See Jesus.

As you find your way to your seat today, before we dive into the Word, we'll be in Revelation. So if you have your Bibles, you can turn all the way to the back. Or if you need a Bible, we always have them at the welcome table, so those are for you to grab and take home. You're not stealing. That's what they're there for. So if you need a Bible just for today, or you want to follow along, we'll be in Revelation chapter one.

But before we dive in, I just want to highlight that in a couple of weeks, in December, we're going to have our Big Give offering. And we mentioned when we give, it goes towards all sorts of things. And this specific offering we take at the end of the year goes towards different missions, partners, and initiatives. Last week, we had Nathan sharing about his time in Thailand and the missionaries we support there. And one of those things that it does go to as well is our ongoing neighborhood partnerships, one of those being the Enso meals.

And so I wanted to highlight that just for a moment. So who here has showed up to an Enso community meal and has been a part? Okay. That's a lot of hands. So hold them up just a second. Okay. So if you have not been, find one of these people and ask them how awesome it was and learn more about it. It is an incredible time for us to go just down the street on East Wash. Some of us live over on the east side. And we get to provide food and to eat with and spend time in community with some of our neighbors.

And so these are people that have been chronically homeless, and they're getting their first apartments, their place to live on their own. And if you've ever lived on your own, period, you know that in itself is just lonely sometimes. And the need for community is real. And then there's a lot of things that you have to learn how to do. And so we're excited that we get to partner in this way.

So I just want to encourage you that we have several opportunities coming up in the next couple months to sign up. It's not a huge commitment, but it's an incredible gift to be able to show up and to cook dinner. So you show up at 4:30, somebody provides the meal and cooks. This next one, we already got that covered. So we just need a few people to serve it. And then also, what's the date for the Thanksgiving? The 23rd. Monday the 23rd is just a bonus. There's another church providing a Thanksgiving meal. But if you're like, hey, I could show up at five and just eat and meet some neighbors, show up. It's going to be a great time. So I want to plug that.

And then a couple other things happening as we start our series through Revelation. We always love to resource you. You could call it homework, but I feel like homework sounds bad. So we'll say resources. This is a choose your own adventure. So if you're like, I don't want to do anything in between church, you should do something on your own, right? This shouldn't be everything, but you don't have to do all of this. We try to create reading plans and some different practices so that if you're someone that already has your stuff and your devotionals you're doing, this isn't too much to add. Or if you're like, I'm kind of new, I don't know how to dive into Scripture, this is a great place to start. So we'd love for you to grab one of these. It has some practices for us to follow along, and a reading plan through the book of Revelation. And that's going to be awesome.

And then the last thing with that is, the next two weeks, we have a guest speaker coming in from really far away, on Park Street, just a few blocks from here, at Fountain of Life Covenant Church. One of my friends, Pastor Tyler Nylen, is going to be coming to be our teacher in residence for the month of November to help us dive deeper into Revelation. So you're going to love it. He's one of those friends that, probably a year and a half ago, was telling me how he was leading a 12-week course with his church through the book of Revelation. I was like, that sounds so cool. And so just through conversations, I'm like, hey, would you want to come and teach some of that? So he's going to cram 12 weeks into two sermons at New Culture, and he's super excited to come.

But a big thing we want you to have marked on your calendars is this. Not this Sunday, not next Sunday, but the following Sunday, we are going to have a little lunch and learn with him on his final sermon teaching. So if you have big questions that are coming up as we're diving into the book of Revelation, write them down. Lunch and learn. We're going to provide the lunch, and he's going to feed our souls with answering all our big questions about Revelation and all of those things. So make plans to stay. It's going to be an awesome time. And the next two weeks are going to be a lot of fun as we dive into Revelation together.

So with that, we'll now get into the Word. So if you have your Bibles, you can turn to Revelation chapter one. And it says this:

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:1-20 (NIV)

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your Word. We thank you that we don't have to look far to hear your voice, but that when we open Scripture, you are speaking to us. And I thank you, God, that you know us. You know the things that we came in thinking, feeling, walking through, and that you want to speak to those very things. And so, church, today, would you just take a minute and just welcome the Holy Spirit to speak to you? His presence is here. But would you just say, God, I'm open. Would you speak? Come, Holy Spirit. Would you continue to make us aware of your presence, to hear your voice clearly, so that we can be transformed and walk more closely to you, Jesus? It's in your name we pray. Amen.

