07-20-14 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me

Scripture                                          Revelation 1:4-20

[TITLE]

The revelation of 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, 2 who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads 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.

[LETTER]

4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

[PROLOGUE]

7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be! Amen. 8 The Lord God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

[STAGE SETTING]

9 I, John, your brother and companion in the 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. 10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

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. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.  19 "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 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. 

1)    John was in the Spirit

2)    John turned around to SEE the voice

3)    Jesus put his hand on John

4)    Jesus gave John a message beneficial to himself and others

      Acts 9:5-8      Saul, the great persecutor of Christians saw a great light and said, "Who are you, Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.

Acts 9:17-18     A few days later, Ananias, a Christian, went to the house where Saul was staying. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.

Mark 5:24-29     Woman bleeding for 12 years - She exhausted all finances and all possibilities, so she turned to Jesus and touched the hem of his garment and was healed.  He turned to see who had touched him.  Disciples: “Many people are here and you ask about one who touched you?” He cares about the one who turns to him. “Your faith has made you well.”

Matt 14:29-31     Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

John 10:4-6     A good shepherds’ sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Rev 1:12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.  Do you recognize the voice of your savior, Jesus?

Over the next several chapters of Revelation you will hear a lot about turning around but never see those words. The word you will see that talks about turning around is the word REPENT.  metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o); to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction) = turn around!

metanoia (met-an'-oy-ah); implies reversal of a decision.

          Turn from sin to righteousness from death to life from Satan to God

          You would think EVERYONE would want to repent and turn to God…

Rev 16:8-11

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

 John 1:10-14

 Jesus was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who (did turn around) received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word (OR…the unseen voice) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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,"

 

John was in the Spirit
John turned around to SEE the voice
Jesus put his hand on John
Jesus gave John a message beneficial to himself and others

07-13-14 Revelation drama!

Revelation 1:1-3

          (highlight for slides)
            I once applied for a church position and some members of the search committee said “That drama thing isn’t for me.”  My assumption is; the person who says that has never done a serious reading of the book of Revelation.

The book of Revelation(no-s) Revelation as Drama. There are many similarities between Revelation and a Greek tragedy of the day. (greek theater 1 - stage) A Greek theatre was considered sacred ground for all who participated; actors, chorus and patrons were considered ministers of religion. The technical Greek word for producing a play was “to teach” and the director was called “the teacher” while the plays were termed “the teachings”. Actors were called priests and the throne of God stood on the lower stage. In that setting, the readers of the book of Revelation would have found much about Greek drama already part of their religious heritage and a good background for understanding their new one. John wrote Revelation at a time when Greeks were a huge part of the new church.

          The role of the chorus in Greek drama is very close to the role of the twenty-four elders in Revelation. At the beginning of a Greek drama, a chorus of twelve or twenty-four entered the stage and stood around the throne of Dionysius. The earliest tragedies had only choruses and no actors. The chorus could don masks (greek theater 2 - masks) and represent animals, birds, or beasts. At a later time (after 400 BC) the dramas added one actor. The chorus however continued to be the medium for interpreting the drama. In Revelation the twenty-four elders sing and interpret the drama. (greek theater 3 - chorus) They lead John around Heaven and introduce many of the visions. Several major hymns appear in Revelation in a balanced strophe antistrophe pattern characteristic of the Greek dramas. "Strophe" and "antistrophe" are ways of referring to the metrical or rhythmical pattern of a text which was originally sung. Basically, the antistrophe picks up the pattern of the strophe, more or less as the melody and rhythm of the first "verse" of a modern song is picked up in the second "verse", and then in the third "verse", etc. In fact, one could print the words of the antistrophe directly underneath the words of the corresponding part of the strophe. The great composer Handel was so inspired by the hymns of the book of Revelation that he made them a vital part of his work The Messiah. (greek theater 4 - the gods)

          At Ephesus, a great amphitheater stood holding 24,000 seats. It had been built in the third century BC and was the largest of the Greek theaters. The stage building, skene, was most unique in that it contained seven windows (thuromata) for scenery consisted of painted panels. All other Greek stages had three or five such openings. So, for nearly 300 years before the writing of Revelation, the number seven had acquired great significance for the inhabitants of Ephesus. (end pictures) Everyone who has written on Revelation has remarked on its unique use of sevens – seven churches, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven blessings and so on.  Revelation can easily be divided into seven acts with seven scenes.

          The first blessing in Revelation is “Blessed is he who reads aloud the prophecy.” (1:3) Someone suggested that the best way to begin a study of Revelation is to read it aloud with the recording of Handels’ Messiah in the background. The factor that has made Revelation a lost book is that it has been left on the cold printed page. Revelation was meant to be seen and heard. A vision cannot be put into prose. The speaking of Revelation is an essential element for interpretation. The enacted story possesses the power to transport the hearer into a different world. One enters into another universe and undergoes a new reality. The writer of Revelation had no hopes that his dramatic message would ever be enacted on the stage of Ephesus, but he used the dramatic medium of Greek drama and the stage of Ephesus to ensure the book would be heard and seen. As a congregation heard it, they would envision it against the backdrop of the famous stage at Ephesus where they had witnessed so many Greek dramas.

          Apocalyptic Symbolism. The vision of Revelation came alive through the vivid use of colors, symbols, animals and numbers. One cannot read Revelation as one would read a Gospel or a Pauline Letter. The imagination must be used.

