Podcasts about even john

How are healthy boundaries Christlike? Dr. Kenneth Alford explains “The Law” and shares the importance of bishops and the value of Christlike marriage.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC218ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC218FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC218DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC218PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC218ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/UMaQuMkvCPMALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE00:00 - Part 1 - Dr. Ken Alford01:12 Dr. Alford's Church History trips03:11 Dr. Alford's bio05:34 Come, Follow Me Manual07:08 Context matters10:11 The Lord telegraphs a revelation14:53 Two Church Centers16:33 The gift of turning ideas into money19:09 Mary Elizabeth Rollins is a Saint in deed25:22 Edward and Lydia Partridge change the world28:47 Text or hug your bishop and his wife31:02 Peter parallel and the miracles of callings34:32 Edward is like Nathanael 38:10 The Law: Five Questions43:55 Grant Underwood's “The Law of the Church”47:46 How to teach principles50:45 Even John can struggle with a class51:15 D&C 42:14 - Elder Bednar's “Insights From Apostles”54:14 D&C 42:13 -17 - Observe the covenants and articles 58:02 Wives and husbands, love, and widowerhood1:06:49 D&C 42:22-23 - Boundaries are Christlike1:10:45 End of Part 1 - Dr. Kenneth AlfordThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications Director"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

The 3WHH bartenders raise their glasses high for the first 100 hours of Trump II, which bid to replace FDR's famous "Hundred Days" for breathtaking executive action. You'd think that this is Trump's first term, and metaphysically, Steve argues, it is. In just the way we've come to expect of Trump in all things, he may have turned the usual presidential cycle on its head. Even John, champion of executive power, is impressed. And one more miracle: he actually gets rare praise from Lucretia for his Newsweek article concluding than Biden's pardons were much worse than Trump's blanket pardons or all the J6 protesters. From there we get to the main event, a three-part discussion of a single issue—in this case free speech and how to understand the First Amendment correctly. Steve argues back to first principles, in which the freedom of conscience and thus free expression was grounded in reason, that is, free speech was essential to deliberation about right and wrong, and how we should be governed. By nearly imperceptible degrees, in the 20th century the protection of "free expression" was re-grounded in moral skepticism (if not nihilism), which is why nude dancing and F-bombs on t-shirts became "protected speech." This is not progress.From there we move on to wondering if the time has come to revisit the libel standard of New York Times v. Sullivan, which has enabled our mainstream media to behave with increasing recklessness. And we think: Yes! Yes it is.And along the way, some digressions into Animal House, Spongebob Squarepants, and other cultural totems. And we depart briefly from our new proprietary bumper music from Cosigner to use a very topical old tune (from lefties!), "Immigration Man." 

December 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 7:18-28, 29-35Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 30:27-31:9; Revelation 3:1-22…And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to overlook just how hard it is for most people to come out and say what they're feeling. I hurt. I doubt. I'm dying here. We can bury an awful lot before it finally bubbles over into some kind of truth. “Are you the one who is to come, or should I look for another?”John is in prison, doubting and trying to find the words because Jesus is the one who's supposed to give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, and free the prisoners… and John's in prison, wondering where his help is. He did what he was supposed to. A voice cried in the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD, but John's still in prison. Is this not the guy? Is any of this stuff even real? More than a prophet, John still struggles. But we're afraid to. I don't know how long it took John to finally send his disciples for an answer to his doubt or how often you grasp for the right words and come up short, but I know why it's happening. Things don't look like they're supposed to here. You're not the only one struggling for the right words.Jesus pierces through what we mean to say and speaks peace—not just with signs and wonders but with the sure and certain word and promise of God. The poor have Good News preached to them. This can endure the poor still being poor, even when some of the blind can't see yet and not all the lame can walk. John isn't called to find comfort in the signs themselves but in the word and promises of God. Jesus saves sinners. He bears the cross for those struggling and doubting and dying. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me. Not by how He saves. Or who. Or what it looks like while He does it. You're allowed to struggle with it. The poor need the Good News preached to them because they need Good News.  Doubt isn't good, but if we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in this stuff, then this is something that has to be answered. So Christ sends preachers. Even John's doubt in prison prepares the way of the Lord to answer it. This Word of the Lord unites our voices and gives us the words we can't quite find. The Good News preached to you. God became everything we wish we weren't. Lowly. Sinful. Alone. Afraid. Dead. And in doing so, He saved you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Only God knows fully the reason that John was so closely tied to the work of Jesus, but the work he did as an itinerant preacher gives us a pretty good idea: the Law was passing away as the main method God used to form his people, and John was the first messenger of the new way. He had his own set of disciples, but the ultimate goal was still Jesus. (Even John's disciples were recorded as being baptized again into the Spirit after Pentecost.)

This week: screaming over the peak, game state simulations, DLo Schröder, considering your options, this guy sucks, stopping Zion, 7/8 decision time, bad impersonations of the 2016 Cavs, the Alonso-Slater plan, get back East, Balkan beareotypes, Sisyphus' job satisfaction, so much for that Patreon pledge, has KD ever run a play, New Words With Beeso, latitude-dependent shooting, the worst kind of loss, the worst coach left in the playoffs, JJ's audition tape, selling the show, as a franchise a record label and a MFin crew, a momentary dip in our usual levels of Knicks positivity, remembering random Dubs, a great philosopher once said, the two Wemby problem, Godzilla vs Kong, having NO crowd, insurance fraud crackdowns, feels-casting the rest of the first round, not-so-bulletproof Monk, rage against the dying of the machine, scheduling Boston's annual meltdown, two sad teams being sad at east other, proving playoff cliches, sticks through the spokes, the front fell off, this sounds racist, guts injuries, fantasy-drafting the New Sonics, should Ben Simmons wear 45, ZUBAC CHAT, is Nikola Jokic the best-conditioned player in the NBA, a Filo Mixed Touch World Cupdate, you can't win anything with kids, the Roy Masters school of coaching and minding the game. Find us on: Spotify Podcasts | Apple Podcasts | Omny StudioRSS feeds: Just sports | Just music | EverythingContact: Twitter | Facebook | EmailSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Happens In This Episode As we open this week's Jesus Stories, the Jesus' disciples think that they are in competition with John the Baptist. However, Jesus sets them straight on this point. Even John informs us of his non-competitive position; he will become less while Jesus becomes greater. Jesus and his disciples leave Judea and head to Galilee. They take the short route through the region of Samaria. Jesus stops to rest and we drop in on another interesting conversation between Jesus and a woman from Samaria – a person whom Jesus shouldn't have been talking with – if he listened to the culture. Jesus spoke with her, identified himself to her, and gave her water that would be life for her and her village. Scriptures Used In This Episode John 3:22-36 John 4:1-42 Find Us On Social Media Facebook Instagram Twitter Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick returns to the Jack Vita Show to recap the eighth episode of the second season of Peacock's Emmy Award-winning reality competition show, The Traitors. This week on The Traitors, Bergie (Love Island USA 5) was the victim of the traitors' fifth murder. The loss of Bergie is a huge hit to the Peter pals alliance, which is now a group of four: Trishelle, John, Kevin and Peter. Sensing that a pivotal roundtable is on the horizon, the group turns its attention to Phaedra. They sense that both Phaedra and Parvati are traitors. The group views Parvati as a dead woman walking, and fears that if they don't take out Phaedra as soon as possible, the Bravo clique will pick them off one-by-one. Trishelle crafts a plan for the group to try to pull Parvati into the fold, protect her, and attempt to use her vote in the upcoming banishment. Peter meets with Parvati and it appears the two have squashed their beef and agreed to team up. Meanwhile, the Bravo clique also knows that a big time vote is coming. Its core of Phaedra, Sheree, Kate and MJ has its sights set on banishing Parvati. CT and Sandra have positioned themselves in the middle, as the swing votes. The contestants visit a cabin in the woods that functions as an escape room. They are met with gross bugs and a number of other obstacles. The contestants from Bravo drop out of the challenge, while the reality competitors add $11,000 to the prize pot. Trishelle wins a shield, protecting her from the night's murder. Big Brother winner Dr. Will makes a cameo at the challenge. After the mission, the contestants strategize as the bravo clique goes for Parvati and the Peter pals try for Phaedra. In the end, Parvati is banished at the roundtable by a vote of 7-4. Even John votes with the Bravos, leaving Peter, Trishelle and Kevin hung out to dry. With Phaedra as the last remaining faithful in the turret, she is instructed by Alan that she must pick a faithful to recruit as a traitor. If that faithful rejects the offer, they will be murdered. Phaedra chooses Kate, and the episode ends as Kate enters the dungeon. Stephenie and Jack break it all down! You can follow Stephenie (@steph_lagrossa_kendrick) on Instagram, and join her on the Cruise of Deception!

Alex joins Neal and John to discuss the release of Sea of Stars and our incredibly positive opinions of it. Even John played it... for a few minutes. Alex then touches on his review of Bombrush Cyberfunk before we turn to a small backlog of listener mail. Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR to be up to date on any announcements. We are wanting more listener participation, so feel free to ask questions, they may show up in the show! Please send in some hard-hitting questions for the Connectivity gang to ponder over: the address is connectivity@nintendoworldreport.com

Even John doubted. Remember God is more interested in where you spend eternity than in your present day comfort. If you'd like to support us - Give Connect with us through: Web Site Instagram Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lifecentralchurch/message

God's Word for Today 28 June 2023 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. -James 4:13-17 ESV IF THE LORD WILLS James has addressed to some individuals among them who were presumptuous. They expressed their arrogance by making decisions without God. Their boasting is evil. They had said, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” They are not different to the rich fool that Jesus mentioned in His parable in Luke 12:16-21. A proud person is always presumptuous, which is the path to destruction. As Solomon says, ‘Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.'[Prov 16:18,25] Overconfidence in the self is blinding. James is referring to this man who is making business plans and vowing to keep them in his own power and by the force of his own will. Perhaps he is influenced by the prevalent worldly thinking. He became oblivious to his limitations or shortcomings. He forgets that his life is short and uncertain as a mist that vanishes in a moment. Do we know what would happen tomorrow? Of course, not! We can't predict or control the future. Thus Jesus says to us, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”[Matt 6:34] What then are we supposed to do? We ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Let us seek the mind of God in prayer. Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”[John 15:7]. Even John corroborated by saying, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”[1 John 5:14,15] Don't forget that God has no aversion unto us when we plan. But, the only plan that will work is God's plan. He is not denying sound and God-led planning. Let us therefore, “commit our work to the Lord, and our plans will be established.'[Prov 16:3] James exhorts us to carry with us an awareness that every moment, every movement, we should be dependent on God's grace, mercy, and will. There is no exception. This is the right thing to do. Failure to acknowledge God in our plans is not just morally wrong but a sin. ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Given the times we live in, it's so easy to think we know best. This can, occasionally, include knowing best how God should be doing his job. The people of Jesus's day had this too. They had expectations for how promised rescuer (the Messiah) should act. And Jesus didn't match all those expectations. Even John, the forerunner to the Messiah, had questions whether Jesus was the one. And that's where the story gets good. Reflection Questions Is Jesus your salvation today? Can we—Hope Community Church—be a central and important support to one another? Not Just Another Story Cor Chmieleski Hope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hope Community Church, visit hopecc.com.

Not just anyone can be a Messiah. John brought the first signs of the Kingdom into the world, and not all of those were convenient for those around him. For Herod, it was confrontational. Everyone had their own adjustments to make to walk in step with that way. Even John would eventually step aside to make way for Jesus, God himself, who could fully bring that Kingdom to bear.

