WEBVTT 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:05.440 As we continue our study in Revelation, turn with me to Revelation chapter 20. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:09.119 We're going to be sitting in chapter 20 for a few weeks. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.359 This morning we're going to be looking at verses 1 through 3. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:22.160 I'm going to read verses 1 through 6 so you kind of get a better view of the whole picture. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:27.199 Revelation chapter 20, beginning in verse 1. 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:34.799 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:48.799 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.840 After that he must be released for a little while. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:56.719 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:07.680 Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:11.519 They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:16.239 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:18.319 This is the first resurrection. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.760 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:30.719 Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:38.799 Most of us have walked past or seen a chained up dog in a backyard. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:47.599 In fact, every time that I've done mission work in Central America, this is actually a common thing that we see in Central America. 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:49.599 The dogs are just meaner there. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.680 And they they have a lot of them. 00:01:51.760 --> 00:02:04.719 And we would be doing mission work and we'd have our backpacks, and they would always tell us when we're walking past houses, and if there was a dog in the backyard, go ahead and get your backpack down around your legs so you can use it as a defense in case the dog gets loose. 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:10.960 But we're all familiar with this picture: a dog on a chain just barking, snarling. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:20.960 It looks like it wants to tear you apart, but there's a chain there, and that chain determines how far this dog can reach. 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:37.680 There's an established zone of danger that's within that dog's uh current reach because of the chain, but outside of the reach of the chain, no matter what the dog does, how aggressively it barks or snarls or foams at the mouth, he's no threat. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.039 He can't get to you, he can't do anything to you. 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:54.879 There's a saying that's often attributed to Augustine that the devil is like a chained dog, that he can bark, but he can only bite those who wander within his reach. 00:02:55.599 --> 00:03:04.240 Brothers and sisters, I want to tell you this morning that we are often tempted to live as if the dog is loose. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:11.599 We are often tempted to live as though Satan has more power over us than he does. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.240 We often fear the culture. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:17.360 We often fear the world. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:24.319 We often fear elections, politics going a certain direction. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:33.840 We often fear for our children, and we often fear for the darkness that we hear in the news. 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:43.680 Revelation 20 continues the same message that Revelation has told us, chapter after chapter, verse after verse. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.560 Christ is victorious. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:52.080 You do not have to fear that which Christ has reign over. 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:58.879 And Revelation 20 shows us this by opening up and showing us the chain. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:18.800 So when we get here, let's kind of frame where we're at in Revelation chapter 19 ended with uh, you know, Jesus coming out on a white horse and all his army behind him, not army, people, bystanders, uh uh, those of us in Christ, just watching. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:25.439 We see Christ have victory with just the word of his mouth, the sword coming out of his mouth. 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.360 We see the false prophet and the beast are thrown into the lake of fire. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:35.600 And so one enemy remains that we see in chapter 20, the dragon himself. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:40.160 And let's go ahead and just get this one thing, the millennial question, out of the way. 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:41.680 I sent you an email this week. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:46.480 If you didn't see the email, let me just kind of tell you here what's going to happen. 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:54.480 This chapter and the millennium has been read differently by faithful Christians for 2,000 years. 00:04:54.720 --> 00:05:13.519 And as Baptists, our statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and our historic confession, the 1689 uh London Baptist Confession, they leave room for us as a congregation to have differing views on the millennial reign. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:18.000 We consider that a tertiary issue in this church. 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:36.720 And that means that you can be a member of this church and have a differing view from another member on exactly how the millennial reign is going to fold out, and we can covenant together and be members of the same church. 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:45.279 And those three views are premillennialism, and premillennialists hold that Christ will return before a literal thousand-year reign on the earth. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.199 The second one is a millennial. 00:05:47.439 --> 00:06:05.120 Ah means no or not, which is not really a good definition for a millennialist, but it holds that the thousand years symbolizes the present church age between Christ's first and second comings, uh, during which he reigns and Satan is restrained. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:16.560 And then thirdly, there's post-millennialism that holds that Christ will return after a long age in which the gospel spreads widely and transforms the nations. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:22.879 Now, I want to humbly and gently, pastorally tell you this. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:30.959 I don't think it's possible for anyone to know for absolute certainty which view is correct. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:37.360 And I loosely hold on to my current view after I've switched from a prior one. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:48.079 And I really don't think that it's John's intent for us to spend so much energy on the map as opposed to the meaning. 00:06:48.319 --> 00:07:00.720 And what I mean by that is that if you bring a millennial lens to Revelation chapter 20, you risk missing what John's actually telling us. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:01.920 Does that make sense? 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:03.279 I hope that makes sense. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:05.680 We're not going to read into the passage. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:09.680 We're going to see what John want us to know. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:18.240 If we get too caught up in the millennial debate, then we will actually miss what we as a church need to take from John's writing here. 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.199 So I'm not going to settle the debate. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:23.439 The debate's going to rage on. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:30.879 I want us to know what John wants every believer to take home from Revelation chapter 20. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:37.680 And on that, there is a lot of common ground between all the views of the Revelation. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:45.439 One thing that the book of Revelation does for the church is it lays out our battle plan. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:54.079 Revelation chapter 20, I mean, Revelation, the whole book of Revelation is telling us as believers, as the church, this is the battle plan. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:59.920 This is the strategy for how you as the church will conquer the nations. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:10.879 We don't rely on armies, on institutional powers, on governments, on nations, or any other authorities for our victory. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.160 Our victory is already decided. 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:18.480 Christus Victor, Christ is the victor. 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:33.519 And by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony, for 2,000 years, the church has continued to blossom to the four corners of the earth. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:38.080 And for 2,000 years, nothing has stopped us. 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:42.000 And until Christ returns, nothing ever will stop us. 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.519 That's the message of the book of Revelation. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:51.200 You do not have to have earthly power for the church to conquer. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:53.919 You've got the power of Christ. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:02.399 And for a time, in this battle, the church will suffer. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.679 Because Christ suffered. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:12.960 But through our sufferings, through the blood of the martyrs, the church will grow. 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:17.679 The gospel message will continue to saturate the earth. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:22.639 This is the battle plan and strategy for us as Christians. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:27.679 Go and spread the gospel to the far reaches of the earth. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:32.720 There is no peoples or country that is off limits to us. 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:38.399 Go and share Christ and die for him if you must. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:45.120 And your victory in Christ is absolutely 100% certain. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:55.360 So what we see in the first three verses here really helps set the stage for what's to come later in the chapter. 00:09:55.519 --> 00:10:07.200 So as we look through Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 3, the first thing that we see this morning is Satan is mighty, but Christ is mightier. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.399 So we have to look at who the enemy is. 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:19.919 And John describes him by giving him four names, and each of them describes a way that he works. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:25.039 The first thing we see is that he's a dragon. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:28.000 And we've seen this symbolism before in Revelation. 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:30.000 We've seen it in other places in the scripture as well. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:36.240 Isaiah 27:1, the dragon is representation of raw power and chaos. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:52.399 This is also the dragon that was described in Revelation chapter 12, who attempted to destroy the Messiah before his birth, and then from whom the church was protected from, that we see imagery of in Revelation 12, 6. 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:59.519 John also names him the ancient serpent, where he's pulling back from Genesis. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.840 This is the deceiver from the Garden of Eden. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.679 He deceived our first parents, Adam and Eve. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:12.960 He deceived them, and for a time, he deceives the nations. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:25.600 In the Old Testament, we see a great deception of all the peoples, and then we see Christ come and we see something extraordinary happen. 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:31.759 Christ said, I'm not just here for the Jews, I'm here for all peoples. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:51.200 The nations are no longer under this deception that was once held, and the gospel is now going into all the nations, and yet the ancient serpent is still working in the art of deception in the same way that he deceived our first parents, Adam and Eve. 00:11:51.919 --> 00:12:10.639 John also calls him the devil, the slanderer who accuses you, who day and night accuses us before God, listing out our sins before him, why we are not worthy, why we belong to him. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:17.440 That's why we need someone to intercede for us. 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.440 That's why we need a mediator. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:23.679 That's why we need Christ. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:35.519 If you are not in Christ, then you have no mediator, you have no intercessor that's there to counterargue the devil's arguments against you before God. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:37.759 That's the gospel message this morning. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:38.399 There you go. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:41.759 Give your life to Christ, come to Christ and be saved. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:58.960 So you've got a defense attorney standing there before God, and your presence before the Lord turns from a courtroom of accusation to a courtroom of adoption. 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:10.960 We've seen the pictures of our own courthouse down here, where we've had friends that have finalized an adoption, and what joy is there. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:19.519 And the parents are standing there with a judge who's declared this child legally is yours, is now yours. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:30.639 And in that same courtroom, we may have murder cases where someone's accused of wrongdoing, and the court needs to punish them. 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:32.799 Justice must be served. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:36.639 And so the devil is there accusing us. 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.559 God, this one is not worthy to enter into heaven. 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:42.399 Look at the sins. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:43.519 Look at them. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.039 I've got them all right here. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:56.080 There's not enough that can that can handle the amount of sins that that that that your creation here has done. 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:03.519 And God says, this is no courtroom of accusations. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:06.080 This courtroom is for adoption. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:08.159 I've bought that one. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:18.399 And lastly, John calls him Satan, the adversary who opposes God's people. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:26.320 This is the resume of Satan, the evil one who is against the church, who is against God's people. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.200 We would be foolish to downplay him. 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:36.960 Secondly, look at how easily he is bound. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:42.720 I love these, if you could call them fight scenes in Revelation. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:54.559 You know, Revelation, you think if like it made into a movie, this would be a really cool movie, but the fight scenes would be not much of fight scenes, because there's really just not much battle or fight that goes on. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:00.320 There's an angel that is sent against him, an unnamed angel. 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:13.120 This isn't like Michael, you know, like we like in scripture we see named angels, and we think that these are high-ranking angels in the hierarchy of the army of God that is set. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.279 This is an unnamed angel. 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:24.639 And he sent to Satan just one angel with a key and with a chain. 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:28.960 And nothing in the text describes a struggle. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:31.840 There's only verbs of action. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:38.000 The angel seized him, bound him, threw him, shut him in, and sealed it. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:47.279 The four names of Satan, the dragon, the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan, this great enemy. 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:55.519 One unnamed angel comes and just easily puts him in his place. 00:15:56.240 --> 00:16:03.759 It's not even Christ who comes to subdue the dragon, it's a messenger sent on his behalf. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:10.480 Now it would be quite an odd picture if we were to think of a battlefield prior to battle taking place. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:41.600 You know, you think about movies that you've watched where there's like a medieval battle or like the Revolutionary War, where they're lined up with muskets, and say, in that battle, you know, some they would send messengers across and imagine in a battle like that, an emissary, just a messenger being sent across from one army to the next army, and yet instead of delivering a message, that emissary single-handedly subdues the entire army. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:43.919 That's what we see here. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:53.919 An unnamed emissary from Christ single-handedly subdues the dragon without even the hint of a struggle. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:17:04.880 This great power that deceived our first parents that has deceived the nations, suddenly powerless. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:18.480 How is such a powerful being so easily seized and subdued by an unnamed messenger, an unnamed emissary, one angel? 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.319 Well, that's where we have to look at where the authority comes from. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:29.599 Right at the beginning it says that an angel came down from heaven. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:38.720 Revelation 118, Jesus says he holds the keys to death, and Hades, this angel is sent down by God. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:45.839 In chapter 9, verses 1 and 2, the abyss is opened, but only because someone was given the key. 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.559 In chapter 20, here it is shut. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.480 Both the opening and the closing are under God's control. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:56.000 God is in control of the abyss. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.720 Now, the world and Satan is sealed there. 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:07.279 And there's a connection here between something that happened to Christ. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:09.279 Christ was also sealed. 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:18.079 He was crucified on the cross, put in a tomb, and then the world sealed the tomb with a stone. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.799 And that seal could not hold him. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:27.200 Death, the seal of death, could not hold Christ. 