August 20, 2023 • 26 mins
Today, we promise you an enlightening exploration into the book of Revelation and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Strap in as we journey through divine revelations, interpreting the scripture literally and understanding the Book of Revelation as a beacon of hope, not fear. The example of John 3:16 is used to illustrate how a literal interpretation of the scripture provides a vivid understanding of these profound truths. This conversation is aimed to re-instill a sense of hope and assurance in the divine plan in your heart.
We also focus on the urgency of sharing the gospel and the power of reading scripture out loud. Have you ever thought about the impact of an open heart guided by the Holy Spirit? We delve into how this can lead to a true understanding of scripture and deepen our walk with Christ. Not only do we discuss the importance of accepting Jesus as our Savior and the power of prayer, but also how the scripture from Romans 10:9 can provide solace. Get ready to feel inspired to share your own stories of faith and salvation. Let's embark on this journey of discovery and faith together!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's open in a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, I give youthanks for today, I give you
thanks for this time ofthanksgiving, lord, that we
would step back and we wouldrealize that all things that are
great and wonderful and blessedin our lives come from you, and
that we love you because youloved us first.
(00:21):
Heavenly Father, we were madeto worship you and Lord.
God, I sit before you todaywanting to do exactly that,
wanting to study your word anddeliver it as best as I can,
with your help and guidance,lord.
I ask that the gift of teacherwould go forward today.
More so than that, I asked thatlives would be changed by the
(00:46):
simple reading and discussion ofyour word.
Father, God, I pray for ournation.
I pray for the world large, butI pray for our nation, lord,
and its leaders, those that Idisagree with, those that I
agree with, that everyone wouldcome under your hand, lord, and
(01:06):
that they would be directed byyou.
I pray for one last greatrevival, lord, one last great
revival, and your word tells usthat you hear our prayers and
they are as incense to you, aswe'll learn in this book.
May they be pleasing to youtoday, lord.
I pray for everyone within thesound of my voice that they
(01:30):
would be blessed and honored tospend time with you in Jesus'
name, amen.
Okay, so let's go ahead and getstarted.
You know this is such awonderful book, it's such a
special book.
(01:51):
As a matter of review, welearned last week that it's the
only book that was delivered byan angel.
We also know that it's meantfor us to understand as as is,
contrary to what some believe,that it should be a closed book,
that it's not intended for usto understand, that the visuals
(02:12):
are just too apocalyptic and tooquestionable to begin to
understand.
I wonder sometimes at that.
When, in the very first verse,it said that it is meant to be
an unveiling of Jesus Christ, arevealing of Jesus Christ in His
glory, and that's exactly whatit is is an unveiling of Jesus
(02:37):
Christ.
This week we move forward andsee what the Lord has for us.
Pick up for me, please, or withme, please, in chapter 1, verse
2.
Chapter1, verse 2, book ofRevelation, new King James
Version.
It says who bore witness to theWord of God and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ, toall things which he saw.
(03:00):
This, of course, we're talkingabout John.
We're talking about John andthe last portion of the
introduction.
Here we're talking about Johnand how John was the one that
bore witness to the Word of Godand the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
So Jesus is going to tell him,slash, show him exactly what is
(03:22):
to be.
That's what's gonna happen here.
And he bore testimony andwitness to all things which he
saw.
As we read this, we see thatJohn saw that which he wrote
down.
(03:42):
This wasn't a case of simpledictation.
He saw it, he visualized it.
Step back a second.
My pastor tells us all the timeto put ourselves in the midst
of the story, visualize it, seeit, breathe it.
(04:03):
And it's amazing that John wasthere to witness, to see
everything which he wrote down.
And that also tells us from apractical perspective that
there's gonna be a lot in theway of imagery here, and it's a
good place to stop and set someground rules for the overall
(04:26):
study.
So we're gonna do that realquick.
I believe that the best way tointerpret Scripture is literally
Meaning that if the Bible saysa thing, that's what it means.
Interpretation of Scripture isbased on context and Scripture
is best interpreted by itself,as we learned last week, as we
(04:51):
learned last week to illustratethis.
