WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:08.859 Would you turn with me to Revelation chapter 14? 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:14.660 That's page 972 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:14.900 --> 00:00:18.719 We're going to look at the whole chapter today, Revelation 14. 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:26.379 As you turn there, let me ask, how was it waking up this morning? 00:00:26.379 --> 00:00:31.980 Did you wake up with the morning sun, ready to tackle the day, full of joy? 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:42.759 Or did you have to drag yourself out of bed and muscle through and shake your fist at the St. Patrick's Day race on the way to town this morning, whatever it was for you? 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:55.280 You know, the spiritual life, life in God's Spirit as a follower of Jesus, can sometimes be like waking up, ready to tackle the day. 00:00:56.100 --> 00:01:00.780 But sometimes it can also feel like needing to drag yourself out of bed and muscle through. 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:09.780 That is, sometimes it can feel hard to persevere, to keep up, and to carry on. 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:17.180 And that's how many of the Christians felt to whom this book of Revelation was originally written. 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:20.940 They lived in the last third of the first century. 00:01:21.820 --> 00:01:29.720 The Roman Empire around them was powerful and, for many, comfortable and seemed to promise prosperity and peace. 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:43.079 That is, it promised those things so long as you got with the program, burned your incense to the emperor as God, and got in line with the political economy of the empire, 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:48.579 which went something like conquer, oppress, tax, repeat. 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:54.099 Now, Christians were already on the outside of the dominant culture. 00:01:54.439 --> 00:02:01.299 After all, worshiping a crucified Jew from Palestine wasn't going to win you any immediate points with your neighbors. 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:07.819 But as the emperor cult began to increase, Christians found that more costly forms of oppression were on the rise. 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:13.780 Some had even been martyred at this point for refusing to worship the beast of Rome. 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:23.759 And so, they needed strength to endure, to persevere, to keep up and carry on. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.099 And the truth is, so do we. 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:37.139 When hard times come, when it looks easier to just go along with the world around us, 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.479 we can be tempted to just give up or give in. 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:48.719 And so, it's to hearts just like our own that Revelation 14 was written. 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:54.620 Before we dive into each section, look down with me at verse 12, if you have it open. 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:56.739 In verse 12, we read, 00:02:57.239 --> 00:03:01.339 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:05.439 those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:10.960 John, the writer of Revelation, wants to fuel our endurance. 00:03:11.939 --> 00:03:17.560 He's writing this so that we will keep up and keep on, persevere in faith and obedience. 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:19.020 That's the big idea. 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:25.060 And each section of this chapter gives us, then, a reason to persevere. 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:28.620 To persevere in faith, that is, in trust in the Lord Jesus, 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.980 and to persevere in obedience to God's commands. 00:03:31.980 --> 00:03:35.920 That is, His Word and His ways that are written for our flourishing. 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:39.860 So, let's take a look at each paragraph, then, 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:45.120 and hear these encouragements to endurance, to perseverance in faith and obedience. 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:51.319 The first thing that John is going to point to in verses 1 through 5 is joy. 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:58.000 He's saying here, keep up and keep on, because there is joy for those who persevere. 00:03:58.139 --> 00:03:59.739 There's joy for those who persevere. 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:01.199 Let me read verses 1 through 5. 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:03.039 John says, 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:06.139 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, 00:04:07.019 --> 00:04:12.180 and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads. 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:17.600 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:21.900 The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:24.360 and they were singing a new song before the Lord, 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:28.760 and before the Lord, before the four living creatures, and before the elders. 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:35.160 No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 00:04:36.020 --> 00:04:39.400 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins. 00:04:39.840 --> 00:04:42.600 It is these who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:47.400 These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.960 And in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. 00:04:53.080 --> 00:04:57.200 Now, we saw earlier in Revelation, in chapter 7, 00:04:57.580 --> 00:05:03.020 that this 144,000 is a way of speaking about the church. 00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:08.320 It's a symbolic number picking up the Old Testament number 12 for the 12 tribes of Israel, 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:13.060 and the number 1,000, which is a complete number, a number denoting fullness. 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:18.759 So we have here 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes equaling 144,000, right? 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:24.899 And then Revelation, chapter 7, immediately juxtaposes that symbolic counting of God's people 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:28.879 with a vision of a multitude that no one could number, 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:31.660 from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, 00:05:32.220 --> 00:05:34.160 standing before the throne and before the Lamb. 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:40.700 So these two pictures together show us that this symbolic numbering of the people of God 00:05:40.700 --> 00:05:44.740 is giving us a picture of the church in its fullness, in its completeness. 00:05:45.460 --> 00:05:46.800 Not one is missing. 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:51.800 Everyone on whom God has set His saving favor and love in Christ, 00:05:51.960 --> 00:05:53.700 each one is counted for. 00:05:53.699 --> 00:06:00.959 But this numbering of the people of God also reminds us of the Old Testament book of Numbers, 00:06:01.259 --> 00:06:07.920 the fourth book of the Old Testament, that begins with God numbering the people He has redeemed from Egypt, right? 00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:10.860 And why is God numbering them? 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:16.599 Because they're getting ready to march to the promised land, 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.399 and the way to the promised land is through the wilderness. 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:26.379 In fact, the Hebrew title of the book of Numbers is Bamidbar, in the wilderness, 00:06:27.159 --> 00:06:30.019 which seems like a more exciting title than Numbers, right? 00:06:30.339 --> 00:06:30.500 You know? 00:06:32.159 --> 00:06:37.139 The people are numbered because they're getting ready to march through wilderness and trial 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:38.699 and eventually into battle. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.139 So the image of 144,000 in Revelation is a picture of God's people, 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:45.879 not just numbered and known, 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:51.219 but counted and prepared for trials and even spiritual battle. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:54.899 And when you consider the context of chapter 14, 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:58.439 it makes sense that John would return to this particular image of the church. 00:06:58.600 --> 00:06:58.899 Why? 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:02.060 Well, because in chapters 12 and 13, leading up to this, 00:07:02.159 --> 00:07:06.639 John has been showing us the great spiritual battle between Satan, the accuser, and the church. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:10.699 At the end of chapter 12, the dragon is pictured as raging against the church, 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:16.120 and then in chapter 13, he raises up two beasts that will make war on the saints to conquer them. 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:22.599 And it seems in those chapters as if the whole world goes after this unholy trinity, 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:25.680 this counterfeit God of the dragon and his two beasts. 