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Learning From John on Patmos | Revelation 1:9-11 | 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 have now arrived at the entry point of the very first striking
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vision in the Book of Revelation.
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And this vision is not about catastrophic events, nor is it
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about religious or political establishments that have risen
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and fallen. It's not about demonic entities
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or spiritual domains that parallel our world.
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This revelation is about the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We have seen Him before, haven't we?
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He has made appearances throughout the Hebrew Scriptures
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before His incarnation. He is hinted at in types and
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shadows throughout the Old Covenant.
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We've seen Him walking amongst us in the Gospels and we even
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caught glimpses of Him after his resurrection.
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But if you have never read the Book of Revelation before, I can
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assure you that you have not seen Jesus like we are about to
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see him. In fact, the very one who
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narrates it, who is one of Jesus closest followers, had not seen
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Him this way before this moment. And I want us to turn there
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together in Revelation 1, beginning in verse 9.
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If we're not careful, this manifestation of Christ could be
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mistaken as a future depiction of His glory at the consummation
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of the age. That's not what's happening
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here. What we have here is this
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description concerning Jesus defines His present exaltation
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and His Majesty. And so significant is this
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experience that John is led to provide a detailed backdrop
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about it. In other words, he wants to tell
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his readers and he wants to tell us about the timing of this
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experience, the setting, so that we would understand that this
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really, really took place. And as eager as we might be to
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look at this vision, we're actually going to spend most of
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our time considering John's preparation for it, as he now
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wants to tell us how and when this took place.
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We're going to linger there. So our time together in this
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book will be in verse 9 to verse 11.
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And let's read it together before we unpack it.
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I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and
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the Kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was
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on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and
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the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the
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Lord's Day and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
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saying, Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven
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churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum and to
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Thyatira, and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
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Father, we ask, help us with these verses, Open our eyes.
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We've been singing it and praying it since we began this
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time, and we believe that you will.
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And so, Lord, even in these two verses we trust that you have
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much to say to us, and we pray that we would have ears to hear
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what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Lord, we look to you now in faith.
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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I'm not sure if you noticed it, but this is now the third time
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that John's name appears in the 1st 9 verses of the Book of
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Revelation. Did you catch that?
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It comes up in verse one when he is referred to as God's servant,
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and then it appears again in verse 4 where he identifies
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himself as a transcriber of the content of this book.
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Right? John to the seven churches.
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And then in verse 9, he reintroduces himself once more.
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Why the repetition? I believe it's because he wants
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to make absolutely clear the credibility of the eyewitness
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accounts that he's about to unpack.
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He wants to let the readers know with absolute assurance that
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this is coming from a reliable source.
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And so he says it's me, John. And this indicates also that the
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churches knew which John was writing to them.
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And you and I understand from last week that this is John who
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is the same one who wrote in the Gospel of John and the Epistles
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with his name on it. But he doesn't reinforce his
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authorship in those other writings like he does here.
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Right? It's me, John.
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It's John, it's John. And again, it's not to say that
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the Gospel account is not important or his letters have no
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value, but it does say something about the great significance of
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the epic prophecy of this book that demands such autographs.
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And we looked last week briefly, how he provides so many clues
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throughout this book to show and to authenticate that he was the
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one who in fact penned it. And the two main ones that we
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saw was how he refers to Christ as the Lamb, the Lamb, the Lamb.
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That's emphasizing John's Gospel and also the title, the Word of
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God, also found in John's Gospel and the first Epistle.
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But there are other subtle hints that we didn't look at.
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But I'm compelled to provide you at least one more.
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So scroll back to verse 7 and let's see it together.
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At least one example. Remember when he said in verse
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7, behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see
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Him, even those who Pierce them, and all tribes of the earth will
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wail on account of him. Even so.
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Amen. John makes an allusion to the
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prophecy in Zechariah 12/10 when he says even those who Pierce
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them. That's an identity that belongs
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to the Jewish people. And interestingly, there is only
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one other place in the entirety of the New Testament where there
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is reference to Zechariah 12/10. Can you guess what book it is?
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John, when he's standing there and witnessing his beloved
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Master, his Lord, his Savior being crucified, and finally he
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is pierced. And then he writes this.
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Turn with me to John 19 in verse 35.
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He who saw it has borne witness. His testimony is true and He
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knows that He is telling the truth, that you also may
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believe, for these things took place, that the Scripture might
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be fulfilled. Not one of His bones will be
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broken, and again another Scripture says they will look on
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Him whom they have pierced. Only in John and that illusion
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in Revelation One do we have a connection to Zechariah 12/10,
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which again underscores that it was the Jewish people who are
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responsible for the murderous rejection of their Messiah.
