Kingship of Christ in Revelation 4

The point: Contemplate Christ's offices of prophet, priest, and king to hold together the glory of multi-dimensioned salvation.

Contemplating Christ's work under the headings of prophet, priest, and king helps hold together the 'multi-dimensioned salvation,' with each office answering specific needs of sinners.

to at least make an effort at holding together something of the glory of this multi-dimensioned salvation is to contemplate the work of the Savior under the headings of his offices of prophet, priest, and king. For example, it is as our great priest that his work answers to our guilt, our pollution, and our defilement as sinners. If we think of our need because of ignorance and darkness of mind, then we contemplate Christ as our great prophet, making known to us the mind and the will of God. If we contemplate what we are as sinners in our native state of rebellion, in our continuous weakness a...

0:53 - 2:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon introduces the unified vision of Revelation 4 and 5, 'a vision of the throne of God and of the Lamb,' lamenting the chapter division but focusing on Chapter 4 for the…

Martin jokes about the length of his sermons, stating that expounding the entire vision of Revelation 4-5 would result in an 'hour-and-a-half old-fashioned Puritan sermon,' which he has only preached once.

Now, as I've already intimated, it's unfortunate that there is a chapter division between Chapters 4 and 5. The vision is a unity. The vision sets forth a glorious truth, not one part in isolation, from the other. But it is convenient in the sense that it is broken down, because if I were to try to expound the vision in its entirety this morning, at least for my purposes, I would show both a lack of good judgment and a lack of grace, because you would for sure get a full hour-and-a-half old-fashioned Puritan sermon.

5:04 - 5:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Read and meditate much upon Revelation 4 and 5 together throughout the week.

John's role in writing the letters to the seven churches is compared to a secretary taking dictation from her boss, emphasizing that John was simply recording what he heard, not composing.

Unlike the Apostle Paul, when he would write a letter, his own mental processes would be involved in thinking through the subject, in structuring his argument. Not so. John, at this point, is simply doing what a secretary does when she's called into her boss's office and he says, Now will you take this down? And she takes it down.

8:30 - 8:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What comfort, what direction, what consolation is to be found in this opening vision? Well, as I try to underscore the fundamental significance of the vision, try again to keep the whole picture in focus.

The vision of God's throne is presented as the 'ballast in her hull' for the church sailing through 'troubled and tempestuous waters,' providing stability and comfort amidst a hostile world.

the whole picture in focus. Having read the account of the glorious personage in the first chapter, Christ in regal and priestly power caring for the church in all the spectrum at its need, it doesn't take much for us to ask the question, yes, Christ is in the midst of His church, caring for her needs, commanding, rebuking, and succoring, but the church is in the midst of a world, a world at times filled with evil men, a world that often is governed by evil men and evil forces. The church does not carry out its mission and ministry in an island insulated from the world. Yes, it's wonderful to ...

18:29 - 19:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This vision assures the struggling saints that God is not nervous or out of control, but sovereignly enthroned, holy, almighty, and eternally changeless, upholding His covenant…

Martin uses the image of a 'nervous God biting His nails' to contrast with the reality of God's sovereign control, emphasizing that God is not anxious or surprised by worldly events.

to that lonely isle of Patmos, and he anticipates that he will be given visions of things to come, now his eye in this spirit of elevated, or in this condition of elevated relationship to the Spirit and to the world of spiritual reality, there is not a literal throne in heaven with literal creatures. No, no, my friend, this is all in vision, representing tremendous realities. And the great reality is spoken by those nearest to the throne. And it's as though the Lord is saying, O my struggling people upon the earth, who when you look about you, all you see is wicked men triumphing in their wick...

26:32 - 27:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: now do you see why it's wicked positively wicked for people to say, well chapter 4 of Revelation is the rapture and John represents the church being caught away from the earth and now the church can, as it were, look int…

Martin imagines a scene where a lector reads John's letter to a suffering church, and a volatile saint, realizing the profound truth of God's enthronement, interrupts to express shame for their practical atheism and to admonish fellow believers.

For of Him and through Him and unto Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. As I was meditating upon this passage my mind began to go off into a flight of imagination and I hope it was sanctified imagination. Can you imagine what it would have been like that first morning when the lector, the man appointed to read the epistle or the letter that would come from John from the Isle of Patmos came say to the church at Ephesus or Smyrna? And the lector is standing and he's reading. John, unto the seven churches that are in Asia Minor he's reading along. He reads of that amazing accoun...

