“Oppressed and Overcoming” — Pastor Dave Zuleger
Sermon Outline
Revelation 11:1-13: Oppressed and Overcoming
Introduction: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A Picture of Protection as the Temple (vv.1-2)
A Picture of Proclamation and Persecution as the Witnesses (vv.3-10)
A Picture of Perseverance as the Witnesses (vv.11-12)
A Picture of Punishment and Penitence for the World (vv.13-14)
South Cities Kids
There are different styles of writing. They are called genres. There are poems, stories, letters, and others. The kind of writing Revelation is written in is called apocalyptic. That is a kind of writing that uses symbols, pictures, and visions to give us information. What is one reason someone might want to tell us about Jesus, Satan, and everything else with all these pictures?
In the first couple verses the church is picture as a temple—with the inside protected and the outside unprotected. In the Old Testament the temple was where God's people could experience God's presence. In Revelation 3 God said the church would be in his temple and not be moved.
This is a picture of God's people with God and God with them - and God keeping them safe spiritually through all the hard things in life. Those outside the temple are not safe. Those inside the temple - those who trust Jesus—are safe!
The witnesses should remind us that God's people need to keep speaking the truth of Jesus. That's what the fire is. Even though Jesus is good news for some people - people who don't trust him will need to punished for their sins. That's what this is showing.
But, the world sometimes gets angry because they don't want to follow Jesus. So, they will try to hurt believers. The beast here is not a real beast like in a scary movie. It's a picture of the power of Satan in the world to persecute Christians.
The beast looks likes it's winning as it kills the witnesses. Adn the world celebrates! It doesn't want to have to hear about Jesus and how they are sinful anymore.
Sometimes the world will hate us, but we have to remember we are protected to be with Jesus forever even if they don't like us here and we have to remember we need to speak so that others might know Jesus.
Even when the world hurts us—Jesus is stronger. He will keep the church alive and he will bring us to himself forever. We can trust him to do this.
