WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.540 Good afternoon. Good evening. Working on the air conditioning, I think. 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:13.919 I grew up in a family that loved scary movies. Anybody like scary movies here? Horror movies? 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:21.280 Not so much the kind of bloody, murdery kind, more the supernatural alien kind of horror movies. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.879 And so I grew up, you know, many family movie nights at the Henson House where we were watching horror movies. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:39.239 And even after all the good therapy I've had, one of the things that stands out to me in my memory of those times is how many movies had some reference to the mark of the beast. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:45.280 Right? The mark of the beast. You know, little Timmy is born with a weird-looking birthmark. 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:52.340 Nobody thinks anything of it until Timmy's play school friends start having accidents, you know, and they start wondering what's wrong with Timmy. 00:00:52.340 --> 00:01:01.600 And, you know, I think about the ways that this symbol has just captured the imagination of pop culture. 00:01:01.720 --> 00:01:12.580 I remember in high school, you know, you could tell the goth kids because they would scribble 666 in the margins of their notebooks at school and some would even get it tattooed on them, you know. 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:17.920 And so very, very, very much captured popular imagination. 00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:21.420 You know, it's actually a reference to a Bible passage. 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:27.239 The end of Revelation chapter 13 makes reference to the mark of the beast. 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:37.519 And as we've been studying Revelation, one of the things we've seen is this, that Revelation is full of very fantastic, very extraordinary images. 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.879 A lot of them are drawn from the Old Testament, some are not. 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:49.739 But what we see again and again and again is God uses the extraordinary in Revelation to transform the way we see the ordinary. 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:58.019 He uses extraordinary images to get our attention, to wake us up, and to get us to revisit assumptions that we thought were settled, 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:03.319 to revisit perspectives that we thought were appropriate. 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:09.959 And He gets us to rethink our lives, our ordinary daily lives, by showing us very extraordinary things. 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:12.199 And that's what's happening here. 00:02:12.299 --> 00:02:18.199 What we're going to do tonight is we're going to look at Revelation, the end of chapter 13, the entirety of chapter 14, 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:23.120 and we're going to look at the mark of the beast, the people of the beast. 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:29.579 And we're going to see that this is yet again an example of how Revelation challenges us to rethink our lives 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:32.820 and to rethink our faith and what it means to follow Jesus. 00:02:33.240 --> 00:02:36.300 And I think what we'll see, what I hope you see is what I've seen, 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.160 that even though this is not the stuff of horror movies, 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:44.020 even though the true meaning is very different than what is often portrayed, 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.220 I think the implications are a lot more frightening. 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:53.819 And so we're going to look at the mark of the beast, the lie of the beast, 00:02:53.819 --> 00:02:59.620 and then ultimately the end of the beast, the final end of the beast. 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:00.319 Let's pray. 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:07.500 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that even when it's not crystal clear, 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:09.900 even when it's obscure and mysterious, 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:13.939 that in all times when we open Your Word, 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:18.120 we are ultimately trusting You through Your Spirit to speak to us. 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:22.000 And we pray that You would do that again this evening as You have always done, 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:25.060 and that You would, through Your written Word here, 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.560 bring us face to face with the living Word, Jesus Christ. 00:03:29.140 --> 00:03:31.300 And it's in His name that we pray. Amen. 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:35.980 So the mark of the beast, fascinating, right? 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:40.539 Let's get a little context of what's happening up to this point in the story. 00:03:40.899 --> 00:03:45.179 Last week, for those of you who are here, we looked at Revelation 12 and 13, 00:03:45.459 --> 00:03:51.060 and we saw that between Jesus' first coming, Christmas, and His second coming, 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:53.919 which has not happened yet, the two advents of Jesus, 00:03:55.019 --> 00:04:02.459 that Satan, depicted as a dragon, is going to wage war against God's people. 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:04.359 And we're in that time. 00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:08.400 And so in order to wage war against God's people, 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:13.680 Satan relies on two beasts, reinforcements. 00:04:14.160 --> 00:04:17.360 There's a beast from the sea and a beast from the land. 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:22.960 The beast from the sea represents all of the governments and systems 00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:27.960 and institutions that are corrupt and wicked and do the work of the dragon. 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:32.600 And then the land beast represents all of the religious institutions 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:40.480 and the religious leaders that prop up those wicked institutions and governments and systems. 00:04:40.900 --> 00:04:47.240 And so these are both tools in the dragon's hand to wage war against God's people. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:49.660 And what we see at the end of chapter 13, 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:53.900 we see all of the people who have given their allegiance to the beast, 00:04:53.899 --> 00:05:01.219 and we see that they are all marked on their foreheads and on their wrists with the mark of the beast, 00:05:01.219 --> 00:05:04.719 which we're told is the number 666. 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:09.399 Now, we have to understand that despite what the movies say, 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:11.519 this is not a literal mark. 00:05:12.159 --> 00:05:13.620 This is a symbol. 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:19.779 In this context, a mark, to be marked, means your defining characteristic. 00:05:19.779 --> 00:05:22.539 It's the thing that you belong to. 00:05:22.679 --> 00:05:24.839 It's your ultimate loyalty or allegiance. 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:29.239 So you might say, you know, somebody is marked by this particular characteristic. 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:34.339 So all of the people of the beast are marked with a 666. 00:05:34.599 --> 00:05:37.500 So what is the characteristic that this is conveying? 