Remembrance Sunday

Well, good morning, everyone.

Those of you that don't know me, my name's David,

and it's my privilege and pleasure, really,

to be opening up that quite wacky reading

from Revelation this morning.

And I thought we might begin by getting our brains

warmed up with a bit of a quiz.

And so I'm going to show you a picture from a film,

kind of a screenshot from a film,

and I wonder if you could kind of shout out,

you don't need to put your hands up,

and just yell out what film you think it is from.

And we could get a bit competitive.

We could have this side of the church

versus this side of the church,

and the winning side will get to go for coffee first.

Oh, yeah.

There are obviously the holy ones amongst you

that will want to serve by letting the others go first,

and the wonderful team that serve us every week

by giving us caffeine.

Bless you guys.

So let's see how we go.

This is the first one.

Day After Tomorrow, 1-0.

Okay, it is the film Day After Tomorrow.

A bit old.

Being an ex-geography teacher,

this was my go-to in the last week of term.

Here you go, kids.

Let's watch this.

Do a mind map,

and we'll discuss whatever it's all about,

global warming.

But yeah, if you've seen it,

the cataclysmic end of the world,

practically, through all things weather-related.

Brilliant.

Next one.

Yes.

Yes.

2012.

2012.

2012.

2012.

2012.

2012.

2012.

Kind of similar ilk between...

1-1.

1-1.

Yep.

A similar ilk maybe with the Day After Tomorrow vibe

with lots of weather and earthquakes

kind of heralding the end of the world as we know it.

Brilliant.

2012.

2012.

Next one.

I am legend.

Oh, I think someone got it at the back there,

I think.

I think it was this side.

Sorry, guys.

I think it was.

I am legend.

A bit spooky, this one, actually.

And if you've seen it,

it's got a really good message

about salvation and resurrection, actually.

It's got quite a good Christian message in it.

But I am legend.

Will Smith is kind of the last man,

so he thinks.

Spoiler alert, sorry.

The last man in New York.

But it's called I am legend.

It's a good film.

Bit scary.

Hunger Games.

Hunger Games.

Yeah, we had it.

2-2.

It's getting close.

The Hunger Games are kind of three films

in this kind of trilogy.

And it's not quite the end of the world,

but it kind of is this apocalyptic,

one kind of section of the world

controlling all the other sections

through violence.

And yeah, it's, again,

quite a good film, actually.

I think there's one more.

Divergent.

Yes, 3-2.

Well done.

Give us a round of applause.

So if you want to go first for coffee

at the end, you are allowed.

But if you feel the Lord saying,

actually, you should bless your brothers

and sisters on this side,

it's up to you.

I'm not here to judge.

But yes, Divergent.

A kind of similar vibe

to maybe The Hunger Games

in terms of this weird kind of

end of the world

or end of society kind of thing.

Very good, David, you might be saying.

Yeah, but what on earth has this got to do

with our reading from Revelation?

Well, there's kind of an overarching theme,

actually, with some of these films.

And Hollywood has got this nailed, hasn't it?

Hollywood thinks,

I know what makes a good film.

End of the world stuff.

Violence.

Warfare.

Conflict.

Power.

Cataclysmic events that no one has seen before.

Powerful oligarchs taking advantage over the weak.

The poor downtrodden struggling to survive.

Guns and weapons are a necessity.

Control and authority are the order of the day,

according to Hollywood.

And actually, it's not just Hollywood, is it?

We've seen in the last week or so

how those with lots of money and lots of power

know how to get out of paying their taxes

with offshore havens,

while us poor, weak lot have to pay our taxes.

We've seen how powerful men in Hollywood

have allegedly taken advantage of weaker men and women

in that kind of sphere of influence,

and they're in less privileged positions.

And if you'd excuse me for getting political,

just a second,

I won't do it for very long,

but we have someone across the pond

who is the President of the United States

who can't go through a day

without tweeting that he has the biggest nuclear weapons

or the best army

or better weapons than anyone else,

especially North Korea.

Supremacy is all about firepower.

And as we remembered earlier,

there were so many occasions in the past

where this has been true,

where violence, warfare, conflict

have brought countries and people

and societies down to their knees.

And Hollywood still continue to churn out

these apocalyptic films, don't they?

