2 Corinthinas 4:17-18

¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

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Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

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Revelation 20:6

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Revelation 14:13 

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”

Blessed – The Seven Beatitudes of Revelation
Part IV

Blessed in Life, in Death, and Together

Revelation shows that true blessing is found in Christ, in resurrection life now, in rest beyond death, and in walking the journey together.

I. The Resurrection That Reframes Life (Rev. 20:6)
II. The Rest We Long For (Rev. 14:13)
III. The Community That Walks Together (Rev. 20:6; 14:13)

Introduction

This week in the sermon we saw how Revelation’s beatitudes teach us that true blessing is found in Christ, in resurrection life now, in rest beyond death, and in walking the journey together as a church.

1. When you think about aging and death, what are the emotions or questions that come to mind?
2. In the sermon it was said that our culture often treats aging as decline and death as defeat. Do you see that attitude around you? How does it affect the way people live?

Into the Text

Read Rev. 20:6 and Rev. 14:13 together.

3. What do you notice about the language of blessing in both verses? Who is blessed, and why?
4. In Rev. 20:6 John speaks of the first resurrection and the second death. How does the sermon explain these terms? How does that help you understand your present life in Christ?
5. Rev. 14:13 promises rest to those who die in the Lord, and that their deeds follow them. How does this verse challenge our culture’s way of looking at death and meaning in life?
6. Both passages are written to churches under pressure. How would these words have encouraged them? How do they encourage us today?

Apply the Text

7. In the sermon it was said that aging for the Christian is not decline but the approach of glory. How might that truth change the way you think about your own stage of life right now?
8. Revelation tells us that their deeds follow them. How does that truth shape the way we think about small, unseen acts of faithfulness in daily life?
9. Our church today is multi generational, with kids, youth, midlife families, and older believers together. How can we lean into this blessing more intentionally and encourage one another across generations?