WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.980 Good morning, church. Happy Memorial Day weekend. 00:00:03.820 --> 00:00:06.280 Welcome to those of you who are here every week. 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:09.740 Welcome to those of you who are maybe visiting family, friends for the first time. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:14.839 You are here in the middle of a series that we started some time ago, 00:00:15.380 --> 00:00:19.160 looking at this fascinating book at the end of the Bible called Revelation. 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.879 The book of Revelation has provoked probably more speculation 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:27.879 and more works of fiction than any other book in Scripture. 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:34.879 It's a fascinating book. The entire book is a vision that is given to the Apostle John 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:40.359 while he's in exile on the prison island of Patmos. 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:42.460 And it's a wild vision. 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:46.280 I mean, I have to say, if you're here, especially if you're not a Christian 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:48.700 or have never really spent much time reading the Bible, 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:52.159 this is very unique even for the Bible. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.200 I mean, you read the passage that we just heard 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.420 and it's easy to think that John's just kind of wandering around, 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:01.120 comes across some wild mushrooms, digs in, 00:01:01.480 --> 00:01:03.260 and this is everything that comes out of that. 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:05.100 It's kind of mind-boggling. 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:08.939 And it's easy to just kind of write it off because it's so bizarre 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:10.120 and to think this is just crazy. 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:14.579 You know, when we talk about this in our weekly staff Bible study, 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:17.219 that's the sort of common reaction is just, 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:19.240 this sounds crazy. 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.399 And yet, what we've seen is that Revelation is a book 00:01:24.399 --> 00:01:26.199 that is actually aimed at our imaginations. 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:31.759 It's aimed at the way we imagine the world. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.159 And it's meant to help us reimagine the world. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.119 So we read it the way that we would read any poetry. 00:01:38.479 --> 00:01:40.819 There's an enormous amount of vivid imagery. 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:44.140 Most of it's drawn directly out of the Old Testament. 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:47.480 And this imagery has a purpose. 00:01:48.219 --> 00:01:50.920 In other words, Revelation uses the extraordinary 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:56.060 to help us understand and perceive the ordinary. 00:01:56.700 --> 00:02:00.319 It uses the extraordinary to help us understand 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:03.400 and accurately perceive the ordinary, 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:06.980 the everyday stuff of our mundane lives. 00:02:07.240 --> 00:02:10.259 And Revelation is continually reminding us of this fact 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:13.420 that things are not as they appear. 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:16.199 Things are not as they appear. 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:18.019 And that's what we're going to see this week 00:02:18.019 --> 00:02:20.059 when it comes to things like prayer 00:02:20.059 --> 00:02:24.799 or suffering or evangelism. 00:02:25.939 --> 00:02:28.000 Things are not as they appear. 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:32.060 And often, faith means trusting God's vision of reality 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:34.619 more than our own perception of reality. 00:02:35.339 --> 00:02:36.539 And so that's what we're going to see. 00:02:36.679 --> 00:02:39.119 We're looking at Revelation chapters 8 and 9. 00:02:39.399 --> 00:02:42.000 We heard part of it read just for the sake of time. 00:02:42.079 --> 00:02:43.099 We couldn't read all of it. 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:44.359 We heard part of it read, 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:46.419 but we're going to be focusing on all of chapter 8 00:02:46.419 --> 00:02:47.979 and all of chapter 9. 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:50.859 We're going to be seeing God's vision of reality. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:52.979 And this entire section of Revelation 00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:56.099 is organized around seven trumpet blasts. 00:02:57.019 --> 00:02:59.740 And so it's interesting if you think about a trumpet 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:01.799 and the meaning that a trumpet has in the Old Testament. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.359 Trumpets essentially had three connotations. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.560 And these are actually the three themes 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:10.039 that show up in chapters 8 and 9 of Revelation. 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.579 First of all, a trumpet signaled a call to worship. 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:15.659 So we'll see something about worship. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.799 Second of all, a trumpet signaled a warning. 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:21.659 It was a warning to God's people. 00:03:22.519 --> 00:03:25.599 And so, and then thirdly, a trumpet was a call to war. 00:03:26.340 --> 00:03:29.780 So this is our outline as we look at this passage together. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.219 Worship, warning, and warfare. 00:03:32.899 --> 00:03:34.759 Let's pray and then we'll open God's word together. 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:38.000 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:40.599 We thank you that we can open your word 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:42.879 knowing that even when there are parts of it that are bizarre 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.000 or parts that we don't understand 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.840 or parts that are offensive or challenging, 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:52.199 we know that we open your word trusting you to speak. 00:03:52.739 --> 00:03:53.599 And that's what we need. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:54.799 Not just words on a page, 00:03:54.899 --> 00:03:58.019 but the living God speaking to his beloved children. 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:00.180 And we pray this, Lord, for our good, 00:04:00.259 --> 00:04:01.979 but ultimately that you would be glorified 00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:04.560 as we proclaim and receive your word. 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:05.859 In your son's name, amen. 00:04:07.060 --> 00:04:11.419 So first of all, a trumpet blast signals a call to worship. 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.139 And these passages show us something about worship. 00:04:15.399 --> 00:04:18.060 Trumpets were used to summon all of God's people, 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:21.560 especially on the day known as the Feast of Trumpets. 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:23.939 Now, I want to give you a little context, 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:25.680 especially if this is your first time 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:27.300 diving into Revelation with us. 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:29.039 All the way back in chapter four, 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:33.040 we see that John is taken up into the heavenly throne room 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:34.480 where worship is underway. 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:36.680 So this entire vision is happening 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.600 in the context of a worship service. 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:42.480 And so John is invited to the heavenly worship service. 00:04:43.340 --> 00:04:45.980 In that sanctuary, everything is oriented 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:47.580 toward the throne of God. 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.200 The lamb of God, Jesus, arrives on the scene. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:53.379 This is the ascension. 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:56.379 And then Jesus takes this sealed scroll, 00:04:56.520 --> 00:04:58.200 which is sort of God's plan for the world, 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:00.699 and he begins to break open the seals. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:02.360 And that's what we looked at a couple of weeks ago. 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:04.740 But here's what I want to focus on. 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:06.839 When you get to chapter eight 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:08.819 and the seventh seal is open, 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:10.480 look at what it says in verse one. 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:14.319 There was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 00:05:14.599 --> 00:05:17.800 In fact, I'm going to pull this up on the screen. 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:20.419 It's so much that I want to make sure we're all tracking. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:23.000 When the lamb opened the seventh seal, 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:26.500 there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:30.259 We ask, well, why does the heavenly worship service stop? 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:32.839 It goes on in verse two to say, 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:36.060 then I saw the seven angels who stand before God 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:38.879 and seven trumpets were given to them. 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:41.399 And we're asking, so something big is about to happen. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:44.420 All of the singing stops, all of the praise stops, 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:45.399 everything halts. 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:46.620 You could hear a pin drop. 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:47.759 Everybody's holding their breath. 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:49.620 The angels get ready. 00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:50.720 They have their trumpets, 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:52.740 but everybody's waiting for something. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:53.959 You say, well, what are they waiting on? 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:56.120 Well, we go forward. 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:00.739 And another angel came and stood at the altar 00:06:00.739 --> 00:06:02.279 with a golden censer. 00:06:02.939 --> 00:06:05.759 And he was given much incense to offer 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:07.560 with the prayers of the saints 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:10.519 on the golden altar before the throne. 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:11.359 Here's the answer. 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:13.659 Why does the heavenly worship service stop? 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:14.859 Why does everything go silent? 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:19.360 In order to hear the prayers of the saints. 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:23.540 They're waiting for the prayers of the saints 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:26.740 to be offered before the altar. 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:30.520 And this is an amazing scene as we continue to read. 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:31.120 And it says, 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:33.959 The smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:36.399 rose before God from the hand of the angel. 