The Risen Lord Among His Lampstands

Good morning. It's good to be with you guys to worship.

If you would please turn your Bibles to Revelation chapter 1.

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

And if you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand and we'd love to give you a copy that you can have and you can use.

Just began this series in the book of Revelation two weeks ago.

We're in Revelation 1 verses 9 to 20 this morning.

Revelation 1:9–20

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Heavenly Father, we ask you this morning to reveal your son Jesus Christ to us in all his glory.

So that we know him and worship him as he really is.

Rather than the way we imagine him to be.

Lord, we don't want to reduce Jesus to our small categories.

We want our vision of our risen Lord Jesus to be enlarged this morning.

So we plead with you, Father.

By your spirit, speak to us.

From your word, address us.

Humble us and exalt the name of your son Jesus.

In his precious name we pray.

Amen.

If you're able, please stand for the reading of God's word.

This is the way we honor God as he addresses us from the scriptures.

Let me read from Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 to 20.

Revelation 1:9–20

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus,

was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying,

Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches,

to Ephesus and to Samyra and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me and on turning I saw seven 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 two-edged sword.

And his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

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 first and the last.

And the living one.

I died and behold, I am alive forevermore.

And I have the keys of death and Hades.

Write therefore the things that you have seen,

those that are and those that are to take place after this.

Ask 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.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

If you try to picture Jesus or imagine Jesus,

what comes to your mind?

I know maybe some of you picture actor Jim,

what's his name, Jim Caviezel from The Passion of the Christ.

I know there's a lot of Chosen fans in our church.

Maybe some of you guys think of Jonathan Rumi from The Chosen series.

Or maybe you think of the famous painting

by the 20th century American artist Warner Salmon,

The Head of Christ.

While their portrayals of Jesus might be well-meaning

and perhaps even pious,

they can never come close to depicting the real Jesus.

Because Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

And it's not a coincidence that no portrait of Jesus

has been passed down to us from the first century.

Not one person in this whole world

knows exactly what Jesus looked like

because Jesus passed down to us his word,

not his picture.

But what if God himself,

in his infallible word,

were to give us a picture of Jesus?

Not as an exact representation of Jesus,

but as a symbolic revelation of what he is like.

His character,

his attributes,

his power.

That picture would be worth meditating on.

Thinking about over and over in our minds.

And that's exactly what we have here

in Revelation 1, 9 to 20.

God revealed this glorious vision of Jesus to John

and he instructed John to write it down

for us, for the church.

To remind us that we need not fear

in the midst of tribulation,

because Christ is the resurrected Lord

who reigns over the church.

That's the main point of this passage.

And we're going to first talk about our situation

that John paints,

and then about our Lord,

and finally what our response should be

because of that.

In verses 9 to 11,

John describes his situation

and the situation of the seven churches

that he is writing to.

He says in verse 9,

Before he gets into the tribulations,

John describes himself as a brother of the Christians

to whom he is writing.

This conveys the incredible reality

that we as Christians

are those who have been united by faith

to Jesus Christ,

God's only son,

his only begotten son.

And through that relationship union with Jesus,

we have been adopted as God's children,

his sons and daughters.

And it's because of that,

because we have God in common

as our heavenly father,

that we are now brothers and sisters

in the family of God.

So this is John's way of identifying

with the believers to whom he is writing.

He could have introduced himself

as the apostle John,

because he is an apostle.

He's one of the 12 apostles.

But instead,

he puts himself on the same level playing field

and introduces himself as John,

your brother.

This is John's way of saying to believers,

I am one of you.

I am with you.

Because we refer to each other

as brothers and sisters so often,

as Christians,

sometimes we don't grapple

with the significant reality that that is.

Do you remember what Jesus said

in Mark 3.35,

whoever does the will of God,

he is my brother and sister.

Romans 8.29 says

that Christians have been predestined

to be conformed to the image

of God's son, Jesus,

in order that he might be

the firstborn among many brothers.

Hebrews 2.11 says that Jesus

is not ashamed to call us

his brothers and sisters.

So do you realize then

what a stunning reality is

that when we refer to one another

as brothers and sisters in Christ,

we are saying

that the Lord God Almighty

is our Father,

and we're saying

that Jesus Christ,

the resurrected Lord,

whose name is above every name,

is our brother.

We're declaring

that we are heirs of God

in fellow heirs with Christ,

that all of God's heavenly inheritance

is ours

because we are God's adopted children,

and that we will reign forever

in God's kingdom

as co-heirs with Christ.

