Sunday Sermon, 2020-01-05, “Revelation: Introduction”

Here are the resources for the Sunday sermon on January 5, 2020:

Revelation: “Introduction”

Revelation 1:1-20

Welcome to our 13-week study of the Book of Revelation! What a great way to start off the new year.  Let’s dive right in … take your “Revelation Quick Facts” page out of your bulletin and follow along with me.

REVIEW REVELATION QUICK FACTS:

The Book of Revelation Quick Facts:

Purpose:

To reveal the full identity of Christ and to give warning and hope to believers.

Author:

The apostle John wrote the book which was intended to be a letter circulated among the early churches. The book contains 22 chapters, 402 verses, and 11,995 words.

Original Audience:

The seven churches in Asia and all believers everywhere

Date Written:

Approximately A.D. 95 from Patmos, a “penal colony” island used by Rome to exile trouble-causers.

Key People:

John, Jesus, Angels, Elders, The “anti-Christ,” the Redeemed.

Key Places:

Patmos, the seven churches, the new Jerusalem

Setting:

Most scholars believe that the seven churches of Asia to whom John writes were experiencing the persecution that took place under Emperor Domitian (A.D. 90-95). It seems that the Roman authorities had exiled John to the island of Patmos (off the coast of Asia). John, who had been an eyewitness of the incarnate Christ, had a vision of the glorified Christ. God also revealed to John what would take place in the future—judgment and the ultimate triumph of God over evil.

Key Verse:

“God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near” Revelation 1:3.

Special Features:

Revelation is written in “apocalyptic” form—a type of Jewish literature that uses symbolic imagery to communicate hope (in the ultimate triumph of God) to those in the midst of persecution. The events are ordered according to literary, rather than strictly chronological, patterns.

Now, let’s read Chapter 1.  READ REVELATION 1. I want to encourage you to read the Book of Revelation. Did you notice what verse 3 said?

Revelation 1:3,God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

As you read it look and listen carefully for a message you can obey.  Ask, “What can I obey in the passage?”  Maybe you won’t understand the entire chapter or passage, but is there something you clearly understand as a message you can obey? Do it! You’ll be blessed by God, that’s His promise.

Today I want to share chapter 1’s answer to 3 questions:

— What kind of Revelation is the book about?

— How did the Book of Revelation get written?

— What did John see and hear, what was Revealed to him?

A.  What kind of Revelation is this book about?

Revelation 1:1-2,This is a revelation from (of) Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, 2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

1)  It will reveal Jesus Christ. If you miss Jesus in Revelation you’ve missed the whole point.

For example, let’s look at verse 4-5 of Revelation 1: This letter is … from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.

What do we learn about Jesus in just this verse alone?

  • Jesus is a faithful witness to these events of human history.
  • Primary importance is that He is risen from the dead.
  • Jesus is the King of earthly kings!
  • Jesus loves us.
  • Jesus has freed us from our sins by shedding His blood.

This Book of Revelation is chock-full of facts about Jesus!

2)  It will reveal events of human history.

            a.  That already happened (in John’s time).

            b.  That are happening now (in our time). > Historical Theology <

            c.  That will happen in the near / distant future.

3)  It is a revelation for “his servants.”  It is a book about faith, for the faithful.

4)  It is a revelation about “his servants.” It shows us who we are in Christ.

Revelation 4:6, He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Our job is to bring others to God … this book is designed to warn and encourage. We bear the warning to others, and encourage others to obey God.


B)  How did the Book of Revelation get written?

1)  John’s worship was interrupted.

Revelation 1:10, It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.

2)  John was told to write down and circulate what he saw and heard.

Revelation 1:11, It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

C)  What did John see and hear in the “Revelation”?

Jesus, he saw Jesus!

Revelation 1:12-20: (go verse by verse)
12  When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.
13  And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.
14  His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire.
15  His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
16  He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
17  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.
18  I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
19  “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
20  This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

MAIN POINT:  Am I ready to obey the message God has for me in the Book of Revelation?

A closing prayer … “Dear God, Your power is amazing and awesome in this first chapter of the Book of Revelation, and I know that You have a message of warning and hope for me. Open my spirit to what You have for me. Teach me, and mold me over the next three months as we see Jesus uncovered for us to clearly see. Amen.”