THE SEVEN BEATITUDES OF REVELATION
(Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14)
Big Idea: Seven words from The Revelation that stir God’s people to faith and faithfulness.
INTRO
We are all familiar with the beatitudes of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). But did you know that The Apostle John has a list of beatitudes too? His are here in The Revelation.
Jesus and John use the same word; “markarios” and it means “happy or blessed.” Scholars tell us the word has a sense of finality that rings through it. Markarios suggests one is “supremely blessed,” “very happy,” or “fulfilled.” I think I like that word!!!
John’s beatitudes are sprinkled throughout The Revelation and are, you guessed it, seven in number.
The number seven is a big deal in Hebrew theology. It represents completeness; finality. John, like other Bible authors, often communicates more than is on the written page by using this number and that is certainly the case in this book. There are seven churches, seven lamp stands, seven Spirits of God, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven angels, seven heads on a very strange beast and, now, seven beatitudes. All of these indicate that John is writing about events that will, just like the seven days of creation, find fulfillment, completion and finality in the victory of God. In using the number seven John reinforces the sense of finality or completeness in his beatitudes.
John is in essence saying; “Do you want to be happy” Do you want to find a sense of fulfillment? It is found in God and these seven ‘blessings’ will direct your steps towards His fulfillment.”
So seven “supremely blessed,” “very happy,” statements are scattered throughout what is a very solemn book. It’s like he has seasoned the book with them thus subtly, but clearly, changing the document’s tone. Maybe we should give them a look huh?
I am going to give you these seven beatitudes in seven words. Each of these texts has a deeper richer meaning than I can bring out in one sermon, but the selected word will give you a sense of some of the nuance of each blessing.
To help us I will use the acronym B-L-E-S-S-E-D and take them in the order they are found (Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14).
SERMON
B = BRAVERY (1:3)
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3, NASB)
Pastor John, and the seven churches he serves, are fully aware of the storm clouds on the horizon. They know that a deep sense of faith and resolve is required. From the outset he tells his people that they will find fulfillment, energy and joy by courageously holding fast.
Can I tell you a story?
Most of us who fly don't like to consider the possibility that we might be involved in a crash. While we usually understand that there is some element of risk associated with aviation, accidents happen to the other guy. Beyond that, statistics tell us that some 85% of all crashes happen on or near an airport, relatively close to civilization. If we survive the crash, help is going to be there soon.
Then there is the other 15%. On January 17, 1998 a young aviation student named Franco began his flight in Reno, Nevada bound for Columbia, California. The aircraft took off at 12:08 in the afternoon and headed south; a little under half an hour later it collided with high mountain terrain near Carson City, Nevada.
Franco has little memory of the accident itself. The last thing he remembers prior to going through the trees is seeing Carson City pass by on the left of the aircraft. Then he has flashes of the trees coming at him.
The aircraft hit the mountain at around 10,000 ft. elevation, coming to rest upside down. Most of the plane tore away including the wings, nose and forward cockpit.
The clearing where the aircraft came to rest was covered with about 4 feet of snow. Franco remained fastened in his seat dangling upside down. He was knocked unconscious during the initial impact. When he regained consciousness he oriented himself and began yelling for help. The temperature was about 25 degrees (F), the winds were gusting, he was getting very cold, and there was a very large storm predicted for later that evening. On top of that, his right femur and both ankles were broken.
Franco released the restraints and fell downward into the snow. As he looked around the area, he spotted and secured his cellular phone bag. He grabbed it and, realizing he had to get out of the wind before hypothermia set in, crawled in the snow around the wreckage, back to the cabin. The baggage door was damaged in the impact and jammed shut, forcing him to kick in a window to gain entry to the cabin--difficult and painful with both ankles broken. He finally succeeded and managed to worm his way through the window into the sheltered cabin.
Once inside, he also retrieved the handheld radio that he always carries when he flies.
He began to broadcast a "mayday." After about 20 minutes he made contact with a Cessna twin, who relayed his Mayday call. Before long Franco was talking to the Chancellor pilot, the crew of a Nevada Air National. Guard C-130 Hercules operating in the area. They were returning from a training flight and happened to still be at altitude and on the right frequency when they overheard the communication with the Cessna and initiated the Search and Rescue effort. Unfortunately, they didn't have direction-finding equipment in the aircraft and Franco’s signal was too weak to locate.
Meanwhile, Franco’s batteries were low and he could not keep the radio on. He turned it on in 15 minutes intervals to try and communicate. Then he remembered his cell phone! He called the FAA and set up communications.
The Search and Rescue teams narrowed the area down to one of two canyons and he finally began to hear the deep "thumping" of rotors and saw a Boeing helicopter as it appeared around one of the peaks. They saw his wreckage; it was like finding a needle in haystack!
Two rescue specialists were dropped nearby and they hiked to the crash site. Franco noted that his first sight of the guy in the baggy orange pants and white helmet was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen.
The rescuers stabilized his leg and got him in a litter and hoisted him into the helo. Inside the Huey they had the heater going full-blast as they worked on him to keep him alive. He was medivac'd to the hospital in Carson City where he underwent hours of surgery to repair his leg and other injuries. He now has a steel rod in his upper right leg and a pin in his big toe, but he has made a complete recovery. He has returned to flying. (condensed from the story found at http://www.equipped.com/waldock698.htm)
Friends, there are times when we really need a rescue. Hear me, when the storm front is moving in is no time to give up on God! How many times does God tell us to be courageous, to be faithful, and to endure? And God promises that as we hold true and heed his Word he will come to our aid. Like the rescue specialists God will “drop” into your crisis with comfort and support.
Hebrews 4:14-16 encourages us with: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
John says, “Those who are happy are those who hang in there, remain faithful, and trust God to the end.”
