In the last devotion, we looked at the greeting from God and the Holy Spirit. This devotion looks at the greeting from Jesus – who is the truth, the life, and the way.
Nuggets
- Jesus proved He was the truth, the way, and the life (Jn. 14: 6).
- Jesus delivers certainty that the gospel message provides the truth.
- Jesus proves that the gospel message provides the life because of His resurrection.
- John broke out in a prayer of praise celebrating His Savior.
- It is only through Jesus’ death on the cross that we are washed from our sins.
- John acknowledged that we are kings and priests in God’s kingdom.
- John concluded this section with a doxology of praise.
After greeting the seven Messianic congregations in Asia, John greeted them through the Father, Spirit, and Son. We didn’t get to the greeting from Jesus in the last devotion.
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Devotions in the Getting Started in Revelation study
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From Jesus Christ
“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth …” (Rev. 1: 4-5 ESV)
Jesus proved He was the truth, the way, and the life (Jn. 14: 6).
The third Person John identified of the Trinity is Jesus. From an early age (Lk. 2: 41-52), Jesus knew He was the Son of God.
One thing I am not sure we understand is the ramifications if Jesus’ wasn’t God’s Son. The Jews were commanded to worship only God. “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20: 3 ESV).
Jesus told us to put our faith in Him as well. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (Jn. 14: 1 ESV).
If Jesus had been an imposter, He was damning them to being guilty of idolatry.
What Jesus was asking for is our faith and confidence, showing He was the Son of God. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11: 1 NIV).
Why? We know that God is adamant that there is only one way to salvation. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14: 6 ESV).
The Faithful Witness – the Truth
Jesus delivers certainty that the gospel message provides the truth.
Jesus was witness to God’s grace. In fact, that was how Jesus described Himself. “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony” (Jn. 3: 11 ESV).
Glossary
Jesus always stated that He constantly followed God’s directions.
Remember, Jesus said He only told us what the Father had given Him. “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment — what to say and what to speak” (Jn. 12: 49 ESV).
To what was Jesus witness? Truth. “Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice’” (Jn. 18: 37 ESV).
Yes, Jesus is witness to Himself since He is the way, truth, and life (Jn. 14: 6). But He does use the royal we here. I don’t know if I have ever caught that He used that before, but He knew He and God were One (Jn. 10: 30).
Jesus could be a witness because He was an eyewitness. When God designed the Plan of Salvation, He was there. “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him …” (Eph. 1: 4 ESV).
The accomplishment of the Plan of Salvation could only be given to Jesus. Only He was an extension of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1: 1 ESV).
John went on to talk about Jesus being with God in the beginning (Jn. 1: 2). So, He knew all about eternity.
Worldview people might argue that Jesus really didn’t give proof in His testimony. His witness was just words.
From Genesis 1, we are expected to accept the fact that God is real and that He is Sovereign God. Accepting Jesus as God’s Son is also something we just have to accept.
The thing about Jesus was He wasn’t all talk and no action. He lived out His teachings through His life. All He did was done through grace, truth, and piety.
Would some believe Him any sooner if Jesus had argued about Who He is? No.
By His crucifixion, they knew exactly Who He was. Yet, He had not won everyone over to the Plan of Salvation.
The miracles Jesus performed were proof, but even in His day, people tried to explain them away. But that wasn’t His focus.
Jesus came to earth to show God’s love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 16 ESV).
The Firstborn of the Dead – the Life
Jesus proves that the gospel message provides the life because of His resurrection.
I was already familiar with Jesus’ title of firstborn of the dead, but it always confused me. We know that isn’t talking about His resurrection. He wasn’t the first.
So, we have to focus on being firstborn. God claims them. “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine” (Ex. 13: 2 ESV).
But should that really be the focus? Isn’t the most important fact that Jesus conquered death? “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (I Cor. 15: 55 ESV). And by conquering death, He conquered sin.
Glossary
When we are talking firstborn of the dead, we are really talking spiritual death, not physical death. Physical death doesn’t really matter. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10: 28 ESV).
Jesus is a faithful witness because He is the risen Savior.
The Ruler of Kings on Earth – the Way
Jesus proves that God’s Kingdom is real and that He has authority.
Do you see a progression here? We have testimony of a man, proof by a member of the Trinity, and now proclamation as King of kings.
Jesus’ reward for successfully accomplishing the Plan of Salvation was authority.
- “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Mt. 28: 18 ESV).
- “Which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (I Tim. 6: 15 ESV).
We are so much like the first-century Jews. We are looking for a physical kingdom, one where Jesus conquers all the problems of our world.
Instead, the kingdom of God is over our heart and our spirit. We submit our conscience to Him.
John’s First Doxology
“… To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1: 5-6 ESV)
John broke out in a prayer of praise celebrating His Savior.
Look at John’s word choice. He is just gushing about His Savior. This reverence appears all through the book.
For good reason.
That is what worship and praise is to be about. This is how we should worship Jesus in this life, because this is how we are going to worship Jesus for eternity.
In the next series of devotions, we are going to step out of Revelation and talk about Jesus’ love for us. We are going to pick up here at the end of verse 5.
Right now, let’s just say that Jesus loves us just as we are, not because we are righteous.
We are going to finish up this devotion by looking at the first of John’s doxologies.
Freed Us from Our Sins
It is only through Jesus’ death on the cross that we are washed from our sins.
Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to give up His life to pay the penalty for our sins. But it wasn’t just Him dying that would do the trick.
God required a perfect sacrifice – perfect as in had never committed a sin. He wasn’t going to find that in mankind.
Because God required a sacrifice, that meant the spilling of blood. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (I Jn. 1: 7 ESV).
That meant a horrible, painful, humiliating death on the cross.
Jesus was willing to do that because of the outcome it would purchase. It provided justification and sanctification.
We are washed by Jesus’ blood to cleanse us from our sins. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1: 7 ESV).
It would procure the renewal of our moral nature. We would once again truly be in God’s image.
Thomas said something interesting. He would have translated washed as loosened.
Resource
The weight of sin can be heavy, crushing us under the heavy burden. Sin has also been described as slavery. “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin’ (Jn. 8: 34 ESV).
Jesus came to set us free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8: 36 ESV).
We will have eternity to praise Jesus for loving us enough to set us free by shedding His blood.
Made us Kings and Priests
John acknowledged that we are kings and priests in God’s kingdom.
God is our Father, and the King of kings is our Brother. That makes us royal.
We are kings because, with Christ, we have victory over our enemies. Our character is of a kingly nature since we are made in God’s image.
We share in Jesus’ dignity and glory when we share in His righteousness.
What? You don’t see us as kings (and queens)? We do have our own kingdoms – body, soul, and spirit.
Oh, what? You were expecting a bigger kingdom? I have trouble picturing that. But we are going to table that discussion until Revelation 20.
Let’s just say here that we are called to master our thoughts and desires, just as Jesus did. We are called to be sober-minded individuals.
We are also God’s priests because we are one with Christ. Peter said the same thing. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2: 9 ESV).
Because we are Christ’s priests, He has washed us and clothed us in righteousness. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isa. 61: 1 ESV).
As priests, we are also called to teach others. “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people[a] should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 2: 7 ESV).
Nixon connected the royalty and the priesthood. We have the honor and power of kings while having the duties of priests. But our office as priests trumps our office as king.
Resource
What honor and power we have only through being cleansed by Jesus’ blood.
To Him be Glory and Dominion
John concluded this section with a doxology of praise.
There is no way we could repay Jesus for what He did on the cross for us. Good thing He doesn’t want us to try.
What Jesus – and God – want is our praise and worship. They want our love and thanksgiving.
What happened to John was the best kind of praise. It bubbled up out of him. It was his honest response to God’s love and mercy. It was adoration and appreciation for his Beloved Friend.
How do we give Jesus glory and dominion? We submit our lives to Him, including doing nothing to sin against Him.
Look at it this way. His Savior’s kingdom was expanding as more and more became disciples.
The praise, however, wasn’t just for the success of the ministry in John’s time. He could probably see that Heaven was filled with a lot more people than could have come to Christ in His lifetime and the few years after.
John would soon see all the saints from all generations lifting their voices to worship God. Think how overwhelmed he would be seeing that!
Yes, John was a fisherman, but he comes across as a caring guy in his writings. His made topic in all of God’s Word that he wrote is love. He has a tender heart.
Possibly what was going through John’s mind was that he had been in on the ground floor. All the nights sleeping out in the elements led to this. He may have gotten some sense that his writing had survived and helped led others to his Friend and Master.
And John isn’t even off the greeting yet.
How Do We Apply This?
- Become living sacrifices.
- Present to God a broken and contrite heart.
- Offer ourselves as a sacrifice of living faith.
- Offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
- Serve others.
Resource
Father God. We are humbled that Your Son agreed to come to earth, live a life, die a horrible death, and rise again so that He could be our Savior and Redeemer. We thank You that He has ascended to Heaven to be with You. We, like John, break out into praise and prayer thinking about Him waiting for us to join You in Heaven. We wait for that day. Amen.
What do you think?
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