JOHN-1 John 4
“God Is Love”
- (yes or no) Jesus Christ came in the flesh. 1 John 4:2 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Who is greater: (a) Jesus or (b) the devil? 1 John 4:4 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Love comes from whom?
God is ______________. 1 John 4:7-8
Therefore, who ought we to love? 1 John 4:11 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - Who is the Savior of the world? 1 John 4:14 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- (yes or no) Is there fear in love? 1 John 4:18 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Who loved first: (a) God or (b) man? 1 John 4:19
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - (yes or no) Can a person love God if he hates his brother? 1 John 4:20 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Automated Transcript
<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> You know, it really doesn’t help. If you turn off the mic, instead of turning it on, I told you I was early and I forgot something. Now I flipped the switch. I just flipped it off instead of OD.
So who knows what I was broadcasting before that point? Oh, well, If I were perfect, I’d be really hard to live with. So yeah,<inaudible> We’re going to start in first, John chapter two, we’re going to pick up a couple of verses John Doesn’t, uh, just suddenly change topics. John has a very thoughtful, connected, uh,
letter. And so we’re going to carry forward some of the previous passages that he’s bringing into this, that he’s really used to introduce what he’s about to say, as we have it here in chapter four. If you go back to chapter two and verse four, he who says, I know him, who’s the him there. God, the father, He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar.
And the truth is not in him. John is going to make it clear. You claim to know God, and you do not keep his commandments. You’re a liar. Number two, verse five, but whoever keeps his word truly the love of God is perfected in him. The keeping of God’s commandments, the obeying of the law of God, in spite of the way,
many modern theology, theologians and liberals in, in even the church will try and argue that the love of God and loving God is not connected to keeping commandments. John says the exact opposite. John says, whoever keeps his word. Truly the love of God is perfected in him. You have an individual who says all. I love God. I love everything about God.
I love Christ. And I, and he is my personal savior. And then they’re faced with keeping his commandments and they’re willing to do anything but that They don’t love God. Okay? They don’t even know who he is because they could not possibly imagine to claim that they love him and not keep his commandments or that loving him is somehow separated from keeping his commandments.
Now, as I mentioned back, as we started first, John, all of this has a foundation in what John wrote in John chapters, 14, 15, and 16 and 17, where in the upper room, Jesus said, I’m going to send the Holy spirit to you to guide you into all truth, to give, be the comforter, to give you what you need,
because I’m departing, but I’m not leaving you alone. And he repeatedly emphasized to his, if you love me, keep my commandments. And if you’re mine, you’re not only going to love me, but you’re going to love one another. Now there were times in these apostles lives earlier on where they didn’t always get along with one another. As a matter of fact,
earlier on in the upper room, they were arguing about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus, his response to his apostles, arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom was to do what to be least. But what did he do? He washed their feet. And then he told them, you will be identified as my disciples by your love for one another.
So John says, he who says, I know him and doesn’t keep his commandment is a liar. He who keeps his word. The love of God is perfected at him by this. We know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk just as he walked. So he connects keeping commandments to the love of God,
to abiding in God. Now we noticed last, uh, on Sunday, this idea of abiding, as he has mentioned, uh, I think six different times in chapter three. And he concludes chapter three with now. He who keeps his commandments. There’s chapter two verse. Why they, again, he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he,
the father in him, the person, and by this, we know that he abides in us, Christians in general, by the spirit whom he has given us beloved, do not believe every spirit. He says, here’s how, you know, God abides in you. You keep his commandments. And here’s how you know, he’s he’s done for you.
What he promised he would do that is in giving you his spirit because you kept his commandments, but you do not believe everyone who claims to be speaking for God. He will go on to say, but instead try or test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. The idea of spirits here is one of those times where he’s not using it in the sense of a,
a, an angel or a spiritual being. He’s using it in reference to a person. And he says, don’t believe everybody who claims to come to you with a message from God, turn over to Galatians chapter one. While the context is false prophets, false teachers, and those who are claiming to speak for God, the connotation and the, and the statement is equally applicable.
