A Revelation

Father, we come before you now in the precious and wonderful name of Jesus. Lord, you know each of us. You know our hearts. You know where we are spiritually. You know those who just have the outward look and those who have the real inward life. You know. You know us, God. And Holy Spirit, I ask that you would search us, that you would break through the barriers that we have built to defend ourselves from you. And what do we do? We keep the greatest good we could ever, ever have. We keep you at a distance. And so, Lord, we ask that you would speak. Break through hard hearts, blind eyes. Give us ears to hear and tender hearts to receive, O God. And Lord, I do ask for any that are here that have not truly entered the faith. And they have a form of godliness. They have the outward show of it. They've gone through the motions of it for years and decades. But they've never come to the place to bow to your rule over their life. And so, Jesus, we pray that you would speak to them. Help them to hear in the precious name of Jesus. Well, the title of the message is A Revelation. And I think that's what God's trying to give us, a revelation. Turn with me to the book of Revelation and to the first chapter. Actually, as I was putting this message together, this was probably one of the most overwhelming preparations for a sermon I think I've probably ever had. There's times I was sitting there and just, if I would have let myself go, I would have been an uncontrollable weeping. And so God was speaking to me some things, and I was debating the whole time whether this was just something for me or whether it was something to share with you. Revelation chapter one, verse one. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. There are two primary reasons why the book of Revelation was written. The second, which is the least important of the two, though I don't want to diminish it, it's still important. But the second reason is that it's an apocalyptic revelation of the end times. And so it's God unfolding the truth of what will take place. But that's, like I said, a secondary reason. That's not the principal reason. The principal reason why the book was given is that it's a revelation of Jesus Christ. Those first five words, that is the purpose of the book of Revelation. And how many people understand that when they open that book? How many people open that book looking for the second thing, wanting to learn end times, and they miss Jesus in the whole midst of it? And that's the crazy thing that can go on today in our cultures, that we can have people that, you know, are experts in the second coming of Christ, but they don't know how to walk with him. I mean, they can have the doctrine down, they can talk about it, they can speak of the prophecies, and look at what's going on in our world, and try and put it all together in various pieces, and still not even know how to walk holy. Not know what it is to be in fellowship, not know what it is to have an active, vibrant life of prayer with this God. But they know the end times, but they don't know the one who it's all about. The Old Testament points to Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament, it's like moving in the events of it, the prophecies, the revelation is unfolding more and more, moving to Jesus. Everything is pointing to him. The Gospels reveal Jesus. They reveal his birth, his life, his ministry, his death, his resurrection, his ascension. It just unfolds the reality of this God that came amongst us. The epistles expound who this Jesus is, what he came to do, and what he accomplished. It speaks on what he taught, and expounds on that teaching, and then it's what's going to happen, what is going to happen in the future, and what he will do. So what this God is doing now, and will do in the future. But Revelation, the book of Revelation is different from any other book in the Bible. It is unique, because it is the only soul book written on the glorified Christ. It's the only book written on the glorified Christ. You get a touch of it in the Gospels there at the end with his ascension. You get some of it in the in the epistles there, but Revelation is trying to reveal to us the glorified Savior. And the majority of the church today does not want that revelation. They don't want to see who that Jesus is. They want to think that they'll see him and high-five him, and they fail to understand who this God is. In verse 3 of chapter 17, that pastor Steve mentioned, if you read that you will see the very next thing that happened. When he saw God, he fell at his feet. He fell at his feet when this God came and visited him. And we think we're going to high-five him, and think of him as some good buddy, and fail to understand who he really is. And if there's anything I can do this morning, is I want to somehow try in our way of thinking to exalt who this Jesus is in our minds, because we think way, way, way too small of him. So what happens? You go on a little ways in chapter 1, and you come to verse 12. John is writing, of course. This is his own personal account. I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe, reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze, glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun, and it's shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. And we think we're going to go and high-five him. We think we're even going to go up and shake his hand. The first time we see him, this is what I think will happen, because we will see him as we've never imagined. And one reason why there is so much sin in the church, why you could be in sin and call yourself a Christian, is because you never had a true revelation of Jesus Christ. If you would have had a revelation of who Jesus was, there would not be room in your heart, in your mind, for the practice of sin. You could not have been in it, so you didn't have a revelation of him. You had this pop culture Christian type of view of Jesus, and you never ever saw the biblical Jesus. You never saw the glorified Christ. You never saw him. See, people are not in all God today. They're not in all of it. Not in all of him. The evidence of it is so blatantly in front of us that all we have to do is open our eyes. Evidence of it is the spiritual apathy in the church. You think you're going to see a Jesus like John saw there and be apathetic in your faith? You think you'll be half-hearted in your devotion to Christ? You think you'll have a life of prayerlessness because you have no time for him? Do you understand what I'm saying here? The evidence that we have not had a revelation of Jesus Christ is that we are in spiritual apathy. That we are prayerless. That we have no time. That you can go and have your times. You have to pray, but you do your duty. There's no desire after God. There's no seeking after. There's no longing for him. No passion in your life for this God. But how can you see this Jesus that John saw and not have something burning inside your bones? Do you understand what I'm saying? How can we have a vision of Jesus? A revelation of Jesus and remain in the practice of sin? How can we be in spiritual powerlessness and not walk in victory if we see this victorious God that he is so bright you can't even look at him because his face is brighter than the sun. In his hand he has five stars. He has these stars in his hands. He's holding him. It doesn't burn him. Not just that. It tells in Psalms he breathed stars out of his mouth. You think that's a tame little God? We think so small of him. We don't understand the infinite power that is there waiting for us if we would but tap into it and begin to cry out for it. That God is there to give us victory not to keep it from us. And another evidence that people have not had a revelation of Jesus Christ is that there is no fear of God. You know what we've done today in the church culture? We try and exalt the love of God to such a distorted extent we twist it we mutilate it and we remove from it the fear of God. So that we think we can be good buddies with Jesus and fail to understand how dangerous he is. And we don't understand when he walked this planet that was the same God that breathed those stars. He was not a safe God. When he hung on the cross he could have called down like he told Peter 12 legions of angels and brought an end to all the insanity of mankind. But he held himself back because of his love and mercy and kindness the true love of God not something that's so twisted and mutilated and perverted in what we've done today in American culture. If we had a revelation of Jesus we would know how to rightly fear him because we would know that his threats are not in vain nor are his good and precious promises for those who believe. We would see the reality as we continue in this phenomenal account of the book of Revelation a revelation of Jesus Christ. Turn with me to chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4 verse 1. After this that's referring to what he had just seen and understood and heard in chapters 2 and 3. After this I looked and there before me was a door standing open in heaven and the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said come up here and I will show you what must take place after this come up here. What an invitation a door wide open he sees a door wide open wide open and then he says come up here come up here. And so it's an invitation ultimately to draw near to God that this God who cannot be tamed this God that is beyond imagination this God that heaven earth cannot contain is inviting John to come up and to enter into this place to have a revelation of Jesus Christ that would be so astounding that he ends up when he described Jesus in that first chapter he kept using the word like and why did he use that word like because how do you describe him when Paul spoke of the things that he saw that was not loved for him to speak he had visions that he could not even put in the words I mean this God is beyond human language and he stoops down even to let us understand him enough to speak of him and so here's this God that is going to a mere man and saying come up here an invitation and so enter into this door but I'm not going to go off on this but it's an interesting idea that in John 10 Jesus is the door so it's not just that we enter into the door but the only way to enter into the door is by the door himself which is Jesus so there's no other way to enter into God's presence other than through the door and Jesus is that door now in Revelation I'm just going to sidetrack here for a few minutes in Revelation chapter 3 verses 7 and 8 you have a letter written to the church of Philadelphia and those two chapters are seven letters that are written to seven different churches and each letter is very personal to the situation of those churches five of those churches he rebukes out of those five churches that he rebukes he has four to four of those churches he has something good to say to one of the churches he has absolutely nothing good to say but only reproof and that is to Laodicea of the seven churches there are two that he praises and we're going to look at Philadelphia which is one of the churches he praises to the angel of the church in Philadelphia right these are the words of him who is holy and true who holds the key of David what he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open I know your deeds see I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut I know that you have little strength yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name to all seven churches he says I know you terrifying terrifying he knows