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:38.439 Then the angel took the censer 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:40.319 and filled it with fire from the altar 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:41.800 and threw it on the earth. 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:43.420 And there were peals of thunder, 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:45.079 rumblings, flashes of lightning, 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:46.060 and an earthquake. 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.180 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:50.680 prepared to blow them. 00:06:50.740 --> 00:06:52.319 So this is what they were waiting for. 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:54.180 They were waiting for the prayers of the saints 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:56.459 to fill up this bowl, 00:06:57.060 --> 00:07:00.180 which God then mixes with incense and fire, 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:02.840 and then casts it back on the earth. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:04.180 And this is, 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:05.660 I want to stop here 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:08.079 and just reflect on what this is showing us. 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.600 Remember we said that revelation 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:13.139 helps us to see things the way they really are 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:17.160 and encourages us to trust God's vision of reality 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.319 rather than our own perception of reality. 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:20.519 Well, when it comes to prayer, 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:22.439 I think this is something we really need. 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:24.579 Because I don't know if you're anything like me, 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:25.720 but often when I pray, 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:27.100 and I'm a pastor, right? 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.040 I'm like a professional prayer. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.900 And I get paid to pray, right? 00:07:32.220 --> 00:07:33.360 And yet often when I, 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:34.340 not really, 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:35.500 but often when, 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:37.939 often if you want to be totally frank, 00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:39.439 often when I pray, 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:41.120 there's this little voice that thinks, 00:07:41.340 --> 00:07:42.360 what am I doing? 00:07:43.260 --> 00:07:45.500 Am I just a guy sitting in a room 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:46.480 talking to myself? 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:47.660 Right? 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:48.939 There's that little voice that says, 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:51.660 is this utterly meaningless and pointless? 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:54.879 Or if I am sure that God is there, 00:07:55.340 --> 00:07:55.900 am I thinking, 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:57.000 well, you know, 00:07:57.079 --> 00:07:58.679 God's going to do what God's going to do? 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:00.539 And I'm just saying this little prayer, 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:02.179 but does this have any bearing 00:08:02.179 --> 00:08:03.620 on what God is going to do? 00:08:03.719 --> 00:08:06.679 Or is this just more of a therapeutic exercise for me? 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:07.259 You know, 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:09.500 am I just praying because it helps me feel better? 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:11.679 But God's really going to do what God's going to do. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:12.979 These are the kinds of thoughts 00:08:12.979 --> 00:08:14.179 that I hear. 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:15.500 And I don't know if I'm the only one. 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:16.139 I hope not. 00:08:16.219 --> 00:08:17.079 I don't think so. 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:19.159 And what this is showing us, 00:08:19.239 --> 00:08:19.459 I mean, 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:21.339 you could preach a whole series 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:22.959 just on this passage. 00:08:23.659 --> 00:08:26.159 There's an entire theology of prayer here. 00:08:26.799 --> 00:08:28.379 And we don't have time to draw it all out, 00:08:28.419 --> 00:08:29.719 but I just want to show you a few things 00:08:29.719 --> 00:08:30.959 that this shows us about prayer. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:32.000 Number one, 00:08:32.079 --> 00:08:33.259 this image shows us 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:35.659 that God delights in prayer. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:36.899 I mean, 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:38.419 God delights in your prayer. 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:40.360 This says that 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:41.720 when we pray, 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:44.059 our prayers are like 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:45.639 incense to the Lord. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.860 They're a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:50.199 Incense is a good thing. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:51.920 And so our prayer 00:08:51.920 --> 00:08:54.280 delights the Lord. 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:55.379 And you know, 00:08:55.420 --> 00:08:56.220 I was thinking about this 00:08:56.220 --> 00:08:57.900 and I was thinking about my own kids. 00:08:57.980 --> 00:08:58.920 I was thinking about my boys 00:08:58.920 --> 00:09:00.640 who are sitting right there. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:01.480 And I think that, 00:09:01.680 --> 00:09:01.900 you know, 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:02.940 there they are. 00:09:03.259 --> 00:09:03.780 And oftentimes, 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:05.740 and oftentimes, 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:06.640 you know, 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:08.240 all throughout the day, 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:11.240 from different places in the house, 00:09:11.300 --> 00:09:12.620 I hear their voices crying out, 00:09:12.680 --> 00:09:12.879 Dada! 00:09:13.660 --> 00:09:14.060 Dada! 00:09:14.680 --> 00:09:14.940 You know, 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:17.600 and sometimes they're wanting something 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:18.720 that I can give them 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:20.279 because it's a right thing to want. 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:20.960 Other times, 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:21.840 they're wanting something 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:22.980 that I have to say no. 00:09:23.160 --> 00:09:23.340 You know, 00:09:23.420 --> 00:09:24.560 if I let you do that, 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:25.340 you would die. 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:25.660 You know, 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:26.680 there are things, 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:28.720 all kinds of requests coming in, 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:28.980 right? 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:30.100 But I'll tell you this, 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:31.220 I'll tell you this, 00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:32.759 every single time 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:33.980 I hear their little voices 00:09:33.980 --> 00:09:35.060 say my name, 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:36.360 it delights me. 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:38.860 These are my boys 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:39.560 who I love, 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:40.820 who I would die for, 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:42.220 I'm crazy about. 00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:43.360 and every time 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:44.279 I hear their voices 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:45.519 call my name, 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:47.300 it fills me with delight. 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:48.320 It doesn't matter 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:49.259 what they're asking for. 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:50.000 And this is what 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:50.860 it's telling us about God. 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:52.060 If that's true about me, 00:09:52.180 --> 00:09:53.160 how much more 00:09:53.160 --> 00:09:54.360 does God delight 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.200 to hear your voices 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:57.960 when you call out 00:09:57.960 --> 00:09:58.920 to your heavenly Father? 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.379 Prayer delights God, 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:01.820 right? 00:10:02.019 --> 00:10:03.060 So it shows us that. 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:04.139 It's like a pleasing aroma. 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:05.100 Number two, 00:10:05.580 --> 00:10:06.300 this is very important, 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:07.100 it shows us that 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:07.879 there's no such thing 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:08.820 as wasted prayer. 00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:11.300 There's no such thing 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:12.159 as wasted prayer. 00:10:15.199 --> 00:10:16.879 We are so time bound 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:18.319 that, you know, 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.279 I'll pray for this or that 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:20.959 on a Tuesday 00:10:20.959 --> 00:10:22.979 and if God hasn't done anything 00:10:22.979 --> 00:10:24.599 by like the next Tuesday, 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:26.539 then I assume that, 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.059 well, maybe God just, 00:10:28.199 --> 00:10:30.019 that request came onto God's desk, 00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:30.500 you know, 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:31.259 he kind of stamped, 00:10:31.459 --> 00:10:31.939 declined, 00:10:32.259 --> 00:10:33.259 and he kind of pushed it 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:34.219 into the trash pile 00:10:34.219 --> 00:10:35.759 and then he just says next, 00:10:35.899 --> 00:10:36.059 you know, 00:10:36.099 --> 00:10:37.339 what's the next request, right? 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:38.419 And he forgets about it. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:40.500 And this is a very different way 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:42.039 of understanding prayer. 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:43.320 This shows us that, 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:44.919 it gives us this poetic image, 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:45.820 I don't think it's literal, 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:47.580 but it's a poetic image 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:49.679 of all of the prayers 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:50.980 of God's people 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:52.039 across the centuries 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:53.460 being gathered together. 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:56.240 Every single word, 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:58.059 every single syllable 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:00.399 is carefully gathered 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.340 into this bowl, 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:04.860 into this heavenly censer. 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:07.200 And what we see here 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:09.919 is that everything 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:11.200 is kept safe. 