Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:1-3 is the title or preface.
Revelation 1:1
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified itby His angel to His servant John,
In the verse 1, there are two things about the book of Revelation as follows.
This morning, we learn the first thing.
Who are the servants of God that can receive the book of Revelation or the revelation of the Word of God?
God blesses us.
Revelation 1:1-3 is the title or preface.
Revelation 1:1
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified itby His angel to His servant John,
In the verse 1, there are two things about the book of Revelation as follows.
- The book of Revelation does not come from man, but it is given from God to Jesus. Then, it is signified to John the apostle through the angel or the power of Holy Spirit. Furthermore, it is signified to the servants of God so we can know what will happen in the last days. It is especially about Jesus’ second coming and about His judgment over the world.
Thus, the order is as follows: God -->Jesus -->angel/ the power of Holy Spirit -->John the apostle -->the servants of God. - The book of Revelation is not closed, but it is the secret of the Word of God that is revealed.
This morning, we learn the first thing.
Who are the servants of God that can receive the book of Revelation or the revelation of the Word of God?
- Life who has been redeemed or set free with the blood of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 7:22-23
7:22 For he who is called in the Lord whilea slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called whilefree is Christ’s slave.
7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
1 Peter 1:18-19
1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, likesilver or gold, from your aimless conduct receivedby tradition from your fathers,
1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
No matter how great a man in this world is, he is really despicable before God if he does sin. Even, he is just as dog and swine that are unworthy to be sacrificed to God.
As sinful man, we must be redeemed or set free from sins so we are worthy to serve God. We must be redeemed from the sins as follows.- Our own sins, either sinful deeds, words, and thoughts.
- Hereditary sins, including customary or traditional sins that do not agree with the Word of God.
1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lambwithout blemish and without spot.
There are three kinds of the terminology of the blood of Jesus as follows.- The precious blood. It means life who has been redeemed and set free from sins with the blood of Jesus so he can serve God is an expensive and precious life before Him. Even he becomes the apple of God’s eye.
- The blood of a lamb. Lamb has relation with shepherding. Thus, life who has been redeemed with the blood of Jesus so he lives in righteousness and serves God must be shepherded by the true teaching Word. We must be within the sheepfold. Physically, sheepfold is the church organization. But spiritually, sheepfold is the Holy Place within the Tabernacle. There are three types of equipment inside it that refer to three main services as follows.
- Golden Candlestick, that refers to perseverance in General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His gifts.
- Table of Showbread, that refers to perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion. We have fellowship with the Son of God in the true teaching Word and Holy Communion.
- Golden Altar of Incense, that refers to perseverance in Prayer Service. We have fellowship with Father God in His love.
Why must we be shepherded?- Because inside the sheepfold, our flesh with all its desire and emotion is limited so we do not become wild.
If the flesh is not shepherded, it will become wild and return to falling and rising in sins up to the peak of sins. - So we are not caught by wild beast. It means we are not deceived by false teaching, lies, gossips whose truth cannot be accounted.
- So we can live in righteousness and holiness, and we will bear sweet grape fruit.
- Golden Candlestick, that refers to perseverance in General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His gifts.
- The blood without blemish and without spot. It means that if we are well shepherded, we will experience intensive and continuous sanctification until sometime we become perfect and blameless as Jesus.
7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
There are two things that must be watched after becoming the servant of God as follows.- Do not become slaves of men.
Galatians 1:9-10
1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
The servant of man is the servant of God who ministers with the aim to please men, although it is against the Holy Bible. - Do not become slaves of money.
Luke 16:13-14
16:13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
16:14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.
The slave of money is the one who ministers with the aim to look for physical matter (money, position, mate, et cetera).
1 Corinthians 15:19
15:19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
He may get the physical things he wants, but he will lose the salvation, and become the most pitiable of all men.
- Our own sins, either sinful deeds, words, and thoughts.
- Life who imitates the example of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1
11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitateChrist.
At least there are two examples from Christ as follows.- Obedience example.
Philippians 2:8
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point ofdeath, even the death of the cross.
The servant of God is one who is obedient to do His will until the flesh does not sound anymore, whatever the risk is.
We must pay an expensive price to be obedient, but God is responsible for us. Being obedient equals to loving Him.
If we are not obedient, we must pay a more expensive price, even losing the Heaven and salvation, and being destroyed forever. - Faithfulness example.
2 Timothy 2:13
2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Jesus keeps being faithful until He dies on the cross. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. It means He always gives us chance to return to Him.
Let us use all the remaining chances through long life and health to be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering God to the end line. If we do not use the chance that He gives to us, we will become wicked and lazy servant who will be cast out to the outer darkness in the hell forever.
11:10 For the land which you go to possess isnot like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered itby foot, as a vegetable garden;
11:11 but the land which you cross over to possess isa land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
11:12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God arealways on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
11:13 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandmentswhich I command you today, to love the Lord your Godand serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
11:14 then I will give youthe rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
11:15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’
If we are obedient and faithful, God will move us from the system of Egypt to the system of Canaan. The system of Egypt refers to the ambience full of tears, suffering, forced labor, et cetera. The system of Canaan refers to the system of the Heaven or the cross, that is death and resurrection. In the system of Canaan (where there is valley and mountain), we will experience the things as follows.- We only depend on the rain of God’s mercy.
- God’s eyes are always on us, meaning He always understands, cares, and struggles for us. He always stretches out His miraculous merciful hands.
- The merciful hands of God are able to care us physically and spiritually (we experience satisfaction).
- The merciful hands of God protect us from temptation, danger, and distress; up to protect us from God’s judgment in this world and in the hell.
- The merciful hands of God are able to lift us up so we can live in righteousness and holiness. We will be lifted up from failures so everything will be successful and beautiful in His time.
The merciful hands of God will lift us up to the glorious clouds, meaning we will be used in the revival of Holy Spirit in the last days. We will be renewed from flesh man to become spiritual one as Jesus, starting from saying no more lies. If spiritual miracle happens, the physical one will also happen. The last miracle is on Jesus’ second coming, that is we will be renewed as glorious as Him and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Obedience example.
God blesses us.