The American Journal: Even John Bolton Calls Alvin Bragg's Case Against Trump Bogus 

Message: Jesus had a triumphant entry leading to death on the cross. This led people and rulers to ask the question, 'Is He Christ?', the same question many still ask today. Even John, while in prison, sent messengers out to ask. We ask to know if He can truly save. There are compelling pieces of evidence to give us hope, truth and peace. Feast of the Tabernacles is the backdrop of His entry filled with symbolism and prophesy. Genesis 49, 1200 BC, foretells Christ through Jacob's words to his son Judah, emphasizing the truth of God's plans, despite many attempts by man to stop them. Zechariah 9 foretells of Christ's humble entry on a donkey colt, symbolizing a peace-time king. This is a stark contrast to a war-time king and Roman power and might. Even the disciples were confused, until they remembered the scripture Jesus revealed to them. In Matthew 21, Jesus cleans out the temple and heals people. The people rejoiced and declared His lineage of David, but the chief priests and scribes became angry, holding Him in contempt for it. Rousing of Jesus' zeal is foretold in Genesis 49, as a He returns a gathering place for the people back to God. The temple represented a place of sanctuary to those of God, a place to go to Him in faith. The palm branches show their recognition of the Messiah, unable to save, deliver or set themselves free, they display their repentance and praise Him. Scripture: Luke 23:25 "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. " KJV

Larry Gene Bell: Even John Douglas The Famed FBI Profiler Was Disturbed By This Guy!Bell was a double murderer in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted on October 4, 1996 for the murders of Sheri Fay Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell was especially infamous because he forced his victims to write a "Last Will and Testament" before they were murdered, and taunted their parents by telephone.Larry Gene Bell: Even John Douglas The Famed FBI Profiler Was Disturbed By This Guy!KURIOUS - FOR ALL THINGS STRANGE

Larry Gene Bell: Even John Douglas The Famed FBI Profiler Was Disturbed By This Guy!Bell was a double murderer in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted on October 4, 1996 for the murders of Sheri Fay Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell was especially infamous because he forced his victims to write a "Last Will and Testament" before they were murdered, and taunted their parents by telephone.Larry Gene Bell John Douglas FBI Profiler True Crime Podcast 2023 Police Interrogations, 911 Calls and True Police Stories Podcast

Larry Gene Bell: Even John Douglas The Famed FBI Profiler Was Disturbed By This Guy!Bell was a double murderer in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted on October 4, 1996 for the murders of Sheri Fay Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell was especially infamous because he forced his victims to write a "Last Will and Testament" before they were murdered, and taunted their parents by telephone.Larry Gene Bell John Douglas FBI Profiler True Crime Podcast 2023 Police Interrogations, 911 Calls and True Police Stories Podcast

Larry Gene Bell: Even John Douglas The Famed FBI Profiler Was Disturbed By This Guy!Bell was a double murderer in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted on October 4, 1996 for the murders of Sheri Fay Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell was especially infamous because he forced his victims to write a "Last Will and Testament" before they were murdered, and taunted their parents by telephone.Larry Gene Bell John Douglas FBI Profiler True Crime Podcast 2023 Police Interrogations, 911 Calls and True Police Stories Podcast

Even John didn't know that Jesus was the Messiah until the Spirit of God revealed the truth to him. How can we learn from John the Baptist to recognize Christ?John 1:29-34John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.He is the one of whom I said,‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of mebecause he existed before me.'I did not know him,but the reason why I came baptizing with waterwas that he might be made known to Israel.” ... Read the full scripture: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011523.cfm

After nearly 4 years since the first episode, Jared and John celebrate their 100th podcast episode with two special interviews with two special guest interviewers. Even John gets to do the intro this time! Links from the episode:Mandarin Companion | Chinese graded readersChinese learning memes on Instagram SinoSplice | John's Blog AllSet LearningSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scripture Reading: John 13:1-38 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, that he should betray Jesus. 3 Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. 5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but you will understand after these things.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash not only my feet but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus replied, “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 (For Jesus knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is clean.”)12 So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? 13 You call me ‘Teacher' and ‘Lord,' and do so correctly, for that is what I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example—you should do just as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.' 19 I am telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I am he. 20 I tell you the solemn truth, whoever accepts the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed in spirit, and testified, “I tell you the solemn truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed to know which of them he was talking about. 23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was at the table to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to this disciple to ask Jesus who it was he was referring to. 25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved leaned back against Jesus' chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.” Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon's son. 27 And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 (Now none of those present at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas. 29 Some thought that because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.) 30 Judas took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.)31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. 33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,' now I tell you the same.34 “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you the solemn truth, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!Main ThemesThe SettingThe Hour Has ComeYou may recall that we started John's Gospel with Jesus telling his own mother, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.” (John 2:4) You may also recall Jesus telling his brothers that he could not attend the Feast of Tabernacles with them because, “My time has not yet arrived . . . .” (John 7:6). You might even remember Jesus escaping unscathed from those who “tried to seize” him, “but no one laid a hand on him because his time had not yet come.” (John 7:30) Chapter 13 puts the suspense to rest, “Jesus knew his time had come . . . .” (John 13:1)The story is coming to an end. Jesus will return to the Father through death. All that is left is to see the event through.Love is the ThemeAs Jesus nears his Passion (from the Latin passio, meaning suffering or enduring), notice that the focus of Chapter 13 is not that Jesus was brave to the very end, righteous to the very end, or obedient to God to the very end—although he certainly was all those things. Instead, the focus of the narrative is that Jesus loved “his own” to the very end. Of course, this is another double entendre. The phrase “to the very end” can imply “to the utmost” as it can also imply “to the point of death.” But far more noteworthy than the play on words is the focus on love. This focus on love is the theme for Chapter 13.The BanquetJohn does not mention who is present at the meal. However, if we think that the event described by John is the same as or connected with the last supper, then we can be confident that the twelve disciples were present. (The twelve disciples are expressly mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels, for example Matthew 26:20.) This would be a reasonable assumption even without the information found in the Synoptics. There could have been other people present as well, but practical considerations bar a crowd much larger. A Jewish home, particularly an upper room as the Synoptics describe (e.g., Mark 14:15), could not have hosted many more than Jesus and his twelve disciples.Although Jewish people normally sat on chairs, they had adopted the Hellenistic custom of reclining for banquets. At a banquet, a square table would be surrounded by three couches (a triclinium). The word “couch,” however, is confusing for a modern audience. Imagine a table surrounded by three twin size mattresses (long end of each mattress facing the table). A guest would lie on his side with his feet away from the table, holding his head with his left hand. He would proceed to eat with his right hand. Several guests would lie on each couch “spooning” each other. Forgive my comical description, but this will matter later.Foot WashingI have discussed the uncleanness, both literal and ceremonial, of feet in prior sessions. Now I want to focus on the practice of foot washing. Washing one's feet was common enough that “unwashed feet” became a proverbial way of describing “without preparation.” Normally foot washing would precede a meal. (Here, it seems to occur sometime in the middle of the meal.) A host was supposed to provide water for guests to wash their feet. Sometimes, as a welcoming act, a host may provide for a servant to wash a guest's feet. Not only Jewish people, but Greeks and Romans also practiced foot washing. Foot washing was decidedly an act of service. Although sometimes a wife or young child may wash the feet of the home's patriarch, it was a task almost exclusively reserved for slaves. Disciples of a teacher would do nearly anything for that teacher except wash his feet.From a practical standpoint, how was a foot washing done? One could use a pitcher and pour water directly on the person's feet. One could also use a basin in which the water was poured. The word translated washbasin in 13:5 could mean pitcher or basin, but since the story occurs indoors a basin was almost certainly used. Jesus girds himself with a towel, presumably se he can use both his hands. We can also speculate that the disciples remained in their reclining positions at the table while Jesus washed their feet because there is no indication they left their places at the table. This means our artistic depictions of this moment are probably incorrect. This detail (that the disciples remained in their reclining position) adds to Jesus' humility during that moment.Rank and EtiquetteAncient Mediterranean etiquette observed rank carefully. Where one would sit during a meeting or a meal, when one should speak, and to whom one would bestow honor or a gift were all determined by rank. Certainly humility was praised as a virtue, particularly for the pious, but to ignore rank would have been socially awkward if not considered outright wrong. For a patron host to take the posture of a slave by washing his guests' feet would have been unthinkable.The Meaning of the Foot WashingThe meaning of the foot washing is informed by its immediate context: the passion of the Christ. Jesus will soon die. The chapter begins with that reminder. It is in light of Jesus' impending sacrifice that we read of his humble act of service.Additionally, the foot washing is meant to work on two levels: first, the necessity of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, and second, as an example of the love that believers must show for one another. Let's consider each meaning in turn.The Necessity of Jesus' SacrificeThe first meaning is expressed during the conversation with Peter. Peter exclaims, “You will never wash my feet!” Peter is not off base. The foot washing is wrong. Wait, don't throw stones at me yet. I obviously do not mean morally wrong. But put yourself in a similar situation. Imagine someone you admire, someone you consider your superior in a truly meaningful way, someone to whom you are deeply grateful, someone you love, respect, and wish to honor, someone to whom you are dedicated, and he decides to serve you in a humbling, even humiliating way. Personally, I imagine meeting someone like C.S. Lewis and him offering to do my laundry. I would most certainly exclaim, “You will never do my laundry!” It's all wrong. I should be doing his laundry!And the surprising response from Jesus is: there is no other way. If I paraphrase, “You either allow me to serve you or you cannot take part in me.” The beauty and tragedy of this idea is hard to describe. The servant should serve the master—especially when the master is a good one! It's all backwards and upside down, and yet there is no other way. No other solution will do because we cannot serve him first. The disciples claim they will follow Jesus to his death, but they all desert him. Every single one. Speaking more broadly, no one ever has or ever will serve God in a meritorious way. That is why we need to be washed by, covered by Jesus' service to God. Without that substitution, there is no hope of being reconciled with God.An Example for All BelieversThe second layer of meaning of the foot washing is its power as an example for all believers. This is explained in the paragraph following Peter's protest.Jesus begins with a statement of authority: I am your Lord and Teacher. Notice that Jesus does not eliminate rank. There is no hint of egalitarianism. Instead, Jesus' rank is key to the point he is trying to make: if I, your superior, have served you, how much more should you serve one another? The implied answer is obvious and powerful.If we must serve one another, then how and to what extent? The foot washing is a scandalous example of how to love one another: with humility that defies belief. There is no indignity we should not endure to serve one another. Jesus' passion will become the answer to the question of extent. We must be willing to lose our lives for one another.Notice that these are the extreme claims of Christianity. Every Christian is a religious extremist. Not because of his views on sex, marriage, government, or any other tangential (although important) issue, but because of his views on love. Consider what John writes in one of his epistles (1 John 3:11-17):11 For this is the gospel message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, 12 not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's were righteous.13 Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the world's possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?Finally, notice that the foot washing discourse ends with a beatitude: you will be blessed if you do this. Blessings are notably hard to interpret. Will they be received now or in heaven? Are they internal (like a sense of joy) or external (like material or interpersonal gains)? Without spending too much time on this, I think the answer is all of the above. If you are a Christian and have felt your spiritual life grow stale, meditate on this commandment to love and practice it. I feel confident that the blessings will be noticeable.Judas the BetrayerJesus Chooses His BetrayerAs Jesus concludes his lesson of love towards and among “his own,” he makes an eerie disclaimer: “this lesson does not apply to all of you.” What?! “The one who eats my bread has turned against me.” Jesus makes explicitly clear that he “know[s] the ones [he] has chosen,” and he knows that one of those he chose has “turned against [him].” This is important in two respects. It maintains Jesus' divinity. Jesus knows all things as God does. It also proves that Jesus has walked to his death deliberately. Sure, one can say the Jews killed Jesus, the Romans killed Jesus, or Satan killed Jesus (see below), but in the deepest and most meaningful way, Jesus is responsible for his own death. He sacrificed himself willingly and purposefully.Psalm 41 and Ancient CultureAs a quick note, the phrase translated as “has turned against me” is literally “has lifted up his heel against me” in the Greek. This phrase appears in Psalm 41, which also describes a scenario of betrayal, followed by retribution against the traitor, and God upholding the victim due to his (the victim's) integrity.In ancient culture (and probably today as well), betrayal by a friend was considered far more heinous than insults from an enemy. Moreover, just like loyal followers brought a teacher honor, disloyalty from followers brought a teacher shame.The Places at the TableThe disciples are stunned by Jesus' outright accusation that one of them would betray Jesus. They wonder who it will be. The exchange between Peter and “the one Jesus loved” (John) gives us insight into the seating arrangement. The center position on each couch was reserved for those of highest rank. Jesus was probably “seated” in the middle of the middle couch. John was “seated” on the same couch as Jesus but to his right. Peter, presumably on the couch to the right, asks John a question. Notice—however important you may consider this—that Peter does not seem to occupy a place of honor. John leans against Jesus' chest (like little spoon leaning against big spoon) and asks, “who is the betrayer?” Jesus marks the traitor by passing him bread. Remember that everyone is leaning on couches, resting their heads on their left hands, with only their right hands available. This made it difficult to reach anything or anyone far across the table. Some speculate, therefore, that Judas was “seated” on the same couch as Jesus, to his left. According to an ancient tradition (although we are uncertain whether it applies), one showed greater honor to the one seated to one's left because one's left was more vulnerable to assault. Oh, the irony.Satan Enters JudasJohn rarely mentions the devil. The only instances are the “prince of this world,” which we discussed last week; three uses of the word devil (6:70, 8:44, 13:2); and only one use of the word Satan (13:27). The Gospel of John even omits Jesus' exorcisms.Let's review these mentions of Satan or devil. In chapter 6, Jesus says, “Didn't I choose you, the Twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” (6:30). In chapter 8, Jesus says, “You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). In chapter 12, Jesus says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.” (John 12:31). Earlier in Chapter 13, John tells us that “the evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, that he should betray Jesus.” (13:2) Finally, in John 13:27, Jesus says, “And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”Notice the common theme. Satan is the murderer. He is the one who murders Jesus. Yet the truth remains that Jesus is fully in command. Jesus chose “one [who] is the devil” as a disciple. Jesus decided when Satan entered Judas. Jesus was never surprised by, but submitted to the murder that Satan had in store.As we continue to read the Gospel of John, the idea of the Satan entering Judas to empower him for evil works will stand in stark contrast with the idea of the Holy Spirit entering the other disciples to empower them for good works.The New CommandmentThe ContextJesus addresses his “children.” Children is a standard title for disciples in Johannine literature, just like father is a title of honor and authority. This was common at the time. Rabbis sometimes claimed greater respect than parents, claiming the title “abba” as much as the title “rabbi.” Elsewhere, Jesus refers to God as “abba” as well. Notice that “abba” is an Aramaic word for father. It denotes closeness with the one called father, which is why many Christians today understand it as “daddy.” Nonetheless, the word also implies obedience to and great respect of the “abba,” which the word “daddy” does not convey.Jesus gives the disciples the “new commandment” in the context of his impending passion. Both the paragraph before and the paragraph after the commandment speak of Jesus' death. This shows the extend of the commandment. Love one another to the point of laying down your life.We should take Jesus' new commandment very seriously since this is the only specific duty spelled out as a commandment in the entire Gospel of John.What's New About It?We should be surprised by Jesus referring to his commandment as new. For example, consider Leviticus 19:18:You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself.Leviticus is one of the oldest books in the Bible (part of the Pentateuch), so how is Jesus' commandment in John new? Even John himself recognizes this tension in one of his letters (1 John 2:7-11):Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have already heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is still in the darkness. The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his fellow Christian is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.So what's the answer? What is new is the standard for this love: “as I have loved you.” This is a self-sacrificial love. A love that is willing to serve brother and sister in utter humility to the very end.Notice that John is focused on the community. This is the love that followers of Jesus should show one another. However, this focus on the community does not negate love for those outside of it. As Craig Keener points out, there are several reason this is the case:[F]irst, the stated purpose for loving one another is as a witness to the world (13:35); second, they are not said to hate unbelievers as at Qumran (as noted above); third, God's love for Jesus (17:23, 26) and the world of humanity (3:16) should be active in disciples (17:26); fourth, the Father's love for Jesus (15:9) is the basis for his special love for disciples (15:12).Notice as well that Jesus is about to exemplify a love towards the whole world. A love that forgives and is willing to offer grace to enemies.Love is so central to the Gospel that in the Synoptics Jesus summarizes the entire Old Testament law in two commandments to love (Matthew 22:34-40):Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”A New Ethical Model?The next question we should ask is whether this new commandment represents a departure from the ethical model taught in the Old Testament. I do not think so. Biblical ethics already involved imitation of God's character. Consider another verse from Leviticus (Leviticus 11:44): “for I am the Lord your God, and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy.”With this new commandment, Jesus requires us to be like God in one more way. In a sense, Jesus is fulfilling the law by filling it full. Of course Jesus also fulfills the law, including this new commandment, by carrying it out perfectly.I think it is appropriate to go a step further and state that the Christian ethic is to be like God. In the book of Romans, Paul tells us these two things: “[d]o not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” and that believers are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 12:2a, 8:29a) It is the goal and destiny of every follower of Jesus to be impeccable—to be good like Jesus is good. We may not get there in this life, but we are commanded to try. If interpreted correctly, the “what would Jesus do” bracelets had it right. Sure, the better statement is “what would I do if my character were like Jesus' character,” but that doesn't seem a commercially viable fashion accessory.