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:12.060 Every prayer, 00:11:12.180 --> 00:11:13.680 every word is kept safe. 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:15.240 And you recognize 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:16.039 that even though God 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:17.019 doesn't always do 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:18.680 what we want him to do 00:11:18.680 --> 00:11:20.120 when we want him to do it, 00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:22.460 one day God will answer 00:11:22.460 --> 00:11:23.860 all the prayers of the saints. 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:26.500 Every prayer ever uttered. 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:27.419 It may not be in our timing. 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:28.680 It may not be the way we want. 00:11:29.700 --> 00:11:30.960 But no prayer is lost 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:31.560 or forgotten 00:11:31.560 --> 00:11:32.519 or rejected. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:33.600 They're all carefully 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:35.199 gathered together. 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:36.659 And that leads to the third thing 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:38.019 that this shows us about prayer. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:39.960 And this is the most amazing to me. 00:11:40.980 --> 00:11:41.879 God's kingdom 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:43.819 advances through prayer. 00:11:45.319 --> 00:11:46.159 God's kingdom 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.259 advances through prayer. 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:49.319 And we have to understand, 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.480 God is sovereign, 00:11:51.659 --> 00:11:53.039 which means God can do 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:53.919 whatever he wants. 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:55.340 God doesn't need us 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:56.579 for anything. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:57.439 This is unlike 00:11:57.439 --> 00:11:59.139 the Greco-Roman gods 00:11:59.139 --> 00:11:59.779 and goddesses 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:00.740 who sort of needed 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:02.200 the worship and service 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:02.879 of human beings. 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:04.960 Our God doesn't need anything. 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:05.879 His plan 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:07.120 doesn't need 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:08.220 to hinge on us. 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:10.860 And yet what this shows us 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:12.720 is that God 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.680 has so designed 00:12:14.680 --> 00:12:16.120 his world 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:16.860 and us 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:18.720 that our prayers 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:19.840 actually do 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:22.500 become necessary 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:23.899 for the unfolding 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:24.919 of God's plan. 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:26.840 All of heaven 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:28.139 holds its breath 00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:29.039 while the prayers 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:29.719 of the saints 00:12:29.719 --> 00:12:30.699 are gathered 00:12:30.699 --> 00:12:31.939 and offered. 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:32.620 And here's the thing 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:33.139 we need to see. 00:12:33.459 --> 00:12:34.399 Only when the bowl 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:35.199 is full, 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:38.480 only when the bowl 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:38.879 is full 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:39.899 does God then 00:12:39.899 --> 00:12:40.959 mix it with incense 00:12:40.959 --> 00:12:41.719 and the fire 00:12:41.719 --> 00:12:42.459 of the Holy Spirit 00:12:42.459 --> 00:12:43.259 and then cast 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:43.899 the prayers 00:12:43.899 --> 00:12:45.360 for vindication 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:46.439 and judgment 00:12:46.439 --> 00:12:47.419 and renewal 00:12:47.419 --> 00:12:48.839 back down on the earth. 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:51.480 This shows us 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:52.199 that prayer 00:12:52.199 --> 00:12:53.199 matters. 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:54.099 Right? 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:55.159 So Charles Spurgeon, 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:55.860 one of the greatest 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:57.339 preachers who ever lived, 00:12:57.340 --> 00:12:58.800 lived in the 19th century, 00:12:58.920 --> 00:12:59.560 had a ministry 00:12:59.560 --> 00:13:00.620 that transformed 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:01.460 thousands upon 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:02.980 thousands of lives. 00:13:03.060 --> 00:13:03.740 Most people would agree 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:04.580 just one of the most 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:05.240 gifted preachers 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:06.040 who ever lived. 00:13:06.420 --> 00:13:07.320 Often people would come 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:07.800 to visit him 00:13:07.800 --> 00:13:08.259 in his church 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:08.740 and they would want 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:09.200 to sit down 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.620 with this great man 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:11.860 and say, 00:13:12.060 --> 00:13:12.620 what is the secret 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:13.480 to your success? 00:13:14.180 --> 00:13:14.340 You know, 00:13:14.420 --> 00:13:15.879 what's your preaching strategy? 00:13:16.040 --> 00:13:17.120 Who did you learn from? 00:13:17.180 --> 00:13:18.019 Who do you listen to? 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:18.240 You know, 00:13:18.280 --> 00:13:19.160 how do you do it? 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:20.480 And he'd stand up 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:21.560 and he'd lead them down 00:13:21.560 --> 00:13:22.259 into the basement 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:22.940 of the church 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:24.780 to the basement prayer room 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:27.539 where most often 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:28.379 you would find 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:29.100 parishioners 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:30.159 from his congregation 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:30.860 praying. 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:32.139 There were people 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:32.819 in there praying 00:13:32.819 --> 00:13:33.879 almost all the time. 00:13:34.939 --> 00:13:35.879 And Spurgeon would say, 00:13:36.079 --> 00:13:37.339 this is the secret 00:13:37.339 --> 00:13:38.299 to our success. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:40.240 Prayer, 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:41.879 and this prayer room, 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:43.179 is the powerhouse 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:43.819 of the church. 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:45.679 And he would compare it 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:46.439 to a mill. 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:46.779 He says, 00:13:46.839 --> 00:13:46.980 you know, 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:48.059 if the engine room 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:49.019 in a mill 00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:49.899 shuts down, 00:13:50.439 --> 00:13:51.339 the whole mill 00:13:51.339 --> 00:13:52.399 grinds to a halt. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:54.079 And he says, 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:55.179 it's the same with prayer. 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:57.039 Prayer is the engine room 00:13:57.039 --> 00:13:58.139 of the church. 00:13:58.459 --> 00:14:00.100 It all is driven by 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:01.699 and hinges on prayer. 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:04.220 Prayer drives the church. 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:05.100 Prayer is also 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:06.159 the engine room 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:07.799 of God's kingdom. 00:14:08.939 --> 00:14:10.059 This is how the kingdom 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:11.159 advances in the world. 00:14:11.459 --> 00:14:12.399 And so what this is showing us 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:13.299 is that we're not 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:14.899 sideline spectators 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:16.319 in God's plan. 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:17.419 We're not just here to say, 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:18.139 good job, 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:18.759 keep it up. 00:14:19.319 --> 00:14:20.159 Now we could be, 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:21.340 God would be perfectly just 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:22.820 in designing it that way. 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:23.960 But this shows us 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:25.060 that God actually 00:14:25.060 --> 00:14:26.899 gives us 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:28.759 a causal role. 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:29.560 And you know, 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:30.960 Blaise Pascal wrote 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:31.960 that prayer 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:33.060 is God's way 00:14:33.060 --> 00:14:34.440 of giving human beings 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:35.360 the dignity 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:36.160 of causality. 00:14:37.040 --> 00:14:37.740 And I love that. 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:37.980 God, 00:14:38.060 --> 00:14:38.840 he doesn't have to, 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:39.420 but he says, 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:40.060 I'm going to give you 00:14:40.060 --> 00:14:40.600 the dignity 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:42.360 of playing a causal role 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:43.399 in the coming of the kingdom. 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:45.280 Only when you pray, 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:46.720 only when you pray 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.600 will the kingdom advance. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.200 And this is just 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:51.220 kind of blowing my mind 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:51.879 when it comes to 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:52.659 how I think about 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:54.019 my own prayer life. 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:55.620 God doesn't have to rely on us, 00:14:55.680 --> 00:14:57.000 but he chooses to rely on us. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:58.120 And so, 00:14:58.200 --> 00:14:58.379 you know, 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:00.000 here's the so what 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:00.820 before we move on. 00:15:01.019 --> 00:15:02.200 I think we often think 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:03.340 of prayer as the thing 00:15:03.340 --> 00:15:04.300 we do before we do 00:15:04.300 --> 00:15:04.840 the real work. 00:15:05.800 --> 00:15:06.259 You know, 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:06.920 like I'm going to go 00:15:06.920 --> 00:15:08.000 do the important things. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:09.279 I'm going to go 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:09.920 have this meeting 00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:10.720 and all my brilliance 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.100 is going to come out 00:15:12.100 --> 00:15:13.120 and it's going to change lives. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:14.019 But before I do that, 00:15:14.040 --> 00:15:14.740 I should probably pray. 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:16.779 And that's just 00:15:16.779 --> 00:15:17.799 a complete backwards way 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:19.879 of thinking about it. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:21.560 Prayer is the real work 00:15:21.560 --> 00:15:22.200 of God's people. 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:23.960 Everything else we do, 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:24.820 all the things 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:25.879 that we think we have to offer, 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:26.600 all of our degrees 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:27.419 and gifts and training, 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:29.419 all that is very secondary 00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:30.620 and it's very subordinate. 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:31.919 The real work 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:32.820 that we are given to do 00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:33.659 is the work of prayer. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:36.259 Prayer is the engine room 00:15:36.259 --> 00:15:37.720 of the kingdom of God. 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:40.139 So God has been teaching me 00:15:40.139 --> 00:15:41.220 this this past year. 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:42.680 He sets me up 00:15:42.680 --> 00:15:43.299 in situations 00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:44.639 where I try everything I got 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:45.500 and it all fails. 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:46.860 And then in desperation, 00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:47.740 I pray and God 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:48.500 does something amazing. 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:50.039 And again and again and again, 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:50.779 I feel like I've just been 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:51.480 humbled to remember 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:52.960 prayer is the real work 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:53.899 that we've been given to do. 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:55.379 So I think this is why 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:56.419 we should be praying regularly 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:57.279 for our friends, 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:58.659 for our marriages, 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:00.240 for our kids, 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:01.659 for our community, 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:03.159 for our government leaders. 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:04.159 This is why every week 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:04.679 when we gather, 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:05.840 we set aside time 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:07.699 to pray as a church. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:09.240 And so I want to challenge you, 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:11.720 if you just take a moment 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:12.179 and think, 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:13.419 is there some part 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:13.959 of your life 00:16:13.959 --> 00:16:14.539 or something 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:16.000 that you feel like 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:16.979 you have come to the Lord 00:16:16.979 --> 00:16:18.459 and you've prayed to God 00:16:18.459 --> 00:16:19.439 and you feel like God 00:16:19.439 --> 00:16:20.500 just hit declined 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:21.860 and he just kind of shifted 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:23.919 your request off his desk 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:25.379 and he turned his attention elsewhere, 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:27.439 if that's what you feel like 00:16:27.439 --> 00:16:28.500 about that part of your life, 00:16:28.719 --> 00:16:29.719 I want you to consider 00:16:29.719 --> 00:16:31.740 taking up that prayer again. 00:16:32.740 --> 00:16:34.039 Take that thing 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:34.959 and I want you to commit 00:16:34.959 --> 00:16:36.579 to praying every day for that. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:38.659 Do it for a month. 00:16:39.079 --> 00:16:40.139 Do it for two months. 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:42.559 And just see what God might do 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:45.100 if you resume that prayer. 00:16:46.319 --> 00:16:48.299 So this is what the trumpets 00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:49.460 teach us first 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:51.860 is the importance of worship, 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:53.159 the importance of prayer, 00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:54.120 and the way that prayer 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:55.059 is the engine room 00:16:55.059 --> 00:16:56.220 of the kingdom of God. 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:56.899 That's number one. 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:57.819 Number two, 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:00.399 the trumpets offer us 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:01.860 a warning. 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:02.879 They give us a warning 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:04.720 that we all need to heed. 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:05.759 It says, 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.400 as the trumpets begin to sound, 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:09.819 hail and fire and blood 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:11.379 come and they destroy 00:17:11.379 --> 00:17:12.440 a third of the earth. 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:13.900 It says that there's 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:14.900 a burning mountain 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:16.079 that collapses. 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:17.960 It says that the sea 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:19.140 turns to blood. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:20.220 And then it tells us 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:22.220 that demonic locust hordes 00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:23.660 are unleashed 00:17:23.660 --> 00:17:25.640 to torment human beings. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:26.740 Sounds like a horror movie. 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:28.000 You know, 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.099 and I don't think anybody 00:17:29.099 --> 00:17:30.119 thinks that really 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:30.579 there will, 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:31.420 well there's probably 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:32.460 some people who think this, 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:33.460 but I think most people 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:35.099 agree that this is not 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:35.980 literally talking about 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:37.139 a hole opening in the ground 00:17:37.139 --> 00:17:38.339 and demonic locusts 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:38.879 coming out. 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:41.419 This is all metaphor 00:17:41.419 --> 00:17:42.279 and imagery. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.639 It sounds bizarre to us, 00:17:44.399 --> 00:17:45.399 but what we need to understand 00:17:45.399 --> 00:17:46.139 is if you were 00:17:46.139 --> 00:17:47.480 in the first century 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.639 and you were hearing this 00:17:48.639 --> 00:17:49.980 and you were hearing 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:50.779 about all of these things, 00:17:51.139 --> 00:17:51.799 you would immediately 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:52.599 go to one place 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:53.119 in your mind. 00:17:54.219 --> 00:17:54.919 You would think 00:17:54.919 --> 00:17:55.419 of the Exodus. 00:17:56.679 --> 00:17:57.359 You would think 00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:58.679 of the greatest story 00:17:58.679 --> 00:17:59.639 of deliverance 00:17:59.639 --> 00:18:03.339 in Israel's history. 00:18:05.099 --> 00:18:06.419 The Exodus was 00:18:06.419 --> 00:18:09.419 the primary defining event 00:18:09.419 --> 00:18:10.919 in Israel's history. 00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:11.799 It defined them 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:13.039 as a people. 00:18:13.219 --> 00:18:14.599 And so once we recognize 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:15.539 that this is meant 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:17.500 to evoke memories 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:18.199 of the Exodus, 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:19.399 then we realize 00:18:19.399 --> 00:18:20.659 the way to interpret this 00:18:20.659 --> 00:18:21.439 is to look at it 00:18:21.439 --> 00:18:22.179 through the lens 00:18:22.179 --> 00:18:23.099 of the Exodus. 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:24.219 That's how we're meant 00:18:24.219 --> 00:18:24.959 to read this. 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:25.339 And so we say, 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:26.299 oh this is talking 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:27.439 about biblical plagues. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.179 What was going on 00:18:29.179 --> 00:18:30.219 in Egypt 00:18:30.219 --> 00:18:32.000 a long time ago 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.399 when God sent plagues 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.400 on Pharaoh? 00:18:34.560 --> 00:18:34.860 Remember, 00:18:35.860 --> 00:18:36.480 God's people 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:37.160 were enslaved 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:38.019 by the Egyptians 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:40.400 and so God sent plagues 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:41.920 to set them free. 00:18:42.560 --> 00:18:43.040 And you ask, 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:43.860 okay, well back then 00:18:43.860 --> 00:18:44.500 what was the point 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.080 of the plagues? 00:18:45.300 --> 00:18:46.019 Why did God send 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:47.420 ten awful plagues 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:48.380 on the Egyptians? 00:18:48.600 --> 00:18:49.400 And if you go back 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:50.420 to Exodus 5, 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.300 the starting point, 00:18:52.620 --> 00:18:53.360 you see why. 00:18:53.800 --> 00:18:54.740 Moses goes 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:55.560 for the first time 00:18:55.560 --> 00:18:56.060 to Pharaoh 00:18:56.060 --> 00:18:57.380 and Moses says, 00:18:58.180 --> 00:18:59.060 the Lord says, 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:00.560 let my people go 00:19:00.560 --> 00:19:02.560 that they may worship me. 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:04.000 And here's Pharaoh's response. 00:19:04.139 --> 00:19:05.779 This sets the whole thing off. 00:19:07.379 --> 00:19:08.179 Who is the Lord 00:19:08.179 --> 00:19:10.099 that I should obey 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:10.879 his voice? 00:19:12.159 --> 00:19:12.759 And you say, 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:13.779 wrong answer, Pharaoh. 