Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100404.htm

EASTER SUNDAY INTERLUDE
God's Easter Directive In View Of An Unsettling Government Climate
(Revelation 1:9-20)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    This Easter Sunday, we need an edifying directive from our Risen Lord on what many view are oppressive government issues:

    (1) Last Monday, a letter to The Hartford Courant (p. A11) by Bill Haddad of Windham, Connecticut that supported Congress' recently passed health care bill nevertheless lamented: "It is disturbing that not a single Republican supported this bill."

    (2) His concern was certainly justified: Jeff Cross' letter from West Simsbury that appeared next to Bill's voiced the views of several letters that appeared in that day's Waterbury Republican-American as he wrote: "I believe the health care bill . . . will . . . raise . . . premiums and increase federal debt . . . Suggesting that a huge new entitlement program will actually reduce the federal deficit is ludicrous . . ."

    (3) Another letter in The Hartford Courant from Suzanne Marinan of Tolland was written to support the Tea Party, noting "(t)he fears many of us have of losing our liberties to what we perceive to be a growing government that wants to exert more control over our personal freedoms" is what is behind this "grassroots movement."

    (4) Last Tuesday, radio talk show host, Brad Davis, on "The Talk of Connecticut" voiced concern over a story I cited in last week's sermon. He referred to the New York Times article by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a past director of the Congressional Budget Office, on how the actual cost of the health bill will be over a trillion dollars!

    (5) On Friday, The Wall Street Journal ran the online editorial, "ObamaCare and the Constitution" claiming "the legal challenges to ObamaCare are serious and carry enormous implications for the future of American liberty." Nevertheless, "(n)either the House nor Senate Judiciary Committees held hearings on the law's constitutionality, and we are not aware of any Justice Department opinion on the matter."

    (6) Last Sunday on ABC's "This Week" show, Paul Krugman, a known "liberal" New York Times economic columnist, in reply to a round table discussion's mention of government "death panels" that conservatives opposed, said the just-passed bill calls for an "advisory panel" that will "make . . . binding judgments on saying this particular expensive treatment . . . doesn't do any good so we are not going to pay for it." (WorldNetDaily, 3/30/10) Thus, the "panels" were made law!

    So, this Easter, we ask, "Is there a message from our Risen Lord that offers direction on oppressive government issues?!"

    Need: "In view of the concerns many have on oppressive issues of government, what guidance does our Risen Lord have this Easter?!"

