Lesson
#3
The Revelation of Jesus
Christ
Intro:
What motivates us as believers?? 3 main areas that should!
1. The mercy of
God - Rom 12:1
2. The love of
Christ - 2 Cor.
5:14-15
3. our
future in Christ - 1 John 3:2
5. 1:4-6 Greetings - Salutations
a. Recipients; First thing we discover is Who is John addressing?
"seven churches that are in
#1 Geographical:
In
#2 These churches are fully representative of all churches of all time! Their glories and their failures!
- The characteristics seen in these 7 churches are those that will be found in churches in every generation of the Church age.
- Each assembly of gathered believers is to regulate their own function, being responsible before the Lord for their ongoing relationship with Him.
b. Epistolary greeting; "Grace to you and peace,"
c. Source of the Grace and Peace;
- Order is unusual; Father; H/S; Son in vs:5
#1 Father: "Him who is and who was and who is to come;"
* This is the Greek
way of summarizing the name of God, His unique name, YHWH, "I am" of Ex
#2 Grace and Peace comes from the Holy Spirit; "from the seven Spirits who are before the throne."
- Nowhere in Scripture is grace and peace ever spoken of as coming from any other source then God/F, the Son or the Holy Spirit.
- Reason for the order change: Christ is being looked at here as the risen Son of Man, the One to whom the revelation is being given through the Spirit (agent) to the churches.
- Isa 11:1-3 gives us some incite into the fullness of the Spirit!
#3 The 3rd source of Grace and Peace; "from (avpo.) Jesus Christ"
- In the OT there were 3 basic offices; Prophet; Priest; King!
God spoke to His people through a prophet!
God had fellowship with His people through a priest.
God ruled His people through a king!
Then follows some descriptive characteristics of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
* First characteristic: "faithful witness"
- The book of Revelation is marked by end time events; and during that time many of the faithful, holding to the truth will die. Martyrs for the faith.
- For Christ, a faithful witness to what??
- The book of Revelation is marked by end time events; and during that time many of the faithful, holding to the truth will die. Will become Martyrs for the faith.
* Second characteristic = "first born of the dead"
- word firstborn has nothing to do with time; prwto,tokoj has to do with rank, pre-imminence.
- Look at some passages that teach the principle:
most
basic Ps 89:27 (LXX); Rom
* Third, The perfect king; "ruler of the kings of the earth" is yet future!
- One of the questions that Revelation deals with is "Who will rule??" Satan through man or God by Christ.