00:19:14.919 --> 00:19:15.099 Right? 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:16.539 Everything that comes 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:17.119 after that 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:18.419 for chapter upon chapter 00:19:18.419 --> 00:19:19.259 upon chapter 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:20.200 of nightmare, 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:21.859 it all is a result 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:24.119 of those fatal words. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:24.980 Who is the Lord 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:26.079 that I should obey 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.099 his voice? 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:28.079 And so what we see 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:28.700 is the purpose 00:19:28.700 --> 00:19:29.419 of the plagues 00:19:29.419 --> 00:19:29.960 is this. 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:30.859 God is wanting 00:19:30.859 --> 00:19:31.379 to demonstrate 00:19:31.379 --> 00:19:32.220 to the whole world 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:34.420 there is only one God 00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:36.160 and there is no one 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:36.779 like that God. 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:38.440 And you see that refrain 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:40.039 throughout all of the plagues. 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:41.420 Before each of the plagues, 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:42.059 God says 00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:43.660 that they may know 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:45.460 that I am the Lord. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:46.799 That they may know 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:47.839 that there is no one 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:48.380 like me. 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:49.519 That they may know 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:50.860 that I am the only God. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:52.079 Plague after plague 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:52.539 after plague 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:54.380 to teach the same point. 00:19:54.600 --> 00:19:54.799 Right? 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:55.860 So the purpose 00:19:55.860 --> 00:19:56.460 of the plagues 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:57.019 is this. 00:19:57.660 --> 00:19:58.839 There's only one God, 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:00.160 Yahweh, 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:01.240 and there's no one 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:01.700 like him. 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:03.339 And so, 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:03.720 okay, 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:04.740 so that's our lens 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:05.259 and so we say, 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:05.460 okay, 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:06.000 well if Revelation 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:06.980 is telling us 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:08.839 that God will send 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:10.220 more plagues 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:11.059 on the earth, 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.400 not just to Egypt 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.019 but on the whole earth, 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:14.920 that more plagues 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:15.620 come, 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:17.079 they have come 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:17.680 throughout history, 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:18.620 they will continue 00:20:18.620 --> 00:20:19.099 to come. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.480 If this is what 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:21.299 we're seeing here, 00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:22.000 then what does that 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.460 tell us? 00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:23.940 If you put on 00:20:23.940 --> 00:20:24.400 your sort of 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:25.339 exegetical hat, 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:26.559 well, 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:27.599 it tells us 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:28.140 that the Exodus 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:28.680 never ended. 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:30.700 It tells us 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:31.360 that we are still 00:20:31.360 --> 00:20:31.960 in Exodus. 00:20:32.840 --> 00:20:33.640 It tells us 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:34.740 that the whole world 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:37.460 is enslaved 00:20:37.460 --> 00:20:39.080 and that God 00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:40.100 is calling out, 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:42.380 let my people go, 00:20:42.620 --> 00:20:43.279 but that is going 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.980 out over all the earth. 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:46.560 The entire unbelieving 00:20:46.560 --> 00:20:47.960 world is like Pharaoh 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:48.980 saying, 00:20:49.320 --> 00:20:49.840 who is the Lord 00:20:49.840 --> 00:20:50.539 that I should obey 00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:51.140 his voice? 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:52.340 Right? 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:54.279 And we're all slaves 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:55.600 and we're not slaves 00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:56.259 to Egypt, 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:57.839 we're slaves 00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:58.400 to idols. 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:00.500 And idol worship 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:01.700 is the thing 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:02.680 that sits behind 00:21:02.680 --> 00:21:03.359 both Exodus 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:04.460 and Revelation. 00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:05.359 The core problem 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:06.099 with human beings 00:21:06.099 --> 00:21:07.839 is that we worship 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:08.839 idols. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:11.299 And if you say, 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:11.440 well, 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:12.200 how do you get there 00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:12.740 in Revelation? 00:21:13.379 --> 00:21:14.559 How could you possibly 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:15.140 say it's actually 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:15.900 all about idol worship? 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:16.240 Actually, 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:17.240 the end of chapter 9 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.579 tells us 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:19.879 that very thing. 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:26.400 No, no, no, 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:27.160 chapter 9. 00:21:36.020 --> 00:21:36.720 Let's see. 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:39.960 For the power 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.500 of the horses 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:41.660 is in their mouths 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:42.420 and in their tails. 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:43.980 Verse 20, 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.100 the rest of mankind 00:21:45.100 --> 00:21:46.160 who were not killed 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.060 by these plagues 00:21:47.060 --> 00:21:48.240 did not repent 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:48.800 of the works 00:21:48.800 --> 00:21:49.460 of their hands 00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:50.420 nor give up 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:51.299 worshiping demons 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:52.340 and idols of gold 00:21:52.340 --> 00:21:52.960 and silver 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:53.640 and bronze 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:54.259 and stone 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:54.799 and wood 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:55.900 which cannot see 00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:56.400 or hear 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:57.340 or walk. 00:21:57.400 --> 00:21:58.920 So this entire section 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:01.079 is summed up there. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:02.460 All of this was meant 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:03.079 to get the people 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:04.120 to repent of their idol worship 00:22:04.120 --> 00:22:04.960 and they didn't repent. 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:06.240 And so we know 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:07.480 that it's all about idols. 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:09.460 So all of these plagues, 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:10.539 as awful as they sound, 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:11.299 and here's kind of 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:12.019 a challenging idea, 00:22:12.340 --> 00:22:12.920 these plagues 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:14.380 are actually acts of mercy. 00:22:15.620 --> 00:22:16.640 They're acts of mercy. 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.140 God allows a finite amount 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:21.520 of suffering and calamity 00:22:21.520 --> 00:22:23.259 in order to wake people up 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:23.860 to the truth 00:22:23.860 --> 00:22:25.140 that they're enslaved to idols. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:25.520 And you say, 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:27.060 well, God would cause harm 00:22:27.060 --> 00:22:27.780 to bring healing? 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:29.280 Yeah, it's hard to understand, 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:30.280 but not crazy. 00:22:30.440 --> 00:22:31.000 I mean, that happens 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:31.880 at the doctor's office 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:32.500 all the time. 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:33.020 Right? 00:22:33.100 --> 00:22:34.000 Doctors know that sometimes 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:35.200 they have to cause pain 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.520 in order to bring healing. 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:37.720 That's how we are meant 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:39.460 to understand the plagues. 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:42.100 So God uses suffering 00:22:42.100 --> 00:22:43.579 like a crowbar 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:45.819 to pry our hearts free 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:47.819 from the grip of idols. 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:49.960 So I want to give 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:50.819 a couple of examples 00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:52.279 of what this might look like. 00:22:52.340 --> 00:22:52.539 You say, 00:22:52.620 --> 00:22:54.779 well, why would I need that 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:56.120 in order to see the idols 00:22:56.120 --> 00:22:56.620 that I worship? 00:22:57.900 --> 00:22:59.240 And here's the problem. 00:23:00.120 --> 00:23:01.720 It's very hard to see 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:04.620 the idols that we are worshiping 00:23:04.620 --> 00:23:06.019 when everything's going well. 