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Greetings to the Seven Churches | Revelation 1:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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We are about to embark on a journey to behold a glorious,
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marvelous, compelling, captivating revelation of the
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Lord Jesus Christ, who He is now.
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What He is saying to the churches today and what He will
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do in our world in the days to come are the things that await
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us in this amazing exegetical expedition.
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We briefly touched on the first few verses of chapter 1 in our
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overview last week, but there's still crucial details that we
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need to draw from them before we move on to the main passage of
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this section. And so if you can, let's meet
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together again at Revelation chapter 1, beginning in verse
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one, and read it together. The revelation of Jesus Christ,
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which God gave him to show to His servants the things that
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must soon take place. He made a known by sending his
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Angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God
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and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
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Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this
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prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is
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written in it, for the time is near.
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When reading this over and over again, There are three things
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that should stand out to us from these 3 verses.
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Who this is for meaning the book who this is from, and lastly,
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who will be blessed. Did you notice the specific
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group of people that the Holy Spirit addresses concerning this
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book? We're told right here that it is
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to show his servants, that's Christ servants and verse one,
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the things that must soon take place.
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So what that tells us is that the insights of this book, the
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wisdom of this book, the encouragement, the guidance, the
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warnings, the predictions, the visions of this book are tailor
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made and are targeting a particular category of people,
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Christ's servants. Now servants is quite a broad
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term, but when you understand the original language a little
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bit, you'll discover that it's much more narrow in its
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interpretation. It's not just servants.
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We're actually talking about slaves.
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The Greek word is doulos, and a doulos or a slave was not
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somebody who was necessarily employed, it was somebody who
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was actually owned. A doulos was somebody who was
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permanently owned by someone else, and that position of
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servitude remained as a lifelong call.
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A slave didn't have his own rights.
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He solely lived to perform the will and the pleasure of the one
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that he was owned by. Now in John's day, the joy of
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that position being a slave, being an advantage or
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disadvantage, largely depended on the goodness of the
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individual that one was subservient to.
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And this may sound surprising to us, but in Roman Society of this
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time, you would have people who would give themselves up to be a
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slave thinking that they would be better off doing so.
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And so we have to understand that even the concept of slavery
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was much different than how we seem to interpret it in Western
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culture. In the case of the apostles,
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they gladly identify themselves and many of the openings of
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their letters as slaves specifically to Jesus Christ,
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bond servants of Jesus Christ. And they did so because they
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wanted to communicate, one, that Jesus Christ is a glorious
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master, and two, that their devotion to him was complete and
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that it was lifelong. I hope you don't miss it next
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time you study the New Testament.
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Paul, a servant, a bondservant, a slave of Jesus Christ.
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Jude even says I'm a servant of Jesus.
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James says I'm a servant of Jesus Christ.
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This is not a temporary thing. This is permanent.
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It's forever and you and I have to understand that the opening
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of this book, God expects all of his followers to relate him in
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the same way. And so we have to establish
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something right now before we move on.
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Here's a question we should ask am IA bondservant of Jesus
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Christ. Does he own my will?
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Does he determine my decisions? Does he have my resources?
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Am I truly a slave to Jesus Christ?
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And that's important for many reasons, including for how we're
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going to receive the truth of this book because later we're
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going to discover that there's a specific blessing for those who
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keep what is written in it. And to keep what is written in
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it means that you take it to heart and that you obey what it
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asks of you. You can't do that unless you
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first settle this. Do I actually belong to Him?
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So what I'm trying to convey from the beginning is this.
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The way this book will impact your life is determined by
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whether or not you are a slave to Jesus Christ.
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If not, completely surrender to Him that you're not going to
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truly benefit from what this book has to teach you.
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And so you have to ask yourself, am I coming to the Book of
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Revelation here at Maranatha Bible Church merely as a
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student? Or am I coming because I am a
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bondservant of Jesus Christ? This is for bondservants.
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This is for slaves of Jesus Christ.
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But who is this from? Interestingly, look at the last
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part of verse one. He made it known by sending his
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Angel to his servant John. So even there we have John
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called a bondservant, a slave of Christ.
