Intro/Outro: Welcome to Garden Church Podcast. We're in a series in the book of Revelation. We're gonna spend the next 26 weeks doing a deep dive into both how to read and how to interpret this amazing book. Enjoy.
Darren: Hi, Niam. How are we doing? Outside crowd. How are we doing? There's no seats for the outside crowd.
There's 3 seats inside. Outside, if you wanna rush right now, let's go. 1st 3. We got 3 seats in the front. Sorry for the live streamers.
I'm gonna walk around a lot more today. I don't know why you are here, but I've been wrecked in worship. The last two services. I was, reflecting I have the privilege of studying scripture and teaching this community such a privilege. And it feels like I'm drinking the ocean, like, let's call it fresh water ocean.
And I'm trying to con bring to you in, like, a water bottle size amount of information. And then I get in the worship, and these words trigger the depth of that of what is. And I just think, do they know? And to confess, honestly, I feel like I've been leading this church for 15 years, and so much of that time was, am I good enough to preach? Am I qualified to lead?
And a lot of internal story. And then once you deal with that, it's like, alright, I just wanna help you be fully alive in Jesus. So let me teach you how to read scripture, let me teach you how to pray, let me teach you practices, and none of that's gonna work. It's not gonna work. And I think so many of you been conditioned by churches and cultural Christianity that's that can allow you to consume something thinking that that is where the life is.
That's not where the life is. Even if it's good content, and it has a Christian label next to it. It's not that's not where it's at. It's him. And if you don't know how to get to him, I don't know what to tell you.
I just want more of him. And what more than anything, I want you to want more of him. I want you to want more of him. I want you to learn to get in his presence to to stop with the conditional responses and put everything. I want you to bring that alabaster every Sunday.
All we collecting whatever alabaster is for you so that you can put it back at his feet. That's what we need. That's what the world needs to see because it's seen the other cultural Christianity. But if we could just get a glimpse, would you know what would happen if he walked into the room? Would you even know it was him?
And what have you been touched by God in a way? Like, I told the story of John getting touched 15 years ago or 12 years ago, and so many people were touched by that story. Do you know he's available to encounter you every moment you breathe? But we're so distracted. We walk around with a devotion to the world thinking that we that he can compete with our mindless scrolling and consuming and our life of of devotion to the consumer gods of our age.
And we think we're just gonna show up for an hour and a half, and that's gonna be enough to transform your life for you to be who you're made to be. I want more of him. I wanna go after him with everything I have. I'll put everything on the table. Lord knows we've done that so many times.
My wife, God bless her, gets the text messages of inspiration that disrupt our life. But that's where we're at. And I don't know how else to do it other than to keep putting everything on the table and say, alright, Lord. What do you want? All of it?
Okay. I'll give it all it back to you. So many of you are haven't even realized that you give a percentage and that's not it at all. He wants to consume you with holy fire. You have these issues and you're like, well, I just need to add this fast to fix this issue.
I need to do this with my anger. I need this for the financial blessing of my job. He just wants all of it. And I I just don't know what to do other say other than to say to get to Jesus. But I know I've been caught up in worship today because of what scripture does.
See I've been reading Revelation 5. You guys have a Bible. Would you show me your Bibles? This is for my friend who finally brought a Bible. Where you at?
I see. The youth. Are we at a 100% youth? Let's go. 130.
130. 130. You brought 2. Let's go. You brought some for friends.
Look at that. The youth leading the way. Of course. Revelation 5. It should be we should teach Revelation 45 together.
And last, oh, man. I am I'm gonna just keep going. I'm gonna do it. Here we go. Good thing we record the last one.
I was walking in the Long Beach Cancer Walk yesterday with my good friend, Jim Eaton. They've been at our church for about 10 years. He's been battling cancer for years. We had the largest group in the cancer walk. Over 50 people, we won that battle.
Let's go. Competition, check. Eaton strong. I got the privilege of pushing him the last half mile or so, and he was sharing so many stories with me. And he's a very successful CEO.
Retired at a young age, sold his business, and then woke up one night with inspiration realizing he's not done. He he there's no retirement in the kingdom. And, came up with a strategy to start a new business to help businesses do what he did with his previous business. So he created this consulting company that helped other businesses take it to the next level. And he came to our church.
He's like, I wanna just give our services to you. He helped us think strategically as we are a small church growing, you know, a lot of passion but gave us direction to organize and he had, coached 100 of CEOs. And he was reflecting as I pushed him on this cancer walk. He was saying, you know, I know all these Christian men who write $1,000,000 checks. They have their companies, their houses, and they give to their nonprofits.
They travel the world. He's like, I am I can't stop thinking about that passage where Jesus says or where people will say to Jesus, did we not prophesy in your name? And Jesus will respond, I never knew you. Like, did we not write $1,000,000 checks and show up to church and do these things? And he will say, I never knew you.
He says, I tell them, he takes off his glasses that they have to wear Jesus glasses. You have to look through life through the lens of Jesus. Only when you do that will you really get it. Will it all make sense? It's not enough to write $1,000,000 checks in a when when that's just small percentage of your wealth.
Your life has to be consumed and you have to see the world through the lens of Jesus. And I I I say that because I was like, Jim, that's exactly what Revelation 45 is. If you recall last 2 weeks ago, when we started this this new section of scripture where where John sees a door open in heaven. I said you gotta put on Revelation 4 glasses. In revelation 4 at at the center of reality is a throne with creatures 247 made to worship the one who sits on the throne.
And so you have to look through the world through the reality of Jesus, but I'm gonna go even more. I'm gonna say that we need a specific, perspective, a lens shaped by Revelation 5. Scholars will say that Revelation chapter 5 is perhaps the most important section of the entire book of Revelation. That this passage that we're gonna read the whole chapter shapes the rest of scripture, of Revelation. And it will be our anchoring point.
So for today, as a reminder of 2 weeks ago, if you missed that talk, you need to listen to it. But we are called to live in the right time zone. If you remember I was talking about my journey from Seattle. Sorry. From Montana to Seattle, and I was about to miss my connecting flight because I was 20 minutes from it.
But as soon as I turned on my phone as the plane landed, my phone reconnected to the proper time zone, and I had an hour and 20 minutes to make it. And the point of that story is that we have to live in the time zone of heaven. We have to align ourselves to what is real and true. And for so many of us living outside of the time zone of heaven, we live with anxiety and fear and worry about things and how they're gonna end. But when you align yourself to the right time zone, when you see Jesus clearly, all those other things fall into place.
Because we know how the story ends. And if you don't know, spoiler alert, Jesus wins. Let's just jump in to Revelation 5. Shall we read this passage together? It's it's it's gonna cook.
So is that good? That was for you. I I had to chat g p t words to impact the next generation. My sons are explaining these very unique words that remind me of Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic, but verse 1. Let me see those Bibles real quick.
Put them up. Let me see it. Let's see it. The word of the Lord. Yeah.
Let's go church. I can't wait all of us. If you don't need If you don't have a bible, we'd love to give you one. Okay. Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writings on both sides and sealed with 7 seals.
Remember 7 is the number of fullness and completion. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, do not weep.
See the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its 7 seals. The word of the Lord. You're like, I'm gonna send it to God. Thanks be to God.
Quick review before I jump in. Apocalyptic literature seeks to pull back the curtain to see what's really going on. We all see right now the world as it is. You know, Dodgers crushing it. Political chaos that's influencing how we treat one another.
You walk by that house with that sign and you curse them. We'll talk about that at the end. I see you. Technology invading every square inch of our souls knowing us better than we know ourselves. War everywhere we look.
Fear of economic uncertainty. Global crisis across the board. War in Israel and all of its surrounding region. We pull back the curtain and see according to revelation, things are not as they seem. An apocalyptic literature seeks to, enable hope and resistance in this world by revealing the truth of the unseen present realities.
See, behind the curtain are unseen present realities. See behind the curtain are cosmic beings working against God's will. Behind the curtain is a throne at the center of reality that's orchestrating a sovereign plan to redeem what was lost in the Garden of Eden. You see, apocalyptic literature allows the imagination of followers to hope in a future reality in the present, and it uses several techniques and features to do that. Animals often represent people in apocalyptic literature.
Historical events are often referenced as natural disasters, and colors and numbers have unique meaning. So for example, 7 is completion or fullness or perfection. 6 is imperfection and 1,000 represents large multitudes. So when we read the phrase 1,000, we're not counting these numbers literally. I need you to hear that.
So many of us have been formed by a dispensational theology which just really isn't biblical or scholarly in many ways. I'm just sorry if I if that offends you. Thanks for the affirmation whoever you are. Vocal in the front in the midsection. That's great.
