SEVEN Opener

Offering Script:

This Giving Talk script is based on an interesting story about a man who found cash hidden in his walls. It’s a great way to lead into Malachi 3 and a quick explanation of tithing.

In just a few minutes, we’re going to receive an offering, so go ahead and get ready for that. But as we prepare, I want to tell you a story I read.

There’s this contractor in Cleveland, Ohio who was remodeling an old house, who actually found $182,000 hidden in the walls. Turns out, the money was stashed there during the Great Depression. How amazing is that? Can you imagine cleaning out your attic or garage and just finding $182,000. Money you didn’t even know existed, but was there all the time.

This story reminds me of a Bible verse in the Old Testament. Malachi 3 says that if we give generously and sacrificially, then God will open up the windows of heaven and bless us in unimaginable ways. It’s the only time in Scripture where God actually tells people to test him. “Give and see if I don’t bless you,” God tells people. Here’s a principle from the Bible: Generous giving positions to receive blessings that we don’t even know are waiting for us. Let me say that one more time...Generous giving positions us to receive blessings that we don’t even know are out there.

When you give – generously, intentionally, sacrificially, you’re putting yourself in position to receive blessings from God. When you hold on to things, become stingy, and let life revolve around money – you cut yourself off from God’s blessings. Just like this contractor found something he didn’t know was out there, when you give, you’ll receive blessings from God that you aren’t even planning for. Incidentally, the contractor and property owner ended up in court, and 21 family members wanted to get involved, so after legal fees, everyone ended up with very little. Another life lesson for another time...

So as our ushers send around the offering buckets, I want you to give generously and position yourself to receive a blessing from God. Let’s pray for the offering...

Note: Here’s a link to the online version of the story. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449114,00. html

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Text: Revelation 1:1-6

Fallen Condition Focus:

Quotes to live by: "You should be the star of your own life every day." - Alexis Vogel

This is sage advice from a makeup artist. I love that she posted this herself online with the caption "Quotes to live by". Personally I can't help but feel that this falls under the old adage "that you can't believe everything you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln is the one that said that if I'm not mistaken.

What is shocking to me is how often I live this advice even when at a glance I don't agree with it. But I don't think I am alone here. Many people live this way even if we don't agree with the idea. Some say Oh I live my life for my family.

What they mean is that they spend every waking hour at work. Providing for monetary means, but leaving themselves little time for the care of a child's soul. Modeling goodness and Godliness to them. In fact they come back to the home wondering why they have selfish children that don't take their needs into consideration. Maybe it is possibile for us to live our lives for something selfish even if it is hidden behind good veneer.

We live for the people at our work place. We live for our spouse. We live for our country. We live for ________

What we mean when we say things to this equivalent what we mean is that we spend portions of our life and trade portions of our life for those we are intending to help.

I submit to you today that it is possible to put really beautiful lipstick on a very selfish pig.

I can hear it preacher you tell us regularly to love our neighbor, spend and be spent for what is best for others. So true. But there is a prinicple in Chapter 1 that will keep us from allowing our lives to become "Christian Narcissism"

I read an article in preparation for this message titled: 25 traits of a Narcissistic Traits. by Benjamin Deu, MA, LMHC

A narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which a person has an inflated sense of self or importance. This disorder can cause challenges in all areas of life—at work, at home, in your health, and in your relationships. A narcissist is often characterized by behaviors of grandiosity.

It may be easy to spot narcissistic behavior in someone else, but it can be more difficult to identify that same behavior within oneself. When we’re looking inward, we often sugar coat our behavior or deny it altogether.

It might help you to see some of the damage that can come when we place ourselves and our experiences above everyone around us.

2. You feel superior to other people

You might look down on other people and feel like you are far superior to them in intelligence, looks, talent, and more. This superiority typically exceeds narcissists actual abilities or talents and is a defense mechanism meant to protect them from feeling vulnerable or putting a dent in their self-esteem.

3. You suffer from extreme perfectionism

You might suffer from extreme perfectionism and get enraged when you or others don’t perform according to your standards.

4. You have an excessive need for constant validation and attention

If you’re not getting attention or validation from other people, you may feel discouraged, unloved, and depressed. You might be incapable of validating yourself or feeling worthwhile without others telling you so.

5. You blame and shame others and never accept responsibility

If another person makes a mistake, you may intentionally shame them in an effort to damage their self-worth (lest they think they’re better than you). When you make a mistake, you also likely never accept responsibility and pass the blame on to someone else.

6. You get pleasure from putting other people down or causing them harm

You might take pleasure in making people cry or hurting their feelings, giving you a sense of power to have such an impact on that person. It may also make you feel a sense of control.

7. You lack empathy and compassion

You may scoff at someone’s misfortune or fail to feel sympathy for someone who is ill. If someone in your life dies, you may feel very little emotion and lack compassion for those who are experiencing a loss.

14. You think everyone else is ignorant

You may think that everyone else is stupid or less knowledgable than you. You may expect them to mess-up, not know what you know, or need your help if they’re going to succeed.

15. You like to control others and get them to do your bidding

You may get a power high from getting others to do your bidding or manipulating them into doing so without them knowing it. You might like to control when a partner can do something and how often. You might also go out of your way to try to control your environment and mitigate risk to your ego.

