The New Testament lesson this morning is taken from the Book of Revelation, chapter 20, reading verses 4 through 15. And I saw Throne, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, but the rest of the dead did not live it again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is He who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Now when a thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, God and Megav, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire in Brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven led away. And there was found no place for them, and I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death in Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. The Word of the Lord. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew, the 17th chapter and beginning at verse 1. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light, and behold Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with them. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. So Jesus came and touched them and said, arise and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but Jesus only. Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, tell the vision to no one until the Son of man is risen from the dead. His disciples asked him, saying, why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? Jesus answered and said to them, indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished, likewise, the Son of man is also about to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to the Lord. Let us pray together. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you have come, and though sinners did to you, whatever they wished, everything that they did was your father's purpose. And in doing what they wished, they did what he wished, that you should suffer and die and be raised and ascend to the right hand of your father, to rule and reign in majesty and splendor and to gather to yourself of people from every nation and tribe and tongue. And we praise you and thank you that you have been pleased to include us in that number. We ask for your spirit that we who belong to you might be greatly encouraged by your word, might be strengthened to walk the walk to what you call us and fight the fight to what you call us. Oh Lord, may we again this day taste and see that you are good, supremely good above all things. We ask in your name, oh man, you may be seated. We're continuing to make our way through the revelation of Jesus Christ to John and we're looking again at chapter 20 this week. There wasn't time last week to deal with everything which needed to be dealt with and so we get to revisit it and look at it again. And it is interesting to me and I hope, I hope, greatly encouraging to you that over the course of these several months that we've been looking at this particular book, we have seen set before us the Lord Jesus Christ, exalted, reigning, ruling in splendor and accomplishing in history, everything that he wants to accomplish. Now this week a far different scenario is being played out. There is a match, a boxing match which is going on right now. It's better than Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, I mean, it is a phenomenal boxing match to watch and it involves Bill and Newt and depending upon who prevails, the federal government may be shut down effective midnight on Monday, but you understand, don't you, that the government never shuts down in the kingdom of King Jesus because there is never an opponent who can stalemate him, who can cause gridlock for him. There is never a bill versus Newt in the kingdom of King Jesus but King Jesus who is seated upon his throne and his ruling and reigning has taken the strong man by the throat, has bound him and has cast him into prison. And he now, King Jesus, rules and reigns not over the affairs of one little nation located in one little place on the globe, but he rules in the affairs of all men and all nations. Now it isn't as though the ascension of Christ somehow changed things for the eternal God. You see, he has always ruled and he has always reigned, but what we have seen unfolded for us in the book of the Revelation is the fulfillment of everything promised in the Old Testament, in Jesus Christ, and by his fulfilling, I think it was anticipated, and by that complex of events, his life of obedience, his death upon the cross for sinners, his entombment, his resurrection, his ascension and his reign now at the right hand of the Father, he has by that work bound his great opponent, the deceiver of the nations, the one who blinds men and women, the one who keeps them in darkness, and he now, who has bound that strong man, goes into the home of the earth in the preaching of the gospel, and by the preaching of the gospel gathers men and women and children from every nation and tribe and tongue, and they have twenty or so people stand before you this Sunday morning, is a living testimony to the power of Jesus Christ, it is a living testimony to the fact that he has bound the strong man, that the devil of hell is cast into his prison, and his power is now raising people from death to life. Thanks be to God, VL Moody or somebody, one of those people, one time said, God and one man is a majority, it might be better to phrase it in this way, God and the gospel of Jesus Christ preached by any man is a majority, there is no power in the heavens or upon the earth which can withstand the advance of the kingdom of Christ. And this now is the reign of Christ, this is the millennium, this is this