Encountering Jesus in the book of Revelation.

<p>Encountering Jesus in the book of Revelation.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Campion Seventh Day Adventist Church

The Unveiling

Micheal Goetz

His Remnant, My Church

I really believe, I told first service this, I really believe that God looked at the bulletin and said, Hey, they're gonna sing wider than snow.

Let's splash the peaks with a little white.

And so it's something we look forward to.

Our family, every fall, that first, that first sunrise when it catches the peaks covered in snow.

Hey, let's, let me, let me tell you what, let me just set the context here.

We're a church family here, we just added Brooks, he's part of the family now.

As I always tell these young people, they can join any committee they want.

But this Sabbath, we're having a bit of a family purpose conversation.

We are about to embark on a 7 consecutive week journey through the book of Revelation called the unveiling of Jesus through the book of Revelation.

It includes a four-part series so it's 7 parts plus 4 parts of roundtable Bible study and so we're we're excited about the book Revelation.

Our schools emptied out and families scattered.

We've got people all over the place just taking 1 last reprieve before we kind of dive collectively into the into the winter.

Well the the moment here, the pause, we just wanted to have a little conversation about the book revelation and how it unpacks the purpose of the church community that we're a part of.

Now you say, I'm a guest here, I came on the wrong way.

But If it gets a little convicting, that's the time you just go, oh good, it's just for the camping members.

The unveiling series though, it does start next week.

And that's the opportunity that I would like to extend to you.

Every 1 of you got this in your worship bulletin.

I know our front office team said, hey, these things don't fit in the bulletin.

They weren't meant to fit in the bulletin.

They're meant to just grab your attention and say, share me with somebody.

Invite somebody to this next 7 week journey, the unveiling and to meet Jesus.

So there are more of these, they're going to be mailed into our community as well, but share these with everyone you know and everyone you don't know.

And then, a couple of years ago, we journeyed through the book of Daniel.

And the church invested in these journals with the books of Daniel and Revelation, the scripture text, and then blank pages to write notes in.

And we journeyed through the book of Revelation.

Daniel, now we're inviting you to pull those off your shelf and Bring them back out for the book revelation.

We ordered boxes of them and we'll have them next week.

So we've got some and we wanna even involve the students.

If you have extra means and you say, hey, I could Help pay for some for the students Just let the front office know if you give online or if you want to mark it on your tithe envelope at the end the Ushers will collect our ties our our connect cards, and you just want to mark hey, I've got 20 extra dollars I'd like to buy a couple of journals for some of the students.

You're welcome to have 1, we'll keep buying them.

But if you're able to support, that's great.

We want the students to have them as well.

And then I invite you for the next 7 weeks and then the Q&A sessions as well, or the round table sessions, to bring these.

You bring your Bible, of course, but bring these and a pen and make notes.

Journey through the book Revelation, the final book of the Bible, with us.

We also, a friend of mine Jennifer Jill Swerser and a group of talented musicians wrote an album, an album full of songs journeying through the book Revelation.

It's called the Lamb Wins, and we've got some of those as CDs and as digital downloads for some who have forgotten what what CD players are so we want to spend the next 7 weeks immersed in learning and seeing Jesus in the book Revelation Today we're gonna preamble that with what about the church in Revelation?

What about the church that you've given us?

Most of us are right here from this community, but some watching online and some even sitting here may not be from this community, but there's a purpose for which you've called all of the communities together.

And we pray that you would instruct us and teach us as we study Revelation in the name of Jesus.

I haven't but I read his story this summer and maybe you'll recognize the story once I start sharing it.

Bob Salem got this idea because it's an anniversary down at the base of Pikes Peak.

There's a tradition And he decided he was going to set the record for this tradition.

Let me put a picture of him on the screen.

Now, some of you have run, a few of my friends here in this community have run the marathon for Pikes Peak.

We'll just call it, you summited Pikes Peak.

You've summited Pikes Peak 1 way or the other.

Whether you climbed it, ran it, or drove it.

But there's not a 1 of us, apparently, that have done what Bob Salem did in pushing a peanut up.

Let me put another picture on the screen.

This is the contraption, if you can kind of see.

It's kind of a spoon-like contraption taped to his nose.

And he's got pads on and he pushes a peanut up the mountain using the bar trail.

He started on July 9th of this last summer.

He starts pushing this peanut and he summits the mountain around sunrise on July 16.

He is going up this mountain pushing this peanut.

I bet he doesn't want to see another peanut in his life.

Looking at that peanut between my eyes for 6 days.

It goes back to 1929 when Bill Williams spent 20 days pushing a peanut up and then the record up until this point Mr.

Baxter back in 1963 pushed it up in 8 days and now Bob Salem wouldn't you know it wouldn't you want to meet him what a legend 6 days he pushes a peanut up Pike's Peak.