To illustrate this example,take a look at two separate
Scriptures John 316 and John 146.
Now, john 316, everyone knowsit.
Everyone knows John 316,whether you're a believer or not
(05:12):
, you know 316.
If you watch football, you seeguys, or you used to see guys I
don't know if the NFL allowsthis anymore Side note, sigh but
they used to have 316 in theireye paint.
Tim Tebow was famous for that.
And John 316 says this New KingJames Version For God so loved
(05:33):
the world that he gave his onlybegotten son that whomever
believes in him should notperish but have everlasting life
.
This is known as the Gospel.
In one verse, jesus is tellingNicodemus why he came.
It's the mission statement ofJesus.
(05:54):
If you will, if everyone ever,anyone, ever, ever asks you what
you believe, what makes you aChristian?
Keep it simple Jesus dead ForGod so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son thatwhomever believes in him should
not perish but have everlastinglife.
(06:19):
You know, when I was a kid sideside note when I was a kid, I
used to lay in bed and it wasreally the only verse I knew by
heart in the Bible, because wedidn't do a whole lot of memory
verses or any of that stuff.
When I was a kid in church wedidn't do a whole lot of memory
(06:42):
verses.
We did a lot with LutheranCatechism and we did a lot with,
I mean, we memorized the Lord'sPrayer and we rewrote it.
We did all those things.
But this is the one verse thatI knew and, on my roughest day,
used to give me so much hope andgang.
(07:03):
That's what the gospel issupposed to do and that's what
this book does.
The book of Revelation is not abook of fear.
I hear so many pastors you knowthey're lead into the messages.
Don't, don't, don't.
Revelation, no, it's a book ofhope.
The title of this message, bythe way, this week is
(07:23):
Revelation's special blessingand it is a book of hope.
Revelation is, it's known as thegospel, john three sixteen.
Getting back to that, johnthree sixteen is known as the
gospel.
In one verse, jesus is tellingNicodemus why he came.
And, like we said, keep itsimple.
When someone asks you what youbelieve, you believe
(07:46):
wholeheartedly.
And if you can't remember thewhole verse, that's fine.
Just say that you believe thatJesus Christ is the only
begotten Son of God.
God sent him to this earth andhe lived and he died and God
raised him again from the deadon the third day, so that you
never have to die.
That's it, that's the gospel.
(08:09):
The verse is literal, it's astatement of fact and it should
be taken as such.
Now let's look at John fourteensix.
Okay, john fourteen six.
Jesus is talking to hisdisciples and he says I am the
way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the fatherexcept through me, john fourteen
(08:31):
six.
Now, what does that mean?
What does that mean, while Johnthree sixteen was a mission
statement for God, so love theworld that he gave his only
begotten son, and whomevershould believe in him should not
Parish but have everlastinglife.
Right, john fourteen six is alittle bit worded, a little
(08:53):
differently.
Right, this verse is a bitdifferent in verbiage.
Jesus is talking about himselfbeing the way, the truth and the
life.
These are figurative terms.
And then he says we must comethrough him to get to the father
(09:17):
.
There's a ton to unpack hereand that's a study.
This verse is a study all byitself, as is John 3, 16.
However, this verse is a studyall all by itself, and and I
don't have the time to fleshthis out, because I've got
another point I need to makehere.
But Jesus is saying that he isthe way to salvation through
(09:42):
faith.
Okay, through faith, I am theway, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the fatherexcept through me.
Through faith, he is the truthand the life as God.
Jesus embodies all these thingsand no one comes to the father.
Also God, that's the Trinity,which is a whole.
(10:03):
Another month of studiesthrough belief in him, wow, okay
, so let's do that again.
Jesus says he is the way, theway to what, the way to the
father?
He is the truth and the life,the truth of God's law and
(10:35):
Everlasting life as God.
Jesus embodies all of thesegodly traits and no one comes to
the father, also God, it's aTrinity, as I said, except
through him.
That's a lot, I know.
Suffice it to say this John 3 16and John 14 6 match one another
(10:57):
in meaning or in message.
