The Story of the Lamb

Revelation 1-22 July 24, 2022 Pastor Ricky Alcantar

Thesis Because Christ is returning soon and suddenly, the church must live with all our chips in, allowing Revelation to lay its claim on every area of our lives.

Series

Revelation

Type

Narrative

Tone

propheticcelebratorypastoral

Method

redemptive-historicalcanonicalapplicatory

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

15 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #12

"The pastor applies the doctrine of Christ's sudden return by pressing the congregation with hypothetical scenarios and exposing the futility of planning to repent later. He argues that the suddenness of Christ's return leaves no room for delayed obedience in critical areas of life like marriage and sexual purity."

Doctrinal loci· 11 surfaced

Eschatology · 10 Ecclesiology · 6 Christology · 5 Sanctification · 5 Ethics / Moral Theology · 3 Soteriology · 3 Hamartiology · 2 Providence / Sovereignty · 2 Spiritual Warfare · 2 Theology Proper · 2 Doxology / Worship · 1

Bible citations· 28

Illustrations· 1

historical example · unit #11 — The pastor uses the historical example of failed date-setting for Christ's return to address a potential objection—that the doctrine of imminence has been abused. He uses this to clarify the proper biblical balance: reject date-setting while maintaining urgent expectation of Christ's return.

Quotations· 1

"He's gonna come soon, meaning like quickly." — G.K. Beale (unit #12)

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Full transcript

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0 · The pastor frames the sermon's purpose as a narrative retelling of Revelation designed to change the congregation, not merely inform them

Amen. All right, well, there's no way to transition to this, so here's what we're doing today with our remaining few minutes. We are going to wrap up the story of Revelation. And if you're new here, we normally take a text in the Bible and work through it every week, and we're going to begin— we're going to take that up in just a couple weeks. But today our last Sunday in the text of Revelation, I wanted to try to summarize this story that should live on in our hearts.

I don't think it's any accident that it just so happens we happen to be going through Revelation and the Lord stirs up Vincent Christie in this particular direction as we sing and as we read about the singing of the multitude around the throne. And so I believe this. Vincent Christie, in a sense, are responding to the Book of Revelation. The question before all of us is this: How will Revelation change us? How will we be different having encountered this book?

Because if we simply take in the book and say, "Oh, that's nice. I'm glad one day there'll be no more tears or cancer," we have missed the call of Revelation. So what we're going to do in our few minutes right here is we're going to summarize— I'm going to attempt to do the impossible and summarize the story of Revelation that we've heard the last many months, and then at the end very briefly give an applicatory encouragement in light of that. I'm going to read, in a sense, retell our story, the story of God's people, your story if you are in Christ. And I'm going to go chapter by chapter, section by section.

I'm going to— again, this is a summary. You'll see where I'm at on the screen behind me. And let me just say, as I wrote this this week, very aware that in a sense this is the close of a season that began in March 2020. I believe really in a unique way God is turning the page in our church.

And so if I could say this, I dedicate this to the 7 brothers and sisters we lost from 2020 to 2022. Their names are Zester, Richard, Lydia, Bill, Molly, Maggie, and Rick. Let's begin.

Revelation 1:2-3. Listen, see, behold, hear these words and keep them. Hear the one who was and who is and who is to come. He, the first word that spoke the stars and the final word that ends all worlds. He, the living word breathed out.

The carpenter from Galilee, the wretched on the tree. Behold him now in the midst of his churches. He stands now unveiled, now unfiltered, now shining with the light of a thousand suns, crowned above all, glorious above all. His eyes are fire. His voice is thunder.

His sword is ready. He is the undead king, the keeper of Hades' keys, listen to him.

To those suffering unseen, know that he walks with you. To those persecuted, know that he notes and will avenge. To those tempted, know that he offers better. To those wandering, know that he's a shelter and his door is open to any who would return. To all His Church He cries, "Endure!

Look beyond! Rise and conquer!"

1 · The pastor narrates the throne room vision of Revelation 4-5, establishing the contrast between the chaotic world below and the serene sovereignty of God above

Revelation 4 and 5. Behold now the throne at the center of the universe. Below, the world rages like a storming sea, tossing, turning, destroying, defiling. But here, at the throne, the sea is all stillness and glass.

Every jewel shining in radiance, every sunset lighting the sky, every rainbow, every star in every sky from every world in every galaxy, every glory in creation, they all shine out more perfectly and fully from the one seated on the throne, wrapped in the radiance of creation as a garment, glory that shines deeper and brighter than can be named. All creation cries out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." Glory, power, majesty, infinity collide in his presence. And behold now the purposes of God for blessing and judgment wrapped in a scroll. The end must come. Justice must be done.

Captives must be rescued. Evil must be avenged. The vulnerable must be protected. But none in all heaven and earth were sufficient to open the scrolls and execute the purposes of God. Who is sufficient for these things?

But behold the one approaching. See him now, the tree of David walking, the Lion of Judah growling, and yet he comes as a a lamb. He bears the scars of His sacrifice. He, the One glorious above all, made lowest of all. He, the perfect Lamb, traded for the sins of His people.

He, the seed falling into the ground, has sprung out in new life and a new people. He takes the scroll and all heaven roars in joy. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. He has ransomed captives. He has gathered a people.

He has built a kingdom. And He shall reign forever.

2 · The pastor narrates the judgment sequences of Revelation 6-11, grounding God's wrath in concrete examples of injustice that cry out for divine response

Revelation 6 through 11. Behold now the scrolls unrolling for blessing and judgment. The furious wrath of God is unleashed. Death and destruction riding out into the world. The earth yawning open in fire.

The skies rolled up and falling. The mountains unmade. The torrent of God's wrath has a target. Injustice and evil cry out for judgment. Children beaten in their homes cry out for it.

Knives in the dark cry out for it. Wedding rings hidden in a bar cry out for it. Racist epithets flung at children fly, cry out for it. Bullets fired tearing into the innocent cry out for it. Across the world, the sin of sickness and injustice and evil, a cancer spreading into every corner of the world, cries cries out for it.

And so justice resounds. But amidst the roaring seas and raging wrath, behold now a people preserved.

They are pressed on every side, yet do not break. They are thrown in jail, yet free. They are crushed yet rise again. They are robbed yet give freely. They are killed yet cannot die.

Because amidst this, people of the cross, the King walks among them, holding them up, breathing into their words, fanning courage into flame in their hearts. And the King's people triumph. They follow the King to the cross. They follow Him to new life and resurrection. They are ground into the dirt only to rise with the sun.

And more are gathered, and more, and still more.

Behold now the multitude. Every language whispered among them. Every shade of melanin in glorious design. Every flag they flew in life traded for a better one, every garment one of glorious and impossible white, everyone having washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, everyone calling for the King to finally and fully triumph. How long, O Lord?

3 · The pastor narrates the cosmic war of Revelation 12, tracing the serpent's identity from Eden through the entire biblical story to his manifestation as the dragon opposing the Messiah's birth

Revelation 12. Behold now the war beneath all wars, a serpent slinking in the grass through the first garden, a servant of the heavenly court turned rebel, a whispered word to Adam and Eve turning them against the king, slinking through the world since then, devouring, deceiving, destroying. A serpent turned into hulking dragon now, jaws snapping, tail whipping, waiting for a woman to give birth, waiting to take the throne this child should sit on. And the people of God who have groaned long now, awaiting the Son of David and the King of Israel, like a woman groaning for her pain to cease and the child to be born. And then the Son is born.

The dragon lunges, but the child is now a man. The man is now a king. The king now ascends, and the dragon's jaws snap at nothing. So the dragon rages. He turns to the woman and lunges again, but the woman escapes.

God's people are preserved. God's King is now enthroned. God's enemy is angered and breathing out in fury and revenge.

4 · The pastor narrates the unholy trinity of Revelation 13-18—the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet—identifying them as manifestations of political power, religious deception, and cultural seduction

Revelation 12:18, behold now the dragon raising an army. The dragon forms a beast great and terrible. The beast carries the power and authority of every sword and every palace and every throne, and he brings his sword and laws to bear against the people of God. Every ruler and official believing they sit on the throne while behind them flies the flag of the dragon. The dragon forms a false prophet, slick and smiling.

