The Apostle Paul calls us Jars of Clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). As followers of Jesus we must allow the Word of God to fill us with it's message of Truth and Grace. In this way, we become a "vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

Monday, November 20, 2017

The Fifth Seal - November 19, 2017 sermon


By Pastor Greg...

April 20th, 1999, two armed gunmen entered Columbine High School in Colorado.  12 students and one teacher were killed.  Most famous was a girl named Cassie Bernall whom witnesses say was asked if she believed in God just before she was shot to death.  She was killed, some people say, because she said yes.
If the exchange between this teenage girl and her killer are true, then she would be what is considered a Christian Martyr.
History is filled with individuals who were killed in cold blood because of their faith.  There were godly men and women killed during Old Testament times.  And Christians like Stephen or Apostles like James were killed in New Testament times.  For thousands of years, violent people have been killing believers because of their faith in the Lord.
And the Lord knows each of them by name.
A lot of people are killed by violent, cruel individuals.  And not every Christian is killed because of their faith.  But some are.  Some are asked to denounce their faith in Jesus or recant their beliefs while staring at the end of a gun or the edge of a sword.  Some Christians are forced to renounce their faith while fellow believers are tortured (consider the events depicted in the 2016 movie Silence).  What’s troubling is that this is going to continue.  Christians are going to be martyred up until the day Jesus calls all believers to Heaven.  And, even after the rapture, men, women, and children who finally believe in Jesus will be killed because of their faith.
When will it end?  When will the world stop killing people because of their faith in Jesus?  When will Jesus make this wicked world pay for spilling the blood of innocent believers?  That is a question these martyrs will ask Jesus one day.
Remember that Scroll God gave to Jesus – the one with the Seven Seals?  Every time Jesus breaks one of those seals, a specific End Time event unfolds.  The first four events focused on what the Antichrist will do to the world.  However, this fifth seal takes us back to heaven, and the throne of God.
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters*—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them [1] (Revelation 6:9-11).
In his previous visions, John had not seen these martyrs.  But now they are present; men, women, and children who had been killed because they would not renounce their faith.  They were not seeking revenge, but they did wonder how much longer God was going to tolerate the presence of evil.  It sure seemed that God was condoning the wickedness of humanity.  Good people were being killed, and the wicked were not being punished.  It made God appear indifferent or uncaring.
In response, God gives each of these martyrs a white robe.  That’s significant.  Although the world condemned them for their faith, the Lord commends them.  He dresses them in a spotless white gown; not just forgiving their sin, but treating them just as if they had never sinned.  They are justified
I wonder, will the only Christians permitted close to God be those who were killed because of the faith?  What kind of gown does the rest of us get to wear?
I doubt most of us will be killed because of our faith… although it has happened in our nation.  But nevertheless, this world makes living like a Christian quite difficult.  It may not kick in the front door and shoot us with a gun, but it does pester and nag and tempt us all the time.  And, let’s face it, sometimes we slip.  Sometimes we feel our Christian witness slipping away.  Sometimes we “soil” ourselves with wicked thoughts or careless actions.  What must the Lord think of us?  Will we find ourselves standing off and alone wearing old tattered rags stained by sin?
The Bible repeatedly teaches that even those Christians who die a natural death will be honored for their faith.  God will take away those soiled clothes and dress us in festival robes (Zechariah 3:4).  He will cover us in a “garment of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10).  The truth here is that a person does not need to be killed to receive a white robe.  They simply need Christ.  The image of these martyrs symbolizes their “right” to join Jesus in judging the people of this world (Revelation 20:4).  But each of us will radiate the glory of the Lord when we get to heaven.  For the first time in our life, we will be spotless and blameless; without blemish or wrinkle.  We will be holy and without fault (Ephesians 5:27).
You and I may never have our blood shed because of our faith, but we will face daily temptations to “quit the race” (compare Hebrews 12:1).  Don’t give up.  Keep holding on to what you have been taught.  Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).  Today, we may not be perfect.  Today, we may stumble.  Today, we may sin.  But we still press on toward the goal.
Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and 14 I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus[2] (Philippians 3:13-14).


[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Re 6:9–11). Carol Stream, IL.

[2] GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Php 3:13–14). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

No comments: