Readings Acts 5
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead – whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’
Reading Revelation 1
4 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 forever and ever! Amen.
7 ‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’
and ‘every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him’;
and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’
So shall it be! Amen.
8 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’
Gospel John 20
Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ Alleluia.
Jesus appears to his disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 27 Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’
28 Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
29 Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Sermon
Tried reading Bible straight through — 2 years + — many plans on Net — ancestry and genocide — different picture of God to NT — Revelation waits at end.
Alan le Grys — best book in Bible — sabbatical to write Commentary — 6 months no work. Students thought him mad.
Apocalypse in Greek — exercises peculiar fascination for some — others repelled by fantastic violent imagery and coded language.
Can I help? — Revelation speaks to our own apocalyptic times. Look at church Bibles:
· Claims to be words of Jesus himself — given to John through an angel — in vision on island of Patmos
· Meant to be read aloud — blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (1:3)
· In form of a letter to 7 churches in province of Asia — intended to be read aloud — of importance to all who hear the message “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:4)
Suffering and conflict are normal — to own Jesus Christ as Lord means terrible persecution, hostility, even death.
Revelation assures its hearers that Jesus is not unfamiliar with what they are going through — does not promise to alleviate suffering any more than in his own life — but stands alongside Christians in their troubles.
Revelation is a word of encouragement to those who are threatened — and exhortation for those who acquiesce with the powers of religion and government in order to avoid any unpleasantness.
Jesus described as:
1. Faithful witness
2. First born from the dead
3. Ruler of all the kings of the earth
God is:
1. The one who was
2. The one who is
3. The one who is to come
Numbers important in Revelation — 3 associated here with God — 7 for the churches — abundance — 12 for Israel.
We have assurance that:
1. God loves us — this knowledge sustains us through suffering and conflict
2. We have been liberated by Jesus’ suffering on the cross
3. In God’s reign of peace, he will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
Jesus is here portrayed as faithful witness — faithful unto death — Jesus testifies to God’s faithfulness to us through his own suffering.
On Doubting Thomas day, when our gospel reading is from John 20, Thomas is not present as Jesus visits the disciples in hiding — what better contrast of faith is there but to compare the account with Revelation? Thomas wanted proof before he would believe — we cannot have that proof but Revelation assures us Jesus is the faithful witness — Alpha and Omega — first and last — who was and is and is to come.
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