Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ (Re 1:4,5). Amen.
Maybe you heard about it. Black Friday. Didn’t the advertising begin back in July? It has almost become a national holiday. In fact, it was on the calendar on my phone. (You can check yours later.) And I didn’t put it there. The mall is not where I find myself in my free time. I even have my wife’s birthday and our anniversary to contend with in the next few days. You would think I would have taken advantage of the sales starting on Thursday.
This is the time of the year when the days of the week get names. In case you didn’t stock up on Friday. There was Small business Saturday. They were happy if you stopped in to swipe your credit card for Christmas gifts.
What about today? I am going to go with the church calendar and not the regular calendar. It is the last Sunday before we begin a new year. But it has nothing to do with shopping for deals and everything to do with saving our souls. It is Christ the King Sunday. Give glory to the King who makes us clean and who makes us calm. We read from …
Revelation 1:4-8
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, the King of kings (Re 19:16),
A trip to an island sounds exotic and exciting. (By the way, it is.) There is sand, sun, and surf. (And no snow, shovels, or sweaters.) Perhaps it calls to mind a nice vacation get-away.
But not for the apostle John. He was on the island of Patmos. Not for enjoyment, but in exile. All because he was preaching and teaching about Jesus (Re 1:9). Instead of a sigh of contentment because of the place, there may have been one of confusion because of the persecution.
That is why Jesus came to him. In Revelation, he gives John a series of visions. The theme is Jesus wins. He is still on his throne—reigning and ruling as the King. As we look at the opening verses, we have occasion to sing his praises.
Give Glory to the King
1. Who makes us clean (4b-6)
2. Who makes us calm (7,8)
1. Who makes us clean (4b-6)
I suppose that if you have a day named after you, it is because of something significant. Christ the King Sunday. It is not just because he is a king. There have been kings who are just a name or a note in a history book. Jesus is the King. And add to that what he does. Give glory to the King who makes us clean.
John writes Revelation to seven churches located across the water from him (Re 1:4). His greeting is a familiar one. But we ought not to overlook it. “Grace and peace to you” (Re 1:4).
“grace” (Re 1:4). That is the reason for our rescue from sin. Grace is undeserved kindness that sinners don’t earn, but what we enjoy. Because God hands it to us in Jesus.
“peace” (Re 1:4). That is the result. All is right between us and God through Jesus.
“Grace and peace to you” (Re 1:4). That is ours already. John’s prayer is that it continue to be. And it is. When the guilt of your conscience is heavy: “Grace and peace to you” (Re 1:4). When the attack of the devil is hard: “Grace and peace to you” (Re 1:4).
And those two outstanding gifts come from our Triune God.
“Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Re 1:4). That is God the Father. He is the changeless One—no beginning, no end (Ps 90:2; Mal 3:6). It is like what he mentioned to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex 3:14).
“Grace and peace to you … from the seven spirits before his throne” (Re 1:4). That is God the Holy Spirit. He is God himself and the complete source of divine wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and respect for the Lord (Is 11:2).
“Grace and peace to you … from Jesus Christ” (Re 1:4,5). That is God the Son. He is the One whom God anointed to save us from our sins (Mt 1:21).
The rationale for putting Jesus last is that John goes into greater detail about our King. He describes who he is:
“the faithful witness” (Re 1:5). As our Prophet, he is dependable and reliable as he depicts and reveals the Father’s love for us (Dt 18:15; Jn 1:18). And there he was on trial in front of Pilate. He explains his purpose for appearing on earth: “For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (Jn 18:37). We listen to the One who is the Truth—the only Savior who brings us into his family (Jn 14:6).
“the firstborn from the dead” (Re 1:5). As our Priest, he sacrificed himself for us on the cross on Good Friday, but God raised him from the dead on Easter Sunday. And now because he lives, we live (Jn 14:19). Because Jesus exited his grave, we will too.
“the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Re 1:5). As our King, he is in control and in command. No one is over him—no president or person—and nothing gets by him—no problem or pain. He directs everything for our good and determines all for his Church (Ro 8:28; Eph 1:20-22).
And then John designates what the King does:
“who loves us” (Re 1:5). That is ongoing and unending—continuing on and on. It is not here this day and gone the next (Jn 3:16). He hung the cross and headed out of the tomb because that is what we needed.
“who … has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Re 1:5). That is a fact because it happened. There was a payment required to release us from our wrongs. The cost was his precious blood, shed on that instrument of torture (1 Pe 1:18,19). But he has opened heaven for us by breaking the chains of sin’s punishment and power.
“who … has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” (Re 1:5,6). His rule in our hearts has come to us (Mt 6:10). And not just an exalted position but also extraordinary privileges. We have direct access to our Father. We have a definite activity in offering our bodies as living sacrifices as thank offerings (Ro 12:1), declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness to his marvelous light (1 Pe 2:9).
As John says that and we see that, we join him in chanting the doxology to our King: “To him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen” (Re 1:6). Yes, it is so. Give glory to the King who makes us clean—washing us from every spot and stain of sin.
2. Who makes us calm (7,8)
I suspect that if an important dignitary were to visit St. Paul, that would cause a bit of excitement in getting ready and being ready for him. The King is coming. We can be anxious in a good way. Give glory to the King who makes us calm.
Jesus is returning. The reality is not in doubt. It is the when that is in question. We are to be on alert. Recall back at Jesus’ ascension, the angels announced: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
John was there and now calls attention to that detail with his “Look” (Re 1:7). And what are we to note? “Look, he is coming with the clouds” (Re 1:7). The prophet Daniel also made clear the vehicle for his arrival. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven” (Da 7:13; cf. Mt 24:30).
He will not sneak back. “And every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” (Re 1:7). How that will be we can leave to the Lord. But there will be no obstructed view like when someone stands in front of the TV.
It will be a day of miserable mourning. “All the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him” (Re 1:7). Those who have made earth their home, becoming so wrapped up in the present that they fail to consider what is in the future. Perhaps we could compare it to a shopper that concerns himself with a Christmas gift in December rather than Christ’s gift of heaven. And then it will be too late (Mt 25:41). There is an emphatic affirmation: “So shall it be! Amen” (Re 1:6). It is unmistakable and unshakable.
But that is not all. How do we know? Because the King speaks. Our King. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Re 1:8). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. We would comment that Jesus is "the A through Z." He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Re 22:13). And he is eternal, “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (He 13:8). As the psalmist had us sing: “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever” (Ps 45:6). And his might has no limit. He is over every host in heaven and army on earth. And he uses his muscle to help us, not to hurt us. He destroyed the devil and defeated death. And he hands us the victory. That is why there will not be incredible sorrow for us but extreme joy from us. The King will wipe away every tear from our eyes as he welcomes us to our heavenly home (Re 21:4; Mt 25:34). Give glory to the King who calms us with the comfort that we are his right now and forever.
It is fine if merchants have their day. I guess there is Cyber Monday yet for your next chance to spend some cash. But the Messiah will have his day too. Christ the King Sunday. Give glory to the King who makes us clean. He removes our sin with his holy blood. And he will have another day. Give glory to the King who makes us calm. He readies us for his reappearance on the last day. “To him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen” (Re 1:6).
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (Re 1:5,6).
November 25, 2018
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