Jesus’ Eulogy
Acts 2:22-24
April 16, 2017

If you are familiar with the text I just read, you know that it was part of the sermon that the apostle Peter preached at Pentecost.

• Pentecost coincided with the Jewish “Feast of Weeks” which was a celebratory feast 50 days after the Passover.

• And so it was the first big Jewish “get together” that occurred in Jerusalem since the Passover (which was of course the time when Jesus was crucified).

There has now been 50 days to reflect.
There has now been 50 days to process.

Jerusalem is once again packed with faithful Jews ready to celebrate.

However, on this day a miraculous phenomenon would occur.
(READ ACTS 2:1-4)

Now just to be clear,
• When we are talking about speaking with tongues, it was not some sort of mindless gibberish which was being spoken. Nor were they speaking “unknown” tongues, or even “angelic” or “heavenly” tongues.

The word “tongues” simply means languages.
• On this day, all of a sudden the 70 believers who had gathered together in the upper room were instantly filled with the Holy Spirit and they all began to speak other languages.

Verses 5-13 indicate to us that very thing.
(READ 5-13)

And so we learn that as the disciples spoke these other languages,
Some of the people actually accused them of simply being drunk.

And it was at this point that Peter stands up
To deliver something that had thus far been missing,
And that was The Eulogy of Jesus.

If you will remember,
• Jesus had died late on Friday,
• And in order to get Him buried before the Holy day (Saturday)
• He was buried in haste, in a borrowed tomb.

Of course by the time Sunday came around and the women went to go and properly care for His body, He wasn’t there.

Meaning, Jesus died, but they never got to have a funeral
And no one ever delivered a eulogy to remember Him.
Jesus’ Eulogy would in fact come 50 days later here at Pentecost.

And honestly, in part,
That is precisely what we do in church every Sunday morning.

We gather together to remember Christ.
• To proclaim all that He accomplished, and to pay our respects to Him.
• We gather to celebrate His life
• We gather to honor His death
• And unlike other funerals, we gather to glory in His resurrection.

What we do is very much like a eulogy.
• This gathering is not about you…
• This gathering is not about me…
• It is about Christ…

His eulogy continues to be proclaimed throughout the world,
Even to this very day.

Well, the first time Jesus’ Eulogy was ever given
Was here at this Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.

• The Jews have gathered,
• The disciples start speaking of Christ in other languages
• Immediately the skeptics accuse them of being drunk.
And this is where Peter stands to respond.

He first addresses the accusation of drunkenness.
(READ 14-21)
These men aren’t drunk, they are filled with God’s Spirit and are in fact a fulfillment of what the prophet Joel promised.

In short, what you are seeing is the fulfillment of God’s promise
To send His Holy Spirit.

And after that brief explanation,
Peter then addressed the audience to deliver that eulogy of Jesus.

One could break this eulogy down into 4 major points about Jesus.
#1 HIS HUMBLE BEGINNING
Acts 2:22a

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene,..”

It is quite common when delivering a eulogy or even when reading an obituary to begin with a person’s birth.
• Commonly we find when a person was born
• Where they were born
• Who their parents are

And you can actually tell quite a bit about a person
And the life they lived simply by knowing this.

• If we say a person was born in 1925 we instantly know quite a bit about what
their childhood was like, for they went through the depression.

You get the idea.

Well Peter here wastes no time
Reminding us of the humble beginnings of Christ.

• While He was born in Bethlehem,
• The Bible tells us that shortly after His birth His family was forced to flee to Egypt because Herod was trying to kill all the Hebrew babies.

After the death of Herod, Joseph and Mary and Jesus returned to Israel.

Matthew 2:19-23 “But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

This is the first reference to Jesus being called “a Nazarene”
And it is a huge statement about His life.

Nazareth was not a popular city.
• In fact, it was a city of contempt.
• Because Nazareth housed a Roman Garrison, it was looked upon as a traitor city.

You may remember the response of Nathaniel when Philip first told him about Jesus.
John 1:43-46 “The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

To be labeled a Nazarene was a term of contempt and derision.
In fact, it was a label that carried over to those who followed Jesus,
As they were commonly referred to as “The Sect of the Nazarenes”

Peter reminds us of this humble beginning for our Lord.
• He didn’t live this life seated on a velvet cushion…
• He didn’t walk through life with the respect of the upper class…
• He didn’t enjoy delicacies and fancy greetings…

Jesus walked among the rejected and the scorned and the hated.
Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

This was Jesus.
• Letting go of His status…
• Relinquishing His glory…
• Taking on servant hood and slavery…
• Embracing suffering and shame…

Jesus was not born to privilege and a life of ease.
He was a “Nazarene”

And, not to stray too far off point, we know why.

He was born into difficulty and shame
So that He might identify with those who suffer
And might be a more sympathetic High Priest.

Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 5:8-9 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

All of Jesus’ suffering and difficulty
Was so that He might be a better Savior for us.

But in giving Jesus’ Eulogy, Peter begins with His Humble Beginning.
Jesus was a “Nazarene”

#2 HIS HOLY LIFE
Acts 2:22b

“Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know”

You are also aware that in an obituary, or eulogy it is customary to talk about what this person did in life.
• What they did…
• How they did it…

And while it is typical to hear about someone being a “good person”
Or a “loyal person” or a “God-fearing” person.

The truth is that I don’t know that anyone ever totally lives up to what is said about them at their funeral.
But Jesus most certainly did.

JESUS WAS HOLY.
JESUS WAS PERFECT.

We just read about it in Hebrews.
That Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

What you should also know is that this claim to be perfect
Was validated by many people at many different times.

Do you recall the man who betrayed Jesus?
Matthew 27:3-4 “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”

Do you recall the man who sentenced Jesus to death?
John 19:4-6 “Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

Do you recall the man who died beside Jesus?
Luke 23:41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

The perfection of Jesus was obvious to everyone,
Even those who had a hand in crucifying Him.

But those testimonies run a distant second to God’s testimony of Him.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

The reality is that Jesus was validated in life by God.
He always did the things that were pleasing to God,
And God made it evident.

• We have the voice of God at Jesus’ baptism saying, “This is My beloved Son”
• And we have that voice again saying the same thing on the mountain where He was transfigured.

God audibly testified to the perfection of Christ.
But God also “attested” Him “with miracles and wonders and signs”

God gave Christ these miracles to perform
In order that it might demonstrate exactly who He was
And how acceptable He was to God.

The blind man figured it out pretty quickly.
John 9:30-33 “The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

Typically at a funeral stories are told about the good things a person has done, and these are meant to give a sort of validation that the deceased was in fact a good person and one who would be missed.

Well we don’t have near enough time to tell all the stories on Jesus.
• Feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish
• Healing withered leprosy, withered hands, paralysis, bleeding, blindness, etc.
• Casting out demons
• Calming the storm
• Raising the dead

Or how about if we opened the floor to loved ones who wanted to share what Jesus meant to them?
• We’d be here indefinitely.

I mean, it is blatantly obvious that God was in this man,
And God was for this man,
And that reminds us of His perfection.

We say all sorts of people live good lives, but Jesus really did;
And God attested to the fact.

Jesus was a man acquainted with scorn and grief
And yet He was in fact the holiest man who ever lived.

His Humble Beginning, His Holy Life
#3 HIS HORRIFIC DEATH
Acts 2:23

Many times while listening to a eulogy or an obituary, it will also speak to the person’s death.
• Sometimes we just read the date, but other times we find out what actually caused the death.
• Cancer, or old age, or a tragic accident.

Well Peter is no different, he makes sure this audience knows about
The horrific death of Christ.
And first we read that Christ’s death was all part of the plan.
“this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”

We are reminded that Christ’s death was all part of the plan.

In fact, even Christ knew that this is why He came.
John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

Many time Jesus sought to drive this fact into the mind of His followers who just couldn’t imagine it.

Luke 9:43-44 “But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

And I suppose men could wonder that if Jesus was so holy and righteous,
Why God would plan for Him to die.

Well that answer is spelled out clearly in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

It was all about redemption.
Only a righteous man could actually pay the penalty for sinful men.

If Jesus had been a sinner, He could have only paid His own debt.
God’s plan was for a righteous man to die in the stead of sinners.

He was treated as though He were a sinner
Even though He was righteous,
So that we could be treated as though we are righteous
Even though we are sinners.

This cross was all a part of God’s plan.

But while the cross was Sovereign in Design, it was Sinister in Delivery.

For Peter says “you nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

Just because God ordained the cross as the means of salvation
Does not mean those who did it aren’t still guilty.

Remember Judas?
Matthew 26:24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

In fact, earlier in the book of Acts, when the disciples are finding Judas’ replacement, they make it clear that Judas suffered for his sin.