what was in your mind last night he knows he knows what was in your life how you lived what you did what you said what you did to family members what you did to strangers he knows everything about you now that can be a great comfort if we walk with him he knows he knows the struggles the trials and a great comfort because we know that God's right there right there to help us if we're not then that should cause us to tremble because if we understand who this Jesus is that we looked at in chapter one we should understand that's the one who knows us that's the one who knows us and he says I open a door to you that no man can shut what's that door it's a door of salvation through repentance I open a door to you there's a door that's open and you can enter in you can enter into this place of salvation I offer to you but there's also a time when that door will be shut we'll look at that a little later though that's an open door also to live a holy life you see there's not one thing that God has commanded us to do that he will not give us the grace to live out so when he taught when he commands us to be holy with that command is all the grace necessary to live it out why don't we live it out because we don't want to live it out because we want to practice our sin because we love darkness rather than light and so it's just that plain and simple we can make excuses for all the reasons why you have this junk in our life but there's only one to blame for it and that's ourselves you may have been lived you may have been raised in an ungodly family in a wicked environment and you can go say well I'm like this because of my parents but that's not true you had a bad environment maybe but you made choices and you may have lived in a godly environment with some godly parents and you were rebels because you made the choice and so we are what we have made ourselves to be because we chose rebellion against God and if we want transformation he has an open door and says there's an open door for you an open door salvation an open door victory anybody that wants victory victory is waiting for them because it's not a thing it's a person it's in the person of Jesus Christ and so you want victory it's in Christ you've got to have a revelation of who he is you've got to have a revelation that he is greater than your sin greater than your crimes greater than your addiction greater than anything you've ever done or ever could do and he is able to forgive and what he did on calvary is so powerful it's beyond anything you and I can imagine and so there's no sin no act no deed that you've done that is beyond the power of that blood because that blood is all powerful because God is all powerful and the atoning sacrifice is all powerful and so it's an open door that we can draw near to God you see he left it wide open says son come in come in daughter come in here's come to me come I've got something wonderful for you I got this salvation I got this life of victory I got this joy I've got this peace I got everything that your heart has ever ate for I've got it in super abundance of it I'm just waiting and longing to give it to you but why do we stay why do we stay back why do we resist the very thing that God wants to do as if he was going to take something good from us the only thing he wants to take from us is those things that are going to ruin us destroy us drag us down to hell and ruin all kinds of people besides in verse 9 in that same chapter in chapter 3 this is very interesting a very interesting verse he says I will make those who are of the synagogue of satan who claim to be jews though they are not but are liars I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you and as I dwelt on this first what an astounding idea now we could broaden the idea of the synagogue of satan ultimately I think what he's probably referring to is the judiazers that were trying to take the uh the uh gentile believers and force them into a jewish faith before they could become christian and so it was just bringing them under the bondage of the law but whatever that is we couldn't broaden it and just make it the lukewarm church of today I mean it's the same type of thing it's just dead worthless religion and so he says I will take them after they have bowed to me after they bowed their knee and acknowledged me as king of kings and lord of lords before the final where they are cast into the lake of fire I will make them acknowledge that I have loved my people just think of the picture of this try and get in your mind the white throne judgment that final judgment where everybody that was in hell is brought up for their final judgment and then they will be cast into hell and God will go to them after that is all done and say look at my redeemed look at what I've given to them look at how I've loved them look at how I've lavished on them the wonder of my goodness and kindness and it was waiting for you and you refused it and that knowledge for all eternity to be in your mind in hell turning back to revelation chapter 4 verse 2 the imitation came come up here so that once I was in the spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it now we're going to get into it if you go through that door what are you going to see and what you're going to see here is what is right now is not the cutesy little jesus you made up in your mind we gotta we gotta we gotta get beyond that cultural christianity that is absolutely worthless and detrimental we've got to see who jesus really is who he really is at once I was in the spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it god's throne is the first thing he saw the first thing he saw the king of kings and lord of lords and you're not going to go up and high five them you're not going to go up there and say good buddy jesus we are so flippant in how