He is the Magnificent One,
transcendent,
high above,
separate, and
infinitely beyond.
He is pure,
perfect,
incomparable, and
absolutely glorious.
He is Supreme,
the Source of all being,
the Creator,
the Uncreated One.
Divine,
eternal,
majestic, and
exalted,
He is
always good,
always just, and
complete in Himself.
He is
the I AM.
He is
Holy God.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Worshiping Transcendent God
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A reflection on Revelation 1:4-8, 17-18; 4:8-11; 5:8-14;
7:9-12; 11:15-17; 15:3-4; 16:5-7; 19:1-7; 22:13, 16
The primary purpose of prophecy is not to give us a roadmap for the future but to give us God’s perspective. Through prophecy, the reality of God shatters our false, materialistic view of life. Through prophecy, we see Him as the focus of our daily world and our eternal destiny.
As a book of prophecy, Revelation exalts God as the center of life, as its Beginning and end, its Source and Goal. Thus it is not surprising that such a God-centered book is permeated with worship and praise. Reading through its praise passages, several basic truths become clear:
God is the Creator. All that is flows from Him.
God is eternal, enveloping all the past, present, and future.
God is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End and
everything in-between. He is the All-in-all.
God is holy, both transcendent and pure.
God is our Redeemer. He saved us from sin through the death of His Son.
God is worthy of all worship, power, wisdom, riches, and glory.
In His own perfect time, God will re-assert His complete control over creation and will judge our world in righteousness.
Do you long to praise God in a way that is pleasing to Him? Immerse yourself in the praise and worship of Revelation.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Revelation Worship
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We are inherently, inescapably needy.
We are not self-sufficient and never can be.
We forever have needs outside ourselves –
food,
water,
air,
temperature control,
companionship, and
so much more.
We are fragile creatures,
never self-contained,
designed to be dependent,
designed to be incomplete.
Sovereign God, You are complete in Yourself.
You are all power,
all wisdom,
all life,
all truth, and
all rightness.
You are self-contained.
You need nothing.
You lack nothing.
You are full to overflowing.
You give of Yourself
constantly,
lavishly,
lovingly.
O God of all,
we need You.
Only in Your fullness can we be complete.
Only in Your wisdom can we think aright.
Only in Your power can we
be who we need to be.
Only in You are we
pure and
at peace.
Only in You are we
loved,
honored, and
truly, deeply satisfied.
Only in You, Father.
Only in You.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: All-in-all
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A prayer response to Revelation 1:4,
“Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and
who was and who is to come” (NASB).
Father, You are forever eager to pour out on me
Your grace,
the rich goodness and tender kindness that
I don’t deserve and
can never deserve.
You are forever working, forever reaching to fill me with
Your peace,
Your complete well-being.
You want to share with me and with all of us
the wholeness,
the harmony,
the uninterrupted, undiminished love that flows among
Father,
Son, and
Spirit.
This grace and peace pour from You,
who embrace
all time,
all being,
all past, present, and future
in Yourself,
perfect in power,
perfect in loving,
perfect in knowing.
You know me with an understanding that is
permeated with perfect love.
Father, today I receive
Your grace,
Your peace,
Your knowing,
Your all-encompassing embrace.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Holy Father, Only You
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I don’t have a world to build or
kingdoms to conquer.
I have a seed to sow –
a seed of
love and
life and
peace.
Loving God,
let me sow it
joyfully and generously,
fervently and faithfully,
knowing that You, Lord,
will bring an abundant harvest.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Bless This Seed
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Father, You are
high and holy,
transcendent and unseen,
great beyond all imagination.
Yet in Jesus Christ we see You as a
real,
touchable,
walking,
smiling,
speaking human being.
How amazing You are!
How can we help but
love You and
want to be like You!
Listen and sing:
Hymn: See the Father Walk among Us
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A reflection on Revelation 1:1-3,
the prologue to the book.
Our Sovereign God is calling us.
He is calling us to
simple faith and
complete obedience.
He is calling us to Himself.
To call us, He is using the very best of
all He has and
all He is.
He is calling us through the
life,
death,
resurrection, and
exaltation of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
The stakes are high.
Eternal life and eternal death
hang in the balance for us.
No one knows when Christ will return and
our decision will suddenly become irrevocable.
Life is uncertain
for ourselves and
for the loved ones for whom we deeply desire all the best.
The reward is great beyond our imagining.
The Father promises the fullness of Himself
to those who answer the call.
He promises Jesus Christ –
His life,
His love,
His holy perfection,
His eternal glory.
The all-wise, all-loving Lord of all begs us to give His call
top priority
now.
We dare not ignore Him.
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard.
How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:1, 3, NIV)
Listen and sing:
Hymn: When Jesus Speaks
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Introduction to Revelation
READER: On Fridays over the next fourteen months I will be posting devotional reflections on the book of Revelation. Revelation can be intimidating and for that reason is too often ignored. My prayer is that through these reflections you will gain meaningful life truth and better know your magnificent Lord. The first reflection below is an introduction to the entire book.
In a world overflowing with distractions and delusions,
empty threats and false hopes,
focus on what God is doing through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the sovereign, creative Word of Almighty God.
Whatever God wills,
His Son Jesus brings about.
The Father speaks, and
the Son makes it reality.
If you want to know what is going to happen in our world,
focus on Jesus Christ.
He is the future of all creation.
If you want to know our destiny as a race and
your personal destiny as a believer,
focus on Jesus Christ.
He is the Second Adam,
the first of an entirely new human family.
As He is revealed,
we are revealed in Him.
As He is,
we will be.
Jesus Christ is our past, present, and future.
He is our Source and our Goal,
the spring from which we have come and
the ocean toward which we are flowing.
If you want to understand the past,
focus on Jesus.
It points to Him.
If you want to understand the present,
focus on Jesus.
He is what our loving Father wants for us today.
If you want to understand the future,
focus on Jesus.
All reality is moving toward Him.
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Image of the Unseen God
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Today in You, Father,
I enjoy a well-being that
flows all around me and
goes before me,
a well-being that is
deeper and
more permanent
than any temporary, troublesome circumstance.
It is the peace and presence,
the power and unfailing goodness
of You,
my Savior,
my Lord, and
my God!
Listen and sing:
Hymn: Treasure
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