Sermon Tone Analysis

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[[@page.3.1.5]][[@bible.87.1.5]]!!!! 3.1.5

- Revelation  [[1:5|bible.87.1.5]]

and from Jesus Christ \\ Within this simple greeting can be found a neglected doctrine of paramount importance: the Trinity.

The greeting is from each member of the Trinity: from /Him who is and who was and who is to come/ (the Father), from /the seven Spirits who are before His throne/ (the Holy Spirit), and from /Jesus Christ/ (the Son).

Before we have even begun to plumb the depths of the amazing statements made concerning Christ in the verses to follow, /His divinity/ is already in plain view before us.the

faithful witness \\ Among the unique titles of Jesus, He is "called Faithful and True" (Rev.

[[19:11|bible.87.19.11]]+).

Here, we see His character as God, Who cannot lie (Num.

[[23:19|bible.4.23.19]];

Rom.

[[3:4|bible.66.3.4]];

Tit.

[[1:2|bible.77.1.2]];

Heb.

[[6:18|bible.79.6.18]]).

Where God is involved, other witnesses are unnecessary, for God bears truthful and reliable witness of Himself (John [[8:14|bible.64.8.14]]).

The /witness/ of Christ was /faithful/ in that He finished the work which the Father had given Him (John [[17:4|bible.64.17.4]]), manifesting the Father's name to His disciples (John [[17:6|bible.64.17.6]]) and resisting the temptation to circumvent the cross (Luke [[22:42-44|bible.63.22.42-63.22.44]]).

In His incarnation, Jesus provided a witness of God to man (Isa.

[[9:1-2|bible.23.9.1-23.9.2]]; John [[1:14|bible.64.1.14]],

[[18|bible.64.1.18]];

[[12:45|bible.64.12.45]]; [[14:8-9|bible.64.14.8-64.14.9]];

Col. [[1:15|bible.72.1.15]];

[[2:9|bible.72.2.9]]; Heb.

[[1:2|bible.79.1.2]];

1Jn.

[[1:2|bible.83.1.2]]).firstborn

from the dead \\ He is the firstborn from the dead "that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Col.

[[1:18|bible.72.1.18]]).

He thus establishes the pattern for all His brethren who will also rise from the dead (Rom.

[[8:29|bible.66.8.29]]).The term "firstborn" (πρωτότοκος [prōtotokos] ), emphasizes not His /generation/, but His /position/ (Ps.

[[89:27|bible.19.89.27]]) [the LXX uses the same Greek term (Psalm 88:28 in the LXX)].1 The Greek term πρωτότοκο [prōtotoko] could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank.

M. J. Harris, /Colossians and Philemon/ (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: "The 'firstborn' was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank.

The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps. 88:28 LXX (=Ps [[89:27|bible.19.89.27]]

EVV), 'I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκο [prōtotoko] ), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,' indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time.

But whether the proto- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -tokos element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω [tiktō] give birth to) has been virtually lost except in reference to literal birth."

In Col. [[1:15|bible.72.1.15]]

the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus' rank as over and above creation (cf.

Col. [[1:16|bible.72.1.16]]

and the 'for' clause referring to Jesus as Creator).2

A connection with Psalm [[2|bible.19.2.1]] is seen in that Christ is here /firstborn from the dead/ ("begotten," Ps. [[2:7|bible.19.2.7]] cf.

Acts [[13:33|bible.65.13.33]];

Heb.

[[1:5|bible.79.1.5]];

Rom.

[[1:4|bible.66.1.4]])

and /ruler over the kings of the earth/ (Ps.

[[2:8|bible.19.2.8]]).

It was at His resurrection that His divine Sonship was made manifest and attested by the Father (Acts [[13:33|bible.65.13.33]];

Rom.

[[1:4|bible.66.1.4]]).3

Although not the first to be raised from the dead, Christ is the first to be resurrected to obtain a glorified body never to die again (1Cor.

[[15:35-44|bible.67.15.35-67.15.44]]).

"There were resurrections before His in the Old Testament (1K.

[[17:17-23|bible.11.17.17-11.17.23]]; 2K.

[[4:32-36|bible.12.4.32-12.4.36]]; [[13:20-21|bible.12.13.20-12.13.21]]), and He Himself raised others during His earthly ministry (Mtt.

[[9:23-25|bible.61.9.23-61.9.25]]; Luke [[7:11-15|bible.63.7.11-63.7.15]];

John [[11:30-44|bible.64.11.30-64.11.44]])."4

Yet all of these who were resurrected prior to Christ continued to age and eventually died again.5 Christ is indeed "/the first begotten of the dead/," notwithstanding that such raisings from the grave as that of the widow's son, and Jairus's daughter, and Lazarus, and his who revived at the touch of Elisha's bones (2K.

