THE COUNTERFEIT KINGDOM
Rev. 6:1-18; Matthew 6:9-13
Sermon Objective: By comparing the first four seals of Rev. 6 to Jesus’ model prayer in Matthew 6, the world’s offer of “life” can be seen as a counterfeit to the offer made by God.
1I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
3When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
7When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
INTRO:
Reading about the four horsemen of the apocalypse can be rather unnerving can’t it? It is meant to be. It shows us the consequences of loving this world and the things of this world. In another book written by John he specifically warns against this. 1 John 2:15 [KJV] says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Last week we looked at these four seals and discovered that human self-will attempts to provide security in life from all the wrong places and it always ends in ruin.
• Some Trust in “National Security” (v. 1-2)
• Some Trust in “Homeland Security” (v. 3-4)
• Some Trust in “Financial Security” (v. 5-6)
• Some Trust in “Physical Security” (v. 7-8)
When John wrote The Revelation the churches he was serving were under duress and extreme temptation. THERE WAS ANOTHER OFFER ON THE TABLE FOR THEM; AN OFFER THAT PROMISED TO ALLEVIATE THE HARDSHIPS THAT THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST WAS PRODUCING. The offer was to turn their eyes to the world … and trust the world (Rome) to meet their every need. Rome definitely boasted of producing and providing everything a man could ever want. This temptation is why the empire is graphically referred to as a seductress in the book. To “partner” with her brought you in league; her destiny and fortune was your destiny and fortune and, as far as Rome was concerned, “the future was bright!”
The problem with joining hands with the world was (and is) that everything it offers is fake and fleeting. Oh, it may look authentic and timeless but it crashes down in an instant and it always seems to crash down when you need it to be the most reliable too!
Throughout John’s book, the world offers appealing counterfeit alternatives to the authentic God. Whether it be salvation, material provision, inner peace and satisfaction, or even timeless existence. But John tells his church that choosing the world will always prove to be a bad choice.
And the price you pay to be in league with the world? Nothing less than your soul!
There are a lot of counterfeit things offered in our world. Some of them have serious consequences. Take the unsafe merchandise you can purchase as an example. Investigators have seized:
• Brake pads made of kitty litter, sawdust, and dried grass
• Medical test kits that give faulty readings
• Toothpaste made with a chemical found in antifreeze
• Baby formula with absolutely no nutritional value
• Cell-phone batteries that can explode
• Bootlegged medications like "Lipitor" and "Celebrex" containing the wrong active ingredients.
The reason there are counterfeit products is because the original is so valuable. The original offers us something genuine.
This world offers counterfeits, but God offers authentic, substantive life! In another book John wrote he quotes Jesus who said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (The Gospel of John 10:10).
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I was praying and meditating on “The Lord’s Model Prayer” the other day.
Why did Jesus teach us to pray this prayer? Probably because it contains:
(1) The things we need and seek
(2) And the things God will provide for us
As I was thinking about this prayer I noticed some comparisons between it and this passage in The Revelation. The counterfeit offer the world is making you is addressed by Jesus in this prayer.
You can find Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. "This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Have you ever noticed how the “Throne Room Vision” of Rev. 4 and 5 unpacks the prologue of Jesus’ prayer? We won’t read these chapters again (we have read them many times) but they certainly illumine “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” don’t they?
Again, you cannot read chapters 4 and 5 and not come away with a sense of God’s authenticity. That is why the angels sing “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:11).
The world, on the other hand, cannot have such things said about its character. John writes:
1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Rev. 17:1-5)
We clearly see the contrast between the world’s offer and Our Father in heaven’s offer.
Tell me, isn’t that alone enough to make you want to serve Jesus Christ? Isn’t that enough to embed a craving within to know Him and follow him?
Mt. 6:10 your kingdom come,
Jesus’ prayer asks God to bring His Kingdom to earth. Why should we ask that if God is not willing to do it?
The world wants its Kingdoms set up here too, doesn’t it? And that first seal (Rev. 4:1-2) shows the measures they will take in order to accomplish it. The conquerors of the world will leave body parts strewn everywhere just so they can set up their empires. And yet, the very kingdoms they set up are fleeting – they require more and more bloodshed just to keep them in tact and stable.
Mt. 6:10 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus’ prayer seeks God’s will to be the rule of the earth. The Jews called this “shalom” and it was often translated “peace” but, as you know, it means much much more. It includes justice, compassion, material prosperity, and all-around well-being. It effects the whole community not just the individual.