My point whether you come from that or not is to show you that apocalyptic literature was the popular genre that was around about a 100 years before John wrote and a 100 years after. And there's all sorts of themes that were used by Jewish writers to convey an imagination of this future time. But it was always immersed in old testament understanding. So for us, we have to know that genre matters. So Revelation 5 begins with this person who's not They can't find anyone worthy to open the scroll.
And this scroll has writing on both sides and there's 7 seals symbolizing so many things. But the scroll itself symbolizes God's redemptive plan. The true meaning of history and his ultimate purpose for humanity and creation without someone worthy to open it, God's purposes would remain veiled and unrealized. So the act of opening the scroll unlocks God's will for the world. So John weeps because he knows that history is going somewhere.
It needs to be unlocked and revealed. This plan needs to be realized, and he's standing in this moment without understanding who's in the room like so many of you on Sunday mornings. So your disposition to the reality of your that you face is is marred by the time zone that is unreality. Your circumstances may have a diagnosis, but do you live with the hope of what is true? What is true and will be true and has been true?
That's the formation of a disciple of Jesus Christ, standing in the reality of what is, has been, and is to come. And I love it because it's remember, this this whole thing is not about what you hear. The book of revelation is not about hearing and obeying. It's about seeing what John sees. So he hears from the elder.
See. He hears from the elder. See the lion of Judah. The the root of David has triumphed. Now we're not living 2000 years ago in a Jewish context.
This would have been electrifying. It it would've brought up all sorts of emotions and imagination and dreams when he would say the line of Judah and the root of David. Richard Bachman said, the line and root are both traditional Jewish symbols that represent the hoped for deliverer from the line of David. They suggest the power, authority, and military conquest traditionally associated with the Messiah. The lion and the root.
I mean, this is so This goes all the way back to Genesis. It goes back to so many stories of what happened in the garden of Eden and what God promised to happen later, about God using the root, the stump to to triumph over the enemies of Israel and to restore creation. But in the old testament, the lion of Judah, that would've been that would've been associated with military dominance. Because the Jewish people had in their imagination When God would send a messiah, he would send a military leader like Moses who would defeat the enemies like Egypt. You remember what happened with Egypt?
All the false gods were challenged through plagues 1 by 1, 10 plagues. The last one being the son of Ra, the son of God being slain overnight with the angel of death going over all the lamb. Only it was the blood of the lamb that was sacrificed put on the door post of the sides in the head that covered so that the angel would pass over the house. Do you remember your old testament story? Do you know what I'm talking about?
Some of you don't know that story. It's, okay. We'll catch you up later. It's Exodus chapter 12. So you have this expectation, a new Exodus.
There would be this military conquest. Only Jesus didn't bring a military conquest, but it says He says in scripture, Revelation chapter 5, that the the the angel says, the root of David has triumphed. That's past tense in the Greek. He has conquered. He was victorious.
Remember remember this passage shapes reality that you live in. So the writing is so specific and the tension is beautiful because what does the lion who conquers look like? Some scholars say this the next section of scripture is the most important section for revelation. He looks to see a lion Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain. Standing at the center of the throne.
That which is the center of reality. At the center of reality in its center is a throne. At the center of the throne is the lamb who was slain. Keep reading. Encircled by the 4 living creatures and the elders, the lamb had 7 horns and a 7 eyes, which are the 7 spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
He went and looked and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne, And then, he When he had taken it, the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people. Pause right there. John hears about a lion, but he sees a lamb. Now there are 2 Greek words used in the New Testament.
By the way, this sermon just my form of bible study. I got nothing special for you. I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna do observation, interpretation, application. All my how to read the bible people here.
This is all I'm doing. Making observations, telling you what I think it means based on scholarly opinion, and and then I'm gonna tell you why it matters in your life. That's it. So there we go, that's my strategy. Here we go.
John hears about the lion and sees the lamb. Now there's 2 Greek words for lamb. In the New Testament, the word lamb, the adult lamb is often used all over the place. Here's what that word looks like. Yeah.
And and that's what John refers to in the book of John. Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But in this passage, John uses the word for little lamb. The little lamb. It's and and there's a beautiful reason I'll get to in a second.
