Hello friend, great to see you back to your course!
Were you ever so tightly gripped by the chains of food that you felt like a prisoner? Do you remember a time where you craved and obsessed over food to the extent that it controlled your day, how you lived, where you went, etc.?
I sure can! I was in such bondage to food thoughts that I continually obsessed over my next meal, thinking, planning, and organizing my day around it. I was trapped! Hunger was the enemy and cravings were the boss. I was a prisoner to my self-gratifying thoughts!
What we need once we recognize our severe bondage to sin is to be set free, washed clean, and empowered to change. And this is precisely what Jesus came to do, and what the Spirit continues to do in us.
The key to our study today comes from one little phrase in Revelation 1:4-6 NIV. Let’s read it together:
“John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen” (Revelations 1:4-6 NIV).
In the book of Revelation, John is writing to "reveal" Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1). To this end, John describes Jesus as the Faithful Witness, meaning we can believe His testimony. He reveals Christ as the Firstborn from the dead, meaning He was the first of many, and that we will also rise from the dead and share in His eternal life. And finally, Jesus is the Ruler of the kings of the earth, meaning Jesus is Lord of all, the Sovereign King, who rules all events and people in His creation.
And then John writes this one little phrase, almost in passing, yet that little phrase is the key to the entire Bible, the main message in every Book. Here it is:
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,"
Maybe you have heard the expression, “the key is at the door.” In the case of Bible study, it means that to unlock the understanding of any book, you look at the beginning statements. In this case, the key that unlocks the book of Revelation is the freeing work of Jesus, accomplished at the cross (“by His blood”).
Question 2. Looking at Revelation 1:5 NIV, what motivation is presented as to why Jesus shed His blood?
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