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But then it's brought back up here in Revelation One.
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Why? Because the Holy Spirit wants to
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remind us that although this people did Pierce their Messiah,
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they will one day grieve over their past sin, and they will
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lament over having rejected their Savior.
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That's a day yet to come where the people of Israel will hail
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Jesus as the Anointed. 1 All that to say to the Holy Spirit
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really wants us to know that this book comes from a reliable
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source. But credibility is not the only
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thing that we're supposed to be impressed with.
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I believe that the Holy Spirit, by bringing up John in the way
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that he introduces himself again, is to allow us to get the
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inspiration for humility, not just credibility.
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Out of all the things that John could have said about himself,
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especially when you factor in that he was very likely the last
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living apostle when he wrote the Book of Revelation, what does he
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say? How does he relate himself to
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these readers? I, John, your brother, your
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brother, your brother. Yes, your brother.
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I could think of 10 other ways that a man like John could have
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introduced himself, but he says this.
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We're talking about the same John who not only rested his
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head on Jesus bosom, but was given a series of revelations
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concerning the last moments of human history.
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Think about it this way. Imagine being granted the
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privilege of writing and compiling the final book in the
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Bible. That's an impressive resume.
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John had it, and yet he instinctively writes about
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himself to these Christians that are struggling, that are
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distracted, that are compromising in many ways, and
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he says, greetings, it's me, John, your brother.
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One of the marks of a maturing Christian is humility.
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One of the evidences that you are growing in the Lord is that
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despite the authority, the testimonies or the insight of
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the Lord might grant you, you grow in humility.
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And a mark of humility is that over time you do not view or
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carry yourself as more significant than others,
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especially fellow believers. And that was not true just of
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John. That is true for every St.
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That is truly in the Spirit. And we find it even the life of
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the Apostle Paul. And I want you to see it with
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me, because humility is not about you despising yourself.
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Humility is about you recognizing more and more your
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unworthiness and your need for God's grace.
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It's this dependency that you walk in.
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And John was not the only one who demonstrated it.
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He's not the only one who displays what the Spirit can do
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in a man who longs to be like Jesus.
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If you follow Paul's writings carefully and if you consider
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the timing of his epistles, you will discover a certain
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progression and how he perceives himself.
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It's it's so worth skipping to. And so let's begin in First
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Corinthians chapter 15. This is believed to have been
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written between 53 and 55 AD, one of his first letters.
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Some believe that he wrote it from Ephesus, but I want you to
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see what he says in First Corinthians 15 verse 9 as a
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starting point. Paul says from the least of the
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apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted
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the Church of God, highlight that I am the least of the
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apostles Out of all of them, I'm the lowest ranking one out of
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all of them. I'm the least deserving out of
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all of them. I am the most understanding in
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terms of the grace of God bestowed on me.
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Not that the others didn't recognize it for themselves, but
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he's trying to make a point here.
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I'm the least of all of these other ministers, but he doesn't
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stop there. He's only getting started.
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But you have to go to Ephesians to see it.
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In Ephesians chapter 3, notice what he says about himself.
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Now this is written while he was under house arrest in Rome.
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Remember the end of the book of Acts?
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Paul went to Rome and he was under house arrest for a few
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years, and he wrote 4 prison epistles.
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One of them is in the book of Ephesians around 61 to 62 AD, so
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a few years after Corinthians. Look what he says here in
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Ephesians 3 verse 8. To me though, I am the very
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least of all, Not the apostles, but what the Saints highlight,
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that this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the
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unsearchable riches of Christ. Never mind the least of the all
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the apostles, I'm the least of all the Christians.
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This isn't even in there. Go to first Timothy.
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And here in First Timothy we have one of Paul's final letters
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before he was martyred. A few brief moments after some
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of his prison epistles, we have Paul addressing personal
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pastors, one of them being Timothy.
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Notice what he says in First Timothy 115.
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The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance
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that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I
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am the foremost. So in the span of a few years,
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as Paul's advancing in his walk with Christ, he says I'm the
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least of all the apostles. And he says no, no, I'm the
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least of all the Saints. And then finally he says I'm the
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worst Sinner I know. Question, do you think Paul
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walked around in life feeling guilty and condemned as a
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Christian? You haven't read Paul carefully
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if you believe that. No, instead what you have here
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is a man who, as he got closer and closer to Jesus, he was
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humbled. He grew in his revelation of the
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mercy of God that was required to sustain him and that brought
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him in to begin with. That's something that he
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accumulated as he advanced, and it obviously impacted the way he
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viewed others and treated others.