But he says, the lamb that lamb that was slain and the word slain is is too PC. It's slaughtered. The slaughtered little lamb standing at the center of all that is. The conquering lamb wins by being slaughtered to death. John hears the proclamation of the lion, a title evoking power, strength and kingly rule, but what he sees is the lamb, a symbol of weakness and lambs are used for sacrifice.
This paradox is central to the way revelation portrays Christ victory. He conquers not by military force but through self sacrificial death. It's the lamb that subverts the way the world operates. The way the world runs. He subverts the world.
Now, stay with me because it's such a fascinating thing that's going on here. I wanna make a couple of more observations about this this image. Remember, if you're reading apocalyptic literature, animals almost always represent people. Okay, in the apocalyptic literature. And the the the numbers represent something else.
And if you were to draw this lamb thinking that this is the literal image of Jesus on the throne, you'd be probably grossed out by 7 eyes and 7 horns. Here's what Daryl Johnson says. Eyes are the picture of wisdom. Seven eyes. 7 is the number of completeness completeness in essence.
The little lamb is completely wise. Immensely wise. Horns are pictures of strength. Seven horns. The little lamb is completely strong, immensely powerful.
The lamb is the perfection and essence of wisdom and power. Also in apocalyptic literature of John's day, there was a figure of a warrior lamb that we have written that we study throughout history. A powerful lamb that leads the flock of God against an evil beast. But nowhere does the apocalyptic literature tell us how the lamb wins the battle except ours. How does the lamb win?
The cross. When did he win? On the cross. On the cross. And this is what's so fascinating.
When you read, you realize what what what John is doing, what Jesus is trying to convey, why this is so central to your vision for life. This is the secret. And if you don't have eyes to see and ears to hear even in the church, you'll miss it and bless you. But that's part of the problem because you want the warrior lamb with a sword. You want the lion.
You want the man on the horse to defeat your enemies. You want your guy to win. And the image is this is how our guy wins. The cross. And Jesus John will say I'm sorry.
Paul will say the greatest power in the universe is weakness of sacrificial love. The greatest wisdom in the universe is the foolishness of sacrificial love, which is why the apostle Paul says Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And at the center of reality is the slaughtered lamb who was resurrected. Inviting creation back to worship. So the elders hold these bowls which would have been symbolic for coliseum or any arena games that before there was a conquest battle of, of barbarians versus the gladiators, they would take these bowls filled with incense or or sacrifices to various deities and pour them out onto the battlefield from up high by a priest.
And we we will come back to the bulls in a few chapters because the bulls represent in this passage the prayers of God's people. Whose prayers? Your prayers. Or at least those of you that pray. I'm not saying praying for your business.
I mean, the intercession of the church that becomes an incense that burns before the Lord's throne. That he doesn't just see us passive. Those of you that have been faithfully interceding day and night, night and day for God's reality to be manifest on earth. For healing to come. For resurrection power to be made in places where resurrection power is not yet realized on earth.
Those intercessory prayers are contained in these bowls that God has collected along with your tears. The 2 things that Jesus collects, your prayers and your tears, and they will not be wasted. As you will see later on in Revelation, the bowls will empty out and things will get going. Just a side note, this is just a pastoral, like, I'm gonna come over here just so I'm not I'm gonna come down here. God comes where he's wanted.
So many of you think that just coming here on Sunday is enough to is about conjuring up some type of response from God. That's not how it works. You're like, I want revival. But you won't create space for him to show up. I want revival.
I'm devoted in my words on Sunday, but I'm devoted to the world Monday through Saturday in my phone. I only care about you Jesus and what you say, yet I'm obsessed about my peers and how they validate me or not. And how what this boy thinks or that girl thinks of me and makes me feel better about the condition of my life. I didn't mean to stand next to you guys. That's for everyone.
I wanna create room for him to move. If we had revival, we couldn't do anything about it here. We wouldn't be ready. We have about 30 people that show up to our prayer room. If you study revival history, it's repentance and prayer that tips the bowl of the church, not the people outside.
The church. Those who say they follow Jesus, who sacrifice bedtime routine, who sacrifice morning hours, work hours, productive hours to be in the presence of God because they know when he comes, there's a liturgy prepared for the revival. In my heart, in my life, in my work week, in my schedule. How are we doing church? Are we there?
This is only part I haven't even got to the good stuff. I mean, I get I did. I got to some of the it gets better. It's getting better. It's we'll just let it cook.