Our subject this week is repentance.  John The Baptist preached it. Jesus preached it. He commanded his disciples to preach it.  Peter obeyed and told the crowd on the Day of Pentecost to repent.  (Acts 2:38) The Apostle Paul preached it.  Even John wrote about it in his epistles.  Repentance is literally one of the predominant subjects in the Bible.  Yet...there are alleged Christian ministers today who teach that even as Christians we are not required to ever repent.  The false doctrine of progressive teachers today completely removes the need and requirement for all to repent and turn from sin to God.  Repentance is one of the foundations of the Kingdom of God.  It is the message of the Kingdom!  Repent...and believe the gospel! 

Even John Roberts is sick of the activist right-wing SCOTUS using the shadow docket. The Supremes actually did something to protect the citizenry from the thugs-in-blue.  Putin, along with his personal “Rasputin” wants to take over Europe. Speaking of fascist Vlad, his daughters have been sanctioned because of Russia's war crimes upon Ukraine. A religious loon threw a fit over Caitlyn Jenner's hiring at Faux News. A preacher encouraged their flock to break car windows and commit violent acts against ANTIFA. Cretin MRA activist Nick Fuentes barely contained his stiffy over Stalin in an odd moment of Christianity. Democrat Jamie Raskin clapped back bigly at Marjorie Taylor Greene's heckle regarding Russia. Students in Wisconsin aren't reporting to class in furry attire and using in-classroom litter boxes despite the rambling of a dumbass Republican. Surely an angel earns its wings every time RWNJ wanker Stew Peters gets “swatted.” The nastier of the two Murdock demon spawn added to his personal navy.