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:35.920 But now we have a power from heaven seal Satan, and Satan cannot overcome it. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:40.640 That seal holds as long as God wants it to. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:19:02.000 Something that we need to take from this is that while we are not angels, the source of power that is given to the angel to easily subdue Satan is also given to God's people through Christ. 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:14.160 The power of God that sent an angel to subdue the evil one comes from the same source that you and I derive our power from as the church. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:28.640 So if the angel sent by God can so easily subdue the dragon, how much more so will the power of God continue to work in his church until he calls us hung? 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:30.559 What shall we have to fear? 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:32.799 Who can rise against us? 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:35.200 Who can uh overtake us? 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.160 Who can extinguish the church? 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:43.680 None can, because the power of God is with the church. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:52.319 Romans 8, 9 through 11, you, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you. 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:56.240 Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:03.839 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:16.400 If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:23.359 Brothers and sisters, if you are in Christ, you are in Christ for one reason and one reason only. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:38.960 The same power of God, the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the physical dead spoke into your heart and said, See Christ as your Savior this very moment. 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:48.480 The only reason you have salvation is because of the power of God working in you with the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:21:00.079 1 John 4.4, little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:06.960 Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ, therefore it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:14.240 And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:31.200 Brothers and sisters, the hand that holds the chain, the hand that tells Satan how far he can go and go no further is the same hand that holds you by the power of the Spirit. 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:33.839 He's made his home in you. 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:38.000 God now dwells in and with his people. 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.039 If you are in Christ, that Spirit of God is in you. 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:42.720 We have no temple. 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.440 We don't have a holy of holies. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.680 We don't have to have a priest go in and intercede for us. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:53.119 God now dwells amongst his people. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:57.519 God is with us in this room this very moment. 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.759 And I don't mean that in a sense. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.640 Of his omnipresence, that God is everywhere, so therefore he's in this room. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:09.279 I mean this in a sense of if you are in Christ, you are his people. 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:17.440 You belong to him, and so he is fellowshipping and communing with you this very moment as his people. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:22.000 And nothing can take that away from us. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:27.839 Secondly, Satan is restrained so the gospel can go forward. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.839 So why is Satan restrained? 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.480 We see deception is his chief weapon. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:37.359 He deceived Eve, he's been deceiving the nations. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:40.160 That's been his method since Genesis 3. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:42.079 He's a liar from the beginning. 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:44.799 Jesus told us that in John 8.44. 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:54.400 He blinds the minds of unbelievers, 2 Corinthians 4.4, and he deceives the whole world, Revelation 12.9. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:59.839 And we see this regularly and increasingly in our world. 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.920 Paul talks about it several times. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.480 He wrote clearly about it in Romans 1. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:20.319 In Romans 1, 21 and 22, he says, talking about non-believers, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to them, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:24.079 Claiming to be wise, they became fools. 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:35.440 And then he tells us in 1 Corinthians 1 18, for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:45.359 Brothers and sisters, we should not be surprised when the world behaves as a world that is under deception. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:24:01.759 Because we read in our text this morning that Satan deceives the nations, therefore the world around us will regularly think and speak and behave in a manner that is against what we are called to think and speak and behave as. 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:08.000 And they will look at us and they will say that we are foolish. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:23.839 So when that happens, because we are a minority, we will always be a minority, we will always be outnumbered by the world until the return of Christ and he takes us home. 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:39.920 So when that happens and we see the world behaving in a way that we know is wrong, what should happen to us as a people of God is not to behave more like the world, but to feel this stamp of approval. 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:42.880 You're doing what you're supposed to be doing. 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:47.440 You're being the church, you're being different from the world. 00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:52.720 And this is exactly what Scripture said that we're going to be 2,000 years ago. 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:54.640 And it hasn't changed. 