I gotta get new words, babe. Help me out. You don't know. I know. Just record what Ezra and Amos say.
What'd you say? Alright. Lock lock it. Lock in. Lock in.
Lock in. Is that what that means? Okay. Grab your bibles. Lock in.
Here we go. I'm taking this off. Let's go. Let's go. Oh, man.
I you know what's funny? Because I wanted to lock in. No. Hold on. I I I was thinking about and and I'm not giving permission for this, but, like, I judge churches that have flags.
Like, they're just, like, they wave a banner. And the Lord's, like, wanting me to to wave a banner. He's literally wants me to create 1 to like run on the stage with with signs of hope and passion. And and I just took this off, and I was reminded that he told me to do that so long ago, and I haven't done it. Lord, forgive me.
Lock in. Revelation. Go to verse 11. We'll come back to verse 9. So then I looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering 1,000 upon 1,000 and 10000 times 10000.
What does that mean? Is is he counting the sections that he sees? What does it mean? Lots. Is there a gen z word for that?
A lot? No. Keep going. A lot a lot of angels. They encircle the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
In a loud voice, they were saying, listen. Worthy is the lamb who was slain. Count them to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, praise, all of our complete worship. There's 7. I count 7.
You count 7. 7 Greek words. All, that what does that mean when when the when the lamb of God who's finally worthy to unveil the meaning of history? The translation of reality in the present and on it disclose the salvation, the redemptive work of God that he intended from Genesis and he will complete in Revelation 22. Bringing that together.
Their response is to bring their complete worship. Not part, not some, not a bit, not a percentage, not a tithe. Everything goes back to the lamb because he's worthy. And it goes on, then I heard every creature in heaven. So all the creatures in heaven and on earth.
So all the creatures on earth and under earth and on the sea. All that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne. And to the lamb be praised and honor and glory and power forever and ever. The 4 living creatures said, amen. Yes.
Yes. Let it be. And the elders fell down and worshiped. We get a glimpse of heaven in chapter 45, and there's story after story of the people of God bringing stuff and putting it at the center of Jesus' feet, and they're laying down because that's the only response is worship. The only response is to bring and redirect your resources to God, redirect your heart, redirect your body.
Are you able to stand stand? Are you able to lay down? Lay down. I know it's crowded. Are you able to sing sing?
I don't care if it's off pitch, tune. You're missing the beat because you can't clap on count. It doesn't matter. Amen. Because we're joining heaven.
And they got perfect timing. I hope they have perfect pitch. Otherwise, you're gonna be real sorry standing next to me for eternity. They sing a new song. Go to verse 9.
And they sing a new song saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. Why? Because you were slain. And with your blood, you purchased for God people from every tribe and language and people and nation. You've made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on earth.
This is so important. This is where you zero in those glasses right here. What makes the lamb worthy to open and unveil God's cosmic plan in future and make sense of this present reality by bringing a meaning to history? It's a sacrifice on the cross. It's the sacrifice on the on the cross that we see his blood was costly.
It's through his blood that he establishes a new covenant, that he sets us free, That he became victorious. And it's through his blood that we live our lives after his model. The slaughtered lamb, the crucified messiah is how we see the world from now from now on. His death is our invitation for life. We're called to live the way of the lamb.
And it's the crucified Jesus that we need to see the world through. Not rabbi Jesus giving you practices. That's it. That's not enough. Not Jesus, my life coach who makes my life happy and fun and helps with my anxiety.
Not Jesus, a spiritual guru who teaches us philosophy and good teaching. The crucified messiah, the slaughtered lamb. We see the world through him. That's the only way it makes sense. That is the image.
Revelation 12, which we'll get to in a couple of weeks. It says this in verse 9. I just want you to go there because it's so fun. I love this passage. Here Listen to this.
What happens on the cross? The great dragon was hurled down. The ancient serpent called the devil and satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to earth and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of God and the authority of his messiah for the accuser of our brothers and sisters who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down.
They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb. And by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. That's victory. Victory is being the kind of follower that goes to death with joyful anticipation knowing that's how we defeat evil. You flip the world upside down on the cross.
The world brought everything it had against Jesus. The worst possible death any human could experience at that point, and he flips it upside down and disarms the powers and makes a public spectacle of them. Naked on a cross. Our slaughtered lamb. There's this passage that has deep implications for our life and we'll we'll land in a second.
