Second Presbyterian Church Sermons

Big Idea: We can be the kind of people who finish well when we know that God has defeated the devil in the past, is defeating him in the present, and will finally triumph over him in the future.

I. Past (vv. 12:1-9)

By now we have become accustomed to the concept of time in Revelation—everything is present in the mind of God and only past, present or future from our perspective. It is essential to maintain that orientation in this passage, which, from our finite perspective, describes events that occur in various eras, including 1) before or at the beginning of creation, 2) during the time of the Old Testament, 3) between Christ’s past ascension and future second coming, and 4) after the close of history. Again, it is critical to remember that the point of Revelation is not to provide a prophetical codebook for interpreting current events. The purpose of Revelation is to assure the Church that the One whose kingdom she is advancing—the Lord Jesus Christ, the King himself—wins.

Consider: How might this overarching narrative enable you to live faithfully for King Jesus in particularly difficult episodes or seasons of life?

II. Present (vv. 12:12-13:1)

No one should understand there to be a theological divide between the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is one, cohesive story written in three languages. So verses 12 and following of our text do not tell a different story about God protecting his Church from the devil’s attacks. It is the same devil, attacking the same Church, protected by the same God, because the Church is preaching the same message—God's salvation through Christ. The Bible ties itself together thematically. Just as God protected the Old Testament church, he "takes care" of the Church now.

Consider: Do you sometimes think of the Old and New Testaments as theologically different from, or even in opposition to, one another? If so, how, and why might that be? What difference does it make to read the Old and New Testaments as one continuous, cohesive narrative? 

III. Present (vv. 12:10-11)

Finally, the Spirit provides John a preview of the Great Assize, the Great Judgment Day when all evil will be utterly defeated. He repeats the announcement of the final arrival of the Kingdom we heard in 11:15. Of course, this does not mean that Christ is not ruling now; he is. It just means that his "authority," though resisted and rejected by many today, will one day become obvious and undeniable, with every creature in heaven and on earth submitting on bended knee to Christ the King. 

Consider: Can you think of a time in your life when having something to look forward to in the future changed the way you lived in the present? How does that principle carry over to living faithfully in the present in view of our confident hope of Christ's future return? 

Revelation 11:1-14

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. 

Big Idea: We must persevere as disciples, because the Spirit gives us the power, the resurrection power of Jesus in persecution, and God’s public vindication of us. 

I. Power (vv. 1-6)

The first reason we must persevere as disciples is that the Spirit provides all the power we need for every battle against evil in this life. The Spirit’s power is represented by the two olive trees fueling the two lampstands, representing our witness. 

Consider: What challenges to witnessing for Christ cause you discouragement? How does the Spirit’s power enable you to continue to witness faithfully?

II. Persecution (vv. 7-10)

“Now when they have finished their testimony” clearly points us forward to that time when the Church has completed the Great Commission (Mt. 24:14). There will be a day when someone preaches the gospel to the last person God has chosen to save. Our text explains that Jesus will not come at that moment; there will be a period of total war against the Church led by the Antichrist. 

Consider: We should not be surprised when we face persecution. The Bible tells us to expect it.

III. Public Vindication (vv. 11-14)

At the conclusion of this relatively brief horrific end to history, God will ruin the party for the wicked by raising the martyrs to life. Wishing for the annihilation of all memory of Christianity, the “beast” will refuse to bury the corpses of the Christians lying in the public square. But what he intends as an act of ignominy, God will transform into a declaration of victory. In the spot where they lie, God will raise them to life. 

Consider: How does God’s public vindication and resurrecting power enable Christians to persevere in the face of persecution? 

Revelation 10:1-11

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (ESV)

Big Idea: Because the gospel is the ultimate explanation of all reality, we must receive and proclaim it.

I. We Must Receive the Gospel (vv. 1-7)

The good news of redemption in Jesus Christ explains all reality, so we must receive it. If we do, we will live with a true perspective on past history, we will live authentically in the present and with hope for the future.  

A. Past (v. 1): Before God created the world he planned to save a people through the death of his Son (13:9). Through his holy angels he executes his will on the earth in human history. The angel in this passage comes with a cloud, rainbow, sun, and fiery pillars. The cloud represents God’s presence; the rainbow reminds us of his promise in Genesis after the flood; and the sun conveys that this angel has been in presence of Jesus and the Father who are infinitely powerful. 

