5-10-2020 I AM the Alpha and Omega

Text: Rev. 1.8 Title: “I AM the Alpha and Omega… the Almighty” Topic: Christ’s infinity and omnipotence Series: “Self-portraits of Jesus” Occasion: Sun AM, 5-10-2020, First FWB Church Duncanville Introduction: We have been looking at Christ’s I AM statements, which we’ve called his “self-portraits.” The reason being that in these statements we hear not what others had to say about Jesus, but how Jesus identified himself in relation to the Father, this world, and the believer. Most of these self-portraits have been found in the Gospel of John, but the final four are located in the book of Revelation which was also written by the Apostle John. The fact that Jesus’ I AM statements are recorded overwhelmingly by John testifies to the intimate relationship which he had with Jesus. The final book of the Bible bears the title “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” And the self-portrait of Jesus found in its opening verses set the tone for the awesome revelations of Christ that follow. Reading of the Text: Rev. 1.8. What does Jesus reveal to us about himself in this self-portrait? I. I AM Infinite and Eternal. I am the Alpha and Omega,…the one who is, and was, and is to come. Using both the Greek Alphabet and time itself, Jesus emphasizes his infinite and eternal nature. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of Greek alphabet. The point Jesus is making is that I am the beginning and the end of all things. I am the sum of all things. Who is, was, and is to come – Present, Past, Future. Jesus point is that I exist, I have always existed, I will always exist. I am eternal. II. I AM Omnipotent I am… the Almighty. The word almighty literally means all-powerful. Jesus is claiming that he has the authority and the power to do whatever he wills. As the almighty, Christ has no limit to his power. He is omnipotent. This attribute of omnipotence and his infinite love for us assures us of his sovereign care for us in a world that is on a collision course with self-annihilation. Our comfort does not rest on our frail hold on Jesus, but rather on his mighty grasp of us. We are upheld by his mighty hand. III. Does the Statement Refer to Jesus? You may ask this question since the speaker is identified as the “Lord God,” isn’t that the common name for God the Father in the OT and so isn’t it God the Father who is saying this? I don’t believe so for these four reasons: 1) The title of the Book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ… that is the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1.1) Word of God and Jesus Christ should be understood as synonyms (synonymous parallelism) since John had previously identified Jesus as the incarnate Word of God (cf. John 1) 2) Vv. 5-6 refer to work of Jesus in freeing us from our sins and making us a kingdom of priests 3) Verse 7 identifies the one who is coming with the clouds as the one who was pierced (i.e. Jesus Christ) so the Lord God who was, and is, and is coming (vs.8) should be understood as Jesus 4) Later in the Chapter John tells us that it was Jesus who was speaking to him. (vv. 12-17) So if we are right in identifying this statement as belonging to Jesus what does that tell us about him? It tells us that Jesus Christ is none other than God himself. How strong this assertion is will become clear when we see compare this statement to the OT titles for God. 1. I AM… We’ve already discussed this as the name of God given to Moses at the burning bush. It is the root of the personal name of God יהוה 2. Lord God….in Hebrew יהוה אלהים one of the most common names for God 3. Almighty…. In Hebrew אל שׁדּי the Almighty So here as we near the end of the Bible and near the end of our series we discover the assertion that was made at the beginning when Jesus appeared walking on the water to his terrified disciples and said simply “I AM”… It is the assertion of Jesus’ full divinity and his full equality with the God the Father. Remember is was this same simple assertion “I AM” that caused the Jewish Sanhedrin to condemn him for blasphemy. The statement would be blasphemy if it were not true, but Jesus is affirming to John here in no uncertain terms that it is indeed true! Conclusion: As we finish, I want to share with you a poem by Harry Kemp that was published in the Springfield Republican around 1916 that points out Christ’s superiority throughout history. The Conquerors I saw the Conquerors riding by With trampling feet of horse and men: Empire and empire like the tide Flooded the world and ebbed again; A thousand banners caught the sun, And cities smoked against the plain, And laden down with silk and gold And heaped-up pillage groaned the wain I saw the Conquerors riding by Splashing through loathsome floods of war – The Crescent leaning o’er its hosts And the barbaric scimitar, – And continents of moving spears, And storms of arrows in the sky, And all the instruments sought out By cunning men that men may die! I saw the Conquerors riding by With cruel lips and faces wan; Musing on kingdoms sacked and burned There rode the Mongol Gengis Khan; And Alexander, like a god Who sought to wield the world in one; And Caesar with his laurel wreath; And like a thing from Hell the Hun; And, leading like a star, the van, Heedless of upstretched arm and groan Inscrutable Napoleon went Dreaming of Empire, and alone… Then they all perished from the earth, As fleeting shadows from a glass, And conquering down the centuries Came Christ, the Swordless, on an ass! May we never forget that Our Lord is Jesus Christ the infinite, eternal, and almighty God. Other rulers may come and go, but our Lord rules forever. In times of uncertainty and trouble we are lead by the hand of Almighty! Almighty Lord, thank you for holding us secure in your infinite, eternal, and almighty hands.