Well, it's good to be home. I
bring you greetings from the church, the assembly there in
Florida, Orlando. It's good to visit. It's good
to be home. Turn with me to the book of Revelation, chapter 1. I'd like to consider
the next two verses, verses 5 and 6. John, who is recorded as the
servant of God, who bears record of the Word of God and of the
testimony of Jesus Christ and all the things that He saw was
told by the Lord to write to the seven churches which are
in Asia. Now, in the salutation that John
wrote to the seven churches, we behold the complete and total
message of the Lord Jesus Himself to His church in every age until
the second return of our Lord." Meaning this, when we get in
to looking at exactly what was said to each of those seven churches,
what we're going to find is that it was not seven dispensations
or seven periods of time until we've come down to the last one.
The message to the first church is the message to Katie Baptist
Church today. The message to the second, third,
and on to the seventh is the message to the church. That message that was sent from
the Lord Himself was signified unto John, and this is the message. Grace and peace is from the eternal
and immutable, unchangeable, God Himself, Father, Son, and
Spirit. Now in this fifth verse, we are
going to find the basis, the foundation of grace and peace. This is where we find all of
our hope. It is from the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we behold Him, the God-man. In Philippians chapter 2, verses
5 through 11, here is what Paul writing to the church at Philippi
had to say, ìLet this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus, who being in the form of thought it not robbery to
be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and it took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man. He humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him. and given him a
name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Now from the opening verses, we find that this book is the
revelation of Jesus Christ. We look now into the unveiling
of who is He. Now that's an important question. I know that there are people,
there's men that are standing and setting forth and using,
verbalizing the name, Jesus Christ. I am reminded in the book of
Acts when the apostle Paul said to the men of Athens as he was
walking through that city, he said he passed by and beheld
their devotions. And he found an altar. And it said on that altar, it
had this inscription on it, to the unknown God. Scripture says
that Paul told Him, he said, this God that you ignorantly
worship, He is the God that I declare unto you. Who is? That's the title of this message. Who is Jesus Christ? Now listen, we're dying creatures. Brother Scott just read a passage
of Scripture and it said this, Lord, teach us to number our
days, that we might apply our heart to wisdom. Jesus Christ,
He said, this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent to leave
this world Ignorant of Him is to leave this world under the
wrath of God. Who is He? Who is Jesus Christ? In Romans chapter 10, verse 13,
the Scripture says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. It appears as though to me that
based upon that Scripture right there, I would want to know,
who is He? Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever shall appeal, that
is, in heart. Whosoever shall call upon the
name or the character, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, shall
be saved." I looked through and found the Scripture's revelation
of His name in the Old Testament. He is called Jehovah Jireh. That is, the Lord will provide. If a man or woman is saved, the
Lord will provide. Not them and the Lord, Not them
by their free will, the Lord will provide. He is called Jehovah
Rapha, the Lord that healeth. Jehovah Nisi, the Lord our banner. His banner over us is love. He is called Jehovah Shalom,
the Lord our peace. Peace before God and peace within
our heart. Peace within our conscience because
of the peace that He has made, He has wrought for us in His
blood. Jehovah-ra'ah, the Lord my Shepherd,
my Guide. Jehovah-sidkenu, the Lord our
Righteousness. And Jehovah-shema, the Lord is
present. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved." That's what the Scripture says.
But as I was considering and thinking on this whosoever, now
there's another word that men abuse. In a sense, I am perfectly
aware. It's the word whosoever is broad
in its scope. And for that, I'm thankful. Whosoever. You know what it means? Whosoever. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. In Joel, I want to make a distinction
here in the book of Joel. Let me just read this to you.
Joel 2 and verse 32, the Scripture. distinguishes the whosoever. Joel 2.32 says, ìAnd it shall
come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
shall be delivered. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, and in the remnant
whom the Lord shall call.î Iíll tell you this. Salvation is of
the Lord. If Almighty God is purposed to
call a man out, God Almighty will give that man a heart to
call. Thy people shall be willing. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation left in the hands of
a man is no salvation at all. Salvation. Whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved." But then the next
Scriptures in Romans 10 and verse 14 says this, How then shall
they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved." It is important that we know. I know men will say, ìIt doesnít
matter what you believe.î Oh, yes, it does. Yes, it does. Who is He? Who is Jesus Christ? Back in Revelation 1, verse 5. Who is He? Well, verse 5, it
says, And from Jesus Christ, who is, number one, the faithful
witness? Who is He? The Scripture sets
forth by the essence of Him being the God-Man. When it says, Christ. What that saying is, the God-Man. A son was given. A child was
born. You shall call His name what?
