December 11, 2014
THE BRIGHT LIGHT AHEAD IS NOT AN APPROACHING TRAIN BUT ANSWERED PRAYER.
Revelation 22:1-7
Bobby Gilpin
Central Truth
My circumstance is not to be an excuse to become self-centered, ignoring His light, purpose, or timing.
Key Verse | Revelation 22:3–5
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)
Revelation 22:1-7
The River of Life
1 Then the angel 1 22:1 Greek he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life 2 22:2 Or the Lamb. In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Dive Deeper | Revelation 22:1-7
When 50 percent of my body, once strong and useful, became a liability, I thought I deserved to have a pity party. Several, in fact. But when I saw others who were suffering even greater physical loss than I -- but were reflecting joyful hearts -- I put my self-pity aside and asked, "Why am I still here?" With the kind of stroke I experienced, a few more seconds of bleeding and my life would have been over. Revelation 22 speaks of believers sharing Jesus' eternal glory with no more darkness; the Lord God will be their light. That sounds like a good ending to the story, apparently in the future. In the meantime, what has He prepared for me to do?
His illumination for us while on this earth is the Holy Bible. Through His Word, God reveals Himself to us so we may know Him (John 17:3) and build a daily relationship living with Him (John 17:21-22). Once we know Him, we are commanded to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).
To do so, we must be prepared to give an answer to all who ask the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15). To tell His story, we must know His story and how it changed us. In this way, we make disciples, who then make disciples (2 Timothy 2:2), as we are united to reconcile the world to Christ.
Believers are headed to a completed, eternal state filled with truth, holiness, joy, and love. This is the light of our hope. It is what Jesus prayed to the Father for us the night He surrendered to the Father's will. His will is that we go and make disciples every day, wherever we are with whatever ability He has given us. He can take what we consider a liability and turn it into a vehicle for reaching others. Our purpose, for as long as we have breath, is to make Him known. How can we not do what He asks us to do? (John 17:25-26)
Discussion Questions
1. What motivates your acts of kindness? Is it based on selfish desires?
2. What holds you back when opportunities to share your faith are present? What can you do to help increase your opportunities to share your faith?
3. How does the world seek to distract you from sharing the hope you have in eternal life? Why does the world tell you that you should not share your faith? (John 17:13-19)
4. Why is it safe to share your faith with the world? (John 17:11-12)
5. Jesus prayed for us to the Father so we could live in the full measure of His joy within us. Now and forever, our cup truly overflows. Isn't it time we helped others who don't even have a cup to experience the same joy we have? How can you put the joy of Jesus in someone else's eyes?