Revelation 1:1-8

A Lord We Can Love

Subject: How should the church respond to the trials that are going to happen soon?

Complement: We should rejoice and be careful to obey the Triune God because He is the source of our strength, He is the soon and coming King, and He is the all-powerful Lord.

Idea: We live with joy because we have a loving Lord who is in control.

Image: An un-popular politician.

Doctrine: The Lordship of Christ.

Purpose: As a result of this sermon, my hearers will rejoice in the Lordship of Christ, and His mission for us.

This is an important year. 2008 is probably important for many reasons, but on a national level it is an election year. It’s only February and already the candidates have spend hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to become the next president of the United States. The election has so dominated the news that it is hard to believe we still have about 9 months until we vote (and by the way I hope that everyone in this room will vote). The process is messy and long, but to be honest with you I really enjoy election years. I love election years because I get to hear significant people make great claims about what they stand for and how they intend to help our country become a better place. The candidates lay out grandiose visions of what our country can be if only we will vote for him or her. This process gives me hope for our country, it helps me to imagine what our country could be. But my enjoyment doesn’t last very long. In my lifetime, there has yet to be a President that I love. Some I like better than others, but I don’t love any of them. I have been consistently disappointed in many of the decisions our Presidents make. And, I’m guessing the same will be true of the next president. I’ve been thinking, “Are these people really the best leaders for our country?” Maybe I’m a bit disillusioned. But I know I’ve been disappointed in all of our leaders.

That is part of the reason I love the book of Revelation. One of my favorite classes in seminary was my class on Revelation. Initially, I signed up for the class because I had no clue what was going on Revelation. I had no idea what to make of all those angels, and dragons, and lamp stands. I was interested in Revelation, but I didn’t understand it. And during the class I learned to love this book. Not because I totally understand everything in it, but because it has helped me to know and love Jesus. Through all of its confusing symbols and drama, Revelation is really about the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s about His ultimate plan to rule the universe and to restore His creation. The book of Revelation reminds us that no matter who is in the White House, we can live with joy because we have a loving Lord who is really in control. And that’s what this passage is about. It tells us that we can joyfully endure anything that this world dishes out because we have a God who loves us, and He is in control. He cares about our circumstances, He sees our trials, and He has a wonderful plan to fix this broken world.

Let’s look at our text. Beginning with verse 1. “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” The first thing that we notice is that the Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ. The word Revelation literally means to reveal. And this book reveals Jesus Christ. That is the primary purpose of this book, to reveal Jesus Christ. Many faithful Christians think that the book of Revelation is primarily about the future. They try to read Revelation like a map that lays out all of the twists and turns, and the events and people of the future. Now, Revelation does talk about the future, but it is not primarily ABOUT the future. It is about Jesus Christ. But there’s more. Revelation is also about how the Church should be faithful to serve the Lord Jesus in the face of worldly glory. Revelation shows us “what must soon take place.” But it does that for two reasons. First, it shows us what will soon take place to reveal the illusion of worldly glory. John wrote this book during the height of the Roman Empire. Rome was in control of almost the entire known world. It was tempting for Christians to pursue the glory and splendor of Rome. But, Revelation shows us what must soon take place. That the glory of Rome, and the glory of every other worldly empire, is an illusion. There is no comparison between the glamour and glory of the world and the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ. For example, think about what is happening tonight at the Academy Awards. It is one of the most glamorous nights in the United States. We are attracted to the glory of the most important people in entertainment who are dressed in their absolute best. And we celebrate the glory of the movies. Now, according to most experts, two movies are likely to have the honor of “best film.” Probably “No Country for Old Men,” or “There Will be Blood,” will win the Oscar. I have not seen either movie but I’ve heard it said that both of them are “very bloody.” It is tempting for us to get caught up in the glory of these movies when one of them wins the Oscar. But the glory of these two bloody films is an illusion. The gold statuette is just a tarnished idol compared to the glory of the blood shed by the Savior of the world. Listen to the glory of Jesus in Revelation 5. “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth … I looked and I heard around the throne …And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” Now that is Glory. Worldly power and glory is an illusion so Christians must be counter-cultural. We ought not place our allegiance in the glories our country, no matter how great it seems.

