What Christians in Hong Kong Need Most

Will you join me as we pray together? If you don't know me, by the way, my name is Kevin, and we're going to pray together as a church, so won't you join me in this time of prayer?

Oh great and glorious God, you are the sovereign, all-powerful, uncreated one, and we come to you this morning to worship you.

Sovereign God, your glory knows no ends. Your majesty and your power are supreme. Your holiness and your worth are more than we can imagine. They are beyond description or words, God.

God, we so need you to open the eyes of our hearts to see you, to see your glory.

Father, as we come to you this morning and as we come to your word, we pray, God, won't you deliver us from small visions of you, from limited perspectives of your majesty and your beauty.

Father, we confess that so often our lives are shaped by such a meager understanding of who you are and your glory, God.

Oh sovereign God, this morning we've come to remind our hearts, to remind one another, to declare that you are worthy of our worship, worthy to receive glory and honor and power.

God, this morning as we look at your word, Holy Spirit, won't you open the eyes of our hearts to see you?

We so need you to do that, Lord.

Heavenly Fathers, we come to your word now. We desperately want to hear you speaking to us.

We come to your word because we want to meet with you, God.

We want to encounter with you, the living God, this morning.

Holy Spirit, we ask you to open our hearts to see you and encounter you in your word.

Give us revelation. Give us fresh perspective.

Give us hope. Give us faith. Give us courage.

Father, just as this passage of scripture we're going to read would have given faith and courage to your people 2,000 years ago, facing great challenges in life, so we pray it will do the same for us.

Holy Spirit, even now, soften our hearts to hear from you and to meet with you.

Every one of us, God, soften our hearts now to receive your word, we pray.

Father, we want to pray for our city again this morning and the people of Hong Kong.

Lord, we pray that our city will see you in all its glory.

When Oscar prayed for us, we pray for our city.

God, come and revive our hearts, we pray.

God, we want to pray for ourselves and we pray for our city.

Be merciful to Hong Kong and help us as a city to see your majesty, to see the false gods that are before us, to see that all power structures in every city will one day bow the knee before you.

God, we pray that you will give our city hope because its hope has been found in you.

Father, we pray for the planned protests this afternoon.

We pray for peace to prevail.

We pray, God, for protesters to exercise restraint.

We pray for police to maintain peace and not antagonize.

We pray for rival groups and factions that have different views not to incite violence or aggression.

We pray, God, for whatever protests happen in our city this afternoon, for them to be peaceful.

Father, God, finally we pray for each and every one of us today, as well as those that couldn't make it.

We pray that as we go into our week this week, those of us traveling, those of us staying in Hong Kong,

that we will do so walking with you, in awe of you, humbled by your grace and your glory,

and yet confident in your love and your mercy.

God, may each day be lived for the praise of your name.

Whether we are making a business deal, looking for work, going for interviews,

carrying out the most menial of tasks, God, be glorified in our words and our deeds, we pray.

We pray these things in your sovereign, eternal, holy, and almighty name.

Amen. Amen.

Victoria's going to come and read Revelation chapter 4 to us.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

Let's listen up.

The scripture reading comes from Revelation chapter 4.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

Please follow along in your bulletins or on the screen.

After this, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven,

and the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said,

Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.

At once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

And he who sat there had the appearance of Jesper and Carnelian,

and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones,

and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders,

clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

From the throne came fleshes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder.

And before the throne were burning seven torches of fire,

which are the seven spirits of God.

And before the throne, there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne,

are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.

The first living creature, like a lion.

The second living creature, like an ox.

The third living creature, with the face of a man.

And the fourth living creature, like an eagle in flight.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings,

are full of eyes all around and within.

And day and night, they never cease to say,

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come.

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor

and thanks to him who is seated on the throne,

who lives forever and ever,

the twenty-four elders fall down before him,

who was seated on the throne,

and worship him, who lives forever and ever.

They cast their crowns before the throne,

saying,

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.

This is the word of God.

Great.

Thank you, Victoria.

When you read the newspaper,

which these days isn't found on paper,

when you read the news,

what do you see?

Who's governing the world?

Who's holding the power of the world?

Who can you trust?

And maybe another question is,

the story that is our lives,

where does that story end?

How does that story end?

Today we are looking at Revelation chapter 4,

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

as Victoria read it to us.

