Sermon: Following on White Horses

[Music] one of our clients was traveling this past week through a major metropolitan area when he when he happened upon a stoplight he was waiting for and the the vehicle in front of of him was parked there and from the side he seen an individual run from the from the sidewalk over to the vehicle to try to pull open the passenger door he was going to steal something or take the vehicle or maybe hold it at gunpoint the vehicle slammed on the gas and sped off the individual was reported doing a few somersaults across two lanes of traffic and it was it was very it was very traumatic to watch something like that on the west coast recently a similar occurrence where the attacker broke the window out of the car next to it in an effort to rob the victim the thief was able to steal a purse and a backpack according to reports when the reluctant driver was pressed for comment they said i wish this was not our world very profound everyone here has been affected one way or the other by the evil we see so pervasive in this world people are losing hope others may have had little or none to begin with as as they live out one day to the next i remember as a young lad having this conversation with my dad he was born out of the depression years as many were i uttered a comment about how tough times we we were seeing at the at that moment seemed to be and he calmly said i've seen tough and we're not close i don't know if that was a degree of optimism or what but i do remember that he had a way of choosing if the urgency was a 10 or just a one and most the time it was just a one i've seen tough and we're not close in luke 21 we see tough but we also see hope let me read this to you luke 21 in verse 25 and there will be signs in the sun in the moon and in the stars and on earth distress of nations with perplexity this this sea and the waves roaring men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of of the heavens will be shaken then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory now when these things begin to happen look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near satan is not going to give up without a fight he has been given a period of time to rule the earth and it and it will prove that his way doesn't work without a doubt we will see that his style of leadership cannot work mankind has essentially already proven that in the garden of eden when they chose for themselves right from wrong but satan could still make the argument albeit false that in fact competition is life supporting satan currently is the god of this world this this time frame but all that is about to change i'm not going to ask you if you're spiritually ready as if something about all this is earned besides jesus christ is the author and finisher on these things what we look at is our participation as a means to understand what he is doing in us and through us turn with me to revelation 11. revelation 11 beginning in verse 15. then the seventh angel sounded there were loud voices in heaven saying the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our lord and of his christ and he shall reign forever and ever the word kingdoms should be rendered singular as kingdom here it's a process loud voices in heaven are saying this current method of leadership is done it's finished a corrupted way of living does not work ultimately it is not giving it's not loving verse 16 and the 24 elders who sat before god on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped god saying we give you thanks o lord god almighty the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned the kingdom of this world has become our lord and of his christ it was offered to jesus once before wasn't it but not this way for your notes matthew 4 verse 8 it was during that temptation again the devil took him up into a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said to him all these things i will give you if you fall down and worship me we know there's a problem with that of course jesus christ didn't fall for that it's fascinating as as this was an actual offer satan did have and has had control of this earth given to him for a while the kingdoms were his to give but jesus didn't fall for this temptation on the other hand he will come down to this earth in a cloud with power and great glory to re receive control revelation 11 verse 18 the nations were angry and your wrath and your wrath has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth we see a time when mankind will be destroying the very habitat that god gave him in a very big way not a subtle way as some might say not a not a conspiracy spirit conspiracy type of a way but no this is going to be dramatic it'll be obvious what's happening will be a time when lands will have been laid waste and and it were to continue even a little longer it would take all human life off the planet there is an end brought about to this destruction and at the same time a reward for the servants the prophets and the saints as we look for our job description we can also know that there is an evaluation a job an interview if you will have you noticed that our calling is very hands-on we don't sit by and just watch we are to participate we live through the experiences and we feel what we experience you could say we are in the moment with our hope planted somewhere else next in revelation 19 the characteristic that is often associated with the change that comes to this earth revelation 19 11 now i saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges it's important those words right there faithful and true and in righteousness he judges there's a connection between judging and righteousness here and makes war his eyes were like like a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns he had a name written that no one knew except himself he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his his name is called the word of god as our lord and savior he earned this position it's rightfully his this is someone who has earned his titles he he is righteous and he judges and there is about to be a change six thousand years of a system that failed to work on this earth is about to come to an end and you know what it doesn't want to go quietly all of the process this world has worked under is