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And each of us here have to understand that John is one of
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the apostles. He's one of the 12 and church
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tradition attributes the authorship of this book, the
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human authorship to him. And there are many reasons for
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that, good reasons for that. When you actually look at and
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you survey this book, you'll discover clues, phrases,
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expressions, references that are unique to John's writings.
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And there are, there are many, many, many parallels, but I want
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to look at 2 obvious ones. So hopefully you have the Book
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of Revelation open in your hands.
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Look at Revelation 5 and I want you to see verse 6 briefly.
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John writes. And between the throne and the
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four living creatures, and among the elders, I saw a lamb
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standing as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with
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seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all
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the earth. The messianic title of the Lamb
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is very common to us. I think it was virtually in
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every song that we sang this afternoon.
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But that picture of Jesus which appears many times in Revelation
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is only found in one other book in the New Testament, the book
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of John, unless you count Paul, who says in First Corinthians
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that Christ is our Passover lamb.
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But the the idea of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, that's only
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found here in Revelation and the Gospel account, which is amazing
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and it's not the only one. Here's another Joy 9 expression.
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Look at Revelation 19 in verse 13 it says he is clothed in a
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robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is
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the Word of God. Sound familiar?
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In the beginning was the Word, yes, right?
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John 11. And not only in John 11 but
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first John 11, Christ there is referenced as the word of life.
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So we have it in Revelation as a title, as a reference to Christ
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here in Revelation, have it in John, have it in the first
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epistle written by John. This is obviously written by him
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and there's many other things that we can look to to confirm
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that. Instead, I want to take this
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time to look at something that John mentions back in chapter 1,
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verse two. Look what this bond servant said
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about the Book of Revelation who bore witness to the Word of God
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and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
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John calls the Book of Revelation the Word of God.
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That may seem obvious to you, but what is sad is that
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believers in the past and even some believers today in practice
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do not uphold the Book of Revelation with such dignity and
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honor. Now this may shock you, but let
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me give you a quote from Martin Luther.
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Yes, the great reformer, he said this about the Book of
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Revelation. Quote, My spirit cannot
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accommodate itself to this book. For me, this is reason enough
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not to think highly of it. Christ is neither taught nor
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known in it. End of quote.
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Now, Martin Luther was right about very important theological
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truths, but I have to say that he was not right about the Book
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of Revelation. And the reason why he wrestled
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with it like many do today is because of the visions and the
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cryptic nature of some of these things.
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So he just kind of put it in the peripheral.
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He didn't really uphold it. The way John himself describes
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this book, it's the word of God which tells you and I that no
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matter how you feel about the visions, the predictions of this
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letter, we have to understand that the man who wrote it lived
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with Jesus for 3 1/2 years. He witnessed his execution on a
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Roman cross. He spent time with him and ate
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with him after his resurrection, and he beheld his bodily
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ascension into heaven. The same John who experienced
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that is the same John who is telling us that Lord gave me
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this truth. It's as though John is saying in
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the same way I faithfully conveyed to you the details of
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His first coming, I am equally loyal to tell you about the
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details of His second coming. And that is not the only thing
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that John wants to tell us which comes to verse 3 for us.
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Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this
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prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is
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written in it for the time is near.
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If you've ever read the Book of Revelation, then you've probably
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noticed that this is not the only beatitude found in the Book
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of Revelation. A beatitude is a declaration of
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blessedness or happiness, right? And we're most familiar with the
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Beatitudes and the introduction of the Sermon on the Mount, But
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we have beatitudes here, and the one that we have here in verse 3
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is one out of seven total beatitudes in the Book of
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Revelation. Now, the other day I was
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counting to make sure, and it's confirmed there are a total of
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7, which bless me because 7 is such a significant number in
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this book. Most of us know that the number
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seven in the Bible speaks to completion or God's full
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fulfillment concerning something.
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And if that's true and we relate it to these declarations of
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blessings in Revelation, here's what we can confirm.
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This book has complete blessing for us.