Keep your eyes on the Lamb

The title of this first message is: keep your eyes on the Lamb. Keep your eyes on the Lamb. Revelation starts by saying that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. This is revealing to us Jesus. Keep your eyes on the Lamb.

When my niece was first born, at her baby shower, so I should say before she was born, she was gifted this beautiful white little lamb. And in all of her creativity, she named the lamb Lammy. Now, Lammy is not so pure and white anymore, but Lammy is her Lammy. And if you've ever been around a kid, or maybe when you were a kid, you had that one stuffed animal, that one thing that's like, this is yours. You cannot live without it, you cannot be without it.

Well, one day when she was probably two, so it was a very age-appropriate thing for her to do, it's time for bed, and all of a sudden, we cannot find Lammy. And now I'll admit, I resort really quickly into the "I'm the aunt, it's not my kid" type of mode sometimes, where the parents are scrambling and I'm just chilling on the couch like, oh, I hope you find the lamb. And they're scrambling and they're like, where's Lammy? Where's Lammy? And I'm probably zoning out, if I'm honest, scrolling on my phone. And all of a sudden, I just feel something on the couch. And I was like, oh no, I'm sitting on Lammy. Lammy was there the whole time and I'm just sitting on Lammy. And so I was like, how do I just nonchalantly be like, it's my fault, here we go, here's the lamb? But of course she gets the lamb and she goes to bed with it.

Well, fast forward, I don't know if it was a year or two years later, then she left Lammy at Grandma and Grandpa's house. So Lammy got overnighted in a very expensive box to make it home in time for the next night. And Lammy also included a lot of Kit Kats and candy to make up for the night without. But there's something about this lamb. She knows when Lammy's not there, when Lammy is missing. She understands that. The lamb was there the whole time, but she knows when she can't see it, something is off and something is wrong.

There's a lot going on in Revelation, but one of the things that John is trying to reveal to us as he writes this book, this letter, is for us to keep our eyes on the Lamb and to recognize the Lamb is there. The Lamb is among us. The Lamb is here. And we have to be people that relentlessly keep our eyes on the Lamb.

Now, before we dive into this, I think sometimes when we get to books like Revelation, it's good to just take some deep breaths, because there's a lot of things within this book that over time... And at the end of Revelation, John even goes on to say it in an extreme way, where he says in chapter 22:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.

Revelation 22:18 (NIV)

That's some serious stuff. So even when teaching this, there's some caution of, how do we not add, but how do we see this for what God wanted it to be, revealing Jesus? But I'm well aware that as we approach this book, there are a lot of things that have been added. If you grew up in church, I'm sure everyone could raise their hand right now and tell all the things that they have had added when this book is taught. And can I just say, even before we dive in, that as someone that preaches and teaches the Word of God, I'm truly sorry for the ways that people have used this to induce fear, or to induce anything other than what God wanted it to be.

And what makes me so excited for us as we start to spend time in this is that I really believe that we are all going to see Jesus more clearly as we look in and we hear his voice through this Scripture. So what does this look like? What is this book? I'm going to start today by doing a little bit of a high overview and then getting into the weeds of teaching some of the things.

First, I want you to pause. And if you're taking notes, if you have your phones, what does come to mind when you first think of Revelation? What comes to mind? What are the first words? Even I know for some people, when it's like, we're teaching on Revelation, it's like, oh no, is this the time? I'm going to find out what this church really thinks about this stuff. Is this the moment where it's like, I really liked this place, and then, ah, okay, I've got to make some decisions? What comes to mind? Is it confusing? Scary? Something that you'd just rather avoid? Judgment? Or is it peace? Is it comfort?

Who is being revealed?

Because even in verse 17 it says:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

Revelation 1:17 (NIV)

This was not meant to bring fear. This was not something for us to be afraid of. So before we enter this book, I don't want us to ask what's going to happen and when is it going to happen. That's not the question we're answering. We're answering: who is being revealed? Who is being revealed? And how can we see that person more clearly?

Now, as we follow along in the reading plan these next couple Sundays, we're going to read about the different characters that are here, the visions, the images, the things that we can't comprehend, because it was written in a way that's sometimes hard for us to understand the first time we read it. But here's what I want us to pray. Jesus, we want to see you. So will you reveal yourself to us? That is our prayer.