Acts 1:24-25 “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The fact is that those who crucified Christ were guilty for it before God.
They condemned an innocent man and put Him to death.

Incidentally, all who still crucify Christ are guilty.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Those who crucify Christ.
Even those who crucify Him to themselves, are in fact guilty before God.

And Peter wants his crowd to know that.
JESUS DIED LIKE A SINNER, FOR SINNERS, BY SINNERS.

And we are told why.
(we read it earlier in our Scripture reading)
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

It was a horrific death to say the least,
But it was a death with a sovereign purpose.
THAT PURPOSE WAS TO SAVE SINNERS.

His Humble Beginning, His Holy Life, His Horrific Death
#4 HIS HEROIC RESURRECTION
Acts 2:24

Well this is obviously foreign to the obituaries we are accustomed to.
We may speak of a future resurrection, Peter here speaks of a past one.

He wasn’t speaking about how someday Jesus would rise,
He said that Jesus had already risen.

“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death”

That is to say that God would not allow this man to stay dead.

And then Peter explains that.
“since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

Why is that?
• We certainly haven’t seen that problem with anyone else.
• Peter said it was impossible for death to hold Jesus.

We hate death, because it is impossible for us to get death to let go.
We hate death because it seems so final.

But speaking of Jesus, Peter says it is the other way around.
It was impossible for death to hold Jesus.
WHY?

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death”

The only way death holds anyone is because of sin.
Jesus had none, and death couldn’t hold Him.

AND THIS IS WHY THE RESURRECTION IS SO IMPORTANT.
THE RESURRECTION VALIDATES THE CROSS.

So Jesus claims to sinless and claims to die in the place of sinners.
• How do you know it worked?
• How do you know He really was sinless?
• How do you know He wasn’t just good at hiding it?
• How do you know He didn’t have some secret?

I’ll tell you how you know:
HE ROSE

Death had no grounds to hold Him.
He really was sinless and therefore His death really was for others.

He is our hero, who bore our sin, took our wrath, paid our debt,
And proved it by rising from the dead.

Now, IF YOU WANT PROOF of the event, that is what Peter gives next.

First is FULFILLED PROPHECY
(Read 25-31)
• Peter reveals that David prophesied that this would happen and it did.

Second is EYE WITNESS TESTIMONY
(Read 32)
• There are several who are willing to stake their lives on the fact that they saw Him die and then saw Him alive.

Third is THE ARRIVAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Read 33-36)
• Remember all those weird thing going on today?
• The speaking of languages and such?
Well that is because the Holy Spirit is here.

And the Holy Spirit is here because Christ has ascended to heaven
And taken His seat at the right hand of God.

And Peter says:
(36) “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Want to know Peter’s point?
YOU BLEW IT!
• You just killed the Son of God.
• You just killed the Messiah.
• You just killed the Lord of Lords.

And God has made that evident.

This funeral turned out a little harsher than the people expected didn’t it?
• When is the last time you went to a funeral and found out that God was holding you responsible for the person’s death?

Well that is what Israel just learned.

The response then is fitting:
(37-40) “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

When you realize that Christ died because of you,
There is only one fitting response.

That response is to repent of your sin
And submit your life to Jesus Christ.

Peter called for baptism because this was a public demonstration of loyalty to Christ. It was a fitting symbol of true remorse and contrition.

And you will notice that on this day, PEOPLE RESPONDED.
(41-42) “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

And I guess that brings us here today as well.

My only objective here today
Was to make sure that you attended the funeral of Jesus.

I wanted you to see HIS HUMBLE BEGINNING.
Isaiah 53:1-3 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

I wanted you to see HIS HOLY LIFE and HIS HORRIFIC DEATH
Isaiah 53:4-9 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 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 For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

And I wanted you to see His Heroic Resurrection
Isaiah 53:10-12 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

And I want you to understand that He died because of you;
And He died because of me.
(It certainly wasn’t because of His own sin)

And as such, He deserves that we each repent of our sins
And submit our lives totally to Him.

Anything less is sure and certain condemnation
As His death is the only means of salvation.

But submitting to the reality is the pathway to life indeed.

It is the funeral message of Jesus,
And throughout the ages more people have been brought to life
From this eulogy than from any other.

This morning, I would invite you to submit your life to Christ as well.
And know that HE IS AN ABLE SAVIOR
As evidenced by His resurrection from the dead.

The More Sure Word – Part 2
2 Peter 1:16-21
April 9, 2017

Last Sunday night we began our new study
Which we are calling 500 years of Reformation.

The reason we call it that is because to most who study the reformation and hold it as dear, THE REFORMATION NEVER ENDS.

Another common phrase that came out of that period was:
Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda
“The Church Reformed, Always being Reformed”

The idea is that because we are sinful humans bent to stray,
We are always in constant need of God’s reforming work in our lives
Through His perfect word.

• We would never say that we have arrived.
• We would never say that we are beyond correction.
• We would never say that God is finished.

We are those who continually need our lives examined and corrected.

We run to the Scriptures
• That God may reform our actions
• That God may reform our words
• That God may reform our motives
• That God may reform our ministries
• That God may reform our faith
• That God may reform our doctrine
• That God may reform our traditions

We call this study 500 Years of Reformation because we believe that
While many credit Luther’s act as the beginning of the reformation,
We have never seen cause to call it over.

The Church must continually be reformed from our sinful tendencies
Into agreement with the very word of God.

That is why we started were we did LAST WEEK.
I asked you, “What dictates what you believe?”

This was foundational for the reformers.
• They lived in an era that was dominated with papal authority and the rigid commitment to church traditions and councils.

• The reformers made the decision to look past those lesser authorities to the very word God, and as they began to study Scripture, the reformation was ready to explode.

The term for the reformers came to be SOLA SCRIPTURA
Scripture alone would be their final authority.
Scripture alone would be the sufficient guide for life and godliness.

And that is what we have begun to talk about.
You must determine where your authority is.

• Do you trust in the ecclesiastical reign of bishops and popes?
• Do you lean upon years of traditions?
• Do you run to science as the authority for all things?
• Do you look to reason as your final answer?
• Do you think your own preference and inner thoughts serve you best?
• Does your experience dictate what is true?

Well, what I want to make sure you UNDERSTAND FROM THE OUTSET
Is exactly WHAT THE REFORMERS LEARNED
And that is that nothing is as sure as Scripture.

When we ended last time I read for you that quote from Martin Luther as he stood on trial at the Diet of Worms.
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other, may God help me. Amen.”

Luther knew there was but one infallible rock upon which he could rest,
And that was the rock of God’s word.

That is precisely what Peter is trying to show us here in our text tonight.
He is calling his people to understand that regardless of the mockers around them, they have the truth.
• It is not truth bound in their own reasoning
• It is not truth bound in their scientific evidence
• It is not even truth bound in their experiences

And you’ll remember that as far as experiences go, Peter had a good one.
• He actually saw with his own eyes, Jesus transfigured.
• He actually heard with his own ears that voice from heaven declaring Christ alone pleasing to the Father.

But even that was not Peter’s ultimate authority.

Peter wrote:
(19) “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Literally (in the Greek) Peter says, “we have the more sure prophetic word”

That is to say, “Yes, I have my experience on the mountain, but I’ll tell you what is even more sure than that, and that is the word of God.”

Peter is pointing out that even if you don’t believe his testimony that’s fine
All you have to do is turn to the Scriptures and see for yourself.
And of course Peter is referring to the Old Testament Scriptures here.

And then Peter tells us to “pay attention” to those Scriptures,
And I will return to that in a moment.

But for now, look at verse 20 where Peter again emphasizes the accuracy of the prophets.

(20-21) “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

This is another fundamental Scriptural truth.

At first reading it sounds as though Peter is saying that
When you read the Scripture, you do not have the right to interpret it.

And that by the way is true.
1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

Divine truth cannot possibly be interpreted by natural man.
Scripture is the thought of God, and therefore only God
Has the right to interpret it.

We don’t have the luxury of reading Scripture and then saying,
“What does that mean to me?”

The accurate question is “God, what did you mean?”
And so we do not have the right to interpret Scripture.

But that is not what Peter is referring to here.

The word “interpretation” translates EPILUSEOS (epeelusis)
“to loose” or “to solve” or “to explain”

Peter is not referring to the fact that we can’t interpret the text.
Peter is referring to the fact that while preaching God’s word,
The prophets never gave their own explanation.
That is to say, they never attributed their own thoughts to God.

No true prophet ever gave his own thoughts on the matter.
No true prophet ever articulated his own ideas.
Instead, the prophets only gave God’s thoughts on the matter.
The prophets only ever “loosed” what God was saying.

This is further explained in verse 21 “for no prophecy of Scripture was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Peter is saying you may not believe my testimony,
But you can certainly believe what the prophets said
Because the prophets only spoke the words of God.