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Total blessing, full blessing. And at the beginning here, we're
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told three ways that we can be blessed by this book.
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The first way is to read it aloud.
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I think that's what I'm doing, right?
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The second way is for those to hear it.
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That's what you're doing. And lastly, for the reader and
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the hearer to keep what is written in it.
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John expected that this letter, when he sent it to the seven
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churches, would be read in each congregation.
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Now, what I appreciate about what he's saying here is that he
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doesn't say blessed is the one who understands every single
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detail in the Book of Revelation because a lot of us would be in
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trouble. No, no, no, this book is so
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packed with spiritual treasure that just reading it and hearing
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it will bless you. Just doing that.
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Now I got to also say this. You can tell I'm getting a
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little excited, right? This is a clue to some of the
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practices of the early church, a practice that you and I are
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honoring right now. There would be somebody who was
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designated to read the Scriptures while others listen
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to the word of God being read. Aren't you glad that we're
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keeping up with that biblical tradition?
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Here we are reading and hearing. This is something that the
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ancient church did, and it's been going on for thousands of
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years now. Many of us who grew up in
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Christian circles are familiar with this beatitude in
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Revelation One. But I have this question, What
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blessing does John have in mind for those who would read and
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hear and obey what this book has to say?
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And I believe we have an answer. The answer is when you look at
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the book end, the last part of the Book of Revelation, and you
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see this beatitude repeated almost word for word.
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So go to Revelation 22 and notice what Jesus says in verse
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7 of Revelation 22. Here's another beatitude and
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behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the
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words of the prophecy of this book.
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So notice that there is a connection between keeping the
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words of this prophecy and Jesus coming back soon, engaging with
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the prophecies of this book in light of the return of Jesus
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Christ. Here's what this tells me.
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Reading, hearing, keeping what is in this book blesses us
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mainly because it thunders the truth of the soon return of
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Christ and it compels you to prepare for his arrival.
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That's a blessing. Here's what you're going to be
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reminded as we go through every detail, try to at least in these
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wonderful chapters. The main message is going to be
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this Jesus is coming back soon. Christ is coming back soon.
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The King is coming again, and the appropriate response is I
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must be ready for it. I must be prepared.
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And as helpful as that is, this fountain is so deep, so lively,
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so gushing with blessing that we have other things to receive
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from it. And we're going to sip from more
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of it as we consider now the main section of this message.
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Now, last week, let me say this, I was providing the testimony
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early on about how encouraged I was by the response of the
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people. One of the comments was you were
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too fast, brother, with your introduction message.
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Please take your time. Please don't be afraid to
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continue. I don't know if all you feel
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that way, but here's me responding to that request
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because all that I just said was the introduction.
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Let's come to verse 4 now and read to verse 8.
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John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and
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peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from
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the seven spirits who are before his throne.
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And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born
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of the dead and the ruler of kings on earth.
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To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His
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blood and made us a Kingdom priest to his God and Father, to
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Him be glory and dominion, forever and ever.
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Amen. Behold, he's coming with the
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clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who Pierce them,
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and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.
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Even so. Amen.
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I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and
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who was and who is to come the Almighty.
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There's that #7 again. Verse 4 John to the seven
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churches that are in Asia A student in the New Testament
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will know we'll probably think well there are more than 7
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churches in Asia Minor at this time and you might even wondered
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why didn't John write to some of the churches that we read in the
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epistles so. So why not more than 7?
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Why not fewer? Well, again, if there is a
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symbolic attachment to this number, then we can understand
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what John by the Spirit is trying to communicate.
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Yes, these are real historical churches that have been
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addressed, but that #7 is meant to tell us that this message is
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also for all believers. If #7 means completion,
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fullness, then what we have here is John telling us that God is
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trying to speak to God, is aiming His message at all
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believers of all time. This is relevant to every
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Christian. So we are being written to.
