His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): You know, whether we realize it or not, everything is going according to plan, God's plan, as Pastor Matt explains.

Matt VanderVen: God through the Holy Spirit was directing John in heaven through the vision of where his eyes went, and he was specifically focused on the right side of God because it all had to unfold according to the prophetic scriptures. Just let that run for a minute. Everything is going according to God's plan. Not a single bit or bite, not a single a moment or minute has ever been altered from God's plans. No matter what's happened on earth.

Guest (Male): His perfect love is on the air. Glad you could join us. We're making our way through Revelation and really taking our time as we do. Today we come back to chapter five and judgment is about to be unleashed on a Christ rejecting world. But who is worthy to judge? The answer is Jesus, as we'll soon see. But we'll also learn a little bit about why these judgments must take place. Here's our teacher, Pastor Matt Vanderven, with a message first delivered at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Matt VanderVen: There were still people at the time that the book of Revelation was given to us cuz it's about 80 90 to 95 in which this book was given to us by God. There were still gnostics and many people walking around that were either doubting the humanity and or divinity of Jesus. There was there's been always an attack on his nature because if people can try to undermine his authority by his divinity, well then oh, he's not really God. He's just a man, and he's just a prophet, or he's just a good person, right? And they try to attack him that way.

Others try to say, well, he was never really human. Why is that such a big deal? Why would they make a big deal about his humanity? Because he needed to come and suffer and die, right? A perfect sinless human being to fulfill the law. So by attacking the humanity, it then made him not worthy or his sacrifice unworthy if he wasn't truly human because then it doesn't undo what the first Adam did by bringing us into original sin. So there's a whole lot at stake here when you talk about the humanity and divinity theologically, and that's exactly what Jesus is trying to bring out.

And in the book of Revelation, it's settling the whole thing by him just saying, and I saw on the right hand of him who sat on the throne. You know, and I just read a sentence. Seems good, right? Okay, let's keep going. No, Jesus is no God the Father is communicating who is at the right hand, but Jesus Christ the Son, he's alive. And he's going to turn around and take that scroll as we're going to read here, right? And the fact is he's in heaven, right? And so if he's in heaven, what's that mean for you and I?

That means the resurrection and everything he promised, the first fruits of the resurrection, the one that will not only redeem our souls as he's done, but what who is our greatest greatest fan if I could say it that way? And even more, who is the one that when we stand in heaven are guilty of our sin, he stands up and said, no, my blood, the blood of the lamb has covered and washed this man, this woman, and they have not a single thing against them. Go in peace. Enter into thy reward. You see, this is everything that he's there.

He's not in a grave. He's not like father Abraham. He's not like Buddha. He's not like any other man that's ever lived that finds themselves in a grave and is not ascended up into heaven with the Lord, God the Father. In John chapter 16 verses 7 through 15, Jesus told the disciples that he had to go away and he would send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, the seal, okay? So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, all this is in God's perfect timing. Acts 2 1 through 13 was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven and seated at the right hand of God.

This is also confirmed in Romans chapter 8 in verse 34 where the apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God's right hand making intercession for us. So that's the other thing that Jesus is doing there, constantly interceding for you and I when we blow it on earth, constantly interceding for us. Doesn't ever take a break from interceding from us for us, excuse me. So all this is happening on God the Father's right side, and what else is sitting on that side that John notices? It's it's right in his proverbial, if you use the term, hand.

What's in his hand? These scrolls. And it's very very important. Why why in the right side? Obviously Jesus is there, but there's something else about that, right? So we can say that God's right hand refers to Messiah, the Lord Jesus, and certainly he's in equal position, high power, authority of God. I mean, we could read John 1 1 through 5 and get all of that pretty quickly. But what's the point? John is describing the setting that he sees that's no longer a focus on anything else going on around but the right side of God the Father.

And on that right side is him, Jesus, who's going to come actually center. It's going to say in the midst. The translation of the Greek actually means he's going to come into the center of the throne room area. We haven't got there yet. We we read it in our responsive reading, but it gives us an idea. He's there. So let the video play accurately now from the Greek, from the word. You have God the Father sitting on the throne. You have Jesus on his right side. You have a scroll with seven seals. In a moment Jesus is going to stand up and he is going to take he's going to come, excuse me for turning my back to you, take out of the hand of God the Father the scroll which he alone is worthy.

And this is very very important because there's a whole um sort of event that happens in heaven for this to go down because we're told very very quickly. Just turn to John chapter 5 and you can see this with your own eyes. John chapter 5, please. There's only one that was given this authority to ever do this. John chapter 5 verse 22, please. Very very important. It's all significant because it ties together everything that we understand in a harmony of scripture. Look at John chapter 5 verse 22. For the Father judges what? Remind me what the scroll is again?

A scroll of judgments, of of seals that are going to be broken, that are poured out. It's on his right side. God the Father has it in his hand, but right here in scripture it says very clearly that God the Father is not going to judge anyone. So if God the Father would have taken and opened that scroll himself, you and I would have said what? Time out on the field. We have a contradictory passage in scripture. The scriptures never contradict each other. We got to be Bereans of the scriptures though, students of the scripture.

For the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the son, Jesus, that all should honor the son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the son does not honor the Father who sent him. Do you see this, the significance of everything taking place on the right side and John focusing not on the left side but on the right side of of God on the right hand of God that way, right? because he's declaring that the scrolls on his right side along with the side of one who's given all authority over judgment, and therefore the only one that was worthy to open the scroll of judgment and says for the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the son.

So so much is implied by this right side or right hand, and just didn't want to skip over this this morning um because it's an important detail that John is illuminating for us that actually corresponds in harmony with so many other passages in the scripture. These things needs be. And Jesus didn't just get to pick what side he sat on. John just didn't get to pick where his eyes went. God through the Holy Spirit was directing John in heaven through the vision of where his eyes went, and he was specifically focused on the right side of God because it all had to unfold according to the prophetic scriptures.

Just let that run for a minute. Everything is going according to God's plan. Not a single bit or bite, not a single a moment or minute is ever been altered from God plans. No matter what's happened on earth. So again back to the text here, our prelude opening the seven seals. Again, what happens next? Well John is going to watch as all of heaven is searching, right? John specifically in this vision for someone that's worthy to open the the heavenly scroll in Revelation 5. Again, as I mentioned, these scrolls contain judgments of God. The fact that it 's written on both sides I think indicates something for us as well.

It's extensive in nature and the judgment that's going to unfold is is certainly, you know, pending judgment. There's another detail that John gives us as he looks at the scroll. Again, he sees seven seals, doesn't he? He calls that out. And I saw in the right hand of him, we just covered that, okay? Who sat on the throne? God the Father. Okay, we covered that. A scroll written inside and on the back. I just talked about that. Uncommon. You wouldn't find that in any other scroll. He's giving us a detail about the judgment that's coming and the extensiveness in detail in which this judgment we know as the great tribulation that's going to pour forward on this earth and every single microscopic detail is covered in that scroll.

God didn't leave anything to chance. No, that judgment has been planned for a Christ rejecting world because God is going to do away with evil. That's the whole point. Have you ever thought about why John wept? Why did John as as we just read here this morning in our responsive reading, why did John begin to cry? And that word in the Greek here isn't just like No, that's a word where he's sobbing. I think we call it ugly crying today where he literally can't control himself. He is sobbing so much that he's convulsing. That's the Greek word that was chosen by God to give us the understanding of what John the apostle was doing.

He's literally unable to control his physical aspect because there's so much in him that he's just Have you ever have you ever cried like that where you you can't catch your breath or you see a little child because boy they wail and they just let it go and they cry and cry and to the point of where they just, you know, after the whole tantrum and then and then they and even after a few minutes afterwards you know, when they're trying to catch it. This is the idea that John's giving us here, what's going on, right?

And he why is he crying? Because what is this judgment supposed to be for? Why is he judging the earth? We know it's because it's a Christ rejecting world, but what is ultimately God going to bring apart with these judgments? Why? Why did God bring these seal judgments? Why is he bringing these trumpet judgments? And why is he bringing the bowl of vial judgments? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that? Why? We know it's the great tribulation. We know it's seven years, but why? What is the point of the whole thing? Because ultimately we know that Revelation 19 tells us that Jesus, you and I, we all come back with him.

He sets up a millennial reign and then ultimately a new heaven and new earth. What is Jesus Christ and the judgments of the lamb, the wrath of the lamb pouring out in this Christ directing world? What is he trying to bring to a halt, stop will never happen again? Wickedness and evil. That's what this is all about. That is what the book of Revelation from chapter 5 6 through 19 is all about. It is literally about the point that God is going to do away with all evil and wickedness so you and I no longer have to live with evil and wickedness.

