Revelation - Week 3 - The CORE - Pastor Mike

Pastor Mike explores the cost of faithfulness to Jesus throughout history and in modern-day situations. He discusses examples of historical and current persecution faced by Christians worldwide. Pastor Mike delves into Revelation 13, interpreting symbolic beasts as representing political and religious powers persecuting believers. He challenges listeners to consider how much they are willing to suffer for their faith, reassuring them of ultimate rewards in heaven.

What is 922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran?

The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries (St. Peter and The CORE) of Appleton, Wisconsin.

Good morning. Happy Sunday. And welcome back to week number three of five of our sermon series on the book of Revelation.

Quick show, fans. Where are all the moms at today? Yeah, I want to honor you on Mother's Day. I was trying so hard today. You're going to find out in just a second. I get to preach on, like, these terrible beasts that persecute the church of God and the number 666, and people have the mark of the beast. And I really tried to connect it to Mother's Day.

It just wasn't coming out right. You know who has the mark of the beast? Your son, who won't sleep now. I tried a few. So this isn't going to be a sermon about Mother's Day, but I just want you to know, mothers, we honor you. We're so grateful for you. We're praying for you and praising God for you today.

So here's a big question. How much would you personally suffer for the name of Jesus?

I wish I didn't have to ask that question. I wish that everyone in this world would love Jesus and prioritize Jesus and trust Jesus and follow Jesus. But in a world where not everyone does, this question, wherever you live on earth and whenever you live in history, has always been relevant. How much would you personally suffer? What price would you personally pay to be absolutely faithful to Jesus?

Throughout the centuries, whether you lived back in ancient times or in modern times, whether you lived here, in modern american culture or in some other culture, there's always been some price on the scale of persecution, whether it was a social price or a relational price, or a professional price or an economic price, or even a physical or end your life kind of price. There's always been a cost of being absolutely faithful to Christ.

Like if we could time machine back to the year 300 AD in the city of Rome, where the Roman emperor is demanding that everyone burn incense and acknowledge him as lord and God. And the Christians who worship Jesus as their lord and God said, we can't. Do you know what the price was in those days? The colosseum. Have you ever thought about that?

There were christians who simply for saying, I believe that there is only one God, were strapped alive to posts while tens of thousands of people cried for their blood and death as starved beasts would slowly or quickly tear them apart. Imagine the courage it must have taken to not cut a corner and burn a little incense and compromise your faith.

Or think of the early 1900’s in the Soviet Union, where the atheist Joseph Stalin was trying to purge not many gods, but any God from his atheistic empire, Stalin, who had said, arrested and murdered over 100,000 men like me, who believed in Jesus and proclaimed the word of God. Can you imagine if confessing Jesus would have meant your arrest slave labor for the rest of your life, if not torture or instant death?

Or think of here in my country, where 100 years ago in certain parts of the South, to stand up to bigotry and racism would have meant that the bigots with badges would unleash the dogs and the fire hoses, where simply saying that God loves all people of any color would have cost you professionally, societally, maybe in your own family. The persecution would have come from the powers that be, from some of the churches themselves. Standing with Jesus would have come at a great personal cost.

And sadly, that cost isn't just a back then thing. It's happening right now. Did you know that last year, I think it's every 14 minutes, a Christian was murdered and martyred simply for holding to that message? In North Korea, to be a Christian is an almost instant death sentence. In parts of northern Nigeria, to be bold about Jesus might mean that militants murder the men in your family, kidnap, rape, and force your sisters and daughters into marriages they don't want to be a part of. To stand up to the cartels of much of Latin America might cost you your hands, your head, your life. To be faithful to Jesus in many countries here in the 21st century could cost you everything.

But what about here now? If you're like me and you live in 21st century America, what will faithfulness to Jesus cost you now? To be clear, on the scale of persecution, none of us in 2020’s America can throw a pity party as the persecuted. Google it and you will find out that this is one of the safer places on planet earth for christians to live. But that does not mean that there isn't a cost that many of us will have to pay to be absolutely faithful to the teachings of Jesus and to the words of the Bible, it might not be a mortal cost or a physical assault cost, but for many of you, there will be a professional cost, a financial cost, a family and friends relationship cost, a popularity cost. And so my question is, how much is Jesus worth to you, and how much would you give up to suffer for him?