Even if it were an angel from heaven, turned in Galatians chapter one beginning in verse six, Paul says, I Marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we,
and notice what Paul says or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than that, which we have preached to you, let him be a cursed, as we have said before. So say I now, again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be a cursed. Paul says, I don’t care.
If an angel appears to you claiming to be from heaven. If he tells you something different than what we’ve preached to you, you know, his messages and from heaven, you know, his message is not from God. So they had a responsibility to not only learn what they were taught when they became Christians, but they had a responsibility to hold onto those things.
To remember those things, to put those things into their hearts and minds so that when someone came into their assembly and was allowed to get up and speak to them, and this person came teaching something different. They could not only reject it, but refute it turn over to acts chapter 15. I’m sorry. Acts chapter 17 in acts chapter 17, as Paul is traveling on this missionary journey,
we read beginning verse 10. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Okay? So this is Paul and Silas because Paul and Barnabas have now parted ways that happened in chapter 15 at the end. So Paul and Silas, or out on this missionary journey and they leave,
uh, they leave vessel Annika after Jason’s house has been assaulted and they go into Berea. And as Paul’s custom was when he first goes into a city, he goes, where first he goes to the synagogue. He goes to the Jews. So he goes into the synagogue of the Jews. So these people who are about to hear him speak are not Christians.
Okay? They’re Jews. And we read in verse 11, these were more fair minded than those in Thessaloniki, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily. And notice this last phrase to find out whether these things were So That verse right there is a direct interpretation of John’s statement to try the spirits, whether or not they are of God.
That is what it means. That when you hear something now, in their case, they were using the old Testament scriptures, because what they were being taught was different than what they had always been taught. So here comes someone who comes into their assembly, this assembly of the Jews, and he begins telling them the Messiah has come well. They’ve always been taught.
The Messiah is going to come. They’ve always been taught that the Messiah will come. Now, someone says he already came. That’s different than what they’ve always been taught, but they weren’t supposed to reject it out of just immediate. Well, you’re not telling us what we’ve always been taught. And therefore you must be telling us something that’s wrong. No,
that’s not what he says. And that’s not what John says. Either somebody comes in this building and they stand up in a pulpit and they tell you something you’ve never heard before. Your immediate reaction should not be that can’t possibly be true because I’ve never heard that before. You know, there’s many people in the religious world who you sit down and have a Bible study with.
And if you open God’s word and you start telling them the plan of salvation, you’re going to tell them something they’ve never heard before in their entire lives. And they may have been in a, in a Pew on every Sunday morning for their entire lives. And you will probably tell them something they’ve never heard and never read. But does that make it Faults?
No. So we don’t reject something because we’ve never heard it before we reject something. If we check it against the standard and it’s wrong. So it’s necessary upon us not to reject what we’ve all done, something different than what we’ve always been told, but to try to test what we’re told and if it falls short of the truth, or is in opposition to the truth,
then we’re to reject not only the message, but the messenger. We have a responsibility to stand up against and reject someone who teaches that, which is false. Go back over to first, John first, John chapter four, he says beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits. Whether they are of God. The implication is there that if you test them and they fail the test,
who are they not from? They’re not from God. He then goes on to because many false prophets have gone out into the world by this, you know, the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in, the flesh is of God. All right, he’s going to begin here to give you a series of tests. And these tests have,
um, have a great deal of concentration and focus on the problems the church was dealing with right then. Okay. There was a, there was a time in John’s day where the struggles they were having from within and without is that there were those within the church, claiming the Jesus never came in the flesh. And there were those without outside the church who rejected the Jesus was the Messiah.