about to be turned over and it's it's going to be it's going to fight the one putting it into it this world system is going to resist this power verse 14 and the armies in heaven clothed clothed in fine linen white and clean followed him on white horses this is interesting we need to understand these things one definition of clean here is in a levitical sense clean imparts no uncleanness the question arises who are the armies in heaven the description and time frame will tell us part of the answer for your notes first thessalon first thessalonians 4 verse 15 paul states for this we say to you by the word of the lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the lord will by no means precede those who are asleep for the lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of god and the dead in christ will rise first in verse 17 then we who are alive prophetic there will be some alive who believe god shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the lord therefore comfort one another with these words we will have christ descending from heaven with a shout also the voice of a mighty angel and the trumpet of god i don't think we have to worry about hearing this alarm this call it's going to be loud we meet up with christ and the ones who went before us the dead in christ we meet in the clouds revelation 19 verse 14 compares to first thessalonians 4 uh 16-17 we've checked the location and it'd be the same scrolling back a couple of verses in revelation 19 19 verse 4 and the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped god sitting on the throne saying amen hallelujah this is big heaven isn't sitting still for this what's about to happen is exciting there's been a long wait for this event as the earth is has been roiled in in this this way of management under satan and there's about to be a huge change how long have they been waiting for this portion of god's plan to unfold however old we are we can say we've waited a period of our life it's short in comparison to this weight this is one of the biggest events as the timeline continues revelation 19 verse 5 and a voice came out of the throne saying praise our god all his saints and the ones fearing him the small and great and i heard as as the sound of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of strong thunder saying hallelujah for the lord god omnipotent reigns we learn something about that word omnipotent in the sermonette how god knows who we are he has a hand in that the only hand in that my wife and i had the opportunity to spend some time at niagara falls a few years ago and it was it was a magnificent experience the grandness of it all walking through the tunneling behind the falls and just feeling the power and the sounds of all that pressure and all that weight and that water just rushing over the rocks there it has a way of filling your senses when you first arrive and on the scene and then you sit there just taking it all in trying to grasp it's kind of like a sensory overload it just it overtakes you god has a way of doing things in a grand way a glorious way it's going to be big revelation 19 verse 7 let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to him for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has prepared herself i think these are some of the most glorious words written that means we're ready that means as a church we've readied ourselves verse 8 and to her was granted that she should be a raid in fine linen clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints coupling this verse verse 14 and the armies in heaven clothed and fined linen white and clean follow him on white horses so it's a point when being no longer in the flesh and blood but rather spirit we see one of our first job descriptions here we will be following christ on white horses into an environment which will be hostile to god and his way revelation 19 verse 15 now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron he himself treads the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of almighty god and he has on his robe on his thigh a name written king of kings and lord of lords what possibly could prepare us as a people god's people for an inheritance of such magnitude we arrive with our lord and savior the king of kings and lord of lords to usher in god's government to a world that says no they do not invite us later on we'll find out where they try to do away with us but at this point they don't have any choices what prepares us what i'm asking is what training will we have received years ago i was farming the land where we live as a young farmer i i lacked labor to do the type of farming we could do with the limited equipment we owned it required a strong back so i employed my son to drive the equipment i explained to him the process of of driving than stopping so the hay bales could be loaded from the ground onto the small wagon i needed him to stop the wagon forward of the bale and i would stack them then he was to move the next bale and do move to the next up to the next bale and we'd do it again as it turned out it began a bit bumpy and i had to have patience and i did but it took him a while to gauge everything to gauge it all he was young and his legs didn't reach the pedals of the tractor it was a small tractor but he was young and so we just left the tractor in gear and he would simply turn the key off to stop the equipment and then to start it again put the key in the starter position and we would move on to the next bail it was a trying day from the labor portion of it all but we did get the job done it was all engineered to work safely you see my son wasn't very familiar with the equipment yet because he was just shy of three years of age he didn't understand the equipment a whole lot but i could show him a key switch the buttons it was enough we got the job done god is going to be similar with us he doesn't throw us into the deep end but he does expect some sort of action as effort we know he does it all he does it all in us we will be his priests as he brings this kingdom to the earth to to displace the current one we will be a blessing unto the world a holy nation benefiting and implementing god's government to a world gone astray to be called in this age and stay focused we'll we'll have to be living what he