And over the last two weeks,

we've been diving into the book of Revelation,

and we've looked at Jesus' letter

to the seven churches in Asia Minor province,

and we saw that each one of these churches

is struggling,

either with persecution and oppression,

or they are tempted to give in to compromise

and becoming just like the cultures around them.

And what we're going to see from chapter 6 onwards

is that the difficulties and the challenges

that the churches and the Christians face

are not about to come to any sort of end.

They're going to continue.

In fact, the series we called is

From the Cross to the Throne,

and it's kind of a picture of how

the entire story of the church,

from the time Jesus died and rose again

until the time he comes back,

this is the book of Revelation.

And the challenges that they face

are the challenges that we're going to face.

And so Jesus writes this book to these churches

because what do they need?

These churches that are facing difficulty,

they don't just need a prep talk.

They don't just need management advice

of what to do,

how to manage the churches through difficulty.

They don't just need three tips

on how to grow your church.

What they need to do is have concrete answers

to the biggest and the most pressing questions of life.

Who's governing the world?

Who can you trust?

Who holds the power,

and how does it all end?

And if we think about it,

these are actually questions

that we in our day and age ask ourselves,

especially in difficult times,

like our city is facing,

in economic trade wars,

when our city is going through turmoil and challenges,

in political uncertainty,

who can we trust?

Who can we hold on to?

Who's holding the power?

Now, to John's original recipients of this letter,

when they read the metaphorical newspapers of their day,

the answer was pretty clear.

They saw the pomp and the power of Rome

in the Roman Empire,

and the answer was clear.

Rome holds the power.

Rome holds authority.

Rome is governing the world,

and those aligned with Rome and its agenda

are the ones that win in the end.

Throughout the Roman Empire,

the early Christians would see the Roman standard,

that banner that they would hold up

as they go into war,

and they would have the emblem of the Roman Empire,

which was an eagle with outspread arms on it,

kind of like the American seal, I guess.

And everywhere they went,

they would see this Roman seal

demonstrating its power and its authority.

As they walked around the city,

they would see these magisterial,

these colossal buildings,

which were made of marble,

which were meant to demonstrate

that Rome will stand forever.

They're these imposing buildings.

Rome's propaganda campaign

was a well-oiled machine,

reminding the citizens daily

who it was that was governing the world,

and where their peace and their security

and their hope lay.

You know, archaeologists have found recently

in the city of Ephesus,

on one of the shop houses,

there's carved graffiti

into one of the stone buildings,

and it says this.

It says,

Rome, your power will never end.

And the question is,

who was the custodian of this power?

Who was the one that governed it

and held it in his hands?

It was the emperor, right?

Everybody knew.

The emperor was the one who held this power.

Whenever the emperor won some battle,

they would march those that they defeated

through the streets of the city

in a triumphal procession.

And so the emperor would go first

if it was near Rome,

and then the Roman soldiers would follow,

and then the captives,

tied up in chains,

would follow behind,

followed lastly by the spoils of war.

And as the emperor entered the streets,

the citizens lining the streets

would shout out,

worthy are you,

worthy are you,

our Lord and our God.

And so this is what it felt to live,

this is what it felt like

to live in the Roman Empire.

Now for the Christians

in these young churches,

this meant big questions.

Where did their fate lie?

Was it tied up with Rome and the emperor?

Did Domitian hold their future in his hands?

What would happen if they rebelled

against the all-powerful Roman Empire?

Is God really in control

when it seems like Rome is the one

that's running the world?

Friends, for those of us

that are followers of Jesus

in this great city of ours,

these are questions

that we have to grapple with as well.

Especially in times

of such turmoil and difficulty.

Who's controlling our future?

How safe is our future?

What happens if we go against

the tide of our culture

and swim upstream?

Is our life in danger?

How's the story all gonna end?

In the Old Testament,

there's this amazing story

because the king of Syria

wants to attack the nation of Israel.

And so he makes these plans

with his generals and his leaders.

But the problem is

whenever he makes these plans

and they decide which way

they're gonna attack Israel,

God tells the king of Syria's plans

to Elisha the prophet.

And Elisha goes and tells

the king of Israel.

And so Syria kind of get

the army together

and they want the element

of surprise

and they say,

they go this way

and they find Israel's

not there anymore.

