2024-04-14

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today, we’re going to continue in Matthew 13 with the parable of the wheats and tares. This is a parable where Jesus is referencing our world today and the constant attacks coming from satan himself.

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

1. The Playing Field

• The Sower = Jesus

Vs 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”

• This is a direct reference to the Gospel being spread and it taking root in the hearts of people everywhere

• The Field = The World

Vs38a The field is the world…

• A statement about our current condition of being “in the world”

• The Good Seeds = Believers

Vs 38b …the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom…

• This is a reference to those who have truly trusted Christ as Lord and Savior believing He died and rose again for us all

• The Tares = Unbelievers

Vs 38c …but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

• “tares” – zizanion (darnel) is a weed which closely resembles wheat yet it can actually contain poison in its yield
• This is a reference to those who don’t believe, but are a counterfeit of true believers

• The Enemy = Satan

Vs39a The enemy who sowed them is the devil…

• The Harvest = Future Judgment

Vs 39b the harvest is the end of the age

• The Reapers = Angels

Vs 39c and the reapers are the angels.

2. The Game

• The Present Day

Vss 26-27 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

• Jesus makes the case where believers and unbelievers are coexisting in our current world
• These “tares” are trying to destroy the “grain” in the world

• The Strategy

Vss 28-30a He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest

• God’s plan is we would remain in the world, but not of the world until we are with Him for eternity
• His plan includes the “wheat” making a positive impact on the “tares” through the spreading of the Gospel
• This patience shows God’s mercy and grace to an undeserving world

3. The End of the Game

• Victory Belongs to Him

Vss 40-43 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

• This is a statement about satan’s ultimate defeat at the hand of Jesus.
• Believers will enter into the Kingdom of God (Heaven) which has been prepared for us all (John 14) and unbelievers will spend eternity in separation from God in Hell.

Our Response:

1. Be sure of which category describes you: wheats or tares
2. Live as light within a world of darkness
3. Strive to be more like Christ
4. Do your best to introduce as many as possible to the hope of the
 Gospel

2024-03-31

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Matthew 28:1-7 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

1. The First Easter Morning

A. Chaos

vs 2a And behold, there was a great earthquake…

vs 2b …for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

B. Fear

vs 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

vs 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid..

C. Uncertainty

2. The Expectations

Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷ Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

A. Hopelessness

vs 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

B. Loss

vs 46b “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

C. Death

vs 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

3. The Resignation

Matt. 28:5b for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified

Luke 24:1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared

4. The Promise

Matt. 28:6-7 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

2024-03-17

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Mark 2:1-12 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. ² Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

• After traveling throughout Galilee preaching as stated in Mark 1, Jesus returns to His homebase and “immediately” the crowd came to see Him
• Verse 2 tells us He began to preach (laleo) the Word (logos) which was the good news of the Gospel

1. Four faithful friends would stop at nothing for a miracle for their friend

Vss 3-4 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

• Luke 5:19 gives this account – “And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus”
• Here, as in chapter 8, “they” meaning some friends brought a paralytic for healing
• Even though “they could not come near,” they made a way to bring their friend to Jesus
• This was most likely the home of Peter and Andrew, or maybe Peter’s mother in law’s home in Capernaum

2. They got more than they hoped

Vs 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

• Jesus saw the faith of the friends, but certainly of the paralytic, and He declares forgiveness of his sins
• The friends had only hoped to take advantage of the stories they’d heard about this man who could heal yet here they got so much more

3. Doubt persists

Vss 6-7 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

• The religious leaders knew only God Himself could forgive sins so they were instantly outraged at the supposed blasphemy of Jesus’ statement

4. Jesus gives mercy, grace and more!

Vss 8-12 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Yoursins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!

• Clearly the easy way out would have been to simply say “your sins are forgiven” as no one could truly know if this were true but Jesus wanted to show His power and His deity by healing the man
• Jesus uses the phrase “Son of Man” 80 times in the New Testament to describe Himself, more than any other title

            Daniel 7:14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Application:

1. The miraculous often happens when someone takes the first step
2. Trusting Him for the small things often results in far bigger things
3. In order to experience God’s greatest gifts, we must overcome our doubts
4. In many ways, the greatest hindrance to the miracle is us not Him

2024-03-03

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Mark 8:22-26 (NKJV) Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. ²³ So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. ²⁶ Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

1. The desperate need to see

Vs 22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him

• As in many other locations, people longed for Jesus to heal their family and friends so they brought them to Jesus
• Whether deaf, mute, lame or blind, people had come to accept that this Jesus was able to bring about healing
• The word “begged” (in the Greek – parakaleõ) conveys an urging which goes beyond the desire for a sign, they wanted their friend to be healed

2. The gradual process of sight

Vs 23-25 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly

• In an interesting display, Jesus doesn’t heal immediately even though He is more than capable of doing so. Why?
• This two-part healing process was a sign, not for the man, but for the disciples…and all of us.

1 Cor. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.

3. The failure to see when it’s right in front of you

Vs 11-12 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. ¹² But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Vs 14-21 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” ¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” ¹⁷ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”²⁰ “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” ²¹ So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

• Clearly, Jesus was teaching His disciples they had not yet fully understood who Jesus is and why it is important
• He challenges them on their inability to see what was right in front of them so He uses the healing of the blind man to instruct His disciples in

Vs 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

Application:

1. Looking for Him is the first step to truly seeing
2. It takes time and effort to fully understand who He is
3. Seeking and trusting Him leads to absolute sight

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and thatHe is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

2024-02-18

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

John 6:1-14 (NKJV) ”After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

1. The need was great

Vss 5-6 ”Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.“

• After a day of teaching, thousands had gathered to see and hear more from this miracle working Man
• Mark’s account of this event tells us people were coming from many places to see Jesus and even while Jesus wanted to get alone with His disciples, He had compassion on the people
• The disciples wanted to send them on their way but Jesus wanted to feed them for the purposes of using this as a teaching opportunity

2. The chances were small

Vs 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

• A denarii was equal to about one day’s pay for a common laborer
• Some have suggested Philip’s answer was connected to the amount of money the disciples had in their “treasury”, others that Philip was simply suggesting that it would take 8 months of earnings just so that everyone might have a “crumb”
• Regardless, Philip’s answer is one of disbelief; he simply didn’t believe there was any way to feed this crowd

3. The resources were few

Vss 8-9 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

• Andrew had most likely heard the exchange between Jesus and Philip and began looking for some options but all he could locate was a small boy with his lunch bag
• It’s important to note that the “five barley loaves” (artos) were not large French bread type loaves of bread, there were more like biscuits in size and the two fish (opsarion) were more like sardines in size

4. But Jesus is here

Vss 10-13 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

• Jesus proved again there was nothing too hard for Him

Application:

1. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the great needs in your life
   • If Jesus can feed upwards of 15,000 people with 5 “biscuits” and a couple of “sardines” He can take care your situation
2. Spend less time complaining about the options
   • We spend more time fixating on the problem than trusting Jesus for the answer
3. Give your “resources” to God
   • Give yourself (and your stuff) completely to Him and allow Him to do as He wills
4. Let Him lead you through
   • Trust Him no matter what, He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6)

2024-02-04

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today we will continue our study of many of the miracles of Jesus during his earthly ministry. The purpose of the study is for us to never lose sight of the power of Jesus in our lives even today. There are no problems the people of the first century encountered which are not also present today. Thus, it’s a good idea to never lose sight of what Jesus can do in our lives.

