Watch this message at https://youtu.be/bBWkYzE5WGY
Grace Community Church
Winchester, VA
www.gracecommunity.com
Introduction
In the course of the last 5 or 6 months, you and I were a part of a dismantling of our culture. This is something that started years ago. Some would say it was when prayer was taken out of school. Others would say it is in Roe Vs Wade. Those were detrimental events, but I do not believe they were the catalyst to where we are today. I believe it is only going to get worse.
We are a Godless society and we have been for some time. We are a secular society in a post-modern era. The church has slept in our pews and becomes comfortable with our plight. We worship the Donkey or the Elephant, more than the Lamb. The greatest threat to America today is not existential. It is not our climate. It is not our injustices. It is not our foreign enemies. It is not our legislators or judges. The single most pervasive threat to our country today is the apostate church, who is emasculated, and powerless because we fail to recognize the spiritual war around us. Essentially America is godless because the church is generally godless. Paul tells us this is 'Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof'"…. And then goes on to admonish us, "from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3:5, NASB:"
At the turn of the 20th century, the atheist Friedrich Nietzsche wrote an alarming depiction of where we are at as a godless society:
Haven't you heard of that madman who in the bright morning lit a lantern and ran around the marketplace crying incessantly, 'I'm looking for God! I'm looking for God!' Since many of those who did not believe in God were standing around together just then, he caused great laughter. Has he been lost, then? asked one. Did he lose his way like a child? asked another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone to sea? Emigrated? - Thus they shouted and laughed, one interrupting the other. The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. 'Where is God?' he cried; 'I'll tell you! We have killed him - you and me! We are all his murderers. But how did we do this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the strange to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? here is it moving to now? Where are we moving to? Away from all suns? Are we not continually falling? And backward, sidewards, forwards, in all directions? Is there still an up and a down? Aren't we straying as though through an infinite nothing? Isn't empty space breathing at us? Hasn't it got colder? Isn't night and more night coming again and again? Don't lanterns have to be lit in the morning? Do we still hear nothing of the noise of the grave-diggers who are burying God? Do we still smell nothing of the divine decomposition?- Gods, too, decompose! God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him!
“Religion is the essence of culture and culture becomes the dress of religion.” Ravi Zacharias.
“What has happened in America?” is a question I often face as I travel. The question should go deeper. What has happened to America’s soul? We are on the precipitous and the fall will be long and deadly. It may already be too late. Why? The only cure, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, has been disparaged and mocked by the elite and the powerful. We slaughter the unborn in the name of medical and personal convenience. We openly mock God and His Word. We endorse sexual promiscuity with fanfare and we sell everything, from clothes to food to children’s toys with sexual provocative advertising. We removed all sacredness in holy matrimony. We glorify violence and celebrate licentiousness in every form of entertainment; nothing is too taboo.
We are sliding into the future with evil stalking us but no morality, no truth, and no reason to guide us. America may be flirting with a self-inflicted mortal wound. All the while our churches are nothing more than Sunday entertainment. Even the Lord’s days have lost all sacredness. All the while our pulpits proclaim, ‘peace, peace when there is no peace.’ (Jer 6:14). And when the pastor preaches the word of truth, the congregations erupt with clamor. ‘Why don’t you preach something that will motivate and uplift us?”
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, (Is 5:20)
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
We studied for the last 10-12 weeks a series called “Overcomers: The 7 Churches of Revelation.” In this series (I wrote well before the events of 2020) we uncovered and evaluated the 7 letters to these 7 churches.
The Church in Ephesus: Apostolic Church (A.D. 33–100)
The Church in Smyrna: Era of Persecution Under the Ten Caesars (A.D. 100–312)
The Church in Pergamum: Era of Church-State Union (A.D. 312–590)
The Church in Thyatira: Era Spanning the Middle Ages (A.D. 590–1517)
The Church in Sardis: Protestant Reformation (A.D. 1517–1750)
The Church in Philadelphia: Era of Revival and Great Awakening (A.D. 1750–1925)
The Church in Laodicea: Era of “Higher Criticism” (A.D. 1900–)
So what is next for the church? I believe in the return of Jesus and I believe it is imminent. I believe more imminent than we really know. My cry to the church is to abandon the things in your life you know are separating you from God. I believe there is nothing more powerful than the Gospel. I believe it is more relevant than ever and the hearts of people are hungry for God. We’re spiritually emaciated. The church has preached a watered-down message of salvation and we are now being crushed under the weight of our sin. I also believe that the American Church is heading for a time of tremendous revival. When we recapture the holiness of God in our sanctuaries again, we will find ourselves strengthened by our Lord in a time of trial in our world.
