Sermon
#66 Through The Bible Series
Title: Revelation
The
Revelation of Jesus Christ
Text: Revelation 1:1-3
Date: Tuesday
EveningSeptember 28, 2003
Tape # Y-42b
Readings: Bobbie Estes and Larry Brown
Introduction:
(Revelation
1:1-3) "The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his
servant John: (2) Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony
of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (3) Blessed is he
that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
It has been my singular object in these surveys of the Bible
to show clearly that the singular subject, theme, and message of the entire
Book of God, the Old Testament and the New, is the Person, work and glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. As in creation, providence and redemption, so in the
Holy Scriptures, it is the purpose of God that in all things he might have
the preeminence (Col. 1:18).
Him Book
The Book of God is a book all about Christ (Luke 24:27,
44-48). The Bible is a Him Book. It is all about Him.
·
All the promises and blessings of God
given to sinful men and women are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Apart from Christ, God
promises nothing but wrath; and every supposed blessing will prove to be a
curse.
·
All the love, mercy and grace of God is
in Christ.
·
All the revelation and knowledge of the
triune God is in Christ.
Christ is not only the central message of Holy
Scripture, he is the message of Holy Scripture. To understand that is to have
the key that opens the Word of God and reveals its treasures.
That which is true of the whole Volume of Inspiration
is especially and gloriously true of the last, closing chapters of the Volume,
the Book of Revelation. This last book of the Bible is Christ's revelation of
himself to his servants. This Book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ
(1:1). It is not the revelation of St. John, but the Revelation of Jesus
Christ given to and recorded by John. It is not the book of revelations
(plural). It does not contain many revelations. It contains one revelation seen
in many things. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Two Points
In his book, More Than Conquerors, William
Hendriksen made two points that are crucial to a proper understanding of the
Book of Revelation. First, the theme of this book is: the Victory
of Christ and of his Church over the Dragon (Satan) and his helpers.
The Apocalypse intends to show you, dear believer, that things are not what
they seem! God's purpose is not in jeopardy. Christ, his church, and his truth
will be triumphant at last.
The second point Hendriksen made is about the visions John
describes. Each vision, or section of this book, must be interpreted as a
vision covering the entire gospel age. Each section, Hendriksen
wrote, gives us a description of the entire Gospel Age, from the first to the
second coming of Christ, and is rooted in Israel's history under the old
dispensation to which there are frequent references. Confusion comes when men
try to mix the visions together and make them form a prophetic history of world
events. Each vision is a picture of the Person and work of Christ in
redemption, grace and judgment throughout the gospel age.
Follow that basic, simple guide and you will not greatly err
in interpreting the Book of Revelation, and your heart will be comforted and
thrilled in reading what God has determined to do for you and with you in
Christ. A general survey of these twenty-two chapters of Inspiration will give
the reader a clear understanding of the fact that the revelation given to John
and recorded in this Book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Faithful Witness
1. Christ is the faithful witness (Rev. 1:5).
This title refers to our Savior's
prophetic office. He is that Prophet of whom Moses spoke (Deut. 18:15; John
6:14), both faithful and true. He is the faithful witness of God to his people
(John 1:14,1 8), and our faithful witness before the holy Lord God, as our
Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:12).
First Begotten
2. Our Savior is the first begotten of the dead
(Rev. 1:5).
This refers to our Redeemer's
priestly office. If he is the first begotten of the dead, then he must
have once died. He died for the sins of his people and rose again for their
justification. When he arose as our Head and Representative, he entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb.
9:12). With his own precious blood, our great High Priest has opened for us a
way of free access to God (Heb. 10:19-22).
Prince of Kings
3. Our Redeemer is the prince of the kings of the
earth (Rev. 1:5).
By virtue of his finished work of
redemption, the God-man, our Mediator, has been made the sovereign Monarch of
the universe (John 17:2; Rom. 14:9; Phil. 2:9-11). He is Lord and King even
over his enemies. The kings of the earth have their crowns and kingdoms from
him; they rule by his decree, doing his will (Prov. 21:1); and one day soon
they will all bow before his throne and glorify him as King.
Him that Loved Us
4. The Lord Jesus is him that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God (Rev. 1:5-6).
He loved us
particularly and distinctively, with an everlasting, immutable love. Because he
loved us, he chose us in eternal election, became our Surety in the covenant of
grace, and with his Father, predestinated us unto heavenly glory.
Therefore, he washed
us from our sins in his own blood. By the shedding of his blood, the Lord
Jesus Christ effectually washed away the sins of God's elect. He washed our
sins from the record of heaven, from the memory of God, and washed us from our
sins, making us holy and righteous in the sight of God! That is the work of
Christ in redemption.
All whom he
loved, he washed, and in the fulness of time, he makes them kings and
priests unto God. That speaks of regeneration and conversion. Christ,
sending his Spirit to redeem sinners, gives us a new, holy nature by which we
are made to reign over the lusts of our flesh, so that we are no longer under
the dominion of sin. And as priests, consecrated to God, we have direct access
to God through his blood.
Him that Liveth
5. The Son of God says, I am he that liveth
(Rev. 1:18).
He lives forever because he is
Life! Apart from him there is no life. He lives forever because he is the
living God. But here he is talking about himself as the God-man, our Mediator,
who once was dead, having died as our Substitute for the satisfaction of divine
justice. He died! We thank God for that; but he is now alive for evermore.
Christ Jesus lives forever on behalf of his elect, those for whom he died.
· He lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).
· He lives to give eternal life to all his redeemed
ones (John 17:2).
· Because He lives we live also. We live in him, by
the virtue of his death and by the power of his life.
Holds the Keys
6. Our all-glorious Lord Jesus Christ holds the keys
of hell and of death (Rev. 1:18).
Hell, in this place, simply
refers to the grave. The Lord Jesus Christ, by the virtue of his resurrection,
has power, authority and dominion over death and the grave (Ps. 68:18-20; 1
Cor. 15:51-58).
(Psalms
68:18-20) "Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for
the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. (19) Blessed
be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with
benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. (20) He that is our
God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the
issues from death."
(1
Corinthians 15:51-58) "Behold, I
show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall
be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory. (55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? (56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength
of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain
in the Lord."
He conquered death, hell, and the
grave when he died for us and rose again. Therefore, these great terrors have
no power over us to do us harm, and should cause us no fear (Heb. 2:14-15).
Christ has delivered us from spiritual death in regeneration, the first
resurrection (John 5:25), and shall deliver us from death and the grave in the
resurrection of our bodies at the last day. It is written, Blessed and holy
is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath
no power (Rev. 20:6).
Holds the Stars
7. He who is the Head of the church is he that
holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks (Rev. 2:1).
These seven golden candlesticks are the churches of Christ in
this world. How blessed are
those people who are privileged to gather with God's saints in public worship
(Matt. 18:20). The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, walks in the midst of his
churches!
The seven stars are gospel preachers, God's appointed pastors,
who are the angels, messengers of God, to his churches. The Lord Jesus Christ holds them
in his right hand, puts them where he wants them, gives them the messages they
are responsible to deliver, uses them as he sees fit, and protects them as they
go about his business. Let every true gospel preacher be esteemed by God's
saints as an angel of God sent with a message from God for their souls (1
Thess. 5:12-13).
Lion of Judah
8. He who is our Savior is the Lion of the tribe of
Judah (Rev. 5:5).
Our Savior sprang from the tribe
of Judah and is comparable to a lion. Like a lion, he is strong and courageous.
Like a lion, he devours his enemies. Like a lion, he always prevails. He
prevailed over our enemies. He prevailed with God as our Surety and Substitute.
And he prevails over the hearts of chosen sinners in saving grace.
Root of David
9. Our Savior is called the Root of David
(Rev. 5:5).
Later, he is called the Root
and offspring of David (22:16). He is both the God from whom David
obtained his life and the Man who came from the root of David's house. As a
Man, our Savior arose as a root out of a dry ground (Isa. 53:2). Yet,
he is the Root from which all his people draw their life. The Root of our family
tree is Jesus Christ himself!
The Lamb on the Throne
10.
In the midst of the
throne stood a Lamb (Rev. 5:6).
That Lamb standing in the midst
of the throne of God is Christ our Savior, who was slain for us.
· He is seen standing in the midst of the throne
because he is the center of God's decrees and works and the One who executes
all God's purposes.
· He alone is worthy and able to open the book of
divine predestination and fulfil it.
· Christ stands in the midst of the throne and of the
twenty-four elders (the church of God) and the four beasts (the preachers of
the gospel) as the Savior of all his people and the One of whom all his
servants speak.
· The throne John saw represents the glory of God as
well as the dominion of God; and Christ, as the Lamb of God, is the revelation
and accomplishment of God's glory.
The Mighty Angel
11.
In chapter 10 we see our Lord
Jesus Christ as the the mighty Angel come down from heaven (10:1-3).
