WEBVTT

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 Today we have the pleasure of hearing God's word from Jeff Kreisel.

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 And Jeff is one of our supportive missionaries here at CMPC.

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 And Jeff labors at USAPHA or the Air Force Academy with RUF.

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 We just prayed for RUF at Colorado State.

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 We support Wes Calton at Colorado State and Jeff at USAPHA.

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 So please give attention to God's word.

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 All right, well, good morning, everyone.

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 As Andy said, my name is Jeff Kreisel.

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 I serve as the RUF campus minister at the Air Force Academy.

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 I also serve as a brigade chaplain in the Army Reserves here at Fort Carson.

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 So kind of I got a foot in both the blue and the green worlds.

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 My family and I, we've been here for eight years working at the Academy and at Fort Carson.

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 My wife, where is she?

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 She's somewhere.

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 Where is she?

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 Oh, there she is.

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 Anyway, my five kids are here.

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 Get a chance to meet them.

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 They're all amazing.

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 We love being here.

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 We've loved it every moment of these past eight years.

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 It's kind of a beautiful merging or marrying of the different things that we love.

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 I'm a military brat, Army brat.

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 I've never known a day outside of the military.

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 We love the gospel.

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 We love college students and we love the mountains.

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 And so we kind of get to see all four of those things interweave through our time here.

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 A good example of this would be a couple months ago over MLK weekend, we took about 84 of our

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 cadets to Crested Butte for our annual winter retreat.

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 And throughout the weekend, I had several amazing conversations with college students as they were

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 trapped with me on chairlifts throughout the day.

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 They couldn't get away.

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 It's perfect ministry.

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 They've kind of made a joke of it over the years.

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 They call it ski chairlift discipleship with Jeff.

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 And because they know that if you sit on a chairlift with me, you better come prepared to like tell your entire story because I'm just going to keep on asking you questions.

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 But yeah, it's a beautiful merging of the things that we love.

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 I love snowboarding.

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 I love snowboarding with cadets.

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 But if I'm being honest with y'all, my body hates being above a certain elevation for too long.

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 Above like 9,000 feet of elevation, my body just kind of falls apart.

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 I honestly can't remember the last time that I didn't get some degree of altitude sickness when I was up in the mountains for more than a few days.

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 And I have tried every tip and trick that you can find on the interwebs.

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 And I'm telling you, nothing works for me.

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 It doesn't matter how much water I drink or electrolytes I inhale or Advil I take or carbs I take before I go.

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 My body just doesn't like the higher elevations.

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 Yes, you can feel me.

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 I can stand a few days, but there always comes a point when my body says enough is enough and I have to come down, right?

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 Well, this morning we're going to consider a passage in the book of Revelation, Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

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 And it is a passage that I would argue will take us into the theological stratosphere.

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 A passage that takes us to such spiritual heights that it will take your breath away.

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 Like you don't really know how to cope with the reality of being this high.

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 You'll feel lightheaded.

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 You'll feel a little woozy.

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 This morning, God is inviting us to enter his heavenly throne room.

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 There is no higher place.

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 No spiritual reality higher than this.

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 But the reality is due to our fallen nature, due to our finitude, we can't handle such great spiritual heights.

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 God is too holy for us.

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 If we were in his direct presence, we couldn't survive.

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 It's like trying to fly in an unpressurized cockpit.

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 Like you have to have something standing between you and him in order to survive.

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 His unfiltered presence is too much for us to handle.

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 But out of God's kindness, he has given us apocalyptic literature, like the book of Revelation,

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 so that we can, in a very real sense, enter the heavenly places while we are still fallen and finite.

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 I like to compare the book of Revelation with my students to like wearing a VR headset, right?

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 It's like we naturally can't enter God's throne room.

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 He is infinitely holy and we are not.

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 But with this kind of like VR headset on, we are able to like safely like navigate, enter the spiritual stratosphere.

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 But just because we're safe when we approach God's word in Revelation 4 and 5,

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 it doesn't mean that it won't take your breath away.

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 It will.

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 And so I have a long scripture reading.

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 It's two chapters, but I'm going to cut a little bit out.

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 So if you guys have your bulletins, please open those and follow along with me as I read.

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 Revelation 4.

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 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing opened in heaven.

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 And the first voice which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said,

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 Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.

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 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne.

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 And we can jump to verse 6.

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 And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures.

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 Each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within.

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 And day and night they never cease to say,

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 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.

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 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne,

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 who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him,

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 who lives forever and ever.

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 They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

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 Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.

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 For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

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 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll,

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 written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

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 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

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 Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?

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 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.

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 And I began to weep loudly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

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 And one of the old elders said to me,

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 Weep no more.

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 Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered,

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 so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

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 In between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders,

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 I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain,

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 with seven horns and with seven eyes,

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 which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

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 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne,

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 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb,

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 and they sang a new song,

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 saying,

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 Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,

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 for you were slain,

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 and by your blood ransomed people for God,

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 from every tribe and language and people and nation.

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 And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

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 and they shall reign on the earth.

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 This is the word of God for the people of God.

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 Let me pray for us.

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 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,

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 who was and is and is to come.

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 Lord, I pray that you would help us to behold you more clearly this morning,

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 that we would behold Christ,

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 the slain lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

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 We pray all this in his name.

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 Amen.

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 All right.

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 So, the book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John

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 while he was on this desolate island in the Mediterranean Sea called Patmos.

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 Nowadays, this island has a reputation of being one of the quietest Greek islands.

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 It has a booming tourist economy.

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 It's kind of known for its beautiful beaches.

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 It's a place that you want to go.

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 But 2,000 years ago, it was not a place that you wanted to go.

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 It was a place where criminals were exiled.

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 I like to think of Patmos kind of like the Alcatraz of the Roman Empire.

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 So, why was the Apostle John exiled to Alcatraz?

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 He was an old man at this point in his life.

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 He was probably around 80 to 90 years old.

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 So, he wasn't exactly a physical threat,

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 but John was exiled here because he was deemed a social threat

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 to the social peace of the Roman Empire

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 because this man would not shut up about the good news of Jesus Christ.

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 He wouldn't stop talking about Jesus.

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 Day after day after day,

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 John refused to worship Caesar as Lord and God.

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 And that's a key phrase in this passage.

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 He refused to worship Caesar as Lord and God

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 because Jesus alone was his Lord and God.

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 And as a result of him taking the stand,

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 refusing to worship Caesar,

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 many early Christians followed his lead

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 and also refused to worship Caesar as Lord and God.

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 And as a result, during this time,

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 under this emperor,

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 approximately 40,000 Christians were brutally murdered

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 for their refusal to worship Caesar just like John.

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 And so, they're trying to contain John's influence.

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 Now, I don't know why John was not a martyr

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 like all of the other apostles.

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 Why, in God's providence, John survives.

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 Maybe it was because he was an old man at this point

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 and they just thought like,

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 hey, he's going to die soon anyway.

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 Let's just exile him to Patmos or something.

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 Or maybe it was because his followers had become so large

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 that maybe an uprising would result

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 if they did murder him in a public way.

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 And so, whatever the case may be,

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 they chose not to martyr him.

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 Instead, they exile him

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 so that they could contain his influence,

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 so they could stop him from influencing others

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 in their refusal to worship Caesar.

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 And so, they send him to Patmos.

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 Now, I will say that I think that if the Romans

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 had the gift of hindsight,

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 John, there's no way John would have survived.

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 He would not have been exiled to Patmos.

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 They would have taken care of him

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 just like they did all of the other apostles.

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 Because when John was exiled on this deserted island,

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 God powerfully worked through him

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 in a way that 2,000 years later,

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 we will forever feel its ripples.

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 You see, it didn't matter where John was.

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 God was going to speak through John.

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 Whether through his words or through his pen,

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 God was going to speak through John.

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 And when God speaks,

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 the light shines in the darkness,

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 and the darkness cannot overcome it.

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 Those were John's words in his great gospel.