B. Present (vv. 2-3, 5-7): The gospel also makes sense of the present. Presently God is working out his plan of saving his people by applying the accomplished work of Christ to them. Planting his feet on land and sea represents his power to cause his message of salvation to go forth regardless of human, natural or spiritual opposition. Specifically, God’s redemptive plan is to save diverse individuals from every tribe, tongue, people and nation and unite them in one church.

C. Future (v. 4): Finally, the good news provides a confident perspective for the future because it tells us Jesus rose victorious to rule and reign until the end of history. God himself speaks (“voice of the seven thunders”) and prevents John from writing down what he heard about the end of time.  While God reveals everything in Scripture we need to know for life in this world, there are some things that will remain concealed until a set time in the future. 

Consider: How might understanding that God is actively working redemption at all times help you to put circumstances and events in your own life in a new light? 

II. We Must Proclaim the Gospel (vv. 8-11)

The gospel is not just an acceptable worldview among many or a strategy for coping; it is the truth, the reality, the meta-narrative of life and the cosmos. We know it only because God has graciously revealed it to us through the Christ of Scripture. Receiving this infinitely valuable revelation obligates you to share it with others. The only debt you owe for receiving the gospel is the debt of giving it away. 

A. Everywhere (v. 8): John returns to the image of the angel standing on the land and sea. Remember it conveys that God intends for the gospel to go everywhere and no force can stop its forward advance. Now he tells us that God has dignified us by including us in the spread of the gospel. By commanding us to “go and get the scroll” he tells us to proclaim the gospel everywhere.

B. At all times (vv. 9-10): This is essentially the point John is making with the image of eating the gospel (Ezek. 2:8; 3:1–3): you must take it in to the point that it becomes a part of who you are. Your life must be a demonstration of the gospel to others. 

C. To all people: The final proof that the gospel is inside you and working its way out is that you are always moving toward people who are not like you. We must be approaching different-looking, different-spending, different-living people in order to take Christ who is inside you to them. It is not the gospel you are living and speaking, if it is not a reconciling gospel. 

Consider: Which of these imperatives about proclaiming the gospel resonated with you most? How can you practically be obedient to this call in your life? 

Revelation 8:3–13

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” (ESV)

Revelation 9

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (ESV)

Big Idea: We must pray because the Father dignifies us by including us in the causation of his work. 

I. The Power of Our Prayers

We must pray because Christ ensures that our prayers accomplish his Father’s redemptive plan. He dignifies us by giving us access to the controls of Providence. 

A. At the altar: First, we are taken to another important piece of furniture in heaven. There is an altar in heaven that was physically represented on earth in the Temple (Ex. 30:1-10; He. 8:5; 9:28). 

B. Of all the people: Next, notice that he uses all the prayers of God’s people, not just those of pastors or priests (1 Kg. 18:42-45; Ja. 5:17-18). These are not just the prayers of those who pray the most or those recognized to be the most active in the church. These are all the prayers of God’s people made in Jesus’ name. 

C. Then the angel: The next phrase should cause your heart to leap. “Then the Angel” follows the description of our prayers. That is once our prayers are conformed to God’s, his angel pours them out on the earth so that they cause the will of God to be executed in human history! 

II. The Secret to the Success of Our Prayers

We must be motivated to pray because the gospel guarantees their success.

A. Welcome: The secret to the success of our prayers is symbolized by incense (5:8). Incense is used in some worship traditions to convey the beauty of God’s presence. But in this case, the sweet smell of incense rises to the nostrils of God. The Bible says that God delights in the prayers of his people. God welcomes our prayers because he loves us. That’s the primary reason our prayers are successful with him. 

B. Atonement: Another reason our prayers are successful is that they are atoned for (21:18, 21; Ps. 141:2; Ja. 5:16). Gold is the color of perfection. To say that something meets the “gold standard” is to say that it is as good as it can possibly be. So these prayers that have been interpreted by the Holy Spirit made in Jesus’ name and have found their way into this golden bowl being offered up before God represents that these prayers have been perfectly conformed to the will of God. The secret to the success of our prayers is the same as the reason why any of our obedience or good works are found to be acceptable to God. 

