We are the champions
We are the champions
How can you play queen in church?
The correct answer would be
Yes
Today is part two in the series champion
Lessons from the book of Revelation
Last week we did an introduction to the series
and so if you missed it you can get called up
at our website at iargile.com
Some of our life group leaders had asked me
about the possibility of studying along with us
the book of Revelation in their life group during the week
and I really hadn't planned to do that
but I asked Hal if he would put some study questions
each week on our website
and he said that he could do that
and so if your life group would like to study
Revelation along with us in your life group during the week
every Sunday he will post some discussion questions
it will be on the video page of our website at iargile.com
and if you wanted to watch the talk again
as painful as that would be
and then there will be some discussion questions there
or just do the discussion questions
and you could do that
and that would be awesome
You know there are a lot of different ideas
about the book of Revelation
I'm going to teach you what I believe to be true
and if you don't agree with that
we can still be friends
Is that a deal?
Yes
Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1
The revelation from Jesus Christ
which God gave him to show his servants
what must soon take place
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John
who testifies everything he saw
is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy
and blessed are those who hear it
and take it to heart what is written in it
because the time is near
The verse 1
the word revelation means to reveal
to disclose, to uncover, to unveil
from it we get our English word, apocalypse
Apocalypse means catastrophe
devastation, the end of the world
So the idea of the word revelation
is that God wants to reveal truth to us
about things that are going to happen in the future
and some of those things that are going to happen
is some tough stuff
In this book of Revelation
the Holy Spirit will help us to see
the glorified Christ in heaven
and help us to understand God's purpose for us
in the future
God has opened the book of Revelation for us
to show us his plans and his purposes for his church
When Daniel had finished writing his prophecy
in the Old Testament
he was instructed to seal the book
in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4
but you Daniel
roll up and seal the words of the scroll
until the time of the end
but listen to John's instructions
they were actually the opposite
Revelation chapter 22 and verse 10
then he told me do not seal up the words
of the prophecy of this scroll
because the time is near
so why not seal up the book of Revelation
because we are in the last days
because Jesus has already come to earth
as our Savior
and he's died on the cross for our sins
and Jesus rose again from the dead
and he's ascended back to heaven
and he has sent us his Holy Spirit
we are living in the last days
Now in this study
we need to always remember that
John's prophecy isn't only about future events
the main thing is always the revelation
of Jesus Christ
that Jesus Christ is the champion
that he's the king of kings
and he's the Lord of lords
and nothing in Revelation is more important
or more central than the message
that Jesus is victorious overall
we will be tempted in this study
to get caught up in the symbols
we will be tempted in this study
to get caught up in the guessing game
but instead
let's get caught up in chapters 1 through 3
where we see that Jesus is the exalted king
leading all of the churches
in chapters 4 and 5
where we see that Jesus is in heaven
as the glorified lamb of God on the throne
that we see in chapters 6 through 18
where Jesus is the judge of all the earth
in chapter 19 where we see that Jesus
will return to earth as the conquering
king of kings
and then as the book ends
we see Jesus as the bridegroom
bringing his bride
the church into heaven
so that whatever we learn from Revelation
whatever we get from Revelation
may we all fall more in love
with Jesus Christ
verse 1
the revelation from Jesus Christ
which God gave him to show his servants
what must soon take place
he made it known by sending his angel
to his servant John
John wrote Revelation about AD 95
it was during the reign of the Roman emperor
the mission
this Roman emperor like many of them was crazy
he demanded that everyone worship him
as God
of course the true Christians refused
to worship him
and it brought on them severe persecution
for standing up for their faith
tradition says that it was the mission
who exiled John to the island of Patmos
as his punishment
it's interesting that John and his brother James
had come to Jesus and asked for places of honor
beside his throne
and instead Jesus told them that they would
share in his suffering
James was the first of the apostles
to be martyred to be put to death
for his faith
John was the last to die after suffering
for his faith on Patmos
in verses 1 and 2
we see how the revelation was given to John
the revelation from Jesus Christ
which God gave him to show his servants
what must soon take place
he made it known by sending his angel
to his servant John
verse 2
who testifies to everything he saw
the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ
God the Father gave the revelation to Jesus the Son
then Jesus shared the word with God
through an angel
notice how John received the revelation
and he tells us this to give us