Okay? So his very first test is if someone comes to you and doesn’t claim that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, he is not of God. You can just Mark it down. But if he comes to you claiming that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, okay, test number one, passed. Because if he doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh,
it doesn’t matter what else he believes. It doesn’t matter what else he says, everything else can be thrown out with with the, that part of the message. Because once he’s wrong on that, he’s wrong on everything. As far as John is concerned, but then notice what he says. He says by this, you know, the spirit of God,
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in, the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess the Jesus Christ has come in. The flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now, already in the world. John connects the denial of Jesus Christ coming in the flesh with the antichrist,
with the discussion. He started back in chapter two concerning the antichrist. He said that one of the very specific attributes of this, this group of people who were told, they were told, were coming. These that were going to come out from them. This departure away from the faith. He says, one of the very specific attributes is they’ll begin denying that Jesus Christ ever came in the flesh.
And so that’s the singular attribute that he gives to those who are the antichrist. As he calls them those who are in opposition to Christ. He says, you verse four are of God, little children, and have overcome them. Because he who is in you is greater than he, who is in the world. He tells these Christians, you belong to God.
And as long as you belong to God, it doesn’t matter who comes. It doesn’t matter. Who opposes you. It doesn’t matter what forces they bring against you. You overcome them. Now. That’s not always going to look the way that we might imagine. It’s going to look the Christian who says I will not deny Christ. And immediately following that,
a Roman Centurion lops off his head just overcame. He was the Victor buddy’s dead. And why was he victorious? Because eternally he achieved what God had laid in store for it. So in the book of revelation, John will continue this overcoming theme that he’s talking about right here. The commandments of God, abiding in God, the love of God, connected with overcoming those who oppose God is going to be drawn forward in the book of revelation.
And the message of the book of revelation is the one who overcomes in this life comes over in the next life. That is, they abide with God. Okay? So he says here, every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in, the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming.
And now, already in the world, you are of God, little children and have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he, who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak of as of the world and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us. And he,
who is not of God does not hear us by this. We know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. John draws back the curtain, as it will and says these false prophets, their message originates with the father of this world, their message originates with the one who belongs to this world, but yours doesn’t. So don’t go after the majority,
he makes it clear the same way Jesus made it clear. There’s going to be many who follow after them. There’s going to be a majority of those who hear them. But that doesn’t mean you do that doesn’t mean you follow after them. You follow after God. And then he says this beloved, let us love one another. And he’s talked about loving God.
He’s talked about keeping his commandments. He’s talked about faithfulness to his laws and his commandments and his word. And now he’s going to go right back to love. One another for love is of God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. When we get into this passage, one of the things we need to be clear about is that there will be individuals and are,
and have always been individuals who have actions that are and do things that are loving actions, but they’re not doing them as a result of their knowledge and obedience of God. There are people who are kind, who are gentle, who are courteous, who carry forward and, and enact in their lives. Self-sacrifice but that in and of itself is not an attribute that declares them to be a Christian.
Okay? Because the first attribute of being a Christian is what keeping his commandments love is in this world. It is an attribute of this world. It is something that people utilize or reject. They see people around them, they they’ve received it and they give it again. But there’s more to love. Then just point actions done toward someone else. And so,
as we go through this passage, we need to kind of be able to parse in our minds, the love of God as demonstrated towards one another and the love of others as demonstrated by the world. Here’s how I know there is a difference. And here’s how I know that there is love. That is the actions of the world that isn’t from God,
but it is showing goodness, kindness and favor towards others. Jesus said that those who are in the world love those who are in the world and hate him. Now there’s the word love, but it’s in a negative context. They love that, which is wrong. They love those who agree with them, but they hate him. Okay? So in all of this,
and then I don’t want to be too, you know, uh, this jointed in this, I want us to recognize there are actions that people say, well, that’s love a mother caring for a newborn child that is love. And that is instilled within a person. And he is an outflowing of God’s love that he’s placed in this world, but ultimately for that mother to love that child in the way that she ought,
she first has to love God. And that’s, that’s a struggle for people because that mother might love that child and still raise them to be a servant of the devil by not teaching them to love God first. And so we’ve got to, we’ve got to keep this context. John started with keep my commandments. Outflowing from that is love connected to that is your relationship to God.
