SERMON NOTES:

Prayer Requests
Y All who grieve the passing of Gene Moore, Pastor Pauls uncle. Y All who grieve the passing of Dorothy Williams, Dave Nybergs step-mom Y Pray for Samuel Atu-Tetuhs son Mbah while he travels to Ethiopia. Y Pray for Iren LePresti (Mary Ann Archers friend) who is dying and who has newer known contentment. Y Pray for George Black who is recovering from a surgery. Y Pray for Diana Zile-Young, friend of Ivers, who is better but still struggling with alcoholism which is destroying her liver.

Y Pray for Ward Sessing, member of the Presbyterian Church of the Way, who is suffering with cancer. Y Pray for Donna McCullen, wife of Ken McCullen, who is suffering from cancer. Y Pray for Alan Shingledecker who is suffering from past injuries. Pray the lawsuit will end so he can have surgery and get off pain killers.

DEVOTION

For the next three weeks everyone at Chain of Lakes will be encouraged to read a chapter of Revelation a day. Through our reading, we can complete this last book of the Bible. The book of Revelation can be a confusing book to read. This devotion will give folks the tools to understand it and apply the teachings of the book to their life. This week we read about a series of heavenly visions. These visions are powerful and can strike us with awe. Comments and thoughts about the devotion can be E-mailed to Pastor Paul at pastor@colpres.org. Enjoy!! Monday, January 21 Read Revelation 1 This last book of the Bible is called Revelation because it was a revelation from Jesus to John. John was being persecuted while he was on the small island of Patmos. The book is a vision that God gave to John. Visions have their own language and their own genre. Think about a dream. Dreams often dont happen literally or in a step-by-step historical process. But dreams have a message for us. We cant read the book of Revelation like we would a historical book looking for a plot and a linear process. The book is a revelation or vision from God. In the last part of this chapter John received a vision of Christ in heaven. Jesus head and

Pray for Jerry Hermsens friend Stephanie who is having a very serious operation on February 8th. Y Pray for Elaina, a relative of a close friend of Pastor Pauls who is going through a very difficult time. Y Pray for Hussein, Angelicas co-workers husband, who suffers from leukemia. Y Pray for Rose Tendoh to find a job with Gods guidance. Y Pray for John Thiessen as he is going through chemotherapy treatment. Y For Peder Gustafson, whose parents are both living with chronic illnesses in the later stages of life. Y For Bobbie Pearson, friend of Gloria Ivers, whos suffering from cancer. Y Pray for Beverly Dols, John Ivers sister, who suffers from lung cancer. Y Pray for Dave Schwartz and Marg Olson (friends of George & Dianne Black) who are both going through cancer.

hair were white as white wool, his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars and from his mouth came a sharp, two edged sword and his face was like the shining sun. This vision does not mean that this is how Jesus will look when we get to heaven. Its a particular vision shared with John at a particular time. We probably know of people or perhaps ourselves have experienced visions. Give thanks to God that God communicates to us through visions. Prayer: Thank you exalted Christ that you communicate to us in different ways. May I be open to your vision for my own life. Give me an open mind and heart to receive your visions. Tuesday, January 22 Read Revelation 2 In this chapter God gave John a message to a different church. The format of the message was the same. Jesus gave a message to the angel or leader of each of the churches. If you have some time, look at what was said in each message after the phrase, these are the words Each of the phrases are descriptions of Jesus. Verse 1: who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands Verse 8: the first and the last, who was dead and came to life Verse 12: him who has the sharp twoedge sword Verse 18: who has the eyes like a flame of ire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze These descriptions of the heavenly Christ give us a more complete view of what Jesus will look like in heaven

Also notice the critique that Jesus gave to each church. We can probably identify with some of the critiques. Prayer: Thank you, exalted Christ, for these descriptions of you in heaven. Open my own mind to imagine you as these images share. May these images deepen my own appreciation for your power. Wednesday, January 23 Read Revelation 3 God gave three more messages to churches in this chapter. Note the last message to the church in Laodicea. God told the people that they were lukewarm in their faiththey were neither cold nor hot. This description of faith can describe many of us. If we describe our own faith temperature on a scale of 0 to 100 what would we say? Also notice in verse 20 that Jesus is knocking at the door. This verse inspired a picture that is very famous of Jesus knocking at the door of our heart. Pastor Paul has used this image in worship many times. The doorhandle is on the inside of the door. Jesus doesnt impose himself on the door. Each person has to make the decision to open the door him or herself. An image of the picture can be found at: http://bibleclipartsjesuspictures.blogspot.com/2010/06/jesusknocking-on-door-pictures-and.html Prayer: Thank you, Jesus for knocking on the door of my heart. Help me open the door to you today. May I always be willing to have you live in my heart. Thursday, January 24 Read Revelation 4 This chapter gives a stunning vision of heavenly worship. God is at the center of everything. Four living creatures, one like a lion, one like an ox, one with the face of a human, and one like an eagle sing to God who is seated at the throne. Whenever the living

creatures sing to God the 24 elders fall before God at the throne in worship and singing. This entire scene is awe-inspiring. Who wouldnt want to be present in this vision worshipping God. Worship should have this heavenly and aweinspiring quality. Through our worship of God we can be transformed into heavenly creatures. We join this vision of worship in this chapter. As humans we have a need to worship. We need to be connected to something that is much greater than ourselves and sing praises to our God. Through the process we realize that there is something much greater. Just as the four living creatures sang praises to God we can sing praises to something greater than ourselves! Prayer: Thank you for this heavenly vision of worship. May I grow in my own understanding of how I need to worship you. Help me see worship as an opportunity to get out of myself and bow down before something much greater than me. Friday, January 25 Read Revelation 5 The vision of heaven continues in chapter 5. John looks up and sees God sitting at the throne with a scroll. The scroll represents the eternal decrees of God. No one can open up the scrollnot one of the four living creatures or any of the 24 elders. Suddenly John looks and sees slaughtered lamb, which was able to open the scroll. The lamb obviously symbolizes Jesus. We would expect an animal or image of power to be able to open the scroll. But instead it is a bloodstained lamb who had this power. Jesus shared power in a much different way. Instead of sharing power through aweinspiring ways, Jesus changed the world

through his suffering. This image in this chapter further shared this idea. Look at all of the singing that went on in this chapter! The four living creatures and the 24 elders sang; the angles sang; at the end every creature in heaven were singing. At the end of the chapter the elders fell down to worship. Most likely heaven will be a time of singing and worship. Prayer: You share with us a different understanding of power. Help me discover you through the sufferings I see in the world and the sufferings that I experience myself. May I see suffering as an opportunity to grow with you. Saturday, January 26 Read Revelation 6 Here is where the book of Revelation becomes confusing. This is an incredible scene of four of the scrolls being opened and what happens after the scrolls are opened. The judgment of God is shared with the world. One of the ways to view this is to see the opening of the scrolls as a misuse of Gods power. Each of the riders brought judgment on the world. God doesnt approve of what happened through these riders, but this is what happens when people oppose God. Prayer: It is so easy to go our own way and oppose your way. Keep me open to your direction in my life. Help me learn how not to oppose you dreams and desires.