“Seven” Week 1
Joy’s Notes:
SEVEN notes:
REVELATION Seven. Bible Study.:
Revelation 1-3 (this entire series)
Infrastructure (this week)
Chapt. 1 (next week- the GLORY of Jesus )
Chapt 2-3 (following weeks- the 7 churchs)
———-
This is HOLY WEEK:
⁃ if I knew I only had five more days to live, what would I say and do?
👇
Every thought, act, conversation, decision would be intentional
Sunday - unfazed by the crowds, whether rejected or accepted
(GOD-CONFIDENCE)
Monday- cursed fig tree W/ no fruit & flipped tables in the church temple
(HOLY ANGER FOR TREATING HOLY THINGS UNHOLY)
Tuesday— they passed the WITHERED fig tree!
(CONFIRMATION of His Word)
Wednesday - they rested
(REST)
Thursday-
• Jesus broke bread with His bff’s in the upper room(Passover & last supper— Jesus was the lamb)
• And… Jesus PRAYED in garden of Gethsamene
(FRIENDSHIP & PRAYER)
Friday- Trial, crucifixion, death)
Jesus RIPPS temple curtain- making a way for intimacy with us and the Father😭
(FORGIVENESS & INTIMACY W/ GOD)
Saturday- (SILENCE.)
Sunday - resurrection.
(NEW LIFE)
—————
What I LOVE about revelation:
⁃ john begins book with describing WHO & HOW incredibly holy and perfect & glorious God is!!!!
⁃ we must know who God is before we can enter into the temple of our hearts knowing who WE are!
This area of bible is all about the holiness of God & His ability to climb into our hearts heal our hearts!
IT’S IN GODS PRESENCE- WE BECOME WHOLE.
—————-
⁃ Written by APOSTLE John
⁃ Island of Patmose (only 30 miles in circumference)
⁃ Island off the west coast of Asia Minor
⁃ Known as a “sterile” island where no growth/fruit it could be produced
⁃ Rocky, barren, desolate, sterile— “a place of banishment for criminals”
• written 65 years after Jesus resurrected
⁃ John isolated ; by himself on this island
⁃ Maybe you’re in a similar season?
——————
• The ONLY book in bible that promised a blessing to those who listen to its words & do what it says! (Rev 1:3)
This series is Learning to experience the AWE of God, in order to experience the full love of God:
“We must remember that the shortest distance between our problem and the solution— is the distance between our knees and the floor.”
⁃ Charles Stanley
PSALM 40:3
“…many will (1) SEE, (2) FEAR, (3) TRUST God
👇
1. SEE God (Grand Canyon story)
SIMEON— the temple had Jesus in it— & no one knew!!!!
JACOB- “God was here & I didn’t even know it!”
⁃ 2 cor— talks about a VEIL that covers heart & mind!
👇
2 cor 3:18
“So all of us who have had that veil removed can:
SEE and REFLECT the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious
VEIL-
1. Cant SEE Gods glory
2. Can’t REFLECT Gods glory
Jesus’ death (this Friday) — veil/ curtain BROKE OPEN
God often had to BREAK things open to reveal His power, His provision, His path!!!
⁃ red sea
⁃ Jordan River
⁃ Moses rock
⁃ Jericho wall
⁃ Temple curtain
⁃ Bread
👇
Sometimes we need to BREAK to “see” Jesus
2. FEAR God
Romans 5:5 “God’s love has been POURED out into our hearts through the HOLY Spirit.”
👇
In His HOLINESS— we receive His LOVE
⁃ receiving Gods love is FOUND in the holiness of Gods presence!
• HEB 5:7 “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God HEARD his prayers, because of his deep reverence for God.”
👉Recognition (God is in this place- & “I didn’t even know it.”
👉Reverence (Awe & love of God are married)
👉Repentance (Puts you on His shoulders w/ joy & TURNS home)
👉Revival (celebration for God!) Luke 15 (sheep, coin, prodigal)
When we experience the FEAR of God, the fear of man is eradicated!
Fear of God is REMEDY to our IDOLATRY
Scared of God: hide/secrets/ shame
👇
But “Come boldly to THE THRONE OF GRACE (Heb 4:16) in my time of “need.”