Pastor Andy Davis unfolds Revelation 10, pointing us to the reality of God’s glory in both the physical and spiritual realms. - TRANSCRIPT - Father, we bow before your throne of grace, acknowledging that apart from you, we can do nothing. And Lord, we desire that this time be richly blessed, but we know that it'll only be blessed if you send forth your Holy Spirit, the same spirit that inspired John so many centuries ago to write the Book of Revelation. Be with us now to interpret it and to apply it to our hearts. We pray in Jesus name, amen. Turning your Bibles to Revelation chapter 10 to continue your incredible study in this book. The Book of Revelation, the apocalypses, the unveiling, pulls back the veil between the physical and spiritual world like no other book of the Bible. Now that veil is pulled back and as we peer into the invisible spiritual world, we can see more things there than we could possibly have conceived with our unaided imaginations. Certainly the most significant reality that we can see by the Book of Revelation is the glory of God. The triune God, God the Father seated on a throne of glory. God the son, Jesus Christ, pictured as a high priest robed and walking through the seven golden lamp stands and also as a lion, ready to roar out with power, as a lamb looking as if it had been slain. And God, the Spirit pictured as a sevenfold lamp stand blazing with the fire of holiness and of truth. The triune God is a central reality of the invisible spiritual realm that surrounds us every moment and no book of the Bible so powerfully reveals the hidden nature of God's glory like the Book of Revelation. But that's not all that the Book of Revelation unveils about the spiritual realms, for there are awesome created beings that we would never have known about if we did not read them in this book and that includes beings we commonly call angels. We're going to look today at a mighty angel that brings a scroll to the apostle John. The context here is that the apostle John is on the island of Patmos off the coast of modern day Turkey, exiled by the Roman empire for his bold faithfulness in preaching the gospel. On that tiny rocky barren island the apostle John was worshiping by the spirit on the Lord's day, and he had a vision of Christ ministering to the seven churches. Christ entrusted through John letters to those seven churches that make up Revelation 2 and 3. Then John is commanded by Christ himself to ascend through the sky, through a doorway open for him in heaven to learn about the future. John was empowered, supernaturally empowered by the spirit, to ascend in a vision. He passed through that doorway into the heavenly realms, and immediately saw a throne in heaven with someone seated on it, the central reality of the universe. That throne is a throne of almighty God, the father, the creator and ruler and sustainer of the entire universe. God, the creator is worshiped in heaven in Revelation 4 by the twenty-four elders and by four living creatures and by a hundred million angels. In the right hand of God, there is a scroll sealed with seven seals and Jesus steps forward, the lion of the tribe of Judah, looking like a lamb that had been slain. Christ alone has proven to be worthy, Christ alone worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. When he had taken the scroll, all of heaven breaks out in cascading worship of Christ the Redeemer. Revelation 5, celebrating Christ the Redeemer whose blood purchase for God, people from every tribe and language and people and nation. Then Jesus began breaking open those seven seals, one after the other and as He did, events began unfolding on earth. The four horsemen of the apocalypse bring false peace and war, famine and death. The martyrs who were slain would be slaughtered for the word of God under the altar crying out for vengeance. And with the sixth seal, the end of the physical universe. At the end of chapter 6 the terror-filled inhabitants of the Earth seek refuge and they cry out. The great day of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come and who shall be able to stand? Who shall be able to stand in the day of God's wrath? Revelation 7 answers that question. The redeemed are able to stand in the day of God's wrath. The redeemed sealed from every tribe of Israel and from every nation on the faiths of the earth, a multitude greater than anyone could count from every tribe and language and people and nation are able to stand in the day of wrath. Then the lamb breaks open the seventh seal, which gives way to the seven trumpets and the first six of these seven trumpets sound in Revelation 8 and 9, resulting in terrifying judgements on the vegetation. Green growing things, on the oceans, on the fresh water, on the sun, the moon and the stars, a demonic hoard is unleashed to torment the people like a plague of locusts and scorpions. A demonic army of 200 million to slaughter one third of the Earth's population. So we come to Revelation 10, and before the seventh trumpet sounds a vision of a mighty angel and a little scroll, and the recommissioning of the prophet John to speak future words of sweetness and bitterness that we desperately need to hear and even to eat. Listen now to Revelation 10, "Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven and he was robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head and his face was like the sun. And his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll which lay open in his hand and he planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted the voice of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.’ Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, and he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the Earth and all that is in it and the sea and all that is in it and said, 'There will be no more delay.' But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants, the prophets. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more, 'Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.' So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, 'Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.' I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.'" Angels So we begin in our exposition with the mighty angel described in verses 1-4. Who are angels? What does this word mean? The word literally means “messenger”. Angels are created spiritual beings who have not a physical experience or existence as we do, no birth, no aging, no death. There are spirits, not flesh and blood. There are good angels who obey constantly the will of God, and then there are wicked angels called demons led by their wicked king, Satan. Their activity in the Bible throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament is in some sense, summed up in Hebrews 1:14, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" What are the benefit of studying angels in scripture? First, understanding more of the complexity of the invisible spiritual realm that God has made. Secondly, knowing how protected we are, that angels fight for us and they keep us from being tempted and they keep us from being attacked beyond what we can bear. And thirdly, they give us servants of God to imitate in their passionate prompt, heartfelt obedience, so that we can fulfill the statement we constantly make in the Lord's prayer, “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The angels are the ones obeying God in heaven. All right fine, but what are the dangers of focusing on angels? Many false depictions, artistic depictions of angels drive me crazy. I mean, you've seen these pictures. Are there any female angels in the Bible? I don't know. There may be one in Zachariah, a couple in Zachariah, but other than that, no. It seems like they might be warriors, but they're always depicted either as little babies that need a diaper change or beautiful women with flowing hair. But in any case, the problem is starting with the artist's own imagination and not with scripture. People are tempted to worship angels for their glory. Even John was tempted to do this twice at the end of the Book of Revelation and Satan zeros in on this, and even as we are told, Satan masquerades as an angel of light [ II Corinthians 11:14]. All of the false religions in the world are propped up by demons who are god and goddess impersonators because those who worship idols are really worshiping demons and that's the danger here. How are angels especially active in the Book of Revelation? Seventy-three of the 188 mentions of angels in the New Testament are found in the Book of Revelation. That's a huge percentage, since Revelation is all about the unveiling of the invisible spiritual realms. It's not surprising at all that angels figure so prominently in this incredible book. Angels are depicted around the throne of God, worshiping him continually. This is the most powerful activity and delight of angels. Angels are directly active in the Book of Revelation in unleashing the wrath of God on the Earth. For example, in Revelation 8 and 9, angels sound the seven trumpets bringing terrifying judgements on the Earth. Later Revelation 16 shows angels pouring out bowls of God's wrath on the Earth and celebrating his justice in what He's doing. Perhaps the most important role of angels up to this point in redemptive history has been their activity in delivering the word of God to the people of God, something we generally don't think about. We do believe as evangelicals in the inspiration of the scripture by God through the Holy Spirit, but angels are depicted in some sense as messengers or deliverers of the Word of God to Earth. For example, in Revelation 1, an angel was tasked to bring the Book of Revelation itself to John. The law of Moses, it says was put into effect through angels, both Paul and Steven tell us this. Angels carry messages from God to the prophets, and that's exactly what this angel is doing here in Revelation 10. He's carrying a prophetic message in the form of a scroll to John. There is also, I believe a clear parallel between this incredible chapter Revelation 10 `and Daniel chapter 10. If you remember in Daniel, Daniel's a prophet and God sent an angel, a mighty angel to bring him a revelation of the future of Israel of what would happen and it's depicted in Revelation 11 on into chapter 12, or Daniel 11 on into Daniel 12. This angel is so overpoweringly glorious that Daniel's on the ground laid out unable to breathe. It knocked him to the ground in terror. We get that same kind of glory here with this angel, look at verse 1-3, “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head and his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. And he was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. And he planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and he gave a loud shout, like the roar of a lion.” The text describes him as “another mighty angel”, in other words, he's like some of the other incredible angels John has already seen so far in his vision. John describes him as mighty, he is powerful, a warrior able to make war. He's coming down from heaven. This means John is now no longer in heaven in his visions, but he's back down on Earth and the angel comes down to where he is. He is robed in a cloud. Often in the Bible, clouds represent the impending judgment, the wrath and judgment of God, the storm clouds of God's judgment, yet there is a rainbow above his head, above the head of the angel. This of course, hearkens back to end of the flood in God's promise. His face was like the sun, again, the sense of a radiant brilliant heavenly light. Angels shine like the sun and glory. His legs are like fiery pillars. This must remind us of the pillar of fire that protected Israel from Pharaoh's army and then led Israel through the Red Sea and through the desert. He's holding a little scroll laying open in his hand. The delivery of the scroll is the purpose, the focus of the entire vision. It is his reason for coming down from heaven to interact with John. It is called “little” but it's impact on the world is incalculable. It's like the relationship between a tiny mustard seed and a vast tree that grows from it. How can we calculate the impact of the revelation that the angel came to deliver to John? By contrast, the prophet, Daniel was told to seal up several of his visions for the future, their meanings would be hidden until the time came. Daniel 12:4 says, "But you Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end." I believe there are details in the book of Daniel that would be unintelligible unless you're living through what's going on there, and so it's sealed up until the time of the end. Now in this open scroll here in Revelation 10 lays the revelation of the mysteries that God will only grant through his prophet at the end of the world. Look at verse 7, "In the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants, the prophets." The vision is about God granting the revelation of the final mysteries of God to the human race through the prophet John. Beyond the scroll, the angel takes a mighty stance on the surface of the earth, look at verse two and three. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and he gave a loud out like the roar of a lion. So this stance is like one of a mighty warrior on the battlefield who cannot be moved from his position. John tells us that his right foot is in the sea, his left foot on the land. I don't know why the right and the left foot are signified. If I can just say for all expositors, especially of the Book of Revelation, it's good to say “I don't know.” You don't have to say it after me, but just learn to say “I don't know.” When you don't know, say “I don't know,” so I don't know why the right foot, then the left foot. I have no idea, but it's told to us. It does give us however, a sense of this warrior angel's mighty power, but also the sense that the message he comes to bring encompasses the entire surface of planet earth. It will affect all the creatures of the heavens, for the angel’s head reaches to the clouds and his face is like the sun. It will affect all the creatures of the Earth where his left foot is, and on the sea, where his right foot is. The Word of God, small as it may seem in his hand, is more permanent than any of them, “for heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will never pass away.” This angel voice also is like the roar of a lion, the overpowering might of God in his unbreakable word. Then comes the seven thunders and the limitation of the revelation, look at verse 3 and 4, “When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven, say seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” We don't know what the voices of the seven thunders are. Perhaps they're other mighty angels whose voice sounds like thunder. They say certain things that it seems are intelligible. John, he understands them, but he's forbidden from writing them down, they're sealed up. They're not given to the human race. Like what happened with the apostle Paul when he was caught up to paradise. It says in II Corinthians 12:4, "He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." In other words, he can't put them into words and he’s not allowed to try, but that work was somewhat given to John and not to Paul to describe heaven. Thus, there are some mysteries that God will reveal to the human race, then there are others He will not reveal to us. And so we have in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord, our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever." Now, I believe as I've written in my book on heaven, there'll be no secrets in heaven. Everything that God has ever thought about the unfolding of redemptive history will be made plain to us in due time in heaven. Now that's the heavenly education. I could easily lurch off into that right now and I'd love to do it, but I'm going to stick to Revelation 10. Right now there are many things that have not been revealed to us, they're secret. In verse 5-7, we have the message from the angel. We could sum it up in one phrase, “There'll be no more delay.” No more delay, that's what we're talking about but he takes a solemn oath. Look at verse 5-6, "Then the angel I had seen on the sea and one the land raised his right hand to heaven and he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the Earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it and said, 'There will be no more delay.'" We have this angel in this powerful stance, he raises his right hand to heaven and takes an oath. This is an oath stance. The taking of this oath is for the purpose of giving a sense of absolute certainty to John. "Oaths are taken and they give certainty," the Book of Hebrews tells us that. He swears by the eternal God, the God who lives forever, whose kingdom never changes. He swears by the creator God, the king of all creation. The text looks at all the spheres of creation, heaven, Earth, and the sea in it, extending to all the creatures that dwell in those spheres. The God who made the heavens and all that is in them, the God who made the Earth and all that is in it. The God who made the sea and all that is in it. This is the God of the universe. The God of all creation. The angel saying, "By him, I swear. I promise." What do you swear? Verse 6, there'll be no more delay. The unfolding of the plan of God seems so slow to us, doesn't it? As we go through it, we're forever asking, “ How long, oh Lord?” I mean honestly, even the angels long to know the answer to this. In Daniel chapter 12, one of the angels asked that very question, Daniel 12:6, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" We see the martyrs under the altar in the fifth seal asking the very same question. They're in heaven and they're asking in Revelation 6, “How long Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the Earth and avenge our blood? How long will it be until we're avenged?” Then they're told to wait a little longer, but there will come a time when human history will come to an end, rapidly even. Now this is in the middle of the seven trumpets. The next thing that will be in the Book of Revelation is the sounding of the seventh trumpet, so we should effectively transport ourselves in our minds and our hearts to that point in history. All of these events have happened, including the terrifying ecological plagues described in Revelation 8. Then the even more terrifying, demonic plagues described in Revelation 9. That when those things have happened, the time will be very short indeed, at that point, very short. Jesus himself said in Matthew 24:22, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, the Lord has shortened them." So what is the significance of this promise? Those days will be so severe, so terrible, so terrifying that it will be vital for the people of God to know that they will not last very long. I actually think this is what the counting of the days, the mysterious counting of the days at the end of the book of Daniel is all about. They're just not going to last long, and the people living through it will need to know how long. There's a mysterious counting of the days that we can't understand, but they'll know exactly what that's about, and so the mystery of God in those days finally will be accomplished. Look at verse 7, "But in the days when the seventh trumpet is about to sound or the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished just as he announced to his servants the prophets." When you get to that point in redemptive history, it's not going to be very much longer. The mystery of God will be fulfilled. Now what is that? The mystery of God is his plan for redemption. It is God's plan for the human race. Lots of passages speak about this mystery of God, but I like Ephesians 1:9-10, the best of all. There it says, "And he made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure. Which he purposed in Christ to put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on Earth together under one head, even Christ." That's God's purpose for redemption. Sin had a fragmentation grenade effect on the universe, blowing it apart. Christ and his redemption puts all things back together and makes them one under one head, even Christ. That's the mystery of God's purpose. That's what this is all about, an end to the fragmentation grenade explosion that sin and wickedness has had on God's beautiful universe, the end to rebellion and disunity caused by sin. This is the mystery that was hidden in the mind of God before the foundation of the world, but it's been gradually revealed step by step by God's holy apostles and prophets. The Book of Revelation represents the final stage of prophetic unfolding of the mysterious plan of God in writing ahead of time, given to us to read like we're doing this morning. In the days of the seventh trumpet, the end of all those messages, all the messages ever given throughout the Old Testament, prophetic books, and throughout the New Testament as well, all the messages of the prophets and the apostles will be accomplished, they will be fulfilled. The Scroll To that end, the angel has come to recommission the apostle John to finish his writing, the rest of the Book of Revelation. So the mission of the angel is the commissioning of John, again, verses 8- 11. "Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more, 'Go take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel, standing on the sea and on the land.'" So the giving of the scroll, as I said, is the whole reason for the mission of this mighty angel for his descending from heaven to earth. Verse 9 says, "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll." But the angel told him something about the scroll and the effect it would have on him and indeed on every faithful heart that receives its message. Look at verses 9-10, "He said to me, 'Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour. But in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.' I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour." The angel told John to eat the scroll, representing the prophetic Revelation of the future. Ezekiel ate a scroll in Ezekiel 3 that tasted sweet in his mouth, similar to that. So also Jeremiah 15 said that he ate God's words and they were his joy and his delight. The eating of the scroll represents the total absorption of the Word of God into our very being. Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God to eat, that it nourishes our souls to the very depth of our being. John is to take this message into his mouth and to digest it inwardly. Now the sweetness of the word of God in our mouths is well known. Ezekiel celebrates it. Jeremiah celebrates it, but John's experience would be different. Sweet, yes but also bitter in his stomach. The final outcome of the Book of Revelation is utterly glorious: the final salvation of the elect from every tribe, language, people and nation. Jesus said, "The righteous will shine like the son in the kingdom of their father are going to be radially glorious,” and the fact that the new Jerusalem will descend out of heaven like a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. With the radiant glory, there will be no need for the sun or the moon to shine, or a lamp to shine because the glory of God will irradiate that entire world, the new Heaven, new Earth and the new Jerusalem. That is glorious. What could be sweeter than that? But it comes at a terrible cost, as we travel the journey there. The destruction of this present world, the destruction of all the unbelievers, their condemnation under the wrath of God is bitter for us. This is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem. This is why Paul says in Romans 9, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish, for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of the unbelieving of my people, the Jews." And so Ezekiel 33:11 says, "As surely as I live declares a sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways. Why will you die? Oh, house of Israel?" I think that's the bitterness of all of this as we read the judgment and destruction that's coming, and the condemnation in the lake of fire that will certainly come on unbelievers. So then John is recommissioned to preach to the nation. Verse 11, "I was told you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." John's eating of the scroll results in his writing of a prophetic message that the entire world must hear. "John, you must prophesy. It is necessary for you to do this. You must write this message down for the world." John is called by God, and he has no choice in this matter, he must do it. The Greek's a little unclear, either “you must prophesy about many nations” as in the ESV, meaning they are the topic of his prophetic words, or “before many nations”, as in the KJV meaning they are the audience. But either way, that's the focus. Here we have peoples, nations, languages, but also mentioned are kings. Now the word of God overrules and outlasts worldly kings. Isaiah 40 says, "He brings princess to naught and reduces the rulers of the world to nothing. No sooner are they planted. No sooner are they sewn. No sooner do they take root in the ground then he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. The word of God however, lasts forever and ever." However, Isaiah 52:15 says some of those kings may well be converted. Some of those kings of various nations might hear the word of God and believe. As Isaiah 52:15 says, "So will he, Christ, sprinkle many nations and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see and what they have not heard, they will understand." Application Well, that's the text. Let's take a few minutes on application. First of all, thank God for the written word of God. Thank God that we have this Bible that came from the scroll and we get to read these words. What a gift this is from our loving God to give us this scripture. Secondly, understand the reality of the invisible spiritual realms that surround us. God hides them from you because you can't handle seeing them, Daniel was on the ground unable to breathe. If you saw the battle going on around you every day in the heavenly realms, you would be unable to function. As Jesus said, "I have much to say to you more than you can now bear." Now I believe when we get to heaven and we see our lives in retrospect, we'll be able see it because we can handle it. But right now we just learn from the Bible about the invisible spiritual realms and the warrior, the mighty holy warriors that are fighting for us, but you must know that their wicked counterparts are as powerful as they are. These angels and demons, it seems in the book of Daniel, battle it out on roughly equal terms. That's the battle, the warfare that's going on, but God's purpose always will prevail. Thirdly, understand the terrible road that still lies ahead of us before God's glorious plan is fulfilled. Think about all of the people that are concerned about the ecology of the Earth. They're green people, so to speak. Have they not read what's going to happen in Revelation 8? I don't have any problem with being concerned about ecology, we are stewards of the Earth, but God's going to rip it to shreds and that's a judgment. It started from the very beginning when he cursed the Earth because of Adam's sin. This is the consummation of that curse and it's going to be completely destroyed. A third of the sea is going to turn to blood, a third of the drinking water turned to blood. It's going to be destroyed, burned up. Let's understand also the judgments that are going to come on the wicked and the unbelieving of the world, and let's grieve over it. The grief for sin is not for heaven. The grief for the lost will not be in heaven, we're not going to mourn at all then. It's for now, it's to motivate us to share the gospel to lost people. That's why we weep. That's why we move and understand that. Fourthly, let this chapter warn us against all the evils and deceptions of sin. Ephesians 5 puts it this way, "Among you, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place but rather thanksgiving. For of this, you can be sure no immoral, impure or greedy person, such a man as an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things, these sins God's wrath is coming on the earth." All the wrath we read about is caused by human wickedness and sin, so we as God's holy people must flee from these evil things. Fifth, let's understand the delay. The text says at that point, there'll be no more delay. Right now, there is a delay going on and we need to understand the reason for it. As we look around and see everything going on as it always has, it seems from the beginning of creation, we could be lulled into a sense that these things aren't really going to happen, but they are going to happen, they're coming. The delay, Peter tells us in II Peter is for salvation. This is the reason why God is waiting. He is patient with us not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. That's the reason for the delay. Therefore, sixth, let's be active in sharing our faith. The passion we have at FBC Durham right now, and we've been and praying for it for weeks now, is that a durable culture of evangelism that results in constant effective outreach to the lost in our community will result in the conversion of many people. That's what we're praying for. This seminary is committed with the word to sending missionaries to the ends of the earth and even within our own nation. We need to be passionate. As Peter said, "To look forward to the day of God and speed it's coming by evangelism and missions." Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for Revelation 10. Thank you for the things that we've learned and the ways that we can apply this text to our hearts. Thank you for the power of the Word of God and this little scroll that started little, but has had a massive impact on the fate of the earth. Lord, we pray that we would drink in and eat the word of God and that it would be sweet and bitter as it needs to be in our hearts to motivate us to the action and the good works you've called us to do. Now, we pray in Jesus name.

