"The Beginning of God's Punishment on the Impenitent" Sermon: Revelation 9:1-21 (video)

"The Beginning of God's Punishment on the Impenitent" Sermon: Revelation 9:1-21 (video) - YouTube

"The Beginning of God's Punishment On the Impenitent" Sermon: Revelation 9:1-21 (manuscript)

 

“The Beginning of God’s Punishment on the Impenitent”

Revelation 9:1-21

April 14, 2024 YouTube

          As we open the book of Revelation, again, let us remember, Revelation was written to be a book of comfort and hope to the Christians suffering under the persecution of Rome.  And the hope and comfort that it gives is for all Christians throughout time and space as we have been promised by Jesus that we will be persecuted – we will suffer varying degrees of persecution.

We mentioned the overlapping of the seals, the trumpets, and the woes.  We saw the seventh seal open the first trumpet, and after the fourth trumpet blasts, three woes are associated with them:   the fifth trumpet is the first woe, the sixth trumpet is the second woe, and the seventh trumpet is the third woe.  At the end of the fourth trumpet – the end of chapter eight, we read:

          “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!’” (Revelation: ESV).

          As we look at chapter nine – the fifth and sixth trumpet and first and second woe, again, remember that this is a book of comfort and hope.  Don’t hear the images and panic.  Notice that verses four, twenty, and twenty-one say that the woes are against those who never receive the mark of God on their heads – the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit Who is received through salvation in Jesus Alone. True believers will know what is happening – and see it – but the woes are against those who never repent and believe savingly in Jesus.

          As we look at the fifth trumpet which is the first woe, let us understand that the devil, Satan, Lucifer, and all the damned angels – the demons – are not able or authorized to do anything except what God commands or allows. The demonic forces are impotent except when God commands them or allows them to act.

          Paul explains, using the imagery of the Roman centurion armor, how to fight against the demonic forces, when God commands them or allows them to engage us – true believers – those with the mark of God on their foreheads.  Paul writes:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:12-13, ESV).

Again, this wrestling is only to the extent that God commands and allows.  We will remember that Satan had to come to God to get permission to take things away from Job and to tempt him to sin.  Satan does not have the authority or ability to do what he wants on his own – God limits what he does.  As we read:

“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:12, ESV).

With this in mind, we turn to our text:

          “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.”

          A “star” fell from heaven to earth.  We saw in chapter one of Revelation that a star refers to a minister or an angel. Here, it refers to a specific angel.  The pronoun that is used in the text for him indicates a being – not a force.

          And we are told who this is:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15, ESV).

          And Jude tells us that those who followed Lucifer – who sought to be greater than God – and was punished by being thrown to earth – the demons are under restraint – except as God commands or permits.

“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—" (Jude 6, ESV).

God gave Satan the key to the bottomless pit (for a specific time and purpose).

“He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.”

In opening the bottomless pit, all of the demons are released.  And we are given a terrifying picture of them – but remember, if you have the mark of God on your forehead, you will not be harmed.

“Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.”

The demons are like locusts with the power of scorpions.  God says they are not to harm the Creation or the people with the mark of God on their head – only those who do not have the mark of God on their head.  They are allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them.

Why five months?  Because the average lifespan of a locust is five months – they would have known that then.

Those being tortured will want to die, but they will not be allowed to die.  They will suffer horrific pain, but God will not allow them to die.

“In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.”

The bottomless pit is the place where the demons and those who die without the mark of God on their foreheads stay until the resurrection to the last day and the final judgment.  It is a horrific place and the place before eternal condemnation in Hell.

We see that even the demons don’t want to be in the bottomless pit due to the suffering that is experienced there:

“When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.’  For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Legion,’ for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned” (Luke 8:27-33, ESV).

          These demons are described as a cross between soldiers and chariots and locusts and scorpions.  They are hideous and terrifying.  The king over them, the fallen star, the angel of the bottomless pit is called “Abaddon” and “Apollyon.”  Both names mean “Destroyer.”

          The “woes” are due to the unforgiven sin of those who have never believed.  And their sin has granted them to be found – at God’s instruction and with His permission – under the torture of the Deastroyer.