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And so we see here that both in Paul and even in John,
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regardless how the Lord uses you, regardless of what he
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reveals to you, if the Holy Spirit is really working in you,
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you'll be more and more convinced of your need for Him,
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and you'll find yourself praying prayers like this.
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Lord, I don't deserve this. Lord, I recognize that this is
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your energy, that this is your power.
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That you've made these opportunities available has
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nothing to do with me. And Lord, I realize that apart
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from your hand on my life, I will fall apart.
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I need you, Lord. I need you, Lord.
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I need you, Lord. And the more you discover His
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Holiness, the more we'll reflect on your lack of holiness.
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And this will not make you again living in a sense of
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condemnation. It will make you just appreciate
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his grace all the more. You're going to cling to him.
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You're going to worship and adore him with greater intensity
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as you grow in humility. And I believe John in a subtle
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way, shows how he was walking in the same direction as Paul.
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I'm your brother. We're the same.
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We're equal at the foot of the cross, the same Holy Spirit that
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you need, I need. And I believe here this is for
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us. But it's not the only thing that
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he said. Go back to Revelation 1.
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He says, I, John, your brother, not just brother and partner and
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partner. Now he's saying I'm a fellow
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companion. I'm somebody here who
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participates and shares in something with you, but what is
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he speaking about? Exactly?
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3 things. There are three things that John
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says that he is a partner in. The 1st is the tribulation.
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The second is the Kingdom. The third thing is the patient
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endurance. Now here's an important
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qualifier. The tribulation, the Kingdom,
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and the patient endurance that he says that he's a partner in
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are in Jesus that are in Jesus. Which means what for us?
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That you and I who are in Jesus by faith can expect to share in
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these same things. There's a particular
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tribulation, there's a particular Kingdom, and there's
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a particular patient endurance that is ours as well.
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It's not exclusive to John or these early Christians.
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What does he mean by the tribulation?
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He's talking about the general trials and difficulties and
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distress that we inherit because of our faith, the economic
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turmoil, the relational strain, the persecution, the
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difficulties that come because of what you stand for as a
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Christian. And so if there's any strain in
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any area of your life, because you are in Jesus, you are in the
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will of God, we will share in the tribulation.
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He's not talking about the final tribulation here again.
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He's talking about the general scope of trials and trouble that
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we have because we walk with Christ and he's telling these
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believers, look, I'm John, yes, the apostle, yes, who's giving
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you this final revelation? But I also know tribulation, I'm
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there with you. I suffer as well.
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I'm not treated any differently. That's helpful for us to know
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because if you think for a moment that God loves somebody
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more because they have less problems in their family or with
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their bodies or their findings, you got it all wrong.
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You have Jesus who is declaring these amazing truths and secrets
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to John. And yet John says, yeah, but I
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still go through things. I still suffer.
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But he goes from tribulation to the Kingdom.
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What Kingdom is he speaking about?
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You know this well, again, you have to connect it to what he
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says at the end, A Kingdom that is connected to Jesus.
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He says I'm a partner in the Kingdom as well.
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And there are two elements of this Kingdom that we all share
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in. The first one is the spiritual
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reality of this Kingdom, one that we enjoy presently.
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You see the moment that you crown Jesus as Lord by faith.
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When you receive His gospel, you essentially submit yourself to
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his governance. You inherit, yes, His grace, but
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also His law. But you also have his protection
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and His power and His Commission.
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You and I as Christians are citizens of this Kingdom and we
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live under this Lordship. We govern our lives according to
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what Christ our King makes known to us day by day until the 2nd
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element of this Kingdom is realized, which is what the
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material manifestation. And that is to come when Christ
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physically returns and He will rule and reign on this earth.
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And we as His fellow heirs will also to some measure, rule and
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reign, depending on our faithfulness here with this one
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life that we get to live. So John says to these believers,
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we have a Kingdom. Now, when I was reflecting on
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this, I thought I, I pray and really with every message, I
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pray that it would make an impact on all of our hearts.
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But there's a fear that being Christians here in the West,
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really America is a Disneyland of the world may not be moved by
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this as much as the original readers would have.
