The Love that Lifts and Looses

Read: Revelation 1:5

This little doxology we will read today ends the prologue to the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

INTRODUCTION:

The book of Revelation is somewhat of an enigma, or as one has said it is like “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”

One put it better, “Revelation may be about eschatology and the future, but even more than that it is a book about the glory and greatness of the warrior Lamb...”

it is technically called The Revelation of Jesus Christ, (Rev. 1:1) but we often use it as more of a gauge of end-time prophecy than to see Christ.

Bishop Moore an older Methodist Bishop one made the statement:

the supreme test of religion is in the revelation of God that it makes—the disclosure of God that it brings. And he said, related to that: "Having disclosed God, can we know him? Is it possible to have communion with God, to have fellowship with God?" Since the human family came into being, one of our most persistent questions has concerned God. As the biblical writer put it, "Oh, that I knew where I might find him!" And having found him, can I know him? And will he know me?

It’s a sad and depressing trip to read about the speculations of God in the writings of the human family.

“Virgil wrote about the plight of humanity how something needed to be done. But in Greek litereature God was removed more like a spectator - someone who observed maybe interfered in a helpful way, sometimes in a harmful way.

It’s the Christian who believes and teaches that the plight of man truly is depressing and needs help - but that Jesus of Nazareth fully disclosed God - who he is and what motivates him to us.

Here in a book shrouded in mystery, John an aged man - suffering at the hands of a maniacal despot, pulls back the mystery and tells his Christian brothers and sisters back on the mainland who are suffering as well what the book of Revelation is all about.

Revelation 1:5 KJV 1900

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Warren Wiersbe points out that Jesus is seen in this verse in HIs threefold office:

Prophet - (Faithful witness)

Priest - (First-begotten from the dead)

King - (Prince of the kings of the earth)

I want us to look at that last sentence: Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.

John who is a prisoner at Patmos is still concerned about the state of affairs among the Church. He receives a powerful vision of the Christ He so loved.

In all that John sees he wants us to be sure of two things - many other things we won’t figure out in this book - but these two things John makes it absolutely clear.

1. Christ’s measureless love

Think of the vision that John saw -

Countenance like the sun

eyes like fire

hair white as snow

But nothing so caught John’s attention as he encountered all of this as God’s Love to us as displayed in Jesus and Christ’s measureless love to us.

A. It is gracious love-free, undeserved, unsought.

We merited His hate ; the more we know ourselves, and see ourselves in the light of His holiness, the more we are amazed that it is possible for Him to love us.

B. It is condescending love-

for He stooped to wash us from our sins. No wonder Peter was amazed that He should take the part of a slave, and wash his feet from the dust of the road. But He stoops to wash our souls from sin !

C. It is extravagant love.

He washes us by His own Blood.' He out-pours His life for us; gives it for us, and gives it to us.

D. It is an abiding love.

--It never fails; it had no beginning, and has no end.

John reminds himself and us also of

2. CHRIST'S MATCHLESS SERVICE.

Christ's love is neither an empty sentiment nor a useless sacrifice. It includes three things

Verse 6 (Revelation 1:6) Gives us two of those things:

A. He makes us kings.

—He raises our estate by putting His own nature within us, thus exalting us to the highest possible rank. He thus puts the obligation upon us to live kingly lives, worthy of Him whose we are. Do we ?

B. He makes us priests

-appoints us to the holiest service -ministering under the Great High Priest, Jesus Himself. How have we fulfilled our trust ?

C. He loosed us from our sins

breaks the chains that bound us, and sets us free.

The KJV and NKJV say He “washed us,” viewing sin as a stain, and that is certainly true.

However, the best manuscripts do render the text as He “loosed” or “set us free” where sin is viewed as a chain. I delight in saying it this way:

He freed us from sin’s penalty—our justification.

He freed us from sin’s power—our sanctification.

He will free us from sin’s presence—our glorification. 1

1 Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Revelation (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016).

One modern songwriter put it

“If you've got pain He's a pain taker If you feel lost He's a way maker If you need freedom or saving He's a prison-shaking Savior If you've got chains He's a chain breaker”

Philip Bliss the hymn writer got it right:

“Guilty, vile, and helpless we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

Full atonement! Can it be?

Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

III.-Because of this: JESUS MERITS OUR UTMOST PRAISE.

We must give Him all the glory for what we are and shall be.

He must receive the 'dominion '--the Lordship over all our life.

“For ever and ever.' The compact is to be an eternal one.

Outline and some note retrieved from: The Resource Book of Sermons All Occasions Volume 3 page 571-572