00:07:27.139 --> 00:07:28.680 And as Pastor Matt showed us last week, 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.759 this strategy of counterfeiting and beastly deception and violence 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:35.560 isn't just describing something that happened in the past, 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:38.300 nor is it just talking about something that will happen in the future, 00:07:38.300 --> 00:07:44.980 but it's describing an ongoing pattern of this spiritual war throughout the church age. 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:47.879 But the question is, how? 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:51.600 How's the church going to fare in the midst of this war? 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.040 What will become of God's people known and loved? 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:59.300 What will happen to the church while the many beasts down through history 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:04.379 do their best to take the place of God and sweep the nations up 00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:06.420 in their programs of power and propaganda 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:10.120 and attempt to trample the church of the crucified and risen Jesus? 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:14.180 Well, chapter 14 shows us. 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:19.180 The people of God we see here are safe. 00:08:20.340 --> 00:08:21.800 They are preserved. 00:08:22.420 --> 00:08:23.980 Not one is lost. 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:27.960 They numbered 144,000 in chapter 7, 00:08:28.340 --> 00:08:31.020 and despite the wilderness, despite the war, 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:33.960 144,000 they remain. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:36.940 Jesus says in John 10, 28, 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:38.740 I give them eternal life, 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:40.580 and they will never perish, 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.300 and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:47.120 Jesus preserves his church. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:49.899 He preserves them here in number, 00:08:50.379 --> 00:08:53.200 and we see he preserves them here in purity and holiness. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:54.379 Look at verses 4 and 5. 00:08:54.540 --> 00:08:57.140 Verse 4 speaks of holiness of body. 00:08:57.280 --> 00:08:59.700 Verse 5 speaks of holiness of speech. 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:00.920 And then right in the middle, 00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:03.080 we see a picture of holiness of heart, right? 00:09:03.160 --> 00:09:06.660 They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 00:09:07.280 --> 00:09:10.680 They belong to Him like the first portion of the harvest 00:09:10.680 --> 00:09:13.040 was gladly given to God, the first fruits. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:16.340 Now, this picture of holiness is obviously painted 00:09:16.340 --> 00:09:18.440 with broad strokes by John. 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:21.580 Verse 4 doesn't mean that every single Christian 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:23.960 ought to remain single their whole life, right? 00:09:25.160 --> 00:09:27.639 No, sex we know is a good gift from God. 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:29.820 It's meant to be enjoyed in the context of marriage, 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:31.520 and there's forgiveness and healing 00:09:31.520 --> 00:09:33.500 for those who have fallen short, right? 00:09:33.520 --> 00:09:35.520 What is it that makes the church blameless? 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:37.160 It's the grace of God 00:09:37.160 --> 00:09:38.800 and the righteousness of Christ, 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:39.660 not our works. 00:09:40.800 --> 00:09:42.700 But the point that John wants to drive home here 00:09:42.700 --> 00:09:43.500 in verses 4 and 5 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:44.180 is that the church, 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:46.720 despite all that the dragon and his beasts 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:47.440 throw against it, 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.320 the church remains wholly devoted to the Lamb 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.000 who stands firm in his heavenly Zion, 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:55.440 reigning as the world's true king, 00:09:56.400 --> 00:09:58.280 even though imposters try to usurp 00:09:58.280 --> 00:10:00.020 his rightful place in every age. 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:03.480 Now, that brings us to the center of the paragraph, 00:10:03.660 --> 00:10:04.540 verses 2 and 3. 00:10:05.540 --> 00:10:08.440 This 144,000 who are preserved in number 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:09.640 and preserved in holiness, 00:10:10.180 --> 00:10:11.560 they hear a song. 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:16.039 Flooding down from the hills of Zion 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:18.319 is the sound of an orchestra, 00:10:19.059 --> 00:10:19.839 and on it, 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:23.139 waves of a new song are brought forth 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:24.339 from the throne of God. 00:10:25.619 --> 00:10:28.359 And this new song is not one 00:10:28.359 --> 00:10:30.599 that just anybody can sing. 00:10:31.939 --> 00:10:32.959 No, this song, 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.500 this song only finds its place 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:38.899 on the tongues and the hearts of whom. 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:42.299 The church, 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:44.639 the 144,000, 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:47.039 those saints who have marched 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:47.799 through the wilderness, 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:50.600 who have known the scars of battle, 00:10:51.819 --> 00:10:53.399 this song is theirs, 00:10:54.079 --> 00:10:55.340 and it's theirs alone. 00:10:58.439 --> 00:10:59.480 You see, Christian, 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.360 there's a special joy for you, 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:06.100 a unique song for you, 00:11:06.819 --> 00:11:08.600 because you have fought the good fight. 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:11.939 A song that only you will sing, 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:14.500 a joy that only you will know, 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.480 together with those who have fought by your side. 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:21.279 And of course, 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.159 it's a song that we can sing right now. 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:25.179 This joy that's being described here, 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:25.879 this song, 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:27.679 isn't only for a future day, 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:29.939 it's flowing down the slopes of Zion 00:11:29.939 --> 00:11:31.840 and into our ears even now. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.700 From what we've seen from Revelation, 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.220 how might we trace out the contours of this new song? 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:42.480 The crucified lamb has conquered. 00:11:43.920 --> 00:11:45.519 Sin and death have been defeated. 00:11:46.920 --> 00:11:48.399 My sin, though great, 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:49.440 has been forgiven. 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:54.840 And even the worst that the dragon throws against you 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.420 will be turned to your good 00:11:57.420 --> 00:12:00.700 because of God's sovereign purpose, 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:02.700 plan, and love for his people. 00:12:04.700 --> 00:12:07.320 When the enemy sends his scorching heat 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:11.040 and you think your streams will all be dried up, 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:15.099 God causes that heat to produce clouds. 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:17.419 The clouds grow heavy with rain, 00:12:17.939 --> 00:12:18.639 and in season, 00:12:18.779 --> 00:12:20.360 God causes the rains to fall, 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:22.799 and they bring you refreshment and joy. 00:12:24.059 --> 00:12:25.559 What Satan meant for evil, 00:12:25.959 --> 00:12:26.939 God turns to good. 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:30.919 Or when the enemy sends his dark coldness 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:34.539 and you think that all life and light and heat are gone, 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:38.439 God causes the snow to bring, 00:12:38.599 --> 00:12:40.639 God causes that cold to bring snow. 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:43.179 And the snow falls gently, 00:12:43.819 --> 00:12:46.240 and the landscape that once seemed barren 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:48.779 is now white and beautiful once again. 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:53.839 The new song is the song of the redeemed. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:56.519 It's a song for all those in Christ. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:12:59.819 It's a song of joy for those who persevere. 00:13:02.079 --> 00:13:03.860 Christian, do you know something of this song? 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:05.379 The song of joy? 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:09.240 Perhaps you need to spend some time 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:10.680 with an older saint, 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.539 one who has faced more trials than you, 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:16.759 and listen to their life and to their story 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.220 and learn some of the notes of this song of joy. 00:13:21.560 --> 00:13:22.919 But be assured of this, 00:13:24.060 --> 00:13:26.019 God will grant you his joy 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:28.539 as you persevere in faith and obedience. 00:13:29.420 --> 00:13:32.759 It is not a lifeless or endlessly somber road 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:34.360 that he calls you to walk. 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:37.419 No, God will meet you on the road with joy, 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:41.100 and the strains of the heavenly new song 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.580 will come to your ears 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:45.779 and encourage your heart. 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:48.779 So keep up and keep on, 00:13:48.939 --> 00:13:51.439 because there's joy for those who persevere. 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:55.860 In the next section of Revelation 14, 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.660 John will turn our sights from joy to rest. 00:14:00.260 --> 00:14:01.480 Keep up and keep on, 00:14:01.540 --> 00:14:04.140 because there is rest for those who persevere. 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:05.720 Let me read verses 6 through 13. 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:07.879 John writes, 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:09.840 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:11.040 with an eternal gospel 00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:12.800 to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:15.759 to every nation and tribe and language and people. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:17.740 And he said with a loud voice, 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:19.700 Fear God and give him glory, 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.040 because the hour of his judgment has come, 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:24.300 and worship him who made heaven and earth, 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.000 the sea and the springs of water. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:28.860 Another angel a second followed, 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:31.259 saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:33.980 She who made all nations drink the wine 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:36.819 of the passion of her sexual immorality. 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:39.980 And another angel a third followed them, 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:41.080 saying with a loud voice, 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:43.639 If anyone worships the beast or its image 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:46.799 and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:49.779 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:53.299 poured full strength into the cup of his anger. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.620 And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:58.679 in the presence of the holy angels 00:14:58.679 --> 00:14:59.980 and in the presence of the Lamb. 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:02.580 And the smoke of their torment goes up 00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:03.820 forever and ever, 00:15:04.300 --> 00:15:06.879 and they have no rest, 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.220 day or night, 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:10.940 these worshipers of the beast and its image 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:13.539 and whoever receives the mark of its name. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:17.080 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:19.320 those who keep the commandments of God 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:20.360 and their faith in Jesus. 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:23.120 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 00:15:23.560 --> 00:15:24.180 Write this, 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:27.800 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 00:15:28.220 --> 00:15:29.840 Blessed indeed, says the Spirit. 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:32.639 That they may rest from their labors, 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:34.639 for their deeds follow them. 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:39.019 You know, when we face hardships or trials 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:40.420 in the Christian life, 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:42.840 it can feel at times like there's simply 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:46.399 no rest and no comfort to be found. 00:15:47.100 --> 00:15:49.300 And then, you know, when we get into that place, 00:15:49.300 --> 00:15:51.000 kind of spiritually and emotionally, 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:54.139 we can be tempted to look at the world around us 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:58.199 and think that we see there a picture of just the opposite. 00:15:58.399 --> 00:15:59.120 You know, we think, 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.360 they're not struggling with faith or obedience. 00:16:02.059 --> 00:16:03.559 They've cast those things aside 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:04.899 and now they seem at ease. 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:05.939 They seem at rest. 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:07.639 Why not just join them? 00:16:08.179 --> 00:16:09.240 Why not just give in? 00:16:10.299 --> 00:16:11.279 Life is short. 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:13.899 Am I really supposed to take up a cross 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:14.960 and follow Jesus? 00:16:15.540 --> 00:16:16.920 What sort of life is that? 00:16:19.460 --> 00:16:21.180 It's easy to get in that place. 00:16:22.800 --> 00:16:24.759 But remember the words of Jesus, friends. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:28.280 What does it profit someone, Jesus once said, 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:30.300 to gain the whole world 00:16:30.300 --> 00:16:32.460 and to lose your soul? 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:35.440 Life is short. 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:38.160 There is no doubt about that. 00:16:38.620 --> 00:16:41.259 But friends, eternity is very long. 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:44.799 James Joyce in his novel, 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:46.340 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:49.340 describes eternity using this powerful metaphor. 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:50.580 I'm just going to paraphrase it. 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:51.000 You know, he says, 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:53.899 imagine a beach and all those grains of sand. 00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:54.539 And then he says, 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:55.899 take those grains of sand 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:58.740 and pile them up as high as you can go. 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:00.960 A thousand, ten thousand, 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:02.740 a hundred thousand miles. 00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:04.920 Make a pillar of that sand. 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:07.000 Now picture a bird coming 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.940 and taking one grain of that sand 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:10.759 and flying away. 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:13.180 And every year the bird returns. 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.359 How many years would it take 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:20.339 for the bird to diminish that pillar of sand? 00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:22.420 And Joyce says, 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.420 when it gets to the bottom, 00:17:25.240 --> 00:17:26.440 eternity's just begun. 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:30.240 Friends, eternity's very long. 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:34.480 And what verse 13 tells us 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.759 is that there is a rest to come 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:40.220 for those in the Lord 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:42.920 that far outstrips 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:45.680 any temporal rest or ease 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:47.519 this world might be able to offer. 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:51.980 Whatever rest you feel like you're forgoing now, 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:54.940 oh, friends, it's no sacrifice at all 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:56.579 compared to what waits in eternity. 00:17:56.579 --> 00:18:02.199 You know, this rest was written 00:18:02.199 --> 00:18:04.359 into the very fabric of creation. 00:18:05.139 --> 00:18:05.859 This rest. 00:18:06.379 --> 00:18:07.240 God embodied 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.619 in the Old Testament instructions 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:11.119 this rest 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:11.939 as he told his people 00:18:11.939 --> 00:18:13.059 to keep the Sabbath day 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:13.960 over and over and again. 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:15.159 It was this picture. 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:17.059 This weekly Sabbath rest 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:18.720 was pointing to something 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.460 much greater 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:22.379 than a simple temporary pause 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:23.000 and our labor 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:24.980 as necessary as that is. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:25.980 Right? 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.000 This pattern of Sabbath 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.380 was pointing to an even greater Sabbath, 00:18:31.540 --> 00:18:32.820 a greater rest, 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.680 an eternal Sabbath rest. 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.660 And this real gift 00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:40.440 of this eternal rest, 00:18:40.800 --> 00:18:41.360 what is it? 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:42.580 How would we describe it? 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:45.140 Well, friends, 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.380 it is to be welcomed 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:48.580 and to be unashamed 00:18:48.580 --> 00:18:51.060 in the very presence of God. 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:52.559 You know, 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:53.119 what you and I 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:54.119 were created for, 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:56.379 what the real deepest longing 00:18:56.379 --> 00:18:57.579 of our heart is, 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.819 is communion with God, 00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:03.000 union with Him. 00:19:04.679 --> 00:19:05.940 And that's why verse 13 00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:06.639 can say something 00:19:06.639 --> 00:19:07.940 that sounds, you know, 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:09.379 almost paradoxical to our ears. 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:10.919 Blessed are the dead 00:19:10.919 --> 00:19:12.399 who die in the Lord 00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:13.500 from now on. 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.179 Well, they're blessed 00:19:17.179 --> 00:19:18.220 because they're present 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:19.779 with the One who created them. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:21.480 And in the Lord, 00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:22.619 all their sins are forgiven 00:19:22.619 --> 00:19:24.119 and they are welcomed 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:25.259 and unafraid. 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:28.779 And there's this wonderful phrase, 00:19:28.879 --> 00:19:30.440 they rest from their labors, 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:32.299 but their deeds follow them. 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:34.619 Think about that. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:35.460 On the one hand, 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:36.359 the day is coming 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:37.799 when we will get to rest 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:38.579 from our labors. 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:39.460 No more striving, 00:19:40.059 --> 00:19:40.460 suffering, 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:41.599 persevering. 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:43.000 We will step into 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:44.000 the eternal Sabbath. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.420 The rest of Christ 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:46.859 will be ours forever 00:19:46.859 --> 00:19:48.219 forever because He 00:19:48.219 --> 00:19:49.459 is our Sabbath rest. 00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:52.079 And at the same time, 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:52.559 John says, 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.479 our deeds will follow us. 00:19:55.679 --> 00:19:56.740 Now, what does that mean? 00:19:57.299 --> 00:19:57.719 Well, do you remember 00:19:57.719 --> 00:19:58.439 Ephesians 2 00:19:58.439 --> 00:19:59.279 where Paul says 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.119 that God has saved us 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:02.000 by His grace, 00:20:02.139 --> 00:20:03.199 but He's prepared 00:20:03.199 --> 00:20:04.579 in advance for us 00:20:04.579 --> 00:20:05.439 good works 00:20:05.439 --> 00:20:06.339 that we ought to do? 00:20:06.699 --> 00:20:07.719 We've been created 00:20:07.719 --> 00:20:09.279 by grace 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.299 for the works 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:11.199 that God prepared 00:20:11.199 --> 00:20:12.439 in advance for us to do. 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:15.320 And what John's 00:20:15.320 --> 00:20:16.279 pointing us to here 00:20:16.279 --> 00:20:17.360 is that those works 00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:18.539 of faith and obedience 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:19.920 that God prepared 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:20.720 in advance for us 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:21.519 to do in the strength 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.200 of His grace, 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:24.279 they won't be lost. 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.960 They aren't meaningless 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:27.880 or absurd. 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:30.980 God in His infinite grace 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:32.980 will take our imperfect labors 00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:33.779 in this life 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:35.740 and sweep them up 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:37.180 into His eternal kingdom 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:39.360 and into the new heavens 00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:40.279 and new earth to come. 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:42.799 And friends, 00:20:42.840 --> 00:20:44.940 that will be ultimate rest. 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:46.799 To know not just 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:47.559 that your labors 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:48.660 can finally cease, 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:49.860 but that all you've struggled 00:20:49.860 --> 00:20:51.180 and strived for 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:53.140 will play a part 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:53.920 in the new world 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:54.799 God is creating. 00:20:56.460 --> 00:20:57.539 So don't give up, 00:20:57.660 --> 00:20:58.360 brothers and sisters. 00:20:59.320 --> 00:21:00.860 Keep up and keep on. 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:04.960 But John here also issues 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:05.400 a warning. 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:07.820 For the Christian, 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:09.559 there is eternal rest 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:10.500 that awaits them. 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:12.059 But for those 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:13.420 who've rejected Christ, 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:16.500 there is eternal unrest. 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:19.380 As the angelic messengers 00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:21.079 ring forth in John's vision, 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:22.740 they proclaim the gospel 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:24.480 that Christ died for sinners 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.839 and that all who turn to Him 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:26.640 shall be saved. 00:21:27.420 --> 00:21:28.200 And then they announce 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:28.859 that Babylon, 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:29.839 the worldly city, 00:21:29.859 --> 00:21:30.660 will fall. 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:33.279 And that for those 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:34.220 who have rejected God 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:34.819 in Christ 00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:36.720 and who have knowingly 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.740 or unknowingly 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:38.759 given their allegiance 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:40.200 to the evil one, 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:42.559 God's judgment will come. 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:45.960 And their eternal state 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:47.539 will be one of conscious, 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:50.720 unending unrest. 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:53.200 The smoke of their torment, 00:21:53.379 --> 00:21:53.920 John says, 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:56.420 goes up forever and ever, 00:21:56.980 --> 00:21:58.519 and they have no rest 00:21:58.519 --> 00:21:59.640 day or night. 