we approach this whole concept of who this god is I don't want a god that's like my best buddy I want a god that's worth serving adoring worth abandoning myself to I don't want a god that's just like me and so the bible moves us to this point and so I want to take this a little deeper he moves us to the point not just the point of seeing jesus like the old testament moves us to and the gospels and the epistles but here in revelation we have everything moving us to this throne to the one who sits on the throne everything is moving to that place and every being every rational being men and angels will one day stand before that throne there will be no exceptions to it they will all either bow in adoration and love and devotion or they will bow as conquered enemies filled with hatred for him who sits on the throne but every being angels demons men will look upon him who sits on the throne they are being moved to that point it is going to happen this is unavoidable nobody can escape this event and so all of human history is moving to this point philippians chapter 2 verses 9 through 11 that at the name of jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father let's not attain jesus and I am really really glad that he's loving I'm glad that he is merciful because if we had to pay for our sins we're in some serious trouble and so either you're going to have somebody who is going to rescue you from your sins or you're going to have to rescue yourself and I guarantee you you will not be able to do it and so if we go through that door what else will we see so we saw first the throne it always begins with the throne we got to understand the throne and then what do we see we see the person of almighty god you see it's not just a throne because the throne would be ultimately worthless if it was not for him who sits on the throne that throne is a is a seat of authority the authority does not come from the throne itself it comes from him who sits on that throne it's him who sits on the throne the authority flows from him the power flows from him it's not in that throne it's in him so when we look at that throne we have to look at who is seated on that throne and by looking at him in the throne we understand there's authority there but it's absolute authority absolute all power and so in revelation chapter 4 verses 10 and 11 the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne that's heaven all right we got to understand this is heaven now this isn't pop culture christianity this is heaven and worshiped him who lives forever and ever they lay their crowns before the throne and say you are worthy our lord and god to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being so here's these 24 elders however you want to understand that at this point is absolutely irrelevant to this message what do they do they take and they throw themselves at the feet of the one who sits on that throne they take the crowns that they supposedly earn that really were earned through the grace of god and takes them and throws them at his feet as well why because they are understanding what it means to serve the king of kings that there's no greater privilege no greater honor no greater offering giving given to us that we might go and bow to this king and know this king i've tasted of the presence of god and when i've tasted of it it makes me go and wonder what will this be like what will this be like we haven't even begun to taste what we're really going to experience barely got the interest of it now barely a wedding of our of our lips of what is going to really take place why do they do this because they have to because there's other angels up there that are big and they have clubs and they're going to whack them on the heads because they don't do it this is the spontaneous response of those who love this god and adore this god and they're being overwhelmed with the wonder of his presence and all i can imagine if you could try and picture that this is is here's this god who sits on the throne and waiting from him is the wonder and the beauty of his holiness and of his love and of his majesty and it's radiating from it's just filling up they're just overwhelmed all they can do is throw themselves on the ground that's exactly what john did that's what abraham did because that's who this god is and he is worthy of such devotion and if we don't love him you know what that same radiating love and holiness will produce a raging hatred a raging hatred when we are told in scripture that they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth and gnashing of teeth is not pain it is anger it is hatred it's all eternity hating him who sits on the throne and yet it was their own fault because before them was an open door and they says no i want my sin i want my darkness i want my rebellion i want my own way and they hate god for the judgment that he even warned them would come from if you go through that door what else will you see this is phenomenal you will see a kinsman redeemer revelation chapter five the first eight verses are all about a kinsman redeemer very jewish in its thought here and you have to understand the jewishness of it or we will miss it so what is a kinsman redeemer the kinsman redeemer is one who delivers vindicates redeems a person or property that has come under bondage or been taken uh for a particular reason because of debt and the kinsman redeemer is the one who comes to redeem that so in revelation chapter 1 chapter 5 verse 1 then i saw then i saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a skull with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals what is going on here is this sealed scroll is part of the legal act when a person or property is sold in the case where there is a possible kinsman redeemer so let's just take a scenario