credibility for this word
so God gave the revelation to Jesus
and then Jesus gave the revelation to John
through an angel
sometimes a loud voice would tell John
what to say and do
whatever the methods of communication that were used
the message was always given from God to John
and it was always inspired by the Holy Spirit
as we study the book of Revelation
we will see a lot of symbols
and a lot of images
so why are there so many symbols in Revelation
perhaps one reason was that the Romans
could not understand it
if they confiscated these writings
and tried to use it in their persecution
of the Christians as evidence
another reason is symbols can stand the test of time
for centuries these symbols could mean the same things
and could be understood
also many of these symbols came from the Old Testament
and so those who knew the Old Testament
could get deep spiritual truths from these symbols
but we need to be careful
and not go crazy with our own interpretation
of these symbols in Revelation
some of the symbols will be clearly explained
right in the book of Revelation
other symbols will be understood
because they are taken from the Old Testament
and have been used before
and so they mean the same thing in Revelation
and then some symbols are not explained at all
and these are the dangerous ones
because we will be tempted to insert our own definitions
there are over 300 references
to the Old Testament in Revelation
so we need to be careful
that our understanding of Revelation is based
on the Revelation that God has already given us
so that we make sure that we are getting what God wants us to understand
notice that in verse 3
there is a special promise of blessing
to everyone who reads and obeys the book of Revelation
blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy
and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart
what is written in it because the time is near
when we read and obey the book of Revelation
we become more aware of what God is doing
all around us in our world
and we will have a stronger desire to share our faith
because we see that we are in the last days
we see in verse 4 who the Revelation was written to
John to the seven churches in the province of Asia
it was originally written to the seven local churches
in Asia Minor
now there were other churches in that time
and in that area that were not mentioned in this list
does that mean that this Revelation was not for those churches
the church at Argyle is not mentioned in this list of churches
does that mean that this Revelation is not for us, the church at Argyle
I'll never forget the first time I heard about the church at Argyle
it was probably about 25 years ago
we've been here 22 years, it was 2 or 3 years before we came
the youth pastor at the time here, Bill Touchden
called me, I was working at another church in town
he called and asked if I could come and leave the music at a youth camp they were doing
and he gave me the date and asked me to check my calendar
and then to call him back and let him know if I could do it
and I'll never forget this, he gave me the telephone number
for the church to call him back
and the telephone number for the church is still the same today
was 777
that's like the number for heaven
I felt man, a church was 777
and then he goes on, the rest of the number is 1, 2, 3
and I'm thinking, man, that's the Trinity, that's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
and then the next number was 8
and so I'm stretching now, I'm trying to get some spiritual meaning
8, maybe they like to eat a lot, so 8
anyway, I'll never forget that
but did you know in the Bible
that numbers actually do have special meanings
and the number 7 in the Bible is very important
because it means perfect and complete
the number 7 in Revelation shows
how God is going to complete His great work
in the Revelation we will find 7 seals
7 trumpets, 7 vials, 7 stars, 7 lampstands, 7 spirits
7 churches
the special message given to the 7 churches
is recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3
we'll get into that next week
but the fact that the message was sent to 7 churches
is a symbol that this message is for all churches
including the church at Argyle
John makes it clear that any believer can grow
in their relationship with God
by reading and obeying the message found in Revelation
you know John did not send this message of prophecy
to the churches just to satisfy their curiosity about the future
and sometimes we are guilty of looking at the book of Revelation
that way, we're just curious
we need to remember that the church was under intense persecution
and they were getting discouraged and they were losing hope
John was writing to give them hope and to give them strength
they knew that Jesus was coming back
but they didn't know any of the detail
and he was trying to give them that
he was writing to encourage them to examine their own heart
and see what needed to be changed
the promised blessing from this book did not come from only having the knowledge of the book
from reading the book
but by doing and obeying the Word of God
God knows what's going on in each of our churches
God knows what's going on in each of our hearts
the promise of the return of Jesus to the earth
should be a motivation to us for obedience
and holiness
not just curiosity
God's revelation of the future
should overwhelm us and make us worshipers
not just academic students trying to get knowledge
and little fun facts
in verses 4, 5 and 6
we find the dedication of the book