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This is for us, and those specific messages will come in
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chapter 2 and chapter 3. But right here, we're being
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prepared. What we have to read is for us
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personally, and the first thing that we can learn, the first
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major lesson following the fact that John writes to the seven
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churches, is that a true church that belongs to Jesus Christ
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will be a church that acknowledges and believes in the
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Trinity. There are many branches of
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Christianity that are not really Christian that do not believe in
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the Tri unity of God, that he is one being 3 persons, not 3 gods.
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He is one, yes, but He is also 3.
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And we can spend the rest of this time trying to explain that
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and prove it from the Bible. But the thing that I want to
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just make clear is that a true church will believe in that,
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will defend that, and a church is not really a church that
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rejects that truth. Did you notice that this
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greeting to the seven churches came from the Trinity?
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Look again from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.
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This speaks of the Father and His eternality, and from the
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seven spirits who are before His throne.
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This speaks of the Spirit and His fullness.
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And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born
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of the dead and the rulers of kings on earth.
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This speaks of the Son and His supremacy.
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So right here in this greeting you have traces of the Trinity.
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A clear reference that this is coming from Father, Spirit and
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Son. And this teaches us that a true
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church will receive such a revelation.
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They will not deny it, they will not resist it, they will not try
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to explain it away. But let's look at these things
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more closely, shall we? Let's look at the Father, at all
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the things that can be said about the Father.
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We're told here that he is, He was.
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Who is to come. The timelessness of the Father.
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Now, that sounds very abstract, That sounds very out there, but
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it's meant to comfort the believer.
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Because what we're supposed to face here is that the God you
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learned about in Genesis through Deuteronomy, the God who did
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miracles in Joshua, the God who was patient in the days of
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Samuel and the kings, the God who spoke through Isaiah,
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Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the other prophets is the
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same God who is watching over his church today.
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That's what we're supposed to sense.
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He's the same 1. He hasn't changed.
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He still is there. He's still supervising, he's
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still empowering, he's still providing, he's still speaking.
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So he's not diluted in any manner.
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He's not distance himself over time.
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He is near, he is close. And the same power and wisdom
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and love that he operated in the past is available to us today.
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The Father. And then we go to who is before
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the Father's throne. Look again here and from the
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seven spirits who are before His throne.
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Now initially that may sound confusing because we are all
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familiar with one spirit who shares equal standing with the
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Father, That's the Holy Spirit. So now we have this idea of
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seven spirits, and I've even heard people who mockingly come
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to a text like this and accuse Christians.
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Oh, you believe three and one. I think you actually believe
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9:00 and 1:00 because you have this mention of the seven
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spirits and you add the Son and the Father.
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Isn't that 9? Do you remember how we open up
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this series last week? That from beginning to end, the
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Book of Revelation is absolutely drenched with Old Testament
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references. And so when something doesn't
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seem so clear, we have to ask ourselves, have we seen
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something like this before? Have we looked at any text that
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might give some explanation to what John is conveying here?
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And the answer is yes, I believe the apostle John is referencing
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the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit that Isaiah spoke
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about in Chapter 11. Turn there with me and Isaiah 11
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verses one and two, and this will hopefully make sense to us.
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And Isaiah 11 verse one and two we read there shall come forth a
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shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots
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shall bear fruit. Let's count now in verse 2.
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And the Spirit of the Lord, one shall rest upon him, the spirit
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of wisdom 2 and understanding 3 the spirit of counsel 4 and
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might 5 the spirit of knowledge 6 and the fear of the Lord 7.
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So when John is depicting the seven spirits who are before his
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throne, he's not speaking about 7 separate beings.
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He's referring to the perfect qualities of the ministry of the
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Holy Spirit, one Holy Spirit who's also the Spirit of the
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Lord, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might,
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knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.
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And while Christ was on earth, according to Isaiah's prophecy,
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the Spirit in his fullness rested upon the Messiah.
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And now we find him before the throne of God in the Book of
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Revelation. And it's going to appear more
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than once in our study of this book.
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So we have the Holy Spirit who's greeting the seven churches.
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Lastly, we have the Son. It's no surprise to us that
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Christ is mentioned last because he's the theme of the Book of
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Revelation. So John's going to expand on the
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truth of who Jesus Christ is. And what are we told?