At that time Jesus healed many people. They had illnesses, sicknesses and evil spirits. He also gave sight to many who were blind. So, Jesus replied to the messengers, “Go back to John. Tell him what you have seen and heard. Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made ‘clean.' Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is announced to those who are poor. Blessed is anyone who does not give up their faith because of me (Luke 7:21-23).   In our text, John the baptizer has sent some of his disciples to Jesus asking him if he really was the one. Was Jesus really the messiah Israel was expecting from God? Luke is still working out his initial question: who is Jesus?   In reply to John, Jesus says that yes, he is the Messiah from God, but not the kind of messiah Israel was expecting.   You see, John had preached about coming wrath, destruction, fire, judgment (3:7-9, 17). But the words and deeds of Jesus had very little if any of this stuff. Even John's arrest and imprisonment had provoked no counterblast of judgment from the powers of the kingdom of God.   John was clearly puzzled. Jesus wasn't doing what he had expected. If Jesus really was the Messiah, why wasn't he establishing the sort of messianic kingdom John wanted, the kind in which prisoners like himself were liberated and folks like Herod got what was coming to them? In reply to John's question, Jesus points to what he is doing: healing all sort of people. Then quoting from various prophecies in Isaiah, encourages folks to draw their own conclusion. This is the kind of Messiah Jesus intends to be: not a straightforward rival to Herod. In the end, Jesus' kingdom will challenge and outlast all the Herods in the world. But for now, his kingdom will operate in a different mode altogether, healing people and the world at every level. On the one hand, there is encouragement for the Christian in this confrontation between John and Jesus. John had proclaimed Jesus coming, but when Jesus came, John didn't get it. Jesus doesn't berate John with some form of “how could you even ask”. Instead, he invites John and his disciples to come have a closer look. Rather than pushing John away, he draws him nearer. If Jesus could deal with John's questions and doubts, surely, he will be equally merciful to us when we question him. The church has often frowned on people with questions, telling them just to believe. In this, the church does not seem to follow her Lord at all. He was not offended by the questions and doubts. He simply invited the questioners to have a closer look. So let us no longer hide and silence our questions, but rather use them as opportunities to look deeper into what God is up to. On the other hand, this confrontation poses a challenge for the Christian. Blessing belongs to the person who is not offended by Jesus. His style of ministry is not with the powerful flair of position and status the world expects and we want. Nonetheless he has been sent from God. Can we believe that acts of love and mercy do bring forth the kingdom? Its more thrilling to be involved in protest movements that dethrone governments. But Jesus always resisted such things. His kingdom comes through subversive acts of kindness and mercy. Can we accept that?

You might wonder why Jesus would come to John the Baptist to be baptized. Even John was confused at this request from Our Lord. In his Bible study, Fr. Mitch explains why it was necessary to “fulfill all righteousness.”

We are still discussing the episode “no other name but Jesus alone.” This week we will discuss the great forerunner and his purpose and mission for Christ. Even John was adamant that he wasn't even worthy to bear Jesus' shoes. And, how God spoke to verify Jesus was the true and living Son. Take a listen to this week's episode.

GOSPEL POWER | JULY 31, 2021 SATURDAY | St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest 17th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 14: 1 – 12 At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus; and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus. Reflection Both in life and in death, John the Baptist faithfully carries out his role as forerunner of Jesus. He lives the high point of his life and prophetic career indicating to the people that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, on whom to pin their hopes. Even John's violent death on account of his commitment to the truth becomes a pre-announcement and foreshadowing of Jesus' own destiny to suffer a cruel death in the hands of those who are threatened by the truth. Interestingly, today's Gospel portrays John as continuing his forerunner's role even beyond the grave. Through the delusional imagination of the guilt-ridden Herod, John the Baptist resurrects, thus pre-announcing the glorious destiny of the Messiah to rise from the dead. Prayer Lord Jesus, today's Gospel powerfully shows that commitment to the truth renders a person indestructible. Amen

This week, we watch the highest rated Pixar film on the list! Even John, who has frequently mentioned a “dragging middle third” in Pixars story structure, didn't see that happening here. Lovable robots, funny slapstick, and heartwarming relationships fill this visual and design masterpiece. WALL-E (2008), directed by Andrew Stanton.

In Episode #3 John & Keith take the pry bar to this week's guest, Gregg Kusumah-Atmadja. Gregg is the front man from the band usLights.  He is a Music Producer, Performer, and all around creative mind. (Even John might have learned a thing or two from this weeks conversation). Gregg's work spans 2 decades, covering multiple genres including, Metal, Electronic Rock, and the Avant-garde. The guys discuss Gregg's most recent release, Waes 2021 and how to promote your self in today's digital landscape. Join us for an A/B comparison of the 2017-2021 versions of the Waes songs and an in depth look into todays music industry. Support our artists, our show and your own personal evolution...Episode cover art:Jenny Isme, contact @ cigarette.sandwichListen to and Support usLightsLooking to promote your music to a wider audience? Check out Publi*sistNeed help starting a podcast? Start a free account at Buzzsprout , or just check out their very informative Blog. Need help with producing your podcast, or content creation? Check out Strange Paradise StudiosSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stereodustpod)

As we open this week's Jesus Story, the disciples of Jesus think that they are in competition with John the Baptist. However, Jesus sets them straight on this point. Even John informs us of his non-competitive position; he will become less while Jesus becomes greater. Jesus and his disciples leave Judea and head to Galilee. They use the short route which takes them through the region of Samaria. Jesus stops to rest and we drop in on another interesting conversation between Jesus and a woman from Samaria – a person whom Jesus shouldn't have been talking with – if he listened to the culture. Jesus spoke with her, identified himself to her, and gave her water that would be life for her and her village. Scriptures used in this story are: John 3:22-36 John 4:1-42 This week's book, Listen to the Word, is available from Audible.com. Find a link through the Narration by George website. Don't forget! We're on social media! Follow Jesus Stories on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. And leave a review on iTunes. This will help people to find us! Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

We're going to finish Revelation 1 today. We have been looking at the descriptions of Jesus Christ which, of course, fits in with the very first verse, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” As we come to Revelation 1:17, John is speaking here saying, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feel like a dead man.” So, John is overwhelmed with the picture and presence of Jesus. Some people ask, “Why would that be? Afterall, John was the disciple Jesus loved, he leaned against Jesus at the Last Supper, he spent over three years ministering with Jesus and he knew him better than anyone else knew him. So why in the world would he be overwhelmed in the presence of Jesus now?” Of course, if you have gone back and read the verses prior to this, you would see this is no ordinary picture of Jesus. John knew Jesus in His humanity and His glory was shielded. It was sheltered from us. We couldn't see it in its full manifestation. Even John couldn't see it, but now we see and now John sees it. When he is there in the very presence of his glorious Savior, he is overwhelmed. He just simply cannot stand up. So, he falls down like a dead man, “And He placed His right hand on me saying…” so, Jesus touches him and He says this, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” That's quite a sentence. Let's break it down a little. He says to John, “Don't be afraid, I am the first and the last…” remember, alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the beginning of all things, the consummation of all things. And, “the living one,” so He of course went to the cross and died for us, but He is resurrected. We have already seen that mentioned earlier in the book in this chapter. He says, “I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore,” so death could not defeat Jesus. Jesus defeated death. He did die. He died for our sins. To release us from sins He told us earlier, but at the same time He has overwhelmed death, He has conquered death and He is alive. Not just temporarily to go back to the grave like Lazarus. Remember, Lazarus resurrected from the dead because Jesus called him forth, but he went back to the grave. He died again. Jesus never would die again. He is alive forevermore. “…and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” So, Jesus is in charge of death and Hades. Death would seem in this book to speak of the physical death. Where Hades would be more in line with the idea of spiritual death and the place of the spiritual dead who do not know Christ. So, He has the keys to both of them and He is in charge of all things including death and Hades. Then Revelation 1:19, as we saw last week, is the index or table of contents you might say of the book, “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.” So, this is our table of contents. He said write the things of which you have seen – these are the things in Revelation 1 that John is seeing right now, and the things which are – those will be the things we will see in Revelation 2 & 3, and perhaps Revelation 4 & 5, depending on how you look at that. We will see that later. And then, I want you to write about, “…the things which will take place after these things.” Those are the future events after Revelation 5, after the church age and the things that will happen in the Tribulation period and ongoing. So, that would be the table of contents, and this would be what is coming up in the book . . .

The story of a woman anointing Jesus is in all four of the Gospels. Matthew and Mark have it as part of the passion narrative. Luke has it much earlier with differing details. Even John has it following the resurrection of Lazarus. He identifies the woman as Mary. Today we look at the extravagant love in the anointing of Jesus and Jesus' response.

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:14-32 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24 In a sermon on today’s text I said that sometimes even Christians have their doubts. The next day I received a phone call from someone who told me I was wrong. A Christian, he said, does not doubt. But, of course, some Christians do doubt. Some of us have even said the same thing that the boy’s father said to Jesus in the story we have read today: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” In this Advent season we are asked to believe that the baby born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem was the Son of God, born not of an earthly father but conceived by the Holy Spirit. We are asked to believe that this child would be the Savior of the world and that through him we can have eternal life. There are so many things we are asked to believe, and many of them go against human reasoning. Most of us have moments in our lives when our faith is weak. Some situations in life can make us doubt. Even John the Baptist, who once boldly said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” began to doubt when he was in prison (John 1:29; Luke 7:18-23). When doubts come into your life, talk about it to a Christian friend, and tell the Savior. Read the Bible, ask Jesus to remove your doubts, and be assured that everything you’ve learned about God is true. He is able and willing to strengthen you. Lord in heaven, we too believe, but sometimes we doubt. Please help us overcome our unbelief. Amen.

As many Trump supporters lose hope because it seems everyone from mainstream media to the Supreme Court to most Republicans on Capitol Hill are against us, we can look to the potential for a Dominion Voting Systems "MOAB," possibly through SolarWinds Orion.

(All cards on the table. I don't believe this title. Just trying to make you giggle.) TODAY ON THE SHOW: We've got some INCREDIBLE Dirty Little Secrets! Did ANYONE get an XBOX or PS5 this weekend?? We're giving a listener a chance to make a BOOTY CALL! THE MEME GAME and soMUCHmore!!