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:40.059 Well, to understand what it means, 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:45.339 we have to remember that Revelation is structured in cycles of seven. 00:05:45.979 --> 00:05:46.239 Right? 00:05:46.299 --> 00:05:49.199 So there are seven seals that need to be broken open. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:53.139 There are seven trumpet blasts blown by seven angels. 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:57.139 There are seven bowls that need to be poured out on the earth. 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:01.120 And this series of seven is, in each case, 00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:06.099 meant to hearken back to the first series of seven that appears in the Bible, 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:11.039 which is the story of creation, the seven days of creation. 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:11.800 Right? 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:20.100 And so in each case, day one corresponds to the number one or the first bowl or the first trumpet. 00:06:20.220 --> 00:06:26.060 In each case, when we see a number, it's meant to hearken back to that original order of creation, 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:27.600 those seven days of creation. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.600 And so when we think about the number six, 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.160 that immediately brings our minds to the sixth day of creation, 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.640 which if you remember on the sixth day of creation, 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:44.080 that's where God creates all of the creatures of the earth and he creates human beings. 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.519 And then, of course, in the story of creation, 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:51.259 day six ends and then everything progresses to the seventh day. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:57.159 And we recognize that the entire purpose of creation is to worship God and to glorify God 00:06:57.159 --> 00:06:59.560 and to enter into Sabbath rest with God. 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.819 And so we recognize that the full story of creation, seven days, 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:06.180 it begins with God and it ends with God. 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:10.879 And the theological message of that is that all of this is meant for God's glory. 00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:14.139 It's meant for seventh day praise and worship. 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:19.900 When we see a 666 that is the mark of a person, 00:07:20.019 --> 00:07:21.879 the defining characteristic of a person, 00:07:22.280 --> 00:07:26.860 what we're seeing is that that person is defined by the fact that they have, 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.939 in essence, gotten stuck on the sixth day. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:35.980 In other words, they got stuck with the world and the creatures of the world 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:38.879 and human beings as the end-all be-all. 00:07:39.780 --> 00:07:43.720 They are, in a sense, living in denial that there is a seventh day. 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:47.140 They ignore God and the world that he made. 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:51.400 They celebrate and worship the creatures, but they have denied the Creator. 00:07:51.840 --> 00:07:56.939 And this is again and again and again the core issue that the Bible brings to light 00:07:56.939 --> 00:08:00.960 that is the reason why the world is broken the way it is. 00:08:01.520 --> 00:08:03.879 It's because we have, as Romans chapter 1 says, 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:10.279 exchanged the worship of God for the worship of the created things that God has made. 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:15.040 And so people who are marked with the mark of the beast, this 666, 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:19.719 they live sixth day lifestyles, right? 00:08:19.779 --> 00:08:22.480 This is the lifestyle or the attitude that says, 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:23.800 you know, it's my money. 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:26.240 It's my body. 00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:27.959 It's my time. 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:30.919 And I get to decide what I do with it. 00:08:31.019 --> 00:08:33.179 There is no higher purpose. 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:35.419 There is no higher source of accountability. 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:37.419 I'm not beholden to anyone. 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:39.179 I can do whatever I want. 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:42.159 That's the sixth day mentality. 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:44.100 That's the mark of the beast. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:48.980 And, you know, this day, these days, I think that's a very attractive worldview. 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:52.740 But that entire worldview is built on a lie. 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:57.720 And especially when it comes to the question of what does it mean to be a Christian 00:08:57.720 --> 00:08:59.820 and how is Christianity different, 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:02.580 we recognize that underneath this sits a lie, 00:09:02.659 --> 00:09:05.320 what we might think of as the lie of the beast. 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:09.240 Chapter 13, verse 17 says, 00:09:09.419 --> 00:09:11.019 and this is a really obscure reference. 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:15.460 It's easy to just go right past this like you do so many things in Revelation. 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:18.980 It's easy to go right by this, but I think it's extremely important. 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:25.779 Verse 17 tells us that only those who wear the mark of the beast are permitted to buy and sell. 00:09:26.700 --> 00:09:30.360 And you've got to understand that this is actually a historical reference. 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:37.740 In Rome, persecution against Christians was ramping up at the time that this was written. 00:09:38.019 --> 00:09:42.620 And the reason had partly to do with the fact that the Roman emperor 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:47.320 had decreed himself to be a god deserving of worship 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:51.540 and that the Roman pantheon of gods and goddesses 00:09:51.540 --> 00:09:54.500 needed to be worshipped for the benefit of Rome. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:58.920 And so they would conquer people as the Roman Empire spread 00:09:58.920 --> 00:10:01.140 and the deal they would make with people was to say, 00:10:01.540 --> 00:10:03.320 you can continue in your religion 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:08.360 as long as you add the emperor and the Roman pantheon to your prayers 00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:11.400 and as long as you sacrifice to them as well. 00:10:11.760 --> 00:10:14.320 Continue in your religion, but also worship the emperor. 00:10:14.540 --> 00:10:16.820 Also worship the Roman gods and goddesses. 00:10:16.820 --> 00:10:19.820 And when bad things happened to the Roman Empire, 00:10:20.040 --> 00:10:23.220 and especially as they began to decline and fall apart, 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:28.960 they would blame those bad things on all of the people living in the Roman Empire 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:30.980 who refused to sacrifice to the emperor. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.320 You're not worshipping the emperor, 00:10:33.420 --> 00:10:34.940 you're not worshipping the gods and goddesses, 00:10:35.020 --> 00:10:36.220 and we're paying for it. 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:40.660 So this was the justification behind the persecution that Christians experienced. 00:10:40.659 --> 00:10:48.419 And so this persecution included local officials actually beginning to say 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:52.879 that people who sacrificed to the emperor would be allowed into the marketplace 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:56.219 to sell their wares and to buy what they needed. 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:00.839 People who refused to sacrifice to the emperor were not allowed into the marketplace, 00:11:01.219 --> 00:11:06.199 and there were various visible means of determining who was allowed in and who was excluded. 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:09.000 And so if you were a Christian in this culture, 00:11:09.180 --> 00:11:10.800 you faced a very real dilemma. 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:13.100 Here's the dilemma. 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:15.540 Either I stay true to Jesus, 00:11:16.040 --> 00:11:18.280 and I only worship him, 00:11:18.660 --> 00:11:20.960 and I refuse to sacrifice to the emperor, 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.500 and yet I'm not allowed in the marketplace, 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:26.100 I can't sell my goods, 00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:27.320 I can't get what I need, 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:28.900 I can't provide for my family, 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:30.820 and I'm putting my very livelihood at risk. 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:32.720 Or, 00:11:33.040 --> 00:11:35.700 I make a little compromise. 00:11:37.040 --> 00:11:38.140 I worship Jesus, 00:11:38.400 --> 00:11:41.360 but I also do a little bit of worshipping of the Roman emperor, 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:42.379 just enough to count, 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:44.440 just enough to qualify. 00:11:45.160 --> 00:11:46.180 I get my permit, 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:47.740 I go to the market, 00:11:47.900 --> 00:11:48.879 I get what I need, 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:49.780 I sell my stuff, 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:50.520 I make the money, 00:11:50.780 --> 00:11:52.240 I provide for my family, 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:53.180 I make sure they're okay. 00:11:53.540 --> 00:11:54.820 Surely God would understand, 00:11:55.020 --> 00:11:56.280 I want to provide for my family, 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:57.180 I want to feed my kids. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:59.040 Surely God understands a little compromise. 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:00.800 Surely Jesus is reasonable. 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.740 And this was the dilemma. 00:12:04.420 --> 00:12:04.800 And you know, 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:06.040 this is a very real dilemma. 00:12:06.260 --> 00:12:08.100 It's something that Christians have had to wrestle with 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:09.860 all throughout history. 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:13.000 How do we make these challenging decisions of loyalty? 00:12:13.260 --> 00:12:13.460 You know, 00:12:13.800 --> 00:12:16.379 do you work for a company, 00:12:17.379 --> 00:12:20.600 and do very benign gospel kingdom work, 00:12:21.300 --> 00:12:23.920 while knowing that a subsidiary of that company 00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:27.860 is making weapons, 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:32.340 or is doing things that are deeply harmful to the environment? 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.539 And how do you square that as a Christian? 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:37.480 Do you support a political candidate 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:43.480 that either mocks or misrepresents the Christian faith? 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:46.700 Should you even be involved in that as a Christian? 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:47.920 You know, 00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:50.020 do you buy products that you know 00:12:50.020 --> 00:12:51.879 may come from countries 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:53.940 with non-existent labor laws, 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:57.160 where you may be propping up unjust systems 00:12:57.160 --> 00:12:59.240 and the oppression of entire people groups 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.460 with your consumer choice? 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:02.200 Right? 00:13:02.300 --> 00:13:02.940 And so as Christians, 00:13:03.060 --> 00:13:05.680 we have to deal with these kinds of challenging, 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.560 not-so-clear-cut issues all the time. 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:13.599 And yet there is a lie underneath this way of thinking 00:13:13.599 --> 00:13:15.599 that we need to recognize. 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.979 It's what we might call the lie of the beast. 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:20.099 And here's the lie. 00:13:20.979 --> 00:13:21.879 The lie is this. 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:23.639 I can worship Jesus, 00:13:24.139 --> 00:13:27.079 and I can worship the idols of my culture. 00:13:27.599 --> 00:13:30.039 I can have my cake and eat it too. 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:33.159 The two do not need to be at odds. 00:13:34.479 --> 00:13:36.299 This is the lie of the beast. 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:40.379 I can worship Jesus and the idols of my culture. 00:13:40.859 --> 00:13:41.740 I can worship Jesus, 00:13:41.859 --> 00:13:43.819 but also I can worship individualism 00:13:43.819 --> 00:13:45.539 and personal autonomy. 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:47.439 I don't need a community. 00:13:47.939 --> 00:13:48.879 I don't need accountability. 00:13:49.599 --> 00:13:50.639 I make my own choices. 00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:51.639 I can worship Jesus, 00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:54.059 and I can worship consumerism 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:56.919 and ultimately allow my life to be defined 00:13:56.919 --> 00:13:58.839 as a consumer. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:01.279 I can worship Jesus and sex. 00:14:01.459 --> 00:14:02.959 I can worship Jesus and money. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:04.759 I can worship Jesus and power. 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:07.539 This is the lie that we can follow Jesus 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:10.220 and all of these other things. 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:14.019 And what we need to see about the beast is this. 00:14:15.059 --> 00:14:18.240 The beast does not set out to end religion. 00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:19.559 Right? 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:22.200 We think of the opposite of religion, 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:23.539 the opposite of Christian faith, 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:24.539 as being atheism. 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:26.480 That's not the agenda here. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:30.200 The beast does not set out to end religion. 