here let's say you get yourself in financial debt you owe somebody a lot of money and in that culture if you were a jew indebted to another jew they could take you to court and you would then have to pay and if you couldn't pay then you would be taken into slavery and you'd have to serve seven years in slavery until your debt was paid and at the end of seven years you could be released or at the year of jubilee or uh or there were some other things uh with it or you could have a kinsman redeemer show up and for a kinsman redeemer to show up that meant that he would have to be a near relative that he would have to have the ability to pay the debt and not just the ability to pay the debt but this is really important as well he would have to have the desire to pay the debt and so the picture here is of the scroll with seven seals written on inside and out and what is it all it's about the aspect on how we have been how we have a debt so great that we are enslaved forever and ever that we have no way of redeeming ourselves this debt is huge and there's a sealed document there that says okay if there's a kinsman redeemer that'll come and pay this debt then let him come and do it tells us and well let me just touch on this real real quick when you look at abraham abraham was a kinsman redeemer and one expression you see this is where abraham went and rescued lot from the kings of the plane that had taken him captive and so when you think of this from a kinsman redeemer part you have to have the idea of a man that has the ability and the power to deliver one that's enslaved and then the desire to do it well uncle abraham did and so he had the ability to defeat that army okay and that's pretty impressive now we know also that god was behind him and gave him great victory but nonetheless he had the force the ability to do it but he also had the desire and he had the desire for rebellious lot rebellious lot that chose for himself things that he wanted not chose what god wanted not even chose what what abraham wanted but chose for himself out of his rebellious heart and he come to still redeem him and then the really big story of a kinsman redeemer is in the book of ruth where you have boaz redeems ruth and i'm not going to go through the whole story but here you have a man that had the ability to redeem but he wasn't the first in line there was another relative ahead of him that had the right to first redeem ruth and he was going to because he looked at the property but he says oh there's a woman involved in this so i don't want her uh it gets too complicated so you can do it boaz if you want to and boaz says i want to so the first one had the means to do it but not the desire to do it boaz had the desire to do it and the means to do it and he did it and so you see where he redeems ruth and the family clan the family line that would be there that ultimately leads to messiah that ultimately is a messiah now verses two and three and i saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice who is worthy to break the seals and to open the scroll but no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it so here's a situation mankind is in debt in debt to their sin there is nobody that can redeem them there's nobody no human being no angel that can redeem him and what is the response of john in verse four i wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside the idea that's presented there that i wept and wept means that he was bawling his eyes out in anguish and despair he looked at the reality of the wrath that was against the human race looked at the reality of the scroll that laid out all the sins and the crimes and the villainy of mankind and he looked at it and nobody came to redeem them they would pay the full price of their death then and he wept and he wept in agony and hopelessness without jesus who are hopeless ah but verse five then one of the elders said to me do not weep see the line of the tribe of judah the root of david has triumphed he is able to open the scroll and at seven seas so what you have here you have one that is a kinsman redeemer that he was made flesh like you and i you have one who has the power and the ability and the wealth if i might use that word to do to redeem us but that he also has the desire that he wants to and so this is what the kinsman redeemer is who is it that sits on the throne it's the kinsman redeemer if we don't understand what is the bow before him who sits on the throne we're not going to understand what the kinsman redeemer is all about and what is that really all about what jordan was sharing it's the cross it's the cross that's how he paid the debt that's how he redeemed us our kinsman redeemer took our place the judgment you and i deserve completely absolutely and utterly deserve and he took our place so that we could be forgiven and the insanity of it when people know that this is what jesus has done for us and they say no to that the open doors before them says no i'll not go in that door no i'll not let him pay my debt no i'll not bow my knee to him what madness what insanity to reject such phenomenal love and if you go through that door what else will you see you will see a lamb you will see a lamb verses six and seven then i saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain a sacrifice standing in the center of the throne encircled by the four living creatures and the elders he came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne notice where the lamb is do you see where he is he is in the center of the throne we will never understand calvary till we understand him who sits on the throne and it was him who sits on the throne that took upon flesh and blood to be our atoning sacrament this is the one who paid the price the lamb is the absolute victor and if we could ever look at