I know the Holy Spirit's ministering. If you want more, ask for more of him. Do not be satiated by a good teaching. Ask for more of him. That's right.
Hunger for him. What was the victory God desired? What was God's dream for creation? It says you are, the victory he says is in verse 10. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to serve God.
Now, I have a question. This is some theology because this is where it it shapes the whole of the scripture. Where do we read kingdom and priests in the scriptures? Let's try to go back as far as we can. Can you just shout out your answers if you're wrong?
I'll just shame you publicly. So, no, I'm not. Let's have courage. Let's see. Where do you hear this phrase kingdom and priest?
Anyone wanna take a shot? Exodus. Exodus? Leviticus? Okay.
Exodus. That's good. Exodus what? Exodus 19. That's right.
Is there anything before Exodus? My wife's saying Stewart. She's a good student apparently. Where is that coming from? We haven't talked.
She got it. Wow. Well done, Pat. Let's go, pastor. You should preach right now.
She said it. Okay. This idea of reigning priests starts in Genesis chapter 1. So what's been accomplished through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross that spoke about in Revelation, The end things began in the heart of God in Revelation chapter 1 verse. Look at this verse 28.
Listen to verse 26. Then God said, let us make mankind in our image and our likeness so that they may what? Rule. Kingdom. Reign.
Over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky over the livestock and the wild animals over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image. In his image, he created them. Male and female, he created them. God bless them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number.
Fill the earth and subdue it. Steward, cultivate, garden, and rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. So in Genesis chapter 1 and 2, God's redemptive purpose for humanity was to partner with humanity in creating people who would rely on partnership with him in loving relationship to steward on his behalf the rest of creation. As priests, Look what n t Wright says. Humans are to be God's image bearers that is to reflect God's wise order into the world and to reflect the praises of creation back to the creator.
They are in the other words to be a royal priesthood, summing up the praises of creation and exercising authority on God's behalf over the world. The idea of being human is the idea of being a priest. Here's some let me give you some old testament understanding of priests because we don't really get it today and we don't really like that word. But all throughout scripture is the priesthood of all believers. This idea we're all priests.
So priests in the old testament were mediators or intercessors between God and people. They represented people to God and God back to the people. They were intercessors. They stood between the two realities. You with me?
They ministered before the Lord on behalf of others. So they would go into places ministering to God on behalf of the rest of the community. They were leaders among their community. They were prophetic symbols of holiness and covenantal faithfulness. They lived in a way that showed other people and nations what it's like to live in covenant with God.
And they were managers of sacred space. So Adam and Eve had the the the sacred space of Eden. Now I know it's hard for for us to understand this because we don't go into Genesis that often. But the idea of Genesis, if you read the garden of Eden narrative and what it's like, you have this image of creation, being wild and untamed and Eden was God's perfect creation order with 4 rivers that were flowing out. And the idea is that Adam and Eve were supposed to live in harmony and take the garden and spread it around the earth, which that imagery picks up in Ezekiel, in Isaiah, in Jeremiah.
It gets picked up in the tabernacle. When you read what happens in the temple, if you the the descriptions of what the temple inside look like looks like a garden. If you get to the end story when God marries earth once and for all with heaven, it's a city that looks like a garden. Are you with me? But the role of the priest, which you got Adam and Eve, you have Israel.
It's designed to be a priestly community representing God to the rest of the nations. In Exodus chapter 19, it says, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations, you will be my treasure possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. The invitation for Israel was to live in covenantal faithfulness so the rest of the world would would know, but they fail. Then Jesus becomes the fulfillment of Israel.
He fulfills the vocation of Israel, and then he commissions who to carry on his vocation? You. Amen. And it says, they will reign. That's not what it says.
Nowhere does it say they will reign in Greek. It actually says, and they reign on earth, present tense. This is not some future reality because the triumph, the conquering has already happened once and for all. And it's being worked out. I'm sorry.
It's already happened. It will be worked out once and for all when Jesus returns. But in the meantime, those who live in relationship to the lamb who was slain, reign on earth. The question is, how? Do we try to take up swords like the world?
Do we try to go around our neighborhoods pulling out those signs and saying that's not how it's gonna happen? We reign the same way the lamb who was slain did. Can I have the worship team come up? I have a few more points, but let's just get them jamming for a second. Is that a is that not a word?
That's not a word. Jamming. That's my word. Let's get that holy music in the back. Worship team assemble.
