A Cosmic Christmas

AI Transcript
Mark Oshman (00:00.206)

Why don't you open up to Revelation chapter 12. That's where we'll be this morning. Revelation chapter 12.

Mark Oshman (00:17.997)

Well, it's officially November. Anyone already have their Christmas decorations up? Okay. Couple. I love it. The Boffman's. That's it. Okay. Cool. Cool. I respect that. Once, once Halloween ends, my sister-in-law is all in. Like my brother's California home is turned into a winter wonderland. Every square inch of their house is decorated. Like

The day after Halloween yesterday stockings up lights up trees up deck the halls. It's go time. It's a little intense. If you asked me, I told her that yesterday, though this year I do think Holly and I are going to start a little earlier than we have in the past. It'll be the first year in the last nine that we don't go into the mountains with a group of friends to cut down our tree.

Yes, we're going fake tree heresy. know, but, this means we can put it up whenever we want. We don't have to wait for our friends to be ready in the middle of December. And as we begin to think about Christmas decorations for this year, of course, my mind goes to our nativity scene. Holly is the captain of all the decorations in the home, except the nativity scene. This is my baby. Now over the years, this scene.

has changed. First we brought King Herod into our home. Next I began spreading people and animals everywhere in our house. You literally need a compass to find the wise men from the East. Because if you read your Bibles, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the animals, the wise men, the shepherds were not all in the same place at the same time. My house has little trinkets everywhere.

And of course, a couple of years ago, I had to pull out my artist brush and the dark paint to make this first century Middle Eastern family well look Middle Eastern. Well, this year I've added a new addition. The passage I'm preaching this morning, Revelation 12, and as we're going to find out shortly, Revelation 12 is the story of Christmas. The story we find in Matthew, Mark.

Mark Oshman (02:37.92)

and Luke, but the stories in Matthew, Mark and Luke are where we get our nativity sets from, not Revelation 12. I literally, looked online to see if I could find a nativity set, Revelation style, nothing. So what do you do RP? If you need something, if you've been in this church long enough, you know the answer. Hit up Brian Call.

Well, with Brian's 3D printer, here's what he made for me.

Mark Oshman (03:22.656)

using a prop today for my sermon. I'll just keep this right here. This is the scene we have before us. Revelation 12 is the story of Christmas taken from an apocalyptic angle meant to hit us in our gut and spark our imagination. And for us, RP meant to get us ready for Christmas a little early this year.

If we're honest, sometimes by the time we get to Advent, our hearts and minds are somewhere else. Having a worshipful Advent is not for the faint of heart living in Douglas County, not getting sucked into Babylon's vortex of consumption and distraction. So a pre-Advent sermon from Revelation could be just what we need.

My hope this morning is that John's apocalyptic version of Christmas, we would get our hearts and minds ready to celebrate Advent well this year. Tish Harrison Warren says this, to practice Advent is to lean into an almost cosmic ache. Our deep.

wordless desire for things to be made right and the incompleteness we find in the meantime. We're going to practice Advent a little early this year. So if you're not already there, open your Bibles to Revelation 12. Revelation 12, we will start this cosmic Christmas there in verse one. And for you note takers, here's my outline. We have two signs.

cosmic battle and in two advent reminders, two signs, a cosmic battle and two advent reminders. Let's look at sign one, verse one. And a great sign appeared in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head, a crown of 12 stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

Mark Oshman (05:41.902)

As we continue to work through this series and the book of Revelation, we're seeing more and more metaphors. This book is very symbolic. Who is this woman? Well, this is Israel, the people of God, clothed with the sun, moon under her feet, 12 stars.

on her crown. If you know your Old Testament, this might remind you of Joseph in Genesis when he has that dream with the sun, the moon and the 12 stars. This woman here in Revelation 12 is the Old Covenant people of God. This is Israel. Twelve stars represent 12 tribes. What about sign number two? Look at verse three.

And another sign appeared in heaven. Behold a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and on his head seven tiadims. Yikes. Who is this dragon? Certainly this must be Russia, right? Maybe North Korea. Context is always king. So look ahead, verse nine. John actually tells us exactly who the dragon is.