Pastor Fred reminds us that the season of advent often focuses on “preparing the way of the Lord”. Preparing hearts to celebrate Jesus birth is truly a celebration of our new birth. For those who may not know the exact date of your “born again experience, I suggest you celebrate it specifically on this day, Christmas. Preparing the way of the Lord was John's job. John 3:28-30 28 "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.' 29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.” Understanding Decrease: Often, we are received by people through their own set of beliefs about themselves…He/she is perfect, I am flawed...He/she is everything, I am nothing/nobody...He/she is worthy, I am not good enough...He/she is a success, I am a failure. Even John appears to struggle with some of this in Luke 7:19 Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" John is wondering, did I miss it, did I fail here? I don't believe we're to interpret this passage through our doubts and failures… Decrease - to make less (in rank or influence); To make less, used trans. in regard to dignity. Dignity – a: high rank, office, or position b: a legal title of nobility or honor If we are both sgts, and you become a general, who is now the greater rank? Who is now the lesser rank? I am still a sgt with all the rights and privileges of a sgt. Therefore, #1 this is speaking of the position Jesus is to have in every aspect of our lives. Lord of lords & King of kings. #2 Your position doesn't need to change in order to decrease in rank. It is not about becoming less than you are, it's about knowing the fullness of who you are and all that you are created to do and to be, through the recognition of Jesus' Lordship. When we FULLY recognize Jesus' Lordship in every area of our lives it immediately means we become lesser in rank because He is greater, and also because prior to this revelation, we don't see ourselves clearly. We either think much more of ourselves, as being much higher in rank than we truly are… Ro 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Ro 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Or, we think much less of ourselves…Being flawed -2 Cor 5:21 [you are] the righteousness of God in {Christ Jesus]...being nothing/nobody -Ro 8 you are sons/dtrs of Most High God...being not good enough - Ro 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us...being failures - Ro 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Pastor Fred continues on, drawing from King David's life in 1 Samual 21, talking about what it means to pursue promotion. Davids promotion occurred as he invested in, poured into, as he promoted others. He got under their mission in life and pushed up! When we decrease, but promoting others and getting under all that they are called to do and to be in life, whether above or below us, Christ is lifted up…then we are in the perfect position for promotion!

My child, don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. (Pro. 3:21 NLT) Today, I was reminded of why I rarely browse social media these days. No, it wasn’t anything horrifying that I saw. But it was a bit unsettling. It was a post by a Christian, supposedly warning others about Christian music and using discernment, and included a link to a website. And like a sucker, I clicked.What followed was a blog post; a diatribe disguised as Christian caring; vicious gossip in the guise of “discernment” and many “should” and “should not’s” juxtaposed with the blogger’s reluctant “duty” to inform us that these particular songs, bands, churches, and Bible teachers are heretical. She doggedly insisted that we, as well as our churches, should have nothing to do with them. She then provided a list of “approved” music, teachers, and pastors.How thoughtful.That said, I don’t have a problem with Bible-literate believers legitimately warning others about heresies, false doctrines, and the like. The apostle Paul did this often, and with no qualms about naming the guilty parties, such as Alexander the coppersmith and fellow believers Phygelus, Hermogenes, and Demas. (2 Tim. Ch. 1 & 4) Even Peter and Barnabas didn’t escape Paul’s righteous indignation, as he names them and calls out their hypocrisy in Galatians 2:11-13. And John? Well, in 3 John 1:9-11, good old Pastor Diotrephes was lambasted by John for his evil ways.Even John the Baptist, and Jesus himself called the scribes and Pharisees “broods of vipers.”By these and many other such verses, we see that warning others about legitimate threats is fine, and often necessary. And of course, anyone who has been victimized by someone at church should be able to report the abuse and receive help, without being further victimized by verbal bludgeoning and other such vindictive behavior.In Matthew 10:16, Jesus instructed the apostles he sent out to, “… be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.”Good advice, don’t you think?Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-proverbs-3-21-using-discernment/

Throughout John’s Gospel we see the divinity of Jesus brought to light through miraculous signs and the seven “I Am” statements. Even John’s prologue in chapter one sets us up to see Jesus as the Word who was with God in the beginning, and who was God; the same Word who took on our flesh. The fact that those who sought to apprehend Jesus fell back when He identified Himself, demonstrates, as Fr. Ward points out, the power of His presence and that He was no ordinary man. The mob may have come out in force to arrest Jesus, but the only way they would be able to leave with Him was under His own power.

Encounter brings you a weekly podcast the 4 weeks of Advent. This week, Denise and Todd Jones talk about how to open our hearts and lead others to Christ even if we don't feel we can. Even John the Baptist has doubts in this week's Gospel reading. (Matthew 11:2-11)

In this episode of The Rambling Rev, I continue the exploration into the role of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus. As we move through Advent, and we experience the growing anticipation of Jesus while moving towards Christmas, we find some reassuring truth. Even John fails to fully understand what it is that Jesus is up to. The Kingdom of God has come near...and so we ponder on just what that means in the here and now.

Do God's promises seem like they're not being kept? Even John the Baptist doubted. But Pastor Jon reminds us that what we see with our eyes does not compare to what God tells us to believe. In this Bible series project, Pastor Jon shares with us how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus--and how we must continue preparing for Jesus today. Time of Grace is a donor-supported effort. If you would like to give a gift of support, please donate here: http://bit.ly/2Zc5lHT You can also watch Time of Grace daily video devotionals by subscribing on YouTube to get new videos each weekday: http://youtube.com/TimeofGrace

Daily Devotional. Do God's promises seem like they're not being kept? Even John the Baptist doubted. But Pastor Jon reminds us that what we see with our eyes does not compare to what God tells us to believe. Pastor Jon Bauer. Time of Grace is a donor-supported effort. If you would like to give a gift of support, please donate here: http://bit.ly/2Q15vjM You can also get Time of Grace daily video devotionals sent to your inbox each day by subscribing to our email list: https://timeofgrace.org/subscribe/?togipsrc=podcast

For our first ever BONUS episode, we're bringing you James Snell's recent talk from NodeJS OC. James discusses his involvement with http/3 and QUIC and fields some questions from the audience. It was a great talk about complex topics, presented in a way that was easily digestible and interesting. Even John understood it (well, most of it)! Follow James on Twitter: @jasnell James is Head of Research at NearForm: https://www.nearform.com/ Check out NodeJS OC: https://www.nodejsoc.com/

This is an abbreviated version of The Michael Medved Show. To get the full program, plus premium content, become a subscriber at MichaelMedved.com

No matter your doubts or questions, you are loved by God. Even John the Baptist, who seemed to the the most sure about Jesus, had his doubts and questions when things got tough. Let’s look into the story of John the Baptist to find that God welcomes your doubts, your questions, and all of us who are seekers.

Luke 7:31-50 Jesus is wrestling with the expectations of many whom he encounters. Even John the Baptist, his second cousin, is beginning to doubt about Jesus because his expectations are not being met. Some religious leaders are skeptical because Jesus is not acting like a holy Messiah of their expectations. It seems that only the "sinners" are open to Jesus. A particular Pharisee, Simon, invites Jesus to his home for a meal. An uninvited and unexpected guest disrupts the whole occasion which leads to a fascinating and challenging conversation between Jesus and Simon. It's from this conversation that we confront our question, "Do you see this woman?" Will we see? Will we resist? Will we let go of our expectation? Will we accept the peace offered?

In Matthew 11-12, opposition to Jesus steadily increases. Even John the Baptist—who is clearly Jesus's ally—is tempted to doubt him.

To ensure that your student gets the best learning experience, the educators – tutors, teachers, lecturers, etc. – should be able to communicate effectively and efficiently. So, in today’s episode of The Tutor Podcast, I talk to a good friend of mine, John Cassidy-Rice, about the Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and how it can improve the way we communicate and teach our students. NLP techniques can help enhance every student’s performance. Even John himself, who has dyslexia, shares that he benefitted from NLP. Aside from personal stories, John also shares the top 3 NLP-based key strategies that tutors can use. Don’t also forget to check out his NLP courses after you listen to this episode! KEY TAKEAWAYS What is NLP? It stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Neuro refers to all 5 senses, Linguistic refers to the languages and gestures, and Programming refers to putting them both together to produce positive results. John runs an NLP training company that offers a 2-day introductory course which can help you change your beliefs and learn how to communicate with yourself and others. John says NLP helped him with his dyslexia. Of course, there are still challenges with communicating, reading and writing but, he was able to do more. John has published 4 books as of lately. Top 3 NLP-based Key Strategies According to John Salience x Repetition = Learning Update your identity of who you see yourself as. Reframe: ‘how we think’, not ‘what we think.’ BEST MOMENTS “What is the difference that makes the difference?” – John “NLP form has been a toolbox… a go-to toolbox where I can unpick not only how I think, how I play and how the other people play, but how my students limit themselves in the way that they think about music, about playing and about their own abilities.” – Neil “Anything that can hold you back can actually be your strength at the same time.” – John “Change your thinking; change your response.” – John VALUABLE RESOURCES Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) com Unlock The Power Of Stories: Change Your Story Change Your Life by John Cassidy-Rice David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell Neil Cowmeadow - Weird Things Guitarists Do Neilcowmeadow.com  ABOUT THE HOST Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years of experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! ABOUT THE GUEST John Cassidy-Rice is an NLP Master Trainer. He runs Training Excellence, a company that focuses on the human approach of training. He helps organisations and other companies improve leadership and communication among the people. John has also published 4 books. He recently released his latest book, Unlock The Power of Stories: Change Your Story, Change Your Life.  CONTACT METHOD Neil Cowmeadow info@neilcowmeadow.com John Cassidy- Rice Training Excellence - NLP Courses john@nlpcourses.com NLP Podcast

Hab. 1.12-2.4 Address the foundation (Hab. 1.12-2.4)Our problem: we cross examine & judge God by our reason.His Response: trust in the prophecies.The needed bridges between our reasons and God's prophesies: faith.Prepare for the Advent. (Matt. 3.1-12)Be willing to be a little weird for Jesus. (3.4)Embrace change.Who you think you are is not enough compared to who you need to be.Fix their eyes on the unseen. (2 Cor. 4.16-18)Faith connects with a reality that reason cannot attain by itself.Faith is essential to all relationships. Relationships are gambled placed on the character of the one we choose to open up to.Sooner or later your decisions will reveal whether you value faith enough to gamble on God's character.Overcome their egos. (1 John 1.19-27, 3.22-36; Matt 3.13-15)Reject pride and the need for your name to be known.Push through insecurity.Reject false humility. Who are you to shrink back from who God has called you to be and what He has told you to do?Accept that faith requires faith. (Luke 7.18-28)Doubt by itself is not the problem. Even John the Baptist doubted.Doubt is a problem when we require more evidence then we really need to step out and trust God, even with our lives.

DANSK UDGAVE: Søg efter “Radiovagabond”  (ét ord).   I'm driving in the mountains with my new friend John. We're 105 miles north of Managua that we passed on the way from Granada. And we're getting closer to the Honduras border another 60 miles north of there.  We start this episode driving through some farmland that is mainly used for the tobacco industry. Mostly they produce cigars in this area - and that is what keeps this city alive. According to John 99% is supported by the cigar industry.  I met the guy in the car in the restaurant where I'm staying in. His name is John Pappas and we became instant friends. Sometimes you meet someone where you just click, and this was one of those times. Three things I notice immediately with John: He's got a beautiful tattoo with greek gods that covers his entire right arm, he's almost always smiling and he always always has a cigar. Most of the time it's not lit - he just sits with it, like most other people would sit with a smartphone. Because John is a cigar-man. And a philanthropist with a big love for Nicaragua. And then he's Greek/Irish Canadian.  He speaks English even though he's is born and raised in Montreal, Quebec in the French-speaking part of Canada. His father is of Greek descent and his mother is of Irish descent.  After having been very successful building a restaurant chain in Canada he decided that he needed a purpose and a change, and he retired and got in contact with some friends in the tobacco industry here and said: "I want to give back to a country that I love and help the children" One of his friends here found an orphanage here and together they've been supporting it. He tells me that it's hard when you're working with an NGO like SOS that runs hundreds of orphanages around the world, to tell them that you want to be a part of deciding what the money goes for, but after a while, they managed to do so. In this episode, you can hear when we're driving in a poor neighborhood. We're on a dirt road with tiny houses on each side and a huge building at the end of it. That's probably the largest tobacco factory in the area. John wants to show me the orphanage he's working with. And as we're approaching we can see a little bit of a difference. We see less garbage, freshly painted, and everything looks a bit nicer.  This is a Sunday morning and a quiet day here. It's not normal for guests to be able to visit this orphanage so I feel lucky that John would take me there. John tells me that most of the children are not orphans. Most of the children are abused in multible ways. And the thing with sexually abused children is a big problem in this country. I've heard someone say that maybe one out of three children has been abused here. So they have a rule that all males should leave the orphanage before the sun goes down. Even John, that they know. But the rule makes sense. Also, this is a country with so many young single mothers. I was told that many men have no responsibility and just move on to the next woman after he made her pregnant, and John confirms this. 13 million children are born every year to mothers between the ages of 15 and 19. In fact, almost 25% of all births in the country are from teenage women. And around half of the women in the country give birth before they're 20 years old. Abortion in Nicaragua is completely illegal. At the orphanage, we walked up to the room where the activity is taking place. The door and the windows are open so we can peek inside. And we see that this is an activity for 25 teenagers. They are being tough on "life" as John calls it.  John told me that one day some of the staff here at the orphanage came across a 13-year-old girl in the city. 13 years old - and very pregnant. So they walked home with her and met her mother. She was 27 … and very pregnant. Both mother and daughter were about to give birth any day. And as they were talking … on walks the grandmother. She was around 45 and ALSO very pregnant. So three generations of Nicaraguan women, all very pregnant. And apparently, it was the same guy that had made all three pregnant. The mother's boyfriend that had made both her, her mother and her 13-year-old daughter pregnant. We walk around the area for more than an hour. John tells me more about what they do and all the different projects he's involved with. Mostly it's the little extra things that can help improve life there. Like draining a swamp in the area and turn it into a ball pitch, taking the kids to football when the local team won the championship, throwing a party or things like that. He tells me that there's really only one father figure who works there with the young boys. And we just happen to run into him.  John always wanted to be a father himself… But things didn't turn out that way. Until one year ago where he adopted an 18-year old girl. Well, not legally, but he supports her and she calls him dad. And he scares off the boyfriends.  John has found his purpose in life. Right here in Nicaragua.  In the next episode, John will take me to visit a small cigar factory, we meet a local street artist, I visit the Eco Lodge Manku Lake Paradise - and then I get sick. LINKS: Sponsor Hotels25.com Follow The Radio Vagabond on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Time for a somber reflection. What? You knew this was coming. Even John has been pretty optimistic lately. Now it's time to ask how parenting affects our kids and the concept they have of how they fit into our bad moods. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Even John, the gospel that more than any other gospel - stresses the idea that one must believe in Jesus, also goes to pains to make sure we know that we have to do the stuff, too. The fact that we DO THE STUFF is an indication that we believe in Jesus.

