For an undisclosed period of time, the apostle John has been
exiled to prison on an island called Patmos.
We don't know the duration of his sentencing or if he was even
granted a release date, but one thing is for certain, this man
was mindful of his time while in exile, especially when the first
day of the week came around. And we have reason to believe
that John did his best to give praise and Thanksgiving to his
God, especially on the Lord's Day, recognizing the
resurrection, even though he was usually surrounded by hardened
criminals and merciless Roman guards.
Again, we don't know if he was here for weeks, months, maybe
longer, but he does do something for us.
He documents a particular Lord's Day where everything would
change for him and for the world.
Really. One of the things that moves me
about the Book of Revelation, especially with John's story, is
that he was on this island called Patmos on account of the
word of God in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Here you have a man between his between the age of 80 and 90,
who was willing to go to prison so that he wouldn't have not
deny the Gospel. And more than that, when Rome
attempted to subdue the spread of the gospel, it was in that
very place Patmos, with the revelation of Jesus Christ, came
to John and spread to the Church.
It was the means by which one of the greatest messages ever came
about. The word of God cannot be bound.
And here John is trying to explain to us what happened to
him on this particular Sunday. And the best way that he could
describe it is this. I was in the spirit.
Now this is me and my sanctified
imagination. I like to think that John, being
an elderly man, an older prisoner, had some free time.
And perhaps on one Sunday afternoon, he was sitting on the
rocky edges there of the island, looking out into the Aegean Sea,
meditating and praying silently. But suddenly the background
noise of jailers and prisoners chiseling into stones and
minerals, mixed with the clamoring commands of Roman
guards was swiftly caught up, drowned out by a voice unlike
anything John has ever heard. The best way that John could
describe this voice is that it had the commanding force of a
trumpet blast. It demanded the cessation of any
internal or external activity, and as this precious man of God
was ready to turn around to confirm the source of this
voice, He also. Realized that he was
miraculously transported into another realm and what John saw,
he tells us beginning in Revelation One, verse 12.
Let's turn there together and read it.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on
turning I saw 7 golden lampstands, and in the midst of
the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe
and with a golden sash around his chest.
The hairs of his head were white like white wool, like snow.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like
burnished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like
the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven
stars, from his mouth came a sharp 2 edged sword, and his
face was like the sun shining in full strength.
You would expect that once John turns to see the voice that
spoke them that he would behold Jesus Christ.
That's not what immediately caught his attention.
The object, if you will, that came about and seized Him is
what we find again here in verse 12.
I saw 7 golden lampstands. Now we can confirm that these
lampstands are not just decorative pieces to this
vision. They carry rich meaning and the
interpretation of these symbols as found in the same text.
You just have to Scroll down to verse 20.
Notice what Jesus says to John is he gives them the meaning of
these things. As for the mystery of the seven
stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden
lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven
churches, meaning the seven churches that John would write
to in the immediate context in Asia Minor.
Now the fact that John initially hears the voice of Jesus, but
immediately saw the seven golden lampstands which represent the
church is a profound thought because it speaks to the oneness
of Christ and His Church. And I believe what John, though
it was unique to him, this revelation, this vision, what he
experienced, everyone should experience.
What do I mean? By that that when anybody comes
into contact with the Church of Jesus Christ.
They should hear the voice of Jesus Christ, and the way in
which the voice of Jesus Christ is heard from the church is when
the church. Honors the Word of God, obeys
the word of God, and unashamedly declares the word of God.
That's how the voice of God is known.
And so think about this. He hears Christ, but when he
turns he sees the Church. And in the same way, when people
come to the gathering of the Saints where they come into
contact with us, there should be a measure of experience of
Christ himself. Here's what this means for us.
That if we want God's favorable presence in our midst, and if we
want His power to manifest among us, then we must first establish
this We will cherish and uphold His Word above all.
Have you ever considered how? These letters, these small
report cards in chapter 2 and three begin each time.
Let's get a sample. Go to chapter 2, beginning in
verse one. To the Angel of the church in
Ephesus, write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his
right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Go to verse 8. And to the Angel of the church
in Smyrna, write the words of the 1st and the last who died
and came to life. Go to verse 12.
And to the Angel of the church in Pergamum write the words of
him who has the sharp 2 edged sword, verse 18.
And to the Angel of the church in thy tyre, write the words of
the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose
feet are like burnished bronze. You get the idea I hope.
The. Words of him appears in the
start of every single one of these addresses, and I'm
convinced that this repetitive introduction is not just meant
to confirm the identity of the author.
This is not just Christ saying, Hey, it's me Christ, it's me
your Lord, it's me, your Savior. Yes, that's clear.
But I believe it's deeper than that.
Here you have a sevenfold reminder of the authority of
Christ's words, which must preside over every local church.
The words, the words, The words of him, of him, of him, of him
for every single church to say what?
It's my word that is above all. It's my word that governs
everything. It's my words by which you will
be held accountable. The words of Him.