The prophet sways crowds and countries. The words are different, the religions are multitude, the spiritualities are tailor-made, but the result is the same. The people carry the mark of the beast and the dragon and rejoice. The dragon allies with the woman of the world. She is the story and the screen, the newspaper and the slick magazine, the high culture of galleries, the low culture of back alleys.

She offers pleasure and ease, hidden delights, notoriety, acceptance, celebration. She promises each one their own personal throne. But underneath each palace of the beast are a pile of bones. Just behind the altar of the false prophet are skulls. In every room of illicit pleasure, the woman hides bodies under the beds.

How long until all God's people are gathered? How long until the purposes of God are fulfilled?

5 · The pastor narrates Christ's return in Revelation 19 as the divine warrior reclaiming creation

But finally, the answer comes now. Revelation 19: Behold, now the rider on the white horse has come to judge and make war. He with eyes of fire, He crowned with every crown, He with the blood of His enemies on His robe, He with every tribe and tongue following, He, His people the conquerors all clothed in white. He is the King of Kings, the true King on David's throne, the Walker of Waves, the Silencer of Demons, the humble and mounted on a donkey, the warrior on a war horse. The King has come.

to reclaim every square inch of creation. He is the Lord of Lords, the ruler of ocean depths and galaxy edges, the master of death and the dead, the Lord above every angel and power in the heavens. The Lord has come to destroy and save. So the armies of the dragon gather from every corner of the earth, and the people of the Lamb gather to meet them. The flag of the dragon unfurls across an army of snarling, vicious foes that are as numerous as the sands of the sea.

But the emblem of the Lion of Judah shines on every sword and shield of the King, his people as numerous as the stars in Abraham's sky. The dragon roars, but the Lion of Judah roars back. The clash of battle rings out into eternity for one long instant, and then the fire of heaven falls, and then the Lion speaks and slays, and then it is over before it began. The powerful beast is laid powerless. The slick deceiver is exposed.

The rich woman of the world is bankrupt. And as the army of evil and injustice litters the battlefield, the vultures circle overhead.

6 · The pastor narrates the final judgment of Revelation 20, establishing the terrifying justice of God's verdict based on deeds, then revealing the salvation available through the Book of Life

Revelation 20. Behold now the judgment throne of God. The skies are rolled up, the ground is flattened, the stars fall, and every peasant and king gathers now, every soldier and coward, The throne at the center of the universe now calls every soul before it, and books are opened for each one.

Every deed, every word, every thought, every secret, every hidden sin, every private hurt, every unpunished crime. And before the throne, each only receives what they deserve. Only the guilty are sentenced to judgment. Only rebels to God's kingdom are cut off from it. Only haters of God are sent away, and all tremble as eternity stretches out before them as a lake of fire.

But then the Book of Life is opened.

And while the books of deeds would leave it empty, the Book of of life is full. And next to each name is handwritten, "Mine," and signed by the King. His deeds for theirs. His death for theirs. His life for theirs.

And the dividing line of eternity is the Lamb who unrolls the scrolls of blessing and judgment. And the books close, and eternity is sealed. And Death, sickle in its hand, its work done, stands before the King. And the Lion roars one final time and casts Death itself into the lake of fire.

7 · The pastor narrates the descent of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, presenting it as the restoration and fulfillment of all that was lost in Eden

Revelation 21: Behold now the The city of the Lamb. It descends from the heavens in radiance. Its beauty is that of a bride walking the aisle to her husband. Its streets full of the redeemed, shining with the joy of reunion. The Lion who became a King, who became a Lamb, who became a Warrior, is now a Husband holding his arms open wide.

And the tears of joy falling on the face of the bride wash away every tear of sorrow she ever cried. And around the city, a voice cries, "Behold, I am making all things new." The pure light of the first day shines out into the darkness. The earth renewed rises into mountains and canyons. The heavens renewed rejoice as galaxies and wonders spin out above. The groaning of creation turns to joy as seeds and trees flourish.

