Ruling On The New earth 3-15-2020

HEAVEN - SEEING THE UNSEEN RULING ON THE NEW EARTH Sunday March 15, 2020 Scripture Reference: Revelation 5:1-10 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: "Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. 4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, "Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals." 6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. 7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth." Revelation 5:1-10 (NLT) Intro. A. From the very first message in this series I warned you that many of the thoughts and ideas we had about Heaven were going to be challenged and in many cases those idea would be dispelled. As I have repeatedly said the reason for this is because we are still looking at things through eyes that are stained by sin in this world. I realize it is not an easy thing to divorce the ideas of this world in which we now live for the realities of Heaven but that is what we must do if we are to have a true biblical view of Heaven. 1. I remind you of this now because we are about to talk about some things today that we will be doing in Heaven that will probably shake the foundations of some of your beliefs, maybe not but I think probably so. I will probably share this again later but here is an important quote from Randy Alcorn. "We must learn to take Scripture seriously when it speaks of our reigning over the earth. By telling ourselves that we mustn't interpret Scripture literally, often we end up rejecting its plain meaning. Our assumptions generally dictate our interpretations. If we imagine, for example, that the eternal Heaven is disembodied and unearthly, then concepts of government, culture, social structures, and delegated tasks will naturally strike us as naive, if not bizarre. But if we understand the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and the reality of the New Earth, these concepts make perfect sense." Alcorn, Randy I want to speak to you today about our ruling on the New Earth. Let's continue as we have all along in this series by asking and answering some questions. I. WHAT DOES GOD'S ETERNAL KINGDOM INVOLVE? Saint Augustine said this, "Why do we not know the country whose citizens we are? Because we have wandered so far away that we have forgotten it. But the Lord Christ, the king of the land, came down to us, and drove forgetfulness from our heart. God took to Himself our flesh so that He might be our way back." Augustine Many of the difficulties we experience in trying to get this true picture of Heaven is because too often we try to spiritualize the truth rather than simply accepting it by faith even if we don't fully understand that truth. I gave you an example of spiritualizing last Sunday when I told you about losing my sermon planning calendar for 2016. The fact is I did something stupid and somehow, I don't know how, but I lost it. Now to spiritualize that I can say, "Well I guess God wants me to preach something different than I had planned." When the reality is I simply lost it and there is nothing spiritual about that. The Bible teaches us that: A. Jesus' Kingdom Will Be An Earthly One. 1. Now some people will object to this because of these words of Jesus, "You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not." John 8:23 (NLT) The problem here is that Jesus was speaking of his place of origin not where he was at this time. The kingdom of our Lord and Christ cannot be contaminated by the cruse and sin. The world that Jesus was referring to was the order of things as they are now in this world, meaning the things in opposition to the true Kingdom of God. Here is what Jesus said to Pilate, "Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36 (NLT) Now I know that sounds like a direct contradiction to what I am proposing here but it really isn't. Once again Jesus is talking about this world, the word "earthly" used here is the same word translated "world" in John 8. Think about this, how do people rule in this world today? How do people establish their so called "kingdoms" in this world today? Through power and intimidation and Jesus said that if this was what his kingdom was like his followers would act that way but we do not. How do we enter into the kingdom of God? Not by force, but by submission, by surrendering ourselves to God. 2. Now here is a very important point. Although Christ's kingdom is not of this world as it is now his kingdom still does touch this earth. His kingdom touches this earth through the Holy spirit that he left to us to convict us of sin and to guide us into the truth, but the kingdom of Christ also touches the earth through the church, US! That is why Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the midst of all this sin and corruption. That is why as Christ followers we should stand in such stark contract to the world around us, which in my humble opinion is what the church is by in large not doing today. We are not to be conformed but to be transformed and yet I think there is far too much conforming going on rather than transformation. 