Now, I've met many people, wonderful believers, who have
expressed the hunger to see the Holy Spirit move in greater ways
in their own lives and even in their church meetings.
That's a honorable desire, but I want to confirm something to
you, and if that's you in this place, please hear me very
carefully. For the Spirit of God to truly
work in our midst, we must first genuinely esteem the Word.
He does not work apart from the Word and if.
Any kind of minister or ministry attempts to do so, It is
artificial, whatever manifestation it may be.
No matter how you may feel in such a setting, no matter what
kind of mood they put you in, if the word.
Is not preeminent, then you have reason to question whatever is
moving in that place, and the Spirit of God who knows all
things is aware when a church pays lip.
Service to the Word when the Church just uses it as a
footnote, where the church acknowledges its authority but
not its sufficiency, and really, it's not really authoritative
unless we agree with it. He can see pass through all
that. But when you have the
combination of a minister who faithfully and lovingly submits
and heralds a word, and eager listeners who receive it are
ready to obey, miracles can happen.
Miracles can happen. I want, I want you to be
reminded of this as well, that every time we come and do this,
life and death hangs in the balance.
In this very space, people can be saved for eternity.
In this very place, people can be delivered from so many vices
and chains and bondages in this place, by what means the
transmission of the Word. I'm reminded of Peter when he
was called by Christ to go to the household of Cornelius and
to give these Gentiles the gospel, and as Cornelius, this
man who was hungry. To know the truth, gathered his
close friends and family. To hear the Apostle Peter speak,
something happened. The Holy Spirit interrupted his
sermon, and I want you to hear what happens.
In Acts 1044, while Peter was still saying these things, the
Holy Spirit fell on all who heard what the Word.
The Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word.
What does that tell me? That the Holy Spirit longs to
confirm the Word, and He moves in a place where the Word is
cherished, love applied, received.
Oh, we can camp here for a while, can't we?
But let's consider one more detail before we move on.
John didn't just see 7 lampstands, he saw 7 golden
lampstands. That detail is not
insignificant. Why was it that these symbols of
the church were plastered with gold?
It's very simple. Gold is a precious metal.
And what Christ is even communicating here by revealing
this to John and to us, is that the church, this entity made-up
of people who've been forgiven, who've received the grace of God
in Christ Jesus, are so valuable to him, so precious to him, so
cherished by him. That he even wants to try to
communicate it by saying the church is gold to me.
Now here's a temptation for us as the Church that we hear that
and we fail to realize the personal element of it as though
Christ, yes, he has a heart for church, this universal
institution, this large gathering of people, this
movement called the church. And I'm here to tell you that
God even looks at you and I on individual basis as precious
gold, not just His church, but every single one of us.
Do you know where I get that from?
A book? You wouldn't think you would
find it in the book of Lamentations chapter 4.
If you can find limitations, meet me there in verse 2 and
look at this interesting statement.
The precious sons of Zion worth their weight in fine gold.
How they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a Potter's
hands. So we see here in Revelation
that the church is seen as gold. But back in the Old Testament
even, it's the sons, the spiritual sons of God, who are
worth their weight in fine gold. This is meant to convince you
that the Lord does not treat you or me indifferently.
He doesn't handle our lives carelessly.
You know. Any responsible owner of
something as precious as gold would not leave it exposed for
thieves to take or for it to be potentially lost.
Nor would such an owner of gold poorly invest or allow just
anybody to handle it. Now he would monitor it, He will
secure it, he will Polish it because he realizes how valuable
it is. Do you know how valuable you and
I are to God? We're told that he purchased us
with his own blood. You.
Me. Oh, for the church.
Yeah. But remember limitations.
You and I are seen as Feingold on a personal level, and we see
here that Christ so loves his church that he died for her and
he still sees her as gold. You know what's amazing?
These churches that we're going to study were far from perfect,
but they were still so precious to Christ.
Be very, be very careful criticizing the church.
Be very slow to do that because Jesus sees her as beautiful.
Yes, he will chastise her. Yes, he will point out things,
but there's some people who say very concerning things about the
church and I would not do that seeing how Christ sees her.
But these lampsteads are not the only thing that are gold.
After seeing initially these churches, John looks a little
bit more carefully and he sees what?
Come back to Revelation one with me in verse 13 and in the midst
of the lampstands one like a Son of man.
There's somebody who looks like a human that's standing there,
but he's more than human. He's like a son of man.
And one of the first things that stand out to John about this one
like a son of man is his wardrobe.
He was clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around
his chest. Now if you're.
Familiar with the Old Testament? Then this should ring a bell.
This attire sounds very similar to that of the Levitical
priests. So he has this long robe.
Now you can debate, is that the robe of a prophet?
Is that a robe of a king? No, no, no, no.
What makes a difference is this sash, this ornamental kind of
cloth that would be wrapped around the chest or sometimes
sit across the shoulder. Jesus had a sash and we have to
think, have I seen this before? Remember, what's going to help
you and I understand Revelation is that when there isn't an
immediate explanation to something, you have to think,
where have I seen these details before?
