THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD
Revelation 1: 4-6

Introduction:     The Book of Revelation begins with the words, “Grace be unto you, and peace...”  Though it is a book of judgment it begins with a blessing and a benediction.

I.          THE  BLESSING  (VV.4-5a)

            A.        Its  Substance  (4a)

God says man can receive what he does not deserve:

                        1.         Grace

                        2.         Peace

Grace and peace win through at last. For at the end of the book the storm clouds roll away and the drums of war are stilled. There is a new heaven and a new earth in which dwells righteousness, and where all is grace and peace.

            B.         Its  Source  (4b-5a)

                        1.         The Father  --  The One who transcends all time. He reads the past, rides the present, and rules the future. Come what may, He controls it all!

                        2.         The Spirit  --  Perfection (7) of the His Person and Plenitude of His Power. He is the executor of God’s purposes.

                        3.         The Son                                  

                                    (1)    How the age Commences (Faithful Witness) -- He witnessed:

                                                a.    To the name of God

                                                b.    To the nature of sin

                                                c.    To the need for righteousness

                                                d.    The nearness of judgment

                                                e.    The news of salvation

                                    (2)    How the age Continues  (First begotten from the dead)

                                    (3)    How the age Concludes (The Prince of the kings of the earth)

He who was born in a barn and died on a cross is coming back the reign!

II.         THE  BENEDICTION  (VV.5B-6)

            A.        The Grace That Comes To Us  (4b-6a)

                        1.         Grace that Endures  -  (Him that loved us)

                        2.         Grace that Emancipates  -  (Washed us from our sins)

                        3.         Grace that Elevates  -  (Made us kings and priests)

He has bestowed on all of us the majesty of a prince and the ministry of a priest. He has given us power with men and power with God. Oh what grace that has come to us!

            B.         The Glory That Comes To Him  (6b)

                        1.         It Is Personal  --  (To Him be glory)

                        2.         It Is Positional  --  (Dominion)

                        3.         It Is Perpetual  --  (For ever and ever)

Conclusion:       Illust. Thomas Chalmers, one of Scotland’s greatest preachers. “What is mathematics? It is magnitude and the proportion of magnitude. I had forgotten two magnitudes -- I had forgotten the shortness of time, and I had forgotten the length of eternity. God never loses sight of eternity. The saints, in their joyful benediction, tell of the glory that comes to Jesus.