And common sense validates that claim as well.
Look back at the prophets.

And one thing becomes obvious.
NONE OF THEM PREACHED THEIR OWN MESSAGE.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
Because most of them preached a message
Opposite of what they wanted to preach.

Isaiah 6:9-13 “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

Jeremiah 20:7-9 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”

Amos 7:10-15 “Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. “For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! “But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.” Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. “But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’”

And don’t just look at the faithful ones.
Remember Jonah?
Jonah 3:4 “Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Jonah 4:1-3 “But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

Had any of those men said what they wanted to say,
The message would have been much different.

• Isaiah would have preached a message that comforted people.
• Jeremiah would have preached a message that made him popular.
• Amos would have never preached a message at all, he would have stayed with the herds and the figs.
• Jonah would have never warned the Assyrians.

These men did not speak a message that came from themselves,
It was the message of God.

And that helps us then to understand what Peter wrote in verse 19.

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Since we know the words of the prophets are true.
Since we know their words are certain.

Then you ought “to pay attention” to them.

And Peter even goes a little further.
“as to a lamp shining in a dark place”

WHY DO YOU TURN ON THE LIGHTS IN YOUR DARK HOUSE?
So you don’t break your neck.

• Do you ever turn on the lights and then close your eyes to walk through the
room? (Do you ever ignore the light?)

• Do you ever turn on the light and then purposely walk into the wall, like the
light is not telling you the truth?

Of course not.
You listen to the light. You obey the light.
You do act upon the information that the light gives you.

And Peter says you ought to do the same with the Scriptures.

Now there is coming a day when “the day dawns and the morning start arises in your hearts.”

There is coming a day when Christ will return, and we will know fully and then you won’t need the Scriptures any more.
But until that day, you need it badly.
IT IS THE ONLY LIGHT YOU HAVE.

This is Peter’s affirmation of Sola Scriptura.
It is a word “more sure” than anything else we have.

So Peter says that we ought to pay attention to Scripture first
Because it is more sure than any other form of Revelation.

What I want to turn to next is to helping you understand
WHY WE BELIEVE IT IS MORE SURE.

And it is really all tied up in that phrase from Peter when he says, “men moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God.”

That is a remarkable reality.
• God chose to speak to men.
• God chose to reveal Himself.

He did that by moving men by His Holy Spirit to speak His very words.

And I want us to ponder that reality a little this evening, so that perhaps we can grow to better appreciate this Bible we possess.

First, let’s make sure we all understand the PRIVILEGE OF REVELATION.

The easiest way to say it is that
REVELATION IS ALL THE PREROGATIVE OF GOD.
If God did not choose to make Himself known, we could not know Him.

Paul refers to God as:
1 Timothy 6:15-16 “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Job came to this realization as well while in the midst of his struggles.
Job 23:8-9 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.”

Despite his desire to know the cause of his affliction,
Revelation was not within his power to obtain.

And I think we’ve all learned that same lesson there.
Just because we ask God “Why?”
Does not mean that we are going to get the answer.
Revelation is purely the prerogative of God.
And that includes the very basic knowledge of Him.

If God does not reveal Himself, we cannot know Him.
If God does not reveal truth, we cannot know it.

And this is also seen throughout Scripture.

Consider the parable of the sower. After Jesus gave that parable (a simple farming illustration), his disciples were perplexed that Jesus spoke so cryptically.

Matthew 13:11 “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

Revelation is purely the prerogative of God.

Beyond that, even truth which is given cannot be understood
Apart from God’s enabling of the mind to grasp it.

This is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”

It is not as though humanity just decides to find God, or even to find truth.
The person of God and the reality of truth
Are both determined by God’s gracious willingness to let it be known.

And I simply tell you that because I want you to understand that
REVELATION IS A PRIVILEGE.

Now, in Scripture we find that there are TWO TYPES OF REVELATION.

1) GENERAL REVELATION
This is the basic universal revelation of God.

Paul spoke of this in Romans 1, as a general revelation which is binding enough to condemn all men for all eternity.

Romans 1:18-19 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

This includes things like Nature:
• The very presence of creation proves there must be a Creator.
• The very order of creation (laws) prove there must be a Sustainer

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Psalms 19:1-6 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

Things like Humanity:
• We have the complexity of the human body, which speak to an intelligence in the Creator (as opposed to an accidental explosion)
• We have the non-physical elements, like the conscience which give evidence to the moral fabric and righteousness of God.

Romans 2:14-16 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

So we are referring to basic and general revelation.
All humanity gets this.

But coming after that we also have:
2) SPECIAL REVELATION

Special revelation is that which directly speaks to God as the Savior.
Special revelation speaks to God in redemption.

2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Now we also know that
SPECIAL REVELATION TRUMPS GENERAL REVELATION.

For example:
My kids can walk in to the living room and see laundry piled on the couch and might in fact deduce from the situation that their clothes need to be folded.

However a special revelation (note from mom) supersedes whatever else they might have thought.

And this is where it is important to understand the role of Scripture.
• You may make a general observation about God by looking at nature.
• You may make a general observation about God through an experience you have.

But if God gives a specific revelation
It supersedes whatever conclusions you may have come to.
For example:
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

• Now we have always known that the criteria by which we discern whether or
not a prophet is true is by whether or not his sign comes true.

• However, here God says that we have a prophet whose sign comes true and
yet he is still to be considered false.

WHY?
Because God has already given special revelation to that point.
God has already revealed the Ten Commandments
That you should have no other gods before Him.

So special revelation SUPERSEDES general revelation.
AND: Special revelation even CLARIFIES general revelation.

NOW, THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON THAT WORKS.
And that is because WE BELIEVE SCRIPTURE COMES FROM GOD.

Now this also leads us to the idea then of INSPIRATION
• We believe Scripture is true because of where it came from.
• We believe Scripture is authoritative because of its author.

Scripture comes to us from God.
It is “Top Down”, not “Bottom Up”

Scripture is not the reasoning of men, Scripture is the revelation of God.
It is INSPIRED

(20-21) “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

And we are all familiar with that famous passage in 2 Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

Or
Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
Scripture is that which comes from God
And is therefore true, because God is true.
(God is not fickle or deceptive)

1 Samuel 15:29 “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

Hebrews 6:18 “so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

If God were not true,
Then even special revelation would not be certain or binding.
We would be forced to look at experience or observation
To find out what God is saying now.

But Peter said “we have a more sure word”.
That is to say we have a concrete, absolute, unchanging,
Sure and steadfast revelation from God.

This is why we place the scripture above every other revelation.
WE KNOW WHERE SCRIPTURE CAME FROM.
• Perhaps your experience came from God…
• Perhaps your observation is accurate…
• Perhaps the pope is correct…

BUT WE KNOW SCRIPTURE IS TRUE
BECAUSE GOD WROTE IT AND GOD IS ALWAYS TRUE

SCRIPTURE TAKES PRECEDENT OVER EVERYTHING.
Our Thoughts – Our Experiences – Even the Church

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

He praised the church for submitting to the word of God.

SO, OUR ULTIMATE STANDARD FOR TRUTH IS THE SCRIPTURE.
In short, everything we hold to be true, we believe it is true,
Not because we can make sense of it, but because Scripture says it.

Let me give you an example:
Why do we believe Jesus rose from the dead?
• You didn’t see Him alive…
• You didn’t see Him die…
• You didn’t see Him after He rose…
• There’s no video footage, there’s no authenticated scientific evidence.

THE ANSWER: because Scripture says He did.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

Listen to Jesus on the road to Emmaus speaking to the confused doubters.
Luke 24:25-27 “And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Now, what we are dealing with here
Was at the crux of the struggle around the Reformation.

Who are we to believe?
• The pope…
• The councils…
• Our traditions…

Or are we to believe Scripture?

Well the reformers believed that the special revelation of Scripture
Superseded all other revelations namely because Scripture comes from God and therefore is true and authoritative over every other idea.

We have here “a more sure word”
We test everything by Scripture and not the other way around.

And by crossing that bridge
It opened the door for the Reformers to discover the gospel.

Let me close with another quick picture from Luther’s life.
• Everyone is typically familiar with Luther’s infamous nailing of the 95 thesis on the door.
• Everyone is familiar with his infamous stand at the Diet of Worms.
• But neither of those moments are really the biggest in the life of Luther.

The biggest moment in Luther’s life came to be what is known as
“The Tower Experience”

• Luther had, by his own admission, become a Monk who hated God.
• He had studied law, and intended to be a lawyer until he was almost struck by lightning,
• And in the fear of the moment cried out “Help me St. Anna, I will become a monk!”

This process led Luther to the study of the Law and a hatred for God,
For Luther’s legal mind could not absolve himself
Of all the guilt which he had justly accrued.

