(Cover slide) The movie ‘Shrek 2,’ includes an obnoxious, for lack of a better word, but faithful donkey by the name of ‘donkey.’ The movie is a humorous and satirical take on our favorite childhood fairy tales and includes a trip to that magical place of ‘Far Far Away’ complete with a Hollywood type sign which announces that you have arrived!
It is the home of Fiona’s parents. Fiona was the beautiful princess of story who has a problem. Her problem is that due to one of those spells that all childhood fairy tales seem to have, she turns ugly at night. In fact, she turns ogre ugly!
So her parents put her in a secure location, a tower, I think, with the goal of having her Prince Charming (capital P, capital C) come and break the spell. Unfortunately, he does not get there in time and an ogre named Shrek, rescues her, takes her away, and they get married.
Now, they are headed to visit and meet her parents for the first time since they were married. It is quite a journey and as they slowly make their way to ‘Far, Far Away,’ the donkey starts asking the question that all children ask their parents on trips, ‘Are we there yet?’
He asks it at almost every mile they take much to the increasing frustration of Shrek and Fiona who finally tell him to ‘shut up!’ This causes him to start making an irritating sound which does not help the situation.
I think that this same question, ‘Are we there yet?’ is being asked a great deal by many believers when it comes to current events in the news and the return of Christ. But I think that Jesus tells us in the text that has been read for this morning there is a more important question, implied in the command to ‘be ready all the time,’ ‘Are you ready?’
(Slide 2) Are you ready for His return?
This morning we start our first series of 2007 with the ‘The People’s Choice Series’ and here is the schedule for the next six weeks. (Slide 3) Thanks to those who submitted requests.
This morning our start at Matthew is going to lead us straight to the final book of scripture – Revelation. Now, I hope that I am not offending anyone when I remind us that the title of this book is ‘Revelation’ not ‘Revelations.’
I say this to make an important point – it is a revelation from Jesus Christ to John which is revealed by an angel as we read in chapter 1, “This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants. John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.”
As we continue to read in verses 9 through 11 we also become aware that John has been exiled for his public testimony of Christ. “I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” So, he is alone when he has his heavenly vision, his revelation from the Lord.
What he is given is a word from the Lord to encourage and challenge him and the entire church during a difficult period in history. And, according to one source that I read, ‘[John] denounces evil and exhorts people to high Christian standards [and] he offers hope rather than gloom. John was not a psychic attempting to predict the future; he was a prophet of God describing what God had shown him.’
Now in addressing this important and much discussed book I am aware that there are many different interpretations of this book. I acknowledge and respect those views but I am not here to mock or ridicule them. Many years ago, however, I came to a personal conclusion based on a thorough study of both Revelation and the entire Bible that Jesus clearly told the disciples, and in turn us, to be ready and to be about our business of witnessing and help others to grow in their faith. I also think that this book has a pastoral word to us not just in this time and place but also in the past that we have experienced and the future we will experience.
And this pastoral word, this word of both comfort and warning consists of two very important things for us to hear, understand, and believe. Keeping then in mind Christ’s words from Matthew that we have already heard this morning, let us, as we are repeatedly told in chapters 2 and 3, ‘listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying.’
(Slide 4) The first important word involves paying attention to our spiritual condition. By ‘we’ I mean each us individually and corporately.
We need to remember that what the Holy Spirit said to John at the beginning of Revelation was meant to be shared with the churches as a word of warning and a word of care. Again this is not a private word to one or two people, this is a corporate word. Revelation is a book to the churches not one or two individuals.
It is a word from God to the church about its condition. It is a mixed message. Some of the churches are praised by the Lord and the rest are given words of warning.
Let’s take a brief look at a few of them…
(Slide 4a)
The first church mentioned is Ephesus.
Ephesus was the capital city in the province (or state) of Asia Minor. According to one source it was one of the Roman Empire’s three most significant cities in the region along with along with the cities of Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria.
What they did well was to work hard to proclaim the faith and exhibit patience endurance in the faith as the Holy Spirit says to them in Revelation 2:2, ‘I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.’
But in the midst of their hard work and patient endurance they forgot something important and the Spirit pointed it out. “You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first”
Somewhere along the line, the believers in Ephesus forgot about the importance of keeping their love for God strong and alive. They focused on being faithful and staying faithful but forgot about continuing to love the Lord. I think that duty became a higher goal than love. And we must remember that when Jesus was asked about the greatest thing that people could do in regards to God it was to love God and others with all of our being.
What is the message? ‘Be faithful but keep your love for me strong.’
(Slide 4b) The second church is Pergamum.
Pergamum was a city in which the worship of the Roman Emperor was complemented by the worship of four pagan gods, Zeus, Dionysius, Asclepius, and Athene. Zeus was the leader of the Greek gods, Dionysius was the god of religious ecstacy and wine, Asclepius the god of medicine and healing and Athene was the goddess of wisdom and war. So, you had a lot of interesting worship going on in Pergamum.
The Spirit praises the church there for its unflinching faithfulness to the Christian faith but is rebuked for the compromise of some of its members as we read in Revelation 2:14 “You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.”
We have recently witnessed the painful and public resignation of a national church leader who was caught in sexual sin. The Bible makes clear that sexual integrity is vital and necessary. I believe that the entire message of the Bible on this matter of sexual integrity is simply that sexual activity and intimacy was designed for marriage and only marriage between a husband and a wife and nothing else is acceptable.
The message to this church? Repent or else! Change your ways and live sexually pure lives!
(Slide 4d) The third church is Sardis.
Sardis was a wealthy city part of which was located on a mountain and the rest in a valley below. The Spirit praised the church for being effective in its ministry as we read in Revelation 3:1 “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive…” But there is also a serious problem… but you are dead.
There is spiritual superficiality present in the church. The inside does not match what is on the outside. What does the Spirit say? “… Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again.”
(Slide 4e) The situation in Laodicea is just as serious as it is in Pergamum. There is nothing for the Lord to commend this church for.
Laodicea was the wealthiest of these seven cities that God speaks to. It was the home of very profitable commercial enterprises including a medical school.
But, it had a difficult time with its water supply because it had to draw it from a hot springs nearby. The result was that by the time it reached the city it was neither hot or cold… it was… lukewarm water. WHO WANTS TO DRINK LUKEWARM WATER? It is tepid, it does not refresh you like water should.
Indifference is an issue here, spiritual indifference. The church here is not passionate about its faith and witness. It leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths. God is concerned about this church. He wants to ‘Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again.’ This church was in need of revival!
What does the Spirit say? Be diligent by turning from your indifference and return to me!
Finally there is the church at Philadelphia. (Slide 4f)
Philadelphia was at one time a frontier city founded by some of the residents of another of these seven cities, Pergamum. However, an earthquake destroyed the city and because of the aftershocks the people lived outside of it.
Yet in spite of these natural challenges as well as spiritual and cultural ones, the Spirit sees a faithful body of believers and has this to say to them. “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me… Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.”
This church, along with Smyrna, is one of the only two churches to not be rebuked! They are given commendations to be faithful to the Lord and that faithfulness has produced results!
What then does the Spirit say to them? Hold on!
What is the Holy Spirit saying to us this morning about our spiritual condition?
Now, after this series of messages to the seven churches, we move into the heart of this important book. In the chapters that lie ahead are fantastic images and pronouncements that have been, and continue to be, studied, analyzed, and debated as to their meaning.
But the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, says one clear thing toward the end of this segment and it is the second thing that we need to hear this morning. (Slide 5) Evil will not have the final word!
Let’s go to chapter 20 and begin with verse 7, “When the thousand years end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations from every corner of the earth, which are called Gog and Magog. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty host, as numberless as sand along the shore. And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds.
And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Then we read in chapter 21, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. (Slide 5a) For the old world and its evils are gone forever.”
What do we notice here? First, we read ‘then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire… There they [the false prophet and the best] will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’ (Slide 5b) Evil will be permanently restrained!
Evil will not triumph! Satan does not win!
Then we notice (Slide 5c) final judgment comes! We read in verse 12 and 13 ‘…And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds.
Now there is more to this scene than what is in this segment. But here is my point: All of humanity will eventually stand before God and will be judged according to God’s standards and what they did or did not do according to those standards.
Finally we notice in the opening verses of chapter 21 (Slide 6d) A New World Order… The Order of God arrives! “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared… there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.”
Death, having been already disposed of as we read back in chapter 20 and verse 14, is now no longer a threat. And the sorrow and the pain that we experience in life will no longer be an issue. God’s peace is now running rampant!
God’s salvation is complete! God’s order and plans have now been fulfilled! A perfect order, not a social one, not a political one, not an economic one, but a spiritual perfect order, is now established! AMEN? AMEN!
Are you ready for that day? I think that we can relate to the words of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats who wrote in another tumultuous time and place,
‘Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.’
(Slide 7) Are we there yet? No… and yes! We are still on the road to eternal existence. We are still on the journey toward our final judgment. But we are closer to it than we were yesterday.
But, are we ready for that time and place? I believe that only two beings know the answer to that question, you and God. But how, do we get ready?
In Romans 3 we read “…now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.”
We are ready when we are right with God through Christ.
It is my hope and prayer that all of us here will hear one day, ‘well done good and faithful servant!’ Amen!
Sources: Quick Verse Life Application Bible (software)
http://www.paganlibrary.com/arcade2/crosswords/Greek_Gods_Word_Def.pdf,
http://www.journeywithjesus.net/PoemsAndPrayers/William_Butler_Yeats_Second_Coming.shtml
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘010107slides’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