Violence wins, conflict wins,

the powerful succeed,

those of the greatest arsenal,

the greatest firepower will be successful.

But actually, as so often happens,

when we read Scripture,

it says,

no, actually there's a different way of looking at it.

Well, you've got it wrong.

That's not the way to do it.

So if you've got a Bible

or a tech Bible on your phone,

you might want to think about Revelation 5.

We're going to be kind of focusing around that.

And Revelation is one of those books

that has been kind of, I think,

either ignored by churches

because it's a bit too weird.

In fact, a little helpful

Reformation fact for you.

Martin Luther didn't like Revelation very much.

He didn't want it to be in the Bible.

But towards the end of his life,

he thought, actually, it's all right.

We'll have it in.

So Revelation's either been kind of ignored

or shunned a bit.

We might open it a bit,

but not very much.

Or maybe it's the other side of the spectrum.

And some churches or Christian denominations

maybe focus so much on this book of Revelation

that they're able to tell you

that the Lord Jesus Christ is returning

next Thursday at 8.23 exactly.

Get ready.

Go and tell everyone.

But actually, I think there's a lot

we can learn from this book

if we use it appropriately.

You see, there are some people that say

it's all in the past.

Revelation is a book that's all about

the second century

because that's when it was written.

So everything in there

is about back then.

We might be able to read it

and learn a bit

and kind of apply it a bit to our lives now,

but not that much.

It was for then.

And there are other people that say,

no, no, no, no, no.

You've got it all wrong.

It's all about the future.

Every single part of it

is about the second coming.

And if you're clever enough

and you can look at all the Cody bits,

you can work out

when Jesus is coming

and when all that exciting stuff

is going to happen.

But I think actually,

as so often is the case,

there's kind of a middle ground here,

that we can look at some parts of Revelation

and we can say,

actually, yeah,

that kind of fits back in the second century.

We can learn from it,

but it's back then.

And some of it we can look at

and we can say,

wow, that's the future.

We're looking forward to the second coming

of Jesus in his glory.

That's great.

And there are other parts of it

that are almost timeless.

I love the reading today

of the elders worshipping

at the throne of the Lamb.

And I kind of think,

I don't know how correct I am,

but I love the idea

of that just happening

for eternity,

forever and ever.

That this morning when we came

and we worshipped,

we were joining in

with the worship

of the elders

and the living creatures

before the Lamb.

Wow.

But the first thing

we need to admit, I think,

is that Revelation

is just a bit weird.

You've got a prostitute.

You've got a beast.

You've got angels.

You've got seals.

You've got plagues.

You've got, I mean,

it sounds like quite a fun party,

doesn't it?

You've got all this weird stuff

going on.

What is it all about?

Well, hopefully this morning

we can unpack

a tiny bit of it,

Revelation 5,

and maybe apply that

to where we're at today

in On Remembrance Sunday.

So let's see where we are

with chapter 5.

John has written a letter

to lots of different churches

and then he's just been

taken up into heaven.

We don't know if that's

a kind of spiritual vision

that he's having

or a more physical

being taken up.

But he's there.

He's in heaven

and this angel

is almost giving him

a guided tour.

There's the canteen,

there's his stuff, you know.

He's being taken around

the throne room of God.

He's experienced the worship,

he's seen what that's like,

and the bit we're at today,

this morning,

is that John is presented

with a scroll.

It's almost like,

in modern day,

getting an email.

You know,

he's presented with a scroll,

that's how they used to communicate

in the second century.

Great, let's open it.

No one, we read,

is worthy to open the scroll.

It's been sealed seven times,

it's got seven marks on it,

it's got seven seals.

You think of those wax seals

on old envelopes.

That's kind of what it's like.

This is an important thing

to open.

We're not going to go today

into what is in the scroll,

because that gets even more wacky.

We're going to think today

just about the fact

that no one,

John can find,

has the authority

to open that scroll.

And this is where it gets

really interesting.

Revelation 5, 7 and 8.

Then one of the elders said to me,

do not weep.

Do not weep.

The line of the tribe of Judah,

the root of David,

has triumphed.

He is able to open the scroll

and its seven seals.

Great.

The lion's here.

Excellent.

What does John see?

Then I saw a lamb

looking as if it had been slain.

And it goes on to say

where the lamb is

and what it looks like.