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:58.720 I mean, it's it the the concept is still there. 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:03.759 It may look differently because culture looks a lot different now than it did 2,000 years ago. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:05.920 The foundation is still the same. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:08.480 They hated Christ, so they'll hate the church. 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:12.880 They hated the church 2,000 years ago, the world hates the church still today. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:16.319 To different degrees in different parts of the world. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:24.799 But this should encourage us to keep on pressing on for Christ. 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:27.599 It's a reminder: this world is not our home. 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:29.920 This world is under the deception of Satan. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.160 We are eagerly awaiting our final adoption into our eternal home. 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.720 But until then, we have to be on guard. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:39.359 We have to be like a night watchman. 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:45.680 We have to be vigilant while we temporarily live amongst the deceived nations. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:51.920 The second subheader here, the restraint has a specific target. 00:25:52.160 --> 00:25:55.920 Satan is bound so that he might not deceive the nations any longer. 00:25:56.079 --> 00:26:00.720 Now, this text doesn't say that Satan is inactive at whatever time period this sets. 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:07.039 Peter still tells us in 1 Peter 5.8 that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:11.359 Paul tells us in Ephesians 6.11 to put on the armor of God. 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:22.480 What is restrained from Satan or for Satan is his power to stop the church and her mission. 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:25.920 The church moves on, the mission moves on. 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:37.680 From every tribe and language and people and nation, Christ is calling people to himself, and Satan can't stop that. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:42.559 Thirdly, Jesus taught the same thing. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:12.480 Colossians 2, 15, the cross disarmed the powers of Satan. 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:14.880 Then comes the Great Commission. 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:17.440 Going to all the nations. 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:23.200 And that's given to the church from the one who has the authority to send. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:30.240 Jesus is not a general who's hoping for a good outcome. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:35.519 Jesus is the warrior king who already bought the right outcome. 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:42.319 So whatever you believe about the thousand years, whatever we believe, every believer can affirm this. 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:47.200 The cross dealt Satan a decisive blow. 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:52.880 And the gospel is going to nations today where he cannot stop it. 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:59.920 The first prophecy and proclamation of the gospel in Genesis 3.15 has been fulfilled. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:03.039 Christ has crushed the head of the serpent. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:12.799 The proto-evangelion in Genesis 3.15, where God says to Satan, I will put enmity between you and the woman and between her offspring and your offspring. 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:16.559 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:21.200 The last sub point in this section D, the church's weapons. 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.359 Now, against all odds, the church has conquered the world. 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:30.240 Not by sword, not by political power, not by ruling governments. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:39.599 The church has conquered the world by the word of God, the gospel message of salvation to all who come to faith in Christ. 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:43.119 And the gospel has launched into the four corners of the earth. 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:48.480 And despite multiple attempts, it has not and will not be snuffed out. 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:51.599 Now, let's draw a comparison here to Islam. 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.079 How does Islam conquer the world? 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:58.960 Islam says they want to bring peace to the world, but how do they want to bring peace? 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:02.640 By suppression, by complete control. 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:10.799 They want to conquer through the sword and rule the world and then bring peace under one world Islamic reign. 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.759 And we as Christians say, we don't do that kind of conquering. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.279 We don't need an army. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:18.640 We don't need a gun. 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:24.240 We don't need a power, a governmental power, an earthly power, an institutional power. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.079 We don't need the right politician. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.359 We don't need any of that. 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:28.880 We have Christ. 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:34.720 And he has died for his church, and his church will prevail and will move forward. 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:41.359 And the church will conquer the world by the word of the Lamb and by his gospel message. 00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:44.799 And you will not stop us. 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:46.880 Our weapon is Christ. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:48.799 That's all we need. 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:51.279 Let's think about a few things in history. 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:52.400 Number one, Rome. 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:54.880 Rome had the most powerful army in the world. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:30:00.000 It fed Christians to lions, burned them at torches, confiscated the scriptures. 