Well, good morning. It's good to see you all here.
You know, when I moved to Connecticut back in 2003,
one of the selling points of moving to Connecticut was,
I thought, there are no natural disasters here.
I moved from Ithaca, New York, where we had blizzards,
and I thought, we're moving to Connecticut, it's going to be great.
And then, since then, there's been a tornado, a blizzard, a couple hurricanes,
and anyway, so I was sold a bill of goods.
But having said that, I do remember distinctly when we had,
in the early 2011, 12, 13, we had a series of hurricanes that came close.
We didn't really get the full brunt of it,
but we certainly had days where the wind blew and the rain fell
and the power went out, and when you face a storm, what do you do?
You hunker down, right?
You put away your porch furniture.
You make sure the windows are all locked.
You clean your gutters.
You hunker down and try to get through the storm.
And when I moved to Connecticut, I thought, well, maybe I don't have to do that.
But I found out I did.
And so here we are.
As we continue in our series in the book of Revelation this morning,
I wonder if the church has a similar impulse to what we have when a storm comes.
In Revelation, we've been looking at stories,
and last week, Pastor Nick preached on Revelation 8 and 9
about the coming storm of God's judgment against evil in the world,
warning the world that this was coming.
And what is the church going to do in this storm?
Maybe some of you think, well, if I become a Christian,
if I become a part of God's church,
then God's going to protect me through the storm,
and I don't have to go through it.
Maybe I want to be like Noah,
and I want to just get locked up in the ark
and float through the storm and come out the other side
and to somehow just hunker down in my holy huddle
and get through it.
But as we come to chapters 10 and 11 of Revelation this morning,
I think we see a different picture,
a different picture, a different path
for God's people and God's church in the world.
And so that's what we're going to be looking at this morning.
If you want to turn to our text in the Pew Bibles,
it's page 970, Revelation.
We'll be reading it in sections
because we're looking at a big chunk of Scripture this morning.
But the big idea that I want you to see
is that God has called His church
to costly witness to the risen Christ.
This is what we're supposed to be doing
in the middle of the storm, so to speak,
of God's judgment.
This is our calling in this age.
And we're going to see how this all fits together
in these chapters.
We're going to look at three.
For those of you who are taking notes,
here's our outline for today.
God's going to call the witnessing church
to a prophetic role.
That's chapter 10.
God calls the witnessing church
to follow Christ's pattern.
That's going to be chapters 11, 1 through 14.
And then God calls the witnessing church
into reigning with the risen Christ.
And that's chapter 11, verses 15 through 19.
So that's what we're doing this morning.
And just so you can remember a little bit,
because Revelation is an apocalyptic book.
The structure is challenging.
It's a little hard.
So remember, what we're seeing
is this series of visions
about what God is doing now,
leading into the future, right?
And so we had in chapters 6 and 7,
we had seven seals that were broken,
that were symbolic of God's judging action,
leading towards His final judgment.
And in chapters 8 and 9,
we saw seven trumpets being blown.
But in fact, we only saw six of them, right?
And what we have in chapters 10 and 11
is an interlude,
kind of like chapter 7 was an interlude
between the six seals and then the last seal.
So we also have a second interlude
where John gets a different vision, right?
If chapters 8 and 9 is a vision
of the judgment of God on the earth,
that's happening now,
that's ongoing and building
towards a final judgment.
So then this interlude gives us a picture
of what is the church meant to do
during this time.
So that's where we're going.
That's where we are.
We're gonna begin by looking at chapter 10
and seeing that God calls the witnessing church
to a prophetic role.
So with that,
let me pray for God's help
because this is a big passage
and there's lots going on.
And then we're gonna dive in together.
Lord, thank you for this morning
and a chance to look at your word.
And Lord, we thank you
for the richness of your word
and how you express yourself
and your truth
and reveal yourself
through many different ways.
Thank you for the book of Revelation
and its visions
that help us to understand you
and your purposes
in this world more clearly.
Help us, Lord, to understand with our head,
to receive with our heart,
Lord, the truth of your word this morning.
And I pray for your help
that you would help me to speak as I ought.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
All right, Revelation chapter 10.
Here we go.
Then I saw another mighty angel
coming down from heaven
wrapped in a cloud
with a rainbow over his head
and his face was like the sun
and his legs like pillars of fire.
He had a little scroll open in his hand
and he set his right foot on the sea
and his left foot on the land
and called out with a loud voice
like a lion roaring.
When he called out,
the seven thunders sounded.
