THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: A BIBLICAL EXPLANATION OF HOPE {PART 3}
REVELATION 14:1-14
Sermon Objective: Christian Hope is one of life’s most liberating forces.
INTRO
>>This sermon begins with a video titled “Hope.”<<
There are three things that I have observed lately that have the capacity to hinder and paralyze human beings. I am sure there are more but these three have been, shall we say, “front and center” lately. They are guilt, fear, and despair. These are real enemies of the soul. They have the capacity to render God’s people powerless and paralyzed.
Let’s read Rev. 14:1-14.
1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Christ is risen! {He is risen in deed}. And never forget … NEVER FORGET … the resurrection changes everything!
Florence Chadwick, noted for swimming the English Channel in both directions, decided to swim the 21 mile stretch of icy water between Catalina Island and the coast of California. It had never been done by a woman, and at age 34, she was determined to be the first. The chosen date was 4th July, 1952, a holiday, and much of the country was watching on television. At several points during the swim, rifles had to be blasted over the waves to fend off the sharks. After nearly 16 hours in the water, she complained of numbness. She squinted to see the shore, but the fog reduced her visibility to almost zero. She called out to her mother and her trainer in the rescue boat that she couldn't go on. They encouraged her to continue, but when she looked to where she thought the shore should be, she could see nothing. She gave up and was pulled out from the water. Imagine how she felt when she discovered that she was only half a mile from shore. She knew she physically could have done it. Later, she told reporters that she wasn't making excuses for her failure, but "if only I could have seen land, I know I could have made it."
I have been using the Book of the Revelation lately to talk with you about the nature of Christian hope. Christian hope is, as you may recall, inherently positive. It sees a bright future coming; not based upon human potential but upon the promises of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us assurance that God can and will fulfill His promises to his children and, thus, gives us holy optimism and anticipation.
Hope, as you may recall, is most fully realized during times of despair. That is when it shines its brightest and has the most striking contrast to the world. Chadwick’s story illustrates the potential within Christian hope. It is based upon our ability to “see land.” We can see, through the Bible and God’s promises, what God is doing and going to do. Thus we keep swimming. In fact that is what The Revelation contributes to the Christian’s hope – it lets us “see” hope realized through its story and imagery.
So far we have discovered that:
1. HOPE IS: A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER AND PRESENCE OF GOD
2. HOPE IS: A CONFESSION OF HUMAN LIMITATION
3. HOPE IS: THE SAINT’S PROTEST AND PLEA FOR JUSTICE
What we know is that Christian hope is not passive. Hope is assertive anticipation. Hope sees the promises of Scripture coupled with potential of the resurrected Christ and then acknowledges that God's ideal has not yet been done on earth as it is in heaven. Christian hope says more than "things are bad." Christian hope says "Things are bad; here am I Heavenly Father, use me."
4. HOPE IS: TEMPORARY
This temporary nature of hope has four side-effects. We looked at two last week and we will look at the final two today.
1. It motivates us to be pure (Rev. 14:4-5)
1 John 3:2-3 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
2. It challenges us to share our faith (Rev. 14:6-7)
1 Peter 3:15 says: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
TODAY’S SERMON:
3. Hope empowers us to endure when life is hard (Rev. 14:12)
Most of you know I am a “morning person.” I am often awake by 4 a.m. and my favorite part of the day is watching the sun rise. Whether it be from the back porch in the summer months or the deer stand in late Autumn I love the sun rise … experiencing nature waking up is euphoric to me. I love watching the critters scurry about and hearing the birds sing their first notes of the day.
And sometimes I wonder why the birds sing. My grandmother would have said that it's because they're happy to see the sun again – the danger of darkness is gone. But you know what … the singing starts long before the sun is even visible. And yet they sing anyway. They sing in the darkness, because they know it won't stay dark forever.
Isaiah 35:4 says: “Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Paul writes to the church in Rome during their dark time. He encourages them to use the strength that hope can give, to hang tough and be the faithful, loving people God designed them to be. He writes in Romans 15 (portions):
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. … 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God's provision and keeping. Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour.
Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord's presence. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many.
"Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed;
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head.
Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way.
Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day."