And from that from love and fellowship and obedience comes your love of one another. You cannot get the love of God toward one another. If you don’t first have the love of God, it’s impossible. And yet we will still see actions and activities that we Will recognize as the character of God and they’ll happen around us. And they’ll happen from people that aren’t obedient to God,
because God’s nature is part of this creation in that sense. Okay? So he says, beloved, let us love. One another for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. Here’s test. Number two, someone comes to you and they have,
uh, something to teach you. And they first and foremost say that Jesus Christ, it didn’t come in the flesh. They’re not of God. Secondly, their actions exhibit that they don’t love one another. They’re not of God. He says in verse nine in this, the love of God is manifested toward us. That God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him in.
This is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. John hearkens back to the message that Paul writes in Romans chapter five, that when we were yet sinners, when we were unlovable, when we were undesirable, God still loved us. We see the need for that. Love all over the world.
Today, we see the need for the love of God, that declares. I’m going to love you, even though you’re not worth it in the human sense, because you are worth it in God’s eyes because Jesus Christ came and died for you. He then goes on to say beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If God was willing to do that for you and me, then we’re without excuse w we have no opportunity to say, you know what? Someone has done something so terrible, so bad. I can’t possibly love them. John says, no. John says, if God was willing to send his son to die for you, who is it? You can’t love who is it that you have an excuse for?
Not loving, no one has ever seen God at any time. If we love one another God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us. Okay? So back over here in chapter two, he said that God’s love is perfected in the person who keeps his word. Now over here in chapter four, he says his love is perfected in us.
When we love one another. He’s tying these things together in such a way that when you see a picture of a Christian, when you see a picture of a person who abides with God, you can’t separate these things. You can’t pull one out and say, that’s what a Christian is and neglect all the rest of them. You can’t do it not and hold onto what John said.
No one has ever seen God at any time. If we love one, another God abides in us. And his love has been perfected in us by this. We know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us of his spirit. And we have seen and testify that the father has sent the son as savior of the world.
He goes back to chapter one. He goes back to that message, which he started with. We saw him, we beheld him. We touched him. We heard him. We witnessed that. He came in the flesh, but he also, when he departed, sent his spirit and these miraculous gifts that were part of the first century church, one of the other things we need to keep in mind is we’re reigning this and his word,
remembering that they have the test. The spirits is they didn’t have all of this written down. Even those letters that were circulating, they wouldn’t necessarily have had a personal possession of those letters. Quite often, the letter would be circulated from church to church, to church, and sometimes they would make copies, but it would be the congregation that had a copy,
not every member. And quite often you would have had Christians who couldn’t have read it anyway, because they didn’t know how to read. And yet in that first century church, God had given them through the gifts of the Holy spirit, the ability to not only teach the ability to not only have the revelation of God, but also the ability to discern the truth.
And so they could discern whether or not a person was teaching that, which was true. So then notice what he says. He says, and we have seen verse 14 and testify that the father has sent the son as savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him. And he and God. All right,
test number three, if he confesses, Jesus came in the flesh passing test. Number one, if he loves the brethren Test number two, if he confesses that Jesus is the son of God, there’s test number three, he goes on to say, and we have seen, or excuse me, verse 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
God is love. And he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this. We go through life and we struggle. I think most of us do at least with the reality that we’re not perfect as Christians. We, that that is, that is hard for us to live with. We look at our failures,
we look at our faults and it is hard to live with the reality that we don’t get it right all the time. And yet here, John has said over and over and over again, that when we do what God commands us, when we act the way God has shown us, when we exhibit his character, his love is perfected in us. And it reminds me of what God told Paul,
because God told Paul not when you’re perfect and not when you’re flawless and not when you’re strong and not when everything’s going. Right. But when you’re weak is when I am strong in you. He told Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. And as people who want to be perfect, that’s hard to live with. That’s hard to handle because it’s an,
it’s a free admission from God. You’re going to need me. And you’re not going to have the answers and you’re not going to get it right every time. And yet John sets this in a context of saying, but there are those who are in direct opposition of him. There are those who’ve gone out from among us, who claimed to be of us,
who aren’t, who are not struggling to stay in the light. They are walking in darkness and you gotta be, Oh, you have your Eyes open to it. You’ve gotta be aware of it. And you have to test them to make sure that they are what they claim to be. So then he says, love has been perfected among us in this,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world here? He, he brings forward this message he’s talked about. God’s love being perfected in us. God’s love being perfected in us. God’s love being perfected in us. And now he says, and when it is, he says, you can have boldness on the day of judgment when God comes.