And the great dragon was thrown down that ancient serpent who's called the devil and Satan the deceiver of the whole world. What a scene we have for us this morning this gnarly seven headed ten horned crowned red dragon and like a scene out of a horror movie meant to hit something deep in our gut. Church this is.

a picture for Satan, our enemy. Satan, the most powerful created being this world has ever seen. Satan, the one who the Bible calls the God of this world. Satan, the one who, according to Peter, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour someone. This seven headed monster is no joke. So what's

Mark Oshman (08:02.136)

going on here. People of God and the devil. Well verse two gives us a really good clue as to what in the world is going on. Look at verse two. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. If you know your Bibles maybe your minds just went to Genesis 3.

after the fall God tells Eve I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing. In pain you will bring forth children. But what does this Genesis 3 pain of childbearing have to do with this sci-fi scene in Revelation 12? Everything. John's using this language of birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

intentionally. He wants us to think back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis three in the Garden of Eden. And if you know Genesis three, right after God makes a covenant with humanity, the ancient serpent makes his move. He deceives Adam and Eve in a single act of rebellion. God's very good world cracked.

Open. What was once filled with light and harmony was now flooded with darkness and decay. I mean, look around. This world is a mess, y'all. From wars to greed, abuse to addiction. That all started here.

And it's not just out there. It's in here, right? From pride to prejudice, from bitterness to betrayal, that all started here. I had a conversation with a neighbor a few days ago who just lost her brother to suicide. Her son walked into the room and found him.

Mark Oshman (10:26.894)

This world is broken. We're at the acts 29 conference in Dallas earlier this week where, where I was informed that that this beloved pastor and his wife who's associated with our network lost their 13 year old son a week ago to suicide. This world is groaning friends, all the brokenness in this world and in our lives rooted.

Here, Genesis three, where Satan deceives humanity. This is what it means to live east of Eden. Life is hard. And God is good. Before God tells Eve childbearing is going to suck, honey. He tells something to Satan, the ancient serpent, the seven headed dragon. Genesis.

315 it'll be up on the screen. God speaking to Satan says, will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. God is good. From Genesis three all the way through the old Testament. The question the people of God are asking is this, where is the skull crusher?

Where is the seed of the woman? Where is the one who is going to make all things right? Which takes us to our next point, a cosmic battle. Look with me at verse four.

His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was caught, who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. Well, that's intense. But with the context of Genesis 3 fresh in our minds, it's understandable why this dragon wants to kill this baby, right? The promise that Eve's son would

Mark Oshman (12:43.752)

one day come and crush the dragon's head is here at last. This verse is speaking about what happened 2,000 years ago when Jesus was born. Christmas. The mother who is the people of God from Eve to Mary. And here she is in labor pains about to give birth to the skull crusher.

But seven headed dragons don't go down without a fight. His goal, devour this child, ruin God's plan. Remember King Herod killing every little baby boy two years and under in Bethlehem? Yeah, this dragon was fired up using any means possible to devour this child. But God's promise?

for all things to be made right, for everything sad to come untrue. Look at verse five. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Again, you can't get this nativity set at Costco. But here in Revelation 12, this is Christmas, Quentin Tarantino style.

The long awaited Christ has come and what does he do? Look with me at the rest of verse five. her child was caught up to God and to his throne. Hmm. That's it. Seems a bit anticlimactic or is it? This is actually John's shorthand for the gospel. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne.

This is speaking of Jesus's ascension, the climax to the gospel. We know from scripture that the seed of the woman did crush the serpent's head and in doing so his heel was bruised. The red dragon Satan thought he won the battle when Jesus hung naked on the cross. Jesus did die. His heel was most definitely bruised.

Mark Oshman (15:08.814)

brutally bruised. The worst kind of death imaginable crucifixion. The red dragon did devour this child. But this was all part of God's plan. In dying on a Roman cross, Jesus deals a fatal blow to sin, to death, and to Satan himself. This is what skull crushing looks like.

in his kingdom. And he writes says quote, contrary to what casual onlookers might have thought when Jesus was crucified, it was he who was leading the principalities and powers in his triumphal procession, celebrating his victory over them, not the other way around. Because early Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead and then 39 days later,

He ascends to the right hand of the Father, his session as King of Kings and Lord of Lords begins. praise God that he was caught up to God and to his throne. The doctrine of Christ's ascension is one of the most important and yet neglected doctrines we have. Murray Harris says the resurrection proclaims he lives.

And that forever the ascension proclaims he reigns and that forever he reigns church. Yes, he reigns in deed. Death has died. Sin is atoned for Satan is defeated by the life death resurrection and ascension of the son of God.