We sometimes wonder if Jesus mission really worked. Even John the Baptist wondered about Jesus. Even in moments of doubt, Jesus is there to bring courage to us.

7 AM - 1 - Tim Carney from the Washington Examiner talks NH results stuff with us. 2 - More election stuff. 3 - The News with Marshall Phillips. 4 - Cam Newton said he's a sore loser.

sermon transcript Introduction Ordinarily on Easter Sunday, I like to somewhat put the people who are listening to me on a time machine and go back to that first resurrection day. I like to go to narratives that describe what it was like on that day, what it would have been like to go with the women as they went to dress the dead body of Jesus, worried about who's gonna move the stone, and to see the look on their faces when the stone's already removed and the angel gave the message: “He is risen. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He's not here.” And just to be there and experience it, that would have been something. Or to be with Peter and John as they heard the news and they ran toward the empty tomb, and they saw the physical evidence of the resurrection, the grave clothes laying there, perhaps in a cocoon, in the shape of the body of Jesus, the head covering folded up neatly off to the side, the stone, the massive stone removed from the entrance by a supernatural force, the whole scene just proclaiming he is risen from the dead. Oh just to be there and see the physical artifacts, that would have been something. Or to be with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, wouldn't that have been something? Best of all, those personal encounters with the risen Lord. To be able to have a conversation with Jesus, they didn't even know it was him. And their hearts are burning as they hear the word of God from Jesus's own lips. And it's only when they sit down at table with Jesus and he breaks the bread, that their eyes are opened, and they realize that it's Christ, and instantly he's taken away from them. Just to sit with those two disciples, let's make it three disciples or five, and just be able to see the risen Lord, I would love to be able to do that And so that's how I like to preach usually on Easter Sunday, because I believe with all my heart, it really happened in space and time. There was a time, there was a body, there was an empty tomb, there were eyewitnesses. It all happened. He has risen. It actually occurred. And it's so important for us to realize that that is the truth, and that our faith is established on the unshakable fact of the empty tomb of the resurrection of Christ. So I like to do that on Easter Sunday. But this morning, I feel led to take you on a different journey, perhaps one of the most incredible journeys that any prophet has ever taken. The Apostle John in exile on the Island of Patmos, having a vision on the Lord's day of the resurrected Christ in his glory, in a way they didn't see him while he ministered on earth, and to hear his voice like the sound of rushing waters, great power. And then in Revelation 4, he sees a door standing open in heaven, and a command that it's absolutely impossible for us unaided by supernatural power to obey, but John got the command, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this,” and at once, John says, “I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” That's the center of my life. That's the center of my theology, a heavenly throne and someone sitting on it. That is the Ancient of Days. That is the Almighty Heavenly Father. He's sitting on the throne. He is the God of creation in Revelation 4, and there are 24 elders surrounding that throne, and they are continually giving praise and glory and honor to the God who created all things. Revelation 4, the picture of God the Creator, the king sitting on the throne. I wanna take you, not back in time therefore, but somewhat outside of time, and also mystically and prophetically ahead in time to the future. Outside of time and ahead of time, to see not what Jesus looked like the morning he was raised, but what he will look like when we see him in heaven, when he will be glorified before our very eyes, and we get to worship him for eternity. Because even then there was still work to be done, even that first resurrection morning, there's still a journey to be traveled. There's Mary holding on to his feet, and Jesus has to say, “Let go of me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. There's still some work to be done here.” But how about when there's no more work to be done? How about when Jesus is in his glory, when he's on the throne, and we get to be with him, with a countless multitude from every tribe and language and people and nation around the throne, giving glory and praise to Christ? How about then? Oh, how my heart yearns for that day. And I look forward to it. And this resurrection morning, the first one, that was just the most important step in a long journey that will be fulfilled for all of us by the power of the Spirit. So let's go outside of time, let's go ahead of time, and let's see in Revelation Chapter 5, a picture of the resurrected and glorified Christ in prophetic perspective, a picture of Jesus on his throne. Four things focused our attention in this chapter. There is a scroll in the hand of Almighty God. Secondly, there is a proclamation by the angel about the scroll. Thirdly, there is a lamb receiving the scroll, and fourthly, there is honor and glory given by all creation to the lamb who receives the scroll. That's the four-part outline of this chapter, Revelation chapter 5. The Scroll: God’s Plan for Redemption and Judgment for the Earth The Scroll Described Let's begin with the scroll. It says in verse one, “Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.” That is the scroll described. The Greek word is “biblos,” could be just a book, but it's probably a scroll, rolled up. And it's in the right hand of someone who's sitting on a throne. The one sitting on the throne is none other than God Almighty, the God who created heaven and earth. And so he sits on his throne in heavenly glory, and in his right hand there is this scroll. And the scroll must be a very precious thing indeed, for it's in the right hand of God, and it is the focal point of all heaven at that moment. All of heaven is focused on that scroll. It must be a very precious thing indeed to be in the right hand of God. The Scroll Interpreted And it says that there's writing on both sides. We don't know how John could know this, but he knew it, just like you know something in a dream, you just know. And there's writing on both sides of the scroll. This implies that it's a complete and total record of full accounts, nothing more can be added, and because it is the writing of God, nothing can be removed. It is a perfect writing, perfectly complete. No room to add to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. This must be, therefore, the redemptive plan of Almighty God, culminating in the ownership of heaven and earth, the title deed of the universe with the plan to get there, it is the redemptive plan of Almighty God. And it says that it's sealed with seven seals. Seal implies ownership and authority. It forbids anyone to break open the scroll and look inside if they don't have that right. There's a sense of punishment to any that break open the seal if they're not worthy to do it. Now, the seven seals, the number seven in the Book of Revelation is a mystical number, signifying deity, signifying the actions of God. It's a complete sealing of the scroll, and what's inside is a complete mystery. And so it's completely sealed. No one can pry up a corner and look inside, get a little glimpse. It's impossible. It's completely sealed. And based on what happens in Revelation 6 through 8, when the seven seals are opened, the scroll, in my opinion, is probably progressively sealed, rolled up a little and sealed, rolled up a little more and sealed again, rolled up a little more until it is sealed seven times. And so as you break open one of the seals, a little more is revealed. And so it unfolds. Now, this scroll, as I've said, is the eternal plan for the redemption of heaven and earth. It is, as some commentators have called it, the title deed of the earth. And as the seals are broken, this plan is unfolded before us in the Book of Revelation. And thus it is with God's sovereign plan written in his hand before the foundation of the world, it remains in the mind of God a secret until he chooses to reveal it. And so it says in Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” And so here is a secret thing in the right hand of God. The Angel’s Proclamation: Who is Worthy? The Nature of the Proclamation Secondly, we notice the angel's proclamation concerning the scroll. Look at verse two, “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’” Look at the nature of the proclamation. The task is entrusted not just to any angel, but to a mighty angel. Now, to us mortals, to us weak people, any angel is a mighty angel, but this must be a truly mighty being, to be entrusted with this job of proclaiming. He is a mighty and a powerful angel, perhaps more powerful than other angels. The proclamation is made with a loud voice so that it can be heard across all of creation. And the proclamation is a question, and the question rings out over all of time in history, “Who is worthy? Who is worthy?” In one version of the legend of King Arthur, there's a story of Excalibur, the sword, and it's stuck in an anvil, which is in a boulder, in a stone, a sword in a stone, and there's inscribed on it, “Who so pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is right-wise born king of all England.” You know the story, how Sir Kay is going to a jousting tournament, he has a little squire named Arthur, and Arthur is forgetful, he'll do better when he's a king later, but he forgot his knight's sword. That's pretty big. You're going to lose any jousting when you don't have your sword. Because when you're both de-horsed and you're standing there with nothing in your hands, you lose. So he's in trouble, he needs a sword, Arthur realizes he's in big trouble. He happened to notice, strangely, a sword sticking out of a stone. Goes out, pulls it out without any trouble and brings it into Sir Kay who recognizes it immediately. That's the sword that was in the stone. He said, “Where'd you get this?” He said, “It was just outside. It was in a stone somewhere. I don't know why it was there, but there it was.” Sir Kay is amazed. They go out, they put it back in, and Sir Kay is not able to pull the sword from the stone, neither is anyone else. Arthur does it easily and repeatedly. And thus it is identified that he is right-wise born king of all England. Now, that's a myth. It's a legend. It almost certainly never happened. This is no myth, friends. This is no legend. Whoever has the right to take this scroll from the right hand of Almighty God is right-wise born king of all creation. And the question is, who is worthy to do it? Who has the right to take it from the right hand of God? That's the question. The Purposes of the Proclamation Now, there are many purposes for the mighty angel's proclamation. First of all, to display the greatness of the task of taking the scroll, breaking open its seals and opening it, it is a great task, and not everyone is worthy to do this task. The taking of the scroll from the right hand of him who sits on the throne implies the right to rule heaven and earth. The opening of the scroll seal by seal implies the right to govern the development of God's redemptive plan. Under whose hand can this plan develop? The one who can break open the seals and open it. The rights and privileges of taking the scroll and opening it are greatly dramatized by the pomp and circumstance of this cry by the angel: “Who is worthy?” Secondly, the proclamation also displays very vividly the disqualification of all the rest of creation, of all of creation, disqualified. Look at verse three, “But no one in heaven or on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.” Friends, this involves every single human being that has ever lived. All the mightiest emperors, from Alexander the Great through Caesar and Genghis Khan, Napoleon, right on through, none of them are worthy to take the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. All the wisest philosophers, whether Socrates or Plato or Aristotle, or Descartes, right on through, none of them are wise enough, none of them are worthy to take the scroll. All of the greatest scientists and inventors, whether Archimedes or Pythagoras or Einstein, Edison, none of them are worthy to take the scroll and look inside. Even the humble unknowns, the humble servants, the ones that no one knows their name, the ones that have lived a life of love and service to their fellow men, all of them are disqualified. Not one of them is worthy. Whether famous or non-famous, none of them are worthy. Even among the godliest believers of the Bible, whether Abel or Enoch or Job, or Abraham, Isaac or Jacob, whether King David or Solomon, right on through the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, none of the Apostles of the Lamb, none of the great figures of church history, it didn't matter. Even the martyrs who shed their blood to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, those that died in the coliseum in Rome, mauled by lions, or the reformers, they're all of them disqualified, every last one. Even John himself who gave us this book, the apocalypse, the Book of Revelation, he would not dare cross that space and go forward to the throne of God and take from his right hand the scroll. He wouldn't dare do it. Let me get really personal. You are disqualified. I am disqualified. We're not worthy, not one of us. And why is it? For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We're all sinners, every last one of us. We have, all of us, this in common, and we are disqualified from taking the scroll. But we can go beyond that. All of the angels, holy as they are, who have never sinned, who have only obeyed God, even the mighty angel who's doing the proclaiming, the angels are all disqualified, all of them, because this must go to the Son of Man, who is the Son of God, and none of them are the Son of Man. They're all disqualified. So the angel's proclamation heightens the sense of anticipation and also of grief. Look at verse four, “I wept and wept,” said John, “Because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.” John is reacting, “Is there no one? Is there no one who can take the scroll?” And he weeps and weeps. And the proclamation therefore displays the greatness of Jesus Christ, does it not? Then there's a dramatic pause, and everyone that has ever lived is disqualified, and all of the holy angels and the 24 elders and the living creatures, all of them disqualified. And then up steps Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and he has the right to do it. Does this not display the greatness of Jesus Christ? Isn't that the purpose of the proclamation? Look at verse five, “Then one of the elders said to me, do not weep, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” He is able, he is able to take the scroll, he's able to break open its seals, he is able to govern history, 20 centuries of it and more, he is able to do it, and he is able to save your soul and mine. He is able to save us. And he is able to hold our attention for all eternity, so that we will be worshipping him forever and ever. As new waves of revelation come and we learn more and more about our great Savior, he is able to take the scroll and open its seals. And so we see this lion who has triumphed, victorious lion. A Lamb on the Cross The Lamb Predestined You think he would have some great appearance, some