Notes of an Address.
“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 Him, be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindred, of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”— Rev. 1:5-7.
WE notice here three things Christ has done for His people, first, “loved us,” secondly, “washed us,” and thirdly “made us.” And we read of two classes here, those who would welcome the coming of the Lord, and those who would wail at the sight of Him. At any moment, Christ is ready to come. He is ready to “judge the quick and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5); “salvation also is ready—ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5.) So He is ready to judge, and the salvation of His people is ready. It never could have been said that Christ was ready to be revealed in glory until redemption was an accomplished fact, until Christ had taken His seat in heavenly glory. But the session of the Lord at the right hand of God, and the descent of the Holy Ghost are unquestionable proofs that redemption is accomplished.
Man is no longer in a state of probation. His case has been thoroughly investigated, and he is proved to be a hopeless wreck. Man has been proved to be in the springs of his being, in the sources of his nature, and in the roots of his moral character, a hopeless ruin. But salvation is ready. God is ready too to judge. And what is He waiting for? Is it not for you? for you who have not yet received His salvation. (2 Peter 3:9.)
Here we read that He has “loved us.” This takes us back to the heart of Christ. His name is love: His heart is love. That Christ loves the sinner is the sweet assurance that the gospel gives to every soul. He died for sinners. He wept over impenitent sinners—over the city that rejected Him. He who shed these tears was God manifested in the flesh, — thus God’s tears flowed through human eyes. This is the heart of Christ; and He is the same, the very same, now upon the throne of God. “Oh that thou hadst known,” He said, as He wept over the sinners who would not have Him, “the things which belong unto thy peace.” O that you knew the depth of His love for your precious soul! But you say, “If you knew what a life I’ve lived, and what sins I have committed, you would never say that Christ loves me.” Ah, dear friend, He does know all about you, and in the full knowledge of all that you were, He became a man, and died for you. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10.) And with triumph I ask you, Did Christ come from heaven to die because you were good? Did He not come into the world to save sinners? Are we not told that Christ died for the ungodly? Think then of His marvelous, matchless love!
Hebrews 9:26, is often misunderstood. “The end of the world” should be “the consummation of the ages.” It is not a question of chronology at all, it refers to God’s moral dealings with man in various ages, or dispensations. God had been testing and proving man. He had been found wanting, proved to be lost and ruined; and so the probationary period is closed, and “Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
2. Christ has “washed us.” Christ can wash the vilest sinner, and wash him so white that even God’s eye will not detect a single spot. God uses in Scripture the most beautiful figures to flew the all-cleansing efficacy of the blood of Jesus. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18.) How striking the contrast! How perfect the cleansing. What can be whiter than the snow flake as it falls?
Remember what it cost Jesus to do this mighty work. His heart might yield up its treasures of affection, His tears might flow, but His tears of affection could not wash away sin. His blood only could do that. His love was not an inexpensive love, a love that cost Him nothing. Oh no, it cost Him His own life. He bore the judgment, and the wrath of God against sin, and to believe it for yourself and to trust in Him, you will know what it is to be washed from your sins in His own blood. Give Him then the confidence of your heart, only trust Him, and instead of feeling the dreadful burden of your own sins, you will know that the blood of Jesus has put them all away. The blood of Abel spoke from the ground condemnation; the blood of Christ speaks from the throne justification—infinite, entire remission of all sin.
3. “Made us”— “hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” All believers are priests unto God (1 Peter 2:5); and this is the work of God, one of the substantial verities of His word. You no more made yourself a priest, than you washed away your sins. What I have to do is to walk in the place in which God has set me. The priestly service has to do with things pertaining to God. Its service is offering up spiritual sacrifices. The priests of old worshipped God in the temple, we too are called to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15.) This is what God seeks from us. Our hearts should utter a constant hallelujah. Our occupation in heaven will be to praise the love that brought us there. He hath made us priests unto God and His Father.
May we more learn Christ’s heart. He has “loved us,” “washed us,” and “made us.” He has made all believers “priests,” we shall soon reign with Him as “kings.” May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, more fully realize what we are!