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I think about it really as Christians, what do we really
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struggle with here in America? What do we struggle with the
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with the church. Let me give you a hint of what
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these churches struggle with. Go to chapter 2 briefly,
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Revelation 210. He writes to one church, do not
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fear what you are about to suffer.
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Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison,
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that you may be tested, and for 10 days you will have
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tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I
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will give you the crown of life. So imagine now next week we come
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to church and a third of the people here are missing.
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And one of the others comes up to the platform and says, I know
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that many people are missing today.
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I want to inform you that they're all in prison.
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And by next week, we'll know if they'll be here again or they
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will die. Go here to verse 13.
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Here's another church. Jesus says, I know where you
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dwell, where Satan's throne is. Imagine your church was in the
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same neighborhood of Satan's headquarters.
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We'll talk. We'll talk about this when we
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come to the churches in chapter 2 and three.
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I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, yet you hold
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fast my name, and you did not deny my faith.
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Even the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was killed
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among you, where Satan dwells. Very likely that Antipas was a
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leader in this church. So magic coming to service one
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day and learning that one of the leaders has been killed.
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He was there last week giving the announcements, but this
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week, now he's in heaven. So that's what these churches,
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at least most of them, we're thinking about as they gather as
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a church. Not the parking situation.
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I got to walk extra 5 minutes. That's not what they were
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struggling with. No, no, no.
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I wonder if the so and so family will be at church today or if
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the government got a hold of them as well.
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I wonder if Pastor so and so will be in service today because
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we've been hearing that in other cities they're coming after
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them. So hopefully that gives you some
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kind of insight of what it would have meant to these believers.
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When when John says we are partners of a Kingdom, no matter
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what Kingdom is harassing us now, it it's not an everlasting
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Kingdom. You have an everlasting Kingdom.
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Whatever the government says about you, the smear campaigns
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on the news, that's not your identity.
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You're part of a Kingdom. I John, your brother and partner
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in the tribulation and the Kingdom.
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And lastly, in the patient endurance, now he goes from
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identity, right? This is your identity.
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This is your inheritance. He goes from identity to
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ability. What does he mean by patient
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endurance? He wants to let them know that
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they have received something for being in Jesus and that is to
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remain steadfast regardless of the circumstances that would
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challenge your faith, regardless of the impairments you have this
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patient endurance. Here's the picture that you have
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in. Jesus received a certain energy
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that enables you to cross the finish line.
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In this race of faith. There has been something that
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you have access to now because of your faith, because of the
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goodness of God that assures you that you can finish well if you
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want to finish well. There's this patient endurance.
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There's this strength. And the Saint Paul who told the
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Colossians that we've been transferred from this domain of
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darkness into the Kingdom of his beloved Son.
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Praise, one of my favorite prayers in the New Testament.
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He says in Colossians 19, and since the day we have heard, we
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have not ceased to pray for you. He's talking to the Colossians.
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Then he lists all these things that he prays for.
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It's so glorious that he mentioned something at verse 11
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of Colossians 1. You don't have to turn there,
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but listen to what this mighty man of God prayed for.
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Christians said, oh, I've been praying consistently, you
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Colossians and verse 11 of chapter one, that you would be
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strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.
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To what end for all? Endurance and patience with joy.
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Notice the connection between his glorious might and it
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affecting us to know endurance. But not just any kind of
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endurance, an endurance with joy.
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So it's hard with a verse like this to imagine that our great
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God expects us as followers of His Son to drag our feet
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throughout life miserable because we just want to be
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faithful. That's not the image that we
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have here is that we would have our shoulders rolled back, our
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chins lifted up, not in arrogance, but in boldness and
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in trust and faith that we can endure anything with joy because
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of His glorious might. We partner in that, we share in
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that. And John's reminding these
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churches, this is yours. No matter what you're going
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through, this is yours. Now, why is John sharing this?
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Well, it's obvious, right? It would have brought immense
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comfort to these believers. So here they're receiving this
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at the introduction of this book, and they're learning.
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Hold on. John is saying he's a partner in
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the tribulation. And if John is suffering, why
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should we complain about ours? And if John is saying here that
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he is a partner in the patient endurance, He's not just
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suffering, but he's also enduring.
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How much more can we if we also are in Christ Jesus.
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So again, he's he's reminded me, he's being very pastoral here to
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these churches. I'm with you in this.
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And here's what we can learn for our own lives.
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It's very difficult to see any value in our suffering.
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Very challenging. But if there's any gift that
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comes from any kind of suffering, based on what I read
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here about John, is that if you respond to it in faith, if you
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receive it appropriately and allow it to do its work under
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God's sovereign care, it will make you and me more effective
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ministers. It will.