21. You are hypersensitive to slights

If you’re a narcissist, you might be incredibly sensitive to slights or criticism. These slights and critiques can be highly damaging to a fragile ego and may cause extreme rage or depression.

https://bothellcounseling.com/25-narcissistic-traits-to-watch-for/

Always reading this life about us. Acting as if we are the actors and life is the stage and the people around us are the props in our own play. Leaves us in a place where we cannot begin to understand the person of Jesus. Because Scripture records for us that this is not what Jesus lived like.

Consider the life of Jesus.

Imagine if you anaylized the life of Jesus would you have said any of these things about him?

"Jesus just thinks he's better than everyone else." - Actually we know that he did not feel this way. He took upon himself the form uf a servant.

"Jesus is a perfectionist. If you don't meet his standards he won't have anything to do with you.

"Jesus always needed his ego stroked."

"Jesus always shifted blame onto others."

"Jesus always put others down and made them feel small."

"Jesus lacked empathy or compassion."

"Jesus treats everyone else like they're stupid."

Jesus was just trying to get others to do his bidding.

"Jesus was really ultra sensitive to people's words."

No one that takes the Biblical representation of Jesus seriously would say that any of these things were true. Even though Jesus would have had the right to be or do any of them.

Consider the text we approach this morning. Before we can begin to dive into the seven churches that are recieving John's letter. We ought to consider the subject. Best for us John has put this front and center.

Revelation 1:1 KJV 1900

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

It echoes the Gospel of John

John 1:1 KJV 1900

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

If you're not careful you will begin to imagine that John thinks this is all about Jesus.

In fact the Revelator will gives us more about Jesus. 5-8

Faithful Witness

First Begotten from the dead

Prince of the kings

Him that loved us

Him that washed us

He made us kings and preists

He Cometh with the clouds

Alpha and Omega

Then in his revelation we find John describing Jesus. 1.11-12

We find that John does something super important. Catch where Jesus is in the whole of this description.

He is the center point of time, history, and humanity. 8 & 11

For the second time we find Jesus placed as the Alpha and Omega this time it is Jesus himself who is saying it. Hey preacher you said middle of time; Jesus is putting himself on the ends of time. Right that is what is directly said but what you are reading is an ancient equivalence to our use of our saying "they have everythign from "A to Z". This statement is not Jesus way of saying he book ends time. Rather he is saying I have always been.

One of the great representations of Jesus is that He is the IAM. Jesus always was and always is.

He is the center point of the churches.

Quite literally Jesus is standing in the middle of the candlesticks and from vs 11 we know that these candlesticks are Seven churches in Asia. This does a couple things for us.

It indicates how Jesus views his churches. He doesn't see them as one big body of CHURCH. He sees them as individual and separate and that he is with each and everyone of them. I will tell you that I reject a Universal church read of the NT. Instead we find over and over again Christ sees churches as individual and independent.

He is the center point of life lived for him.

Scripture gives us a physical description in verses 13-16

Clothed with a garment

Golden girdle

Hair white like wool/ or snow

Eyes were a flame of fire

His feet like unto fine brass

Voice like waters

Seven stars in his hand

Twoedged sword in his mouth

Shining countenance

Johns response was to fall in fear... But Jesus quickly helps him up, and draws him to obey by recording the things that he will see.

Here we find a Savior at the center of time, at the center of History, at the center of humanity, at the center of the church, at the center of John's focus, and dare I venture to say anyone that will make him the centerpoint of their own life.

Revelation only makes sense when instead of a list of wild crazy events; it is seen as an declaration of the person of Jesus will it make sense. This is the lesson of the churches. THIS IS THE REVELATION OF JESUS...something that these seven desperately need to get straight on.

Here is the problem, many churches today will say that Jesus is the center point of their church. They will declare that he is focus of what they do. They will confess that they are in full devotion to him. And at the same time they will not in fact be focused on him. they will in fact not be built on the central focus of Jesus above all things.

And it won't be because they didn't confess our Articles of Faith

And it won't be because they listened to music you didn't agree with.

And it won't be because they wore clothes you were uncomfortable with.

I tell you this morning the reason that churches do not have Christ as their central focus is because somewhere along the line the people have lost their focus of Christ. Hear me a congregation of self focused, self ambitious, self elevating, self aggrandizing, self entitled people will not all of the sudden turn into God honoring confessors of Jesus because we happen to be in church on Sunday. NO my friend the reason that churches lose the central focus of Jesus as the only point to this life is because the people that make them up no longer believe He is the central point.

Sadly only when as in the case of these churches we have lost him as the center point we find out only after precious hours have been wasted.

Ephesus: The church that had abandoned its first love for Christ (Revelation 2:4).

Smyrna: The church that would face severe persecution (Revelation 2:10).

Pergamum: The church that needed to repent of sin (Revelation 2:16).

Thyatira: The church whose false prophetess was leading people astray (Revelation 2:20).

Sardis: The sleeping church that needed to wake up (Revelation 3:2).

Philadelphia: The church that had patiently persevered (Revelation 3:10).

Laodicea: The church with lukewarm faith (Revelation 3:16).

You can hear the Alpha and Omega giving to these Seven churches the same command do not waste time filling your life with the things that can not support being the center point. You are not good enough to build a life upon build it on Jesus. Your job is not good enough to build a life upon build it upon Jesus.

IN FACT JESUS PROMISES A BLESSING TO ANYONE WILLING TO LISTEN TO WHAT HE REVEALS ABOUT HIMSELF.

The blessed one is the one that lives his life in a full knowledge of Scripture says about HIM.

Revelation 1:3 KJV 1900

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.