The Greeting Part 1: Undeserved, Wonderful, God-given Grace and Peace
GIST: We are given grace and peace from the eternal trinity, and we don't deserve it. Praise Him.
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 1:4-6
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
To Whom?
1. Seven Churches
The text addresses itself to the seven churches in Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey. There are a few points we need to get about this, but the first is that these were actual churches located in fairly close proximity to one another. Likewise, they were churches John would have been familiar with because, as we know from previous studies, he served at the church of Ephesus (the first of the seven listed). Furthermore, he was writing from the island of Patmos, which was also not far from these local congregations. (Here's a picture from "the google" to put this in context.)
2. The Church (big C)
From this opening section, however, we are also introduced to a number which will become very important in the book: seven. Now, I am not advocating a "numerical code" reading of Revelation. As we addressed last time, looking at God's "revelation" primarily as a puzzle to be cracked is a misreading and "missing out" of the text. At the time of this letter, these churches, and all Christians, were under great persecution. This is important to remember because it is the central context of the original audience. They were suffering, and Jesus provided them this hope, not a sudoku. Nonetheless, some numbers are symbolic. This is not a secret. It's just part of Jewish history. The number seven symbolized completeness. (This can be traced throughout Scripture, but is first seen in Genesis chapter one in creation.) Therefore, in Revelation, the number seven is a symbol of completeness, as well. We can see this explain within this text. The letter is addressed to the seven churches in Asia, but also to those loved by Jesus, freed from their sins by His blood, and made a kingdom of priests to God (verses 5 and 6). This refers to the whole Church, those saved by Jesus Christ. Thus, and we'll see this more when we get to the seven letters addressed to the seven churches, these physical churches were representative of the Church as a whole.
From Whom?
We actually get a really neat picture of the trinity here.
1. God the Father
"from him who is and who was and who is to come"
While this can, of course, be applied to the whole trinity (because God is eternal...period). It echoes God's name for Himself in Exodus 3:14: "I am who I am". God is. He always has been. He always will be. Period. Likewise, we see this repeated in verse 8, which we'll address next time. He is the beginning and the end, and the Almighty. Everything at all times is within His control.
2. The Holy Spirit
"and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,"
Here we enter waters which can be muddied very quickly. Let's not. This verse is speaking of the Holy Spirt in the completeness of His work (Remember, seven=completeness). Later in the book, the seven spirits are connected to references to the Church. This is so important to note because it is the Holy Spirit who indwells us!
SIDE NOTE: A nice Old Testament reference for this is Isaiah 11:1-3.
3. Jesus Christ
"and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth..."
There is no misunderstanding this one. This message is from the whole trinity: Father, Spirit, Son. Here, Jesus is given three descriptions, as well.
- Faithful Witness
- He is the full witness, testimony, and revelation of God. When He came, sinful man, us, who could not even hope to glimpse God and live, were shown His glory.
- Firstborn of the Dead
- By His death and resurrection, He was both the cause of our salvation and a sign of what we, as Christians, have to look forward to when we are bodily resurrected. We won't be God, but we will be with Him in our glorified bodies. (We'll camp out here later, I'm sure. Don't get too tripped up on what this means for us physically. We will be perfectly happy in the continuous presence of God. That's incredible!)
- Ruler of the Kings on Earth
- He is in charge. No matter how crazy this world and its rulers may seem, and let's face it...they often seem crazy, He is the true King! I heard Kevin DeYoung put it something like this, "Even if you have not acknowledged Jesus' authority, He is still on His throne." We can't ever forget this. It's an election year in America. Most people are dreading...everything. This world may seem out of control, but it's not out of His control!
Saying What?
1. We are given grace.
"Grace to you..."
Grace is undeserved favor. It is how we are forgiven and saved--our defining need. In the description we get of Jesus, we are also given a perfect and concise picture of this grace. Look at this:
"who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood"
- First, we see He loves us. This is grace. We have done absolutely nothing to merit this love. In fact, the opposite is true. We have rejected His love and guidance, and served ourselves--making ourselves little, false gods in His place. And yet, He loves us...present tense. Don't miss out on the significance of that tense. Not to get all English-teachery here, but this is not something He once did, but something He is currently doing. Not only did Jesus show us His love clearly at the cross, but He continues to love us just as passionately today. This is grace.
- Second, we are told He freed us by His blood. We are deserving of Hell. It is the natural consequence for our sin. But, he came, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, enduring Hell, for us. If we believe and give Him control of our lives, we will be saved. Grace. Now, it is important to note that this is referred to in past tense. It has been done. We have been freed. If then, this has been accomplished: 1) Why not turn to Him now? 2)If you have, why live as one enslaved to sin?
2. We are given peace.
"...and peace..."
Peace. Comfort. Tranquility. Why do we need peace? There are a few things to keep in mind here. First, the original audience, as mentioned above, was enduring heavy persecution. Christians were being executed in throngs--and cruelly. They needed to be reminded there is a peace which transcends this world: "17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison," - 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Furthermore, we need peace because our hearts are at war. By nature, we hate God and love ourselves. We are His enemies, and He reconciles us to Himself. He brings us peace, not only through forgiveness, but by making us HIS PEOPLE. Look at this:
"and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father"
There is so much that could be said here. Those who have been saved by His blood are made into His kingdom, and we are a kingdom of priest (Compare to Exodus 19:6). There are many references to the kingdom of God in the Bible, and much speculation about its nature. It is a spiritual kingdom--timeless, unhinder, and dedicated to God--experiencing life as He intended. We, enemies by birth, are made His representatives. That's grace. That's peace.
SIDE NOTE: Grace and peace only come from God. The whole trinity works to provide these undeserved gifts. Check out 2 Corinthians 13:14 and 1 Peter 1:2.
3. Praise and serve Him
"to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
He already has these. We need to live to make them known!
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