That leads us to the second thing that will soon take place. Revelations shows us that it will be difficult to remain faithful in this hostile world. While some Christians were tempted by the glory of Rome, others were brutalized by the horrors of Rome. God wanted the Church to know “what would soon take place.” You will be persecuted; you will be discriminated against. You will be shamed in the eyes of the world because you follow me. Living as a faithful witness is going to be difficult. But, Revelation shows us that Jesus is still in control and that one day the persecutions will come to an end. So as this book reveals Jesus Christ and shows the church what will soon take place, it encourages Christians to be faithful to serve God in the midst of trials. Look at verse 3. “Blessed is the one who reads the word of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near.” Through this book, God blesses and encourages Christians to be faithful in serving Him. Even though difficult times are ahead, you will be blessed, you will be happy when you hear the message of this book and when you remain faithful to God. The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ and how the Church should serve Him in the face of worldly trials and challenges. John lays out His entire purpose right there in the prologue. This book will help us to see Jesus Christ in all of His glory, and we will be blessed when we hear it and put its message into practice.

So what does it tell us? How should the church serve Him? Christians can serve God with joy, because He is a loving Lord. That’s what we see in verses 4 – 6. We can be faithful to God; we can give our lives fully to Him, because He loves us, and because He is the Lord of all the universe. He’s not like the worldly rulers with their bad decisions and corrupt character. We see in verse 4 that this book is for all Christians. John writes “to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” Now, we know from historical records that there were more than 7 churches in Asia. But John writes to “seven” because seven is the number for completeness. So, even though this letter was addressed to seven churches, it is really to all of the churches. And going on in verse 4 we see that the triune God blesses His servants, ALL of his churches with grace and peace. It is easy to serve a God who strengthens us with grace – giving us more than we deserve, granting us favor. It is easy to serve a God who brings us peace – comfort and rest in the midst of turmoil. And this grace and peace is from the triune God. We see this in verses 4-5. It is from “him who is, and was and is to come.” That’s talking about God the father. That phrase reminds us of God’s self revelation to Moses back in the book of Exodus as the great I AM. And the grace and peace is from the Holy Spirit. “the seven spirits before his throne.” Remember the number 7 refers to completeness. The whole spirit of God brings us grace and peace. And going on in verse 5 we see that we receive grace and peace from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness – the first one to be truly counter-cultural in the face of worldly power and trials. He is the firstborn from the dead – the one who conquered death so that others would follow in His triumph over death, the final enemy. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth – the one who is more powerful than the Caesars, and the Presidents, and the Parliaments, and the Dictators in this world. That triune God gives us grace and peace. It is hard to serve a Lord who only uses and abuses His servants, but we can joyfully serve our powerful Lord who fills His servants with grace and with peace.

