This Sunday’s sermon will be based in a passage from the Book of Revelation. Oh boy.
The Book of Revelation is one of the books of the Bible that I would be happy not to preach. Oh, don’t get me wrong: the book is immensely relevant to our theology, worldview, and lifestyle. It is a wild ride to read and to try to understand. It is written for our blessing (Revelation 1:3). And yet, I’m not eager to preach it. Over the years, I have taught the book in Sunday school classes, and have used it extensively in my theology courses, but to preach it…? I’m not eager to do so!
If you have been a part of our fellowship for some time, you’ll know that our regular practice is to preach through a book of the Bible from beginning to end (although we might need to break it up into sections sometimes). We do this for theological reasons: understanding that the Bible is God’s Word for us, we assume that it is best if He sets the agenda for our preaching; not what I think you need to hear, or what you think you need to hear, but what God determines for us to hear. Thus, the best way is to preach God’s Word, allowing Him to bring to mind passages that the Holy Spirit will use effectively in our lives.
This practice of preaching through a singular book of the Bible also emphasizes the reality that the entire counsel of God is important for us to hear. Thus, we believe that God has provided for us the Book of Leviticus as well as the Letter to the Ephesians, and Ezekiel as well as Matthew. Thus, if God provided it for us (i.e., the entire Bible), it is incumbent upon us to preach it well in worship.
Yet, pragmatically, we can’t cover everything in the Scripture during a single pastor’s ministry. There is so much material, that needs to be covered effectively, that there are some books in the Bible that we will not likely get to while I am pastor here at Hebron—and I’ll be happy to run out of time before tackling Revelation.
But, this week is a bit different. For all the theology mentioned above, there are times where I believe it is appropriate to preach, not systematically through a book, but thematically, as we are doing now. The doctrine of the Kingdom of God is persistent in the Scriptures, pervasive and extensive. And it is appropriate for us to tackle it as a biblical topic. This entails looking, not at entire books, but individual sections which the Spirit may use to increase our devotion and faithfulness to the Kingdom.
One such passage is in Revelation 11:15-19. As we dip our toes into Revelation this week, ask yourself these questions about the passage.
- How does the surrounding context give insight into the text? Specifically, how do the first 14 verses of chapter 11 set the stage for the culmination of events in verses 15-19?
- Without tracing down specifics, what might “the seventh angel and his trumpet” speak to? What is happening here?
- What is meant by “the kingdom of the world?” How does it “become” the kingdom of our Lord?
- List the things in this passage that are part of the kingdom of this world. How do you know that they are part of this world?
- In verse 19, the Kingdom of God is marked by (1) an open temple in heaven, (2) the ark of the covenant, and (3) lightening, thunder, and earthquakes. What can we draw from this about the coming of the Kingdom?
By Henry Knapp