Revelation 1:2

The  Revelation   of Jesus Christ,   which gave     him,   unto God    to show       servants unto his

      Apokálupsis      Ieesoú   Christoú  heén  édooken  autoó  ho   Theós  deíxai  toís  doúlois  autoú  

things which must come to pass; shortly         and  signified  he sent     it   by        angel    his   

há           deí  genésthai     en  táchei  Kaí       eseémanen  aposteílas       diá  toú  angélou  autoú

unto servant his    John:   

      toó  doúloo  autoú  Iooánnee

2 Who  bare record   of   the  word   of   God,   and  of the testimony  of Jesus Christ,   and   

hós  emartúreesen       tón  lógon  toú  Theoú  kaí  teén   marturían  Ieesoú   Christoú       

of all things that he saw.

hósa               eíden

Rev 1:1-3     The revelation of 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 to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads 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.

Playbill              Introduction

          a. John’s Title for His Book (1:1-3)

          b. The Letter Form of This Apocalypse (1:4-6 and 22:21)

Prologue (1:7,8)

Act 1  Vision of the Church on Earth – The Son of Man in Its Midst (1:9 to 3:22)

          (The Letter to the Seven Churches)

Act 2  Vision of God in Heaven – God’s Purpose in History (4:1 to 8:1)

          (The Opening of the Seven Seals)

Act 3  Vision of the Seven Angels of the Presence

          - The Church in Tribulation (8:2 to 11:18)

          (The Sounding of the Seven Trumpets)

Act 4  Vision of the Church Triumphant – The Drama of Salvation (11:19 to 14:20 and 15:2-4)

          (The Showing of the Seven Pageants)

Act 5  Vision of the Seven Angels of God’s Wrath

          - The World in Agony (15:1,5 to 16:21)

          ( The Pouring Out of the Seven Bowls)

Act 6  Vision of Babylon’s Overthrow

          - The Drama of Judgment (17:1 to 20:3 and 7-10)

Act 7  Vision of the Church in the Millennium

          - Consummation of God’s Purpose (20:4-6 and 20:11 to 22:5)

          (The Fulfilling of God’s Sevenfold Plan)

Epilogue (22:6-21)

 

What difference does it make to know the form in which Revelation was written?  Already you feel less nervous about the content because you have some understanding of how it was written and the setting it was written in.  Seeing the divisions of Acts and Scenes puts it in bite size pieces to digest.  Knowing it is meant to be read aloud and not just read silently in the mind lends power to grasping its meaning.  The message is essential to Christian faith and we must not fear it but rather embrace it and tell about it even as you would encourage others to go see a great play you witnessed for yourself.

Finally, the reason you need to not only know the form but also the function of the book of revelation is because it tell the history of mankind from John’s Day to the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth when the former thing (the things we know) have passed away and he who sits on the throne says; Behold, I am making all things new!

07-06-14 The full extent of Jesus’ love!

Scripture: John 13:1-17

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 

          2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

          6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."  11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

          12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

          John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. (Shortly after he had been honored and worshipped where Mary had anointed his body and wiped his feet with her hair and had been praised during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  This is his last private night with his disciples.  This is his last supper.) Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  (Jesus could have asked them all to wait on him  - even those facing the electric chair get to choose whatever they want for their last meal. Instead, Jesus gets up and ties a towel around his waist and pours water into a basin of water and begins to wash the disciple’s feet. This was not right because only servants did that and often in a Jewish home they would not have Jewish servants do that, rather gentile servants because this was the lowest activity anyone could participate in. As you picture Jesus humbling himself in this way, does Philippians 2 come to mind? Phil 2:5-8  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  This meal is less than 24 hours from before his death. Yes, we get the big picture - Jesus had to die for our sins - but on his way to the cross he didn’t have to stop - stoop - and wash our feet!  But he does.  There is a song that mentions John doesn’t record the parables because Jesus, in John, is a parable.  By that he means that Jesus takes common things and gives them not only spiritual meaning like parables do, but Jesus makes them spiritual.  Foot washing is just an act of cleaning feet…unless Jesus is doing it; and then commands us to do likewise.  If it shows the full extent of his love, us doing it would continue to show the full extent of his love.  Does it mean literally wash one another’s feet?  It could, but it seems highly unlikely, particularly in the times we live in.

          Washing feet today would look like Henry Nouwen who was a well respected Catholic priest, author and professor at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard. In 1986 he left those good paying respectable jobs to work in a residential community serving hundreds of mentally impaired people. He writes, “The Ark exists not to help the mentally handicapped get “normal”, but to help them share their spiritual gifts with the world.  The poor of spirit given to us for our conversion.  In their poverty, the mentally handicapped reveal God to us and hold us close to the gospel.”)

          6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."  11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

          Our best understanding of this is like the difference between baptism and the Lord’s supper.  Baptism signifies the forgiveness of our sin and our initiation into the kingdom of God. Communion signifies our continual cleansing from sin.  Baptism - forgiven for who we are - our sin nature. Communion - forgiven for the itemized things we have done.  Bath - major cleansing - Foot washing to clean the dirt since your last foot washing for all the stuff you have stepped in since then.

          12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

          We have established that Jesus likely did not mean literally wash one another’s feet but act lie he acted. He - King of glory, stooped to the most degrading possible to show his love for others.  We, who are above no one, must be willing to sacrifice our comfort, our pleasure, our self interest for the sake of other and THEY will know we are Christians by our LOVE.  If we are not able to do it toward one another, how will we ever show his love to the world?  How can you wash the feet of others? What is part 2 of the church with heart - Love one another, primarily through small groups.  Jesus washed the feet of his small group.  You will never be close enough to others till you are in a small group that meets regularly.  Join or start a new small group and meet regularly.  Pray for each other, visit each other in the hospital, at a death, at the birth of a child - care for each other - wash each other’s feet.  AGAIN - if you are unwilling to do it there - how will you ever show Christ’s love to the world?

 

FOOT WASHING

 

COMMUNION