When we understand the context,we understand the meaning.
Okay, so the context of 3 16,the context of John 3 16, is
that, john, that Jesus istalking to Nicodemus, and
Nicodemus says you know, duringthe conversation, jesus tells
(11:20):
him the truth.
He says look, the plan was thisFor God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten sonthat whomever believes in him
should not perish, but happy tohave everlasting life.
Okay, jesus then is talking tohis disciples in 14 6, and he
says to them look, I'm all ofthat, I am the way to salvation,
(11:44):
I am the truth of the gospeland I am ever lasting life.
And no one comes to the fatherall of those things Except
through me.
In other words, you must havefaith in Jesus To attain all of
those things.
Just like 3, 16, just like John3, 16, okay.
(12:07):
So they match one another inmessage and when we understand
context we understand meaning,right?
So, bible teacher Ron Rhodes,I'm reading a couple of his
books right now, good books,really solid books, and I'll put
(12:32):
titles to those, to those in myshow notes today.
These are really good books.
But but in his book the endtimes, in chronological order,
ron Rhodes says this when plainsense makes good sense, seek no
(12:57):
other sense West, you end upwith nonsense.
That's Ron Rhodes.
Let me say that one more timewhen plain sense makes good
sense, seek no other sense West,you end up with nonsense.
So as we work through this book, we will take it as it comes
and allow the Holy Spirit tospeak to us one verse at a time.
(13:20):
Okay, so pick up with me nowback in Revelation, in verse 3,
chapter 1.
Blessed is he who reads andthose who hear the words of this
prophecy and keep those thingswhich are written in it, for the
time is near.
(13:40):
That's Revelation 1, verse 3.
So, as we said in the beginning, this is such a special book.
Not only is it the greatunveiling of Jesus Christ and
the only book delivered by anangel, but it contains a special
blessing.
Blessed, it says, is he whoreads and those who hear the
(14:05):
words of this prophecy, thosewho read in here.
Let's take it in pieces.
First, in order that we receivethe blessing, we must read the
words of scripture.
The Greek term used here forthe word read means out loud, so
(14:27):
we are to read it out loud.
We've tried it readingscripture out loud during devo
time.
Think of it this way how manytimes has a pastor read a
passage of scripture in churchand suddenly the meaning clicks?
Sometimes words jump off thepage when it's read out loud.
(14:49):
Second, we must hear itThroughout this book and in the
gospels as well.
Jesus often says he who has earsto hear, let him hear.
He is speaking of being led bythe Holy Spirit to hear.
Not him, but us.
(15:09):
We us being led by the HolySpirit to hear.
Hear what God would have youhear and discern it from his
word.
As the spirit leads, do youpray before you open scripture?
If not, it's a good idea to askGod to lead you in your study
(15:30):
time.
I find that there are morningswhen I sit down to do my devos
and I just sit down and I startopening books.
I open my Bible.
If I've got a companion divo, Iopen that, I open my notebook
and sometimes, if I do that andI know that I'm pressed for time
(15:52):
because I've woken up late orwhatever I just sit down and,
without prayer, your divo timeis just an exercise.
It's just an exercise becauseyou haven't invited God in.
God wants to be invited in, hewants to walk alongside you
(16:15):
during your study time.
So each time you sit down, prayand I know that this is going
to strike some of my olderlisteners as a travesty but pray
out loud, measure your words,think it through.
(16:36):
I find for myself that when Ipray silently, my brain gets
distracted, but if I pray outloud, I'm being deliberate, and
when we pray, god has invited it.
Thirdly, we must keep it.
This is where we are going towind up for the day.
(16:57):
Thirdly, we must keep it.
I had a pastor tell me once thatif you can read through the
book of Revelation and not haveit change your walk with Jesus
or your urgency for the gospeland for its sharing of its words
, you might want to take it tothe Lord and have Him work it
out for you.
In other words, this bookshould change your walk with
(17:23):
Christ, it should deepen it, itshould embolden you to share the
truth and it should give youthe urgency to do it.