But it's so easy to miss that bit.

The elder says,

look, a lion.

And John looks

and he sees a lamb.

It's so easy for us

to skip over that

and miss the significance

of that moment.

But let's think about it.

Here is John.

He's in desperate need

of some authority,

of some power,

some strength

to open

whatever is in this scroll.

And the angel says,

don't worry,

the lion's here.

And this violent image

of a lion

echoes down

throughout the Old Testament.

Whenever you think

about the lion

or the lion of Judah,

it talks about a warrior,

a kind of warrior-type messiah

who's good at fighting

God's battle,

unweaking vengeance.

Formidable force.

That's what you think of

when you think of a lion.

Fierce control,

powerful nationalism.

This is the power of Israel.

Great.

John turns round

and he sees

the opposite

of a brave,

formidable lion.

He sees a half-dead lamb.

The slot in the system

that's been reserved

for this lion

is actually being filled

by the slain lamb.

The majestic,

invincible,

Aslan-type character

has almost just been replaced

by a half-dead

Shaun the Sheep.

What is this about?

But this reading

points us to where

true power lies.

All honour and authority

is found

not in the roaring lion

that John heard,

but in the lamb

which is sacrificed.

Jesus is both

the lion of Judah

and the lamb

that was slain.

He's not the lion

when he's in a bad mood

and the lamb

when he's feeling quite nice.

He's not the lion

on a bad day

and the lamb

on a good day.

He is the lion

and the lamb.

He's the roaring conqueror

and he's also

my and yours

sacrificial offering.

There is violence involved

but it's not the violence

of a lion

that will inflict violence.

It's the violence

of a lamb

who endures.

It's not the violence

of a lion

which tears its prey

to shreds.

It's the violence

of a lamb

who endures

that being torn

to shreds

for me

and for you.

And what is amazing

is that this word

slain

is in the perfect tense

which means

that it happened once

but its effect

is ongoing.

You see,

the crucifixion

of Jesus Christ

was not just

an event that happened

and then

it was superseded

by the resurrection

and then the ascension.

Yeah,

the crucifixion happened

but look,

he's alive now.

Well,

yes,

that's true

but the effect

of his crucifixion

goes on

and on

and on.

Jesus Christ

dying on the cross

has cosmic effects

on the universe

throughout history.

We learn to live

free from the chains

of sin.

Yes,

we mess up

but the sacrifice

of the Lamb of God

at that point in time

allows me,

David Sims,

2,000 years later

with all my mistakes

all my sin

all my temptation

all my lusts

all my problems

my pride

it allows me

to nail that

to the cross

of Jesus

and to fall

to worship

the slain Lamb.

And John gives us

an amazing description

doesn't he

of the Lamb-Lion

and this is where

Revelation gets a bit weird.

I did find a few

cool pictures

I was going to show you

but they're just a bit creepy

but some people

have drawn

Jesus Christ

as the Lamb

with seven eyes

and seven horns.

It looks a bit like

something out of a horror movie

if I'm honest

and I don't think

that's what Jesus

is going to look like

when we meet him

face to face.

I think this is again

a time when Revelation

is being a bit more

symbolic

because you see

the word seven

symbolises perfection

and Jesus has seven eyes

the Lamb has seven eyes

and seven horns

this is ultimate perfection

this is God

identifying himself

and saying actually

this is the perfect way

to conquer

thank you very much

and it's through

sacrifice.

The world says

violence and muscle power

but actually we

as followers of the Lamb

fall to worship

the slain one.

I wonder if you want

to live in power

this morning

or power comes through

worshipping

the sacrificial Lamb.

I wonder if you need

to be a conqueror

this morning

while we conquer

through worshipping

the sacrifice

of Jesus Christ.

This is the topsy-turviness

of the Kingdom

of God.

We read

Revelation 5

that a slain Lamb

that is half dead

is more powerful

than the military

nationalistic power

of the lion.

And when we think

back to Jesus' life

we see that lots

of his teaching

reinforces this point

there's power

through sacrifice.

In Luke 22

Jesus has just been

betrayed by Judas

and all the kind of

priest soldiers

come to arrest him

with their swords

and their shields

and their spears

and the disciples

get a bit worried

and one of them

reaches out

with his sword

and cuts off

one of the soldiers' ears.