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:03.620 What keeps you up at night? 00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:05.960 Anxieties? 00:22:06.860 --> 00:22:07.280 Fears? 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:08.820 Guilt? 00:22:09.840 --> 00:22:10.320 Shame? 00:22:11.620 --> 00:22:12.020 Regret? 00:22:15.020 --> 00:22:16.040 Friend, to die 00:22:16.040 --> 00:22:17.940 and to be without Christ, 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:19.880 without His shed blood 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:21.220 forgiving your sins, 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:23.200 to be separated 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.180 once and for all 00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:25.420 from the presence of God, 00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:28.380 what will be left for us? 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:33.220 There will be no rest, 00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:34.200 John says. 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:36.980 Having spent your whole life 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:38.080 refusing God's mercy, 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:38.980 the time will come 00:22:38.980 --> 00:22:39.700 when God says, 00:22:39.940 --> 00:22:40.660 once and for all, 00:22:42.060 --> 00:22:43.000 thy will be done. 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:45.660 And when God removes 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:46.259 His mercy, 00:22:47.539 --> 00:22:48.740 all that remains 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:51.080 will be the undiluted 00:22:51.080 --> 00:22:52.820 opposition of God 00:22:52.820 --> 00:22:53.740 to sin. 00:22:53.740 --> 00:22:57.519 The wine of God's wrath 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.740 poured full strength 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:01.799 into the cup of His anger. 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:03.339 In the ancient world, 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:04.319 when they served wine 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:04.859 at a party, 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:06.000 they would often dilute it 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:06.519 with water 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:07.720 to kind of make it go 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:08.299 a little further 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.680 and to take the strength down. 00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:11.980 The image here is of a cup 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:13.559 utterly unmixed, 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:15.299 utterly undiluted, 00:23:16.120 --> 00:23:16.920 handed to drink. 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:19.120 This is what you've wanted, 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:20.620 and now in judgment, 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:22.099 it is what you receive. 00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:26.200 The scriptures teach 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:27.599 quite clearly and terribly 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:29.259 that for those who refuse 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:30.519 the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:31.839 the only future for them 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.559 is conscious, 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:33.400 eternal, 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:34.480 and horrible. 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:37.019 Many have questioned 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:37.839 whether we can believe 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:38.420 such a thing. 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.319 Doesn't this kind of seem 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:41.859 a little unfair of God, 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.359 we ask? 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:45.019 How could eternal punishment 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:46.640 be a just sentence 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:48.859 for finite human rejection 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:49.700 of God, right? 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:51.220 We've only, like, 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:52.120 rejected God 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.620 for a finite number of years. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:56.620 How can an infinite punishment 00:23:56.620 --> 00:23:57.660 be at all just? 00:24:01.019 --> 00:24:02.039 But the problem, friends, 00:24:02.100 --> 00:24:02.720 is that we're thinking 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:03.940 about things in that way. 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:05.819 When we frame things that way, 00:24:05.860 --> 00:24:06.620 we're thinking about things 00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:08.240 in a very human-centered way, 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:10.299 not in a God-centered way. 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:13.700 You see, God is infinitely beautiful, 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:16.960 good, and merciful. 00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:19.799 And to sin against 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:21.700 an infinitely worthy object 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:24.620 justly requires 00:24:24.620 --> 00:24:25.960 an infinite sentence. 00:24:27.840 --> 00:24:29.440 You know, if I visited your home 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:31.920 and kind of maybe intentionally 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.420 sort of broke one of your mugs, 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:34.039 you know, 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:35.039 it's like, 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:36.240 you know, 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:38.220 I don't like the chiefs, 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:39.380 you know, whatever. 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:41.860 What would the penalty be? 00:24:42.060 --> 00:24:42.240 Like, 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:44.000 five, ten bucks, 00:24:44.300 --> 00:24:44.580 you know? 00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:45.500 Maybe you had to order it 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:45.960 on the internet 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:46.380 so it's like, 00:24:46.580 --> 00:24:46.900 twenty, 00:24:47.100 --> 00:24:47.680 because they're shipping. 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:51.160 But what if I broke 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:53.020 the heirloom vase 00:24:53.020 --> 00:24:54.100 in your china cupboard, 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:55.480 the one that's been passed down 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:56.060 in your family 00:24:56.060 --> 00:24:56.840 for generations 00:24:56.840 --> 00:24:57.300 that's, like, 00:24:57.320 --> 00:24:58.360 not replaceable? 00:24:59.520 --> 00:25:00.380 Like, what would the penalty 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:00.980 be then? 00:25:02.620 --> 00:25:03.520 Thousands of dollars? 00:25:04.800 --> 00:25:06.080 Tens of thousands of dollars? 00:25:07.800 --> 00:25:08.280 You see, 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:09.920 it's the object of the offense 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:10.579 that determines 00:25:10.579 --> 00:25:11.319 the kind of weight 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:12.619 and justice of the punishment, 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:12.980 right? 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:16.039 But what if it wasn't 00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:17.420 a mug or a vase, 00:25:17.779 --> 00:25:18.079 right? 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.059 What if I harmed your spouse 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:23.079 or your child? 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.000 What would be the cost then? 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:28.879 Can you even put 00:25:28.879 --> 00:25:29.940 a dollar amount to that? 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:33.220 Would a million dollars 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:34.420 even begin to repay 00:25:34.420 --> 00:25:35.460 what I've done? 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:38.779 And now, 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:39.879 what about the infinitely 00:25:39.879 --> 00:25:40.899 worthy God 00:25:40.899 --> 00:25:42.440 who made you 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:43.660 and the world 00:25:43.660 --> 00:25:45.160 and everything in it, 00:25:46.099 --> 00:25:47.879 who keeps you 00:25:47.879 --> 00:25:49.079 and everything beautiful 00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:49.879 in this creation 00:25:49.879 --> 00:25:52.339 existing every single second? 00:25:55.019 --> 00:25:55.920 What if I live 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:56.819 not just one day, 00:25:56.879 --> 00:25:58.019 but every day 00:25:58.019 --> 00:25:59.940 rejecting Him, 00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:01.019 ignoring Him, 00:26:01.420 --> 00:26:02.180 dishonoring Him, 00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:03.440 using His creation 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:04.420 for my own ends 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:05.639 to His dishonor, 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:07.240 rebelling against Him? 