Luke 8:26-37 (NKJV) Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.³⁰ Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. ³² Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³ Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. ³⁴ When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶ They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. ³⁷ Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

1. The isolation of sin

Vs 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

• This was a man who had been so decimated by the power of demons in his life, he had been driven from all connection to others: “This is the goal of Satan in our lives, to disconnect us from the influence of others so we can be controlled by him”
• Demon possession was not an uncommon occurrence, though this time it was particularly intense
• Sin in our lives has this same effect, the more we let it get a foothold in our lives, the easier it is for to be isolated from righteousness

Vs 29b For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

2. The power of God over all

Vss 30-33 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. ³² Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³ Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

• The use of the word “legion” indicates a multitude of demons possessed this man. In the Roman empire, a legion of soldiers was between 3,000 and 6,000 men.
• With a word (and Jesus’ permission), the demons left the man and entered the pigs
• After this healing, the people of that region wanted Jesus to leave for they feared His power, and they feared his influence on their sources of income

3. Even the evil recognizes the power and presence of Jesus

Vs 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

• The instant the man encountered Jesus, the demons knew they were in trouble. They knew exactly who Jesus was and they feared Him greatly.
• They didn’t run from Him, nor did they attempt to argue with Him, they simply fell at His feet.

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

Application:

1. The attacks of Satan are just as real today as they were 2,000 years ago (Eph. 6:12, John 10:10)

• The tombs where we live today are found in the recesses of isolation, the internet, drugs and alcohol, and other sin
• Satan’s plan is to get you away from the light as quickly and as far as possible

2. The greatest tools we have to combat the influence of evil is running after truth

• Reading the Bible, prayer, fellowship with other believers, service

3. When Satan gets a foothold, we have nothing to fear. Bring Jesus into the room!

2024-01-21 

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Mark 9:14-29 (CSB) When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”23 Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.”26 Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.28 After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”29 And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”

1. Why is fasting, along with prayer, so important?

• It’s expected of believers

Matthew 6:5-6 Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18 Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• It exposes the power of God
  • Rick Warren wrote about some examples from Scripture of prayer and fasting
    • Moses fasted before he received the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

• The Israelites fasted before a miraculous victory.

2 Chronicles 20:1-4 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to fight against Jehoshaphat. 2 People came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast number from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come to fight against you; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi). 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah, 4 who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek him.

2 Chronicles 20:15 and he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

• Daniel fasted in order to receive guidance from God.

Daniel 9:3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and  petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

• Nehemiah fasted before beginning a major building project.

Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.

• Jesus fasted during His victory over temptation.

Luke 4:1-2 Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.

2. What is the purpose of fasting and prayer?

• Focuses our faith

Acts 13:2-3 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

• Elmer Towns says, “Just stopping eating will not get answers to prayer. You have to spend time with God. You’re not fasting to get your prayers answered; you’re fasting to know God—to hunger and thirst after righteousness.”

• Sets our desires aside to seek God’s desires

Psalm 35:13 “Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

Zech 7:4-5 Then the word of the Lord of Armies came to me: ⁵ “Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?

• Reveals the kind of power which can only come from God

Ezra 8:21-23 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.” 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

Bill Bright said, “Fasting reduces the power of self so that the Holy Spirit can do a more intense work within us.”

3. Does fasting actually make a difference?

• The power of fasting has less to do with what we give up and more to do with who we run to – God!
• Prayer and Fasting is a discipline which reveals God’s ultimate authority and power within our lives
• Prayer and fasting takes us into a deeper relationship with God than we could ever experience otherwise

2024-01-07

Jonathan Falwell

John 8:12

Today is the first Sunday of 2024 and a great opportunity to revisit the reason we gather in churches like this one each week. That reason, simply stated, is to “Follow Jesus.” Jesus called everyone in Scripture to follow Him, and He still calls us today. Last week, Charles talked about “starting over” which was a great way to prepare for a new year. This week and next we’re going to talk about why and how we follow Jesus.

So today, I want to give you a simple sentence which answers the question, “Why we should follow Jesus in 2024?”

“He is the help you’ve been looking for to guide you in a difficult time and give you the hope you’ve always wanted.”

John 8:12  ^(CSB) Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

1. He is

vs 12a Jesus spoke to them again: “I am…

• In Exodus 3, God simply stated “I AM WHO I AM” and told Moses to tell Israel “I AM has sent me.” This declaration by God was to convey the understanding that God has always been, God is, and God will always be. Jesus connected Himself to this declaration through the seven “I AM” statements found within the book of John.
  • I AM the bread of life (6:35)
  • I AM the light of the world (8:12)
  • I AM the door (10:7)
  • I AM the good shepherd (10:11-14)
  • I AM the resurrection and the life (11:25)
  • I AM the way, truth and the life (14:6)
  • I AM the true vine (15:1)

Isaiah 41:1-4 Be silent before me, coasts and islands! And let peoples renew their strength. Let them approach; let them testify; let’s come together for the trial. ² Who has stirred up someone from the east? In righteousness he calls him to serve.^,, The Lord hands nations over to him, and he subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven stubble with his bow. ³ He pursues them, going on safely, hardly touching the path with his feet. ⁴ Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I am the Lord, the first and with the last—I am he.”

Isaiah 43:25 I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more.

Isaiah 48:12 Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, the one called by me: I am he; I am the first, I am also the last.

2. The help you’ve been looking for

vs 12b …I am the light of the world…

• Jesus made this statement around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, a special celebration within Israel to mark the presence and provision of God with their ancestors as they marched in the wilderness for 40 years. It is also celebrates the coming Messiah.
• The following verses in John 8 reflect how the pharisees received this “I AM” statement.
• Jesus was challenged on His statement that He was not a proper witness because you could not testify on your own behalf. (Deut. 19:15) This gave Jesus the opportunity once again to declare He and the Father are one.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. ⁴ In him was life,^, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

A.W. Tozer said, “The only safe light for our path is the light which is reflected from Christ, the Light of the World.”[1]

‌

3. To guide you in a difficult time

vs 12c … Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness…

• Again, the setting of the Feast of Tabernacles was the perfect backdrop as God proved His presence to ancient Israel through the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13)

Isaiah 41:1-10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

Oswald Chambers said, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”[2]

Psalm 9:9-10 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. ¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord.

4. And to give you the hope you’ve always wanted

vs 12d … but will have the light of life.

Phil. 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus

John 14:1-7 Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. ⁴ You know the way to where I am going.”^{, 5} “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

In one of Charles Spurgeon’s powerful sermons, he stated, “When Jesus said, “I am the Way,” He clearly intended to exclude all other ways, so beware lest you perish in any one of them!”[3]

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. ²⁶ Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 12:46 Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.

[1] The Quotable Tozer Book I, A. W. Tozer. Compiled Harry Verploegh, 1984.

[2] The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations, Compiled by Mark Water, John Hunt Publishing, 2000.

[3] Through the Eyes of C.H. Spurgeon: Quotes From A Reformed Baptist Preacher, Charles Spurgeon, Lucid Books, 2012.

2023-12-24

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

The Christmas story is found in a number of places within the Scriptures, but none more recognized than Luke’s account. Over the past two millenia, the world has often heard the Luke 2 narrative describing the arrival of God’s greatest gift. Luke helps us understand his purpose in recording these events in Luke 1:3 So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

Today, however, I’d like to focus on one particular portion of Luke’s narrative of the birth of Christ which is referred to as the “Magnificat,” the song of Mary.

Luke 1:46-55 (CSB)  ”And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him. He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.“

1. Favor in our fear

Vs 46b-48a  My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant.

• Finding favor in our fear begins with worship
• Mary’s declaration of exalting God rather than self, even in her situation is an indication of why God chose her in the first place
• In the midst of a fearful situation God extended favor to Mary, He does the same with us
• The Jews in Galilee, certainly in Nazareth, were hated because they were considered to be unclean, non-kosher, because of their close proximity to the Gentiles¹. It is interesting that from this area, Mary was chosen. The opening words to her song clearly indicate Mary is the right choice.