C. Angels: The final reason our prayers are successful is that God assigns his holy angels to carry them out on earth. First he has assigned “another angel” at his altar to receive all prayers and bundle them together for his review.  Then by Christ’s direction, that angel pours out the prayers as assignments to other angels to execute (10:1; 18:1). 

III. The Goal of Our Prayers

Finally, we must pray because God’s goal for our prayers is mercy. 

A. Severity: Now we finally come to the trumpets of judgment. As with the seals and later with the bowls of wrath there are seven trumpets. The first four trumpets mentioned in this chapter have to do with the physical harm God promises to bring on those who refuse to submit to his Son as Lord and Savior.

B. Mercy: But remember these are not bowls; these are trumpets. Trumpets in the Bible provide warning. They warn when an enemy is approaching to call people to ready themselves. These trumpets are not bringing judgment they are warning of what kind of judgment is coming. 

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

Revelation 7:1-17

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (ESV)

Big Idea: If you want hope for this world and the next, you must cling to the gospel which seals, saves and serves.

I. Saves by the Son’s Blood (vv. 10-14)

The high point of this passage occurs in the middle, just where you would expect a Hebrew author to put it. Everything revolves around the throne where the slain Lamb sits. John makes sure we understand that the absence of fear and shame in the presence of God is only explained by the “blood of the Lamb.”

A. From fear (vv. 10-12): These Christians in heaven worship the Lord with childlike abandon because the blood of the Lamb has removed all fear. Their white robes signify their justification, the exchange of Christ’s righteous record exchanged for their sinful record on the cross. The blood of the Lamb also removes fear of the future. Remember we learned in 5:14 that “Amen” will be the last word of history. When God’s whole redemptive plan has been worked together for the praise of his glorious grace and every person, creature and angel—good and bad—have been forced to admit it, then the final “Amen” will be spoken. 

B. From shame (vv. 13-14): The blood of the Lamb not only saves from threatening external forces, it saves from threatening internal forces. If the devil cannot intimidate you from the outside by physical harm or material deprivation, he will try to cripple you on the inside by jailing you in your shame. 

II. Serves by the Father’s Mercy (vv. 15-17)

The final lines of this passage are as beautiful as any in Scripture. No heart should remain hard after reading that the God of the universe will stoop to mend the bodies and spirits of each of his children at the end of history. The utter humility we witnessed with Jesus washing his disciples feet will be eclipsed by the stunning humility of the Father, Son and Spirit bowing before us to soothe our fears, bind our wounds, and wipe away our tears. 

A. Physically (vv. 15-16): Every physical pain, trauma, deformity and deprivation will be taken away once and for all. God’s promises are not only spiritual. He promises to supply his people’s basic needs in this life.

B. Emotionally (v. 17): Physical healing is certainly a welcome promise but if each of us is honest we will confess that the greatest pains are emotional. In his sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon imagines that God keeps three different bottles of our tears: one for disappointment, sin, and betrayal. 

III. Seals by the Spirit’s Love (vv. 1-9)

The first explanation for a Christian’s hope that he will “stand” on the Judgment Day while all those who have neglected the Lord will be laid waste is that he has the “seal of the living God.” Whether in the ancient world or today, a seal does three things—it preserves from tampering, ensures ownership and certifies a document’s genuineness.

A. Preserves (vv. 1-3): By saying that God has set a seal on us, John is assuring us that God preserves us from ultimate spiritual destruction (cf. 9:4; 14:1). God never promises to spare us from physical pain, emotional trials or even death. But everywhere he promises to preserve believers from the fires of judgment and eternal destruction. 

B. Owned (vv. 4-8): Next God’s sealing shows his ownership of us. Owners always count and value what they possess. A good businessperson regularly inventories his stock, counts his stock, and measures his supplies. God conducts a roll call of all those whom he has sealed to make sure none is missing. What will appear to be numberless to us, will have been numbered by God (5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15).

C. Genuine (v. 9): Sealing also proves that we are the genuine children of God and genuinely belong in heaven. John changes the metaphor a bit by describing believers in heaven as those “wearing white robes.” Later we will learn that they are white because they have been “washed in the blood of the Lamb” (14). 

Questions for Reflection/Discussion: