The Revelation of Jesus Christ – part 2
Revelation 1:1-8 (4-8)
May 15, 2016
I want to begin our study this morning looking at a Psalm that I think
Best depicts our reason for studying the book of the Revelation.
If you’d turn for a moment to:
Psalm 11
If you want some context just know that David is living in the midst of a horrific situation. (If you’ve studied the life of David you know that he endured several)
We don’t know the specific situation, but we know it appeared hopeless
• Maybe it was when Saul was on the warpath
• Maybe it was when he had to flee from Absalom
• Maybe it was when the Philistines appeared too powerful
Whatever the situation, it was bad and because of the dire circumstances David was receiving some pretty depressing counsel from his advisers.
You see this counsel in the first 3 verses
And you also see that David doesn’t agree.
(1-3) “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain; For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
The counsel David is receiving (and doesn’t like) is simple to see:
“Flee as a bird to your mountain;”
They want David to run in fear.
WHY?
THE DANGER IS LETHAL
“the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.”
• It was a day in which wickedness seemed to be triumphing over righteousness and those who would love the truth had become a target.
THE SYSTEM IS LIBERAL
“If the foundations are destroyed”
• That is to say that we used to stand on principle. There were moral guidelines and absolutes that seemed unshakeable, but now they are all destroyed.
HOPE IS LOST
“What can the righteous do?”
You understand why David’s counselors would advise him to flee.
• Society no longer sees the difference between right and wrong.
• Truth is no longer preserved or honored or followed.
• Those who love righteousness are the minority and are under attack.
• And since this whole thing is corrupt all the way to the core, there is no hope of things getting better.
The only logical solution is to flee.
EVER FEEL THAT WAY?
Well David didn’t buy that counsel, and let me show you why.
(4-7) “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”
David listened to his friends who saw a corrupt world system.
DAVID SAID, NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I SEE.
THE FOUNDATION ISN’T SHAKEN
“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”
• David told his counselors they were looking at the wrong throne.
• The government may be corrupt, but there is One who sits higher.
• God is still on His throne.
JUSTICE ISN’T FORSAKEN
“The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
• Just because the rulers of the land promote wickedness does not mean that wickedness is ok. God is still on the throne, and He is still jut.
JUDGMENT ISN’T FORGOTTEN
“Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”
• David wanted his counselors to look past the authorities of this world and look to the ultimate authority of the universe.
Yes, things were backward in his world,
But God was still on the throne,
And that meant that one day everything would still be set right.
That is also why we study the book of the Revelation.
It is meant to remind us that the foundation isn’t shaken,
Justice isn’t forsaken, and Judgment isn’t forgotten.
It may seem unlikely in our day and time,
But rest assured righteousness will win the day!
The book of the Revelation reminds us of that.
IN SHORT, IT IS A GOOD READ!
And if you’ll remember that is precisely what John told us last week.
We began looking at what we called “The Introduction” to this book.
Like any trip into a book store you’d look at books on the shelf and make a decision as to whether or not that particular book was worth reading.
• You’d read the title
• You’d read the author
• You’d read the credits
• You’d read the inside cover (preview)
• You’d read the introduction or forward
And based upon that information you’d make a decision
As to whether or not this book was worthy of your time and focus.
That is precisely the information John is giving you in these first 8 verses.
He is giving us 6 pieces of information regarding this book.
We already saw the first 3 last week.
#1 THE TITLE
Revelation 1:1a
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”
Don’t get confused as to what this book is really about.
This book is meant to reveal Jesus to you.
Jesus walked this earth for 33 years in virtual obscurity.
Oh, He was popular, and He was controversial, but He was still virtually unrecognized.
By in large the world totally missed Him.
You’ll remember Isaiah prophesied that this would happen way back in chapter 53. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed…He was despised and we did not esteem Him.”
• The world saw a carpenter
• The world saw a teacher
• The world saw a blasphemer
• The world saw a criminal dying on a cross
But Jesus wanted more for His followers so He prayed that
The Father would show His glory to His disciples.
The book of the Revelation is the answer to that prayer.
This book reveals the real Jesus, the glorified Jesus, the eternal Jesus.
And the title indicates that.
#2 THE AUDIENCE
Revelation 1:1b-2
“which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants…”
This message is not for the world.
The gospels are for them.
This message is for His slaves (His bond-servants),
Those who have surrendered their lives to His Lordship.
• It is a book meant to encourage the faithful.
• It is a book meant to enlighten the confused.
• It is a book meant to exhort the discouraged to press on.
This book is for the redeemed.
It is for them to see Jesus and be encouraged
To endure through the temporary hardships of this life.
So if you are a bond-servant of Jesus and you’d like to see the real Jesus
And His plan for redeeming this world, this is the book you’ll want to read.
And if that were not enough, John even gave a promise regarding this book.
#3 THE PROMISE
Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
The promise is blessing (happiness)
• Partly because this book reveals the good news that Jesus wins.
• Partly because this book gives detailed instruction of how to handle the coming temptation so that you will know how to preserve your soul and be happy for all eternity.
This is valuable information.