And when the seven thunders had sounded,
I was about to write.
But I heard a voice from heaven saying,
seal up what the seven thunders have said
and do not write them down.
And the angel whom I saw
standing on the sea and on the land
raised his right hand to heaven
and swore by him who lives forever and ever,
who created heaven and earth,
who created heaven and what is in it,
the earth and what is in it,
and the sea and what is in it,
that there should, would be no more delay,
but that in the days of the trumpet call
to be sounded by the seventh angel,
the mystery of God would be fulfilled
just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
Then the voice that I heard from heaven
spoke to me again saying,
go, take the scroll that is open
in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land.
So I went to the angel
and told him to give me the little scroll.
And he said to me, take and eat it.
It will make your stomach bitter,
but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.
And I took the little scroll
from the hand of the angel and ate it.
It was sweet as honey in my mouth,
but when I had eaten it,
my stomach was made bitter.
And I was told,
you must again prophesy
about many peoples and nations
and languages and kings.
Okay.
So in the midst of all these visions
about God's judgment
and what God is doing on the earth,
suddenly it gets personal again.
John is the center.
He sees a vision of an angel
with a scroll
and he's speaking with a loud voice.
And all of the imagery around it,
the rainbow and the loud voice like thunder,
is reminiscent actually of what we've seen
in other places of images that refer to God.
And some have suggested
that this might be a manifestation of God,
but I think it's actually more
that this angel is speaking for God.
And so the imagery connected to him
gives him a kind of authority
that he's speaking on behalf of God
as he speaks these things.
He straddles the sea.
He is speaking with a worldwide authority.
And he speaks about the seven thunders.
And friends, I'm just going to tell you,
I'm punting on these.
Verses three through seven are not very clear.
And the commentators are all over the place
in terms of what does it mean
that he spoke something
and then he told John,
don't write it down
and don't let anyone know what it said.
I don't know why that is in there.
So you can come talk to me afterwards
if you have a better idea.
But what we do see near the end
is a little bit of clarity, right?
Because whatever those seven thunders were,
whatever they were speaking,
at the end, the angel says,
here's what I'm going to swear.
To heaven and to earth,
the mystery of God will be completed
and you must prophesy.
What God, the mystery,
not something that nobody could know
that you're trying to figure out,
but what had been unknown in the past,
but now is being revealed,
it is going to be fulfilled
on the last day.
God's plans for the world
will be accomplished.
And we know that that's the arc
or that's the end
of what this first section is about, right?
God told the prophets
what was going to happen.
It will come about.
And this is where we see
then the prophetic role
become really clear
because what the angel is announcing
is what the prophets have announced
and now what John is supposed
to then pick up.
Because in verses 8 through 11,
there's this scroll,
and again, there's lots of conversation.
Is this the same scroll as chapter 5?
I don't actually think so,
but lots of wise people do.
But it seems like it's still
about God's revealing
his plan for the world.
And John receives his scroll
and he's meant to eat it.
Now, if you're a Bible student,
if you've been reading the Bible
for a long time,
then you know that this is reminiscent
of Ezekiel 2 and 3.
For the rest of us
who haven't read Ezekiel recently,
let me remind you and commend to you.
Ezekiel 2 and 3
is about the calling
of the prophet Ezekiel
to proclaim God's word
to unrepentant
and hardened people of God
during his time.
He preached at the end of,
right before and during the exile,
and he knew,
and God told him,
you're going to preach my word
and people are not going to listen to you
and they're going to reject you
because they're rejecting me.
But Ezekiel similarly was told,
eat the scroll
and it will be sweet in your mouth
but bitter in your stomach
because the message is from God.
that's a good God
that has a redemptive purpose
and yet it will make you sick
to your stomach
because you will also know
that the people will reject it
and refuse it.
And John is,
in this image,
being brought into
a similar role
of being the prophet
prophet,
to speak God's words
to the nations,
right?
And it's important
to recognize too,
some of you may think
when we're talking about prophets,
what do prophets do?
Well, they say,
what's going to happen
in the future?
Okay, that's sort of true
to a certain extent
in some ways,
but what a prophet
actually does
is rather than foretell,
they foretell.
That is,
they speak clearly
and make known
God's words
and God's ideas.
And so this is what
John's role is.
He's continuing,
he is called,
like the prophets of old,
to be one who speaks forth
God's word
to the world.
So this is what we see
in chapter 10
is that John's role
is being reinforced.