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 You see, while John was in the darkness of exile,

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 he receives a vision from God

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 that would come to be the book of Revelation,

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 and this book, through this vision,

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 would light up the world.

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 It would light everything up.

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 One scholar put it this way,

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 John creates for us a new conceptualization of the world.

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 He is giving us a new set of glasses

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 by which to make our way through the broken world.

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 You see, Revelation isn't just a vision of the future.

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 Revelation is a glimpse into heaven.

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 And when you get a glimpse into heaven,

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 you start to long for it.

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 And when you start to long for heaven,

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 you start to become a citizen of heaven,

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 even in the now.

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 And when you start to become a citizen of heaven,

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 you start to pull that heavenly reality

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 into your present tense.

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 You start to bring heaven here.

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 One of my favorite TV shows is the show Silo.

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 It's on Apple TV.

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 It just came out with its second season,

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 and it's such a cool show.

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 If you haven't watched it,

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 you should totally check it out.

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 So the show is set in a world

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 that has just endured some sort of apocalyptic,

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 like cataclysmic event

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 that forced all of the human survivors

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 into this underground shelter.

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 that they call the Silo.

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 And it's a self-sufficient city

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 that inhabits about 10,000 people.

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 So the show is set hundreds of years

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 after the cataclysmic, apocalyptic event.

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 And so you have these 10,000 people

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 who have been living underground.

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 They don't have any conception

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 of what the world looks like

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 for years and years and years,

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 generations.

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 In an effort to prevent

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 all of these inhabitants

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 from opening the Silo doors

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 and exposing the entire population

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 to some form of toxic radiation,

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 the leaders of the Silo

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 decide that it was in the best interest

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 of the Silo

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 to destroy every remnant of life

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 before they entered the Silo.

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 So the inhabitants

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 have not only never seen the natural world,

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 they have like no mental conception of it.

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 No mental conception.

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 They have no idea

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 what a beach looks like.

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 They have no idea

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 like what a beautiful mountain backdrop

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 in Colorado would look like.

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 Or like a beautiful sunset

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 or a rainforest

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 and all the animals of the earth

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 or like the clear night sky

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 in which you can see

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 thousands and thousands of stars.

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 They had no mental conception

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 of the world

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 in which they were actually living.

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 But then something happens

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 in the first season.

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 A little spoiler alert, sorry.

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 There's a little children's book.

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 In this children's book,

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 it predates the Silo.

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 It predates the cataclysmic event.

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 And this children's book,

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 it's a picture book.

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 And it contains these like vivid images

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 of what like a healthy world

00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:32.460
 actually looks like.

00:15:32.940 --> 00:15:35.139
 And this book starts to circulate

00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:36.779
 around the Silo

00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:38.580
 and instantly the inhabitants

00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:41.259
 by looking at the images in this book

00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:43.759
 received a new conceptualization

00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:44.539
 of the world.

00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:48.259
 The book gives them a vision

00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:51.039
 of the invisible world

00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:52.960
 that they were unfamiliar with.

00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:54.799
 It shows them

00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:56.980
 how the world should be.

00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:00.240
 And so the protagonists in the show,

00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:02.240
 they become evangelists

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.259
 of this little children's book.

00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:05.480
 And they just keep,

00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:07.460
 they keep showing it to other people.

00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:08.120
 They're like,

00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:08.879
 see, look.

00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:12.340
 Behold, like this is the real world.

00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.740
 This is what our world should look like.

00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:18.080
 Revelation 4 and 5

00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:19.720
 is kind of like that book.

00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:22.860
 And John is urging us also

00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:25.000
 to stop whatever we're doing

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.919
 and to look at the vivid images

00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:29.319
 in this book.

00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:31.840
 He's saying to us,

00:16:32.780 --> 00:16:33.200
 look,

00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:35.620
 like this is what the real world

00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:37.180
 is supposed to look like.

00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:40.060
 This is the world you were made for.

00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:42.620
 Behold these images.

00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:46.379
 They will completely change your life forever.

00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:48.080
 They will light up the darkness.

00:16:49.780 --> 00:16:52.440
 They will give you a new conceptualization

00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.600
 of the entire world.

00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.200
 So there's three things in this passage

00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:59.080
 that John wants us to see.

00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:00.980
 He doesn't just want us to see.

00:17:01.060 --> 00:17:03.159
 He actually commands us to see them.

00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:06.039
 The Greek word for behold is edu.

00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:08.519
 And he uses it as an imperative.

00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.000
 He's using it as a command.

00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:11.799
 He's commanding us to see

00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:14.200
 three vivid imageries

00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:16.539
 that he believes will change our lives.

00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.620
 So the first thing he wants us to see

00:17:19.620 --> 00:17:20.299
 is a door.

00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:24.019
 And it's a door that leads to heaven.

00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:25.839
 A door that leads

00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.680
 like to the ultimate spiritual reality

00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:32.019
 that is behind our physical reality.

00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:34.879
 That explains our physical reality.

00:17:35.879 --> 00:17:37.480
 Revelation chapter 4 verse 1.

00:17:37.619 --> 00:17:37.839
 He says,

00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:40.319
 And after this I looked

00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:41.659
 and behold.

00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.259
 Look.

00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:44.379
 Pay attention.

00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:47.859
 A door standing open in heaven.

00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:50.259
 John is exiled

00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:51.699
 on this deserted island

00:17:51.699 --> 00:17:52.719
 in Patmos, right?

00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:56.219
 And the door just shows up

00:17:56.219 --> 00:17:57.519
 where he stands.

00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:59.279
 Now, I would argue that

00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:00.500
 throughout human history

00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:03.379
 everyone has been like

00:18:03.379 --> 00:18:05.279
 frantically looking for this door.

00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:08.419
 It's a door into

00:18:08.419 --> 00:18:11.500
 this deeper spiritual reality

00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:12.919
 that will explain

00:18:12.919 --> 00:18:15.099
 why we experience

00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:16.539
 the things that we experience

00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:18.059
 on the physical plane.

00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:20.899
 It's a door that will answer

00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:22.200
 our deepest questions

00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:23.559
 like why am I here?

00:18:23.819 --> 00:18:25.619
 And what is real?

00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:29.599
 And where did matter come from?

00:18:29.659 --> 00:18:31.980
 And where did the mind come from?

00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.539
 How should I live in this world?

00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:36.940
 Where is the door

00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:42.379
 to a happy, beautiful, flourishing life?

00:18:42.380 --> 00:18:45.020
 In Genesis 11,

00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:46.220
 the inhabitants of earth,

00:18:46.260 --> 00:18:47.440
 they tried to build a tower.

00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:49.700
 The Tower of Babel.

00:18:49.860 --> 00:18:51.400
 A stairway to heaven.

00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:52.220
 Why were they trying

00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:52.980
 to get to heaven?

00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:54.020
 Because they're trying

00:18:54.020 --> 00:18:55.140
 to find this door.

00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:58.020
 In the New Testament,

00:18:58.200 --> 00:18:59.360
 we see the Pharisees

00:18:59.360 --> 00:19:00.380
 and they believe

00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:01.960
 that strict obedience

00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:02.880
 to the law,

00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:04.860
 that's the door to heaven.

00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:07.920
 That's how we enter

00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:08.680
 God's presence

00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:10.100
 is through my own effort,

00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:11.440
 through my own working

00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.120
 and striving.

00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:12.980
 You see,

00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:14.620
 it isn't just

00:19:14.620 --> 00:19:15.580
 the Old Testament

00:19:15.580 --> 00:19:16.860
 and New Testament people

00:19:16.860 --> 00:19:17.539
 that are striving

00:19:17.539 --> 00:19:18.299
 for this door.

00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.019
 Like literally every religion

00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:21.600
 and philosophical system

00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:24.620
 is searching for this door.

00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:28.440
 Be it existentialism

00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:30.039
 or like mysticism,

00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:31.400
 skepticism,

00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:32.279
 stoicism,

00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:33.380
 pantheism,

00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:35.440
 atheism even,

00:19:35.860 --> 00:19:36.880
 nihilism even,

00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:37.660
 they're all looking

00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:38.860
 for a door.