“The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.”

“Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’”

The altar in the Temple had four golden horns on it – one on each corner of the altar.  If someone was being sought after for a true or false crime, that person could grab one of the horns of the altar and be granted asylum.

Here, the horns that are for the giving of asylum have a voice from them calling out for the end of asylum for any who do not bear the mark of God on their forehead. And the voice tells the sixth angel with the second woe to “release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” We have seen that the number four can refer to completion, the whole, all that is – of course, it can also refer to the number four.

The four angels are, of course, demons. The Euphrates River is the boundary of Israel against the Arab nations.  The four angels have been restrained up to this point to keep them from letting loose military conflicts against Israel that will affect the whole world.

The reason we think that four demons refer to more than four demons is this:

“So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.”

The four demons had been prepared for “the hour, the day, the month, and the year, [to be] released to kill a third of mankind." These demons, according to the Sovereign Will and purpose of God, carry out our Sovereign God’s divine judgements against one third of those who do not have the mark of God on their foreheads. God prepared these demons to go forth in military conflicts when and according to the Will of God and to the extent that God allows them.  The evil demons would have killed everyone, including all those who have the mark of God on their forehead if God did not put restrictions on how many of those who did not have the mark of God on their heads they could kill.  They can do nothing except what God commands and permits.

The four demons are (or command) troops of two hundred million horsemen. Which represents the monstrous ugliness of war.  There is no place on earth where a two hundred million horse army could stand. Rather, it represents the incredible evil of war.

We will remember that the tension and evil in the Middle East is the product of the sin of Abraham.  He had his first son, Ishmael, outside of the covenant of God, but God did not forget him.  God said, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 17:20, ESV).  And later we see that the twelve princes of Ishmael become the Arab nations that surround Israel, and Jacob – whose name God changes to Israel – is the father of those who become the twelve tribes of Israel.

“And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.”

We remember the horsemen, do we not?

The first horse, commanded by Jesus and leading the other three horses according to His Will.  The second horse – who is given the power to take peace from the earth so the people of the earth will kill each other.  The third horse – who upsets the world, and all that God has given – causing inflation in the prices of all things on earth.  And the fourth horse – with Death and Hades – to whom are given authority to kill with the sword in war, to kill with famine, and pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth.  (Revelation 6:1-9).

After experiencing the greatest horrors of war, the attack of demons, and massive death on earth, we read:

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Those who lived through the greatest horrors seen on earth as of that time were unimpressed.  They did not repent.  They continued to worship demons and idols.  They continue to commit murder and take part in witchcraft, and sexual acts that God has forbidden, and in theft.  All these things that God brought down upon them didn’t faze them. They remained impenitent and, on the way, to be cast into the bottomless pit – and eventually the lake of fire.

Nothing will cause the wicked to repent and believe except for God’s intervention.

For all those who have the mark of God on our forehead, for we who have believed savingly in Jesus and have received the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, there continues to be good news and comfort for us.  We belong to Jesus, and He is bringing us into Paradise to be with Him forever.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for causing us to believe savingly in Jesus, for indwelling us with God the Holy Spirit, and giving us the mark of God on our foreheads.  Thank You for the vision of the first two woes and the horrifying truth that some will never believe, even once they experience God’s divine judgment. Help us to be thankful and cause us to pray for all those who do not believe that we would tell them Who Jesus is and what He has done, and that You would be pleased to send the Holy Spirit to bring many to faith and repentance.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"He Must Rise" Sermon: John 20:1-18 (video)

 "He Must Rise" Sermon: John 20:1-18 (video) (youtube.com)

"He Must Rise" Sermon: John 20:1-18 (manuscript)

 

“He Must Rise”

[John 20:1-18]

April 21, 2019, Second Reformed Church

March 31, 2024 YouTube Second Reformed Church

            Jesus had been savagely tormented, flogged, crucified, forsaken by God the Father, and died that first Good Friday.  Most of the men went into hiding, but John, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea and the women took Jesus’ body and lay it in the garden tomb that Joseph had purchased for himself.  They left Jesus there – partially embalmed – and a stone was rolled across the door and numerous Roman centurions were set to guard the tomb to make sure nobody stole the body.  The Sabbath – Saturday – was upon them, and the Jews had to observe the Sabbath.

