1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,680 Waffer, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, County 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,400 of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,040 God has created you and I in a way that once we come to know 6 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,120 Him, that He wants to have continual union with us, 7 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,200 continual relationship with us moment by moment. 8 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,160 That's not on Sunday for a few hours, or on a Wednesday, or 9 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:52,880 when you open your Bible in the morning, but He wants to be 10 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,480 communing with you moment by moment. 11 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,520 And so we keep ourselves in remembrance of God's presence 12 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,320 24/7. That's what God's desire is. 13 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,840 That's the absolute picture of a perfect kind of humility. 14 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,720 My father was always working on some project around the house, 15 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,000 the yard or in the garage. He would always request my help 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,120 in these projects. I would often join him, albeit 17 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,800 reluctantly at times. I learned that it wasn't my help 18 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,760 that he desired, as I often slowed things down, but my 19 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,840 presence and relationship that he enjoyed. 20 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,680 Pastor Clark reminds us in today's message that God has 21 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,400 created us for constant communion with Him. 22 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,040 When we understand and submit to His design, we are far more 23 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,640 satisfied now. Here's Pastor Clark in 24 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,680 Revelation chapter one with today's edition of Living Waters 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,400 of Grace. Revelation chapter 1. 26 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,160 We'll start with where we left off. 27 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,600 The lesson is he who reads and those who hear the words of this 28 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,800 prophecy and keep those things which are written in it for the 29 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,360 time is near. The importance of reading the 30 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,680 Book of Revelation and not only reading it, but listening to it 31 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,840 and doing the things it says is promised blessing. 32 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,000 And so I want to encourage you guys as you're here to realize 33 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,760 that this is a very, very special book. 34 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,120 The whole book, the whole Bible is special, but there's a 35 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,240 uniqueness to the Book of Revelation that God has promised 36 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:24,320 to implant in your lives, a degree of blessing that is 37 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,920 unlike any other blessing that you will get in any other book. 38 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:32,240 And it has to do with revelation, illumination, wisdom 39 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,680 that God gives you as your life changes as you study this book. 40 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,920 And the word blessing comes from the Hebrew word that means more 41 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,960 to be guided, not so much to what I'm going to get out of my 42 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,640 life or what do you have for me, God. 43 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:48,600 But it's the privilege to be guided on the narrow path away 44 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,040 from all the lies of the philosophies of man in this 45 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,320 world that we Live Today. All the confusing things that 46 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,800 are being taught in colleges and high schools and on TV in The 47 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,360 History Channel, all these things that come across to 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,720 basically denounce the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 49 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,920 We're guided on this narrow path away from these kind of in the 50 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:13,760 modern times so that we won't be deceived into following 51 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,320 darkness, deceptions of the evil 1 and the allures of this fallen 52 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,440 world. The Book of Revelation 53 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,280 captivates you when you are walking in continual remembrance 54 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,520 of God. And that's the biggest thing I 55 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,280 think that we all struggle with every day. 56 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,000 How can I keep God in my thoughts all day long, moment by 57 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,440 moment? Someone called me recently on 58 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,080 vacation and they said, you know, I was doing really good 59 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,840 for three days, keeping my mind on the Lord in the Word. 60 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,240 And then all of a sudden the 4th, 5th day came. 61 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,960 I just thought I needed a diversion, watch some TV, just 62 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,040 chill out. And the person admitted that 63 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,160 they started forgetting about God a little bit. 64 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,720 And as they started forgetting about God, their lives began to 65 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,640 unwind and go back into old patterns and old places, old 66 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,200 sinful impulses and temptations. And so God has created you and I 67 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,800 in a way that once we come to know him, that He wants to have 68 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:08,040 continual union with us, continual relationship with us 69 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,000 moment by moment. That's not on Sunday for a few 70 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,400 hours, or on a Wednesday, or when you open your Bible in the 71 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,480 morning. But He wants to be communing 72 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,240 with you moment by moment. And so we keep ourselves in 73 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,560 remembrance of God's presence 24/7. 