3. TRUST God
Psalm 115:11
“All who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
(We WILL NOT TRUST GOD- if we don’t believe God is holy (FEAR GOD, first!)
👇
Which is WHY John begins revelation with sharing WHO God is!
Genesis 3- Eve questioned the word of God & then the person of God
• eve believed it was possible for God to sin against her.
• Eve had an affection for the CREATED thing 🌳 more than the CREATOR Himself.
• we worship & serve CREATED THINGS & expecting them to be GOD to us! (Romans 1:25
God took all the “created” things away from me (&/or allowed me to suffer because of these things)
Allow God to PROVE Himself to be faithful! HE Is a money back guarantee God.
👇
Isaiah 49:15
“ can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child She has born? But even if that was possible, I would not forget you!
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hand.”
John 15:4-9 esv
“ (1) ABIDE (to remain. To stay. To wait with)
me, and I will remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it (2) ABIDES in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever (3) ABIDES in me and I in him or her, will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not (4) ABIDE in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you (5) ABIDE in me, and my words (6) ABIDE in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. (7) ABIDE in my love.”
ABIDING = 7x
• TRUST is formed in the abiding (time + believable behavior)
——————
SEVEN: (title of this bible study!)
why is this called SEVEN???
👇
54x seven is mentioned in Revelation
700x in bible
Seven = not a number but a theology
Seven= HOLY (7th day)
PERFECTION
COMPLETENESS
Finished
HOLY = “set apart”
Revelation means: the end/ complete (7)
“the number 7 is the most important symbolic number in the Hebrew Bible”
• Genesis starts with seven (Gen 2:3)
👇
• Revelation Ends with seven
👇
And the middle is the enemy trying to get you away from seven.
Seven= Jesus!!!
The entire bible points to JESUS!!! (Which is why SEVEN is in everything & everywhere in the Bible)
• the Lord’s Prayer: 7 petitions
(My Father who is in Heaven…) 165x Jesus addresses God as Father!
1. holy be your name (this is foundational— even before discussing LOVE!)
2. Your Kingdom come; (kingdom living: abiding/ anchored in sufficiency
3. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven;
4. Give us this day our daily bread; (His word DAILY)
5. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; (forgiveness— fact & impact)
6. Lead us not into temptation;
7. and Deliver us from evil. (“Satan’s asked to sift you like wheat & I’ve prayed your faith would not fail, Peter. So when you’ve repented & turned back to me again— strengthen your brothers.”- Luke 22:31-32
(Jesus taught how to pray— NOT how to give a sermon)
Jesus gives SEVEN I Am statements in John
1. I am The bread of life (John 6:35 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/6-35.html)) (bucco di beppo)
2. I Am The light of the world (John 8:12 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/8-12.html)); )Moses/ Luke)
3. I am The gate (John 10:9 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/10-9.html)); (of my heart)
4. I Am The good shepherd (John 10:11 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/10-11.html)); (rescues me with joy)
5. I Am The resurrection (https://www.christianity.com/jesus/death-and-resurrection/resurrection/what-proof-is-there-of-the-resurrection-of-jesus.html) and the life (John 11:25-26 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/passage/?q=john+11:25-26)); (nothing too dead)
6. I Am The way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/14-6.html)); (the only way is Jesus)
7. I Am The vine (John 15:5 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/john/15-5.html)). ( I can do nothing if not attached to Jesus)
David said Gods Word is like gold refined SEVEN times” (Psalm 12:6 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/12-6.html))
SEVEN is also linked to exoneration and healing. Deuteronomy 15 tells us that on every seventh year, the Israelites were to cancel all the debts they had made with each other and free their slaves.
Jesus says to forgive SEVENTY x SEVEN.
⁃ this isn’t 490 x
⁃ It’s to forgive WHOLLY
⁃ His Jewish audience would’ve understood the emphasis on the number 7 in this teaching to indicate complete forgiveness.
1. 7x Jericho= 7x on the 7th day with 7 priests blowing 7 trumpets.
2. 7x naaman (Jordan River/2 kings)
3. 7x shadrack fire
4. 7 day Passover celebration
5. 7x Jesus healed on the sabbath
6. 7 colors in promise rainbow
7. 7 churches; 7 angels, 7 lampstands (rev 1) 7 seals, 7 trumpets sounded by 7 angels, & 7 bowls of God’s promised wrath carried by 7 angels (Revelation 6 (https://www.biblestudytools.com/revelations/6.html), 8, 11, 16).
