Praise the
Lord for this Friday, the 13th of July. It is going to be very good day, for the
Lord our God has made it. Praise the Lord for these mid-summer days here in New
York, the Empire State. Praise the Lord for the great outdoors. Praise the Lord
for the beauty of each day. Praise the Lord for the beauty of His church, the
Body of Christ. Praise the Lord for the hands that serve Him and for the feet
that go about doing His errands. Plan to worship the Lord wherever you might be
during these summer days. Those of you live in the area join us for weekly TV
outreach this evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 4. We will meet for
Sunday worship at 8:30 AM at the Wesley UMC and at 10:00 AM at the Union Center
UMC.
Last Sunday we used
a verse from Revelation chapter 7 for our morning worship. The book of
Revelation presents a prophetic vision difficult to fathom--filled with
terrifying images, dramatic battles, and mystifying pronouncements.
The intent of the Revelation is to put us on our knees before God. Prayer is a realization of powerlessness, and at the same time, a participation in God’s power. Knowing all the myriad details of future events is not as relevant as knowing Christ. He is, after all, the focus of this final book. The complete title is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). The word “revelation” means “unveiling.” Jesus is the One promised in the Old Testament, presented in the Gospels, preached in the Epistles, and proclaimed in the Revelation. When we open our Bibles, we learn of Christ, we submit to what we read, and we let it slowly develop in our lives.
This prophetic message is intended to change how we see life. History is going somewhere, headed toward a purposeful conclusion, one in which Jesus will return to right every wrong and dry every tear -- a new world of justice, healing, and hope. It also has an impact here and now, not just when the end of days occur. The future impacts the present. This prophecy should affect our goals and priorities, how seriously we resist sin, how we pray, our love for unbelievers, and our determination to obey God. “We live in the present as people who will be made complete in the future” (N.T. Wright). Because of this prophetic book we see how God is the author of history.
Eugene Peterson writes: “The biblical story began, quite logically, with a beginning. Now it draws to an end, also with a beginning. The sin-ruined creation of Genesis is restored in the sacrifice-renewed creation of Revelation…the story that has creation for its first word, has creation for its last word.” God will come to make all things new; he will bring forth a new Heaven and new Earth. Then (finally) we will see God’s will fully done “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Eugene Peterson again writes that the resurrection appearances of Christ are not complete; there is one more to come. The risen Christ will return and put evil in its place. In the meantime, we need to proclaim the Gospel with a sense of urgency, and encourage one another with this Blessed Hope: God will prevail!
The intent of the Revelation is to put us on our knees before God. Prayer is a realization of powerlessness, and at the same time, a participation in God’s power. Knowing all the myriad details of future events is not as relevant as knowing Christ. He is, after all, the focus of this final book. The complete title is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). The word “revelation” means “unveiling.” Jesus is the One promised in the Old Testament, presented in the Gospels, preached in the Epistles, and proclaimed in the Revelation. When we open our Bibles, we learn of Christ, we submit to what we read, and we let it slowly develop in our lives.
This prophetic message is intended to change how we see life. History is going somewhere, headed toward a purposeful conclusion, one in which Jesus will return to right every wrong and dry every tear -- a new world of justice, healing, and hope. It also has an impact here and now, not just when the end of days occur. The future impacts the present. This prophecy should affect our goals and priorities, how seriously we resist sin, how we pray, our love for unbelievers, and our determination to obey God. “We live in the present as people who will be made complete in the future” (N.T. Wright). Because of this prophetic book we see how God is the author of history.
Eugene Peterson writes: “The biblical story began, quite logically, with a beginning. Now it draws to an end, also with a beginning. The sin-ruined creation of Genesis is restored in the sacrifice-renewed creation of Revelation…the story that has creation for its first word, has creation for its last word.” God will come to make all things new; he will bring forth a new Heaven and new Earth. Then (finally) we will see God’s will fully done “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Eugene Peterson again writes that the resurrection appearances of Christ are not complete; there is one more to come. The risen Christ will return and put evil in its place. In the meantime, we need to proclaim the Gospel with a sense of urgency, and encourage one another with this Blessed Hope: God will prevail!
In
Christ,
Brown
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