at something that is so weak in itself and so so powerless you know how can a lamb deliver itself from a lion or a bear but here's the lamb that has all of mankind defeated that in the end with this lamb will come back and all of mankind will will be brought low and brought down and brought to bow before him and see that this is not weakness but there'll be power here that they have never even imagined the lamb victor absolute victor and so we have a picture here of jesus completing if i might say it like this his finished work of redemption you see he came first as a lamb to atone for sin he is coming back as a lamb to conquer his foes and restore creation it's the lamb it's him who sits on the throne this is the one our kinsman redeemer why will those who are ready for him look upon him and and worship and adore because they understand their kinsman redeemer is coming back for him why will all those who cower under crocks and and in caves and get away from him who sits on the throne why because they know they have lived hostile to this god that they have refused to bow to his will refuse to serve him through all their arrogance and pride and stubbornness verse 80 says and when he had taken it the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb you see true worship okay we can sing songs and not have any worship involved in it we can sing and dance and spin and twirl and do all kinds of crazy stuff and never have worship involved in it true worship flows out of bowing to the rule of god that's where true worship is you are seeing the truest purest form of worship that is taking place right here bowing before the lamb the victorious lamb the absolute victor bowing before him worshiping him adoring him why do we have such a hard time with the worship of god why is it that we can be so silent in worship i mean if you understand this you think read revelation and you'll see them again and again loud and boisterous and excited because of him who sits on the throne how can we be so silent when he has done so much for us we can speak of our traditions and all that but our traditions doesn't mean it has anything to do with god it just means there's traditions and you have traditions that are so dead so bare so destitute that there's no life no vibrancy no adoration no excitement of him who sits on the throne you have such a small view of god that our worship represents that small view of god when our view of god begins to grow our worship of him will grow in proportion to our view of god we won't care what other people think we won't care what other people say we'll just want to adore him who sits on the throne and if we if we need to we'll throw ourselves at his feet and cast our crowns before him because all that matters is is is worshiping this god and in this worship in this kind of worship is something really phenomenal it's learning how to enjoy god how few christians really understand what is to enjoy god they look at it all a burden i can't do that i gotta do this i better pray i better study my word if not i'm gonna go to hell and all the things and they forget that they don't forget they dismiss it all that the prize is not the do's and don'ts the prize is him who sits on the throne and the love and adoration given to him and what happens when we love on him i guarantee he's loving that he's making his love more real to us more present and then verses 11 and 12 i looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and they were absolutely silent no it doesn't say that okay doesn't i look and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders in a loud voice they sang worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise i guarantee you this is exciting i guarantee it why isn't exciting in our own hearts when we are so afraid of what each other think and i want you understand i'm just trying to be honest here with it when we're so afraid of what each other thinks then we're going to be silent because we're not going to want people to think we're being goofy or saying something wrong pride kills worship it kills worship it stops us from being engaged because we're so afraid what everybody else will think what will they say if i get too loud or boisterous or if i'm engaged in this not about the particular act itself it's about the freedom to adore and worship this god that we begin to fall in love with him and all we want to do is praise him and i'm not going to say there isn't right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it we've got to learn how to do it correctly but he wants us to begin to learn what it is to just love him enough that we could care less what people really think about us i guarantee you the angels and the ten thousand upon ten thousands of them did not care what any other angel was thinking and none of those other angels were thinking about what they were thinking you understand they're not self-absorbed that's what happens we get so self-absorbed we're afraid what everybody else is thinking we we're thinking that they're thinking all about us and that's just an expression of self-absorption i mean you understand what i'm talking about here this vicious cycle that's there we think everybody's paying attention to me nobody's paying attention you worship god get your mind off of you we are pretty ridiculous people ah so what does it come down to be i brought it out in various ways but what is the nitty-gritty here that jesus is lord and we begin to understand the lordship of christ everything centers upon that throne everything centers upon the rule of god and those who bow to his rule will know the joy of that life and know it now and know it forever and ever those who refuse to bow to his rule may call themselves christians they may be pastors or missionaries or preachers or evangelists or