dreadful and terrifying appearance, but instead, he looks and he sees a lamb looking as if it had been slain. And so we have this vision of the Lion who is the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb looking as if it had been slain. This is the Lamb who is Jesus Christ. John's conquering hero throughout the Book of Revelation is a Lamb, and he's a Lamb still now. But first and foremost, he was a Lamb on the cross. This was God's plan. It was his purpose that his Son should become an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and this plan was made before the foundation of the world. God didn't make this up as he went along. He didn't have a good idea one day and come up with it. It wasn't like that. It's an astonishing thing about God, is that he has never learned a single thing, and he never will. Meditate on that. Doesn't that trip your breakers? He's never learned a single thing and he never will. Never been a new idea for God, never. And so he is the lamb predestined before the foundation of the world to die on the cross. Revelation 13:8 says, “He was the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” Jesus Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world to die on the cross for the sins of men and women and boys and girls. This plan was worked out before God said, “Let there be light,” this was a predestined, planned. The Lamb Predicted Secondly, he was the Lamb who was predicted. God didn't just work out the plan, he told us about it ahead of time, so that when it happened, we could see that he had told us ahead of time. This is something only God can do. We don't know what's gonna happen next week. We really don't. It's really humorous to me that the workers work so hard to get the air conditioner fixed so that we could be nice and cool this morning. Isn't that wonderful? I just think that's great. Are you cool enough? Maybe we can open some windows for you. What was it, 35 degrees this morning? We don't even know the weather, we don't know what it's gonna be like in a week. God predicted Christ thousands of years before he was born. He predicted it. And said what would happen. He is the Lamb predicted. And so we have this idea of the lion of the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49 gives us the prophecy, it says, “Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion and as a lioness, who dares to rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” This is about 18 centuries before Jesus was born, spoken by Jacob to his son, a prophecy of Jesus. So he's the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He's also predicted to be the root of David, that was in the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet, about six centuries before Jesus was born. Jeremiah 23:5 and 6, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I'll raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. And in his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our righteousness.’” That's Jesus. He is the Lord and he is our righteousness. That's six centuries before Jesus was born, he is the root of David. God identified him again and again through history, especially through the animal sacrifice. God set up a system of animal sacrifice whereby animals could represent the taking away of sin, and the priest would take his hands and put them on the head of the substitute of the animal, and he would confess onto the substitute the sins of the people. And then the substitute, the animal would die and its blood would be poured out before God on the altar. It was a picture of Jesus Christ. Every single animal sacrifice there has ever been is a prediction of Christ. The Lamb Presented He was the lamb predicted. He was also the lamb presented. At the right time, in the fullness of time, God presented him to the world. Born of a virgin, he presented him. He said at his baptism, “This is my beloved son whom I love. With him, I am well pleased.” He presented him. And for 30 years, he lived in relative obscurity until the time came for him to be presented to Israel as the Savior of the world. And that happened when he was baptized by John the Baptist. John was a prophet sent by God. And one day he saw Jesus coming toward him. And he pointed toward him, and he said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” That's a presentation. Everyone behold, behold Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His death on the cross is God's atoning sacrifice. The only one there is for your sin and mine. There's none other available. Behold the Lamb. God presented him, it says in Romans 3, as a sacrifice of atonement. The one who takes away God's wrath through faith in his name. The Lamb Punished He is also the Lamb punished. He's the Lamb punished. Four phrases in our text today speak of that. Look at verse six, “Then I saw a Lamb looking as if it had been slain.” Do you see that? Looking as if he had died, “standing in the center of the throne.” Look at verse nine, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain. And with your blood, you purchased men for God.” Again, in verse 12, “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.’” That's four mentions just in these 14 verses. It's almost as if heaven just can't get over that Jesus died. That he was slain, that he died on the cross, that his blood was shed. It's really quite astonishing. This is the one before whom they hide their faces. He sits on the throne. He is powerful, he is the eternal son of God. What a mystery, Almighty God in physical human flesh, and yet he meekly and weakly submits to death, even death on a cross and does nothing. Does not lift a finger to save himself, though he has all power in his smallest finger. More than any of the potentates that have ever lived. He is omnipotent, incarnate. He could have stopped the crucifixion, but he didn't. It's really quite amazing. How could he do it? How could he suspend his power so meekly and die so weakly? How could he do it? Why was he punished? Well, he was punished for us. Punished for us. Whenever I read or see depicted in some way the sufferings of Jesus Christ, I have learned to say, “I deserved that.” I did. Because I broke God's law. Because I'm a liar, because I'm a sinner, because I'm not godly, because I've sinned and fall short of the glory of God, I deserved that. And worse, because the Bible speaks of hell, it speaks of a place of eternal torment, and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. And there is no rest, day or night for any that do not receive the gospel and believe it. And I've come to train myself to say I deserve that, I deserve hell, and Jesus came as my substitute, to die in my place to take that away from me and from a countless multitude of people, from every tribe and language and people and nation, and all they need to do is believe. And so the prophecy is given in Isaiah 53, “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The Lamb punished. I saw a Lamb looking as if it had been slain. That was Jesus. The Lamb Purchased Well, he is also a lamb who has purchased with his punishment something of great value. Look at verse nine, “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” This is the amazing purpose of the lamb's punishment, of his incarnation, of his coming to earth. Jesus had a purpose and it was to buy us back from slavery to sin, so that we would be God's precious possession. That we would be God's. Herein find your self-esteem. I am God's and he is mine forever and ever. Your soul can say that, he has purchased you for God with his own blood. That's his purchase. And it's not a small number friends, and it's not narrow either, there will be people from all over the world. Herein ends racism and bigotry, and parochialism and focusing on our own little worlds, God is looking at the whole world. And there's gonna be people from all over the world at the throne worshipping Jesus for his purchase. And by his purchase he has made us, it says, “to be a kingdom of priests.” I think that's the best way to understand that we are priests who are kings, and we will reign with him forever and ever. How much did that cost? How expensive was that? Jesus paid it all. That's his purchase. A Lion on the Throne… But Still a Lamb The Nature of the Lion Well, that's how he's a lamb. How is he a Lion? It says, “He's the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Well, everywhere throughout scripture, lions are portrayed as terrifying foes. It's an amazing thing that Samson is able to rip a young lion to shreds with his bare hands, only the Spirit of God coming upon him can do it. I don't care how big his muscles were, he loses, if the Spirit of God doesn't help him. Because lions are powerful beasts, 700, 800 pounds. Their roar can be heard five miles away. They're pictures of great power, they shrink back from nothing. They are fearless, terrifying, really. Their roar is terrifying. Their claws, their jaws are terrifying. A terrifying enemy is a lion, you don't want one as an enemy. Jesus Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Look at verse five, “Then one of the elders said to me, do not weep, behold the lion.” So we have in John chapter 1, in the mouth of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Here we have, “Behold the Lion.” And how can they both be true of one individual? They're opposite kind of creatures. The Triumph of the Lion But this lion, it says, has triumphed. He has won a great victory. You know what he did? He took that lion-like strength and he ripped to shreds sin and death and the grave, and hallelujah for it. He's a Lion on our behalf, really. I've wondered about this because he's never called Lion again, ever. In the book of Revelation, he's never called Lion again. Isn't that interesting? So the sermon's a bit misnamed, sorry. He is the Lamb on the throne and the Lion on the throne, both at the same time. He's still Lamb And I meditated on this. Why is it always lamb, lamb, lamb for the rest of the book? We never see lion again. Well, he's already done his lion work for us. When he roared like a Lion, “It is finished!” That's a victor's cry. And he has torn apart enemies we could not face ourselves. And he is the victor, he has won the victory. The Power of the Lion And we see the power of the lion in symbolic form, difficult to visualize. So just understand it symbolically and prophetically. It says he had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Seven horns, the horn symbolize strength, kingly power. The number seven, a number of deity, of divinity, of perfection. Perfect power is omnipotence. It says he had seven eyes, the eye is the lamp of the body. With it, we gain information about the world around us. Seven eyes is perfect knowledge, it's omniscience. It says here is “the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Where can I flee from your Spirit? Where can I go from your presence?" This is a picture of perfect presence by his Spirit. It is omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence. He is God. He is God, the Lamb is God. The Position of the Lion And look at the position of the Lamb on the throne. Quite simply, he stands in the middle of the throne, again, a picture of Christ’s deity. Look at verse six, “Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.” Who can share this throne but God himself? Only God can share this throne. The Lasting Image: Lamb not Lion Now, why is it for the rest of the book, we never see “Lion” again? Well, you know why? Because I think this book was written for us, it's written for us to read. It's to show his servants what must soon take place. It's for us, for us Christians. For us he's never a Lion. He doesn't treat us like a lion would treat. He is gentle with us. He's tender-hearted. He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” Those are lamb-like qualities. That's the way he deals with his own. He is always a lamb to us. He's always terrifyingly a lion to his enemies though. And so you get some anomalies in the book of Revelation, some oddities. Even when Jesus is doing mighty, powerful things against his enemies, he's still called the Lamb. And so it says very interestingly in Revelation 6, “Then the kings of the earth and the princes and the generals, and the rich and the mighty, and every slave, and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.’ For the great day of their wrath has come. And who can stand?” The wrath of the Lamb is a bit odd. We would understand wrath of the Lion. But for us, he's a Lamb. It's the same one. All I'm saying is that Jesus is a delightful Savior, but he's a terrifying enemy. And oh, that we would not be included among those that are fleeing from him when judgment day comes. That we would be ready to face him unashamed, knowing that his blood was shed for us and toward us, he is gentle and welcoming like a Lamb is. The Lion/Lamb Is Worthy of Universal and Eternal Worship Worship: “You Are Worthy…” The passage ends up with universal worship, isn't it beautiful? The Lion and Lamb is worthy of universal and eternal worship. Verse nine, “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals.’” He is worthy of worship. He's the only one in history qualified to take the scroll. He is the only one that died on the cross for our sins. He's the only one that has been raised from the dead on the third day. He is the death conqueror. He is worthy of our worship. Universal Worship And it's universal worship, notice, first the living creatures, then the 24 elders, then the 100 million angels, then every created thing in heaven and on earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, universal worship. Worship Based on Christ’s Accomplishment And it's also worship based on Christ's accomplishment. Look at verse nine and 10, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because” - there's a reason he's worthy. Because he was slain - “because you were slain and with your blood, you purchased men for God from every tribe and language, and people and nation. And you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Eternal Worship And it is finally eternal worship. Look at verses 13 and 14, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and 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.’ The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.” Application Come to Christ… Know Him as LAMB so you need not fear Him as LION Don't you wanna be there? Don't you wanna see it with your own eyes? When judgment day comes, don't you wanna be forgiven for all of your sins by the blood of this lamb that I've talked about today. How did you get here today? Did a friend bring you? I say, the best friend brought you, it was Jesus that brought you. Maybe he used someone to invite you, but God brought you here today to hear this message. Because some day you're going to see this Lion, this Lamb, that he would be for you Lamb and not Lion, that he would be your Savior, that his blood shed on the cross would be full forgiveness for your sins. Do not pretend to say, “I don't need a savior like this. I'm basically a good person.” There are no basically good people. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we need a savior. Oh, come to Christ. Come to this gentle savior. He is inviting you. As I've already said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” And you'll find more than that, you'll find a door standing open in heaven and a voice will call come up here and I will show you my glory forever and ever, and you will be in the Spirit. And you will see his glory forever and ever. And you will never run out of things to say about Jesus. Come to Christ, worship him today. Trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins, that you might have eternal life. Please close with me in prayer.