00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:39.799
 They're looking for

00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:40.839
 the good life.

00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:42.659
 They're looking for answers

00:19:42.659 --> 00:19:43.779
 to their questions.

00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.219
 They're trying to,

00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:46.139
 in a sense,

00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:47.279
 get out of this

00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:50.059
 inhospitable silo

00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:51.839
 to see the world

00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:53.179
 for what it's supposed to be.

00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:56.419
 I love taking my kids

00:19:56.419 --> 00:19:57.879
 to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:00.659
 And my favorite exhibit

00:20:00.659 --> 00:20:02.419
 goes between like

00:20:02.419 --> 00:20:03.319
 the gorilla exhibit

00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:04.479
 or the lion exhibit.

00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:05.500
 But I'll be honest,

00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:07.119
 it's like every time I go,

00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:08.400
 I always feel really bad

00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:09.839
 for the animals.

00:20:09.940 --> 00:20:10.519
 They look like they're

00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:11.640
 kind of going crazy

00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:12.839
 in there, right?

00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:14.920
 You know,

00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:16.480
 zoologists call

00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:17.240
 this phenomenon

00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:18.720
 zookosis.

00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:22.059
 They essentially

00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:23.420
 lose their minds

00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:24.440
 because they're not

00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:25.140
 in a habitat

00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:26.640
 that is suitable

00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:28.079
 to their flourishing.

00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:29.779
 And so they pace

00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:30.759
 back and forth.

00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:31.839
 They just lay down

00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:33.400
 and they just sit there

00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:34.000
 all day

00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:34.740
 not knowing

00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:35.799
 kind of what

00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:37.359
 the actual habitat

00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:38.559
 that they were designed

00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:39.480
 to be in

00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:40.279
 looks like.

00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:42.279
 And that is

00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:42.980
 essentially

00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:43.839
 a good description

00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:45.200
 of our world.

00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:46.720
 We all suffer

00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.140
 from zookosis

00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:49.059
 to some extent

00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:50.240
 because we have no idea

00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:50.980
 how this world

00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:52.000
 really should be.

00:20:52.539 --> 00:20:53.359
 But we're all trying

00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:54.160
 to find the door

00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:54.759
 that will give us

00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:55.259
 the answer

00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:56.240
 to those questions.

00:20:56.619 --> 00:20:57.359
 Now some people

00:20:57.359 --> 00:20:59.019
 will look to other people

00:20:59.019 --> 00:21:00.940
 to be the door, right?

00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:02.400
 They look to politicians

00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:04.060
 like they're the door

00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:05.360
 to a good life.

00:21:06.100 --> 00:21:06.960
 They're going to bring

00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:07.759
 heaven to earth.

00:21:08.540 --> 00:21:09.320
 Or some view

00:21:09.320 --> 00:21:10.100
 like the wealthy,

00:21:10.340 --> 00:21:11.380
 the celebrities

00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:12.140
 as the door.

00:21:12.280 --> 00:21:12.940
 Like that's what

00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:14.460
 beautiful looks like.

00:21:14.860 --> 00:21:15.880
 Some people would view

00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:17.519
 like technological innovators

00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.780
 like Elon Musk

00:21:18.780 --> 00:21:19.240
 or something.

00:21:19.340 --> 00:21:20.519
 Like he is going to lead us

00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:22.940
 out of the inhospitable,

00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:25.780
 inhabitable silo,

00:21:26.060 --> 00:21:26.980
 out of the zoo

00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:29.599
 and into like the promised land

00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:31.839
 of like technological innovation

00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:33.160
 and AI or whatever.

00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:35.200
 Other people turn

00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:36.360
 to philosophical minds

00:21:36.360 --> 00:21:36.920
 like Plato

00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:37.700
 and Socrates

00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:38.920
 and Kant

00:21:38.920 --> 00:21:39.620
 and Hume

00:21:39.620 --> 00:21:41.000
 and Nietzsche

00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:41.819
 and Marx

00:21:41.819 --> 00:21:43.380
 and Albert Camus.

00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.279
 Like all of these

00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:45.740
 different philosophical people,

00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:47.360
 we will put our hope

00:21:47.360 --> 00:21:47.720
 in them

00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:48.339
 to take us

00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:48.980
 to the door

00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:50.039
 that will explain

00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:50.839
 our existence.

00:21:52.620 --> 00:21:53.620
 And the reality

00:21:53.620 --> 00:21:55.680
 is that every single door

00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:56.860
 that the world

00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:58.039
 has tried to enter,

00:21:58.700 --> 00:22:00.700
 it leads to some form

00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:02.140
 of idolatrous worship.

00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:04.980
 Because here's the thing,

00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:06.460
 when you walk through

00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:07.840
 any door

00:22:07.840 --> 00:22:09.140
 looking for heaven,

00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:11.480
 worship is always waiting

00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.360
 on the other side

00:22:12.360 --> 00:22:13.000
 of that door.

00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:15.680
 It's always waiting.

00:22:16.820 --> 00:22:17.759
 Political worship,

00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:19.519
 celebrity worship,

00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:20.779
 technological worship,

00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:22.380
 philosophical worship.

00:22:23.320 --> 00:22:24.340
 Have you ever walked

00:22:24.340 --> 00:22:25.140
 through the gates

00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:26.240
 like to go

00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:27.860
 to an SEC football game?

00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:29.520
 Like,

00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:31.460
 for some people,

00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:33.060
 you are entering

00:22:33.060 --> 00:22:34.759
 into their house

00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:35.480
 of worship.

00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:37.440
 Heaven on earth.

00:22:39.020 --> 00:22:39.860
 Have you ever walked

00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:41.740
 into a Taylor Swift concert?

00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:42.220
 Have you gone

00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:43.040
 through those doors?

00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:44.259
 For many people,

00:22:44.360 --> 00:22:45.060
 that is a place

00:22:45.060 --> 00:22:45.620
 of worship.

00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.920
 Ever walked into

00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:49.480
 a Louis Vuitton store?

00:22:50.520 --> 00:22:51.040
 For many,

00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:51.860
 that is a place

00:22:51.860 --> 00:22:52.420
 of worship.

00:22:52.560 --> 00:22:53.440
 That's where they believe

00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:54.759
 heaven meets earth.

00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:57.960
 But according to Revelation 4,

00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:59.160
 there's only one door.

00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:02.440
 And you won't desire

00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.200
 this door

00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:04.680
 unless you get a vision

00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:05.559
 of what lies

00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:06.759
 behind the door.

00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:10.359
 Until that vision

00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:12.599
 breaks into your reality

00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:14.039
 and sets your imagination

00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:15.500
 free and offers you

00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:17.099
 a new conceptualization

00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:18.740
 of what life should be

00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:19.440
 and could be.

00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:22.279
 So,

00:23:22.519 --> 00:23:23.759
 here's what the exiled

00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:25.420
 John discovered

00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:27.320
 on this desolate island

00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:27.860
 in the middle

00:23:27.860 --> 00:23:28.700
 of the Mediterranean.

00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:30.840
 He wants us to see

00:23:30.840 --> 00:23:31.740
 that there's a door.

00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:33.620
 And it isn't somewhere

00:23:33.620 --> 00:23:35.019
 like out there

00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:36.440
 that we have to like

00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:37.059
 find.

00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:39.000
 Right?

00:23:39.320 --> 00:23:40.580
 It's right

00:23:40.580 --> 00:23:42.120
 there.

00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:44.660
 It's everywhere.

00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.900
 He's on this island

00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:47.759
 and this door

00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:48.380
 is open

00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:49.700
 right where he stands

00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:50.380
 right in front

00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:51.160
 of his face.

00:23:51.300 --> 00:23:51.720
 It's open.

00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:52.519
 All he has to do

00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:52.980
 is walk

00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:54.360
 right through it.

