Revelation in My Pocket - Louie Giglio

0:18 The message of Revelation, just in summary, really quickly, in my view, is hallelujah, Jesus reigns. That's the message. So it's a big journey. There's a lot of symbolism and a lot of vision that we're taken into, but the message at the end of the day is hallelujah, Jesus reigns. Can we just say that together as a church at all of our locations? Hallelujah. Jesus reigns. This is the message of the revelation. We came to this two-word summary last week as we were coming down to the end of chapter 22. And John is falling down to worship this angel who is showing him what is to come. And the angel tells him, don't worship me. I'm a fellow servant like you. And then he says two words, which I believe for me became the two word summary of the whole revelation. The angel says to John, don't worship me. I'm a fellow servant of God. Worship God! And those two words became for me a summary of everything that is in the end of the age, because there's going to be a parting of the ways and the world is going to worship the beast and take the mark of the beast and the faithful are going to endure and they're going to worship the living God, even at great cost. Worship God. I went to the Jesus Bible. Does anybody have a Jesus Bible in the house today? Passion City Trillis, one Jesus Bible. Okay. It has one, but not with him. Okay. Does anybody have one with you today? Thank you so much. Two Jesus Bibles. I know our publishing team is thrilled to know two people have a Jesus Bible at Trilla today. Can I just see your Jesus Bible? Yeah, thank you so much.

2:16 He has one, but not with him, so he's going to hand me yours. Isn't that just fitting? So if you turn to Revelation at the end, the Jesus Bible, by the way, if you didn't know, is a resource that's come out of our house. 66 books, one story, all about one name. That's why it's called the Jesus Bible. And the idea is to help us see Jesus on every page of the Bible. And so every book in the Bible has a header, Jesus colon. And they'll show you the one for this Bible, but I wanted to let you know that it is actually in there. And here it is, the summary for revelation. You see it? Jesus, our worship forever. And I was like, I got it right on the two word summary of revelation. Worship God. Right in step. Should have looked at the Jesus Bible summary page before we started. But right in step. Jesus, our forever worship. And what is the byproduct of this revelation. It is confident and godly Jesus followers who are faithful to the end. The book, the revelation is hallelujah, Jesus reigns. I believe a two-word summary out of the last chapter is worship God. With everything you've got, worship the almighty one true God. And what is the byproduct of this revelation for you and me. It's confident and godly Jesus followers who are faithful to the end. We talked in the very beginning about Chris Tomlin and I's exchange on the message that he left on our home answering machine during a Braves playoff series.

4:02 And we talked about how at the end of that game, when the Braves won, I just held up my flip phone in the stadium as I'm calling his answering machine and just let him get a taste of what was happening. And then that was the end. No other commentary needed. And John has held up the phone for you and for me. John has held up on behalf of heaven, the phone and become a messenger to you and me of the end of the age. And so we're asking today, now that we've read every word of this revelation, what manner of people should we be? That's what Peter is asking when he's talking about the end of the age in chapter two. I mean, in second Peter chapter three, he says, since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?

5:05 Because you see now how it's all playing out. Rewind that and ask the question, what kind of person should I be knowing everything that I now know? You ought to live, the answers, the question, holy and godly lives. As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. In other words, as we lean toward that day, somehow in the economy of God, and I can't explain it all, we're speeding the coming of that day to us. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with this promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and, hello, a new earth where righteousness dwells. We are not going to the ethereal by and by. We're going to a new earth, what God intended in the first place for earth, a highly upgraded version of what we're experiencing right now in a new heaven with God. But the question that's asked in the middle of all that is what kind of people ought you to be?

6:23 And I'd like to answer that with four things today. What kind of people ought we to be? Number one, we ought to be confident people. I know there are a million reasons to not be confident right now, especially in the week that we're all going to experience together. But I'm telling you, having seen the revelation unfolded to us by heaven, on behalf of heaven, through the apostle John, we ought to be the most confident people on the planet. Why should we be confident, Louis? Everything's falling apart all around us. Maybe everything is falling apart all around us, but our guide to the end of the age, this revelation in my pocket, this tour guide or this little handbook, if you will, that's a pocket guide to how things are going to unfold. In this unfolding, I have a guide, and the guide that I have is the reigning Jesus. I was in a major metroplex in the Middle East a few weeks ago, and it's the first time in this city, maybe the last time, I don't know, I hope not, but I wanted to go there my whole life. Some of the most amazing things on earth are in this city. And so we didn't have a ton of time there, had a project that we were going towards. It was several hours away, but we had a little window of time. And so what do you do? I hired a guide and we said, look, we've got X amount of time, but we want to see this, this, this, this, and this.

