The Return of the King

The Return of the King:

Super Bowl, Valentine's, and the End of the Story

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, which means some of you are fully present in this moment… and some of you are already mentally ranking appetizers and calculating what time kickoff actually is. Also, we're one week away from Valentine's Day, so let me help some of you out right now: You still have time. Repentance is available. Amazon Prime exists.

Here's a fun fact: in 2027, the Super Bowl falls on Valentine's Day, which means for the first time in history, men will have to choose between a relationship they promised to love forever… and their football team.

But it's actually fitting that on Super Bowl Sunday and right before Valentine's Day, we're wrapping up our Year of the Bible by talking about the Return of the King. Because the Super Bowl is about victory, and Revelation 19 is about the ultimate victory. Valentine's Day is about love, and Revelation 19 is about the ultimate marriage.

The Scarlet Thread Through Everything

For an entire year, we've walked through Scripture together, Genesis all the way to Revelation. What we've seen is that the Bible isn't a collection of random stories or disconnected spiritual ideas. It's one unified story with one central figure: Jesus Christ.

Charles Spurgeon once described a scarlet thread running through the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and that thread is the blood of Jesus. From the fall in Genesis, to the promise of a Savior, to Abraham, to Moses, to the Law, to the sacrifices, to the prophets, everything pointed forward to Jesus.

And today, we don't just look back at what He has done. We look forward to what He is going to do.

Two Systems, Two Loves, Two Destinies

The Book of Revelation shows us two systems, two loyalties, two loves:

Babylon, the world system powered by pride, greed, sexual immorality, deception, and demonic influence.

The Bride of the Lamb, the redeemed people of God, faithful to Jesus.

Both have a destiny. And Revelation 19 is where the verdict is rendered. When Babylon falls, heaven doesn't respond with quiet reflection or polite applause. Heaven erupts. The text says there's a sound like a great multitude crying out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just."

Now, some people struggle with the idea of God's judgment. But Scripture is clear: God's judgment is not emotional, reckless, impulsive, or cruel. It's true and just. God is patient. God is merciful. God is long-suffering. But God is also holy. There comes a moment when evil must end.

Think of it like swatting a fly at the dinner table. You don't negotiate with it. You don't reason with it. You don't coexist with it. You deal with it. That's what happens to Babylon.

And here's the thing: nobody tonight is going to say, "I'm just not expressive when my team scores." If your team wins the Super Bowl, you will shout. You will clap. You might even hug someone you don't know. Why? Because victory produces praise.

Revelation 19 shows us that worship is not driven by preference or performance, it flows from

deliverance. People who have been rescued don't need coaching to praise.

The Marriage of the Lamb

Then the scene shifts. After the judgment comes a celebration, the marriage of the Lamb. The text says, "Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready."

Valentine's Day tells us love is a feeling. The Bible tells us love is a covenant. Jesus didn't just save you, He bound Himself to you. In Jewish culture, engagement was legally binding. The bride waited. The groom came in a procession. The feast followed.

Issachar Church, we are engaged, not abandoned. The Church is not His backup plan. We are His Bride.

And the text says something beautiful: "It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints."

You didn't earn righteousness. Jesus provided it. But you still have to put it on.

How do we "make ourselves ready"? Through faithfulness in a corrupt world. Through obedience when it's costly. Through worship when it's inconvenient. Through holiness when compromise is easier.

This is where God will use your scars, those places where you've been wounded, where you've failed, where you've been broken. The King's eyes are like flames of fire, which means nothing is hidden. Nothing unresolved. Nothing overlooked. That should comfort you, He sees your tears. And humble you, He sees your heart. What scars are for isn't just to mark where we've been, but to show us where redemption has worked. Your scars are part of your story, and your story is woven into the Bride's preparation.

The Rider on the White Horse

Then John sees heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True. His eyes are like a flame of fire. On His head are many crowns. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. The armies of heaven follow Him on white horses, and on His robe and thigh is written: King of kings and Lord of lords.

This is the second coming of Jesus. And it's radically different from His first coming.

Jesus' First Coming:

• Rode a donkey
• Came in humility
• Suffered for sinners
• Was rejected
• Many didn't recognize Him as God

Jesus' Second Coming:

• Rides a white horse
• Comes in power
• Judges and rules
• Recognized by everyone

This won't be a quiet arrival. No one will ask, "Do you think that was Jesus?" Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. The beast, the false prophet, the kings of the earth, they gather to make war against Him. But there's no battle. Evil ends. Jesus reigns.

Worship as Participation

Here's what we need to understand: Jesus is worthy. Not because the song is good. Not because the service fits your preferences. Not because life is easy. But because He is King.

The victory has already been won. Sin has already been broken. Death has already been defeated. We are already saved, already forgiven, already filled with the Spirit.

So when we gather on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. here in Sheridan, Indiana, our worship isn't practice, it's participation. It's heaven breaking into earth. It's the redeemed responding now to what we already know is true.

Worship isn't about song style, volume, preference, or mood. Worship is about vision. When you see Jesus clearly, you worship freely.

Today, after the Super Bowl, someone will lift a trophy. Confetti will fall. Champagne will spray. And it'll be glorious, for about three hours. Then tomorrow, everyone will go back to work.

But Revelation 19 tells us a day is coming when the King returns, the Bride is received, evil is destroyed, and heaven erupts: "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns."

And unlike the Super Bowl, this victory doesn't fade. This love doesn't end. This King doesn't retire.

Living as the Engaged Bride

So what do we do in the meantime? We live as people who already belong to the King. We make ourselves ready. We stay faithful. We worship freely. We reject Babylon's pull. We remember that we are the Bride, not the backup plan.

And on the hard days: when life feels overwhelming, when faithfulness feels costly, when you wonder if it's all worth it: remember this: the marriage supper is coming. The King is returning. The victory is already won.

We're not waiting to see if Jesus wins. We're waiting for the day He returns to claim what's already His.

If you're in the Sheridan area and looking for a church family that sees Scripture as one unified story pointing to Jesus, we'd love to have you join us on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. You can learn more at our website.

Until the King returns, let's live like the engaged Bride: faithful, hopeful, and ready.

#Jesus_NtheKnow

#ICSheridan