00:23:55.800 --> 00:23:56.180
 See,

00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:57.040
 he doesn't have to

00:23:57.040 --> 00:23:57.740
 like fly

00:23:57.740 --> 00:23:58.600
 like,

00:23:58.820 --> 00:23:59.360
 you know,

00:23:59.600 --> 00:24:00.200
 like John,

00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:00.740
 Michael,

00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:01.120
 Wendy,

00:24:01.280 --> 00:24:02.280
 and Peter Pan

00:24:02.280 --> 00:24:03.100
 to go to this

00:24:03.100 --> 00:24:04.880
 other reality.

00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.160
 He simply

00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:07.800
 steps into it

00:24:07.800 --> 00:24:08.700
 right where

00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:09.460
 he is.

00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:11.180
 You see,

00:24:11.300 --> 00:24:12.300
 for the apostle

00:24:12.300 --> 00:24:12.840
 John,

00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:13.320
 heaven,

00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:14.740
 it refers to

00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.819
 this other

00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:16.539
 reality

00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:18.539
 that is actually

00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:20.220
 not so far away

00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:21.139
 as we may think.

00:24:22.159 --> 00:24:22.980
 It's actually

00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:23.659
 right here.

00:24:24.279 --> 00:24:25.500
 It's close at hand.

00:24:25.679 --> 00:24:26.879
 It's all around us.

00:24:27.179 --> 00:24:28.139
 It's a reality

00:24:28.139 --> 00:24:30.000
 that intersects

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.659
 and informs

00:24:31.659 --> 00:24:32.759
 our visible,

00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:33.419
 tangible

00:24:33.419 --> 00:24:34.460
 reality.

00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:36.039
 Yes,

00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.059
 sin separates

00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:38.980
 us from

00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.899
 this reality.

00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:41.680
 but it's

00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:42.980
 not spatially

00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:43.920
 far away.

00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:46.420
 Now,

00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:47.000
 why is this

00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:47.640
 so important?

00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:48.759
 It's important

00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:49.560
 because this

00:24:49.560 --> 00:24:50.300
 means that it

00:24:50.300 --> 00:24:51.259
 doesn't matter

00:24:51.259 --> 00:24:52.460
 like where you

00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:53.420
 are or what

00:24:53.420 --> 00:24:53.960
 you're going

00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:54.420
 through.

00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:56.759
 God is there.

00:24:59.300 --> 00:25:00.120
 According to

00:25:00.120 --> 00:25:01.120
 Revelation 4,

00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:02.360
 you're never

00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:03.259
 truly alone.

00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:05.100
 Through faith

00:25:05.100 --> 00:25:05.660
 in Christ,

00:25:05.780 --> 00:25:06.440
 you have heaven

00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:07.560
 there.

00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:10.139
 you're never

00:25:10.139 --> 00:25:11.039
 trapped in a

00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:11.460
 silo,

00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:12.859
 even when life

00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:13.619
 feels like a

00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:14.500
 dark dungeon,

00:25:14.679 --> 00:25:16.460
 even in exile

00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:17.000
 on this

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:17.639
 desolate

00:25:17.639 --> 00:25:18.579
 island,

00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:19.779
 standing in

00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:20.539
 God's presence

00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:21.299
 was just a

00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:22.220
 doorway for

00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:22.599
 John.

00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:24.720
 And the

00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.399
 door is,

00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:26.039
 in fact,

00:25:26.139 --> 00:25:26.839
 according to

00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:27.659
 John in

00:25:27.659 --> 00:25:28.480
 his gospel,

00:25:29.159 --> 00:25:29.859
 a person.

00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:31.679
 It isn't

00:25:31.679 --> 00:25:31.980
 like a

00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:32.599
 philosophical

00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:33.799
 thought or

00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:36.299
 an ethical

00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:36.980
 framework.

00:25:36.980 --> 00:25:37.539
 it's a

00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:38.059
 person.

00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:39.480
 The door

00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:40.000
 is none

00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:40.640
 other than

00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:41.660
 Jesus himself.

00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:42.339
 John writes

00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:43.039
 in his gospel

00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:43.819
 in chapter 10

00:25:43.819 --> 00:25:44.400
 verse 9,

00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:45.400
 Jesus says,

00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:45.920
 I am the

00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.259
 door.

00:25:47.360 --> 00:25:48.059
 If anyone

00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:48.940
 enters by

00:25:48.940 --> 00:25:49.279
 me,

00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:49.940
 he will be

00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:50.500
 saved and

00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:50.980
 he will go

00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:51.900
 in and

00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:52.440
 out and

00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:52.660
 he will

00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:53.599
 find pasture.

00:25:57.140 --> 00:25:58.019
 So wherever

00:25:58.019 --> 00:25:58.720
 you are,

00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:00.140
 like whenever

00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:00.980
 you pray in

00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:01.839
 Jesus' name,

00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:02.440
 you step

00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:02.900
 through the

00:26:02.900 --> 00:26:03.400
 door into

00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:03.940
 the heavenly

00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:04.579
 throne room

00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:05.099
 of God.

00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:06.439
 That's

00:26:06.439 --> 00:26:07.139
 unbelievable.

00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:09.079
 Like wherever

00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:09.720
 you are,

00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:10.779
 whenever you

00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.659
 gather with

00:26:11.659 --> 00:26:12.559
 fellow believers

00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:13.539
 for corporate

00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:13.980
 worship,

00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:15.059
 you step

00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.639
 through the

00:26:15.639 --> 00:26:16.039
 door.

00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:18.939
 Like church

00:26:18.939 --> 00:26:19.399
 isn't just

00:26:19.399 --> 00:26:20.000
 some country

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:21.240
 club with

00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:21.779
 like-minded

00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:22.259
 people.

00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:23.980
 It is where

00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:24.919
 God meets

00:26:24.919 --> 00:26:25.279
 with his

00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:25.819
 people,

00:26:26.419 --> 00:26:27.079
 where God

00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:27.899
 dwells with

00:26:27.899 --> 00:26:28.439
 us.

00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:29.159
 And what

00:26:29.159 --> 00:26:29.799
 do you call

00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:30.359
 the place

00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:30.899
 where God

00:26:30.899 --> 00:26:31.619
 dwells with

00:26:31.619 --> 00:26:32.039
 people?

00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:34.119
 that's

00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:34.399
 heaven.

00:26:35.579 --> 00:26:36.359
 We get a

00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:36.859
 glimpse of

00:26:36.859 --> 00:26:36.940
 it.

00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:37.359
 We get to

00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:38.099
 taste it.

00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.000
 Not in its

00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:39.680
 fullest sense,

00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:40.240
 but we get to

00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:41.339
 experience heaven

00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:42.440
 even now.

00:26:43.859 --> 00:26:44.420
 John is

00:26:44.420 --> 00:26:44.779
 saying that

00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:45.440
 wherever you

00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.039
 are, like

00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:46.599
 whenever you

00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:47.359
 sing Christ

00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:48.420
 centered songs,

00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:50.500
 you step

00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:50.980
 through the

00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:52.099
 door and

00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:53.019
 you join this

00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:53.839
 eternal,

00:26:54.619 --> 00:26:55.399
 never ending

00:26:55.399 --> 00:26:56.440
 choir of

00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:57.159
 worship to

00:26:57.159 --> 00:26:57.579
 God.

00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.079
 Wherever you

00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:00.559
 are, whenever

00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:01.220
 you forgive

00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:02.059
 other people,

00:27:02.259 --> 00:27:03.519
 as God has

00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.319
 forgiven you,

00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:04.860
 you step

00:27:04.860 --> 00:27:05.279
 through the

00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:05.600
 door.

00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:07.660
 Wherever you

00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:08.220
 are, whenever

00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:09.120
 you work

00:27:09.120 --> 00:27:11.299
 with purpose,

00:27:11.860 --> 00:27:12.220
 with the

00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:12.720
 purpose of

00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:13.700
 glorifying God,

00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:14.259
 like through

00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:15.000
 your work and

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:15.740
 in your work,

00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:16.660
 you step

00:27:16.660 --> 00:27:17.180
 through the

00:27:17.180 --> 00:27:18.980
 door, wherever

00:27:18.980 --> 00:27:19.559
 you are.