So before we start to even understand Revelation, we have to start with this idea of understanding genres. Understanding genres. So the definition of a genre is "a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content." Thank you, Webster, for that. A genre, in some sense, we all are probably familiar with this, whether it's styles of music or styles of movies. And how many of you know it's really important to understand the genre you're stepping into before you step into it? I have walked into many movies sometimes not knowing what the genre was, and that will change everything about how you watch it.

There's different genres, and within genres, they're not all just purely one thing. And that's important for us to understand about Revelation. So we're going to see Revelation is primarily this apocalyptic genre. And so this is something that's giving us a glimpse of something that has previously been hidden, that when revealed, transforms the world and the way we see it. I'm going to say that again. Apocalyptic genre: it gives us a glimpse of something previously hidden that, when revealed, transforms the world and the way we see it.

So I'm going to share a lot about the different genres here, and I just have to give credit to my friend, Pastor Tyler Nylen, because he gave me all of his amazing commentary notes that he has gone through. He's like, do you want my notes? I was like, yes, please, let's look at this. So this is one of the definitions that he found for this.

And some of the things I want to add here is that you're going to see in an apocalyptic genre of literature that there's going to be a lot of symbolism. There's going to be a lot of poetic things that are happening. There's going to be a lot of this otherworldly kind of mediation, these secrets, these mysteries, these visions being revealed. And what's hard about this is that for a lot of us, when we read Revelation, this is maybe our only interaction with apocalyptic literature. Or if we're reading other books of the Bible, things like that, we don't interact with it often. So when we see it, we're like, whoa, what's happening?

But this is also an epistle. An epistle is a letter written by an apostle. And so this was written to real churches experiencing real circumstances. It's also a prophecy, a word from God that speaks into the present, not simply just a prediction of the future. And that's important for us to note here, that we're going to see that John is talking in categories, like things that he has seen, things that he's seeing now, and then these visions of things that are to come. But it is not simply just a futuristic thing. Prophecy is a word from God that's speaking also right here into the present.

So prophecy calls God's people to listen, to repent, to resist evil, and remain faithful. This author is speaking on behalf of God based on the things that he's seen, the visions, and declaring this insight and these truths and saying, listen up for this. So this is going to pull a lot from the Old Testament. And so another thing with Revelation is that it can be really confusing if you don't understand all the references to the Old Testament, which is why it's always so important for us as followers of Jesus to read both Old Testament and New, so that we understand that Scripture teaches Scripture. Scripture is always confirming things. It's pulling on these illustrations.

And in this cultural moment, he's speaking and this letter is going to be read to churches and people that understood the Old Testament. They would have been in that Word. And so not everything was going to be as jarring to them as it is to us as we sit here in this current cultural moment and we're reading it. So again, we have a letter, we have an epistle, we have a prophetic book. We also have apocalyptic literature, which is the most important thing for us to remember, with symbols, poetry, visions, images, numbers, all the things. Right?

The author of Revelation is another important thing. So a lot of times people were going back and forth, and there are some people that are like, we're not sure, what is this? But he is saying pretty clearly, I, John, your brother, companion in the suffering and kingdom. It's saying on the island of Patmos. So most people would agree, this is who's writing this. So it is thought that this was about 60 to 65 years after Jesus' death, so during the reign of Emperor Domitian. There we go. Sometimes I read these in my head and then I say it out loud, and I was like, I think I got that right.

But essentially there is an emperor at this place, right? They are under a political rule. There's power, there's emperor worship, there's violence, there's idolatry, there's pressure to compromise. Does any of this sound familiar to things that we might walk through today? And they're asking questions that are still real for us today. He's addressing churches that are asking questions of, who's really in control here? Is anyone in control? They're asking questions like, how do we remain faithful when the world around us is trying to form us into something else? And Revelation is giving them a vision for what this looks like. Not just a vision of what's going to happen someday, but a vision of who Jesus is, the one who was and is and is to come. That's what is happening here.

Now, there's a lot of different approaches that people take when reading the book of Revelation. And even as I go through these, you might identify and be like, yep, that's how I've been taught it. That's how I have received it or read it. There are very futurist ways to read this. So thinking about, okay, how do we decode every last thing to be like, when is Jesus coming? This is all about the future. We've got to look for these things. We're going to try and put it all together. Then there's some people that read it strictly about the past. They think that's something that happened. It's done. It's over. We don't have to worry about that. Some people read it as though it's continuing to happen and it's going to happen, like we're in it right now. Then there's the idealist kind of way to read it. And this is the timeless kind of present message, always a living, timely, and active word to its reader. Sometimes it's poetic. Sometimes it's pastoral, all of those different things.

