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Sep 8

Sermon Follow-up: “God Speaks in the Book of Revelation”

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Sermon Follow-Up

This past Sunday ended our summer long series, God Speaks, We Listen: Through the New Testament in 90 Days.

This Sunday’s sermon, “God Speaks in the Book of Revelation,” addressed a book of the Bible that is as important as it is misunderstood, or at least underappreciated. It seems we’re either a fanatic about Revelation, paralyzed by the book, or we’re ambivalent and don’t really care. Some of us have been each of these at different times, and others of us are all of them at the same time. But John opens his letter by saying that this book is a “revelation of Jesus Christ” and that those who hear and take this book to heart are “blessed’ by God. It’s to be understood. It is for our joy in God.

So, we simply must care about the book of Revelation. The fanatic needs to be focused on the book’s center, to see the book as having the same ultimate purpose as all of Christian Scripture – to lead us to Christ. The paralyzed needs to relax. We can’t wait until we understand the book of Revelation before we start reading. We only get the book through repeated reading and familiarity over time. It eventually has its way with us. In fact, even if you were to read a great volume of material on the book, you still wouldn’t ultimately get it, since the book was meant to be received in the form in which it was given. And the ambivalent need to be made excited about the book of Revelation. After all, God gave it to us.

And all of that is what a sermon is for. So, if you missed Sunday’s sermon, give it a listen, and then pick up the book of Revelation and start reading.

If you’re interested in exploring the book further, here are some helpful resources: