Jesus is our Victor

This post was originally published as a Sunday School Lesson post for the Biblical Recorder here.

Seeing is _____________.  A picture is worth a __________________ ________. I imagine you had little difficulty finishing those sentences with “believing” and “thousand words,” respectively. Pictures and visions reveal glorious truths. The book of Revelation is a book of visions. John witnessed vision after glorious vision intended to encourage and challenge. John himself received the book of Revelation during a time of intense persecution as he was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos. His fellow believers, many of those in the churches to whom he wrote, were experiencing persecution and suffering in turmoil. Enter Jesus. Now John knew Jesus as well as anyone. He was one of Jesus’ closest followers, if not his most intimate. But if you notice in this text, when John saw Jesus in all of his unfettered glory, he fell at his feet as though dead. John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:12-20 is not the carpenter’s son dressed in the humble vestiges of a traveling preacher. Rather, John’s vision of Jesus is victorious and full of glory. Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands—his churches. Jesus’ clothing reveals his role as High Priest—the one who intercedes for his churches. His flaming eyes and feet of bronze display his holy judgment. His voice like the roar of many waters reminds us of his revelation to his churches. He holds the stars in his hands indicating his control of his churches. Out of his mouth comes a sharp, two-edged sword. This same picture returns later in Revelation when Jesus returns victorious on the white horse defeating his enemies. Jesus protects his churches as he shines gloriously through them. Astonishing as the vision of the unveiled, victorious Christ is, his word to John may be even more marvelous. “Fear not. I am the living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore. I have the keys of Death and Hell.” Jesus is saying, “John, I am victorious and my resurrection gives you the right to join me in my victory.” So, in your situations and concerns, take courage, don’t be afraid, have hope, Jesus is our Victor.

Monday Meditation-My Stuff or God’s Kingdom

It is so easy for us to get caught up in our own stuff. We have much going on that requires our focus—families, jobs, health challenges, to-do lists, managing details, helping others, etc. I could go on an on and not list all the necessary, even good things that draw our attention. I’m afraid that too often though we get so distracted by our stuff that we miss what is most important.

Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, life is not ultimately about us or for us. There are bigger, more important things going on than our stuff—God’s kingdom and will being accomplished here on earth. What does that look like in our daily lives? I think simply it looks like us focusing on spreading the good news of the kingdom of God (God’s reign through Jesus in our lives) and pursuing his purposes of love and holiness in the world around us.

The beauty of Jesus’ request in Matthew 6 is that we can pursue the will and kingdom of God in the everyday things of life. God has a place for you to expand the influence of his kingdom—your family, your job, your to-do lists, your stuff. He doesn’t necessarily want us to do away with all the things that get our attention. Rather, he wants to be central in the way we relate to all of these things. Here are some questions that will get us started in evaluating how we are at focusing on the kingdom of God in the midst of all our details:

  • Do I use my influence in my home to help my family know and live the good news?
  • Does my character and conduct at work exhibit the integrity Jesus expects of me?
  • Am I relational as I go through the day? Do I see the people around me as individuals who might need compassion, grace, kindness, or encouragement or am I so busy that I don’t even notice them?
  • Do I pray for the things God is most interested in (salvation of others, spread of his gospel, provision for missionaries, spiritual growth for others) or the things I’m most interested in?

Bottom line—let’s participate in God’s plans and purposes today.