I'm speaking to you this morning
from God's Word in the book called The Revelation, The Revelation
chapter 1. Now many mistakenly call this
book Revelations, plural, but it is called The Revelation,
verse 1, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, as is the whole Bible. Scripture says they are they
which testify of him, of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the volume
of the book it is written of Christ, he said. It is the revelation,
the only revelation. Revelation, not something you
figure out. Not something you discover, but
something that is revealed to you. That God must reveal these
things unto us by His Spirit. Verse 1 says, It is the revelation
of Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants. It is God's will, God's purpose,
God's gospel, God's truth which God gave to Christ to show, to
reveal to His servants. to His apostles, to His disciples,
to His followers, those who serve His cause, who serve His glory,
who serve His people. And our Lord Jesus Christ once
said this, He said, I thank Thee, Father, that Thou hast hidden
these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them
unto babes. These things must be revealed. What things? He says to show
unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. Down in verse 19, he told John,
write the things which thou hast seen, the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter. Now this book, the Revelation,
was written nearly 2,000 years ago. And he says in verse 19
to write the things which thou hast seen, that's things of the
past, and the things which are, that's the things that were presently
taking place 2,000 years ago, and the things which shall be
hereafter. And verse 1 says must shortly
come to pass. The time is short. Paul one time
said the Lord will make short work in the earth. That was compared
to the previous 4,000 years. So these are things which have
taken place and which shall, or that is very shortly, come
to pass. This is not a book of all future
events, but actually things that have already taken place. Most
of the Word of God has already been fulfilled. And it says in
verse 1 that He sent these things and signified, signified, affirmed,
confirmed. Or as we might say, these things
were signed, and yes, they were sealed. They are sealed and delivered. to his people through a preacher,
to his churches through a preacher, in this case by John. He sent
and signified these things by his angel, that's his Holy Spirit,
unto his servant John. Verse 2, And John said, I bear
record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,
and all things that he saw. John bore record bore record
of the Word of God and the testimony that is the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ and things that he saw. As do all of God's true
servants, all of God's true preachers. They bear record, first of all,
of the Word of God, the truth of God, the truth as it is in
Jesus Christ, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of his
servants, all truly sent by God, having the Word of God revealed
to them, Christ revealed in them, they preach the Word of God. They preach the Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Word, Peter said,
which we preach unto you, which by the Gospel is preached unto
you. And what did they see? He says,
all things that we saw. John concluded in John 1, that
which we have seen, that which our eyes have looked upon, our
hands have handled, the Word of Life. He's speaking of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Word was with God. The Word
was God. And the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. So John bore
record of the Lord Jesus Christ, as do all of God's true preachers. For to have a knowledge of, a
faith in, a love for, a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. He that
hath the Son hath life. Verse 3 says, Blessed of God
is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things that are written, which are written therein,
for the time is at hand. He said blessed. Blessed is he
that readeth, he or she that readeth. So few people read the
Word of God. So few people even care. Even
fewer people believe. Scripture says they have eyes,
but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't
hear. They turn away their ears from the truth unto fables. And
the world is full of false prophets that prophesy lies, and the people
love to have it so. But how blessed blessed of God,
chosen of God, the elect of God, who actually read the Word of
God. You know, most people don't read
the actual Word of God. There are so many translations
of Scripture today, perversions of Scripture. They're not different
versions. perversions of Scripture. They don't even resemble the
true Word of God as it was translated directly from the Hebrew and
the Greek. And very few people read it.
Very few people hear it preached in its authenticity, in its in
its veracity, the truth of God's Word as it is in the Lord Jesus
Christ, as fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word
made flesh. Oh, but blessed, blessed is he
that readeth, and he that heareth the words, heareth the gospel. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. And keep Oh, how blessed are
they who keep, who lay hold of, who buy the truth and sell it
not, who keep His commandments, who do what He says, and follow
Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. The time is at hand. The time
is short. Redeem the time, the redeemment. John said in verse 4, John, to
the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and
peace from Him. from Christ, which is, which
was, which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before
the throne." John is writing by direction, by command of God
Himself, the Spirit of God, to the seven churches. Throughout
this book it says, hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. This is where God makes Himself
known. This is to whom God makes Himself
known. He is redeemed. He is elect.
He is people who are His sheep and have brought into the fold
which is the church of the living God. The church which He redeemed
with His own precious blood. The church. This is where the
truth is known. This is where you'll hear the
gospel. And these things are written and given to the churches. And He says, Grace unto you and
peace from Him. All grace. All peace comes from
God. He's the God of all grace. Peace
comes by Jesus Christ, who has made peace unto His people, who
made peace by the blood of His cross, who died for His people.
Jesus Christ did not die for all mankind. He died for His
sheep. He died for His people, and He
made peace for them by the blood of His cross, the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son cleanseth from all sin. Whoever Jesus Christ
died for, He paid for their sin. It's not left up to man to make
the blood effectual. Oh no! The blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, put away the sin, all the sins of all of God's
people, past, present, and future. This is the saving, sovereign
grace of God and the peace which Jesus Christ made on Calvary's
tree for his people, for his church. And it's from Him, which
is, verse 4 says, He is, He was, and He is to come. Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, today, and forever. God who changeth not. God said, I am the Lord, I change
not. His purpose doesn't change, His
will doesn't change, His covenant doesn't change. His mercy endures
forever. Whoever He loves, He loves forever. And Christ is God. Jesus Christ is God. He was,
He is, and He is to come. Verse 5, "...and from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness..." Now it says three things about
the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, "...He is the faithful
witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the
kings of the earth." Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. The faithful witness. That is,
the one who came from God with the Word of God, the truth of
God, to tell us of God. Christ said, No man knoweth the
Father, but the Son, neither knoweth any man the Son, but
he to whom the Father will reveal, and vice versa, whom the Son
will reveal. No man, no man. neither knoweth
any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him." Jesus Christ was there in the beginning with
God. He is the faithful witness, and
he came from God. He came from God to bear witness
of God, to bear witness of the truth. to tell us about God,
to tell us about man, to tell us about salvation. And this
is what he summed it up by saying, I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. That's a faithful saying from
the faithful witness, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it says he's
the first begotten of the dead. People might say this, if someone
would just come back from the grave and tell us what's out
there, well he did, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one
to ever come back from the dead and tell us all things. In verse
18 he says, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am
alive forevermore. He's the faithful witness. the
first begotten, risen from the dead, and the prince of the kings
of the earth. He's the prince. That means He's
the principal one. He's the chief one. He's the
King of kings and Lord of lords. And it says, unto Him that loved
us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. That is His
people. He washed them from their sins
in His own blood. And verse 6, it says, He made
us kings and priests unto God. a royal priesthood, kings, that
is, sons of the king, princes, and priests, that is, servants
in the tabernacle, the true tabernacle, servants in his church, servants
of his glory, servants of his kingdom, and his father, priest
unto God the Father. To him be glory, and dominion
forever and ever, it said. Christ reigns and rules, and
of His rule there is no end. What do you say to that? It says
in verse 6, Amen. That's what all the people of
God say to the worship and truth of God in Christ. Amen. Behold, verse 7, he cometh with
clouds The Lord Jesus Christ ascended, and a cloud took Him
away and covered Him, and there is but a thin veil between us
and Him. And every eye shall see Him,
and they also which pierced Him crucified Him. And all kindred
shall wail, all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.
Old people today say, oh my God, oh my God, in blasphemy, taking
his name in vain. And they'll all say that when
they see him then, but not his people. They will say, oh my
God has come for me. Even so, amen. What do you say
to these things? Let God be true in every man
a liar. Amen.