Friends, we are not at acrossroads.
We bypassed the crossroads along time ago.
In my belief, we are to a pointnow where there is an absolute
(17:52):
urgency for souls for Christ.
You might say you know what?
That's not my job, larry,that's your job.
You're the one in front of themicrophone.
You're the one that gets to dothat.
I couldn't begin to do that,really.
I'll tell you what.
You may not sit in front of amicrophone, but you can talk to
people that I can't.
(18:13):
You can talk to people thatwon't speak to me.
You can talk to people thatwon't email the show.
You can talk to people whowon't drop me a message on
social media, won't askquestions.
You can talk to them, you canshow them by the way you live
your life.
But time is short, friends, timeis very short.
As I say every single week,there's not a soul I wouldn't
(18:39):
want to see in heaven, period.
So it's very, very importantand revelation will build that
for you.
That's my prayer that therevelation will light that fire
of urgency.
You know the mantra here at thethoughts I have towards you has
(18:59):
always been make it count.
I sign off with that each weekas well.
It means simply that I try tomake every day that I am given
count for the glory of God.
I hope you do too.
Also, every week, I tell youthat there's no one I wouldn't
want to see in heaven, as I justsaid.
Just to put a fine point on it,I truly mean that.
(19:24):
That's why I'm here.
It's why I do this every singleweek.
I'm called to reach people withthe gospel and I endeavor every
time I sit down before amicrophone to reach the lost and
searching for God's glory andnot my own.
And guess what?
As I just said, you're calledto do that as well.
(19:48):
Matthew 28 says go forth andmake disciples of all nations.
It's not a suggestion.
Okay, this brings us to thefinal part of the verse, the
final part of verse three.
If we go back up and we reviewit, verse three we've covered.
(20:11):
Blessed is he who reads, thosewho hear the words of prophecy
and keep those things which arewritten in it.
The last part of that verse isfor the time is near, the gospel
of John, the gospel of John,which is the fourth of the
(20:35):
gospels.
The gospel of John was written.
It says so that we may believe.
The epistles of first, secondand third John were written that
we may understand.
The book of Revelation iswritten so that we would be
(20:56):
ready.
And I want you to turn over andI want you to mark this in your
Bible.
I want you to mark this in yourBible.
This is, this is this is in thebook of John 20, john 20, verse
(21:20):
31.
But these are written that youmay believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and thatbelieving you may have life in
his name.
That's the gospel of John Forsecond and third, john.
As I said, those areinstructional that we may
(21:41):
understand, and Revelation, aswe're going to find out, is
written that we may be ready.
And if you hear this today andyou think to yourself, you know,
I really never knew that any ofthat stuff was in the Bible and
I think I need to do somethingabout it.
You're right, you do.
If you'd like to Turn away fromyour sins today Fancy Bible
(22:09):
word tied to it, it's repent.
If you'd like to repent ofthose sins today, it means turn
away and Accept Jesus Christ isyour Lord and Savior all you
have to do is talk to him.
That way you can be assured ofthe blessing that comes with
this book and you can be assuredof everlasting life, as as it
(22:30):
says in John 3, 16 for God soloved the world that he gave his
only begotten son thatwhosoever Whosoever that means
anyone Should believe in me.
Whosoever should believe in meshould not perish but have
eternal life.
That's the mission statement.
(22:50):
And if you'd like to haveeternal life and be guaranteed
of your spot in heaven and knowwhere you're going when you die,
all you have to do is talk tohim and you can say dear Jesus,
I Know I'm a sinner in need of aSavior.
I'm sorry for my sins and Iwant to turn from them today.
I want to repent and I want tofollow you all the rest of the
(23:15):
days of my life.
I Believe that you lived for meand you died for me, and on the
third day God raised you fromthe dead.
Thank you, jesus, for saving me.
Amen.
You know, scripture tells usthat if we Confess with our
(23:41):
heart that Jesus is that, thatJesus Christ is Lord, if we
confess, rather, with our mouth,that Jesus Christ is Lord and
believe in our heart that Godraised him from the dead, we
shall be saved.