That's why John continues

in saying

that I am your partner

in the kingdom

that is in Jesus.

The kingdom of God

belongs to us

because we're brothers and sisters

in Christ.

We're royal heirs.

We're in the same family

bound together

by the blood of Christ.

It's of utmost importance

always to remember this,

but especially

when there's suffering,

tribulation,

and persecution,

spiritual warfare

that seek to divide us.

We need to remember

that we are a family

and that we are

in this together.

Our enemy is working

around the clock

to make us forget

this reality,

but we must not

forget this reality.

In addition to identifying

himself as a brother,

John himself identifies

as a partner

partners by definition

share in some kind

of endeavor together.

They're fellow partakers

in a common mission

or common thing.

So what is it

that we are partners in?

We already talked

about the kingdom,

which is a glorious reality,

but there are two other things

on this list

that we might not think

of as so glorious.

He says we are partners

in the tribulation

and the kingdom

and the patient endurance

that are in Jesus.

These three things

are wrapped up together.

You can't separate them.

You get the tribulation

along with the kingdom,

along with the patient endurance

that those two things require.

It's because Jesus

went through tribulation

with patient endurance

and it's because

Jesus' glorification

to the right hand

of the Father

came through his death

on the cross,

through his own tribulation.

That's why we also

must share in that glory

through death

and suffering.

Jesus lays out

the pattern right here

in Revelation 118.

I died

and behold,

I am alive forevermore.

It's only those

who die to themselves,

renounce their sins

and renounce their pride

and turn to Christ.

Those are the only ones

who can live forever

and enjoy the resurrection life

that God has won

for us in Christ.

That's why Jesus

says to his followers

in John 16, 33,

in the world,

you will have tribulation.

But take heart,

I have overcome the world.

Tribulation is just a,

it's just a fancy word

for acute distress

or suffering,

a severe trial.

Many of you are going through

different kinds of tribulations.

As you fight sin in your life,

as you battle our spiritual enemies

in your life,

as you face those

who oppose God

and persecute God's people,

you face the tribulation.

But the tribulation

that we face is normal.

We need to remember

that that's a part

of what God has promised

that we will have

to experience

because it's only

through patient endurance

that we can attain

that glory.

Times of peace

and prosperity

for the Christians

are the exception,

not the norm.

I've shared some

of these statistics

with you from previous years

of Open Door USA

about the suffering

of Christians

throughout the world.

This organization

publishes the World Watch List

every year,

which lists 50 countries

where the persecution

against Christians

is most severe.

And according to their

2023 report,

more than 360 million

Christians today

live in places

where they experience

high, very high,

or extremely high

levels of persecution.

And that number

has been going up

every single year

that I've been following

this watch list.

That's one in seven

Christians in the world.

Over the last year,

5,621 Christians

were murdered

for their faith.

2,110 church buildings

were attacked,

destroyed.

4,542 Christians

were detained.

That means on average,

15 or 16 Christians

are killed

for their faith

every single day.

This day,

15 or 16 Christians

will die for their faith

somewhere in the world.

That's the reality

that many of the members

of the body of Christ

live in.

And most of them

don't make the news.

For many Christians

around the world,

the cost of being

a disciple of Jesus Christ

is very, very high.

And even though

there is an overt

persecution of Christians

in our society today

because we do not live

as citizens of earth,

but rather as citizens

of heaven,

and because we operate

with a very different

set of purposes

and priorities

than the people

of this world,

sometimes we are looked at

as a strange

and a regressive

and even ridiculous bunch.

Jesus said this

in John 15

that because the world

hated him

that it will also hate us

because we are not

of the world.

If we belong to the world,

they would love us.

But because we don't

and because they don't

understand,

there is hatred

from the world.

I am hoping

that this is

a helpful adjustment

of the perspective

that some of us

Christians can have.

God does not promise us

a life free of suffering.

He never promised

that once you come

to faith in him

that your life

will be smooth sailing.

Rather,

he promises us

tribulation

and commands us

to patiently endure.

John himself

was enduring this.

We could see that

because he says

that he was

on the island of Patmos

on account of the word

of God

and testimony of Jesus.

This repeats

what he said earlier

in verse 2.

Patmos was a Greek island

on the Aegean Sea

where the Romans

back then

used as a destination

for political exiles,

so political criminals.

