Gtcotr/ss112617
Revelation 1 NKJV
4 John, to the seven churches
which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who
is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of
the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6 and has made us kings and
priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He is coming with
clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the
tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
There
are several “Firsts” in the Bible. God is a God of “Firsts.”
·
Firstborn from the dead – Revelation 1:5
·
First Day
– Genesis 1:5
·
First Man
– 1 Corinthians 15:45
·
Firstborn
– Numbers 3:13
·
First Month
– Exodus 12:2
·
First Principles – Hebrews 5:12
·
First Fleece
– Deuteronomy 18:4 (As an added bonus for the priests)
·
First Fruits
– Deuteronomy 26:2 (Of all the land …)
·
First Partaker
– 2 Timothy 2:6
·
First Place
– Numbers 10:14 (The Tribe of Judah went first)
·
First Rain
– Deuteronomy 11:14 (First & Later Rains)
·
First Covenant
– Hebrews 9:1
·
First Tabernacle – Hebrews 9:8
·
First House
– Ezra 3:12
·
First Glory
– Haggai 2:3 (The glory of the later house will be greater)
·
First Testament – Hebrews 9:15
·
First and Great Commandment – Mark 12:28;29 & 30)
·
First Day of the week – John 20:1
·
First Estate
– Jude 1:6
·
First Love
– Revelation 2:4
·
First Works
– Revelation 2:5
·
First Resurrection – Revelation 20:5
·
First Heaven and First Earth – Revelation 21:1
The
Word of God makes direct reference to someone or something as being first over
400 times, 406 in the King James Version to be exact. As I said earlier: “God is a God of firsts”.
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the
LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the
First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
Jehovah
God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is:
1. The First
Revelation 22:13 “I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last.”
2. The Last
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and
earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
3. The Only
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved.”
What
does this “God of Firsts” desire of me?
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
to you.”
What
is occupying “First Place” in your life? Is it God?
·
What
is your “go to” …
·
If
God is not first in our day; first in our week; first in our difficult moments
and the first one we thank for each blessing we receive …
He may not be first place in our lives.
·
Let
us examine ourselves so that we can adjust our priorities as needed to insure
God is actually First Place.