And If you've prayed thatprayer today, I'd sure like to
know about it.
You can drop me a message onsocial media at the thoughts I
(24:05):
have towards you, both onInstagram and Facebook, or you
can send me an email If youprefer a little bit more privacy
.
I completely understand thatand I want to be able to rejoice
with you.
I Want to be able to rejoicewith you, and that's where we
close today.
Thank you for listening.
(24:25):
Make it count, gang, and beblessed.
Let's open in a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, I give youthanks for today, I give you
thanks for this time ofthanksgiving, lord, that we
would step back and we wouldrealize that all things that are
great and wonderful and blessedin our lives come from you, and
that we love you because youloved us first.
(00:21):
Heavenly Father, we were madeto worship you and Lord.
God, I sit before you todaywanting to do exactly that,
wanting to study your word anddeliver it as best as I can,
with your help and guidance,lord.
I ask that the gift of teacherwould go forward today.
More so than that, I asked thatlives would be changed by the
(00:46):
simple reading and discussion ofyour word.
Father, God, I pray for ournation.
I pray for the world large, butI pray for our nation, lord,
and its leaders, those that Idisagree with, those that I
agree with, that everyone wouldcome under your hand, lord, and
(01:06):
that they would be directed byyou.
I pray for one last greatrevival, lord, one last great
revival, and your word tells usthat you hear our prayers and
they are as incense to you, aswe'll learn in this book.
May they be pleasing to youtoday, lord.
I pray for everyone within thesound of my voice that they
(01:30):
would be blessed and honored tospend time with you in Jesus'
name, amen.
Okay, so let's go ahead and getstarted.
You know this is such awonderful book, it's such a
special book.
(01:51):
As a matter of review, welearned last week that it's the
only book that was delivered byan angel.
We also know that it's meantfor us to understand as as is,
contrary to what some believe,that it should be a closed book,
that it's not intended for usto understand, that the visuals
(02:12):
are just too apocalyptic and tooquestionable to begin to
understand.
I wonder sometimes at that.
When, in the very first verse,it said that it is meant to be
an unveiling of Jesus Christ, arevealing of Jesus Christ in His
glory, and that's exactly whatit is is an unveiling of Jesus
(02:37):
Christ.
This week we move forward andsee what the Lord has for us.
Pick up for me, please, or withme, please, in chapter 1, verse
2.
Chapter1, verse 2, book ofRevelation, new King James
Version.
It says who bore witness to theWord of God and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ, toall things which he saw.
(03:00):
This, of course, we're talkingabout John.
We're talking about John andthe last portion of the
introduction.
Here we're talking about Johnand how John was the one that
bore witness to the Word of Godand the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
So Jesus is going to tell him,slash, show him exactly what is
(03:22):
to be.
That's what's gonna happen here.
And he bore testimony andwitness to all things which he
saw.
As we read this, we see thatJohn saw that which he wrote
down.
(03:42):
This wasn't a case of simpledictation.
He saw it, he visualized it.
Step back a second.
My pastor tells us all the timeto put ourselves in the midst
of the story, visualize it, seeit, breathe it.
(04:03):
And it's amazing that John wasthere to witness, to see
everything which he wrote down.
And that also tells us from apractical perspective that
there's gonna be a lot in theway of imagery here, and it's a
good place to stop and set someground rules for the overall
(04:26):
study.
So we're gonna do that realquick.
I believe that the best way tointerpret Scripture is literally
Meaning that if the Bible saysa thing, that's what it means.
Interpretation of Scripture isbased on context and Scripture
is best interpreted by itself,as we learned last week, as we
(04:51):
learned last week to illustratethis.
To illustrate this example,take a look at two separate
Scriptures John 316 and John 146.
Now, john 316, everyone knowsit.
Everyone knows John 316,whether you're a believer or not
(05:12):
, you know 316.
If you watch football, you seeguys, or you used to see guys I
don't know if the NFL allowsthis anymore Side note, sigh but
they used to have 316 in theireye paint.
Tim Tebow was famous for that.
