Revelation 7: The Lamb is the Shepherd

Today’s reading is Revelation 7.

In John 1:29, John the Baptizer saw Jesus after His baptism and declared:

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (ESV)

In John 4:14, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well:

Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. That water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (ESV).

In John 6:27, Jesus told the crowds coming to be fed:

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal (ESV).

And then again in John 6:35, 47-51a:

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. I anyone eats this bread, he will live forever (ESV).

And finally, in John 10:11-16:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd (ESV).

Now, in victory, we see the flock of Jesus Christ and the elder’s description of these who have staid faithful even unto death in Revelation 7:15-17:

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (ESV).

Jesus promised. And Jesus provides.

Tribulation and persecution may come in the interim. War, famine, death, and hades may seem to hold sway in the interim. The conquering King may appear to be losing in the interim. But Jesus always wins and Jesus always provides what He promised if we will let Him shepherd us, if we will simply listen to His voice no matter what else is going on around us.

He is the Lamb. He is the Lion. He is the King. He is the Shepherd. He is the Savior. Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Revelation 8.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Revelation 7?

Seeking the One

Today’s reading is Matthew 18.

Okay, okay, we are supposed to become the least, the last, and the lowly. Further, we are supposed to value the least, the last, and the lowly. But what about when the least, the last, and the lowly become the lost? What about when they become exactly the kind of person we always knew they would. We knew they wouldn’t last. We knew they would abandon the fold. We knew they would decide to go into sin. We tried to warn you about that one, that’s just the kind of person that one is.

You know what Jesus does in that case? Jesus humbly leaves the ninety-nine that are sticking with the flock in the mountains and goes out looking for the lost one. Jesus values that least, last, lowly, and lost one greatly. So should we.

In fact, that is what the entire paragraph from Matthew 18:15-20 is all about. Sadly, we too often view that paragraph as the steps we take to withdraw from someone. No doubt, if someone refuses all our efforts to draw them back into the fold and flock of God, we will have to take extreme measures of discipline. But this paragraph is actually about all the effort we take to bring them back. Regrettably, we’ve gotten ourselves in a day and age where whole churches are so afraid of upsetting someone or hurting their feelings, we just let them wander off on the mountain side where they are completely vulnerable to attack from wolves and from the great dragon. This paragraph is actually about how much we care and desire to bring them back. We go after them. If they won’t respond to us, we take a couple others with us. If they won’t respond to a handful of us, we mobilize the whole flock. If they won’t respond to the whole flock, we must discipline, but even then we don’t give up. We mourn. We pray. We do not treat them as enemies, but as fallen siblings.

The arrogant and prideful kick these least, last, lowly, and lost to the curb with a “Good riddance. We are better off without them.” The humble seek them out and strive to win them back.

Are there any you need to seek out today?

Tomorrow’s reading is Matthew 18.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why is it so easy to quickly give up on those who stumble, falter, and fall away?
3. How do you want people to treat you if you stumble, falter, and fall away?
4. What advice would you give to help us reach out to the fallen and encourage them to come back?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?