Trust the Process

Intro:

Good morning. Welcome!

You know, I can be a little stubborn. I like to do things MY WAY.

I was raised by a single mom who had to work multiple jobs and wasn’t home a lot. I had a very responsible dad, but he lived out-of state and wasn’t around a lot either. So, I had to figure this thing called life out by myself. I think maybe that adds a little bit to my stubbornness. Kinda like, I figured out what works for me and I’m going to stick with it. I like doing things “my way.”

However, I’m beginning to learn that “my way,” isn’t always the “right way.” In fact, many times “my way” is me just being prideful.

I’m training for a marathon in October. Those who run with me know I have some pretty funky running habits. Despite the wisdom of other runners, I don’t like to stretch, or do core workouts, or drink water, or eat healthy. I do things MY way. And it’s worked out so far...

But recently I’ve realized that “my way” doesn’t work when it comes to running longer distances. For that, I MUST pay attention to stretching, core strength, hydration and nutrition.

Part of my training involves having a running coach. One thing the coach has been saying is, “Make sure you implement long-easy-SLOW runs (say slow!). And that means intentionally slowing down your pace.”

That’s hard for me because MY WAY increases both distance AND pace. So, in my stubbornness, I’ve been sticking to MY WAY. But last week during a half marathon, my body shut down. And I realized, “My way is NOT working! If I keep this up, I’m going to get hurt or won’t finish the marathon.” I ate some humble pie.

So, this week I began listening to my coach. After all, my perspective is limited. I’ve never run a marathon. What do I know? On the other hand, my coaches have been there before - multiple times! They see and know things I don’t!

So, all week I’ve been purposefully running REALLY slow. It’s been hard because I want to go faster! But on one of my runs, I remembered something else my coach said, “Trust the Process.” So, I’ve been running, repeating to myself, “Trust-the-Process.” (76’ers style).

If you have your Bible/app, turn to . We are continuing in our “Ready” series, studying the book of Revelation. Last week, Jesus started opening the seven seals of the scroll containing God’s plan for the end of the world. And connected to the breaking of each seal was a judgment, or an outpouring of God’s wrath. God takes sin very seriously and so He’s now showing the world that. And things get really bad on Earth.

And we ended with the 6th and terrible seal being opened. If you missed that you can always watch the video streams on our FB page or website.

This morning, we pick up with the 7th and final seal.

Revelation 8:1–5 ESV

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Exegesis:

The 7th Seal:

As Jesus, the Lamb of God, opens the 7th seal, there is this holy silence in heaven for 30 mins. It’s like the “calm before the storm.” It’s signaling us that the judgments are about to intensify. Things are going to get A LOT worse on earth.

And there’s this interesting scene in heaven. An angel makes an incense offering to God, mixed with the prayers of God’s people (the saints). And it ends with the angel picking up fire from the altar and throwing it down to earth, symbolizing greater judgments coming down to Earth, under the permission of God.

We read...

Revelation 8:6–12 ESV

Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

First 4 Trumpet Judgments (Indirect):

Depending on how you interpret Revelation, the trumpet judgments are either a new set of judgments or an intensification of the initial seal judgments. Either way, they are connected to the fire thrown down from heaven. Notice how each trumpet judgment includes a reference to fire.

The first trumpet has hail and FIRE, mixed with blood fall upon the Earth. What this is, we really don’t know. Remember, the apostle John is doing his best to describe a vision he doesn’t fully understand himself. He’s likely describing things he’s never seen before. What we do know is the result is a third of the green earth is burned up.

Side note: You may remember how the seal judgments took out a quarter of the population. Now, John increases the impact to a third. Things have intensified!

The second trumpet blows and a great mountain of FIRE is thrown into the sea (maybe describing a super-volcano?) destroying a third of it.

The third trumpet judgment releases a great star from heaven, blazing with FIRE (a meteor?), which destroys a third of the fresh water supply. Some how it hits the rivers and springs and makes the water bitter, killing a third of the population!

Side note: You may remember how the seal judgments took out a quarter of the population. Now, John increases the impact to a third. Things have intensified!

Finally, the fourth trumpet sounds and darkness is literally increased by a third. I’m not sure what John is describing but he says the light of the FIRELY sun and stars are darkened. And for someone like me, who is scared of the dark, this is horrifying. Things are REALLY bad during this time… And, it’s not over.

Look at verse 13...

Revelation 8:13 ESV

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Rev.

Whatever this eagle is, it’s delivering a clear message from God: It ain’t over yet! Something worse is coming! And chapter 9, two more trumpet judgments are unleashed...

Revelation 9:1–19 ESV

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

Rev. 9:

Next 2 Trumpet Judgments (Release of evil):

These judgments are crazy! The fifth trumpet allows a star (or angel - maybe even describing Satan) to unlock the bottomless pit (say creepy!) which releases smoke and demonic locusts onto the earth.

There are debates on whether these are literally demonic locusts or symbolic of some type of future aircraft that spreads poison. Either way, if you aren’t protected by the seal of God, these locusts are coming for you. And when they sting you, the pain will be so bad that you’ll want to die, but won’t be able to.