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:04.160 Christians had no weapons, no political power, and no legal rights. 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:11.200 300 years later, Rome was gone as a pagan empire and the church was still standing. 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:17.279 It outlasted the mighty Roman Empire and every empire that's tried to destroy it since then. 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:22.240 China in 1951, the last missionaries were marched out of China. 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:27.599 The government closed churches, burned Bibles, sent pastors to labor camps. 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:33.039 For 10 years during the Cultural Revolution, Christian worship was simply illegal. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.599 By any human measure, the church in China should have died. 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:43.839 Instead, it grew from under a million believers in that time to tens of millions. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:47.759 The dragon couldn't stop it because the dragon is on a chain. 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:55.599 In Iran, in 1979, there were perhaps 500 Christians from a Muslim background in all of Iran. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:03.599 The new government threw out missionaries, banned the Persian Bible, and made it a crime to share the gospel. 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:12.559 Forty years later, now in Iran, there are hundreds of thousands, maybe even more than a million Christians. 00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:24.400 The church itself meets in living rooms in groups of four or five, and they may sing quietly so their neighbors won't hear, and the government can't stop it. 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:37.519 In southern Ethiopia, when Fascist Italy occupied Ethiopia, the Italians rounded up the missionaries working there and sent them all home on April 17th, 1937. 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:41.519 The church in southern Ethiopia at that time had 48 members. 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:54.400 Imagine being a missionary being forced to leave after nine years of work with only 48 members, 48 believers behind you, knowing that they're going to face hostilities alone. 00:31:54.960 --> 00:31:58.240 You would think that the church is not going to survive. 00:31:58.640 --> 00:32:03.519 Four years later, they come back and they're not at 48 anymore. 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:06.079 The church is at 10,000. 00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:15.200 One of their local church leaders, Wandaro, was whipped in the public market and he would preach the gospel between lashes. 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:23.119 Another church leader, Toro, was whipped in public with a hippo hide whip and he shouted out the gospel while he was being whipped. 00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:39.599 And the church against the powers of the world, great and mighty powers of person against a persecution against it, blossomed and flourished, and the dragon could not do anything to stop it. 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:48.160 That's how the church conquers the nations by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony. 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:54.799 Thirdly, Satan is on God's timetable, not his own. 00:32:55.200 --> 00:33:01.200 We see in verse 3 that he must be released for a little while. 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:07.200 I don't know what that's referring to, what it looks like. 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:11.039 You know, the different views have different sayings on it. 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:13.599 What is the heart of the message here? 00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:18.880 Um even Satan's freedom is scheduled by God. 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:24.480 You know, I've told you God is not playing some ping pong game against Satan. 00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:26.319 How's Satan gonna hit that? 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:28.799 No ping pong game. 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:30.079 God's in control. 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:34.400 Satan's timetable, not his own, it's God's. 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:41.279 The second subheader, notice the proportion, a thousand years. 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:42.240 We have a thousand. 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:46.160 So again, something that all sides can agree on. 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:48.240 We have this thousand-year reign. 00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:55.279 So whether that's a literal thousand years or just symbolic for a long time, it's a long time, right? 00:33:55.440 --> 00:34:00.480 A thousand years is a long time compared to Satan's freedom, a little while. 00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:02.240 Notice these comparisons. 00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:08.400 Long-term reign of Christ, Satan released on God's schedule for a short time. 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:11.840 Satan's moment is short. 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:20.800 And then lastly, even his release serves God's purposes. 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:23.920 That's where Romans 8 28 comes in. 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:29.440 God is working good for his people in all things. 00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:33.840 Now, let's I want to make a very clear distinction there. 00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:39.760 If you are not God's people, God is not working for your good. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:43.039 That's why we say, come to Christ. 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:46.400 If you're not in this, God is against you. 00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:53.039 You have got to come to faith in Christ, and then you'll be in this group of people that God is working for. 00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:55.519 God is working for their good. 00:34:55.920 --> 00:35:03.599 So even under this loosing of Satan, there is no pause in Romans 8.28. 00:35:03.760 --> 00:35:07.519 There is no pause in God working good for his people. 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:10.960 He's always working good for his people. 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:21.760 When the martyrs have given their lives and shed their blood for the gospel for the sake of Christ, God is working for the good of his people. 