Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] I'm going to read.
[00:00:07] It's been great how everything's been dovetailing this morning.
[00:00:12] I'm going to help you to those who are at the end of your rope, or you're thinking enough is enough, and what do I do when I, I've come to the end?
[00:00:29] And that may have already been indicated to you, you may have picked that up already in a declaration that Pastor mark was just giving there a few moments ago.
[00:00:42] But the whole songs that we've been singing this morning has really led us into the passage that we're going to read together. It is from the book of Revelation.
[00:00:58] And before we do that, we understand dreams and visions. Yeah, you understand that you have dreams when you're asleep and you have visions when you're awake. But basically they are the same in the sense of the need for interpretation of them.
[00:01:19] Ever had someone come to you in the morning and say, had you this great dream last night? And they describe the dream and it's all going really well. You understand a little bit about it because it's got the name, you know, it's got the street, it's got maybe some buildings, it's even got people that you know in it, and then it's all going really, really well. And then suddenly your friend is like, what? It's like it just moves into another gear, another level, like you don't understand it. It's got pigs flying and buildings are shaking and moving around. It's like, what have you been eating? What is wrong with you? I don't understand a word you're saying now.
[00:01:57] Well, welcome to the Book of Revelation because that's a little bit what it's like.
[00:02:07] It is of an old man, the closest friend of Jesus, and he's the only remaining disciple of the twelve. The others have all died and he's in his eighties, late eighties now. He's written the gospel and he's written the letters and he's found himself on the island of Patmos. Not because of our holiday destination, where some of you may have been even this year, I don't know. But it's not a holiday destination at that time for him. It's a place where Rome puts their prisoners.
[00:02:55] And although he has not committed crime, he's there because of his faith. He's there because he served God. He's there because he's done what he tried to do in following Jesus.
[00:03:09] Since Jesus ascended, he's there because of being a Christian. He's there because he's really tried his best in life and the Romans have put him there. He's the church leader for the whole of western Turkey, his known world, and he's there because of the faith. And Pamos, the name means my killing place.
[00:03:34] It's a place that you're not going to come off. It's the end for you. This is where it ends for you. It's impossible. There is no way through.
[00:03:50] And we're told that on the Lord's day, as he always did, he was in the place of worship just like you have been and I have been this morning.
[00:04:10] And Jesus comes to him just like you have felt the presence of the Lord in this service this morning.
[00:04:21] Because the truth is, it does not matter where you have been and what you have done, it doesn't matter where you are. You may be on an island of Patmos, you may be come to the very, very end. Jesus always finds you.
[00:04:41] He always comes.
[00:04:43] He knows where you are and he knows your situation.
[00:04:48] And John has this amazing vision which is what the hall of revelation is, and it's basically Jesus coming to John and basically says to John, John, I'm still here.
[00:05:10] Your situation and your circumstances of your world may have changed, but I'm still here.
[00:05:18] I'm still Alpha Omega.
[00:05:21] Im still in charge, im still in control of your life. And you may think its over, but I want you to pick up the pen again, John, because I want you to write again because ive not finished with you yet. Some of youve been hearing the voice of the enemy of your soul who wants to write you off. And because of the situation and the circumstance of your life, you think its finished for you, you think it's over for you. But there is a call of the Holy Spirit this morning that simply says, whatever this means for you in terms of picking up a pen, whatever it is for you in terms of ministry or working for God, again, it is the Holy Spirit coming and saying, I know where you are, I'm here, I've seen you and I'm tapping on you on your shoulder and I'm saying pick up your pen again.
[00:06:16] So let's read, it's revelation, chapter four and we're just going to read a few parts at a time. And after this, I looked, you see, I don't know what it is for you after this. I'm not sure what after this is for you. For John it's a progression. He's just been writing messages to the churches and then it's a progression. But I don't know about you, what you're after is for you, is it an after of a broken relationship? Is it an after of a failure? Is it an after of a disappointment and a hurt? Is it after of a victory and a success? I don't know what that is, but what I do know is that in every chapter of our life, there's an invitation from the Holy Spirit to look again.
[00:07:09] And I want to say to this amazing, incredible church to look up.
[00:07:16] And if we can just come for a time this morning and allow this scripture and this experience of John just to help you to lift up your head for a moment away from your patmos, then you're going to see things and you're going to hear things, and there's an invitation to do something that will help you.
[00:07:43] When you hear a voice that says, enough is enough.
[00:07:48] After this, I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpethe said, come up here and I will show you what must take place after this. And at once, I was in the spirit. And there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of Jasper and Ruby, and a rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
[00:08:34] There is something to see. The whole point of revelation is that there are things that you do not know, and there is more than what you can see.
