The Abiding Message of Revelation, Part 2

Driving home: It is a revelation of Jesus Christ and the glory of the triumphant Lamb. And its message and purpose, positively stated, is to give counsel to the seven churches of Asia Minor in the late first century, to set before the…

Martin quotes John Bunyan's statement about preaching what he 'smartingly felt' to convey his deep conviction and personal urgency in addressing the book of Revelation.

The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, September 22, 2002, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now I began to speak to you this morning on the theme of the essence of the abiding message of the book of the Revelation. I told you, first of all, why I was constrained to do this and why I was taking up the subject with something of a Bunyan-esque disposition. When Bunyan said, I preached that which I did feel, that which I did smartingly feel, I gave you some rationale as to why I took up this subject with some sense of a smarting feelingness of its relevance an...

0:00 - 1:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is a revelation of Jesus Christ and the glory of the triumphant Lamb. And its message and purpose, positively stated, is to give counsel to the seven churches of Asia Minor in the late first century, to set before the…

Martin quotes Johnson's book to emphasize that Revelation is a book 'to be seen,' highlighting its visual, visionary genre and John's repeated phrase 'I saw.'

again and again and again and again, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. But the majority of the book is a different genre of communicating truth. It is that of vivid visions addressed not to the ear, but to the eye, and only to the ear in order to help the eye to see. And to whet your appetite for one of the books from which I did not quote this morning, Johnson's book entitled The Triumph of the Lamb, listen how he expressed this. Revelation is a book to be seen. John characterizes the message to which he bears witness as the word of God and the testimo...

2:46 - 4:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is a revelation of Jesus Christ and the glory of the triumphant Lamb. And its message and purpose, positively stated, is to give counsel to the seven churches of Asia Minor in the late first century, to set before the…

Martin uses the analogy of political cartoons, where a Republican elephant is turned into a donkey, to explain that Revelation's grotesque images should not be interpreted woodenly but for their overall message, not one-to-one literal equivalence.

the seven churches in writing but it is literature that paints for us the scenes that John has himself seen. And I performed a miracle this morning, I turned the Republican elephant into a donkey, and some of you were very gracious to point out my miracle working powers, but at least you got the message that as the message in political cartoony is not in some wooden literalistic understanding of the cartoons but in its overall message so likewise in this genre or this style of conveyance of truth we are to seek the message not in some wooden literalistic interpretation of one-to-one equivalenc...

4:46 - 6:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the third principle: all human history finds its true significance in relation to Christ's history and ultimate triumph, rooted in Genesis 3:15 and vividly…

Martin uses the historical example of God's sovereign ordination of Roman conquest and Greek culture to prepare the world with roads and a universal language for the spread of the Gospel, illustrating how human history serves Christ's triumph.

that he might govern all things for the accomplishment of his own saving purpose through the church throughout the ages so that when we think back to human history going back only so far as new testament times why was it that god sovereignly ordained that rome should conquer the world and that rome should have both the wherewithal in its imperialistic conquesting demeanor as an aggressive nation that conquered other nations to take the stuff of that conquest and create its roads why did god sovereignly ordain the emergence of the greek culture prior to rome and the universal acceptance of the ...

18:04 - 19:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the third principle: all human history finds its true significance in relation to Christ's history and ultimate triumph, rooted in Genesis 3:15 and vividly…

Martin quotes a commentator saying, 'things are not what they appear to be; they are what God intends them to be,' to underscore God's sovereign control over seemingly chaotic historical events.

of saul of tarsus with his mastery of the thought patterns of the greco-roman world and all of these things you see looking from the outside we see the conquest of rome we see the previous influence of greek culture and we say that's an event in human history but from the perspective of the enthroned land these are the tokens of god's mighty power governing ordering disposing all of the events in human history to what end that christ and his people may triumph and that the lord jesus will have the reward of his sufferings as one commentator said things are not what they appear to be they are w...

19:28 - 20:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Periodically go down to the latter chapters of Revelation to keep your souls in the certain eventuality of the ushering in of the new heavens and new earth.

Martin quotes William Hendrickson's 'More Than Conquerors' to articulate the central theme of Revelation as the victory of Christ and His church over the dragon, emphasizing that apparent defeat leads to glorious triumph.

scissors the рыв and regardless of that he will givepling thee that even the freedom thou hast� understandeth but thou be mode of testing me not itself but by thy power and blood the earth of this Judaismeminist by explicit promises and by vivid images it is made clear the lamb and his army are going to win the land and his army are going to win until we come to those marvelous descriptions in the orthodox quirks of god aland the wonderful predictive speech of Esteban from Abraham to Abraham and pardon your NV N branded vision for the видимatrix command points and rulers they have accomplished...

