Revelation 1:4-5. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seven spirits which are before his throne: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
Think, dear friends, how this benediction may be fulfilled. "Grace be to you," he says, "and peace." And what are to be the fountains and springs of this peace? It is to come from God first, from him which is. All that God is, is a fountain of peace and grace to us. And from him which was - all that he has ever been, the eternal past, the changeless purposes, the divine predestination of the Infinite. There are springs of peace and grace here. And from him which is to come. All that God will ever be, all the manifestations of his power, his justice, his love, which the ages are yet to see all these are wells of grace and peace to God’s own people. I want you to think of this. And when your minds are disturbed, and you have need of peace, and when your heart is sinking and you have need of grace, come to God for both of these things, regarding him as him which is, which was, and which is to come. And there are seven spirits which are before his throne. The Holy Ghost, in whatever way he operates in any of his divine works - in all these he is the Comforter, the source of grace and peace to us. You need not be afraid of the Holy Spirit, even though he be the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, for he will burn up nothing in us but what ought to be consumed, and will judge nothing but what ought to be judged and to be condemned; so that peace may come to us from the seven spirits which are before the throne; but specially grace and peace from Jesus Christ as the Faithful Witness. Whatever he bears witness to, it is full of grace and peace to believers, and he himself is the first begotten from the dead. Oh! his resurrection! what a wondrous fountain of grace and peace that is to us! And then his divine sovereignty - his rule over all providence and nature, the Prince of the kings of the earth - what grace and peace may every one of you who love him find there! At the thought of this, the divine writer turns from his benediction to a doxology.
Revelation 1:4-5. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seven spirits which are before his throne: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
Think, dear friends, how this benediction may be fulfilled. "Grace be to you," he says, "and peace." And what are to be the fountains and springs of this peace? It is to come from God first, from him which is. All that God is, is a fountain of peace and grace to us. And from him which was - all that he has ever been, the eternal past, the changeless purposes, the divine predestination of the Infinite. There are springs of peace and grace here. And from him which is to come. All that God will ever be, all the manifestations of his power, his justice, his love, which the ages are yet to see all these are wells of grace and peace to God’s own people. I want you to think of this. And when your minds are disturbed, and you have need of peace, and when your heart is sinking and you have need of grace, come to God for both of these things, regarding him as him which is, which was, and which is to come. And there are seven spirits which are before his throne. The Holy Ghost, in whatever way he operates in any of his divine works - in all these he is the Comforter, the source of grace and peace to us. You need not be afraid of the Holy Spirit, even though he be the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, for he will burn up nothing in us but what ought to be consumed, and will judge nothing but what ought to be judged and to be condemned; so that peace may come to us from the seven spirits which are before the throne; but specially grace and peace from Jesus Christ as the Faithful Witness. Whatever he bears witness to, it is full of grace and peace to believers, and he himself is the first begotten from the dead. Oh! his resurrection! what a wondrous fountain of grace and peace that is to us! And then his divine sovereignty - his rule over all providence and nature, the Prince of the kings of the earth - what grace and peace may every one of you who love him find there! At the thought of this, the divine writer turns from his benediction to a doxology.