And John 316 says this New KingJames Version For God so loved
(05:33):
the world that he gave his onlybegotten son that whomever
believes in him should notperish but have everlasting life
.
This is known as the Gospel.
In one verse, jesus is tellingNicodemus why he came.
It's the mission statement ofJesus.
(05:54):
If you will, if everyone ever,anyone, ever, ever asks you what
you believe, what makes you aChristian?
Keep it simple Jesus dead ForGod so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son thatwhomever believes in him should
not perish but have everlastinglife.
(06:19):
You know, when I was a kid sideside note when I was a kid, I
used to lay in bed and it wasreally the only verse I knew by
heart in the Bible, because wedidn't do a whole lot of memory
verses or any of that stuff.
When I was a kid in church wedidn't do a whole lot of memory
(06:42):
verses.
We did a lot with LutheranCatechism and we did a lot with,
I mean, we memorized the Lord'sPrayer and we rewrote it.
We did all those things.
But this is the one verse thatI knew and, on my roughest day,
used to give me so much hope andgang.
(07:03):
That's what the gospel issupposed to do and that's what
this book does.
The book of Revelation is not abook of fear.
I hear so many pastors you knowthey're lead into the messages.
Don't, don't, don't.
Revelation, no, it's a book ofhope.
The title of this message, bythe way, this week is
(07:23):
Revelation's special blessingand it is a book of hope.
Revelation is, it's known as thegospel, john three sixteen.
Getting back to that, johnthree sixteen is known as the
gospel.
In one verse, jesus is tellingNicodemus why he came.
And, like we said, keep itsimple.
When someone asks you what youbelieve, you believe
(07:46):
wholeheartedly.
And if you can't remember thewhole verse, that's fine.
Just say that you believe thatJesus Christ is the only
begotten Son of God.
God sent him to this earth andhe lived and he died and God
raised him again from the deadon the third day, so that you
never have to die.
That's it, that's the gospel.
(08:09):
The verse is literal, it's astatement of fact and it should
be taken as such.
Now let's look at John fourteensix.
Okay, john fourteen six.
Jesus is talking to hisdisciples and he says I am the
way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the fatherexcept through me, john fourteen
(08:31):
six.
Now, what does that mean?
What does that mean, while Johnthree sixteen was a mission
statement for God, so love theworld that he gave his only
begotten son, and whomevershould believe in him should not
Parish but have everlastinglife.
Right, john fourteen six is alittle bit worded, a little
(08:53):
differently.
Right, this verse is a bitdifferent in verbiage.
Jesus is talking about himselfbeing the way, the truth and the
life.
These are figurative terms.
And then he says we must comethrough him to get to the father
(09:17):
.
There's a ton to unpack hereand that's a study.
This verse is a study all byitself, as is John 3, 16.
However, this verse is a studyall all by itself, and and I
don't have the time to fleshthis out, because I've got
another point I need to makehere.
But Jesus is saying that he isthe way to salvation through
(09:42):
faith.
Okay, through faith, I am theway, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the fatherexcept through me.
Through faith, he is the truthand the life as God.
Jesus embodies all these thingsand no one comes to the father.
Also God, that's the Trinity,which is a whole.
(10:03):
Another month of studiesthrough belief in him, wow, okay
, so let's do that again.
Jesus says he is the way, theway to what, the way to the
father?
He is the truth and the life,the truth of God's law and
(10:35):
Everlasting life as God.
Jesus embodies all of thesegodly traits and no one comes to
the father, also God, it's aTrinity, as I said, except
through him.
That's a lot, I know.
Suffice it to say this John 3 16and John 14 6 match one another
(10:57):
in meaning or in message.
When we understand the context,we understand the meaning.
Okay, so the context of 3 16,the context of John 3 16, is
that, john, that Jesus istalking to Nicodemus, and
Nicodemus says you know, duringthe conversation, jesus tells
(11:20):
him the truth.
He says look, the plan was thisFor God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten sonthat whomever believes in him
should not perish, but happy tohave everlasting life.