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That's one of the glorious byproducts of it, that it will
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make you a better counselor. It will make you a better
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instructor. It will make you a better
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comforter. It would be very strange for
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John to write this from some ivory tower, some Roman resort
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untouched by the raging problems that were affecting these
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churches. But because he is a partner in
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them, I'm sure that it that felt different for these people to
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receive such things. He's with us in this.
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He knows what it's like. And suffering guarantees you a
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certain authority, insight, care.
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There's there's something that happens to you and I when we're
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forging that kind of a fire that is able to rescue others as they
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are trying to endure this kind of suffering.
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They they can't seem to to shake free from it.
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God uses those who suffer to help others be set free in their
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suffering. I believe that's what's
26:28
happening here with John. God was very strategic and using
26:32
him. Yes, he's an apostle, but he's
26:33
an apostle in a certain circumstance with a certain
26:36
practical resume that made a greater greater impact and what
26:39
he had to say. And so we see here, he says I'm
26:43
your partner, I'm your brother. And again, he didn't write this
26:47
from an all inclusive European vacation spot.
26:53
He reminds him here, I'm your partner, yes, in these three
26:55
things. And I was on the island called
26:57
Patmos. What And where is the island
27:03
called Patmos? Well, you already get the
27:06
impression that this is not a good place because he says, I
27:08
was on this island on account of the word of God in the testimony
27:11
of Jesus. In other words, there's
27:13
something about my faith that brought me to this place.
27:16
And historians and church fathers tell us that this island
27:21
that's still in existence today, by the way, is located in the
27:23
Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
27:26
It's about 10 miles long, 6 miles wide.
27:30
And we have historical documents that tell us that this was a
27:32
place where people were banished by the Roman government when
27:36
they were seen as a political threat.
27:38
And it was an isolated place. It was a rocky place.
27:41
It was a destitute place. It was a miserable place.
27:43
And they would have to work there and they would have to
27:47
suffer there with labor. They didn't have access to the
27:50
world, at least the way you would enjoy and what way you
27:53
would want it. So he says here that I'm on this
27:56
island, this penal colony. And we, we read here that he was
28:00
sentenced there because of what obviously his effect, his impact
28:03
with the gospel of Jesus Christ was seen as a problem to the
28:06
Roman political institutions and religious authorities of that
28:09
time. So they took this man and they
28:12
dropped him off here. This is where you're going to
28:14
be. And this is where he wrote from.
28:18
But something happened on a particular day.
28:20
He says, I was on the island called Patmos, but I was also in
28:23
the spirit. Did you see that?
28:27
I was in the Spirit, Verse 10. Now don't confuse that with what
28:31
we read in other parts of the New Testament where we're called
28:33
to walk in the Spirit, we're called to be filled with the
28:36
Holy Spirit, we're called to keep in step with the Holy
28:39
Spirit, something that we must seek to and strive for every
28:43
single day. The phrase in the spirit in the
28:46
Book of Revelation appears a total of four times, and every
28:49
single time it's mentioned, it describes a supernatural
28:53
experience that John has. So when he says here that I'm in
28:58
the Spirit, that's why context is so important.
29:00
He's describing something that happened to him where he's been
29:02
transported by the Spirit of God beyond human senses to perceive
29:07
something. And so this is an experience
29:11
that is not normal. This is something unique.
29:14
And this is something that he's telling them so that they can
29:16
know that this came from a heavenly source.
29:19
I was transported. I was this like an out of body
29:22
experience, so to speak. And we read here that though
29:27
this was a unique experience, and though we don't have access
29:30
or revelations that determine doctrine, don't belong to us
29:33
anymore, don't belong to us at all, it's done here with the
29:37
Bible. There are still things to learn
29:39
from this. Don't you love here, Number one,
29:42
that although John is secluded, he is isolated.
29:45
He doesn't have the comfort of fellow ministers.
29:47
He doesn't have the compassion of his congregation to help him.
29:51
God was with him. The Spirit of the Lord was there
29:54
with him, and he comforts up, I'm sure.
29:58
But we have here the almighty sovereign God who visits John.
30:03
Not that he wasn't with him before, but he makes it so clear
30:06
that I'm here and I'm going to show you some things.
30:09
And it's a blessing for me to know that no matter where I am,
30:12
no matter who I am with or who I'm not with, I have God.
30:17
I have the Holy Spirit of God, and he's not a thing.
30:21
He's not a surge of power. He's a person and he's there.
30:25
That's what I take from this. Yes, this is an indication that
30:28
something amazing is about to happen, but it's also an
30:31
indication that there's an omnipresent God with this man.
30:34
But I also see something else. I don't just see the Holy Spirit
30:37
surprisingly manifesting himself to John.
30:40
I see something in John because he says I was in the Spirit on
30:45
the Lord's Day, on the Lord's Day.
30:48
There's debate about what John meant by this.
30:51
Is he talking about the Sabbath? Is he talking about the day of
30:55
the Lord, which is a common expression to describe God's
30:58
judgment. You see it throughout the Old
31:00
Testament, the day of the Lord. Is that what he's saying here?
31:02
The Spirit took me to see the day of the Lord.
31:05
Or is he talking about Sunday, the 1st day of the week?
31:10
Now most would say John is saying I was in the Spirit on
31:13
Sunday because it was customary for Christians in the Holy
31:17
Church to refer to that day when Jesus rose from the dead as the
31:21
Lord's day. People fight that because they
31:23
say you can't get that from scripture.
31:25
Fair enough. But what you have is extra
31:27
biblical sources of early Christians like Ignatius of
31:31
Antioch who in his writings refers to Sunday as the Lord's
31:35
Day. It was a practice for believers
31:36
to talk about it that way. So it's likely that he is
31:39
speaking about being in the Spirit on the first day of the
31:43
week when the church gathered. And if he is speaking about
31:48
that, then it shows that he was mindful of this special day.
31:52
He knew that it was the Lord's Day even though he was in
31:54
prison. Check this out.
31:58
Shouldn't this challenge you and I to reflect on the value that
32:01
we place on the Lord's Day? It should because here you have
32:05
a man who is separated from the church and yeah, you get this
32:09
indication that he recognized still the significance of this
32:13
time. We don't know what he did on the
32:15
Lord's Day, but he knew this was when we worship and recognize
32:19
and celebrate that Christ resurrected in prison.
32:24
He's thinking about the Lord's Day.
32:28
How much more you and I, how much more you and I should we
32:31
understand with the freedom and fellowship that we get to enjoy,
32:35
of the gift of this day, of pausing and taking time out of
32:39
our schedules to love and adore and worship Him as a church.
32:43
I see a man here who has devotion and it's quite
32:46
impressive. He's away from his life, his
32:49
comfort, and yet he is. He's there.
32:51
I'm mindful on the Lord's Day. Lastly, I see one more thing
33:00
with this. When he says that I am in the
33:01
Spirit on the Lord's Day, I see God who had a ministry for John,
33:07
the most unlikely place, the most unlikely chapter of his
33:11
life. You know, it's believed that
33:14
John at this point was between 80 and 90 years old, 80 and 90
33:20
years old. And as he's here, he's being
33:26
used. There are many people who have
33:29
different fears about aging. Can I share one of mine to be
33:37
transparent when the thought comes to me that if the Lord
33:41
tarries, or unless he wants to bring me home early, we all know
33:44
where we're headed with these bodies.
33:48
Lord, I don't want it to be any limitations in my service to
33:51
you. I don't want to be hindered in
33:53
any way. And then I come to examples and
33:59
observations like this. And then my heart fills with so
34:01
much hope. Because here you have John, the
34:04
latter portion of his life being visited by the Lord, and Jesus
34:10
telling him, I have something for you to do for my church.
34:14
What does he tell him to do? Write what you see in a book.
34:20
I'm not done with you yet, John. I still have things for you to
34:24
accomplish for my glory. Isn't it wonderful to know that
34:28
as long as you have breath in these lungs, God still has a
34:31
plan for your life? God still wants to use you to
34:34
make a contribution to His church.
34:36
You know, when I first got saved, I was excited about many
34:40
things. One of the things that I was
34:41
thrilled about when I came to church was looking for people
34:44
who are crowned with Gray hair. You know, young people, when
34:47
they usually come to church, they want to find other young
34:48
people. Rightfully so, I wanted the
34:50
same. I wanted fellowship with people
34:51
that I knew. But for just a small portion of
34:54
that Sunday, I love to find people with suits, nicely
34:59
combed, hair, a little limp to their walk, a Bible in their
35:03
hands because I wanted to know what it's like to walk with
35:08
Jesus for decades. So after the service, on a
35:13
regular occurrence, I would, I find people get to know their
35:15
name and I would just interview them a little bit.
