The Christians Hour

Bob Russell: You’re listening to The Christians Hour. Thank you for joining us today. It’s a joy to welcome you to our program. The Christians Hour is a ministry of Gospel Broadcasting Mission, where we use radio and media to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth until all have heard.

In today’s program, we’ll be exploring how we can find courage in the face of challenging circumstances, especially when our faith comes head-on with a culture that doesn’t always agree. Regardless of where you may live, friends, we live in a world that can feel hopeless at times. When we look around, what is there to find trust in? How should we overcome? Why should we endure?

Well, if that’s how you’re feeling, you’re not alone. In today’s message, Rick Atchley, lead pastor of The Hills Church in Fort Worth, Texas, shares biblical truths from the book of Revelation. These truths help us find encouragement in the appearing of Jesus and his victory, reminding us who ultimately has the final say. Friends, you’re about to be encouraged, so get ready to dig into God’s word. Here’s Rick.

Rick Atchley: Well, hello everyone. You ever live through a season where the most hopeful thing you could say was, "Well, it could be worse"? There are Christians around the world today living under great pressure, hardship, and persecution. They have no expectation that it’s going to get better. Their prayer is that it doesn’t get worse.

This was the situation for many of the very first followers of Jesus in the first century. They had to decide if they were willing to accept the very worst consequences. Their refusal to take back their allegiance to Jesus often brought harsh pushback from their neighbors. When retaliation is the norm, revelation is the need.

As I thought about the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, it dawned on me the Bible ends with Jesus appearing to his church to encourage us, that a vision of Jesus always brings a fresh provision of courage. Let’s look in the very first chapter of the Revelation, starting in verse four.

Mike Breaux: This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.

Rick Atchley: Here’s what I want you to notice. John says, "This letter is from me," but then he goes on to say the message in this letter is from Jesus. This letter is to seven churches in what we now call Turkey. Back then, it was called Asia, and John was pastoring these churches, but he was an exile.

You know it’s tough times when you get a letter from your pastor in jail. In the first century, it could be very hard to be a Christian in the Roman Empire. It kind of depended on the attitude of the particular emperor. But toward the end of the century, when John was an exile, when most of the apostles we think by now had passed away, the emperor was named Domitian.

He was one of the bad guys. He was the first Caesar to declare himself a god while he was still alive. There was in the empire what they called the Imperial cult to promote the worship of Caesar. Now, you have to understand, the Roman Empire didn’t care who you called God. You could have all the gods you wanted. But they did want you, once a year, to pinch some incense on an altar and say, "Caesar is Lord."

This worship of Caesar as God was to procure allegiance to the empire. They don’t care who else you worship, but what they want you to say is there is no god, there is no allegiance that comes ahead of my allegiance to Caesar.

This put the first Christians in a very tough place because authentic discipleship will never allow Jesus to be a god among a menu of options. So, the early Christians had to make a choice: lie or defy. And many chose to defy.

For those who did, things typically got worse. Loss of job, loss of freedom, loss of life. We have a lot of records of how hard life was for the very first Christians that chose to defy. But we also know that for some, it made more sense to lie. This is what happens. It happens today, it happened then.

When suffering is probable, when ostracism is probable, when pushback and persecution is probable, seduction becomes more possible. This is what the seven churches are facing. You can read the letters, and you can already see in those churches hints of compromise, hints of watering down their conviction, hints of them losing their courage.

John is trying to pastor these churches, so he sends them a letter. It is a revelation from Jesus, but it’s so much more. It was a revelation of Jesus. A church losing courage doesn’t need a lecture. What it needs is a picture. What it needs is to see an appearing of Jesus.

John says, "Here’s what happened. I was just worshipping the Lord. It was on the first day of the week, and all of a sudden, I heard a sound." Look at what he says, starting in verse 13.

Aaron Brockett: Standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

Rick Atchley: The word revelation, or maybe your Bible says apocalypse, what that word literally means is unveiling. The idea is you’re pulling back a curtain so people can see what is going on behind the scenes. And that is what Jesus is doing in the revelation.

He’s letting the church know what’s going on that they haven’t been able to see. Because whenever Christians get intimidated, it is a sign that their vision is limited. Or let me put it this way: blindness erodes boldness. When we lose our vision, we lose our courage.

One of the illustrations I like to use for this point is a great painting by the brilliant Norman Rockwell. It’s called "Lift Up Thine Eyes." You can see a magnificent cathedral, and there are statues of martyrs and prophets and the apostles. Right in the center is the exalted Lord Jesus. And the pastor is putting up the words for the next week's sermon: "Lift Up Thine Eyes."

