The Book of Revelation The Struggle is Real The Struggle for Hope July 4-5, 2015 ******* I hope you are all enjoying this weekend. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating this holiday by cooking out, being outside in the yard, watching fireworks and enjoying friends and family. I especially enjoy this holiday because of what it stands for. This holiday remembers our founding fathers, who struggled to establish a new nation of freedom. Freedom didn t come easy, and this nation was formed out of struggle and perseverance. For several years, the colonies struggled against Britain to win their freedom. I m assuming that there were times that George Washington wanted to give up. I m confident that Thomas Jefferson had thoughts of doubt about the words that he wrote on the Declaration of Independence. But these founding fathers never gave up. They struggled on and persevered because they were committed to the hope of a new nation - a better nation. They struggled on and a new country of freedom was born. I doubt the founding fathers could have dreamed of how America would grow. I m sure they didn t envision 13 colonies becoming 50 states stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This is a nation where a person is judged on their personal merits and not by family background or social status. Today, America is one of the leaders of individual freedoms: freedom of choice, freedom of speech, freedom to own property. The main reason that we are able to even gather here today for worship is because we have the right to religious freedom. Even though we live in a country of freedom, we still face struggles in life. Working with teenagers, I have seen how the struggles of life change with age and the different seasons of life. In middle school, most teens are struggling to find themselves. Girls are struggling to find the right amount makeup to use, and boys are struggling to figure out what to do with overgrown feet and that prickly stuff that starts growing on their faces. In high school, many students struggle to earn good grades in order to get into the right college, and then after college they struggle to find a way to pay off the loans that got them through college. Starting a family can be challenging too. I m not a parent, but I imagine that rearing children can be a struggle. Parents, you may think 1
you ve grown out of the struggles of middle school and high school but beware; you just might relive those struggles again when your kids reach that age. Today, we are going to discover that in the struggles of life, we can find hope in Jesus. The first thing that we are going to be discussing today is that struggle is common in our world. Today, we are reading from Revelation 6&7. We are going to see that our hope during struggles is Jesus himself. The Book of Revelation was written by John, a friend and follower of Jesus. In these chapters, John writes about a vision he saw involving 7 seals. In the first four seals, John uses the symbol of horsemen riding over the earth. The first four horsemen in Rev. 6:1-8 represent the four major evils that exist in history: war, violence, economic failure, and death. Most scholars agree that John wrote Revelation to the Christians living in the Roman Empire around 90 AD. At this time, Emperor Domitian was ruling and under his reign, Christians were severely persecuted and harassed. The government forced Christian business owners to pay outrageous taxes, some Christians were exiled and stripped of citizenship, and others were killed for not worshipping the emperor. In Rev. 6&7, John writes using this symbolic language to describe the struggles in Rome during Domitian s rule John s audience would have probably connected his descriptions to current events in their time. As we read, you and I will also be able to see that John s descriptions connect to current events in our history. Revelation 6:2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. - Germania tried to invade Rome in 89 AD. - Roman General Fascus was defeated by the Dacians in 86AD - the whole 5th Legion was destroyed. - World War II was fought to push back evil invasion. Hitler was brutally murdering Jews and other minorities and invading peaceful nations in Europe. The Allied forces came together to stop evil from conquering and the struggle came at a high cost. Revelation 6:4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. I already mentioned the incredible persecution of Christians under Domitian. The terrorist group known as ISIS has been terrorizing and waging war in parts of Iraq and Syria to conquer anyone who doesn t yield to their political belief system. This shirt that I am wearing right now has the Arabic letter n. ISIS has gone through towns & communities identifying Christians and marking their homes with this letter n which stands for Nazarene referring to Jesus of Nazareth. ISIS is forcing Christians to pay hefty taxes, leave the community or face 2
death. These believers are our brothers and sisters in Christ and they are being persecuted and put to death for their belief in Jesus! The struggle is real. Revelation 6:6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, Two pounds of wheat for a day s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine. There was a famine and shortage of grain in 92 AD also adding to the crisis. Two pounds of wheat for a day s wage was 8-10 times higher than the average price of grain. This was probably connected to the grain famine and economic inflation. Many of us here remember the financial crisis of 2007-8. It was called the worst financial emergency since the Great Depression. Property values dropped, the stock market plummeted 50%, and major car manufacturers like Chrysler filed bankruptcy for government bailouts. A few years earlier in 2006 in my hometown in Ohio, a large steel plant locked out union workers because they couldn t reach a bargaining agreement. I remember driving to school and passing the plant and seeing one of my best friend s dad holding a picket sign protesting in front of the gates. I know many friends whose family members lost their pension, were forced into early retirement and lost benefits because of the lock out. Many of them are followers of Jesus too., struggling under economic failure. The struggle is real. John s readers probably connected his vision to current events in the first century. Even though our circumstances are different, the struggle of these evils: war, violence, economic failure and death are real. The words in Revelation are real for us too. Although Christians face struggles today, the struggle is temporary. Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. These are believers who were killed because they believed in Jesus. Revelation 6:10-11 They called out in a loud voice, How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. They cry out how long and God responds, wait a little longer. Soon suffering will cease; soon the struggle will end. Today, Christians still die for their faith. This past February 21 Christians in Egypt were murdered by ISIS for refusing to convert to Islam. These 21 believers have 3
joined the voices crying out how long until justice is done. Christian martyrs have a testimony of hope. And now, their testimony lives to inspire the rest of us to not lose hope. We can follow their example. Most of us will probably not die for our faith. We may not be murdered for believing in Jesus. But we can have a living testimony of hope following their example. We struggle against temptations at work. Some of us here struggle against evil that wants to pull apart our marriages. Some parents struggle when they don t know what to do about their children s behavior. Have you ever prayed how long? How long until I can get a job? How long can we go being angry with a family member? How long does my loved one have to suffer in the hospital? How long will the struggle last? Revelation 7 tells us that the struggle is temporary. Revelation 7:14b-17 These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, or any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. The struggle is temporary. God will wipe away every tear. Every tear shed over financial need. Every tear shed for the struggle between a boss and coworker. Every tear shed from the pain of illness. Every tear shed over a rebellious son or daughter. Every tear shed at a funeral for a loved one will be wiped away. The struggles we face are real, but there is hope in Jesus. He died and he rose from the grave. He conquered death! He has overcome every form of suffering and pain that we experience. And one day we will be free from the struggle. We can learn a few things from the example of martyrs. There are character traits of martyrs that we can apply. If we make their character traits our own, we can have a living testimony to the hope of Jesus in the midst of struggle. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Martyrs struggle peacefully. I have a friend who was betrayed in business. Someone he worked with hid a lot of financial information and made a bad business deal that left my friend penniless. My friend felt betrayed. He had a right to seek out legal action to get his money back. He had every right to be angry and hateful toward 4
the other person. But he chose peace. He didn t go to war; he forgave and chose to make peace. We may not go to war as soldiers, but have you ever been in conflict with a coworker? Do you respond with hostility or peace? Have family dynamics ever felt like a battle? There are struggles between a parent and child, or siblings not seeing eye-toeye about how to care for aging parents, or agreeing which in-laws to visit at Christmas. Approach conflict peacefully. Sometimes peace is more important than winning a fight. In order to be peaceful, we ought to struggle mercifully. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Many of us have heard about the tragedy in Charleston a few weeks ago. A gunman walked into Emmanuel AME Church and killed 9 people including the pastor. Last week, I watched the courtroom proceedings at the first bond hearing for the shooter. A family member from almost every one of the victims gave a statement directly to the shooter. The daughter of one of the victims said this, I forgive you. You took something very precious away from me. I will never get to talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul. You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. If God forgives you, I forgive you. Are you holding a grudge? Did you walk in here today feeling anger toward someone? Have you been hurt? Are you jealous of someone else s recent success? Evil is struggling with you to give into hate. Christ wants you to respond with mercy and forgiveness. Parents, you can leave a legacy of peace. Instead of responding to conflict and struggles with anger, let your children see you respond with mercy. Perhaps as you leave this building today, you need to go to someone to show mercy. If God is prompting you, do not delay. Finally, in order to find hope, we ought to struggle faithfully. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Struggle can tempt us to give up on God. Sometimes we are tempted to doubt our faith. I want you to know today that God is faithful in the struggle. He has called you; he has redeemed you by dying for you. He will not let you be destroyed. Though we suffer, though we feel pain and hurt, it is only temporary! While I was writing this message I got a phone call from an old friend. He told me that on Mother s Day, he and his wife found out that she was pregnant, and the next day he lost his job where he was making six figures. He told me that he looked high 5
and low for work; he couldn t even get something part-time at a hardware store. On the phone, he told me that he and his wife were asking, What is God doing? He said they prayed daily on their knees, for God to move. Things became so desperate that he went camping overnight and only took a gallon of water. For 24 hours he fasted and prayed, throwing himself on the mercy of God. He never gave up faith. He asked why and he prayed how long will this go on? He could have given up and walked away from God, but he stayed faithful, trusting God. He prayed, God, we need something by Friday. After that, he got a phone call and started a new job on Thursday night! It s not a glamorous job or prestigious job. He s not making six figures, but he can feed his family. The point is not that God will always give us what we want, but he is faithful to give us what we need when we are faithful to trust him. In John 16:33 Jesus says, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Have you been struggling and feel like giving up today? Are you feeling as though you are at the end of your rope and can t see the hope of God anywhere that you look? Today, I pray that God will put fresh wind in your sails and strengthen your heavy heart. He is your hope! We can endure by the Hope of Christ. My grandfather has been a great example for me of struggling, but having hope in Jesus. He owned his own construction and real estate company. In the 80s, interest rates jumped to over 15% for housing loans which meant people were not buying homes. When a business doesn t have any income, it s normal to lay off employees. However, he chose to pay his employees salaries out of his own savings. On top of that, he didn t stop tithing. Typically, believers tithe on their income. My grandpa s expenses exceeded his income, which meant he was losing money to keep his business running, and he chose to tithe on his losses. So not only was he paying expenses out of pocket, he was tithing on those expenses out of pocket. That wasn t the only struggle. At 56 years old, my grandfather lost his wife to cancer. Through the years, he has faced struggles both in business and is personal life. But he has always trusted and hoped in Jesus. Last month my grandpa turned 80 years old. All of his children and grandchildren were there to celebrate. I ll always remember his short speech: God has been faithful to me, and my hope for my grandchildren is that you keep the faith and pass it on to your children. Crossroads, we have a faithful God. We will struggle, but it will end. Keep the faith. 6