The second half of chapter one of Revelation records the opening vision John has of Jesus Christ. It is nothing short of mind-blowing, eye-popping and heart-thumping. And it drops John to the ground at the feet of Jesus. What the church so often needs, what every individual believer so often needs is to get back to the feet of Jesus and gain a renewed, clearer vision of who Christ is and how He loves those who belong to Him. Join Pastor Jim as he marvels at the person and work of Christ revealed in Revelation 1.
Sermon Notes
Revelation is at one and the same time three
different genres of literature:
- Apocalyptic
- Prophecy
- Epistle/Letter
Vision Chapters Content
1 1 – 3 7 churches
2 4-8:1 7 seals
3 8:2-11 7 trumpets
4 12 – 14 Battle against Satan
5 15-16 7 bowls
6 17 – 19 Downfall of Babylon
7 20 – 22 New Heavens & New Earth
Three difficulties facing the church both then and now:
- Persecution – physical/material
- Error- intellectual/doctrinal
- Sin – moral/ethical
“As we look round the world today, the same pressures are harassing different churches. In some areas of the world, open hostility to the gospel is accompanied by physical violence. And others, the church is wrestling in intellectual combat with an insidious ideology or a materialistic philosophy with which it cannot come to terms. Elsewhere the struggle is in the moral field, as the world seeks to cajole the church into conformity to its own ways.”
John Stott
“Brother” and “Fellow-Partaker”
- In Tribulation
- In the Kingdom
- In Perseverance
John “fell at His feet as a dead man.” [v. 17]
“So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”
Daniel 8:17
Who is this exalted Christ?
Do not be afraid
“When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.”
Matthew 17:6-7
“The first and the last”
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘ I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me .’ ”
Isaiah 44:6
“Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.”
Isaiah 48:12
“The living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”
“I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
“A few paragraphs into the Revelation, the adrenaline starts rushing through the arteries of my faith, and I am on my feet alive, tingling. It is impossible to read the
Revelation and not have my imagination aroused.”
Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder
Discussion Questions
- Read the passage together: Before today’s sermon, what did you already know or believe about this passage? Did anything in your understanding shift after hearing the message?
- Challenge and Reflection: Was there a part of today’s message that was particularly challenging or surprising for you? Why?
- Unpacking the Message: Pick a quote from today’s sermon notes. Discuss what it means to you.
- Personal Impact: What’s one specific way you feel called to change or grow after hearing this message?
- Practical Application: What’s one step you can take this week to put today’s message into practice?
- Connecting Scripture: Are there other Bible passages or stories this message reminds you of? How do they expand or confirm this teaching?
- Gratitude: What aspect of God’s character stood out to you in today’s message? How does it inspire praise or gratitude?
- Pray the Scripture: After hearing the message, is there a specific area where you feel led to pray? How can we pray for one another in light of today’s teaching?