June 9, 2024 -- Revelation 1:5b-9 -- Living and working together in Gospel partnership

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 1:5b-9 ESV

What glory belongs to those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus, the King of Righteousness, has freed us from our sins. More than that, He has stirred up in us a holy desire for His return. When He returns all who believe in Him, Who rejoice in Him, Who have been freed from their sins will be with Him. The judgment will confirm the blessedness of those who are in Christ and confirm the wickedness of unbelievers. Unbelievers will scream and wail at the judgment because the horror of their sin and their blasphemies against God will be so obvious in the light of His terrible and awesome presence. They will know how sinful sin truly is.

Look at how John, who received the revelation of Jesus, describes himself. Though he is an elder statesman, the last living disciple who walked with Jesus, he describes himself as a brother to all the believers. Believers who are going to be identified by their flaws and sins, their strengths and the ways in which they are backsliding—he is writing, empowered by the Spirit, so that believers will know the path to repentance. He is also a partner with them. The original language, the word partner is one who experiences fellowship together with those to whom he is writing. He is emphasizing all believers are at an equal position, a level playing field, before Jesus Christ. Now look at the three descriptors he uses.

John is a brother and co-partaker in the tribulation. What is the tribulation? First, these are the sufferings which Jesus Himself had to undergo. When He walked the earth, He endured all things and remained faithful to God the Father, never once sinning. The tribulation are the tests Christians endure which refine them for faithfulness to God. These tribulations can be external. The world and the Devil pushing hard against them seeking to push Christians off-course by compromise. Or these can come from within, tribulation whereby the old, sinful nature, rears its ugly head and reminds one of the past and seeks to draw the believer away from holiness into the trap of past wickedness.

How can believers endure? We are partners in the Kingdom! Jesus is King—now. The eyes of faith see Him as such. The believer is ruled by the Spirit of God. The tribulations can be endured because the very same Spirit Who was in Jesus while He walked the earth, is the Spirit Who is in all who believe. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of power. He is given so that believers have all they need, all that pertains to life and godliness.

There is now also a partnership in patient endurance. The word means perseverance. This word is used about twenty-one times in the New Testament, one-third of the times it is used in Revelation. How does the believer endure patiently?

Yesterday a dear friend stopped by. I haven’t seen him in years. When we met, the years just fell away. We talked openly about our faith, honestly about our struggles and encouraged each other in our faith. We prayed together and led each other to the throne of grace, where Jesus is seated, so that we could find grace and mercy to help us in our time of need.

Dear family in Christ, today is Sunday. Get to a Bible-believing church. Listen to the Word preached. It is a means of grace. If you go to church, or can’t go to church you can no doubt speak with other believers, and express the hope you have in Christ. Talk about your need for Jesus and his Spirit so that together you will be sharpened and prepared for patient endurance as we await His glorious return.

Father in heaven, thank You for the great gifts of salvation You have showered on all who believe. Thank you for Jesus in Whom we have eternal life and through Whom our new-life joy is strengthened. Father in heaven thank You for the rich and powerful presence of Your Holy Spirit Who directs us in so that fellow believers are family in Christ, partners in the Gospel who face tribulation by the power of Jesus’ kingdom and together stir up in one another patient endurance.

https://youtu.be/kW-CzmdD1nM?si=2m36O1OjWnhy1xci “Find Us Faithful” Steve Green

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