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:07.740 sin. 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:11.819 Sin against the eternal God 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:14.740 justly demands 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:15.779 an eternal punishment. 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:19.940 And that's why 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:20.839 the first angel 00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:22.180 flies forth 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:23.579 proclaiming 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.240 the eternal gospel. 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:28.519 There's only one 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:29.460 who could pay 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:31.380 the eternal sentence 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:32.099 of sin. 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:34.880 Who is worthy enough 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:36.360 to pay the penalty 00:26:36.360 --> 00:26:38.720 not just for one sinner, 00:26:39.300 --> 00:26:40.960 but for every sinner 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:42.080 who repents and believes? 00:26:43.580 --> 00:26:45.460 Who could possibly pay 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:47.860 that infinite mountain, 00:26:48.260 --> 00:26:49.120 that pillar 00:26:49.120 --> 00:26:50.940 of infinite sand 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:52.340 that we've accumulated 00:26:52.340 --> 00:26:53.800 because of our rejection 00:26:53.800 --> 00:26:54.360 of God? 00:26:57.540 --> 00:26:58.720 It's obvious, right? 00:26:59.760 --> 00:27:00.860 Only God 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:02.460 is worthy to pay 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:03.200 that penalty. 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:06.259 Only if God 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:07.000 were to descend 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:08.000 into the darkness 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:09.160 of wrath and sin, 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:10.799 only if God 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:12.660 were to experience 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:14.100 the terrible unrest 00:27:14.100 --> 00:27:15.259 of sin's penalty, 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:16.680 only then 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:17.779 could we ever hope 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.440 to be saved, 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:20.079 only if God chose 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:20.960 to do that 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:21.680 in our place. 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:24.720 And friends, 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:25.539 that 00:27:25.539 --> 00:27:26.799 is 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:28.059 exactly 00:27:28.059 --> 00:27:29.519 the gospel, 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:30.700 the good news. 00:27:31.899 --> 00:27:32.899 In Jesus Christ, 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:33.779 God took 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:34.859 human flesh 00:27:34.859 --> 00:27:35.919 to live 00:27:35.919 --> 00:27:37.019 and to die 00:27:37.019 --> 00:27:37.940 to pay 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:38.839 that horrible 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:39.940 sentence. 00:27:41.019 --> 00:27:41.720 On the cross, 00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:42.639 Jesus descended 00:27:42.639 --> 00:27:43.419 into the depths 00:27:43.419 --> 00:27:44.220 of wrath 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:45.319 to pay sin's 00:27:45.319 --> 00:27:45.819 awful, 00:27:46.379 --> 00:27:47.359 infinite cost. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:49.919 And on the cross, 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:50.220 do you know 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:50.980 what Jesus said? 00:27:52.419 --> 00:27:53.460 It's finished. 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:56.619 The infinite cost 00:27:56.619 --> 00:27:57.619 has been paid 00:27:57.619 --> 00:27:59.500 because the infinite 00:27:59.500 --> 00:28:00.759 God became finite 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:01.939 and died for you. 00:28:04.119 --> 00:28:05.199 And now the offer 00:28:05.199 --> 00:28:05.919 comes forth. 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:07.399 Will you receive 00:28:07.399 --> 00:28:08.019 that gift 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:09.439 or will you continue 00:28:09.439 --> 00:28:10.359 to push it away 00:28:10.359 --> 00:28:11.839 to your own demise? 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:14.799 Friends, 00:28:14.859 --> 00:28:15.839 there is eternal rest 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:17.239 for all who trust 00:28:17.239 --> 00:28:17.779 in Christ. 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.099 And he says 00:28:19.099 --> 00:28:19.979 to all of us today, 00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:20.799 come to me, 00:28:21.219 --> 00:28:22.219 all you who are weary 00:28:22.219 --> 00:28:23.139 and heavy burdened, 00:28:23.379 --> 00:28:25.059 and I will give you rest. 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:25.979 He's the only one 00:28:25.979 --> 00:28:26.619 who can do it. 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:28.179 He's the only one 00:28:28.179 --> 00:28:28.799 who can give you 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:29.339 that rest. 00:28:29.959 --> 00:28:30.619 You're not going 00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:30.899 to get it 00:28:30.899 --> 00:28:31.679 from church attendance, 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:33.279 although church attendance 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:33.719 is good. 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:35.219 You're not going 00:28:35.219 --> 00:28:35.500 to get it 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:35.979 from trying to be 00:28:35.979 --> 00:28:36.979 a good moral person, 00:28:37.479 --> 00:28:38.459 although we need 00:28:38.459 --> 00:28:39.259 more of those around, 00:28:39.379 --> 00:28:39.659 right? 00:28:40.419 --> 00:28:41.219 And you're not going 00:28:41.219 --> 00:28:41.559 to get it 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:42.039 from trying to be 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:42.639 a more spiritual 00:28:42.639 --> 00:28:43.699 or religious person. 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:44.959 It's not going 00:28:44.959 --> 00:28:46.039 to be external religion 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:47.519 or good moral effort 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:50.079 or spiritual connection 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:50.879 with the divine. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:51.619 You're not going 00:28:51.619 --> 00:28:53.019 to find the rest there. 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:55.420 It's only in Jesus. 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:57.559 Come to me, 00:28:57.639 --> 00:28:58.079 he says, 00:28:58.119 --> 00:28:59.579 and I will give you rest. 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:02.539 Have you stopped 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:03.599 trying to rest 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:04.759 in your own record 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:06.000 and your own efforts 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:06.720 and your own 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:07.700 supposed goodness? 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:08.859 Have you stopped 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:10.019 resting in those things? 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:11.400 And have you rested 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:11.960 in him? 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:16.079 That's the invitation 00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:17.339 for all of us today. 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:20.039 And if you do rest 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:20.359 in him, 00:29:20.419 --> 00:29:21.500 then this is the promise 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.000 for you, 00:29:22.299 --> 00:29:23.759 that there is eternal 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.959 rest for you 00:29:24.959 --> 00:29:26.819 now and in the age 00:29:26.819 --> 00:29:27.279 to come. 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:29.519 So don't give up 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:31.199 and don't give in. 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:34.240 Well, let's look finally 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:34.959 at the last section 00:29:34.959 --> 00:29:35.799 of chapter 14. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:36.939 John has held up 00:29:36.939 --> 00:29:38.959 for us joy and rest, 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:40.119 and lastly, 00:29:40.179 --> 00:29:40.899 he's going to point us 00:29:40.899 --> 00:29:41.759 to justice. 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:43.779 Keep up and keep on 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:45.039 because there is justice 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:46.779 for those who persevere. 