[00:08:49] John, here on this island of Patmos, looks, and heaven's door seems to be very, very close. It's not a million miles away. It's a breath away. It's just there.
[00:09:05] And there's an invitation.
[00:09:11] As I said at the beginning, when we move into dreams and visions as part of who we are, forms those dreams and visions. And John lived in a time of roman oppression. He had two emperors who he was living underneath, one Nero and one domitian. They were both wicked men, evil men who persecuted christians, who demanded to be called lord and God, and demanded to be worshipped and bowed down to. And they had many thrones around their palaces.
[00:09:46] John lived in that environment. And John looks, and in looking and seeing this other world, God begins to speak to John into his situation. This is not just about having a vision so that it makes you feel good. Oh, look, I've had a lovely vision. This is about speaking into your situation. And if you can come and see your situation within the scriptures this morning, you're going to walk out of this place and you are going to be different because of how God's spirit has spoken to you through this vision.
[00:10:26] And he hears a trumpet like voice.
[00:10:31] He says, I have heard it before and he did the first time in our chapter one, right at the beginning of the vision, he hears a trumpet like voice sound. And we have to step into his jewish culture to understand what that means.
[00:10:50] A trumpet like sound for the jew is a sound for battle. It's a sound to rise up and move forward. It's also in the feast of trumpets. It's a declaration of a new day. It's a declaration of God's going to do something new in your life. And John's hearing this and it's a trumpet sound. And so he knows that the God that he's serving, the God that he's following, Jesus Christ, the king of kings, is declaring over his life that I've not finished with you. It is a new day and it's springing up. I'm moving you forward into a new chapter. And if rediscovered church need to hear anything. It is that, that actually God is saying and declaring over your life that this is a new day, a new season, a new chapter for you to move into. Rise up saints, rise up into battle. It's a trumpet sound that we hear. John's hearing this. Come up here, I'm going to show you some things, John. And at once again, this is the second time at once I was in the Spirit.
[00:12:09] And that's where the church in the UK need to be.
[00:12:22] In a world where the voice is allowed, in a world where strategies are being pushed against the church, in a world where we are tempted to operate, react and respond according to our flesh.
[00:12:42] The greatest need of the church in our nation today is to be in the spirit and for the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to overwhelm our lives, to surround our identity. It's not about our identity that is crucial, it is about that every man and woman in the church of Jesus Christ has the identity of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is upon us, that is the key. And once I was in the Spirit, there before me was a throne, one of the beautiful things that John sees as he sees the throne. And if you can imagine with me, give me your imagination of a throne that John sees, which is very much part of the roman culture that he's been living in, but he sees this mighty throne and the important thing is, is that someone is sitting on it.
[00:13:48] Someone, oh this is amazing. Someone is sitting on the throne of heaven that John is looking at. Someone is sitting on it. Friends, there's no coronation, there's nothing, it's not empty waiting for someone to come. But someone already is sitting on the throne.
[00:14:08] And I want to tell you, friends, that person is irreplaceable, unmovable. This person on the throne is in control still of the whole universe that he created. John, I'm on the throne. And somebody this morning needs to realize that no matter what you're going through, what you're up against, what's coming against your life, that there is someone that you worship who is still on the throne today. He's still on the throne. He's in control of your life and your world.
[00:14:40] Isn't that amazing, John? Everything is secure, and John's looking at this throne, and he sees a rainbow circling. Oh, God, thank you. That this morning, there is a rainbow circling the throne. Because I don't know about you, you may have come in this morning. You may feel, well, I'm looking around at all these people who look very, very holy, got their hands in the air. They're singing their lungs out. I just feel like I'm the worst sinner in Exeter.
[00:15:21] The worst sinner in Exeter actually is happening to be in rediscover church today. And you just feel like it's you. You just feel like you failed. You just feel failed. Feel like God is just looking at you with shame and that, you know, you're not achieving the standards of other people. I want to tell you this, but when you see the throne, you see a rainbow of mercy around the throne. And the communication from God is this. I do not judge you like men judge you. I do not look at you through the eyes of man, but I come with mercy upon your life. It doesn't matter what you are or what you've done, but I come with mercy. Mercy, mercy. I will never punish you. I will never judge you in that way. As you come into my love and you see the throne of mercy, it's a rainbow, friends, that's communicating this constant, an eternal message to you.
[00:16:20] A rainbow that shone like an emerald. Let's understand what John saw for a moment. Let's read a little bit more.
[00:16:28] Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones. And seated on them were 24 elders, and they were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. And in front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. And these are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Let's understand that a little bit more, my friends.
[00:17:07] You will feel secure when you can remember what God has done either in your life or in the story, the Bible story, John is seeing that around the throne, there is a description of flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.
