Understanding This Journey Of Faith
February 2022 |
“Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” —Revelation 1:5-6
When one opens the pages of the book of Revelation, we find the elderly John, about ninety-five years young, living on a small Island called Patmos, not too far from the mainland of what is now called Turkey. Several years ago, my wife Donna and I were with a tour group from the United States that visited Patmos Island. We walked in the cave where they said John lived. We were there where he received this vision.
The Roman government had exiled him to this island as punishment for preaching the gospel and to limit his influence concerning His faith and witness. The other apostles were now martyred. John was still living. Paul and Peter had been martyred during the reign of Nero in 65-66 AD.
The emperor of the Roman Empire during John’s time on Patmos was Domitian, who ruled Rome from AD 81-96. He was born in Rome, Italy. As a general, he had fought in Gaul (France) and Germany with some success. During his reign, he organized a multitude of games in the great Roman coliseum. He was a womanizer, loved poetry, arranged for extravagant parties, and was considered greedy and cruel. In AD 96, citizens and leaders of Rome formed a mob and stabbed him to death.
At about AD 95, while exiled on Patmos Island, John writes in Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book.”
And that is what the apostle did.
Consequently, we have the awesome book of Revelation. In Chapter 1:19, John hears these words, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”
In Revelation 2 and 3, we read of what Christ says to the beloved pastor about the seven churches of Asia, in their current condition. Christ’s words are convicting, encouraging, disturbing, and assuring. Very likely, the beloved John was the bishop over all these congregations. He knew the pastors and churches quite well. From Revelation 4 through 22, John writes of future events.
For this article, I want to focus on how John describes the three dimensions or revelations of the Christian journey of faith highlighted in Revelation 1:5-6.
Unto Him Who Loved Us
As one starts down the road of knowing God and serving God, it is imperative that he understands and believes that God truly loves him, no matter what he has done or who he is. This truth is so important and foundational.
John 3:16 declares, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”
John 15:13 reads, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins.”
John writes in I John 4:10, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Please, dear friend, know that God loves you and all of mankind. God loves us and will never stop loving us, no matter what has happened to us. The apostle John wants everyone to know that God loves each person—whether rich, poor, a prisoner behind bars, or someone bound by drugs or alcohol. Believe me friend, God loves you. Take a few minutes to read the brief epistles of John. You will be blessed.
And Washed Us From Our Sins In His Own Blood
Now read the rest of Revelation 1:5: “and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
John continues to write and say that our sins, mistakes, failures, and stupidities are forgiven and removed from the record by our blessed Lord.
If you are truly repentant, the Word of God teaches that there is no record of your sins in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Some scholars show that the Greek word for washed really means that we are “set free, loosed from, or delivered from” our sins.
Paul clarifies this point in Colossians 2:14: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
My, my, my, my! When Christ declared on the cross of Calvary, “It is finished,” please know that the price of your sins were paid. All you need to do is simply thank Him and praise Him because He has truly “washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
It’s over. We confess to Him, not man, our sins. Christ is quick to forgive us “and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
Look at Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Rejoice that your sins are gone. All of them—forgiven, washed, blotted out, removed. In Christ, we are now “whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7). Hallelujah!
And Has Made Us Kings And Priests Unto God And His Father
Revelation 1:6 says, “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father.”
John declares that God loves us with an undying love; He washes us and cleanses us from all sin, and He has also “made us kings and priests unto God.”
Please carefully analyze what John is writing here.
First, we must be convinced that He loves us completely. Second, we are convinced that He has forgiven us and washed our sins away totally.
Third, did you know you are predestined for greatness?
You may think you are a nobody. Paul taught in Ephesians 2:6, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
I Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
The apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 1:5 that we are predestinated and adopted by Jesus Christ to Himself.
In Ephesians 1:11, Paul writes, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
Dear friend, when you surrendered your life to God, repented of your sins, and determined by faith to serve God and walk in His ways, you placed yourself in a position to be blessed abundantly by God.
Revelation 1:6 says that the believer will be made by God, “kings and priests unto God and His Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
In Genesis 37-50, the incredible story is told of a young boy sold into slavery by his cruel brothers. In spite of family betrayal, lies, and prison, Joseph never wavered from his faith in a loving, merciful God.
Our Father desires to love us, wash us completely, and then make us kings and priests unto our God and unto our fellow man.
I challenge you to give the Lord your whole life and expect God to bless you richly in all ways.
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