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:32.220 The beast sets out to domesticate religion, 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:35.779 to domesticate religion, 00:14:36.560 --> 00:14:39.420 to, as the quote goes, 00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:41.519 pair the claws of the lion of Judah 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.860 and turn him into a house cat. 00:14:46.160 --> 00:14:46.259 Right? 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:48.080 C.S. Lewis wrote the Screwtape Letters, 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.820 which is about an older demon. 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:52.440 He imagines what it would be like 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.980 for an older demon to coach a younger demon 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:57.440 in how to tempt people away from God. 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.500 And he says this at one point. 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:01.740 If you can once get him, 00:15:01.820 --> 00:15:02.620 meaning the patient, 00:15:03.040 --> 00:15:05.320 if you can once get him to the point of thinking that, 00:15:05.520 --> 00:15:05.780 quote, 00:15:06.040 --> 00:15:08.340 religion is all very well up to a point, 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:11.320 you can feel quite happy about his soul. 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:12.620 And here's the key. 00:15:13.040 --> 00:15:15.920 A moderated religion is as good for us 00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:17.420 as no religion at all 00:15:17.420 --> 00:15:18.900 and more amusing. 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:21.860 I love that quote. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.820 A moderated religion is as good for us, 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:25.840 meaning the demons, 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:28.000 as no religion at all. 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:30.080 See, a moderated religion 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:31.600 or a domesticated religion, 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:33.360 that's a religion that plays nice. 00:15:34.520 --> 00:15:34.760 You know, 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:37.540 that's a religion that knows its place at the table 00:15:37.540 --> 00:15:39.400 and it never crosses the line. 00:15:40.420 --> 00:15:40.580 You know, 00:15:40.620 --> 00:15:44.340 that's a religion that knows its place. 00:15:44.680 --> 00:15:47.040 It's a religion that never wants to rock the boat. 00:15:47.300 --> 00:15:49.280 It's a religion that wants to make very sure 00:15:49.280 --> 00:15:50.980 that it never says or does anything 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:52.960 that might in any way offend people, 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:54.740 that might in any way call people 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:56.019 to question their own choices 00:15:56.019 --> 00:15:57.300 or their own beliefs. 00:15:57.440 --> 00:15:58.860 It stays in its box. 00:15:59.560 --> 00:16:01.019 It respects the fence. 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:03.040 And most important, 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.259 a domesticated faith 00:16:06.259 --> 00:16:09.300 is a faith that doesn't ever question 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:10.560 the idols of the culture 00:16:10.560 --> 00:16:12.200 because that would make people angry. 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:13.940 It would make people uncomfortable. 00:16:14.400 --> 00:16:15.800 It would challenge things. 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:17.440 It might upend things. 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.759 And a domesticated religion does not want that. 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.960 A domesticated religion just wants everybody to be happy. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:25.539 No conflict. 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:27.200 You know, 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:28.439 back in Revelation 3, 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:31.299 Jesus confronts the church in Laodicea 00:16:31.299 --> 00:16:32.840 for being lukewarm. 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:34.860 You're neither hot nor cold. 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:35.600 You're lukewarm 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:37.740 and therefore I will spit you out of my mouth. 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:40.899 Lukewarmness is the work of the beast. 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:42.720 That's exactly what we see here. 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:44.980 And you know, 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:47.379 I've been thinking about this a lot this week 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:50.039 and I think the biggest threat to my faith, 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:53.320 you know, 00:16:53.340 --> 00:16:54.700 the biggest risk is not that I would 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:57.360 one day just stand up here and say, 00:16:57.480 --> 00:16:58.600 I reject God. 00:16:58.659 --> 00:16:59.500 I reject Jesus. 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:00.799 I don't believe any of it anymore. 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:02.720 That's probably not going to happen. 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:04.960 What's much more likely 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.619 is that instead of one big cataclysmic rejection 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:10.900 is that over time, 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:12.460 instead of denying Jesus, 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:15.720 I would slowly domesticate Jesus in my own life. 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:18.160 I would want to trim away 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:19.500 all of the parts I don't like. 00:17:19.600 --> 00:17:20.420 I would want to cut away 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:21.759 all the things that offend me 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:22.839 or the things that mean 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:25.480 I might not get along with my friend at work. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.640 I want to trim away 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:28.380 all of the things 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:30.039 that make me in any way uncomfortable 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:32.220 or put me at any way in odds 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:33.440 with the people around me. 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:34.940 And I make it nice and neat 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:36.079 and I put it in a little box 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.420 and I put it in the closet 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:38.539 and then it's there if I need it. 00:17:39.819 --> 00:17:40.920 That's what I'm afraid 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:42.740 might happen to me. 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:43.860 You know, 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:45.059 that I would get to the point 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:45.659 where I say, you know, 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:46.879 I'll follow Jesus 00:17:46.879 --> 00:17:49.419 as long as it doesn't inconvenience me too much, 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.399 as long as it doesn't throw off my routine, 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:54.579 as long as it doesn't mean 00:17:54.579 --> 00:17:56.159 I have to change the way I live, 00:17:56.419 --> 00:17:57.659 as long as it doesn't mean 00:17:57.659 --> 00:18:00.399 that I have to shift 00:18:00.399 --> 00:18:03.299 in my pursuit of success or pleasure 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:04.819 because surely God understands 00:18:04.819 --> 00:18:06.099 why these things matter to me. 00:18:06.179 --> 00:18:08.419 Surely God's on board with my agenda. 