He tried many forms of self-abasement by which to earn the merit of God,
But never felt at peace with that.

ULTIMATELY (after a series of events) Luther ended up as a professor at the University of Wittenberg
And was given the assignment of lecturing on the book of Romans.

It is also important to note that by this point Luther had already rejected the common mystical and allegorical approaches to Bible exposition in favor of what is referred to as the SENSU LITERALIS (Literal sense)

Luther was looking to what the Bible actually says.

And he came across these verses.
Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Now this is the very reality that had haunted Luther.
• This issue of the righteousness of God, was the great barrier in Luther’s mind as to why he could never get to God.

• Luther understood God as righteous and he understood himself as sinful and no amount of religious works had been able to remedy that.

Well Luther reads “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
And he began to study.

And Luther began to look at the doctrine of justification.

Now at this time the Latin word for justification was the word JUSTIFICARE which means “to make righteous”

And the church leaders of the time had taught that through the sacraments God “justifies” or “makes righteous” those who are sinful.

And Luther hated God for this, for despite his rigorous efforts,
It had never worked in his case.

But at this time Luther began to study the Greek word for justification which is DIKAIOO (di-kay-i-o)

Which means “to regard as righteous” or “to make righteous”

And for the first time, from studying the Scriptures,
Luther understood that the righteousness of God
Was not something he must earn through religious effort,
But rather it was something that could be granted to him by faith.

And instantly the light bulb came on.

In fact, Luther wrote:
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the Decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which he makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.
(Luther’s Works, Vol. 24, eds. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann [St. Louis: Concordia, 2002], 337)

This is why we say that SOLA SCRIPTURA
Is the foundation of the Reformation.

• Luther first came to a belief that Scripture trumped tradition.
• Then Luther came to a commitment to study what Scripture said.
• And when Scripture contradicted tradition, Luther went with Scripture.

Justification by Faith immerged after years of being hidden
And the Reformation was off and running.

This is the very essence of what Peter was saying to his flock.
• We may have our experiences…
• We may have our visions…
• We may have our traditions…
• We may have our councils…
• BUT WE HAVE THE MORE SURE WORD OF SCRIPTURE!

“to which you do well to pay attention, as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”

The Scripture alone must dictate what we believe,
For the Scripture alone preserves the true gospel undistorted.

The Fall of Babylon – Part 1
Revelation 18:1-24 (1-8)
April 9, 2017

As you know we are in the middle of
A parenthetical section here in the Revelation.

As we watched the 7 bowls of wrath being poured out we read:
Revelation 16:17-19 “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.”

It was announced to us that the city of Babylon was destroyed
And that the immorality that she spread throughout the earth
Was remembered before God.

That is what this two chapter section focuses on.
• Chapter 17 showed us the judgment of the false religious system; also referred to as the great harlot.
• Chapter 18 shows us the fall of the commercial or economic system of the world.

And we are already aware of what this system will be like.
At the half-way point of the tribulation we know that the Antichrist
Will march into the temple and declare himself to be god.

This abomination of desolation will also mark the end of all false religion as the Antichrist will exalt himself above every god.
We saw that destruction last week.

Coupled with the destruction of all false religion
Will also be the arrival of the economic system of the Antichrist.

Revelation 13:16-17 “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

It’s not just about worship, it’s also about commerce.

What we are witnessing here is the destruction of
That world system which will all be united under
The worship of Antichrist out of his capitol city of Babylon.

This chapter reaffirms for us a truth that we should have grasped by now.

NAMELY THAT THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT WILL NOT LAST.

John said:
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

• John told us that this world will go down in flames.
• It will not last.
• It is contrary to the desires of the Father
• It is offensive to Him in every way, and He will destroy it.

Peter said:
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

Judgment is coming.
This morning we see that judgment in even greater detail.

And to sort of make understanding what we are seeing easier,
I just want to sum this chapter up into 4 realities about this coming judgment.

#1 THE CERTAINTY OF JUDGMENT
Revelation 18:1-3

“After these things” is the way that visions seems to be separated in the book of Revelation, so we know we are now on to a new vision.

And John sees “another angel coming down from heaven”

This one is special because he has “great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.”

It is obvious that this angel stood in close proximity to God.
He was commissioned by God and he radiates the glory of God.
The idea here is that he is coming directly from God with urgent news.

And the headline is clear:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!”

This is not the first time we have come across this announcement.
We’ve seen it once even here in the book of the Revelation.

Revelation 14:8 “And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

But the first time we see it is back in the book of Isaiah.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 21:1-10

I need to set this passage up for you, so that you grasp what is happening.
This passage falls in the section of Isaiah where he is
Revealing God’s oracles against the various nations around Israel.

None of these nations ever heard these oracles,
They were purely for the benefit of Israel.
And that is certainly what this particular oracle is for.

What you need to understand is that
• At this time Assyria was the world power and they were wreaking havoc on everyone.
• ASSYRIA REPRESENTED GOD’S JUDGMENT
• Israel was terrified of them, and kept looking for ways in which they would be able to resist them.
• And there are several false hopes of Israel at this time.
• They hoped Ethiopia would conquer Assyria
• They hoped Egypt would conquer Assyria

And here we find that they hoped Babylon would do it.

At this time Babylon was somewhat of a nobody,
And their leader was a man named Merodach Baladan.

As he engaged in the battle, Israel watched closely
Hoping that he would be able to put an end to the Assyrian threat.

Isaiah comments on the outcome.
(1-2) reveal the decision of Merodach Baladan to approach this Assyrian who continues to deal treacherously.

However, no sooner does the battle start,
Then does Isaiah begin to sense disaster.
Read (3-4)

And then the battle rages and Israel sets up the watchman
To give lookout to see how the battle goes.
Read (5-7)

And then, word of the battle comes.
(Read 8-9)

Babylon was a hope for the people against the coming judgment,
AND THAT PROVED TO BE A FALSE HOPE.

AND I START OUT WITH THAT STORY,
Because Isaiah 21:9, is the verse that this angel comes proclaiming here.

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!”

And we understand a little more about what is meant.
This was the city in which the world placed their hope.
In this city we had Antichrist, and his false prophet,
We had that talking statue and the center of all commerce and trade.

The people of earth had now abandoned every other false religion,
And every other system of commerce
And placed all of their hopes in this one basket.

And now comes word that it was a foolish decision.
Babylon has fallen.
Trusting in her was a giant mistake, she could not deliver.

Of course the angel also reveals to us WHY God toppled her.
(2b-3) “She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

If we were to state it simply.
God destroyed her because all she brought was
Corruption and defilement and immorality.

Her citizenship was made up of demons and unclean spirits and “every unclean and hateful bird”

That seems like a strange indictment, what does it mean?

Let me take you back to what Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse.
Matthew 24:21-28 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘ There He is,’ do not believe him. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Behold, I have told you in advance. “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

In Luke’s gospel we read:
Luke 17:33-37 “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

What was Jesus talking about?
I’ll bet anyone who raises livestock knows what He is talking about.
If you’re out counting your animals and are one short, and you see a bunch of buzzards circling off in the distance, where are you going to look for your missing animal?
Buzzards are a sign of death.
Jesus referred to the death that will occur at His second coming.

Well in a way it is the same picture here.
Why do you suppose that Babylon is always full of “every unclean and hateful bird”?

Because she is full of death.

If you look at the end of the chapter;
Revelation 18:24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”

THIS IS A VILE PLACE.
It is a place that attracts the most absolute evil
And a place that slaughters those who would stand against it.

• “demons” love it because it is a place of defilement and deception.
• “unclean spirits” love it because there is nothing to convict their depravity.
• “nations” love it because it offers what their sinful heart craves.
• “kings” love it because it offers to them the power they seek.
• “merchants” love it because they are able to get rich.
• “birds” love it because there is always a meal.

This is a horrible and vile city.

But there is ANOTHER PHRASE sort of hidden in here
That I think we should not overlook.

Babylon is called “a dwelling place of demons”,
But she is also called “a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.”

Did you catch that?
This isn’t just a city, it is a “prison”

These spirits and people and unclean birds are trapped here.
(they don’t know it, because they want to be here, but they are also trapped)

This is a great misconception of the carnal world in which we live.
People suppose that when they gratify their sinful nature
That they are simply being free to do what they want.

WRONG
• They are actually held captive by their sin.
• They are actually imprisoned by it.
• They only think they are free because most of the time they enjoy what they are doing.

But on the day when they see the danger for what it is and wish to escape,
On that day they will find that they are in fact incarcerated.
This city is a prison for sinners.

And what we first find about this place is that its JUDGMENT IS CERTAIN.
Babylon is “fallen”

It is not a matter of “IF” this world will fall, but “WHEN” this world will fall.

Isaiah 24:1-6, 18-20 “Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left…Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.”

