Living in Hope: Worship, Love, and Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as the Center of Our Lives**

True discipleship is rooted in worship, which means recognizing Jesus as the sovereign ruler of the universe and aligning our lives with His will. Revelation 22 reminds us that at the center of the universe is a throne, and on that throne is Jesus. Our lives should be oriented around this reality, constantly asking ourselves who or what we truly worship. Worshiping God involves more than just singing songs; it is about living a life that reflects His sovereignty and aligns with His purposes. This calls for a deep examination of our hearts and priorities, ensuring that our actions, thoughts, and desires are centered on God. [09:36]

Revelation 4:10-11 (ESV): "The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.'"

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself prioritizing something or someone over God? How can you realign this area to reflect Jesus' sovereignty today?

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Day 2: Living in the Present with Hope**

Revelation teaches us to live fully in the present, informed by God's past faithfulness and hopeful for His future promises. This involves navigating the complexities of life with faith and imagination, trusting that Jesus is King even in the "messy middle" between His first and second coming. Life can be both exhilarating and daunting, but we are called to live with a sense of hope and purpose, knowing that God's promises are sure. This hope is not passive; it requires active engagement with the world around us, living out our faith in tangible ways. [05:50]

Hebrews 10:23-24 (ESV): "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works."

Reflection: How can you actively engage with your community today in a way that reflects your hope in God's promises?

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Day 3: Balancing Urgency and Faith**

Jesus' promise of His return calls us to live with both urgency and faith. This paradox challenges us to be active and engaged in our world while trusting in God's timing. It's about longing for heaven while living grounded on earth, making plans but holding them loosely. This balance requires us to be attentive to God's leading, ready to act when He calls, yet patient in waiting for His perfect timing. It is a call to live with a sense of purpose and intentionality, knowing that our time on earth is both precious and fleeting. [14:32]

James 5:7-8 (ESV): "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel a sense of urgency? How can you balance this urgency with faith in God's timing?

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Day 4: Trusting in God's Love**

At the core of Revelation is the reminder of God's profound love for us. Despite life's challenges and our feelings of unworthiness, we are called to trust in our belovedness. This love is the foundation of our identity and the driving force behind our calling to love God and others. Understanding and accepting this love can transform our lives, freeing us from the internalized messages of unworthiness and enabling us to live as beloved children of God. [20:22]

1 John 3:1 (ESV): "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

Reflection: What is one message of unworthiness that you have internalized? How can you replace it with the truth of God's love for you today?

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Day 5: Communion as a Reminder of Love**

The act of communion serves as a tangible reminder of God's love demonstrated through Jesus' sacrifice. It calls us to remember who God is, what He has done, and the truth that we are loved. This practice helps us to refocus on our identity as beloved children of God, grounding us in the reality of His love and grace. As we partake in communion, we are reminded of the depth of God's love and the call to live in response to that love, both in our relationship with Him and with others. [27:52]

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV): "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

Reflection: As you prepare for your next communion, how can you intentionally reflect on God's love and let it shape your interactions with others this week?

Sermon Summary

In Revelation 22, we reach the culmination of our journey through this profound book. This chapter serves as a reminder that Revelation is not merely a prediction of future events but a discipleship manual for living in the present. It calls us to live fully in the now, informed by God's past actions and hopeful for His future promises. The challenge is to navigate the "messy middle"—the time between Jesus' first and second coming—where life can be both exhilarating and daunting. Despite the ups and downs, the central truth remains: Jesus is King, ruling from the throne at the universe's center.

Revelation encourages us to worship God, emphasizing that discipleship is fundamentally about worship. The throne at the center of the universe is occupied by Jesus, and our lives should reflect this truth. The book also calls us to live by faith, balancing urgency with patience. Jesus' promise of His imminent return challenges us to live with both urgency and faith, trusting in God's timing while actively engaging in the world around us.

Finally, Revelation reminds us of God's love. At the core of the universe is a God who loves us deeply. Our calling is to trust in this love and live as beloved children of God. Despite life's challenges and the internalized messages of unworthiness we may carry, the gospel assures us of our belovedness. As we gather for communion, we remember and celebrate this foundational truth: we are loved by God, and this love is the beginning and end of everything.