has shown us will be a holy nation serving as kings and priests it's it starts with obeying god's voice and keeping his covenant and this brings an element that god treasures it's the relationship he says as much this isn't the first time for a kingdom of priests to be set up though god is going to fulfill in us what he what didn't come about before turn with me over to exodus 19 on this exodus 19 god is desirous to work with his people exodus 19 verse 3. exodus 19 verse 3 and moses went up to god and the lord called to him from the mountain saying thus you shall say to the house of jacob and tell the children of israel those statements are the same house of jacob children of israel you have seen what i did to the egyptians and how i bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself now as we read this passage we know they walked but yet god says i bore you on eagle's wings in other words it was the protection it's like pulling something out of an area if you've ever had the opportunity to watch a bird when it's hunting it just pulls its it's it's subject right out of the seemingly nowhere they have better eyesight so perhaps it's it's due cause but they pull that prey right up and out now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom a priest and a holy nation these are the words which you shall speak to the children of israel what similar thing could happen once again because we know how this went we know that we know how this story goes they didn't adhere to something and lost doubt if if we're to take heart the understanding scripture in parts then what kinds of distractions might come about verse 7. so moses came and called for the elders of of the people and laid before them all these words which which the lord commanded him then all the people answered together and said all that the lord has spoken we will do they agreed to it at least here they did so moses brought back the words of the people to the to the lord and the lord said to moses behold i come to you in in the thick cloud that the people may hear when i speak with you and and believe you forever so moses told the words of the people to the lord we read now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my my covenant then you shall be a special treasure to to me above all people are these people and by implication us better than other people it's a question we can ask well the answer is no scripture has more proof for just the opposite god will will call the weak and the base and make them into something and that glory is given to god not the people that's first corinthians 1. you see it's imperative to understand why we are meeting jesus christ in the air upon our resurrection the timing of our calling had no connection with our previous works or the lack thereof the father knows who he will call and that offers more questions than than answers at some levels but he gives us the instructions going forward he tells us what we are to do if we study the instruction god gave israel and the direction he was taking them it becomes clear he offered them to be to be a kingdom of priests a holy nation to teach god's way this is starting to sound familiar a model nation to benefit all the the other nations of the earth well this does sound familiar as we go through some of our responsibilities god rewards his people for obedience and and non-believing nations even benefit from that the the faithfulness of abraham had a type of this is we see those blessings yet today in this country we're quickly seeing them erode in a lawlessness and evil doing and few people understand or even care where the 12 tribes of israel are and how that plays plays out in the millennium what god wanted was a holy nation what he wants today is a holy congregation which becomes part of his holy nation you see the connect we have to know who we are and why we've been called at this time we have to know these things i've heard it said that if if we're focused more on the salvation that we're given rather than the obligations that we will are called to fulfill we we may miss something being kings and priests that's a responsibility it isn't complicated but we can complicate it turn with me to first peter 2. it almost seems oversimplified here first peter 2 beginning in verse 1. first peter 2 verse 1 therefore laying aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and all evil speaking as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tested that the lord is gracious coming to him as as to a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by god and precious you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to god through jesus christ therefore it is also contained in the scripture and this is a quote from isaiah 28 behold i lay in zion a chief cornerstone elect precious and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame therefore to you who believe he is precious but to those who are disobedient the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense this is judgment this is judgment right here they stumble being disobedient to the word to which they they they were all uh were appointed but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation do we feel like a holy nation yet no but we will that's what we're called to right now we're a holy congregation his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light who who once were not a people but are now the people of god who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy these are the changes these are direct changes that happen peter is using the scriptures to make the point much much as we're doing right now look around the room and maybe just be amazed at what god is doing what he has chosen to do with us we were once not a people but now a people when when it all comes together these are your brothers and sisters willing to to do anything so that you don't miss out i know sometimes we don't we don't feel like that we'll get there we would know each other except we wouldn't know each other except that we have would come together through jesus christ can we stumble being disobedient to to the word well let's hope not we're a chosen generation no one comes to christ unless the father calls that individual and then and then that one is worked with that's how that's how this unfolds we come into the room not knowing how to to be a royal priesthood and we learn how to be a holy nation we are warned not to stumble as children of the children as the children of israel had this this warning is found beginning in hebrews 3 for your notes hebrews 3 verse 7 therefore as the holy spirit says today if you will hear his voice do not harden your your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness we're going to look back to a point here where it can happen it did happen when your fathers tempted me proved me and saw my works for 40 years in verse 10 of hebrews 3 therefore i was grieved with with that generation and said they always err in their heart and they have not known my ways so i swore in my wrath they shall not they shall not enter into my rest take heed brothers lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living god an unbelieving heart speaks to the lack of faith and the one bringing about all all things the question that that heart would have might sound something like this is god really going to be able to accomplish what he claims exodus 17 verse 5. exodus 17 verse 5. let's take a look at this and the lord said to moses go on before the people and take with you some of the elders of israel also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river and go behold i will stand before you there on the rock in horeb and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it that the people may drink you're probably familiar with the story leading up to this they were complaining a lot and moses did so in the sight of the elders of israel so he called the name of the place masah and mariba because of the the contention of the children of israel and because they tempted the lord saying is the lord among us or not is the lord among us or not can you imagine one of god's saints after being given a white horse to follow christ into this current age all that happens next in that moment uttering the question is the lord among us or not well thankfully that cannot happen turn with me over to matthew 27. i think we can see in exodus 17 how the israelites tempted god but there's more to this than we've looked at and it's important to understand if god leaves us or we leave him matthew 27 verse 46 says and about the ninth hour jesus cried with a loud voice saying my god my god why has thou forsaken me as jesus our christ was the perfect gold standard to everything we put our faith in how is it that we can have these two statements and reconcile them is the lord among us or not and my god why have you forsaken me this is a big question one of these statements will disqualify you from riding that white horse and the other is the reason we are led by our savior on a white horse matthew 4 verse 7 jesus said unto him it is written again that thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god we are not supposed to be tempting god the correlation between matthew 4 and exodus 17 is fairly straightforward and jesus was quoting the event to satan the devil jesus was not tempted by by satan's ploy to to question what god was doing isn't that what the israelites were ultimately trying to do god are you sure you know what you're doing we have doubts and fears so let us go and make a golden calf they did something that was of metal having faith in the living god is an is an understanding that first he loves us we know that but do we really know that and second he desires us to to be in his eternal family as his servants we need to look at at this life through those terms for your notes daniel 3 daniel 3 verse 20 let's take a look at a circumstance here trust trust in god faith in god and he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind shadrach meshach and abednego you know how this went and cast them into the fiery furnace then these men were bound in their coats their trousers their turbans and and their other garments and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace i'm really oversimplifying this story the king was exceedingly frustrated with these three lads if you read the entire story they built that fire really big a little too big got away from them the three men were were not consumed by the fire their hair wasn't even burned how was it that they knew they would survive what the king was about to do to them how do we know we will survive something verse 16 shadrach meshach and abednego answered and said to the king oh nebuchadnezz nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this manner in this in this matter if that is the case our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us from your hand oh god they they knew what could happen here they were telling the king this is what we this is what we believe in this is where our faith is this is who our god is he can do anything and verse 18 but if not let it be known to you o king that that we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up this account worked out very well for them and and they were also in complete understanding that god almighty is in charge and able to do what he wills for the for the betterment of his family the script in our life doesn't always turn out the way we imagine but we put our trust and confidence in the one who is is much wiser than us god sees the big picture i remember it's been a long time but i remember many years ago when drive-in theaters were still popular i think there's a few of them around but not many and our family would frequent them every now and again i recall seeing the jungle book that was popular back then i won't tell you how many years ago but it was a long time one time we were there and and it was always a treat and of course i was yet just a pup at the time and the whole experience just seemed festive there were so many people around and all these cars no one had a care in the world for two hours and 10 minutes and there were always kids kids everywhere you couldn't open the car door without you know you had to be careful you might take somebody out there were a lot of kids all the people waiting to watch a larger than life movie on this huge screen and couple that with a place to get fried food and and sugary drinks it was it was an overload for a young person i'll tell you that and there was one place we were restricted and that was a space right underneath the projection screen couldn't go there we weren't allowed we asked we would ask you see that was the place where the swings were and the teeter-totter and all those other play things they were located there and they just looked so inviting to a young person you know you're sugared up you have to do something and but it was right underneath the movie screen as a young boy i i reasoned that that could be a place to play and watch the movie the movie that dad paid for and it would have been like a two for one and mom responded very calmly no just simply no well eventually sugar and nervous energy went out and two of us kids made the journey all the way up to the play things and we had fun the movie hadn't quite begun and there were all the little commercials that they used to throw up on the screen to get you to go over to the snack bar and spend some more money and uh and the movie started and the swings were were flying and everything was great a very short while later both of us were crawling up on the trunk of our car and settling in to watch the rest of the show the problem is we found out we couldn't see the movie when we were playing we were right underneath the screen picture a screen that's a hundred feet wide and probably 50 feet tall and we're right underneath of it you can't see anything you don't even get a legible pixel and so i recall the speakers up there so we could hear and and and but to hear a movie you want to see it's not the same and so we learned our lesson and enjoyed the rest of the show from the distance of the car if we base our reality on just a few pixels on the screen then we don't see the big picture do we we can't we may suffer in the moment and and lock out the bigger picture i'm not trying to minimize pain as we go through suffering and and hardship it does have a way to change you rather we sometimes try to appreciate what god is doing only from our perspective sometimes we're right underneath that big screen and we're on those play things we don't see the picture is the lord among us or not opposed to my god why have you forsaken me i urge you to study these these things for yourself um it'll offer you insight on your own leadership styles uh in one sense it it helps in seeing where your white horse is located the point is sometimes humanly we can't connect the dots but god sees the pictures if it's already if it's already been that's the way our god sees things we are to follow his lead his instruction in continuing to on this walk today we're looking at the the big picture things in this study coupled with the small stumbling blocks but the directions always the movement forward that brings us about to another question are we participating a little or much as it pertains to the holy spirit working clearly we're not saved by works but they should be evident all around us turn with me over to luke 19 luke 19. jesus is offering understanding in the form of a parable which he often did luke 19 beginning in verse 12. therefore he said a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return so he called ten of his servants delivered them ten minas and said to them do business till i come but his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying we will not have this man to reign over us verse 15 and so it was that when he returned having received the the kingdom he then commanded these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him that he might know how much every man had gained by trading we have we have a couple different things going on here we have servants that were given something and then we have other individuals that don't like the servants in verse 16 then came the first saying master your mind has earned ten and he said to him well done good servant because you you were faithful and very little have authority over ten cities and the second came to came saying master your mind has earned five likewise he said to him you also be over five cities then another came saying master here is your mana which i have kept put away in a handkerchief for i feared you because you are an austere man you collect where you do not deposit and reap where where you did not sow and he said to him out of your own mouth i will i will judge you you wicked servant you knew that i was an austere man collecting what i did not deposit and reaping what i did not sow why then did you not put your money in the bank that at my coming i might have collected it with interest this is judgment his parable was for them and recorded for us so we would not make similar choices our our mind is the holy spirit that we've been given we have to use it well we don't have to we can choose not to we can make that choice but we have to use it if we're to go forward exercise and strengthen it as as a vital part of our day-to-day life we are instructed by jesus how this should work how we grow this gift and and the responsibilities that we have to it we have to be found developing plain and simple ask yourself the question is this kingdom of god which comes down out of heaven the most important direction in my life in my physical life the observation i've seen is that the answer will vary ask me that question uh when when much younger and the response could be yeah but you know where's that conviction we get sold on the fairy tale in this country life is just one experience in acquisition after another you get a good job you marry you have 2.3 children you retire at 59 and a half and there is nothing wrong in all that until it takes the stage away from god one of my early life goals was to make a million dollars before i was 30 years of age that doesn't seem like quite the amount any longer but back in the day it seemed rather lofty that goal was met but it was a mast for someone else it was a foolish goal when our goals and dreams work out do they show a path towards riding that white horse being clothed in fine linen white and clean that's the question we can get so caught up in enjoying the play things right under the big screen that we miss the big picture backing out from our our lives and and everything that draws our eye is necessary we need to back away and look at what god is doing looking at the picture god has shown us helps keep things into perspective back where they belong let's read in