New Testament scholar Patrick Shriner says, arc of the moral universe is long, but the ascension determines its finale. Without the ascension, Christ's work is incomplete. Without the ascension, a huge hole stands open in the story. Jesus didn't just live, die, and rise again. He was caught up to God and to his throne. And in doing so, he crushed the dragon's

Mark Oshman (17:32.75)

or rather heads. The red dragon has been defeated. The ancient serpent TK.

And this royal king, this child who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron has been enthroned. The ascension is a big deal because at the ascension, Jesus's kingdom has been inaugurated. Amen. Amen. Now you might be thinking, well, that's great, Rick, but that's not.

quite the world we live in. seems like the serpent is alive and well, seven heads in all. Well, let's finish our passage, verse six and following will be our final point, two Advent reminders.

Look with me at verse six and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days. The woman who I've called the people of God, faithful Israel. Now the woman and her offspring, well, post ascension is in the words of the apostle Paul, the Israel of God, namely the church.

Jew and Gentile, these seven churches in Asia Minor whom revelation was written and well, you and me, the church today, what a blessing, right? To be the wild olive shoot and grafted into the olive tree Israel. See it for yourself. Look down at verse 17. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring.

Mark Oshman (19:25.704)

on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. The woman and her offspring, these are followers of Messiah, followers of Christ, the new covenant people of God. And where does she go? She, she flees into the wilderness for

1260 days. This period of time in Revelation also spoken of as three and a half years or 42 months or times, times and half a times is the entire time between Christ's first and second coming. Three and a half is half of seven, the number of completion.

perfection, the 1260 days tells us that these days in the wilderness will be intense, but limited. They will end. Christ is coming back a second time. This is what Advent is all about, friends. That God's people in the wilderness, we look back at His first coming.

And we look ahead to a second when his kingdom will be consummated. Well, this next section, John's explaining what has just occurred in verses one through six from a different vantage point. Look at verse seven.

Now war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back. And he was defeated. And there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down. That ancient serpent who was called the devil and Satan. The deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.

Mark Oshman (21:26.498)

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they love not their lives even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short. Advent reminder number one, the

battle has been won. Don't bow down to the false gods of consumption and distraction this holiday season when Advent calls us to remember the battle has been won. When Christ died and rose and ascended to God's right hand, the Satan who we see in the book of Job accusing God's people

Having some leashed authority through Christ and what he did on the cross Satan and and and the principalities and the powers of the air have been dealt a fatal blow First John says the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil my brothers and sisters in Christ that has

The accuser of God's people has nothing to say about you. So, so, so my question is what voices are you listening?

If you're honest with yourself, how do you think God really feels about you?

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How does God really feel about you? We don't have to listen to the voice of Satan any longer. The ascended King of glory who is reigning right now says this about you,

You're mine.

Bye.

If you're trusting in Christ this morning, you are not ultimately defined by anything except that you belong to Him. Amen? Amen. Well, let's finish our passage, verse 13.

But the woman was given the two wings of the great Eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness to the place where she is to be nourished for a time and times and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. Advent.

Mark Oshman (24:37.26)

Reminder number two, though the battle has been won, the war rages on, Yes, ultimately this passage reminds us that while the church may suffer persecution, it will never be overcome. God will spiritually preserve His people to the very end.

So as the war rages on, the question is, how shall we, the people of God, how shall we live in the wilderness? Two things, and then I'm done, I promise. First, we must know that we live amidst the dragon and live accordingly. Jesus' kingdom is already and not yet.

Exactly. Yes, the dragon is a defeated foe and when Christ comes back he will be finally thrown into the lake of fire. But until then he's our foe nonetheless. One extreme in the church sees Satan behind every nook and cranny and will blame him for just about everything. Had a good fantasy football week? Not today Satan. But...

On the other side of the spectrum, often the more theological folk, we can live like he doesn't even exist. We need to walk and chew gum church. The apostle Paul in second Corinthians says this in order that Satan might not outwit us for we are not unaware of his schemes. Scott Davidson asked our men.

at Life Together last month and quick ad for Life Together. It's our men's ministry at RP. We meet every Sunday night at, you guessed it, Brian Call's house. From seven to nine, come as you are. We're not in the middle of a study. You can show up and hopefully be known and...

Mark Oshman (26:52.184)

But Scott asked this question, what is Satan doing in your life right now? This morning, I want us to think about that question. That's a good question. In light of this passage, what is the red dragon up to? What is Satan doing in your life right now? Are you even aware of his schemes?