[[13:21|bible.12.13.21]]), went before.

There was for them no repeal of the sentence of death, but a respite only; not to say that even during their period of respite they carried about with them a body of death.

Christ first so rose from the dead, that he left death forever behind Him, did not, and could not, die any more (Rom.

[[6:9|bible.66.6.9]]); in this respect was "the first-fruits of them that slept" (1Cor.

[[15:20|bible.67.15.20]], [[23|bible.67.15.23]]), the Prince of life (Acts [[3:15|bible.65.3.15]]).6

The resurrection of Christ is unique because He is the first instance of that transformation which the resurrection effects.

It is more than a resuscitation of mortal flesh, such as took place in the cases of Jairus' daughter or of Lazarus, for they underwent no essential change of the body. . . .

they were restored to their friends; but there is not a hint that they were made physically immortal, or that death did not overtake them at some later date.7

ruler over the kings of the earth \\ The rule of Jesus over the kings of the earth is by divine right, not by the willing acceptance of the kings themselves (Ps.

[[2|bible.19.2.1]]; Dan.

[[2:34-35|bible.27.2.34-27.2.35]], [[44-45|bible.27.2.44-27.2.45]]; [[7:11-14|bible.27.7.11-27.7.14]], [[24-27|bible.27.7.24-27.7.27]]).

For the world will reject the reign of God.

The arrival of God's kingdom on earth is a major theme of this prophecy given through John and culminates in the destruction of the armies of the kings of the earth at the Second Coming of Christ (Rev.

[[19:11-21|bible.87.19.11-87.19.21]]+).While it is true that Jesus is the ruler over all men /today/, most do not realize this to be the case.

A time is coming when the knowledge of the Lord will extend over the face of the entire earth and there will no longer be difference of opinion regarding Who is in control (Isa.

[[2:3|bible.23.2.3]]; [[11:9|bible.23.11.9]];

Mic.

[[4:2|bible.33.4.2]];

Zec.

[[14:8-11|bible.38.14.8-38.14.11]]).who

loved us \\ "Loved," (Ἀγαπῶντι [Agapōnti] ) is a present participle, He /is loving/ (present tense) us.

The love of God for us is demonstrated in many ways, but chiefly, in the way in which He gave His Son on our behalf: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John [[3:16|bible.64.3.16]]).

The "so" in this oft-quoted verse is not only speaking of the /degree/ of God's love, but the /way in which it was manifested/--by the giving of His Son.8

This is made clear by the context of the passage, and especially the preceding verses: "And *as* Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, *even so* must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" [emphasis added] (John [[3:14-15|bible.64.3.14-64.3.15]]).In his epistle, John also explained the giving of Jesus on the cross as a /demonstration/ of God's love.

"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son /to be/ the propitiation for our sins" (1Jn.

[[4:9-10|bible.83.4.9-83.4.10]]).

This love of God is not restricted to the Father giving the Son, but includes /the Son giving Himself/ (Eph.

[[5:2|bible.70.5.2]]).

Our love of God is not natural, but in reaction to His first having loved us (1Jn.

[[4:19|bible.83.4.19]]).The degree of God's love for us is fathomless.

Yet God desires our finite minds to attempt to comprehend it as best we are able.

The depth of His love is demonstrated by an ongoing study of what is said concerning the relationship between the Father and the Son (John [[1:1|bible.64.1.1]];

[[17:5|bible.64.17.5]], [[25|bible.64.17.25]]) and the agonizing cost to God in order to redeem us (Mtt.

[[27:46|bible.61.27.46]];

Mark [[15:34|bible.62.15.34]]).

This cost is all the more amazing when our condition as enemies of God is considered (Rom.

[[5:6-10|bible.66.5.6-66.5.10]]).Our inability to worship God correlates with our ignorance of His Word.

For it is by His Word that we come to an ever deeper understanding of the intimacy between the Father and the Son and the painful rent in that fabric necessary to secure our undeserved redemption.

Emotional worship experiences in and of themselves can never substitute for a response based upon a Scriptural understanding of His love for us, as limited as it may ultimately be.washed us \\ NU has "freed" (λύσαντι [lysanti] ) whereas MT has "washed" (λούσαντι [lousanti] ) - a difference of a single Greek letter.

Scripture describes both as being true of the believer who has been set free (Mtt.