --> 00:28:03.659 to walk with him and to believe in him. So this is the first thing, is the experience of the church 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:11.620 both suffering and preservation. The second thing is that, friends, there is a beautiful picture here of the 00:28:11.620 --> 00:28:21.220 extent of the church. The human diversity of this world is amazing. If you haven't had the chance to travel 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:30.759 the world, do it, because it's so cool to see different languages and cultures and nations and histories 00:28:30.759 --> 00:28:39.640 and all of the ways that humanity is this kaleidoscope of reflecting the image of God. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:50.019 And God has designed this kaleidoscope so that when he gathers this people around his throne forever, 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:57.839 the richness of the worship will be multiplied and magnified like a prism rather than a beam of light. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:04.079 It will be the beam of light through the prison that then gets sprayed out in the whole colors of the rainbow. 00:29:04.459 --> 00:29:10.059 This is what God is doing by gathering people from every tribe and tongue and nation. 00:29:11.939 --> 00:29:17.779 And friends, this is part of what we love about this church, is that God has given us just a little taste of that. 00:29:18.439 --> 00:29:22.799 Because some of you have come from tribes and tongues and nations across the world 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:25.579 to worship with us and to be a part of this church. 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:30.720 And we're so glad that we have this kind of church so that we can taste it. 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:34.559 So let me encourage you, if you have the opportunity, 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:38.379 go talk to a brother or sister or someone you don't know. 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:42.500 Find out their history 00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:48.259 and see what God is doing throughout the world as you talk with them. 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:52.880 Don't assume they're going to look different than you, so get to know everybody. 00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:55.400 But as you do that, you'll find out, 00:29:55.539 --> 00:29:58.700 wow, we have people from all over the world in this church. 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:02.299 But recognize, too, that we live in a city 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:05.119 that has people who come from all over the world, 00:30:05.240 --> 00:30:08.200 whether it comes to the universities for study 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:11.059 or whether it comes through the refugee resettlement program. 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:15.259 We have people from all over the world who come to this city. 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:18.299 If you want to speak Mandarin, 00:30:18.779 --> 00:30:22.700 go up to Prospect Street on a Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:26.960 Talk to the grandmas and grandpas who are watching their kids, 00:30:27.139 --> 00:30:29.139 their grandkids, grandkids. 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:31.960 Because it's there. 00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:34.720 The world comes to this place. 00:30:35.139 --> 00:30:37.899 So, friends, we have a church to think about 00:30:37.899 --> 00:30:40.740 how do we reach the nations that are in our backyard? 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:41.139 God. 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:48.359 But we also need to hear the call of the Great Commission. 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:52.599 Jesus, in Matthew 28, you guys know this, 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:56.179 but let's just read it so that we remember his words. 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:58.579 Matthew 28, 00:30:59.659 --> 00:31:01.379 Jesus says this, 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:17.900 Friends, 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:25.540 always to the end of the age. Friends, this vision of God's people in the future from the whole world 00:31:25.540 --> 00:31:33.420 needs to be heard by us as a call to go to the whole world to tell them about Jesus. 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:40.640 We support our missionaries, the Tidwells in Southeast Asia, and Syed and Genia in Central 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:49.780 Asia, the King seeking to reach Middle Eastern immigrants as well as Europeans. Esther Wu serves 00:31:49.780 --> 00:31:57.259 in Germany. Did you know that only 3% of Germans go to church on any given Sunday? It's as unreached 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:06.240 as Connecticut, which is pretty terrible. So we recognize these who have said, 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:16.299 here am I, send me. I'm willing to uproot my life from my comforts, from my everyday patterns, 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:22.120 from being close to family and friends. I'm willing to uproot my life and go to the far ends of the world 00:32:22.120 --> 00:32:28.559 so that people who don't have the opportunities to hear about Jesus will have an opportunity 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:34.920 to hear about Jesus so that they may be added to the number who are worshiping around the throne of 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:46.039 the Lamb and God in heaven. Friends, God has called our church in this age to be a missional church. 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:52.080 One day we will be a day where we will be a church at rest, but it is not now. It's not today. 00:32:54.320 --> 00:33:00.080 So for all of us, the question is, how are we going to be involved in that? Some are easy. 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:06.039 Pray. Give. Some are harder. Go. 00:33:09.539 --> 00:33:17.339 But consider this. Consider this as a down payment. As you offer up your lives as a living sacrifice, 00:33:17.460 --> 00:33:23.679 it's a down payment for what we will be for all of eternity. As you give your life to this mission, 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:36.720 God is building His people. And it leads to, Lord, it leads us to the final thing, which is that 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:41.660 not only is this about the nature of our church in this age, it's about the mission of our church in 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:47.880 this age, but finally this passage has an implication for our future. Friends, day and night, 00:33:47.880 --> 00:33:54.700 we will serve in His temple forever. We will cry out, salvation belongs to our God. 00:33:56.040 --> 00:34:05.000 And we will live in the shelter of the shepherd who laid down His life for us. He who comes from the 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:13.160 midst of the throne, He who is God Himself, and friends, using this beautiful language that we will see 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:21.059 again in Revelation 21, that God Himself will dwell with His people, and there will be no more tears, 00:34:21.659 --> 00:34:29.159 no more sorrow, no more sin, and no more death. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. 00:34:31.799 --> 00:34:40.399 He will come and make all things new. Friends, as this is true then, let us hear the exhortation 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:49.440 from the book of Hebrews chapter 12, for us to respond in this way. Therefore, since we are 00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:55.440 surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that 00:34:55.440 --> 00:35:01.639 clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, 00:35:02.539 --> 00:35:08.500 the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, 00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:18.119 despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Friends, this is where we are 00:35:18.119 --> 00:35:26.199 going. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow 00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:37.659 weary or faint-hearted. Friends, God is not slow, but He is patient, wishing that He may save more. 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:42.320 Let us be a part of His work in that. Let's pray together. 00:35:46.480 --> 00:35:52.539 Lord, we thank You for this passage and for the beautiful vision and for the ways in which it, 00:35:53.539 --> 00:36:03.199 Lord, challenges us. Lord, this is Your people. And, Lord, through the tribulation and trials 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:09.899 and in eternity, O Lord, may we be counted in that number. 00:36:12.719 --> 00:36:18.839 Lord, I pray that You would help us today to be captured by this vision again, and that our hearts 00:36:18.839 --> 00:36:27.059 would long, Lord, long to be in this heavenly throne room, and that we would lay aside, Lord, sin. 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:35.380 We would lay aside the distractions of our lives, that we would not grow weary or faint-hearted, 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:45.059 but with endurance run the race looking to You, Jesus, our Great Shepherd, the one to whom salvation 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:49.860 belongs. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.