00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:21.220
 In Acts

00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:22.640
 16, the

00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:23.339
 apostle Paul

00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:23.940
 and Silas,

00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:24.500
 they're arrested,

00:27:25.140 --> 00:27:25.759
 they're beaten,

00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:26.460
 and they're thrown

00:27:26.460 --> 00:27:27.059
 in jail.

00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.700
 But to their

00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:29.819
 Philippian jailer's

00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:30.640
 surprise, the

00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:32.320
 jail cell was

00:27:32.320 --> 00:27:33.120
 actually a door

00:27:33.120 --> 00:27:33.620
 into the

00:27:33.620 --> 00:27:34.680
 heavenly places.

00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:37.400
 And therefore,

00:27:37.560 --> 00:27:38.340
 even in prison

00:27:38.340 --> 00:27:39.060
 while awaiting

00:27:39.060 --> 00:27:40.820
 trial, Paul and

00:27:40.820 --> 00:27:42.080
 Silas can't help

00:27:42.080 --> 00:27:42.980
 but sing.

00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:45.180
 They worship,

00:27:45.620 --> 00:27:46.380
 they're praising

00:27:46.380 --> 00:27:47.759
 God even in

00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.220
 prison.

00:27:49.560 --> 00:27:50.480
 Remember, when you

00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.259
 walk through the

00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:52.620
 door, worship is

00:27:52.620 --> 00:27:53.580
 always waiting on

00:27:53.580 --> 00:27:54.500
 the other side.

00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:56.040
 You see, Paul and

00:27:56.040 --> 00:27:57.520
 Silas carried this

00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:59.119
 new conceptualization

00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:00.039
 of the world

00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:01.839
 with them wherever

00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:03.039
 they went, even a

00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:03.700
 prison cell.

00:28:04.879 --> 00:28:05.720
 And so when this

00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.799
 earthquake strikes

00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:07.960
 and it opens

00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:08.940
 their jail cell,

00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:10.220
 they don't take

00:28:10.220 --> 00:28:10.700
 this as an

00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:11.480
 opportunity to

00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:12.200
 run away.

00:28:13.379 --> 00:28:14.279
 Well, why?

00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:16.539
 Because they were

00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:17.400
 already free.

00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:19.279
 Like they may

00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:20.139
 have been in a

00:28:20.139 --> 00:28:20.859
 jail cell, but

00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:21.319
 they were no

00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:22.059
 longer in the

00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:22.299
 zoo.

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:23.839
 They were freed

00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:25.059
 from zookosis,

00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.740
 right?

00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:27.319
 They were already

00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:28.839
 experiencing the

00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:30.079
 joys of heaven

00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:31.720
 even in prison.

00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:33.579
 And they wanted

00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:34.619
 to share this

00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:36.440
 freedom, this

00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:38.099
 joy.

00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:39.299
 They wanted to

00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:40.159
 share this door,

00:28:40.379 --> 00:28:41.599
 this Jesus, with

00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.480
 the Philippian

00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.000
 jailer who was

00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.359
 now thinking about

00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:46.200
 taking his own

00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:46.879
 life because

00:28:46.879 --> 00:28:47.899
 certainly he would

00:28:47.899 --> 00:28:48.460
 be punished

00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:49.599
 greatly if all of

00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:50.139
 the prisoners

00:28:50.139 --> 00:28:51.279
 escaped under his

00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:51.639
 watch.

00:28:51.899 --> 00:28:52.539
 But that's not

00:28:52.539 --> 00:28:53.099
 what Paul and

00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:53.679
 Silas do.

00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:55.039
 They stay in the

00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.059
 jail in order

00:28:56.059 --> 00:28:57.019
 to show him

00:28:57.019 --> 00:28:57.680
 the door.

00:29:00.639 --> 00:29:01.460
 They're saying,

00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:02.339
 see, look,

00:29:03.220 --> 00:29:05.720
 behold, a

00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:06.859
 door is open,

00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:07.720
 is standing

00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:08.619
 open in heaven.

00:29:09.139 --> 00:29:10.519
 It's right here.

00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:12.599
 This is the door

00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:13.680
 to human flourishing.

00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:15.220
 This is the door

00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:16.460
 to joy in the

00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:17.259
 midst of sorrow.

00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:18.220
 This is the door

00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:19.299
 to life eternal.

00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:20.379
 This is the joy

00:29:20.379 --> 00:29:21.659
 to human flourishing

00:29:21.659 --> 00:29:23.019
 in an inhabitable

00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:23.899
 world.

00:29:23.900 --> 00:29:25.240
 This is the door

00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:26.220
 to the worship

00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:26.960
 you were made

00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:27.320
 for.

00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:29.860
 All right.

00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:30.720
 Second thing that

00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:31.660
 John sees that he

00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:32.680
 wants us to see

00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:34.580
 is found in

00:29:34.580 --> 00:29:35.180
 verse 2.

00:29:37.120 --> 00:29:37.759
 It says,

00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:38.860
 at once I was in

00:29:38.860 --> 00:29:39.580
 the spirit and

00:29:39.580 --> 00:29:40.420
 behold, there's

00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:41.120
 that word again,

00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:42.540
 a throne stood

00:29:42.540 --> 00:29:43.519
 in heaven and

00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:44.680
 one seated on

00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:45.220
 the throne.

00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:46.680
 You see, as soon

00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:47.640
 as John goes

00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:48.380
 through the door

00:29:48.380 --> 00:29:49.120
 into the heavenly

00:29:49.120 --> 00:29:50.259
 places, he sees

00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:50.700
 something.

00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:52.160
 He sees a

00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:53.680
 cosmic throne

00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:57.200
 and someone

00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:58.100
 is sitting on

00:29:58.100 --> 00:29:58.640
 the throne.

00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:00.559
 The throne

00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:01.759
 isn't empty.

00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:02.880
 It's not an

00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:05.140
 unoccupied chair.

00:30:06.620 --> 00:30:07.140
 Like, you have

00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:07.980
 to imagine that

00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:08.480
 with everything

00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:09.240
 John's gone

00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.680
 through and

00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:11.100
 everything that

00:30:11.100 --> 00:30:11.660
 he's going

00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:12.720
 through, you

00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:13.279
 have to, like,

00:30:13.340 --> 00:30:14.539
 think that maybe

00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:15.360
 at some point

00:30:15.360 --> 00:30:16.100
 he started to

00:30:16.100 --> 00:30:18.680
 wonder, is

00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:20.200
 that throne

00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:20.779
 in heaven

00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:21.840
 unoccupied?

00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:25.220
 Like, he's

00:30:25.220 --> 00:30:25.840
 watched all of

00:30:25.840 --> 00:30:26.200
 his closest

00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:27.039
 friends die.

00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:29.240
 Like, they've

00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:29.860
 all died for

00:30:29.860 --> 00:30:30.500
 their faith and

00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:31.240
 thousands of

00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:31.580
 others.

00:30:32.060 --> 00:30:32.660
 Like, he was,

00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:33.180
 in a sense,

00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:33.980
 the last man

00:30:33.980 --> 00:30:34.480
 standing.

00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:36.500
 The emperor's

00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:37.140
 reign of terror

00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:38.420
 was underway

00:30:38.420 --> 00:30:39.740
 and he was

00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:40.580
 feeling the full

00:30:40.580 --> 00:30:41.240
 weight of it.

00:30:42.340 --> 00:30:43.360
 Like, how could

00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:44.460
 God be on the

00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:45.240
 throne and yet

00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:46.140
 allow all of

00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:46.900
 that suffering

00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:47.460
 to happen?

00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:50.380
 allow all this

00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:51.500
 hardship to

00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:51.740
 happen?

00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:52.759
 Why was John

00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:54.380
 starving and

00:30:54.380 --> 00:30:55.140
 alone and

00:30:55.140 --> 00:30:55.900
 exile and

00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:56.840
 pateness if

00:30:56.840 --> 00:30:58.000
 God was on

00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:58.539
 a throne?