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Look at these wonderful titles, The faithful witness.
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You can depend on what He says. He never lies, He never
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exaggerates. He's perfect in His witness.
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He's the first born of the dead and the rule of kings on earth.
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We sang that so resoundingly. And out of this threefold
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portrait, I think the most puzzling 1 might be the first
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born of the dead. What does John mean by that?
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It's not a mystery. This is a banner that is not
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only powerful, it has promise attached to it.
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The first born of the dead, implying that there are others
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on the way. What he means by this is that
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Jesus Christ is the first to rise from the dead with a
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glorified, exalted, eternal body.
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And his resurrection, as unique as it is, paves the way for
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future resurrections, namely those who put their faith and
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trust in Him. So he's the first born of the
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dead, and we will follow him and share in that experience.
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How encouraging this would have been to these seven churches who
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are being persecuted and suffering in unique ways.
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They were reminded right at the introduction, We are going to
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follow in the destiny of Christ. He's the first one of that.
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And even if we lose our lives, we will share in his fate.
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This is what John is saying. And this is not all that he has
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to say about this caption of Christ.
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He goes on to something that I think is so precious.
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He goes on to say what to him who loves us and has freed us
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from our sins by his blood. You know what one of the first
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messages is of the Book of Revelation?
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That this eternal King, the defeater of death, the returning
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conqueror, loves you, loves each of us.
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I don't think many people associate the Book of Revelation
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with the revelation of God's love.
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It's right there in the beginning.
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Do you believe God loves you? It's one thing to believe that
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he created you. It's one thing to believe that
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he provides for you. It's another thing to believe
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that he will. Yes, promise you a place with
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him forever. Do you have the faith to believe
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that this amazing, incredible, powerful God actually has
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delight for you? John wants the churches to know
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this. God loves you.
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When is that ever dawned on you? When was the last time you
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relished in the thought God loves me, not that you love God.
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That's wonderful. When did you bathe in that
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revelation last? I can tell you it will empower
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you in ways that you cannot even fathom.
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The other day I was driving on my own.
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I was meeting a few people and it was in a long drive.
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So I thought to myself, let me just, I'm not going to listen to
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anything. I'm just going to take this time
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by myself. It was dark, it was quiet, just
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speaking to the Lord. And this thought that you and I
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know touched me in a fresh way. You died for me.
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You died for me. There I am driving, thinking.
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You left heaven. You came to this world and you
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died for me so that I can be with you forever.
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I almost skipped my meeting. Because you see, this is not
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just a sentimental thing. This love, it acts, it moves, it
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intervenes, it transforms, it's tangible, it's observable, it's
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measurable in a way, because we're told here what this love
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has done. Look at the last part of verse
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5. To him who loves us and has
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freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a Kingdom
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priest to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion
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forever and ever, Amen. So this, this love frees us from
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something and makes us into something.
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It frees us from our sins by his blood.
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So it's a love that is a rated erased our record of wrong.
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It's it's a love that liberates us for eternity.
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It's a love that actually sets you free from the power of sin.
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If God just said I loved you, that would have been wonderful,
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but he proved it and it changes you.
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If you really receive it, it frees you.
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He paid a high price in order to show how much he loves us, not
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just saving us from something. He saved us for something.
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He made us a Kingdom priest to his God and Father, Not just the
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Kingdom, a Kingdom of priests. I, I get it.
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The temptation to hear language like this is like this is
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abstracted. I don't know what to make of it.
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What does that have to do with me?
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Really Well, how does that really impact my life?
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Well, it speaks of the royal nature and the spiritual
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privilege of the Christian, so that we've been guaranteed not
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just to be with Christ when he comes to rule and reign, but we
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will reign with Him. And more than that, we have an
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access to Him. We don't need any earthly
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mediator. We need to jump through hoops.
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Think about this. It doesn't even end here.
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Not only am IA priest, a priest is one who serves as a meteor
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between man and God. I have access to God, but God
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even tells me that I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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So as a priest and as the dwelling place for God, no
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matter where I am at any point of the day, I can talk to him, I
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can worship him, I can access him, I can receive from him on
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the basis of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.