22:06 - 23:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Periodically go down to the latter chapters of Revelation to keep your souls in the certain eventuality of the ushering in of the new heavens and new earth.

Martin recounts a story from Dr. Poitras' commentary about seminary students asking a janitor what he understood about Revelation, and the janitor's simple, profound answer: 'Jesus is gonna win,' illustrating that the core message is accessible and clear.

should dwell with them and they should be his peoples and god himself should be with them and be their god he should wipe away every here from their eyes and death should be no more neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore for the first things are passed away and he that sits on the throne you see where we're taking right back to chapters four and five he that sits on the throne says behold i make all things new and he said right for these words are faithful and true and he said unto me they are come to pass and as surely as we announced this morning and evening service and it...

26:08 - 27:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Be merciless on things that would erode a sensitive conscience.

Martin quotes John Owen, stating that in every sin, we should see not just its modest beginning but the 'maxim of expression of its end,' to emphasize the seriousness of even 'little sins' and the need for ruthlessness in mortification.

As John Owen said, we see in every sin not just the modest proposal of its beginning, but the maxim of expression of its end.

50:18 - 50:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they loved not their life even unto death. What is the foundational and the procuring cause of their overcoming? It i…

Martin uses the examples of Lydia's heart opening like a flower and the Philippian jailer's conversion like a thunderclap to illustrate the Holy Spirit's effectual work in bringing people to Christ through the Gospel.

And in his death, he secured everything necessary to bring those for whom he died from a state of sin and condemnation and death to a state of life and glory and glory. And everlasting blessing. And so, because he died for them and shed his blood for them, in due course, he brings the gospel to them. And by the Spirit's effectual work through that gospel weather, as we heard last week, like a flower opening to the sun in the case of Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened.

53:15 - 53:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Those who are indeed set apart unto God in union with Christ, they live, they persevere, they die, they are glorified by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Martin quotes Augustus Toplady's hymn, 'Yes, I to the end shall endure, as sure as the promise is given, more happy, but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven,' to express confidence in the perseverance of the saints through Christ's strength.

We can say with top lady, yes, I to the end shall endure, as sure as the promise is given, more happy, but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven. And there is that confidence, yes, I must overcome, but I shall overcome in the strength and in the power of the Lord Jesus. Yes, God is at work in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. And that becomes the basis of my rolling up my sleeves to work out my own salvation.

59:57 - 60:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Those who are indeed set apart unto God in union with Christ, they live, they persevere, they die, they are glorified by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Martin uses the Apostle Paul's statement about striving and agonizing according to God's mighty working to illustrate the paradox of Christian life: human effort empowered by divine grace.

With fear and with trembling. The Apostle Paul could say, I strive, I agonize, according to His working which works in me mightily. Well, Paul, do you do the agonizing or does God do it? He says, I do it.

60:35 - 60:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that if you are not in Christ, you are a 'loser' aligned with the devil, who is destined for the lake of fire.

Martin uses the analogy of playing on a softball team that is guaranteed to lose to challenge unbelievers about the futility of aligning with the devil, who is destined to be a 'loser.'

But I really do want you as the Lord's people to have this book as part of the spiritual bloodstream that is in you so that you might know the benefit of these perspectives in your Christian life. And my final word to you who are not God's children, I couldn't help but think at my desk, it's a terrible thing to be a loser. It's even more terrible to know that you're a loser and more terrible yet to know that that's all you can be as a loser. How many of you would go out and play on a softball team if you knew before the game ever started you're beat?

62:57 - 63:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Break up your alignment with the devil through repentance and faith, throwing yourself upon Christ, the Lamb of God, to be on the winning side.

Martin highlights the 'unusual conjunction of concepts' in Revelation where the one who conquers is the Lamb, not a lion, to emphasize Christ's victory through sacrificial death for sinners.

You see in Christ, the one who died for sinners, the one who's able to break your chains that bind you to the world of selfish interest and can set you free to serve and love the God who made you and you throw yourself upon the one who is called over 20 times in the book of the Revelation, the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That's why it's an unusual conjunction of concepts. You think of a lion as triumphing and conquering but the one who conquers in the book of the Revelation is the Lamb, the Lamb who died and shed his blood for sinners and if you throw yourself up...

65:05 - 66:00 Read in full sermon