And you're going to usually find in the Old Testament.
And now we're going to see how God commanded the sons of Aaron,
what they were to wear because everything that they wore had a
message. Can we turn there together,
please? Let's go to Exodus and let's go
to chapter 28 this chapter that. Provides us the elaborate
description of the garments of the priests.
Exodus 28, beginning in verse 2. And you shall make holy garments
for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
You shall speak to all the skilful whom I filled with the
spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate
him from my priesthood. These are the garments that they
shall make a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker
work, a turban and a what and a sash.
They shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother and his
sons, to serve me as priests. Everything has intention,
everything has a purpose for glory and for beauty, and it's
supposed to point to something. We don't have time to get into
it. But if you stick in Exodus long
enough, if you faithfully finish this book, then later on in the
same book, you'll learn what these clothings were to be made
of. And so you go to chapter 39,
verse 27. It will be worth it, I assure
you. Exodus 3927.
This is when they begin to now implement and make the things
that God commanded them to make, including the clothing of the
priest. Here we have it in verse 27.
They also made the coats woven of fine linen for Aaron and his
sons, and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine
linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined
linen, and the sash of fine twined linen, and a blue and
purple and scarlet yarns embroidered with needlework, as
the Lord had commanded Moses. How much more detail can you get
than that with a great position? We are told here that these
sashes were made of fine linen sewn with blue and purple and
scarlet yarn, and those colors have a meaning.
But let's just stop here, now that we know what the priest
under the Levitical code look like as they ministered, pause
and think and compare with Christ.
He had a sash, but what was it made of?
Gold. Complete gold.
To signify what? That as the high priest in the
New Covenant, he is more superior than that of Aaron and
his sons. His ministry as the high priest
is far more glorious, far more effective, far more permanent.
Who knew that you can learn something with the colors in the
Book of Revelation? Yes, His sash was gold.
Telling us what? That his sacrifice was
sufficient? Telling us what?
That our guarantee into the presence of God has been
determined? Telling us what?
That we have absolute confidence that what He has done and how He
mediates for us is eternal. The golden sash signifying the
superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the new
covenant. Now if John's description of
Christ being like one, like a Son of man, if that reminds you
of of Daniel's vision of the Messiah, then you're on to
something. You're actually right.
See, John received a similar vision to Daniel.
There's many parallels between the book of Daniel and the Book
of Revelation, and this is one of them.
But what John? Sees here there are added
details to this one like a son of man because you see the Lord
Jesus was not just standing in the midst of his church
signifying his presence among his people.
We also get an understanding that yes, he's high priest, but
he also looks like someone else and that's what you find here in
verse 14 the. Hairs of his head were white,
like white wool, like snow. He's emphasizing something.
He could have just said it once, but he says it in three
different ways. The hairs of his head were
white, like white wool, like snow.
In other words, don't ignore this.
There's something very important upon about what Christ was
wearing on his head, namely His hair.
And again here. Here's where we have to stop and
think. What am I?
Supposed to make out of this? Well, ask yourself, is there any
other place in the Bible where I see this connection of?
One like a son of man and hair like white wool.
Answer yes, the book of Daniel. So we have to go there.
So meet me in Daniel 7 Daniel 7 verse 9.
He says here as I look, this is Daniel speaking now in a night
vision as I looked Thrones were placed and the Ancient of days
took his seat. His clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were burning fire.
Now go to verse 13. I saw in the night visions, and
behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son
of man, And he came to the Ancient of Days and was
presented before him. And to him was given dominion
and glory, and a Kingdom that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion. We shall not pass away, and His
Kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed.
Let's gather our thoughts here. Daniel had a vision of the
Ancient of Days, which is a title that is exclusive to the
Lord God, and he's watching the Ancient Of.
Days take his seat on a throne. And out of all the
characteristics that John, or rather Daniel, could have
recorded about the ancient days, what stands out to him is the
clothing, how it was white and what his hair being white like
wool. Now this is not without purpose.
The whiteness of that hair speaks of the eternality of
God's wisdom and purity. It emphasizes how he was and is
and always will be. But shortly after, Daniel, as
he's watching this, now sees one like a Son of Man.
Who is this human figure? People are still debating it, we
know. But this human like individual
who is more than a human now is ushered in with the clouds and
he approaches the Ancient of Days.
And whoever this man was, we're told that he would receive an
eternal Kingdom with everlasting worship.
Surely he is more than just a mere man.
And hundreds of years Now Fast forward.
What do we see, John who receives a revelation and we're
told in the beginning of his book that he saw one like a Son
of Man. Surely he's referring to the
same 1 Daniel saw, but now he sees something different, or at
least something more. Not the Ancient of Days, but the
one like a Son of Man, also has hair that is white like wool.
And here's what John wants you and I to do.