2. Strength in our weakness

Vss 49-50 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him

• Our hope is found in trusting His strength, not our own
• 2 Cor. 12 tells us, “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”
• Warren Wiersbe said, “Not only was God mindful of her, but He was also mighty for her, working on her behalf.” ^[1]

3. Protection from the proud

Vss 51-52 He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

• Verse 51 echoes Isaiah 53:1 which is an OT declaration of the baby which is now present in Mary’s womb – “with his arm”
  • Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

• His protection is guaranteed
• Proverbs 16:5, 18 – Pride destroys
• Psalm 138:6 For though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly
• Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted

4. Provision in our pain

Vs 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

• “He has satisfied the hungry…” is a clear statement of the provision only God can give
• The message is that only God can fill the void within our lives though mankind is constantly attempting to fill the void with every imaginable thing

This Christmas, Bethlehem is a strangely silent. What are normally the busiest days of the year for this small town just a few short miles from Jerusalem are now the quietest. Why? Because the world has lost sight of the giver of peace.

Father Spiridon Sammour, a Greek Orthodox priest at the Church of the Nativity said this week – “I have never seen it like this…Christmas is joy, love and peace. We have no peace. We have no joy.[2]”

Any time people look for joy and peace in anything other than the Prince of Peace they are left wanting. As Mary stated even before His birth, Jesus is Savior, Jesus is Peace!

^[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 173.

[2] https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/24/middleeast/bethlehem-christmas-gaza-war-intl/index.html

2023-11-26

Charles Billingsley

Matthew 1:1 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

² Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³ and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, ⁴ and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,⁵ and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

Our story begins in Genesis 37.

Jacob – 4 wives.

4 sons by his first wife Leah

Two sons by his favorite wife Rachel.

Joseph was his favorite

Lots of tension already!

Joseph – coat of many colors.

See Joseph from a far off. They determine to kill him. Rueben talks them into just throwing into a cistern instead.

Judah convinces them to just sell him to the Ishmealites

Then they take his coat, dip it in goat’s blood.

present it to Jacob

Gen. 37:32  And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

Genesis 38:1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

Choose your friends wisely!

Every time we see Hirah mentioned in this story, he is with Judah while Judah is making wrong decisions.

The wrong friends in our lives will drag us down. They cause you to make bad choices.

Proverbs 12:26

The righteous should choose his friends carefully,

For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

² There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua.

He took her and went in to her,

There is a whole lot wrong with this picture already.

God told the Hebrews not to marry Canaanites. Abraham warned against it. Isaac did, too. So did Jacob.

Canaanites were pagans. They were polytheists.

³ and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. ⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. ⁵ Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

Tamar was another Canaanite woman. A girl became eligible for marriage at the time of puberty. So she was probably no older than 13-14 years old.

So now Judah has taken a Canaanite wife, then he takes a Canaanite wife for his sons. Not good. But Tamar has no choice in the matter. This was the custom. Little did she know that she was being forced into the family of some very wicked men.

⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”

⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.¹⁰ And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.

^{2 Cor. 6:14} Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

But what about Tamar? Tamar is still a very young lady, who is now a two time widow. To not have an heir and to be a widow…twice…there was probably no more shameful place to hold in society at that time. There was no more socially or economically worse place in society than to be a widow. And it was highly unlikely that she would be chosen again to be anyone’s wife.

¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

¹² In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died.

When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³ And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” ¹⁴ she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.

Guard Your Heart!!!

^{Proverbs 4:23} Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

16She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷ He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.

¹⁹ Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.”²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” ²³ And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

^{Our sin always looks uglier on somebody else.}

 ²⁵As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.”

²⁶ Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

²⁷ When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

^{I see a lot of broken. But where’s the beauty???}

^Judah

^{From that moment, He’s a changed man.}

^{He’s broken. But God takes that brokenness and does something beautiful.}

^{We see this in Genesis 44 where he is now the spokesperson for his brothers before the very powerful Joseph. The same one who sold his own brother into slavery is now offering up himself to save his brother from slavery.}

^{Genesis 49 – He receives the blessing of His father…}

8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

It is from the line of Judah that the LION of Judah will come.

But there is no line…..unless there is Tamar.

Tamar

The beauty of the story of Tamar is redemption. God saw the tears of Tamar. He heard her cry. He used her, The broken woman, the most unlikely of characters…to continue a family tree that otherwise would have gone away.

An unlikely person? you bet.

An ugly story? absolutely

An unbelievable outcome? Well that’s just how God works.

So what about you?

Do you think there’s a takeaway in this story that perhaps could change your life?

 A few thoughts: 

• Choose your friends wisely

• Don’t be unequally yoked

• Stay faithful to the faith

• Guard your heart!

• Your sins will always find you out!

• If your life is in sin, repent now! 

• If you are abused or abandoned…you don’t have to let it defeat you.

     – Seek help. Seek counsel. We are here for you.

• The Gospel is inclusive of every race, tribe and tongue

• God will never leave you nor forsake you

2023-11-12

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today, we move into chapter 3 of Colossians. In this chapter, Paul describes to the Colossian church the changes which must be present in the lives of true believers.

1. Out with the old

Colossians 3:1-11 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. ⁵ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. ⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

• There is a clear standard set by Paul in the first few verses of chapter 3. Namely, in order to experience things above, we must experience Christ. (vs 1)

Craig Keener says it this way, “The Jewish mystics creating problems at Colossae were probably seeking these upper realms through mystical experiences (2:18), but Paul only mentions one thing specifically in heaven: Christ.”^[1]

• Paul gives us hope which comes from being “raised with Christ” meaning we no longer should be captivated or by the things of this world but rather by what Christ has promised.
• Verses 5-9 give us a non-exhaustive list of actions and heart conditions which should not be present in the life of the believer.

Max Anders – “The believer is to see everything, including earthly things, against the backdrop of eternity. With a new (resurrection) perspective on life, the eternal is to impact the temporal.^[2]

Romans 6:6 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin

2. In with the new

Col. 3:12-17 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

• Now Paul gives us what SHOULD be present in the life of a believer.
• These attributes mirror the fruits of the spirit from Galatians 5
• Verse sets love apart from the rest. Love is amplified as a result of Christ’s teaching from Matt 22 and Paul also describes Godly love in 1 Cor 13.
• Vs 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom
  • “dwell” (enoikeõ) conveys the ides of a home. In other words, God’s Word should “have a home” in our hearts and minds.

Richard Melick states, “The “name of the Lord Jesus” provides the proper atmosphere for life. The Colossian believers were not only to come to God through Jesus and to worship Jesus but also to live their lives conscious of his authority and reputation.”^[3]

3. Change your life

Col. 3:18-25 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. ²⁰ Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵ But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

• Here, Paul lays out the outward response of “putting off the old and putting on the new” as a believer.
• He gives us four statements on interpersonal relationships
  • Marriage
    • Wife to husband – “submit”
    • Husband to wife – “love”
  • Parenthood
    • Children to parents – “obey”
    • Parents to children – “do not provoke”
  • Employer/Employee – “do it heartily, as to the Lord”
    • We are the representatives of Christ in this world
    • We are given three points on which to think:
      • We will be rewarded (verse 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance)
      • We are ultimately serving Him (vs 24b for you serve the Lord Christ)
      • We will pay the price if we don’t do it right (vs 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.)

Application:

1. Change your thinking

Vs2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth

2. Wrestle against your nature

Vss 12b-14a …put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love…

3. Accept that every thought and act is for Him

Vs 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men

^[1] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Col 3:1–4.

^[2] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 327.

^[3] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 306.

2023-10-29

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today, we will start our study of the book of Colossians. This letter was written by the Apostle Paul as he sat in home imprisonment longing to encourage the believers in churches throughout the world. The church at Colossae was one he had heard much about but had never visited. The church had been planted by Epaphras and may have been pastored by Philemon. This letter was written, like other Pauline letters, to warn of dangerous beliefs which were filtering into the church. The primary concern Paul had for the Colossian church was an attack on the deity of Christ Himself. Thus, he begins his letter focusing on the supremacy and deity of Christ.

