Sermon Title and Text for August 27, 2006
Title: “When the Servant is Hot”
Text: Revelation 22: 3
Focus: “…his servants shall serve him…”
When the servant is hot he will assist God’s program, he will prepare God’s people, and he will obey God’s precepts.
1. We began our series looking at the church in Laodiocea and determined from its water system that God likened it to the church and its people that they would be either hot or cold. That what you are supposed to be God wants us to be. Hot means the presence of God, the purpose of God and the power of God.
2. Revelation – re veletio – is to uncover that which is hidden and therefore, we took the position that the essence of the book is a puristic, not futuric, or historitic. The writer’s intent is to provide hope to those who had been taken captive. For them to understand that God will win in the end and they will be restored to his Kingdom.
3. John the revelator is on the Island of Patmos. From this position John sees a new heaven and a new earth. From this position he sees the already, but not yet.
4. John doesn’t see life from his condition. Because in his condition he would only see the snakes and scorpions of the island. From his condition he see the most powerful force on earth of that day. He would see the Roman Empire and the images of its power. From his condition he would see the Capitoline Hill with its temples that where built for Jupiter, Venus, and Vesta. From his condition he would see The Pantheon, The Colosseum, the mighty army, the conquered towns, and providences.
5. It’s interesting to note that God permits him to see life from God’s position, and not from John’s condition.
6. That’s our problem, we look through a glass darkly and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but when he appears we shall see….
7. I remember standing on the shores of the San Francisco Bay and looking out over the ocean, I imagined that I could see over the seas. But, I could only see the water touching the sky. On another occasion I stood on at the Portland, Oregon and I looked in the same direction, I could only see the water touching the sky. Still on another occasion, I stood in Anchorage Alaska, and looked in the same westerly direction and I could only see the water touching the sky. Still later I stood in Pushan, Korea and looked in an Easterly direction towards the place where I had stood on the other side of the Pacific Ocean and my limitation was that I could only see the water touching the sky.
8. Therefore, for John the Revelator to see a new heaven and a new earth, by standing on the Island of Patmos confirms to me that God had to elevate him from his condition to see life from God’s position.
9. Because if he was looking from the perspective of his condition, or the condition of his times. He would only be able to see Roman and Babylonian, Assyrian power. That’s the problem we face, from our condition we can only see the power manifested in earthly governments and power resources. I’m so glad that John was able to see not the illusion of power, but the source of all Power.
10. He saw the great I am. He saw the Alpha and Omega. He saw the River of Life. He saw the throne of God. He saw the tree of life with 12 manner of fruit.
11. I don’t have time to walk through everything, but 12 connotes God completed order. That’s why there are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles, 12 candlesticks, 12 gates to the heavenly city. 12 connotes God’s completed order.
12. But what is most significant about the text is that John sees himself as a servant. That has meaning to us who are members of a servant church and who ascribe to servant theology. We understand that we ascribe to servility and not celebrity. We seek to serve and not be served. We are self-effaciating instead of self-promoting. We forego ego for humility. We are servants. We understand servant theology. But as I read further, the text exploded off the pages as John comes into contact with an Angel.
13. Angelology is a significant idea in God’s created order. For Genesis informs us the God made man a little lower than the Angels. Angels have an important role in God’s design. The bible introduces us to Michael and Gabriel. I don’t have time to go through Angelology, we will have to save that for another sermon. But, John encounters an Angel and bows to worship him.
14. That a nature response when one experiences a sense of awe. That’s a nature response when one finds themselves ushered into space with deep religious meaning. Spiritual space produces a deep sense of reverence and awe. But the Angel tells John not to bow down to the spiritual space, the religious space, or even one’s sense of awe.
15. Have you ever had a feeling of deep spiritual awe. Where you found yourself in a space you had never been before and you wanted to bask in the moment and experience all that it has. The text tells us that we must be careful that we do not worship spiritual awe, but that we worship God. That we worship God in spirit and in truth. So the angel says, don’t worship me, but worship God. Because I am a servant too.
16. The angel provides the hermeneutical key to this text. If it was John, I would say that he was bound by the law. If a man compels you to carry his cloak for a mile, carry it for two. If someone hits you on the right cheek, give him your left.
17. But an angel of God is not bound by man’s law. The key to being a servant is found in the angel.
18. Therefore, when a servant is hot the servant will assist God’s program, the servant will prepare God’s people, and the servant will obey God’s precepts.
19. Assist God’s program
20. Prepare God’s people
21. Obey God’s precepts
22. God desire is that we truly become servant; people who will assist God in His program. People who will prepare God’s people for service. People who will obey God’s precepts.
23. That’s when the Servant is Hot!
