1.
In
the name of our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The
message from God’s Word for this Second Sunday of Easter is taken from
Revelation 1:4-18 and is entitled, “The
Risen Savior Reveals Himself to Us,” dear brothers and sisters in
Christ.
2.
J.
R. R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a
marvelous book of fiction written by one of the best writers of the 20th
century. Recently, Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and his
book, “The Hobbit,” have been set to
film by Hollywood. In the book the land
of Middle Earth is threatened by the power of a vile overlord, Sauron. Middle Earth can only be saved
by the courage of a few hobbits. If you don’t know what hobbits are, you’re
missing out on the most delightful fictional creatures in all literature. Unknown
to the hobbits, they’re helped on their quest by the true king of Middle Earth
working undercover. The hobbits think of him as Strider, the humble Ranger, who roves the land homeless and
friendless. In the great battle at the
end of the age, good is engulfed by evil. Frodo the hobbit performs a heroic
deed. Darkness turns to light. Finally, Aragorn the King is revealed in all his
splendor. This suggests that Tolkien knew the true King of Kings. He knew that
human history is all about a real battle between good and evil. He knew that
the true King has not yet been revealed in his splendor, but will one day.
3.
Tolkien’s
fiction works because it’s based on a true understanding of God’s power and the
victory of God and good. The Book of Revelation is the divinely inspired
portrait of good engulfed by evil until good prevails at the end. Finally, the
real King, Jesus, is revealed. What Tolkien presented in fiction, John the
Apostle presents in reality. This is
what we see here in Revelation chapter 1 as Jesus
our Risen Savior Reveals Himself to Us.
4.
In
Acts chapter 5 today we see that the report of Jesus’ resurrection strikes the
chief priests as a threat of God’s judgment. Yes and no, reply the apostles:
your guilt is swallowed up in the message of forgiveness, of new Spirit-given
life. But those whose way of life seems threatened by the gospel will always
interpret it as bad news. Authorities regularly try to suppress or marginalize
the gospel, rightly interpreting it as a challenge to their position or power
& rule. Even the kingdoms of the
earth today try to suppress the Christian church from spreading the Gospel by
persecuting Christians and stopping the message of the Gospel of our Lord’s
death and resurrection for our sins in communist and Islamic countries. But,
the resurrection of our Lord Jesus isn’t another human scheme, or power-play
alongside others. It’s on a different level, God’s gift to his surprised world.
5.
The
resurrection of our Lord Jesus does challenge rulers who suppose themselves to
be utterly supreme, answerable to nobody but themselves. This is the message of
the book of Revelation: Jesus is the faithful witness, the first-born of the
dead, the ruler of kings of the earth. One day his kingship will be universally
acknowledged.
6.
In
the world addressed by Revelation, there was already a claimant for that title,
enthroned in Rome, ruling an empire acquired and maintained by brute force. John’s
vision is of a different king, ruling a different empire, having gained his
dominion by suffering and maintaining it by forgiveness. No wonder other
priests and kings tremble at the thought. No power on earth can stand before
total, divine, self-giving love.
7.
In Revelation chapter 1
John the Apostle points out that our Risen Savior Jesus reveals Himself to us as our Prophet, Priest, and
King. As the faithful witness Jesus
fulfilled his office as Prophet, revealing God’s Word to us. We can believe and
trust his words through which he has brought us to the true knowledge of
God. As
the faithful witness of the truth from God,
who sent him to earth to die for our sins. The word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for witness. Jesus was a “witness” as the first to die. This would
have comforted believers who were suffering for their faith under Roman
persecution. Those who would die for their faith in Christ, the martyrs, would
“witness” through their deaths. We live
in a day of conflicting claims for various religions (they can’t all be true),
and the desire to be tolerant of all others (if it’s true for you, it’s true).
Yet how do we as Christians determine what we believe? We regard Jesus Christ
as our faithful witness. He’s the only religious leader who has risen from the
dead. So when you read John’s
description of the vision, keep in mind that his words are not just good
advice; they are truth from the King of kings. Let the truth about Christ
penetrate your life, deepen your faith in him, and strengthen your commitment
to follow him—no matter what the cost.
8.
Jesus
Christ is the foremost “faithful witness”
because he died and because he was the
first to rise from the dead. As the
firstborn of the dead he fulfilled his office as Priest, giving his own life as
a sacrifice for all. By his resurrection he has overcome death for us all. Christ’s resurrection assures the same for
all the believers. He shows us all how to stand firm for the faith even when
faced with persecution. Others had risen from the dead—people whom the
prophets, Jesus, and the apostles had brought back to life during their
ministries—but later those people had died again. Jesus was the first to rise
from the dead in an imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:20), never to die again.
9.
As the ruler of the kings of the earth he
fulfilled his office as King. He governs all other rulers and uses them to
carry out his divine purposes. The church has been, and will again be,
persecuted by the rulers of this world,
but all are under the power of Jesus as he rules in his eternal kingdom for the
benefit of the church (Rev 11:15; Eph 1:22). The ragings of this sinful world can’t
overcome our King, who watches over us. Satan
had tried to tempt Jesus with an offer of ruling all the nations of the world
if Jesus would bow and worship him (Matthew 4:8–9). Jesus refused and, through
obedience to God through death on the cross, gained ultimate leadership. Psalm
89:27 says, “I will make him my firstborn
son, the mightiest king on earth.” Jesus was not just a humble earthly
teacher; he is the glorious God. When he returns, he will be recognized for who
he really is. Then, “at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(Philippians 2:10–11).
10. John the Apostle says that our
risen Savior Jesus has made us kings
and priests, serving God.’ Jesus is
to be imitated, and his mission implemented, by his Spirit-filled followers: ‘As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ As—so:
to stand before priests and rulers, to proclaim God’s kingdom established
through the saving lordship of Jesus, to announce the forgiveness, or the
retention, of sins. As believers who
have been made priests we have privilege of approaching God directly on our own
behalf and in behalf of others. This isn’t an option, for it is an essential
feature of the Christian life (1 Pe 2:9). As priests, our sacrifices are
repentance, prayer, and praise, a life of service and thanksgiving. We’re not
to live as though defeated in this life, but to use our position as a kingdom
of priests to serve God and our fellowmen even now.
11. John reminds us that our risen
Savior Jesus is the eternal, unchangeable, almighty God. As such no enemy is
too mighty for him. Therefore, he is able to keep all the promises which he
made to those who are his, and he is able to overthrow those who are not his.
This is a great comfort for us as believers, since his love and concern for us
will never change. He is the First and
the Last, the eternal God. He is the Living One who was dead and is alive
forever and ever. That is, he who died for our sins has risen again because God
has justified us. He holds the keys of death and Hades, has the power to raise
the dead and deliver men from Satan’s power. What a resurrection message! Amen.
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