We saw this in chapter 1,
he's coming back to it
in chapter 10
and this reminds us
that the book of Revelation
is cyclical,
not linear.
This doesn't happen,
I don't believe this vision
necessarily happened
after other things,
but could be contemporaneous
with the very beginning
of the book
in the sense that
this is another vision
affirming,
John, this is your role
in the world,
to prophesy,
to speak God's word
to the world.
So what does this mean
for us?
Before we go on
to chapter 11,
what does this mean
for us as God's people?
First thing I want to say
is we serve a God
who is revealing himself,
who is committed
to making himself known
in the world, right?
He spoke through the prophets
to the people
and to the world
throughout all of
the Old Testament history.
He spoke through Jesus
as Jesus came.
He spoke in Jesus
in a particular way
when he came to earth
to make himself known.
What an incredible joy it is
that we have a God
who wants us to know him
and that our knowledge
of him is not numinous.
It's not like the force
in Star Wars,
but it's particular.
It has content.
It actually has words.
You can just stop for a minute
and think,
why do we have language
and words?
Because God wanted
to be able
to communicate to us.
It's how he made us
so that we can know him.
And these words
of revelation, right,
through Moses and the law,
through the great prophets
from Elijah and Elisha
to Nathan to Isaiah,
Jeremiah, etc.
Our God is a speaking God.
And secondly,
we need to recognize
that the final revelation,
we see this in Hebrews
chapter 1, verse 1.
In the times past,
he spoke through various prophets,
but in the last days,
he spoke through his son,
Jesus,
who John called
the Word of God,
made flesh,
and we have beheld his glory
so that we might know God.
This is the pinnacle of God
wanting us to know him
is sending his son,
Jesus,
so that we could see
who he is.
And finally, friends,
we now have this
because the translation
of this speaking God
and revealing God
through the person of Jesus
is now this book,
which is God's words
to us recorded,
written down,
the account of the final
Word of God
in his life
and the implications
of it in the church
throughout the rest
of the New Testament.
So as we think about this,
let us recognize
that God is still speaking
through his Word,
in his Word,
to his people,
and through his people
to one another.
So friends,
let's treasure
the Word of God.
Let us rejoice
in the God
who has made himself known,
and let us be those
who not only receive
God's Word,
but then who turn
and share it with others
so that this would be
part of our understanding
of what God
wants us to do.
This then brings us
to chapter 11,
the first 13 verses
where we see
that God calls us
to be a witnessing church
in the pattern of Christ.
Let's look at
Revelation 11,
verses 1 through,
actually we'll read
through 1 through 14,
so let's read this together.
Then I was given
a measuring rod
like a staff,
and I was told,
rise and measure
the temple of God
and the altar
and those who worship there.
But do not measure
the court outside the temple,
leave that out,
for it was given
over to the nations,
and they will trample
the holy city
for 42 months,
and I will grant authority
to my witnesses,
and they will prophesy
for 1,260 days
clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees
and the two lampstands
that stand before
the Lord of the earth,
and if anyone would harm them,
fire pours from their mouth
and consumes their foes.
If anyone would harm them,
this is how he is doomed
to be killed.
They have the power
to shut up the skies
so that no rain may fall
during the days
of their prophesying,
and they have power
over the waters
to turn them into blood
and to strike the earth
with every kind of plague
as often as they desire.
And when they have finished
their testimony,
the beast that rises
from the bottomless pit
will make war on them
and conquer them
and kill them,
and their dead bodies
will lie in the street
of the great city
that symbolically
is called Sodom and Egypt
where their Lord
was crucified.
For three and a half days,
some from the people
and tribes
and languages and nations
will gaze at their dead bodies
and refuse to let them
be placed in a tomb.
And those who dwell
on the earth
will rejoice over them
and make merry
and exchange presents
because these two prophets
had been a torment
to those who dwell
on the earth.
But after three and a half days,
a breath of life
entered,
a breath of life
from God
entered them,
and they stood up
on their feet,
and great fear
fell on those
who saw them.
Then they heard
a loud voice
from heaven
saying,
come up here.
And they went up
to heaven
in a cloud,
and their enemies
watched them.
And at that hour,
there was a great earthquake,
and a tenth of the city
fell,
seven thousand people
were killed
in the earthquake,
and the rest
were terrified
and gave glory
to the God of heaven.
And the second woe
had passed.
Behold,
the third woe
is soon to come.
Okay.
We just dove
into the deep end
of the apocalyptic pool.
This is a vision,
right?