This is why Jesus himself says, I will wipe away every tear from your eye. There'll be no more tears because the new heaven and the new earth, paradise. Oh, there'll be no evil. There'll be no more wickedness. There'll be no more uh disease, illness. All those things came out of original sin, so much of them. The thorns and the thistles that were never prepared for this earth. When God created, he created it very very good. Right? There was fruit, there was animals, trees, things. Was all things worked in harmony. But then because of sin, because of a decision, thy will be done and not your will, God.

Sin entered in, and from that point you and I have been living in an evil idolatrous wicked world. And one day he is telling us that's all going to be gone. And that's why all have heaven, as you read with me in verses 8 through 13 and 14, what do they start doing with Jesus? They worship him. They're not worshiping him. We just read in midweek study. How many of you I you don't need to raise your hand. Many of you were here for midweek study, and what did we talk about in midweek? That God finds no pleasure in what?

In the destruction of others, in in death for the for the unbeliever, for the he finds no pleasure in that. No, God is a God of reconciliation. So what are we learning about? Well one we learned God's heart in the matter on Wednesday, right? Midweek study as we're going through the Proverbs, we're getting a little bit more. And Jesus knits this together for us this morning. He's giving us God's heart on the matter, and that is not that that he desires any anyone to go to hell. He doesn't desire any to be punished that way.

He uses those things to draw them into right relationship because he knows there's coming a time where he's going to eradicate all evil and sin. And if you are finding yourself apart from Jesus, you're in that camp. And when you're in that camp, you're eternally going to be separated from God, and there is no mulligans or redo's. So God knowing what's coming and knows it's coming very very soon is sitting there and saying, get right with God today. Get right in your heart now because I am bringing a judgment and there should be no surprise.

I don't want anybody to suffer this way. No one needs to. Give your life to Jesus and walk after his commandments, statutes, and judgments. You see, this is all what he's beginning in just the first verse of chapter 5. All of this that is tied in to so much of the original language. And again, as each seal is broken and new judgments unleashed on the earth, following the seal judgments are the trumpet judgments and the vial judgments. Now, in verse 5, it's interesting. We're going to see that there's an elder, right? For our time here this morning we're not going to get that far, but I want us to see something here.

But one of the elders said to me, so now there's another person speaking to John. He says, don't weep. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and loose its seven seals. Cuz remember John was convulsing. Why? Because no one was worthy. How many of you heard it taught that way? Cuz no one was worthy, and that why John is so sad. No. No, because John is thinking, oh my gosh, the same thing that Adam and Eve were thinking apart from God's uh turning around. And what did he do?

He took them Please go back and remember Genesis or reread this in chapter 3. What happened when they sinned? Were they allowed to stay in a garden? There was a tree in that garden that if they ate of it, what was going to happen? They would stay in that perpetual state of what? Sin and evil. So God says, no, you two are out of here. He takes them out of the garden. He puts up what? Angels with fiery swords that says you're not coming back in. You remember that in Genesis chapter 3 You remember how it unfolds like that?

That's what John John understands this. He is thinking, oh my, if there is no one that is worthy to open the judgments that are effectively going to be poured on earth to stop this evil and wickedness and the things that are going to come, we're going to continue the human race and species in a perpetual eternal state of what? Sin and evil. That's what this is trying to communicate in context. It's not that John's weeping because oh, there's nobody worthy, there's not a good person or that No, we all No, he John knew there's no not one good, no not one of us.

Paul wrote it. These things are well known. There's not a single human that's ever not been a sinner apart from Jesus Christ who's human and divine. No, he knew that the root of the issue was that he was going to make a new heavens and new earth. How were all these things going to come to be even though we haven't got that far in our chapters yet? John's receiving this revelation. He's sitting there weeping going, oh my God, you mean God's eternal plan? There's nobody that's able to take the title deed to the earth back?

Well, if he if Jesus has got to take it back, then who does it belong to now? Satan, I heard somebody saying. You're right. He's been called the prince of the air. He's been given a time to practice this wickedness, this deception and evil. But there's coming a time where Satan himself is going to be cast into the lake of fire, and he is not going to be able to do anything ever again to harm humanity, to deceive humanity. He's the lie, father of all lies. And so John in this moment before he sees that Jesus stands up and comes out because picture it.

