Rest for the Weary
Notes
Transcript
We are dangerous when we are tired.
We are a danger to ourselves and to everyone around us.
I listened to a sermon by Charles Stanley long years ago, I don’t know where it come from in the scripture, but it was real good psychology.
He warned his congregation to be very careful when they were hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
Jesus knows tired is a problem - He has a message for tired Christ followers in the 14th chapter of Revelation.
I know you are tired - some of you are ready to give up.
Don’t.
It’s almost over.
I know how hard you are working; I know how hard it is for you.
Don’t stop - it’s almost time to rest.
We’ll look at the four sections of this passage: We’ll look at the Church; We’ll see the Father give the world one last chance; We’ll hear Jesus encourage His people, and finally, We’ll see the end result of everyone’s choices.
Chapter 13 closes with Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet wielding raw, unrestrained, savage, totalitarian power over everyone on earth.
Their threat to all humanity - worship the beast, get his mark or we will cancel you - we will rob you, we will starve you - you will die.
You can almost smell the hate and the stench of death in the air.
But Chapter 14 is different.
John looks and he sees God’s holy gathering place, Mt. Zion, and Jesus was standing there.
But He is not standing alone; He is surrounded by the Church - this is where it starts getting good.
Every Christ follower of every age all throughout time.
They are there - that means that we are there.
We are marked on our foreheads - John can see it - with the name of Jesus and Yahweh - hair pulled back, forehead’s shining for all of creation to see - we bear the mark of God.
And we’re singing.
And it’s not an old hymn.
And it’s not the lastest CCM song.
It’s a new song that no one except a Christ follower can learn.
It’s our song - it’s the soundtrack to our victory dance - and we are singing.
Louder than 50,000 men singing Amazing Grace at the Georgia Dome.
Louder than 102,455 Tennessee fans singing Rocky Top after a rare win.
Louder than anything you’ve ever heard.
We are singing; Jesus is singing with us, and we are all singing this victory song to the Father.
Listen, Daddy, listen to our song for you.
John says four things about us.
He says we are chaste - this will make more sense as we keep reading the rest of the letter.
There is an evil woman named Babylon - the most vile, evil, disgusting, immoral woman to ever live - she represents to John the Roman government - to us she represents every government - even our government that Satan is using to do his deceiving work.
Those around Jesus are ‘virgins’ - they’ve not defiled themselves by worshipping the Satanic agenda.
John says we “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
That’s the stuff and substance of being saved - “Where ever He leads I’ll go,” - Where ever.
Third, we are firstfruits.
We are the holy harvest - we are the one’s dedicated to God.
Finally, we are blameless.
I trust you know what I’m going to say before I say it - there is no one in this room blameless on our own.
But once we are washed in the blood of Jesus, we are blameless.
Mercy Me’s song Flawless - I love it - “Could it possibly be, that we simply can’t believe, that this unconditional, kind of love would be enough to,
Take a filthy wretch like this, and wrap him up in righteousness, but that exactly what He did.
“Take a breath smile and say, right here right now I’m ok because, the cross was enough.”
Brothers and sisters, we are all four of these things because our big brother Jesus, though the world was against him, made up his mind once and for all to end our rejection.
He walked valiantly, faced his accusers, he was never on the defensive, he was always on the offensive, he accepted their punishment, died during the battle.
But on the third day, the Father ended that and He reached into death and He gave Jesus new life.
So that every man, woman and child alive who would believe in Jesus, who would repent from their past and make up their minds once and for all to follow Jesus, that one day, they all will gather as a band of warriors singing a victory song to their King.
I want you to join me.
If you’ve never repented of your past and made your mind up to follow Jesus - please do it now.
We want you to join us - we want you to be at the celebration - right here - Revelation 14 - in a choir of folks singing so loud it sounds like Niagara Falls.
Don’t miss this.
God doesn’t want you to miss this.
In fact, as bad as the earth gets, God still has compassion - and He offers the entire world one more chance.
He sends three angels - they fly directly over the head of every nation, every tribe, every language and every people.
And it broadcasts to everyone the eternal gospel.
It will never change - it can’t be added to - it can’t be taken away from.
The first angel admonishes the world, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of His judgement has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth and sea and the springs of water.”
Notice the tone of the message is changed - it’s not come to me you who are weary and heavy laden and I’ll give you rest.
It’s changed to - this is your last chance - take it while you can.
The second angel says Babylon has fallen - the woman we mentioned a minute ago.
She represents all of the systems of the world that Satan uses to deceive you and to destroy you.
Her influence is so wide that she makes “all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
But there’s a little something we need to see here.
The word translated “passion” is translated in verses 10 and 19 by the word, “wrath.”
It’s the same word.
The warning is loud and clear - if you participate in the passion of her sexual immorality, you will participate in the wrath her immorality will bring.
If you go along with her, you will get what she gets.
She is destroyed - she is fallen - if you are wise you will repent and follow Jesus.
If you don’t, you’ll be destroyed - you will be fallen.
But God knows our hearts - and He knows many more will follow Babylon than will follow him.
And to those who take the mark of the beast, who worship the comforts and the power and the acceptance of this world, “he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger.”
Please listen to me - you can’t bear to drink that cup.
When God pours His wrath out, it’s like Sodom and Gomorrah all over again - fire and sulfur and torment forever and ever.
And your suffering will be on full display to the angels and Jesus.