            Diane raised the interesting question of what the disciples did during the hours from Friday evening through Sunday morning.  Did they observe the Passover as God had instructed?  Did they go about the Sabbath as they were commanded?  All we know is that they were afraid and in hiding for fear of the Jews and the Romans coming after Jesus’ disciples.

            Knowing this and hearing our text this morning, we see:

            First, Jesus’ disciples did not understand that He must rise.

John gives us an abbreviated account of the women going early the morning of the first day of the week to finish the embalming of Jesus.  In fact, John only mentions Mary Magdalene.  She comes to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away – and – implied as it is – the centurions are not there.  And as Mary looks into the tomb, she sees that Jesus is not there and her understanding is that someone must have stolen the body – she certainly didn’t think that Jesus had physically risen from the dead.

If we consider that theory now, it seems utterly unlikely that someone could have stolen Jesus’ body from the tomb with the heavy stone in the way, the Roman seal on the tomb, and the numerous centurions guarding the tomb.

So Mary runs to where the men are hiding and tells Peter and John, and Peter and John run to the tomb, and they go into the tomb and see the grave clothes lying in the tomb, but the body of Jesus is missing.  And they see and believe the testimony of Mary – someone has stolen Jesus’ body.

And our text tells us, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.”

Why must Jesus rise?

Two reasons:  Jesus must rise for the Scripture to be authoritative.  And Jesus must rise to be the Savior.

Jesus must rise for the Scripture to be authoritative.

There are many Scriptures that say that the Savior must physically rise from the dead.  Some examples:  Paul mentions three of them from the Psalms, and another is found in Isaiah 53:

            “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize [Jesus] nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

            “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’

            “And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

            “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

            “Therefore he says also in another psalm,

            “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

            “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:26-39, ESV).

            Paul explains that these three verses from the Psalms show that Jesus – the Savior – must physically rise from the dead – and those who killed Him fulfilled the very prophesies that are read every day in the Temple, but they didn’t understand them – those who were supposedly the teachers of Israel, did not understand what they were supposed to teach – the Word of God.

            Isaiah familiarly prophesies:

“By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

            “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; then his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:8-10, ESV).

            Isaiah prophesies that Jesus – the Savior – will be taken away, killed, buried in a rich man’s grave, although He didn’t sin.  Yet, this was God’s will for Him to be our Substitute – a perfect offering before God.  And God will allow Him to see His offspring – those who follow Him, after death, His life will be prolonged – He will physically rise from the dead.

            And we might think, “Ok, these Scriptures say that the Savior will physically rise from the dead, but why does John say He ‘must’ rise from the dead?”

            The answer is in understanding what the Scripture is.  We call the Bible – the Scripture – the Word of God.  If the Scripture is the Word of God – even though we affirm that the Bible was written in history by a number of people in their own writing styles and according to their own abilities – if the Scripture is the Word of God, then it is infallible and inerrant – everything it says must be true – in its context – and every prophecy given by God and through His prophets must come to pass, because God can’t make a mistake – God can’t be wrong.

            If the Scripture is the Word of God, it is authoritative and is to be understood as coming from God, by human authors superintended over by God the Holy Spirit so there would be no errors.

            If Jesus – the Savior – did not physically rise from the dead, then the Bible is not the Word of God – we have no reason to believe any of it – and we should just go home.

Jesus must rise for the Scripture to be authoritative.

          And Jesus must rise to be the Savior.

The Savior will take upon Himself all of our sin and pay the debt for it – securing that we will be free from sin and death and evil in the Kingdom.  If Jesus does not physically rise from the dead, He has not conquered death, and He is not the Savior.

So, Jesus must rise to be the Savior.

The Good News is that Jesus did physically rise from the dead.  He is the Savior.  The Word of God is God’s Word.  Or salvation is secure in Jesus.  And so we celebrate.

The second thing we see in our text is Jesus’ disciples wanted Him to stay.

Mary returns to the tomb after Peter and John leave, and she looks in and she seems two angels, but she is so fixated on finding Jesus, that seeing angels doesn’t faze her, she just wants to know if they moved Him or know where He is.

Mary hears something and turns to find Jesus, standing in the Garden outside of the tomb.  However, her eyes are not yet open.  She doesn’t recognize that this is Jesus, physically risen from the dead, until He says her name, “Mary.”

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her.”

Have you ever lost something meaningful to you and then found it sometime later?  Have you ever lost touch with a friend you deeply cared about and then reconnected?  Have you ever had a family member seriously injured or deathly ill and then have them recover?  The way you feel in those situations begin to approximate what Mary and the other disciples felt when they realized that Jesus is physically alive.  They had seen Him die.  They had buried Him.  Yet, here He is alive – in the flesh!

The other Gospels tell us that Mary and the other women fall down before Him and grab His ankles and feet.  And Jesus invites Thomas to touch Him to see that He has truly, physically risen from the dead.  And Jesus eats fish with the disciples during the forty days after the resurrection.  Jesus is physically alive – He is risen!

Once they believed that, their reaction is to hold on to Jesus and not let Him go – to not let Him be seen by anyone who might hurt Him again – to cover over the windows and put bubble wrap all over the Upper Room and lock Jesus in so they will never lose Him again.

Jesus knew that would be their reaction, and that is why He immediately told Mary not to cling to Him.  Jesus told Mary not to covet His physical presence with her – He could not stay on earth – He had to return to the Father and sit on His throne and reign sovereignly over all of creation and prepare the Kingdom for all who will ever believe in Him.

We understand not wanting to let someone go.  The disciples had been with Jesus for three years and watched Him die – they didn’t want to let go – they didn’t want to lose Him again.  But He had to assume His rightful place in Heaven at the right hand of the Father as our Mediator.

When Jesus did leave after forty days, the disciples couldn’t keep from staring up into the sky.  Luke tells us:

“And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11, ESV).

And that’s our hope, isn’t it?  We rejoice that Jesus physically rose from the dead – proving the authority of the Scripture and that He is our victorious Savior.  Yet, our hope is that He is returning – with the Kingdom – to glorify us and bring us in with Him forever.

We hope with great assurance and in great comfort as we hear John’s vision:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:1-4, ESV).

As we prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper, let us receive the ancient Memorial Acclamation:

 “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

          “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.

          “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.

            “Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Saviour of the world” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Acclamation).

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we rejoice and celebrate and give thanks to You for sending Your Son to be a human being, to live, and suffer, and die, and rise again that we would receive salvation.  May our hearts rejoice and our lives be changed that all would be to You and to Your Glory.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Through the Curtain" Sermon: Hebrews 10:19-25 (video)

 "Through the Curtain" Sermon: Hebrews 10:19-25 (video) (youtube.com)

"Through the Curtain" Sermon: Hebrews 10:19-25 (manuscript)

 

“Through the Curtain”

[Hebrews 10:19-25]

April 19, 2019, Second Reformed Church

March 29, 2024 YouTube Second Reformed Chruch

 

            Comedians have pointed out that some of our “Christianese” is not readily understandable by unbelievers.  For example, if we say, “Have you been washed in the blood?” many people will be confused about what we mean.  Similarly, we may be confused when the author of Hebrews tells us that we have been saved through the curtain.

            In chapter ten of the letter to the Hebrews, the author explains that the sacrificial system has ended because the blood sacrifice of Jesus is once and perfect and fulfills the whole system.  So no additional sacrifice ever has to be made again.  Jesus died a perfect death once, and it was complete and satisfies everything God requires, so no additional animals should be sacrificed, and Jesus does not need to be sacrificed again.  Therefore, we are saved through the curtain.

            Let’s understand this:

            First, the curtain symbolized separation from God due to sin.

            When Israel was in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land, God instructed Moses to build a mobile worship building called the Tabernacle.  God gave detailed instructions about the size and materials the Tabernacle was to be built with.

            In the innermost part of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies.  This part of the Tabernacle was the place where God descended, and it was off limits to everyone, except the high priest once a year, when he offered up sacrifice on behalf of all of Israel for their sins on Yom Kippur.