35:19
Can you tell me, I mean, how long you been a Christian?
35:21
Brother, I've been a Christian since 20 something years old.
35:23
Now they're in their late 80s and here you are.
35:26
You're still serving, Yes. Still loving the Lord,
35:30
Absolutely. Then you hear what they endured.
35:32
I lost my wife to this and I lost my child and that, and I
35:36
was suffering here. And just faith, faith, faith.
35:41
And even in those small conversations, obviously you can
35:43
tell the Lord used these seasoned Saints to bless my
35:48
faith. There is a unique prayer in the
35:53
book of Psalms, many unique prayers, and there's one that
35:55
relates to what I'm speaking about.
35:57
Now, there's no evidence that John prayed it, but I like to
36:00
think he is the fulfillment of it.
36:03
Turn to Psalm 71 and notice what the psalmist says in verse 18.
36:21
So even to old age and Gray hairs, Oh God, do not forsake me
36:27
until I proclaim Your might to another generation.
36:30
Your power to all those to come. Many fears that people have
36:35
about growing old, being lone, not being able to do basic
36:40
chores. You know what the psalmist was
36:42
thinking about. Lord, if you're going to allow
36:44
me to grow old, I'm asking that you do not forsake me for this
36:46
one purpose. I want to testify who you are to
36:49
the next generation. Think about that.
36:53
That's this guy's retirement plan.
36:56
I want to be able to stand before a whole new generation.
36:59
And this isn't just limited to preachers.
37:00
My brethren, you grandparents, do you have that vision for your
37:04
grandchildren? Do you have that vision for the
37:09
younger people of this church? That you would carry yourself in
37:14
such a way that you would live for the Lord in such a way that
37:15
the Lord would use you and moving your life in such a way
37:18
that you can bless an entire generation?
37:21
Those next in line include that. Please let that dominate your
37:26
hopes and your desires for the days to come.
37:31
I see John here, an old man, and the Lord recruiting him, saying,
37:34
I have something for you to do. They'll bear fruit in their old
37:39
age. Do we not read then the Psalms
37:41
as well? I was in the Spirit, verse 10 on
37:45
the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a
37:50
trumpet, saying, Write what you see in a book and send it to the
37:55
seven churches. And he lists them.
37:57
Let's read them again to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum
38:01
and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
38:05
Laodicea. There are significant churches
38:10
that we read of in the Bible. There's a church in Jerusalem.
38:13
There's a church in Antioch. They played major, major roles
38:17
in development of the early church.
38:19
Why aren't they mentioned here? What about the ones that we read
38:21
of in the epistles? Why these specific 7 churches?
38:26
I think there are a few reasons, and there's one main one.
38:29
Obviously these churches were strategic.
38:32
We read about one where they were in the same neighborhood as
38:34
Satan's throne. That sounds like an important
38:38
church. And we see here that there are
38:42
these geographical concerns perhaps.
38:45
But I believe if there's one thing that you should leave
38:47
with, it's this. The conditions of these
38:50
particular 7 churches are something that are reflected of
38:55
the church in every age. So the circumstances of these
39:00
churches, the temptations of these churches, all these things
39:02
that we find in these seven churches are things that are
39:04
relevant to every Church of every period of human history.
39:10
And that sacred #7 confirms that he's speaking to the church in
39:14
general, though, he is speaking to these specific assemblies.
39:18
And when you look at each of these churches, as we will in
39:20
the weeks to come, you're going to notice many similarities,
39:24
including the way Jesus ends each of them.
39:28
He makes this statement. He makes this call.
39:31
Let's look at that Revelation 2, verse seven in the first part,
39:34
at least he has an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit
39:40
says to the churches. He says that to every single one
39:45
of these congregations. Notice that he doesn't say he
39:49
was an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit
39:51
says to the church. Churches, plural, which tells
39:58
you and me this, that although this book, the book of the
40:01
Revelation, was given to these churches, there are letters
40:04
within the letter because Christ is not just concerned about
40:08
granting these people detailed insight and foresight of what's
40:12
to come in the world. There are practical addresses
40:16
for the church to prepare for the return of the Lord.
40:19
And he expected that what was written to Ephesus would also be
40:23
read in Pergamum and what was said to Smyrna.
40:27
The Laodiceans would read and what the Laodiceans received
40:29
personally would also be attributed to thy Tyra.
40:34
So he's speaking to the churches.
40:36
There are lessons in each of these churches that these seven
40:39
could share in and no different for us here today.