I was thinking about that question recently when I heard the story of Quinn and Corbin. Quinn was a 20 something guy who, on a TikTok video, was standing up in front of his church in a black t shirt that read, Jesus wins. And he shared the story of how Jesus had saved him. It was kind of a sad and tragic story.

He had grown up with abuse and dysfunction, a broken home. He had abused alcohol and cocaine. He was sexually promiscuous with men and women. He was confused about whether he was a man or a woman and went to all kinds of remedies to try to fix the tension in his head. His mother died in alcohol related death. He ran with gangs and violence. His life was a mess. And after his mother drank himself to death, Quinn's life went from bad and broken to worse and broken er, until someone invited him to church.

And that first domino led to the next domino led to Quinn standing in front of this church saying these words, quote, I was introduced to Jesus. It's because of God that I'm not in jail. It's because of God I'm alive. There's a loving God who wanted me, a God who sent his son to die for people like me. I'm here today to declare with my life that Jesus wins.

When a 20 year old woman named Corbin saw that video on TikTok, she clicked like. And that click came at a great cost.

See, Corbin's job is a professional athlete on a women's professional sports team that has been very outspoken of their support for some of the things that Quinn was saying that Jesus had saved him from.

And when her teammates, when her employers found out the video that she had simply liked, the backlash was fierce. The team captains on the official team social media page publicly opposed Corbin and her views. A former member of the team went to social media to lash and thrash Corbin for what she believed. This former teammate said, all you believe in is hate. Kids are literally killing themselves because of this. Wake the (you know what) up. Days later, Corbin, after receiving so much pushback from her teammates and coaches, posted. I want to sincerely apologize for my insensitive and offensive remarks.

Now, if you're new around here at our church, or you're watching at home for the first time, you should know that issues of gender and sexuality are immensely important to our church. These are subjects that we have tackled not just an entire Sunday, but an entire month of Sundays to address with open bibles and tender hearts. If you or someone you love is struggling with their gender, is gay, bisexual, trans, that matters so much to God. And if you want to find our resources online, you can.

But I share the story of Quinn and Corbin today simply to say this. I think the time has come in modern America where no matter how small the gesture, a simple like, no matter how gentle the tone or respectful the conversation. I think the time has now come where those who stand with the words of this book will have to pay a price.

That if you out there with your friends and family, at your jobs and in your schools, if you simply repeat what Jesus said about gender in Matthew 19, namely that God is the one who decides whether we are male or female by the bodies he gives us, it's not something we decide out of our own self perception. If you simply say that even if it's gentle and patient and kind, it will cost you. To tell a modern American that someone besides them gets to decide who they are comes at a great cost.

And if you are so in with Jesus that you'll simply grab the book that he loves and read a single page like Romans chapter one, where God decides what kind of sexuality and sexual expression is okay with him and that which is not, that which he applauds and design and that which he condemns and calls to repentance. If you say that with all the patience and all the kindness in your heart, if you dare to tell to someone what love is okay and which love is not, you will pay a price.

Like the college athlete from our church who said, pastor, what do I do on pride night? I love gay people, but I can't support what the Bible doesn't support. Will it cost her a spot, a scholarship, money that every college student needs?

If in modern America you dare to grab a Bible and just say what Jesus said about marriage and divorce, what marriage is who it's for, when God says a marriage can end and when he says it cannot, if you dare to meddle with someone's most personal relationships, you don't even have to spin it. If you just say what Jesus says in between the quotation marks, it will cost you. If you're not going to skirt around the issue, if you're not going to repeat the mantras of modern Americans that none of us should judge and that everyone has the right to do, if you say simply what Jesus said about sex, gender, marriage and divorce in a culture where the White House now flies the rainbow flag and half the churches in town do too, it will cost you.

It's not just that. I think of what Jesus said about power. Jesus had to correct his original disciples, saying, I don't want you to be like the world who's always grasping for influence and power. If you want to be great in the eyes of God, then serve your neighbor. The Bible says that Christians cannot and must not compromise character, integrity and love to get more power in the structures of this world. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies. He said that you and I cannot and we must not ignore love, patience, kindness, forgiveness and gentleness.