  1. In Revelation 1:18a, the Lord Jesus appeared to the Apostle John, revealing Himself as RISEN from the DEAD FOR EVERMORE!
  2. This occurred when believers faced oppressive government issues:
    1. Christ appeared to John in the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian (A. D. 81-96) whose rule was marked by a "sharp advance . . . toward complete autocracy and monarchy", Zon. Pic. Enc. B., v. Two, p. 155.
    2. In fact, Domitian went so far as to try to pressure Christians to recant their devotion to Christ and worship himself instead, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1785, "Introduction to the Revelation to John."
    3. John refused to recant his faith, so the Emperor banished him to the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea (Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Rev. 1:9).
  3. Thus, the symbols and words Jesus used here direct Christians all through history especially on facing oppressive government issues:
    1. Christ's Revelation 1:13-15 appearance recalls the similar appearance of God the Father, the "Ancient of Days" in Daniel 7:9: in both passages, Christ and the Father have hair white like wool as eternal God, and the presence of fire in both cases shows both divinely judge.
    2. Christ's Revelation 1:13-17 appearance also recalls the strong angel's presentation in Daniel 10:5-9: both were clothed in a full garment with a gold sash, both had feet like bronze and a powerful voice, and Daniel and John both fell down as dead before the respective beings.
    3. Significantly, both the Daniel 7 and Daniel 10 contexts present God's forces in combat with or in overcoming DEMONIC forces behind human governments or the wicked end-time ANTICHRIST whom SATAN empowers (Daniel 7:8-11; chs. 10-12; 2 Thess. 2:3-9)!
    4. Also, BOTH the Daniel 7:13-14 and Daniel 12:9-13 contexts anticipate Christ's final world reign of peace and righteousness!
  4. John knew, applied and valued this Old Testament symbolism with Christ's Revelation 1:9-20 words, so we interpret it all for our use:
    1. First, Christ revealed the unsettling government issues we face are fueled by Satanic forces! [This claim is verified in Matthew 4:8-10 where Satan was presented as controlling all the kingdoms on earth!] Christ thus wants us to know that He as "Alpha and Omega" is God, " . . . the beginning and end of all things" (Ibid., ftn. to Rev. 1:11); He is ALWAYS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL such GOVERNMENTS, for they function subject to HIS permissive will, Romans 13:1-5!
    2. Second, by revealing Himself to be in the midst of the candlesticks that picture the various churches (Rev. 1:12-13a, 20c), Christ wants us to know that He as the Risen Lord also dwells in our midst as a local church, and that He sovereignly rules us in our midst!
    3. Third, since Christ's clothing also depicts Him as a "priest and judge" (Ibid., ftn. to Rev. 1:13; Rev. 1:13-15), He wants us to know He is our High Priest Who is interceding for our weaknesses and sins (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15-16), but that He as our Judge also holds us highly accountable to obey His Word (Hebrews 12:28-29).
    4. Fourth, since Christ holds the messengers of His Word in His own right hand (Rev. 1:16a, 20a,b), Christ wants us pastors and teachers to proclaim God's Word, and for the rest of His people to heed it, being sure that He will oversee the whole discipling process!
    5. Fifth, since Christ holds the keys of hades and of death, He wants us to know HE decides who dies, when, and where their souls go at death. No other entity like Emperor Domitian in John's era or some government "panel" in our era can do this, Revelation 1:18c.
    6. Sixth, as Christ placed His right hand of power on John to encourage him to serve Him without fear (Revelation 1:17), the Risen Lord wants us Christian pastors and teachers to rely on Him for the power to be productive in our ministries of His Word regardless what oppressive issues we face, Revelation 1:18!
    7. Seventh, since Christ directed John to write down and to send His instructive messages to each of the seven churches (Rev. 1:19), the Risen Lord calls His messengers in the Church today to address the spiritual needs of His people by ministering His Word unto them in application to such needs (as in this sermon, 2 Tim. 4:1-2).
Application: (1) If we have not yet trusted in Christ as Savior, may we believe in Him, the Risen, All-Sovereign, All-Sufficient Lord, to become a child of God and enter His divine oversight as depicted in this message, John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:25. (2) Then, (a) may we trust the sovereignty of our Risen Lord over all entities and spirit forces, be they in or outside the Church, and so (b) heed His Biblical directives (described above) as our High Priest and Judge.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 After my freshman year of high school, I experienced a taste of how much we all must always rely on our Sovereign, Risen Lord in dealing with unnerving government issues that we encounter:

My parents, missionaries to Nigeria, West Africa, were taking me and my two younger brothers from Africa home to the U. S. for furlough by way of touring some Middle Eastern and European lands.

At one point when we had toured part of the land of Jordan, we planned to cross its western border into Israel.

That was before the notable "Six Day War," and there were strained relations between Israel and neighboring Mideast nations. So, to make the crossing, we were driven in a car by our Arab guide to a "checkpoint" on the border. It was a "no-man's land", with bombed out buildings that looked like a movie set out of a World War II film.

We followed the guide who carried our suitcases from the car and put them down in an open clearing, and our family of five stood there while the guide returned to his car and drove back into Jordan.

As we had been told, we stood there silently while soldiers in hiding closely studied us. You could see their heads with the tips of their automatic weapons peering out at us from behind their barriers! Finally, an unarmed Israeli soldier came out of hiding and picked up our bags, and we followed him to Israeli customs as pre-planned.

I will never forget standing out in that "no-man's land" between two very opposing nations' highly armed men. We were so vulnerable: a single soldier for some reason could have suddenly opened fired, spraying us with bullets and killing us all in one second!

Nevertheless, it wasn't God's will that such an event occur then, so He made sure that we crossed safely from Jordan over into Israel!

I realized then that we American Christians have lived in such great security and peace for so long that it is easy for us to forget how much we rely on the sovereign oversight of our Risen Lord even to live even in our own land! In reality, we always need our Lord's oversight!



May we realize that we always need our sovereign Risen Lord to handle all we face today in this needy world, regardless what oppressive governments issues we face.

May we then trust in Him, and serve Him in view of His infinite sovereignty and His coming Kingdom of great blessing!