1. The mark of the believer

     a. Faithfulness to Christ – Vs 2-4

² To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

• The Colossian church was marked by their faithfulness
• They were known for doing the right thing, both in knowledge and service
• It is clear here that Paul was addressing a common problem in that day – Gnosticism

     b. Faithfulness to His Word – Vs 5-7

⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf

• They had sat under faithful teaching which had drawn them closer to God

     c. Faithfulness to His work – Vss 9-14

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

• filled with the knowledge – epignõsis – “an intimate recognition and awareness”
• Verses 10-12 are a great checklist for every believer

2. The object of our worship

• CHRIST! – Vss 15-18

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

• These verses focus on the deity of Christ
• Vs 15 “image” of God; has always existed – eikon
  • “firstborn”

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

• Vs 16 He is creator; everything is under His rule
  • It would be impossible for Christ to be “created” if He was Creator
  • This is a clear repudiation by Paul of the Gnostic way of thinking
• Vs 17 He is supreme over everything; all things “consist”
  • “consist” – synistēmi meaning “to set in place and hold together”
• Vs 18 He is the head of the church
  • Ephesians talks about the “body” which is the church
• Vs 18 HE IS RISEN

3. The source of our hope

• The cross – Vss 19-20

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

• He is our connection to God
• Only through His sacrifice on the cross do we find this reconciliation

4. The promise of His gift

• Reconciliation – Vss 21-23

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

• We had no way of being made right with God other than through Christ
• We were once “enemies” but have been made right

Ephesians 2:1-5 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)

5. The riches of His glory

• Christ in us – Vss 24-29

²⁴ I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶ the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.^[1]

• Max Anders says, “The unprecedented secret is that all are included. The unprecedented truth is that Jesus Christ lives in all who trust him. Not only does he live in us; he is our hope of glory.”^[1]

^[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 285.

^[1] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Col 1:1–29.

2023-10-15

Jonathan Falwell

Jesus First / Philippians 3:1-21

Today, we continue forward in the book of Philippians to the third chapter. This is one of the great chapters of Paul’s writings for it gives us a clear understanding of what it means to keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the right things. As Christians, we don’t have the luxury of being double-minded (as we discussed last week) but rather we must focus on the things which matter to God. So today, we ask ourselves the questions…What are you looking at?

1. Keep your eyes focused  (vv. 1–3; 12-19)

Vss 1-3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it issafe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

• Here Paul reminds us once again to be careful not to give in to the pressures from this world. His statement clearly echoes what we read in 1:15-16 and 2:3 about the proper motivations.
• He warns against the “dogs” who were Jewish teachers who were pushing people back to the ways of the law. Paul uses strong language to describe them: i.e. dogs, evil workers, mutilation.
• His encouragement was to fix our eyes on Christ, not the law and our works.

Vss 17-19 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

• Once again, Paul references the group of people who no doubt followed him around attempting to circumvent his ministry.
• They didn’t have the mind of Christ, they gave in to their own earthly desires.

Richard Melick states, “They apparently followed him about, seeking to entice people away from the truth. Doubtless, repeated efforts to counter that brought on fatigue. Second, he called them enemies of the cross. The statement must mean more than that they refused to accept the cross as God’s way of reconciliation. It means that they actively opposed the message of the cross and hindered those who would take advantage of its work. Paul cherished the cross. For him, the fact that the false teachers did not revealed who they were.”^[1]

2. Keep your eyes on what matters (vv. 4–11)

Vss 4-11 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

• Paul uses his own life as an example of the temptation to think highly of one’s self and to believe they could “work their way” to Heaven.
• He gives us a glimpse of an impressive resumé he carried throughout life. Yet, he indicates those things mean absolutely nothing when compared to the gift of Christ.

Dwight L. Moody said: “We know what it is to lose health and wealth and reputation…but what is the loss of all these things compared with the loss of the soul?”[2]

3. Keep your eyes looking forward (vv. 12–16).

Vss 12-16 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

• Paul encourages diligence and perseverance for the life of the Christian. He tells us to keep moving forward recognizing we can never actually obtain all God has for us in this life.
• We must press on for what lies ahead in eternity.
• Verse 14 states: I press toward the goal
  • Goal – skopos = an observer, a watchman; the distant mark looked at, thegoal or end one has in view[3]

Max Anders says, “A fact of the Christian life is that the more you mature the more you realize how much further you have to go to become like Christ.”^[4]

4. Keep your eyes on Him (vv. 20-21)

Vss 20- 21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

• Ultimately, the most important thing to remember as we navigate the challenges of this earth is that this is not our home.
• God has given us the blessed hope of knowing that one day we will spend eternity with Him in a place of perfection.
• The problems of today will be forever eclipsed by the glories of tomorrow.

Conclusion:

1. Don’t beat yourself up – forget what’s behind

2. Press on – actively pursuing “better”

3. Don’t get discouraged or dissuaded

4. Remember who wins

^[1] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 142–143.

[2] George Sweeting, Who Said That? More than 2,500 Usable Quotes and Illustrations., Word, Incorporated, 1985.

[3] Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc

^[4] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 245.

2023-10-01

Dondi E. Costin

INTRODUCTION

At least once in your lifetime God will ask you to alter your best-laid plans to align with His, which will in every case be exactly what you ought to do. In most cases that choice will seem inexplicable because it will take you unimaginably outside your comfort zone, but the choice you make in that moment will determine your direction the rest of the way. Your decision may also be the vehicle God uses to bring others to Christ. As the personal trainers among us might say, “No pain, no gain.”

I’m inclined to yield my time this morning to a long line of saints sitting in this sanctuary who can testify to this truth. If we had the time these saints could stand on this platform and tell how God called them, like Abraham, to be willing to sacrifice their most precious possession to obey the Lord. Some would liken themselves to Moses in their initial objections to God’s call to do something completely outside their comfort zone. Others would compare their experiences to that of Isaiah, who realized that his own sinfulness stood in the way of God’s call on his life to maximize God’s glory in his sphere of influence.

Then there would be those whose testimonies would sound as dramatic as the Apostle Paul’s in the 9th chapter of Acts, where in the space of just 19 verses we see Saul go from “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” to being radically saved on the road to Damascus. In that moment God called Saul to realign his life goals with the those of His Creator, and Saul said yes. It was something he would do over and over and over again throughout the course of his extraordinarily eventful life.

What we now refer to as the Macedonian Call is one of the more consequential of those occasions in Paul’s life. Although he packed his bags for Asia in Acts chapter 16, God gave him a vision of a man from Macedonia begging him to come to Europe instead.

(7) When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (8) So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. (9) During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (10) After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ac 16:7–10.

As was Paul’s custom, he did exactly what God asked him to do. He and Timothy made their way to Philippi, where they won Europe’s first convert to Christ, planted a church, and grew a body of believers who would be an encouragement to him for the rest of his ministry. If the text of this letter is any indication, the church in Philippi was his favorite.

This morning we will examine the first chapter of a letter Paul wrote to his Philippian friends. In the 30 verses of chapter one we see ample evidence of an extraordinary relationship between Paul and what many would say was his favorite local church. In reading these 2,000-year-old words from a church planter to his people, we’ll see 5 fundamental principles that apply as much to us this morning as they did to our Philippian brothers and sisters in Christ two millennia before us.

His affection for the Philippians is evident from the get-go, which we see in the first 2 verses of the book.

(1) Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (2) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Php 1:1–2.

1. IDENTITY: See what God sees in you when you look at yourself. (1:1-2)

In sharp contrast to the opening lines of the book of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians, where he has to pull rank as an Apostle to deal with a variety of doctrinal and personal challenges in those churches, Paul identifies himself and his sidekick Timothy by the far more humble title, “bondservants of Jesus Christ” (1:1a). And when he sits down to pen this letter to the Philippians, he correctly calls them “saints in Christ Jesus” (1:1b) before wishing them both “grace and peace” (1:2).

1. Servants of Jesus Christ – what you are called to do.

(5) What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. (6) I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (7) So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Co 3:5–7.

Illustration: General Dave Goldfein now wants to be called “JD.” Just Dave.