They've anticipated their attack.

And so the next day

they'll try something else

and Israel's not there

because they've anticipated

their attack.

And so eventually

the king of Syria

is fed up with this

and he says to his generals,

one of you's a mole.

One of you's telling them

our secrets.

Who is it?

And one guy says,

listen,

none of us are giving away

our secrets,

but Elisha is a prophet

and God speaks to him.

God gives away our secrets.

And so the king says,

okay,

this is what we're gonna do.

Tonight,

we're gonna go

and circle Elisha's house

and threaten him

and if he doesn't listen,

we're gonna sort him out

and then Elisha

will be out the way

and then we can attack Israel.

And so that night,

Syria gets all his armies

and his chariots

and he goes to the town

where Elisha lives

and he circles the entire town

with horses and chariots.

And in the morning,

Elisha's servant wakes up,

he opens the front door

and he gets the fright

of his life

because the whole town

is just surrounded

by Syrian chariots

and horses.

And so he closes the door,

he goes inside

and he says,

master,

master,

they've surrounded us.

What shall we do?

And Elisha says,

do not be afraid

for those that are with us

are more than those

that are with them.

Okay?

And the servant says,

what do you mean?

And then Elisha prays

and he says,

O Lord God,

open his eyes

that he may see.

And the Lord opens

the eyes of the servant

spiritually

and he sees

and the Bible says this,

he says,

he saw and behold,

the mountain was full of horses

and chariots of fire

all around.

And so God opens his eyes

and he sees spiritually

that there are angels

all around

on the hills of the mountains

surrounding the town

and that actually

there are more angels,

more warriors

with Elisha and his servant

than with the enemy.

In Revelation chapter 4,

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

John is wanting to show us,

he's wanting us

to open our eyes

and to behold

and to see

what's really going on.

To behold something

means to see something

in such a way

that it captures your heart

and your attention.

And this is what Jesus wants

for these young churches

in the Roman Empire

and this is what he wants

for us.

He wants the eyes

of our hearts

to be opened

to see what's going on

in the spiritual realm

so that when the threats

and the challenges

and the difficulty

come our way,

when fear and anxiety

come knocking at our door,

he wants us to behold

to see what's really going on

so that we can have

the correct perspective

in life.

And that's what Revelation chapter 4

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

is all about.

John is showing us

a different reality.

Now that doesn't mean

that our current view

of the world is wrong.

You know,

when the servant

opened the door

and saw the chariots,

it wasn't like

they weren't there

and, you know,

seen a mirage

or an image.

They really were there

but that wasn't

the complete picture.

That was only half

the picture.

God opens his eyes

to see the full reality

of what's going on

and that's what

Revelation chapter 4

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

is all about.

Jesus wants us

to see and to view

our world

with a fuller picture

and he gives

these early Christians

and he gives us

a vision of what's

really going on

in the world

so that we can

live our lives

as God calls us to

rather than being

subject to fear

and worry.

Okay,

does that make sense?

Okay,

so all that

by way of introduction.

Let's see what's

going on here.

So,

if you've got your

bulletin or your Bible,

let's look at

Revelation chapter 4.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

Look at verse 2

with me.

John writes this.

It says,

I saw this vision

and at once

I was in the spirit

and behold,

a throne stood in heaven

with one seated

on the throne

and he who sat there

had the appearance

of jasper and cornelian.

That's precious jewels

and around the throne

was a rainbow

that had the appearance

of an emerald.

Around the throne

were also 24 thrones

and seated on these thrones

were 24 elders.

Okay,

we sang about that earlier.

Clothed in white garments

with golden crowns

on their heads

and from the throne

came flashes of lightning

and rumblings

and peals of thunder

and before the throne

were burning

seven torches of fire

which are the seven

spirits of God

and before the throne

there was,

as it were,

a sea of glass

like crystal.

Friends,

what is it that the early church

in the midst

of the Roman Empire

and what is it

that followers of Jesus today

in the midst of

an ever-changing,

increasingly secular world,

what is it that we need

to see

or need to behold?

Jesus invites John

to see a picture

of God on the throne

and notice that

in this vision

that John has,

God in his reign

is the center

of everything.

Everything revolves

around him.

God in his throne

is at the center

of the image,

center of the vision

because everything

in all of creation

revolves around him.

We are not

the center of creation.

God's church

is not the center

of creation.

God doesn't exist

for the praise

of our name.

God doesn't exist

for the praise

and the advance

of his church.

Everything

in all creation,

including his church,

Christians,

everything revolves around

and centers around

he who is on the throne.

And notice how little

John describes God.

What is the description

that he gives of him?

He doesn't actually

describe him very much.

He just says

his appearance

was like the brilliance

of Jasper

and the richness

of Cornelian,

these precious jewels.

And around the throne

there's this rainbow,

this emerald green rainbow.

What John is trying

to communicate here

is that what he saw

took his breath away

and that there aren't

really words

to describe

what he saw.

He just saw

something of such brilliance

that he doesn't have

the words

to describe it.

I found a picture online

of one artist's impression.

Let's see something

like that, right?

And John also sees

what he describes

as these flashes

of lightnings

and rumblings

and peals of thunder,

which is to say

that the throne of God

was crackling

and snapping

with power

and authority.

Think of a nuclear

power plant

that is going

into overdrive,

about going

to meltdown,

this kind of

crackling,

snappling,

fizzing with power

and authority.

I think that's kind of

what John is trying

to describe.

There's something

fearsome,

something extraordinarily

awesome

and frightening

about it,

such that when you

see this throne

and God in the throne,

it causes you

to fall down

on your knees.

And yet,

for all its power,

for all its authority,

for all its

snapping,

cracking power,

there's something

distinctively

calm about it.

Because look at

verse 6.

Verse 6 says,

Before the throne,

there was,

as it were,

a sea of glass

like crystal.

In the book

of Revelation,

the sea is always

a picture of chaos

and upheaval.

Think of the sea

in the midst

of a storm.

You've got waves

crashing all over you.

One minute,

the waves are coming

from this side.

The next minute,

the waves are coming

from the other side.

And there's just

this chaos

and this upheaval.

And you never know

where it's going

to come from next.

Sometimes that feels

a little bit

like our world.

there's something

going on there

and just when you

think you've got

your head around it,

something emerges

on this side

and it's just

absolute chaos

and upheaval,

right?

The sea is always

a picture of this

chaos in the world.

But,

and that,

but notice

what's happening

before the throne here.

The sea

is at the feet

of the one

who's seated

on the throne

and it's as still

as glass.

Have you ever

been on the water,

either on the sea

or on a lake

and it's so still

it looks like glass.

It's like the,

the bank is mirrored

on the other side.

It looks like a mirror.

Have you ever

seen that before?

It's a picture

of absolute serenity

and calmness.

What's John

saying here?

He's saying,

before at the feet

of the one

who sits on the throne,

all the chaos,

all the upheaval,

everything that doesn't

make sense

and is difficult

in our world,

suddenly is found

calm

and peaceful

and serene.

And then look

at verse 4.

It says,

around the throne

are these 24

smaller thrones

upon which are

seated 24 elders.

Now,

what's up with

the 24 elders

that we sang

about earlier?

Well,

it's symbolic

of these two

groups of people.

In the Old Testament,

who are the 12

most important people?

Okay,

in the New Testament,

it's the 12 disciples,

the 12 that become

the apostles.

Ephesians tell us

that the church

is built on the work

of the 12 apostles.

In the Old Testament,

the 12 most important

people are the patriarchs.

Remember Judah

and Simeon

and Levi

and Asher

and Dan

and these are

the 12 sons

of Israel.

And the 12 patriarchs,

they form 12 tribes

and they are

kind of the forefathers,

the foundation

of the nation

of Israel.

And so,

in John's vision,

there are these

24 elders

which are the 12 patriarchs

of the Old Testament,

the 12 apostles

of the New Testament

and it's symbolic

of the fact that

around the throne

are all of God's people

from all of the ages.

The saints in the Old Testament

that loved God

and trusted Him

and served Him

and obeyed Him.

The saints in the New Testament,

those that loved God

and trusted Him

and served Him,

obeyed Him.

The entire realm

of God's people

in all the ages,

those who lived by faith

and gave themselves

the honor and the glory of God,

there they are

around God's throne

in the heavens.

Okay?

But notice John

sees something else.

Sorry,

we're working our way

through all this visionary

and we're going to get

to the implications

in a minute.