But here's where I go back again to when I read verse 17 and was just so struck by the words of "do not be afraid" and this reminder: I am the First and the Last. I'm the Living One. I was dead, and behold, I'm alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation is a book that reveals Jesus. And Revelation is a letter to the churches that we can still read today that was meant, in a moment of chaos, to bring comfort. To bring comfort.

I loved that in one of the commentaries that I was reading, they quoted Billy Graham, a famous evangelist, and he said, I love Revelation. I love reading it because it gives me peace about how it's going to end, and it's going to be good, because he reigns victorious. The book brings peace and comfort, not fear. And so that's why even today, if there has been fear that comes when we read these Scriptures, the reason that I'm saying I'm sorry is because that's not what God wanted for this. All Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, useful for drawing us closer to our King who reigns victorious.

So how do we read this Scripture and say, Jesus, where are you? I want to see you as I read this. I want to be drawn closer. And so my hope today is that we see Jesus and we receive the comfort that he is the Lamb who was slain, the one who was and is and is to come. And he's bringing us into eternal peace, eternal rest, eternal freedom, healing, and comfort.

See the Lamb

So the first thing today that I want us to remember: see the Lamb. Can you guys say that out loud today? See the Lamb. That's what we're trying to do. Revelation starts with grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. This is who is talking to us today through this book. He's like, here I am, the King, the ruler of the earth. I turned around to see the voice speaking to me: Jesus, the Living One, the First, the Last, the Lamb, the Lamb who was slain, the Lamb who was victorious, the Lamb that continues to reveal himself.

And so I want us to look. In my Bible, it says "Greetings and Doxology," starting in verse four. After it says "to the seven churches," Jesus starts to reveal a little bit more of who he is when it says "the faithful witness." Jesus remained faithful to the Father, even until death. He was the one that showed us what it looked like to live a life of faith, womb to tomb, all the way through into the resurrection. He's like, this is what it looks like. I'm a faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, referencing that death did not have the final word. So he's showing you, I was the one that demonstrated what it looks like to come back to life.

Then it says the ruler, the King of the earth. He's reminding them, I'm the one that rules over everything. And we sing that truth today, that all thrones and dominions and powers, everything bows to the King and the ruler of the earth. No empire can stand against him. The one who loves us: the powerful love of Jesus is on display in everything that he does. It says, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. Jesus is revealing himself through this letter to his church today as the one that freed us through his blood. So we don't have to be afraid of any darkness anymore. We don't have to be afraid of what is to come tomorrow, because we are free now.

And he has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father, to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. This is one of those, again, just powerful, mesmerizing things about Jesus. Not only did he defeat death, but then he invites us into rule and reign. In Romans, it talks about how when we share in his sufferings, we share also in his glory. This is what Jesus is reminding us of through this Word in Revelation, revealing himself as the one that says, you're invited in to rule and to reign with me, for my kingdom and my glory.

Then he says the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was and is and is to come, the Almighty that reigns forever. This is who Jesus is revealing himself to be. And this is no small thing. What does it look like for us to see the Lamb, who's faithful, to keep our eyes on him when we're feeling like we don't know how to be faithful? What does it look like for us to see him as the one that has completely transformed how we view death, because we know that death does not win, but that we too will be raised to walk with him in new life? To see him as the one that is almighty, all-powerful, the King, the ruler over all the earth?

Walk with the Lamb

And then, what does it look like for us to walk with the Lamb? So much of Revelation, as it unfolds, is talking about all these counterfeit kingdoms and powers and rulers. There's going to be these images that display these false things. And this invitation for the church then is still an invitation for us now, to say, how do we walk with the Lamb? How do we resist the empire? How do we resist the power and the control and live walking in surrender to the Lamb?

So the first question, as we're asking this, is, okay, Revelation isn't simply saying, do you know the Lamb? But then it's leading into, will you follow and walk with the Lamb? Because these competing powers are constantly trying to capture attention and allegiance. We have the Lamb, that's a big character in the book of Revelation, but then we're also going to see a dragon. We're going to see a beast. We're going to see Babylon referenced, this idea of empire. And today, we might not have physical dragons and beasts that we see, but there are things that are calling our attention to pledge our allegiance to them and to focus way more on that than we are on the Lamb that is in our midst saying, walk with me, follow me, surrender to me.

