The Wedding of the Ages (Revelation 19:7-10)

 Revelation 19:1-10

The Wedding of the Ages!

 (pt. 3)

INTRO- Recall the “Wedding of the Century” between the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana.

4Reasons Why Every Believer

Should Add Their Voice to Heaven’s “Hallelujah” Chorus!

1) Because His judgment of the wicked is both deserved and fair

(Revelation 19:1-2)

2)  Because His judgments are permanent and unalterable

(Revelation 19:3-4)

3) Because the All-Powerful King Shall Soon Return (to Reign and to Rule)

       (Revelation 19:5-6)

4) Because Christ's Precious Church Will Soon Participate in the "Wedding of the Ages" 

      (Revelation 19:7-9)

For Further Reflection/Application: 

In what ways will the future “Marriage of the Lamb” far surpass the so called  “Wedding of the Century” between Prince Harry and Lady Diana? (Some will recall that Harry and Diana tragically divorced in 1996). Think back on our exposition of Hosea 3 (Hosea/Gomer).

A Reformation of the Pulpit: The Greatest Need in America Today

"If a Reformation is to come to the (American) Church, it must be preceded by a reformation of the pulpit."

To which John Piper adds, "George Whitefield believed in preaching and gave his life to it. By this preaching God did a mighty work of salvation on both sides of the Atlantic. His biographer, Arnold Dallimore, chronicled the astonishing effect that Whitefield’s preaching had in Britain and America in the eighteenth century. It came like rain on the parched land and made the desert spring forth with the flowers of righteousness. Dallimore lifted his eyes from the transformed wasteland of Whitefield’s time and expressed his longing that God would do this again. He cries out for a new generation of preachers like Whitefield. His words help me express what I long for in the coming generations of preachers in America and around the world. He said,

Yea . . . that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more . . . raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ. And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labor and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives. (George Whitefield, Vol. 1, 16)  Mighty in the Scriptures, aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace, dead to self, willing to labor and suffer, indifferent to the accolades of man, broken for sin, and dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty, and holiness of God. 

Dallimore, like Whitefield, believed that preaching is the heralding of God’s word from that kind of religious affection. Preaching is not conversation. Preaching is not discussion. Preaching is not casual talk about religious things. Preaching is not simply teaching. Preaching is the heralding of a message permeated by the sense of God’s greatness and majesty and holiness. The topic may be anything under the sun, but it is always brought into the blazing light of God’s greatness and majesty in his word. That was the way Whitefield preached.

The Marriage of the Ages: Revelation 19:6-10 & All Things India

"The Marriage of the Ages" in Revelation 19:6-10 moves heaven (both angels and the redeemed) to the heights of wonder, love, and praise. This Sunday we will continue to study this blessed prophesy and consider how the future "marriage supper of the Lamb" impacts our lives here below.

During the 9 am SS/equipping hour the adults and teens will watch a most excellent video on what God is doing in India.  Please join us in the sanctuary to watch a Dispatches From the Front video on INDIA: Souls of the Brave where, "beyond its storied past, brilliant colors, and puzzling diversity, are the sorrows of caste and the shadows of prison walls where millions live in chains to gods of their own making. Join us as we go inside India’s Temple of Doom, and take a boat on the Ganges to the holiest city of Hinduism, where pilgrims in vain wash away their sins in its muddy waters. Travel to a secret baptismal service and gather with believers by lamplight as they rejoice over Jesus and the fellowship of His sufferings. Come hear this global missions story of extraordinary love and extraordinary sacrifice as believers take up their cross, follow Christ, and never look back."

After the worship service we will enjoy an all-church luncheon and will hear first hand accounts from those who went on short-term mission trips to S. India.  Over the years LCBC has enjoyed a growing partnership with many faithful servants of Christ who live and serve in India.  You will not want to miss these moving testimonies of God's amazing grace.

By His grace it should be a most edifying Lord's Day at Lake Country Bible Church.

The 4-Fold Heavenly Hallelujahs! Revelation 19:1-10

The tendency to treat God like a ball of clay “who can be reshaped according to human tastes is nothing new;” (though it’s quite problematic).  I'm afraid many crowd-pleasing, evangelical preachers today have become plastic surgeons giving God a modern "face-lift."

Contemporary example 1- Westboro Baptist.  A god of holy wrath and justice but one who lacks perfect love and mercy.

Contemporary example 2- Liberal “Christianity.”  A god of love, patience, and grace but one who is not perfectly righteous and just.

Why do so many preachers/churches today skip passages like Revelation 6-19 and/or avoid teaching on the righteous wrath, perfect justice, and blazing holiness of Almighty God? 

What does God think of this 21^st century “sculpting?” (James 3:1; Exodus 32).

What’s the relationship between silence and “denial?”

What can we do to ensure that God (in all of His glory) is not subtly “reshaped” during our congregational gatherings? (think preaching, Scripture reading, singing, etc).

Our expository outline of Revelation 19:1-10 flows out of  Hebrews 12:28-29,

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved,

let us show gratitude and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe

for our God is a consuming fire!

Preaching as Worship

When people ask me to describe my preaching style/emphasis I generally say Text-driven, doxological exposition.  

In other words, the primary goal of many/most of my sermons is 'wonder, love, and praise.'  In this regard the Reformers were right when they suggested that the pastor-teacher is the main 'worship leader' on the Lord's Day.

For pastors I think it would be helpful to rephrase Packer's quote this way, "Any preaching that does not lead to doxology and worship, is at a fundamental level, a flawed sermon."

Whitefield and Piper on "Why Expositional Preaching Is Particularly Glorifying to God!"

When I first heard this John Piper sermon in person back in 2006 it both rocked my world (who is sufficient for this?) and solidified all of my biblical convictions and aims as it relates to 'exulting' Christ in/through expository sermons.  I would encourage you to listen to Piper's address, if nothing more from minute 3 to 17.  Piper's fifteen minute "summons" is the standard by which every preacher should be evaluated (PREACH the Word)!   http://t4g.org/media/2006/05/why-expositional-preaching-is-particularly-glorifying-to-god-session-vi/

Here is a brief excerpt from this life changing introduction:  “George Whitefield believed in preaching and gave his life to it. By this preaching God did a mighty work of salvation on both sides of the Atlantic. His biographer, Arnold Dallimore, chronicled the astonishing effect that Whitefield’s preaching had in Britain and America in the eighteenth century. It came like rain on the parched land and made the desert spring forth with the flowers of righteousness. Dallimore lifted his eyes from the transformed wasteland of Whitefield’s time and expressed his longing that God would do this again. He cries out for a new generation of preachers like Whitefield. His words help me express what I long for in the coming generations of preachers in America and around the world. He said,

Yea…that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more . . . raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ. And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labor and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives.