A Sermon Reflecting on Revelation 1:4-6
By Russ Hjelm
Revelation 1:4–6 opens the final book of Scripture not with fear, speculation, or mystery, but with blessing. Before visions of beasts and judgments, before symbols that challenge the imagination, there is a greeting of grace and peace. This beginning is deeply significant. The church is first addressed not as an anxious audience trying to decode the future, but as a people held within the steady reality of God’s presence. The opening words establish the theological atmosphere in which everything else must be read: God speaks to His people from a place of grace, and He sustains them with peace.
The greeting comes from the One “who is and who was and who is to come.” This description of God expands the horizon of the church’s understanding. God is not merely the God of a past covenant or a distant future hope; He is the God who is present now, the One whose faithfulness spans all of time. Human history often feels unstable. Cultures change, institutions fail, and personal circumstances shift in ways that leave people uncertain about what will endure. Yet Revelation begins by grounding the church in the unchanging being of God. The present tense comes first: God is. Before the past is remembered or the future anticipated, God is present. This means that the church does not face its challenges alone, nor does it live suspended between nostalgia and fear. The God who speaks in Revelation is actively present in the moment, sustaining His people even when the world feels disordered.
The blessing also comes from the Spirit, symbolized as the seven spirits before the throne. This imagery communicates fullness and completeness. The Spirit is not partial or distant but fully active in carrying out God’s purposes. The church does not survive by its own strength, intelligence, or creativity; it lives through the ongoing work of the Spirit who empowers, convicts, comforts, and renews. The Spirit stands before the throne as a sign that divine power is not chaotic or random but ordered toward God’s redemptive purposes. In practical terms, this reminds believers that spiritual life is not sustained by mere effort but by dependence upon the Spirit’s continual presence.
Then the text turns to Jesus Christ, and the language becomes richly layered. He is called the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Each title unfolds a dimension of who Christ is and what His work means for the church. As the faithful witness, Jesus reveals God perfectly. His life and death are not only acts of salvation but acts of revelation. He shows what God is like: truthful, compassionate, holy, and faithful even in suffering. In a world where truth is often shaped by power or convenience, Christ’s faithfulness calls the church to a different way of living. Faithfulness does not depend on circumstances but on alignment with God’s character.
As the firstborn from the dead, Christ’s resurrection is presented not as an isolated miracle but as the beginning of a new reality. His resurrection announces that death no longer holds ultimate authority. The world often lives under the shadow of endings—ending relationships, ending careers, ending health, ending life itself. Yet the resurrection declares that endings do not have the final word. Christ’s victory over death becomes the foundation of Christian hope, not a vague optimism but a concrete assurance that God is capable of bringing life where there appears to be none.
The title ruler of the kings of the earth introduces a bold theological claim. Earthly rulers and systems often appear to hold ultimate power, shaping economies, laws, and cultures. Yet Revelation reminds the church that Christ’s authority transcends all earthly authority. This does not mean that worldly powers are irrelevant, but it does mean they are not ultimate. The church’s confidence cannot rest in political structures or cultural influence; it rests in the reign of Christ. This perspective transforms how believers engage the world. They are called neither to despair nor to domination, but to faithful witness, trusting that Christ’s sovereignty is already at work even when it is not immediately visible.
The passage then shifts from description to praise: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” The love of Christ is not spoken of as a past event alone. It is an ongoing reality. The church lives under the continual love of Christ, a love that does not fluctuate with performance or circumstance. This love is active, liberating, and costly. The text speaks of freedom from sins, emphasizing that redemption is not merely forgiveness in a legal sense but liberation from bondage. Sin is not only wrongdoing; it is a power that distorts human life, relationships, and worship. Through His sacrificial death, Christ breaks that power and creates a new possibility for living.
This liberation leads directly to identity and purpose: Christ “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father.” Here the church is given a calling that reaches back to the Old Testament vision of God’s people as a kingdom of priests. A priest stands in relationship to God on behalf of others, bringing worship to God and carrying God’s presence into the world. To say that the church is a kingdom of priests means that every aspect of life becomes an arena for sacred service. Worship is not confined to gatherings or rituals; it extends into workplaces, neighborhoods, classrooms, and homes. The church is called to embody God’s presence in the ordinary spaces of daily life.
Being a kingdom also reshapes how community is understood. A kingdom is not a collection of isolated individuals but a people united under a common king. Modern culture often encourages individualism, measuring life by personal success and private fulfillment. Revelation challenges this mindset by emphasizing shared identity. The church exists as a community formed by Christ’s love and redemption. This communal identity calls believers to mutual care, shared responsibility, and collective witness.
The practical implications are profound. If the church is a kingdom of priests, then every believer carries a vocation of mediation and service. This means speaking words that bring reconciliation rather than division. It means offering compassion in places of suffering and practicing integrity in environments shaped by compromise. It means approaching work not merely as a means of survival or achievement but as an opportunity to reflect God’s character. Priestly living includes prayer, but it also includes listening, serving, and embodying hope in tangible ways.
This identity also calls for humility. Priests do not exist for their own glory but for the sake of God and others. In a culture that prizes visibility and recognition, Revelation reminds the church that true greatness is found in faithful service. The authority given to God’s people is not the authority to control but the authority to bless. The kingdom advances not through force but through witness shaped by love and truth.
The passage concludes with a doxology: “to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Theology leads naturally to worship. When the church understands who God is, who Christ is, and who it has been made to be, the only fitting response is praise. Glory belongs to Christ because He is the source of grace, peace, redemption, and identity. Dominion belongs to Him because His reign is eternal and trustworthy. Worship, then, is not an escape from reality but a declaration of reality’s true center.
Revelation 1:4–6 calls the church to live with a transformed imagination. It invites believers to see their lives through the lens of God’s eternal presence, Christ’s victorious love, and the Spirit’s empowering fullness. It reminds the church that it is loved, freed, and commissioned. In a world marked by uncertainty and competing loyalties, this passage grounds the people of God in a secure identity and a clear mission. They are a kingdom of priests, living under the reign of Christ, carrying grace and peace into the world as witnesses to the One who loves them and who reigns forever.
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