And at the center
of the vision
is two witnesses.
And the main idea
of this passage
is that the church
represented by the two witnesses
is called
to bear witness
to Christ
in the pattern
of Christ,
which will include
suffering,
death,
and resurrection.
Okay?
That's the big picture
of this vision
and of this section.
And what we see
is there's a continuity
with the idea
of prophesy
because you see
in verse 3, 4
that they will prophesy.
Where is it?
I can't find it.
You can look for it
and read it again.
They will prophesy again
and recognize
that there are echoes
of these Old Testament prophets.
Again,
if you've read
your whole Old Testament
recently,
you might pick up
some of these.
Do you remember
the prophet
who called fire down
from heaven
and who spoke
and the sky
was shut up
with rain?
Elijah
in Kings.
So go read
the stories of Elijah
to be reminded of this.
And then remember
the plagues?
Do you remember
who the prophet was
during the plagues?
It was Moses.
Moses who led
the people of God,
who was God's representative
speaking God's words
to the world,
who through,
God brought
these plagues
on Egypt.
And God is saying,
these two witnesses
are going to continue
in the line
of these prophets
in the same role
that the Old Testament
prophets had
of speaking
God's words
to the world.
Right?
And God's words
are always going to be
a message of redemption,
that there is redemption
in Christ
and a calling to Him
and an exalting
of the character of God
which will always have
also the message
of judgment
because those
who reject Him
those who stand
against Him
in all of His goodness
will find themselves
under judgment
eventually.
So this is
the two witnesses.
And I believe
it's the church
partly because we see
in verse 4
that it's the two lamps,
it's two lampstands.
Remember back
in chapter 1,
the lampstands,
there were seven of them
that represented
the churches of God
or the church of God
as a whole.
Why two instead
of seven here?
Well, because
in the Old Testament
and Deuteronomy
and the law,
if you had to establish
something to be true,
you had to do so
with two witnesses
in a courtroom.
And so God calls
His church
as the two witnesses.
So our communal witness
to the person
and work of Christ
and the purposes
of God in the world
as the church
are establishing
the truth of it
for all who have ears
to hear.
So this is the big picture
of what God is doing.
Now what does this testimony
look like?
Well, for one thing,
it has a limited time.
You might have noticed
we got some funky numbers
in this passage, right?
Suddenly there were
42 months
and, oh no, 42,
yeah, 42 months
and then we had
1,260 days,
which is actually
the same length of time
if you're doing math.
42 times 30
is 1,260.
And then you had,
and then we'll see
as we keep going
that this is a number
that comes up
in the next couple
of chapters.
What does this mean?
Well,
the summary of it is
this number represents
three and a half years.
We see it here
in verse 2
and verse 3.
In chapter 12,
it will also,
verse 6,
it'll also talk about
1260 days.
In chapter 12,
verse 14,
it will use a phrase
time, times,
and half a time.
And you just think,
really?
But yeah,
time plus two times,
that's three
and then a half,
three and a half years.
It's the same
symbolic number
that we see.
And this is drawing
on Daniel
and I'm just gonna say
if you wanna go read
Daniel 7, 9, 12
and put it together,
you'll see there's some
resonances from there.
But the overall picture
in all of the ways
this is used
is that there will be
time of tribulation,
there will be times
of trial,
there will be times
where the church
is undergoing
persecution,
hardship,
suffering,
and at times
experiencing as well
God's provision
through this,
but not ultimate
vindication
or freedom from it.
And the reason
why I think God
uses the word
the three and a half
is because
three and a half
is half of seven.
And seven is the picture
of completeness
that we've seen.
The fullness,
the ultimate fulfillment
are always done
in sevens.
So three and a half
means this is truncated,
it's cut short,
it's limited
rather than expansive.
So,
that's how we read
these numbers.
We get this sense
as well in verse 7
of chapter 11.
You can look with me
there where it says
when the testimony
is finished.
Because here's the thing,
friends,
the testimony
of the church
to a world
that is in rebellion
against Him
and God calling people
to Himself,
that's not going
to last forever.
One day,
the witness
that the church
will have
will be transformed
from witnessing
to people
that don't know God
to simply
worshiping with God
with those
who do forever.
Right?
So we know
that there's a time
that it will come,
a time will come
when our witness
will end.
That might give us
a sense of urgency,
but it also gives us
a sense of hope
because we know
that this witness
will not merely happen
in easy times,
but in fact,
it will happen
through persecution,
through trial,
through opposition.
