Thursday, November 30

A revelation of Jesus

Scripture: Revelation 1

Revelation 1:5–6 and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood 6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.

Observation

The book of Revelation begins, “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” which could mean “the revelation about Jesus” or “the revelation from Jesus” or both. Jesus is the center of this book. So I chose v. 5-6 this morning which are beautiful verses about Jesus.

First, who He is. John lists three things. 

  • The faithful witness. This phrase conveys the idea that Jesus faithfully revealed God to us—if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus said, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” And it conveys the idea of Jesus’ sacrificial death—the word “witness” (GK: martys—we get martyr from it) meant a witness at a trial, someone who affirms or testifies to what they saw, and then someone who witnesses at the cost of their life.
  • The firstborn from among the dead. This refers to Jesus’ resurrection, but includes the promise of our own resurrection. Jesus first, we follow.
  • The ruler over the kings of earth. John is writing from exile on the isle of Patmos. But John has no doubt about who is in charge! It’s not Caesar who directs history, it’s Jesus. How we need to remember this now!

Second, what He does. Again, John lists three things. 

  • He loves us. This is first…always.
  • He set us free from our sins at the cost of His own blood.
  • He appointed us a kingdom, as priests serving His God and Father. We are His kingdom and His priests, doing His will on earth. 

Beautiful stuff!

Application

It’s easy to get caught up, even distracted, by all the symbolism in Revelation. But don’t lose sight of Jesus. He is what this book is all about. It’s a revelation of Jesus. Look for Him on every page. 

Remember this book was written to Christians suffering persecution for their faith. It was written to remind them Who is in charge and to encourage them. So take everything it says about Jesus, and apply it to your own hardships. 

We don’t fear death—Jesus has conquered it. We don’t fear kings or rulers—Jesus rules over them all. We live full and free—Jesus loves us, freed us from our sins, and made us His kingdom and priests.

Prayer: Lord, I love You! Let the vision of Revelation fill me with hope and courage, which I believe was Your intention in giving it. Help me live full and freely today as Your kingdom and priest!

More: Job 36-37, Romans 6