7:55 And if we go on our own, we might get to one of those things or none of those things, but I got a feeling in the amount of time we have, you can get us in every one of them. And sure enough, He already had tickets in hand when he showed up, had a badge that got him into a lot of side things. We bypassed lines, and I liked that for sure. And we got to see all the stuff we wanted to see. And it wasn't because we were that sharp. It was because we picked a really good guide. And along the way, he told us way more than we wanted to know about everything we saw and some things we didn't see. And it was all incredible because of the guide. And I'm telling you, I have a guide through the end of the age and to the end of the age. And my guide is the reigning Jesus. I think this might have been the biggest eye opener of this collection was this, that my guide isn't the Jesus in Galilee. Oh, he's still the same son of God, son of man.

8:50 But he is not the guy in the robe and the sandals walking around with people heckling him. No more heckling. No more questions. No more we got him pinned into a corner now. That Jesus was. The Jesus it is right now is reigning on the throne of thrones, on the throne of the universe. And he's riding in on a white horse. And when you and I are praying to him and walking with him, it's not put your hand in the hand of the man who's still the waters. I loved it growing up singing that song. put your hand in the hand of the man from galilee anybody grow up in church no yeah a few people anybody remember that song okay yes okay fantastic no it's put your hand if you can imagine this in the hand of the rider on the white horse who's sitting exalted over everything Thank you.

9:51 he came riding in on a donkey to the cross but he's coming in riding on a white stallion when he comes to set everything right and that's who's guiding you through the end of the age he is more majestic and more glorious and more magnificent than we could even imagine and he's told us how it ends. I love that we've been singing this song all year long, he who is to come. And one of the lines in that song just says, we all know how it ends. We sing so confidently. We all know how it ends. God was gracious to show us how it ends and we know how it ends.

10:45 So our confidence should be on the rise and it should inform the way we communicate about everything. Yes, it looks like it's a mess, but you know what? God is sovereign and I believe he's reigning even in the mess and over the mess and through the mess and he will use the mess because there is no mess where he reigns right now. It was just the plans and purposes of God. We all know how it ends. I haven't revealed my chart yet. You know, you can't really do a revelation without a chart.

11:31 And this is the end down here. And this was the beginning over here. and we need a chart. And so I thought it'd be fitting on Revelation in my pocket to show you my chart. If you care to see it, you don't have to agree with it. Amen. you're like don't do that don't do that to us don't take the high road don't don't make it about the main thing give us the chart we want the chart this is my chart Jesus the reigning Jesus he is the end how it all orders there's varying opinions on some of the detail but some things are very very clear in orthodox christian faith orthodox not being a big word you should be afraid of it just means this is what the most people have believed for the longest time in the Christian faith. Here are the things that we have to rally around and agree on.

12:43 Number one, that Jesus will bodily return to earth as a conquering king. Number two, that Jesus will cast out Satan forever. Number three, that Jesus will right all wrongs and is making all things new. Number four, that God will judge the living and the dead. Number five, that believers or saints will live with God forever in the new heaven and the new earth. And lastly, that the unrighteous will be eternally separated from God in everlasting suffering. These are the orthodox pillars of revelation. Whether you have a rapture here or there, or whether you have a millennial view that's this view or that view, There's difference of opinion all over Christianity and in Christendom. But the Orthodox Christian faith agrees on these tenets.

13:38 Jesus is going to return bodily to earth as a conquering king. And that's the Jesus that's leading us right now through the end of the age. He is the reigning king. So I am praying with revelation in my pocket that my confidence is going to rise and continue to rise. And it's going to be followed by my testimony, the way that I talk about things happening in life and around me. God is sovereign over it all. And he's bringing everything to his conclusion at his appointed time. And he's leading me every step of the way. Is he leading you? Is that Jesus leading you? Or is it the one who, you know, is on earth and just a little bit taller maybe than you are? Or is he the reigning, ruling, conquering King Jesus?

14:34 The second thing that ought to be true of us, not only should we be confident, but we should be heavenly. By heavenly, I mean different. By different, I mean distinct. By distinct, I mean not worldly. and by not worldly to grab a King James word if I can I mean peculiar not peculiar and as in weird but peculiar as in wired to something very different than what this world is wired to we should be heavenly it's like this it's not that we should have this mentality that it's now and then... it's there. So now, this is my life, but at some point, I'm gonna be there in the holy city.