As we see Christ here and think about what Daniel saw, we are to
conclude that this Jesus shares the same nature as the Ancient
of Days. In other words, for the Lord to
reflect the same characteristics as God Almighty leads us to one
truth. He is divine.
He is God Himself. He is 1 like a Son of man, but
he is not just a man. He is distinct from the Father,
yet one in essence with Him in terms of deity.
And 2000 years ago He chose to come down and take on flesh
forever. This is Christ in his
description to show us I am Yahweh, not the Father, but God.
And from his hair John scans down and is gripped by something
else, the eyes. The eyes of Christ.
It says here in the second part of verse 14, His eyes were like
a flame of fire. Now there have been a.
Few times in my life where I have watched somebody who in a
moment of rage, had eyes like fire.
But Christ's emotional condition is not what's being highlighted
here. It's not speaking about his
rage, his anger, his wrath necessarily.
Christ's eyes here are meant to convey his piercing knowledge
how he is able to, with complete and total awareness, see all
things. In the same way that fire
devours and it exposes. Christ's knowledge of what takes
place in the world, especially his church cannot be concealed.
He has X-ray vision. He sees through it all.
And this is the message that John wants to convey to these
churches. No one can hide anything from
Christ. No one.
And that is a repeated truth in the New Testament.
Here's one way of summarizing it in Hebrews 413.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and
exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
He sees absolutely everything. And this is the message for the
church. He's not speaking to the.
World. So you know what that tells me?
I know we think that church is just an hour and a half, maybe
45 minutes, maybe if it's communion, 2 hours, that Jesus
sees everything that takes place here in those two hours.
No, you're the church when you're here and when you're not
here. When I'm here, when I'm not
here. So Christ sees it all.
He sees what we're like outside of these walls.
He sees what's happening behind that door.
He sees what happens when the money's being counted.
He sees what happens in counseling sessions.
He sees what happens when we hang out outside of the
meetings. He sees absolutely everything
but all. If you and I are afraid of this,
we have to take heart, because to the unrepentant, to the
Sinner, to the one who is hiding their iniquity, this verse
should be alarming. But for those who truly belong
to the Lord and love Him and want to obey Him, even though
you may believe that Christ has perfect knowledge of your ways
and mine, even our past failures and sins, we should not be
shaken. Do you know why?
Because the same one who has eyes like a flame of fire is
wearing a long robe with a golden sash.
So what are you talking about? I'm saying this sovereign
scrutinizer is also your great High priest who has paid a high
price for you to be seen by God as Christ Himself.
And that's precisely what the author Hebrew says immediately
after informing us that everything is naked before his
eyes. Remember I quoted that to you in
Hebrews 413. But listen to the words of
Hebrews 414. Right after he says God sees
everything and he's going to hold you accountable for it.
He mentions what? Listen to Hebrews 414.
Since then we have a great high priest.
So right after he says the All Knowing 1 takes into account
what we do and what we say and how we do After all of that,
right away, before we even think for a moment, oh, I'm doomed, he
says. But since we have a great high
priest, in other words, I'm safe.
I don't have to worry about Christ standing before me as my
executioner. He is my Savior.
He has redeemed me forever and I belong to Him.
And that's something you and I are to take comfort in.
Yes, his eyes are flames of fire, but he is also the one who
stands in the gap for you and I. So he looks at these eyes of
fire and that theme of judgement continues in verse 15 of
Revelation One. His feet were like burnished
bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of
many waters. So when I came to this point, I
thought this could be overwhelming for people.
Maybe not now, because hopefully you're getting explanation
that's clear, but just for your engagement with the word of God
and told like, how, how am I supposed to interpret these
things? I need some kind of guidance
here. And, and, and, and I'm aware
that people feel that way about some portions of the Scripture.
And I'm also aware that there are people who are overly
confident and want to make the Bible say anything that they
want and that's dangerous. But please, let me point you to
something. It's a simple rule when you come
to something like this, like his feet are like burnished bronze
refining a furnace. And you heard me say that this
is referring to judgement. How did I come to that
conclusion? It's very.
Simple. I'm looking at the wider and the
more immediate context to see if there are any clues.
Is there anything that I can work with that can bring me to a
clear conclusion? And, and there are clues out
there, so here's one example. More frequently than not,
whenever you see the material bronze mentioned in the
Scriptures, it refers to an object of judgement.
So in the Tabernacle, that altar which was the platform for all
these animal sacrifices to be placed on, that altar was made
out of bronze. Or when you think about Moses
leading the people through the wilderness and they once again
express their unbelief, and then God released serpents to bite
them. Moses was instructed to craft a
serpent, to place it on a pole and to raise it up so that all
who would look upon it would be healed.
What was that serpent made out of?
Bronze. It's a picture of the cross.
So bronze. Bronze.
That's the dominant connection with judgment, with wrath.
And then we come to this description of Jesus feet and
we're told that they were burnished like burnished bronze.
OK, I'm a step closer now. Is there anything in this
neighborhood that can help me understand what's happening
here? Yes, because the feet like
burnished bronze is mentioned in another section and it's tied to
the eyes of flaming fire, which we already heard what it's
about. It's about judgement.
Where do we find that? Look at Revelation 2 and look at
verse 18 quickly. And to the Angel of the church
in Thyatira, write the words of the Son of God, who has eyes
like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
And what is he ready to tell this church?
You have false teaching in there, and there is a false
teacher who is seducing my servants.
And you're not doing anything about it, though I gave you time
to repent. So I'm introducing myself to you
in this way. I see everything and if eyes
speak of knowledge, then feet surely speak of action.
It's not just I see what's happening, I'm going to do
something about it. And that is exactly what we have
here. Jesus Christ is always ready to
purify His people by making His way towards those who are
sinning and subduing them, sin and sinners within, because He
moves throughout His church as the constant guardian of it.
Go to Revelation 21. Notice what he does with his
feet to the Angel, the church in Ephesus.
Write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right
hand, who does what? Who walks, who walks among the
seven golden lampstands. So what is he doing?
He's surveying his entire church.
The Lord Jesus Christ is in our midst even now, and he's at the
church down the street at the same time, and he's at the
church in China and another church in Africa.
He's there. He's walking among the seven
golden lampstands. You know where my my mind went
when I was looking at this the other night when Satan
approached God in the book of Job and the Lord asked him,
where where have you been? And he said, what?
Walking to and fro on the earth. So Satan is, is always walking,
always watching, always looking for an opportunity to attempt,
to destroy, to steal. That's what he's doing.
The world is his domain. And though Christ, yes, he is
omniscient, he's omnipresent. He's he pays special attention
to his church. He's walking among his people
and his feet are glowing. They are pure, and His church
must be holy ground. And so His eyes speak of
knowledge, His feet speak of action.
And I want to let you know that Christ since he pend this, has
been working in His church. Whenever you see a scandal
exposed in a church and ministers disqualify themselves,
that is Christ with His feet like burnished bronze, moving
and acting in that church. Whenever you see those in the
church who tolerate sin, who cause division, who who are not
truly of the Lord, and things are revealed and things are
dealt with, that is Christ purging His church.
He has been doing it for thousands of years.
He will continue to do it until he returns.
His feel like burnished bronze, but John's gaze moves from
Christ's feet to his right hand, then to his mouth and back to
his face. He's trying to capture every
aspect of his glory. It's as though John is
overwhelmed. He's just looking up and down at
Christ and so yes, he sees his feet, but his eyes now bounced
to his hand and what does he see especially in his right hand.
Verse 16 of Revelation one in his right hand he held seven
stars from his mouth came a sharp.
Two edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in full
strength. Let's look at these quickly.
In his right hand he held seven stars.
Jesus gave the interpretation in verse 20.
The seven lampstands are the seven churches, but what about
the seven stars? They are the angels of the seven
churches, angels of the seven churches.
So if you're not careful, you may interpret this as well.
Every single local church has been assigned a guardian Angel.
Some believe that, but here's the problem with that.
John was asked. To take this book and to write
it to the angels of each of these churches.
We read it earlier that every letter begins with to the Angel
of the Church and wherever so to imagine that John was to receive
this revelation from. Christ only to give it back to a
celestial creature. For that celestial being to now
give it to the church seems doesn't seem right.
It's very difficult to reconcile how angels are considered
leaders in the local church. Here's where if we knew and read
Greek would help because if we had this in the Greek, then it
would make a little bit more sense because the word Angel in
the Greek simply is angulos and it means messenger.
And throughout the New Testament, that word is
primarily used for spiritual beings, heavenly beings, yes,
but it's also used for human agents.
So if you're taking those, list these references for you to look
at it for yourself. And Luke Chapter 7 and verse 24,
when John's disciples came to Christ to ask, are you the one,
or are we supposed to wait for another?
And Luke 724, it says when John's messengers had gone, that
word messengers is the same one as Anglos here as Angel.
And then when Jesus goes on to describe the faithfulness and
the uniqueness of John's office, he says in Luke 727, this is he
of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger Anglos.
I send my messenger same word. You'll you even.
Find it in the book of James when Rahab is being praised for
her faith and we're told there in James chapter 225 that when
she received the messengers once again the same word Anglos.
So when you see. The word Angel, what you're
really seeing is messenger, and depending on the context, you'll
know that this is a heavenly messenger or this is an earthly
messenger. And I'm more convinced that what
Jesus is referring to here. Our earthly messengers, more
specifically the elders and the pastors of these churches,
especially the elder of the church who is responsible for
speaking to the people of God. So who is Jesus holding in his
right hand? Pastors.
That means a few things. One, it means that he's in
control of pastors. Let me let me say it this way,
Jesus Christ hires and fires pastors.
I know you can get a degree and you can look for a job by
vacation and God can use that to bring a faithful pastor to a
flock. But ultimately he's the CEO of
his church. He hires, He fires always, but
not just that, it speaks of how He provides pastors.