John talks about and honors the Trinity
first we see God the Father in verse 4
grace and peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come
and then we see God the Holy Spirit also in verse 4
and from the seven spirits before His throne
I believe the seven spirits here is symbolic of the one
complete perfect Holy Spirit seen in the number 7
then we see God the Son in verse 5
and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness
the first born from the dead
the ruler of the kings of the earth
to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood for 6
and He has made us to be a kingdom and priest to serve
God and Father to Him be glory and power forever and ever
amen
the book of Revelation is dedicated to Jesus Christ
because He loves us
and He proved His love for us
and for us on the cross
He freed us from our sins by His sacrifice
Jesus is worthy of all of our praise
the main theme of the book of Revelation is the return of Jesus to the earth
to wipe out all evil and to establish His kingdom
verse 7
look He is coming with the clouds
and every eye will see Him
even those who pierced Him
and all the peoples on earth will mourn because of Him
so shall it be
amen
the statement in verse 7
look He is coming with the clouds
this is talking about Jesus' return to the earth
this is not the same as His return in the air
which is talking about the rapture
the rapture is to take away His church
then only His church will see Him
the event described in Revelation 1.7 will be seen by everyone
it will be public, it will not be private
it will happen at the end of the tribulation period
described in Revelation 6 through 19
I personally believe that the next big event that will take place
will be the rapture
when Jesus will return in the air
and take away His church
before the tribulation
Jesus' promise to the church in Revelation 3.10 and 11
tells us that the church will not go through the tribulation
Paul supports this in 1 Thessalonians 1.10
chapter 5 verses 9 and 10
also the word church is not mentioned
between Revelation 3.22 and 22.16
after the church is raptured
the events in Revelation 6 through 19 will happen
the tribulation
the rise of the man of sin
the great tribulation
the destruction of the man-made government
and then the return of Jesus to set up His kingdom
Daniel talks about this period of worldwide trouble
that lasts for seven years
and even with all of this chaos going on
the scriptures tell us that God is still in control
verse 8
I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord God
who is and who was and who is to come
the Almighty
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet
everything begins and everything ends with God
He is the eternal God and He is not limited by time or anything else
God is almighty and everything is possible with Him
verse 9
I John your brother and companion in suffering
and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus
was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus
John here is leading his fellow believers know that he's in the fight with Him
that he is also suffering with Him and he is also committed to see it through
for the cause of Christ
verse 10
on the Lord's day I was in the spirit
I think maybe John was concerned about his message being received as credible
I mean he's getting ready here to say some pretty crazy stuff
he's already told us that God gave him this revelation
through Jesus through an angel
and now he's telling us that it was on the Lord's day and he's in the spirit
on the Lord's day has caused some people to contemplate what day that is
John was Jewish so could the Lord's day be the Sabbath
and if so that would be Saturday
maybe
he was also a Christian and part of the early church so on the Lord's day
could be Sunday
maybe
actually I believe on the Lord's day refers to the day that the Lord had made
and that could be any day
in the spirit could mean different things to different people
but I believe in the spirit means being in an attitude of prayer
an attitude of worship with a heart open for the things of God
an attitude of prayer
an attitude of worship with a heart open for the things of God
did you know that's the exact same attitude that every one of us should have
on Sundays we come to church
how many of us who say I'm not getting fed
or I'm not getting anything out of this on Sunday morning
if we came to church in the spirit
in an attitude of prayer
in an attitude of worship with our heart open to the things of God
would suddenly the music sound a little better
would instantly I become just a little bit better preacher
verse 10
on the Lord's day
I was in the spirit
and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
some of you may be familiar with Duke Ellington
great jazz band
members of Duke Ellington's band were known for using a tulip plunger
and they would put it over their trumpet or their trombone
and it would imitate the sound of the human voice
and they could actually make their horn talk as they moved the plunger
guitarist Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh would use an effect called a talk box
and it would actually make their guitar say words
I don't know if Jesus played a trumpet with a tulip plunger
I don't know if he had a Les Paul with a talk box
he could have
all I know is John heard a voice like a trumpet
on the Lord's day I was in the spirit
and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
which said write on a scroll what you see
and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea
John was commanded to write this book
and then send it to the seven churches
and then this is what John saw in verse 12
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me
and when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands
and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man
dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet
with a golden sash around his chest
the hair on his head was white like wool
as white as snow and his eyes were blazing like fire
his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace
and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters
in his right hand he held seven stars
coming out of his mouth was a sharp double-edged sword
his face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance
what John saw was a vision of the glorified Christ
the seven lampstands represent the seven churches
that the book was given to
his clothes are those of a king that represents honor and authority
his white hair symbolizes eternity
his eyes of fire can see everything
the Lord had come to judge the churches and to judge the world
now remember that John was probably the closest person to Jesus on earth
than anyone else
he was the disciple who Jesus loved
he walked with Jesus, he ate with Jesus, he talked with Jesus
he hung out with Jesus
he hasn't seen Jesus for sixty years
so wouldn't you think he'd want to just run up and give him a big old hug
this is how John responded in verse 17
when I saw him
I fell at his feet as though dead
then he placed his right hand on me and said
do not be afraid
I am the first and the last
instead of giving Jesus a big hug, John fell flat on his face
now Jesus' appearance was very different
but I think it was more than that
have you ever noticed that every time in scripture that a human being comes in contact
with a heavenly being, our natural reaction is fear
the first thing that every angel says
is fear not
do not be afraid
the holiness
and the majesty of God when compared to our sinfulness
we are overcome with fear
the apostle Paul is one of the great heroes of our faith
the apostle Paul was raised as a religious Pharisee
that means that the apostle Paul didn't dance
he didn't listen to rock and roll
he didn't go to movies
he didn't cuss
he didn't chew
he didn't go with girls that do
he became a Christian
he wrote most of the New Testament
he was the greatest missionary for God that ever lived
he was beheaded because of his faith in Jesus
and listen to how the apostle Paul describes himself in 1 Timothy 1.15
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
of whom I am the worst
you know you would think that the more we grow as a Christian
the more we come to church
that the better and better and better we would be
but the truth is
the more we grow in our relationship with Jesus
the more we realize just how desperate we really are
John saw the glorified Christ
and the holiness of Jesus
not him off of his feet
oh church
we are so proud of ourselves
when I saw him
I fell at his feet as though dead
and then he placed his right hand on me and said
do not be afraid
I am the first and the last
I am the living one
I was dead and now look
I am alive forever and ever
I hold the keys of death and Hades
yes we need to have holy respect and reverence for God
but we don't need to fear what life has to offer
because he is the living one
we don't need to fear death
because he is alive forever
we don't need to fear the future
because he holds the keys
so fear not
and then in verse 19
he gives us the outline for the whole book of Revelation
right therefore what you have seen
what is now
and what will take place later
what you have seen is the vision in chapter 1
what is now is a special message to the seven churches
in chapters 2 and 3
and what will take place later
covers the events described in chapters 4 through 22
and then John closes the chapter with an explanation of the symbols
in verse 20
the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand
and of the seven golden lampstands is this
the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches
you know some people believe that the seven angels
are actually the seven pastors of the seven churches
now that's a stretch
calling a pastor an angel
some people believe
that this is saying that each church has its own angel
to watch over it
I like that one
I think that could be true the church at Argyle
did you know that this church
you know really shouldn't even be here today
six years ago
we lost our founding pastor
the only pastor this church ever knew
27 years
I worked with him for 15 years and three months
and we all loved him very much
churches that go through that usually split disintegrate
and don't make it
and somehow we did
and it could well be that angel
I just heard this week
you know you just you wonder what God is doing
just this week how God has used this church
to completely change somebody's life
six years later
God's still using this place
could it be that angel
Jesus is the champion
he's the king of kings
and he's the Lord of lords
and if you don't believe anything else in this book
that's the truth
Jesus is coming again
nobody knows when
so be ready
have you been putting off
becoming a Christian
why?
don't put it off any longer
have you been putting off being obedient
following him in baptism
don't put it off any longer
have you been putting off getting right with God
you know things aren't right
do it today
Jesus is coming again
nobody knows when
so be ready
