Revelation 1:4, NLT: Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.
Have you ever met somebody and not realized who they were? I have. Once I was in the presence of one of the world’s premier golfers, but I didn’t know it. What’s really tragic is that we are in the presence every week of somebody much greater than an athlete or celebrity. We are in the presence of Jesus when we come together to worship, but if we aren’t careful we don’t realize who we follow.
Jesus describes himself as the faithful witness. He’s says he’s the first to rise from the dead—not chronologically, as others were risen in the Old Testament, but it means preeminence. He’s the premier one. And I love this, He’s the “ruler of the kings of the world.” Wow. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is saying His lordship extends to every aspect of society! Think about it…
Jesus is Lord over the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court. He’s Lord over CNN, MSN and Fox News. He’s Lord over North Korea, China and the Middle East. He’s Lord over Broadway, Wall Street, Main Street and Hollywood Boulevard. He’s Lord over the bond market, the stock market and the real estate market. He’s lord of bank presidents, university presidents, CEOs, CFOs COOs. He’s even lord over Apple! There is no area of life, no authority in this world, no faction of power or rebellion that isn’t subject to his power.
The Bible says the day is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess on every street and every boulevard and every avenue in heaven and on earth and under the earth—that Jesus Christ is Lord. When you are discouraged, you have to remember who your savior is! Remember who Jesus is!!! He isn’t some bobblehead doll or powerless person. He’s the RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE WORLD!!!!! When we focus on Jesus, we look forward to the future.
