Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION:

Open your Bibles to the book of Revelation.

We are continuing our journey through this great book of the Bible.

Last week we finished chapter 18.

This week I’d like to “tie it all together” so we don’t miss the forrest for the trees.

So much of what we’ve been looking at these past several months have been what many people think of then they think “end times.”

Antichrist.

Great Tribulation.

Suffering.

Mark of the Beast.

Babylon.

Seals, Trumpets & Bowls.

Cosmic signs and wonders.

I think all of these things are important.

Jesus told his disciples that they should be aware of the “signs of the times.”

So I don’t not apologize for helping us get familiar with these concepts.

However, our fascination with those things can sometimes cause us to miss the forrest for the trees.

Birth Pains

Jesus actually uses the metaphor of “birth pains” to talk about some of these “signs of the times.”

Could you imagine a pregnant woman - carrying her first child - something she’s looked forward to for years - and she overly obsess about the BIRTH PAINS of pregnancy instead of the new baby she’s bringing into the world?

It would be ridiculous!

Well it’s also ridiculous to overly obsess about the “birth pains” leading up to the end and forget those pains are inaugurating a new and better reality.

The main thing for us to focus on is not how this world ends but that a newer and better world will replace it.

The MAIN THING to focus on is the new reality that Jesus will be ushering in when he comes again in glory.

THAT is our blessed hope.

Many people in this world (and even in the church) poopoo this mindset.

They mock and belittle the belief that Jesus will come again.

That’s why the book of Revelation is important.

That’s why days like today are important.

This world is corrupt and broken.

Like a pregnant mother in the final stages of child birth we need a compelling vision of what soon will be in order to get us through these challenging days.

A Jet Tour

Think of today as a jet tour through the book of Revelation - revisiting the mountain peaks we’ve already climbed and establishing the main message for why this book was written.

This morning I’m asking that God would bless us as we remind ourselves of the key message of this book.

Revelation 1:3 (CSB)

3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.

Seals, Trumpets & Bowls

The book of Revelation builds a tension about a battle between two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this World.

As we saw last week, with the destruction of Babylon and the Kingdom of the Beast, the inauguration of God’s kingdom can finally begin.

I’ve said before you might think of the book of Revelation as a series of SEVENS.

The number seven is the number of completion or perfection.

Revelation opens with seven letters written to seven different churches.

Those seven letters are followed by seven seals on a scroll in the right hand of God.

After the seven seals are seven trumpets of God’s judgment on the earth.

With the blowing of the seventh trumpet come seven angels holding seven bowls of God’s wrath to pour out on the earth.

Many commentators find additional sets of seven in the book of Revelation: seven signs, seven final visions, seven blessings or beatitudes.

Because we’re at a transition point in our study of this great book I do think a brief review of what we’ve seen would be helpful.

An Overcoming Church

The book of Revelation opens with an exalted vision of the victorious and triumphant Christ.

That is followed by seven letters to seven different churches there in Asia Minor.

These seven church were historical churches but the messages given to them are timeless and applicable to every church in existence today.

The main message to the seven churches can be summed up in one word: “overcome.”

To the ones who “overcome” the Lord promises a great reward.

EPHESUS/LOVELESS: Eat from the tree of life.

(Rev 2:7)

SMYRNA/SUFFERING: Not harmed by the second death.

(Rev 2:11)

PERGAMUM/COMPROMISING: Hidden manna and a white stone with a new name.

(Rev 2:17)

THYATIRA/TOLERANT: Authority over the nations & the morning star.

(Rev 2:26-28)

SARDIS/ARROGANCE: White clothes and a name forever written in the book of life.

(Rev 3:5)

PHILADELPHIA/FAITHFUL: Become a pillar in God’s temple a given a new name.

(Rev 3:12)

LAODICEA/APATHETIC: The right to sit with Christ on his throne.

(Rev 3:21)

The church of Christ WILL OVERCOME.

WE WILL WIN.

A Worthy God

Not only will the church of Christ overcome.

The Christ of the Church is worthy of Worship.

That’s the message of Revelation 4-5.

Christ & Christ alone is WORTHY.

The letters to the seven churches are followed by a heavenly vision of God’s throne room.

God the Father is seated on the throne holding a scroll in his hand.

Jesus Christ is presented as the Lion from the tribe of Judah and the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.

The Father who created is worthy of worship...

Revelation 4:11 “11 Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.”

The Lamb who was slain is worthy of worship...

Revelation 5:9 “9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Revelation 5:12 “12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

A Broken World

That heavenly vision of a worthy God is followed by another vision of a broken world.

Revelation 6 depicts a world in pain.

It begins with four horsemen riding four different colored horses: each unleash great suffering on the earth.

The rider of the white horse has a bow and goes out as a conquerer to conquer (Rev 6:2)

The rider of the red horse has a sword and takes peace from the earth.

(Rev 6:4)

The rider of the black horse has scales in his hands and inflicts economic harm through inflation.

(Rev 6:6)

The rider of the pale green horse - named death and hades - was given authority to kill 1/4 of the earth through sword, famine, plague and wild animals.

(Rev 6:8)

These four judgments describe a world in crisis.

A world that Jesus warned about in his own teaching on the end times.

(Matthew 24:4-8)

False Christs,

wars & rumors of wars,

famines and earthquakes in various places.

Matthew 24:8 “8 All these events are the beginning of labor pains.”