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:47.399 Let me read 00:29:47.399 --> 00:29:48.940 verses 14 through 20. 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:50.680 Then I looked, 00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:51.019 and behold, 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:51.720 a white cloud 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:53.139 and seated on the cloud 00:29:53.139 --> 00:29:54.559 one like a son of man 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:55.859 with a golden crown 00:29:55.859 --> 00:29:56.460 on his head 00:29:56.460 --> 00:29:57.299 and a sharp sickle 00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:57.980 in his hand. 00:29:58.519 --> 00:29:59.299 And another angel 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:00.079 came out of the temple 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:01.220 calling with a loud voice 00:30:01.220 --> 00:30:02.440 to him who sat on the cloud, 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:03.700 Put in your sickle 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:04.139 and reap, 00:30:04.619 --> 00:30:05.599 for the hour to reap 00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:06.160 has come, 00:30:06.399 --> 00:30:07.000 for the harvest 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:07.440 of the earth 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.279 is fully ripe. 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:09.700 So he who sat 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:10.139 on the cloud 00:30:10.139 --> 00:30:11.139 swung his sickle 00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:11.980 across the earth 00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:12.899 and the earth 00:30:12.899 --> 00:30:13.420 was reaped. 00:30:14.759 --> 00:30:15.539 Then another angel 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:16.359 came out of the temple 00:30:16.359 --> 00:30:16.779 in heaven, 00:30:17.479 --> 00:30:18.119 and he too 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:19.000 had a sharp sickle. 00:30:19.659 --> 00:30:20.500 And another angel 00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:21.659 came out from the altar, 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:23.219 the angel who has authority 00:30:23.219 --> 00:30:23.919 over the fire, 00:30:24.459 --> 00:30:24.959 and he called 00:30:24.959 --> 00:30:25.740 with a loud voice 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:26.279 to the one 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:27.379 who had the sharp sickle, 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:28.699 Put in your sickle 00:30:28.699 --> 00:30:29.859 and gather the clusters 00:30:29.859 --> 00:30:30.559 from the vine 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:31.119 of the earth, 00:30:31.419 --> 00:30:32.699 for its grapes are ripe. 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:34.439 So the angel 00:30:34.439 --> 00:30:35.399 swung his sickle 00:30:35.399 --> 00:30:36.219 across the earth 00:30:36.219 --> 00:30:37.179 and gathered 00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:37.979 the grape harvest 00:30:37.979 --> 00:30:38.519 of the earth 00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:39.699 and threw it 00:30:39.699 --> 00:30:41.139 into the great winepress 00:30:41.139 --> 00:30:42.679 of the wrath of God. 00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:44.519 And the winepress 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:45.380 was trodden 00:30:45.380 --> 00:30:46.360 outside the city 00:30:46.360 --> 00:30:48.080 and blood flowed 00:30:48.080 --> 00:30:48.980 from the winepress 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:51.140 as high as a horse's bridle 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:54.180 for 1,600 stadia. 00:30:54.180 --> 00:30:56.759 Now we've seen 00:30:56.759 --> 00:30:57.320 that Revelation 00:30:57.320 --> 00:30:58.960 presents the return 00:30:58.960 --> 00:30:59.600 of Christ 00:30:59.600 --> 00:31:00.799 multiple times 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:01.539 throughout the book 00:31:01.539 --> 00:31:03.080 and from multiple perspectives. 00:31:03.600 --> 00:31:04.420 And here's another 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:05.299 one of those pictures 00:31:05.299 --> 00:31:06.360 of Christ, 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:07.180 the Son of Man, 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:08.019 the one on the cloud, 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:09.440 his return in glory 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:10.640 to save and to judge 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:11.500 at the end of history. 00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:13.620 And here the image 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:14.580 is a harvest, right? 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:15.420 And actually, 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:16.580 there's two harvests here. 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:18.380 In the first harvest, 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:19.080 the Son of Man, 00:31:19.120 --> 00:31:19.620 that is Jesus, 00:31:19.619 --> 00:31:21.639 gathers the ripe grain 00:31:21.639 --> 00:31:23.179 into his barn, right? 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:24.559 And I think this is 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:25.259 a picture of Jesus 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:26.500 gathering his people 00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:27.399 into his presence 00:31:27.399 --> 00:31:28.399 at the end of the age. 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:30.679 And it's a comforting picture. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.339 Harvests were times 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:33.099 of rejoicing 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:33.939 and celebration 00:31:33.939 --> 00:31:34.559 and that day 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:35.919 will be one of great joy 00:31:35.919 --> 00:31:36.779 as Christ comes 00:31:36.779 --> 00:31:38.119 and gathers us 00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:38.919 to himself. 00:31:40.699 --> 00:31:42.059 But there's a second harvest 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:43.439 in verses 17 through 20. 00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:45.859 And this image 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:46.759 strikes us at first 00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:48.000 as very troubling. 00:31:49.619 --> 00:31:50.199 What's pictured 00:31:50.199 --> 00:31:51.119 is a grape harvest 00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:52.199 and the grapes 00:31:52.199 --> 00:31:52.739 are gathered 00:31:52.739 --> 00:31:54.279 and then crushed 00:31:54.279 --> 00:31:55.179 in a winepress. 00:31:56.439 --> 00:31:57.239 But we're told 00:31:57.239 --> 00:31:58.319 that this winepress 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:00.299 is the wrath of God. 00:32:00.379 --> 00:32:01.239 That is God's 00:32:01.239 --> 00:32:03.519 ultimate rejection 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:04.759 of evil. 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:08.119 And what flows 00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:09.019 from the winepress 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:10.459 is a shocking scene. 00:32:11.699 --> 00:32:12.819 1600 stadia 00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:14.039 was about 200 miles, 00:32:14.139 --> 00:32:14.639 give or take. 00:32:15.239 --> 00:32:16.059 And that's approximately 00:32:16.059 --> 00:32:16.579 the length 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:17.279 of the Old Testament, 00:32:17.659 --> 00:32:18.639 the length of the 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:19.460 Old Testament land 00:32:19.460 --> 00:32:20.780 of Israel, right? 00:32:22.120 --> 00:32:23.040 And in the symbolic 00:32:23.040 --> 00:32:24.140 language of Revelation, 00:32:24.340 --> 00:32:24.800 what we're meant 00:32:24.800 --> 00:32:25.280 to take away, 00:32:25.360 --> 00:32:25.900 I think, 00:32:26.540 --> 00:32:27.600 is that this is a picture 00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:28.340 of complete 00:32:28.340 --> 00:32:30.360 worldwide judgment. 00:32:33.600 --> 00:32:34.440 Now what are we meant 00:32:34.440 --> 00:32:34.920 to take away 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:35.620 from this picture? 00:32:37.100 --> 00:32:37.720 Well, we've seen 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:38.680 many times in Revelation 00:32:38.680 --> 00:32:40.220 that the coming judgment 00:32:40.220 --> 00:32:40.920 is meant to be 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:41.480 a warning. 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:43.020 It's a warning 00:32:43.020 --> 00:32:43.800 calling us 00:32:43.800 --> 00:32:44.640 to turn to God 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:45.060 and receive 00:32:45.060 --> 00:32:45.680 his forgiveness. 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:45.880 forgiveness. 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:48.340 But judgment 00:32:48.340 --> 00:32:49.180 and justice 00:32:49.180 --> 00:32:50.779 is also meant 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:51.620 to be a comfort. 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:54.080 A comfort 00:32:54.080 --> 00:32:55.200 not for the comfortable, 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:57.519 not for the powerful, 00:32:58.380 --> 00:32:59.560 not for the emperor 00:32:59.560 --> 00:33:00.220 and his wicked, 00:33:00.340 --> 00:33:01.680 self-exalting designs. 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:04.779 But justice 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:05.380 is meant to be 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:05.759 a comfort 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:06.519 for the powerless 00:33:06.519 --> 00:33:08.680 and for the comfortless, 00:33:09.080 --> 00:33:10.299 for the downtrodden, 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:10.940 for the weak, 00:33:11.100 --> 00:33:11.779 for the oppressed, 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:12.480 for the poor. 00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:15.039 For the Christians 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:15.940 in the first century 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:17.299 and in the 21st century 00:33:17.299 --> 00:33:18.559 who are being unjustly 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:19.180 persecuted, 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:20.279 imprisoned, 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:21.559 killed, 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:23.720 the coming justice 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:24.279 of God 00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:25.180 is good news 00:33:25.180 --> 00:33:27.539 because it means 00:33:27.539 --> 00:33:28.279 one day 00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:31.160 evil will end. 00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:33.599 Wickedness will end. 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:35.680 Injustice and oppression 00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:36.700 will end. 00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:38.099 It will all be gathered 00:33:38.099 --> 00:33:39.099 into the winepress 00:33:39.099 --> 00:33:39.700 of God 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:41.000 and crushed 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:41.759 no more 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:42.200 to threaten 00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:42.759 his people 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.480 or his world 00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:44.019 anymore. 00:33:45.799 --> 00:33:46.840 And God's judgment 00:33:46.840 --> 00:33:47.940 will be perfect. 00:33:49.779 --> 00:33:50.180 You know, 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:51.420 our system of justice 00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:52.420 is far from perfect, 00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:52.840 right? 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:53.799 Mistakes are made. 00:33:54.120 --> 00:33:54.779 Lawyers and judges 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:55.519 can be corrupt. 00:33:56.360 --> 00:33:57.539 Humans cannot possibly 00:33:57.539 --> 00:33:58.380 judge perfectly. 00:33:59.779 --> 00:34:00.860 But God can 00:34:00.860 --> 00:34:02.380 and God will. 00:34:04.340 --> 00:34:05.299 On that day, 00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:06.640 no one will question 00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:07.640 the rightness 00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:08.680 of his judgment. 00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:10.740 It will be seen 00:34:10.740 --> 00:34:12.860 as perfect justice. 00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:15.860 And that means 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:17.640 oppression will cease 00:34:17.640 --> 00:34:19.800 and wars will cease 00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:20.780 and hunger 00:34:20.780 --> 00:34:21.480 and violence 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.280 will be no more. 00:34:22.780 --> 00:34:23.440 They will go 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:24.380 into the winepress 00:34:24.380 --> 00:34:25.140 of his wrath 00:34:25.140 --> 00:34:26.700 never to return. 00:34:29.320 --> 00:34:29.840 Yes, 00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:30.940 it's a sobering picture, 00:34:31.099 --> 00:34:31.700 but for those 00:34:31.700 --> 00:34:32.940 who are crushed 00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:34.019 under the weight 00:34:34.019 --> 00:34:34.579 of evil 00:34:34.579 --> 00:34:35.519 and sin 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:36.420 and oppression, 00:34:36.719 --> 00:34:37.500 it's a picture 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:38.340 of hope 00:34:38.340 --> 00:34:40.139 that it will not last. 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:42.920 Do you see how 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.420 this message 00:34:43.420 --> 00:34:45.199 of God's coming justice, 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:45.739 this harvest, 00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:46.400 is meant to help 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:47.420 suffering Christians 00:34:47.420 --> 00:34:48.300 persevere in faith 00:34:48.300 --> 00:34:48.780 and obedience? 00:34:49.820 --> 00:34:50.480 Evil and wrong 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:51.860 won't have the last word. 00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:53.019 The tyrants 00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:53.579 and the bullies 00:34:53.579 --> 00:34:54.460 that prey on the weak 00:34:54.460 --> 00:34:55.559 will come to an end. 00:34:56.519 --> 00:34:57.239 So John is saying, 00:34:57.400 --> 00:34:58.739 keep up and keep on. 00:34:59.059 --> 00:34:59.860 Though it looks like 00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:00.840 evil is winning. 00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:01.840 Though it looks like 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:02.599 every effort 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:03.679 to stand up 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:04.339 for love 00:35:04.339 --> 00:35:04.880 and forgiveness 00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:05.579 and peace, 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:06.219 even though that looks 00:35:06.219 --> 00:35:07.639 like a lost cause. 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:09.339 Though it seems like 00:35:09.339 --> 00:35:10.239 living in righteousness 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:11.259 and praying for justice 00:35:11.259 --> 00:35:12.319 are a dead end. 00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:13.920 When you're so tempted 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:14.920 to pick up 00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:15.559 the means 00:35:15.559 --> 00:35:16.179 that this world 00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:16.920 holds forth 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:18.000 as the means 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:18.739 to an end. 00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:21.000 Don't do it. 00:35:21.099 --> 00:35:22.039 Don't give up. 00:35:24.759 --> 00:35:25.559 The seeds 00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:27.079 that you are sowing now, 00:35:28.139 --> 00:35:28.880 though they seem 00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:30.239 like a mustard seed, 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:32.179 they will grow, 00:35:32.779 --> 00:35:33.979 they will take root, 00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:35.379 and the harvest 00:35:35.379 --> 00:35:36.259 will come. 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:39.019 Evil and death 00:35:39.019 --> 00:35:40.259 and all the world systems 00:35:40.259 --> 00:35:41.239 that prop them up 00:35:41.239 --> 00:35:41.899 will be crushed 00:35:41.899 --> 00:35:43.179 never again to rise. 00:35:44.299 --> 00:35:45.799 And the mustard seeds 00:35:45.799 --> 00:35:47.339 of faith 00:35:47.339 --> 00:35:48.359 and hope 00:35:48.359 --> 00:35:49.500 and love 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:51.579 will be seen 00:35:51.579 --> 00:35:52.259 to be the real 00:35:52.259 --> 00:35:53.000 lasting fruit. 00:35:54.599 --> 00:35:55.719 And the Son of Man 00:35:55.719 --> 00:35:56.779 will gather it 00:35:56.779 --> 00:35:57.379 to Himself 00:35:57.379 --> 00:35:58.979 and His kingdom 00:35:58.979 --> 00:35:59.679 will be forever. 00:36:00.239 --> 00:36:02.339 And the new heavens 00:36:02.339 --> 00:36:02.899 and the new earth 00:36:02.899 --> 00:36:03.559 will be a garden 00:36:03.559 --> 00:36:04.759 and a city 00:36:04.759 --> 00:36:05.899 where righteousness 00:36:05.899 --> 00:36:06.739 dwells forever. 00:36:08.419 --> 00:36:10.039 True and lasting justice 00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:11.139 is coming, saints. 00:36:12.239 --> 00:36:13.219 Persevere in faith. 00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:15.439 Persevere in obedience. 00:36:16.379 --> 00:36:17.039 Don't give up. 00:36:18.179 --> 00:36:18.779 Let's pray. 00:36:18.779 --> 00:36:18.879 Amen. 00:36:27.279 --> 00:36:28.279 Father, we ask 00:36:28.280 --> 00:36:29.380 that you would, 00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:30.620 by your Holy Spirit, 00:36:31.620 --> 00:36:32.860 work into our hearts 00:36:32.860 --> 00:36:34.920 a perseverance 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:37.320 born 00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:42.380 from the deep joy 00:36:42.380 --> 00:36:43.160 that we have in you, 00:36:43.940 --> 00:36:45.160 from the rest 00:36:45.160 --> 00:36:46.200 that you promise us, 00:36:46.720 --> 00:36:49.060 and from the great justice 00:36:49.060 --> 00:36:49.760 that will come. 00:36:51.040 --> 00:36:52.040 Lord, help us to run 00:36:52.040 --> 00:36:53.080 this race with endurance, 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.200 looking to Jesus, 00:36:54.680 --> 00:36:56.000 the author and finisher 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:56.619 of our faith. 00:36:57.420 --> 00:36:58.320 In His name we pray. 00:36:58.639 --> 00:36:58.920 Amen.