00:31:00.120 --> 00:31:01.000
 You know, they

00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:02.000
 say a picture is

00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:02.759
 worth a thousand

00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:03.299
 words.

00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:04.980
 You know, while

00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:06.060
 John's particular

00:31:06.060 --> 00:31:07.000
 questions about

00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.060
 why things were

00:31:08.060 --> 00:31:08.860
 happening the way

00:31:08.860 --> 00:31:09.259
 that they were

00:31:09.259 --> 00:31:10.600
 happening, those

00:31:10.600 --> 00:31:11.480
 questions weren't

00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:12.500
 directly answered.

00:31:12.860 --> 00:31:13.940
 This image of

00:31:13.940 --> 00:31:15.600
 God sitting on

00:31:15.600 --> 00:31:17.000
 a throne spoke

00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:18.380
 well over a

00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:19.440
 thousand words

00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:20.780
 to John's

00:31:20.780 --> 00:31:21.080
 soul.

00:31:23.080 --> 00:31:23.920
 Like, this

00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:24.780
 picture, this

00:31:24.780 --> 00:31:26.100
 image of an

00:31:26.100 --> 00:31:27.280
 occupied throne,

00:31:27.460 --> 00:31:29.020
 it tells us that

00:31:29.020 --> 00:31:29.620
 God is in

00:31:29.620 --> 00:31:31.060
 control, even

00:31:31.060 --> 00:31:32.080
 when life feels

00:31:32.080 --> 00:31:33.360
 out of control.

00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.580
 It tells us that

00:31:35.580 --> 00:31:36.540
 God is sovereign

00:31:36.540 --> 00:31:37.820
 and he's good

00:31:37.820 --> 00:31:38.640
 and he has a

00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:39.480
 plan, even when

00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:40.340
 life doesn't make

00:31:40.340 --> 00:31:41.160
 much sense.

00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:45.740
 this image tells

00:31:45.740 --> 00:31:46.540
 us that our God

00:31:46.540 --> 00:31:47.259
 has the best

00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:50.380
 sight picture of

00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:51.240
 human history,

00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:53.300
 past, present,

00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:53.680
 future.

00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:54.420
 He sees how it

00:31:54.420 --> 00:31:55.360
 all works

00:31:55.360 --> 00:31:55.779
 together.

00:31:56.440 --> 00:31:58.080
 I used to be an

00:31:58.080 --> 00:31:58.440
 air traffic

00:31:58.440 --> 00:31:59.240
 controller when I

00:31:59.240 --> 00:32:00.080
 was in the Air

00:32:00.080 --> 00:32:02.180
 Force and every

00:32:02.180 --> 00:32:02.779
 now and then I

00:32:02.779 --> 00:32:03.380
 would get a

00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:04.120
 pilot that would

00:32:04.120 --> 00:32:05.320
 think they had a

00:32:05.320 --> 00:32:06.120
 better idea than

00:32:06.120 --> 00:32:06.380
 me.

00:32:06.860 --> 00:32:07.240
 You know, and I

00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:07.700
 would say, hey,

00:32:07.800 --> 00:32:08.880
 traffic, three o'clock,

00:32:09.060 --> 00:32:10.040
 two miles, report

00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:10.759
 traffic in sight,

00:32:11.220 --> 00:32:11.599
 they'd be like,

00:32:11.639 --> 00:32:12.180
 I don't see

00:32:12.180 --> 00:32:12.539
 anything.

00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:12.940
 You know, I'd be

00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:13.420
 like, well, he's

00:32:13.420 --> 00:32:13.659
 there.

00:32:14.200 --> 00:32:15.319
 I see things that

00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:16.720
 you can't see and

00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:17.639
 God has the best

00:32:17.639 --> 00:32:18.619
 sight picture of all

00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:19.460
 human history.

00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:21.119
 Like, well, things

00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:21.899
 like death and

00:32:21.899 --> 00:32:23.599
 injustice and racism

00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:25.299
 and persecution

00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:27.059
 grieve God to his

00:32:27.059 --> 00:32:27.920
 core, he's big

00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:28.619
 enough to, like,

00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:29.859
 take, like, these

00:32:29.859 --> 00:32:31.159
 broken, dark things

00:32:31.159 --> 00:32:32.119
 and then speak

00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:33.399
 gospel light into

00:32:33.399 --> 00:32:33.700
 them.

00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:36.680
 I'll never forget a

00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:37.579
 conversation that I

00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:39.720
 had with one of my

00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:40.539
 elders when we were

00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:41.700
 attending a church in

00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:42.680
 Dallas while I was in

00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:43.120
 seminary.

00:32:43.380 --> 00:32:44.480
 And this was a man who

00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:45.420
 had experienced

00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:47.360
 unfathomable hardship,

00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:49.640
 like, immense

00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:51.460
 suffering throughout his

00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:53.960
 life, like, more than I

00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:54.940
 could ever begin to

00:32:54.940 --> 00:32:55.299
 fathom.

00:32:55.460 --> 00:32:56.700
 And so he tells me his

00:32:56.700 --> 00:32:57.160
 story.

00:32:58.100 --> 00:32:58.940
 And I mean, I hear his

00:32:58.940 --> 00:33:00.380
 story and then I asked

00:33:00.380 --> 00:33:02.059
 him, I said, how can any

00:33:02.059 --> 00:33:03.600
 of these things that

00:33:03.600 --> 00:33:04.660
 you've been through work

00:33:04.660 --> 00:33:05.860
 together for good?

00:33:05.859 --> 00:33:08.879
 And he looked at me and

00:33:08.879 --> 00:33:11.000
 he said, he said, Jeff,

00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:13.000
 God uses our hurts to

00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:14.000
 make us holy reflections

00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:14.459
 of him.

00:33:16.459 --> 00:33:17.759
 See, I was asking, are

00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:19.199
 you sure that God is on

00:33:19.199 --> 00:33:19.879
 his throne?

00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:22.279
 And he tells me God

00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:24.319
 uses our hurts to make

00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:25.639
 us holy reflections of

00:33:25.639 --> 00:33:25.859
 him.

00:33:25.899 --> 00:33:26.819
 In other words, yes, he

00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:27.679
 is on his throne.

00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:29.279
 And then he went on to

00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:29.699
 say this.

00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:31.099
 He said, God writes pain

00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:33.019
 into our stories to

00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:34.839
 redeem our stories so

00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:35.919
 that we can use our

00:33:35.919 --> 00:33:37.619
 stories to tell his

00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:39.000
 story of redemption.

00:33:40.099 --> 00:33:42.659
 And then he said one of

00:33:42.659 --> 00:33:44.019
 my favorite lines, our

00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:45.299
 God makes broken things

00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:45.740
 beautiful.

00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:49.119
 Yeah, he's on his

00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:49.419
 throne.

00:33:51.779 --> 00:33:53.839
 Listen, it is this truth

00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:55.220
 of God's sovereignty, of

00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.819
 his reigning and ruling

00:33:56.819 --> 00:33:58.179
 over all things that

00:33:58.179 --> 00:34:00.220
 drives these four

00:34:00.220 --> 00:34:02.399
 creatures in Revelation

00:34:02.399 --> 00:34:04.339
 to just worship and they

00:34:04.339 --> 00:34:05.339
 sing unceasingly.

00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:06.799
 They praise.

00:34:07.439 --> 00:34:09.759
 Verse 8, holy, holy,

00:34:09.900 --> 00:34:11.259
 holy is the Lord God

00:34:11.259 --> 00:34:13.159
 Almighty who was and who

00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:14.579
 is and who is to come.

00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:17.139
 Like, I know, like, I

00:34:17.139 --> 00:34:18.980
 purposely took them this

00:34:18.980 --> 00:34:21.259
 out of the reading, the

00:34:21.259 --> 00:34:22.199
 descriptions of these

00:34:22.199 --> 00:34:23.699
 four creatures, and they

00:34:23.699 --> 00:34:25.079
 seem really weird, right?

