Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

The Story in a Nutshell
God steps into the trainwreck of humanity to and his relationship with his creation.

What has been occurring on earth:

• Rise of the Anti-Christ
• The Seven Bowls of Judgment
• The Demise of Babylon
• The Battle of Armageddon

(Daniel 9:24–27, Matthew 10:16–42, Mathew 24:9–25, Luke 21:12-19, Revelation 6:9–11, Revelation 7:1–17, Revelation 11:3–12, Revelation 14:12–16, Revelation 20:4)

What has been occurring in heaven:

• of the Lamb
  (Revelation 19:6–9, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:25–27)
• The of Christ
  (Matthew 10:42, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:10–15)

The Return of Jesus Christ: Revelation 19:11–16

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The truth about the Second coming of Jesus:

Jesus will return…
(Revelation 19, Mark 14:62; Mark 13:26, Matthew 24:30, Luke 21:27, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, Revelation 1:7, Titus 2:13)

(Mark 10 and Revelation 1)

(Acts 1:11)

(Revelation 19)

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Titus 2:13)

The second coming of Christ should produce an urgency for God’s children to share the of Jesus so that every single person can share in the of Jesus.

Small Group Questions

1. What do you do on a “picture perfect” summer day?
2. What do you love/not love about weddings?
3. Read Revelation 19. What concerns you about the reward judgment seat of Jesus?
4. How does the promise of the second coming of Jesus change the way you live your life today?
5. What would it mean for you to renew your spiritual vows today?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

The Glory of God Revelation 15:2–4
² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God ³ and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
        Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
        King of the nations.
⁴ Who will not fear you, Lord,
        and bring glory to your name?
        For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
        for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

I believe in a -tribulational rapture of the Church
and a -millennial bodily return of Jesus.

In Revelation there are two teams:

1. Team

• Satan (The Dragon), The Great Prostitute, Demons (fallen angels), The Anti-Christ, Beast 1 and 2

“She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. Revelation 17:4

• Priorities: greed, domination, evil, chaos, murder and abomination

2. Team .

• God the Father, Jesus the Lamb of God, The Holy Spirit (7-fold Spirit of God), the Woman, Angels, the Two Witnesses, the 144,000, the 24 Elders, the Worshiping Beasts
• Priorities: love, gratitude, generosity, sacrifice, service, truth, life, peace and honor

God’s call to his team:
Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’
        so that you will not share in her sins,
        so that you will not receive any of her plagues… Revelation 18:4

How do we “come out of” the temptation of living like Babylon?
¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
        and the kingdom of our God,
        and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
        who accuses them before our God day and night,
        has been hurled down.
¹¹ They triumphed over him 
        by the blood of the Lamb
        and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
        as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:10-11

Small Group Questions

1. What’s your favorite sports team? Why?
2. What do believe will happen in the end times? Share your perspective. How did you arrive at your convictions?
3. In what ways do you see the priorities of Team Babylon being lived out in our world right now?
4. How are you living out the priorities of Team Lamb right now?
5. Read Revelation 12:10-11 out loud. In what ways are you being faithful to this instruction from God?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

“Worship is our response to what we value most.” – Louie Giglio

“Worship is attention.” – Matt Chandler

Revelation 14:6-7
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The question of Revelation: ?

The war in heaven:

Revelation 12:7-9
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

The war on earth:

Revelation 13:1-3
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

Revelation 13:10
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Revelation 13:11-12
Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.

Revelation 13:18b
Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Revelation 13:18a
This calls for wisdom. 

Revelation 14:4
They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 

Small Group Questions

1. What’s your definition of worship? What are some of the main things competing with God for your worship?
2. Where do you see Jesus in these middle chapters of Revelation? Where do you see hope?
3. With so much deception in this story, how do we make sure we worship the right things instead of giving our attention to counterfeits?
4. Revelation 14:4 says that the people of God “follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” What does that look like practically? How can we encourage one another in that journey?
5. What’s a way you can give more of your worship to Jesus this week?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Revelation 10:8–9
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
     So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it.”

