Higher Aim With Dr. Curt Dodd

As God unfolded many things to John throughout the book of Revelation, God unpacked the judgments upon this planet that will take place in the future during the Great Tribulation. The Two Witnesses have appeared, the Second Woe has passed, and the Seventh Trumpet has sounded. In the midst of this calm, before everything breaks loose, God gives John a heavenly perspective. I have a feeling that things are different in your life spiritually; it is confusing and distressing. Maybe, you are wondering, “God, where are you?” He hasn't moved. He wants you to have a heavenly perspective, just like He gave John. We’re going to look at the aspects of that perspective in this message.

Nothing is more powerful than standing for the Lord against the backdrop of a dark culture. God calls us to do that. We must ask ourselves, “Am I willing to stand? Am I willing to take a stand in this culture where God has placed me? Am I willing to be different? Am I willing to be hostile to the culture or to people I care about? Because I would rather stand on the principles of God.” Scripture tells us that God will bring judgment on a religious system that has nothing but distraction concerning it. In the midst of this, God raises up two dynamic witnesses. We don't know their names. They are not identified by their names, but rather by their purpose. I want you to see several things as we examine this passage of Scripture so that you can be encouraged and challenged to be a bold witness for Christ.

As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we need to understand the concept of the Kingdom of God. First, there is the Millennial Reign of God, which is to come. In this thousand-year period, God will set up His Kingdom on earth. Second, there is the Kingdom of God within you, where God rules over your heart and life. Even though this chapter is more informational rather than inspirational, it is important that we understand how everything fits together. Therefore, we will take a step back and look at the Temple that is mentioned specifically in the first two verses.

Whether you are in pain or in service and doing God's will, we need a fresh glimpse of who God is. That is very critical in your spiritual maturity. John was in service. He was on the Isle of Patmos and God was allowing him to go through pain, while allowing him to serve. In the midst of this, Jesus gives John a fresh glimpse of Himself, and He can do the same for you. As we wrap up this mini-series, let’s review what we’ve already learned about how John saw Jesus and learn a little bit more about the fresh glimpse John got of Jesus so that we too can have a fresh glimpse as well.

In Revelation Chapter 10, we are taking it step-by-step to uncover some of the jewels and gems in this passage. When God comes alongside us in the midst of our trials and tribulations, He does not often give us a detour. Instead, He provides the way for us to go through the middle of the mountain, all the way through. The way He does this is to give us a fresh glimpse of Himself. This is exactly what He did for John as he wrote the book of Revelation. So in this message, we are going to look further at the glimpse John was able to get of God.

The passage we are going to look at today passage is powerful when we are going through difficult times. I am sure John must have felt overwhelmed writing about the judgment of God. As I have been preaching verse by verse through the Book of Revelation, I have been overwhelmed. I am ready to get through the judgment part and focus on heaven, but not yet. We are looking at this passage because it is there for you and for me, so that we are reminded that God will come through for us just when we need Him the most.

When you are going through a difficult season in your life (whether it's financially, your health, or relationally), you need to have the right focus. For many of us, our focus is, “God, take away the pain.” God often does not take away the pain; at other times, He does take away pain. With many of us, we want to take a detour around the pain. God often says, “I want you to go all the way through the middle of it.” In order to make it all the way through, you must have the right focus and you need a glimpse of God. In reality, the greatest thing God wants to give you to help you make it all the way through is a fresh glimpse of Himself. That is exactly what John experiences in the middle of having to write about all the judgment that is coming on this planet. So in today’s message we’re going to look at how John saw Jesus and how this fresh glimpse of the Savior helped John get through not only what he was walking

We need to be sober in our thinking and realize that things on this earth are not going get better. I know that many people want things to get better and better. If we would just love everyone, we want to believe everything will get better. But that is not what the book of Revelation says. We need to understand that we don't have long. This should be so sobering to us that it causes us to make sure we are ambassadors for Christ. Jesus wants us to be ambassadors in our generation at this time. So let’s continue our study of the book of Revelation and learn what we can about the end times so we can be motivated to share the hope of Christ with those who need it.

When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, another kind of judgment is released upon the inhabitants of the planet during the Great Tribulation. This judgment is one of the “woes.” At the end of Chapter Eight, we meet this vision of an eagle that John saw flying through the air; it is crying out, “Woe, Woe, Woe!” The last three trumpets (five, six, and seven) are getting ready to be blown. The judgment released upon the planet will be horrible! It is difficult for us to fully comprehend this description. However, it is important for us to do our best to understand what he is seeing. So let’s take a look at what that is.