To trash someone that we don't want to win our vote. We cannot and we must not, especially intense political times, compromise the thing that is supposed to define the Christian church, which is shocking, unconditional love for people who are not like us. We cannot cut a single corner to get a single vote. I don't know if in many modern american conservative churches telling people to turn the other cheek is going to trend these days. And if you say that to people that you know that are passionate about politics, it will come at a personal cost.

Or think about what Jesus said about money, which, if you don't know, is a lot. Jesus warned people so often about the accumulation of possessions, about greed. He talked all the time about our radical responsibility to people who are poor. Jesus didn't just speak in generalities. He looked individual people in the eye and he told them how to budget their budget. He told some people to sell everything they had.

He warned other people about the questions they were asking as they just wanted more instead of giving more and more. Can you imagine if we did that today. Pastors, we have to be careful about mentioning money just generally in church. Or the backlash comes, does it not? Can you imagine if I meddled with your budget? Can you imagine if I asked for your W-2 and opened a bible to evaluate it? Man, we'd have a lot of empty seats.

I suppose at every time in history and in every place on the planet, the doctrines change. But the simple fact is that if you're not going to pick and choose, if you're not going to turn the Bible into a buffet, if you're not just going to accept the teachings of Jesus that you prefer and ignore the ones that you don't, if you're going to hold from cover to cover to the teachings of Jesus, it will cost you.

And so back to my question. What price would you pay for Jesus if you knew the professor would roll his eyes and not recommend you for the job? If he knew everyone would side eye you and say things behind your back? If there was a societal cost, a professional cost, a financial cost, if doors closed for you while your Bible remained open, would you do it? If the price was high, would you pay it?

Now these are the heavy questions that the book of Revelation was written to help us answer today. I want to dive into this book. I want to cover a whole chapter and a half because right in the middle of the book of Revelation are two really important teachings. One, the insane cost that many Christians, maybe you and me, will have to pay to be faithful to Jesus. And the absolutely worth it and worthy reward for those Christians who do.

In a world where we always be tempted to compromise, to sell out, and to cut theological corners, today is going to remind us, that's real, it's bad, and for you, it might get worse. But if you could just see what's coming for the faithful people of God, those are the two things I want to teach you today as we jump into the book of Revelation in chapter 13.

In Revelation, chapter 13, we meet these two beasts, the beast out of the sea and the beast of the earth. And if the depictions that we typed into AI are anything close to correct, they looked a little bit like this.

The first beast in the first part of chapter 13 is described as a beast with many heads, many horns, and crowns on its head. It resembles a leopard, has the feet of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. It has immense power, and it persecutes the faithful people of God. Most people follow the beast. It's so powerful, they say things like, who is like the beast and who can wage war against it?

The Bible's honest enough to say that this beast will lead people into captivity and kill some people with the sword. It says in verse ten, this calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.

Now, like much of Revelation, you might see that picture or read those passages and say, uh, what? What does that mean? That's the right question to ask based on some of the details of the description, especially the part that this beast resembles a leopard, a bear, and a lion, many people think that this beast represents political power that turns against the faithful people of God.

Here's where that interpretation comes from. In the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel, chapter seven, Daniel prophesies about coming political kingdoms like the Babylonians and the Persians and the Greeks and the Romans. And how does he describe those various kingdoms? He describes them like a leopard, a bear, and a lion. Those are separate, unique kingdoms.

But here in the book of Revelation, all the descriptions are put together to indicate not one singular the US government or the Chinese government or the Russians or the Iranians. But whenever political power, in whatever form, makes the faithful people of God pay for their faithfulness, that's the beast that comes out of the sea.

It's fierce, it's savage, and the price that governing officials can make you pay is high. Historically. Can you think of any examples where the political leaders have persecuted the people of God.

I think of the pharaoh in the Old Testament. He's the one who makes the laws. It's his harmony who enforces them. And yet he persecutes Moses and the people of Israel, commands them to kill their baby boars. That's the beast that comes out of the sea.