And in fact,
the word witness,
many of you
probably know this,
but in Greek,
the original language
that this was written,
it's the word martyr.
Right?
And martyr
originally meant witnesses,
but it's taken up
this role
because of the
biblical witness,
this meaning of
someone who dies
for their profession
of faith.
And this is exactly
what we see,
that God has called
his church
to bear witness
even unto death
to the work
of Jesus.
Right?
A beast will rise.
We'll get to the beast
next week.
But a beast will rise
from the depths of hell
and attack
and seemingly
to kill the church.
And it will happen
in a city of darkness
like Sodom
or like Egypt
or like Jerusalem
that's rejected Jesus
and was the place
where he was killed.
And they will have
a party.
Friends,
it's Super Bowl Sunday.
Somebody,
either in San Francisco
or in Kansas City,
is going to throw
a huge party next week
to celebrate a victory.
This is what the world
will do
when they see
the defeat of,
what the seeming
defeat of the church.
When they see
it eradicated,
when it feels like
it's completely
overcome
and disappears,
there will be
a rejoicing
in the church
because
the church's witness,
as it says
in 2 Corinthians 2,
is an aroma
to the whole world.
It is a scent.
But to some,
it is the aroma
of life
to those who receive it
and respond to it
and take it in
and become followers
of Christ
and know the life
that's in him.
But to some,
it is the aroma
of death
because in our
stubborn human hearts
when we reject Jesus
and when we refuse
to submit to God,
we find ourselves
facing his judgment
on our sin
on our own.
And so we recognize
that the world
will hate,
this is why it says
that they were tormented
by the preaching
of the gospel
because it pricked
their conscience
and they hated it.
And this is the world
that we live in.
And friends,
we need to be careful
that the things
that people hate
about the church
is the gospel
and not other things.
But let us recognize
that we will never
be accepted
in the world at large.
We will never be praised
as the great things
that we want to be
in the world.
We will be hated
and persecuted
because this is
what happened to Jesus.
If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you also.
And this is the pattern
of our witness then,
that we witness
in the face of a world
that ultimately
will want to kill us.
And not all of us
are going to die
for our faith,
though some are
today in this world.
So what do you think
about this, friends?
Church,
are you ready
to live your life
as a martyr?
Are you ready
to see how great
the redeeming work
of Christ is
and to identify yourself
with it publicly,
even if it costs you?
It might cost you
the acceptance
of your friends
in high school
who want you
to live a life
that's contrary
to God's plans.
And you say,
no, I want to live
for Christ.
That means I'm going
to do it differently.
Maybe it's going to mean
talking about your faith
in Christ
on the playground
with the other parents
on a Saturday morning.
Maybe in your workplace.
Recognizing there's
appropriate wisdom
in how you do it,
but to recognize
people should know
in your workplace
that you follow Christ.
How can you share
that with them?
How can you create,
how can you pray
and look for God
to give you opportunities?
And look,
I understand it's hard.
We're in a world today
where the word Christian
is confused
with national
and political
and social movements
and ideologies
that don't have to do
with the gospel.
And we need to somehow
clear the wood
and get through all that
so that people can see
that what we really want
people to know
is that Jesus loved
the world such
that he came
and died for their sins
so that whoever believes
in him
would not perish
but have everlasting life.
This is the message
of the gospel.
Not be more like us
or do the right thing
but repent.
Repent and believe
in the good news
that in Christ alone
there is forgiveness
for our sin
and true living
spiritual life.
This is what God
has called us to.
And friends,
if you're wondering,
I don't know how to do that,
go read Pastor Nick's
little blurb
in our weekly email.
It was really good.
I'm actually going to read
part of it to you.
Ready?
Here we go.
What sorts of things
do we naturally share
with our friends and colleagues?
The things we love,
the things that bring us joy,
whether it's a favorite
new recipe,
engaging in an engaging podcast,
we easily talk about
and share the things
that we love.
And it's the same
with the gospel.
Evangelism,
rightly considered,
is a form of praise.
Praise because we have found
Christ to be so unbelievably good.
When we experience
the gospel in our own hearts
and as good news,
we'll naturally want
to share it with others.
Friends, if you're struggling
with sharing this with others,
the first step may be
go deeper into the gospel.
Recognize what great things
God has done for you.
Let that captivate your heart.
And when you do that,
then you will see
God will open doors
because you will want
to talk about the things
that are changing your life.
So friends,
God has called us
to be a witnessing church
in the pattern of Christ.