            The Holy of Holies was separated from the next section of the Tabernacle by a curtain that was fifteen feet high and fifteen feet wide.  And we read:

            “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place” (Exodus 26:31-34, ESV).

            This is the imagery that the author of Hebrews is using in our text – due to our sin – in the Tabernacle – God instructed that there be a curtain separating God from humans, because God cannot stand to be in the presence of sin.  And we understand this spiritually, in the sacrificial system with its high priest and the other priests through whom everyone had to go to bring their offerings and sacrifices to God.  No one had direct access to God due to sin – and the curtain symbolized the sin that separates sinners from God.

            Second, Jesus’ crucifixion and death tore the curtain open.

Matthew records:

            “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, ‘This man is calling Elijah.’ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

            “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:45-54, ESV).

            As Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn open – from top to bottom – it was torn open from fifteen feet in the air down.  The Holy of Holies was now open and exposed and anyone whose sins were forgiven could approach God directly.

            Why?

            Because, through Jesus’ life, suffering, and death, He credits all those who will ever believe in Him with His holy life and takes on Himself the debt for all of our sin – the Wrath of God – and He pays that debt, so all we who believe are seen as holy, righteous and sinless through Jesus.

            It is through the One Final Sacrifice of Jesus – and the tearing open of His flesh – that the spiritual curtain that kept us from coming before God and living has been torn open through His blood.

            The author of Hebrews writes:

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,”

Jesus has credited us with a perfect keeping of God’s Law and He has paid the debt for all of our sins – (these things we receive through faith) – so now – through His blood – through His flesh – through His One and Final Sacrifice – as both High Priest and Sacrifice – we are welcome to enter the holy place – to come into the house of God and boldly ask of Him as the children of their Father.

Because of Jesus’ life, suffering, and death, you – if you are a believer in the historical Jesus and what He did – you are able to come before God and ask Him for your daily needs and He will give them to you.  You can come before His very presence without fear and worship Him and thank Him and glorify Him.  Because that curtain has been torn apart – Jesus’ flesh was torn open – for each one who will believe.

Knowing and understand this, what shall we do?

The author of Hebrews tells us three things that we ought to do in response to this:

First, let us draw near to God with full assurance that we are forgiven.

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

As we come before God in worship and in prayer, let us not doubt that Jesus’ work is enough to save us.  Let us not doubt that He has saved us, as we are assured through our belief in Him and His work in our hearts and through the confession of that belief with our mouths.

Let us not worry that we are not good enough to come before the Almighty God, because we’re not!  But Jesus is, and He has washed us with His blood and made us right with God through His work.  We have been bought with a price – Who is Jesus – and we are now His, co-heirs with Him of the Kingdom and the adopted children of God.

Do you believe that Jesus is God the Son in the flesh, and He lived and died to make you right with God?  Do you love Jesus?  If so, be assured that you are right with God, you are saved, you can draw near to His Father and our Father and He will receive you with open arms – just as He does Jesus.

Second, let us hold fast to our confession.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

The Apostle’s Creed is a brief summary of the faith – and it contains what we must believe to be saved.  And as we learn more and more through the reading and preaching of the Word, our confession – the truth that we known about God and salvation through His Son – grows.

We know Jesus is God the Only Savior.  We know that He has gone to prepare the Kingdom for us.  We know that He is coming back and will bring us into that Kingdom.  That’s our hope – our sure hope – what we know will happen, though it hasn’t happened yet.  Don’t waver!  Turn away for those who teach anything contrary to the clear teaching of the Scripture – especially about Jesus and His being God the One Savior.  Rebuke the devil and he will flee.

And understand that we are bold in our confession and in our coming before God, our Father, not because we understand everything or have everything figured out.  No, we are bold and sure and confess our faith without wavering because Jesus is faithful.  He is the Good Shepherd Who lay down His life for His sheep – and He will never – He can never – desert us or fail us.  He chose us to be His and we are His forever – safe in His hands.

And third, let us stir up love and good works, especially as we worship together.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

One of the things we are always to be about is increasing love of God and love of neighbor in our brothers and sisters.  It should be a goal of ours to help our brothers and sisters in Christ love God and neighbor better.  We are to be teaching and discipling people and praying for their growth in faith and obedience.  Let us share with one another the ways in which we are loving God and neighbor and the ways in which we need help in loving God and neighbor.

Another thing we are to do is to encourage one another to do good works – especially in the church.  God has gifted us in many and varied ways.

Peter writes:

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 4:7-11, ESV).

Then we are told not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some.

Do you know what that means?  It means some Christians think public worship – gathering together whenever we gather for worship – is optional.  Now, there are emergencies.  We do get sick from time to time.  Some people must work a job that keeps them from normal worship.  But it is not normally right to skip worship because you have a busy life or want to do something else.  Understand, this is between you and God.

It is when we gather together in worship Paul says, that we are “[equipped] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:12b-16, ESV).

When we gather together as the church – as God commands – we are equipped and strengthened and matured.

More on that another time.

Sin makes us unable to be right with God.  The curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Tabernacle and Temple was a constant reminder that God is holy and we are not.  But the curtain was torn open as Jesus’ body was savaged and He was crucified – as He screamed out in the horror of being separated from His Father.  This He did to make us right with God – so we could pass through the curtain into the throne room of God.

And now we can enter boldly with full assurance of our salvation, confess the truths of the faith without wavering – for God is with us, and we gather together as the people of God to stir up our love – to obey God through faith, to encourage each other to do the good works God has set before us.  And as we worship together and stir each other up and encourage one another as the Church – God matures us and makes us ready to be His people every day.

We live in a time when even Christians do these things less and less.  But the author of Hebrews tells us to do these things more and more, because Jesus is returning – the Day of Judgment is near – even more near than it was two thousand years ago.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, on this Good Friday, we remember the physical torment Your Son went through to make us right with You.  We thank You for this great and final sacrifice, and ask that You would send the Holy Spirit in fuller measure, that our hearts and minds would be sharply pricked, and we would obey You in all that You have commanded, because the Day is near.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"The Lord's Supper" Sermon: I Corinthians 11:23-26 (video)

 "The Lord's Supper" Sermon: I Corinthians 11:23-26 (video) (youtube.com)

"The Lord's Supper" Sermon: I Corinthians 11:23-26 (manuscript)

 

“The Lord’s Supper”

[1 Corinthians 11:23-26]

April 18, 2019, Second Reformed Church

March 28, 2024, YouTube, Second Reformed Church

We turn to a familiar passage this Maundy Thursday – the institution of the Lord’s Supper – words that we hear every Sunday in this church.  Let’s consider for a few moments what the Lord’s Supper is.

First, the Lord’s Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal.

We read in the Gospel of Mark:

“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, ‘Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?’ And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, “The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.’ And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover” (Mark 14:12-16, ESV).

            It was that Thursday night before Easter – the day before the crucifixion – that Jesus and His disciples gather in the upper room to celebrate the Passover with Him.  It was the first day of Unleavened Bread – the first day of the Passover – in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt when Israel prepared bread quickly for her escape – without leaven to make it rise – that they gathered together – after Jesus gives the disciples instructions not unlike the instructions that He gave them prior to the Triumphal Entry.

            Then Jesus turns to the elements of the Passover – the lamb, the cup of wine, and the matzo.  Jesus does not say anything about the lamb at this point, but the bread He calls His body and the cup He calls the new covenant in His blood.  And so, Jesus tells them that, as they celebrate in the future, they do so seeing the elements of remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt as the elements of their deliverance by Jesus in the new covenant.  Whereas they understood the bread and the cup as looking back to the time when they had to move quickly in the escape won by God from the Egyptians, now they would receive the bread and the cup remembering that the body and blood of Jesus join us together in the new covenant and delivers us in another way.

            Second, the Passover represents the reality of our move from darkness into light.

Moses spoke to Israel about the Passover:

“You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.  And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped” (Exodus 12:24-27, ESV).

            Notice, God instructs Israel through Moses that this will be an eternal rite – an eternal sacrament – for all of Israel.  And that when the children – who did not suffer in Egypt or go through the wilderness, but were born in the Promised Land, ask what the sacrament means – forever and ever – Israel shall answer, “It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.”

