The Biggest Roundup Ever
Pastor Glenn Newton
10-30-05
This morning we are so excited about having all of you here! In a sense, you have been “rounded Up” this week by your friends and family, because they care about you, because they want you to find what they have found… that New Hope is a great place to Worship. Of coarse you also counted as points in our contest… but I’m sure that was secondary. We are glad you are here… you’re here not by accident or circumstance… we are all here this morning by God’s grace and for His purpose.. Amen?
This morning you have also been invited to a potluck dinner following the service at Nola and I home, we would love to have you, we have games, and all kinds of fun planned for you….
This morning is the climax of a 6 week Sunday School Emphasis where we have been working on inviting new people to church, we have been working on getting more people involved in our Sunday School… it’s been a fun 6 weeks, especially seeing new people come and get involved.
I want to talk to you about the Greatest Round Up Ever…. It’s not what took place today, but it’s not to far away… every day we get closer to the greatest round up ever seen… let me read our passage this morning… what a description of that Great Day. Turn to Rev. 19:9, 11-21
REV 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
REV 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
REV 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
REV 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
When I read this passage I notice there are two different types of Feasts described. The first on is called the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb” in chapter 19:9. The second, found in verse17 is called the “great supper of God”. We are going to talk about this as we move through this message, but remember this… there is one Supper that you want to be apart of…… and there is one that you don’t want to be apart of…. There are going to be two different “Round Ups” if you will, one you want to be apart of, another one you will not want to be apart of”…..
I want to make sure before you leave today, you know which Supper that you are going to be apart of… OK?
Have you been noticing what’s been going on in our world lately? Is it just me or does it seem like the pace has moved from a steady march…. A steady movement with prophetic pieces of the puzzle coming into view…. To lately it seems to me….. We have begun a run… double time with signs of the times seemingly showing themselves in every area of the world… Let me share just a few things that have happened in the last couple of days…
These are all from the headlines:
Do you remember where our Missionary, Larry West was from? Do you remember how he asked us to pray for him and his Christian Brother and Sisters who are enduring persecution because of their Faith in Jesus Christ? Listen to this….. Read article….
Don’t be asleep to what’s going on in our world… We need to pray for these… our Christian family around the world. There is a Spiritual Battle that is raging for the hearts and souls… and it rages right here in Clarksville, AR. Today.
Did you hear that the leader of Iran called for Israel to be wiped off the map, literally called for Muslims to unite against Israel and “remove” them through violence. Take note, The Spirit of the Anti-Christ will always seek to destroy God’s Chosen People….
In just the last few days we have witnessed senseless killings for no apparent reasons.. In California, a teenager kills his neighbor’s wife and leaves a Satanic symbol behind to signify his cult… it goes on and on… and we need to pay attention to what is happening around us friends.
We have a message of Hope today, not because we think the World is going to straighten out and everyone is going to get along… We have Hope because God has offered us Eternal Life in Heaven through His Son Jesus Christ… If we will accept Him by Faith, and live for Him. Friends, it’s our Hope in Christ that can carry us through the days that we live in today.. Amen?
The Question is, Which Great Supper will I Be Apart Of? Let me tell you there is a big difference between to two.
Let me tell you the difference.
1. REV 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
This Wedding Supper of the Lamb is describing the Fellowship and Intimate Relationship that Christ and His Followers have together. We all want to be apart of this great Wedding Banquet. Why is it called a Wedding supper? Because Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and we… the church are his Bride…. And Friends, the Groom is coming for His Bride one of these days… He’s coming to take us away with Him, to live with Him forever and ever.. Amen? This is our Hope… No matter what we might be asked to endure while here on Earth, it will be worth it, to make it to Heaven… do you believe that?
What you say will be put to the test in this world, because we are not going through this life unopposed.
You know what it means to be unopposed? Come election time there are some people who are running for office, and there is no one running against them… they are unopposed… there going to win no matter what, right?
Well, we are in a race… but we have opposition. We have an enemy who is going to do whatever he can to try and keep us away from Jesus Christ, and from Living a Sold Out kind of life. Can I tell you something?
It’s going to take a sold out kind of life to make it. Because of the great opposition that we face, because of the Spirit of the Anti-christ that runs rampant in our world today, if you are a Christ follower, and you are more than a Christian in name only… you are going to be put to the test… you are going to endure some hardships, you will be tested….. Don’t you know the parents of those 4 young Christians girls.. Don’t you know their faith is being tested today? But if they will hold on to what they know is the truth… It will be worth it, and they will be reunited one day… because our hope does not disappoint us… listen
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Don’t you want your faith to be proved genuine? Maybe your wondering, How do I know if my faith is genuine? Isn’t everyone who calls themselves a Christian going to heaven?
Listen to what Jesus said when teaching his disciples about this subject,
MT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Just before making this statement he said, MT 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Plainly what this means is that everyone who claims to be a Christian is not what they claim to be, they are deceived in their own mind… they think they are OK, but they are lost. Satan who is the one who opposes us and want to keep us blinded to the truth, is fine with the fact that you come to church and even call yourself a Christian… as long as your faith in Christ is not genuine.
The Christian life is one of obedience, it’s marked by Fruit of the Spirit. Give yourself an exam…. Are you living in Obedience to God’s Word? Or are you living in disobedience to what you know God wants? By the way… God doesn’t hide this from us… you know if your living for God, or if you are living for yourself… you may not want to admit it, but you know… Who are you going to sell out too.? That’s the question that needs to be answered.
In the book of John, Jesus describes this Fruit bearing life of a Christian, listen to what Jesus says, “JN 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
JN 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Are you allowing God to produce these fruit in your life through the indwelling Spirit of God? Or are the opposite qualities being produced in your life?
If we want to be apart of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, we need to be living the Spirit filled life, sold out to God, obedient to His Word, and living a life of Faith. Does this describe you? It can. It’s your choice. God will enable to you to live this kind of Sold Out Life, if you will take the first step and die out to yourself, let God have you completely… and you will be amazed at what God will do in your life.
There is a second Round Up, a Second Supper of God described in our passage in Rev. 19:17
REV 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
Friends, there is going to be a battle, the Bible tells us that Satan will so influence the world that he will rally the nations, it’s kings and all those who are in the world to fight against God… and Christ will mount His White horse and will bring judgment upon the nations… His Righteous judgment, and all those who oppose Him will be thrown into the lake of fire for all of eternity… there will be no second chance at that point, no return.
I appeal to you this morning… don’t allow the world, all the comforts that you enjoy… all the temptations to cruise through this life doing as you please, not counting the cost.. Don’t miss the greatest round up ever.
There is freedom and Rest found in Christ… when you live without Christ… life loses meaning, worry and frustration invade your mind, the struggles of everyday life tempt you to escape life with things that are temporary and empty… Why do you think drugs, alcohol, and sex and pornography are running rampant in our world today? People are in pain and they are looking for an escape…. They are looking for that fix that will bring them real happiness.. But they are looking in the wrong place…. All those things do is bring more despair, more pain, more loneliness.
I tell you this morning… Jesus Christ is the Hope… He is what you have been looking for. He’s coming back soon for His people, and there will be a great feast… Will you be there? Or will you be left behind only to wait for the Righteous Judgment of a Holy God?
In my book, there really is no doubt what I choose…. How about you?
Today you can come and choose Christ for your life.