So something in my hand signifies I own it, but it can
also mean that I can extend it. Jesus Christ gives pastors to
people. It's an extension of His grace
and gift. That sounds a little awkward as
I say it, but it's just an objective truth that He gives
these kind of ministers to build up the body of Christ.
Lastly, it speaks here of His protection, His protection of
His under shepherds. Yes, every single one of us are
in the grip of Christ's hand, and no one can pluck us out of
His hand. Amen.
But what this also means, what's being emphasized here is that
those who stand in the front lines are in the grip of the
Almighty, those who take the most hits, those who have to
deal with the forces of Satan as they guard and protect to the
best of their ability, by the grace of God, the people that
are responsible to them. Christ wants to let these
pastors know I'm holding you. I'm with you.
And Speaking of protection, that is exactly what the next part is
all about. From His mouth has come A2 edged
sword that speaks of the power of His Word, namely in
judgement. And this two edged sword here,
it's primarily for the Church of Jesus Christ and his defense of
the church you're going to find in Revelation 19 when he strikes
the nations that come against his people.
But before you go to. Revelation 19, you actually find
it mentioned here with these churches.
You're saying where? Look at chapter 2 verse 16.
He says you're therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon
and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
Why is He saying that to this church?
Because again, there are false teachers in it, sowing discord,
sowing false teaching, promoting false doctrine.
And Jesus is telling these specific individuals, I will go
to war with you because I am passionate about the purity of
my church. So what the sword of His mouth
means is that He will single out people who cause trouble in this
church, and He will successfully conquer them.
As he's holding his pastors and as he's walking with those eyes
of fire and those feet like burnished bronze, he will also
look out for those that cause harm and deal with them
accordingly. You know, if you were the
original readers of this and hearing about persecution, what
Rome is doing to believers, this would highly encourage you,
wouldn't it? We're safe and, and, and if and
if anything happens to us, it's because our great God permitted
it for his glory. Can I say one more thing?
What was in his right hand? Seven stars.
But notice the last description of verse 16.
And his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Do stars illuminate? Yes they do.
They give out light. But what is outshining the
stars? The face of Jesus Christ.
You may love your pastor, you may think that he is gifted.
You may think that without them you couldn't be this or you
couldn't know that. Can I tell you something?
They are nothing in comparison to Christ.
His light outshines that of the greatest of ministers.
And if you see any goodness come from a minister, you have to
realize that the source of that light comes from the one whose
face outshines them all. If you're going to fall in love
with anybody, if you're going to be moved and impressed by
anybody's preaching or character or love or counselor or wisdom,
let it be Christ, always Christ. So these stars are, I can
imagine how yes, John recognize them, but they paled in
comparison to what was radiating from the face of Jesus.
May that be our vision always. This also reminds us of what
John experienced while Christ was on earth.
Peter, James and John were the inner circle of Christ's
disciples and one day he brings them up to the top of the
mountain to reveal His glory. We know it to be the mount of
Transfiguration and one of the descriptions that of that
experiences that He shone like the sun.
But I want you to see the reaction of John in this case.
It says here in verse 17, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as
though dead, but He laid his right hand on me, saying, fear
not, I am the 1st and the last. If you actually go back to
Matthew 17 verse six, you don't have to turn there.
When the disciples witnessed Christ in his glory and this
glory cloud overshadowed him and Elijah and Moses and a voice
came from that cloud saying this is my beloved Son and whom I am.
Well, please listen to him. We're told there Matthew 17 that
they. Fell and were terrified.
The same John who witnessed that on that mountain.
Now in this vision he falls. But is he terrified?
No, he falls as though he died. Why?
Because as glorious as the amount of transfiguration was,
this is more glorious. He is so overtaken, so
overwhelmed by the sight that he crumbles at the feet of Jesus.
And many people come to this verse to point out John's
reaction to the pure presence of Christ, and rightfully so.
But I'm afraid that people and wanting to emphasize the
holiness of Christ, miss out on Jesus's reaction to John's
reaction. So John responds in this way.
But notice how Christ responds to John says here in verse 17
saying fear not, I am the 1st and the last.
Now listen, I shared this on a Wednesday night prayer evening.
If I see somebody distressed, it's one thing for me to look at
them in their distress and say it's going to be OK.
But wouldn't you say it would be completely different in terms of
counsel and comfort and assurance if I stooped down to
that poor soul and put my hand on them and said it's going to
be OK? Jesus didn't just look at John
and say fear not. Jesus reached out his hand,
touched him and says fear not. What are you to make of that?
That this Jesus and all his splendor and majesty and
brilliance and power, you can't even stand there and register it
before you collapse. This Jesus is approachable, This
Jesus though he is. Far.
More infinitely, more glorious than us does not want a distance
between us. He wants you to feel the
boldness and the confidence to come near to Him, and He longs
to draw near to us, at a touching distance, if you will.