40:44
So as we go through this, especially chapter 2 to three,
40:47
here's what we have to understand.
40:48
Christ is speaking to Maranatha Bible Church every single time.
40:53
And here's what we have to ask ourselves, questions that were
40:56
addressed there and then for us. Have we lost our first love?
41:03
Are we so caught up in the mechanics of ministry that our
41:08
hearts are not in it really for the Lord anymore?
41:11
Are we more passionate about calling out false teachers?
41:13
Did you see so and so said this from the pulpit?
41:15
Did you see what this ministry is doing?
41:18
But we don't really have worship towards Jesus Christ.
41:22
Are we willing to hold on to our faith even unto death?
41:26
Are we tolerating false teaching?
41:29
Are we allowing people in our church to teach things that they
41:32
shouldn't be teaching? Do we have a reputation of
41:36
seeing God do wonderful things and living so passionately for
41:38
the Lord while still being spiritually dead today?
41:43
Are we lukewarm and unfazed by it?
41:49
This is what Christ is preparing to speak to the churches.
41:52
Not just these seven historical real places, but of all time.
41:57
But it's more than that. It's more than that.
42:00
Lest we think that Christ is just speaking to us in general,
42:03
lest we think that he's just speaking to the leaders of these
42:05
churches, go back to Revelation 27.
42:07
Notice what he says in the beginning.
42:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
42:18
churches. What's the first part that's
42:23
singular? That's personal.
42:27
That's to the individual member of the church.
42:31
So it's not just us thinking, OK, what is the church saying or
42:34
what is Christ saying to the church?
42:36
This Is Us receiving from Christ personally.
42:43
What is he saying to you? Have you lost your first love?
42:48
Do you entertain erroneous teaching?
42:51
Do you rely on your past spiritual vitality while you are
42:56
shriveling up in your soul day by day?
43:00
Are you lukewarm and OK with it? He who has an ear, let him hear.
43:09
And as we go through these churches, what we're going to
43:11
realize is as much as he is confronting these congregations,
43:14
he's going to hold every member of the church accountable.
43:18
So it's not just in bulk. He's going to look at every
43:20
member, say what about you? In other words, with every
43:23
letter that we read, Christ is going to grab us lovingly by the
43:27
shoulders, look us in the eye and say, are you listening to
43:30
what I'm saying? Are you hearing me?
43:33
I'm I'm talking to you. Well, John heard something said
43:39
I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying write what
43:44
you see in a book. And here's what's so
43:46
interesting. He hears this voice.
43:48
These are the first recorded words of Jesus in the Book of
43:51
Revelation. And what happens in verse 12?
43:54
Then I turned to see the voice and what that was speaking to
43:59
me. And on turning, I saw 7 golden
44:03
lampstands. We know that voice is Jesus, but
44:08
when John turns to see the voice, he doesn't see Jesus, at
44:13
least at first. He sees 7 golden lampstands.
44:20
That's not on accident. How is it that when Jesus speaks
44:23
and John turns, he doesn't see Christ right away, but he sees
44:27
these symbols? Well, you have to come to church
44:29
next week to find out. Let's pray together.
44:52
Lord, how we need you. How can we retain all these
45:01
things without your help? How dangerous it is to take a
45:06
sermon like this and make it into a lesson instead of an
45:09
appeal. So Lord, with the weakness and
45:15
the limitations that we have from the pulpit down to the Pew,
45:19
we pray that You have mercy on us and that You would take these
45:25
truths and apply them in our hearts and drive them into our
45:27
hearts and change our hearts only the way You can.
45:35
We thank You for what You've said.
45:38
Give us ears to hear what the Spirit says to us.
45:43
Help us grow in humility. Lord, help us rely on You day by
45:47
day. Help us remember that we are all
45:50
partners in the tribulation, the Kingdom, the patient endurance.
45:56
And help us, O Lord, be eager to you be used by you all the days
46:02
of our lives. And for those who might have
46:05
wasted many years, may they hope and trust that You have
46:07
something for them now, that it can change, that you can use
46:11
them. We all want that Lord, as long
46:14
as we have breath and what we pray for your special strength
46:18
and grace in each of our lives for that purpose, that we might
46:21
tell of your might to a new generation, that we may declare
46:25
your gospel to a dying world. So Lord, make this church
46:29
strong. Help us, oh God, even as we are
46:33
ready to see a vision of Christ next week, may it change us.
46:38
We give you all glory and thanks together in Jesus name, Amen.
46:43
Let's stand and worship the Lord, shall we?