Throughout 2022, on Sundays at Wildwood, we have been walking through the book of Revelation. So far, I have preached 12 messages from this book that have highlighted two important things revealed about Jesus Christ in Revelation 1-5 … namely, that Jesus is the Lord of the Church (Revelation 1-3), and that He is the Lord of Heaven (Revelation 4-5). While these titles are not specifically found in the text, they are certainly based on strong textual evidence:
- The first first 5 words of the book are, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1a). This is a book about Jesus.
- The first two chapters show Jesus, “in the midst of the lamp stands” (Revelation 1:13), which represent the “seven churches” (Revelation 1:20b). Jesus is revealed as One who is deeply connected to the churches, and provides them direction in letters for all of us to hear and heed (Revelation 2-3).
- In chapters 4-5, Jesus is at the center of what is going on in heaven, as Jesus is physically front and center (Revelation 5:6), and worshipped by the residents of Heaven as God Himself (Revelation 5:8-14).
Now, up to this point, we have seen Jesus as Lord over areas where we might expect Him to be Lord. Lord of the Church? Of course! Lord of Heaven? Why certainly! But now, we are headed in a more surprising direction. Jesus is also Lord of the Earth (Revelation 6-18).
Lord of the Earth? Really? This world seems to be run by sin, selfishness, or even Satan himself! In what way is it appropriate or accurate for us to say that Jesus is the Lord of the Earth?
Well, we will begin to explore that this Sunday morning at Wildwood as we begin a 7 week series walking through verses you probably have never heard preached before. In fact, I have been a Christ follower for 32 years, and I have never heard these verses preached before. However, I feel led to preach them over the next couple of months. Why? Because we need to know what is still yet to come, so we can realize that Jesus really is the King who sits sovereign over the planet where we live. That fact has massive implications for each of us, and I can’t wait to walk through these verses with you beginning this Sunday.
This Sunday, I will be preaching on the content of more verses than I will be able to read in the services, so it would benefit you to read ahead. I will be preaching on the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments found in five chapters of Revelation – 6; 8-9; 15-16. We will be looking at these verses to see what we learn about the One who sits as Lord over the Earth, and what that tells us about how we should respond to the Lord in faith and obedience.
See you Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00!