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.920 Like when life is good 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:08.860 and I'm happy 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:10.019 and my needs are met, 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:11.519 it's hard to see the things 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:12.479 that I'm really depending on 00:23:12.479 --> 00:23:13.639 because I'm not really aware of it. 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:14.839 It's only when the bottom 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:15.659 drops out of life 00:23:15.659 --> 00:23:17.019 that you really begin to see 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:18.259 what you worship 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:19.819 and what you rely on. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:20.899 And so just to give 00:23:20.899 --> 00:23:21.799 a couple of examples, 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.859 let's say that you tend 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:25.740 to make an idol 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:27.359 out of the admiration 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:28.139 of other people. 00:23:29.139 --> 00:23:29.819 I don't know if anybody 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:30.699 wants to admit that, 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:31.599 but for some of us, 00:23:31.659 --> 00:23:32.939 that's an idol. 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:36.899 It's something that we rely on. 00:23:37.459 --> 00:23:38.599 I am nothing. 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:39.500 I am worthless. 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:41.240 My life is empty 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:43.059 unless people admire me, 00:23:43.179 --> 00:23:44.599 unless I can be respected, 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:46.899 unless I have prestige, right? 00:23:47.179 --> 00:23:48.379 So normally people 00:23:48.379 --> 00:23:49.359 who worship that 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:50.359 are pretty good 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:50.959 at getting it. 00:23:51.899 --> 00:23:52.079 You know, 00:23:52.139 --> 00:23:53.939 so somebody really wants 00:23:53.939 --> 00:23:54.339 the admiration 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:54.799 of other people, 00:23:54.879 --> 00:23:55.779 so you learn how 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:56.819 to gain admiration 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:57.879 and you're used to being 00:23:57.879 --> 00:23:59.219 the kind of standout person, 00:23:59.899 --> 00:24:00.599 the smartest person 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:00.879 in the room, 00:24:00.919 --> 00:24:02.240 the most impressive resume, right? 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:03.479 And so normally 00:24:03.479 --> 00:24:05.039 that need is getting met 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.019 and so you're not aware 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:07.059 of how much you need it. 00:24:07.059 --> 00:24:08.159 But then imagine 00:24:08.159 --> 00:24:09.679 something really embarrassing 00:24:09.679 --> 00:24:11.019 happens, right? 00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:12.399 You're publicly humiliated. 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:13.679 Something awful happens 00:24:13.679 --> 00:24:15.740 and you're humiliated. 00:24:16.379 --> 00:24:17.179 Some people, 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:17.579 when they have 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:18.619 an embarrassing experience, 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:19.480 they can just kind of 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:20.139 brush it off, 00:24:20.419 --> 00:24:21.240 laugh at themselves 00:24:21.240 --> 00:24:22.099 and move on. 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:23.039 Other people, 00:24:23.159 --> 00:24:24.220 if they're publicly embarrassed, 00:24:24.379 --> 00:24:25.539 will be devastated. 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:26.899 Now, 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:28.179 if you are devastated 00:24:28.179 --> 00:24:29.259 by something like that, 00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:30.119 it's worth asking, 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:32.220 is there an idol 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:33.399 under the surface? 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:33.659 You know, 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:34.720 I can't laugh it off. 00:24:34.800 --> 00:24:35.600 I can't move on. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:36.620 That thing that happened 00:24:36.620 --> 00:24:37.480 four years ago, 00:24:37.540 --> 00:24:39.279 I'm still ruminating on it 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:40.360 at night 00:24:40.360 --> 00:24:41.340 as I lay in bed. 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:42.660 Chances are, 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.759 there's an idol there 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:47.060 and you didn't realize 00:24:47.060 --> 00:24:47.960 how much you needed 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.740 the affirmation 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:50.200 until after you lost it 00:24:50.200 --> 00:24:51.740 and then you realized 00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:52.380 how much you were 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:53.080 depending on it. 00:24:53.120 --> 00:24:54.380 So that's an example 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:55.920 of how God can bring a plague. 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:57.380 The embarrassment 00:24:57.380 --> 00:24:58.500 is God trying 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.240 to wake you up. 00:25:00.340 --> 00:25:02.120 God trying to liberate you. 00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:03.939 One more example, 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:05.479 let's say we make an idol 00:25:05.479 --> 00:25:06.159 out of our work. 00:25:07.639 --> 00:25:08.739 Some of us do 00:25:08.739 --> 00:25:09.339 make an idol 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:09.879 out of our work. 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:10.679 And you say, 00:25:10.739 --> 00:25:11.000 well, you know, 00:25:11.059 --> 00:25:11.959 I don't really need 00:25:11.959 --> 00:25:12.719 to be told, 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:13.699 I don't need to suffer 00:25:13.699 --> 00:25:14.619 to know that I make 00:25:14.619 --> 00:25:15.779 an idol out of my work. 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:16.299 I mean, 00:25:16.419 --> 00:25:17.379 I'll admit it freely 00:25:17.379 --> 00:25:17.859 right now. 00:25:17.939 --> 00:25:18.219 Yes, 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:19.059 I work too much. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:20.139 It's too important to me. 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:21.219 I don't need to suffer 00:25:21.219 --> 00:25:21.919 to realize that. 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:22.899 Well, here's the thing 00:25:22.899 --> 00:25:23.539 we need to realize. 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:24.819 A lot of our idols 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:25.799 like work 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:27.459 are surface level idols. 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.059 Yeah, 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:29.899 I know I work too much. 00:25:30.659 --> 00:25:32.039 But under that idol, 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:33.979 there are deeper, 00:25:34.199 --> 00:25:35.279 more core idols. 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:37.179 And you're not going 00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:38.179 to know what those 00:25:38.179 --> 00:25:39.379 core idols are 00:25:39.379 --> 00:25:41.439 through simply 00:25:41.439 --> 00:25:42.219 self-reflection. 00:25:43.219 --> 00:25:44.419 Often it takes 00:25:44.419 --> 00:25:45.939 a plague 00:25:45.939 --> 00:25:48.439 to awaken us 00:25:48.439 --> 00:25:48.979 to the truth 00:25:48.979 --> 00:25:49.699 of those deeper 00:25:49.699 --> 00:25:50.279 core idols. 00:25:50.379 --> 00:25:51.259 So think about why 00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:52.099 people make an idol 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:52.559 out of work. 00:25:52.959 --> 00:25:53.179 Well, 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:54.219 lots of different reasons. 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:55.419 Some people make 00:25:55.419 --> 00:25:56.279 an idol out of work 00:25:56.279 --> 00:25:57.359 because it's a way 00:25:57.359 --> 00:25:58.419 to gain prestige 00:25:58.419 --> 00:25:59.039 and self-respect. 00:25:59.219 --> 00:25:59.779 I work a lot 00:25:59.779 --> 00:26:01.019 because I want prestige. 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:03.160 Other people work a lot 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:04.279 because making money 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:05.299 is what gives them 00:26:05.299 --> 00:26:07.000 a sense of safety 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:07.759 and security. 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:08.579 And the only way 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:09.539 I feel safe in the world 00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:10.759 is if I'm making money. 00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:12.599 Some people worship work 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:13.399 because it gives them 00:26:13.399 --> 00:26:14.359 a sense of power 00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:15.480 and control 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:16.339 over other people. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:17.700 Some people worship work 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:18.639 as a way of avoiding 00:26:18.639 --> 00:26:19.420 painful feelings. 00:26:19.639 --> 00:26:20.399 Those are four 00:26:20.399 --> 00:26:21.420 completely different reasons 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:21.920 to work 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:23.680 and to make an idol 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:24.160 out of work. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.960 very different idols 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:27.120 that look the same 00:26:27.120 --> 00:26:27.800 on the surface. 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:29.880 And so the only way 00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:30.779 to know what is 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:32.000 really driving you 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.480 is if God sends a plague. 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:36.160 You lose your job. 00:26:36.900 --> 00:26:37.660 You go for months 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:38.380 and months and months 00:26:38.380 --> 00:26:38.920 unemployed. 00:26:39.040 --> 00:26:40.000 You can't find another job. 00:26:40.060 --> 00:26:40.180 You know, 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:41.019 I've known people 00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:41.720 over the years 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:43.380 in a place like D.C. 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:44.100 that happens a lot. 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:44.980 You get laid off 00:26:44.980 --> 00:26:46.560 or you finish school 00:26:46.560 --> 00:26:47.080 and you're looking 00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:47.740 for a job 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:48.840 and people can just spend 00:26:48.840 --> 00:26:49.779 months and months looking. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:51.180 And I see some people 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:52.720 are able to endure that 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:54.460 and they're okay. 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:54.980 Ultimately, 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:55.720 they know they're 00:26:55.720 --> 00:26:56.339 going to be okay. 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:57.900 Other people are just 00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.700 wrecked by it. 00:26:58.759 --> 00:26:59.079 They don't know 00:26:59.079 --> 00:26:59.779 who they are. 00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:00.980 They're devastated. 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:01.920 They have no sense 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:03.100 of self or worth. 