8. 7th alter in Genesis- God had Jacob pour oil over it!! (Oil of joy)
9. 7 bulls & 7 rams required for SIN-offering (Jesus became our perfect SEVEN offering on the cross)
10. 7 stems on tabernacles lamp stand
11. 7 pairs of each animal in Noah’s ark
12. 7 characters of Jesus (Is 11:2-3)
13. 7 things God detests in Proverbs 6:16
14. 7 statements Jesus spoke in agony from the Cross (https://www.christianity.com/jesus/death-and-resurrection/the-crucifixion/) (in Matt, Luke, John)
The Bible was originally divided into 7 major divisions.
1) the Law;
2) the Prophets;
3) the Psalms;
4) the Gospels/Acts;
5) the General Epistles;
6) the Epistles of Paul;
7) the book of Revelation.
SABBATH:
7 th day— first thing declared “holy.”
JESUS IS SABBATH:
“the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28)
• Original sabbath (shabott)
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
Sabbath means: to CEASE from my work in order to celebrate Gods work🙌 (not rest but cease)
Sabbath is: a celebration of Gods restoration!
• It’s where we choose to UNPLUG from the noise of our world!
⁃ seminary to sabbath
⁃ discipline to delight
⁃ Structure to sanctuary
• Our instructional manual: “sabbath needed to function properly and to fulfill its purpose & original design intended by its Maker.”
Sabbath- a heart posture not just a DAY
• Jesus + sabbath = miracles happened!
— I remove external noise for God to come in and reveal his work with my heart)
Sabbath is set time to REMEMBER
1. Who God is
2. Who I am
3. How deeply loved, protected, provided & held by God
Satan keeps you away from sabbath
👇
If the sabbath day was declared HOLY- on 7th (complete & whole)
wouldn’t that be where satan would work to keep you away from!??
• But Everybody is in a hurry
👇
“If satan can’t make you BAD, he’ll make you BUSY”
• “Only in humility (keeping low) can I find REST —The arrogant are NEVER at rest.” Habakkuk 2:5
—-> Satan is the AUTHOR of arrogance (Cuz he knows it leads AWAY from rest!)
—-> Jesus is AUTHOR of humility
(He IS sabbath)
⁃ Busyness keeps us from having to face our SECRET PAIN.
BUT….
⁃ Sabbath EXPOSES our secret pain.
AND….
⁃ Sabbath HEALS our secret pain!
Sabbath takes : (Kristi McLelland )
⁃ chaos to calm
⁃ Empty to full
⁃ Broken to mended
⁃ Crooked to straight
⁃ Dead to living
⁃ Dry bones to dancing
⁃ Upside down to right side up!
👉SABBATH enables us to Become Emotionally healthy people!
• sabbath helps identify patterns of our past by:
👉 collect, connect & correct the dots
👇
👉EXPOSE. EXPLAIN.
EXPEL.
• The heart of Sabbath is: 👇
“I am making all things NEW!” ~ Rev 21
In being Sabbathed,
God is:
1. Restoring
2. Renewing
3. Repairing
Sabbath PAUSES TO ask:
“Who are you God & what are you like?
👇
“What’s the condition of my own heart & soul?”
• When I’m a sabbathed-woman; I become an AGENCY of sabbath!!!
• “So Few people know the warfare power of a heart at REST!”
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Matt 11:28:30
“ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my YOKE upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my YOKE is easy, and my burden is light“
YOKE= THE WORD!! (His word gives m
e rest for my soul.)
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Questions:
1. How has the message from tonight spoke to you about who God is and what He’s like?
2. Are you experiencing the holiness (awe) of God in your life? If so, how & what does that look like in your every day life?
If not— what do you think is
the veil
between you & seeing God in all His glory?
3. Before this evening, what or who has caused you to not see God as a “seven” God in your life— unable to sin against you?”
4. Would you say that in your soul right now, that sabbath is apart of your life? Does your soul know how to breathe? How to cease from work— to REMEMBER Gods faithful record in your life?!