The Job

Communication

Never more convenient to communicate than today

With anyone

Anywhere

At any time

Technology in 2021 has made communication more of an issue of preference

Phone call

Text

Message

Mail

Wouldn’t it be great if that was the issue when it comes to God communicating with us?

We could just get a text, call, message, mail

And He would just give us our orders

Our job

Take all the guesswork out?

Usually on our mind when we want to hear from God

We want to know what He wants us to do

We want Him to do what we think we need Him to do for us

Problem

He doesn’t need our work

He wants us

He wants to continue to restore us and bring us back to the original design

Which was to be in His image

To know Him more deeply, more intimately, on a spiritual level

In today’s passage, the Lord Jesus does not need John in order to get this revelation of Himself out to the world

But He chose John

So that John would come away knowing the Lord better

Therefore…John got the job

That job:

Write This Down

Revelation 1:10-11

Revelation 1:10–11 NKJV

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

The Lord has spoken to people in the Bible in all sorts of different ways

Appearing as an Angel/Messenger

Burning Bush

Still, small voice—humming

Now, a voice as loud as a trumpet blast

But this is how the Lord would be revealing Himself to John

How John would learn about his new job

The Lord wants to use you

For work that He will do through you

He will reveal that to you

Via His Holy Spirit who lives in you

How can you know your job?

Every Christ follower can more clearly receive his/her assignment by following John’s example:

1. Be in the Right Place

John was “in the Spirit”

Ecstatic state?

Word ἔκστασις (ekstasis)

Ac 10:10; Ac 22:17

Translated “trance”

He was actually in personal worship

Seeking God’s face

In that position

He was taken out of that immediate awareness of his own physical presence

He was keenly aware of

God’s presence

God’s power

God’s voice

Danger here

Understand this in terms of some sort of metaphysical jiu-jitsu

“slain in the Spirit”

“centered”

“contemplative”

Think that if you just conjure yourself into such a position

That you too will see visions

Taking this completely out of context

What we do get from this

John put a priority of seeking God

To worship

When we put a priority onto our own worship

To seek God

We will find Him

Starting point:

Always the Bible

2. Be in the Right Time

on the Lord’s Day

Not “Day of the Lord”

Most likely first day of the week

Emphasis on Lord’s resurrection

Early church historically met together more than one time a week

Encouraged to assemble together

He 10:25

Thus the other days of the week are good days to assemble together for the purpose of corporate worship as well

So when is the right time?

When you are ready

Personally

Corporately

3. Be in the Right Condition

Listening

“I heard”

“a loud voice as of a trumpet”

“I am the Alpha and the Omega”

“the First and the Last”

“Write down what you see”

“in a book”

“send it to seven churches”

All three in place

Then John received his job orders

Now What?

Yes, the Lord is working

Yes, the Lord wants to involve YOU in that work

Yes, the Lord will invite you to that work

Giving you a job

Keys to discerning that Job

Be in the Right Place

Be in the Right Time

Be in the Right Condition

What happens in the absence of this

When we don’t take the time to seek the Lord’s face—His presence—in worship

We don’t receive any clear directive as to what the Lord is doing and how He wants to involve us

We develop this mindset that we have to do something…for Him

So we do something…and nothing comes of it

And we wonder what happened...

We blame others

We grow frustrated

We quit

Or...

We “settle” for whatever happens because what we are doing makes us feel good about ourselves

“Look what I/we are doing for Jesus!”

We grow dull in our worship

We stop yearning for Him

We stop searching in earnest for where He is at work

John received a job the results of which will last for all eternity

So could the job the Lord has…for you

Join us

As we do what we know we must do

Know Jesus

Make Him known