00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:26.779
 They have different faces

00:34:26.779 --> 00:34:27.679
 and they got, like, six

00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:28.880
 wings and, like, eyeballs

00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:29.759
 are, like, covering them

00:34:29.759 --> 00:34:30.559
 from top to bottom.

00:34:31.099 --> 00:34:32.259
 We don't really know what

00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:33.920
 to do with these creatures,

00:34:34.120 --> 00:34:36.120
 but don't miss the forest

00:34:36.120 --> 00:34:37.340
 from the trees, my friends.

00:34:37.580 --> 00:34:38.520
 A lot of people, when they

00:34:38.520 --> 00:34:39.620
 read Revelation, they miss

00:34:39.620 --> 00:34:40.880
 the forest from the trees.

00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:42.020
 The four creatures aren't,

00:34:42.140 --> 00:34:43.580
 like, some weird mystical

00:34:43.580 --> 00:34:44.740
 beast that we will one day

00:34:44.740 --> 00:34:45.860
 encounter in the new heavens

00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:46.400
 and new earth.

00:34:46.680 --> 00:34:49.280
 They simply represent all of

00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:49.820
 creation.

00:34:51.200 --> 00:34:52.200
 All of creation.

00:34:52.780 --> 00:34:53.880
 But that isn't a simple

00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:54.600
 truth, right?

00:34:55.740 --> 00:34:57.120
 Like, John is telling us that,

00:34:57.180 --> 00:34:58.780
 like, everything in creation,

00:34:58.780 --> 00:34:59.860
 like, from the smallest

00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:02.680
 molecule to the largest

00:35:02.680 --> 00:35:04.920
 celestial body, everything

00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:06.960
 exists in a constant state

00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:08.740
 of praise to the God on the

00:35:08.740 --> 00:35:09.000
 throne.

00:35:11.720 --> 00:35:13.580
 And then the worship service

00:35:13.580 --> 00:35:15.620
 gets even better, right?

00:35:16.440 --> 00:35:17.860
 It isn't just creation

00:35:17.860 --> 00:35:19.680
 singing God's praises, but

00:35:19.680 --> 00:35:21.620
 all of God's people join into

00:35:21.620 --> 00:35:23.880
 the song, represented by

00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:25.060
 these 24 elders.

00:35:25.240 --> 00:35:26.380
 Like, once again, don't miss

00:35:26.380 --> 00:35:27.840
 the forest from the trees.

00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:30.140
 Most likely, the 24 elders,

00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:31.740
 they simply represent the 12

00:35:31.740 --> 00:35:32.920
 tribes of Israel in the Old

00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:34.320
 Testament and the 12

00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:35.780
 apostles in the New Testament.

00:35:36.180 --> 00:35:36.960
 In other words, they

00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:38.940
 represent all of God's

00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:39.320
 people.

00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:42.000
 They represent all of those

00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:43.340
 who looked forward in faith

00:35:43.340 --> 00:35:44.960
 to Jesus and walked through

00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:46.960
 the door, and everyone who

00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:48.960
 looked backwards in faith to

00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:50.519
 Jesus and walked through the

00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:51.240
 same door.

00:35:53.120 --> 00:35:55.200
 They start to sing, chapter 4,

00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:55.840
 verse 11,

00:35:55.840 --> 00:35:58.240
 worthy are you, our Lord and

00:35:58.240 --> 00:35:58.680
 God.

00:35:59.019 --> 00:35:59.740
 You catch it?

00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:01.740
 Who did they identify as

00:36:01.740 --> 00:36:02.579
 Lord and God?

00:36:02.680 --> 00:36:03.760
 It wasn't Caesar.

00:36:05.620 --> 00:36:07.600
 To receive glory and honor and

00:36:07.600 --> 00:36:09.200
 power because you created all

00:36:09.200 --> 00:36:10.620
 things, and by your will they

00:36:10.620 --> 00:36:11.960
 existed and were created.

00:36:13.260 --> 00:36:14.820
 But then something happens

00:36:14.820 --> 00:36:17.000
 during the worship service in

00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:19.160
 heaven around the middle of the

00:36:19.160 --> 00:36:19.460
 song.

00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:22.059
 An angel stands up, and he has

00:36:22.059 --> 00:36:24.500
 this booming voice so loud that

00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:26.019
 every square inch of all

00:36:26.019 --> 00:36:27.579
 creation can hear his booming

00:36:27.579 --> 00:36:28.099
 voice.

00:36:29.059 --> 00:36:30.079
 And he says this.

00:36:30.179 --> 00:36:31.539
 He says, who was worthy to

00:36:31.539 --> 00:36:33.300
 open the scroll and break its

00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:33.679
 seals?

00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:36.440
 And in response, let's just say

00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:38.000
 that the crickets join the

00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:38.360
 song.

00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:43.920
 Verse 3, and no one in heaven or

00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:45.639
 on earth or under the earth was

00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:47.780
 able to open the scroll or to

00:36:47.780 --> 00:36:48.800
 look into it.

00:36:48.800 --> 00:36:52.380
 So silence sets in.

00:36:53.880 --> 00:36:55.720
 Like no one is worthy to open

00:36:55.720 --> 00:36:56.240
 the scroll.

00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:58.560
 What is the scroll?

00:36:59.600 --> 00:37:01.680
 Well, it contains the entirety of

00:37:01.680 --> 00:37:02.440
 God's plan.

00:37:03.780 --> 00:37:05.280
 Past, present, future, it

00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:07.940
 contains the meaning of life.

00:37:08.560 --> 00:37:10.560
 It contains the answers to our

00:37:10.560 --> 00:37:11.480
 biggest questions.

00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:16.300
 It contains the path to a

00:37:16.300 --> 00:37:17.340
 flourishing life.

00:37:18.600 --> 00:37:20.539
 It contains God's plan to make

00:37:20.539 --> 00:37:21.640
 all wrongs right.

00:37:22.060 --> 00:37:23.920
 God's plan to make all sadness

00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:24.780
 untrue.

00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:28.300
 God's plan to bring heaven to

00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:30.640
 earth, to marry the two for

00:37:30.640 --> 00:37:31.200
 eternity.

00:37:32.220 --> 00:37:34.160
 Everyone longs to know what's on

00:37:34.160 --> 00:37:35.720
 this scroll, but no one can

00:37:35.720 --> 00:37:36.340
 open it.

00:37:38.140 --> 00:37:40.660
 No philosopher, no politician,

00:37:41.120 --> 00:37:43.740
 no celebrity, no innovator, no

00:37:43.740 --> 00:37:45.519
 athlete, no scientist, no

00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:46.539
 software engineer.

00:37:48.460 --> 00:37:50.179
 No one can give a sufficient

00:37:50.179 --> 00:37:51.880
 explanation for the meaning of

00:37:51.880 --> 00:37:52.519
 the universe.

00:37:53.360 --> 00:37:55.199
 And no one can provide a

00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:57.820
 decisive solution to all the

00:37:57.820 --> 00:37:59.400
 problems that we see in our

00:37:59.400 --> 00:37:59.860
 world.

00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:02.780
 The injustice, the prejudice, the

00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:06.000
 sickness, the cancer, the war,

00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:07.219
 the death.

00:38:08.759 --> 00:38:10.380
 Like no one's able to open the

00:38:10.380 --> 00:38:10.659
 scroll.

00:38:10.659 --> 00:38:14.819
 No one is able to get us out of

00:38:14.819 --> 00:38:15.219
 the zoo.

00:38:16.019 --> 00:38:18.000
 No one's able to free us from the

00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:18.539
 silo.

00:38:20.739 --> 00:38:22.500
 And then weeping breaks in.

00:38:23.639 --> 00:38:25.219
 Verse 4 of chapter 5 says,

00:38:25.319 --> 00:38:26.899
 And I began to weep loudly,

00:38:27.399 --> 00:38:29.460
 because no one was found worthy to

00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:31.719
 open the scroll or to look into it.

00:38:31.719 --> 00:38:35.599
 And it's at this point that John

00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:37.980
 looks at our weeping world, and he

00:38:37.980 --> 00:38:39.959
 gives us the last command to

00:38:39.959 --> 00:38:40.299
 behold.

