The Time has come
Notes
Transcript
If you have your Bibles, We will begin in Revelation 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
When we look at our chart again, we find ourselves at the 7th trumpet. A moment in which some many prophecies are leading us to this very moment. In the Old Testament there are 1,845 references to the second coming. It will also pave the way for the second coming of Jesus. Ultimately this is lesson that we all need to understand, there is no victory except Christ. That is all the victory that there is in the world.
In the first church their entire focus was on the second coming of Jesus. The modern church I fear has lost that focus. We pushed off the scriptures or converted them into therapy sessions. It says the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord. This is about the ability to have victory not because of us but because of Jesus. Jesus tells us about the coming kingdom
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Repent and believe the good news. Repent means to turn away from your sins. We are to put all that behind us, turn away because Jesus is here. This message is still relevant to this very day, the Kingdom of God is near, the time to believe is now.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Seek first His kingdom. When we get to scriptures like this it is time to be get serious about our faith. It is time to get serious as Christians. It is time to tackle tough questions and to truly look at ourselves as Ambassadors of Christ. Are we seeking His kingdom first every day. Because here is another thing Jesus says about the kingdom
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
This to me is the most terrify passage in all of scripture. Jesus tells us that we as believers will be persecuted in some fashion, that doesn’t scare me. Jesus tells us to count the cost before we follow Him. The cost doesn’t scare me. To hear Jesus say I never knew you does scare me. This is what I mean about getting serious about our faith, growing in our faith. Taking time to study the Bible and start seeing what is going on in the world because there will be a time when that 7th trumpet sounds and that signifies that time is up.
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
We have seen the 24 elders throughout the scriptures of Revelation. They fall to their faces to worship the almighty God . They understand the enormity of the situation. The Lord who created all and that has always been in control of the world. The time has finally come for God to execute judgement on the nations, on the dead and to reward God’s servants. All of the worship is because Jesus is going to establish His rule on earth.
The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
Now we are going to take these one at a time so that a full explanation can be given.
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
The nations were angry, here in Psalm 2 we see that the nations and people were plotting against the Lord. We have been trying to go against God since the fall. Since Cain and as nations since the tower of Babel when people decided they would find their own way to heaven.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
The people of Babel were making a way to heaven that did not involve God. Here we find the the source point of the anger of the nations. Each one of us desires a relationship with God. Each one of us desires heaven, a place without tears, and without pain. Sin and the devil has corrupted our views on how we get to the Father. Every since this attempt at our a tower people have tried over and over again throughout history to find a way to heaven without God. Today people call it a utopian society. A society that creates nothing but peace. It is an attempt to make on earth only what God can do. Because of sin though each one of these attempts have ended in disaster. We are made in the image of God, not the other way around. Without God leading the way the only thing left is chaos.
The nations are angry because they want what only God can provide. As God has been taken out of societies only chaos is there to take it’s place because without God leading the way, morality becomes subjective. Without God leading the way, hope is now placed on people. We can see this over and over again through the Old Testament. We must stay the course and follow Jesus and all of his teachings.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
I have put the Great commission up here many times over the last few years. 2 weeks ago I talked about cheap grace versus the real grace of God. I fear that one area that we have been lacking on is teaching people to obey everything I have commanded. Because as we see the in the Revelation scriptures the very end of the age is about to happen. I want everyone to come to church but I want everyone to learn the scriptures and to grow in the wisdom of God. That growth is one of the most important functions of the church. If we are not growing in Jesus, then we need to reevaluate the situtation. We see more and more people coming to Jesus because Jesus is the only place for real answers. There is a big difference in questioning everything and seeking answers. A true Christian is seeking answers. Someone who questions everything with no real desire for answers only ends up angry.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
God wants you to have the knowledge and wisdom to live a Godly life. Questions can be good, seeking the answers to those questions is a better strategy for life.
Now we move to the judgement phase of the prayer.
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
As we talk about the judgement portion of following Jesus. Please understand, this isn’t about works, we cannot earn favor in the eyes of God except through our faith in Jesus. However this is the very reason that we must have faith in Jesus. Each one of us will stand before our Lord. I am so incredibly grateful Jesus is standing next to us.
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
This is the type of life we are all called to live. We are called to live as if we are serving the Lord in everything because we are serving the Lord. Everything we do is to be within the will of God. This is what brings peace to your life. When you are living out a Godly life and you are making Godly decisions for yourself and those around you, you will find that peace that withstands any storm the world brings your way.
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
God’s temple is open, the ark of His covenant is there. The time has come for the final judgements on the world.
It is the entire book of Revelation but also many different verses throughout the Bible that require deep study and understanding as best we can the nature of God. Many people want the grace and forgiveness of sins but do not want the judgement. We live in a world called Hyper Grace. Without the grace of God I would not be standing here today. At the same time I would not have kept growing in my own faith without the judgement part. I didn’t go to the Liberty University Seminary because I wanted to be a pastor. As a matter of fact I actively ran from that calling for a while. I went because I wanted to know as much about God as I could.
We’ve got to stop running from the truth, the concrete bedrock truths of this world which is the Word Of God. Jesus is the truth of this world. He has the power to save and transform your life.
No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.
Charles Spurgeon
We become sanctified by what Jesus did on the cross. We need to hold onto the truth of Jesus with everything that we have. We need to hold onto the entire truth of the Gospel. It is the truth that keeps on that narrow path that leads straight to eternity with the Father
Let us pray