revelation 6. revelation 6 some of these things start to get a little heavy but there again keep them into perspective revelation 6 beginning in verse 1. now i saw when the lamb opened one of the seals and i heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder come and see and and i looked and behold a white horse he who sat on it had a bow and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer when he opened the second seal i heard the second living creature saying come and see another horse fiery red went out and it was granted to to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth and that people should kill one another and that there was given to him a great sword when he opened the third seal i i heard the third living creature say come and see so i looked and behold a black horse and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand and i heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying a quart of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius and do not harm the oil and the wine when he opened the fourth seal i heard the voice of the fourth living creatures saying come and see so i looked and behold a pale horse and the name of him who sat on it was death and hades followed him and power was given to him over a fourth of the earth to kill with a sword with hunger with death and by the beasts of the the earth is the kingdom of god which comes down out of heaven the most important direction in my life that's our question in my physical life verse 9 when he opened the fifth seal i saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of god and for the testimony which they held and they cried with a loud voice saying how long o lord holy and true until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth this is a rhetorical dialogue that that many would want to know we understand the dead no not as they sleep but these would be the questions not asked verse 11 then goes on to answer in one of the most extreme prophetic events we may have difficulty getting to equilibrium on this and from a human standpoint these are not pleasant things and daniel's recordings we see similar daniel 7 daniel 7 let's turn there and begin in verse 15 daniel 7 verse 15. this was daniel watching in a night vision daniel 7 verse 15. i daniel was grieved in my spirit within my body and the visions of my head troubled me you know he's recording this after he sees this it troubled him you ever wake up at 2 30 in the morning and you're just awake and you're troubled it happens you might read for a little bit you might study for a little bit get yourself tired you fall back to sleep but sometimes we can be troubled daniel was troubled i came near to one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this so in other words he's seeing these visions and he's not understanding them so he he told me and make and made known to me the interpretation of these things those great beasts which are are four are four kings which arise out of the earth but the saints of the most high shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever even forever and ever what would be more important than receiving the white horse following jesus christ and receiving the possession and possessing i should say the the kingdom forever a new management for this troubled earth a government based on godly governance it's tough to imagine we've only known what we've experienced in this world until we read something different well the answer is nothing should be more important than being there on that day even if we see distractions and there will be verse 19 then i wish to know the truth about the fourth beast that's the roman empire which was different from all the others exceedingly dreadful with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze which devoured broken in pieces and trampled the residue with its feet this sounds like a very ferocious event and the ten horns that were were on its head and the other horn which came up before which three fell namely that namely that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words whose appearance was was greater than his fellows in verse 21. i was watching and the same horn was making war against the saints and prevailing against them he's winning verse 22 until the ancient of days came and a judgment was made for made in favor of the saints of the most high you see we get our white horse and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom this is the overview and and now that time frame is broken down a little bit further the saints are to possess the kingdom but those who are alive will see in real time the details how this comes about verse 23 thus he said the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on the earth which shall be different from all other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth trample it break it in pieces the ten horns are the ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom and another shall rise after them he shall be different from the first ones and and shall subdue three kings he shall speak pompous words against the most high shall persecute the saints of the most high and shall intend to change times and law we haven't heard much about that lately that eight day work week hasn't really been pushed too much yet then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time that's that's three and a half years this ruling world power will have the saints of the most high in his hand satan is crafty but creativity remains the same hold your place as we look at daniel 3 and verse 1 daniel 3 verse 1. nebuchadnezzar the king made a a image of gold whose height was 60 cubits and it's in its width 60 cubic six cubits and he sat it up in the plain of dura in the province of babylon and king nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the princes the administrators the governors the councilors the treasurers the judges the magistrates and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which king nebuchadnezzar had set up now something like this couldn't couldn't possibly ever happen again we are not going to fall for a a golden image maybe a gold standard maybe a false gold standard a commerce verse 4 then a herald cried out to you it is commanded o peoples nations and languages that at the time you