And the city of the Lamb shines at the center of this renewed world. Every street, every arch, every tower were crafted and designed in the sketchbook of the King himself. And the 100 languages rippling out into the street together are one song. Their bodies once feeble are now made strong. Their frames once wounded are now made whole.

And the presence of God once hidden behind thick curtains and walls now breathes out into the city. Here there are no thorns or scars or death anymore.

There is no blood crying up from the ground. There are no things skulking in the night. There are no funerals or gravestones. There are no doctors or broken bodies. There is no loneliness or anguish.

The past is healed. The present is shalom. The future is brightness.

And behold now the center of the city.

There is a river and a tree.

The Tree of Life, once withered, is now renewed.

The seas once raging are a cool and clear stream of life.

And where the river and the tree meet, there stands the Lord God Almighty himself.

And his people see his face.

8 · The pastor pivots from the narrative retelling to direct exhortation, using the language of Revelation's conclusion to charge the congregation

Revelation 22. Listen, see, behold. Hear these words and keep them. Right now counts forever. Will you enter the city of the Lamb or stand outside in judgment and loss?

Oh, church, hear the voice of the Lion who is the Lamb.

Stand strong when the beast rages against you, for when you endure you conquer for eternity. Watch carefully where the false prophet deceives you. Hold fast to what is true, and it is true for eternity. Reject firmly when the world seduces you. What you lose in this life is gain in eternity.

Come, Come to the Lamb today.

9 · The pastor reads the closing invitation of Revelation verbatim, presenting Christ's self-identification and the repeated call to 'come

Revelation 22:16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, come. 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Verse 20, he who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

10 · The pastor unpacks the threefold repetition of 'I am coming soon' in Revelation 22, arguing that the book demands not merely intellectual assent but obedient response

All right, take a seat just for a minute. It's only going to take a couple minutes, but we'll leave the band up here. Here's what we're gonna do. I just wanna briefly highlight the very end of that reading where we read the actual text of Scripture today. The call of Revelation at the end does not allow anyone to simply hear and go, "Oh, that's interesting," and walk away.

It's not meant to allow us to go, "Oh, well, that's good that I've got some kind of eternal fire insurance," and walk away. The end of Revelation, if I could sum it up, like this is this: 3 times at the end of Revelation you read, you hear this. Jesus says in verse 7, "Behold, I'm coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." Verse 12, "Behold, I'm coming soon, bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done." Verse 20, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.'" And then in the middle of it is that appeal In verse 17, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.'" So the end of Revelation basically says this: Jesus is coming soon, so you, Christian, come to him in obedience now. Keep the words of the book.

That's the charge, not just to hear them, but to hear and then keep them. And I think that the two emphases there are that Jesus is coming soon, imminently, and Jesus is coming soon, suddenly. The language carries both of those things, meaning this: you might be tempted to go, well, listen, the stuff in Revelation, I mean, it happened 2,000 years ago, so how soon is soon? Listen, I don't think those of us in El Paso can say anything, because how many times have you said, man, I'm coming over right now, like to your cousin's house? Like, when are you coming?

I'm coming right now, man. Which, and if you're not from El Paso, it means anytime between like 10 AM and 10 PM. PM, right? So we don't get to like say, well, that's not— but scripture says a day, a thousand years is as a day to the Lord, right? Meaning this: Jesus says this is the last age, right?

This is the time of imminent return, which is why it's repeated. And I believe God's people, we're called to live with the imminence of Jesus' return.

11 · The pastor uses the historical example of failed date-setting for Christ's return to address a potential objection—that the doctrine of imminence has been abused

I don't know if you guys remember, you know, We grew up in the charismatic era. I grew up in the charismatic era, and there was always somebody who's like, hey, it's going to be in 5 years, it's going to be in 2 years. I found a pamphlet one time that was like the 88 reasons Jesus is going to return in 1988.

Does anybody get that pamphlet? I know somebody had that pamphlet, right? Were you tempted to go, okay, well, that's not helpful, so let's just kind of forget about the imminent return of Christ? No, that's the opposite. Scripture calls us to do 2 things.

One, Don't pretend you know the day or the hour, 'cause Jesus literally said no one knows the day or the hour, so stop it. So if you're about to hit publish on a blog where you're like, "I've got it," don't do that. But we are called to live with the imminence of the return of Christ bearing down on us.

12 · The pastor applies the doctrine of Christ's sudden return by pressing the congregation with hypothetical scenarios and exposing the futility of planning to repent later

What if he returns next year, church?

What if he returns at 5?

We don't know. You don't know even how much time you have here. May we live with the imminence of his return. And then the other thing is the suddenness of his return. G.K. Beale points out that the language is like, "He's gonna come soon," meaning like quickly.

And Jesus said, "Yeah, I'm gonna come like a thief in the night." Some people are having flashbacks to movies they watched back in the '80s, right? He's going to come like that, meaning this: there will not be time to go, well, I'm going to get my marriage in order now that I know Jesus is coming back. I'm going to get my life in order. I'm going to stop this porn addiction now that I know Jesus is coming back. No, the imminence, the suddenness of his return should mark us.

13 · The pastor uses Vincent, Christy, and Levi's decision to move to Prague as missionaries as a concrete example of what it looks like for Revelation to lay its claim on a life

And the call is this: how will Revelation lay its claim on your life? And I think there's no better illustration of that answer to that question than Vincent, Christy, and Levi going to Prague. How does that make sense by any worldly standard, right?

Got to see Heidi and Val, and they're here in the States. Their extended family are here in the States. The church family they love are here, and yet they're going, you know what? There's more people to be gathered for that multitude. And one of those tongues is Czech.

So let's go get 'em. Church, how will Revelation lay its claim on your life? Do not let this book end without you going before the Lord and saying, if that is true, if all that we just said is true, how does it change the way I live? Are there people here that are called to be missionaries like Vincent Christie? Great.

Who's next? Are people here called to pursue ministry or plant churches or serve people in remarkable ways or make a gigantic world kind of— stands in awe sacrifices? Maybe. But I do know this, the revelation lays its claim on every single one of us, and as Jesus says, Behold, I am coming soon, the response of the church should be, amen, come Lord Jesus, because we're living in such a way that we're going for broke. All of our chips are in.

That's it. It's all in.

And when you live that way, oh, the return of Christ, the response is, when Jesus says I'm coming soon, the church's response is amen, come Lord Jesus.

14 · The pastor concludes by leading the congregation in a responsive reading of Revelation 22:20, embodying the posture he has been calling for throughout the sermon

Jesus. So let's stand. We're going to sing one final song, and I'm going to sing— we're going to, we're going to say the end of Revelation right now before we get into this song. The call from the risen Christ is, "Surely I am coming soon," and the church's response is, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." So let's do that now. Jesus says, "Surely I am coming soon," and the church says, Amen.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Jun 26, 2022

He Still Calls Her His Bride

You cannot separate Jesus and the church—if you love Jesus, you must love what Jesus loves, and the church, imperfect as it is, remains the bride for whom Christ gave himself and the focal point of God's plan to save sinners and mature his people.

Revelation 19:6-10

Jul 3, 2022

The Return of the King

Christians must live with courage and urgency on the battlefield of life because Christ's return as conquering King is certain, his victory over evil is absolute, and his people are called to fight on until he comes.

Revelation 19:11-21

Jul 10, 2022

Only God Can Judge Me

Because God will judge every person according to their deeds and eternal destiny depends on whether one's name is in the Book of Life, we must ensure we are ready by trusting in Jesus Christ as our advocate who paid for our sins, and then live every moment now knowing it counts forever.

Revelation 20:11-21:1

July 24 · This sermon

The Story of the Lamb

Because Christ is returning soon and suddenly, the church must live with all our chips in, allowing Revelation to lay its claim on every area of our lives.

Revelation 1-22

Earlier in the corpus · March 27, 2022

A prior sermon on Revelation 1:9-20

You preached this same passage — 25 Revelation 1 citations in that earlier sermon. Worth re-reading before the next time this text comes around.

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

Walk through the story: What is the central figure that ties all of Revelation together, from chapter 1 through chapter 22? What does John w…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we walk through Revelation's central claim: Christ conquers through sacrifice, and his imminent return demands we live 'all in' for his kingdom.

Prayer

Father, Make Us Ready for the Lamb's Return

Father, we come before you in awe of the Lamb who sits on the throne. In Revelation you have unveiled your Son—not as a distant king, but as…

Family table

All In for the Lamb

This prompt anchors in Ricky's closing challenge about living 'all in' for Christ in light of his sudden return. The goal is to help kids (a…

Couples

Living All In for Christ's Return

When you heard the story of Revelation retold as one unified narrative of the Lamb, what part of that story most stirred your heart or made…

Memorize

Revelation 22:20

This verse captures the entire emotional and theological arc of Revelation—the promise of Christ's imminent return and the church's eager response. It is the sermon's closing cry and the operative assumption for living 'all in' for the kingdom: because He is coming soon, we stake everything on Him now.

Sunday-evening family table

All In for the Lamb

For the parent

This prompt anchors in Ricky's closing challenge about living 'all in' for Christ in light of his sudden return. The goal is to help kids (and parents) name one concrete way they're already living for Jesus, then ask what it might look like to go deeper. Listen for specific commitments, not vague spirituality.

Ricky said that because Jesus is coming back suddenly — like a thief in the night — we need to live 'all in' for him right now, not waiting for a better time later. Think about one thing you're already doing because you love Jesus — maybe it's being kind to someone, or telling a friend about him, or reading your Bible. Now: what would it look like to go even further 'all in' with that same thing this week?

Works for ages 8+. Younger kids can name one thing they do for Jesus; older kids and teens will naturally stretch toward the 'go further' part of the question.

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we walk through Revelation's central claim: Christ conquers through sacrifice, and his imminent return demands we live 'all in' for his kingdom.

Monday Revelation 5

In the throne room, John sees the scroll sealed with seven seals—the future of creation itself—and no one is worthy to open it until the Lamb appears. The Lamb's worthiness to rule comes not from military might but from being slain. This is the beating heart of Revelation: the cross is the power that moves history forward. Worship the Lamb today not as a distant king, but as the one who bled to secure your eternal future.

Tuesday Revelation 7

John sees a great multitude from every nation, tribe, and tongue—washed in the blood of the Lamb—standing before the throne in white robes. The sealing is not just a future comfort; it is an already-present reality for the church. When the judgments come, God's people remain safe in his hand. This does not remove suffering from our lives, but it removes the final fear: we cannot be lost.

Wednesday Matthew 24:36

Jesus himself says the end will come like a thief in the night—suddenly, without announcement. This urgency is not meant to paralyze us with fear, but to wake us to the shortness of time. If you are waiting for a better season to surrender your life fully to Christ, you are gambling with a card you do not hold. The only moment you truly possess is today.

Thursday 1 Thessalonians 5:2

Paul echoes Christ's warning to the Thessalonians: the day comes when no one expects it, therefore be awake and sober-minded. Readiness is not anxious hypervigilance; it is the peace of a soldier who has already decided to give everything to the cause. When you have surrendered all your chips to Christ, the thief's arrival is not a threat—it is the trumpet call you have been waiting for.

Friday Revelation 22:16-17, 22:20

The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come, Lord Jesus.' This is not resignation or fear—it is invitation, longing, readiness. Jesus himself says, 'Yes, I am coming soon,' and John's response is immediate: 'Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.' This is what it means to keep the words of Revelation: to align your deepest desire with Christ's return. Ask yourself today: are you living in such a way that his sudden arrival would be good news? If not, what needs to change?

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Living All In for Christ's Return

When you heard the story of Revelation retold as one unified narrative of the Lamb, what part of that story most stirred your heart or made you want to surrender something to Christ?
As a couple, where are we holding back from living 'all in' for Christ's kingdom—what area of our life together still feels like we're keeping our chips off the table, waiting to see how things turn out?
If Christ were to return tomorrow, what is one specific way he's calling each of us to obey him this week that we've been postponing, and how can we pray for courage to move forward together?

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

Walk through the story: What is the central figure that ties all of Revelation together, from chapter 1 through chapter 22? What does John want us to see about this figure by the end of the vision?

Revelation 5; Revelation 22:16

→ How does seeing Christ as 'the Lamb' — rather than as a warrior king or judge — change the way you read the judgments and wars described in the middle chapters?
In the sermon, Ricky traced the Lamb's story through the throne room worship of chapters 4-5. What does John show us about how heaven itself responds to the Lamb? Why do you think that worship matters for how we understand what comes next?

Revelation 4-5
Revelation shows God's people being preserved and marked through judgment — not removed from the world, but sealed and sustained through it. How does that vision reshape the way you think about your own faithfulness in a culture that doesn't share your convictions?

Revelation 7; Revelation 11

→ Where in your own life right now do you need to hold onto the promise that God is preserving his people?
The sermon emphasizes that Christ's return will be sudden and without warning. How does that reality — taken seriously — lay a claim on the decisions you're making this week?

Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2

→ Is there an area of disobedience or delay you've been carrying, telling yourself 'I'll get to that later'? What would it look like to let Revelation's urgency speak to that?
Ricky lifted up Vincent, Christy, and Levi as examples of living 'all in' for Christ's kingdom. What does it mean to live 'all your chips in' in light of Revelation? What would that look like concretely for someone in this group?

Revelation 22:7, 22:12
John ends Revelation with the invitation: 'Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life' (22:17). How does that invitation — after all the judgment and war — shape what Revelation is ultimately calling us toward?

Revelation 21; Revelation 22:17

→ How does meditating on the New Jerusalem (chapters 21-22) change the urgency with which you pursue obedience now?

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Father, Make Us Ready for the Lamb's Return

Father, we come before you in awe of the Lamb who sits on the throne. In Revelation you have unveiled your Son—not as a distant king, but as the conquering Savior who has already won the victory through his sacrifice. We praise you that he holds all things in his hands, that his blood has purchased us for your kingdom, and that he is coming again soon and suddenly. Make our hearts ready to behold him.

We confess, Father, that we often live as though we have all the time in the world. We delay obedience. We hold back our whole hearts from your kingdom, telling ourselves there is always tomorrow to surrender more fully, to say yes to your call, to put all our chips in for Christ. We live with one eye on the kingdom and one eye on the securities of this age. We are not ready. We do not live with the urgency that Revelation demands. Forgive us.

Yet here is the good news: Christ has already conquered. The scroll has been opened. The dragon has been cast down. Death has been defeated. And in your mercy, you have made us part of his story—sealed by the Spirit, washed in his blood, called to reign with him. Every delay in our obedience, every half-heartedness, every hesitation has already been covered by his sacrifice. You call us not to earn readiness but to receive it as a gift, to live in the light of what he has already accomplished.

So we ask you now: strip away our false securities. Make us a people who live with all our chips in—all in for your kingdom, all in for the Lamb. Give us the courage of Vincent, Christy, and Levi, who have staked everything on his imminent return. Help us to hear the Spirit and the Bride saying "Come, Lord Jesus," and to make that cry our own. Help us to keep the words of this prophecy, not just to hear them but to let them lay their claim on every corner of our lives—our work, our marriages, our time, our treasure, our witness. Make us eager for his return, not afraid. And help us to live this week as though he could come today, because he can.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. We are ready. Make us ready. All glory and honor to you, the Alpha and the Omega, forever and ever. Amen.

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Revelation 22:20

He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Why this verse: This verse captures the entire emotional and theological arc of Revelation—the promise of Christ's imminent return and the church's eager response. It is the sermon's closing cry and the operative assumption for living 'all in' for the kingdom: because He is coming soon, we stake everything on Him now.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [He Still Calls Her His Bride (Revelation 19:6-10, 2022-06-26)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/06/he-still-calls-her-his-bride)
- [The Return of the King (Revelation 19:11-21, 2022-07-03)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/07/the-return-of-the-king)
- [Only God Can Judge Me (Revelation 20:11-21:1, 2022-07-10)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/07/only-god-can-judge-me)
- [The Story of the Lamb (Revelation 1-22, 2022-07-24)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/07/the-story-of-the-lamb)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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