From His Heart

Speaker 1

God is the God of grace, but also the God of justice. So how do we balance that? Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

Speaker 2

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world, but if you refuse the Lamb of God, all that's left for you is the lion of the tribe of Judah.

And the Scripture says that the execution of justice is joy to the righteous, but it is terror to the workers of iniquity.

What will the execution of justice be to you?

Speaker 1

One day everyone will declare Jesus Christ as Lord, but the question is, will you be forgiven by the Lamb or judged by the Lion? Today on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve, it's the final message from his seven-lesson series, Encountering the Real Jesus, that we've been in the last two weeks of this month.

In it, we've learned of the transformational power of the sacrificial Lamb of God, but also about the justice due from the soon return of the fiery Lion of Judah—a powerful conclusion to this dynamic series.

For your gift to From His Heart this month of any amount, we'd like to send you Pastor Jeff's series, Soldiers of the Cross, and the companion booklet, The Lord's Army. It's our special gift of thanks to you. Just go to fromhisheart.org for details.

Right now, though, open your ears and your heart and your Bible to Revelation 19, where Pastor Jeff concludes this Encountering the Real Jesus series with part two of the lesson, From the Lamb to the Lion.

Speaker 2

John said, and I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness, he judges and wages war, and his eyes are a flame of fire. Upon his head are many diadems, and he has a name written upon him which no one knows except himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I want to share with you three insights into the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

**Insight number 1:** He is faithful. Verse 11 states, "Again, I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True." He is faithful to his promises. When life is tough, and you don't know what to do, you must cling to the promises of God. He who has promised is faithful, and he will always keep his word. Thus, he has that name; he is called faithful and true.

**Second insight** into the Lord Jesus Christ: Not only is he faithful and true, but he is loving and just. In righteousness, he judges and wages war. We know that the Lord is loving; the Bible clearly states in 1 John 4, "God is love." Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who loves not knows not God, for God is love. But God is also just and holy. The justice and holiness of God say that God must punish sin.

As we transition from the Lamb to the Lion, we see that the Lamb comes to save sinners, as the scripture says. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The holiness of God and the righteousness of God declare that sin must be punished. The Lamb of God said, "I will pay for that punishment. I will allow sin to come upon me." The Lamb came to save sinners, but the Lion comes to judge sinners.

The contrast between the Lamb and the Lion is significant. In verse 14, it states, "His eyes are a flame of fire." The eyes of Jesus in his first coming were gentle, kind, loving, and compassionate. He looked with compassion on the woman caught in adultery and loved the rich young ruler. However, now his eyes are a flame of fire. It is not the eyes of the Lamb anymore; it is the eyes of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In righteousness, he comes and wages war.

The scripture also mentions that he is wearing a robe dipped in blood. Some may think this refers to the blood of Christ, but I believe it speaks of the blood of a warrior. The Lord has worn a robe in warfare for thousands of years. In Exodus 15, when the Lord won a great battle over Pharaoh, they proclaimed, "The Lord is a warrior." Yahweh, the God of angel armies, is a warrior. When he returns, there is fire in his eyes.

As one theologian noted, Revelation 19:11 and following depict rejected majesty, spurned grace, and insulted sovereignty. Those who have insulted the spirit of grace and rejected the Lord will face his return. This world belongs to him; the earth is the Lord's, as stated in Psalm 24:1. Everything belongs to him, and he comes back to take what is his.

In 2 Thessalonians 1, it speaks of the return of the Lord: "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." When he comes back, he comes in judgment, in righteousness.

Some may say, "My Jesus wouldn't do that." But there is just Jesus, not a personalized version. Some envision Jesus as a gentle lamb who wouldn't hurt a fly. However, this is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the God who has been spurned. In Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about a man who went away to receive a kingdom, and upon his return, his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." This reflects the attitude of many towards the Lord.

The world belongs to him, and we are living on his dime. He will come back to take what is his. In that parable, when he returns, he commands, "Bring those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them in my presence." This illustrates the holiness of God.

Some may argue that God is too loving to judge in such a manner. However, if a police officer witnessed a crime and chose not to intervene because he was "too good," we would deem him corrupt. The Lord is good, and he is a righteous judge. The scripture asks, "Shall not the judge of all the earth deal rightly?" Of course, he will. If God did not judge sin, he would not be good.

**Insight number three:** He is victorious and sovereign. Verse 12 states, "His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems." He has a name written upon him which no one knows except himself, and he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called the Word of God.

In Revelation 19, some symbols are not to be taken literally. Jesus may not be riding a white horse, but it symbolizes victory. In Roman times, a returning general would ride a white horse in a victory parade. The many diadems represent that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He rules with a rod of iron, symbolizing ultimate control.

The sharp sword that comes from his mouth signifies that his Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. Verse 14 mentions the armies in heaven, clothed in white and clean, following him on white horses. These armies include angels and the saints who have been raptured before the tribulation.

When he comes back, we will be with him, having enjoyed the marriage supper of the Lamb. We are part of his army, but he does all the fighting. At the battle of Armageddon, it will not be much of a battle. The Lord will simply speak a word, and it will be over.

The Lord is a warrior, and he destroys his enemies. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God. The imagery of crushing grapes illustrates the carnage that will occur. Revelation 14 describes the blood splattering up to the horses' bridles for a distance of 200 miles.

He sets up his kingdom to rule on earth for a thousand years. The first to be thrown into the lake of fire is the beast, followed by the false prophet. The devil will be bound for a thousand years, and then Jesus will establish his kingdom on earth.

We pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This will happen when the Lord sets up his kingdom. The Lamb of God purchased our salvation, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah sets up the kingdom.

His first coming was to save, but if you refuse the Lamb of God, all that is left is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The execution of justice is joy to the righteous but terror to the workers of iniquity. What will the execution of justice be to you?

Speaker 1

If you have never received Jesus as your Savior and made him Lord of your life, God has placed you here so that you can have an opportunity, another opportunity, and maybe your last opportunity to come to know Christ. Today is the day for you to say, "Jesus, have mercy on me. I repent of my sin. Please forgive my sin and save me." What a life and an eternity you will have.

Listen, if you want to understand better what coming to Jesus really means, please go to fromhisheart.org and click the "Why Jesus" link for a lot of great information, explanations, and free materials to help you get started in your Christian journey. God bless you as you begin your new life in Christ.

Now, if this program is a blessing to you and you'd like to come alongside us and help us sustain and grow this outreach, you can do that today. For your gift of any amount to From His Heart, Pastor Jeff wants you to have the "Soldiers of the Cross" series and the companion booklet, "The Lord's Army." Again, our thanks for your gift today to From His Heart. Call 866-BIBLE-86640 or go online to fromhisheart.org and request this series in the format of your choice.

Thanks for being a blessing to this ministry and the countless millions who have an opportunity to tune in each day across this nation and around the world. Blessings to you and yours as well.

That's all the time we have today. I'm Larry Nobles, and a big thank you for joining us on From His Heart. I invite you to be here tomorrow as Pastor Jeff begins a new month with an enlightening new series called "This is Overcoming the World, the Flesh, and the Devil." That's next month and tomorrow here on From His Heart.

From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve, speaking the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Remember, no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Find out more at fromhisheart.org.