But look at everybody below. They're harried, they're burdened, they’re going on with their life completely unaware of the reality above them. And this is why we have Revelation. We need the transcendent to be transformed. We need to see what's going on above us to interpret what’s going on around us.

Because here’s the truth: when Christians in the first century, when Christians in the 21st century, when we cave in to cultural pressure, it is not because the cost is too great. It is because our vision of Christ is too small. It is his image that fuels our courage. Listen again to John, verse 17.

Ben Cachiaras: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I died, but look, I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and the grave."

Rick Atchley: Why do you have a vision of Jesus? To give you courage. "Don't be afraid," he says. "I’m the first and the last. I’m the living one. I died, but look, I’m alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and the grave."

Listen, our mission is to faithfully witness to the world the reality of just how much Jesus is so that they will want to follow him. To accomplish our mission, we must seek and we must expect Jesus to regularly appear to his church. Revelation is more than a letter. Revelation is a lifestyle, because Jesus is now appearing to encourage his church.

How can we be more aware of this? How can we lift up our eyes and see behind the curtain? Three things. Number one: we must focus on his constant nearness. Now, the world can exile pastors from their flocks, but it can never exile Jesus from his churches.

John said, "I looked, and where was he standing? He was standing in the middle of the lampstands." You know what that means? It means Jesus attends church. Jesus is with us right now. Jesus is in our midst right now, and Jesus knows what is going on in his churches.

When you read the letters in chapters two and three, you see phrases like, "I know your deeds. I know your afflictions. I know where you live. I know that you have little strength, yet you've kept my word and have not denied my name." When things get worse and worse around us, we need to remember who is beside us.

There’s a story told of the old Soviet Union and a house church that was suddenly interrupted by Communist soldiers. The people were about to be arrested, and the man was counting the Christians he was taking to prison. He counted 70, and a leader of the church said, "You miscounted. There’s 71."

So he counted again. He came up with 70, and the leader said, "You miscounted." The man said, "You fool, there’s 70 here." And the leader said, "No, there’s 71. You forgot to count Jesus." Now, I don't know if it’s a true story. I know it’s a story that tells a truth: that Jesus is with us right now. And as long as Jesus is standing in the church, the church is going to remain standing.

Stop all the negative worrying about what the future looks like for the church. Stop all the dread and all the terrible prophecy. What did Jesus say? "I’m going to build a church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." He is building a church that cannot be exterminated, and it should never be intimidated.

He told us to go into all the world and make disciples. We’re asking for nations and generations. And we’re going with the confidence that Jesus said, "I will be with you to the end of the age." If we are aware that Jesus is around, we won’t be afraid.

So we focus on his constant nearness. He is appearing to his church. And another thing we do to look behind the curtain is we focus on his victory’s completeness. Remember, it’s critical to see what's going on above us so that we can interpret what’s going on around us.

What Jesus does in his revelation is remind the church that there is a war going on that started in heaven but is being waged on earth. It’s significant to me that in four of the seven letters, Jesus specifically mentions Satan. Now, he does this in the Gospels, too.

I don't know what you believe about Satan, but you read the New Testament, it’s clear Jesus believed in an evil personal being that was his enemy. In chapter 12, there’s this picture of a woman about to give birth, and it can stand for Jesus and for his church. And there’s a dragon there that wants to devour that baby, but he can’t. And a war breaks out in heaven.

That dragon is thrown down to the earth. And what Jesus wants us to see is that we are targets of a cosmic conflict. It’s been decided, but it’s not yet ended. Listen now, chapter 12, to what happened when the dragon was thrown down.

Gene Appel: I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It has come at last: salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they've defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, oh heavens, and you who live in the heavens, rejoice. But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time."

Rick Atchley: Maybe your Bible says he is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short. Here's what Jesus is saying. He’s saying that Satan is a dead devil walking, and one day, he’s going to have hell to pay. But until that day, Satan intends to sow all the hell on earth that he can.

You see, what Jesus is doing in the revelation, he’s answering the question, "If Jesus is Lord, why does it feel like things just get worse? Why is Caesar doing all that he’s doing if Jesus is on the throne?" We all wrestle with this question. If Jesus is Lord, why is the world so bad? There’s a war going on. There’s an enemy that’s sowing all the hell that he can. But the question is answered by a vision: who holds the keys? Who holds the keys of death and Hades?

In Moscow, there’s a mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin, who died almost 100 years ago exactly. He’s the man that led the Communist revolt who, I think, led to some of the darkest days in the history of this world. But people line up to walk past that mausoleum, and there’s a plaque there and it says, "He is the greatest leader of all time. He’s the Lord of a new humanity. He is the savior of the world."

