THE BOOK OF REVELATION 1:4-8 ‘The Triune God’

Revelation Grace? peace?

What is grace? What is peace? Revelation 1:4-5 4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: GRACE to you and PEACE [1] from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and [2] from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 [3] from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

Grace as Free Gift Romans 3:22-24 For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Flipside of Grace: God’s Work 1 Corinthians 15:10 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Grace accessed by Faith Romans 4:16 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all [...] Romans 5:1-2 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

What is grace? What is peace? Grace - The power of God accessed by faith that enables the saints to receive the benefits of God’s work (past, present & future), including the power to endure and persevere through trials and testings. Peace - The state of mind and heart that dwells in the assurance and confidence in the hope of God. “So, how did the saints (and do we) receive grace and power from God the Father, from God the Son and from God the Holy Spirit?”

The Triune God Revelation 1:4-5 4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: GRACE to you and PEACE [1] from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and [2] from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 [3] from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

Revelation The trinity

The Father God Revelation 1:4 [1] from Him who is and who was and who is to come, Questions: Why ‘who is’ first? What does it mean that God is ‘who is’, ‘who was’ and ‘who is to come’? How does this truth of God the Father gave (& give) grace and peace to the saints?

The Holy Spirit God Revelation 1:4 [2] from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, Questions: Why ‘seven’? What is significance of the Holy Spirit being described as ‘seven lamps’ in Rev 4:5? How does this truth of God the Holy Spirit gave (& give) grace and peace to the saints?

The Holy Spirit God What does Holy Spirit do for the saints and church? Glorifies Jesus & Father Leads us to all truth Produces fruit of Spirit Intercedes when we don’t know what to pray for Baptises in His Spirit Enables spiritual gifts Convicts us sins Reminds us of Jesus’ word Illuminates our mind to understand the Word Converts people to be born again (of Spirit) Enables the true worship (in Spirit and Truth) Gives us power to resist sin and witness Christ Tells what is yet to come Abides in us and guarantees our salvation Gives us boldness

The Triune God Revelation 1:5 [3] from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. Questions: How is Jesus ‘the faithful witness’? What does it mean that Jesus is ‘firstborn from dead’? Who are ‘the kings of the earth’? One leads to another (i.e. in chronological order)

Revelation Triune God 4 us

Triune God who is for us Revelation 1:5-8 [1] To Him who loves us and washed us from our sins in His own blood 6 - and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father - to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. [2] 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. [3] 8 “(1) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord God, “(2) who is and who was and who is to come, (3) the Almighty."

God the Son who is for us Revelation 1:5-6 [1] To Him who loves us and washed us from our sins in His own blood 6 - and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father - to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Comments: This is our confession and praise to Christ Jesus our Lord! What does it mean that He has made us ‘kings and priests’? His continuing love for us enabled all these benefits for us!

God the Spirit who is for us Revelation 1:7 [2] 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Comments: This is the Holy Spirit testifying and declaring about the second coming of Jesus! Why will ‘all the tribes of the earth’ mourn?

God the Father who is for us Revelation 1:8 [3] 8 “(1) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord God, “(2) who is and who was and who is to come, (3) the Almighty." Comments: What are the three greatest attributes of God? Is this God the Father or God the Son speaking?

Revelation summary

Summary It is vital in the life of saints that we meditate on the attributes of God to engage us with Him, encourage us to love and empowers us to live a life worthy of His calling. Grace and peace come from ‘knowing’ God: encountering and experiencing the very being of God and understanding how God operates and acts. And we can do this by reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”