Themes in Revelation: Patient Endurance

Week 13, Friday: Concerning the Law of God
Jesus said that when we receive the Spirit of God, we will be His witnesses (Acts 1.8) Being a witness is as important as holding fast to our testimony and giving a spoken witness. But we won’t be much of a witness to Jesus unless our lives line up with His in important ways.

Read Revelation 14

Meditate on the following passages from Revelation
1.      According to Revelation 14.12, who is practicing the patient endurance of Jesus? What are the commandments of God? Do you know them all, in order?

2.      Meditate on Acts 1.8, Ezekiel 36.26 and 27, and 1 John 2.1-6. Complete the following: “Followers of Jesus have His Spirit within them, and they live…”

3.      Meditate on Psalm 1. Who is described as living fruitfully for the Lord? Does that describe you? Meditate on Romans 7.12. Can believers expect to overcome without a growing understanding and consistent obedience to the Law of God? Explain.

4.      Believers do not keep the Law of God in order to be saved. They keep the Law of God because they are saved. What’s the difference?

5.      Meditate on Romans 8.5-8. Obviously, we need the Spirit of God to enable us to overcome with patient endurance against the tribulations of this world. According to Paul, how would you describe the relationship between being filled with the Spirit and submitting to the Law of God?

My Reflection
In many respects, the term, “Law of God”, stands for all the Scriptures. That includes the books of Moses and the commandments, statutes, and precepts he includes there to help us think about the way of life (Lev. 18.1-5). How would you describe your relationship to the Law of God – all of Scripture – at this stage in your walk with Him? Do you need to improve in your familiarity with and use of any particular parts of Scripture?

The Glory of God
Believers are not under Law; they are under grace. But because they are under grace, they must submit to God’s Law. Explain these two ideas in your own words. Is God glorified when believers hold fast to the testimony of Jesus? Is He glorified when they keep His Law?

Glory to Glory
Meditate on Matthew 5.17-19. Was God glorified by Jesus fulfilling all His Law? What does Jesus recommend as the path toward greatness in His Kingdom? Should we expect walking such a path to help us overcome in the face of the tribulations of this world? Explain.

Memorize
Review John 16.33. Talk with a Christian friend about how the Law of God fits into our calling to be overcomers with Jesus.

Closing Prayer
My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.

Psalm 119.25-32

T. M. Moore

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The book of Revelation is the culminating episode in the story of God’s covenant. To learn more about that covenant, and to discover the way it integrates all of Scripture into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.