Sermon Tone Analysis

Suffering, Redemption, Hope

Big Idea of the Series: The book of Revelation uses imagery of both a dragon and the sea to describe the evil believers face in their pursuit of spiritual faithfulness.

In many ways, these metaphors provide a telling snapshot of Revelation as a whole, digging deep into its modern-day personal and corporate application.

This four-week series, which offers a brief overview of John’s apocalyptic vision, focuses on these themes, centering on the importance of Christians persevering even in the midst of powerful opposition.

In the end, God will make all things new by abolishing sin and its effects forever.

1.

The ocean reminds us of how very small we are and of how much we aren’t in control.

In ancient Jewish literature, the seas or oceans often symbolized chaos and uncontrolled evil.

In the book of Revelation, John mentions the sea several times.

2. The book of Revelation is heavy with symbolic language, one of the characteristics of apocalyptic literature (writings on the end of time).

Although believers vary in their interpretations of some of Revelation’s symbols and teachings, we can understand the overall message of God’s victory over all evil.

Considering that the apostle John was writing from an island where he was exiled (as punishment for his activities as a Christian missionary) to believers who were being persecuted by a Roman government which was brutally enforcing emperor worship, Revelation’s message of hope and faithfulness during suffering was timely for its original audience and still applicable for believers today (Kenneth Barker, et.

al., The NIV Study Bible [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995], “Introduction to Revelation,” 1922).

3. John describes his vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” (v.

1), a redeemed world in which God will live among his people once again (v.

3), no longer separated by sin and its terrible effects, namely, death, mourning, crying, and pain (v.

4).

The longing for a future glorious city of God can be traced back to the time of the OT patriarchs.

Abraham waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The New Jerusalem

It is also called the Holy City

Reve

the Heavenly Jerusalem

and Mount Zion

The Bride of the Lamb

The Bible presents heaven as a very tangible place-a city called the New Jerusalem, on a new earth.

It describes the characteristics of this place.

4. In John’s vision of the new heaven and new earth, he records that there is “no longer any sea” (v. 1).

To those who love the seaside and the beach, the idea of having no sea in heaven may be strange until we understand what the sea symbolized to the ancient Jewish people.

“The sea represented trouble to them.

It was from the Mediterranean sea that violent storms arose.

… But the Jews feared other problems from the sea besides turbulent storms.

Their traditional archrivals, marauders who beset them countless times, were a seacoast nation.

The Philistines came from the direction of the sea.

The Jew looked to a new world where all the evils symbolized by the sea would be absent.

The new earth will have water.

It will have a river.

It will have life-giving streams.

But there will be no sea there” (R. C. Sproul, “There Will Be No Sea in the New Heaven and New Earth,” Ligonier, August 18, 2014, https://www.ligonier.org/blog/there-willbe-no-sea-new-heaven-and-new-earth/).

Absence of Sin

Satan has been banished to the lake of fire for eternity.

The tragic effects of sin on this present world will be absent from the New Jerusalem, “for the former things have passed away.”

5. John’s vision of a world without evil is further defined when Christ speaks, describing the kind of people who won’t be present (v.

8).

This list serves as a sober warning to readers.

When coming up with our own list of who doesn’t make it into heaven, we might readily include “the vile” and “the murderers,” but right next to them are “the cowardly” and “all liars” (v.

8).

Who here has never lied?

Never acted in fear?

By God’s righteous standard, not one person could possibly enter into paradise—without God’s help.

,

6. John also mentions the “second death” (v.

8), the lake of fire or hell.

Only 58 percent of Americans believe in hell (though 72 percent believe in heaven).

(Caryle Murphy, “Most American Believe in Heaven and Hell,” FactTank [blog], Pew Research Center, November 10, 2015, http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2015/11/10/most-americans-believe-in-heaven-and-hell/).

6. John also mentions the “second death” (v.

8), the lake of fire or hell.

Only 58 percent of Americans believe in hell (though 72 percent believe in heaven).

(Caryle Murphy, “Most American Believe in Heaven and Hell,” FactTank [blog], Pew Research Center, November 10, 2015, http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2015/11/10/most-americans-believe-in-heaven-and-hell/).

Isaiah 25:

Where all that is perishable will be raised and transformed into a glorious new “imperishable” reality.

1 Cor.

Galations 4:26

6. John also mentions the “second death” (v.

8), the lake of fire or hell.

Only 58 percent of Americans believe in hell (though 72 percent believe in heaven).

(Caryle Murphy, “Most American Believe in Heaven and Hell,” FactTank [blog], Pew Research Center, November 10, 2015, http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2015/11/10/most-americans-believe-in-heaven-and-hell/).

Revelation 7:

God will dwell with them.

The greatest blessing of heaven will be unhindered fellowship with God himself.

7. Thank God for the completed work of Jesus Christ.

On the cross, he declared, “It is finished!”

, and here on his throne he says again, “It is done” (v. 6).

Jesus is truly the Alpha and the Omega (v.

6), the First and the Last, the One through whom we enter in to the kingdom of God.

Jesus makes all things new at the end of time (v.

5) and makes us new creations from the inside out (see )!

and here on his throne he says again, “It is done”

8. Our only hope for entering in to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished on our behalf by his death and resurrection.

“If you are born twice, you only die once; but if you are born only once, you will die twice” (Greg Laurie, “Born Twice, Die Once,” Christian Post, April 8, 2013, https://www.christianpost.com/news/born-twice-die-once-93432/).

Jesus is truly the Alpha and the Omega (v.

6), the First and the Last, the One through whom we enter in to the kingdom of God.

Jesus makes all things new at the end of time (v.

5) and makes us new creations from the inside out.

Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

The Lord stands beyond the universe’s beginning and its end as Sovereign Creator.

The spring of the water of life is the throne of God and the Lamb, a throne of grace because here the thirsty drink without payment.

Hebrews:

The one who conquers:

Revelation

8. Our only hope for entering in to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished on our behalf by his death and resurrection.

“If you are born twice, you only die once; but if you are born only once, you will die twice” (Greg Laurie, “Born Twice, Die Once,” Christian Post, April 8, 2013, https://www.christianpost.com/news/born-twice-die-once-93432/).

8. Our only hope for entering in to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished on our behalf by his death and resurrection.

“If you are born twice, you only die once; but if you are born only once, you will die twice” (Greg Laurie, “Born Twice, Die Once,” Christian Post, April 8, 2013, https://www.christianpost.com/news/born-twice-die-once-93432/).

A FATHER WAS dying.

He had his family come around.

He only had a few minutes left to live.

He had four children.

He said, “Good night John, good night Butch, goodnight Betty, good-bye Ralph.”

Ralph said, “Wait a minute.

You said good night to my siblings, but you said good-bye to me!” The father told his son, “Because the other three children have accepted Jesus, I will see them again in glory, but because you have not, I will never see you again.”

2 Peter

Are You Living Only for Today —

Or Living Also for Eternity?

This verse says that when the Day of the Lord comes, “…the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”