Latest / The Daily Word / September 4 – Sealed by God
Transcript
- Brandon: Well, good morning and welcome once again to the Daily Word Podcast. So thrilled to have you here today with us as we are every single day taking time simply to share something from our Bible reading and our journaling as pastors here at our church. even if you're not a part of our church, thrilled that you are listening and you are joining us on the Daily Word podcast. And I think I say it every time, but really our goal is to number one, just bring some encouragement. hopefully to be, you know, 10 minutes of an encouraging word, maybe something that challenges you or the Lord uses to correct you in an area or inspires you or stirs you up, whatever it may be. But to be an encouraging word for the day. And also to remind you that the reason we have our daily Bible reading plan and the reason we're so passionate about it is because we really do believe that God wants to meet with us every day. That being said, we use the New Testament portion of the Life Journal Reading Plan. And today, September the 4th, the New Testament portion of our life journal, it is Revelation chapter 9. I hope you haven't given up on Revelation yet. I hope that you haven't given up on reading through the book of Revelation. I I will say this: if you're a part of our church and you live in the Fort Mill, TKK area, Tuesday morning, 6 45 at Knowledge Perk in Fort Mill. I lead a men's Bible reading and journaling group. And we were actually just reading through Revelations recently, and I encouraged the group. I said, Hey, something that I took a lot of comfort in when I was in Bible college, but even still today, is that there are so many theologians, people who have absolutely given their life to the study of scripture, to theology, who all disagree with each other. That doesn't mean that we can come up with whatever interpretation we want, but it does encourage me that even if I don't understand it or having a hard time kind of figuring it out, that I'm not alone in that. And so let me just encourage you, even when you go through challenging books of the Bible, whether it be the book of Leviticus or the Book of Revelation, get a good study Bible, get some good resources, but keep reading and keep asking God, God, would you speak to me? Because here's what I found. Even when you don't fully understand everything, there is something within the text that God wants to use to speak to you. And that's actually kind of what I want to share today. our reading is Revelation chapter 9. I want to read you from verses four through five. Here's what it says: They were commanded not to harm. Now, pause. They are these locusts that were released. They're symbolic of demons or demonic power in these final days. the seven trumpets were kind of in the midst of that text. And as these seven trumpets, these seven things are happening that are a sign of Jesus' return and a call to repentance, as they're happening. So they they are these locusts. And it says they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree, but only those men, listen to this. Who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, and they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Now, I I can't fully, especially in a less than 10-minute podcast, I cannot fully articulate and unpack everything in Revelation chapter nine. But but again, to my point and kind of what I want encourage you with, even within this, as I was reading today. These two verses stuck out to me. And even if I didn't understand, which I'm not claiming to fully understand, but even if I didn't understand everything happening, here's what these verses reminded me of. That when we give our life to Jesus, there is a seal that is placed upon our life. we enter into a covenant with God. I think about Psalm 91. In fact, I'm gonna turn there, see if I can get there by the time I reference it, but I think about Psalm chapter 91 and what it says in Psalm chapter 91. I'm almost there. Where is it? It says Psalm chapter 91, verse 1: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow, the covering, the protection of the Almighty. it says in verse 10, verse 9, I'm sorry, because you've made the Lord who is my refuge. Even the most high your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor any plague come near your dwelling. For he will give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your way, in their hands they shall bear you up. And I thought about Psalm 91 because we have a covenant with God. And and even in the last days, even in all of the tribulation, even in everything happening, we see right here in verse 4. That it said they, these evil demonic demons, as as like locusts, they're released on the to to the earth. They're released but under God's authority, and it says they were get commanded, they they were given strict instruction to not harm men or those who have the seal of God on their forehead. They were not given authority to to to to kill them. Even though maybe for a season they may endure torment, their life is preserved because they have the seal of God on their life. And here's what I took away from that today. no matter what happens in the world and no matter what happens in life, because we have given our life to Jesus and we are in a covenant with God, we can rest assured that, like the book of Isaiah says, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Doesn't mean that I won't go through seasons of testing, seasons of suffering, seasons of of persecution, seasons where I have to endure. Yet still, here's what I know: I have a covenant with God, and no weapon formed against my life shall prosper. That that the seal of God is on me. And and like Psalm 91 says, No evil shall befall me, no God's given his angels charge over me to bear me in their hands. And and and to keep me in all of my days and in all of my ways. And I just want to encourage you today that no matter what you're facing, no matter what you're going through, even no matter what happens in the future, what whatever the news report says, whatever happens in this crazy, crazy, out-of-control world that we are living in, that while we are in the world, we are not of the world, and we do not have to succumb to the fear and torment and panic and worry. Anxiety that that no Jesus said, My peace I've left with you. Though in this life you may have trouble, take heart, for I have overcome the world. My peace I've left with you. And so here in verse four and five, though maybe we don't understand or you don't understand it fully, here's this nugget we can pull out of the text. Yeah, there there was some stuff going on. But but there was a command not to harm. Those who had the seal of God on their life. That that though it might be a season of testing, there was a there was an order that they could not take the life of those who had the seal of God on their forehead. And thus we can be encouraged today, no matter what's happening in our life, no matter what's happening around us, and no matter what happens in the future, we can have perfect peace. Why? Because our life has been sealed by God. Because we're we're abiding under the shadow of the most high. And therefore, though a thousand men fall at our left and ten thousand at our right, Psalm ninety one says, It shall not come nigh my dwelling place. Why? Because my my refuge, my shelter, it's the most high God. And and and it sounds cliche, but it's the Bible, and the battle belongs to the Lord. So let me just encourage you today, you keep on d dwelling. Kee keep on making the shadow of the Most High your dwelling place. Keep on giving yourself to the things of God and coming under his covering, for we have a covenant with him, and his promise of protection and provision and preservation is ours. The Bible says that all of God's promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. So, Lord, today we thank you for that promise. We thank you that just like we read about in Revelation that that that in a different context, but the same is true for us, that we have the seal of God on our life. And therefore, because of that, no matter what's happening around us, we are protected and provided for and preserved in your name. God, I pray you give us revelation of that like we've never had before, and that our heart would be kept in perfect peace because of it. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, thank you again for joining us in another episode of the Daily Word Podcast. We love you so much. Praying for you today. tell your friends, tell your family members, tell your friends, like, subscribe, share, help us get the word out. And we'll see you tomorrow on another episode of the Daily Word Podcast.