1. Saints in Christ Jesus – who you are called to be.

“Saint” is one who has been set apart from sin and set apart to God and for God.

(18) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, (19) and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eph 1:18–19.

Illustration: Polar bear son asks polar bear dad on an early morning fishing trip if he’s really a polar bear. Dad explains his polar bear heritage in great detail and then wants to know why his son even asked the question, to which the son replies, “Because, to tell you the truth, I’m cold.”

Whether or not you feel like a saint, if Christ has saved you, you’re a saint. (If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, a saint you ain’t.) But you aren’t much of a saint if you aren’t also a servant. And you aren’t much of a servant if God has not declared you to be a saint.

2. COMMUNITY: You cannot thrive as a Christian all by yourself. (1:3-11)

Living the Christian life is personal, but it was never meant to be private. Both Scripture and scientific research make it abundantly clear that we humans were made for community, and a treasure trove of benefits accrue for those who experience as sense of belonging. You need others, and they need you. So don’t deprive yourself or others of the value you bring to the community of believers you call home. Paul makes this truth abundantly clear in verses 3-11.

(3) I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (4) always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, (5) for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, (6) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (7) just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. (8) For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. (9) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (10) that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, (11) being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Php 1:3–11.

Note the string of phrases in this passage that demonstrates the extent of Paul’s heartwarming affection for this local church: I thank my God upon every remembrance of you (v.3); always in every prayer of mine (v.4); your fellowship in the gospel (v.5); He who has begun a good work in you will complete it (v.6); I have you in my heart … you are all partakers with me of grace (v.7); how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ (v.8); I pray…that your love may abound still more (v.9).

We see the COMMUNITY principle in action in 1 Corinthians 12.

(12) Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. (13) For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (14) Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many…  (27) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Co 12:12–14, 27.

God would no more think of a church full of folks just like me or just like you than Coach Chadwell would think of a football team full of just quarterbacks—and he was a quarterback.

3. RESILIENCY: Say what God says about your situation when you talk to yourself.

(vv. 12-18)

Resiliency is our capacity to bounce back when hardship comes our way. In the words of the old Timex watch commercial, resiliency is our ability to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

It has been widely reported that the state of mental health in our country has reached crisis stage. As stressful and polarized as our modern age has become, it’s little wonder that the drivers of anxiety and depression and the like have taken their toll. But it’s also clear that we seem to have lost the ability to handle hardship in healthy ways.

It’s also noteworthy that the rise in mental health challenges we’ve seen the last 15 years corresponds almost directly with a decrease in religiosity in nearly every quarter. In other words, the less religious our country has become, the more anxious we have become. This result should not surprise anyone who understands the Bible, and it certainly wouldn’t surprise Paul. Thankfully, he understood that, for Christians, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And who better to pen these words than a man who wrote this letter from prison?

(12) But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, (13) so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; (14) and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (15) Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: (16) The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; (17) but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. (18) What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Php 1:12–18.

Rather than gripe about his circumstances, Paul gloats instead. He insists that being bound in chains has allowed him to help others be free from their sin. Not only that, seeing his resilience in the face of hardship encourages others to preach the gospel, too. That reality causes him to rejoice, and is reminiscent of Joseph’s powerful words in a similar situation.

(19) But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? (20) You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ge 50:19–20.

The Bible is clear that difficulty and trouble and trial and suffering are all part of our journey this side of heaven. Jesus said that God causes it to rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). And with conviction He said that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

(2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, (3) because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Jas 1:2–4.

Note the use of the word “joy” in this passage from James chapter 1. Joy is a key theme in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, in which some version of joy/rejoice/rejoicing is used 16 times. Five of those occurrences happen in chapter 1. Scripture draws a distinction between “joy” and “happiness.” Joy is the settled conviction that God sovereignly controls the events of life for His glory and our good. Joy is a choice you make to believe God regardless of what happens, while happiness is how you feel based on what’s happening in the moment. When your Identity is found in your relationship to the God of the universe, joy is always the best choice to make because happiness comes and goes.

The academic literature is filled with thousands of studies every year demonstrating the value of religion in improving health in every aspect of our lives – physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, professionally, and every other way. The gist of this research is concisely captured in the title of an editorial written for USA Today in October 2016 by a Harvard public health professor named Tyler Vanderweele: Religion may be a miracle drug. In other words, from a public health perspective, practicing one’s faith leads to human flourishing, which is exactly what our Creator has been telling us since the beginning of time.

With respect to RESILIENCY in the face of hardship, what you believe about the hardship is vastly more important than the hardship itself. When difficulty comes your way, life is much better when you say to yourself what God has already said about your situation. We see a perfect example of this approach in Philippians 4:4-9.

(4) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (5) Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (6) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (9) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Php 4:4–9.

This approach is what healthy living looks like, and it’s as effective in the 21st century as it was in the 1st.

4. GALLANTRY: Be courageous in your convictions regardless of the cost to yourself . (vv.19-26)

The dictionary defines gallantry as the strength of mind to keep going in spite of danger. Gallantry is courage under fire and bravery in the heat of battle.  It’s exactly how you hope you’d respond when called upon to act in this way.

Illustration: My thoughts when standing on the beaches of Normandy: Would I have had the courage to do what those heroes did? You may never have that opportunity or that obligation, but in an increasingly secular culture, you will have more than your share of opportunities to be bold and courageous for the sake of the gospel. The good news is that the alternative

We see Paul’s encouragement to be gallant for the gospel in Philippians 1:19-26.

(19) For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (20) according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. (21) For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22) But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. (23) For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (24) Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (25) And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, (26) that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Php 1:19–26.

C.S. Lewis may have been right in saying that “courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality.” (The Screwtape Letters, chapter 29, p. 137).

He and Paul would certainly agree on that point as far as one’s stance for the gospel is concerned. In a world that seems to be more secular by the minute, you and I will have ample opportunities to demonstrate the courage of our Christian convictions and be gallant for the gospel. You’ll know you’re there when you can say with Paul in verse 21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The more consistently we practice this principle, the more impact we’ll have in the world.

5. CONSISTENCY: Your life is not just about yourself. (vv.27-30)

Consistency produces credibility. The world is watching to see if the Christ we confess makes the difference we claim.

There’s a good reason Scripture specifically limits the office of pastor to one who is not a recent convert to the faith, because it takes testing over time to make sure they have what it takes to go the distance as a shepherd over others (1 Tim 3:6). Again, consistency produces credibility.

Paul’s confidence in the Philippians was driven by his confidence in their commitment to live worthy of their calling.

(27) Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, (28) and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. (29) For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (30) having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Php 1:27–30.

Note that Paul makes a clear distinction here between their IDENTITY as servants and saints in verse 1 and their “conduct” as disciples in verse 27. As he concludes the first salvo of this joy-filled letter, he urges them to live so consistently worthy of the gospel. He echoes this sentiment in Ephesians 4:1 – “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to life a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

I should point out that the NIV construction of verse 27 says it like this: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Those first two words – “whatever happens” – are our marching orders with respect to how we should live as followers of Christ.

Illustration: These words remind me of the traditional wedding vows many of you have made, in which you promised to take your husband or wife in marriage, “forsaking all others, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ‘til death us do part.” In other words, whatever happens.

It’s often said that character is who you are when no one’s looking, a concept that Paul suggests in verse 27 when he says their consistency for Christ should be evident whether he is watching them or not.

Note also that Paul includes the possibility of being terrified by your adversaries (v. 28) and suffering for the sake of Christ (v. 29) in the category of “whatever happens.” Remember, sometimes “No pain” for yourself means “no gain” for others.

Jesus might well have added that this kind of consistent living would be so credible before the world that, as He said in the Sermon on the Mount, “let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV).