If you're there in the throne room of God and you see Jesus seated or even standing next to God the Father and there's a scroll. And this elder comes and said, I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and read. I mean, that means that somebody I don't know we're not told exactly that deed, but somebody said who somebody go take the scroll. God the Father said it's it's his. Why? Because Jesus Christ redeemed it when he died, right? A beautiful uh propitiation, a substitute, right? We're going to talk about that in communion here in a moment.

And and so all of heaven is looking on, watching this. Well, is anybody is not one of you? If I stood up here and I said, oh, I have a a scroll, not one of you come and pick it and take it out of my hand? Not one of you will get up and do it? Is is not one of you worthy? Not one of you loved, you know? You get the point, and that's what John is seeing, sitting there, probably all everyone evaluating their own their own walk, probably thinking about a whole lot of things going on.

I don't know for certain. But I know this, that not one human being, not one of the elders, and not one of the created beings, the four living creatures surrounding God night and day, not one of them went not one of them took a step. You see, there's no false humility in heaven. There's no fooling anybody. Everybody understands who we really are. Everybody understands how humanity's carnal and we're redeemed because of the blood of the lamb. You see, we may self-deceive here. We don't self-deceive anyone in heaven. And we certainly don't self-deceive each other because I'm pretty sure Peter, right?

Who's up maybe, you know, John's having this vision 80 90. By this time Peter's already Look, Peter wasn't Peter one of the first guys to go, I'll do it. You don't see Peter taking a step. Nobody takes a step. And that's the significance of this. Okay? And I just want us to see that's the whole point. So the elder who speaks to John of Vanderven that one person who has moral authority and legal right, very important, justified to open the scroll. That is the only one who can rightly judge the world. And again, that person is Jesus.

We read about that just a moment ago together in John chapter 5 because this is God the Father does not judge, right? Does not bring judgment. He is given that right and responsibility and authority to who? To Jesus Christ the Son. God the Father doesn't do that. John chapter 5 verse 22 to execute that judgment.

Guest (Male): That is Pastor Matt Vanderven on his perfect love. He'll be right back. First I want to tell you how to hear these studies in Revelation. In case you missed one or two along the way, you'll find them archived at hisperfectlove.org as well as oneplace.com. You can also listen to us on most of the major podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify. As God's word continues to go forth on his perfect love, we'd appreciate your support. There's a place to donate online at hisperfectlove.org. Please also pray for us and let us know if these teachings are a blessing to you.

There's a place to contact us at hisperfectlove.org. Are you looking for a Christian school that offers a quality education and a nurturing environment for your children? If so, you might be interested in Calvary Chapel Christian Academy, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Calvary Chapel Christian Academy is a non-denominational Christian school that serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The academy's mission is to provide a Christ-centered education that equips students to love God, love others, and serve the world. The academy offers a rigorous academic curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and a caring and supportive staff.

The academy is located at 28 North Locus Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. For more information, please visit our website at ccharrisburg.org/academy. That's ccharrisburg.org/academy. If you live in the Mechanicsburg, PA area, we hope you'll stop by for a visit. Just like you hear on the radio, Pastor Matt teaches verse by verse through the Bible here at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek gathering on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. We're located at 28 North Locus Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. We want all of our listeners to have access to the word of God.

So if you're in need of a Bible, we'd like to get one into your hands. Just email us through our website and ask for the free Bible offer. Here's our web address again, hisperfectlove.org. And now let's peek ahead to our next study in Revelation chapter 5.

Matt VanderVen: Now, next week we're going to come back and we're going to start digging in even deeper. Okay? We're going to go through the seven seals because we need to understand. Remember he's talking about seals. I'm going to kind of talk a little bit about what are those seven seals, and I'm going to break one each each one of those down because even the judgment of the seal that's broken, each one unfolding, remember it's not all at once. There is an order to this and how God is doing this. Each seal that's broken is going to build and continue to build, and it's something that he wants us to see.

It's tied back to Daniel. It's got ties back to Isaiah. There's there's all of this prophetic prophecy that we need to go back that tie in to these seven seals even before we get to chapter 6 and we go into detail and seal. We need to understand step back and look look at the scroll and how it's all broken down. How is God doing this? Amen.

Guest (Male): Again, we have that to look forward to the rest of this week on hisperfectlove with Pastor Matt. See you tomorrow. His perfect love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.