John sees something else.

Look at what he says

in verse 6b.

He says,

John tells us

that around the throne

are these four living creatures.

One of them looks like a lion,

one looks like an ox,

one looks like a man,

one looks like an eagle.

Now,

what on earth

is going on here?

Alright?

This is kind of

the interesting,

weird part of Revelation.

Right?

The first two chapters

is fine,

but this is where

we start to get interesting.

What on earth

is going on here?

Well,

think about it.

John is drawing

on the cultural symbols

of power

in his day.

Think about this.

Throughout history,

what have empires

and kingdoms,

what symbols

have they drawn on

to demonstrate

their power

and their authority

and their might?

often,

it's some kind

of strong animal,

some kind

of beast,

right?

So,

think about it.

Those of you

that are Americans,

what is the image

on the American

coat of arms

or the American

presidential seal?

Okay?

The eagle,

the bald eagle

arms,

wings spread out,

right?

Those of you

that are British,

Chris Thornton

and one or two others,

what is the symbol

of England's power

and the English Empire?

The lion,

right?

Remember,

England's soccer team

is called

the Three Lions

and I think

their coat of arms,

sorry,

you can't see it

very clearly,

it's a lion

and a unicorn

but typically,

think of the lion

of England,

right?

England,

the British rugby team,

the British Lions,

okay?

When you think

of China,

Chinese Empire,

what symbol

comes to mind?

Sorry?

A dragon,

right?

I think we've got

a dragon.

Yes,

we've got a dragon,

okay?

Now,

why do empires

do this?

Those that are

symbols of their power

and their authority

typically draw on

strong animals

and beasts

to provoke

this imagery

of power

and authority.

Now,

some countries,

we must admit,

are a little bit lacking

in the fear department,

okay?

South Africa,

our coat of arms,

we have a blue crane

which is kind of

like a stalk,

okay?

Australia,

Australia's got

a kangaroo.

New Zealand,

New Zealand's got

a leaf,

okay?

I know,

I know it's a fir

tree or something

special,

it's a leaf,

okay?

I think the southern

hemisphere,

we need to work

on our PR campaign,

okay?

The northern hemisphere,

we've got it right here.

Now,

typically empires,

those that are

conquering lands

and growing the empire,

they use these symbols

of power and strength

to symbolize the authority

and their might.

And the Roman Empire

did the same.

What was the Roman Empire's seal?

It was similar

to the American seal.

It's an eagle

with outspread wings.

And if you were to,

what is the ultimate

capital punishment

in the Roman Empire?

It was to be thrown

to the emperor's lions,

right?

And for those

in agrarian

or farming communities,

what was the ultimate

symbol of strength

and power

and economic capital?

It was the ox,

right?

Symbol of strength.

So what's Jesus

saying to the churches

in the first century here?

What's this image,

what does John see

when he sees this picture

of these three animals

or these three creatures

around the throne?

Everywhere around them,

they're being told

through symbols

and imagery

and sometimes direct force

that Rome's power

is invincible.

It's eternal.

Remember the graffiti?

Rome,

your power

will never end.

Jesus here

is taking the powers

and the symbols

of authority

and power

and he's subverting them.

He's turning them

on his head

and he's saying

that ultimately

they all

one day

bow down

to the one

who is on the throne.

And what will they do?

They won't just

begrudgingly bow down

because they've been conquered.

They won't be forced

to bow down.

One day

every single structure

of power

and authority

will willingly

and gladly

and joyfully

bow down

before the throne

of the one

in heaven

who rules

and reign

and will gladly

offer their worship

saying,

Worthy are you

our Lord and God

to receive glory

and honor

and power.

The emperor

is not worthy.

The emperor

doesn't hold authority.

You God alone

carry all authority.

Friends,

one day

every single

power authority

will bow down

to King Jesus.

And what's up

with the eyes?

Remember they've got

eyes all over

their bodies

all around.

It's picture language

symbolizing the fact

that they never

ever

ever

take their eyes

off the one

who is on the throne.

No matter where they are

their eyes are fixated

orientated

on the one

on the throne.

Look at verse 8b.

The living creatures

are full of eyes

all around

and day and night

they never

cease to say

Holy,

Holy,

Holy

is the Lord God

Almighty

who was and is

and is to come.

And again,

verse 11,

the elders

representing all

God's people

throughout the ages

are heroes

in the faith,

men and women

that we look up to

and esteem,

those with simple faith

in some village

in the middle of Africa

or Middle Asia

that nobody's ever heard of

but their trust

in the faithfulness

of God.

All people

throughout the ages

will take off

their crowns,

their accolades,

everything that people

esteem and honor them for,

symbols of glory

and honor.

What do they do with them?

They throw them up

at the feet

of the one

who's on the throne

and they say,

worthy are you

our Lord and God

to receive glory

and honor

and power

for you created

all things

and by your will

they existed

and were created.

And friends,

this is in fact

the climax

of the entire passage.

The entire point

of this passage

is that every power structure

will be overthrown.

And it's not just

that Jesus wins in the end,

it's that all creation,

including the mysteries

of creation,

those things we don't understand,

black holes

and creatures

at the bottom of the sea,

all creation

was brought into existence

to proclaim

the excellencies

and the glory

and the majesty

and the awesomeness

of the character of God.

And what is his character?

Well, look at what they say,

that he is holy.

Holy, holy, holy.

To be holy

means to be set apart,

to be distinct

from what is ordinary

or common.

Friends,

there is nothing

and no one,

no power structure,

no emperor,

no military

or political

or cultural

or economic leader

in all creation

that comes close

to the authority

of the one on the throne.

He is utterly

and entirely

in a league

of his own.

He is holy,

set apart from everything

and everyone.

He is sovereign

and almighty.

To be sovereign

means that you hold

ultimate authority.

There is nothing

above you.

There is nothing

and no one

that you answer to.

Everything exists

by his will

because he has chosen

it to be that way.

I don't know

if you remember

in the Old Testament

in the book of Daniel

there is this king

called Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar

was the king

of the Babylonian empire

and he was the greatest king

of the Babylonian empire

and he ruled

and he reigned

and he was the one

that built Babylon's

hanging gardens,

one of the seven wonders

of the ancient world.

He conquered empires.

He was incredible

and so towards

the end of his life

one day he walks out

onto the balcony

of his palace

and he overlooks

his empire

and this is what he says.

Is not this great Babylon

which I have built

by my mighty power

as a royal residence

and for the glory

of my majesty?

Okay.

Well, God hears that prayer

and God decides

to teach him

that it is not

to the glory

of Nebuchadnezzar's name

that these things

came into existence

and so God takes him

through a season

of humbling him

and at the end

of his life

Nebuchadnezzar

being humbled

by God

says this,

I praise and honor him

whose dominion

is an everlasting dominion

whose kingdom endures

from generation

to generation.

All the inhabitants

of the earth

are counted

as nothing

compared to him

for he,

God,

does according

to his own will

amongst the hosts

of heaven

and none

can stay his hand

that means

hold back his hand

and none

can say to him

what have you done?

He is the eternal

sovereign

majestic God.

Remember Isaiah 46?

Babylon at the height

of its power

it's sovereign

it's the world's

superpower

its army

is just smashing

and demolishing

everything

and God says this,

I am God

I declare from the end

I declare the end

from the beginning

from ancient times

things not yet done

what I say

says God

will happen

and my purposes

I will accomplish

them

why?