CONCLUSION

This letter from Paul to his favorite church is packed with principles to help us live worthy of our calling as sons and daughters of the most high God. We’ve seen at least 5 in this first chapter, and we merely skimmed the surface. But these 5 – IDENTITY, COMMUNITY, RESILIENCY, GALLANTRY, and CONSISTENCY can chart the course for an effective game plan going forward. If nothing else, this chapter and these principles remind us of Jesus’ words: “If anyone would be my disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

I said at the outset that at least once in your lifetime God would call you to change you best-laid plans to align with His. I should have been more specific by saying that God’s call would not be once or twice per life but at least once or twice per day. The secret to the Christian life is that there really are no secrets to living the Christian life.

Illustration: I found myself this past week standing in the office of three of Liberty’s field hockey coaches just as they were finishing a planning session for their next practice. I can hardly remember ever hearing of field hockey until a few weeks ago, and I don’t know much about the game beyond the fact that our nationally ranked team is incredibly good at their craft, we have an amazing blue field that is the envy of the country, that the ball is round, and that the goal is square. So, when I asked the coach what happens now that the planning is done, he said it’s really pretty simple. Our team is going out to the blue thing to put the round thing into the square thing. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Much like the Christian life.  Is it simple? Yes. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

Just remember these words from Philippians 1:6 as you put these principles into action: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

No pain, no gain.

Amen to that.

2023-09-03

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today, we begin a new sermon series which will take us through an exhaustive study of the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. We’ve entitled this series, “Jesus First”, which is basically the message of not only these books but the entire Scriptures. As we study these books, our prayer is that each of us will gain a deeper understanding and love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Background on Galatians

1. Written by Paul around 50 A.D.
2. Written to the “churches of Galatia” which could be two distinct regions where Paul visited during his missionary journeys
3. Written to attack legalism and reinforce the sufficiency of the grace and Gospel of Jesus Christ

Tony Merida says, “As we study this book, we should begin to see more clearly what grace is, to be saturated with it, and to know when it is being taught accurately. When we hear a false gospel, we should be discerning enough to recognize it.”^[1]

1. Paul’s Purpose

Galatians 1:1-10 (NKJV) Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: ³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. ⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. ¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

• To establish his authority on God
• To challenge the churches in Galatia for their weakness
• To declare the Gospel sufficient
• Verse 6 – “heteros – another”
• Verse 7 is a key indicator of Paul’s purpose in writing the letter
• Verses 8-9 – accursed (anathema – condemned)

2. God’s Promise

Vss 11-17 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

• Paul emphasizes the Gospel is not a creation of man’s imagination but rather a direct gift from God Himself (Romans 6:23)
• Paul indicates how he himself had tried to put down this idea of the Gospel but God had intervened
• The Gospel can overcome anything from our past
• God can use us regardless of our former sin

3. Paul’s Training

Vss 18-24 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

²¹ Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. ²³ But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God in me.

• Paul took time to learn from others and recognize his calling
• But, Paul also made it clear his greatest teacher was God alone
• He learned of God’s grace in using him

Galatians 2:1-10 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. ² And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. ⁶ But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. ⁷ But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospelfor the circumcised was to Peter ⁸ (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

• Verses 1-2 are a reference to the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) which was convened in 48 A.D. to determine if the Gospel was enough, or must one follow the Mosaic Law to be saved
• Paul took Titus with him to prove, as a Greek, his salvation was authentic
• Paul emphasizes here that both he and Peter are preaching the same Gospel with the same outcome
• They all recognized the importance of teamwork

4. Paul’s Confrontation

Vss 11-21 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.  ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

• Paul confronts Peter because of his unwillingness to embrace the Gospel of grace
• Peter was attempting to make Gentiles live under the law even though Jesus had fulfilled the law

¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. ¹⁷ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

• Verse 16 (NLT) “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
• Verse 16 states, “knowing that a man…” This use of “man” is the Greek word, anthrōpos which is a reference not to a specific man or to the male gender, but rather to all mankind.
• Paul begins to take Peter to school (in front of others) that salvation is not based on what we do but rather what Christ has done. Peter knew this truth but apparently he was influenced by “what others thought”
• Timothy George says in relationship to Galatians 2:20, “Being crucified with Christ implies a radical transformation within the believer. The “I” who has died to the law no longer lives; Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, dwells within, sanctifying our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and enabling us to approach the throne of God in prayer.^[2]

1. Vernon McGee says, “Every other religion says do. Christianity says done. The great transaction is done, and we are asked to believe it.”^[3]

^[1] David Platt and Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 4.

^[2] Timothy George, Galatians, vol. 30, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 201.

^[3] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Epistles (Galatians), electronic ed., vol. 46 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 36.

2023-08–20

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

A Recap:

Chapter 1        John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity

Chapter 2-3     Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches

Chapter 4-7     Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen

Chapter 8-10   We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down

Chapter 11-12 We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ

Chapter 13      The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth

Chapter 14      The Great Tribulation

Chapter 15-16 The Bowls of Wrath & the Vision of Destruction

Chapter 17-18 Woman & the Beast; The Fall of Great Babylon

Chapter 19-20 The Second Coming of Christ; The Final Judgment

Chapter 21      The Place of Eternity Revealed

Chapter 22      The End of the Beginning

Today, we come to the final chapter of the book of Revelation and the final statements found within the Word of God. As discussed last week, there is much correlation between the first two chapters in Genesis and the last two chapters of Revelation. God created perfection in Genesis, He restores perfection at the end of Revelation. God’s ultimate plan is fulfilled in Eternity, all because of the gift of His Son, Jesus.

Chapter 22 starts with a continuation of the description of the New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem from chapter 21. It ends with a reminder of the reality of eternity and the supremacy of Christ.

1. Eden Revisited

• Vss 1-2 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations
• Genesis 2:8-10a The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰ Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden…
• “water of life”
• “tree of life” indicates food
  • In Genesis 1:29-30, the KJV says, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so”
• “leaves” indicate some healing properties
• Ezekiel 47 refers to this vision
• Harold Willmington says, “In the new Jerusalem will be the tree of life, off-limits to people since Eden but now available for nourishment and healing. The city’s glorious light will proceed not from the sun but from the very person of God himself.”^[1]

2. Perfection Defined

• Vss 3-6a And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true…”
• No sin will ever be present again
• We will stand in the presence of God for eternity, serving the King
• Warren Weirsbe states, “As we seek to serve the Lord here on earth, we are constantly handicapped by sin and weakness; but all hindrances will be gone when we get to glory. Perfect service in a perfect environment!”^[2]
• They shall see His face – Exodus 33:20
• No darkness exists there
• God reiterates His promise

3. Eternity Imagined

• Vss 6-9 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. ⁷ “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” ⁸ Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
• Vernon McGee tells us, “The Lord Jesus puts His own seal upon this book: “These words are faithful and true” means that no man is to trifle with them by spiritualizing them or reducing them to meaningless symbols. Our Lord is talking about reality. At the beginning of this book, there was a blessing pronounced upon those who read and hear and keep these words. In conclusion, the Lord Jesus repeats the blessing upon those who keep these words. This is a book not to merely satisfy the curiosity of the natural man but to live and act upon.”^[3]
• “Quickly” – Revelation story encompasses about 7 years
• Daniel’s prophecy of the 70^th week
• Eternity is eternal worship of our present King
• John responds to the immensity of this prophecy by falling at the feet of the angel to worship but is quickly reprimanded…only God is worthy of our worship
• Kendall Easley says, “His comments that follow emphasize plainly the difference between creature and Creator. We must never be allowed to forget the infinite gulf between God and that which he made, no matter how splendid. The people of God are his servants (literally “slaves”), a term John uses, along with saints as a preferred designation for Christians. (Servants emphasizes their deeds; saints their character.) Now, however, for the only time in Revelation an angel is called a servant of God. Both the holy angels and redeemed humanity exist to serve their Creator.”^[4]