hear the sound of the horn the flute harp the lar sultry and in symphony with all kinds of music you shall fall down and worship the gold image that king nebuchadnezzar has set up and whoever does not fall down in worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of the fiery furnace and of course we know what happened to the three youths after that the answer we have for this our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us from your hand o king but if not let it be known to you o king that we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up back to daniel 7. and verse 26 daniel 7 26 but the court shall be seated this is interesting judgment is about to happen the court shall be seated and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it forever then the kingdom and and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people who the saints of the most high his kingdom is everlast is is an everlasting kingdom in it and all dominion shall serve and obey him this is the end of the account as for me daniel my thoughts greatly troubled me and my countenance changed but i kept the matter in my heart he says as troubling as as an account like these sounds we know we see the outcome the outcome that god himself directs the governmental system of this current world is going to be brought down it's going to end and there's nothing satan can do to prevent that he will try he may cause the world to hate any representation of the new government to come but on that day it happens you will ride in on a white horse this new governmental system is from above it's heavenly it's not earthly this this earth has not seen this governance before on this scale revelation 20 revelation 20 verse 1 then i saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain is in his hand he laid hold of the dragon that serpent of old who is the devil and satan and bound him for a thousand years there's that time frame the thousand years and he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years that's the millennium we're finished but after these things he must be released for a little while and i saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them then i saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to jesus and for the word of god who had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their forehead or on their hands and they lived and reigned with christ for a thousand years what could possibly distract us long enough to cause us to miss out on our position as kings and priests reigning with christ for a thousand years i know we look through a glass darkly and for the things that god has in store for us but we are given some shapes and and defined shadows of what it is one responsibility will be to administer the written judgment god calls that our he calls that as our honor turn with me over to psalm 149 as we begin to conclude psalm 149 beginning in verse 1 psalm 149 and verse 1 praise the lord sing to the lord a new song and his praise in the assembly of saints let israel this is a larger scope now rejoice in their maker let the children of zion zion can mean the church or the place be joyful in their king let them praise his name with with the dance let them sing praises to him with the timbrel and harp for the lord takes pleasure in his people he will beautify uh beautify the the humble with salvation let the saints be joyful in glory let them sing aloud on their beds in other words joyful even in leisure let let the high praises of god be in their mouth and a two-edged sword interesting a two-edged sword in their hand the word of god perhaps in the form of judgment here verse 7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron to execute on them the written judgment this honor have all his saints praise the lord this is quite a duty as we help usher in the kingdom of god are you ready what prepares us for this in the millennium we will we'll have seen what sin can do to a world when when gone unchecked and what i mean by that is do you ever just get sick and tired of seeing it just get to the point okay i've seen enough when we pray thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven it hasn't been answered yet except in a smaller form you and i individually so if you're not sure yet just read through revelation and daniel again as as saints unto the most high we will have such an aversion to the the perverse governance on this earth that we will have no problem administering correction when we see something we will want to stop it we know where it ends up this current world system will not work and would wipe mankind off the face of the earth if god didn't stop it as jesus christ comes down to stop the carnage we will be joining him on white horses ready for that event we've been given the position because we obeyed his voice and kept his covenant we understand how to administer judgment god's judgment the millennium will begin with the need to establish the new government not from men but from god above let's finally close uh close in isaiah 2. let's read this through isaiah 2 sometimes we don't focus on what it is we do afterwards isaiah 2 and verse 2 now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it many people shall come and say come let us go up to the mountain of the lord to the house of the god of jacob he will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths for out of zion shall go forth the law and the word of the lord from jerusalem he shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nations shall not lift absurd against nation neither shall they learn war anymore this world needs this after the windows were broken and the robbery took place the driver sat stunned after returning home she would stay locked in her home for days when the reluctant driver was pressed for a comment she said i wish this was not our world well we have good news for her there is a new government from heaven about to come down

Channel: UCG Milwaukee

Views: 308

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: UCG, UCG Milwaukee, United Church of God, United Church of God Milwaukee, UCG Sermon, white horses, resurrection, saints, white horse, kingdom, reign, christ

Id: LWQ1DCopiCs

Length: 66min 53sec (4013 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 23 2021