To read again what Peter said:
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

Look, we are not talking about reading a report from some environmental watch group who tells us if we don’t change our lifestyle we are going to harm the planet.

What we are talking about is
The promise of Holy God from His infallible word.
He has promised He will not let this world continue forever.

He sees the immorality, He sees the depravity, He sees the uncleanness, He sees the defilement, He sees the corruption, He sees the greed.
And because of that He has promised to destroy this world.

The Certainty of Judgment
#2 THE SUDDENNESS OF JUDGMENT
Revelation 18:4-8

First we read a command to all those in Babylon who are referred to as “my people”.

All of them are clearly commanded to “Come out of her”.

I want you to put that command on the shelf for a moment
And come back to it again in a second.
First I want you to see what is revealed in verses 6-8

(6-7) “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.’”

Once again (and by now we are used to it) we have the cry of heaven who just can’t seem to wait to see Babylon destroyed.
• We’ve heard martyred saints cry out for it
• We’ve heard holy angels eager to see it
• We’ve heard heavenly saints rejoice at it

When the fall of Babylon is announced
You don’t get one single reservation from heaven, they are all in.

And the phrase is a simple one. “Pay her back even as she has paid”

As Christians we most certainly DO NOT believe in Karma.
That is a superstitious and pagan belief.

However, we do believe that a righteous God
Most certainly defends and vindicates His truth and His people.

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

And these in the world who have so persecuted God’s people
Will most certainly be repaid for all that they have done.

Not only that, but you also get the sense that
Heaven is absolutely sickened by her arrogance.

“To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.”

You can just hear her arrogance.
• I can live how I want…
• I can do what I want…
• And no one can stop me, and it will never end.

And the response to the cry of heaven?
(8) “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”

“in one day her plagues will come”
What does that tell you about those plagues we read about in chapter 16?
They come fast don’t they?

When the Bible says that God’s THUMOS is poured out and He begins to literally flog the world, it is not a slow drawn out process.

Like a boxer with repeated jabs,
God literally pounds this city with blow after blow after blow.

It was time to bring this arrogant city to its knees.
And God is most certainly able to do it.

The key there being that it will come SUDDEN.
Scripture says “in one day her plagues will come”

And this should also ring a bell with you.
Matthew 24:36-44 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

• You don’t know when the thief will break into your house…
• You don’t know when disaster will strike…
• You must be prepared ahead of time.

THE JUDGMENT OF GOD WILL COME WITHOUT WARNING

The warning comes today.
The warning comes when God promises it is coming suddenly.
That is your warning to get ready today.

It hearkens back to that parable of Jesus:
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

One man heeded the warning, one did not.
Storms come suddenly.
But one prepared ahead of time.
And that is just it.
You have all of these people living in Babylon
Who just suppose that they are doing exactly what they want,
Living it up in their immorality and impurity.

What they don’t know is that they are prisoners in that city,
And on a day when they least expect it, that city will be destroyed.

Believe me, it has happened before.
• Read about the flood in the days of Noah.
• Read about the fire and brimstone that fell at Sodom and Gomorrah.

And none could escape and none were prepared.
Do you see the warning?

Now, let’s go back to verses 4&5
“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

First we have to ask, “Who are these people he is speaking to?”
He certainly calls them “my people”
Which has led to many to say they must be believers.

And that could certainly be the case.
• However, they would be considered carnal believers at best because having
been redeemed they still manage to find themselves comfortable in the most
vile city the world has ever known.

Another possibility is that they are the elect who have
Yet to respond in faith, and this is a call to their salvation.

Either way, the command is the same.

Those who are God’s must understand that
The judgment of God rightly falls upon this world,
And intermingling there and growing comfortable there
Will only bring punishment.

If these people stay in Babylon they run two major risks.
1) They might “participate in her sins”
2) They might “receive of her plagues”

If you think you can hang around and be cordial with
All the depravities and iniquities of this world
And think it won’t rub off on you,
YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING.
You may in fact have been redeemed, but you still have a flesh,
And that flesh wants sin now as much as it ever did.
If you run in that, you are in great danger of being defiled by it.

Now I know, I’ve heard many believers over the course of my life…
• “But we are there for a ministry…”
• “But we are there on mission…”

When I taught the college Sunday school class in Stephenville
There was a popular mission trip that emerged.
It was called “Beach Reach”

The idea was that college students would go down to South Padre Island during Spring break and drive church buses around and when people were too drunk to drive, they’d give them rides and seek to share the gospel with them.
And I know a lot of college students who went on this mission trip.

Does it sound dumb to you? That’s because it is dumb.
You’re going to send college students to that beach with all manner of immorality and their goal is to witness to people who are too drunk to drive?

There is far greater risk of believers getting defiled
Than there is of sinners getting enlightened.

Paul even told the Galatians that when you have a brother fall into sin that you shouldn’t just send anyone to help him out, you’d better send the mature who is less likely to be tempted by that iniquity.

Now I guess if our Parks group wants to go and do that, I’d be ok with it,
But you don’t send 20 year old boys and girls down there.

You get the point?
This world will defile you, and you must be on constant guard.

Jude spoke of evangelizing those caught in the world.
Jude 20-23 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

That is how you put it, “have mercy with fear”
You don’t put your hand into a fire to snatch something out
Without fear of getting burned.

That is how dangerous this world is.
IT WILL DEFILE YOU.

And if it defiles you, then you stand in line to “receive of her plagues”

Let me give you an example.
TURN TO: GENESIS 19:15-26
You remember this story…
• God determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but out of mercy decided to
deliver Lot.
• Peter tells us that Lot was a righteous man who felt his righteous soul
tormented by the wicked going on around him.
• We even see in Genesis that Lot stood against that wickedness, albeit, in a
strange sort of way.

But here God is rescuing Lot from this city.
What was the problem?

His wife had already been defiled by it.
She longed for the city and she was judged.

Now, let me show you what Jesus had to say in this regard.
Luke 17:26-32 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. “On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. “Remember Lot’s wife.”

There is a sobering reminder isn’t it?

This world is dangerous, beyond that this world is doomed.
And if you don’t learn that lesson and “Come out of her, my people”
You are setting yourself up for tremendous pain and hardship.

But that brings another very important question.
HOW DO I DO THAT?

Fleeing from the world is not a geographical issue
IT IS A SPIRITUAL ONE.

TURN TO: COLOSSIANS 3
Paul begins by reminding us that we are the redeemed.
• We are Christs
• We are seated with Him in the heavenly places
• And as a result we should set our minds on heavenly things

And then look at what he says.
(READ 5-6)

Do you see what it means then to “Come out of her, my people”?

The separation is a spiritual one, a behavioral one,
Not necessarily a geographical one.

Now that doesn’t mean that geography doesn’t play a part.
• You’d be nuts to go South Padre Island during spring break.
• You’d be nuts to go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras

But in an everyday sense, you can’t quit your job, you can’t get away from your carnal family members at Thanksgiving, etc.

In those cases the separation becomes behavioral.
We separate ourselves from the behaviors
Which we know will bring about the wrath of God.

Things like, “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed”

Paul goes on.
(READ 8-10)

That is to say, live like Christ, don’t live like the world.
Separate yourself.

And if we had time we could read the whole chapter and listen as Paul says things like.
• “put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”
• “put on love”
• “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”
• “whatever you do…do all in the name of the Lord Jesus”
• “Wives submit to your husbands”
• “Husbands love your wives”
• “Children, be obedient to your parents”
• “Fathers, do not exasperate your children”
• “Slaves…obey those who are your masters”
• “Masters, grant to your slaves justices and fairness”

And I know we are out of time, you’re just going to have to come back next week because there is so much more to cover here.

But the idea thus far is clear.
• The judgment of the world is certain
• The judgment of the world is sudden
• And God’s people must be aware of that, and not treat friendship with the world as some minor thing.

It invites the wrath of God.

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

The More Sure Word
2 Peter 1:16-21
April 2, 2017

We are now in a new study together.
• I must confess, that I don’t really have a structure for how we’re going to work through this, or how long it will take, or even what it’s going to look like.

• I most certainly want to remain faithful to the call to exposit Scripture, after all Scripture is our authority. However, part of this study is going to require working through some of the issues of the past and present day to understand the importance of what took place 500 years ago.

The motivation for this study comes from the fact that this October 31,
We celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
It was October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany.

And most certainly at another time we will look more into the life of Martin Luther and what transpired which brought about his ministry.

We will also look at other reformers, for Luther wasn’t the only one.
Ulrich Zwingli Martin Bucer William Tyndale Philip Melanchthon
John Rogers Heinrich Bullinger John Calvin

They all have a place, and one of the goals of this study
Is to help you identify with them a little better.

HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A STUDY FOR THE SAKE OF HISTORY.

