Click here to download the Study Guide in PDF
Click here to download the Study Guide in WORD
INTERACTING WITH THE SERMON
SYNOPSIS OF THE SERMON
The book of Revelations is often considered a book that foretells the cataclysmic events that will usher in the end of the world. But Revelations is really a book about Jesus Christ—specifically the revelation of Christ. It is a book filled with portraits of Jesus Christ, almost like an art gallery. There are portraits of Him as the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah and the King of Kings and the Bridegroom. It is also a book that tells us things about Jesus we could not know on our own—God must reveal these things to our souls. Historical research can tell us quite a bit about Christ, but it only gets us so far. We need revelation from God to get the full picture.
The book of Revelations begins by telling us something about who God is. John says in v. 8 that God is the One who “was and is and is to come.” A lot of people believe in the God who was—in God’s past tense activity—in other words, the God of the bible. And a lot of people believe in the God to come—in the future activity of God—that when they die, they will go to heaven. But many do not believe in the God who is—in God’s present day activity in their lives right now! And two measurements for determining whether or not you believe in the God who is are 1) how anxious are you about bad news and 2) how thankful are you about good news. John also writes that God is the “alpha and the omega.” These are the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In other words, there is no one before or after God. He is both the source of all things and the goal of all things.
John then describes the suffering of the church in vs. 9-11. According to his revelation of the church, it is not a prosperous group that moves from one glorious victory to another. The church is meant to share in the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Finally John describes Jesus. He begins by identifying Him as a priest, with a robe and sash on—typical garb for a priest. Jesus is the One who brings together two alienated parties—God and sinners—through His sacrificial death on the cross. And Jesus is also God! All the descriptions John uses for Jesus are descriptions of God found in the Old Testament: white hair, feet of bronze, blazing eyes. John is clearly stating that Jesus Christ is none other than God Almighty! Interestingly, the beginning of the book of Revelations begins with God declaring He is the alpha and the omega. In the last chapter of Revelation, v. 13, Jesus says “I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” So Revelation is more than just a book about end times—it is a book of revelations of who Jesus is!
In 5 minutes or less, briefly give a synopsis of this week’s sermon. What insight, principle, or observation from this weekend’s message did you find to be most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? Explain.
GETTING THE CONVERSATION STARTED
These questions can be used as ice-breakers in the beginning OR interwoven between the questions below to draw the group into the discussion.
• What were one or two things that resonated with you about this weekend’s sermon?
• Which of the historical truths about Christ were you familiar with and which were new to you? How can some of these truths help you share your faith with people you know at work or in your family or in your neighborhood?
SCRIPTURE STUDY
Read Matthew 16:13-28:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Background
This passage (along with the parallel accounts in Mark 8 and Luke 9) marks a pivotal transition in Jesus’ relationship with His disciples. From this point on, He begins to prepare them for His crucifixion in Jerusalem. This is not information He teaches to the crowds but rather only to the twelve, explaining to them that this is something that must happen—that it has been foretold in the scriptures for centuries.
There has been some debate about what Jesus means by saying Peter is the rock upon which the church is built. Catholics have traditionally said the rock is Peter himself, and the church is built on him personally, and those who come to represent Peter later on—the Pope. Protestants have said the rock is Peter’s confession of who Christ is—in other words, Jesus Himself is the rock upon which the church is built.
The picture Jesus describes when referring to the gates of hell is not that hell is aggressively attacking the church and the church is desperately trying to contain hell but will in the end prevail. Rather the picture is of the church storming the gates of hell and hell being unable to stop the church’s advances.
The keys of the kingdom (the authority to bind and lose) have traditionally been thought of to be the authority of the church to forgive sins in the name of Christ. Because of Jesus’ death for sin, the church (not just Peter) is now authorized to proclaim the gospel message—the forgiveness of sins throughout the world. Peter of course is the first to do this in Acts 2.
• Why do you think Jesus begins by asking the twelve what other people think? How and why is Peter’s answer so different from what other people say? Think back to when you first believed in Jesus. In what ways is your faith a direct result of revelation from the Holy Spirit?
• How would you describe the difference between knowing about Jesus and personally knowing Jesus? How well would you say you know Jesus personally? How have you gotten to know Jesus more personally? Experiences? Through prayer? Through other people?
• Why does Jesus warn His disciples to keep His identity a secret (a theme we see throughout the gospels)?
• Peter does not like what Jesus goes on to say about His suffering. According to Jesus, the source of Peter’s perspective is Satan. Why is that—why isn’t it merely Peter’s own misguided thoughts?
• Jesus tells the twelve that they will follow in His footsteps when it comes to suffering! We often have a hard time with suffering. We often feel that when we suffer, something has gone seriously wrong in our lives—that God couldn’t possibly want us to suffer. Why do you think we often feel this way—where do these thoughts come from? Have you ever had that experience of suffering and feeling like something is wrong in your life because you are suffering? Describe.
• According to the bible, we can expect suffering. So how do we learn to suffer well as Christians? What are some of the things we can do or not do to help us grow in this area? Share any personal experiences you have had grown and matured because of suffering.
MINISTRY APPLICATION
God is described in Revelations as the One who “was and is and is to come.” The most challenging thing for us to believe is that God is active right now in our present circumstances! Use the measurements Rich mentioned in his sermon to determine how firmly YOU believe that God is the “God who is!” How anxious are you right now about a challenge or difficulty in your life? How thankful are you about something good that has recently happened? Share with the group any current need you have right now that you are genuinely struggling to believe that God is at work in. Take some time to specifically pray for the God who IS to intervene. Follow up at your next group meeting to report on what God has done!
Click here to download the Study Guide in WORD
INTERACTING WITH THE SERMON
SYNOPSIS OF THE SERMON
The book of Revelations is often considered a book that foretells the cataclysmic events that will usher in the end of the world. But Revelations is really a book about Jesus Christ—specifically the revelation of Christ. It is a book filled with portraits of Jesus Christ, almost like an art gallery. There are portraits of Him as the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah and the King of Kings and the Bridegroom. It is also a book that tells us things about Jesus we could not know on our own—God must reveal these things to our souls. Historical research can tell us quite a bit about Christ, but it only gets us so far. We need revelation from God to get the full picture.
The book of Revelations begins by telling us something about who God is. John says in v. 8 that God is the One who “was and is and is to come.” A lot of people believe in the God who was—in God’s past tense activity—in other words, the God of the bible. And a lot of people believe in the God to come—in the future activity of God—that when they die, they will go to heaven. But many do not believe in the God who is—in God’s present day activity in their lives right now! And two measurements for determining whether or not you believe in the God who is are 1) how anxious are you about bad news and 2) how thankful are you about good news. John also writes that God is the “alpha and the omega.” These are the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In other words, there is no one before or after God. He is both the source of all things and the goal of all things.
John then describes the suffering of the church in vs. 9-11. According to his revelation of the church, it is not a prosperous group that moves from one glorious victory to another. The church is meant to share in the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Finally John describes Jesus. He begins by identifying Him as a priest, with a robe and sash on—typical garb for a priest. Jesus is the One who brings together two alienated parties—God and sinners—through His sacrificial death on the cross. And Jesus is also God! All the descriptions John uses for Jesus are descriptions of God found in the Old Testament: white hair, feet of bronze, blazing eyes. John is clearly stating that Jesus Christ is none other than God Almighty! Interestingly, the beginning of the book of Revelations begins with God declaring He is the alpha and the omega. In the last chapter of Revelation, v. 13, Jesus says “I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” So Revelation is more than just a book about end times—it is a book of revelations of who Jesus is!
In 5 minutes or less, briefly give a synopsis of this week’s sermon. What insight, principle, or observation from this weekend’s message did you find to be most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? Explain.
GETTING THE CONVERSATION STARTED
These questions can be used as ice-breakers in the beginning OR interwoven between the questions below to draw the group into the discussion.
• What were one or two things that resonated with you about this weekend’s sermon?
• Which of the historical truths about Christ were you familiar with and which were new to you? How can some of these truths help you share your faith with people you know at work or in your family or in your neighborhood?
SCRIPTURE STUDY
Read Matthew 16:13-28:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Background
This passage (along with the parallel accounts in Mark 8 and Luke 9) marks a pivotal transition in Jesus’ relationship with His disciples. From this point on, He begins to prepare them for His crucifixion in Jerusalem. This is not information He teaches to the crowds but rather only to the twelve, explaining to them that this is something that must happen—that it has been foretold in the scriptures for centuries.
There has been some debate about what Jesus means by saying Peter is the rock upon which the church is built. Catholics have traditionally said the rock is Peter himself, and the church is built on him personally, and those who come to represent Peter later on—the Pope. Protestants have said the rock is Peter’s confession of who Christ is—in other words, Jesus Himself is the rock upon which the church is built.
The picture Jesus describes when referring to the gates of hell is not that hell is aggressively attacking the church and the church is desperately trying to contain hell but will in the end prevail. Rather the picture is of the church storming the gates of hell and hell being unable to stop the church’s advances.
The keys of the kingdom (the authority to bind and lose) have traditionally been thought of to be the authority of the church to forgive sins in the name of Christ. Because of Jesus’ death for sin, the church (not just Peter) is now authorized to proclaim the gospel message—the forgiveness of sins throughout the world. Peter of course is the first to do this in Acts 2.
• Why do you think Jesus begins by asking the twelve what other people think? How and why is Peter’s answer so different from what other people say? Think back to when you first believed in Jesus. In what ways is your faith a direct result of revelation from the Holy Spirit?
• How would you describe the difference between knowing about Jesus and personally knowing Jesus? How well would you say you know Jesus personally? How have you gotten to know Jesus more personally? Experiences? Through prayer? Through other people?
• Why does Jesus warn His disciples to keep His identity a secret (a theme we see throughout the gospels)?
• Peter does not like what Jesus goes on to say about His suffering. According to Jesus, the source of Peter’s perspective is Satan. Why is that—why isn’t it merely Peter’s own misguided thoughts?
• Jesus tells the twelve that they will follow in His footsteps when it comes to suffering! We often have a hard time with suffering. We often feel that when we suffer, something has gone seriously wrong in our lives—that God couldn’t possibly want us to suffer. Why do you think we often feel this way—where do these thoughts come from? Have you ever had that experience of suffering and feeling like something is wrong in your life because you are suffering? Describe.
• According to the bible, we can expect suffering. So how do we learn to suffer well as Christians? What are some of the things we can do or not do to help us grow in this area? Share any personal experiences you have had grown and matured because of suffering.
MINISTRY APPLICATION
Below you’ll see some options for ministry time with your group. We always encourage you to reserve time in your group to pray for one another and wait on the Holy Spirit.
God is described in Revelations as the One who “was and is and is to come.” The most challenging thing for us to believe is that God is active right now in our present circumstances! Use the measurements Rich mentioned in his sermon to determine how firmly YOU believe that God is the “God who is!” How anxious are you right now about a challenge or difficulty in your life? How thankful are you about something good that has recently happened? Share with the group any current need you have right now that you are genuinely struggling to believe that God is at work in. Take some time to specifically pray for the God who IS to intervene. Follow up at your next group meeting to report on what God has done!
No comments:
Post a Comment