WHO WE ARE-I—Revelation 1:4-8
George & Betty(husband & wife) went to the fair/George steps onto one of those machines that tells your weight & fortune for a dime/He drops in his dime & it spits out a card, which he reads, to Betty/Hey listen to this honey, just what I’ve told you all along—’It says I am energetic, bright, resourceful and a great person!’
Betty, peering over his shoulder at the card says, ’Yeah, & it has your weight wrong too!’
George needed a quick primer on the reality of who he was.
Likewise the Church needs to face the reality of who she is.
Prior to informing the 7 churches of the revelation of Jesus, John greeted them with encouragement & exhortation reminding them of who they were in Christ.
The revelation of Jesus Christ informs us of the Church’s identity.
Who Are We?
The church is a family of unparalleled...
1—The Church is a family of
UNPARALLELED GRACE(:4a-b)
—Explanation:(:4a-b)
:4—“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you & peace,...
“Asia”—Present-day Turkey All in western portion.
“Grace”—Bestowal of undeserved blessing.
“Grace to you & peace”—Rom. 1:7, 1Cor. 1:3, 2Cor. 1:2.
—Argumentation:
Ezra 9:8—“But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant & to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes & grant us a little reviving in our bondage.”
Jn. 1:14-16—“And the Word became flesh, & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace & truth. John bore witness of Him, & cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” For of His fulness we have all received, & grace upon grace.”
Acts 20:32—““And now I commend you to God & to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up & to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Eph. 1:7-12—“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom & insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens & things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
2Thess. 2:16-17—“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself & God our Father, who has loved us & given us eternal comfort & good hope by grace, comfort & strengthen your hearts in every good work & word.”
1Pet. 5:12—“Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting & testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!”
—Illustration:
Church in Atlanta/Built around a courtyard housing a huge oak tree/Tree older than church/Builders could have razed it but chose to preserve it/Unparalleled GRACE
—Application:
?You the recipient of God’s Unequaled GRACE?
?You a part of the Church family?
2—The Church is a family of
UNPARALLELED PEACE(:4c)
—Explanation/Argumentation:(:4c)
:4—“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you & peace,...
NOT PHYSICAL(political)PEACE—
Lk. 12:51-53—“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, & two against three. “They will be divided, father against son, & son against father; mother against daughter, & daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, & daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Lk. 2:34-35—“And Simeon blessed them, & said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall & rise of many in Israel, & for a sign to be opposed-- & a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
IS INNER(spiritual) PEACE—
Jn. 14:27—“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
Ps. 23:4-5—“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod & Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.”
Php. 4;7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus.”
—Argumentation:
Col. 3:15—“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; & be thankful.”
Jas. 3:18—“And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
2Cor. 13:11—“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; & the God of love & peace shall be with you.”
—Illustration:
Cancer/Surgery or chemo or radiation/Removal or remission but not cure/Lingering doubts & fears of return/Jesus’ death brings total , absolute & eternal PEACE
—Application:
?You the recipient of God’s Unequaled PEACE?
?You a part of the Church family?
3—The Church is a family of
UNPARALLELED PRESENCE(:4c)
—Explanation:(:4c)
“... from Him who is & who was & who is to come;
“Is”—Presently concerned with our welfare.
“Was”—Past. At the beginning of creation & before it. Has superintended creation & man in particular from day one!
Gen. 27-28—“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them. And God blessed them; & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply, & fill the earth, & subdue it; & rule over the fish of the sea & over the birds of the sky, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
“Is to come”—Future
Jer. 29:11—“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare & not for calamity to give you a future & a hope.”
—Argumentation:
Acts 3:19—[Peter to men of Israel]—“Repent therefore & return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”
Ps. 46:1—“God is our refuge & strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Ps. 145:18—“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”
Jer. 29:13—“‘And you will seek Me & find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Mat. 21:22—“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”
—Illustration:
Undersea exploration/Submersible—Johnson Sea-Link, Woods Hole-Jim suit-Unmanned rover/All require a support craft(mother ship)/Without support craft’s presence no effective exploration/Unparalleled PRESENCE
—Application:
?You the recipient of God’s Unequaled RESOURCEFULNESS?
?You a part of the Church family?
4—The Church is a family of
UNPARALLELED RESOURCEFULNESS(:4d)
—Explanation/Argumentation:(:4d) Ministry/Initiation
“...& from the seven Spirits who are before His throne;”
Rev. 3:1—“1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, & the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
Rev. 4:5—“And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning & sounds & peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;”
Rev. 5:6—“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) & the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns & seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.”
Rev. 8:2—“And I saw the seven angels who stand before God; & seven trumpets were given to them.”
Re 15:1, 6-8—And I saw another sign in heaven, great & marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.....& the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean & bright, & girded around their breasts with golden girdles. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever & ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God & from His power; & no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”
Zech. 4:10—“For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel--these are the eyes of the LORD which range to & fro throughout the earth.””
To understand the Holy Spirit as 7 persons appears to be out of character with what John is trying to convey here. This book is written by the very man who gave us the greatest understanding of the person & role of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John—Describing Him as “He” & “another(of the same type as Christ)Helper”(Jn. 14:16-18, 25-26; 16:7-15).
We mustn’t look for the Trinity here just so it will match our theology. & no doctrine of either the Trinity or of angels is tainted in any way.
Instead God’s resourcefulness is apparent!
“Seven spirits”—Their presence in John’s greeting speaks of the the certainty that God’s will in this revelation will be finalized.
*Heb. 1:14—“Are they[angels] not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
*God is “the Lord of Hosts”—military term
—Illustration:
American military/particular allotment of funding ensures a certain group of Americans fighting for our freedoms/ RESOURCEFULNESS
—Application:
?You the recipient of God’s Unequaled PRESENCE?
?You a part of the Church family?
CONCLUSION
The Church is a Family of Unparalleled...
GRACE(:4)
PEACE(:4)
PRESENCE(:4c)
RESOURCEFULNESS(:4d)
CHILDREN’S—‘The Water Fountain’
Comparison of a single cup to a continuous flow.
Presented 01/13/02am to;
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