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:31.440 And that's a common recurring theme that we see in the book of Revelation: the gospel being spread by the blood of the martyrs. 00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:36.960 Now, why would God let Satan go? 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:40.159 You're gonna have to come back for that one. 00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:43.840 We're gonna talk about that one in future sermons. 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:46.800 So some application this morning. 00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:50.880 Firstly, share the gospel boldly. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:53.679 The door is open right now. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:05.199 Your coworker, your neighbor, your kids, friends, parents, they're not beyond reach because Satan is on a chain. 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:11.360 Children, kids, tell your friends about Jesus. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:13.440 Invite them to church. 00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:22.239 In our own church, we've seen an entire family come to Christ at the invitation of a six-year-old. 00:36:23.280 --> 00:36:25.840 Kids, invite your friends to church. 00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:30.559 Number two, support missions with confidence. 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:41.360 If our mission is to spread the gospel and we know the gospel will spread, we know the church will be victorious, we're supporting the winning team that we know has already got the victory. 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:43.199 Now we don't know all the details. 00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:53.920 We don't know if this missionary is going to do that or this missionary may be a martyr, this missionary may plant a church that booms, this missionary may bring three people to Christ. 00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:56.400 We don't know, but we do know this. 00:36:56.559 --> 00:36:59.920 We can support missions with confidence. 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:02.880 No people group is too closed off. 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:06.000 So we pray, we give, and we go. 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:15.519 And I continue to challenge our church to have a goal to have 10% of our budget go to missions. 00:37:15.679 --> 00:37:18.960 And I don't think I ever put a year on it, so I put a year on it now. 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:19.920 2030. 00:37:20.079 --> 00:37:21.360 Is that okay, Henry? 00:37:21.519 --> 00:37:22.719 Henry said yes. 00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:24.320 I didn't look at him. 00:37:24.639 --> 00:37:30.719 By 2030, I want 10% of our budget to go to missions. 00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:31.280 Okay? 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:37.440 We should be a missions uh sending supporting church. 00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:38.159 And we are. 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:38.880 We do that. 00:37:39.039 --> 00:37:40.400 We just want to do more. 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:44.639 We just want to do more because the mission is what matters. 00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:49.199 We are not here to build a name for Calvary Baptist Church. 00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:51.920 We're here to build a name for Christ. 00:37:53.039 --> 00:38:00.880 May, may a thousand years from now Calvary be forgotten and Christ be proclaimed. 00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:03.519 Does that make sense? 00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:10.079 So, so so every dollar we spend is going to go to the expansion of the kingdom. 00:38:10.239 --> 00:38:15.440 I have to tell y'all, I get I'm I'm proud of y'all. 00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:24.960 Sometimes when people learn that we have another church meeting in our building, people I people in Tyler are confused by that. 00:38:25.760 --> 00:38:26.800 Why do you have another? 00:38:27.280 --> 00:38:32.079 Because they're preaching the gospel, because they're proclaiming the same Christ. 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:34.719 Those are our brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:38.000 And they're they're planting another church in Tyler. 00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:40.719 Guys, there's like 200,000 people here. 00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:45.760 And as long as they're not all in a Bible-believing church, we need more. 00:38:46.320 --> 00:38:50.159 Nobody here ever complains that we've got too many Mexican restaurants. 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:55.280 I've never seen somebody say, Oh, another Tex-Mex place? 00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:56.960 We've got plenty of those. 00:38:57.119 --> 00:38:59.519 But I've heard people say, why another church? 00:38:59.679 --> 00:39:02.719 Well, because there's still people that don't know Christ. 00:39:03.440 --> 00:39:14.639 And so until all of Tyler knows Christ, we will support church plants that have nothing to do with making a great name for ourselves as Calvary. 00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:16.880 This is not the opposition. 00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:20.800 I don't understand that. 00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:23.760 We're not in opposition with other churches. 00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:26.639 I know that there's a church on every corner in Tyler. 00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:28.639 Praise God for that. 00:39:29.440 --> 00:39:32.880 And we pray for, that's why we pray for other local churches. 00:39:33.119 --> 00:39:40.719 And that's why when people come here to visit, I'm not interested in making you join just Calvary. 00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:47.360 If I can help someone find a church that they can be a part of, mission accomplished. 00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:59.039 Because there's so many good biblical churches in Tyler that we need to partner together to proclaim the gospel locally and worldwide. 00:39:59.199 --> 00:40:00.559 It's as simple as that. 00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:05.519 Support missions with confidence, including missions here locally. 00:40:05.920 --> 00:40:10.400 Number three, fear the devil less and trust Christ more. 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:23.039 Parents, especially for our kids, teach your kids the word, teach your kids about the Lord. 00:40:24.239 --> 00:40:26.719 Have scriptures on your wall in your house. 00:40:26.960 --> 00:40:29.599 Teach your kids about Christ. 00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:36.639