But we can also serve the Lord with joy because He loves us. There it is in verse 5. “To Him who loves us.” Think about that. We can joyfully serve the Lord of the universe because he LOVES us! He has an on-going continual love for His servants. It doesn’t say, who LOVED us. No! He still loves us. He is a Lord unlike so many politicians who show love and favor to people when they are candidates only to forget about them once they are elected. The Love of Jesus Christ is on going. He loves His servants. He loves us so much that He died for us. That’s the next reason we can serve Him with Joy. He freed us from our sins by His blood. Before He received all of the Glory due His name, He surrendered everything. He sacrificed himself. He poured out His own blood to rescue us from our rebellion. Jesus Love for his servants is genuine, sacrificial love. Romans 5:8 tells us “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were selfishly living like the lords of our own lives, the Lord of the entire universe laid down His life for us rebels because He loved us. We can joyfully serve a Lord who loves us like that. He is a Lord who acts in the absolute BEST interests of His people. We can joyfully serve Him because He has given us a great task to accomplish. Verse 6 says, “He has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.” He didn’t just save us from our sins; He saved us for service. He has two wonderful jobs for us. We get to serve him as a kingdom. We are called to work with our Great King to make this Creation of His a better place. As members of the Kingdom our jobs help overcome the effects of sin in this world. Artists give us a glimpse of the beauty and creativity of the God. Engineers help us to overcome the challenges in living as a society. Medical researchers help to alleviate the suffering caused by disease and mortal bodies. Mothers and Fathers help their children to overcome their own selfish and sinful natures. Lawyers protect and defend people and businesses that face challenges from a self-serving world. Garbage collectors get rid of unpleasant trash that leads to sickness and disease. No matter what your job is, you are a member of the kingdom and we can serve the Lord with joy because He has given us a task to do – to overcome the effects of sin in this world. We can also serve him with joy because He has made us priests to our God. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the great High Priest. He is the only mediator between God and men. But as priests to His God and Father we have direct access to God. We can offer sacrifices, and worship, and prayers to God. We have a direct line to the Glorious God of the universe. And as priests we serve as mediators of God’s grace. We have the privilege of leading others in worship, of helping them to see the glory of God, and of spreading His grace to a dying world. As priests we have the joy of leading others to the Lord. We can joyfully serve a Lord like that. It is a delight to serve a Lord who gives us grace and peace, who loves us, who frees us from our sins, and who gives us such a wonderful job to do. Christians can joyfully serve God because He is our great loving Lord.

We can also serve him with joy because He is the all-powerful Lord. While it is nice to serve people who love us, most of the people who love us have very little power. But that is not true of Jesus Christ. He loves us, but He is also the all-powerful Lord of the universe. He will accomplish His plans. He is the mighty God who is actively bringing all things under His power. We can joyfully serve him because He is the all-powerful Lord. At the end of verse 6 we see that all glory and power belong to Him. It is not a temporary glory, it is not like the power of the nations that fades and is tarnished, and it is an eternal glory. It is an ever-lasting power. His power and glory last forever. Mark 24:35 tells us that even His words will never pass away. Then this passage tells us that someday the entire earth will acknowledge His power. Verse 7 says, “He is coming with the clouds, every eye will see Him, all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.” Why will they mourn? They will mourn because they will see the scars of the Glorious Lord of the universe and they will realize the awful cost of sin. The whole world will finally weep because our sin caused the glorious all-powerful Lord of the universe to suffer. On Good Friday most of the world did not weep or mourn the death of the Son of God, but when He comes again, the whole earth will see his scars and will mourn because the world will realize the awful cost of sin. The world will mourn because it will finally realize the Son of God had to bleed and die because of sin. Finally, Christians can serve God with joy because He is in control of everything. In verse 8 we hear God the Father speak. “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” God is in control of everything. He is the A, the Z and everything in-between. He began everything, he will bring an end to all things, and he is totally in control in the middle. He is the God who is, who was, and who is to come.” He is the God of the present. He is the Great I AM, but we can also see His faithfulness in the past, and we can trust his consummation in the future. This is a good word for us. This is cause to serve God with Joy. When we look at our past we can see the Hand of God leading us through. But it is sometimes harder to trust Him in the present or to trust that His plans for our future. But God is in control. He always was, and He always will be. He is almighty. He is omnipotent. He is all-powerful. He is supreme. He is unstoppable. He is invincible. The Lord our God is mighty to save. We can joyfully serve Him. We can give God our best; we can fully devote our lives to Him, because He is all-powerful. He will do what He says.

That’s what the book of Revelation is all about. We can live with joy because we have a loving Lord who is in control. Revelation shows us Jesus and it encourages us to be faithful to Him because He loves us and because He is in control. When we are discouraged or overwhelmed, or tempted by the glory and powers of this world, we can serve the Lord with joy. The glory of this world is just an illusion, the trials of this world will pass, but we serve an almighty Lord who cares deeply about us. We can endure; we can make it to the end. We can follow the example of Jesus who was the ultimate faithful witness. The Lord our God loves us. He is the king of kings and He is the Lord of Lords. And we can follow Him and serve Him with joy. We can endure to the end. We can live our lives with joy because we have a loving Lord who is in control.