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:10.039 I'll follow Jesus 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:12.460 as long as it doesn't cost me anything socially 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:13.980 because God wants me to have friends. 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:16.100 God doesn't want me to be rejected. 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:17.420 God wants me to be happy. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:20.960 As long as I don't have to share my faith with anybody 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:22.240 because surely God understands 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:23.860 that people just don't do that anymore. 00:18:24.380 --> 00:18:25.259 And I live in a society 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:26.700 where it's okay to believe what you want 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:28.039 as long as you keep it to yourself 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:29.759 and you should never impose your beliefs 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:30.539 on another people. 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:31.259 And, you know, 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:32.220 we all hate the idea 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:34.460 of the kind of imperial expansion 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:36.240 and colonialism of the, 00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:36.920 you know, 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.000 and we just think, you know, 00:18:38.100 --> 00:18:39.460 surely God understands that. 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:42.319 Surely God understands 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:43.259 if I just keep it hidden 00:18:43.259 --> 00:18:44.940 because really it's just about me and Him. 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:48.160 You know, 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:49.200 the mark of the beast 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.000 sounds like the stuff of horror movies, 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:54.759 but I think the truth is much worse 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.460 because people of the beast 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:00.360 are not wearing 666's 00:19:00.360 --> 00:19:01.940 and they're tattooed into their skin 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:03.360 and going out and killing people 00:19:03.360 --> 00:19:04.100 like monsters. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:08.100 People of the beast 00:19:08.099 --> 00:19:10.699 are benign. 00:19:11.959 --> 00:19:12.119 You know, 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:12.859 they're docile. 00:19:13.639 --> 00:19:14.639 They're passive. 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:17.039 They're submissive. 00:19:18.379 --> 00:19:19.159 People of the beast 00:19:19.159 --> 00:19:21.299 would never take a public stand 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:22.139 for their faith. 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:23.199 People of the beast 00:19:23.199 --> 00:19:25.219 would never speak truth to power. 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:26.480 People of the beast 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.959 would never push back 00:19:27.959 --> 00:19:29.879 against dehumanizing systems 00:19:29.879 --> 00:19:31.039 or institutions. 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:34.119 They would never liberate the oppressed. 00:19:34.959 --> 00:19:35.599 People of the beast 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.219 would never, ever, ever 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:38.120 start a revolution. 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:41.480 They just want to get through the day. 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:44.860 And this is why we need 00:19:44.860 --> 00:19:46.259 Revelation chapter 14 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:48.640 which lands like a bombshell 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:50.120 and wakes us up. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:51.000 You know, 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:52.319 there are those places in Scripture 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:54.019 that just sort of jerk you awake. 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:56.360 And that's what Revelation does. 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:57.640 It shakes us awake. 00:19:58.160 --> 00:19:58.500 And it says, 00:19:58.759 --> 00:19:59.500 do you realize 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:00.799 the truth of the situation? 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:03.120 And John in 14 00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:04.500 tears his eyes away 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:05.220 from the beast 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:06.180 and the people of the beast 00:20:06.180 --> 00:20:07.000 and the mark of the beast 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:07.860 and he looks up 00:20:07.860 --> 00:20:09.720 and he sees an entirely different vision. 00:20:10.120 --> 00:20:11.299 It says in verse 1, 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:12.220 then I looked 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:13.200 and behold 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:14.360 on Mount Zion 00:20:14.360 --> 00:20:15.620 stood the Lamb 00:20:15.620 --> 00:20:17.140 and with him 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:18.980 144,000 00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:19.759 which represents 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.799 the totality 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:22.039 of the true Israel. 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:23.819 All of God's people 00:20:23.819 --> 00:20:26.079 who had his name 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:27.720 and his father's name 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:30.039 written on their foreheads. 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:31.039 John looks 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:31.500 and he sees 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:33.279 a whole other company of people. 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:34.279 And they're standing 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:35.279 on the mountain of God 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:35.940 and they're standing 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:36.899 with the Son of God, 00:20:36.980 --> 00:20:37.319 the Lamb, 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:37.960 Jesus Christ. 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:39.559 And they also bear a mark 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:40.500 but it's not the mark 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:41.099 of the beast. 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:44.519 It's the mark of the Lamb. 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:46.440 The name of God the Father 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.720 is written on their foreheads. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.299 That's their defining characteristic. 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:50.539 That's their family. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:52.039 That's who they belong to. 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:53.519 That's who they represent. 