“The Conquering Lamb!” – FBC Morning Light (12/23/2023)

Well, a good Friday morning to you. I hope your week has gone well and you're looking forward to a good holiday weekend.

Maybe you're off work already today as a Christmas Eve day off, I don't know, but whatever the case,

I hope you can join us tonight at seven o 'clock for our Christmas candlelight service. We'll not be live streaming that, but we would encourage you to join us in person at seven at Faith Baptist Church, and we'll be having some

Christmas carols and special music and readings and scripture and devotional, all of course related to the birth of our

Savior. Then on Sunday, on the Lord's Day, we're having a regular Sunday school hour at 9 .30

and morning service at 10 .30, and that will be our services of the day on Christmas Eve.

Well, as we celebrate Christmas and think about the Christmas story, we realize that from the very beginning of Christ's birth, and we could actually go back further prior to Christ's birth, but just focusing on the birth of Christ, when

Christ Jesus came into the world as the Lamb of God born in a manger, very soon after his birth there was the effort to kill him, to destroy him, to overthrow him.

You remember that, right? The Magi came to Jerusalem looking for him who was born King of the

Jews, and they come before Herod and said, we're looking for the one born

King of the Jews. He finds out where this baby was to be born, they tell him in Bethlehem of Judah.

The Magi go on their way, they find the baby Jesus, they worship him, and they head back to the east from another way.

They didn't go back and tell Herod where they found him. Herod, of course, gets ticked when he realizes that he's been duped, and he doesn't want to have a rival king grow up in his realm, so he sends executioners to the area of Bethlehem to kill all the babies under age two.

Why? Because he wanted to eliminate the Lamb, Jesus, who was born

King of the Jews. Throughout church history there have been efforts over and over and over again to overthrow the

Lamb. I bring all that up because of what we read in Revelation 17. In our

Scripture reading today, we're in the book of Zechariah, chapters 5 and 6, as well as Revelation 17.

There's just this one verse that I want to focus on in verse 14, where it speaks of the nations who are serving the beast, and they're worshiping him, and so on and so forth.

It says in verse 14 that these will make war with the Lamb. These will make war with the

Lamb. As I said, throughout the history of the church, from the time of Christ's birth to the very present, there are those nations where these kings of the earth, if you will, are making war with the

Lamb. Think, for example, right now in Communist China, where it is illegal to have a

Bible -believing Christian church that does not submit itself, subject itself to the three -self movement.

True believers in Christ, in order to avoid being controlled by the government, they have to worship underground.

In North Korea, it is absolutely a criminal offense to be a

Christian. You have a Bible in your hand in North Korea, and you face the threat of execution.

We could go on to other countries where it would be illegal to convert from Islam, for example, to Christianity, and so on.

Why? Because the kings of these nations have made war with the Lamb.

But what they need to keep in mind is what the rest of verse 14 says. These will make war with the

Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. For he, the

Lamb, is Lord of lords and King of kings. There is not a nation on this earth that is going to succeed in the end at overthrowing

King Jesus and making war with him. It is a losing battle.

They may think that they are winning. Isn't it interesting that from the time of the inception of Communist China that the church, the true church, true believers in Christ have actually flourished?

They are not the ones that occupy church buildings with Chinese Communist Party's Three -Self

Movement endorsed. No. But the true believers have flourished even under the

Communist regime. These who make war with the Lamb, they may think they are being successful, and they may think that they can eradicate him, but he will overcome them.

In the end, he will overcome them. Why? He is the

Lord of lords. He is the King of kings. Every ruler on this planet is really under him, whether they know it or not.

He is their Lord. He is their King. This verse ends with an interesting statement.

It says, those who are with him, with the Lamb, are called, chosen, and faithful.

Those who are true believers and followers of Christ will be with, and are with, the conquering

Lamb. I hope you're with him. Again, I would remind you, Monday we celebrate the first advent of Christ, and it should also remind us that Jesus is coming again, and there will come that day when he comes, that all who make war with him will be overcome, and he will reign supreme as King of kings and Lord of lords.

If you've ever heard Handel's Messiah, that's the joyous way that wonderful piece of music comes to a climax.

He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah. Our Father and our

God, we thank you that none who make war with the Lamb will, in the end, succeed.

We look forward to the day of our Savior's return, when all will bow the knee before him.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus, we pray in his name. Amen. Have a great

Friday, wonderful Christmas weekend, and I trust the Lord will bless you in it, and have a wonderful holiday.