[00:17:32] Those are the three things. Flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder. And for us, wow, interesting. But for the jew, that's that phrase. That phrase, flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, trips off their tongue. Because it's so important for the jew, because it is the description of Mount Sinai.
[00:17:59] And that's their story.
[00:18:02] In fact, at Pentecost, where we sat, kind of like we come into the story at Pentecost, kind of at Pentecost, there's this violent shaking. There's this manifestation taking place. And all the Jews in the temple who were also celebrating the God of the past, the Mount Sinai God, the God who manifests himself, the God who steps into the world, the God who comes down, the God whose presence is not just way away beyond, but actually hits earth on Mount Sinai, huge for them. They hear something in a side room and all that they were celebrating in the temple. They move over to Solomon's portico, where the church is starting to gather, where the. There's an outbreak of the Holy Spirit. And what they've been celebrating of the God of the past was there right in front of their eyes. And they realized that the God of the past is now the God of now.
[00:19:03] And John is seeing around the throne these three descriptions that is so comforting to him. Flash of light and rumblings, peals of thunder, because he realizes that God is the God of every generation. And I want to say to you, friends, God may have touched your grandparents, your parents lives, but God is the God of your generation. God is the God of now generation. He moves in your life now. And there's nothing that God has done in the past that God cannot do today.
[00:19:36] Can God touch me? Yes. Can God heal me? Yes. Can God move upon my life? Yes.
[00:19:41] Amen.
[00:19:43] And John is seeing these things and bring security to him.
[00:19:51] And the communication from heaven is, do you remember? Do you remember what I've done for you?
[00:19:57] And maybe today, this morning, maybe you just need to remember.
[00:20:01] Do you remember when. When God first touched you? Do you remember when God first spoke to you? Do you remember when you first came to Christ? Do you remember your baptism? Do you remember that touch of healing on your life? Do you remember when your family member was touched by God, was saved? Do you remember your baptism in the spirit? Do you remember those miracles upon miracles. And maybe the Holy Spirit is simply saying to you today, I need you to remember what God has done in the past because it will build a security in your life that he's going to get you through what you're going through today.
[00:20:33] Amen.
[00:20:38] And you are secured not only by what God has done in the past, but you are secured by the Holy Spirit who is in this place today, who is here by his presence alongside you and me. You see, at the front of the throne, John says, I saw seven spirits, God, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. It, it's a description of the perfection and the completeness of the Holy Spirit.
[00:21:17] Seven is the number, whole, complete and spirits, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. And the message is this, that what God has started in your life, he will complete what God has begun in rediscovered church. He's not going to back away now. He's going to complete and bring it into fulfillment. There is more to come. And what you have been seeing and experiencing, that is only something of what the Holy Spirit is doing. But he will do more and you'll do more in your life. He wants to do more. That's the plan. That's the purpose of God for you. And you are secured also by the calm sea. You see that in front of the throne? What looked like a sea of glass for us yesterday we went down to the sea.
[00:22:10] You live in a beautiful place, don't you? Yeah. It must be really hard to be grumpy in Exeter.
[00:22:17] I mean, you must have to really work at it.
[00:22:21] Some of was two or three.
[00:22:24] Clearly it's a gift.
[00:22:26] No, I'm not joking. It's a joke. It was a joke. It's a bad joke. But we went down by the sea. We love the sea. I love the sea. We love the sea. The Jews don't like the sea.
[00:22:38] The sea is where all the horrendous monsters come out of the sea. The sea is chaotic. The sea is something to be feared. Why do you think when Jesus stepped forward and calm the sea. Whoa.
[00:22:51] If he can calm the sea, the chaotic sea, he can calm the sea of my own world.
[00:22:58] And before the throne is the security of God saying, I've got it all calm for you. Peace.
[00:23:09] I calm the wind and the waves. I calm the sea.
[00:23:14] There is something that we need to see when enough is enough. There is something that God wants to do with your eyesight, your spiritual eyesight. He wants you to see what John is seeing and there is something to hear before we are going to read a little bit further in revelation, it's important to realize if you've ever been to Rome and you've gone around all the amazing buildings, but just go on Google, save yourself some money.
[00:23:58] And if you looked at Nero's golden house, just tapping, not now, some of you reaching for your phone, any excuse, just to keep up with the preacher.
[00:24:16] Near his golden house, you see that in his palace, he had these frescoes of mythological creatures and animals all around, and they had eyes. And I, because of his paranoia, they were reflective. So the idea is that he could see what was happening in his palace.
[00:24:47] Domitian, when he took over, wanted to be known as lord and guard. And every room in his palace had a throne before you got to the big throne.
[00:25:00] So in moving into the big throne room, he would sit on every throne, watching people coming into worship.
[00:25:11] Here's verse six. There's something for you to hear.