Or think of Jesus. Jesus. Do you remember the Apostles Creed was crucified under Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman governor. It wasn't some, like, random neighbor that Jesus had that put him on the cross, but the official Roman soldiers under the direction and decrees of the local Roman government. The cross itself is an example of the beast that comes out of the sea.

Whenever the government passes a law that makes it difficult to be faithful, they make you pay some societal or financial price for being all in for Jesus. That's the beast that comes out of the sea.

And then there's the other beast. In the second half of Revelation 13, we read that this beast comes out of the earth and that it has some characteristics that make us think of, quote, a lamb, which normally is a trigger word to make us think of Jesus, the lamb of God, verse 13. That beast performed great signs and miracles, even causing fire to come down from heaven. It seems to have some supernatural, miraculous power to make you think think that it's connected somehow to God. And yet, in the chapter, instead of loving God's people, this beast opposes God's people, which makes you ask, well, what does that mean?

Well, many scholars and interpreters think that because of the description that it was like a lamb, that it seemed to have some miraculous spiritual connection. This beast is what happens when the church itself turns on the faithful people of God, when the religious leaders who you think would be so close to God are actually turning against the Word of God, when they have somehow compromised, likely to maintain some political influence and power. And now those who stand firm in their faith are persecuted and judged simply for their faithfulness. Can you think of any historical examples where that's happened?

Like the Old Testament prophets who proclaimed success and blessing, even though the people were worshiping idols, the faithful prophets were often persecuted and killed for their faithfulness. Do you remember in front of Pontius Pilate, who was crying, crucify him. Crucify him. Not the pagans, but the religious leaders. The church was literally crying for the death of God.

Whenever you would think, well, the pastors, the priests, the people in the robes, the ones who have the steeples and the worship times, the people who pray you would think they would be pro God, but actually, sometimes they turn into the beast that actually persecutes the real people of God.

In fact, this is the curious section where we read that this beast forced all people to receive a mark on their right hands and on their foreheads so that they couldn't have success unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. That number is six, six, six. And you'd say the mark of. What does that mean?

Good question. Don't get it twisted. Every time there's some big new technology invented, some, like, conservative christian people freak out and say, it's the mark of the beast. They're making us get a vaccine. It's the mark of the credit card. They used to say, it's the mark of the beast. No, no, no. That could not have applied to first century christians long before the COVID vaccine. Okay?

The mark of the beast is not some technological advance. The mark of the beast on the hand and the head is simply a way of saying that you believe and behave in unbiblical ways that the works of your hands and the thoughts and beliefs of your head, instead of lining up with the Bible, have deviated. You've been marked by the values of this world, which is the mark of the beast. In the Bible, every single person has one of two marks. They're either marked by God, his beliefs and behaviors, or they're marked by the world, the mark of the beast. And sometimes to be successful in the world, you need the mark of the world. You with me so far?

You ask, well, why is it called 666? That's a really difficult question. I think because in the book of Revelation, the number seven is often representative of God, that the number six falls just short of what God wants. So think about our world. It talks about truth all the time, right? My truth, your truth. We're all seeking truth. But does the world's definition of truth reach the truth as the way God defines it?

No, it falls short. Instead of seven, like God, it falls short and it's six. We talk about love all the time. How often does modern culture use the word? But is culture's definition of word, does it reach to God's definition of love as we find in the Bible?

No, no, it falls. Sure, we talk about justice a lot, but is the justice of modern America the same as biblical justice? No. So it sounds very spiritual. But instead of being seven, seven, seven, like God is, it's six, six, six, it falls short of the truth because it doesn't have the mark of God. It's compromised and fallen short on how God wants us to believe and how God wants us to behave.

And Revelation 13 is saying that if you don't have the mark, if you don't embrace the values of the culture and society, the beasts will bite, and there will be a price that you must pay.

So, back to my question. What price would you pay? If you're at school and the teacher is repeating the values of this world that fall short of the value of God? What do you do? When you're not in church on a Sunday morning, but you're outnumbered by friends on a Friday night? And, you know, you could either be quiet and hide your faith or you could respectfully express it. What you do when you know that if you said it or if you stood up to it, it would cost you.

