Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Monday, January 8, 2024

New Revelations Series Starts January 14, 2024

 1st Lesson Revelations 1:1-20






Opening Questions

What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2024?

 

What is one question you have about the book of Revelation?

 

REVELATIONS

All – Things – New

_____________________________________

Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?

If so, then you have nothing to fear from God’s judgment of the world as described in the Book of Revelation.

 

THE POINT of THIS LESSON 

is that

God wants to give us hope 

by helping us see reality as it is.


The Book of Revelations begins with a greeting to the seven churches of Asia Minor.

Revelation 1:1-20

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants[a] the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

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 kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and 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 tribes of the earth will wail[b] on account of him. Even so. 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.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 1:1-20.


Purpose of Writing:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John by God “to show his servants what must soon take place.” This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. It is the final warning that the world will surely end, and judgment will be certain. It gives us a tiny glimpse of heaven and all the glories awaiting those who keep their robes white. Revelation takes us through the great tribulation with all its woes and the final fire that all unbelievers will face for eternity. The book reiterates the fall of Satan and the doom he and his angels are bound for. We are shown the duties of all creatures and angels of heaven and the promises of the saints that will live forever with Jesus in the New Jerusalem. Like John, we find it hard to describe what we read in the book of Revelation.


Here are a few Quotes from Sunday’s Message

  • If the time was near 2,000 years ago, rest assured it’s nearer today.
  • Because of our high view of scripture, we are careful not to elevate what we speculate.
  • Ultimately, the entire Bible is the revelation of God.
  • God’s intention is not to conceal, but to reveal Himself to mankind.
  • We read the Bible, not to confirm convictions, but to determine them.
  • There is nothing in the book of Revelations that should make a Christian fear.
  • When considering the importance of context, the Bible can’t say to us now, something it never said to them then.
  • The point of Revelations is that we see Jesus as He truly is. 


STUDY NOTES

Things are not just as they seem. There is reality, and then there is ultimate reality. Revelation is written to show us ultimate reality.

Revelation was written by an apostle who was experiencing intense persecution and delivered to a people who were going through immense suffering. In that suffering, Jesus comes to encourage His believers. This encouragement comes when Christ shows His people the ultimate reality of who He is and how He reigns, both now and forever more.

 

Revelation literally means “apocalypse” or “unveiling.” In other words, this is a book about the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Christians get a peek behind the curtain to see what truly is. It’s important to understand this as we begin the study of Revelation because if not you may find yourself frustrated by the book.

 

Revelation is written to show us more of Jesus.

Revelation is not written to answer all our questions about when Jesus is coming back!

If we can wrap our minds around that, then we can read Revelation and be blessed. (Revelation 1:3)



Two major points of this lesson:

  1. Jesus Christ reigns in ____________.                                                                                                      
  2. Jesus Christ reigns in ____________.



QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Why is it more important to see Jesus than to understand all the details of when Jesus is going to return?

 

Christ is described in very symbolic and glorified language. What feature most catches your eye and what do you think it means?

 

How does a proper vision of Christ help us endure suffering in a hostile world?

 

Does Revelation 1 remind you of any Old Testament visions of God? What does this teach us about Jesus?

 

What is the most encouraging thing to you about Revelation 1?

 

What does it mean that Jesus is standing in the midst of the lampstands?


Spend this week reading the Scripture Revelations 1:1-20 along with the study notes and any other material you can find. Let be prepared to go DEEPER in this study with answers to the questions herein.


Commission

It is imperative that everyone knows that we are to go into the world on mission for Jesus. You should leave class today focused on trying to live on mission.

Seeing Jesus - changes everything about our life!


Think about this: 

How can this vision of Jesus change 

how you are going to live as you leave here?

 

Who in your life needs to know Jesus?


END


Teacher Notes:






Click Play to Watch


What is one question you have about the book of Revelation?


Things are not just as they seem. 

There is reality, and then there is ultimate reality. 

Revelation is written to show us ultimate reality.

Upper / Lower Story



Revelation 1:1-20

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants[a] the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.



Greeting to the Seven Churches

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 kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and 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 tribes of the earth will wail[b] on account of him. Even so. 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.”



Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.



QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Why is it more important to see Jesus than to understand all the details of when Jesus is going to return?

 

Christ is described in very symbolic and glorified language. What feature most catches your eye and what do you think it means?

 

How does a proper vision of Christ help us endure suffering in a hostile world?

 

Does Revelation 1 remind you of any Old Testament visions of God? What does this teach us about Jesus?

 

What is the most encouraging thing to you about Revelation 1?

 

What does it mean that Jesus is standing in the midst of the lampstands?
























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