January 22, 2012

When Worlds Collide
Revelation 1:4-8

 John describes the wonder of God’s eternal kingdom intersecting our temporal existence!

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood , 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

What unfolds in this prolog is a beautiful glimpse of our glorious God.  We see here a . . .

Strategic Plan

to the seven churches (v. 4)

That the book was sent to the most strategic cities of Asia Minor, trusting that its message would spread from there (1:4), invites us to think strategically in our plans to spread God’s message to our communities and the world. ~ Craig S. Keener

Where will I join God in fulfilling His plan?

Secure Provision

grace and peace to you (v. 4)

loves us (v. 5)

released us from our sins (v. 5)

made us to be a kingdom, priests to God (v. 6)

Where do I need to trust God as my sole provision?

Serious Praise

from Him who is and who was and who is to come (v. 4)

from the sevenfold Spirit (v. 4)

from Jesus Christ (v. 5)

   the faithful witness

   the firstborn of the dead

   the ruler of the kings of the earth

the Alpha and the Omega

the Almighty

to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.  Amen

Where will I give God the worship He deserves?

Throughout the Week

1. Frequently read Revelation 1 and 2.

2. Prayerfully answer the three questions listed above.

3. Thoughtfully reflect on God’s glory—the eternal One, the Almighty.

4. Passionately talk about Jesus—who He is and what He’s done.

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

When was the Revelation written?

     Revelation was written in the last decade of the first century (about AD 94-96), near the end of Emperor Domitian’s reign (AD 81-96). Although some date it during Nero’s reign (AD 54-68), their arguments are unconvincing and conflict with the view of the early church. Writing in the second-century, Irenaeus declared that Revelation had been written toward the end of Domitian’s reign.  Later writers, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Victorinus (who wrote one of the earliest commentaries on Revelation), Eusebius, and Jerome affirm the Domitian date.

     The spiritual decline of the seven churches (chs. 2 and 3) also argues for the later date. Those churches were strong and spiritually healthy in the mid-60’s, when Paul last ministered in Asia Minor.  The brief time between Paul’s ministry there and the end of Nero’s reign was [seemingly] too short for such a decline to have occurred.  The longer gap also explains the rise of the heretical sect known as the Nicolaitans (2:6, 15), who are not mentioned in Paul’s letters, not even to one or more of these same churches (Ephesians).  Finally, dating Revelation during Nero’s reign does not allow time for John’s ministry in Asia Minor to reach the point at which the authorities would have felt the need to exile him.

--John MacArthur, Revelation: The Christian’s Ultimate Victory, p. 1-2.

Who were the primary recipients of the Revelation?

Seven churches that are in Asia [the western region of modern Turkey]

¦  Ephesus

¦  Smyrna

¦  Sardis

¦  Thyatira

¦  Pergamum

¦  Philadelphia

¦  Laodicea

Churches had spread throughout the province of Asia and were not limited to the cities mentioned in Revelation (Acts 19:10). But John writes to the most prominent and strategic seven cities in the region, from which word would quickly spread to the outlying areas . . .

Ephesus, the first city he mentions, was the most important city in the province, but also the first of the seven cities to which a messenger from Patmos, just forty to fifty miles away in the Aegean Sea, would have come.

~ Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary, p. 67.

More Thoughts on the Revelation

We dare not take our role in God’s plan for granted. When part of the church abandons its mission, God will raise up others to fulfill it.

~ Craig S. Keener

He has made us ‘a kingdom’ (so, rather than kings).  The kingdom of God was stressed in the teaching of Jesus.  It was His main topic.  Here we find that those who are Christ’s constitute the kingdom.  It is not like earthly kingdoms, a realm with known boundaries, population, etc.  It consists of those people who have been loosed from their sins through Christ and who now live to do His service.  The order is important. First comes the reference to His redeeming work, and only then that to the kingdom. As a result of what Christ has done for them, believers become other than what they were.  They are made into the very kingdom of God. In apposition with ‘kingdom’ is the further expression, priests unto God and his Father. The kingdom consists of priests. Notice that it is ordinary Christians who are called priests, not some privileged hierarchy. Now the essential thing about a priest is that he mediates. He speaks to God on behalf of men and to men on behalf of God. Believers are assigned this responsible task by their God.  They are to pray to God for the world. And they are to witness to the world of what God has done.  They are to speak to the world in God’s name the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. v. 20). There may also be the thought that priests offer sacrifice, for Christ’s people make the sacrifice of themselves (Rom. xxi. 1).

--Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, p. 49.

the Almighty (v. 8)—“Almighty God” occurs eight times in Revelation, underscoring that God’s power is supreme over all the cataclysmic events it records (see also 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; 21:22). He exercises sovereign control over every person, object, and event, and not one molecule in the universe is outside that dominion.

--John MacArthur, Revelation: The Christian’s Ultimate Victory, p. 8.

Simple Strategy

Purpose

We are here to help anyone become a completely devoted follower of Jesus.

Vision

We see God using us as a catalyst for revival in our nation.

Actions

Nourish—Grow and care for one another.

Acts 2:41-46; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11

·         Increase small group ministry—beginning new groups, leading groups, more folks participating in groups consistently.

·         Read the Bible every day.

·         Every member of Crosspoint reads Not a Fan.

Exalt—Worship God at all times.

Exodus 20:1-4; Deuteronomy 6:13; Psalm 2:11; Matthew 4:10; John 4:23-24

·         Sermon series on Revelation.

·         Continue to emphasize prayer—prayer groups, individual prayer, nights of prayer, fasting, etc.

Witness—Proclaim Jesus to all people.

Acts 1:8; Acts 4:20,31; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:20

·         Everyone we know in Reno/Sparks hears the gospel.

·         Prayerfully consider our involvement with an unreached people group.

·         Participate with NBC and SBA for city-wide outreach.

·         More folks participating in mission trips.

·         Increase the number of baptisms.

Serve—Do good stuff in our community.

Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 10:45; Romans 13:8; Romans 15:1-2; Ephesians 2:10

·         Clean and organize and remodel back room.

·         Enlist and train members who serve the Crosspoint children.

·         Serve a local school.

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