Maybe you studied for so long to get to this point in your career, but, you know, if I don't do what the company wants, if I don't agree with what everyone says, or if in some strange situation, you were like many christians before us, like there was a physical cause, there were fists and prison involved, what price would you pay?

Before our church moved to this location some of you longtime members remember this. We were less than a mile from here on Franklin street and in the lobby, our church members, this is before I got here, had put up a number of Bible passages on different walls of the building before you walked into church. I think there was a passage about praising God for his faithfulness. But as you walked out of church, there was just one main exit door that you could go through.

There's a quote, a Bible quote on the wall just before you left. It was the last thing you saw before you left our property. I wonder if any of you longtime members remember what it said. There's a quote from Jesus that said, if the world hates you, it hated me first.

How warm and fuzzy and positive and encouraging is that, right? Like as you walk out into the world where. Where the beasts are big and they bite. Just remember this. If.

If Jesus Christ costs you, you're not the first. Jesus said, a student is not above his teacher. And. And those who faithfully follow me and refuse to compromise their faith, there will be a price to pay. I want you to decide in your heart right now, what price would you pay?

But maybe before you answer that question, I should read to you the last part of our Bible study for today. Revelation 13 is brutally honest about the cost of following Jesus Christ. But then afterwards, John who receives this Revelation gets this little glimpse of to what's happening in heaven. Like the people who were murdered, beheaded, persecuted for their faith. Looking back, what do they think?

John gets this little five verse snippet of what's happening right now in heaven, and I'm curious. How many of you have a loved one who you think is in heaven right now? Did you have a son, a daughter, a spouse, a grandparents? This is a glimpse of them in this very moment. Here's what it says.

Revelation 14 verse one: John says, then I looked, and there before me was the lamb standing on Mount Zion. And with him, 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads.

What's the first thing that John sees? The lamb. One of the best depictions of Jesus. Not just some cruel king making the rules, but the lamb of God who laid down his life for those of us who had no right to God's love. There's Jesus, who was spotless and pure. Maybe I'd ask it this way. Who in your life has ever loved you like the lamb?

Your mama might have carried you for nine months and pushed you out. She might have loved you more than anyone has ever loved you. But your mother has not loved you 1% of the way that Jesus loved you when he sacrificed everything for you, John sees in heaven. Oh, that's right.

The beasts of this earth, they might have used me. They might have manipulated me. But they have never loved me or sacrificed their self for me like the lamb of God did. He loves me more. He paid a greater price for the forgiveness of my sins. I saw the lamb standing.

Not a dead lamb lying, but Jesus, who conquered death so that you wouldn't have to be afraid to die. The Jesus who didn't just love you enough to give up his life on a cross, but he conquered death on Easter morning so that you wouldn't have to be afraid of car accidents or cancer. You could be like the woman sitting on the other side of the wedding reception table that I met last night who said, I have stage four cancer. I'm not scared.

She knew a lamb who was standing up, who conquered death, so that even if she dies, there's the best kind of life waiting for her. I saw the lamb standing on Mount Zion, where God's people gather. Here's my favorite part. And with him, Jesus, were 144,000 who had his name written on their foreheads.

What does that mean? Well, it doesn't mean that there are literally only 144,000 people who make it to heaven. Can you imagine, like, if there was a if, like, heaven could sell out? Do you know who I would not invite?

You. You might take my spot, especially if you're older. I'm like, no, she's gonna get there before me. Like, no, this isn't saying that only 144,000 people are saved. If you're here last week, do you remember what the number twelve often represents in the Book of Revelation?

Yeah. It represents the church. There were twelve tribes in the Old Testament, twelve apostles of Jesus. So twelve times twelve human athletes equals 144. A thousand is this big complete round number. So 144,000 is basically saying, take all of the true believers together from old and New Testament times the complete number, and all of them are in the presence of Jesus.

They're not, like, standing room only trying to see him. They're with him. You could cut off their heads and you could persecute them for their faith. You could take their jobs and societally exclude them. But every single one who is faithful makes it into the presence of Jesus.

