7/21/13 - Revelation 7:9-12 Expanding Your Vision

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Revelation: The Present Future

Week 2: Expanding Your Vision

July 21, 2013

 

It’s virtually impossible to tell the true identity of something when you only see a very small part of it.  We need to view the entire image to fully grasp the nature of an object.  In today’s lesson, we are going to take this concept and apply it to our understanding of the church, and we’ll find the same exact principle at work.

 

Read Revelation 7:9-12 (nlt)

9After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.  They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10And they were shouting with a mighty shout,

 

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

 

11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings.  And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12They sang,

 

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

 

 

This passage presents such an incredible picture of what awaits us in heaven. Not only will we be dwelling with God, we will be amidst the rest of the body of Christ.  We will be among those from all across the globe, and through all time, who have professed faith in Christ.  It is a seemingly infinite number of people lifting up a wave of voices to God.  For a number of reasons, many young people think of the church solely as their local congregation.  As Christians, it’s important that we help each other recognize and appreciate the size, diversity, and impact of the church worldwide.

 

 

This is the second of four lessons from the book of Revelation.  Let’s spend a few minutes discovering some important truths about the Bible that we can find in this passage.

 

1. The church is a powerful, dynamic, diverse body of Christ-followers

 

  • When you think of the church, what do you think of?
  • When it comes to the church, some teenagers think of their small group, their youth ministry, and then maybe the rest of their local congregation.  And those are all part of the church.  But if we only think of our congregation when we think of the body of Christ, what do we leave on the table?  How does that limit our perspective?
  • Why is it sometimes hard to remember the Christ-followers all across this world who are our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ?  What obstacles impact this kind of perspective?
  • Look at verse 9.  What stands out most in John’s description of this multitude, and why?
  • How does it feel to realize that if you’re a follower of Christ, you are linked in your faith to so many diverse people from all across the world?

 

This concept is such a faith-expanding one!  If we aren’t careful, we can be small-minded when it comes to our vision of our faith family.  John gives us a glimpse of how we are part of a family that is virtually innumerable.  It is radically diverse.  And it literally is our spiritual family.  It might not seem like a big deal at first, but part of our calling as Christ-followers is realizing this great body of Christ to which we belong.  We are all united.

 

 

2. The church is called to declare the message of forgiveness through Jesus

 

  • Look at verse 10.  When you think about the salvation made available through Jesus, what kind of emotional reaction do you have?
  • What kind of intellectual reaction do you have?  What are your thoughts when you consider the life Jesus provides for you?
  • How does this universal love and appreciation for all that Christ is and has done serve to unify you with Christians all over the world?
  • In this verse, the multitudes declare the message of salvation—but why is it essential that we declare that message now to the world around us?  What are some of the best, most effective ways to declare that message?

 

The church is unified through the salvation Jesus offers all those who believe in Him.  It unites people who would otherwise not be united in any way.  It makes a family out of different people from all over the world.  More than a family, the church is a powerful force in this world.  And we are called to declare the message of hope, love, grace, repentance, and forgiveness with the world around us.  That is a central purpose of the church.

 

 

3. The church expresses its love for God through worship

 

  • This passage reveals how the multitudes will worship God and how the angels will worship God, too.  Why does God value and deserve our worship?
  • Beyond singing songs, what are specific ways to worship God—especially ways that help other people understand your love for God?
  • When you think about being gathered in heaven with all the other people who have ever believed in Christ for their salvation, worshipping God for eternity, what emotions do you feel?

 

We’re unified with all the other Christ-followers in the world through Christ’s salvation.  And when we are gathered with them in heaven, we will stand before God’s throne worshipping with our brothers and sisters.  We will offer worship and praise because of who God is, who God has always been, and who God will always be.  God’s character, nature, and plans all are unchanging.  This gives us, the church, reason to worship and praise God.

 

 

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION

Romans 12:4-5 (nlt)

4Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5so it is with Christ’s body.  We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

 

  • Read Romans 12:4-5.  We call the church the body of Christ. What does this particular passage say about how the church is joined together?

 

  • Think about a task, such as hitting a baseball, cooking a meal, or walking up a flight of stairs.  How do your different body parts work together to accomplish the task?

 

  • How is this similar to the way we as members of the church, the body of Christ, work together to serve the world in God’s name?

 

 

APPLICATION

  • Do you ever feel like you are kind of on your own when it comes to your faith? Describe situations that can lead to this feeling.

 

  • As we’ve talked about the church, how diverse it is, and how vast it is, how has this made you feel about the other Christ-followers who are on this same journey with you?  How might this give you strength to lead a Jesus-centered life?

 

  • As we consider the reality of spending eternity with God, how does that cause you to think about people who don’t have a relationship with Christ?  How can this serve as a motivation for beginning to have spiritual discussions with these people in order to talk to them about Christ and the salvation he offers?

 

 

SUMMARY

The global body of believers in Jesus Christ is a dynamic, powerful, nearly innumerable, and profoundly multicultural collection of individuals.  And when you consider the historical, global body of Christians, you begin to catch a glimpse of what awaits us in heaven!  Your were challenged in this lesson to consider the diversity of the body of Christ locally and globally, and to let these thoughts radically change your perspective on the church.

 

 

For Keeps [Memory Verse]

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9 NLT).

 

 

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