The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Revelation 6-10
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: Revelation 6-10
Atheist Bertrand Russell believed that Jesus was a man of high moral goodness, but he had some flaws in his character, such as his belief in a final judgment. Jesus spoke often of eternal life for those who believed in him, but he also spoke often of eternal judgment for those who didn’t. Would it be a moral flaw to tell someone that, if they continued to drive down the road they were on, they would plunge off a cliff and be destroyed? Of course not. But what if it made them feel bad? What if they loved the road they were on and thought that you were unkind and arrogant to think that your way was better? None of that would matter. What would matter? Reality would matter. Is it factually true that this road leads to a cliff and destruction? If so, feelings and preferences don’t matter; reality does. Jesus is a person of high moral goodness; therefore, he spoke often of judgment. Future salvation and judgment are realities. Jesus said that the Father has granted him to offer life in himself and to pass judgment. The time is coming, he said, when all in their graves will come out, some to a resurrection of life, and others to a resurrection of condemnation (John 5:26). Revelation gives us three sets of sevens that portray God’s perfect judgment. They likely refer to three parallel accounts of the same events, seen from different angles. The series of judgments are clearly full of symbolism… symbols of terrible events, no doubt, but symbolism nonetheless. The oceans aren’t going to become one-third actual blood, and since the smallest known star is seven times larger than the Earth, it’s not possible that it would fall into the sea. The symbolism ties the future into the past work of God. The judgments are a kind of uncreation, systematically reversing the blessings of creation in Genesis. They are also a partial repeat of the Exodus plagues, where God passed judgment on Egypt and set his people free. God has always been about saving people and judging sin. This was true in the past, it is true in the present, and it will be true in a final way in the future. When John eats the heavenly scroll, it takes us back to Ezekiel, who did the same thing, symbolizing how both prophets internalized God’s revelation in order to be prepared to speak it clearly to others. John finds the scroll both sweet and sour. It is a revelation of both the mercy of God and the judgment of God. It is true that God is full of mercy and the giver of salvation. It is also true that God is just and sin cannot stand in his presence. What people feel about this reality is utterly irrelevant; what people do with this reality is eternally important.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the Christmas Eve service tonight at 5:30. Ask God to encourage us in our time together. Ask God to draw people to himself through our gathering and through the many gatherings hosted in Bible believing churches around our city.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.