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So this love, it frees me, it also molds me and makes me into
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something. That's one of the first messages
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of the Book of Revelation. God loves his church and every
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single individual believer. I pray that you would pray that
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this would be more real to you in the days to come.
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This thought so moved John. He couldn't help it.
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He breaks out into praise. Look at the rest of verse five.
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He says to him, be glory and dominion, forever and ever.
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Amen. He got excited when he spoke
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about these things too. But in contrast to the grace,
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peace, and love that is poured out on believers, those who are
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outside the church will wail on account of Him.
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Look at verse 7. Behold, He is coming with the
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clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who Pierce them.
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And all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.
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Even so. Amen.
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So John says now look, behold, turn your attention to this.
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I'm giving you a preview of what this book is really about.
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Christ is coming back and that truth is a means for us to
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worship, and it will be the reason for many to lament.
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Look how incredible this is. He is coming with the clouds and
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every eye will see Him, no matter the time zone, no matter
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the regions of the earth that are unexplored, that are hiding
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indigenous people groups. At one point Christ will take
32:30
center stage of the universe and every eye will witness it, and
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every eye will acknowledge this is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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Every blasphemer who mocked him will admit it.
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Every false religionist who is denied His identity, namely His
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deity, will accept it, and in one moment every atheist will
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become a believer. But it will be too late for
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many, because they'll realize that he's not coming the way he
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came the first time. He's coming to judge, and his
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judgement will be eternal. This is why we're told that many
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will wail. But it is so interesting here
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that John gives us a heads up. He actually underscores a
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specific people group who will also witness him.
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Look again here, even those who pierced him.
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Now you read that and you think this is OK, but it's a general
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reference to those who crucified him.
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But no, he's actually echoing a prophecy from Zechariah 12/10.
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You can turn there on your own at another time, but that's
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where we're told that the people of Israel who are responsible
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for crucifying their Messiah, the fulfillment of them who
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pierced Him and wailing and weeping on account of Him, will
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be realized at the Second Coming.
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Which is fascinating because when you look at Zechariah
34:00
12/10, it confirms that God has a purpose and plan for the
34:04
ethnic people of Israel up until His return.
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That is why understanding God's purpose for Israel is so
34:13
crucial. Nothing to do with politics my
34:16
friend, but deeply ingrained in how you frame your eschatology,
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which is a fancy word for the study and your knowledge of the
34:23
last days. Those who have pierced them will
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see Him. Why would you highlight out of
34:29
all the tribes of the world, all the people, groups of the world,
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all the nations of the world, one that has gone through a
34:36
roller coaster throughout history?
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Evidently a prophecy about them will be realized at the
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culmination of the age. We're going to explore this as
34:45
we go on through this book. But notice here, this is a
34:52
spectacular prophecy and here's a summary of it.
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He says here that Christ will do what he is coming with the
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clouds. When Jesus went up bodily in
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Acts chapter one verse 9, we're told there that he was hidden by
35:08
a cloud. Now, if you've ever been to a
35:11
play, then you might remember that at some point, in the event
35:16
a curtain would drop and there would be a pause, a break right
35:20
to the act. And then there would be a time
35:23
for you to, you know, refresh yourself, go do something in
35:25
return, only for that curtain to lift again and for the play to
35:29
resume. That's how I like to think of
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this cloud picture that when he ascended into heaven, the
35:36
curtain dropped. The cloud concealed him.
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But when he returns, the clouds will part and they will reveal
35:45
him the first time he ascended as a rejected Messiah.
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When he comes back, he's going to be a conquering king.
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And John is saying look for the clouds.
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They will usher him in. And this is such a spectacular
35:59
prophecy. You are think about it.
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You are predicting somebody who has been supposedly dead for
36:07
2000 years is going to make a reappearance and actually take
36:11
over everything. Now we as Christians believe
36:13
he's alive and so astounding is such a claim.
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John pauses, not speaking on behalf of the Lord anymore, but
36:22
allows God now to speak for himself.
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In verse 8. What does the Lord say?
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I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord God who is and who
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was and who is to come the Almighty.
36:35
It's as though God steps in and gives his personal endorsement
36:38
for verse 7. I'm going to do this.
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Jesus Christ is coming back. You know why?
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I'm the alpha and the Omega. What does that mean?
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That's the first and last letter for the Greek alphabet.
36:57
And So what the Lord is saying essentially is I'm the beginning
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and the end. It again echoes his eternality.
37:05
More than that, he says, I give the first word, I'm going to
37:10
give the last word, and no one can change that.
37:14
I'm the alpha and the Omega. I'm outside of time.
37:19
I can predict the future because I already see it from time to
37:23
time when people try to ask how does God know things?
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How do we kind of wrestle and make sense of His foreknowledge
37:29
and our personal responsibility and all these things?
37:32
It's hard to grasp. And I like to jokingly tell
37:34
people, you know, God right now is at your birth date, your
37:37
first birth date and your funeral at the same time.
37:42
Try to figure that out over food today.
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The alpha, the Omega, the beginning of the end.
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I gave the first word. I'm going to give the last word.
37:53
But this statement here is more than just God declaring that He
37:57
is outside of time. He also wants to confirm that He
38:00
is in control of every event within time.
38:06
What is he going to say? And the alpha and the Omega says
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the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come?
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The Almighty, The Almighty. That description for God doesn't
38:22
appear a lot in the New Testament.
38:25
A total of 10 times the rest. All other nine are found here in
38:29
Revelation. Think about that.
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This is God saying something about Himself in Revelation that
38:35
He wants to emphasize. And the word Almighty simply
38:39
means this one who has His hand and everything, One who holds
38:45
sway to everything. In other words, He's in control,
38:50
the Almighty, the Almighty, the Almighty.
38:52
That's what is being blasted from Revelation.
38:56
Obviously, for us to be persuaded of His sovereignty,
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that in the last days He is going to be completely in
39:04
control, even though everything looks like it's going out of
39:06
control. I'm the Almighty 1, the Almighty
39:09
1, the Almighty 1, and so He's the determiner of events.
39:15
And it would be a mistake to think that the Lord being the
39:18
Alpha and the Omega, is only interested in the beginning of
39:20
time. Then He backed away and let
39:22
things just go their own way. And then now He'll come back and
39:25
put things in order. No, remember, what does it say?
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Who is not just who was and who is to come?
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He is now. So even now, today, in 2025,
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He's the Almighty. He's not just going to be
39:38
Almighty when He returns. He's the Almighty until His
39:42
return. And when He returns, which tells
39:46
you, and I want that He is in control of every single thing in
39:50
your life, He's in control of the city of Chicago.
39:53
He's in control of the state. He's in control of this nation
39:57
and the nations of the world. He is sovereign over every king,
40:01
every president, Prime Minister, a dictator.
40:04
And none can resist them. None can challenge him and
40:07
succeed. Many have tried to thwart his
40:09
plans and his prophecies, but have failed.
40:11
And they will always fail until he proves himself.
40:14
He's the Almighty and the Almighty.
40:22
Loves you, genuinely loves you. His heart is stirred for us.
40:32
People talk about mysteries in the Bible.
40:34
To me, that's one of the greatest mysteries.
40:38
How many of us are there in the world?
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How many of us throughout the ages?
40:45
And yet He promises to walk with you and me as though we were the
40:50
only person in the world. How many prayers has God
40:54
answered in your life from heaven?
40:55
The Almighty 1 Not because you're worthy, but because He
40:58
loves you. The things that you're not even
41:02
aware of that He's protecting you from.
41:04
How He has every single day planned for you ahead.
41:08
He knows it all and it will be for your good.
41:12
And He will supply everything. And it'll be for the purpose of
41:15
sanctifying you, making you more like His Son.
41:19
I belong to the Almighty. So do you if you're in Christ.
41:25
So this is what these seven churches are hearing before he
41:27
gets into these specific things that he will say to them in
41:31
chapter 2 and three. And listen, in chapter 2 and
41:33
three, a lot of these churches will receive scathing rebukes.
