Pulpit Curriculum: Embrace The Bittersweet Truth

May 18^th – May 24^th, 2025

Want to have this page read aloud to you? Click here for instructions

Sermon Summary

This week’s sermon explores the prominence and dual nature of God’s Word, characterized as both sweet and bitter. This duality underscores the importance of embracing the entirety of God’s Word- both its comforting messages and its challenging truths, as believers often desire the blessings of God without accepting His warnings or the call to holiness. Followers of Christ are urged not only to internalize this Word but also to faithfully proclaim it with courage and compassion, despite potential rejection or
discomfort.

Verse of the Week

Revelation 10:9-10 (ESV)
“So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.”

Going Deeper

_{This section of the Pulpit Curriculum is meant to support Bible reflection, and encourage readers to come away with a high view of Scripture.}

Review Revelation 10: 1–11

Behold the Majesty of God’s Messenger (Revelation 10: 1-7)

1) Using scripture references, how does the description of the mighty angel (cloud, rainbow, face like the sun, etc) connect with Old Testament imagery?
a. What do these symbols reveal about God?

2) In vs. 4, John is told to “seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down”. Why are some parts of God’s revelation meant to remain a mystery?
a. How does this impact our understanding of divine sovereignty?

Receive the Bittersweet Word of God (Revelation 10:8-10)

3) Compare and contrast the command given to John to eat the scroll (vs 9-11) with the examples of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:9- 3:4) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:16) in the Old Testament.
a. What does this act symbolize about how we are to receive God’s Word?

Proclaim the Word with Courage and Compassion (Revelation 10:11)

4) The preacher stated that the term ‘prophesy’ in vs. 11 does not simply mean predicting the future.
Discuss the broader application of this term according to the passage.

5) The scope of John’s prophetic commission is worldwide—peoples, nations, languages, and kings. How does this mirror the global nature of God’s redemptive plan? Cite scripture to support your responses.
a. How should this influence our perspective on evangelism and missions today?

Assess Your Life

_{The following questions are meant to encourage personal reflection and identify areas for spiritual growth in your relationship with God. Ask yourself the questions, respond honestly, write down your responses, and then prayerfully seek God’s conviction and guidance to move forward to repentance and restoration. In discussions with your friends and family, or in your Small Group, be open to sharing your responses with others in a spirit of accountability and transparency.}

1) In what ways am I ‘digesting’ God’s Word- not simply reading or hearing it?

2) Which parts of God’s Word am I tempted to ignore or ‘soften’? What might be the underlying reasons for this?

3) How might embracing the full spectrum of God’s Word- its promises and warnings-shape how I live, serve and witness to others?

4) In what ways has my desire for acceptance- or fear of rejection and judgment- kept me from obeying God in sharing the gospel?

Application

_{A key objective of this Pulpit Curriculum is taking God’s truth as exposed in the sermon and helping people apply that truth in practical and intentional ways to plot a course toward obedience and transformation. This section is intended to achieve that objective.}

1. What steps will I take to ensure that I am daily digesting God’s Word, rather than simply reading and hearing it? Your next steps can include, but don’t have to be limited to the following:
• Make time to meditate on a challenging passage of Scripture.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help in digesting the full message, not just the palatable parts.

2. In what ways will I respond to God’s conviction, correction and teaching through His Word?

3. How will I daily acknowledge and show reverence to God and His Word?

4. How will I be a faithful witness of God?

5. What are three ways I can share God’s Word this week? Bonus points if you can think of and implement more than just three.

6. How will I respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to share God’s Word? Consider starting with the commitment to speak God’s truth in love, even when it’s hard to say or hard to hear.

I will ask_____ to hold me accountable in this.

Sermon Main Points

Recognize the Reality of Spiritual Warfare (Revelation 9:1–12)
o Behold the majesty of God’s messenger.
o Receive the bittersweet Word of God.
o Proclaim the Word with courage and passion.

Quotes and Highlights
● When God sends a messenger from heaven, it’s not for inspiration, it’s for transformation.
● Reverence means accepting the limits of our understanding.
● God’s Word is majestic, weighty, and perfectly timed, even the parts we don’t fully grasp.
● The authority of God’s Word should provoke reverence, urgency, and obedience.
● We do not get to cherry pick the parts of the Bible we like and spit out the parts we don’t.
● When you truly receive God’s Word, it will bless you, break you, and then build you up again in Christ.
● God’s Word must be proclaimed to all whether they receive it or not.
● We should be less concerned about being accepted by people and more about being faithful to God.

Sermon Reflection

What stood out for me in this sermon?

What can I do to remember this?

5 Day Study Plan

Use the Inductive Bible Study method to study these scriptures this week and remember to share with someone else.

Follow these steps

1. Observe the text.
_{(What do you see in the text? Look for answers to questions like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)}

2. Interpret the text.
_{(What did God and the human author of the text want the original people reading this text to understand/do? Why?)}

3. Apply the text.
_{(How do I need to change in my thinking, my affections, my attitudes, and/or my actions?)}

Day 1 - Matthew 4:4

The necessity of consuming God’s Word as we consume food.