07/07/2019
Revelation 12:1-17
Chris Breslin
“Jesus was faced with these same questions, but when he was asked to prove his power as the Son of God by the relevant behavior of changing stones into bread, he clung to his mission to proclaim the Word and said, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)… But Jesus refused to be a stunt man. He did not come to prove himself. He did not come to walk on hot coals, swallow fire, or put his hand in the lions mouth to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say. Instead, Jesus said: “Don’t put your God to the test” (Matthew 4:7)…What makes the temptation of power so seeming irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” We ask, “Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in your Kingdom?” (Matthew 20:21)” -Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
“The safest place is in the center of God’s will.” -Corrie Ten Boom
“I am a child of God, one in whom Christ dwells, and I am living in the unshakeable kingdom of God.” -James Bryan Smith
Scripture:
Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:9-15
Psalm 121 (Benediction)
Jean Vanier’s Faith Convicts All of Us (Quick to Listen Podcast by Christianity Today)
Behold the Lamb collage artwork by Chris Breslin (2019)
Songs for Today’s Worship Gathering:
In Christ There is No East or West by Staples/Tweedy
Holy, Holy, Holy by Heber/Dykes
Alive by Hoisingtons/Jordan/Leonard
Rest by Maher/Cockrell
The Advocate by Baltensperger
Lamb of God by Assad
Doxology
Revelation Reading:
The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) by Richard Bauckham
Can I Get a Witness?: Reading Revelation through African American Culture by Brian Blount
The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment by Elisabeth Shüssler Fiorenza
Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb into the New Creation by Michael Gorman
Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation by J. Nelson Kraybill
Picturing the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Arts over Two Millennia by Natasha & Anthony O’Hear
Revelation (Brazos Commentary) by Joseph Mangina
Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination by Eugene Peterson
From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective ed. David Rhoads
