Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd

In this passage of Revelation, John goes on to describe several images of Jesus that are important for us to visualize in our minds. Last week, we talked about the first image of His clothes: the robe going to his feet (picture of authority), and the golden sash around his chest (picture of priestly royalty). And we also talked about His hair being white as snow and how white represents purity and wisdom. Let’s continue this list today of things we need to visualize according to John’s description of Jesus.

The last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about John describing Jesus as being a picture of authority and partnership. This week, I want us to see that the Messiah is also a picture of power. Today’s key verses describe the powerful image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I want us to take several steps to understand this picture of power and break it down into more specific parts.

In this message, I want us to take one more step in this perfect picture of the Messiah. This is, “A picture of partnership.” If you read Revelation 1:9-11, you will see that what John is describing is the perfect picture of partnership. More specifically, John wants us to understand that God calls us to be in partnership with three different entities: believers, the Lord, and the church.

Billy Graham once said, “The influence of a mother upon the lives of her children cannot be measured. They know and absorb her example and attitudes when it comes to questions of honesty, temperance, kindness, and industry.” This is such an important reminder for all of us as we celebrate our mothers this time of year. And in light of the fact that we learn so much from our mothers, I figured it would be wise for us to look at the story of Mary, the mother of our Savior, because there is so much we can learn and glean from her story. So in this week’s message, I want us to take a look at some of the specific takeaways from Mary’s life.

In today’s key verse of Revelation 1:8, we see something that is very powerful. I would call it the perfect picture of the Messiah. And as we look over the next few weeks at how the perfect picture of Jesus is described, we will start with one thing, and that is that Jesus the Messiah is a picture of authority. There is so much we can learn about Jesus from this one verse, but all of that learning starts with understanding His authority in our lives and in our world.

As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to spend some more time looking at the perfect picture of God’s messenger, and that is John. In today’s key passage, John is still taken away with Christ alone even after all of the years of following Jesus. You can't read what he wrote (inspired by the Holy Spirit) without capturing his passion, love and worship of Jesus Christ. As we look at these words, I need to tell you that some of us have lost heart. How does that happen? How does someone lose the fire that was once in their heart to follow Christ? In the coming days, we will read about a church that lost its first love. But for now, I want us to become aware that we may have lost our fire. And when that happens, we need to know what to do to keep the fire alive in our hearts.

As we continue in our study of the book of Revelation, we are going to see the perfect picture of God's messenger that is described for us in verses four through seven. You see, the Book of Revelation was a letter. It was intended to be read as a letter, a letter that John intended for all Christians to read, then and now. More than likely, the book was written around 95 to 96 A.D. John describes that God gave him this book on the Island of Patmos. As the messenger, he was responsible for simply penning what he was seeing. He wants everyone to see what he was seeing. And so as we look at this picture from John, we are going to learn not only about the message he was giving us, but about the messenger himself.

Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series through the book of Revelation! In this verse-by-verse study, we are going to dive deep into this book that cause so many of us to be confused, lost, and frustrated as we try to understand it. But the Lord has packed so much information into this book that is pertinent for us to learn. So the goal for this series is to help guide you as you study the book of Revelation and aid you in your search for clarity in this amazing book of Scripture.

As we celebrate Easter Sunday, we need to understand that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a wake-up call for believers. It was a declaration about the most impactful event in all of history. I pray that you will see what God wants you to see and understand how powerful the resurrection is. It's not just an event; it is the event for all time and eternity! So with that in mind, I want to share several key things that we need to embrace and embody when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus.

In our world today, because of this coronavirus pandemic outbreak, we have lost something very special, culturally, personally, and spiritually. We have lost fellowship and personal intimacy with others. In its place, there is social distancing. Because of that, we have lost being able to connect with other people. Fellowship is a very powerful thing. Sometimes, we don't appreciate it until we have totally lost it. So in this message, I want us to look at how important fellowship is so that we can understand to appreciate and pursue it, even in the midst of our current circumstances.