You would have thought

of all times

when self-defence

was a good excuse

this was it.

Jesus knew

that he was about

to be taken off

for an unfair trial.

He was about

to be crucified

and yet what does

Jesus do?

Jesus says

no, no, no, no

that's not the way

to do things

and he actually

heals

the soldier's ear.

Or in Matthew 5

when Jesus talks

about turning

the other cheek

when someone

hits you

on the right cheek.

There's power

in sacrifice.

You see this morning

we worship Jesus

don't we?

The lamb

who was slain.

The God

who gave himself

as an offering

for us.

And we know

that this death

was not the end.

Revelation 5

chapter 12

says worthy

is the lamb

who was slain

to receive

power and wealth

and wisdom

and strength

and honour

and glory

and praise.

And every creature

responds

saying yes

amen

to him who sits

on the throne

be glory

and power

forever.

You see

this God

that was crucified

is now reigning.

He is worthy

of all honour

and glory

and power.

Power is not found

in which country

has the best

nuclear weapons.

power isn't gained

by shouting

the loudest

on Twitter.

Power isn't found

by finding clever ways

of keeping your money

to yourself

and not having

to pay your tax.

True power

is seen

in the self-sacrifice

of Jesus

the slain lamb.

And my final point

is where John writes

in verse 9

because Jesus

was slain

and with his blood

he purchased us

for God

persons from every tribe

and language

and people

and nation.

You have made them

to be a kingdom

and a priest

to serve our God.

This morning

we are the kingdom

of God.

We are priests

in the kingdom

of God.

The word kingdom

that's a powerful word.

That refers to

the reign

of Jesus Christ.

It refers to

his kingship

his authority.

It refers to

the reign

of the Messiah.

But where does it

come from?

It comes from

his sacrifice.

That's where

true power

comes out of.

The slaughter

of the lamb

means that we

as followers

of the slain lamb

can partake

in his kingdom.

And being in his kingdom

we pray for the sick

and we see breakthrough.

We prophesy

into situations

and we see

powerful things

happen.

We take ground

from Satan.

We tell demons

to go

and in Jesus'

name

they go.

And yet

we realise

that this isn't

the end of the story

is it?

The kingdom is here

but the kingdom

is also coming.

The rule and reign

of Christ

through his sacrifice

is here

but it's also

not fully here.

We see sickness.

We see the effect

of sin on the world.

We see the effect

of evil

in a society

where greed

and money

is almost rewarded.

But that doesn't

mean we stop

prophesying

into situations

in the name

of Jesus.

It doesn't

mean we stop

commanding healing

in Jesus' name.

It doesn't

mean we stop

step by step

taking ground

from the devil.

You see

the lamb sacrifice

happened once

and for all

but the effect

of his sacrifice

that keeps

going.

And I recognise

that that's

really tough

for us

that we know

people

we ourselves

maybe really

struggle

with illness

family situations

certain weaknesses

that we haven't

seen breakthrough

in years

and years

and we keep

praying

and we don't

see that

breakthrough.

And it's not

because we don't

believe enough.

That's not true.

It's not because

we don't have enough

faith because it's

not about our faith

it's about what

Jesus did.

It's not because

we don't pray

hard enough.

It's because we

live in the now

and the not yet

of the rule

and reign

of Jesus.

This morning

with John

may we

keep our eyes

fixed on the

slain lamb

and join with

the angels

who fall down

and proclaim

you are worthy

of blessing

and honour

and glory.

I really think

that we're called

as Christians

to proclaim

to a world

that sees

authority in terms

of violence

and strength

that actually

authority comes

through sacrifice.

It comes

through the

sacrifice

of Jesus

Christ.

The only one

the lamb

was the only

one found

worthy to

open the

scroll.

In a world

that looks

for military

strength

we preach

the slain

lamb.

In a world

where power

so often

comes with

self-interest

we preach

the lamb

of God

self-sacrificed

for us.

To a world

which seems

to turn its

back on God

we say

look

we see

the lion

of Judah

we see

our powerful

God

in all

his strength

in all

his authority

and he

comes

as a

slain

lamb.

He is

the sacrifice

for my

sin.

He is

the one

that bore

my shame

and brought

me into

relationship

with him.