Is that how you see Christ and his glory today?
Is that how you view Jesus and all his moral majesty?
Do you believe that he's actually this tender hearted
towards you or do you feel like there's a gap?
Oh yeah, I know. Jesus died on the cross and he
made the bridge between man and God so that we can be
reconciled. Then I'm talking on a personal,
relational level. Do you see yourself in John's
shoes here? Not just stunned by his beauty,
but also moved by his compassion.
He reaches out his hand. He says fear not.
And the reason why he can say fear not is because he reminds
John of who he has just witnessed.
John I'm the 1st and the last. Another autograph concerning His
deity I am the 1st and the last that is a title that exclusively
belongs to the Lord in the Old Testament.
If anybody ever comes up to you and says you tell me where Jesus
said I am God gladly Revelation One verse 17.
Jesus himself said I am the 1st and the last.
Where do you find that? In Isaiah 44 verse 6?
Write it down and don't you dare forget it.
Where Yahweh says about himself that He the King of Israel, and
his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the 1st and I am the last.
Besides me there is no God. But hold on, you're telling me
Revelation 117 is about Christ being God?
Does God die because verse 18 says and the living one, I died
and behold, I am alive forevermore and I have the keys
of death and Hades. No, we don't believe God died,
Hold on. But we do believe that He took
on flesh and with that body being laid down as a sacrifice
for redemptive purpose, yes, He did die, only to resurrect and
remain flesh forever as an emblem of His great love and
sacrifice toward us. The only way you can explain
someone who claims to be the first and the last dying and
coming back to life is Christ. There's no other way.
There's no other person who fits this.
And that's the point. Jesus is emphasizing his divine
nature, but also reminding John, I'm the same one that you saw,
that you walk with, that you ate with.
I die, but I'm alive now. And not just alive, I'm alive
forever more. He's never going to die again.
There's no other sacrifice that needs to be made again.
And here's the thing, we will share in that eternal promise.
In what sense? Well, we'll have a resurrection
like His. So in the same way that He is
alive forevermore, if we are in Him and will be raised by Him,
then we too will never die again.
In fact, there's a day coming where this glorious Christ with
His voice, according to John chapter 5, will call out to the
tombs, and all those tombs will respond, some unto the
resurrection of life, others unto the resurrection of
judgement. I missed it, didn't I?
Where he talks about in verse 15, his voice was like the roar
of many waters. That's powerful.
I was born and raised in Canada and many people want to see
Niagara Falls. I've seen it many times and
apart from the sight of that amount of water that's just
continually gushing, it's the sound.
It's just otherworldly. You can almost feel it the base
in your chest that's Jesus voice and one day it's going to call
out to the graves and they're all going to respond.
In fact, if you want to do more Old Testament study voice like
the roar of many waters that's ascribed to the voice of God in
Ezekiel meaning what? Well, he's God if you haven't
got it yet. Now what happens next says I
have the keys of death in Hades. In other words, because I
conquer death, I am now the owner of death and the grave,
which means many things. Can I tell you how it comforts
me? If I belong to him, then he
determines the timing of my death and the means of my death.
So why are you afraid of a future potential doctor report?
What? Why are you afraid of accidents?
Why are you concerned about your safety to the degree that it
paralyzes you in life? Death lost its keys, Hades.
The grave lost its keys. Christ has it in his hand.
And the same way He has those pastors and he has you in his
hands, He has that domain in his possession.
So what does that mean when it's time?
He'll put the key in the keyhole, open it up.
It says it's time for you to go. You.
Not yet. I still have more work for you
to do. But when you're ready to go,
it's time for you to go. Let's go.
Isn't that freeing? They freed me this week.
But then he goes on to see something that we've covered
before, right? Therefore, in verse 19, the
things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to
take place after this, we confirm that this is the outline
of the Book of Revelation. But let me add something else.
Don't you find it interesting that Jesus revealing Himself in
this way to John doesn't do it to these churches?
Let me put it this way. Is it possible that Christ could
appear to the church in Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum in the
middle of a meeting, show up in the same way that he revealed
himself to John? Yeah, he could have.
Who says he can't? He chooses not to, though.
He appears like this before a credible eyewitness, one of his
apostles, for the apostle, then to write it down and then give
it to the church. Here's what this tells me that
God's primary way of revealing His glory to His people is in a
book. This is the window that you will
look through in order to behold the glory of Christ.
That's what he designed even in the early church.
He goes right at John. And let this book be the means
by which people will see who I am.
So do you want to experience the glory of Christ?
Do you want to study? All that He is and how that
relates to you, you're not going to get it any other way than
through this book. Write it down.
And that's why we have Bible in the name of our church, because
this is how God wants to communicate to us and how we
experience Him. And here's the encouraging part.
Look at verse 20. As for the mystery of the seven
stars that you saw on my right hand and the seven golden
lampstands, the seven stars of the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven
churches. What's Jesus doing here?