whatever they may call themselves christian but they don't bow to his rule they're not the real thing and they will know separation from god he's not looking for some outward show he's looking for the reality of lordship in our life that he is ruling our lives that he's ruling our our emotions that we're trying to bring everything under his rule not just a part and portion or we say i'm a christian but i just got this little problem of porn in my life no you're not under the rule of god you've not bowed your will to you've not served him all kinds of people claim to be christian and still in sexual sins it's insane i guarantee you at the root of it there's an unwillingness to bow to the rule of god and they want verses that they can justify and they can take the grace of god and twist it and pervert it and make it some ugly monstrosity that justifies their sin but the whole time there's a refusal to bow to the will of god to bow to him who sits on the throne revelation chapter 5 verses 13 through 14 then i heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and in all that is in them singing to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever it's not just that when jesus comes back and he he sets up his reign and when there's a new heaven new earth and all those events that take place all of creation will once again sing forth his praise all of his creation from everything in this planet to the farthest reaches of creation will once again be released from the decay that came through the potency of adam's sin victory absolute victory permeating all of creation but here is now let's make this a little more personal now in hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 let us then approach the throne of grace do you know how often people miss that you know how often people miss the aspect that grace flows through the throne it flows through the rule of god it flows through him who comes to the place that bows their will to this god grace flows to those who bow to his rule not to those who claim it but don't live it grace to him whose grace comes from him who sits on the throne with confidence so that well let me read it all over i got it all wrong there let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace help us in our time of need well you got need in your life there's one place to find it it's at the feet of jesus bowing before him who sits on that throne because that's the only place you're going to find grace you will not find grace in the practice of sin you'll not find grace while you continue in doing what you've been doing all along there is no grace in that there's grace only at that throne and at that throne there's infinite power so that means there's infinite grace all the grace you need to be victorious all the grace you need never to go back to the sins that wants to find you never to go back to dead religion all the grace that is offered you right there right at that place and if you will not go there you will not have any grace operating in your life is that serious that's the only place it comes we try to rewrite this we try to make it something other than what it is but we need to understand the truth you want to walk with jesus there's grace grace to do it all the grace you'll ever need you can have confidence to approach this god because you know there's grace there and i'm struggling i'm having really hard times god i need grace and you bow before this god you surrender up your will once again and you have to do that to your dying day because we have this rebelliousness inside of us that wants to keep rising up and resisting and so we got to keep putting it down and nailing it to the cross and it wiggles out the cross you gotta grab it again and nail it once again it's just reality we have to in this world deal with this and we deal with it at the throne one day when we are released from this flesh this work will be absolutely finished in us the grace of god will be full complete and absolute in our life and we forever and ever and ever will adore and worship this god with never fear of sinning again or rebelling against him that is some awesome good news until that time we got to fight we've got to learn that one of the biggest things we're going to fight with is we're going to fight with our own rule one of the biggest things we have to do is fight with this rebelliousness in us and learn what it is to surrender and we have to fight with the lies of this supposed manliness that is so contrary to what it really is that we think well that's just weakness well you know you have people going to say well christianity is just a crutch absolutely it is i'm glad i got it i mean it's just reality we all need it there's not one person out there they got their crutches drugs it's sex it's whatever it is they got their crutch is i just got one that's not broken right i mean i got the only one that works the only one that will take you through into eternity in a good place the other will take you into eternity but in the wrong place so let me close with this the church of philadelphia he said i set before you an open door that no man can shut and a closed door that no man can open you have an open door before you right now but you better fear you better really really really fear the day that door is closed on you because there's nothing you can do to open it again you better fear that day and there's all kinds of people that's gone through plm and all kinds of people that fill churches out there that they do not fear that day and there will be the day that door closes and there's nothing they can do to alter it but let me say something else with that they won't want to alter it because if they've lived a life of god hatred the most agonizing place for them to ever be would be in heaven the most agonizing thing would