            The Lord did not just pass over the houses of those who left Egypt, or the parents of the children born in the Promised Land, but of everyone of Israel for whom the deliverance is given.

            How are we to understand this deliverance applied to those over three thousand years ago and as a member of the Israel of God today?

            Paul writes, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9-14, ESV).

            In a parallel way to God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land – which is received by all true Israel, so God has delivered all those who will ever believe in Jesus from slavery to sin in the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in Whom we are redeemed to God and forgiven for all of our sins by God.

            Third, Jesus is the Passover Lamb.

            In the history of the Exodus, we read:

“Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you’” (Exodus 12:21-23, ESV).

Paul tells us, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (I Corinthians 5:7, ESV).

Using the Passover imagery of unleavened bread and the Passover lamb, Paul tells us that Jesus is, Himself, the Passover Lamb, Who was slaughtered to saved us and deliver us from our slavery to sin, and from being condemned to eternal suffering, even as His blood covers us, as the lamb’s blood covered the lintels and doorposts of Israel in Egypt.

The author of Hebrews also explains, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22-24, ESV).

So, Jesus takes the place of the Passover Lamb in being sacrificed for us and it is through the sprinkled blood – now not just over the door, but over us – that we are cleansed and delivered.

And we quickly consider the question, then, if we are eating the bread and drinking the cup, are we eating and drinking Jesus?  A number of traditions say “yes” based on Jesus saying, “This is my body.”

Here’s the problem – and the reason we answer “no” – Jesus has a completely human body.  In order for Jesus’ body to be literally eaten for two thousand years, His body could not be that of a real human being, His body would have to be superhuman or divinized, which would mean we do not have a human representative before God on our behalf.  And we must have a real human being representing us before God, because only a real human being can take the place of a real human being as Jesus did for us in keeping the Law and paying our debt for sin.

What, then, do we understand about the Lord’s Supper?

Paul explains to the Corinthians, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

Paul tells us that as we receive the Lord’s Supper, three things occur:

We remember.  We remember that God sent His Son to become a human to live a perfect life under the Law of God and then die taking on the sins of everyone who will ever believe in Him.  We remember that something historical happened.  And it is that historical event, concerning a historical Person, through Whom we receive salvation.

We commune.  We commune with Jesus spiritually as those who have become members of the new covenant through Jesus.  He lived for us and lives in us and sends (with God the Father) God the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us and change us, transforming us into to Image of Jesus that we will perfectly bear when we are glorified and received into the Kingdom.

Therefore, we hope.  We hope as we receive the elements – proclaiming the Gospel – this historical thing that God the Son did, Incarnate in the person of Jesus, through Whom we now live and hope for the coming Kingdom – the banishment of sin and death and the devil, and the reconciliation of the Creation and each one who ever believes, that we will assuredly enter a Kingdom far greater than the Garden of Eden because sin is excluded.  We will walk with God in the world and have joy inexpressible.

And so, the Lord’s Supper is not an “add-on” to the worship service, but the fulfillment of the Passover, a visual representation of the Gospel – our moving from slavery in the kingdom of sin to the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son, and the understanding of Jesus as our Passover Lamb.

Let us remember, and commune, and have hope with all assurance through this sacrament that Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, help us to receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper.  Keep us from considering it a snack or an “add-on” to worship.  Help us to see the importance of its place by the Word and in our worship.  Grant us fuller assurance of salvation as we receive the bread and the cup.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"Has to Be" Sermon: Luke 19:28-40 (video)

 "Has to Be" Sermon: Luke 19:28-40 (youtube.com)

"Has to Be" Sermon: Luke 19:28-40 (manuscript)

 

“Has to Be”

[Luke 19:28-40]

April 14, 2019 Second Reformed Church

March 24, 2024 YouTube

            Jesus was thirty years old when He left His father’s carpentry shop and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by His cousin, John.  From there, He spent three years teaching people all around His homeland – explaining what God has truly said, and when John the Baptist asked if Jesus is the promised Savior, Jesus said, “And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me’” (Luke 7:22-23, ESV).

            Just before this, we read, “And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.  And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’

            “’And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “’“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”’” (Luke 4: 16-21, ESV).

