Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Welcome to the corona chronicles. This is day 3. It's great to have you with us. We were just taking no more than 10 minutes every day to look at the book of Revelation and to think about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is who is the king. He's the 1 with the crown on.

And so we're up to chapter 1 verse 9. And we're gonna we're gonna read we're gonna read down to verse 18 today, and just just have a think about some of the words that we that we read here and some of the some of the pictures that that John has given us. So it says, I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance. That are ours in Jesus. Was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

On the Lord's day, I was in the spirit and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. Which said, right on a scroll what you see and send it to the 7 churches, to ephesus, Smyrna, pergamum, Thiatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Leodicea. Oh, just let's just stop that from it. I'm just actually there's so much there. I mean, it's interesting, isn't that he this isn't self isolation.

This is government law and isolation. So you've got John who's an old man and probably the only apostle that's alive who knows. Yeah. But he's in Exxon, he's in isolation on this little island of Patmos. Yeah.

Now that sounds perfect. Yeah. Because an island of Patmos, you know, in the Mediterranean but it was a nasty little barren island and and this is self isolation with no enforced. Right? Yeah.

And there are no supermarkets to even be empty. Yeah. So the poor blokes there. But look at what he says about it. It's quite interesting, isn't it?

Yeah. And I think what's really encouraging for these believers I would is the fact that John knows what it's like to suffer as an apostle. So he's not writing from a position where he's free from suffering. He's a kind of super apostle. He doesn't go through any of that.

It's just for the plebs to go through. Yeah. He is what he is with them in these difficulties. And I think that is encouraging for us today because -- Mhmm. -- 1 of the only things that is worse than suffering is lonely suffering, suffering on your own.

But we've actually been placed in local church communities, haven't we? And we go through things like the coronavirus together. And therefore we're brothers and companions, and we're trying to persevere together by the grace of God. And that that's that's what we're made for, isn't it? And and and actually, the the the fact that who we were seeing yesterday, but this lord of all the universe and over all history.

He's saying that there's there's suffering and companionship with him. It's interesting, isn't it? Yeah. Because some people would say, oh, dear, feast of all of the universe, then there would be no suffering. Yeah.

But actually, to be part of this kingdom, is to be part of suffering and enduring and so forth. Patient endurance even. Yeah. Yeah. And there are in Jesus, you know.

Yeah. That that is not it's not that here's here's a, you know, 10 step. To get out, plan. To get out. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It's Yeah. It's we're in this. Yeah.

Yeah. And then I think the other thing I I you know, you've got this voice like a trumpet coming to him and everything's loud in revelation, isn't it? Trump it. Yeah. But the tenderness of writing a message from this magnificent king, who's with us in suffering, He's he's writing letters to these different churches -- Mhmm.

-- ephesus smelling and all this sort of stuff. You know, these 7 churches. So he he he I think this is an amazing thing. So Boris Johnson, you know, our prime minister, has people under him doing all his work. And they've discussed together and, you know, Boris doesn't know me.

He's never heard of me, and he probably never will. Hear of me. And he's not personally involved with me. And he can't be. How could he be?

He's just a human. I'm not blaming him. Yeah. But here is the 1 who is, was, is to come, intimately knows the local church. Yeah.

So does he know Cornerstone? Yeah. He does. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Those each 1 individually. It's extraordinary. Yeah. Yeah.

And that that's really that's really that's a tendered word, isn't it in in especially when you're talking about what you were saying in ice in isolation. You know, some some of us might be might have to, you know, maybe we're old or or pregnant, you know. And and it's it's tough. Yeah. And and yet, we can know that our king -- Personal.

-- king knows us. Yeah. And it's, you know, And he knows the beginning and the end, doesn't he? This is what we were looking at last time. You know, he is the beginning and the end who is and who was and who is come.

Yeah. And what is written on that scroll is really the full plan and will of God, isn't it? Yeah. Which which which get see. Absolutely.

Yeah. And so what God is delivering to his churches is not Well, this is my explanation of things so far and I've got no idea how he's gonna turn out. Yeah. He knows beginning from the end. He knows everything and it's disclosed it to his church -- Yeah.

-- for their comfort and for their endurance. Your lad taught me a little a good little lesson the other day. He you were leading the service and he I was I was sitting and he ran up. And and your missus, you know, she ran after him grubbing. Yeah.

But he was on his way to you, you know. Yeah. He didn't care about anybody else's responsibility. Yeah. Yeah.

But he didn't care. That's where he gets food from as well. Yeah. Yeah. He didn't care where he know, didn't care who was around him.

He was going for it. And I just think that was such a a a great little moment. And I think, you know So what does that make as well? What does that make? Our kids are going to Jesus.

What to know? Yeah. Exactly. We were singing that too. Yeah.

Yeah. My point. My point was. You know, there was this little lad and he was running to his dad. Yeah.

You know? And even though And he and those states and was trying to stop. Okay. Anyway, he said it There we go. Absolutely.

But the voice the voice is tender. Yeah. Isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.

Because it's to the individual churches, but it's this trumpet. Yeah. And it's loud. He wants you to get it. This is impressive, isn't it?

So I mean, I think we should probably stop there with the next good tomorrow. Yeah. Good idea. Good idea. Alright.