MAY 9, 2021 SUNDAY MESSAGE
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Gospel Renewal Part 3: Birth Pangs
Transcription
We have been looking at REV in 4 parts. Here are the first three:
1. Part ONE
Revelation Chapters 1-3 is about John receiving a special message from God and being commissioned to communicate - or distribute - that message to 7 churches.
A MAJOR part of the message is “be prepared” or “get ready!” and it introduces a narrative TENSION: “WILL the Saints endure to the end?”
2. Part TWO
Last week we talked about Revelation Chapters 4-5 which tells us that John is given a vision of the heavenly throne room of God which is filled with both Divine Authority (unmatched power, rulership of God the Father) and Divine Worship (adoration, celebration, Joy of all creation to God)
There is a sealed scroll containing the divine plan for the conclusion of history as we know it AND
Authority is given to determine the fate of the world to the one who is worthy to open it
THERE IS A NEW TENSION introduced: “Who is worthy to open it?”
NOBODY -> John weeps
Elder comforts him, TELLING HIM (auditorily) “the Lion of Judah is worthy…”
John looks and sees a SLAIN lamb and we realize the MILITARY power of God’s Kingship is enforced by sacrificial love not war.
3. Part THREE
TODAY - we are looking at Revelation Chapters 6-20:
The first thing you should notice is “WHY SUCH A BIG CHUNK OF SCRIPTURE?” While these chapters contain lots of details and information about the events leading to the final judgement and the introduction of the NH&NE
While, we could break it down and teach 8-12 weeks on just this...There are
Multiple waves of Judgment
7 Major Symbols to look at
And TWO significant wars!
AND, while the meanings and timeline of the events are heavily debated,
THIS WHOLE SECTION and all of these chapters actually serve to perform the ONE function:
they describe EVENTS that lead up to the emergence of something NEW!!
The events are meant to warn you that something is coming!!
This section describes in higher detail that there will be persecution, trials, and tribulations
...and the tension still remains: WILL THE SAINTS REMAIN FAITHFUL through it?!?
While on earth Jesus describes SOME PORTIONS of this tension and the last events by describing them in Matt 24:
Likens the events to a fig tree “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near” and...
HE ALSO USES ANOTHER ANALOGY: the birthing process and labor (accidental):
Matt. 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
This is referring to Jesus’ second coming which is only PART of the puzzle but this analogy is so significant for a few other reasons:
because it connects us to creation and draws from the natural experiences of a healthy childbirth
which is relatable, and
somewhat common, and
well understood from generation to generation in ALL cultures
This pain (as we know it this side of Genesis) is a NECESSARY labor-intensive event that leads to something good (a baby)!
AND, there is a 9 month preparation period built into it.
IN CHILDBIRTH, YOU PREPARE in a couple of different ways:
You Prepare for the labor
There is extreme pain, in response to that, they have classes to help you:
cope with that pain (lamaze breathing)
Partner is prepped to help
To learn to Push
AND you Prepare for the baby
You get the house ready (crib, nursery/room, safety plugs, etc)
Maybe you read a book or three
In this day and age you download an app that tells you when the baby is the size of an walnut, an avocado, or some other delicious edible item
...then you prepare an overnight bag or bags!
So, there are ways to prepare and to become “as ready as you can get” over a 9 month period.
We are to understand that there are things that will take place BEFORE God RENEWS all of creation and the birth of the New Heaven and Earth are upon us and we are supposed to PREPARE ourselves for it!
So, how do you prepare for it??
What books do you read?
What practices must take place to condition you for enduring pain, trials, etc as we wait for the coming of the NH & NE?
How to you READY-YOUR-HEART to receive the NH&NE
What’s in your theological overnight kit to help you understand!?
HOW DO YOU PREPARE?
Some of you might say:
I don’t know what I would do!
I watched the walking dead, I am good! Stocked up on food, bullets, non-perishable items.
Some of you know what you would do because you did it in March last year!
When Jesus uses the BIRTHING METAPHOR in Matt. 24, he isn’t just pulling it out of nowhere, He is actually drawing from “the prophetic tradition of Israel’s history” in Isaiah 26.
It is yet another REDEMPTIVE MOMENT from their previous cycle of failing to trust God.
This is what it says in Isaiah 26:17…
Isaiah 26
16 Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer.
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.
This is a LAMENT:
while in exile,
utilizing a birth analogy regarding their felt sense that God did not come through with his promise of redemption.
They are saying, “WE have gone through the difficult seasons, we have been harassed by the nations, we have walked through unimaginable trials and have not seen the fruit & joy - the baby.”
