January 15, 2012

The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Revelation 1:1-3

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Verse One

The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him

to show to His bond-servants

the things which must soon take place

and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John

Verse Two

who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ

all that he saw

Verse Three

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy

and heed the things which are written in it

for the time is near

For Next Week

1.  Read Revelation 1 throughout the week.

2.  Prayerfully focus on the majesty of Jesus Christ.

3.  Write down insights and questions from this passage.

4.  Discuss what you’re reading.

Interpretive Approaches to the Revelation

1. The Idealist Approach—finds timeless principles . . . but in the view’s most extreme form it simultaneously denies any specific historical or future meaning . . .

2. The Historicist Approach—believes the book provides a detailed map of history from the time it was written until Jesus’ future return

3. The Preterist Approach—reads the letter in historical context, but the most radical preterists insist that the events of Revelation were entirely fulfilled in the first century.

4. The Futurist Approach—right to claim that some events await fulfillment . . . but the futurist position can be pressed too far . . . in its extreme form it implies that the book had nothing to say to the many generations between John  and the interpreter.

5. The Eclectic Approach—draws from several approaches. “Once we understand what God is saying to the churches of Asia through John, we can begin to draw analogies for how the same message is relevant for our churches today.” ~ Craig S. Keener

Message of the Revelation

·         That God is awesomely majestic, as well as sovereign in all our troubles

·         That Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb ultimately brings complete deliverance for those who trust Him

·         That God’s judgments on the world are often to serve notice on the world that God will avenge His people

·         That regardless of how things appear in the short run, sin does not go unpunished, and God will judge

·         That God can accomplish His purposes through a small and persecuted remnant; He is not dependent on what the world values as power

·         That worship leads us from grief over our sufferings to God’s eternal purposes seen from a heavenly perspective

·         That proclaiming Christ invites persecution, the normal state of committed believers in this age

·         That Christ is worth dying for

·         That a radical contrast exists between God’s kingdom (exemplified in the bride, the new Jerusalem) and the world’s values (exemplified in the prostitute, Babylon)

·         That the hope God has prepared for us far exceeds our present sufferings

·         That God’s plan and church ultimately include representatives of all peoples ~ Keener

How should we approach the Revelation?

·    with sincere humility—realizing God’s ways are higher and nobler and holier than ours

·    with awestruck worship—knowing that Jesus is worthy, and, therefore, praising Him

·    with steadfast obedience—hearing and heeding the prophetic words in this book

·    with wondrous thanksgiving—believing that God is sovereign

·    with simple grace—allowing for differing opinions within Christ’s church

·    with urgent proclamation—understanding the brevity of time and the breadth of eternity

More Thoughts on the Revelation

He [John] does not wish merely to stimulate men’s interests but to influence their actions.

~ Leon Morris

It is no use reading Revelation as though it were a Paul-type theological treatise in a slightly different idiom, or a Luke-style history projected into the future.  You might as well analyse the rainbow—or the wine of communion or the water of baptism. Logical analysis is not what they are for. They are meant to be used and enjoyed. . .

We live in a post-literate age, which, tiring of words, is beginning to talk again in pictures. So television replaces radio, and the noun ‘image’ comes back into use with a dozen connotations. Well, God knew all about it long ago; and when his children have had enough of reciting systematic theology, he gives them a gorgeous picture-book to look at, which is in a different way just as educational. . .

It is the images that stick. John’s pages are studded with them, for the same purpose: that our imagination, as well as our mind, should grasp the key concepts of the faith.  So till the bridegroom returns—till the city descends from the sky, and the day of the wedding-feast dawns—we do this, in remembrance of him.

~ Michael Wilcock

The true and living God summons us from our preoccupation with the world to recognize, in light of his ultimate plan for history, what really matters and what really does not.

~ Craig S. Keener

Revelation provides a better hope for a church enamored with this age or despairing of the next . . . Revelation reminds us that we do not belong to this world and must not be seduced by its values. . . [it] calls for persecuted churches to remain vigilant (2:10; 3:11) and other churches to resist compromise with the spirit of their age (2:16, 25; 3:3, 18-20).

~ Craig S. Keener

Thoughts on Worship

Nothing makes God more supreme and more central in worship than when a people are utterly persuaded that nothing—not money or prestige or leisure or family or job or health or sports or toys or friends—nothing is going to bring satisfaction to their sinful, guilty, aching hearts besides God.

~ John Piper

If we even begin to comprehend the risen Christ in all his glory, or faintly hear the heavenly choirs that surround the throne with their anthems of praise, or imagine what life in the presence of the Lord will be like, then we can never be satisfied with worship as usual.

~ Allen P. Ross

I don’t know anyone who speaks in constant monotone, with no facial expressions, hands glued to their sides when talking about something or someone they love. Yet that’s how some of us try to worship. Meanwhile the saints in heaven are doing face plants in homage to the King of Kings.

So why do we hold back? Why so reticent? Why do we settle for lackluster worship?

~ Rory Noland

Often it’s the prideful person who says, “God knows my heart. I don’t have to sing, bow, kneel, or raise my hands to prove I love him.” That may sound spiritual, but most of the time it’s an excuse.  If we truly believed that God knows our hearts, we’d realize that he can also tell when we’re being prideful and arrogant.  Actions accompany heartfelt convictions. . .

It is a shame to permit pride to keep you from publicly proclaiming through worship that you are a follower of Christ, that you belong to Jesus, and he is Lord of your life.

~ Rory Noland

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