Revelation 8:6–12
⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
        ⁷ The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
        ⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹ a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
        ¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
        ¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

Revelation 11:3–7
“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ⁴ They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” ⁵ If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶ They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
       ⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.

Revelation 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
        the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
        and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Small Group Questions

1. In what areas of your life do you struggle most with fear?
2. Read Revelation 10:8-9. Why do you think the angel would tell John to eat the scroll? How can we encourage one another not just to look for answers, but to become the answer to what God wants to do in this world?
3. Despite all of judgement and war that gets referenced in these chapters, where do you find hope? Where do you see Jesus?
4. How can we be unified as a group even when we have differences of opinion about the symbolism of Revelation and what it all means?
5. Do you find hope in knowing that the God of the Old Testament is the same God of Revelation? In what ways?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Revelation 5:1-4
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.

Revelation 6:1-2
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

The white rider is bringing

Revelation 6:3-4
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

The red rider is bringing

Revelation 6:5-6
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

The black rider is bringing

Revelation 6:7-8
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The pale rider is bringing

Revelation 6:15-16
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Revelation 6:17 ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION
“…for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Small Group Questions

1. What’s your biggest question about the Book of Revelation so far?
2. Why is it important that Jesus gets described as both the lion and the lamb? Which one of those names most resonates with you, and which is hardest for you to wrap your mind around?
3. Which of the four horsemen (counterfeit, conflict, famine, death) have you experienced most in your life? How has that affected your relationship with Jesus?
4. What causes spiritual or emotional famine in our lives today? How can we find nourishment in God’s Word during times of scarcity?
5. How does the portrayal of Jesus in Revelation provide hope and assurance for believers facing difficult times or uncertain futures?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

A few things the Bible says about the Holy Spirit:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16–17a

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13–14

Four ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives:

1. The Holy Spirit us to live like Jesus

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

2. The Holy Spirit the Father and the Son

“He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me [Jesus] because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:13-15

3. The Holy Spirit us in every moment

4. The Holy Spirit us into all truth

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. John 16:12-13

Revelation 4:1–11

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
        to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
        and by your will they were created
        and have their being.”

The identity of the beasts and 24 elders is not nearly as important as !

“‘Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Small Group Questions

1. As a child, did you ever sleep with a night light? How about now? Why?
2. Of the three members of the Trinity, is there one that you connect with more deeply? If they are truly One in Three and Three in One, why do you believe you connect with one more than the others?
3. What is the primary role of the Holy Spirit in your life?
4. Grant talked about the beauty of the pause. What areas of your life could benefit from a pause? How can you practice the pause in this present moment?
5. What do you believe authentic worship looks like? How can we keep Jesus as the focus of our worship?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Ryan Ervin, Adult Ministries Pastor

Revelation 1:9–20
⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
       ¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 
     ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

^17bThen he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
       ¹⁹ “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Bible Cross-References Arc: ctk.link/bible-arc

Revelation 2:1–7
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
      These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 
     ⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶ But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
       ⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Jesus speaks to 7 categories:

Christ

Commend

Complaint

Challenge

Consequence

Promise

Fulfillment

7 Churches, 7 Categories Chart: ctk.link/7churches

Revelation 2:18–29
¹⁸ “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
       These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. ¹⁹ I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
       ²⁰ Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²² So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³ I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
       ²⁴ Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, ²⁵ except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
       ²⁶ To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ²⁷ that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸ I will also give that one the morning star. ²⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:19–20
¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Small Group Questions

1. Have you read Revelation before? If so, when was the last time?
2. Were you aware of how many times Revelation refers to the Old Testament (over 600 times!)? Why do you think that might matter?
3. Jesus spoke to 7 categories in the letters: Christ, Commend, Complaint, Challenge, Consequence, and Promise (fulfillment to come). Which category are you most comfortable with in your faith? What are you least comfortable with? 
4. As a follow up to question 3, why do you think that is? (Example: I’m most comfortable with the Complaint category because I’m used to feeling criticized.)
5. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, “If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues that are described in this book. If anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him, his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” – Revelation 22:18-19

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it, and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3

Revelation was never intended to you, but to show you a picture of Jesus.