74 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:28,080 That's what God's desire is. That's the absolute picture of a 75 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,680 perfect kind of humility when I realize I want to be with the 76 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,840 Lord, that I realize I need to be with the Lord, that He wants 77 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,440 me to be with him and I want to be with Him. 78 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,440 And we have this community, him and I together, this 79 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,960 relationship of love and friendship and closeness, that 80 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,400 there isn't anything I want to do in my life that ignores him 81 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,480 or puts him out of the picture. Now whenever we want to take our 82 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,960 lives in a way and just have it our own way, so to speak, and 83 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,160 think our own thoughts and our own ways, what's that an example 84 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,400 of? That's an example of pride. 85 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:05,000 And that's the thing that the Lord detests the most, a proud 86 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,480 heart, an arrogant heart. And our minds are like that 87 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,960 whenever we stop thinking about God. 88 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,960 And we're not usually wired to think that way, but that's how 89 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:20,440 God, God has created us so that we would need Him all the time. 90 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,600 That's the way it was in the Garden before the fall. 91 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,080 Adam and Eve were able to speak with God and they were able to 92 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,160 hear God's voice back to them. They were aware of God's 93 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:34,280 presence all the time. So this is the purpose of this 94 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:38,200 book, to get us more geared in the sense of walking with the 95 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:39,840 Lord. The Bible says walk in the 96 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:42,760 Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 97 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,200 So being with the Lord is a walk moment by moment, step by step, 98 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:52,760 to abide in the vine, to be connected to the resource of 99 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:58,080 Jesus Christ 24/7, abiding in him, receiving our nourishment, 100 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,640 our spiritual strength, our food from Christ himself. 101 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:06,320 He said, abide in me and I and you, and you'll bring forth much 102 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,920 fruit, for without me you can do nothing. 103 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,920 Walking, abiding, repenting, continual repentance, metanoia, 104 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:21,600 the present verb tense of always submitting and repenting before 105 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,080 the Lord. That's why the psalmist said, 106 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,080 let the words in my mouth and the meditations of my heart. 107 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,600 He was so in tune with God's presence that he was aware that 108 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:36,560 God saw every thought and was able to determine every motive 109 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,600 of the human heart and then to humble ourselves. 110 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,280 We're told in James for us to humble ourselves under the 111 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,960 mighty hand of God, that we're told in Romans to yield 112 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:51,000 ourselves not as instruments of unrighteousness unto evil, but 113 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,560 yield ourselves as members of righteousness unto God. 114 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,480 It tells us in Romans chapter 12 we're to present ourselves a 115 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,280 living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. 116 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:08,160 It tells us in Psalm 139 to let God search your heart, to let 117 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,640 Him try your thoughts, and to see if there's any wicked way in 118 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,200 you and to lead you in the way everlasting. 119 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,760 So this is the desire of this blessing that God wants to give 120 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:19,240 you. When you read this book and you 121 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,320 participate in it and you meditate upon it and you think 122 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,520 about what it's teaching, it's preparing you to have a deeper 123 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:29,040 walk with the Lord. That's the intention of the Holy 124 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,240 Spirit as we study this book together. 125 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,800 In verse 4 it says John to the seven churches which are in 126 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:41,120 Asia, grace to you, and peace from him who is and who was and 127 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:46,400 who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his 128 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,040 throne. As we talked last week and we 129 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:54,280 saw the map, John is speaking to the seven churches in Asia 130 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,920 Minor. The number 7 reveals 131 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,880 completeness or perfection. There was more churches than 132 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,760 thus 7. But the concept of the writer 133 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,840 and the Holy Spirit was that as we think about this seven, it 134 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,080 refers to every church, just not the ones that are listed here. 135 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,360 And this book, as we said last week, was written between 94 and 136 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:18,640 96 AD during the reign of Domitian, who was an evil empire 137 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,200 in Rome, who had tremendous influence around all the regions 138 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,360 and who was very prone to persecute Christians. 139 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,080 He was an idolater. He spent about $22 million in 140 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,440 developing places of idolatry to worship false gods, and he 141 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,720 wanted to get rid of everyone that proclaimed this message of 142 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,480 Jesus Christ. He put John the Apostle out in 143 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,919 the Isle of Patmos, which is about 37 miles off the coast of 144 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:47,400 what is today modern Turkey. It's a island that you wouldn't 145 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,280 want to go to. It's not a Paradise Island. 