Key Takeaways

1. Worship as the Heart of Discipleship: Revelation emphasizes that true discipleship is rooted in worship. At the center of the universe is a throne, and on that throne is Jesus. Our lives should be oriented around this reality, constantly asking ourselves who or what we truly worship. Worshiping God means recognizing His sovereignty and aligning our lives with His will. [09:36]
2. Living in the Present with Hope: Revelation teaches us to live fully in the present, informed by God's past faithfulness and hopeful for His future promises. This "threading the needle" requires us to navigate the complexities of life with faith and imagination, trusting that Jesus is King even in the messy middle. [05:50]
3. Balancing Urgency and Faith: Jesus' promise of His return calls us to live with both urgency and faith. This paradox challenges us to be active and engaged in our world while trusting in God's timing. It's about longing for heaven while living grounded on earth, making plans but holding them loosely. [14:32]
4. Trusting in God's Love: At the core of Revelation is the reminder of God's profound love for us. Despite life's challenges and our feelings of unworthiness, we are called to trust in our belovedness. This love is the foundation of our identity and the driving force behind our calling to love God and others. [20:22]
5. Communion as a Reminder of Love: The act of communion serves as a tangible reminder of God's love demonstrated through Jesus' sacrifice. It calls us to remember who God is, what He has done, and the truth that we are loved. This practice helps us to refocus on our identity as beloved children of God. [27:52]
** [27:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:01] - Journey Through Revelation
[02:23] - Trustworthy Words
[04:17] - Past, Present, Future
[05:50] - Living in the Present
[07:54] - Jesus is King
[09:36] - Worship God
[11:18] - John's Struggle
[12:32] - Urgency and Faith
[14:32] - Paradox of Urgency
[15:26] - Hurry Up, Take Your Time
[16:52] - Young Leaders' Urgency
[18:43] - Faith Without Urgency
[19:22] - Loved by God
[20:22] - Trusting Belovedness
[23:14] - Communion Invitation
[24:48] - Jesus' Last Words
[27:52] - Communion and Love

Sermon Clips

"The angel said to me, these words are trustworthy and true. And these words are all the words that have come before this. So chapter one, verse one, all the way through verse five here in chapter 22. These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." [00:01:36] (24 seconds)

"The first encouragement that we see here is to worship, to worship God. Revelation is all about discipleship, but discipleship is all about worship. One of my goals, one of my prayers for our time in Revelation is that when we move on from this, and at some point in the future, whether it's a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, you reflect on our time or you're looking at the book of Revelation again, that there will be some phrases." [00:09:36] (30 seconds)

"One of my hopes is that you never read the book of Revelation again without thinking about the throne that is at the center of everything. Revelation is about discipleship, and discipleship is about worship. It's about who or what is on that throne. Who or what do you worship? And again, Revelation says resoundingly, Jesus is the one on the throne, but the question is, who is on the throne?" [00:10:06] (35 seconds)

"Urgency and faith is longing for heaven but living very grounded here on earth. Urgency plus faith is trusting the unseen God while then loving the actual flesh and blood frustrating messy people who are in your everyday life. Urgency and faith is believing that you are in a big story. This big story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. While at the same time attending to those small mundane details of your everyday life." [00:14:43] (36 seconds)

"Follow King Jesus today by reminding us that when you peel back everything, and when you get down to the thing underneath the thing underneath the thing underneath the thing, everything at the core of this universe is a God who loves you. Is a God who creates out of love, who redeems out of love, who restores out of love. A God who is love." [00:19:38] (34 seconds)

"Our calling as image bearers from all the way back in the beginning, Genesis chapter 1 right up until the end here in Revelation 22, our calling as image bearers is to love God and to love each other. This is what we were created for. This is what our life here on earth is all about. This is what heaven is going to be loving and being loved. Do you trust your belovedness?" [00:20:32] (27 seconds)

"It is so easy to trust some other name, some other message, some other truth that we've internalized instead of trusting our belovedness. We come to the table to remember who God is, what God has done, what God is doing, what he will do, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. The beginning and the end of everything is that you are loved." [00:27:05] (31 seconds)

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