Because I am God

and there is no other

I am God

and there is none

like me

friends

the angels

bow down

before God

and they say

holy, holy, holy

the Lord God

the sovereign

almighty

furthermore

they say

he is the eternal one

Rome

your power

will never end

excuse me

getting political

Xi Jinping

your power

will never end

Vladimir Putin

your power

will never end

USA

the great greenback

the Renminbi

your power

will never end

friends

that's what

we are being told

there is one authority

there is one being

one power

one source of hope

and life

whose rule

and reign

has never

ever been threatened

from the beginning

of time

and whose rule

and reign

will never

ever be threatened

for all eternity

now the truth is

it doesn't always

feel like that

right

sometimes it follows

Jesus

we feel like

God

what's going on

remember Luke 24

Jesus disciples

are walking

from one place

to Emmaus

the heads

are hanging low

and one disciple

says to the other

man

we had really hoped

that that Jesus guy

he would be the one

to deliver

and liberate Israel

I guess that's

not going to happen

remember in Egypt

in Exodus

God's people

God brings Moses

to come and deliver

them and save them

Pharaoh encounters

Moses

and what does he do

things go from

bad to worse

he says

double your workload

remember God's people

sometimes

how they're arrested

thrown in jail

beaten

whipped

left for dead

remember how Christians

are being thrown

to the lions

and for the followers

of Jesus

in the first century

meeting at home

sometimes hiding away

from the authorities

at times

it must have felt

like God

where are you

we thought you

sovereign

what's up with this

where are you God

we've heard the stories

and now you must have

met your match

God it's been a good run

you've done well

but finally Rome

has conquered you

friends to the angels

to us the angels

remind us

that his kingdom

is an eternal one

he is the one

who is

and who was

and is to come

forever

and ever

and ever

and ever

and ever

his kingdom

is an eternal one

and you know

what that means

it means that

all that is not done

with eternity

in our minds

or God's glory

in our hearts

is eternally

irrelevant

and insignificant

do you get that

everything we do

without eternity

in our minds

and God's glory

and worship

in our hearts

is eternally irrelevant

and eternally insignificant

and because of this

because of God's

creative power

and his sovereign authority

and his supreme holiness

and his eternal glory

what do they say

worthy are you

oh God

to receive glory

and honor

and power

he is simply

worthy

now

next week

we're going to find out

from Colin Farrell

that God is worthy

to be worshipped

not only for who he is

but because of what he's done

but here the angels

worship him

not because he's done

a single thing

they don't worship him

because he delivered them

or because he saved them

from Egypt

or because he died

on the cross

just simply because

of who he is

worthy are you

our Lord and God

to receive glory

and honor

and praise

now

what does all of this mean

for the people

of the early church

2000 years ago

and what does it mean

for you and I today

well thank you

for asking that question

it means a whole bunch

of things

but I'm going to give us

just four things

two sources of encouragement

and two things

to challenge us

okay

and then we'll go

to communion

the first thing

it means is this

history will not be defined

by current circumstances

at the time

that John is writing

this epistle

this revelation

to the early churches

the followers of Jesus

it looked as if

Rome's empire

would never end

okay

it looked as if

the church was becoming

increasingly insignificant

and smaller

Rome's power

was on the rise

and becoming more

and more powerful

and to many

holding on to

Jesus' kingdom

and the gospel message

in the face of

Roman power

and glory

felt like trying

to hold on to water

and trying to hold

on to a stream

of water

right

it's just

it's going to run

away from you

it felt like

it's inevitable

it's going to disappear

but throughout

the book of Revelation

Rome's empire

is constantly

compared to Babylon

now why is that

well

500 years beforehand

Babylon

remember Nebuchadnezzar

was the superpower

of the age

and to the people

of God

in that day and age

it felt like

Babylon's power

would never end

it felt like

Babylon was

an eternal kingdom

and to the people

of God then

they felt like

God where are you

and yet Babylon

came to a decisive end

and so God

shows the people

in the first century

Rome is just like

Babylon

it feels all powerful

now

but the circumstances

which you find

yourself now

are not the circumstances

that are going to

define all of history

this power authority

is coming

to an end

and Jesus

is showing them

and he's showing us

that it seems

like the power structures

of our day

will never cease

it seems like

this is just

the way the world

is going

it seems like

if you try and resist

the way the world

is going

you're going to be

on the wrong side

of history

and friends

Jesus looks us

in the eye

and says

don't you believe it

don't you believe it

friends

this very week

tomorrow

some of us

are going to go

to work

high schoolers

you're going to

go to school

university students

you go to class

you write an assignment

friends

this week

every one of us

are going to be told

every single day

that to follow Christ

and to live for his glory

and to steward our money

and our sexuality

and our desires

for his glory

and his kingdom

is a waste of time

because you're going to be

on the wrong side

of history