The American Church needs a new song and I believe they’re singing a new song in heaven today as we await His return. How do we find this new song? let’s continue in Revelation to Chapter 5 with the little bit of time I have left:
I. The American Church Must Weep
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (Rev 5:1-4)
We find ourselves with John in the throne room of God. Before John is the vision of God holding the scroll. Why is this scroll important? Because it unfolds God’s plan in Revelation. This is best understood as God’s will for all history. The scroll is God’s redemptive plan, foreshadowed by the Old Testament to assert his sovereignty over a sinful world.” (Caird). In short, the scroll contains the answer. The answer to sin, the answer to evil, the answer to life’s meaning. There are questions that people are asking and searching for in their lives and our world.
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, (Is 65:24-25)
When he calls me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. (Psalm 91:15)
The world does not have the answer. In fact, in our postmodern world, we have come to the conclusion there is no answer and if there is no answer - no objectionable truth - there is no hope. We are hopeless. We are lost. We look to politics, we look to legislation, we look to entertainment, we look to substances, we look to medicine, we look to science, none of which have an answer. We are being crushed under the weight of our sin and the earth is groaning. Meanwhile, our consciouses are seared.
4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Tim 4:1-3)
The church must once again weep that the condition of our world has become so terribly deprived and godless
II. The American Church Must Restore Godly Leadership
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Rev 5:5-8)
Over the last several decades, the church has fallen prey to godless leaders. Liberal theologians who deny God’s holiness, sovereignty, and Christ’s divinity. They blasphemed god’s word and undermined its authority. Paul warned Timothy of this:
3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. (2 Tim 3:3-8)
What we should keep in mind is that this is as equally a description of the church as it is the world. Notice that in Revelation, it is an elder. A person in heaven. An elder is a believer who is mature in their faith. Godly in their leadership. He sets John straight. “Weep no more.” Why does he say this? Because of Jesus. Here in the throne the focus shifts from the one on the throne to Jesus being described as the Lamb who was slain. They’re one and the same. What John is seeing is God’s plan through his own son being the Lamb of God. The description of 7 horns, 7 eyes, spirits all are divine descriptions. Jesus goes and takes the scroll. He alone has the authority to do this. Him taking the scroll is an image of Jesus Christ fulfilling the Divine plan to save the world from our sins. As a result, worship erupts in heaven.
This is the only Bible verse that refers to Jesus as the “Lion of … Judah,” yet the image is so inspiring that it is one of Christ’s titles that is most beloved to Christians. This title sees in Jesus the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy when he departed from his sons. “Judah is a lion’s cub,” Jacob said and foresaw a royal dynasty emerging from this tribe (Gen. 49:9–10). Jesus was that promised heir from Judah, the Divine Warrior who rules history like a lion who reigns unchallenged over his domain.
III. The Church Must Restore Godly Worship
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood, you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev 5:9-10)
I believe it is time for the church to sing a new song. We are too interested in entertainment to care about worship. We think it’s worship but what I see are people without much passion. Why? Because we lost our first love years ago. We’ve replaced the gospel with progressive thinking and secular humanism. Should we be open to dialogue and growing in our reach, leadership, and influence. Absolutely! But never at the cost of God’s truth.
The emergent church is nothing more than a group of secular humanists who believe that humanism is the highest answer. This is a generation of people who grew up in children’s ministry and youth ministry directed toward entertainment. We’ve grown up in an era of worship wars, technological advancements, and in a time where nearly any kind of information can be found in our pocket. We’ve taken men to the moon and vehicles to the outer rim of our galaxy, but we have no hope.
It’s time to sing a new song. We can no longer be silent.
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev 5:11-14)
Every nation, tribe, and tongue will worship Jesus and is worshipping Jesus. I am here to proclaim there is a new song arising. This new song will not be sung by a black chorus, a white ensemble, a Latino band. This new song will be sung by the Kingdom of God from all nations. A choir washed by the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, let us be clear church: to those who raise the voice of hatred and discord; to those who seek to separate, argue, and divide. To the spirits of captivity, violence, bigotry, inequality, and injustice. To the principalities of darkness, we raise our voices, and in perfect harmony, we sing in the key of grace. "For every Pharaoh, there must be a Moses. For every Goliath, there must be a David. For every Nebuchadnezzar, there must be a Daniel. For every Jezebel, there must be Elijah. And for every devil that rises up against us, there is a mightier God that rises up for us. His name is Jesus. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Worthy is the lamb!
Church, we cannot be silent. We cannot worship sitting on our hands or with our hands in our pockets. We cannot put our light under a basket. We cannot slumber anymore.
Conclude: “Worthy is the Lamb”