Revelation has these central questions, saying: who will you worship? Who will you follow? Whose image is going to form you? We have those questions today. Who will we worship? Who will we follow? Whose image is going to form us? There are many things that try to compete with the Lamb: security, power, wealth, comfort, success, control. All of these things want to shape how we love, how we live, how we worship, our desires, all of that. But Revelation keeps bringing us back to the question: are we going to walk in the ways of the beast or in the ways of the Lamb? And these are things that we can look at and we can apply directly to our lives today.

I think even as I was laughing, I was like, wow, when is a great time to preach on Revelation? Is it spooky season or election season? Which one is spookier? I don't know. But here's the timing of when it fit in the calendar to do a month in Revelation. But when you think about those things, I do think that for most of us as adults that are voting and are living in this world, sometimes election season is the spookiest season of all, because there's a lot that's happening, a lot that's going on. And we have this invitation in that to say, how do we walk with the Lamb?

And we also have an invitation to look at this and be reminded that Jesus, at the end of the day, is seated higher than any powers, higher than any rulers, than any leaders, that his kingdom is everlasting. And the powers and the authorities that exist today, the ones that we love, the ones that are oppressive, they're temporary, because he's coming back once and for all to defeat it for all of eternity. So we don't have to be afraid. As we vote, and maybe people get into office that we didn't want to be there, and people that we wanted to be there don't, we don't have to be afraid.

Now, that doesn't mean that we don't vote and we don't engage. It doesn't mean that we don't serve in our communities and do everything in our power to join him as priests that are ushering in a kingdom of heaven here in Madison. We do all of that. And we do it with the confidence that this moment in time is temporary, that he rules above it all, so we don't have to be afraid. But we continue to say, help me see the Lamb and help me walk in the ways of the Lamb.

And how do we do that? How do we not compromise? Because I think another thing that can come up, especially in Revelation, some of the fear-based things that can come up with this, is like, well, what if I do accidentally add something to it? What if I do get off step? What happens? How do I know if it's the Lamb or if it's the beast? All of this fear and this confusion can start to happen.

One of the best ways that we can walk with the Lamb, and assure ourselves we're walking with the Lamb, is when we intentionally keep turning our eyes to see the Lamb. That's what we do on Sundays when we come in and we sing these worship songs. Some people, you love music. You're like, yeah, the first time that cello starts, you're like, yes, I'm here. Other people, you've got to wait for the keys to come in, and then you're like, yes, I'm here. Right? Some people, you're like, I'm never really there. This music, I don't know. But you don't have to admit that. You can tell me. No, I'm just kidding.

But it's more than just having a moment of music or having a moment to get us ready for the Word. We are singing and repeating and reminding ourselves of who Jesus is. We are keeping our eyes on the Lamb. So it happens when we're singing. It happens when we're at work on Mondays. It happens every single moment of us saying, where are there practices and things that I'm doing that are keeping my eyes on the Lamb? Because the more that we see the Lamb, the more we keep our eyes on the Lamb, we're going to know the Lamb. So any time any counterfeit comes in, we're like, oh, that's not it.

When my niece had lost her lamb, Lammy, overnight, there was talk where it was like, we should probably prepare for what happens if something really does happen to Lammy. Because there's a chance. What if she leaves it somewhere? And then it's like, we can't find Lammy. What do you do? And so my mom looked it up, and she found the woman who got it for her at the baby shower and was like, where do you get it? And it's at a place that's really hard to find. It's at Walmart that you can get this lamb. So we're like, okay, well, we could go to Walmart and just get another one.

But here's the thing. Like I said, this pure white Lammy is not so pure and white anymore. This girl, she knows her Lammy. No other Lammy is going to compare to her Lammy. She knows the touch that's a little rough around the edges now, because all the fuzz has kind of come off. She knows the stench from that thing, even though they've tried to wash it, but it just never comes clean. She knows her Lammy. So you can't, if she's sleeping, because I know that's been a talk too, if it's like, well, maybe when she's sleeping, we could sneak it out of her arms to wash it. No, that's not going to happen. She knows.