            If Jesus is God the Savior, then it has to be true that Jesus fulfills all of the prophecies about the promised Savior.  If Jesus does not fulfill all of the prophesies or does something against one of the prophecies, then He cannot be the Savior.

            The first text is from Isaiah 29 and 35.  The second text is from Isaiah 61.  Jesus tells the crowd and John’s disciples, “I have fulfilled this prophecy – this text – which has to be fulfilled by the Savior; Yes, I am the Savior.”

Three years later, we have this morning’s text, and we see:

First, Jesus has to ride into Jerusalem on a colt.

“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” you shall say this: “The Lord has need of it.”’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.”

Why?

Jesus walked here there and everywhere, around and around Israel, and now that He’s a mile and a half outside of Jerusalem, He says, “No further.  I want to ride a colt for the rest of the trip.  Go into town and take one and just say ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Why?

Because it has to be.

Zechariah prophecies, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9, ESV).

It is prophesied that the Savior will come into Jerusalem in this way.  The Savior will ride a colt into Jerusalem as a sign that this is the Savior God sent.  And so, just as He was born in a borrowed bed, He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed colt.  And the biblically literate world in which He lived knew He was telling them – in this act – that He is God the Savior.

Some of the people understood what Jesus was doing and cried out.

            Second, Jesus has to be praised as God and King.

“And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’”

Many in the crowd cry out, and what they cry out is not accidental.  They understand Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and thy respond by quoting prophecy.

Psalm 118 ends:

          “Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.

“The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:25-29, ESV).

“Hosanna,” as we read in the other gospels, means, “Save us, we pray.”

Knowing that what they say is from this Psalm, and this Psalm is directed towards God and God Alone, we can conclude that these people recognized – on some level, anyway, that Jesus is God the Savior.  It is unlikely that they understood the fullness of what this means – even the apostles didn’t understand until after the resurrection.

Third, Jesus has to receive the crowd’s praise.

“And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’”

Some of Pharisees aren’t upset because what the crowd was saying is untrue – some of them don’t care whether it is true or not.  The issue for them is that Jesus’ popularity with the people is taking power and authority away from them because the people are looking to Jesus for His interpretation – His teaching on the Law and the Prophets, and they are questioning what the Pharisees are teaching.

Others of the Pharisees are upset because they don’t believe it is true – which is why the word “rebuke” is used.  These people were calling Jesus God, and that is blasphemy (if it isn’t true), so they called on Jesus to rebuke them – to deny that He is God.

But Jesus tells them it has to be – they know that He is God and Savior, so they have to call out and praise Him and ask for His salvation.  Even so, if they were silenced – the stones on the ground would cry out.

What?

Jesus wasn’t saying that the actual rocks would cry out praising Him and identifying Him as God the Savior, is He?

Maybe He meant that the most stubborn of His disciples would refuse to stop praising Him.  Maybe He meant that the lowest of the low would not listen to any authority, but would continue to cry out what they had heard.

Or, maybe Jesus meant the rocks would cry out…

The Psalmist tells us it is the right duty of all creation, not just humans, to praise God for Who He is.

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!

“Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!

          “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!

“Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

“Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.

“And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

          “Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, “snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

          “Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!

“Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!

“Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!

“Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

          “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is “above earth and heaven.

“He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 148:1-14, ESV).

All of Creation praises the Lord.  All of Creation glorifies God.  All of Creation shows God to be Who He is and He will be praised for Who He is and what He has done.  The Creation recognizes Jesus for Who He is.  So, He has to be praised.

When Jesus was crucified, the sun went dark, the earth quaked, rocks split, and many of the dead saints were raised and came into the city – why do we doubt that the stones on the road to Jerusalem would not cry out that this is Jesus, God in the flesh, the promised Savior?

In order for Jesus to be our Savior, everything that is prophesied about Him had to come to pass.  It has to be.

If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, it has to be.

Let us pray:

Almighty God. You have given us Your Word and the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, and we ask that we would read Your Word and hear Your Word and receive Your Word as the Holy Spirit helps us – that we would respond rightly, with joy, in obedience, and to Your Glory.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.