00:20:54.399 --> 00:20:55.139 God the Father. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:56.599 God the Son. 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:57.660 God the Holy Spirit. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:20:58.960 Embodied 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.579 in this great company of people. 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:03.299 And they're not just 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:04.119 standing there either. 00:21:04.339 --> 00:21:05.720 They are singing together. 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:07.460 And it's a song 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:08.799 that no one in creation 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:10.759 has ever heard before. 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:12.019 It's a new song. 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:14.659 Which is a way of saying 00:21:14.659 --> 00:21:16.240 they are representing 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:18.240 a new way of being human 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:19.000 in the world. 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:20.939 A new way of being human. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.519 Nobody's ever seen this before. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:25.359 God created human beings 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:26.699 to be image bearers. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:28.240 What does it mean 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:29.039 to be an image bearer? 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.200 Well, to borrow from N.T. Wright, 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:32.839 think of it like being 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:33.720 an angled mirror. 00:21:35.399 --> 00:21:36.579 If you're an angled mirror, 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.759 you're doing two things. 00:21:37.879 --> 00:21:39.899 You're reflecting praise 00:21:39.899 --> 00:21:41.720 and gratitude 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:44.480 and thanksgiving up to God 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:45.720 for all that He's made. 00:21:46.399 --> 00:21:47.619 And then you're reflecting 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:49.940 God's love and purposes down 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:50.920 into the world 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:51.720 that you're a part of. 00:21:52.899 --> 00:21:53.720 That's what it means 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:54.700 to be an image bearer. 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:56.200 And we do this 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:57.980 in innumerable ways. 00:21:58.559 --> 00:21:59.620 Whether you're at home 00:21:59.620 --> 00:22:00.680 taking care of kids 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:02.779 or working a minimum wage job 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:03.380 that you hate 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:05.660 or working in the career 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:06.440 of your dreams, 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:08.380 there are countless ways 00:22:08.380 --> 00:22:12.160 that you are reflecting 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:13.319 God's love and purposes 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:14.259 into the world 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:15.380 through your work. 00:22:16.340 --> 00:22:17.700 When we reach out 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:18.620 and begin to get to know 00:22:18.620 --> 00:22:19.220 our neighbors 00:22:19.220 --> 00:22:20.360 and to build community there, 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:21.240 when we recognize 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:22.539 needs in our midst 00:22:22.539 --> 00:22:23.960 and we take that extra time 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:24.700 and energy needed 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:25.819 to reach out and say, 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:27.259 how can I help? 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.279 Right? 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:29.039 When we do work 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.299 to try to care for 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:31.480 and steward the environment, 00:22:31.659 --> 00:22:32.920 when we involve ourselves 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:34.579 in works of mercy and justice 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:35.759 and when we do this 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:36.920 in our little corner 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:37.839 of the world, right? 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:38.720 Not trying to solve 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:39.399 every problem, 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:40.599 but trying to help 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:42.339 the person right next to us 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.119 with the thing 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:44.440 that is weighing them down. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.359 When you do that, 00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:47.220 you are reflecting God's love 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:48.339 and God's purposes 00:22:48.339 --> 00:22:48.899 into the world. 00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:49.579 That's what it means 00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:50.659 to be an image bearer. 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:55.279 When you're not doing that, 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.299 all that's left 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:00.299 is to reflect the chaos 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:01.119 and the confusion 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:01.779 of the world 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.740 back to itself. 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:04.740 You've lost the angle. 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:06.500 The Bible says 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:07.200 all human beings 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:08.259 have lost that angle. 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:09.299 And the reason 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:10.519 that Jesus Christ came 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:12.759 was to restore that angle, 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:14.099 was to restore us 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:15.759 to being image bearers. 00:23:17.399 --> 00:23:18.920 And so people of the beast 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:19.700 are no longer 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:20.579 angled mirrors. 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:23.500 They're reflecting chaos 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:24.119 and confusion 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:25.159 back to itself 00:23:25.159 --> 00:23:27.679 in an endless feedback loop 00:23:27.679 --> 00:23:28.859 of futility. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.019 And Jesus came 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:32.279 to set those people free. 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:36.899 And chapter 4 00:23:36.899 --> 00:23:37.559 shows us 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:38.639 the ultimate fate 00:23:38.639 --> 00:23:40.259 of these two groups. 