So John is there

in exile

because he faithfully

bore witness to Jesus,

because he proclaimed

the word of God

and the testimony

of Jesus,

because he proclaimed

that Jesus is king,

that he is the Messiah

and refused to bow down

to the emperor cult

because he refused

to worship the pagan gods

of the Romans.

They saw him

as an enemy,

as an insidious influence

in their society

and they exiled him

to this island.

And John's telling

the Christians

not to lose heart

as a fellow sufferer

for the sake

of the gospel.

I, John,

am your partner

in the tribulation

and the patient endurance.

We are suffering together.

You're not alone.

We are in this together,

so don't lose heart.

Keep on persevering

and keep on bearing witness

to Jesus

no matter what.

And having introduced himself

and having identified

with his hearers,

John then relays

the vision

that he received

from the Lord

and he describes

how he came to that vision.

He says in verse 10,

I was in the spirit

on the Lord's day.

That's referring

to a prophetic vision.

He's being carried along

by the spirit.

That's how people

receive prophecy,

as it says,

2 Peter 1.21.

And he is,

so even though

John's writing this letter,

he is reporting

revelation from God,

something that God

has revealed to him

in the vision.

This happened

on the Lord's day,

which is Sunday,

the first day of the week,

the day that our Lord Jesus

was raised from the dead.

And that's why

Christians for thousands

of years have worshipped

together on the Lord's day,

on Sunday.

And he says in verses

10 to 11,

and I heard behind me

a loud voice

like a trumpet saying,

write what you see

in a book

and send it

to the seven churches,

to Ephesus

and to Smyrna

and to Pergamum

and to Thyatira

and Sardis

and to Philadelphia

and to Laodicea.

So this prophetic vision,

he's relaying,

he is serving

as a messenger of this.

And here in verse 11,

we see the seven churches

that are listed.

They are the recipients

of this circular letter.

That's what most people

think Revelation was,

that it was a circular letter

intended to circulate

in multiple locations.

So he would have gone

likely in this order

of the churches

that are listed.

He would have traveled

from one location

to the other

to relay this message

that God had given

to John.

So this is listed

in kind of geographic order

of the path

that a messenger

from Patmos

would have taken.

these,

it's not,

it's not,

we're not told here

why these seven churches

are specified

that we're more

than these seven churches

in Asia Minor.

And there are also

even other prominent churches

in Asia Minor

like Galatia,

the church in Galatia

that Paul wrote to,

the letter to the Galatians.

So then why did John

choose these seven churches?

We don't know for sure,

but it's possible

that these seven churches

formed a natural

focal point of creation

for the churches

scattered throughout

that geographic region.

And remember that also

number seven,

as Ed mentioned last week

and as I said two weeks ago,

is symbolically significant

throughout the book

of Revelation.

Because seven days

is what God took

to create,

to complete all of creation.

It's used symbolically

throughout scripture

and especially

in the book of Revelation

to represent completeness.

So while these seven churches

are specifically named

and God does address

the specific circumstances

of these churches,

they are also representative

of the whole church,

all of God's people.

So the situation

that this Revelation addresses

is a persecuted church

in the midst of tribulation

that must patiently endure

and that's what John

is writing to.

That's the circumstance.

And now having seen

our situation

as described

in verses 9 to 11,

let's look at our Lord.

His description

in verses 12 to 16.

After hearing the loud voice

like a trumpet,

John turns to see

where the voice

is coming from

and he sees,

it says,

on turning,

seven 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.

For those of you

who are with us

through our sermon series

recently in the book

of Exodus,

this should immediately

make the light bulbs

go off.

Seeing some light bulbs

go off here.

Because a golden lampstand

with seven lamps,

no less,

right,

was one of the furnishings

within the tabernacle

of God.

The golden lampstand

occupied a holy place,

the dwelling place of God,

along with the bread

of the presence

and it represented

the presence of God,

God's gracious presence

among his people.

Light and fire

are really appropriate

symbols for God

and used throughout Scripture

because God is described

as the consuming fire.

Like fire,

the Lord God sanctifies.

He burns up the dross,

leaving the precious ore.

He purifies.

He consumes the wicked

in judgment,

but he purifies his people.

1 John 1, 5 says

that God is light

and in him

is no darkness at all.

The light,

the seven lights

that are on the lampstand

represent the fullness

of God's holy presence

and is connected

to the seven spirits

that we saw earlier

mentioned in Revelation 1, 4.

That doesn't mean

that there are

seven spirits of God.