Revelation 1:1 — The revelation of

Revelation is a series of prophetic visions given from God to John, his friend.

Terms

• Millennium: a thousand-year period of God’s reign
• Tribulation: a seven-year period of trial and pain (Pre, Mid, or Post Rap)
• Rapture: when God takes his church away from the earth
• Bema Seat: a reward seat for the faithful

Views

• : Revelation was all fulfilled in the first few centuries of Christianity
• : Revelation was fulfilled over the course of Western Christian history
• : Revelation is being fulfilled symbolically throughout the history of the church
• : Revelation is yet to be fulfilled and is still to come

What it all boils down to:
When is this crazy stuff going to happen, and where do I fit in that order?

Characters

• Jesus Christ (Son of God and God the Son)
• The Antichrist (??)
• Two Witnesses
• The 144,000
• The Lamb (Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God)
• The Woman and the Dragon
• The Beasts
• The Four Horsemen
• The Rider on the White Horse (Jesus, the Returning King)

Numbers

• 12 and its multiples – God’s people
• 10 and its multiples – complete amounts of time
• 7 – perfection and completion (bowls, letters, trumpets, seals, angels, churches,
  Holy Spirit (7 spirits))
• 4 – winds, corners of the earth, horsemen
• 4 and 7 used together – Jesus is named 28 times as the Lamb of God, etc.

Why was this book written?

• To uncover deception in
• To encourage in a dark world
• To increase the of mission
• To through Jesus to struggling Christians

Two key questions:

1. Where is Jesus?

¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. – Revelation 1:12-18

2. Where is the hope?

The Jesus of Revelation 1 has everything .

Personal and Small Group Questions

1. What’s the first thing that comes into your mind when you think about the biblical book of Revelation?
2. When you hear the phrase the end of the world, what do think about doing or not doing?
3. Read Revelation 1. What does this chapter reveal about the character of Jesus? Where do you find hope in this description?
4. What do you currently believe about the end of the world and the return of Jesus?
5. In light of all that’s coming in the future, how should we live now?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

John 18:1-8
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
       ² Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
       ⁴ Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
       ⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
       “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
       ⁷ Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
       “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
       ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he.”

 

Jesus says:
I am, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end.

Three Escalating Declarations of the Identity of Jesus from Revelation

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”  – Revelation 1:8

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” – Revelation 21:6

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” – Revelation 22:13

In Genesis = I am the

In John = all that I said I was in my own words

In Revelation = I am the !

If God is your beginning and your end, where do you find him in the middle?

Jesus is the of all my .

The unchanging nature of Jesus = comfort

The unlimited majesty of Jesus = worship

The ultimate authority of Jesus = peace

The unrivaled plan of Jesus = joy and purpose

Philippians 1:6
…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Small Group Questions

1. What do you do on a rainy day? How about a sunny one?
2. Have you ever been knocked backwards off your feet? What happened?
3. Read John 18:1-8 out loud. How would you describe the power that came from Jesus in that moment? Why do believe God planned this moment?
4. How has Jesus been your Alpha and Omega, your First and Last, your Beginning and End?
5. Starting today, what needs to change about your “dash”?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?

 

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

John 15:1-11
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
       ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
       ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Galatians 5:22-23
The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
– John Piper

Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Small Group Questions

1. How does knowing Jesus as the true vine change your relationship with him?
2. Is there a time when you felt pruned by God, and it led to growth? Tells us about it. What did that growth look like?
3. What are some common obstacles that keep Christians from abiding in Jesus?
4. John 15 is about joy. How does that change the way you read it?
5. If the joy Jesus promises isn’t the same as happiness, what is it and how does it help us in times of trouble?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?