When you have kept your eyes on something for so long, you know the difference when a counterfeit comes into play. So if we're like, I'm afraid I'm going to get swayed by... is it the beast? Is it the Lamb? Keep your eyes on the Lamb and you're going to know. You're going to know. So we don't have to worry. When we are followers of Jesus, we don't have to worry that we're going to be swayed. We just have to keep putting our eyes on the Lamb over and over again, and we will keep walking in the ways of the Lamb.

But with that, there's questions that are good for us to ask. And this is why we encourage everyone to regularly pray the Examen: take time to ask the Lord to search you, because he knows you better than anyone else, to bring up any ways that you're not living for him. To ask questions like, today, where was I pursuing power? Where was I pursuing comfort or control? Where was I pursuing recognition? Revenge? Where is Jesus inviting me to resist empire and remain faithful to him? To walk with the Lamb, we need to be people that are saying, okay, how do we keep our eyes on the Lamb? And what practices do we have in place to do that? Over and over again.

And it is a proactive thing for us to stay in that way. We don't have to be afraid, but even John, there was some activity. He's like, I'm going to write this down and I'm going to do this thing. This took time. And so for us to keep our eyes on the Lamb, we have to put practices in place where we are asking ourselves. Because it's really easy to stay distant and be like, I'm just going to pray against any other powers and authorities, and I'm going to pray against anybody that's not living for the Lord. And it's a lot harder, and it's slower work, for us to every day be like, Lord, will you show me the ways I'm not living for you? Will you show me the ways that I have not seated you as the highest one on the throne of my heart today?

We need to see the Lamb. We're invited to walk with the Lamb, to partner with him in seeing his kingdom come, as the priests, as the heirs. And we have to actively keep our eyes on the Lamb. Especially in Revelation, we're going to start to see the characters come in, and it's going to be like, that dragon's really dramatic. That beast seems powerful. Babylon, that's impressive. That's a really cool empire over there. Let us not get distracted by those things. But instead, let us look and keep our eyes on the Lamb. Because it's so easy for us to be focused on everything that's happening around us that we forget to look at the Lamb himself.

Because the dragon's not the end of the story. The beast, the mark of the beast, all those things, that's not the center of the story. Babylon is not the center of this story. It starts right in the beginning by saying, the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center of this story. That's what this is all about. So today, my hope in opening up this series in Revelation is to help us see Jesus, because he's the one that this entire letter is trying to reveal. To see Jesus in our past, to see Jesus in our present, and to see that Jesus is going to be with us in the future too, no matter what is to come. This book was not meant to cause fear. This letter was not meant to be something that we're always just living confused about and overwhelmed by, but it is a letter to bring comfort and to remind us of who Jesus is and is to come.

A few invitations

So, a few invitations I sense for us today. Listen closely. Continue to spend time in Scripture, and just say, Jesus, where are you? His voice is speaking to us through the Word of God. Listen closely. Lean into community. If you're not in a community group, join a community group. If you want a form partner, someone to walk alongside you as you read Scripture and follow a rule of life, sign up for that. This letter was written to churches, not just one person. This is really intense to just read on your own. Following Jesus was not meant to be something you do on your own. We are invited into a community. He wrote to a community of people. So lean into community. Lean into people that can help you and be like, that doesn't look like the Lamb. Find those people that will help you walk in the way of Jesus and keep looking at Jesus.

Keep finding practices and ways to look at Jesus and see Jesus for who he is. A great place to start is the Gospels. We have the little leather books, if you ever see them on the welcome table. Those are just all of the Gospels. Again, free to take. You're not stealing. Take the Gospels and keep rereading those. See, how does Jesus treat people? How does Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, respond to power? How does Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, handle suffering? How does he love? How does he serve? How does he confront evil? How does he overcome and walk in a way of love? How did Jesus live? Continue to go back to that over and over again. Because we're not going to naturally, just out of overflow, walk in the ways of someone that we don't know very well. That's not going to happen. So we need to look and keep our eyes on him and put practices in place to do that.

So I'm going to invite the worship team to come today. And I want us to end... I just really sense today that this was supposed to be a comforting message to us. For us to just say, we need to look at the Lamb and be reminded of who the Lamb is, over our specific situations, over the things that bring us fear. And so I'm also going to invite Ashleigh and Connor, two of our leaders, and then my mom, who is just my mom and she's the best. They're going to be in the back available for prayer. That's what happens when you come to visit your daughter and she's a pastor. She makes you pray. How awful. But they're going to be available in the back today if you're here and you want to partner with someone in prayer.