00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:05.180 If that is you, 00:27:06.100 --> 00:27:06.880 it may be that 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:07.900 there's an idol at work. 00:27:08.600 --> 00:27:08.720 Right? 00:27:08.779 --> 00:27:10.000 So these trumpets 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:10.620 in Revelation 00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:13.380 are waking us up 00:27:13.380 --> 00:27:13.880 to the reality 00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:14.600 of the world we live in. 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:15.600 They call us to worship, 00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:16.440 reminding us 00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:17.400 that prayer matters 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.900 and they serve 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:19.519 as a warning. 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:21.720 The Exodus never ended. 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:23.559 God is continuing 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:25.200 to visit plagues upon us 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:26.299 to allow a limited 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:27.039 amount of suffering 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:28.279 so that we will wake up 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:28.779 to the idols 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:30.160 that we serve. 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:32.000 Third and final point, 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:32.900 we'll make this quickly. 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:34.779 For the sake of time, 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:38.400 trumpets signal warfare. 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:40.460 They're a call to battle. 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:42.100 And the sixth trumpet, 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:43.860 we see that the focus 00:27:43.860 --> 00:27:45.620 shifts away from evil plagues 00:27:45.620 --> 00:27:47.660 to a heavenly army. 00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:49.000 And, you know, 00:27:49.100 --> 00:27:50.180 this is just so rich 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:51.360 that we just have to read it. 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:53.359 I mean, just... 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:56.500 Release the four angels 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:57.039 who were bound 00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:58.219 to the great river Euphrates. 00:27:58.740 --> 00:27:59.619 So the four angels 00:27:59.619 --> 00:28:00.399 who had been prepared 00:28:00.399 --> 00:28:01.039 for the hour, 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:01.759 the day, 00:28:01.979 --> 00:28:02.599 the month, 00:28:02.679 --> 00:28:03.319 and the year 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.139 were released 00:28:04.139 --> 00:28:05.599 to kill a third of mankind. 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:07.599 The number of mounted troops 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:10.099 was twice 10,000 times 10,000. 00:28:10.159 --> 00:28:10.599 I'm pretty sure 00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:11.479 that's like 2 million. 00:28:12.179 --> 00:28:13.399 I heard their number 00:28:13.399 --> 00:28:15.159 and this is how I saw 00:28:15.159 --> 00:28:16.339 the horses in my vision 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:17.479 and those who rode them. 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.160 They wore breastplates 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:20.180 of color of fire 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:20.960 and of sapphire 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:21.579 and of sulfur 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:23.559 and the heads of the horses 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:25.200 were like lion's heads. 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:26.160 That's pretty consistent 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.759 with Revelation, right? 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:28.960 The fire and smoke 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.360 and sulfur 00:28:29.360 --> 00:28:30.400 came out of their mouths. 00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:32.120 By these three plagues, 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:32.980 a third of mankind 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:33.680 was killed 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:35.220 by the fire and smoke 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:35.759 and sulfur 00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:37.079 coming out of their mouths. 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:38.799 For the power of the horses 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:39.740 is in their mouths 00:28:39.740 --> 00:28:40.519 and in their tails. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:41.539 For the tails 00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:42.240 are like serpents 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:42.799 with heads 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:44.819 and by means of them 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:45.680 they wound. 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:47.340 I mean, again, 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:49.120 fantastic imagery 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:50.200 but what we are 00:28:50.200 --> 00:28:51.180 to understand is this. 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:52.900 This is a heavenly cavalry 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:55.060 of 200 million 00:28:55.060 --> 00:28:56.880 fire-breathing warriors 00:28:56.880 --> 00:28:58.240 with lion heads. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:00.420 Again, it's like 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:02.160 right out of a kids movie, right? 00:29:02.580 --> 00:29:03.380 It's like, you know. 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:05.640 And yet the commentator 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:06.440 Peter Lightheart 00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:08.299 makes a convincing argument 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:09.700 that this is in fact 00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:10.700 another representation 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:12.700 of the spirit-filled church. 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:14.080 So you say, 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:15.379 well, who is this big 00:29:15.379 --> 00:29:16.159 lion-headed 00:29:16.159 --> 00:29:17.559 fire-breathing cavalry? 00:29:18.659 --> 00:29:19.379 Well, it's you. 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:21.460 This is Revelation's 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:22.539 depiction of you 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:23.599 and me. 00:29:23.679 --> 00:29:24.339 This is the church 00:29:24.339 --> 00:29:24.939 and the world. 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:27.519 The fire that they breathe 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:29.460 is the spirit-filled 00:29:29.460 --> 00:29:30.480 preaching of the gospel. 00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:33.039 The lion heads 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.279 show us that they bear 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:35.679 the image of the lion of Judah. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:37.759 So this is the church 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:39.139 and the church 00:29:39.139 --> 00:29:40.359 is going to war 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:41.359 against the idols 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:43.039 and the idol worshipers 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:43.919 in the world. 00:29:43.979 --> 00:29:44.299 And you say, 00:29:44.359 --> 00:29:46.439 well, are we killing people? 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:48.099 No, not literally. 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:49.159 Again, this is metaphor. 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:51.539 We are killing, you know, 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:52.939 in verse 6, 00:29:53.159 --> 00:29:53.879 it tells us 00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:54.419 that the people 00:29:54.419 --> 00:29:55.439 who are being tormented 00:29:55.439 --> 00:29:56.579 by the demonic 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:57.359 locust hordes, 00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:57.859 remember that? 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:00.059 Those people 00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:01.559 are suffering 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:02.939 and they're longing to die. 00:30:03.159 --> 00:30:04.299 They're longing for freedom. 00:30:05.339 --> 00:30:06.079 And so then God 00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:07.039 sends the cavalry 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:08.459 to set these people free. 00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:09.779 They're not actually 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:10.620 killing these people. 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:11.759 They are turning them 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:12.960 into living sacrifices. 00:30:13.120 --> 00:30:13.819 When people hear 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:15.100 the preaching of the gospel, 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:16.460 they die to themselves, 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:18.019 they die to the power of idols, 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:19.220 and they are raised 00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:19.960 to new life 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:21.100 in Jesus Christ 00:30:21.100 --> 00:30:22.640 as living sacrifices. 00:30:23.600 --> 00:30:24.500 And so this is not 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:25.380 literal killing. 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:27.380 It is actually saving people 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:28.140 from the torment 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:29.340 of idols 00:30:29.340 --> 00:30:30.039 and the demons 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:30.779 behind them. 00:30:30.940 --> 00:30:31.299 And you say, 00:30:31.360 --> 00:30:31.779 well, what about 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:33.400 the snake-headed tails? 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:34.900 I mean, 00:30:35.059 --> 00:30:35.539 again, 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.200 it's bizarre 00:30:36.200 --> 00:30:36.940 and here's how 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:37.759 we would read this. 00:30:38.660 --> 00:30:39.940 The church has the power 00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:41.180 to bless and to curse. 00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:43.019 That's something 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:43.920 we don't often talk about. 00:30:44.420 --> 00:30:45.140 The church has the power 00:30:45.140 --> 00:30:46.039 to bless and to curse. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:47.579 You have an opportunity 00:30:47.579 --> 00:30:48.680 to hear and to respond 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:49.180 to the gospel. 00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:50.240 If you reject the gospel, 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:51.600 if you let it pass you by, 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:53.480 then you are given over 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:54.000 to the serpent. 00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:56.559 The church has that authority 00:30:56.559 --> 00:30:57.079 in the world. 00:30:58.299 --> 00:30:59.039 And so this scene 00:30:59.039 --> 00:30:59.960 reveals the truth 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:00.519 about the church 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:00.960 in the world 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:02.079 that we are at war. 