Our blessed Savior is the Angel of
the Covenant (Mal. 3:1), the Angel of the Lords Presence (Isa. 63:9), the
Archangel (Jude 9), and the mighty Angel of the Lord who rules the universe,
fulfilling the book of Gods decrees. To the wicked and unbelieving, he is
the Angel of Judgment. But on behalf of his covenant people, he is seen as the
Angel of Providence. He is the Messenger sent by God to reveal his will,
accomplish his purpose, and redeem his people.
(Revelation
10:1-3) "And I saw another mighty
angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon
his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars
of fire: (2) And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his
right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, (3) And
cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth:
and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices."
In
the 20th chapter we see our Savior as the mighty Angel again,
binding Satan and casting him into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3; John
12:31).
(Revelation
20:1-3) "And I saw an angel come
down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into
the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should
deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and
after that he must be loosed a little season."
This great and mighty Angel is God our Savior (18:1). He alone
has the keys of death and hell (1:18). No creature could ever bind the devil,
or even hinder his influence. He was the greatest, most powerful creature of
the Almighty. None but Christ, the Creator, could bind him. In order to
accomplish our salvation Satan had to be bound. And here we see Christ coming
with the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He came to
shackle a treasonous rebel and lock him away. The Scriptures plainly tell us
that one purpose of our Lords incarnation and birth was to make war with,
conquer, and bind the prince of darkness (Gen. 3:15; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:5-11).
And he has won the war!
The Lamb Slain
12.
The Lamb we saw standing
in the midst of the throne (5:6) is the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world (Rev. 13:8).
In the purpose and decree of God,
in anticipation of the fall, for the fulfilling of God's covenant, Christ was
looked upon by God the Father as our
all-sufficient, sin-atoning sacrifice before ever the world was made. God's
elect were looked upon in him as being saved from eternity (Rom. 8:28-31; Eph.
1:3-6; 2 Tim. 1:9).
All that we experience in time of
God's redeeming grace was done for us in eternity in God's decrees. Before the
world was made, in the mind and purpose of almighty God, Christ was the Lamb
slain. That means that in the mind of God, from all eternity, the covenant of
grace was fulfilled, the ransom price was paid, the Surety was exalted, and
God's elect were saved.
Faithful and True
13.
The Lord Jesus Christ is
called Faithful and True (Rev.
19:11).
What a name for the Son of God!
He well deserves it for he is faithful and true in all things. He is Faithful
to his people, to his covenant, to his promises, and to himself. He is True. He
is both the Truth and the True One. Jesus Christ is a true Friend and Brother
(Prov. 17:17), a true Savior (1 John 1:9; 2:1-2), and a true Husband (Song.
5:1-9). So true is this Husband to his bride that he will never leave her and
will never let her leave him.
The Word of God
14.
He is The Word of God
(Rev. 19:13).
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). Christ
is the Word by which God reveals himself and through which the triune God
performs all his works.
· He is the eternal, creating Word, by whom all things
were made (John 1:3; Heb. 11:2).
· He is the incarnate, revealing Word, by whom God is
revealed to man (John 1:14, 18).
· And he is the almighty, saving Word (Heb. 4:12-13),
by whom God calls out and saves his people in regenerating grace.
King of Kings
15.
Our Savior is the King
of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).
As we saw in chapter 1, verse 5,
the Lord Jesus Christ is the absolute, singular, rightful, sovereign Monarch of
heaven and earth (Acts 2:32-36).
(Acts
2:32-36) "This Jesus hath God
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (33) Therefore being by the
right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the
Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (34) For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith
himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (35) Until
I make thy foes thy footstool. (36) Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have
crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Makes All Things New
16.
The Lord Jesus Christ is
that one who declares, behold, I make all things new (Rev. 21:5-6).
In grace, he makes all things
new. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17). In
heavenly glory, he makes all things new, granting to his people a new name and
a new life, without the possibility of sin, sorrow, or death. And in the last
days, he will create a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13).
Alpha and Omega
17.
So great and glorious, so
full and perfect is our Lord Jesus that he is declared to be the Alpha and
Omega (Rev. 22:13).
He is the a and the z, the
first and the last, the beginning and the end of all things. The covenant of
grace begins and ends with Christ. The whole of creation has its origin in
Christ and shall find its consummation in Christ. Every event of providence
comes from Christ and shall glorify Christ. The entire Volume of Holy Scripture,
from beginning to end, speaks of Christ. And in the salvation of God's elect
Jesus Christ is the beginning, the end, and everything between (1 Cor.
