Revelation: Blessed?

We are headed for an apocalypse. Science and religion both agree. So in the midst of what seems to be cursed, and all the voices claiming to have the answers, how do we find and know what is really BLESSED? God has John write the book of Revelation to answer the question of “BLESSED?”      #revelation #2022

STARTER

• The greek word for blessed means happy. God tells us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16) What made you rejoice and feel Blessed this week? Why?

PRAY

Father, we bow before You to ask You to help us have an eternal perspective on blessings and embrace the blessed life You laid out in Matthew 5:1-17. As we go through the book of Revelation, help us to understand that we will not know the times or seasons You have set by Your own authority, but we are commanded to be Your witnesses as you were the faithful witness. (Acts 1:8, Revelation 1:5). No matter what we may face we pray that we will learn to declare with all creation and all of heaven that you are WORTHY!

STUDY QUESTIONS

"Worthy!”

As you read through Revelation, remember that John has been serving God faithfully for decades in the midst of persecution, death, and blessing as others make decisions about Jesus. He has watched faithful people, including his fellow apostles, be killed for claiming and proclaiming Jesus. John has been exiled to an island (Patmos) full of criminals and sick people because of his faithfulness to be a witness. In Revelation, John is writing down what he is seeing and trying to use his limited vocabulary to describe things no earthly language can fully describe. Revelation is meant to be a blessing of both literal and symbolic meaning. It is meant to call us to the blessing of surrender to a God of pure love, justice, and sovereignty. This book is given for us to know, that whatever we go through, He is WORTHY!

READ Acts 1:6-8

Acts 1:6-8 are Jesus last words to His followers before he left the earth. How does obeying this decare that He is WORTHY?

READ Phillippians 1:27-2:11

1. How does this passage specifically say that living in “a manner of WORTHY of the gospel of Christ” “is a clear sign” to unbelievers of their destruction, but to us a sign of our salvation?
2. How does obedience to the things listed in this passage declare who and what we believe is WORTHY?

READ Revelation 5:1-14

1. Who is the One WORTHY to open the scroll? Why?
2. What specifically makes the Lamb (Jesus: John 1:29) WORTHY to open the scroll? How can that help us have clarity on our worth and understand what is WORTHY?
3. If the scroll unleashes the judgement of God, why is heaven weeping that it will not be opened?
   1. How might this be different than what we have been taught about judgement and blessing?
4. What about the heavenly scene in Revelation 5 impresses you the most?
5. Over 60 times in The New Testament the word saint or saints is used. In every instance, the reference is to all believers (Bible: Saints) not a special group of believers who serve God better than others. Scripture is clear that all Christians are saints. The scripture is also clear that Jesus is advocating for the saints before the Father and interceding for them. (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34, 1 John 2:1, 1 Timothy 2:5)
   1. Have you ever thought of yourself as a saint? Why? Why not?
   2. Have you ever thought of your prayers as music and incense to God (Rev. 5:8)? Why? Why not?
   3. How might it change our prayer life if we saw our prayers like this? (James 4:2-3, Romans 8:26-27)?
6. What are all the things that this passage says Jesus does for believers to show them that He is WORTHY and make them WORTHY?