[00:25:15] In the center around the throne were four living creatures. And they were covered with eyes in front and in back. And the first living creature was like a lion. The second was like an ox. And the third had a face like a mandev. And the fourth was like a flying eagle. And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings, day and night, they never stopped saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come.
[00:25:57] He sees four creatures and their eyes are everywhere. But this is not paranoia. This is power. And day and night, they sing about the holiness of God, about the perfectness of God, the eternity of God. Holy, holy, holy.
[00:26:18] And John is seeing and John is hearing and he's experiencing that God is more powerful than any of the powers and the principalities of his lifetime. All of the thrones and all. As man flexes its muscle and comes against the church, comes against John. John sees that this is where true power is. He sees around the throne and he hears a. A song.
[00:26:51] A song of power.
[00:26:54] Holy, holy, holy.
[00:27:01] Thank you.
[00:27:04] There is a soundtrack that goes through your mind that you have had for many years, which the Holy Spirit wants to address today.
[00:27:23] There is a soundtrack that lodges into your life.
[00:27:30] It comes from a hurt, it comes from an event.
[00:27:38] It's a sound of.
[00:27:41] Do you remember, do you have these moments where the other day I went into the petrol station and there was music being played and I went. It was about 08:00 in the morning, just filling up. And I paid and I didn't realize, but this sound of.
[00:28:01] I think it was mamma mia.
[00:28:05] It's not a worship song if you're visiting. It's not a worship song.
[00:28:10] Well, certainly not in Elam. Anyway.
[00:28:15] I came out of the petrol station and mamma mia got into my head.
[00:28:20] I'm sorry. It's probably got into yours now.
[00:28:24] Mama mia.
[00:28:27] Here we go again.
[00:28:30] Mama.
[00:28:32] I. I'm not lying.
[00:28:34] All day.
[00:28:37] All day until I got home to greet her. I was singing mamma mia in my head.
[00:28:45] You know what I'm talking about? Yeah.
[00:28:49] There's a soundtrack that exists in your mind.
[00:28:58] Let me tell you a testimony.
[00:29:03] I've worn glasses since I was eight.
[00:29:10] But for those who wear glasses as long as I have, you know, now that I'm 40 and, wow, it's been a tough life.
[00:29:31] I do moisturize. I try. And I thought you were a nice church.
[00:29:37] Anyway, let's move on. It's my story.
[00:29:41] Those who have worn glasses for a long time realize that back in the day, they didn't make glasses like they did. Well, certainly not, for. They used to have those wires. They used to cut your ears off. The reason why my ears are so big is because they. Could these be these wires? If anybody wears glasses, you know what I'm talking about? They were wires, and they push your ears out. I used to have three pairs. I used to have one on my face.
[00:30:05] One was in the opticians all the time because they were being repaired, because I was getting to fights. It's when I was witnessing and things. And then thirdly, one at home, ready, so that I would always have a pair. Because wearing glass is one of the things. As a child and into young people, as a young person, you were very, very conscious of wearing glasses. It's not because you're conscious of having glasses on your face. You're conscious of what people thought if they came off, because you look differently.
[00:30:39] So there was a. I was 13 years of age.
[00:30:45] Something happened to me in my french class that became a soundtrack for a whole number of years.
[00:30:57] Me and my french teacher, we didn't really get on. You know, I messed around. I passed, earned a trois. You know what? I just didn't do it.
[00:31:11] Couldn't get it. And so one day, she'd had enough of me clowning around and brought me to the front and said, you're gonna. You're gonna do the numbers up to ten, but you're gonna do it on the. On the chair. So you go stand on the chair. I'm 13 years of age, and she knew what she was doing because she was gonna humiliate me. And she said, but I want you to. I want you to count to ten and take your glasses off. And in front of the whole class, do the numbers one to ten.
[00:31:45] I took my glasses off. The whole class laughed, and I was totally humiliated.
[00:31:52] And at that moment, a sound came into my mind.
[00:31:58] It was about intimidation.
[00:32:01] What do people think about me? It took me 20 years to break that sound.
[00:32:08] I'm telling you that story because there are things that have happened to you that have created a sound in your mind.
[00:32:20] It goes on all the time.
[00:32:24] And the Holy Spirit this morning wants to break that sound.
[00:32:31] If it would be possible, I would open the window of heaven.
[00:32:42] Because there is another sound that John hears, if only for 30 seconds, if only for the time it takes to say the numbers to ten in French on a chair.
[00:33:03] Just a moment.
[00:33:07] You will hear that right now.
[00:33:12] Day and night, night and day, unceasing, never stopping.
[00:33:22] There is a sound that's more powerful than any sound that's come against your life while you've been living on this earth, and you've listened to many voices, and there's been many things that have come against your life, but there is a sound of heaven.