Rather,

it represents

the completeness

of the one spirit of God

as Ed was talking about

last week.

There's no blood

or imperfection

or darkness

in God at all

because he is the light,

the consuming fire.

And the golden lampstand

also signifies the fact

that God sees.

Just as the physical light

enables our eyes to see,

it's the spiritual light,

the light of God

that enables us

to see spiritual realities.

The golden lampstand

of the tabernacle

was designed

to look like an almond tree

and we know

from Jeremiah 1, 11 to 12

that an almond tree

is a symbol

of the Lord's watching

because the word watching

is very similar

which is the word almond

in Hebrew.

And so then

the seven lamps

of this almond tree,

right,

of the lamp

convey unmistakably

that the Lord

is watching.

There's nothing hidden

from God.

The deepest recesses

of our hearts

are open to God.

The hidden sins

of sinners

are exposed

before God.

God sees everything.

The Israelites

were to bring

pure,

beaten olive oil

regularly

to make sure

that the light

never goes out

and it was the job

of the Aaron

and his sons,

the priests,

to keep the light

going,

the lamp burning

at all times.

It was never

to go out

because it represented

God's presence

with his people

and God never

goes on vacation.

He never leaves,

right?

When you walk around

East Cambridge

at night

and then you see

light inside the houses,

that's how you know

there is someone home.

Someone is there

and you look

to the tabernacle,

the Israelites

look to the tabernacle

and see the light

of God burning

the lampstand.

They say,

God is here.

He's with us.

He goes with us.

We're told plainly

in verse 20

that the seven golden

lampstands stand

for the seven churches

and the light

and fire

that lampstands

are meant to hold

represent the watchful

presence of God,

his spirit.

This is confirmed

by Zechariah 4,

which this passage

is also alluding to.

There an angel

shows Zechariah

a vision

of a golden lampstand

and this one's

like a super lampstand.

It's got seven lamps

and each of the lamp

has seven lips

or spouts.

So it's like

a seven times seven.

This is like

a super menorah.

And in that vision,

he sees two olive trees

by it on either side,

which supplies the oil

to this lampstand.

And then when asked

to explain the meaning

of this,

the angel says

to Zechariah,

not by might

nor by power,

but by my spirit

says the Lord,

meaning that it represents

the spirit of God,

the presence of God

among his people,

the lampstands,

the light of God.

And it says

specifically

in Zechariah 4.10

that these seven,

the seven lights

on the lampstand

are the eyes

of the Lord

which range

through the whole earth.

So once again,

it represents

the same thing,

the watchful presence

of the living God,

the spirit of God,

the God who gives light

and life

to his people,

the lampstands.

And this is a fulfillment

of the Zechariah's prophecy,

of Zechariah's prophecy

because in the Old Testament

times in Zechariah,

the lampstand represented

Israel, God's people,

the Jews.

But now in the New Testament,

in the New Covenant,

the lampstand represents

all of God's people.

Hence the seven lampstands

represent the fullness

that includes not only the Jews

but also the Gentiles.

And also in Zechariah 4,

there were the two olive trees

that supplies the oil.

And most people interpret that

to mean to stand for Joshua,

the high priest,

and Zerubbabel,

the governor,

who is from the royal line of David,

basically a king.

And those two were at the time

leading Israel

and helping to lay again

the foundation of Jerusalem

and the temple

that were destroyed.

And so they're supplying the oil.

But instead of having two people

tending to the lampstand,

in John's vision,

there's only one.

One like a son of man.

Clothed with a long robe

and with a golden sash

around his chest.

This is a vision of Jesus

because Jesus in himself

combines both of those offices

as high priest and king.

And that's why it says

he's clothed with a long robe

and with a golden sash.

The Greek word that's translated here

as long robe

only occurs once

right here in the New Testament.

But if you search

the Greek translation

of the Old Testament,

it occurs five times

in the book of Exodus alone.

And every single time

it refers to the robe

of the ifid

that the priest wears.

So it's a priestly robe.

And the golden sash

is a symbol of royalty

and represents Jesus'

kingly office.

And as many of you

already know,

the phrase son of man

is Jesus' favorite phrase,

the favorite title

that Jesus takes upon himself

throughout the Gospels

because it's an explicit allusion

to Daniel 7 and Daniel 10

where one like a son of man

approaches the engine of days

and receives everlasting dominion

and glory and kingdom

so that all peoples and nations

and languages worship him

and serve him.