Here's what it reminded me of when I read the story this summer.

Back in the Old Testament Nahum goes to Elisha.

He goes there to get healing and he goes there with a lot of riches and and he wants to pay for this healing and and he gets to Elisha and Elisha says look you just need to go dip 7 times in the Jordan and and Nams is totally offended.

And his entourage said, hey by the way, if the Prophet had asked you to do something difficult, you would be willing to do it.

You were willing to pay a huge sum of money for this.

But something simple like dipping 7 times, you don't want to do.

Vision of Christ & the Seven Churches

We're starting a series today called The Unveiling.

You may have just joined us online or in person, either 1 is fine.

We have a first service and a second service.

So if You say, boy, I'd like to come next week, but I can't at this time.

We have the 9 a.m., and then we have the 11.30, and you're welcome at either 1.

Either 1, though, you can bring your study journal.

It includes the biblical text right in there just from the New King James Version.

And so of course you're welcome to bring your Bible and study out of it.

The advantage of the journal is it just has the biblical passage, some lines to take notes in, and some commentary and some clarifications on some of the texts as you work through it.

Fantastic resource though and you are welcome to it.

Unfortunately they're all outside those doors so if you don't have 1 you just just slide out at some point you're welcome to and grab 1 of those off and bring it in.

But the unveiling series, the book of Revelation, 1 of the scariest books, most misunderstood in the symbolisms.

You got Ezekiel, of course, that it can give you a run for your money as well, but here comes Revelation, the final book of Scripture.

Now, it's a little inadvertent, meaning that's just how the subjects worked out and it seemed like a good timeline, but 7 is an incredibly meaningful number in the book of Revelation.

It's a very symbolic and signifying a fulfillment or complete, And we'll get there in just a moment.

But we're also part of a worship experience.

And so if you're joining us online or in person, you've just already experienced, we want this to be a worship moment.

Because how silly would it be if we come to the book Revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ, and boom, we don't worship.

And so we've included some elements of worship and you've experienced those.

I'm gonna introduce a little bit later, an album that was written on the book Revelation, an artistic, musical, poetic album called the Lamb Wins.

And it's by some artists that just put this together.

They're bright, artistic minds put this together and it's scripturally based just through the book Revelation and I found it to be, it may not be all, as I'm listening to it this week, I realized, hey, that's a little country gospel there.

Oh, that's a little spoken word, a little modern approach to music.

And this is a little, and you just find the genres just kind of weaving their way through it.

But if you are, if you are first time here joining us, either here in person or online via the monitor or the screen, you can connect with us.

We've got a little gift, we'll drop you in the mail.

You just either take that Connect card out of the pew that is in front of you, or you text the number, 970-279-3432, You just text it.

I am new, first time watching, first time here.

And here is where you can send the gift and we'll just drop it in the mail and say thanks for being a part of this journey.

Revelation chapter 1 and verse...where are we going to start?

Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1, of course.

I'm going to be reading from the NIV, the New International Version.

You follow along in whatever version or translation you have.

The journals are in the New King James, so you'll notice a little bit of difference there.

Opening verse, the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation, literally meaning the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

Now this is John the Apostle, John the Revelator.

He's writing this description, this picture that Jesus, of Jesus, from Jesus, about Jesus.

So some of your versions may read, this is a revelation of Jesus or revelation from Jesus.

It's because the Greek is, says and, and both work just fine.

But the unveiling in John's mind, he is going back to this moment on the cross.

Now he's out on an island in the sea off the Mediterranean and he is alone, captive because of his belief in this Jesus, but 50 years earlier he was standing in a mob of people And there before him is the crucified Jesus.

And the Bible tells us that when Jesus cried out, that the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom.

This is Old Testament sanctuary language.

Well, they built this sanctuary so that the presence of God could dwell among them.

All right, that was the whole purpose of the sanctuary.

So the presence of God could dwell among them.

That veil was to separate from seeing the glory of God in the most holy place.

Jesus is now on the cross crying out, it is finished and the veil is torn from top to bottom, revealing, unveiling the glory of God.

Jesus was, God was making a point that you want to see my glory?

And now here, John, 50 years later, is going, this vision, this prophetic book, is the unveiling of Jesus so that we can see the glory of God.

No wonder, no wonder Satan hates this book.

He doesn't want us to see the glory of God through the person of Jesus.

The revelation, the unveiling of Jesus, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon come to play.

That phrase is code for prophetic setting.

So right away, Revelation 1 and Verse 1 tells us everything we need to know about the book.

It's an unveiling of Jesus, which will then show us the glory of God.

And it's done in the context of an apocalyptic, prophetic message.

I'm going to have upstairs follow along, put Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1 on the screen for us.

Number of years ago, almost now a decade, I read a story of a man in Florida who somehow had a falling out with his wife, some sort of estrangement.

We don't know the full story, but what we do know is that somehow he was, there was a timeout or he was kicked out and he's wanting to reconcile now.

So he takes his phone calls, he's blocked, he won't answer the door.

He takes out a full page color ad in the local paper.

It's been a few years, I understand, but he's taken out a full page color ad with a message of reconciliation to his wife.

Well, the community caught on about that.

You had to write $17, 000 worth of an ad.

Four Horsemen & the Seven Seals

Colors, flowers are nice, colors outside are nice.

Father, speaking of the colors, you shed your red blood to make us white like snow.

Our Jesus has died for us and is coming back for us.

As we go into the book of Revelation, may it be that you would speak and continue to do that work in us.

If you are a guest For the first time here, you said, I've never been here.

You are welcome to either turn in the Connect card.

At the end, the ushers will pass through, collect our offering, and you can fill it out.

We'll drop you in the mail, or you can text that number, 970-279-3432.

If you have a prayer request, that's the same connect number.

Or if you need to make a decision for Jesus, you hear the voice of Jesus touching your heart.

Testimony from a young lady in New Jersey, been there.

She shares how in a time of tragedy in their home, They were blessed by a nurse.

I zipped to the hospital as fast as I could, met him there.

In the morning and given the time and the fact that he was under some intensive care, They said, no, we don't want you to come back.

Oh, she said, my heart was just, was just bleeding with them.

Finally, she said, I talked to the right nurse, And this nurse said, hey, look, I'll get you back there.

She said he was so kind to their family as during her father's hospital stay, not just that night.

About 6 months later, her paternal grandmother was in the same ICU for a medical issue and again was cared for by the same nurse and they felt the same care.

Well a year later now, a year later she gets a call from her dad that says turn on the TV, turn on CNN.

She turns on CNN And she sees the face of the nurse that so kindly cared for her father and her grandmother.

Convicted of only 29 confirmed deaths, but they believe he has had his hands in over 400 deaths in his 16 year career as a nurse.

He was so kind to our family, and now this, greatest, most prolific serial killer, Really?

It's kind of a lie that Satan has sold us Christians.

He says yeah, yeah, Jesus died for you on the cross, no problem.

He loved you then, but I'm telling you, today's different.

He's not who He used to be or not who you thought He was.

You might have grown up singing, Jesus loves me, this I know, But that's not Jesus anymore.

I'm telling you, you are headed into some tough terrain and you are all alone.

He leads us to become discouraged or to become distracted or to become discombobulated, discouraged because we look at our own life and feel overwhelmed by what we have done, or we look at the world around us and become discouraged by what the world has done.

We become distracted, distracted by a thousand other voices calling for our attention, distracted even by good things.

We become discombobulated, confused, because politics or because science, because we thought or because they thought or he said and then she said.

Yeah, but he's not the same person anymore Satan's lie to Christianity to every child on this planet.

We also have journals, study journals that you can take notes and there's commentary and the Bible text in and we've run out.

So we've ordered more and so anyone is welcome to grab those as soon as they come in.

If you don't get 1 today and you don't have 1 you can check with the office during the week or certainly next weekend we will have them here.

But the Gospels, the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, they present this Jesus, this Jesus that keeps promising, I am with you always, I am with you always, and I'm coming back for you.

Well, Revelation picks up that theme in the first 18 chapters.

Chapter 1 through 18 is this reminder, I am with you.

Through it all to the very end, I will be with you.

And then chapters 19, 20, 21, 22, the last 4 chapters are especially focused on reminding that He is coming back.

I am the same God that was yesterday, today, and forever.

John 3 16 is the same message of Revelation.

It's coded in military language because there's a war.

The backdrop of Revelation is that there is a cosmic battle between good and evil, 2 sides, 2, dos, not 3 but 2.

Grab your Bibles then or your study journals.

Either 1, we're going to the book Revelation.

You got the Bible and the pew back in front of you?

We're going to try to make it through 567, and 8.

Revelation chapter 4 and 5 are going to introduce what is called the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets.

Chapters 4 and 5 though are particularly interested in this lamb that was slain who now deserves, who is now worthy of coronation, who is to be enthroned as the legal ruler of planet earth.

Now you have to understand there's been this, this is the conflict.

Jesus comes, sacrifices his life to give us a picture of what has been marred and to win us back.

But per his death, because he died, He was given legal rights to represent us and to sit on the throne representing us.

He's now ascended and these angels are singing this welcome song.

He is this the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And there's this refrain that happens and then he disappears into the heaven and that's where Revelation picks up.