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:41.659 You know, 00:23:41.679 --> 00:23:42.240 it shows us 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:43.299 that all of the people 00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:44.099 of the Lamb, 00:23:45.419 --> 00:23:46.740 even though in their lives 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:48.299 they were excluded 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:49.119 from the marketplace, 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:51.419 they were excluded 00:23:51.419 --> 00:23:52.859 from the promotion opportunities, 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:54.419 they were rejected 00:23:54.419 --> 00:23:55.039 by their friends 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:55.579 and neighbors, 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.599 they were marginalized, 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:58.599 they were socially rejected, 00:23:58.740 --> 00:23:59.839 maybe even martyred, 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:00.899 many were martyred, 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:04.159 that they are now 00:24:04.159 --> 00:24:05.440 being gathered together 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:07.000 in this great 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:08.759 celebratory harvest. 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:10.779 Jesus is harvesting 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:11.500 the saints 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:12.819 and they're being 00:24:12.819 --> 00:24:13.700 gathered together 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:14.339 as one 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:16.019 for the great wedding feast 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:16.740 that is to come 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:17.920 in just a little while. 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:20.180 On the other hand, 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:21.000 all of the people 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:21.640 of the beast 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:23.519 who decided 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:24.579 to compromise, 00:24:25.019 --> 00:24:26.099 who chose comfort, 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:28.220 who chose efficiency, 00:24:28.579 --> 00:24:29.960 who chose convenience, 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:30.759 all of those things, 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:32.299 those people 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:33.859 who wear the mark 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:35.240 and the beast 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:35.859 they follow 00:24:35.859 --> 00:24:37.460 are coming 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:38.120 under judgment. 00:24:39.120 --> 00:24:39.960 It says 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:41.920 in chapter 14, 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:42.400 verse 10, 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:42.940 And if anyone 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:43.820 worships the beast 00:24:43.820 --> 00:24:44.480 in its image, 00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:45.640 receives a mark 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:46.340 on his forehead 00:24:46.340 --> 00:24:47.340 or on his hand, 00:24:47.340 --> 00:24:49.060 he will also drink 00:24:49.060 --> 00:24:50.980 the wine of God's wrath. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:52.640 And you say, 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:54.160 well, that's a hard pill 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:54.680 to swallow. 00:24:55.120 --> 00:24:55.759 Nobody likes 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:56.500 the idea of judgment. 00:24:57.040 --> 00:24:58.060 And yet what we recognize 00:24:58.060 --> 00:24:59.180 is there's still hope 00:24:59.180 --> 00:24:59.720 for the world. 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:01.780 Because in verse 6, 00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:02.820 it says, 00:25:02.819 --> 00:25:04.179 Then I saw another angel 00:25:04.179 --> 00:25:05.500 flying directly overhead 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:07.139 with an eternal gospel 00:25:07.139 --> 00:25:07.799 to proclaim 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:09.139 to those who dwell 00:25:09.139 --> 00:25:09.679 on earth, 00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:11.019 to every nation 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:12.059 and tribe 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:13.019 and language 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:14.019 and people. 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:14.579 This is saying 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:15.899 God has made a way 00:25:15.899 --> 00:25:16.639 for people 00:25:16.639 --> 00:25:17.439 who want to be 00:25:17.439 --> 00:25:18.879 image bearers again, 00:25:18.980 --> 00:25:19.559 who want to 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:21.179 realign themselves 00:25:21.179 --> 00:25:21.960 with God's love 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:22.500 and purposes, 00:25:23.539 --> 00:25:25.659 who want that mark 00:25:25.659 --> 00:25:27.539 erased from their body. 00:25:28.679 --> 00:25:29.679 God has made a way 00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:30.819 to set those people free. 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:32.679 And it's what we call 00:25:32.679 --> 00:25:33.359 the gospel, 00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:34.480 the good news 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:35.419 of Jesus Christ. 00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:38.019 Right? 00:25:38.139 --> 00:25:39.079 Verse 10 says 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:39.639 that anyone 00:25:39.639 --> 00:25:40.879 who worships the beast, 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:42.759 anyone who wears that mark, 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:44.779 will drink the wine 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:45.819 of God's wrath. 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:47.539 There's a cup of wrath 00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:48.500 waiting for you, 00:25:49.179 --> 00:25:51.319 which I think needs 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:52.899 to bring our minds 00:25:52.899 --> 00:25:55.659 back to the Garden 00:25:55.659 --> 00:25:56.359 of Gethsemane 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:58.980 when Jesus is alone. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:00.240 He's asked His disciples 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:01.120 to pray for Him, 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:01.940 to wait on Him, 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:02.799 but they've all 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:03.440 fallen asleep. 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:04.660 And He's alone 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.099 and He knows 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:06.059 He's about to be arrested, 00:26:07.019 --> 00:26:07.980 tortured, killed. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:09.359 And He prays 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:10.700 to the Father 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:12.660 and He prays in tears 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:13.599 and He sweats drops 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.200 of blood 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:15.240 and He says 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:16.120 to His Father, 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:17.359 Father, 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:18.140 if You're willing, 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:19.680 remove this cup 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.120 from Me. 00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:21.180 Nevertheless, 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:22.279 not My will 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:22.980 but Yours 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.359 be done. 