Just just wait. This is I have a couple of practical things that will really hit. John is saying that the church is to live as lions in the way of the lamb. You are a lion called to live the way of the lamb. A lion courageous, strong, fearless, bold in the face of opposition, persecution, challenge, and injustice.
We are to be unwavering in our faith to proclaim the truth of the gospel that's living in defiance as the world opposes the kingdom of God. But we're called to exercise the power of heaven the same way the lamb exercised his power, through sacrificial, humble, loving demonstration. Not by violence and domination, but by self giving love, suffering and laying down our lives as the faithful witness to the world. This is how we learn to be victorious. Faithful witness is laying down your preference, Laying down your rights.
Laying down your right, your scoreboard. Laying down the things that would cause you to say something back in order for them to experience the love of God which comes through the cross. This is why this chapter is the most important. It's the slain lamb that shapes our reality. This is the time zone we live from.
Our perspective that we see the worldview, that we see the rest of the world through is that of a cruciform Messiah. So why is this so important then? I have three points. Number 1, why is this chapter the most important? Number 1, at the center of reality is one who suffers.
At the center, you pull back the curtain of reality. All the winning, all the hashtag blessing, blessed, all that I'm good, All the deal with your weakness, show your strength, dog eat dog world. At the center of our reality, behind the curtains of powers and principalities and governments and tech companies and businesses that have godless amounts of money and power, There is one who sits on a throne and he suffered. In a world that's suffering, in a room that's filled with pain and trauma, and and right now, the need for healing, the need for that addiction to finally have breakthrough. You have a compassionate suffering Messiah who says to you, I know how that feels.
That child that died too young, I know how that feels. When the question is, where were you? Where were you? He says with tears in his eyes, weeping next to you. Collecting the 2 things that I collect, your prayers and your tears.
Is this good news? Yes. We don't walk our way to victory. Point number 2, we work from victory, not toward it. You don't have to work your way.
You don't have to conjure up defeat, prayers of defeat, prayers that have courage. You get to start from the victory that Jesus already has. He already has victory. What does that do for your prayer life? For all of you that are joining our intercessory team because now you're convicted by the Holy Spirit and you're gonna wake up and show up and we're gonna open so many rooms to fill for your prayers.
You don't pray God if it's your will, you say it is your will. And these principalities, these generational curses, these places that don't know heaven's real need to be invaded by your presence. So Lord, your kingdom come. Your will be done in this place, in this heart, in this body, in this room as it is in heaven. I wanna see cancer disappear.
I wanna see the diagnosis that you've carried in your body be gone. I wanna be a community that says when it's a no in prayer, we fast and go all the way to the throne room, bringing back that victory. Blood, sweat and tears. Because we know it's coming, because we know how the story ends. Do you pray from victory?
Do you live from victory? How many of you need a marriage marked by victory? You're walking in the shadow of death because it's so divided, and you're praying, Lord, help me change this thing, help me change this thing, help me change this thing. Why not draw from the victory that He has and say, just make it my reality. How?
Not by saying you gotta change first, by saying, I lay down my life, and from my death, build something beautiful. Do you see? Like do you see? It's not about winning. It's about death being on display and somehow through that loving posture of laying down your life, the world will be overcome.
The third point is the way to the fullness of life is the way of the lamb. Lions in the way of the lamb means a church that embraces this prophetic witness to embody the alternative vision that Jesus laid out through his life, through his teaching. In a world back and forth, we turn the other cheek. In a world filled with hostility and anger, we are unoffendable. In a world that's overcompromised in everything, we live with a purity of heart.
In a world paralyzed with options, we say yes or no, and that's it. We love our enemies. We pray for those who persecute us. We give to those in need. We go the 2nd mile.
We pray for his kingdom. We fast in the secret place. We store up treasures in heaven. We don't worry about what we wear, eat or drink, because we don't serve 2 masters. We serve 1, and we refuse to judge others because it's all grace.
We walk the narrow path, we use power to empower, we serve the least. We choose the lowest seat in the room, we wash feet, we ask, we seek, we knock, we build houses on the rock, but we will lay down our lives because that is the way he has conquered it all. Let's worship. Is anyone worthy?
Intro/Outro: Thank you so much for listening. For more information, please visit us at garden.church.
Darren: Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? A lion. The lion of Judah. Oh, who conquered the