Knowing it and following it is the path to eternal blessing or happiness.
In short, READ THIS BOOK
This morning I want to look at the rest of this introduction.
The Title, The Audience, The Promise
#4 THE AUTHOR
Revelation 1:4-5a
This is really more than just the author, it is the complete bibliography.
Everyone who had any input in the information here is listed here for you to see.
After all, you aren’t going to read a book about baseball
From someone who never played it.
We want the authors to have credentials and we want their sources to be valid, otherwise, what is the point?
Here we find the author and his sources.
Now of course the simple answer when looking for the author is to say that “John” wrote it.
• This would have been John the Apostle.
• He was one of the sons of thunder in the gospels.
• His brother was James and together they were quite a duo.
• Famous for wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans
• Famous for having their mother ask if they could sit on the right and left
But also famous for being those who loved Jesus passionately.
They were hand-picked by Jesus to be His followers
And Jesus took the raw passion and blind ambition these men had
And literally transformed them into two of the greatest Christians
The world has ever known.
I suppose the first question should be WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO JOHN on this subject?
There are a couple of passages that indicate why.
First of all because John was an apostle. (eye witness of the resurrected Lord)
He was part of the group to whom Jesus said:
John 20:21-23 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
This didn’t indicate the power of forgiveness (no one can do that but God alone).
It did however indicate authority to announce who was and who wasn’t forgiven.
The office of the apostles was a unique office of authority
By which these men literally disseminated
The truths and judgments of God.
As they penned the New Testament and began to die,
The New Testament became our source of authority in their stead.
But John was an apostle.
Uniquely given authority to write Scripture.
Coupled with that,
We all remember the statement Jesus made regarding His plans for John.
After revealing to Peter that he would die an undesirable death, Peter asked Jesus about John’s fate. To that Jesus replied:
John 21:21-22 “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
That didn’t indicate that John would live forever,
But in hindsight it helps us understand Jesus’ plan
For John to see the Revelation.
John was clearly the hand-picked author to write this book.
But honestly, you and I know that
A WRITER IS REALLY ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS SOURCE.
If you want to know the authenticity of any work, you really need to check out the bibliography at the back and find out where the writer got his facts.
WHO IS THE SOURCE?
That is who John lists here, and there are three of them.
Notice who John says this Revelation came “from”
“from Him who is and who was and who is to come,”
Obviously there is only One who is eternal, and that is God.
John here speaks of God in His fullness, the One who has always been.
“and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,”
This is the Holy Spirit in His fullness.
Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”
And there we have Jesus in His fullness.
“faithful witness” – sinless humanity (man)
“firstborn of the dead” – savior and Son of God (God)
“ruler of the kings of the earth” – sovereign Lord of all (King)
Now pull back a second and let all of that sink in
As you look at this book and examine the authorship.
• We have here a book written by an apostle; one who was an eye-witness of
the resurrection of Jesus, and one handpicked by Jesus to reveal His perfect word.
• The sources this handpicked apostle used were none other than God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
It is a book revealed by God and recorded by an apostle.
Credible enough for you?
The point being that the author knows what he is talking about.
We just pulled a book out that is supposed to Reveal Jesus to us,
And now we find that it was written by a close follower of Jesus
Who got His information from Jesus, the Father who loves Jesus,
And the Spirit whose sole purpose is to glorify Jesus.
I don’t think you can get a more qualified bibliography than this.
If the title and the promise of the book peaks your interest,
You can rest assured that it’s accurate.
It is so accurate in fact that the end of this book even comes with a severe warning.
Revelation 22:18-19 “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”
The authorship is reliable
The information is accurate
The Title, The Audience, The Promise, The Author
#4 THE DEDICATION
Revelation 1:5b-6
Often times when you open a book, before the writer begins they will often times record a small word of dedication.
Dedicated to a spouse…
Dedicated to a colleague…
Dedicated to a friend…
This book also has a dedication.
Sure this book was written TO you, but it was written FOR Jesus.
As I told you last week, it was the desire of Jesus
That His followers be allowed to see His glory.
This book is written for that purpose.
WHY?
Well namely because He deserves it!
I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT ALL JESUS HAS DONE FOR US.
“To Him who loves us”
Well that’s obvious isn’t it?
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
“and released us from our sins by His blood”
Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
• It was Jesus who died upon a cross to pay our debt before God.
• It was Jesus who then set us free from sin’s power.
Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
“and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father”
We just studied Hebrews about how Jesus was our great high priest
Who continually intercedes for us before the throne.
But we are also reminded that Jesus also made us “priests to His God”
That is He granted us access to the Father.
John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”
So if you are following along, John reminds us that
It was Jesus who came and died for us that He might set us free from our sins and grant us unlimited access to God.
Don’t you think He should receive a little credit for that?
Absolutely!
That is why John says this book is for Him!
“To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
That is the dedication of the book.
• It is a book written to reveal Jesus.
• It is written to those who are His followers.
• It is written by God’s handpicked servant.
• It is a book written to make sure that Jesus receives all the glory due Him!
What a great book!
I would certainly think any and all who love Jesus
Would be chomping at the bit to read it over and over.