Jesus and John says Satan comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Holly and I just started praying with each other every morning. And don't give the pastor credit. This is, this was Holly's idea, not mine. Lord willing, we'll be certified, we'll be a certified foster family this upcoming week because our family's mission is to push back darkness and

usher in light. we'll take it one day at a time and your prayers are appreciated. But I say all that to say this lately, marriage has been hard. Holly and I have just been missing each other. Well, after Mark preached the sermon a little while back, Holly's like, maybe some of this is not just us missing each other. Maybe there's some spiritual attack going on as we inch closer to foster care. Principalities.

powers of the air, the red dragon. How about we start praying every morning? Good idea.

What is Satan up to in your life? And what are you doing about it? Jesus' brother James says, the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. And second, our wilderness season is coming to an end, Jesus is...

Mark Oshman (28:52.822)

coming back at the Ascension, his kingdom was inaugurated. But the day of consummation, the marriage supper of the Lamb awaits. Coronation day in all its fullness is still a future event. The Puritan John Owen says, it is at the day of this coronation that his church is the crown by which he is

Church, Bride of Christ, Crown of Christ. Can we get our eyes on that day? Can this pre-advent sermon from Revelation 12 reorient us as we head into the holiday season?

Amy bird says we are living as the wilderness bride between this age and the age to come. We're headed to something unfathomable. We're on our way to the heavenizing of earth, the union of heaven and earth redemption Parker. are a wilderness traversing congregation moving toward our homeland for here.

We have no lasting city. We seek a city that is to come. And for those in the room right now who are not followers of Jesus, I'm so glad you are with us this morning. But, but revelation says this place that we live right now, this is your heaven. The future for

Earth dwellers, the term John in Revelation gives to unbelievers, people who aren't following Jesus. Your future does not

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things are about to get real bad. Even this passage says, woe to you. Judgment is coming. Wrath is coming. Christ is coming. But there's good news, This morning, today...

You can turn from from trusting yourself, your your resources, your ability, your good works to the one who loves you. The one who made you for himself, the one who died for you, the one who's calling you home by faith and faith alone. One of my pastoral heroes is is John Newton.

the ex-slave ship captain turned pastor activist. Other than being a wonderful husband, father, friend, an amazing preacher, a soul care expert, a huge influence in the abolition of slavery, he also dropped bars. Dude wrote hymns. Hymns for his sermons.

He did this every week for 15 years.

His reason quote, a verse may find him who a sermon flies. It's my kind of guy. Like, like amazing grace, the song we all know and love. Did you know that was a hymn he wrote when he preached first Chronicles 17? Well, since we get no Advent song this morning and it's never too early for a little Mary, did you know? I thought it would only be fitting to end our time in this

Mark Oshman (32:54.902)

passage with the woman and the dragon with a Mary did you know revelation remix.

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Mary, did you know that the child you bore would face a dragon with seven heads? Mary, did you know that the cry from Bethlehem stable echoed through heaven as a battle cry instead? Did you know that Herod's rage was the dragon's roar? That your yes to God declared war on well darkness? Mary, did you know?

That when your son took his first breath, the ancient serpent began gasping for his last. That when your beloved son cried, it is finished. Every accusation lost its voice, and the deceiver was cast down, head crushed between nails feet. Did you know that the one you fed would feed the world with his own flesh? That the one you rocked sleep would one day rain and never sleep again? That the manger cradled God himself?

and a Roman cross would crown his reign, that your son would be devoured by the dragon, yet rise as a victorious lamb slain, that he would be caught up to God to take his seat upon the throne, his session as king has started, and one day this kingdom will be fully known. And church, redemption, Parker, do you know this crucified king now reigns? Enthroned?

above while we his beloved walk this wilderness of ache and pain protected though pressed persecuted yet preserved imagine church if enjoying jesus wasn't simply our mission statement but became our daily bread if making disciples wasn't something we talked about but got to work instead if

Our lives themselves cried out as one, your kingdom come, your will be done. Mary knew some things. She knew her son was Israel's messiah. She knew her child was holy. She knew he was going to crush the serpent's head. But church, do we know that he's still crushing snakes through us? That that every moment of faithfulness

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pushes back darkness and ushers in light. So as we enter this Advent, may we remember the war is won, the King is coming, and until that day, let us pray, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. Let me pray.