prolonged, undetermined amount of time in which Christ through his church is exerting his rule and his reign and is accomplishing exactly what he wants to do, and you have every reason to be encouraged and every reason to be hopeful and every reason to be optimistic, you who are preparing for ministry, you who are in ministry, you who live in neighborhoods, we all together are in ministry, we all together have every reason to be confident and hopeful, as we pray for people, as we talk to them about the gospel, as we preach and teach the gospel, that is the Word of God, that is the sword of the Spirit, that is the living, active Word which proceeds ultimately from the mouth of Jesus and accomplishes everything he intends for it to accomplish, and it is all because he is ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father and newt and build together, can't do anything about his plan and his purpose. Now, that is what we're seeing and as you move through this 20th chapter, there is a progression very quickly, the first three verses of the chapter are this affirmation of the reign of Christ by which he binds Satan and Satan is bound through this proclamation of the Word, as the Word is preached more and more into all the earth, the darkness is driven back and Satan is increasingly bound. And in verses 4 through 6 describe the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ together with his saints, with his people. Paul in the 2nd chapter of Ephesians tells us that we have been raised with Christ, we who were dead in our transgressions and sins, and we have ascended with Christ and we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. That is what is true of you. I told you about that little cartoon, which was on one of those calendars, you know, one of those things where you flip the deal over and there is another little cartoon with another, I don't remember, 365 of them. And the only one I remember is this rather slapily dressed preacher sort of leaning on his pulpit saying, this is my fourth week preaching on the transforming power of the gospel. How come you look like the same old crowd? You know, I know you don't think you're any different, you don't look in some respects any different, but this is what the scriptures say about you, that you have been raised and you are ascended and you rule in with Christ at the right hand of the Father. There is a power and an authority which is vested in the church by Jesus Christ, and it is by that power and by that authority that the church is enabled to advance into all the world and in fact bring the nation's captive before King Jesus. That's what's been going on for 20 centuries and it is going on now. And then in verses 7 to 10, the 20th chapter indicates that there will be a time at some point in the future where Satan will be released and he will gather his hosts and he will gather them against the precious city of God. They will be numerous, more numerable than the sand of the sea. They will surround the camp of the saints in the beloved city. That will be the intention of the devil to oppose this work of God, but in the instant that he is released and seeks to gather those who are in league with him, fire descends from heaven and he is judged and he is cast with all who bear his name and with the false prophet and the beast into the lake of fire. In verses 7 to 10, then lead into the final portion of this scripture, which is verses 11 to 15, defining or describing the final judgment of God, the second death, the visitation of final judgment upon those who have opposed the King. And then in 21 and 22 is heaven, the emergence of the celestial city, the great bride comes down from heaven and in all of her splendor she is beheld, the New Jerusalem. The beloved bride of Christ. So that's the progression. The first 19 chapters, as I understand it, deal with things which took place long ago. There are intrusions and hints about other things, but the first 19 chapters have to do with the end of the old order and the emergence of the new and this 20th chapter has to do with everything after the ascension of Christ and his return at the end of history to gather his people together that they might inhabit the New Jerusalem, the city of beauty and splendor and glory, which he is preparing. So we're living in chapter 20 and more specifically, we're living in verses 4 through 6 and in addition to being those who are ascended with Christ at the right hand of the Father, I want you to hear some things which are said about us. We are those who participate in the first resurrection and those who participate in the first resurrection are delivered from the threat of the second death. That's in verse 6. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection over such the second death has no power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and he shall reign and shall reign with him a thousand years. What is the first resurrection over which the second death has no power? The first resurrection is you're being raised from your death in sin and transgression to be united with the Lord Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul. See the first death resulted in your death. The fall of Adam resulted in all of his progeny, all of his descendants, all of his sons and daughters being held captive and from among that vast multitude, God has raised up by the power of Jesus Christ, those upon whom he has set his affections, those whom he loves. If you're a Christian here this morning, you're a Christian for one reason and one reason only, God in unspeakable