Stressed to the Nines AM: June 9

Welcome to the stress to the 9 a.m. Edition. For the next few weeks, we will be studying The Book of Revelation and all its mystery and Glory. So stick around and join us.

Good morning everybody. Happy Wednesday to you. It is June 9th as we continue to move through 2021. We are already in the 6-month who can believe it? I don't know, just like I can't believe we're already in chapter 10 of the Book of Revelation. We're going to see the wrap-up chapter 10 today like including this conversation about the little scroll. If you recall the past couple days have been focused on the ginormous Angel who appeared with a message for John and who looked pretty spectacular will now will get to the contents of that little squirrel. Not to be confused with the big scroll that has been slowly opened. With it's Seven, Seals completely different and is going to relate directly to our books, author John. So, let's see what happens here in chapter 10 verses 8 through 11 as we list.

God's word to us today.

In the boys that I had heard from Heaven spoke to me again, saying, go take the scroll. That is open in the hand of the Angel, who is standing on the sea and on the land. So I went to the angel and told him to give me a little scroll and he said to me, take it and eat it. It will be bitter to your stomach that sweet as honey in your mouth.

So I took the little scroll from the hand of the Angel made. It it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

Then they said to me, you must prophesy again about many peoples and Nations and languages and Kings. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

This is why Revelation can be so challenging, a little passage like this, which week until should seem important. Just doesn't make any sense. It's hard for us to understand. You have a, you have an angel, you have the prophet John, you have a scroll that he's supposed to eat. What's going on here? Well, this is again a clear call back to his Ezekiel who was told to eat a scroll and self. Ezekiel ate the scroll and said it, tasted sweet as honey. And it's a symbol of the word of God being placed on the mouth of the prophet.

In this case, however, the scroll taste sweet as honey, but it upset the stomach of John. What's going on here? What's with this imagery? Well, I think it's a useful thing for us to think about when we truly take on the word of God, when we actively apply it and speak it into the world. There's a sweetness to it. There is something incredibly satisfying that makes us grateful to have it in to enjoy it. But also there can be a feeling of bitterness. And what is that? What I mean by bitterness? I don't mean that you're bitter, because something happened that you're angry about. I mean, bitterness because it's difficult, it's hard, was being asked of John here. He's already been in Exile. Now, he has to go through this experience and then relay it to people's Nations languages and kings.

That would give me a stomachache, the idea of delivering God's truth, whether it be pleasing or difficult, to hear, is something that should never be taken lightly. And we should understand that those of us who speak God's truth into the world or just hopefully all of us at various times. And on various days will always find that easy. Sometimes it'll be difficult, sometimes will be challenging. The hardest thing to do is to speak God's truth into our own lives, to admit those areas of Our Lives, which need to be transformed, which need to conform to scripture, which needs to fall under the lordship of Jesus. Then as we look out into the world, as we have interactions, as we go about our roles as disciples, we will find that word of God that has indwelled us to indeed be sweet but also to make things challenging from time to time. Make things harder than we feel like they should be the word of God is not easy to live with and that's worth.

Earring when we see and read these words that it was sweet as honey. On his lips. The bitter in his stomach

Let's pray.

Holy God, on this day. We pray that your word would be in our hearts, our minds and our souls. We pray for your peace in our lives, your grace in our lives, help us to do your work and live as redeemed people, and help to spread your word, to all corners, of our communities, and the globe. We offer this prayer in Jesus's name, all men for this morning. Tasha Lee back tonight. And I will see you tomorrow until then peace.

Thanks for listening to stress to the nine. Be sure to like us and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks so much for listening until next time. Peace.