Seven words from The Revelation that stir God’s people to faith and faithfulness.
B – Bravery (1:3)
L = LEGACY (14:13)
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)
The whole nature of this book is forward looking. Oh, it is about the present but Pastor John knows that hope, resolve, and joy are found not in looking at the storm clouds but at looking past the clouds to the blue sky that follows. John wants them to see into the future. John wants them to realize that God knows their future and God takes note of their courageous, faith-full deeds. That, you see, motivates us in the “here and now.”
Years ago, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted an experiment on a group of four-year olds. Each child was offered a marshmallow, and was told that they could have it now, or if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children grabbed the marshmallow on the spot but many of them were able to hold off. The interesting part of the study was that Mischel followed up on the children as adults and he discovered that those who didn’t eat their marshmallows that day were generally more self-motivated, successful in school and considered emotionally intelligent. On the other hand those who simply couldn’t wait generally had low self-esteem and had suffered in school, branded by both their teachers and parents as being stubborn, envious and easily frustrated. (http://financialhighway.com/delaying-gratification-5-tips-on-how-to-delay-gratification/)
John tells his church to look for the delayed gratification. John is telling them that giving in has its reward but it is hollow and short-lived. Real joy, on the other hand, is found when we take the long look; when we look past the immediate pressure to the calm that promises to reside afterwards.
Seven words from The Revelation that stir God’s people to faith and faithfulness.
B – Bravery (1:3)
L – Legacy (14:13)
E = EQUIPPED (16:15)
“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Revelation 16:15)
Being born and raised in Oklahoma tends to give a person a bit of discernment about the weather. It’s not by accident that the best meteorologists in the country do their apprenticeships in … “Tornado Alley.” The southern plains are situated so as to create the potent mixture when moisture from the Gulf Stream, heat from the west and cold air fronts swooping down from the north merge overhead. The result is violent, mesmerizing, unexpected storms. You learn to be alert.
When ranchers are in the prairie they take note the smell in the air; it tells them “things are changin’.” They glance up occasionally and keep a watchful eye on the clouds and the horizon. They know the color of a cloud can tell you when danger is lurking.
City dwellers are also aware of these tell-tale signs. Not only that but, throughout the southern plains, even in the ranch lands, there is a very sophisticated early warning system of sirens, text alerts, radio announcements, etc. that let any who are otherwise preoccupied know that the atmospheric mixture is gaining energy and they should be cautious.
Do you know who usually gets caught in “unawares” in Oklahoma? It is the young who have yet to learn about the warning signs; the playful who carelessly throw caution to the wind; and the sleeping (the worst tornado disasters always strike at night when people’s guard is down). Those who are engaged in their daily duties and alert have time to make decisions, take precautions, and find cover.
John tells his churches to take advantage of the early warning system that is God’s Word and God’s Spirit. John reminds them that the storm may erupt at any moment. And John encourages his church to be properly equipped at a moment’s notice.
There is a joy and peace in preparedness. Life cannot be fully lived or blessed without it. There is a sense of well-being that cannot be explained or over-estimated. This is true whether you are working on a fence row in the red dirt of Oklahoma or watching for the coming of Jesus Christ.
Seven words from The Revelation that stir God’s people to faith and faithfulness.
B – Bravery (1:3)
L – Legacy (14:13)
E – Equipped (16:15)
S = SECURE (19:9)
Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:9)
The English wording of this blessing loses something in translation. It can easily be read as if it is wistful or hopeful thinking. Some read this as if it says, “lucky are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
Have you ever known someone who was getting married and you wondered why you didn’t get an invitation? Or maybe you just heard about the engagement and you are hoping to get invited. That sense of mystery or uncertainty is easy to read into this verse but it is not an accurate reading.
It’s more accurate to read this with a sense of certainty; with a sense of expectation and anticipation. You know you are on the invitation list! You’re family! You know you’re going to be there on that big day and that makes you … happy.
In Jesus Christ there is assurance! You need not wonder if your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. God says his people can know and nothing can give you more joy and fulfillment than His blessed assurance. His assurance is so secure and so settled that you need never fret about your invitation. They key, you see, is not found in you or your deeds. The securing factor is nothing other than Jesus Christ himself. His work on the cross coupled with His resurrection is more than enough to guarantee your invitation. God sees Jesus’ blood and sacrifice not your sin or “righteousness.”
Fannie Crosby’s song, “Blessed Assurance” is as relevant now as it was the day she wrote it.
Verse 1:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Hebrews 7:24-25 encourages us with: “Because Jesus lives forever … he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
WRAP-UP
Seven words from The Revelation that stir God’s people to faith and faithfulness.
B – Bravery (1:3)
L – Legacy (14:13)
E – Equipped (16:15)
S – Secure (19:9)
John’s assurance is a great note on which to conclude today’s sermon. We have looked at four of the seven “blessings” and discovered that, for those of us who know Jesus, there is joy in courageous, confident assurance. And for those who have never surrendered their will to Him and received him as Savior it should whet the appetite because citizenship is not closed.
Let me ask you, do they stir you to faith and faithfulness? They are sprinkled across the pages of this solemn letter and intended to give you hope, encouragement, and vision. They are designed to give the scene a little color; to fill the air with a more pleasant aroma.
I trust they will accomplish their mission within you today.
COMMUNION
+++++
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene, Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
THE VICTORY OF GOD
Romans 5 & 8 (portions)
Leader: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
People: Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Leader: Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
People: Knowing that suffering produces endurance…
Leader: What then, shall we say?
People: …and endurance produces character,
Leader: If God is for us, who can be against us?
People: …and character produces hope.
Leader: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
People: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Leader: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
People: Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