Okay, jesus then is talking tohis disciples in 14 6, and he
says to them look, I'm all ofthat, I am the way to salvation,
(11:44):
I am the truth of the gospeland I am ever lasting life.
And no one comes to the fatherall of those things Except
through me.
In other words, you must havefaith in Jesus To attain all of
those things.
Just like 3, 16, just like John3, 16, okay.
(12:07):
So they match one another inmessage and when we understand
context we understand meaning,right?
So, bible teacher Ron Rhodes,I'm reading a couple of his
books right now, good books,really solid books, and I'll put
(12:32):
titles to those, to those in myshow notes today.
These are really good books.
But but in his book the endtimes, in chronological order,
ron Rhodes says this when plainsense makes good sense, seek no
(12:57):
other sense West, you end upwith nonsense.
That's Ron Rhodes.
Let me say that one more timewhen plain sense makes good
sense, seek no other sense West,you end up with nonsense.
So as we work through this book, we will take it as it comes
and allow the Holy Spirit tospeak to us one verse at a time.
(13:20):
Okay, so pick up with me nowback in Revelation, in verse 3,
chapter 1.
Blessed is he who reads andthose who hear the words of this
prophecy and keep those thingswhich are written in it, for the
time is near.
(13:40):
That's Revelation 1, verse 3.
So, as we said in the beginning, this is such a special book.
Not only is it the greatunveiling of Jesus Christ and
the only book delivered by anangel, but it contains a special
blessing.
Blessed, it says, is he whoreads and those who hear the
(14:05):
words of this prophecy, thosewho read in here.
Let's take it in pieces.
First, in order that we receivethe blessing, we must read the
words of scripture.
The Greek term used here forthe word read means out loud, so
(14:27):
we are to read it out loud.
We've tried it readingscripture out loud during devo
time.
Think of it this way how manytimes has a pastor read a
passage of scripture in churchand suddenly the meaning clicks?
Sometimes words jump off thepage when it's read out loud.
(14:49):
Second, we must hear itThroughout this book and in the
gospels as well.
Jesus often says he who has earsto hear, let him hear.
He is speaking of being led bythe Holy Spirit to hear.
Not him, but us.
(15:09):
We us being led by the HolySpirit to hear.
Hear what God would have youhear and discern it from his
word.
As the spirit leads, do youpray before you open scripture?
If not, it's a good idea to askGod to lead you in your study
(15:30):
time.
I find that there are morningswhen I sit down to do my devos
and I just sit down and I startopening books.
I open my Bible.
If I've got a companion divo, Iopen that, I open my notebook
and sometimes, if I do that andI know that I'm pressed for time
(15:52):
because I've woken up late orwhatever I just sit down and,
without prayer, your divo timeis just an exercise.
It's just an exercise becauseyou haven't invited God in.
God wants to be invited in, hewants to walk alongside you
(16:15):
during your study time.
So each time you sit down, prayand I know that this is going
to strike some of my olderlisteners as a travesty but pray
out loud, measure your words,think it through.
(16:36):
I find for myself that when Ipray silently, my brain gets
distracted, but if I pray outloud, I'm being deliberate, and
when we pray, god has invited it.
Thirdly, we must keep it.
This is where we are going towind up for the day.
(16:57):
Thirdly, we must keep it.
I had a pastor tell me once thatif you can read through the
book of Revelation and not haveit change your walk with Jesus
or your urgency for the gospeland for its sharing of its words
, you might want to take it tothe Lord and have Him work it
out for you.
In other words, this bookshould change your walk with
(17:23):
Christ, it should deepen it, itshould embolden you to share the
truth and it should give youthe urgency to do it.
Friends, we are not at acrossroads.
We bypassed the crossroads along time ago.
In my belief, we are to a pointnow where there is an absolute
(17:52):
urgency for souls for Christ.
You might say you know what?
That's not my job, larry,that's your job.
You're the one in front of themicrophone.
You're the one that gets to dothat.
I couldn't begin to do that,really.
I'll tell you what.
You may not sit in front of amicrophone, but you can talk to
people that I can't.