This is a study primarily about
The importance and sacred nature of the gospel.

If you are not aware, the gospel is almost always under attack.
Some of those attacks are blatantly obvious,
Some are subtle and deceptively dangerous.

It is the primary work of the church to recognize those attacks, expose them, contradict them, and to preserve the true gospel for mankind.

This is primarily what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to Timothy.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

That is what the church is.
She is “the pillar and support of the truth”

Jude put it like this:
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

I especially like how Jude spoke of the gospel there.
He called it “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

We are talking here about “the faith”
Not “a faith”
It is a concrete, settled, absolute, system of truth.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he wrote:
Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

There Paul also referred to it as “one faith”
That is, there is only one true system of belief.

The church’s calling is to cherish, understand, believe,
Proclaim, and defend the truth of the gospel.

NOW I SAY THAT BECAUSE I want you to be aware that there are many battles being fought in regard to the gospel,
And I fear that some of them we may not even be aware of.

Let me give you an example.
Are you familiar with the name Bloody Mary?
• She was actually Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII
• She was a strong Catholic and was bent on squashing Protestantism.
• Her first martyr was a man named John Rogers.
• He was burned at the stake.

Do you know why Mary had John Rogers burned at the stake?
• Because he denied the concept of “The Real Presence” in the Lord’s Supper.

That is that he denied the Catholic teaching that
The Lord’s Supper actually becomes the body and blood of Christ.

And yes that is a huge point!
It is question which hinges upon the sufficiency of the death of Christ.

Catholic doctrine says Christ suffers over and over again during the Mass.
Rogers held that the one death of Christ was totally sufficient.

Rogers died for that.
Led to slaughter before his wife and children
All because he would not allow the gospel to be distorted.

And yet today, there is a constant urge among evangelicals
Who want to include Catholicism as another branch of Christianity.
Today the cry is for unity at all cost.
People are willing to give up doctrine if we can just get along.

Rogers died to defend a point of the gospel that so many are seemingly willing to abandon just so we can have “unity”.

Now that is simply one example, but I use it to make a point.
These men of the reformation gave their lives to rescue for us
A gospel which had been abused and hidden and all but forgotten.

And we must not be willing to bury that gospel again.

AND SO THIS STUDY IS ABOUT THE GOSPEL
• It is about how the gospel had become concealed
• It is about how the gospel became revealed
• It is about what the true gospel really is
• It is about why we must defend it
• And it is about the men who did that 500 years ago

And tonight I just want us to start, with this question.
WHAT DICTATES WHAT YOU BELIEVE?
What is your ultimate authority?

You already have a standard by which you measure all things as true or false,
I merely want you to answer what it is.

In the dark ages, before the reformation that answer was clear.
What dictates what you believe? THE CHURCH

• The church sat as the supreme authority.
• Devised from a weird sort of supposed apostolic succession from Peter down through the popes.
• The Scripture was not really even accessible.
• The only Bible’s around were in Latin (which couldn’t even be understood by the common man) and in some cases were even chained to the lectern.

The real authority was the church.
Time after time in matters of dispute the answer was “The Church has said…”

To the world prior to the reformation God was the supreme authority
And that authority was revealed through the church.
So, if the church said it, you believed it, it was authority.

Now of course the reformation began to challenge that, as we will see.
The reformation challenged the authority of popes and traditions.

But going on at the same time as the Reformation
Was what is known as the Renaissance and the rise of Philosophy.

The Renaissance led to what is known as “The Age of Enlightenment”
And things like Modernism and Higher Criticism.

The idea that there is absolute truth
And it is discovered through scientific evidence and reasoning.

So during the dark ages if you ask what dictates truth, they would answer, “The church”.

But during the Age of Enlightenment if you ask “What dictates truth?”, they would answer “SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND REASON”

If you are curious about the effect this had on Christianity;
It is modernism that is the father of Liberal Theology.
• Liberal theologians began to apply higher criticism and scientific method to
Scripture
• Before long things like miracles were rejected
• As were things like a literal 7 day creation
• And even most Biblical authorship.

Higher criticism and modernism quickly led to
Theological liberalism and even rank unbelief.

Well now, we have entered a sphere which is referred to as
“POST-MODERNISM”

And basically post modernism has become the age of skeptics.
Post-modernism has rejected the absolute authority of things
Like science and reason.

For example, the science of biology is no longer authoritative to a culture which says gender is a matter of one’s own personal preference.

So Post-modernism has come along, and when you ask the world today “What dictates truth?” they will say, “PERSPECTIVE” or “I do”

It is the idea behind the statement,
“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.”

Modernism says we find truth through studying scientific facts, Post-modernism said, we can’t trust you to view the facts neutrally and fairly and accurately.

You see that mindset in our culture today to be certain.

The Post-Modern mindset has also had an effect on Christianity.
With post-modernism has come the rise of charismatic doctrine.

What dictates truth to a charismatic? “EXPERIENCE”
If I experienced it, then it is true.
It doesn’t matter if it can be explained Biblically,
It was real to me and therefore true for me.

I can give you an example of all of this playing out right here in Spur.
A few years ago Rudi Hernandez (then pastor of Community Bible Chapel) wanted to have “Unity” meetings among the pastors, so I went.

Part of the process was really just to sort of feel out where everyone was on the various issues of theology and faith. (You know we had to start somewhere).

At one point I began talking about the gospel and the importance of Scripture to which one pastor cut me off and said, “See, I don’t believe the Bible is true. I embrace higher criticism. You can’t get a systematic theology from Paul. Typically in AA our first goal is to push people to believe in a higher power, and that typically starts with the light bulb.”

He was expressing modernism.
It has to be scientific, it has to support reason.
Whereas a lightbulb can be scientifically explained,
God cannot and therefore it was rejected.

This man’s authority for truth was his own reason/logic/science.

While arguing with this pastor about my belief in the truth of Scripture another one of the leaders there said, “If the Bible was disproved today, it would not affect my faith in the least.” To which I responded, “Then what does your faith stand on?” And he said, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” To which he then began to relate to me how Jesus had appeared to him and would appear to me too.

In short, he didn’t need Scripture, he didn’t need logic or reason,
He only needed his experience.
That is in part post-modernism.

It was true to him regardless of whether or not it was true to anyone else
Because he had experienced it.

So you can see that determining what dictates what you believe
Is a very important issue.
In fact the very truth and accuracy of the gospel is at stake.

BEFORE you can really discuss any theology or doctrine,
You first have to settle the issue of
Where you go as your final authority for truth.

Well, 500 years ago the reformers settled that issue for themselves.

What was their answer to the question?
SOLA SCRIPTURA

Steve Lawson said, “The Reformation was essentially a crisis over which authority should have primacy. Rome claimed the church’s authority lay with Scripture and tradition, Scripture and the pope, Scripture and church councils. But the reformers believed that the authority belonged to Scripture alone.”(Taken from “Pillars of Grace” by Steven Lawson)

Philip Schaff said, “While the Humanists went back to the ancient classics and revived the spirit of Greek and Roman paganism, the Reformers went back to the sacred Scriptures in the original languages and revived the spirit of apostolic Christianity. They were fired by an enthusiasm for the gospel, such as had never been known since the days of Paul. Christ rose from the tomb of human traditions and preached again His words of life and power. The Bible, heretofore a book of priests only, was now translated anew and better than ever into the vernacular tongues of Europe, and made a book of the people. Every Christian man could henceforth go to the fountain-head of inspiration, and sit at the feet of the Divine Teacher, without priestly permission and intervention” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VII: Modern Christianity—The German Reformation [1910; repr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980],17)

It was SOLA SCRIPTURA

This is without a doubt the foundational stone
That came out of the reformation.

Without this one, none of the other solas or doctrines would have ever emerged or remained.

So as we begin our study, it is important that we begin with the understanding that SCRIPTURE ALONE DICTATES WHAT WE BELIEVE.

That does not mean that we never listen to anything else,
Or that Scripture answers every minute question of life.

But what it does mean is that Scripture is sufficient and authoritative.
It tells us everything we need to know regarding salvation,
And what it does say trumps everything else.

John MacArthur wrote: “Sola Scriptura simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture…Scripture is the highest and supreme authority on any matter on which it speaks. But there are many important questions on which Scripture is silent. Sola Scriptura makes no claim to the contrary. Nor does sola Scriptura claim that everything Jesus or the apostles ever taught is preserved in Scripture. It only means that everything necessary, everything binding on our consciences, and everything God requires of us is given to us in Scripture (2 Peter 1:3)…Scripture is therefore the perfect and only standard of spiritual truth, revealing infallibly all that we must believe in order to be saved and all that we must do in order to glorify God. That—no more, no less—is what sola Scriptura means.
(This excerpt is taken from John MacArthur’s contribution in Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible.) Sited at this website: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-does-sola-scriptura-mean/

And that is precisely what we learn from Peter here.

