Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. Faithful Witnesses Who Proclaim God’s Word

Revelation 11:1-14

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God calls his people to faithful witness, leading to hostility from the world but ultimately resulting in vindication by God. Understanding the Text The interlude of 10:1–11:13 speaks to the situation of God’s people in this world. The first part of the interlude features the recommissioning of John to continue his prophetic ministry (10:1–11), a ministry that extends to the entire churc...

2. God on His Throne as the Sovereign Creator

Revelation 4:1-11

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: The heavenly beings worship God as the sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe. Understanding the Text Following John’s introductory vision of the risen and glorified Christ and his messages to the seven churches in 1:9–3:22, the scene shifts from earth to heaven in 4:1. This throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 anchors the rest of the book. This vision first presents God as the so...

3. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God’s people are called to rejoice over his judgment of the evil city and his vindication of the saints. Understanding the Text We now enter the final stage of Babylon’s destruction (17:1–19:5). The laments of Babylon’s codependents in 18:9–19 are contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in 18:20–19:5. God’s people are urged to celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20)...

4. Greeting, Doxology, and Confession

Revelation 1:4-8

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: John’s greeting from the Father, Spirit, and Son results in praise to God and anticipation of Christ’s return, and is a powerful reminder of God’s sovereign control over the universe. Understanding the Text The prologue (1:1–8) continues with a greeting and doxology (1:4–6) followed by a prophetic confession (1:7–8). John’s greeting of grace and peace to the seven churches compares to th...

5. John Called to Prophesy Again

Revelation 10:1-11

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God calls John to prophesy again about the imminent fulfillment of his plan to redeem his creation and judge evil, a plan that will involve additional persecution for God’s people. Understanding the Text Between the sixth and the seventh seal judgments is an interlude that features two visions: the 144,000 in 7:1–8 and the great multitude in 7:9–17. Similarly, between the sixth and the...

6. John’s Introductory Vision The Risen and Glorified Christ

Revelation 1:9-20

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: John is commissioned to write to the seven churches a vision given to him by the risen and glorified Christ, the one who has conquered death and now rules over and cares for his church. Understanding the Text Following a majestic description of the Triune God in the prologue (1:1–8), we transition to John’s real-time situation on the island of Patmos on the Lord’s Day. There is no pass...

7. Message to Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus commends his church for contending for a pure faith but challenges them to do so out of love. Understanding the Text Following the prologue (1:1–8) and the introductory vision of Christ (1:9–20), we find messages to seven particular congregations in Asia Minor (2:1–3:22). The focus in chapter 1 was on Jesus Christ, who is now the risen and glorified Lord over all. The seven messa...

8. Message to Laodicea

Revelation 3:14-22

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus rebukes his church for its pathetic self-sufficiency and exhorts them to repent and open their hearts to him for restored fellowship and a share in his victory and authority. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Laodicea is the seventh (and final) in a series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. Influenced by the local culture, the church considers ...

9. Message to Pergamum

Revelation 2:12-17

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus commends his church for persevering in faithfulness in spite of persecution but warns them not to compromise with an idolatrous and immoral culture. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Pergamum is the third in the series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. Jesus commends the church at Pergamum for enduring persecution in a very idolatrous and immora...

10. Message to Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus commends his church for persevering in obedience under trying circumstances and reassures them with the promise of his eternal presence. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Philadelphia is the sixth in the series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. To the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia, Jesus offers no rebuke but only praise as they endure re...

11. Message to Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus rebukes his church for its compromise that is leading to spiritual death and reassures the faithful few with promises of heavenly citizenship. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Sardis is the fifth (and most negative) in the series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. Jesus confronts a church relying on its past reputation to make up for its prese...

12. Message to Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus encourages his church to endure suffering faithfully, knowing that he can bring life out of death. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Smyrna is the second in the series of seven messages in Revelation 2–3. Among the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2–3, only Smyrna and Philadelphia receive all praise or encouragement without any blame or accusation related to...

13. Message to Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus commends his church for trusting and loving God, for serving people, and for persevering in faith, but he warns of judgment for those who go along with false teaching that promotes idolatry and immorality. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Thyatira is the fourth (and longest) in the series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. The setting and them...

14. Proclamations of Judgment and Reward

Revelation 14:6-13

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God will condemn wicked power centers along with their leaders and followers but will reward his people with eternal blessings. Understanding the Text Following the glorious portrayal of the Lamb standing with his people on Mount Zion celebrating their victory, we encounter a series of judgments on those who follow the beast: three angelic messages of judgment (14:6–13) followed by two...

15. Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

Revelation 15:1-8

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Because of his holy and righteous character, God will finalize his wrath against evil, resulting in justice and vindication for his people, all to the praise of his glory. Understanding the Text Revelation 15 introduces the bowl judgments of chapter 16, the third and final series of seven judgments (seals in 6:1–8:1, trumpets in 8:2–9:21; 11:14–19). The unit of 15:1–8 is marked off by th...

16. The Beast from the Earth (The False Prophet)

Revelation 13:11-18

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Believers are called to discernment so they can distinguish true from false worship in order not to compromise with satanic powers. Understanding the Text Revelation 13:11–18 introduces the second beast, the final member of the unholy trinity. This beast appears as the “false prophet” elsewhere in Revelation, pointing to its religious role (16:13; 19:20; 20:10). Mounce summarizes the w...

17. The Beast from the Sea (Antichrist)

Revelation 13:1b-10

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Christians are called to faithful endurance when confronted by the beast from the sea, an evil force empowered by the dragon and determined to deceive the world, blaspheme God, and persecute believers. Understanding the Text As we continue through the interlude of 12:1–14:20, chapter 12 closes with Satan standing on the shore of the sea (12:18 in the Greek text but moved to 13:1 by some ...

18. The Bowl Judgments

Revelation 16:1-21

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God continues to pour out his wrath on the ungodly, leading to a climactic eschatological battle and resulting in the final judgment of the evil world system. Understanding the Text Following the introduction of the bowl judgments in 15:1–8, chapter 16 provides details about each of the seven last plagues. When viewed alongside the previous trumpet judgments, the differences are few an...

19. The Celebration of the Great Multitude in Heaven

Revelation 7:9-17

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God and the Lamb receive praise for saving the people of God through the great tribulation and for comforting and protecting them afterward. Understanding the Text The Revelation 7 interlude features a single vision showing the situation of the people of God, but from two different perspectives. First, in 7:1–8 we see God’s people sealed or protected and prepared for spiritual battle. ...

20. The Coming Judgment Calls for the Saints to Leave Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Because God will condemn Babylon for its demonic character, prideful self-indulgence, and adulterous influence, God’s people are called to separate from Babylon, lest they too suffer judgment. Understanding the Text The destruction of Babylon the Great continues (17:1–19:5). The angel’s promise to reveal the punishment of the prostitute in 17:1 is expanded in chapter 18 (cf. earlier al...

21. The Conclusion

Revelation 22:7-21

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Those who obey this authentic prophecy from God, which proclaims how to live in light of Christ’s imminent return, will be eternally blessed. Understanding the Text The somewhat random organization of the conclusion results from the many things John is trying to accomplish in this closing section. There are various speakers (John, an angel, Jesus, the Spirit and the bride, the hearers)...

22. The Fifth Trumpet (First Woe)

Revelation 8:6--9:21

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God sometimes allows evil powers to serve his purposes of judging wicked human beings. Understanding the Text The fourth trumpet ends with a plague of darkness, a regular symbol of judgment and destruction in the Bible (e.g., Isa. 13:10–11; Joel 2:1–2; Amos 5:18; Mark 13:24). Now we see how dense and thick that spiritual darkness can be with the final trumpet judgments. After the first...

23. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: The unrepentant will face God’s just judgment and will suffer eternal death as a result. Understanding the Text The wicked are judged at the return of Christ (19:21: “the rest were killed”) and are denied resurrection at the beginning of the millennium (20:4–6; a second “resurrection” is deliberately never mentioned). Following the millennium, the wicked are pulled back from the realm of...

24. The First Four Trumpet Judgments

Revelation 8:6--9:21, Revelation 8:1-5

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God responds to the prayers of his people by pouring out the first four trumpet judgments on an unbelieving world. Understanding the Text We see three sets of judgments in Revelation: seals, trumpets, and bowls. In both the seal and the trumpet judgments, we find a 4 + 2 + 1 pattern with an interlude coming before the last element: Pattern…Judgments…Revelation Text 4…Seals 1-4…6:1-8 ...

25. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: As Christ opens the first four seals, God allows human sinfulness to run its course, resulting in warfare, violence, bloodshed, economic hardship, and death. Understanding the Text Just as the vision of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 leads into the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2–3, so the throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 prepares the way for God’s righteous judg...

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