He's explaining, John, I know that that was a mystery to you,
seeing those seven stars and those 7 golden lampstands, but
here I'm here to tell you what they mean.
Jesus Christ is ready to teach you and I His Word.
You have to believe that if this is the means by which we
experience him and see him, then surely He will be gracious
enough to help us see him and hear Him.
There's a promise that Paul made to Timothy and he makes it to
us. He says, and I'll just quote it
to you in Second Timothy 27. Think over what I say, for the
Lord will give you understanding and everything.
That's after he hurried and giving him metaphors of what the
Christian life is like and he says, Timothy, if you do your
part to take this seriously enough to think about it,
meditate on it, compare it, talk about it, Here's God's promise
to you. I'm going to give you
understanding in it. Now here's what's important as
we continue revelation. That verse is a promise us when
he's going to give us understanding.
Some of us want understanding right away.
Doesn't happen like that. He will do it at the right time.
Nor does he promise the way in which he will do it.
You know, I have some people who refuse to learn anything about
God's Word unless they have it in their own subjective
experience, unless it comes straight here.
Downloaded here. That's the only way that they
want to receive truth. But but God's ways are larger
than our ways. He can give you and I
understanding here when somebody preaches.
And you learn and go. That's the Lord giving me
understanding. He can do it when somebody hands
you books of men that God has used to explain things in the
scriptures. He can do it at a time of
prayer. He can do it over a cup of
coffee. When you're talking to a spirit
filled brother and they bring up something about something you
never knew about or something that you were confused about.
God uses Him to bring you understanding.
But here's the promise. If God wants to speak to us
through this, He will indeed reveal Himself if you desire it.
If you desire. It well, I think that's enough
for one Sunday. Let's give Him thanks for all
that He has done and how He has revealed Himself to us in His
Word. Lord, we sometimes feel the
daunting task of trying to describe Your Son Jesus Christ.
Keep us from all error, from all human interpretation.
We pray, Lord, that we would have the Spirit's help in our
journey of knowing who You are. Lord, if if our hearts are not
captivated by who you are, we do ask for your help.
Change us. And Lord, help us believe that
you were in the midst of Your church.
Help us believe that You're holding on to us.
Help us believe that even when we fall apart, when we realize
how we come short of Your glory, You're right there ready to
bring us up again and comfort us.
You remind us that you've conquered death, that we belong
to you not because of what we've done, but because what you've
done on our behalf. So Lord, with our attempt to try
to understand who you are, help us now sing to you in the way
that you deserve. And we believe that you, the
living Christ, see us and hear us.
And Lord, we do pray for your special protection over this
church, that it would be what you wanted to be.
And as we prepare to study the churches of Asia, help us in
humility and hunger conform to your way so that you would be
pleased by this place. We love you Lord, and we want to
express it now to you in song. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Let's stand church. If I can be transparent and
share my experience this week in preparation for this Sunday in a
good way, it was overwhelming. And I thought to myself, if it's
overwhelming for me to look at the descriptions with black ink
on white pages, what was it like for John to see it with his own
eyes? And we're going to see him one
day, but not just see him one day.
What you just heard this Sunday is what Christ is doing in His
church now. He's walking, He's purging, He's
strengthening, He's protecting. And for the next few weeks we're
going to look at what Christ is saying to His church and He's
going to be speaking to us in many ways, and I'm looking
forward to it. I got to tell you something,
once Sunday finishes, I'm already thinking about next
Sunday. I am serious.
I'm already thinking, Lord, what are you going to show me this
week? What are you going to show me
this week? I want to see it and He's
faithful to show it to me. If you think over what He says,
He promises to give you understanding in all things.
I can tell you after 12 years of walking with Christ, He has
never failed me. Oh, but then there have been
times I've paced back and forth in my room wondering, Lord, what
does this mean? I don't get it.
Or I look at somebody else and they have understand.
I think to myself, oh, how did they get there?
But He knows exactly what I am able to digest and what I need
and when I need it. And then I got to remember, this
is not about me just gaining knowledge.
This is about me falling deeper and deeper in love with Christ.
That's what it's about. Don't miss it.
You know who missed it? The Church of Ephesus.
Oh, they had a lot of knowledge. They knew what to do, but they
missed their first love. I better be careful.
I'm going to preach the next week's message.
Let's pray, shall we? How Many thanks can we give to
you, O Lord, for all the things that you've done for us?
But if there's one final thing we should say thank you for,
it's this church, Oh, Lord, to be in a group of people every
week who want the sermon to be longer, who want the service to
extend because they hunger and thirst for your truth.
Lord, we pray that that would never die, that would never
shrink, that it'll only excel more and more.
Lord, as we fellowship, please bless our food.
Bless this time. And would you be gracious, Lord,
to even allow us to experience your presence there?
Bring us back together, Lord, and we ask, Lord, that if you
choose to come, we prefer that Maranatha Come, Lord Jesus, in
Jesus name we pray, Amen.