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:03.720 Now you may right now 00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:04.500 feel like you're at war 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.140 with your kids 00:31:05.140 --> 00:31:06.160 trying to keep them from, 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:07.279 and we don't often 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:07.920 think of that, 00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:08.480 and you think 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:09.139 the biggest battle 00:31:09.139 --> 00:31:09.759 that you're fighting 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.299 is just keeping 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:10.960 your kids quiet. 00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:14.079 I feel that all the time. 00:31:14.359 --> 00:31:14.980 My wife feels it 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:15.399 all the time. 00:31:16.399 --> 00:31:17.559 But don't be fooled. 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:19.099 Right now, 00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:19.960 sitting in this room, 00:31:20.059 --> 00:31:20.819 we are at war. 00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:22.839 There is a battle 00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:23.680 taking place, 00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:25.160 and human beings 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:26.299 hang in the balance. 00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:28.299 But as Paul says 00:31:28.299 --> 00:31:29.059 in Ephesians 6, 00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:30.660 lest we get the wrong idea, 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:31.799 we do not wrestle 00:31:31.799 --> 00:31:32.819 against flesh and blood, 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:34.019 but against the rulers, 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:35.059 against the authorities, 00:31:35.059 --> 00:31:36.700 against the cosmic powers 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:37.859 over this present darkness, 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:39.539 against the spiritual forces 00:31:39.539 --> 00:31:40.159 of evil 00:31:40.159 --> 00:31:41.659 in the heavenly places. 00:31:41.799 --> 00:31:42.419 We are fighting 00:31:42.419 --> 00:31:43.679 a spiritual war 00:31:43.679 --> 00:31:45.359 against idols 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:47.519 and the demonic forces 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:48.619 behind those idols. 00:31:49.179 --> 00:31:50.259 So here's the quick point 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:50.779 I want to make. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:53.779 When it comes to evangelism, 00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:54.720 I think often 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:56.240 we feel squeamish about it. 00:31:56.639 --> 00:31:57.259 We feel like 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:58.119 in this day and age, 00:31:58.539 --> 00:31:59.440 sharing your faith 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:00.179 with other people 00:32:00.179 --> 00:32:01.279 is closed-minded 00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:02.059 and backwards. 00:32:02.259 --> 00:32:03.240 Nobody does that anymore. 00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:04.519 We live in a morally 00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:06.279 and religiously pluralistic society. 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:07.500 Everybody should just 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:08.519 believe what they believe. 00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:11.339 But we need to see 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:12.539 evangelism 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.380 through the lens 00:32:13.380 --> 00:32:15.599 of Revelation chapters 8 00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:17.140 and 9. 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:19.839 We should not think of this 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:21.059 as just one worldview 00:32:21.059 --> 00:32:22.259 versus another 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:23.519 or one set of ideas 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:24.500 versus another. 00:32:24.620 --> 00:32:26.220 The trumpet reminds us 00:32:26.220 --> 00:32:27.640 that we are at war 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:28.700 because we're still 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:29.579 in the Exodus. 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:31.019 And all around us, 00:32:31.019 --> 00:32:31.779 human beings 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:32.680 are enslaved 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:33.519 to idols. 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:34.379 The people who come 00:32:34.379 --> 00:32:35.339 and worship here 00:32:35.339 --> 00:32:35.960 are coming 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:37.740 as slaves to idols. 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:39.559 And so God calls 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:40.000 his church 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:41.039 to be like Moses. 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:41.980 You know, 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:42.920 the church is like Moses 00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:44.139 confronting Pharaoh, 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:44.819 confronting 00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:46.500 the unbelieving world 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:46.960 and saying, 00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:47.960 let my people go. 00:32:49.139 --> 00:32:49.980 So every time 00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:50.799 we share the gospel, 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:51.680 we're giving someone 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:52.460 a chance 00:32:52.460 --> 00:32:53.700 at freedom. 00:32:54.359 --> 00:32:55.339 That's what you're doing. 00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:56.440 You're speaking to a slave 00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:56.799 and you're saying, 00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:57.740 this is how to be free. 00:32:57.740 --> 00:32:59.680 And you know, 00:32:59.779 --> 00:33:01.120 I love the words 00:33:01.120 --> 00:33:02.180 from Penn Jillette, 00:33:02.299 --> 00:33:02.480 you know, 00:33:02.519 --> 00:33:03.940 the kind of performer, 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:04.960 magician. 00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:06.059 He's a well-known atheist. 00:33:06.579 --> 00:33:07.400 But at one point 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:08.339 he said this in an interview. 00:33:08.660 --> 00:33:08.960 He said, 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:09.259 you know, 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:10.579 even though he's an atheist, 00:33:10.700 --> 00:33:10.960 he says, 00:33:11.079 --> 00:33:12.200 I don't respect people 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:13.319 who don't proselytize. 00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:14.319 He says, 00:33:14.339 --> 00:33:15.400 I don't respect that at all. 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:16.200 He says, 00:33:16.259 --> 00:33:17.480 you believe that there's a heaven 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:18.920 and eternal life 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:19.279 or whatever 00:33:19.279 --> 00:33:20.359 and you think that it's not 00:33:20.359 --> 00:33:21.519 really worth telling people 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:23.099 because it would make it 00:33:23.099 --> 00:33:23.839 socially awkward? 00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:24.960 And then he says this, 00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:25.900 how much do you have 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:26.799 to hate somebody 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:28.319 to believe that everlasting life 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:28.919 is possible 00:33:28.919 --> 00:33:30.240 and to not tell them that? 00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:31.680 And I love, 00:33:31.740 --> 00:33:32.359 it's so true, 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:32.680 you know, 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:34.259 I'm a slave. 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:35.919 I am tormented 00:33:35.919 --> 00:33:37.339 by the things 00:33:37.339 --> 00:33:38.379 that I've given my life to. 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:39.119 I'm tormented 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:40.180 by my need to be beautiful. 00:33:40.659 --> 00:33:41.359 I'm tormented 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:42.440 by my need to be smart. 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:43.279 I'm tormented 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:44.419 by my need to be successful. 00:33:44.700 --> 00:33:45.359 I'm tormented 00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:47.019 by my need to be comfortable. 00:33:48.819 --> 00:33:49.819 And in every case, 00:33:49.879 --> 00:33:50.619 I'm a slave. 00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:52.279 And you actually have 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:53.000 the good news 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.259 that could liberate me 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:54.919 from these things? 00:33:55.319 --> 00:33:55.919 And you're just not 00:33:55.919 --> 00:33:56.379 going to tell me 00:33:56.380 --> 00:33:56.900 because you don't want 00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:57.500 me to be offended? 00:33:58.740 --> 00:33:59.620 That's what he's saying. 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:02.960 So we need to see 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:04.660 that faith means 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:05.600 trusting God's vision 00:34:05.600 --> 00:34:06.120 of reality 00:34:06.120 --> 00:34:07.720 more than our own perception. 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:09.140 And the trumpets 00:34:09.140 --> 00:34:10.079 show us three things. 00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:12.340 Worship and the prayers 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:12.960 of the saints 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:14.460 advance the kingdom 00:34:14.460 --> 00:34:14.940 of God. 00:34:17.340 --> 00:34:17.740 Warning 00:34:17.740 --> 00:34:19.380 needs to be spoken 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:19.880 to the world 00:34:19.880 --> 00:34:20.619 that we are still 00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:21.160 in the exodus 00:34:21.160 --> 00:34:22.640 and that we are still 00:34:22.640 --> 00:34:23.920 slaves to idols 00:34:23.920 --> 00:34:25.260 unless we fight. 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.340 And so finally 00:34:26.340 --> 00:34:27.320 the trumpets show us 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:28.320 that even though 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:29.240 it seems benign, 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:30.300 everything seems peaceful, 00:34:30.780 --> 00:34:31.619 we are at war. 00:34:32.680 --> 00:34:33.460 That God's vision 00:34:33.460 --> 00:34:33.900 of the church 00:34:33.900 --> 00:34:34.320 is that we are 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:35.559 a fire-breathing 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:36.940 lion-headed cavalry. 00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:37.559 And as crazy 00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:38.280 as that sounds, 00:34:38.559 --> 00:34:39.300 when we speak 00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:39.840 the gospel, 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:40.800 we are speaking 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.099 in the fiery power 00:34:42.099 --> 00:34:42.740 of the Spirit. 00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:44.700 And this is God's means 00:34:44.700 --> 00:34:45.680 of setting people free 00:34:45.680 --> 00:34:46.720 for his glory. 00:34:47.079 --> 00:34:47.680 Let's pray. 00:34:47.680 --> 00:34:47.720 Let's pray. 00:34:47.720 --> 00:34:47.760 Let's pray. 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:47.780 Let's pray. 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:48.220 Let's pray. 00:34:48.220 --> 00:34:48.340 Let's pray. 00:34:48.340 --> 00:34:49.720 Let's pray. 00:34:49.720 --> 00:34:51.720 Let's pray. 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:53.900 Let's pray.