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:26.099 And we recognize 00:26:26.099 --> 00:26:27.160 it's the same cup. 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:28.700 Same cup. 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:30.620 And the gospel 00:26:30.620 --> 00:26:31.279 tells us 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:32.180 that we are all 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:33.259 people of the beast. 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:34.180 You know, 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.600 I ignore God 00:26:35.600 --> 00:26:36.080 and the world 00:26:36.080 --> 00:26:36.840 that He made. 00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:39.400 I live like creation 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:41.039 stopped at the sixth day, 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:42.440 that there is no more point 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:43.380 other than my own 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:45.019 personal satisfaction. 00:26:45.900 --> 00:26:47.160 I prefer religion 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:48.819 that does not get 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:49.240 in the way 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:50.200 of my autonomy. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:52.019 And what this says 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:52.980 is that Jesus Christ 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:54.319 knew that about us 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:56.419 and yet He was willing 00:26:56.419 --> 00:26:58.659 to take the cup 00:26:58.659 --> 00:26:59.379 that was sitting 00:26:59.379 --> 00:27:00.619 in front of us 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:03.399 and to drain it Himself. 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:05.599 And so when we look 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:06.240 at the cross, 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.419 which is the central symbol 00:27:08.419 --> 00:27:09.240 of our faith, 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:11.839 we're also looking 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:12.579 at that cup 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:13.899 and we're looking 00:27:13.899 --> 00:27:14.379 at the place 00:27:14.379 --> 00:27:15.399 where Jesus drained it 00:27:15.399 --> 00:27:16.139 to the dregs. 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:18.460 And that's why 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:20.039 it says in verse 4 00:27:20.039 --> 00:27:20.960 that the people 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:21.480 of the Lamb 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:22.039 are people 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:23.940 who have been redeemed. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:25.619 They didn't earn 00:27:25.619 --> 00:27:25.960 their way 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:26.799 into God's favor. 00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:27.599 They didn't kind of 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:28.859 hear a message like this 00:27:28.859 --> 00:27:30.379 and whip themselves up 00:27:30.379 --> 00:27:31.399 into a frenzy 00:27:31.399 --> 00:27:31.720 and say, 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:32.859 I need to care more. 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:33.659 And God said, 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:33.920 okay, 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:34.940 you have enough passion. 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:35.799 Come aboard. 00:27:37.220 --> 00:27:38.079 These are people 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:39.200 who recognized 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:40.440 that apart from 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:41.099 the grace and mercy 00:27:41.099 --> 00:27:41.960 of Jesus Christ, 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:43.339 they have no hope 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:44.980 and they threw themselves 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:46.399 at Jesus' feet 00:27:46.399 --> 00:27:47.079 and they cried out 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:47.599 for mercy 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:48.940 and Jesus took the cup 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:49.619 and He drank it 00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:51.359 on their behalf. 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:52.899 He purchased 00:27:52.899 --> 00:27:53.700 their lives 00:27:53.700 --> 00:27:55.579 and now they belong 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:56.019 to Him. 00:27:57.379 --> 00:27:57.839 And so, you know, 00:27:57.980 --> 00:27:59.200 I think all of this 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:00.359 is meant to wake us up. 00:28:01.399 --> 00:28:02.920 It's to help us realize 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:04.099 that Jesus came 00:28:04.099 --> 00:28:06.119 to start a revolution. 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:08.420 He came to set 00:28:08.420 --> 00:28:09.299 people free. 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:11.339 He came to restore 00:28:11.339 --> 00:28:12.220 image bearers 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:14.420 in all of the myriad ways 00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:16.159 that you're doing that 00:28:16.159 --> 00:28:17.920 right now in the world. 00:28:18.639 --> 00:28:19.759 That's why Jesus came. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.660 And He came to set 00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:22.299 people free. 00:28:22.660 --> 00:28:24.039 And He's calling for people 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.039 to join the revolution. 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:27.759 And in order to join 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.299 the revolution, 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:30.319 we can't will ourselves 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:31.960 to care more. 00:28:32.879 --> 00:28:34.700 Our hearts have to be broken 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:36.079 over our own sin 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:37.180 and then they have to be 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:38.400 melted down 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:39.799 by God's love 00:28:39.799 --> 00:28:41.140 so that then they can be 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:42.240 reforged 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.619 as something new. 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:45.219 And from that place 00:28:45.219 --> 00:28:46.000 of brokenness 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.059 and from that place 00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:47.799 of love 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:48.859 and grace, 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:50.779 that is where we begin 00:28:50.779 --> 00:28:51.559 to learn 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:52.719 how to sing 00:28:52.719 --> 00:28:53.699 that new song. 00:28:54.979 --> 00:28:55.739 Let's pray. 00:28:55.739 --> 00:28:55.779 Let's pray.