41:37
But you know what's amazing? Before he corrects any of them,
41:40
he tells these churches, you're loved.
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You were loved. I think even in that we have an
41:49
example for how we correct others.
41:52
Do we love them? Do they know that they are loved
41:54
by us? Well, I better stop before I get
41:58
carried away. I hear the voices of those.
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Last week I said just keep going brother, don't worry about it.
42:06
This is the beginning of our study in Revelation, but we've
42:10
come together here to reflect on His love for us as we break
42:14
bread. So if I can ask the praise team
42:16
to join us. And I encourage you to reflect
42:22
on His love. So you have the woman at the
42:29
well who is so ashamed of her story that she goes to this
42:33
well. The hottest point of the day
42:35
wasn't very wise. People would go earlier to get
42:38
water for their families and their flock.
42:41
So here she is in isolation, and she's drawing from this.
42:44
Well, Jesus comes and asks for a drink.
42:46
And you're familiar with the conversation.
42:48
And Jesus begins to slowly unveil who he really is by
42:53
demonstrating his power, his knowledge.
42:55
And he tells her you've had more than one husband.
43:00
And he actually confirms the amount.
43:04
And she's obviously moved by this, but it says something
43:07
about what she was yearning for. You know, when she goes to this
43:10
well and she's drawing water, it's a picture of what she was
43:13
thirsting for it. She was looking for love.
43:17
She was looking for validation. And so she was jumping from
43:20
marriage to marriage to marriage, right?
43:22
And then she just gave up on the whole marriage thing all
43:23
together. And the person that she was with
43:25
when Christ met her was not her husband.
43:30
And then Jesus so patiently leads her to the revelation of
43:33
that, of the fact that he is the Messiah.
43:36
Her eyes are open to this truth. She's so moved by it that she
43:40
goes to run back to Samaria to tell people of what this man has
43:44
told about her. And there's this little detail
43:46
in John 4. She left behind that jar of
43:48
water, again, if you're consistent with the picture, who
43:54
Christ was to her, satisfied her thirst.
43:59
And she left behind that jar where she tried to scoop up
44:02
meaning and purpose and gratification because she found
44:06
it in him. She found it in him.
44:08
You can find it in him. I'm telling you, this love is so
44:12
profound, so real, that it frees you.
44:15
It really does free you. And it's so difficult for man to
44:20
grasp it. That's why Paul in Ephesians 3,
44:22
he says, I bow my knees before the Father.
44:25
And what does he say? It's just that you may know the
44:28
height, the depth, the breadth of this love for you see, a
44:33
preacher can come up and tell you God loves you.
44:34
That's one thing and it can move you and it should.
44:37
But you need the power of the Holy Spirit to really get it.
44:41
It's really good. That's why we pray before we
44:42
come up here and do these meetings and that's why this
44:45
leadership prays for the people here that the reality of God
44:49
would be you name to known to every single one of us,
44:51
including those who are praying for it.
44:53
Well, we ask, that is, we've entered the door of the series
44:57
and revelation and we've been confronted by many things,
45:00
including this truth that who you are and all your might and
45:03
splendor and glory, You love us. Make it real in every heart in
45:08
this place. And Lord, we'll know it's real
45:12
when we are free from things that are lying to us and
45:16
damaging us and robbing us of the gift that you have for us.
45:21
Lord, let this love liberate people from sin, doubt,
45:25
depression. We pray that, Lord, through this
45:29
series of revelation, we would see your love.
45:32
And so even now, Lord, as we eat together and fellowship, may the
45:35
presence of the Holy Spirit be real and all that He has to
45:39
offer. Would you bless the food and the
45:41
hands that have sacrificed to prepare for it?
45:43
And may we get a glimpse of that feast that is to come and the
45:47
fellowship that we will have with you and with one another
45:49
for all of eternity. Lord, open our eyes, We pray.
45:52
This Sunday, in the mighty glorious name of the Lord Jesus
45:56
Christ, we pray Amen and Amen and Amen.