friends

this week

we're going to be told

that to obey Jesus

and to honor him

with our sexuality

and our views on gender

and our money

that you're going to be

on the wrong side of history

and it's a waste of time

and you're going to be irrelevant

friends

don't you believe it

don't you believe it

all that is not done

with eternity in our minds

and God's glory

in our heart

is going to be eternally

irrelevant

and insignificant

that's the first thing

second bit of encouragement

is this

followers of Jesus

do not need to live

in fear

in our family

every now and then

typically on Friday nights

sometimes Saturday

or Sunday nights

we have family movie night

and what we do

is we make dinner together

so we make pizza

or sushi

or something

we all get involved

and then we'll put on

a movie

and we'll all watch it together

all four of us

okay

but invariably

what happens

no matter how

simple the movie is

okay

at some point in the movie

the music

you know

goes

no no no no

no no no

and

or the story

takes a dramatic turn

something goes wrong

and our two girls

with such tender hearts

run out of the room

to their bedrooms

covering their eyes

blocking their ears

and are too afraid

to watch the movie

right

and so what do Claire

and I have to do

we have to go to them

and say

I know how the story ends

it's okay

Ilsa and Anna

are going to be friends

again

okay

it's all going to be right

Simba is going to go back

to Pride Rock

and everything's going to be okay

at the moment

the thing is that

Annie and Mr. Socks

or whatever his name is

what's

whatever it is

they're going to get reconciled

okay

so it's okay

I know how the story ends

and we have to convince them

that it's going to be okay

in the end

friends

in this world

you and I are going to have trouble

no doubt about it

we're going to have trouble

and that's partly

because we live in a fallen world

our world is fallen

so there's heartache

and there's broken

things go wrong

it's partly because

if you're a follower of Jesus

there's a devil

that doesn't want you

to follow Jesus

he wants to destroy you

and destroy your faith

and it's partly because

you and I have got a sinful nature

and the sinful nature

in our hearts

causes us all sorts of trouble

the problem is not just out there

the problem is in here

right

and so you and I

are going to have trouble

and sometimes the fear

is so overwhelming

that we might just want to

run away

and block our ears

and cover our eyes

and just take away

their attention

and give ourselves

to some entertainment

or some other thing

that will distract us

from the troubles

in our world

friends

Jesus says

don't you see

how it's going to end

don't you see

who really holds the power

don't you see

there's a sovereign

omnipotent king

who really does sit

on the throne

of all creation

and yes

you will have trouble

in this world

but one day

every single thing

will bow the knee

before him

and will give him

glory and honor

and every knee

will declare

you are God almighty

you are worthy

to receive power

and praise

friends

that vision

will allow us

to get through

the trouble

and the difficulty

and the challenges

facing our life

and this vision

of Jesus on the throne

is what Hong Kong

most needs right now

and friends

it's what you and I

need right now

to see God

on the throne

that he is eternal

and he rules

and he reigns

last two things

is this

two challenges

we can put them

in the way

of two questions

the first one

is this

in light of

revelation 4

friends

are you

or I

are we wasting

our lives

are we wasting

our lives

friends

in the coming

there is a day

coming

when all the money

that we've accumulated

all the corporate

accolades

that we've won

and attained

are going to be

utterly meaningless

and the praise

of man

and the recognition

of those around us

and the glory

and the honor

that we've strived for

are not only

going to be irrelevant

but they're going to

taste like sand

in our mouth

before the throne

of the one

that we were made

to worship

and adore

friends

you've only got

one life

this one and only

life that you have

what are you going

to do with it

don't waste

your one and only

life

chasing after things

that are going to be

utterly meaningless

friends

how are you going

to spend this

one and only life

I pray

and I have been

praying for us

this week

I pray that each

one of us

whether you're a

businessman

whether you're a

lawyer

whether you're a

foreign domestic

worker

whether you're a

teacher

whether you stay

at home

and look after

kids

that one million

years from now

the things we

give ourselves

to this very

week

will still be

bearing fruit

because they

would have been

done for the

glory of his

name

to the praise

of the one

who created

all things

friends what are

you going to do

with your one

and only life

for some of you

young people

God may be

calling you to

full time ministry

to serve him as

a missionary

somewhere

to go into

ministry

don't run from

that calling

for some of you

in business

God's calling you

to serve him

to the praise

and the glory

of his name

in business

don't run

from that calling

serve him

to the glory

of his name

wherever you are

and then here's

the final application

the last challenge

is this

friends will you

be there

on that day

will you be

there

one of the most

unusual things

about the church

remember we said

the 24 elders

are a picture

of the church

the Old Testament

saints

the New Testament

saints

all seated

around the throne

giving honor

and glory to him

one of the most

unusual things

about the church

is that it includes