Series: Overflow
Message: Jesus. All.
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Japhet De Oliveira
Live Wonder: Jessyka Dooley
Live Adventure: Jessyka Dooley
Live Purpose: Vanessa Rivera
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Revelation 4:8-11 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: What shaped you? What brought you to this moment in time? What are the pivotal turning points in your life? There is a really high likelihood that anyone answering this question will remember moments, memories, and pivotal points that were all difficult. Not because of any lack of amazing moments of joy and mountain-top experiences, or an endless list of photos in our selfie collections. It is those hard moments that force us to take much-needed time for reflection. Those moments have forged us into who we are today. In every crisis or struggle we have had to decide what our response will be. Often we have to do this with others watching.
Christmas is not only about family, great music, wonderful meals, warm fires, and presents. Christmas is the celebration of love overflowing from God the father, God the son and God the Spirit. Christmas is the expression of “[He] who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8, ESV). The Godhead decided before the foundation of the earth that Christmas was coming. That is truly something worth celebrating. It is worthy to bask in. So why not spend time reading the nativity story? Why have we chosen this passage from the book of Revelation for this week? We chose this as a strong reminder that because of Christmas:
The world will never be the same.
The universe will never be the same.
The cross, resurrection and ascension to the throne all testify to victory.
His story has become our story.
The Kingdom of God has shifted.
We are called to lay down our crowns and respond to the inspiration of Jesus. It is encapsulated in the person of Jesus. All. It is why Becky and I join the sing-along Handel’s Messiah every year and our hearts are drawn towards Jesus. Our hearts are softened towards others.
So why does this not happen every single day? Why are we not copying this “model” in the text and simply singing the “Messiah” every day? Perhaps we have misunderstood what it is to be all-consumed. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus refers to us as salt and light. He is talking about the effect that we should have.
There has to be a difference. One that elicits a response. That response is to simply praise the name of Jesus. Tomorrow, when I preach about this, I am going to unpack just how we really live Jesus. All. today.
Recalibrate: What does living a life where Jesus. All. permeates everything look like? What holds us back from that all-consuming daily experience?
Respond: Pray for the Spirit to heal and reconcile you with others in this season.
Research: Read one of the recommended commentaries on this passage.
Remember: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8, NIV).
Japhet is senior pastor at Boulder Adventist Church in Boulder, Colorado, and is co-founder of the One project. Originally from southeast London, he served in the South England Conference for nine years—as a pastor and later as conference youth director—before moving to the United States in 2006. He and his wife Becky have two sons, one at university and one in high school.
The Bible reminds us that God is deserving of all worship all the time. Do you have a family worship time in your house? Do you pray before meals or maybe before bedtime? Do you go to church together? All those things are so important and so good, but remember to show your child that worship is not just a time or a place. It isn’t just what we do at church or before we eat; worship is a way that we live. Just like how in Revelation God is worshipped constantly, we can also worship Him constantly through how we live our lives!
What are some things that you see Jesus in? Your family? A cool frog you found outside? Jesus is everywhere! Go outside and make a list of all the cool things you see that remind you that Jesus is alive. The Bible tells us that God is worshipped all day! How can you worship God all day? Do you have to pray all day? Sing all day? Or can you worship God by thanking Him for all the things He has done or created? Spend today looking for all the things that remind you that God should always be worshipped.
The passage we’ve studied this week depicts a scene of four winged creatures repeating this praise ("Holy, holy, holy!") day and night. Imagine yourself praising God not just when there is a scheduled song service. You wouldn’t just proclaim, “Praise God!” when something good happens. You would say it when bad things happen too. You would praise God at all times of the day. What does this look like in a practical sense? I know, we all have responsibilities. You have school, your friendships, your family. So much is going on but when we are making Jesus all we are not having to somehow make room for Him; He is at the center of all we do. He is in everything we do. How can you intertwine God into your day?