kindness has had mercy upon you and he's raised you from death to life and he has united you to his son, the lover of your soul by the power of the Spirit and the second death which is described in chapter 21 verses 6 and following. He said to me it is done, I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end. I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirst he who overcome shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he will be my son but the cowardly the unbelieving, the abominable murderers, sexually immoral sorcerers, idolaters and liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. The second death is full and final and complete and eternal judgment, God's visitation of his wrath upon the unrepentant. I've talked about that before. It is serious business but if you're a Christian today you have been freed from that you have been spared the threat of judgment. If there is a verse which I would want to commend to you anyone who is a Christian today it is Romans 8 1 prize this verse prize this verse there is therefore now no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus. I was just talking with somebody last night at the campfire we had a wonderful time by the way if you weren't there you missed it. Mr. Blessing good time but I was talking sitting around with the campfire I was talking with somebody said you know I know you struggle with guilt I know you struggle with the problem of indwelling sin in your life. I do too so does everybody who's a Christian. The reason is you've been sensitized to that by the Holy Spirit but here is the gospel to you. Here is the word to you. Everything you struggle with and more is what Jesus died for and the judgment which is due you has fallen upon him so that now there is no threat of condemnation or judgment for you. There is no fear in love but perfect love the perfect love of God casts out all fear and if you're a Christian you've tasted and there is no threat of condemnation. There is no sense ever ever in which the God of heaven and earth who is your father comes to you as judge threatening you punishment. If that idea is in your mind it is planted there by some bad preacher and there are a lot of us around I count myself alone wrong headed about a lot of things it's either planted there by some bad preacher or some bad teacher or by your own conscience but more probably it's planted there by the devil of hell it is a lie straight from the abyss if there is any sense in which you worry that God might grab you by the neck or yank you by the ear and sit you down in a chair and punish you for something that is not the gospel but is more
not only are you spared the threat of the second death the verse 6 you are called blessed you are called blessed if ever the gospel were contained in one word it's contained right there in that word every Sunday morning at the end of the service virtually every Sunday morning I pronounce upon you the eronic benediction not the ironic benediction the eronic benediction it is the benediction or good word from two Latin words the good word which God told Moses to tell erotic to use when he blessed the people when you think of a blessing you typically think of what you do before you eat a meal or some answer to prayer or a raise or a job offer and we say to one another what a blessing but blessedness in the Old Testament is a far different thing how did Aaron bless the people may the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious under you may the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you his peace
whenever the people experience the discipline or the judgment of God whenever Israel in the Old Testament comes under the curse of the law the response of God is what it is to withdraw his presence it is to withdraw his favor it is to withdraw it is to withdraw his smile that's what happened in Exodus when the people sin when Moses was up on the mountain and was getting the law this very gracious gift given by God to his people to order and rule and regulate and govern their lives in righteousness and life he comes down and they play the harlot and and they've broken the law and they've committed idolatry and in the course of God's conversation with Moses God at one point says Moses I'm not going up in the midst of the people but I will send my angel before you and he will lead you into the land and Moses said no deal no deal if you will not go with us we will not go if you will not be in our midst we have no reason for existing and roughly paraphrasing that conversation or Moses response Moses response is in effect it is better to be with you in the wilderness than to be without you in the land of plenty because there really is no plenty if you are not in our midst to be blessed is to have the face of God smile upon you to look favorably upon you to delight in you there's a wonderful passage forgive me for bringing this I could have copied it but didn't think to do that I just want to read something from the institutes of the Christian religion by John Calvin and it's from a section and I would encourage every one of you to read this chapter it's from a section called Christian liberty or Christian freedom and the thing that Calvin is the most concerned about in discussing Christian freedom is not the things that we do or the things that we don't do that is typically what we think of when we think about Christian freedom or Christian liberty we're asking the question what am I permitted to do like I prohibited from doing to what extent does my freedom go can I smoke can I chew can