I got one problem with the plaque: he’s dead. He was conquered by the same enemy that conquers every other person who’s ever lived, except one. Jesus is the only ruler death could not hold. Now, that should give us great courage, because if he has authority over death, then he can turn anything we go through into gain if we remain faithful.

You see, the revelation of Jesus Christ means we’re not living for victory, we’re living from victory. This war has been decided, and it will soon be concluded. And we will all see the one who holds the keys. Again, John lets us in on an appearance of Jesus in Revelation 19.

Mike Breaux: I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.

Rick Atchley: This is what John saw. This is what we need to see. By the way, that blood on his robe is his own. He won this war at Calvary. That’s when the evil powers were stripped of all their authority. And he’s coming. And by the way, it looks like there’s going to be a great battle. There’s no battle. He just has to speak, and the war is over.

And when he comes back, let me tell you, you want to be behind Jesus. You don't want to be in front of him, because he is going to deal with all the evil that has raised its fist against God. By the way, the revelation makes no apologies for the wrath of God. It is his legitimate response to illegitimate rebellion.

When Jesus returns, all that opposes God’s sovereignty is going to be removed. He is going to reverse the curse, and a new normal will be established. Here’s what I mean: every ruler, every defect, every sorrow, and every grave is going to declare that Jesus is King of kings. And nothing Satan can do can undo what Jesus has already done or stop what Jesus is returning to do.

When our eyes are full of Jesus, our hearts are full of courage. Focus on his nearness. Focus on the completeness of his victory. And one more thing we see in Revelation that we should focus on: his unrivaled greatness.

Now, I believe the church should always remember the earthly humiliation of Jesus. No other faith has a god like our God who would become a man, who would suffer and live like a servant. But we must also remember and we must revel in the heavenly exaltation of Jesus. We must never lose sight of his unequaled magnificence.

Can I just step on all of our toes a little bit? When was the last time you had an encounter with Jesus that was so profound that it put you on the ground like John? Or is it true that we've kind of learned to do life mildly bored with Jesus?

We sprinkle a little Jesus on our crowded lives. Could I suggest that the biggest problem in the church today is not lawlessness, it’s awelessness. We’re not bad, we’re just bored. We are losing our capacity to be overwhelmed by the spectacularness of Jesus.

And when our vision of Jesus' greatness wanes, so does our courage. I’m contending that the church is always in need of the revelation of Jesus Christ. So let me show you one last appearance of Jesus. John sees into the heavens, and there’s a scroll. And that scroll contains the mysteries about the future and whether or not evil is ever going to be overthrown. No one can open it, and John begins to weep. But then he says, in chapter five, "I saw a Lamb."

Gene Appel: I saw a Lamb looking as if he had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. And he went and he took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And look at what happens when he took that scroll. They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You've made them to be a kingdom of priests to serve our God, and they'll reign on the earth."

Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. And in a loud voice, they were saying, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise." Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever."

Rick Atchley: We must retain the vision of the absolute authority of Christ and the absolute futility of all attempts to oppose or depose him. All rebellion will be overthrown because all kingdoms are under his throne.

I think many misunderstand what the point of Revelation is. It is not about the end of the world. Revelation is about the end of the kingdoms of this world and the glorious future of the Kingdom of Christ. And let me suggest that the vision of his unrivaled greatness is a rebuke to pessimillennialism.

Now, I don't know what your view of the end times are, but I know there’s too many Christians that walk around worried and fretful. And if you have the vision of Christ in the revelation, you will have hope no matter who’s in office. And you’ll have peace no matter the circumstances. You’ll have purpose no matter the challenge. You’ll have joy no matter how other people think or act. And you will hold on to your convictions no matter what the culture pedals or believes. Jesus appeared, and we have declared that he is Lord. And he still appears to encourage us.

Bob Russell: What a powerful reminder that we must hold on to the vision of Christ’s victory. When we focus on his constant nearness, the completeness of his victory, and his unrivaled authority, we can find courage no matter what we face.

So let’s stand on that truth today and bring hope into every situation. Remember, Jesus holds the keys of death and the grave, and he is with us until the end of the age. Don’t lose that vision. Don’t lose that courage.

Our thanks to Rick for this encouraging message, and our thanks as well to Acappella Ministries for providing today’s worship music. If you’d like to hear this program again or stream it online, simply visit our website at thechristianshour.org. That’s thechristianshour.org. There you will find all the programs from this year, and you can download today’s message for free. You can also listen on your favorite podcasting platform. Simply search The Christians Hour.

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