Because I recognize that even as we talk about powers and empires, some of those things can be broken down so specifically into situations that you're walking through, and it feels like this situation has the final word. Maybe it's a health diagnosis. Maybe it's conflict within family dynamics or relationships. Maybe it's things happening at work. Maybe there's just stuff where you're like, I don't know how to handle this. I don't know what to do. And it can be so tempting in our lives to see everything else but Jesus in there, to be distracted by everything but Jesus. And today, I just want us to see Jesus as the Lamb who was slain, the Lamb who reigns victorious above it all.

And so as we close in worship in just a few minutes, if you're here today, whether you need prayer for something specific, or you're just like, I'll take prayer whenever anyone can pray for me, I want to invite you to go to the back and invite someone to pray for you. Pray over your situation, or just say, I need to be reminded of who Jesus is, and they're going to pray the love of Jesus over you. The invitation for us is to see the Lamb, walk with the Lamb, keep our eyes on the Lamb. Our "so what" today is that Revelation is a book that reveals Jesus, the Lamb of God. That's what I want us to remember. And now what? Our invitation is to keep our eyes on the Lamb, to learn to see Jesus in our past and our present and future.

So I'm going to invite you to stand today. And I'm just going to invite us into a time of response, inviting the Holy Spirit to speak. And so, if you're comfortable, just close your eyes. Sometimes I put my hands out, just in a posture of surrender. And the first area that I want to pray for today is, if you're here today and you feel far from the Lamb, you feel far from Jesus, where you're like, if I'm honest, I don't know that I would know the difference. Chapter 22, verse 12 says:

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:12-17 (NIV)

So if you're here today and you feel like you are far from Jesus, I want you to hear Jesus revealing himself as the one who is saying, come. And your response today can say, come. Because the pain, the fear, the turmoil, the anxiety, the suffering we feel on this side of eternity, it will end. And Jesus has come, and he defeated death, and he was resurrected, and he is now seated on the throne, pouring his Spirit out. And you have access to that today.

And so if you're thirsty and you need Jesus, Scripture says that if we believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and we confess with our mouths his death and resurrection, we'll be saved. And so if that's you, I just want to invite you even now to just say, Jesus, come. I'm here. I surrender. Forgive me of my sins. Help me to walk in the way of the Lamb. Because that is the hope that you have, that you can walk in the way of the one that is victorious.

And then for those of us here today that maybe are like, I'm following Jesus, but I'm still... there's things that you see that are overwhelming, and we're just struck with fear and anxiety and all of those things. I want to just invite you into a moment to say, Jesus, would you reveal yourself to us? Would you help us to see you?

And so we're going to just end in a time of worship and prayer. And I want to encourage you, go to the back, receive prayer. But we're going to sing these words. We're going to sing it over any empires that are concerning us. We're going to sing it over any powers that, if we're honest, we're like, we're afraid that one might be the one. We're going to remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lamb who was slain, that he's revealing himself to us as the one who reigns victorious, the one who already defeated death. And that means he defeated every single power and authority. Nothing, nothing can overcome what he has already done, his finished work on the cross.

And so just to open up this space, would you just repeat this prayer after me? Say, Jesus, reveal yourself. Help us to see you, the Lamb that was slain, the Lamb that is victorious. Help us to see you. So, Holy Spirit, that is our prayer. And so as we continue to sing these words, would that be true over every situation, over every fear, every anxiety. Help us to see you, Jesus.

[Worship song]

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

So come, Lord Jesus. Would you reveal yourself to us as the one that is seated high and lifted up? When we see anxiety, would we see the peace of the Lamb that has overcome? When we see fear of the future, would you help us to see in a more powerful way your presence right here in our midst? When we are overwhelmed, when we are feeling burdened and worn out and tired, would we see you, the Lamb that came to give us rest for all of eternity, freedom, healing forevermore?

And so, Holy Spirit, as we take this journey as a church of opening up this letter to the churches, would you reveal yourself to us? Would you help us to see you, Jesus, to keep our eyes on you and to walk in your ways as your family, as your children, as the priests that you have empowered to usher in your kingdom of heaven right here in Madison? So we thank you, Jesus. It's in your name we pray. Amen.