who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
6 sermons cite this verse
Now beginning in the first verse, we'll just look at some of the foundational elements. First of all, the nature of this book is indicated in the word revelation, apocalipsis. It is an unveiling. It is a revelation. It is taking the cover off. It is telling us things that have never been told before. It's a revealing. Some people assume that the book of Revelation is supposed to hide things. That's the opposite of it. It is a full disclosure, an unveiling, taking the cover off concerning God's plan for the end of His redemptive story. The theme immediately, the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is a book about Jesus Christ. It is Christ unveiled, Christ uncovered, Christ manifested in second coming glory. We saw Him in His humanity, veiled was His glory when He walked the earth, and here you see His unveiled, uncovered, full glory on display. He is the central theme of this book. Its divine source which God gave. This comes from heaven. Of course, it's a revelation. …
(16). "Treacherously makes known the password to any person not entitled to receive it; or, without good and sufficient cause, gives apassword different from what he received." It is a great crime to give the wrong password to Christ's army. Our password is, "blood." It is an offensive word to many people, but we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. I pray God that every stone of this Tabernacle may tumble to its ruin and every timber be splintered to atoms before there should stand on this platform a man to preach who denies the substitutionary Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, or who even keeps it in the background, for this is our password! You shall know us among all professors by the emphasis which we lay upon Atonement by the blood of Jesus Christ! Of the redeemed in Glory we read, "These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." And the saints on earth join in John's Doxology, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." "The precious blood of Jesus" is our password in life, and the password with which we hope to enter through the gates of death into eternal Glory and blessedness— "Dear dying Lamb, Your precious blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed Church of God Is saved to sin no more." Further on in this list, I notice another suggestive crime— …
"Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne." It shall be the Heaven of Heaven to us when He gives us the crown of life, the crown of righteousness and the crown of glory, and we cast them all at His feet crying, "Not unto us, O Lord, be the Glory," but, "unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. To Him be Glory and dominion forever and ever." But why not begin to honor Him here? I hope many of us are doing so already, but let us do it more and more! O Lamb of God, bleeding, languishing, despised, rejected, what can I do to honor You more than I have ever done before? Is not that the language of your heart, my Brother, my Sister? Come to His Table and honor Him by obeying this as well as all His other commandments, "Do this in remembrance of Me." And then go tomorrow into the world wherever your business and your duty call you, and say— "Now for the love I bear His name What was my gain I count my loss. …
2dly, Man now has greater manifestations of the glory and love of God, than otherwise he would have had. In the manifestations of these two things, man’s happiness principally consists. Now, man by the work of redemption, has greater manifestation of both, than otherwise he would have had. We have already spoken particularly of the glory of God, and what advantages even the angels have by the discoveries of it in this work; but if they have such advantages, much more will man who is far more directly concerned in this affair than they.—Here are immediately greater displays of the love of God, than man had before he fell; or, as we may well suppose, than he would have had, if he had never fallen. God now manifests his love to his people, by sending his Son into the world, to die for them. There never would have been any such testimony of the love of God, if man had not fallen. Christ manifests his love, by coming into the world, and laying down his life. This is the greatest testimony of divine love that can be conceived. Now surely the greater discoveries God’s people have of his love to them, the more occasion will they have to rejoice in that love. Here will be a delightful theme for the saints to contemplate to all eternity, which they never could have had, if man never had fallen, viz. the dying love of Christ. They will have occasion now to sing that song for ever, Rev. i. 5, 6. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to whom be glory and dominion for ever. Amen.” …
2. They shall not only see this glorious person, as at a distance, but they shall be admitted to be near him, and to converse with him. This sight of his glory and loveliness will fill them with the most exalted love, which love will cause them to desire conversation; and they shall be admitted to it, to the full of their desires, and that at all times. Two things may be observed concerning this converse with Christ, to which the saints shall be admitted in heaven. 1. It shall be most free and intimate. There shall be nothing to forbid them or deter them. Though Christ is so glorious a person, in so exalted a state in heaven, being Lord of heaven and earth, yet he will treat them as brethren, and they shall converse with him as friends. He will also honour them and advance them to the dignity of kings, that they may be fit to converse with so glorious a King. Rev. i. 6. “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.” Christ, when on earth, treated his disciples with great familiarity and freedom, he treated them as friends. John xv. 15. “I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I call you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” So in heaven he will not keep them at a greater distance, but admit them nearer; because they shall be fitted to be nearer to him and to converse more intimately with him. O how happy will it render them to have so great and honourable a person treating them with such grace and condescension! …
Thirdly. We see here a reason why Christians are of so different a nature and temper from the rest of the world. The truly godly are very different in their disposition from others. “They hate those things that the rest of the world love, and love those things for which the rest of the world have no relish; insomuch that others are ready to wonder that they should place any happiness in a strict observance of the self-denying duties of religion; they wonder what delight they can take in spending so much time in meditation and prayer, and that they do not place happiness in those things which themselves do. 1 Peter iv. 4. “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot; speaking evil of you.” But the reason is, they are of a different race, and so derive different dispositions. It is ordinary to see those who are of different families, of a different temper. The natural temper of parents is commonly in some degree transmitted to their posterity. Indeed, all agree in many things, for all are of the same blood originally; all are descended from the same Adam, and the same Noah. But Christians are born again of another stock, different from all the rest of the world; and therefore they are of a temper by themselves, wherein none of the rest of the world agree with them. Rev. i. 6. “And hath made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father: to him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever.” …