15:29 Instead, the view I believe that God wants us to have is it's now and there. In other words, I am very much here, but heaven is here. and I am in many ways already there. It's now and there. It's here and there, here and there, and that's a shift. I think the average believer thinks, right now I'm living my life, and at some point I'm gonna step into eternity, and God is saying, if you're joined together with Christ, Eternity is a part of your life right now. Heaven is a part of your life right now. And you're already in the resurrection story.

16:23 And you're already in the victory story. You're already in the apocalypse and the revelation of Jesus Christ. You're already in that story, even while you're living here and now. This is what we read in Philippians chapter 3. join together in following my example, brothers and sisters. And just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For as I have often told you before and now tell you again, even in tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. That's very much the apocalypse right there. Their destiny is destruction. Their God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our, hello, can you say it with me? Our, our what? Our citizenship. In other words, I have a U.S. passport, but I also have another passport. I have a passport to the holy city. I already have citizenship in the holy city.

17:32 I already have standing in the future city of God. I am already a citizen there. Our citizenship is in heaven. So we eagerly await a savior from there. Remember the one who went to his father's house and prepared a room for us so that when he returned for the bride, we would be ready we would be watching. We would go with him now to the room that he's prepared in his father's house for us. We have a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, that's why I'm confident, will transform our lowly bodies. Man, you think, you know, this body's cool, so that they will be like his glorious body. This is the greatest story of all. But what does it hinge on?

18:25 Thank you. Yes, somebody almost clapped. Let's do clap. I mean, this is amazing. This is what's happening. This is our future. But look at the heart of it. Our citizenship is in heaven. Therefore, revelation in my pocket should remind me multiple times through the hour, be heavenly. Think heavenly. Do what would be heavenly. and by heavenly, I mean be different, be distinct, be not worldly, be peculiar, if you will, not weird. We don't need more weird followers of Jesus.

19:01 But we definitely need some distinct followers of Jesus who look different, act different, talk different, think different, breathe different from the people whose God is their stomach and whose glory is their shame and whose destiny is destruction. We need some people who will show the world what the holy city looks like because we already have seen it and our citizenship is there. he says in Ephesians 2, but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions. That's why you'll hear us saying around Passion City Church, we went from death to life. It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

20:10 In order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. In the revelation, we see the throne of thrones and the one seated on it. And Paul is saying, when you went from death to life by putting your faith in Jesus, he raised you up right then and there spiritually and seated you. with him. Where? In the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. So spiritually, where he is, you are. What he has, you have. And so when he says all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth, now I'm sending you. He's saying, I'm sending you with all the authority that's been given to me. And if there's any one thing that should happen to you and me, reading something as profound as this, we ought to start taking authority over our lives, over our minds, over our thoughts, over our bodies, over our families, over our neighborhood, over our cities, communities, and nation. We ought to be carriers of the position where we now sit with Christ in heaven. We live so far lower than our standing in Christ.

21:38 We think so far lower than our standing in Christ. We are already partakers of the apocalypse and the revelation story that the reigning conquering king is unfolding in this moment. I grew up in an artist's house. Most of you know that. My dad was a graphic designer back in the day before computers, of all things. It's amazing to think that you can mock up a prototype of a Coke carton before there was a computer. But he did. And one of the things that I grew up around was tracing paper. Does anybody know about tracing paper? Hello? Still around? Yeah. And we would have these tracing paper pads at our house, all different sizes, big ones even. And the cool thing about tracing paper is you could put it over, obviously, any other paper, and you could see through to what was on the sheet below. And therefore, you could use that text or copy or image or graphic, and you could bring it over into your new page.

22:44 And I think God is wanting to make sure that you have your life over the Revelation story. so that you can trace onto this life the truths of the one to come and that you can see through the now into the there and see both now and there are together in your story. We should be heavenly people and show the world what the holy city is like. number three we we should with revelation in our pocket be discerning if there's one word I believe that could change our lives this year, it would be that we pray consistently for discernment. Do you know what discernment is?

23:42 Discernment is the ability to look at the counterfeit and identify the authentic. it's the the ability to look through the haze and to see what is real and in our world right now the counterfeit is getting bolder and brighter and if there's one thing I long for for my life and there's one thing I long for for our church is that we would be people who could see behind the curtain We become way too familiar with just taking on board whatever is offered us. And now we're living in this world where, you know, you start watching an interview after a football game and you're hearing the coach at the podium and you're like, man, I can't believe he said that. And then you go, oh, it's AI generated.

24:39 He didn't really say any of that. But it was funny. That would have been a good press conference. and you're like, how do you know if it's the guy or the girl or if a computer generated it? That's our future. Is it really them or they just somehow teleported into the moment and manipulated to say whatever? That's our future. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not. That is our future. So how are you going to know? How are you going to be able to tell what is real. A, I think it's being connected to Jesus and B, I think it's being saturated in his word, but it's praying for discernment. This is Paul's prayer in Philippians 1. And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

25:38 This is what Paul's praying for these believers. So that you may be able, this would probably be a good text to memorize, to discern what is best. Not what is biggest and brightest and most bold, but what is best, what is the best thing here? And may be pure and blameless for the day. There it is, there's revelation of Christ. filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. I'm praying for you that you may abound in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best. best. You will not go wrong this year by praying every single day, asking God for the gift of discernment to be strengthened in your life. So that when you're sitting in a meeting at work, and the conversation is happening, you don't need to have like a little red flag in your pocket and go, hello, nope, don't believe that. But in your mind, you're like, yeah, I don't think so.

26:56 I just feel like I got a little glimpse to see an insight to discern I'm not gonna make a quick judgment I'm not gonna send a hot email but I'm gonna keep I'm gonna keep my eye on that I'm gonna do my own fact checking and I'll tell you why because all through revelation do you know what we saw we saw the counterfeit getting as close as possible to the real thing we ended last week talking about the bright morning star the last name of Jesus besides Jesus but the last of his title names so many of them through revelation And we flash back to Isaiah where you see morning star, lowercase morning star, not revelation, uppercase bright morning star. Why? Because Lucifer's very name means light of heaven or the bright one of heaven.

28:03 Lucifer was a massively bright angel before he fell out of heaven. He was a massively important angel before he refused ultimately to glorify God. And his name means the bright one of heaven or the light of heaven or the brightness of heaven. Not uppercase, not forever, but he was known as the bright one of heaven. And Paul talks about how even on earth, it still works. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 13. For such people are false prophets, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. Got to look out for these people. In other words, these false apostles and deceitful workers aren't coming and going, hey, just want to let you know, we're charlatans.

28:58 now he says that it's no wonder for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light it's not surprising then his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness but their end will be what their actions deserve who was coming against Jesus. At the end, the big battle, it was Gog. Remember that? And Magog. Gog. Weird, I know. But I was thinking about it. Just almost God. almost God so close And what we're gonna need more than ever in our pocket at the end of the age is discernment.

30:09 discernment, discernment, discernment. So many times he said, look, look, I looked and I saw, well, I'm telling you the same God. He's not bringing a different word. He's not adding to the word. We read that at the last paragraph. He's not taking away from the word, but he is continuing to give insight into the word to everyone who is awake and who is looking. He's perpetually showing the way of light, the true light. And then lastly, we should be generous with revelation in my pocket. That means I already know my address is on a street of gold. Hello.

30:51 2778 street of gold. That's where I'm going. I'm not a poor beggar passing through earth. I got an address on a street of gold. and I've got gold in my pocket, and I want to live generous because of what I read in this revelation, what was revealed to me, and I want to especially be generous with the good news of the mercy and the grace and the coming judgment of God. I want to be especially generous in sharing the mercy and the grace and the coming judgment of Jesus Christ. I don't want one person who spends time around me to not know about the mercy and the grace and the coming judgment of Jesus. I've got gold in my pocket. You're like, what are you talking about gold in your pocket? I've got this word of God in my pocket and it does not return void. It accomplishes its specific mission task. Every time it is shared and I got it in my pocket. I got the name of Jesus and prayer in my pocket. I have a word of encouragement in my pocket. I have the gospel, the good news of Jesus in my pocket. I've got life-changing, destiny-changing truth in my pocket.

32:08 Jesus said in chapter one, he said, I am the living one. I was dead, but now I'm alive forevermore. And he said, what I hold, what, what was he holding? I hold the keys. Do you remember that? I hold the keys to death and Hades. So he is the key to death and Hades, but my God's got the keys to death and Hades. That means I got the keys to death and Hades. I am not the key. Jesus is the key and Jesus conquered death and is holding the keys, but he's happy to share with me the keys to death in Hades and say, anybody you know that's bound by death in Hades, just show them the key, which is me. I'll give you the keys that you can show them me the keys. I love the story of the giving keys. Anybody know the story of the giving keys? Any ladies in the house or gentlemen in the house? I don't want to leave anybody out. Yes, ma'am. You have on a giving key by chance. Anybody wearing a giving key today? Anybody heard the giving keys? Anybody know my nose, but giving keys. Okay, great. Giving keys, amazing, long backstory. But what the end result was, was a key with a word of hope on it. Belief, faith, vision, love, joy, peace, confidence. And you would get the key, a literal key on a chain, and you would give it to a friend because you knew they needed belief or they needed faith or they needed hope. And so that would be your gift to them, speaking over them into their story, you'd be speaking a key that would have a word on it of truth for their life and their story. And I'm telling you, I got gold in my pocket and the gold is like keys.

33:39 I got so many keys in my pocket and they all unlock different death and Hades. Like I may have a key right this minute for one of you that when I all of a sudden have an opportunity. I'm like, wow, this key fits into your story. They all have the same word on them. And that word is Jesus. So every single key that fits into every unique story frees that person because of the same name of Jesus. And I got all kinds of keys in my pocket to unlock prison doors and to see people free. And so do you. And we've got to be generous. We're in this election season. Man, I'm so excited about one thing for sure, and that is that the commercials are going away, hopefully, praise God, on Wednesday. I've never been more happy to have somebody sell me a car again in my life.

34:40 And if you're so bold, you might have a sign in the yard. Anybody got a sign in the yard? Okay. I, in this election, that's bold.

35:00 Especially when you got one on one side of the road and one on the other side of the road, they're different. You're like, ooh, this could get rough. I respect somebody putting a sign in their yard. It's your right. It's your yard. It's important. You already know where I'm going, though. It'd be pretty great If somehow in this Next chapter toward the end of the age We could all put a sign in our yard This house We got keys in this house You need keys? You need freedom?

35:46 Come knock on our door you need hope? We're not perfect, but come knock on our door. How great, how great could it be if somehow, I wish somehow I could just take this up as my job, but somehow on Easter morning, if every believer in the resurrection had a sign in their yard that said, I believe, and the world's like, what are we believing in? Just, we have gold in our pocket. and we're just walking on into the end of the age with it. And it does us no good in the Holy Spirit. city. You will be at the gate, taking all the keys out of your pocket that were meant for all the people in your story, because there ain't no need for any in the holy city.

36:49 If the enemy can make us stingy with the good news that sets us free from the wrath of God. Then he wins. I was working on this talk at breakfast the other morning at a place in town. And there was a guy sitting two tables over for me. And I knew a little bit about him because the server had been interacting with him. And he kept saying, I'm waiting for some friends. I'm have a meeting. And I was thinking he was going to go to a meeting, but it turns out the meeting was happening right there. And he was at a table for two people. And I was like, it's going to be an interesting small meeting. Well, two guys come in eventually, and they come down to his table. and they all move over to a four-top table, like right there, and they all meet each other. They'd known each other. They'd shared information and emails, from what I gather, but they'd never met each other before, and the three of them sat down, and one of the guys was going to kind of lead the deal. He talked a lot over the next little while, but when they sat down, I wasn't eavesdropping.

37:55 I'm not above eavesdropping, but I wasn't. I was trying to focus on what I was doing, but the guy was talking, kind of facing me, and he was talking, you know, loud enough that I could very well hear every word. And he eventually said to the guy, well, I mean, it is amazing that we're meeting on today. This was on Thursday. This Thursday was a major holiday. Do you know that? Anybody? Big holiday on Thursday. Hallelujah night. but that wasn't the holiday that the guy was talking about. He said, I'm so excited. Today is a very important holiday in my faith. And my ears perked up and I knew that there was a holiday because it was on my iCal and it was on your iCal. And the guy says to him, what holiday? And he goes, Diwali. And he goes, what is that? And the guy says, it's the festival of lights. It's one of the most fortuitous days in the year.

38:54 It's a celebration of goodness and of abundance. And he starts naming all the things that are wrapped up into this holiday. And he said, and the people of my faith, we celebrate this as an important day. And I believe it's amazing that you and I are meeting on such a fortuitous day. I'm quoting him now. And I take it as a heart. I wrote this down in my notes as a heart. Yes, I was listening and writing. He says, it is amazing that we're meeting on such a fortuitous day. I take it as a harbinger of good things to come for us in the future. And I went, well, that's how you share your faith. I don't know how to share my faith. I'm just not good at it. I'll hang around that guy.

39:42 The guy he was talking to said, how do you spell it again? And wrote it in the notes on his phone. I'm going to check that out. And I sat there. We were just a few feet away from each other. And I don't mean this in any disparaging way whatsoever. But I'm looking at the end of the age, and I've got revelation in my pocket. And I thought to myself, your ending.