The world offers peace too; as long as they get to define it (and “defend” it). Rome touted the “Pax Romana” (“the peace of Rome”) but Rome’s peace wasn’t so peaceful if you didn’t go with the flow … if you didn’t acknowledge its sovereignty and deity. That is why Roman history is pock-marked with roads lined by crucifixions and coliseums filled with dead men walking. The second seal (Rev. 4:3-4) shows us that peace is fleeting and chaos rapidly replaces it.
11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Jesus prayer asks for essential things that only God can provide. Things like:
• A Kingdom built upon God’s character
• A sense of civility between fellow citizens and neighbors
The third opened seal (Rev. 4:5-6) exposes the world’s promise for such things to be only a pipe dream. Famine and scarcity can come in a moment. In fact, they are already here. Try as we like we cannot control the weather – or evil’s greed.
In God’s kingdom, every need is met, corruption is abolished, life is sustainable.
Did you know that the carrying capacity of the earth can easily handle the growing population? According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the total landmass cultivated for arable crops is roughly the size of the USA and half of Canada. This includes ALL crops. There is plenty of room for livestock, water, and cereals to solve any hunger problem the world has. But the world’s empires pay us not to grow crops, dictate what when and where crops can be sold, and the set prices at such an exploitable level that many cannot afford them.
You see, empire has a vested interest in humanity being in want, dependent, and looking to them for survival.
God has a vested interest in His creation being equipped and all your needs being met. Paul said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).
Matthew 6:13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
God’s Kingdom (established on God’s character) brings “righteousness” to the earth. It brings a “right-ness” to the earth. That has always been human civilization’s need. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
The fourth seal (Rev. 4:7-8) shows that the world’s system cannot deliver life – no matter how brazenly it claims it can. What it actually brings is death – the ultimate consequence of sin; the ultimate consequence of seeking the things of this world. It assures a destiny of ruin.
WRAP-UP
Jesus talked a lot about God’s Kingdom. Right after (in the very same sermon, mind you) Jesus taught us to pray for the Kingdom established on God’s character to come to earth he tell us to, “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33, KJV).
When we live by God’s principles; love Him supremely and love our neighbor as ourselves, God’s Kingdom (and our prayers) will come to fruition. When we live and seek the world – we get the ruin and destruction so clearly predicted for such choices.
The devil's counterfeit initially looks like the real thing. But its fake.
• A counterfeit faith stops when man’s capacity ends – a Biblical faith begins where man stops.
• A counterfeit faith depends of appearance, coercion, and deception – a Biblical faith depends on the reliability of Christ
• A counterfeit faith insists upon its authenticity – a Biblical faith says “by their fruit you shall know them.”
• A counterfeit faith focuses on experience – a Biblical faith looks unto Jesus the author and finisher of its faith
• A counterfeit faith offers you the world – a Biblical faith offers you life and a life to come
• A counterfeit faith breeds enslavement, destruction and ruin – a Biblical faith gives freedom
• A counterfeit faith offers what it cannot produce – a Biblical faith produces what you can’t create
• A counterfeit faith is man-centered – a Biblical faith is Christ-centered.
Have you ever knowingly passed a phony five dollar bill? According to the United States Treasury Department, you may have. One of the reasons is because of a counterfeiter named Blinky, perhaps the greatest counterfeiter of all times. He made five dollar bills that defied detection. It was impossible, even for experts, to identify the real bills from his counterfeits. It’s estimated that hundreds if not thousands of the Blinky-made five dollar bills are still in circulation. A bizarre set of circumstances finally led to Blinky’s downfall. He decided to expand his operation and started making twenty dollar bills. He was arrested when trying to pass one of his phony twenties. In court, his lawyer challenged the experts to identify the phony bill from the real one. Immediately, they did so. Later Blinky discovered where he had made his tragic mistake. The bill he had used to copy his counterfeit twenty was itself a counterfeit!
When you join league with a counterfeit your world becomes counterfeit too. It becomes a house of cards that will come falling down. It becomes hollow, shallow, and superficial.
In “A Hunger for God”, John Piper says, "If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.”
Jesus’ prayer reminds us that God offers something substantive and genuine. And You Father in heaven can make good on the offer!
Instead of waiting for your personal “4 horsemen” to come galloping in I would strongly recommend you look to the One who is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12). It is only then that you will “have life, and have it to the full” (The Gospel of John 10:10).
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