In today’s message, we are going to look at what happens during the Great Tribulation after all the followers of Jesus are caught up in the rapture of Jesus’ return. You might think you’re facing trials and tribulations right now, but they are nothing compared to what is to come. So, let’s take a look at Revelation chapter 9 and see what is in store for the world as the Great Tribulation hits.

Today’s key passage of Scripture provides a beautiful picture of God's magnificent plan. This powerful picture speaks to us even today as we apply the Word of God clearly. You can see that God has a plan in place. When you think that things are out of control, you need to realize that God has a plan and it is all ordered. In this message specifically, we are going to look at the specific plan God lays out in Revelation and break down the components of this plan.

As the seventh and final seal is opened in Revelation chapter 8, we see that there are several principles that can be drawn from this picture of judgment upon this planet. We should glean these principles, embrace these principles, and try to live out these principles. So in today’s message, we are going to look at each of these principles so that we might apply them to our lives as we continue to follow Christ.

As we continue our study of the book of Revelation, we see that God’s will is being unpacked, and each seal is being unbroken one after the other. We have already seen the first, second and third seals. With the fourth seal, the horses of different colors bring the rule of the antichrist. This brings war, famine, and death. Then we see a picture as the fifth seal is opened, when the martyrs lose their lives. I really believe that the Scripture teaches that these are Jewish martyrs who now respond to Christ, yet they lose their lives. They are beheaded and they are under the altar. This is a picture of what God is doing to bring the end of time; and we are headed there very fast. Today, we are going to look at the Sixth Seal being opened, why this is such a terrifying seal, and how it gives us insight into what the future holds.

We need to understand that the unfolding of God's will is right before us, as the Lamb of God breaks the seals. He will unleash judgment on this planet upon all of the inhabitants of this planet. The judgment is for choosing not to respond to God's grace and mercy. Love turned away turns into wrath! We have heard people say, “Our God is a God of love.” Yes, but when His love is spurned, the response is wrath. That is exactly what we see here in today’s key passage.

It’s absolutely imperative that we understand that anyone who chooses not to align their lives with the Word and will of God will experience judgment. There’s just no way around it. With this in mind we need to be mindful of what Scripture says about this judgment and how we can make sure our lives are aligned with God’s best for us rather than trying to figure things out on our own. We will dive into all of this today as we continue our study of Revelation, as we begin over the next two weeks looking at the Four Horsemen, the opening of the seals, and what it all represents.

For the past few weeks, we have been focusing on Revelation chapter 5 because we need to be reminded that the King is coming back for you and me. With that knowledge, we need to be ready, waiting with hope and anticipation of His coming. That also means we need to have the right posture where we are right now. We can learn about what kind of posture we need by reading Revelation chapter 5. So as we close out this mini-series this week, may we take special note of what we can learn from what John describes seeing in heaven so that we may emulate the posture of those worshiping Jesus there while we are still on earth waiting for His return.

Many of us have tried to align God with where we want to go. Nothing will put you upside down in your life more than when you try to squeeze God into where you want to go. On the other hand, nothing is more powerful in your life than when you allow your life to be aligned with the Throne Room of God. That's why this chapter in Revelation is so critical. We have been spending much time in chapter five so that you can align with what is happening in heaven right now. We can experience God's will in our lives by lining up with what is happening in heaven right now. When we align with heaven, God will give us unbelievable peace in the midst of whatever storms we are going through. So let’s continue our study of Revelation chapter 5 and see what we need to do to align ourselves with the Throne Room of God.

We have been taking our time walking step-by-step through John chapter five, to see where John is focused. Today, we are going to talk specifically about how John is in the presence of the Father in the throne room of heaven and how he focused on a sacred sermon. Through this study of Scripture, we are going learn that we should never discount how God can use each of us personally to impact someone else’s life. You might have a sacred sermon God wants you to share, so why not share it and see how God works? Our job is solely to be the messenger, delivering the good news of Jesus Christ. We can trust God to take care of everything else.

What’s so cool about Revelation 5 is that it’s a picture of what is happening in heaven. If we could join heaven right now, we would probably be living different lives and have a different attitude and focus. But even though that’s true, we also need to focus right now on the fact that the King is coming! He is coming back for His people, and the reason He is coming is because He owns it all. He is coming for you who know Him, and that means He will not leave you in the situation where you are forever. God has a plan, not just for eternity, but for right now as well. So as you strive to live out that plan you need to realize that His timing is perfect. And although we might not understand it, we can trust it.