Then, the sixth trumpet releases four super-demons who have been bound until this time (probably because they are so evil), and with them a demonic army of 200 million. If you’re wondering how big is 200 million (it’s 2/3rd’s of the US population). And through 3 plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur, they kill a third of population.

But then we read...

Revelation 9:20–21 ESV

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Rev. 9:

Trust the Process / Commentary:

Commentary:

What’s the purpose of this?

Like last week, as we read about these judgments, you might be wondering, “What’s the purpose of all this? Why is God doing this?” Last week, we discussed that God takes sin seriously. And these judgments show us that. But I believe the trumpet judgments give us an additional answer.

Realize we have a faulty perspective:

Whether we admit it or not, sometimes we see what God does and find fault with Him. “How could God?!?! Why would God?!?!” Maybe you’re doing that now. You’re thinking, “If I were God, I would do it differently. I’d do it MY WAY (assuming our way is the best way).” But before we point the finger at God, check this out...

Think about the first four trumpet judgments. As terrible as they are, did anyone notice that none of them are aimed directly at people? Yes, because of the mass destruction, people will suffer and die as a result of them, but people aren’t the target. The trees and grass burn. The sea is destroyed. The water is made bitter. The earth’s light is reduced by a third. But the judgments don’t hit people directly.

Then what about the next two trumpet judgments?

Yes, people will suffer from demonic locusts, but they won’t die.

And, a third of mankind WILL die as a result of the sixth trumpet - the demonic army carrying the 3 plagues. But again, these aren’t direct judgments from the hand of God. Actually, I believe they show God’s mercy!

I mean, what did we read about theses demons? That they’ve been locked up! God’s been keeping this super-evil away from us! And even upon release, technically, God is simply stepping out of the way and letting evil do what it already wants to do! Destroy!

And verse 20 is key to understanding what’s God’s plan. It says, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did NOT repent...”

Let’s summarize. God pours out wrath in the form of trumpet judgments. The first four aren’t technically directed at people. Then, the fifth one is super-scary and painful, but once again, people survive. And by the sixth judgment, a lot of people die, but it’s at the hands of evil, not God. And after all this, people still won’t take God or their sin seriously. They willingly choose wickedness.

You know what this tells us? The point of these judgments isn’t to kill people or make them suffer. It’s to offer people an opportunity to repent and be saved by God. God doesn’t want people to die. He wants them to REPENT! He’s gives them a last chance.

Letting people experience judgment and wickedness of evil is part of the process. In God’s perfect wisdom, it’s part of His plan to save. It might not be OUR way, but we got to trust the process. God’s got the better perspective and knows what He’s doing! The Christians in heaven see it. That’s why their prayers are participating in judgments being sent down. They know God’s plans are RIGHT, and they trust the process!

Repent and let Jesus save us:

What do should we do next (Isa 55)?

What do should we do next ()?

So, what do we do next then? How does

This week, I’m reading the book of Isaiah in my devotional time. And when I got to , realized it’s a perfect commentary on Revelation ch 8 & 9.

Check it out: Isaiah’s been speaking about God’s future promise to save His people. But Israel says...

Isaiah 49:14 NLT

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”

Isaw. 49

Basically, “God you’re not doing it MY way!” They find fault with God’s way...

And God replies...

Isaiah 55:8–11 NLT

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

God’s like, “I got a better perspective. Trust the process!”

Because here are the results God’s process offers...

Isaiah 55:12–13 NLT

You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

Isa 55:

What are the results? You will be saved! You will cross the finish line into everlasting love and joy! You will pass from death to life!

And so the question becomes, if we want to trust the process, what’s our next step? Coach, what are you asking me to do?

Look at verse 6 & 7...

Isaiah 55:6–7 NLT

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Isa 55:

What’s the next step? Repent and seek the Lord. The very same message God gives in & 9.

Repent and let Jesus save us:

Our sin is serious and will one day be judged. But God is patient with us. He’s giving us time to turn away from our sin and put our faith in Jesus - the One who died for our sins on the cross. He’s got a perfect plan to save us and it’s simple: Repent and put your faith in Jesus.

Do you want to be saved? Trust that process.

Response (2 Questions):

As we call the worship team up, I want to end with two questions:

Today, what are you being stubborn about? What in your life are you doing “your way” instead of God’s way? Let me encourage you, Trust His process!

Do you need to be saved? One day, time is going to be up. But if you’re still breathing, it’s not that time! But take a lesson from this chapter: the longer you wait, the harder your heart gets. The people at the end of chapter 9 waited too long and their heart became stone. Don’t wait. Get right with God today. Repent and put your faith in Jesus. Trust the process.

And for the Christian, those already eternally saved, the question is, “What do you need Jesus to rescue you from?” I don’t know if you realize it, but we all still need saving day to day.

Maybe we have secret sins we can’t let go. Maybe it’s our pride or bad attitude. Maybe we live by sight and not faith. Whatever it is, stop trying to do it YOUR way. Instead, trust God with it (cast your cares upon Him). Enter into His joy. Repent and let Jesus rescue you. Be ready to trust the process.

I heard it said this week that God has rigged the world so that it doesn’t work without Him. Jesus tells us we need to abide in the vine. We need Jesus for everything. Whatever your going through, stop trying to do it your way and let Jesus rescue you out of whatever situation your facing. Trust the process.

Let’s pray