146 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:53,040 It's not like going to Hawaii. It is a rocky terrain, very dry 147 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,560 place, only about 10 miles long, about 6 miles wide. 148 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,800 And they use this place to send people who needed to be 149 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,120 isolated, people who were considered possible threats to 150 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,080 the government of Rome. And of course, all Christians 151 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,320 were considered that at that time. 152 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,400 And so he tells us as he begins to write this book, and he's 153 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,400 writing it to those who are going through persecution at 154 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,520 this time, through this evil empire. 155 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:22,440 He's telling them that grace and peace be given to them from him. 156 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,920 Capital H, who is and who was and who is to come. 157 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,400 The Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh. 158 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:34,280 You remember God said to Moses. Moses says, who should I say 159 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,600 sent me? He says, I am that I am. 160 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:45,160 God is fully everlasting and eternally existing. 161 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:50,080 He is the one true God, the everlasting Father, Son, and 162 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,280 Holy Spirit. And He speaks in this fourth 163 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,040 verse. Also, interesting comment here. 164 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,760 He makes this word here regarding the seven spirits who 165 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,840 are before His throne, a mystery verse, but again, referring to 166 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,600 completeness, and a lot of the commentators see this as being 167 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,240 the first of the sevens in the Book of Revelation. 168 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,080 It's a key number, as I said, signifying God's perfection, His 169 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,600 completeness, and it is believed that this is a reference to 170 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,880 Isaiah Chapter 11, verse 2, where the Holy Spirit is 171 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,040 described in this section of Scripture. 172 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,760 They are called the Spirit of the Lord Prophet Isaiah Speaking 173 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,360 of the Spirit coming upon the Messiah, upon Jesus. 174 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,560 It says the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. 175 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,600 That's the first aspect of the completeness of the person. 176 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,560 The Holy Spirit says the Spirit of wisdom, the second 177 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,160 characteristic of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of 178 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:52,880 understanding, The third aspect of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit 179 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:57,320 of counsel, the 4th, the Spirit of power, the 5th, the Spirit of 180 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,880 knowledge, the six, and the fear of the Lord. 7 the Holy Spirit 181 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,400 and his complete fullness. And so he gives us greeting that 182 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,720 goes out from the Father Himself, and eventually now we 183 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:11,920 begin to speak of the person of the Holy Spirit. 184 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,280 And the next few verses will speak on the person of the Son. 185 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:19,400 So in the Book of Revelation we see very clearly manifest the 186 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,920 Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, which is 187 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:26,880 very, very important to affirm and to believe and to understand 188 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,560 and to know. And as he begins to give this 189 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:32,640 greeting, the greeting then begins to go from the Father to 190 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,320 the Holy Spirit. And as I said now as we begin to 191 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,240 look at verse 5, to the Son and from Jesus Christ, the faithful 192 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,560 witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler over the 193 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:50,040 kings of the earth, to Him who loved us and washed us from our 194 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,160 sin in His own blood. We see in this section of 195 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:58,760 Revelation the manifestation of Christ in His priestly office 196 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,840 and His prophetical office and His kingly office. 197 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,040 Jesus Christ is prophet, priest and king, and the three titles 198 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,680 which will comfort these people who are reading this time, we're 199 00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:13,360 reading these letters or hearing these letters as they're read in 200 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,520 their fellowships who are undergoing difficult 201 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,080 persecution. It says he's the faithful 202 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,320 witness. Now you think about Christ when 203 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,360 he was on trial before Pontius Pilate, he witnessed a good 204 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,760 confession. Pilate at the point of hearing 205 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:30,880 the declarations and the accusations of Christ, said I 206 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,840 find nothing wrong with this man. 207 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,480 He's done nothing wrong. We should let him go and he 208 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:40,200 basically, you know, washed his hands of the whole thing because 209 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,840 there is no sin that could be pointed out in the person of 210 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,800 Christ. What he says, what Jesus says is 211 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:50,640 always true. You can count on Christ every 212 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,560 day of your life. He's the one that gives you 213 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,200 absolute reality and he's the one that's promised you. 214 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:01,440 I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life. 215 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,280 No man comes to the Father but through me. 216 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,640 And we're living in a time, folks, where the world and the 217 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,680 school systems are trying to invade your mind to tell you 218 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:16,880 that Christ isn't the true one. Every assault of hell is against 219 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:20,800 the forces of the Kingdom of God in these days that we live to 220 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,760 dismantle and diminish the authority and lordship of Jesus 221 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,840 Christ. There's a attack against the 222 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,440 sovereignty and the holiness of God and the days that we live to 223 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,360 try to dismantle your faith and mine. 224 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,000 But Christ is the one that overcomes all the ideologies of 225 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,000 man. The ones that conflict with the 226 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,880 truth is always going to be present because that's the way 227 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,720 it's been since the beginning of time when the devil said to Adam 228 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,560 and Eve hath not God said trying to distort the truth of the word 229 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:55,760 of God. But we can rest in the person of 230 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:59,080 Christ because he is the faithful witness. 231 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,560 People might laugh at you because you believe what he says 232 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,600 and you follow what he teaches, but don't worry about that. 233 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,160 Your reward will be great in the Kingdom of heaven when he says 234 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,480 to you, well done, good and faithful servant, you want to be 235 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,600 a faithful witness as well. This like Christ has been a 236 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,520 faithful witness on our behalf. And then it says he's the first 237 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,880 born from the dead. Interesting definition there. 238 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,480 But this is reflecting on his resurrection. 239 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,200 There was other people that Christ rose from the dead. 240 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:32,400 Think of, you know, those in history that even didn't have to 241 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,480 go through death, like Elijah and Enoch. 242 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:39,280 But Christ is the first one to rise in glory from being once 243 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:41,560 dead. All the others that rose at the 244 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,960 time from the dead were returned back to their earthly life. 245 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:51,120 But Christ was glorified, and the same life that he received 246 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,440 through His resurrection is a life that He provides you and I, 247 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,800 that we also receive. It's an everlasting life. 248 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:02,440 It's a life that's given to us by the only life giver. 249 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,240 And then it says that He's the ruler of the kings over the 250 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,840 earth. What a comforting word this is 251 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,640 to me this day and I hope to you. 252 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,000 Our confidence, I hope, is not in the political rulers of this 253 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,960 world. They all fail. 254 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,680 They all pass on and they all eventually die, But this roller, 255 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,760 the Lord Jesus, the King over all the earth, he's the 256 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,960 sovereign King. He's the one that appoints and 257 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:31,920 takes down according to his plan and be encouraged. 258 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,120 As I said, the earthly leaders of this world are slowly fading 259 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,440 away. That's a blessing. 260 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,560 It's a blessing that that evil roller in roam that empire 261 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,040 eventually was taken down. All those ungodly rulers that 262 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,600 persecuted Christians were all eventually destroyed and they 263 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,240 eventually died. Adolf Hitler, the one who 264 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,160 created the persecution for the Jews, is dead. 265 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,200 Stalin and Lenin are dead even though they created great havoc. 266 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,800 God is merciful and history moves on. 267 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,600 We look back in history to remember the horrible things 268 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,480 that happened and to understand that with the wrong kind of 269 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,000 leaders, terrible things can happen in this world. 270 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,080 But Christ is the one who sits on the throne, so nothing's out 271 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,120 of control, even though at times you might think it is. 272 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,920 He's allowing these things to happen, to come to pass, so that 273 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,800 one day he can soon return. This is the one Jesus who loved 274 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,080 us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. 275 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,360 Well, I'll tell you, it doesn't get any better than that, does 276 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,920 it? The one who loved you and washed 277 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:42,960 you in his own blood. I'd underline that circle with 278 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,120 highlighted can be reminded of it frequently. 279 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,960 Because no one could have done this for you but Him. 280 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:56,200 To him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own 281 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,720 blood, the greatness of our Lord. 282 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:05,319 Amen. No one but Jesus can do this for 283 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:11,480 you and for me. We can't earn it, we don't 284 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:17,119 deserve it, but He did it for us because He loves us. 285 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,640 Perfect love. When you consider this and you 286 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,079 think about this, this price that He paid for you, I'll tell 287 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:28,200 you guys, I mean, I need to repent daily. 288 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:33,520 Why does our minds forget so easily the sacrifice that Jesus 289 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,080 paid for us? Why the times that we take it so 290 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:41,720 lightly? This death of Christ died for 291 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,440 you and me. It shows that our hearts are 292 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,600 still hard at times and they still are indifferent. 293 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,880 And I think that's a good verse to get on our face before the 294 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:56,200 Lord at times privately and review it and then allow your 295 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,520 heart to pour out to Him. Lord, I'm so thankful that you 296 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:03,680 love me, that you do love me, and that You have shed your 297 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:09,840 blood for me. You have washed me from all my 298 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,560 sins, not just a few of them, that He's washed me from all my 299 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,680 sins. In the picture of the cleansing 300 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,040 of sin, the purification, the covering of the blood, there's 301 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:25,880 no medium or product given upon the face of the earth through 302 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,760 modern technology that can cover sin. 303 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,840 Only the blood of Jesus can cover our sin. 304 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,360 It breaks the bondages in our lives. 305 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:39,120 It breaks the habits and the life besetting sins, the things 306 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:42,160 that before we gave our hearts to Christ, the things that 307 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:46,360 mastered us and controlled us, we were slaves to their control. 308 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,520 And the good news is when the blood is shed and it's covering 309 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:54,040 us of our sins, we are set free and we don't have to live the 310 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,480 way we used to live. And some of us are deceived 311 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,360 thinking that, well, yeah, I know I'm saved and I know you 312 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:03,680 know, Christ did all this stuff, but I still have this desire and 313 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,240 I still have this attitude, and I still have this want and all 314 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,320 this. All I can encourage you is get 315 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,200 on your face before God and proclaim the truth that Jesus 316 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:13,880 has washed you from all your sins. 317 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:17,640 And that means he's broken the bondage, the power for sin to 318 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,320 reign and roll over your life. Let's go back to the Word and be 319 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:24,400 reminded of what is true and turn your back away from the 320 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,680 lives I know in your lives. As you're walking before the 321 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,160 Lord, you're changing little by little. 322 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,600 And I am too. And I look at my life back all 323 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,480 those years I've lived so far, and I marvel that I'm not the 324 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:42,440 same person I used to be. I'm sure you marvel when you 325 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,240 look at your own life. I know I'm not perfect yet, but 326 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,160 I know that I'm not what I used to be and I can't get over that. 327 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,200 It blows my mind that I don't want to do this anymore. 328 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:55,960 I don't want to do that anymore. I'm not interested in, you know, 329 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,840 so many things that used to captivate me. 330 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:01,480 And it's the work of God's Spirit. 331 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,120 It's the work of His grace. It's the work of the power of 332 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,000 His blood in my life and in yours. 333 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:10,680 It washes us. It frees us from selfish hearts, 334 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,760 from hot tempers, from lustful passions and self-centered 335 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,160 living. That's what the blood does. 336 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,000 When you look at someone and you say, boy, you know, they seem to 337 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,720 have a servant heart. They care about people more than 338 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,800 they care about themselves. But don't give that person the 339 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,680 credit. Give Jesus a credit. 340 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:31,920 He's the one through his blood that's done that in that 341 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,840 person's heart. The person used to flip out and 342 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,000 say all kind of angry things and had a temper that was always 343 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,720 unruly and volatile. The person's life changes and 344 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,520 now they're peaceful. They don't respond the same way. 345 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,760 Why? Because of the blood of Jesus, 346 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,400 the man or woman or teenager that used to find their kicks on 347 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,920 pornographic imagery and sexual immorality and fornication and 348 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,440 all the evil things that we're all capable of and many of us 349 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,400 have committed. The blood washes us and frees us 350 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:08,240 from lustful passions. The focus isn't upon you or me 351 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:12,480 