And God stands before you and judgment. And you stand before him knowing all the times you failed in the past, knowing all the times you struggled at all the times, you sin and all the times you didn’t do it. Perfect. He says, you can have boldness in the day of judgment. And this is another one of those central themes that carries over in the book of revelation.
Turn to revelation, chapter six, revelation chapter six, beginning in verse 12. I looked when he opened the sixth seal and behold, there was a great earthquake and the son became black as sackcloth of hair. And the moon became like blood and the stars of heaven fell to the earth. And the fig trees dropped his late figs while it was shaken by a mighty wind.
Then the sky receded as a scroll, when it is rolled up and every mountain and Island was moved out of its place. I mean, look at this. The vision is, I mean, just the whole earth is just decimated with God’s action and the Kings of the earth, the great men, the Richmond, the commanders, the mighty man, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne.
And from the wrath of the lamb, the great men of the world, the men of power, the men of glory, the men of stature, the men of wealth, the men of prominence flee. They hide themselves. They call the mountains to fall on them, to protect them. Anything that will stand between them and the lamb for the great day of his wrath has come.
And who is able to stay in the questions, asked who can stand in that day? Who is it that can stand before the Lord on that day. And then there’s kind of a break in the events because in chapter seven, after the question is asked, you’re going to get the answer because God, in chapter seven is going to Mark those who belong to him.
And the message is, here’s the answer to the question who can stand in the day of the wrath of the lamb, those who belong to God, and then chapter eight, you read, as it opens up, when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the angel, the seven angels who stand before God and to them were given seven trumpets.
Then another angel having a gold sensor came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it on the prayer or, uh, offer with it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne and the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God, from the Angel’s hand,
then the angel took the sensor, filled it with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth. And there were noises and thunderings lightenings and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound, okay, these seven trumpets are seven judgments. The judgments are about to go forth, but before the judgments go forth, the prayers of the sames go up.
The prayers of the saints, go to God and he hears them. And then the fire from the altar is thrown to the earth. I’ve heard those who belong to me and my judgments coming. And so these angels are preparing the sound, but as they do, one of the things that you find is you read the book of revelation is those that are marked with the Mark of God.
They’re protected, they’re safe. You can’t touch them. The judgment of God doesn’t hit them. They belong to me. So John says over here in first, John Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in the world? There is no fear in love. We struggle with human speech to describe how we ought to Fear God and keep his commandments.
While at the same time have boldness before God and not fear. It is hard to, to, to declare that in a way that makes sense to you and me, but we don’t fear his judgment when we’ve obeyed his word. We have boldness in his judgment when we’ve obeyed his word, but we really ought to fear him when we have it. And so he says,
there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made. Perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. Or he does. He who does not love his brother, whom he has seen.
How can he love God whom he has not seen? And this is, and this commandment we have from him that he who loves God must love his brother also. So again, he sets forth that test. You claim to love God. And you hate your brother. You’re a liar. You don’t love God. Matter of fact, you don’t know who he is,
because if you can’t love the one you’ve seen you can’t possibly love the one you’ve not seen. Alright, let’s go through the questions. Since we’re out of time. Question number one. Yes or no. Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Everybody better get that one. Right? Question two, who is greater Jesus or the devil? Jesus question three part.