I dance with girls who do those are the kinds of things we ask but that isn't what Calvin's concerned about he's concerned about the conscience he's concerned about the liberty of the heart he's concerned about the freedom being experienced in the soul which Christ has purchased for us and he is concerned for us to understand that Christ has fulfilled totally and completely every jot and tiddle of the law and he has suffered in your place for every violation of every jot and tiddle of the law so that the law is no longer a master to us it is in fact the servant it is not above us it is beneath us it does not use and abuse us but we use and employ it we have been set free from its demands set free from its curses set free from its oppression and listen to what he says and bear with me as I read this see how all our works are under the curse of the law if they are measured by the standard of the law all our works are under the curse of the law if they are measured by the standard of the law but how then would unhappy souls gird themselves eagerly for a work for which they might expect to receive only a curse in other words if my poor feeble half hearted efforts at obedience are considered in light of the law and not the satisfaction of Christ where is there going to be any zeal any energy any inclination to gird myself up knowing that my poor half hearted efforts always at home and worse a curse if freed from this severe requirement of the law or rather from the entire rigor of the law they hear themselves called with fatherly gentleness by God and they will cheerfully and with great eagerness answer and follow his leading to sum up those bound by the yoke of the law are like servants assigned certain tasks for each day by their masters and these servants think they have accomplished nothing and they're not appear before their masters unless they have fulfilled the exact measure of their tasks they are afraid to appear before their masters until they have fulfilled the exact measure of their tasks sons sons who are more generously and candidly treated by their fathers do not hesitate to offer them incomplete half done and even defective works trusting that their obedience and readiness of mind will be accepted by their fathers even though they have not achieved what their fathers intended such children we ought to be firmly trusting that our services will be approved by our most merciful father however small rude and imperfect these may be oh thank you Jesus however small rude and imperfect these may be what does it mean to be blessed it certainly means being spared the threat of judgment and the second death but it means freedom and it means liberty and it means joy in Jesus I've used this illustration before I've used it countless times it seems in Sunday school classes when talking about the benefits of the work of Christ and how they apply to us and how by the work of Jesus Christ the whole nature of our relationship to God has changed that we are fully forgiven and free and not only are we forgiven and free but we are adopted sons and daughters and upon us the face of God the countenance of God smiles and shines and in us he takes great delight and the picture is that of a young child taking his or her first steps I remember when mine started to walk I'll tell you I didn't sit there with a score sheet I didn't sit there with pen and paper I didn't sit there waiting from my beloved child to trip to fall I didn't wait with baited breath hoping against hope that my child would not disappoint me not doing injustice to the family name sat there with anticipation and with a camera and I couldn't wait to call the extended family and say Katie took her first steps today it was only one and she stumbled and then she fell fathers when their children are learning to walk don't stand over their children and berate them and abuse them and express all manner of disappointment in them because they stumbled and fell but they celebrate and they glory and if it's one it may be a small step for man but it's a great leap for the Malone family and if it's two there's just that much more celebration and the smile on the child's face though the steps are imperfect though they're weak and frail the smile on the child's face is there because the father has expressed his delight in the effort of the child to go a little bit farther that's what it means to be blessed
it means to have the favor of God be upon you it means for the face of God to shine and to glory because you the object of his affection have been won to him by this matchless worth worth and work of Jesus Christ there's this wonderful phrase from the book of Isaiah and it is a phrase which becomes the title of John Piper's book on missions let the nations be glad but the nations be glad oh folks what I want for you for myself is to know gladness to know gladness and liberty in knowing Jesus knowing who we are for given and free and adopted and ruling and raining with him where the law is no longer our master but it is now our servant where it no longer threatens us because God no longer threatens us but receives us to himself and delights in us as his beloved children and I want for us to know gladness because the nations will not be glad until they see gladness in us if there is no gladness here how can we expect the nations to be glad in the gospel the nations will not be glad but the gospel until the gospel produces gladness be glad be glad for every debt you ever had has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord be glad hey man let us pray together