SERMON NOTES:

Prayer Requests

Y Pray for Ward Sessing, member of the Presbyterian Church of the Way, who is suffering with cancer. Y Pray for Donna McCullen, wife of Ken McCullen, who is suffering from cancer.

Y Pray that our Valentines Party will

be full of love and joy Y Pray for Jerry Hermsen who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Y Pray for Jennifer Huehns family friend, Elaine Slotty, who is in hospice for cancer. Y Pray for Mor Bakia in his job search. Y Pray for Samuel Atu-Tetuhs son Mbah while he travels to Ethiopia. Y Pray for Diana Zile-Young, friend of Ivers, who is better but still struggling with alcoholism which is destroying her liver.

DEVOTION

We are completing the book of Revelation this week. Well read the last four chapters and then two other chapters that have similar themes to the visions in Revelation. The visions we read about this week are confusing and powerful. They can make our heart beat faster with love for God. We cant understand everything about the visions, but we can take with us the message that good ultimately does prevail over evil. Praise God! Comments and thoughts about the devotion can be E-mailed to Pastor Paul at pastor@colpres.org. Enjoy!! Monday, February 11 Read Revelation 19 The visions continue with a loud chorus of voices praising God at the start of this chapter. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures that were first identified in chapter four worship and praise God who is seated at the throne. The white horse then re-appears in colorful clothing. The armies of heaven followed on their own white horses. What a spectacular vision of spiritual warfare! This is the ultimate battle of good versus evil. The beast was then captured and the false prophet was thrown into the lake of fire.

Y Pray for Jerry Hermsens friend

Stephanie who is having a very serious operation on February 8th. Y Pray for Hussein, Angelicas coworkers husband, who suffers from leukemia. Y Pray for Rose Tendoh to find a job with Gods guidance. Y Pray for John Thiessen as he lives with cancer. Y For Bobbie Pearson, friend of Gloria Ivers, whos suffering from cancer. Y Pray for Beverly Dols, John Ivers sister, who suffers from lung cancer. Y Dave Schwartz continues to suffer from cancer, and Marg Olson is now in remission, (friends of George & Dianne Black).

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Good triumphed over evil. The armies of heaven were victorious over the agents of evil. Often we forget this end of the book of Revelation. We focus on the horrible visions of doom instead of remembering that good did win at the end in the book of Revelation. This message can give us hope. We live in a world where good does ultimately win. It might seem hard to see at times, but through our faith we trust that good will win. Prayer: In the midst of our lives its hard to remember that good does prevail. Help me realize that good will prevail in the situations Im encountering right now in my own life. Give me faith!!! Tuesday, February 12 Read Revelation 20 This chapter is one of the most controversial in the Bible. From this chapter came the view of Millennialism. Pastor Paul talked about these ideas in the very first sermon about the End of the World. A person who believes in Pre-millennialism thinks that Jesus will come before the millennial time periodthe 1,000 years when Satan is bound. This person wants Jesus to come backbecause the Millennium is such a wonderful time. A person who believes in Post-millennialism believes that Jesus will return after the millennial time period. They believe that life will continue to get better until Jesus comes. A person who believes in A-millennialism doesnt believe in the thousand year period where Satan is bound. Whatever a person believes their belief comes out of this chapter. This chapter is worth reading closely. After reading it a few

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times, what do you believe. Is this chapter describing what will happen in the future? Or are there other issues with which this chapter is concerned? Prayer: Sometimes faith is so complicated, Lord! Help me discern my own views about you. Whatever my views, may love always be my foundation. Wednesday, February 13 Read Revelation 21 What a powerful vision of a New Heaven and a New Earth is shared in this chapter. This vision rivals the vision of the heavenly throne in the fourth chapter of Revelation. There is no need of a Temple in this vision for everyone knows God in this vision. There is no need of light in this vision for the glory of the Lord lights up everything. Nothing unclean enters this visionit is similar to the vision of paradise shared in the first chapters of Genesis. This vision must have been appealing to the people reading or hearing about it in the first Century. Their Temple had been destroyed by the Romans. In hearing this vision they could understand that they didnt need a Temple to worship God. God could not be contained in a Temple. This vision can give us hope in our daily life. May we carry it with us into the daily activities of our life. Prayer: What a powerful vision you shared in this chapter. Thank you for the hope that is proclaimed! Help me to carry this hope with me into the daily struggles of my own life. May I remember the power of this chapter!

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Thursday, February 14 Read Revelation 22 This last chapter of the Bible brings a circle to the Bible. In this vision are trees; just as there were trees in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were thrown out of the garden. The place of paradise still exists. The garden is a realm towards which we all can look forward. We can take comfort with us that God has prepared this place for us. Some of us will certainly doubt this realm. We might have questions about how this place can be. It defies our scientific and logical minds. We need faith. We need God to increase our faith. Prayer: Increase my faith, God, in this paradise that is waiting all of humanity. Thank you that you have prepared this realm for us. Friday, February 15 Read Matthew 25:31-46 After reading the book of Revelation this reading in Matthew is even clearer. We read about the throne of glory; we read about the angles surrounding God; we read about the nations that have surrounded the throne. This is an apocalyptic expression of good and evil. In this story good is what we do to the least of these. The sheep gave food, something to drink, clothing; the sheep visited the prisoners and tended to the sick. God wants us to go out of our way to help those on the margins of our world. When we do this heaven comes down to earth.

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Perhaps today we can live out these words by going out of our way to help someone on the margins of the world. Prayer: This vision is similar to the visions we read about in Revelation. Help me live out this vision here on earth. May I be with the sheepgoing out of my way in helping the people on the margins of the world. Saturday, February 16 Read Isaiah 6:1-8 Again we can see similarities with this vision and the visions in Revelation. We read about the throne; the strange seraphs who were with God; the response of the person (Isaiah) who experienced the vision; the comfort of the seraph to Isaiah. This vision is a commissioning to Isaiah. Isaiah had a message to share with the nations of Israel and Judah. God commissioned the message. Prayer: This vision is like many of the visions I read in Revelationits scary, confusing, and glorious. Help my heart beat stronger with love for you and for others because of what Ive read.