It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth, like the birds of the morning or Pastor Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial? Take heart. Put yourself in God's hands. Wait for His timing. He will give you a "song in the night."
(Our Daily Bread, May 7, 1992.)
Hope’s ability to help us endure when life is hard reminds me of a little league baseball game one afternoon. A late arriving spectator walked by the home team’s dugout and asked a boy setting in it what the score was. The boy responded, “Eighteen to nothing—we’re behind.” “Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!”
The game is not over my friends. And our hope in Jesus equips us for the hard times.
Jesus said (John 10:29) “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
The writer of Hebrews says, (13:5-6) “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
The temporary nature of hope:
1. It motivates us to be pure (Rev. 14:4-5)
2. It challenges us to share our faith (Rev. 14:6-7)
3. It empowers us to endure when life is hard (Rev. 14:12)
4. It stirs us to good works (Rev. 14:13-14)
When Christ’s presence nurtures hope it can then stir us to good works. Good works are a natural by-product of hope.
More than half of Nairobi's population lives in the slums. Many of these are homeless, often children, orphaned when their parents succumbed to AIDS. Among these hopeless people however, there are those who are light-bearers, whose motto is: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV)
They know where their misery, and the misery of all the other slum dwellers, comes from! They also know Who can bring life "to the full" to these desperate people.
They are the only hope for these desperate people: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matt 5:14 NIV)
• They are not afraid to step by mistake into the sewer that runs through the middle of the slums.
• They are not afraid to be chewed-out for bringing a message of hope.
• They are not repulsed by the extremely poor living conditions of these people who live on less than 2$ a day.
• They are not shocked by the disease that affects so many of these people.
• They are not worried that they might catch something that can be detrimental to their own health.
All they care about is bringing hope to the desperate.
Everything they have they consider to be a gift from God. Although clean water is a luxury and can hardly be obtained on a daily basis, when they receive a sip of it, they praise the Lord!
About 30 churches have been planted in those slums. The conditions are far from ideal, but at least they have wooden benches-though not the most sturdy kind-where people can sit. And they have 4 walls to shelter them from the rain and sun, and to minimize street noise.
None of the ones who attend church can remain silent in the streets. They boldly declare that God is good and they freely share the Good News with anyone who pays attention to the gospel of hope. Nothing can stop them! Despite their poor living conditions, they cannot suppress the urgency that they have to share with their neighbors the message of the Good News, the One who is living in them, the One who makes them joyful. Their passion is for God!
{From: http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon23/hope_for_the_desperate.htm}
The light bearers of Nairobi are living examples that hope stirs us to good works.
WRAP-UP
The temporary nature of hope:
1. It motivates us to be pure (Rev. 14:4-5)
2. It challenges us to share our faith (Rev. 14:6-7)
3. It empowers us to endure when life is hard (Rev. 14:12)
4. It stirs us to good works (Rev. 14:13-14)
I began this sermon by talking about Florence Chadwick’s failure to swim the icy waters between Catalina Island and the coast of California. She missed, as you recall, by about half a mile because she could not see land. She said that if she’d known land was so close she’d have made it.
She was right. Just a few weeks later Chadwick again attempted the same swim, under the same foggy conditions, and finished. She made the swim in record time! Not only did she become the first woman to complete the icy stretch, but she beat the men's record by two hours.
Hope will take us successfully to the finish line. Christ’s hope, instilled by the resurrection and nurtured by the promises of God will see us through!
2 Timothy 4:8 says, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
• It is our source of strength.
• It is our fount of endurance.
• It is our testimony.
And remember Revelation is written for you -- the here and now. It is a letter of encouragement and faithfulness. In the midst of the struggles you are going through the “God of Hope” is offering Himself as to you.
Three things can paralyze you from serving God and living life to the full; guilt, fear and despair.
One thing … ONE PERSON … can liberate you; Jesus Christ.
Even today the Christ offers you his liberation. 18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 he will not quarrel or cry out, no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. 21 In his name the nations will put their hope.
(Matthew 12:18-21).
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“The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia” from Eerdmans Press was the inspiration for much of this sermon. I would recommend referring to it if you would like to know more on Christian Hope. J Moltmann’s “Theology of Hope” and C. F. Moule’s “Meaning of Hope” are also worthy resources.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
