Revelation: Christ's Present Kingship and Courageous Allegiance

He doesn't God doesn't keep us in suspense. Especially the book of Revelation does not leave us hanging about how things unfold in this world and in history and in God's purposes, God's plan. In fact, that's what the book the title of this book, Revelation, is all about. The revelation of Jesus Christ. The Greek word apokalupsis just means the unveiling, the revealing of what things are not physically seen but are actually true, what is beneath the surface of what we actually see. And so the very first verse of this book begins, a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. [00:28:19] (50 seconds)  #RevelationUnveiled

He is coming. He is coming. Not he will be coming, not eventually he will be here, but he already is coming. That means that he's already approaching. He's getting nearer and nearer and nearer. That's why John keeps saying, the time is coming, the soon the time is coming soon. It's almost as if as Jesus gets closer, the chaos of the world, the disorder of world. It seems that scripture says that things will get worse before they get better. It's like the imagery of birth pangs. Right? As, you know, a woman is in labor and the the child is born, it doesn't just happen quietly. [00:35:18] (46 seconds)  #JesusIsComingNow

But here's the thing about revelation. I think as we read through it, I mean, are lots of things to ponder over and lots of questions that we all have and some that we won't really have certain answers to. But if you're discerning and if you read carefully and you're listening carefully, you'll see, you'll hear that the main message of revelation is the main message that we've been talking about, at least for the last two years in the preaching and teaching here. It's the same message that's been at the center of the message of the gospel, The kingdom of God has come near. The kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus Christ. [00:29:09] (52 seconds)  #KingdomHasCome

There's this increase in intensity as the birth plans get closer and closer. And, that's the same with what is happening in the world and in history. God says that as Jesus comes, he is coming now. He's coming nearer and nearer to the world. It's almost as if the world in its opposition to him, in its resistance to him, all those things which oppose God, oppose the Lord Jesus, they know that God is coming. They know that Jesus is getting near. And it's like their last their last levels or last pieces of of resistance that they can throw at him. In the end, it's futile. [00:36:04] (39 seconds)  #ResistanceIsFutile

In the end, there really are only two ways that power is confronted in this world. Is Jesus' way or our way? Our way, like the world's way, is might against might, strength against strength. We want to overpower those who oppose us, who are against us. That's the natural way of the world. But Jesus' way is different. He confronts evil with good, sin with self sacrifice, and then he calls his followers to do the same. There will be lots to uncover and learn and be encouraged by as we unpack, some of the the themes in the text in Revelation. But I think it will be really nothing new for us because it's the same story that we've been hearing all along. Jesus Christ is lord and king. [00:47:34] (64 seconds)  #ConquerWithLove

He is the Messiah. He is the king. He is the anointed one of God. Right? We went through that a couple of years ago, and it's similar to this the the message that we've been talking about this last winter in the cross. Jesus, the way that he becomes king is not through power and might, but through the cross. Just as in he read about read out to us, this morning as we began worship. The gospel, the cross, and revelation are one continuous story. The main message of all of those stories really is the same, and there should be no surprises here as we look to Revelation. [00:30:01] (49 seconds)  #CrossToCrown

See, it's all one continuous seamless story from Jesus' life to his ministry, to his preaching, to the cross, which is his enthronement. The cross, his death was the enthronement, the way that he became king. It's all one seamless story that we've been talking about for a couple of years now. And revelation is really what it looks like when this king goes into battle, when this king brings his people into battle. And we'll see that it's not the kind of battles and not the kind of fight that empires wage in this world. [00:41:34] (50 seconds)  #SpiritualBattleNotWar

But this is the signs I mean, the the the disorder, the chaos in the world, whether it's at a global scale or whether it's at a local scale or whether it's at a very personal level, the disorder and chaos in the world is not a sign that God is distant. It's not a sign that God has left us. It's not a sign that he is not coming. In fact, if anything, it is a sign that Jesus is coming nearer and should give us confidence that as Jesus comes, as Jesus gets closer, things may not look better, but that is not a sign that he is not distant, that he's not away, he's not far from us, that he's in fact getting closer. [00:36:44] (51 seconds)  #ChaosMeansCloser