Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus

I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)

What on earth is going on in heaven?

“I AM” Alpha And Omega

The revelation from (of) Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants… ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.’ Revelation 1:1, 8 (NIV)

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:12–16 (ESV)

1.         Christ Revealed — Risen, Glorified Son of Man

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I AM the First and the Last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I AM alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 1:17–18 (ESV)

The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head. C.H. Spurgeon

2.         Christ Revealed — Lord Over the Church

The words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands (the churches). Revelation 2:1 (ESV)

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:22 (NIV)

Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first. Revelation 2:4 (NIV)

The letters to the seven churches are not ancient post, they are living words addressed to every congregation in every age that finds itself at the intersection of faithfulness and compromise. — N.T. Wright

3.         Christ Revealed — The Slain and Worthy Lamb

Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll. Revelation 5:5 (NIV)

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been (freshly) slain, standing at the centre of the throne. Revelation 5:6 (NIV)

‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!’ Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose. — William Temple

4.         Christ Revealed — The Sovereign Judge

O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10 (ESV)

A God who cannot get angry at the wrecking of His world is not a loving God; He is an indifferent one.

— N.T. Wright

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! Revelation 18:2 (NIV)

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 11:15 (ESV)

The wrath of God is not an outburst of divine temper. It is the settled, holy opposition of God's nature to everything that is evil, and the guarantee that evil will not triumph. — John Stott

5.         Christ Revealed — The Victorious King

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True… On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11, 16 (ESV)

He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. Revelation 19:13–14 (ESV)

We are not trying to achieve a victory. We are standing in the victory already achieved. — Donald Gee

6.         Christ Revealed — The Covenant Bridegroom

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Revelation 19:7 (NIV)

The Bible is a love story. From first to last, it is about a God who pursues His wayward creation with a relentless, self-giving love that culminates in the marriage supper of the Lamb. — Timothy Keller

Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV)

7.         Christ Revealed — The Alpha and Omega

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13 (NIV)

The sovereignty of God does not mean that everything that happens is good. It means that nothing that happens is beyond redemption. — R.C. Sproul

He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!’ Revelation 21:5 (NIV)