It may cost us great things
to be witnesses for Christ.
And yet it's exactly
what He's called us to
because we know
that the end is not the death,
the end is not the trampling,
the bodies lying
in Sodom and Egypt,
but that God came
in this vision
and breathed new life
like a recreation,
like Genesis 2 all over again.
God breathes new life in them
and they are raised,
not just raised back to life,
but then raised up
into the throne room of God
to be with heaven forever,
to rule over this world.
And this is what
the end of this,
this is what
the seventh trumpet shows us.
This is the picture
that we see
at the end of our passage
in Revelation 11,
15 through 19,
is that the witnessing church
that's called to be a,
have a prophetic role
in the world,
the witnessing church
that's meant to follow
in the pattern of Christ
through suffering and death
to resurrection
is the same witnessing church
that God calls to reign with him,
Christ the risen King.
This is the final trumpet.
Let's read this last section together
as we close,
as we,
we're almost done,
I promise.
The seventh trumpet,
Revelation 15,
or 11, verse 15.
Then the seventh angel
blew his trumpet
and there were loud voices
in heaven saying,
the kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom
of our Lord
and his Christ
and he shall reign
forever and ever.
And the 24 elders
who sit on their thrones
before God
fell on their faces
and worshiped God
saying,
we give thanks to you,
Lord God Almighty,
who was and is,
who is and who was,
for you have taken
your great power
and begun your,
begun to reign.
The nations raged,
but your wrath came.
And the time
for the dead
to be judged
and for rewarding
your servants,
the prophets and saints
and those who fear
your name,
both great,
small and great,
and for destroying
the destroyers
of the earth.
And then God's temple
in heaven was opened
and the ark of his covenant
was seen within his temple.
There were flashes
of lightning,
rumblings,
peals of thunder
and earthquake
and heavy hail.
friends,
this is the end
of the witnessing church
is that Christ will come
and he will judge the world
and he will destroy
the destroyers
and the nations
who rise up against God
will be no more
and the believers,
both great and small,
will get their reward.
The prophets
and the saints
will receive
because they will be
seated with him
and the kingdoms
of this world
will become
the kingdoms
of our Lord
and of his Christ.
And friends,
the temple
will be opened.
The imagery here
would be a whole other sermon
but the temple
will be opened.
We'll see to the very
inner place,
the holy of holies
where the presence
of God dwelt,
where the ark was.
We can walk
right into there
because of Jesus
and have this
unfettered,
uncomplicated
fellowship
with the risen
and reigning God
forever
and we will be
a part of his kingdom.
The final sacrifice
for Christ
has opened the door now
to the temple
and when Christ returns
and defeats
all of his enemies
and we will see
this building,
this vision
of that victory
through the rest
of Revelation,
right,
we will reign
with him forever.
Friends,
can you imagine
what good news
this was
to the church
in Rome
in the first century
suffering persecution?
that those who suffered
under Diocletian
and Domitian
will reign
with Christ.
That those
who suffered
in France
under the Huguenot
persecution
during the
Protestant Reformation,
they will be there.
That believers
who died
at the hands
of Chairman Mao's
Red Guard
because they claimed
the name of Christ
and witnessed to him.
They will be there.
And those today
who are dying
for the name of Christ,
whether it be
in Central Asia
or Myanmar
or Saudi Arabia
or Sudan,
friends,
they will be reigning
with Christ
forever and eternity.
and they will have
the joy.
And this is why
God calls us
to be the witnessing
church now
unto death
because Christ
is worth it
and because God
is still at work
calling people
out of darkness
into light.
God is still
calling us
not to hunker down
and just try
to get through
to heaven
but to stand up
and to go out
and to proclaim
that Christ
has come
to save the world
and to testify
and bear witness
to his work
so that we might
together sing
for the Lord
God
omnipotent
reigneth.
Hallelujah.
The kingdoms
of this world
is become
the kingdom
of our Lord
and of his Christ
and I'm about
to break out
into song
because you know this
shall reign
forever
and ever
King of kings
and Lord
of lords
forever
and ever.
Hallelujah.
Let's pray.
Lord,
thank you
for this
great vision
and this
great call
and Lord
we ask
for your forgiveness
for we so often
love comfort
and the love
and praise
of our fellow man
more than we love
to bear witness
to how great you are.
Oh Lord,
may you be our joy
so that we might
overflow
with the good news
of the gospel.
Help us, Lord,
to be this kind
of church
we pray
in Jesus' name.
Amen.