(18:13):
You can talk to people thatwon't speak to me.
You can talk to people thatwon't email the show.
You can talk to people whowon't drop me a message on
social media, won't askquestions.
You can talk to them, you canshow them by the way you live
your life.
But time is short, friends, timeis very short.
As I say every single week,there's not a soul I wouldn't
(18:39):
want to see in heaven, period.
So it's very, very importantand revelation will build that
for you.
That's my prayer that therevelation will light that fire
of urgency.
You know the mantra here at thethoughts I have towards you has
(18:59):
always been make it count.
I sign off with that each weekas well.
It means simply that I try tomake every day that I am given
count for the glory of God.
I hope you do too.
Also, every week, I tell youthat there's no one I wouldn't
want to see in heaven, as I justsaid.
Just to put a fine point on it,I truly mean that.
(19:24):
That's why I'm here.
It's why I do this every singleweek.
I'm called to reach people withthe gospel and I endeavor every
time I sit down before amicrophone to reach the lost and
searching for God's glory andnot my own.
And guess what?
As I just said, you're calledto do that as well.
(19:48):
Matthew 28 says go forth andmake disciples of all nations.
It's not a suggestion.
Okay, this brings us to thefinal part of the verse, the
final part of verse three.
If we go back up and we reviewit, verse three we've covered.
(20:11):
Blessed is he who reads, thosewho hear the words of prophecy
and keep those things which arewritten in it.
The last part of that verse isfor the time is near, the gospel
of John, the gospel of John,which is the fourth of the
(20:35):
gospels.
The gospel of John was written.
It says so that we may believe.
The epistles of first, secondand third John were written that
we may understand.
The book of Revelation iswritten so that we would be
(20:56):
ready.
And I want you to turn over andI want you to mark this in your
Bible.
I want you to mark this in yourBible.
This is, this is this is in thebook of John 20, john 20, verse
(21:20):
31.
But these are written that youmay believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and thatbelieving you may have life in
his name.
That's the gospel of John Forsecond and third, john.
As I said, those areinstructional that we may
(21:41):
understand, and Revelation, aswe're going to find out, is
written that we may be ready.
And if you hear this today andyou think to yourself, you know,
I really never knew that any ofthat stuff was in the Bible and
I think I need to do somethingabout it.
You're right, you do.
If you'd like to Turn away fromyour sins today Fancy Bible
(22:09):
word tied to it, it's repent.
If you'd like to repent ofthose sins today, it means turn
away and Accept Jesus Christ isyour Lord and Savior all you
have to do is talk to him.
That way you can be assured ofthe blessing that comes with
this book and you can be assuredof everlasting life, as as it
(22:30):
says in John 3, 16 for God soloved the world that he gave his
only begotten son thatwhosoever Whosoever that means
anyone Should believe in me.
Whosoever should believe in meshould not perish but have
eternal life.
That's the mission statement.
(22:50):
And if you'd like to haveeternal life and be guaranteed
of your spot in heaven and knowwhere you're going when you die,
all you have to do is talk tohim and you can say dear Jesus,
I Know I'm a sinner in need of aSavior.
I'm sorry for my sins and Iwant to turn from them today.
I want to repent and I want tofollow you all the rest of the
(23:15):
days of my life.
I Believe that you lived for meand you died for me, and on the
third day God raised you fromthe dead.
Thank you, jesus, for saving me.
Amen.
You know, scripture tells usthat if we Confess with our
(23:41):
heart that Jesus is that, thatJesus Christ is Lord, if we
confess, rather, with our mouth,that Jesus Christ is Lord and
believe in our heart that Godraised him from the dead, we
shall be saved.
And If you've prayed thatprayer today, I'd sure like to
know about it.
You can drop me a message onsocial media at the thoughts I
(24:05):
have towards you, both onInstagram and Facebook, or you
can send me an email If youprefer a little bit more privacy
.
I completely understand thatand I want to be able to rejoice
with you.
I Want to be able to rejoicewith you, and that's where we
close today.
Thank you for listening.
(24:25):
Make it count, gang, and beblessed.
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