One. Love comes from whom. God question three part two. God is blank. Love question three part three. Therefore we ought to love one. Another question. Four. Who is the savior of the world? Jesus or the son? Question five. Yes or no. Is there fear in love? No. Um, question six who loved first God or man?
God. Yes or no. Question seven. Can a person loved God if he hates his brother? No. All right. Thank you for your attention.<inaudible> I believe everyone’s back in the auditorium. It’s certainly as good to see everyone. The same evening. We have one guest, Ruth Goodman. If you haven’t met her, she hadn’t been here in a while visiting with us,
but it’s nice to have her here this evening. Well, yeah y’all know her, but the rest of the congregation might not have seen her lately. And might’ve forgotten who she is, but we’re glad you’re here, Ruth. Uh, we do want to remind you of a few things. I remember Dorothy and Rodale Wilson. They’re both having difficulties North.
He has high blood pressure and Rodale went, had a, uh, ultrasound Thursday for a heart valve issue. So keep them in your prayers and you might want to give them a call and check up on them. Make sure there’s if there’s see if anything that we can do for them to help them out at this period of time. Um, how so Pam shaven is,
has back problems. And, uh, I haven’t talked to her lately. Has anyone talked to her recently? How’s she doing? Okay. All right. All right. If you didn’t hear that the Pam is still having a great deal of pain is in a wheelchair and she is going to have to have back surgery at some point in time. So keep Pam in your prayers and she might need a hand with some things.
I didn’t know it was that bad. Um, okay. Okay. Alright. Um, Sylvia was going to have a, I got this. She’s trying to go in on a Saturday, but I can’t do this nerve block on her Saturday. She told me, so she has to go in on the 28th. We just got the date wrong is what it was.
She’s going to go in on the 28th or a nerve block. And we sure hope that helps you out Sylvia. And then, uh, Danny Sanderson is at home tonight. She has tendonitis in her legs and we certainly want to remember Jenny in our prayers and we miss her and hope she gets over that soon. Let’s not forget that the gospel meeting with Keith Cozort has been canceled and be rescheduled for next year.
So I believe that’s all of the announcements that I had. Uh, the saving Marie Springer is going to lead our song service. Aaron will bring us the devotional. And then Eric Richardson, Halverson. I think of Eric Richardson and Holly a lot, but Eric Halvorson, we’ll be having our closing prayer. Thank you, Mark. Your book, your number 912,
912, 162. Number one six two. Oh hell. The power of Jesus name that he angels prostrate fall bring forth a raw yo Taya damn, and crown on him.<inaudible> and<inaudible> on him.<inaudible> Oh, he chose on seed of his room’s rate. He ride some from the fall. Hell him who saved you by his grace and crown on him.<inaudible> hell him.
Who saved you by his grace and crown him<inaudible> Oh, that every kindred, every tribe on the star Rastro ball to him all mad. Josh. He has cry and crown him<inaudible> to him. Oh man, just he scrapped and crown him<inaudible> Oh, Oh, that wood yonder thick red throw. We had his feet may fall. We’ll join the,
a lasting song and praise him.<inaudible> John<inaudible> and<inaudible><inaudible> That song. We just sang, let me take, taken from revelation, chapter four in revelation, chapter four, there’s a scroll. John has been invited into the throne room of God and he sees an open door and he goes through that door and he sees the one on the throne.
God, the father. And he can describe all the magnificence of everything around him, but there’s no description for the one on the throne. But in his hand, in the hand of the one on the throne is a scroll, but it’s sealed in John’s day in time. There was a recognition about a sealed scroll that you and I maybe don’t appreciate the same level.
The, the way it might work for us is, you know, there’s that nuclear football that travels around with the president in that it’s got the codes for the, for launching a nuclear weapon. And you know, not everybody can open that. I mean, Joe down the street happens to pick it up on the street one day because the secret surface man left it behind and he can’t get in.
Why? Because it won’t open for him. He doesn’t have the necessary attributes to open it. Well, the scroll is there in the hand of the one on the throne and they begin looking in all heaven and all earth. They are looking for anyone who’s worthy to open the scroll. John sees them going through heaven and earth and no one’s found. And we read that John begins to weep because there’s a message from God.