And they have God's name, Jesus name on their foreheads. I love that part. You ever seen Mike Tyson's face tattoos? Apparently, that's what everyone in heaven looks like. Ever seen Jelly Roll in any of his music videos? You say, well, what does that mean? Well, here's what it means.

Instead of being marked on your forehead by the beast, you're marked on your very forehead by the most blessed God. That what you think about is God and his worthiness, that what you're devoted to, your thoughts are focused on are Jesus and his sacrifice. Like God wasn't ashamed to be called our God. Despite all of our struggles and sins, he publicly named and claimed us. He didn't put his initials on the bottom of our shoe like toy story. He put his name on our foreheads that everyone could see. This is mine. This is my daughter. This is my son, whom I love with them. I am so pleased.

John gives us this glimpse. Like life on earth can be so hard when people do not love the values of the Bible, but don't give in and don't compromise. Because every last person who is faithful, all 144,000, they are with God in his presence. And here's how they feel about it.

Last verses for today, John says, and I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was that of harpists playing their harps, and they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. I'll explain that in a second.

They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They're all in for Jesus. They were purchased from among mankind and offered his first fruits to God and the lamb. No lie was found in their mouths. They are blameless.

Oh, there's so much there. But here's the big picture. All 144,000 people in heaven would tell you it's worth it. It wasn't like half of them were with Jesus and the other half said, man, I wish I would have made more money on earth. No. They're singing a new song. No one is having a pity party for their earthly persecution. Every last soul that Jesus saved is crying out, worthy, holy. It was worth it. They're with Jesus. Why? Because they were redeemed from the earth. They were willing to pay any earthly price because they knew that Jesus paid the ultimate price.

That's why they remained virgins. That's probably not a reference to their sexual habits on earth. It's a spiritual metaphor that they were married to Jesus so they couldn't cheat on him with the world. Like a wedding ring they were marked by Jesus, and they couldn't run around with idols just to be popular or have an easier life. They remained faithful to him.

They would follow him wherever he goes. I'm not taking out a passage from Jesus mouth because he purchased me. He offered me to God. I love this. He took every lie out of my mouth, and he made me blameless.

That's the blessing. Jesus might not give you a cushy life, but he will stand you before God blameless. He will take everything wrong that you have ever done and remove it so far from you by his blood that you will be blameless before God. You'll be sinless. You'll be good enough to stand in the presence of angels.

Your best friend cannot do that for you. And your boss could give you a bonus, but he cannot make you blameless. And that professor might sing your praises for your modern values, but they cannot make you sinless. Only Jesus can. And so what the Christians in heaven would tell you and me here on earth today is that no one loves you better, and no one will love you longer than the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

So if you got to choose, if you can't make them happy and him happy, why not choose the one who loved you better and loved you longer. I know it's a lot of Bible, and I know your brain is tired, so grab your pen. Let's write down the big idea.

These chapters of Revelation are trying to teach us the simple truth, that despite the beasts, Christians are blessed. Even if the government turns on you, even if people who claim to be so christian call you the one with the problem. Despite the beasts, Christians, faithful Christians, are blessed.

Now, while you have a pen in hand, do me a favor. I want you to give yourself a mark today on your hand with just two simple lines. I want you to draw a cross as a reminder of the lamb of God who laid down his life to love you and make you blameless in the sight of God. And as you see that today, I want you to remember what all of your behavior is dedicated to. To following Jesus wherever he goes, no matter what. To believing that if he did this for me, how could I not do this for him?

Now, I want you to turn to your neighbor right now in church, on their forehead. I was kidding. Don't really do it.

But I hope you believe that. I hope that your thoughts are fixed on Jesus. I hope your hands are committed to Jesus. I hope your heart trusts Jesus. He has never promised that it will be a wide road and a smooth one to walk, but he does promise that it will be worth it.

Maybe it's easy to be bold and to make the mark when you're here among many people who believe in the Bible, but you're about to leave, into this world with these fierce beasts, and they will bite you. They will test you. They will lead you into temptation. And when that moment comes, just close your eyes and think about Jesus, who's not far, far away. He said, I will be with you always. Do not be ashamed of a single thing that Jesus said. Instead, remember what Jesus said at the very start of the book of Revelation, where he pleaded with his church, be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.