1:30-31).
(1
Corinthians 1:30-31) "But of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption: (31) That, according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord."
Bright and Morning Star
18.
Our Redeemer is The
Bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
He is the Light that shines in
darkness, that shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God. He is the Day Star of grace, the Sun of Righteousness, risen over
this sin-cursed earth, with healing in his wings. And he is the Star of that
great eternal day yet to come.
Comes Quickly
19.
Our dear Savior, the lord
Jesus Christ, declares, Surely, I come
quickly (Rev. 22:20).
Soon he shall appear! Suddenly,
without warning, the King of glory shall come again to destroy his enemies,
save his people, restore his creation, and glorify his Father. Then cometh
the end, when the God-man Mediator will perform his last mediatoral work.
He shall deliver up the kingdom, all the hosts of his elect unto God the
Father, saying, Behold I and the children which God hath given me! And
God shall be all in all (Heb. 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:24-28).
No More Tears
Then, we shall see his face, and God
shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away (Re 21:4).
Impossible as it is for us to imagine, there is a time coming when we shall weep no more, when we shall have no cause to weep!
·
Heaven is a place of sure, eternal, ever-increasing bliss; and the
cause of that bliss is our God!
·
Heaven is a place of joy without sorrow, laughter without weeping,
pleasantness without pain!
·
In heaven there are no regrets, no remorseful tears, no second
thoughts, no lost causes, no sorrows of any kind!
If God did
not wipe away all tears from our eyes, there would be much weeping in heaven.
We would surely
weep much over our past sins, unconverted loved ones forever lost in hell,
wasted opportunities while we were upon the earth, our many acts of unkindness
toward our brethren here, and the terrible price of our redemption! But God will wipe away all tears from our
eyes all of them!
·
In heavens glory there will be no more death
to part loving hearts.
·
There will be no more sorrow of any kind.
There will be no more crying for any reason.
·
There will be no more pain of any sort.
·
Why? How can these things be? The former things are passed away!
Our great
God shall, in heavens glory, remove us from all sin, remove all sin from us,
and remove us from all the evil consequences of sin. He will remove us from
every cause of grief. He will bring us at last into the perfection of complete
salvation and every desire of our hearts will be completely gratified. Then we
will be like Christ. We will be with Christ. We will see Christ. We will love
Christ perfectly. We will serve Christ unceasingly. We will worship Christ
without sin. We will rest in Christ completely. We will enjoy Christ fully. We
will have Christ entirely. These things shall be our everlasting experience,
without interruption!
Face to Face
We
are told in Revelation 22:4, And they shall see his face. What a
blessed, glorious prospect this is! This is the great object of our hope, the great
desire of our hearts, the great joy of heaven and the great fulness of our
heavenly reward. The very Christ who died in our place at Calvary, fully
satisfying the wrath and justice of God for us, will be seen by us.
We shall literally see his face. It is delightfully true
that we shall see and enjoy many things in heaven. But that which is now
desired, and will then be enjoyed, above all else is the sight of Christ
himself.
It seems to me that our text also implies a
spiritual sight of Christ, which is far sweeter. In the next world we shall
have a greater ability to see Christ than we now possess. We shall see him
perfectly and know him fully. And our vision of him will be uninterrupted. The
paradise of God is a heaven of pure, intense, eternal, perfect, spiritual
fellowship with Christ.
In that future estate of glory and bliss we shall
have a clear, undimmed vision of Christ, because everything that now
hinders our sight of him will be removed. Our many sins, our earthly
cares and our sorrows in this world now prevent us from seeing our Lord as we
desire. But then there will be nothing between us and our Savior. In glory
there will be nothing in our hearts to rival Christ. We will love him as he
ought to be loved, perfectly. Christ will not only be supreme, he will be all.
Why do we consider this vision of Christ the
greatest bliss of heaven? Why do we place such importance upon this one
aspect of our heavenly inheritance? The reason is just this: when we see the
Lords face our salvation will be complete.
· Every evil thing will be
completely eradicated from us.
· When we see his face we
shall be forever conscious of his favor.
· And when these eyes see his
face a complete transformation will take place. We shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is.
· We shall see things as he
sees them. We shall think as he thinks.
· Our will will
be one with his will.
· Our hearts will be one with
his heart.
· Then, when we see his face,
we shall be perfectly satisfied.
How sweet, then is this promise of our Savior,
Surely, I come quickly! How earnestly our souls
ought to pray, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.