It’s in his hand, he’s offering it to the world, but no one is worthy to open the revelation of God. Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne, verse seven. Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, having each,
having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, you have made us Kings and priests to our God.
And we shall reign on the earth, the elders and the bees surrounding the throne and those who are there before the throne room of God that were described in chapter three. And in the beginning of chapter four, they see the lamb verse six says, and I looked, and I’m a hold in the midst of the throne and of the living Creek four living creatures.
And in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it hadn’t been slain. And those who are around the throne proclaim he’s worthy, he’s worthy open the scroll because he died because he was slain because his blood was shed for us. Let’s go back to Psalm one or the song number one 62, all hail the power of jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall bring forth the Royal diadem and crown him.
Lord of all, go back to revelation. Chapter four. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders and the number of them 10,000 times, 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor, and glory and blessing and every creature,
which is in heaven and on earth, on the earth and under the earth and such as, or in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying blessing and honor, and glory and power to be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever. Then the four living creatures said amen. And the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever songwriter temps to capture in these words,
what John and the Holy spirit capture in this vision, that the one who was crucified didn’t end his life in a tomb because he stood as a lamb. That was slain, but he’s not slang. He stood as a lamb whose blood was shed, but he’s alive. And he’s not only not dead. He’s not only not without his blood, but he stands worthy.
And as we mentioned in our class, he is very much alive because when his judgment comes, all the great men on the earth will cry out for anything to save them from the wrath of a lamb. You and I, we have an opportunity to be one of two people. We have an opportunity to be one of those people who fall prostrate at the feet of Christ and praise him and obey him and confess his name.
Or we have the opportunity to be judged because Jesus made it clear in John chapter five that God had given all judgment into his hand. And that there is coming a day when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth some on to everlasting life and some onto everlasting destruction. So you and I, we have a choice because there is one who is worthy and he’s alive.
Do you have need of the invitation? It is open to you. If you’re outside the body of Christ, you can enter into the body of Christ. You can enter into salvation. You can become a child of God by hearing the word of God and believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God by repenting of your sins and confessing the name of Christ,
being immersed in water for the remission of those sins. You can do that tonight. If you’re a member of the body of Christ and you’ve been wayward, you’ve turned your back on God. You can repent of that and come home. If you’re in need of public prayer, that prayer is available for you by the church and by the congregation here. If you have need of anything,
you can come. Now, as we stand in, as we sing Saw, what’s all rolling care arts or<inaudible> burdens are lifted at cow. He talked to<inaudible> burdens on<inaudible><inaudible> burdens are lifted.<inaudible> past your care on Jesus today. Deeds, your worry and fear burdens are lifted at<inaudible>. Burdens are lifted at<inaudible> burdens are<inaudible><inaudible> troubles so that savior can see every heartache.
And two burdens are lifted at Cauvery<inaudible> burdens are lifted at Cauvery Cauvery burns are lifted at<inaudible><inaudible> God. Our father would come to you at this time, thanking you for the opportunity to assemble here this evening, to study a portion of your word and sing songs, praise to your great name. God, we ask that you help each and every one of us take the lesson that brother Aaron brought to us tonight from your word and apply it to our lives,
that we may better live amongst others here on earth and be your shining example to them that have not known that do not know you or possibly those that have known you and fallen away so that they may come back to you or come to you in first place so that they know your word. Lord, we know there are many amongst us that are suffering various elements.
And we ask that if it’d be your, will you reach out to each and every one of them and bring them back to a measure of health that they so desire. Also, God, we ask that you be with the leaders of this country and the leaders of all the countries of this world and ask that they look to you for guidance into decisions that they make.
And if it be your will return peace to every nation on, uh, earth. And as we to part here, we ask that you forgive us of our sins and keep us safe until we meet again. We pray all this through your son, Jesus name. Amen.