So, you walked into the bookstore
• You thumbed through the titles.
• You found this book that said it was about Jesus.
• It said it was only for believers and it promised to bless you if you’d read it.
• The authorship was solid
• The dedication was certainly on point
AND SO NOW THERE IS ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO.
(you know you’re going to…)
• You are going to buy one of those mocha-choca-frapa-locka’s
• Then you’re going to sit down in one of those big old arm chairs and read just a little bit of it while you wait for your wife to come back from Bath and Body Works.
Let’s take a look at this introduction…this preview
#6 THE PREVIEW
Revelation 1:7-8
So what sort of stuff am I going to read in this book?
Well obviously the book carries information about Jesus and the end,
BUT THE CENTRAL EVENT IS UNMISTAKABLE.
This is where someone should say “Spoiler Alert”
Because John is about to give you the final score right here and now.
You want to know what this book is about?
1) A PROMISED RETURN!
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds”
Many this point you want to go on a wild goose chase trying to figure out the symbolism of “clouds” here.
I hear people talk about literal clouds or a great cloud of witnesses or a symbolic angel army and go on this huge debate about exactly what that means.
TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT!
The point is “HE IS COMING”
And honestly, the whole clouds thing should be rather obvious.
Acts 1:9-11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
John saw Him ascend, and John now sees Him descend!
To the church, there is no greater word of encouragement
Or excitement or thrill or anticipation than this!
Imagine the sheer exhilaration if someone ran in the back door right now and said, “I SEE HIM, HE IS COMING!”
The church is those who have “longed for His appearing”
All throughout the New Testament
Those who served the Lord anticipated it greatly.
Non-believers have even begun to mock that it won’t ever happen.
But John here says, “O yes it will! I saw it!”
“He is coming with the clouds”
• Are you tired of our fallen world?
• Are you tired of this immoral system?
• Are you tired of the corruption and decay and struggle against the darkness?
• Are you tired of sickness and death and pain?
Well, “He is coming”
And if you want to know more about it, read this book.
A Promised Return
2) A PROMISED RECOGNITION!
“and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him;”
The first time He came (just as Isaiah said) they did not recognize Him.
Matthew 13:14-15 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”
• The first time people were blind and deaf and hard.
• They accused Him of being demon possessed.
• They accused Him of being a lunatic.
But that won’t happen the next time.
No one will miss Him the next time He comes.
• He won’t slip in the back door, hide in a virgin’s womb, and lay in a manger.
• He won’t grow up in obscurity, heralded only by a hermit in the desert.
• He won’t live in meekness, followed only by the weak and down-trodden.
• He won’t suffer in shame at the hands of the godless.
NOT THIS TIME…
This time when He comes,
He will come like you and I would have come the first time.
He will come in full glory.
Pomp and Circumstance to the hilt.
No boxer, No wrestler, No Super Bowl Champion, No Presidential Candidate ever entered a room like He’ll reenter this world.
“every eye will see Him”
He will be absolute center stage, unmissable!
And when we say “every” we mean “every”
“even those who pierced Him.”
That is to say even those who reject Him.
Hebrews 6 reminded us about people who willingly reject Jesus.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
• All those people who heard of Jesus and knew of Jesus and deemed Him unworthy of being Lord in their life.
• All those people who heard His words, and knew His truth, but decided He was not worthy to be loved and obeyed.
Everyone of those people is going to see Him in all His glory.
They are going to see what they missed.
And that leads to the third preview in this book.
A Promised Return, A Promised Recognition
3) A PROMISED RESPONSE!
“and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.”
If you’ll remember Jesus was pretty clear that mourning was important.
He taught us way back in the beatitudes.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Jesus taught us that we should be mourning over our sin before God
So that we might find forgiveness and comfort.
But there have always been those who refused to do so.
• Instead of mourning over their sin, they celebrated it.
• Instead of hating their sin, they loved it.
• Instead of reaching for Jesus, they pushed Him away.
But that response won’t last forever.
When Jesus returns those who refused to mourn over their sin
Will mourn over their fate.
There will be no doubt who is King and who is Lord
And there will be no doubt how much trouble they are in.
It is hard to be a Christian in this world.
• It is hard to love our enemies
• It is hard to pray for our persecutors
• It is hard to submit to our corrupt governing authorities
• It is hard to leave room for the wrath of God
• It is hard to turn the other cheek
We find within ourselves the groanings of the psalmists
In the Old Testament.
Psalms 90:13-17 “Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”
That has certainly been our cry.
Well here John says, He’s coming!
Those who rejected Him will see Him
And everyone will know that He alone is King!
AND IF YOU WANT THE DECLARATION, HERE IT IS.
“So it is to be. Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
That is another way of saying, it is going to happen!
This book is about the day
When King Jesus returns to punish His enemies,
Reward His followers,
Remove the curse of sin,
And to reign upon the earth.
It’s a good read!
I suppose the only question now is: Are you willing to commit yourself to hearing it and heeding it?
We’ll do the work and study this book,
But the commitment level is up to you.
All I can promise is that if you’ll commit yourself to it,
You will be blessed.