3. I will say what I have said so many times already in this series and that is that we too often look at this world that God created as evil and it is not. The earth isn't evil it is man who is under the control of his sinful nature that is evil, and he doesn't need to be rehabilitated he needs to be redeemed but the blood of Jesus! Usually when we hear the word "flesh" as it relates to our Christian experience we think of sin, but this is not how the word is always used. In fact the word flesh is used to describe Jesus in several places. "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." 2 John 1:7 (NIV) "Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit..." 1 Timothy 3:16a (NLT) "Because God's children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood..." Hebrews 2:14a (NLT) Although our physical bodies are under the curse of sin they are not the source of sin. Sin is not a physical issue it is a spiritual issue and it can only be solved through spiritual means. That is why reformation will not do, we need the transformation that only Christ can bring. The Bible even commands us to offer our bodies to God as instruments to be used for righteousness. When we do this we are bringing our bodies back to their original and intended purpose. B. Jesus Is Our Worthy King. 1. In the scripture I read to you as we began this message we are privileged to witness an incredible scene. God is seated on His throne holding a scroll. Now I have read this passage I don't know how many times and yet I was blessed to see new things once again. The scroll was sealed with seven seals have you ever wondered why? Actually it doesn't take a lot to figure it out because if you wanted to prevent someone from getting into a box where you had something valuable you would seal up that box pretty good. You would probably wrap it with multiple wraps of tape correct? You would not want anyone to open that box except the person whom it was intended for. The same is true of this scroll. V.4 tells us that when no one was found worthy to break the seals John wept and not just wept but wept bitterly. It was the kind of crying that would be done at a funeral. But then one of the elders tells him not to weep anymore because there is someone who is worthy to break the seals and that one is Jesus himself. Then is V.5-6 he describes him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the lamb that was slain. Now this all culminates in V.10 and I want us to read these words together. "And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth." Revelation 5:10 (NLT) Where will "they" God's people reign? On the earth. 2. Now in chapter six we begin to see those seals being broken and those seals reveal the judgment and punishment that is coming for those who have not repented of their sins and lived for Christ. Now here is what I think is the exciting news in all of this. The victory that is declared in Revelation is OUR victory! Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross we can know what it means to live free of all sin Praise God! Heaven means that sin has been vanquished, Heaven means the end of Christ's contested rule which we see every day and even at times in the life of his followers. 3. Here is the key point I want you to be sure and get. The sin of Adam and Eve to put it mildly caused a detour in God's plan for us. Remember when God put Adam and Eve in the garden that we call paradise he instructed them to rule over the things He had created. "Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." Genesis 1:28 (NLT) This was a detour to God's plan for us but not the destruction of that plan. We will once again reign on this earth, but this time Satan is not going to get the opportunity to come in and interrupt God's plan. [] I have told you many times of how I tried to avoid or ignore God's plan for me to be a pastor. There were many detours along the way, but God's plan for me was never destroyed. 4. Once again I know we struggle with the idea of ruling and reigning, but these struggles are the result of living in a world that has corrupted what it really means to rule and reign. Remember Jesus was a king, this was why Herod was so upset and had all the babies killed. He could not bear the reality of someone being greater than himself, but look at how Jesus ruled and make no mistake he ruled why He was on this earth. He ruled in humility and submission to God's plan. He ruled with such power and authority that even his crucifixion still scared to death those who wanted him eliminated. Trans. Now if we are rule and reign on the new earth then we have to have something over which we rule and reign, so I want to speak to you about the importance of land on the New earth. C. The Importance Of Land On The New Earth. 1. The essential part of any kingdom is land or property. Imagine declaring you are a ruler, but someone asks to see what you are ruler of and you have nothing to show them. Listen to these words from a man named David Chilton "Man is not saved by being delivered out of his environment. Salvation does not rescue us from the material world, but from sin, and from the effects of the Curse. The Biblical ideal is for every man to own property-a place where he can have dominion and rule under God." David Chilton As we saw a few minutes ago we were created to live and rule on this earth. We may be pilgrims on this earth, but someday we will be pioneers on the New Earth. 2. I know that right now it seems that the unrighteous are ruling the earth the Bible clearly reveals this will not always be. Look at these verses. "You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority." Psalm 8:6 (NLT) "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." Psalm 24:1 (NLT) "They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land." Psalm 25:13 (NLT) "For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land." Psalm 37:9 (NLT) ". Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again." Isaiah 49:8b (NLT) "But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain." Isaiah 57:13 (NLT) God assigned the responsibility of ruling over the earth to Adam and Eve and now as their descendants we take up that responsibility, both now and for eternity. When God made His covenant with Abraham the first thing he promised him was land. Look at what it says, "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others." Genesis 12:2 (NLT) Even though the earth was under the curse of sin at that time as it still is today. God instructed Abram to rule and reign over the land and use it to bring glory to Him and be a blessing to others. Now look at what the Bible says to you and I. "And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you." Galatians 3:29 (NLT) 3. Now you can't say this doesn't apply to you because you are not the owner of lands. The application of us is that we are to rule and mange what God has entrusted to us in such a way that it brings glory to Him. Remember that if you claim to be a child of God then nothing you have is really yours, it belongs to God and He has made you the manager of those things. The fact is it is not "your money" or "your TV" or "your car" or "your House' or whatever else you want to say is yours. If you belong to God then it is His and He has allowed you to manage those things for Him and they are to be used to glorify Him and be a blessing to others as well. Trans. I want to conclude today by sharing with you what I believe to be the goal of God's history. D. The Goal Of God's History. 1. God is sovereign Lord of the universe, Amen? That means He is the absolute ruler over this universe, but here is the amazing thing. He has chosen in His infinite wisdom to not rule alone. We were created in His Divine image to carry out His will and purpose on this earth. *Now please get this because I am going to elaborate more on this next week. God has uniquely gifted each one of us to handle the responsibilities He has given us. This is SO important not only for your life right now but also for your eternal life in Heaven. 2. Far too often we fight the plan and purpose God has for us just as I did. God called me to preach and I told Him he was wrong (which is pretty crazy when you think about it) but if had known me when I was a teenager you would have agreed I think. You hear me talk a lot about our SHAPE, the unique way God has made us to serve and bring glory to Him. To know God's will for your life depends a lot on understanding how He has shaped your life. 3. Have you ever be on a drive somewhere and looked some at land that you wish you could own? I do this every time I get the privilege of driving up the coast above Morro Bay. When I look at that land along the beautiful coast I often wish it was mine. Well guess what? If you are a child of God today, if you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your heart you are an heir to the largest land owner this world could ever imagine. In fact there is not a speck of the entire cosmos that your Father doesn't own. God is entrusting to you and I the family business both now and forever. One day God is going to take this upside down world and make it right side up and He is going to place it into our hands to rule and reign over. Anthony Hoekema says "We must see history as moving towards the goal of a finally restored and glorified universe." Anthony Hoekema Revelation 11:15 says "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: "The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." Revelation 11:15 (NLT) Notice that it does not say God will destroy the world or even replace it. No, the world that pretends to rule will be removed and this will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ! What that means is that this world will finally and FOREVER be what God intended for it to be when He created it. Conclusion A. Next week I am going to get deeper into what it means for us to rule and reign with Christ in Heaven. 1. As I close today I want to challenge you with this. For most of us and certainly for those without a personal relationship with Jesus ruling is all about having power and authority over others, but as I pointed out to you in this message that is not how Christ ruled when he was on this earth and it not how we rule now. Here is what Jesus told us, "The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT) 2. Is there a part of your life where you still are the ruler? I can assure you that this is the place that is dragging you down and holding you back spiritually. You will never be where God wants you to be and you will never find the peace and contentment God wants you to have while those strongholds still exist. Remember ruling is about surrendering so what do you need to put your hands up and say to God "I surrender?" 1