Which is the deliverance or redemption you promised!
SO, they are using poetry to pour out their disappointment to God and they liken it to this difficult moment in a Childbirth.
Of course, in their day, they are asking God to give them deliverance by
repaying their enemies with judgement and
overthrowing their oppressors and
give them military victory
So they get the reward: a land flowing with Milk and Honey.
“God, give birth to a tangible, physical manifestation of redemption!!”
When Jesus mentions the birth pangs in Matthew he is recalling this birth metaphor in Isaiah saying “don’t give up hope” God hasn’t FORGOTTEN AND the birth is CLOSER than you think BUT it’s going to be DIFFERENT than you thought too!
Since this can be a little confusing, I have a little <Picture recap>
Jesus is speaking on a SPIRITUAL level
Conflict -> Trials, Pers, Tribulation
Baby -> New Heaven and Earth
...but he is also recalling ANOTHER verse in Isaiah found in Isaiah 66:7-8a which says this:
“BEFORE she goes into labor,
she gives birth;
BEFORE the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen things like this?
We are supposed to think: “But God that doesn’t even make sense! You can’t have the baby BEFORE labor...that’s not the way biology works. It’s out of order!”
In other words, if we are going to get our land of milk and honey, if we are going to get our nation - the Kingdom of God - first you go to war on our behalf and then we get land!!
If the baby referred to in the metaphor is the New Heaven and Earth, we still don’t get that until AFTER the pains of Judgement,
God says: “I KNOW, I know it’s backwards, that’s why I said “who has ever heard of such a thing??”” God is doing something extraordinary, new, and different for His people. He is calling them to place HOPE but, also...
I am giving you the Kingdom early!!
A likeness of the NH & NE earth will come to you BEFORE you encounter these trials and what is it referring to? The question is actually WHO?
It’s Jesus!! Jesus didn’t wait...
Jesus is the REDEMPTION,
His presence is heaven,
He didn’t wait, he brought the Kingdom TO US!
Jesus was telling them the whole time saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is near”
...and he came to the earth before the labor BEFORE
the last of the trials,
the final persecution, and
struggle which is the conflict we read about in the Revelation Account!
AND Revelation tells us that these events will take place:
First, there are THREE Sets of Seven WARNING Judgments.
Some people people believe that these are a literal sequence of events (debate whether it will happen in the past, present, or future)
Others believe it is 3 depictions of the same ideas
All agree that this takes place between Jesus’ resurrection and eventual return and that 7 is the number of completion so that, in some way, God is bringing this span of time a conclusion.
The first is...
6-8a Seven Seals of the scroll (which is only to be opened by Jesus the worthy lamb) are broken giving us
War, famine, and death!
In the midst of the calamity the “day of the lord” comes and the people of earth ask, “who can stand this??”
John gets an answer to that question: He sees the servants of God enduring persecution and he is told (auditorily) there will be 144,000 of them.
Which is the same number as a military census.
This is an ARMY of people representing the 12 tribes of Israel and representing every nation, ethnicity, tribe, and tongue (fulfilling the ).
Just like earlier, he is told AUDITORILY to see the lion of Judah and turns to see a slain lamb, John HEARS about the army and turns to see martyrs who are going to conquer not by military might but suffering, laying down their lives, and bearing witness just like the lamb.
8b-11 Seven trumpets
Echoes the 7 plagues of Exodus
And, just Like pharoah, the nations are unwilling to repent and must suffer the consequences of God.
Chapters 12-14 depict two battles and contain the
One is cosmic (spiritual) battle that takes place behind the seens and refers back to the defeat of the serpent in Genesis and the other is
an earthly representation of the same battle which represents MILITARY POWER and ECONOMIC POWER that is the world
This is a reference to any worldly empire or power that works in opposition to God: Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, any other nation that operates according to military and economic supremacy (does that remind you of anyone?).
Standing against this regime is SLAIN LAMB and His ARMY
PRESENTS a choice:
Resist Babylon to follow the lamb (the way of the Kingdom) OR
Follow the Beast (the ways of this world) and suffer it’s defeat.
Which brings us to the the final set of seven judgements
15-16 Seven Bowls
The seven plagues of Exodus play out yet again pointing to a final judgement.
The bowls conclude the 3 sets of seven and the contents of the scroll which Jesus alone was worthy to open!!
The final few chapters culminate in two moments:
17-19a The Fall of Harlot Babylon
Babylon, as a city, becomes an archetype manifestation representing all of humanity's rebellion against God.
Babylon is personified as a bloodthirsty queen who is filled all kinds of wickedness, indulgences, and evil.
She is defeated along with all who decide to remain with her.
19b-20 The Final Battle
TIming Debate (Millenium):
Pre mill
Post mill
A Mill
I’ve told you we don’t hold a position! We all agree Jesus wins and the beast is defeated!
NOW...
Why have we looked at all of this?
What does this all mean?
Every bit of this - EVERY SINGLE DETAIL - is a part of the labor pains and (no matter how you take the events, what timeline you operate under, or how you want to interpret some of the interpretables) the labor pains serve one purpose:
they describe the EVENTS that lead up to the emergence of something NEW!!
They are here to warn you that something else is going to happen!!)
The birth of REDEMPTION is near AND, you and I are called to BE PREPARED (just like a real birth) for TWO things: The LABOR and the BABY!!!
Wait, you said it already came in the form of Jesus, Yes I did! But:
he did so as a glimpse not in the fullness.
He did so as a taste, not the whole banquet,
He did it as a precursor not as the final fulfillment.
But, because He did, we are able to look at Him - His actions, His way of Loving, His way of confronting, His way of sacrifice, His in ENTIRE way of life...and prepare ourselves here and now for the things to come! Jesus is our preparation plan for BOTH the Labor and the Baby which are the trials and the New Jerusalem.
How do we prepare for the Labor: -the trials to come, the anti-christ, the persecution, and tension?
How do we prepare for the Baby: the new Heavens and Earth, the new Jerusalem and city of God? How do we prepare now for a life with purpose but without pain, death, and sin?
WHAT DOES JESUS’ LIFE REVEAL TO US ABOUT THESE THINGS?
How do we prepare for the judgement and end time events?
We all must be prepared to resist the anti-messiahs of our world.
We must build up endurance to persevere in the midst of intense persecution
We must be prepared to lay down our lives for others
We must be prepared to engage in spiritual warfare
We must be prepared to follow the way of the Slain Lamb
HOW DID JESUS DEAL WITH THESE THINGS!!
How do we prepare for the new Heavens and Earth?
Just like a baby, the bundle of joy comes, but there is still work to be done.
In other words, what would get our hearts and minds ready to the extent that we are in a place of comfort, familiarity, and rest and the NH & NE are “HOME?”
HOW DID JESUS DEAL WITH THESE THINGS??
The answer isn’t new but, you know how you sometimes don’t care about something til you have to do it (tile a floor, change your oil, prep for a baby)? Then you pay attention because it actually affects you now? Read the Gospels with this preparation in mind and I PROMISE, it will change
The closer we get to operating in and out of an IDENTITY build on a Heavenly Citizenship, the closer we are to ushering in the fullness of the Kingdom and Jesus return where we will sit at the banquet table FEASTING on His Goodness
It’s not just that though! The closer we get to operating in and out of an IDENTITY built on a Heavenly CITIZENSHIP, the more intense that aroma will be to your neighbors and the world around you, drawing them into the same endeavor and hopeful expectation of God’s Kingdom, here on earth.
People of God may this revelation help you to:
(1) remain steadfast in our endurance through trials and tribulation &
(2) build in us an expectation for the birth of the NH&NE.
Until then, we cry “Maranatha, Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”
COMMUNION:
(1 COR. 11:23B-26)
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
SAVE THE DATE: The 2020 Marriage Retreat is scheduled to be Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and November 8!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
We are hosting prayer team meetings for both the congregation at large and individuals to sign up for individual prayer.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WORSHIP:
Coty Miller’s own “Praise & Worship” Spotify playlist and “Praise & Worship” YouTube playlist (slightly different from each other), both of diverse music that are being constantly updated!
Bethel Music :
Bethel Music’s hours of live music YouTube Playlist, also being constantly updated
Bethel provides chords to most (if not all) of their songs here (just have to register email, but free!)
Live worship moments from the Upper Room YouTube Playlist
Journal writing! (I’m a writer too, so sometimes creative writing and writing my thoughts to God is my form of worship.)
Declare and worship with truth by singing and praying scriptures.
WORSHIP NIGHT! Dedicate a night to worship with friends and family, your house church or neighbors, those who need prayer, love worship, or just enjoy music through a video chat platform like Zoom. You can have one person leading at a time (switching off to whoever else wants to lead) while others sing along, pray, or prophesy, etc.
Serving your community, both online, in person, or both, is a great way to worship God, from spreading encouragement and God’s Word online to physically serving food to others. If you are able to go out and serve, click here for opportunities.
COMMISSIONING:
As Jesus said in John 20:21,
"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Go, be the Church!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.