Jesus. Why? Because He shall save His
people. His name is Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, the Anointed One, the Sent One. by the essence of Him
being the God-man." God and man, the mystery of godliness. Here He is, God-man. As the Lord God Himself, He reveals
the mind and the love and the mercy and goodness of Almighty
God Himself to His people. That's what He said. In John
chapter 17, we've read this numerous times, but we'll read it again
this morning. John 17 verse 6, he said, I've
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out
of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest
them me, they've kept thy word. Verse 8 says, For I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they've received
them, they have known surely. that I came out from thee, and
they have believed that thou didst send Me." He is the God-man,
the faithful witness. He's faithfully witnessed God's
sovereignty in election, and the surety of those whom God
has set His affection on shall be saved. In John 6, verse 37,
through 39, the Scripture says, "...all that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out." He said, I do always those things that please
Him. He is the faithful witness. He's faithfully witnessed the
only way to the Father. Now, this is going to just Shut
the mouth of every man, every woman that says anything inconsistent
with this statement. John 14, 6, he faithfully has
said, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by Me. In John 10, verse 1, He said,
He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. And in
verse 7, He said, I am the door, I am it. Faithfully, the Lord
Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, here was Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews, teacher, instructor, Nicodemus was told by the Lord
Jesus Christ, you must be born again. Verily, verily, or truly,
truly, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of heaven. 1 Peter, we'll read this in just
a few moments, but in 1 Peter, the Scripture says in 1 Peter,
1, 3 to 5, it says, He hath begotten us again. He hath begotten us. He has birthed us, Robin, again. He said to Nicodemus, you must
be born again. You couldn't be born yourself
the first time. You didn't will yourself to be
born. You must be born again. You can't
will yourself a second time. He hath begotten us again. Who is He? He is the faithful,
trustworthy witness. John 3.34, For he whom God hath
sent, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, speaketh the words of
God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure. unto Him. God that cannot lie is the faithful
witness. Secondly, who is He? He is the
first begotten of the dead. Now what is said here of the
Lord Jesus Christ refers without doubt in Revelation, the setting
forth of His relationship as the mediator, the God-man. As the God-man, we behold Him,
the faithful witness. In the beginning, John said,
John 1, 1, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with
God and the Word was God. Verse 14 of John 1 says, And
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth." God and His man, we behold Him who died as the
elect's substitute. He said in John 10, 15, I lay
down my life for the sheep. There's a distinction. Who did
He die for? He died for the sheep. all that
my Father hath given me, I'll lose nothing." He died for His
people. In Romans 5, verse 15, He says,
"...for if through the offense of one many be dead, much more
the grace of God in gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ
hath abounded unto many." He is the first begotten, the firstborn
of the dead. So we know therefore that He
died. Who is He? He is the substitute for His
people. He died, the Scripture says in
Galatians 3.13, redeeming us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us. Made sin. He hath made Him. Now, I do realize that others
were raised from the dead, but they died again. But concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the first begotten of the dead,
the first raised from death to immortality to die no more, the
first who raised Himself from the dead. He said, I have power
to lay down my life. I have power to raise it again.
That's power. That's all power. He who can
raise Himself from the dead. He's the firstfruits and the
sole cause of resurrection for His people. The Lord Jesus spoke
to Martha in John 11 and 23 He said, Martha, thy brother shall
rise again. And Martha saith unto him, I
know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day. And Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. As the first begotten of the
dead, he was raised as the representative of his elect. And His resurrection
is the surety that all in Him shall rise. Also, in 1 Corinthians
15, verse 19 through 23, the Scripture
says, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of
all men most miserable. This is all the hope we've got
right now. that were miserable. But now
is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of
them that slept. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits afterward, they
that are Christ's at His coming. In Acts 26-23 it says that Christ
should suffer, that He should be the first that should rise
from the dead and should show light unto the people and to
the Gentiles. He is the first begotten of the
dead. And as the first begotten from
the dead, we behold Him who by His blood has consecrated, or
that is, made new for us through the veil of His flesh, access
to the holiest. We have a High Priest, a High
Priest who is over the house of God. The Scripture says, Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water." Who is He? First of all, He is the
faithful witness. Let all men be a liar. Let God
be true. He is the faithful witness and
He is the first begotten of the dead. And then the Scripture
says that He is the Prince of the kings of the earth. The comfort to the people of
God is to know this. that Almighty God reigns. He's God. He is God in creation. All things were made by Him and
for Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. All things. He is God in providence. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. The reason that you got up this
morning, the reason that you showed up here this morning is
to His honor and His glory and the good of His people. The reason
that the sun is shining at this moment and that it may not be
shining after a while is according to His providence. Why would
that cloud come over? Because God works all things
after the counsel of His own will. What difference does it
make He works all things after the counsel of His own will?