If you are familiar with Peter’s epistles you know that
Peter dealt with a church that suffered greatly,
And a church that dealt with many apostates, false prophets, & mockers.

Peter sought to bring resolve and clarity and conviction to his flock.

In a world of mockers he wants them to know what to believe.
There are two main things I want you to quickly see in this text
#1 OUR TESTIMONY IS TRUE
2 Peter 1:16-18

“We did not follow cleverly devised tales…”

Two things are implied there.
The stories originated with us (“we did not follow”)
The stories are not fabricated (“cleverly devised tales…”)

In other words, this is not just some good story
That has been passed down to us
That we feel the need to pass down to you.

This is not some “made up” story.

“when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, …we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

REMEMBER THE STORY?

TURN TO: MATTHEW 17:1-8

Peter says when we tell you about the “majesty” of Jesus,
You can rest assured we are not making it up. We saw it.

(17-18) “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” – and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

This is not some made up testimony, we both saw it and we heard it.
This is not some clever tale, it was real.

Peter’s point here is that he is not a story-teller, he is a witness.

And their lives form tremendous proof for all of us.

I mean, let’s suppose Peter was actually making this up.
Well, do you remember what sort of things Peter endured for this story?

Peter,
• At what point while being flogged, do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while being imprisoned, do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while watching the crucifixion of your wife do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while enduring your own crucifixion do you admit you made up the story?
How about you James?
• At what point James when you are being stabbed with a sword do you admit that you made up that story?
Or John?
• At what point John when you are being arrested do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point of being imprisoned at Patmos do you admit you made up the story?

DO YOU GET THE POINT?
If this is a cleverly devised tale,
Then why stick to it all the way to the death?

Obviously the point is that Peter didn’t create this story, he witnessed it.

And so here Peter tells the flock,
I tell you these things over and over because it is true.

But of course for many people that is not nearly enough.
• So what – Peter vows that it is true…
• So what – he died for that story…
• I still don’t believe it.

Well, if Peter’s experience is not enough for you,
Then listen to Peter’s second reason he knows it is true.

First – Our Testimony is True
#2 THE SCRIPTURE IS SURE
2 Peter 1:19-21

This is where we cry SOLA SCRIPTURA!

Now, Depending on the translation you read,
Verse 19 can be a little misleading.

The NASB says, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure”

And when you read it like that it sounds as if Peter is saying, “We know the prophets are true because we saw the glory of Jesus with our own eyes.”

In other words “Our experience validates the Scripture.”

But that is a tad bit misleading.

The actual and literal Greek translation says, “We have the even more sure prophetic word”

The KJV is actually more accurate when it says, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy”

That actual order indicates that Peter is saying,
“Even if you don’t believe my experience, so what,
We have something here more convincing than experience
And that is the Scripture.”

This is why I ask you: “What dictates what you believe?”
• Peter here makes the distinction.
• He is putting Scripture ahead of experience.

Our ultimate authority isn’t the church council
Our ultimate authority isn’t church tradition
Our ultimate authority isn’t scientific evidence
Our ultimate authority isn’t personal preference
Our ultimate authority isn’t mystical experience

All of those things can be wrong.

When Martyn Luther was called before the Diet of Worms and commanded to recant all that he had written, Luther responded:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other, may God help me. Amen.”

For Luther there was only one final authority and it was SOLA SCRIPTURA
And that is what Peter is saying here.

The Judgment of the Great Harlot – Part 2
Revelation 17:1-18 (7-18)
April 2, 2017

Last time we met we began this parenthetical section that deals with God’s final judgment of Babylon.

Throughout history, God’s people
Have cried for the destruction of this evil system.

Perhaps you are familiar with the imprecatory psalms.
The psalms where God’s redeemed cry for vengeance on their persecutors.

Psalms 35:1-8 “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall.”

These have also been the prayers of those martyred saints
Who were below the altar of God.

Well, at the pouring out of the 7th bowl
WE FOUND THAT GOD REMEMBERED BABYLON.

That is to say that God finally dealt out vengeance
On the evil world system which has so mercilessly persecuted His people.

Chapters 17 and 18 are a greater explanation of that judgment.

Chapter 17 deals with the destruction of the evil world religious system,
Chapter 18 deals with the destruction of the evil world political/economic system.

We started looking at chapter 17 last week,
And the POINT OF THE CHAPTER IS CLEAR.

Revelation 17:1-2 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

Not to rehash it too much, but the “great harlot”
Is symbolic of false religion.

The world has loved her because of the immorality she offers
And the way in which she satisfies the flesh.
THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT HER DESTRUCTION.
Chapter 17 is about the destruction of all false religion.

And we began to look at this chapter last time.
#1 THE EXALTED HARLOT
Revelation 17:1-2

We simply saw that this harlot was one who “sits on many waters.”

Verse 15 says:
“And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”

That is to say that the world exalts this harlot.
• The world loves false religion.
• We saw how it started at Babel and has flourished ever since.
• We even looked at that story in Zechariah about the wicked woman in the basket and how the world sought to rescue her from the judgment of the Lord and build her a temple for worship.

The world loves the sensual fulfillments of false religion.

In fact we learned that “those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

#2 THE EXAMINED HARLOT
Revelation 7:3-6

After introducing this harlot,
John was then carried in a vision to have her explained.

We saw that she is riding that 7-headed, 10-horned beast,
Indicating that it is Satan who supports her.
All false religion is a lie and it is that which is propagated by the father of lies.

We saw that she was ADORNED “in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls”

Because after all, a prostitute tempts by the way she dresses.

And we saw what she OFFERS people, namely “a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality.”

What she offers doesn’t edify, it defiles.
It appeals to the flesh, and appeals to the senses, but there is No Benefit found there.

When God spoke through Jeremiah about the false prophets of his day, He said:
Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”

There is no benefit to false religion.
• I don’t care if it is the sacrificial service commitments of Mormonism
• The self-abasement commitments of Catholicism,
• The zealous missionary efforts of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There is nothing good in false religion.
There is nothing valuable.
There is nothing to offer.
It only defiles.

We also learned of this woman’s UNASHAMED ARROGANCE, for she had plastered on her forehead the name “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

It is one thing to be a prostitute
It is another thing to be proud of it.
It is still another thing to be boast about being the best prostitute ever
And it is even worse to brag about the fact
That you led your children into it as well.

This woman not only brags about being a great harlot,
But also that she is a mother of harlots.

False religion has no shame in its gaudy Mormon temples,
Or golden domed Mosques, or lavish TV cathedrals.
It is shameful, but it is in fact false religion.

And then we learned about the TRUE DIFFICULTY of this false religion which is that she was “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”

This woman was responsible for the faithful who had been martyred.
She didn’t just kill a few, she craved it. She was drunk on it.

And we heard John say, “When I saw her, I wondered greatly.”

That is to say that John was horrified at what he saw.

And I might just add, that if you were able to peel back the façade
And see the true motives of false religion you’d be horrified too.

John just got a good look at the true nature of all false religions
And it was nasty and vile and corrupt and deadly.

You may think Mormonism is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think Islam is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think Catholicism is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think the false prophets of Christianity are fine, but again if you could see behind the scenes, you’d see just how corrupt and vile they really are.

John just had his eyes opened to the fact.

So we’ve seen The Exalted Harlot, The Examined Harlot
#3 THE EXPLAINED HARLOT
Revelation 17:7-14

Well, John saw her true colors,
But he still rather confused as to exactly what he saw,
SO NOW THE LORD SETS OUT TO FULLY EXPLAIN HER TO HIM.

And it begins with the beast which she rode.
(7-8) “And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”

The beast is simply described as.
“The beast you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction.”

When we studied chapter 13 we talked quite a bit about this “beast”.
He is none other than the Antichrist.

He is a Satan-possessed world ruler, who is used by the enemy
As a means of deceiving the world.

And the MAIN DECEPTIVE WORK which he will demonstrate
Is a supposed death and resurrection.

Revelation 13:3 “I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;”

Revelation 13:12 “He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.”

This beast is this Antichrist.

And this beast certainly will go “to destruction”,
HOWEVER: Before his destruction, “those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”

The world will swoon over him after that great supposed miracle.

Now, one thing important to notice is that CURRENTLY John learns that the beast “was, and is not, and is about to come up”

This indicates that at the present time of this vision,
It would be the time when the Antichrist is supposedly dead.

This world ruler had emerged, but currently he is dead,
And soon he will come again, which will cause the world to follow him.

So in effect, as we look at this vision
We are dealing with the early part of the reign of Antichrist (the beast).
And this teaches us that in the beginning of his reign,
The Antichrist supported the harlot.
The beast promoted all false religion.