anymore of what I can get out of life or what's best for me, but 352 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:17,080 what can I do to give my life away for the sake of Christ and 353 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,280 the sake of others? Christ's blood transforms us, 354 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,160 doesn't it? It changes us. 355 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,400 And if you're still the same and you haven't changed and 356 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,560 something's wrong, either you haven't really been converted 357 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,920 yet and you haven't really repented, and you haven't been 358 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,960 born again yet and you haven't been saved, or you have had some 359 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,560 bad teaching and you understand all the promises that are yours 360 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,800 in Christ Jesus. But Christ himself, He's the one 361 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,680 that has loved you and has washed you from your sins in His 362 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,600 blood. I remember that old song. 363 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:55,440 Would you be free from your burden of sin? 364 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:59,800 There's power in the blood, power in the blood. 365 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,800 Would you do service for Jesus your king? 366 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,160 There's wonderful power in the blood. 367 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:14,360 There is power, power, wonder, working power in the precious 368 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,080 blood of the lamb. There is. 369 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:23,160 There's power, wonder, working power in the blood of the lamb. 370 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:29,680 Really, really powerful guys. In verse 6 it says, and he's 371 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:35,040 made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory 372 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,960 and dominion forever and ever, Amen. 373 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,120 Do you know today that we are kings and priests of the most 374 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:46,120 high God? And He's made us this way so 375 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:51,160 that you can represent Him to others, so that they can come 376 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,360 and get healing from their brokenness and their ruined 377 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:56,960 lives. That people you run into who 378 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:01,520 know they're sick and need a physician will come to you to 379 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:07,240 find out about the Savior so He can cleanse them and heal them 380 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,480 and deliver them and save them, just like He's saved and healed 381 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,200 and delivered you. Amen. 382 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,280 The function of the priestly office in the Old Testament was 383 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:23,920 a mediator role where the Old Testament Jews had to deal with 384 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:28,320 a priest who went in and made intercession for them and made 385 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,160 atonement on the ark for their sins. 386 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,760 In Hebrews chapter 10/19, though it says Now we having boldness, 387 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:40,680 brethren, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which 388 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,560 is consecrated through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, we 389 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:47,360 can enter in boldly by the blood of Jesus. 390 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,840 We are digging into the Book of Revelation here on Living Waters 391 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:55,600 of Grace. Pastor Clark is tackling this 392 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,520 challenging book as we try to discern the messages that are 393 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,120 within its pages. There's so much imagery, and at 394 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,600 times you're not always sure what's literal and what's 395 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:08,960 metaphorical. At one point, there's a 396 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,760 reference to an adulterous woman riding on a beast. 397 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,160 And as someone else mentioned, at one point it almost sounds 398 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,640 like a rodeo from hell. And in actuality it kind of is. 399 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,960 You learn about the downfall and demise of a sinful and 400 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:29,240 rebellious world, falling down in worship to someone who is the 401 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:36,200 anti hero, the enemy, Satan working his insidious ways into 402 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,880 the minds of fallen people. It's sad and it's heartbreaking, 403 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,600 but it's a classic story of good versus evil. 404 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,080 Thankfully, we know how this story ends. 405 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:55,360 Jesus wins, Jesus reigns, and evil is conquered once and for 406 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:57,880 all. We pray and trust you've 407 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:02,880 received Jesus as your savior. But if you haven't, don't wait 408 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,160 until the events in Revelation become what's happening on the 409 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,640 streets. None of us wants you to be there 410 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,000 at that time. Instead, we'd love for you to be 411 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,760 with us in heaven as we celebrate the marriage supper 412 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:23,240 with Jesus as his bridegroom. To get a better understanding of 413 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,400 where we are in the Book of Revelation, to listen to any 414 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:31,080 messages before or after this one, you can find them at our 415 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:34,680 website, calvarychapelonline.com. 416 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,400 That's it for today's edition, but we hope you'll want to hear 417 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,840 Pastor Clark teach more from the Book of Revelation. 418 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:46,240 It can be exciting to think about the future for believers, 419 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,320 but it can feel a bit harrowing for those who don't believe. 420 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,440 Come here more next time on Living Waters of Grace.