00:38:42.299 --> 00:38:43.859
 Chapter 5, verse 5.

00:38:44.659 --> 00:38:46.139
 And one of the elders said to me,

00:38:46.259 --> 00:38:47.219
 Weep no more.

00:38:47.500 --> 00:38:49.819
 Behold, the lion of the tribe of

00:38:49.819 --> 00:38:51.799
 Judah, the root of David, has

00:38:51.799 --> 00:38:54.059
 conquered, so that he can open the

00:38:54.059 --> 00:38:55.459
 scroll and its seven seals.

00:38:55.460 --> 00:38:59.679
 And immediately, like, hope sets

00:38:59.679 --> 00:38:59.980
 in.

00:39:01.380 --> 00:39:03.639
 Like, both of those terms, the

00:39:03.639 --> 00:39:05.639
 lion of Judah, the root of David,

00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:08.380
 they were biblical images, biblical

00:39:08.380 --> 00:39:11.840
 terms of the messianic expectations

00:39:11.840 --> 00:39:14.599
 of a warrior king coming to conquer.

00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:17.679
 The Messiah is going to be strong,

00:39:17.740 --> 00:39:18.780
 and he's going to be powerful.

00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:20.480
 He's going to be like Aslan, right?

00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:23.099
 He's going to overthrow evil, and

00:39:23.099 --> 00:39:25.139
 he's going to bring justice to the

00:39:25.139 --> 00:39:26.299
 poor and the oppressed.

00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:28.980
 But then we have, like, the plot

00:39:28.980 --> 00:39:30.299
 twists of plot twists.

00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:34.859
 You see, John is expecting to turn

00:39:34.859 --> 00:39:38.179
 and see a lion moving towards the

00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:40.019
 throne of God to take the scroll

00:39:40.019 --> 00:39:41.159
 from his hand.

00:39:41.480 --> 00:39:43.480
 But that's not what he sees when he

00:39:43.480 --> 00:39:44.000
 turns.

00:39:44.839 --> 00:39:45.859
 The lights went out.

00:39:45.859 --> 00:39:46.139
 Ooh.

00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:52.379
 Instead, he turns, and he beholds

00:39:52.379 --> 00:39:54.699
 a slaughtered little lamb.

00:39:56.019 --> 00:39:57.679
 He sees a little lamb.

00:39:58.480 --> 00:39:59.579
 It's like John the Baptist.

00:39:59.739 --> 00:40:02.219
 Behold the lamb of God who takes

00:40:02.219 --> 00:40:03.819
 away the sins of the world.

00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:07.339
 And this, my friends, is when the

00:40:07.339 --> 00:40:08.759
 oxygen leaves your lungs.

00:40:10.799 --> 00:40:13.059
 This is like the highest of heights

00:40:13.059 --> 00:40:15.379
 in the theological stratosphere.

00:40:15.380 --> 00:40:18.320
 It leaves us speechless.

00:40:19.720 --> 00:40:23.240
 The one who conquers, the one who is

00:40:23.240 --> 00:40:26.280
 worthy to open the scroll and give us

00:40:26.280 --> 00:40:28.680
 the meaning of life, the plan of God,

00:40:29.340 --> 00:40:33.300
 that one is a little lamb who went to a

00:40:33.300 --> 00:40:33.720
 cross.

00:40:35.599 --> 00:40:37.280
 And why did he go to the cross?

00:40:37.380 --> 00:40:39.380
 Well, he went to the cross because of us.

00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:42.480
 He went to the cross instead of us, and he

00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:43.860
 went to the cross for us.

00:40:46.059 --> 00:40:46.539
 Why?

00:40:47.660 --> 00:40:51.119
 To open the door to the throne room of God.

00:40:52.300 --> 00:40:55.059
 To tear down the barrier that stood between

00:40:55.059 --> 00:40:57.720
 our fallen natures and God's holy presence.

00:40:57.720 --> 00:41:02.059
 To invite us into that eternal, everlasting

00:41:02.059 --> 00:41:03.860
 choir of praise.

00:41:03.860 --> 00:41:07.740
 It's the image that turns the world right

00:41:07.740 --> 00:41:08.380
 side up.

00:41:09.500 --> 00:41:11.559
 It's the image that says to a weeping

00:41:11.559 --> 00:41:13.340
 world, there is a cosmic plan.

00:41:14.820 --> 00:41:16.900
 And the lamb of God is at the center of

00:41:16.900 --> 00:41:17.460
 that plan.

00:41:20.640 --> 00:41:23.400
 Your life is soaked with meaning because

00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:24.539
 God is on the throne.

00:41:25.280 --> 00:41:27.140
 But that doesn't mean that your life won't

00:41:27.140 --> 00:41:27.720
 be easy.

00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:29.240
 He's saying, look at the lamb.

00:41:30.240 --> 00:41:31.400
 He's slaughtered.

00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:34.000
 Just as he suffered, you too will suffer.

00:41:34.119 --> 00:41:35.280
 But don't lose hope.

00:41:35.700 --> 00:41:38.220
 Wherever you go and whatever you're going

00:41:38.220 --> 00:41:42.200
 through, because of Jesus, you carry heaven

00:41:42.200 --> 00:41:42.860
 with you.

00:41:45.200 --> 00:41:46.720
 The throne is occupied.

00:41:48.059 --> 00:41:50.900
 The slain lamb is always there interceding

00:41:50.900 --> 00:41:51.880
 on your behalf.

00:41:52.880 --> 00:41:56.300
 And the door into God's presence is always

00:41:56.300 --> 00:41:56.820
 open.

00:41:56.820 --> 00:42:01.360
 My friends, these three images, when taken

00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:04.740
 together, will give you a new conceptualization

00:42:04.740 --> 00:42:05.500
 of the world.

00:42:06.700 --> 00:42:08.420
 They'll free you from the zoo.

00:42:09.120 --> 00:42:10.580
 And they'll drive you to worship.

00:42:10.980 --> 00:42:11.180
 Amen?

00:42:12.260 --> 00:42:12.860
 All right.

00:42:12.900 --> 00:42:13.740
 Let me pray for us.

00:42:14.980 --> 00:42:18.840
 Heavenly Father, you sit enthroned in the

00:42:18.840 --> 00:42:19.740
 heavenly places.

00:42:20.700 --> 00:42:24.559
 And through Jesus, the door, we get to enter.

00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:27.519
 We get to be in your presence.

00:42:27.880 --> 00:42:29.420
 We get to dwell with you.

00:42:30.460 --> 00:42:32.000
 We get a glimpse of heaven now.

00:42:32.079 --> 00:42:34.579
 And I pray, Lord, that as we leave from this

00:42:34.579 --> 00:42:38.059
 place, that we would be portals to heaven wherever

00:42:38.059 --> 00:42:38.679
 we go.

00:42:38.799 --> 00:42:41.699
 That we would be, in a sense, the wardrobe.

00:42:42.659 --> 00:42:44.840
 That we are the touchpoint between heaven and earth.

00:42:44.920 --> 00:42:46.699
 That we would bring heaven into our homes.

00:42:47.299 --> 00:42:49.320
 That we would pull heaven into our work.

00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:52.199
 That we would pull heaven into our neighborhoods

00:42:52.199 --> 00:42:53.699
 and our schools.

00:42:54.779 --> 00:42:56.899
 We pray that people would see heaven in us.

00:42:57.359 --> 00:42:59.179
 They would ask us about the hope that we have.

00:42:59.799 --> 00:43:01.679
 And that we get to tell them about this open door.

00:43:01.939 --> 00:43:04.619
 Just like Paul and Silas to the Philippian jailer.

00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:08.259
 A door to freedom, to joy, and to life everlasting.

00:43:09.099 --> 00:43:10.239
 We pray this in Christ's name.

00:43:10.359 --> 00:43:10.519
 Amen.

00:43:10.519 --> 00:43:10.619
 Amen.

00:43:10.619 --> 00:43:10.679
 Amen.

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