One thing we are learning in our world is that being exclusive or dogmatic
Is not the way to win over the masses.

Our post-modern world loves uncertainty and rejects absolutes.
• They love the idea of tolerance and just coexisting with any and everyone.

The only way for this figure to ascend to world power
Is if he is a man of universalism and tolerance.
He will in fact support all religions early on.

So the first thing John learns about this woman is that
In the beginning of the tribulation false religion will thrive
Under the leadership of this man known as Antichrist.

And then John gets even more explanation.
(9-12) “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.”

Well, that’s about as gumbled a description as you’re going to get,
But it’s really not that hard to unpack once you realize what is going on.

FIRST we deal with “the seven heads”

We are told they are “seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”

We have talked about this before, but there were 5 major kingdoms
Which persecuted Israel in her past.

Certainly many kingdoms threatened Israel and warred against her, but there were 5 world powers which specifically threatened her with annihilation.

Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece.
These were the “five” who “have fallen”

John also said, “one is” which was the current kingdom in John’s day, namely Rome.

“the other has not yet come” and this will be the kingdom of the Antichrist. And John learns that “he must remain a little while.”

God has appointed his reign.
Which we also saw in chapter 13 as a 42 month reign.

Linking all of these kingdoms together as 7 HEADS OF THE SAME BEAST
Indicates that all of these kingdoms were fueled by the same evil force.

Satan was working behind them all.
• Behind Pharaoh who was drowning Hebrew babies
• Behind Sennacherib who exiled Israel
• Behind Nebuchadnezzar who exiled Judah
• Behind Haman who sought the annihilation of the Jews
• Behind Antiochus Epiphanes who sought to destroy Israel

Satan was behind them all, just as he was behind Rome
And will be behind the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Which also indicates that
Satan is the one who has been supporting false religion all along,
Since the woman rides the beast.

Based on this information we can then emphatically say that:
• Islam is Satanic
• Mormonism is Satanic
• Buddhism is Satanic
• Hinduism is Satanic
• Catholicism is Satanic

They are all “isms” that will one day be “wasms”

From there the angel describes the beast himself.
(11) “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Well, the 7th kingdom mentioned is that of the Antichrist.
However, we just spoke of his supposed death and then resurrection.

What we are learning is that the guy who supposedly dies
And the guy who then rises
Are going to be two drastically different guys.

If you remember it all hinges around Satan being kicked out of heaven,
Which we studied in chapter 12.

IN ONE INSTANCE THIS GUY
Goes from being the proponent of peace to a proponent of war,
So much so that it’s almost like he is an entirely different person.

That’s why it can be said that he is “himself also an eight and is one of the seven”

And the point here being that the demon who works through him
Is the same one who has worked through all of those wicked world rulers throughout history.

It’s all Satan.

Then we find out about “the ten horns”
(12) “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.”

• We have talked about the 10 king European confederation
• It is in fact a revamped Roman empire.

But none of these kings will reign long,
For they will all sign over full control to the beast,
In fact that is why God appointed their reign.

(13) “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.”

So John wondered greatly
When he saw this harlot drunk with the blood of the saints.

Perhaps John wondered who she was
That had unleased so much persecution on God’s people.
Here we find that she is all the Satan inspired false religions of all time.
Past, present, and even future.

God’s people haven’t been persecuted by many different peoples, God’s people have been persecuted by Satan over and over.

Remember what Paul said?
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

It has always been the same enemy pushing the attacks.

And then comes the explanation to the SOLE REASON for his work.
(14) “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

Listen to me very carefully.
EVERY FALSE RELIGION WHICH HAS EVER BEEN INVENTED
ONLY HAS ONE PURPOSE.
“These will wage war against the Lamb”

That is their only purpose.
• Some false religions are violent and seek to threaten and persecute and physically destroy.
• Some false religions are deceptive and cunning and threaten merely to corrupt the gospel and misrepresent Jesus.

But all of them only have one goal and that is to war against Christ.
• They seek to distort His person
• They seek to distort His gospel
• They seek to deceive His listeners
• They seek to discourage His children
• They seek to destroy His plan

That is the only reason they exist.

Why do you suppose Jehovah’s Witnesses are so dedicated in their missionary efforts to present a false Jesus?
It’s because that is their mission from Satan, to distort the true Jesus.

Why do you suppose Islam is so militant and threatening?
Because that is their Satanic mission to discourage faith in Jesus.

• False religion is NOT for the purpose of ENLIGHTENMENT
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of FULFILLMENT
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of MORALITY
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of HOPE
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
False religion only has one purpose and that is to war against Christ.

THAT IS WHY IT IS SO GRIEVOUS
TO HAVE SO MANY CALL FOR UNITY AND UNIVERSALISM.

To this thought Paul would undoubtedly say:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”

People always quote that verse in relation to marriage,
But it is really an admonition against tolerance and pluralism.

How can you take a Satanic religion meant to destroy the truth of Christ and unify with them?

And I can tell you this much, CHRIST ISN’T TOLERATING THEM.
(14) “and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

I’ve heard of a growing notion today that Jesus will just save all religions.
You know if the Buddhist is sincere
If the Muslim is sincere
If the Hindu is sincere

BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE.
The Bible says Jesus will “overcome them”
Jesus will defeat them.

Why? “because He is Lord of lords and King of kings”

Isaiah put it this way.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

• Jesus will not share glory with Buddha
• Jesus will not share glory with Allah
• Jesus will not share glory with any of the 750 Hindu gods

Buddha isn’t Lord of lords
Allah isn’t King of kings

Those titles are exclusive to Jesus and so in the end,
He is not about to bring those along with Him.

And incidentally, He won’t save all people just because they are sincere.
John is told who Jesus will save.

“and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
There’s a verse for an Arminian!

Those who are saved are those whom Jesus has “called” and “chosen”
And who are “faithful” as a result of that selection.

The point being that Jesus isn’t universally saving all people,
He is specifically saving His people.

BUT YOU NOW SEE THE HARLOT EXPLAINED.
• This harlot who is drunk on the blood of the saints is so,
• Because she has been controlled by Satan
• And all he ever does is war against Jesus.

So if you really want to describe false religion, it is easy.
It seduces sinners, it hates Jesus, and the world loves it.

But as we said, this chapter is about “the judgment of the great harlot”

#4 THE EXECUTED HARLOT
Revelation 17:15-18

Again we recognize that verse which indicates to us how the world loved the harlot.
(15) “And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”

But notice what John sees next.
(16) “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.”

DO WHAT?
• I thought Satan was the driving force behind her?
• I thought Satan promoted her?
• I thought Satan used her?

HE DID.
But do you remember what is going to happen after the Antichrist supposedly dies and rises from the dead?

Do you remember what he will do?
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
In the end, false religion will have served its purpose
And the Antichrist will exalt himself over every other religion.

It won’t just be Christianity that will be illegal,
It will also be Islam, and Mormonism, and Buddhism, etc.

Remember, the only mark acceptable in that day is Satan’s mark.
(not a cross, not a crescent, not chubby Buddha)

These false religions that are so loved and seem to flourish,
They are all going to end, and it is Satan who will destroy them.

WHY?
(17) “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.”

Because God will cause it to happen.
God, the ultimate sovereign,
Will actually cause the enemy “to execute His purpose”

He can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants.
Even false religion is no threat to Him.

And then the chapter concludes with: (18) “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

• She is Babylon
• She is World and the world’s religious system.
• And here we find that she will be destroyed.

SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT?

That’s easy.
We’re supposed to rejoice!

• This is what the saints have prayed for.
• This is what the martyrs have prayed for.
• This is what those below the altar were rejoicing over.

In fact, let me skip ahead a little.
Revelation 19:1-4 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

Last Sunday night we talked about that parable of the prodigal son
And how the heart of the Pharisees was not in step with the heart of God.

Jesus said:
Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

God rejoices when a sinner repents, the Pharisees did not,
And therefore we find that their heart did not march in step with God.

Well, here we find that a repentant sinner
Isn’t the only thing that causes heaven to rejoice.
Heaven also rejoices at the destruction of false religion.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’M NOT SAYING you should go out and bomb a mosque, obviously not.

But understand that we are commanded to war against those deceptions.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

We don’t war with earthly weapons.
How do we war?

We destroy “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God”

We fight against deceptions.
We fight against error.
We expose false religion
We most certainly don’t unify with it.
We “contend earnestly for the faith”

And friend that is not only the calling of believers,
That is the heart of heaven.
Because false religions distort and dishonor Christ.

Do you really suppose heaven rejoices when some false prophet misrepresents Jesus?

• We are not to overlook the existence of false religion
• We are not to mourn the death of false religion
• We are not to fear the threats of false religion
We are to rejoice that false religion will not survive
And are to war against it even today.

Let that encourage your faith.