29:18 - 30:18 Read in full sermon

Driving home: now do you see why it's wicked positively wicked for people to say, well chapter 4 of Revelation is the rapture and John represents the church being caught away from the earth and now the church can, as it were, look int…

The 'steel-like heel of Rome tromping out its vengeance upon the saints' illustrates the severe persecution faced by the early church, highlighting the context for the need of the vision's comfort.

I can just picture one saint who is perhaps a bit more volatile in his response raising his hand and saying to one of the elders Sir, Sir, will you have the lector stop for just a moment? Just have him stop for a moment? Is it possible that we could join them in that chorus of praise? Oh, how we've dishonored our God because we've seen that steel-like heel of Rome tromping out its vengeance upon the saints and because we've seen the struggles and the setbacks of the church we've been practical atheists we've acted as though God were not upon His throne we've conducted ourselves in a way that's...

30:55 - 32:20 Read in full sermon

Driving home: now do you see why it's wicked positively wicked for people to say, well chapter 4 of Revelation is the rapture and John represents the church being caught away from the earth and now the church can, as it were, look int…

Martin critiques the interpretation of Revelation 4 as the rapture, calling it 'wicked' because it turns the vision into a 'crystal ball' for future events concerning the Jews, rather than a message of comfort for the struggling church.

that rainbow that harks way back to Genesis in which God committed Himself to a covenant with His creatures and there was the living reminder He's the God of covenant faithfulness and what is happening about you, tossed, tried, tempted believers there has been no obliteration of that rainbow about the throne He exercises His sovereignty consisting with every covenant commitment He's made to His world and in particular to His church now do you see why it's wicked positively wicked for people to say, well chapter 4 of Revelation is the rapture and John represents the church being caught away fro...

32:20 - 33:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Never lose hold of the elementary truth of God as Creator; without it, consolations rooted in redemption will crumble.

Life's events can seem like a 'meaningless jumble of unrelated and cruel events' or 'tangled strands,' but the doctrine of God as Creator assures believers that there are 'no tangled strands in the mind of the infinite and eternal God.'

and I want to say in closing there is contained then in this vision and in its essential message both a word of instruction and comfort to every true believer the word of instruction is child of God never lose hold of the elementary truth the doctrine of the Bible which focuses upon God as Creator you see the moment you lose sight of that truth that fact then the world seems to be a meaningless jumble of unrelated and cruel events but if all things are here because He willed it and they are sustained because He wills it then though I cannot untangle the strands I can say bless God there are no...

35:12 - 36:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Never lose hold of the elementary truth of God as Creator; without it, consolations rooted in redemption will crumble.

Without the foundational doctrine of creation, consolations rooted in redemption will 'wear thin at the edges and ultimately crumble,' leaving only 'some kind of an existential Jesus kick,' which is insufficient for facing trials.

and I want to say in closing there is contained then in this vision and in its essential message both a word of instruction and comfort to every true believer the word of instruction is child of God never lose hold of the elementary truth the doctrine of the Bible which focuses upon God as Creator you see the moment you lose sight of that truth that fact then the world seems to be a meaningless jumble of unrelated and cruel events but if all things are here because He willed it and they are sustained because He wills it then though I cannot untangle the strands I can say bless God there are no...

35:12 - 36:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Suck sweetness from this vision by deliberate meditation and prayer, standing by that open door and seeing by the eye of faith the great reality that God is enthroned.

Believers are encouraged to 'suck sweetness from this vision' by deliberate meditation and prayer, standing by the open door of heaven by faith to behold the reality of God's enthronement.

who is Creator and sustainer of His world not only is it a word of instruction I trust you've sensed it is a word of consolation as you think of your life with its present disappointments its sins, its frustrations, its unanswered prayers its unrealized ambitions even some of the holiest ones ambitions that grow out of the fact that you're a new creature in Christ and yet you seem to be frustrated in the fulfillment of those ambitions what do you need child of God? you need as it were to suck sweetness from this vision go with John not in some elevated state of direct revelation but by the fee...

36:38 - 38:03 Read in full sermon