I cannot tell you why God does what He does, but I can tell
you that He does it according to His purpose. He does it according
to His honor. He does it according to the good
of His people. He works all things in salvation. He's God. He saves His people. He doesn't try to save them.
He doesn't leave them to themselves. You shall call His name Jesus. Why? Because He will save His
people. He'll save them. He'll save them.
He won't leave them. to themselves to perish, He'll
save them. All that the Father gives me
shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out. Nebuchadnezzar said of Him, I
bless the Most High And I praised and honored him that liveth forever,
whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is
from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing." Men say there is a little good
in all men. No, there is not. There is none
good. There is none good, no, not one. And He doeth, Nebuchadnezzar
says, according to His will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand, or
say unto Him, What doest Thou? I hear men say, Oh, I fought against the Lord
and I knew that God wanted me to
do I come to Him and I grab hold of that shoe and I white-knuckle
and I resist it and I resist it. And I think, you grasshopper,
who do you think you are? I'm telling you when Almighty
God purposes to call a man out of darkness, you know what He
does? He calls that man out of darkness. gives that man a new
heart. And if that man doesn't come,
it's because God didn't call him. He doeth as He will. Who is He? I'm telling you who
He is. He's God. You hear the word of the faithful
witness. All power, He says, given unto
Me in heaven and earth. You behold Him who is the first
begotten of the dead, and who has entered into the holy place
for us, having finished the work the Father gave Him to do." Hebrews
7.24 says, But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood. He is the Prince of the kings
of the earth. before whom every knee is going
to bow and every tongue is going to confess that He is Lord to
the glory of God. That's who He is. Who is He?
Let me ask you this. What has He done? Well, back
in Revelation, it says, unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. That's what he's done. Natural
minds think that God has a universal love. Universal love is no love at
all. That's no love at all. I've got
four kids, and I'm going to tell you something. I can truthfully say, I believe
I can, that I could love other kids. I think I do. Gary, I love Sean. You know that. But let me ask you this. If it
comes down to my kids, there's something different about my
kids. And if you can't say that, there's
something wrong. They're your kids. That's your
kids. His love is particular. He has a particular love. In the book of Malachi, I'll
just read this for you. Malachi 1, verse 2 and 3. Let me show you what he's saying.
He says, Malachi 1 and 2, if you want to go back and look
at it, I have loved you, saith the Lord. I loved you, saith
the Lord. Yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? And
he said, Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet
I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and hath laid his mountains and
his heritage waste in the dragons of the wilderness." I'm telling
you, that the love of God is particular. He loves His people. His love is eternal. Jeremiah 31.3 says, Yet I have
loved thee with an everlasting love. My question is this. Has God always loved His people? The answer is yes. Everlasting. Stan means everlasting. That's
what it means. I've loved you with an everlasting
love, and His love is effectual. Because the remaining part of
Jeremiah 31, verse 3 says, therefore, the first part says, I've loved
thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee. He's drawn you. So I know this,
His love is particular, His love is eternal, His love is effectual,
and He loves us freely. That means without a cause in
you. Not without a cause at all, but
without a cause in you. Hosea 14, verse 4 says, I will
heal their backslidings, I will love them freely, for mine anger
is turned away from Him. His love was manifested in the
substitutionary death of Christ for His people. I've already
quoted the verse that says, I lay down my life for the sheep. There was one of the Pharisees
that came up to him one time in the Gospel of John and said,
How long do you make us to die? Won't you tell us plainly? Tell
us who you are. He said, I told you. He said,
but you believe not. Why? Because you're not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice and they
follow Me. I lay down My life for the sheep. He was saying that day, I'll
divide the sheep and the goats. How long have they been sheep?
They've always been sheep. It's not a goat that comes in
to be a sheep. They're always sheep. Maybe lost
sheep. But the sheep, God's people. And His love was manifested in
that He died. Hereby, 1 John 3.16 says, Perceive
we the love of God. This is how we know it. Because
He laid down His life for us. Not to make it possible. He finished
the work that the Father gave Him to do. He was sent into this
world, what? To seek and save that which was
lost. And the effect of His death?
The Scripture says back in Revelation, here's the effect, He washed
us from our sins in His own blood. That's what He did. He did it. Here we see the effect of His
love. He washed us. He was the propitiation
for our sins. That is the atonement, the appeasement. In Revelation 7 and verse 13,
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these? which are arrayed in white robes,
and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Let me
read you something concerning those that have washed their
robes white. In Zechariah 3, Verse 2 to 5,
it says this, The Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee,
O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a bran plucked out
of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake
unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy
garments from him, And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused
thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a
change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair
mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon
his head, and clothed him with garments, and the angel of the
Lord stood by." Do you know how? God's people's garments are washed
white in His blood. He washed you. He gave you the
garments. He clothed you. Who are these? They are God's people. What has
He done? He has washed us in His own blood,
washed us from our sins. I made this statement down the
other day when I was in Florida concerning this passage right
here. The Scripture says, He washed us from our sins. Now,
if you think about it, you think, well, it would seem like to me
that it would say, He washed our sins from us. But it says
He washed us from our sins, Bob. He washed us. That word washed
right there carries the connotation of loose, to loose, or to free. You see, man born in Adam is
a prisoner to sin. He doesn't think he is. The only
way we know it, you know how we know it? It's because God's
told us that we are. In Proverbs 5, verse 22, it says,
"...his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and
he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." How do I know that
a man is bound? and trespasses in sins, because
God has told him that He is. In John 8, verse 34, Jesus answered
them, barely, barely, I say unto thee, whosoever committed sin
is the servant of sin. The Lord had read from the Scripture
concerning Himself in Isaiah. He said, He has sent Me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised. us from our sins in His own blood. He loosed us. Who is He? I'll tell you who He is. The
faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, the Prince of the
kings of the earth unto Him that loved us and washed us from our
sins in His own blood. And then in closing, in verse
6, this is what He's done. He hath made us kings and priests
unto God and His Father." We are said here in this verse to
be kings, but He is our King. He is the King of kings. Only as we have been eternally
loved and washed from our sins, having been robed with the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted in the Beloved, can
this be said? He hath made us kings. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4.8, Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord
the righteous Judge shall give me at that day, and not to Me
only, but to all them that love His appearing." In 1 Peter, this
is what I wanted to read a while ago. In 1 Peter chapter 1, the
Scripture says beginning in verse 1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, According to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy
hath begotten us again." That is, birthed us again, reborn,
born again. unto a lively hope, a real hope,
a living hope, not a dead hope, that a man has in his own ability
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the first
begotten, to an inheritance, there it is, He made us kings.
We have an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time." Listen, Paul says, there is for me a crown of righteousness. Now, I know what men, they find
great pride in thinking that they have earned these great
crowns that they are going to be wearing in heaven. The happiness, the glory, The
state of all God's people in heaven is signified by that crown. Because of the excellency, it
is a crown of righteousness because that righteousness has been imputed
to us. It is the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our crown. He is our honor. He is the glory. of His people. All glory is unto Him. He hath made us kings and also
priests unto God. We are priests unto God because
we have access to God by the blood of Christ, not by our own
ability, not by our own will. The Scripture says to enter into
the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Boldness, confidence, cheerfulness. God's people, when they enter
into His presence by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, they
are aware. My entrance by faith is by Him,
by His blood, by His obedience. He is our great High Priest. Christ is our High Priest. And we are priests unto God in
Him, offering up spiritual sacrifices. And here they are. Faith, love,
praise. And 1 Peter 2.5 speaks of those
as saying they are acceptable to God by Him. Only I am the
way. I am the truth. I am the door. No man comes to the Father but
by Me. Men think that they can just
enter into His presence. They pray. They enter by Him,
by His blood. We are priests. And the heart
responds unto that truth that is set forth. And this is what
it says. unto Him who hath made us kings
and priests unto God and His Father, they say, to Him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. This is the attitude of
God's people. They assemble. They want to hear
of Him. Preach Him. That's what Paul
said. Purposed to preach Jesus Christ. and Him crucified. Who is He?
I'll tell you. He's the faithful witness. The
first begotten of the dead. The Prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. That's who He is. That's who
this book is about. It's the revelation of Jesus
Christ. Alright, Gary, won't you come
lead us in one verse of a closing hymn. And then I'll ask you,
Brother Scott, if you'd dismiss us and thank the Lord. We'll
have lunch today and no services tonight.