You won’t be able to hide in shame - it won’t be your little secret.
You will be tormented forever in full view of Jesus and the angels and their will never be a moment ever from now on when you’ll have a moments rest.
“They have no rest, day or night.”
They have no rest, day or night - you will be troubled forever.
There is still time to repent and be saved, but listen to me, time is running out and when it does, you can’t imagine how hideous your eternal existence is going to be.
It is time to repent, it is time to make up your mind to follow Jesus.
So we’re going to do something a little unusual - we’re going to have an invitation right now.
See, nobody who loves Jesus wants to see anyone suffer through that.
We know, as lousy as we are at it, that Jesus’ way is the best way.
We want you to know Jesus and follow Jesus.
You might look around yourself and if you know us real well, you might say we aren’t much.
And all by ourselves we aren’t much, but we have Jesus and He has us.
And that’s all we need.
And listen, we aren’t going to do the every head bowed and every eye closed routine - we’re going to do it like they did at student camp.
It’s time for you to decide whose team you are one.
Some of you aren’t scared of anything - but this - get over it.
You are going to be called on one day to make a stand, whether you want to make it or not.
Why not make it today, on your terms and not someone else’s?
You’ll never be in a crowd of people who will encourage you more.
(Stand, Sing)
Let’s get back to it.
Revelation 14:12-13
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
If we look carefully here, we see a warning and a promise.
You see the word “endurance?”
We’ve said this before, you don’t endure something fun.
No one says, “We are having such a wonderful vacation, I wish it was over today but we’re going to have to gut it out until Saturday.”
You don’t endure easy, you endure hard.
And when something is hard for a long time, it’s easy to get tired and start looking for ways out.
Why did John tell us about what would happen to those who worship the beast before he told us to endure?
Because he knew the persecution was wearing folks down and some were ready to give up.
But if you give up, then you join the other team and that don’t end well.
Now a few of you are thinking, Randy, you can’t lose your salvation.
And my reply will be, if you can give it up, did you have it in the first place?
Take a deep breath.
Remember Jesus, make your mind up to endure to the bitter end because something is about to happen.
What does the Spirit promise, “…that they may rest from their labors.”
The beast worshippers will never rest.
Christ worshippers will forever rest.
Now let’s linger here for just a few short minutes.
What does it mean to rest?
It means if you are being persecuted you won’t have to worry about that any more.
You won’t have to wonder if today is the day I get caught, called out, fired, canceled.
But there is more to rest than that?
Guys, rest is a gift Jesus gives us - remember this Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
What is rest?
Rest means you don’t have to watch your back anymore.
1 Kings 5:4
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune.
Rest means you get along with people.
Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Rest means you don’t have to be afraid any more.
Micah 4:4
but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
Rest means you don’t worry about anything.
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Rest means you will always hear the voice of Jesus.
Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Jesus wants us to have this now - and we do have bits and pieces of it.
And the older we get and certainly, the more we know about the Lord, the more we live in His rest.
But one day, we will go home.
This life is a 1:1 proposition.
Everyone who is born, dies.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on,” from now on simply means from the time you read this - from now on - forever.
“Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “That they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
Jesus is going to remember how we struggled, how hard we tried, how disappointed we were in ourselves when we failed, how we tried to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and start all over again - and how He helped us - and how we finally persevered.
And He’s going to be glad we are home - count on it.
Finally, the final 7 verses flash back to Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:13-14.
Riding on the clouds, one like a son of man...
This is the end.
Jesus isn’t coming in love, love, love to gather up everyone who says love is love and those who didn’t get loved and those who loved too much and those who couldn’t understand love - He isn’t coming to gather everyone home.
He’s carrying a sickle - it’s a sharp blade used for harvesting grain.
He swings it once and all of the saved on earth were reaped.
“The fields are white for harvest.”
The last soul was saved.
The last martyr died.
Jesus calls all of His children home.
This is the rapture, in whatever form it takes.
Then Jesus swings again.
He harvests grapes that are thrown into the winepress “of the wrath of God.”
The grapes are stomped on so their juice could be collected, “and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.”
184 miles.
The blood would cover the entire length of Palestine.
Do I believe this is literal?
No, I don’t think most numbers in Revelation are to be taken at face value.
So why then does John say 184 miles?
Scientists estimate that, from the time people were created until the year 2020, 116,761,402,413 people have lived on earth.
Taking people at their word, 31.11% of modern people say they are Christian - so they won’t taste God’s wrath.
So the question becomes, how deep would the blood flow if 80,436,930,022 people died all at once?
That’s the point.
And here is the contrast, Jesus had about 1.5 gallons of blood in His body.
That little bit of blood that dripped onto the ground outside of Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago was enough to save all 116 billion plus people, plus everyone who will be born before Jesus’ reaps the harvest.
Jesus said, John 6:35-40
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Brothers and sisters, join me at the table so we can remember that we will never hunger and never thirst because of the man who made up his mind to do what it took to save you and me.
Matthew 26:26-29
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Just think, one day we’ll eat at Jesus’ table - not a fabled, flannel graph table - but a real table.
He’ll be there - and we’ll share the cup and eat bread.
And we’ll sing and laugh and rest all because of our brother Jesus.
In a moment, if you would, right hand side, exit to your right, left hand side exit to your left, make your way to the table and then return back to your seat.
Austin, will you lead us in prayer?