4. Our Efforts Rewarded By The Only One Worthy

• Vss 10-13 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” ¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward iswith Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and theEnd, the First and the Last.”
• In Daniel 12:4, he was told not to reveal this prophecy, that it must be sealed, for the time had not yet come. Here, John is told not to seal this prophecy because the time had arrived.
  • Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
  • Danny Akin states “Because “the time is near… A time is coming when the opportunity to respond to the gospel and the Word of God will be no more.”^[5]
• A reminder is given to run from sin and cling to righteousness
  • Leon Morris – “He probably means that the Lord’s coming will be so swift that there will be no time for change. As they are at that moment, so the Lord will find them.”^[6]
  • 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
• Another reminder that He will come quickly and now He brings the rewards
• 1:8 Alpha and Omega

5. All Because of Jesus

Vss 14-16 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. ¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

• Vs 14 – a reminder of the salvation given through Jesus
• Vs 15 – a reminder of what happens to those who do not trust in Jesus
• Vs 16 – connects to the OT and the NT

Vss 17-21 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. ¹⁸ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! ²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

• An invitation is given…”come”
• David Jeremiah states, “All human beings are born with an empty place in their lives that can only be filled with what John calls “the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). Most people try to quench that thirst with pleasure, accomplishment, possessions, human relationships, or power, but in time, they see that these things are not satisfying. As Solomon said after trying wealth, sex, power, and glory, it is all meaningless vanity. When people realize that nothing on earth will satisfy their longing, they begin to identify their thirst. That is when they are poised to come to Christ. They realize that they are thirsty and He is not.”^[7]
• Paige Patterson says, “For all the history of God’s people that question has been debated; and the debates have yet to produce an answer satisfactory to a significant majority of God’s people in any era. Whatever election means, this verse suggests that it cannot mean that a sincere offer is not being made.”^[8]
• Again, John is told Jesus will come quickly
• And it’s all because of the unmerited favor of God

Danny Akin states, “God’s written Word comes to an end, and so what we find here is of utmost importance to God. It also should be of utmost importance to us. Two themes are dominant: the reliability and authenticity of the book and the imminence of the end.”^[9]

^[1] H. L. Willmington, Willmington’s Bible Handbook (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1997), 805.

^[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 624.

^[3] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 196.

^[4] Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, vol. 12, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 418.

^[5] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 352.

^[6] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 247.

^[7] David Jeremiah, Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2014), 271–272.

^[8] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 384.

^[9] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 349.

2023 -07-23

Jonathan Falwell

The Revelation Series / Revelation 15–16

RECAP:

• Chap. 1 –        John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity
• Chap. 2-3 –     Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches
• Chap. 4-7 –     Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen
• Chap. 8-10 –   We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down
• Chap. 11-12 – We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ
• Chap. 13 –      The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth
• Chap. 14 –      Jesus lines up the winning team to fulfill His plan
• Chap. 15-16 – The final bowls of judgment are poured out on the earth

1. The time has come

Vs 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

• “another sign” indicates John’s supernatural view given by Jesus
• “complete” (Greek – teleõ) same as John 19:28-30
• Number of SEVEN is once again referred to; the sign of completion

Vernon Mcgee – “I imagine that you thought the worst was over, but the worst is yet to come. We have already seen the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven personalities. Now the coming seven bowls of wrath are the worst of all.”^[1]

2. It’s a time of worship

Vss 2-4 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

• “song of Moses” is found in Exodus 15:1ff

Exodus 15:1-2 I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! ² The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

• “song of the Lamb” from Revelation 5

Leon Morris states: “With glory there is linked his power, which is very much in place in a book so full of the might of the Lord.”^[2]

3. It’s a time of judgment

Vss 5-8 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Danny Akin states: “This is an ongoing reminder of God’s holiness. God’s glory is always manifest during the time of His judgment. Smoke from God’s glory made entering the temple impossible until His seething indignation was poured out. What a sign to the ungodly people on the earth who chose to shun the worship of a holy God and to follow the beast.”^[3]

4. What is this judgment?

Rev. 16:1-20 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.”

• “loud voice” is God Himself speaking to the angels

            Paige Patterson states: “He is the Creator, sustainer, and owner of the universe; his judgment on the forces that have sought to destroy the goodness and kindness of God as manifested in his creation is an inevitable consequence.”^[4]

·      First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

Vs 2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

• Correlation to the plagues of Egypt: Exodus 9

·      Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

Vs 3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.

• Correlation to Exodus 7
• During the Seven Trumpets, only 1/3 of the sea was turned to blood

·      Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

Vss 4-7 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” 7 And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

• During the Seven Trumpets, again only 1/3 turned to blood
• “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets…”
• This is the vengeance sought after in Revelation 6:9-11

·      Fourth Bowl: Men are Scorched

Vss 8-9 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

• God would only have to make a slight adjustment to the position of the earth or sun
• Jesus promised this action in Luke 21:25-28

Luke 21:25-28 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

Kendall Easley states: “Thus, it is God himself with a loud voice from the temple who orders the sequence to begin. What the seven angels in heaven do has immediate impact on the earth. From the heavenly perspective, this is the full expression of the bowls of God’s wrath. From the earthly perspective of wicked people, these disasters become simply more reasons to curse God.”^[5]

·      Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

Vss 10-11 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

• Correlation to Exodus 10
• “throne of the Beast and his kingdom” is a reference to the entirety of earth
• The people of earth continued to curse God even though they are keenly aware of the source and cause of their judgment

·      Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

Vss 12-16 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

• Hell’s trinity: dragon, beast, false prophet
• “frogs coming out of the mouth…” is a direct reference to demonic activity for the purpose of stirring the entire world against the people of God…Israel
• Euphrates River runs for 1,740 miles through Turkey, Syria and Iraq
  • Even today, the Euphrates is slowly drying up[6]
• The drying up of the river will allow the armies from the East to make their way towards the final battle in Armageddon (harmageddon – mount of Megiddo)

Vernon McGee quotes Clarke’s Travels:

“…which has been a chosen place for encampment in every contest carried on in Palestine from the days of Nabuchodonozor king of Assyria, unto the disastrous march of Napolean Bonaparte from Egypt into Syria. Jews, Gentiles, Saracens, Christian crusaders, and anti–Christian Frenchmen; Egyptians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors of every nation that is under heaven, have pitched their tents on the plain of Esdraelon, and have beheld the banners of their nation wet with the dews of Tabor and Hermon.”[7]

·      Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

Vss 17-21 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

• The earthquake will split Jerusalem in thirds
• Babylon once again mentioned and will be discussed further in chapters 17-18
• Hailstones between 75-130 pounds

5. The bottom line

Rev. 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

Leon Morris gives great context here: “Before leaving this song notice that, though it is sung by the victors, there is no word in it about themselves or the way they overcame. Those who triumph in Christ fix all their attention on him. ‘Heaven is heaven because in it at last all self, and self-importance, are lost in the presence of the greatness and the glory of God’”^[8]

• Let us never forget our God is a “holy” God so we must be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16)

^[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 57.

^[2] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 184.

^[3] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 254.

^[4] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 303.

^[5] Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, vol. 12, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 284.

[6] https://www.iflscience.com/why-is-the-euphrates-river-drying-up-and-what-does-it-mean-69923

[7] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 83.

^[8] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 183.

2023-07-09

Dr. Troy Temple

Revelation 13:1-10

As we continue our series through Revelation, the picture becomes darker and darker as two beasts rise up to carry out the assault on God and His people. But, still, we hope because God has a plan.

Let’s take a quick at how far we have come…

So far,

• Chapter 1 – John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity
• Chapters 2-3 – Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches
• Chapters 4-7 – Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen
• Chapters 8-10 – We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down
• Chapters 11-12 – We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ
• Chapter 13 – The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth

Revelation Scorecard:

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 134.

But first…

My prayer for all of us this morning is that we, truly and from deep inside our innermost hurts, walk out of here with a strong assurance that we are not without hope! Today & forevermore!

We can all see the times and how they have grown increasingly worse!

Beloved, know that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10, NKJV)

This is why we hope! This is Christian Hope!

• He will never die!
• He will never fail!
• He will never reject His people!
• He will always answer!
• He will keep every promise!

THIS IS CHRISTIAN HOPE!!

So, why is it all getting worse?

Now, I think it’s paramount that we understand where Christ is in the biblical narrative at any place in the Bible.

We can see that this book of the Bible has generally two sections: chapters 1-3 which is set in John’s day, chapters 4-22 which describes events, both yet to come and events that must come.

But I want us to think about this journey and why God describes all of these things yet to come even though His church will not experience much of these future events.

The story that we find ourselves in now cannot be clearly understood without understanding where it all started.

Let’s jump back in time all the way back to Genesis 3.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

The dragon’s plan was initiated back in Genesis 3 with that great deception in the garden.

Things went way off course from that point on and continue to go off course more and more every day.

Deception has always been the dragon’s weapon of choice.

Ever since that day in Genesis 3, all humanity has begged and cried, ”God, fix it!!“

Our God hears those pleads! Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

Zephaniah 3:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

OUR GOD HAS A PLAN THAT GIVES US HOPE!

Now, let’s look at Revelation 13

This chapter introduces us to 2 beasts that are tasked with carrying out the dragon’s evil agenda against God and His people.

Points of Comparison: Antichrist & Christ

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 141.

The Agenda of the First Beast

1. He will establish and control evil leaders & governments (Rev. 13:1-2)

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

Don’t miss the significance of these symbols that describe a limited authority.

Look back at Daniel 7.

• 7 heads = the sum of the heads of the 4 beasts in Daniel 7
• 10 diadems on 10 horns = the 10 horns of the 4^th beast in Daniel 7 and represents 10 kings who follow him
• In Daniel 7, the 4 beasts and 10 kings are the nations attacking & persecuting Israel.

Grant Osborne notes, For a short time (“for one hour”), these ten kings will be given authority by God “to wage war against the Lamb.” But their final doom is certain. In other words, the beast from the sea is the Antichrist, who will stand against Christ and try to usurp his authority and power. Only Christ is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16; note his “many diadems” in 19:12). Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 491.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

2. The worship of world leaders (Rev. 13:3-4)

3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

Walvoord well notes, “The identification of a head with the government over which he has authority is not a strange situation. The person is often the symbol of the government, and what can be said of the government can be said of him” (Revelation, 199). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 223.

This is why the world worships the first beast.

He has imitated death & resurrection.

Chuck Swindoll states, “How like Satan! The one who “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) will provide the world with a copycat “christ” to match all their man-centered ideals of personality, politics, and power. No wonder the whole world will be swept off its feet by this attractive, persuasive figure (13:3)!” (Insights, 181).

“Who is like the beast?” is a parody of the acclamation of Yahweh (Exod 8:10; 15:11; Pss 71:19; 89:8; Isa 44:7; 46:5; Mic 7:18). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 223.

3. The temporary war of evil leaders (Rev. 13:5-8)

5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authoritywas given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The war campaign was temporary because he didn’t bring his own authority. Authority was given to him, and it will be taken from him.

Osborne elaborates the “it is clear that the beast’s authority merely appeared to come from Satan; in reality, God was the true source. However, God allows that authority to be exercised only for a limited time, namely “forty-two months” (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7), a reference to the three-and-a-half-year period that comprises this final period in human history (Rev. 11:2; see also “1,260 days” in 11:3 and 12:6; and “time, times, and half a time” in 12:14). Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 499.

4. The deception of evil leaders (Rev. 13:8-10)

8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Listen to what Dr. Akin say about this verse.

Verse 8 says, “All those who live on the earth will worship [the beast].” But there is a second group on this planet who are not “earth-dwellers” and devotees of the dragon and beast. They follow a different Leader, march to the beat of a different Drummer, pledge allegiance to a different Master. And unlike the earth dweller “whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered” (13:8), their name has been. The book of life is the book containing the names of the redeemed, the saved (see Phil 4:3); those who follow the Lamb have their name in this book. We should note in this the security of our salvation. Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 225.

Who is the second beast?

If we look back at our scorecard, we see that he is the false prophet.

Points of Comparison: False Prophet & Holy Spirit

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 142.

There are 7 specific characteristics of the second beast which comes from the earth.

Seven Characteristics of the Second Beast

1. He is a deceiver (Rev. 13:11) – a lamb, even friendly.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

2. He speaks the words of satan

– to be sure, his appearance may seem harmless, but the true test of character is decided in the words he uses

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matt. 7:15 warning us of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing but on the inside are “ravenous wolves.”

Satan twisted God’s words in the garden, and he has never stopped.

3. He is a false worship leader (Rev. 13:12) –

12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

He will call for and lead people to worship beast one, the antichrist.

4. He uses miracles to amaze and deceive (Rev. 13:13-14) –

13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

He will call down fire from the heavens for all to see.

Remember chapter 11 and the 2 witnesses (11:5)?

Elijah (1 Kings 18:28) when he called down fire on the altar of Baal?

5. He will kill those who reject worshipping beast one (Rev. 13:15) –

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

6. He marks all antichrist worshippers as his (Rev. 13:16-17) –

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

7. He will, ultimately, lead all people to worship a mere man (Rev. 13:18) –

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Dr. Akin says this about Revelation 13:18 (EJR):

Verse 18 issues a call for wisdom. Perhaps the wise person would avoid this hermeneutical quicksand altogether. But an important statement in the verse might lead us to make a cautious suggestion. The statement is, “It is the number of a man. His number is 666.” I think the number is more of a description than an identification. Six is the number of man. He was created on the sixth day. He is to work six days. In contrast, the number of perfection is seven, and the superlative of seven is 777. The beast is the greatest man but still a man. He is a six, not a seven. He, along with Satan and the false prophet, is a 666, a trinity of imperfection. Not now or ever will they be a 777! He is the best man can produce, but he is still just a man! He is “the completeness of sinful incompleteness,” the ultimate in “coming up short.” He is good enough to deceive many, but he is nowhere close to good enough to displace Jesus (Beale, “Number of the Beast”). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 236.

We do not know exactly what that mark will be. We do know as David Platt said, there will always be a price to pay for believers who do not worship the idols of this world. Life will not be easy in this world when you fight the idolatry of this world, plain and simple. Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 235.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (Zeph. 3:15)

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

Easter Friday is good because Resurrection Sunday was coming!

The darkest hours of our lives today have hope because Jesus has overcome!

The darkest events, that John saw and recorded here, will pale when the King of kings rides out in Revelation 19 and 20.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

There will never be an imitation that can stand against that truth.

Still, we have hope!

2023-06-25

Charles Billingsley

8 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 

^8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. ³ Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.  ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

⁶ So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

1. The First Four Trumpets

A. The First Trumpet – Weather

⁷ The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.  And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Just imagine what that would look like?

B. The Second Trumpet – Water

⁸ Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. ⁹ And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

C. The Third Trumpet – Wormwood

¹⁰ Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

D. The Fourth Trumpet – Worlds

¹² Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

2. The last Three Trumpets : The Woes

¹³ And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

A. The Fifth Trumpet – The First Woe – Wicked Warriors

9 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. ² And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶ In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

¹¹ And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. ¹² One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.

B. The Sixth Trumpet – The 2nd Woe – The Wreckage

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 

¹⁵ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 

¹⁸ By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

²⁰ But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. ²¹ And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

3. The Word

10 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. ² He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars.   When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

There are certain mysteries about God that we will never know or understand this side of heaven.

John isn’t told. So we simply don’t know.

⁵ The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

⁹ So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

¹⁰ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. ¹¹ And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

The Witnesses – Jonathan will cover this next week. They are part of the 6th Trumpet and the 2nd woe.

4. The Worship

   A. The Seventh Trumpet 

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,

The One who is and who was and who is to come,

Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.

1. God is, always has been, and always will be in complete control.
2. God loves you so much that He wants to keep you out of the tribulation.

3. Once you know Him – dive in to His word and truly get to know Him.
4. When you do get to know Him, you will want to worship Him.