ever they would ever do would be to bow before this god and worship him when every knee bows before him all the unsaved bow before him they do it but they do it as an enemy that is in hatred against god they don't do it in adoration they do an acknowledgement of who he is but not out of love and all eternity they'll be in that god hatred fear the day the door is closed on you this is a time that has given to you an opportunity that is given to you now why waste it why waste it with resisting those who are your counselors why resist it in fighting everything and just being proud and arrogant and and rebellious why do it what benefit is it for you what benefit comes out of it all it does is produce more sorrow in your life and set a heart more and more in rebellion against god and what a sad place to have been here to go on through this ministry and to go back out in the world and back into your sin and to become blinder and more steeped in it and more rebellious than you've ever been to this point in your life and then eventually to have that door slam upon you your time is over we have a say over this he will not force us to be saved that we don't want to be saved and he offers us the door is open the door of salvation you can go and you can say i want it and you can run through that door or you can say no and he will honor your choice either way salvation is by grace you can't earn it it's him who calls come up here but it's us that responds we either say yes lord or no fear the day the door is shut and you know what there's not one of us that that door has to be shut until when we're up there in heaven that door is shut and we can't get out okay i think that's pretty good all right i'll take that closed door father we come before you now in the precious name of jesus lord we do not understand your lordship we don't understand your rule we don't understand the costliness of what it is for you to bring it to us that we might be rescued for you to be our kinsman redeemer to pay the price that we could be forgiven lord we don't comprehend the extent of this but lord i'm asking for a miracle i'm asking for a revelation to come to each of us in a deeper way to those who don't know you to those who have been a rebellion to those who have have been filled with with with church and not with christ that they have been rebels living their own life with the religious guise upon and not knowing what it was to bow to your rule and what it is to begin to love him who sits on the throne because there's no one more lovable than him who sits on the throne that love can be terrifying god but it's also good and beautiful and clean oh god it's not like the loves of this world lord it's what our hearts have ached for deep inside i believe every person aches for it we either go to the to that true fountain and get what is good for us or we go to some filthy fountain and we drink of that which will kill us god i'm asking for a revelation to those who have not come to bow their will in their life to you god that they would come to the place and they would want to run to your feet that they would begin to say god i can't go and continue in this lawlessness against you but lord i'm also asking for those who have entered salvation here they've entered into the door but lord that world is calling is pulling is trying to draw us back out oh god we have to endure till the end we have to persevere till the end and god i'm asking that they would learn what your lordship really means now that there is victory in him who sits on the throne that there's power there infinite power that on that throne there is grace it's a throne of grace and you offer that grace to us as long as we live in this world and we'll cling to you with everything we have you went to philadelphia and you said you have little faith but they were faithful they had little strength but they were faithful because that's all it took was enough that would put that little strength and faith in christ that was able to keep them and bring them home they were faithful oh god you can take great faith or little faith but it's a matter of who the faith is put into because when it's put in you there is more than enough power to live victorious lord i'm asking for a work of radical work in the lives of your people in the precious name of jesus thank you the issue isn't what you do on sunday morning the issue is the way you live your life from monday to saturday the issue is who has your heart what you cherish in your heart is what you are becoming like my friends and i are walking down the street bam playboy magazine totally rocked my world this lifestyle that i was living just got out of control in a very short time my life spiraled completely out of control the whole time i've been looking at pornography the longer i looked at it it began to get progressively worse i couldn't really explain what it was but i was instantly addicted you cannot take steps down a path and avoid arriving at the destination god wants your heart satan wants your heart whoever has your heart will control you every time you send your desire for the things of god dies a little bit your faith dies a little bit your desire to be free dies a little bit and with it the hope to get free so how do we win this war and emerge with the victory that christ has earned for us what's missing is god's power to transform a person for god to come in and do a work to set us free up of something that has taken hold in our lives that we have allowed in there requires surrender the lord was able to show me that yes i can set you free from this and hope for me was actually within reach i don't care what kind of sexual sin you're involved in i don't care how bound up you are if you will sincerely apply the principles that are in that book god will absolutely set you free