PICTURES OF CHRIST IN REVELATION

 The Benediction

Revelation 22:21


The book of Revelation is identified in the first verse of the first chapter as, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Setting forth the theme of the whole book, it rings out the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The last verse of the last chapter repeats the heavenly sound. The Lord Jesus Christ is the sum, substance, and glory of every vision seen by John on the island of Patmos. All that John saw and wrote in this book by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit was about the glorious Person and gracious work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And before he laid his pen aside to write no more, he penned his benediction in these words: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." This was John’s prayer for God’s elect. It is an invocation of blessing upon all the saints of God in every place.
 

How often we read and hear these words without thought or attention. Most commentators either ignore them entirely, or give them only passing attention. Many have heard them recited as a part of a religious ceremony, but have never had the words explained to them. That ought not be the case. The words of this text are full of spiritual instruction, recorded here by God the Holy Spirit, "for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." (Rom. 15:4). Read the text again, slowly, pausing between the words to meditate upon and enjoy this final word from God to man.
 

"The grace of our Lord" - The grace we need, the grace John here seeks for God’s people is the grace of our Lord and Master. Grace comes from his Majesty. It is the benefit of his sovereign pleasure. It is the gift of his will. It is the blessing of his throne. Grace belongs to God. And God the Father has given it to his Son as our Mediator, whom he has made Lord over all flesh, to give to whomsoever he will (John 17:2). He has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He has compassion on whom he will have compassion. And he is gracious to whom he will be gracious.
 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus" - He is the Lord. Therefore he has the right to be gracious. And he is Jesus our Savior. Therefore we know that he will be gracious. His grace is redeeming, saving, preserving, forgiving, justifying, sanctifying, glorifying grace. All grace is in Christ; and if we are in Christ all grace is ours in him (Eph. 1:3).
 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" - He is the "Anointed One." As Aaron was anointed with holy oil, Christ our great High Priest is anointed with grace. As the oil ran down over Aaron’s beard and his robe, so the grace of God runs down from Christ our Head to all the members of his body, the church, giving us both the knowledge of and acceptance with God himself.
 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" - Did you catch that little word "our"? What a precious word! What a word of boldness, confidence, and faith! John calls the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the universe, the Lord of glory, "our Lord Jesus Christ"! He is ours because he has made himself to be ours. He is ours by covenant agreement. And he is ours by faith. But he is ours! And if the Lord Jesus Christ is ours, then all the grace that he possesses is surely ours too.
 

Therefore John says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." This was John’s prayer and desire for all his brethren in his day, and for all who would read his book in the days to come. I want to show you three things about this benediction, given by the inspiration of God the Spirit.
 

THE BLESSING OF IT - The one thing we need and must have is grace. And grace is the blessing upon which John focuses his own attention and ours. The word used here is "charis." It is the word from which we get our English word, "charismatic." It signifies love, kindness, and favor. The root of the word "charis" is joy. Wherever grace is known and experienced, joy is also found. John is saying, "Oh, that you may have the grace, the love, kindness, and favor, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the joy it brings."
 

The grace mentioned in this benediction is divine grace. It is "the grace of our Lord." The original source of grace is the everlasting love of God for his people (Deut. 7:8). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit loved us before the world began. And because God loved us, he is gracious to us. It is written, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). All grace comes to us from God the Father, through God the Son, by God the Holy Spirit.
 

The grace spoken of is "the grace of our Lord." It is divine grace. Yet, it is "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is to say, it is also the grace of a Man, the God-man, our Savior. This grace has the stamp of deity upon it. But it also has the stamp of humanity upon it. It is the tender, compassionate, brotherly grace of our near Kinsman. As Ruth possessed all the love of Boaz, God’s elect always possess all the love, grace, and mercy of their dear Kinsman’s heart, the grace of that wondrous, mysterious, complex, delightful Person who is both God and Man, Immanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are nine things revealed in the Word of God about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is my heart’s prayer and desire for you who read these lines, as it was John’s prayer and desire for all who read what he had written: "The grace (all the grace) of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all," young and old, rich and poor, strong and weak. May you trust the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you enjoy all the favors that flow to sinners in the boundless river of grace. May you know the sweet communion of grace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always and forever: when you pray, when you are tempted, when you are discouraged, when you are tired, when you are weak, when you are in danger, when your heart and flesh fail you, when you have fallen, when you die, and when you stand before God. The blessing of this benediction is grace, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." Next observe...
 

THE POSITION OF IT - This benediction is at the end. Divine providence has made it the last word of the book of the Revelation, the last word of the Bible, the last word from God to man. It is as though John were saying, as though God through John were saying, "Whatever else you may miss, be sure you do not miss this. You must have grace." Let the preacher, while preaching grace to others, be sure he possess grace. Let the deacon, as he serves the church, be sure he is in the church. Let the teacher, as he teaches about the Savior, be sure he knows the Savior. When you eat the Lord’s Supper, be sure you have eaten his flesh and drunk his blood by faith. Have you been baptized in water, professing faith in Christ? Be sure you have been baptized into Jesus Christ. We must have "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," or we will perish, no matter what else we have.
 

As the children of God, those to whom Christ is revealed and by whom he is known, grace is the one thing we must have as long as we are in this world. Therefore John says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." We will need it to the end to cleanse, teach, guide, protect, strengthen, restore, comfort, and keep us. If we have "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," we have all we need. He said, "My grace is sufficient for thee." The fact that this blessing has been placed at the end of the Book of God indicates to me that grace is the one and only thing we shall want when the end comes. When our appointed end comes, we will care for nothing but "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." One more thing is revealed in this benediction about grace.
 

THE CERTAINTY OF IT - Look at the last word in the benediction. "Amen." That word, given by divine inspiration, means, "So shall it be!" And so it shall be! It is a matter of certainty! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be with the "you all" to whom the book of Revelation is addressed. The grace of Christ shall be with all the churches of Christ. The grace of Christ shall be with all God’s elect. The grace of Christ shall be with all who trust Christ. AMEN. 

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