It's a description

of the messianic king

who has God's authority,

divine, eternal authority.

And that's who Jesus is.

He's better.

He fulfills Zerubbabel

and Joshua the high priest.

He is the great high priest

and he is the ultimate king

in the line of David.

And so he fulfills this prophecy

in Zechariah 4

and he is the one

who is now tending

to God's people,

the lamp of God,

to make sure that the lamp

does not go out,

that it continues to burn.

This picture of the seven

golden lampstands

with the son of man

behind it,

in the midst of it,

teaches us several

important things.

First, it teaches that we,

the church of God,

we're the lampstands.

But God,

the spirit of God,

is the light

or the fire.

Jesus is the light

of the world

and it says in verse 16,

his face is like the sun

shining in full strength.

We as the church,

God's people,

are merely the receptacles

of the light.

We are not the light itself.

We are only the light

of the world

insofar as we are reflecting

the light of Christ.

So then we should be careful

not to make ourselves

the center of attention

or center of our ministry,

of everything that we do,

our lives.

It's not about

who has the platform

or who gets to talk

in front of a crowd.

It's not about

who gets the credit

or who gets the acclaim

because it's not about us.

We exist to glorify God,

not ourselves.

We exist to make much of God,

not ourselves.

We exist to tell people

about God

and not about ourselves.

The church of all places

should not be a place

where people are jostling

for the spotlight.

Rather,

we shine the spotlight

on Christ

because He is the light.

He is the consuming fire.

We're not the main show.

We're just the setting

for the light of God.

And secondly,

Jesus,

it tells us,

this picture tells us

that Jesus is with us

and that He is watching over us.

This glorious and risen Lord

that we're going to see

in a second,

even as He sits and reigns

at the right hand of the Father,

His church and His people

are not out of sight

and out of mind.

In the midst of the lampstands,

He says,

there's one like a Son of Man.

Jesus is not far off.

He's in our very midst

as our high priest and king.

And He's carefully

and diligently

tending to the lamp

so that the fire of God,

the Spirit of God

does not go out

in that lamp.

And as I mentioned,

this applies to all the churches.

The seven churches

are representative

and that means

it applies to us too.

This small,

humble,

lowly church

in Cambridge, Massachusetts,

the Son of God

and the Son of Man

who has all authority

in heaven and on earth

is in our midst.

And He is tending to us

and caring for us

to make sure

that that light of God

does not go out.

That's an amazing promise.

So remember this,

brothers and sisters,

as you mortify your sins,

as you battle against

the evil one,

as you endure

through persecution,

this is the grounds

for our patient endurance

through the tribulation.

And this is what undergirds

John's message

or Jesus' message

to the seven churches

in chapters 2 and 3,

telling Him to conquer,

telling Him to endure,

telling Him to be faithful

unto death.

How can they do that?

Because Jesus is among us.

And He says,

you are not alone.

I am with you.

So stand firm.

Persevere till the end.

And our strength

and hope grow so much

as we see

the further descriptions

of Jesus.

I love this description

of Jesus

in these few verses.

Verse 14 tells us

that the hairs

of His head

were white,

like white wool,

like snow.

White hair is a sign of what?

Age, old age, right?

In our culture,

old age is not looked at

as a good thing,

but in many cultures,

actually,

it's looked at

as a very good thing

because it signifies wisdom.

Gray hair is not something

to be ashamed of

because it signifies

long life.

And you can testify

to the faithfulness

of God.

And through that experience,

you gain wisdom.

Daniel 7, 9,

this is an allusion

to Daniel 7, 9,

which describes God Almighty,

the Ancient of Days.

It says that His clothing

was white as snow

and the hair of His head

like pure wool,

just like here

with Jesus.

John's trying to tell us

that Jesus is

the Ancient of Days.

He's the second person

of the Trinity.

He is the word

that was there

from the beginning.

He is wise.

This reminds me

of Gandalf

from The Lord of the Rings.

Gandalf is ancient.

According to Tolkien Geeks

geeking out on Reddit,

Gandalf is about

55,000 years old

by the end of the series,

the book of The Lord of the Rings.

And so he's ancient

and he's equally wise.

He's as ancient

as he's wise.

And he fights,

right,

as you guys know,

I think it's in the two towers.

He fights against

Balrog of Morgoth

and he gives his life

to save his friends.

And then after he dies,

he's given life again.

He resurrects.

And then when he's raised,

he's no longer

Gandalf the Grey,

but he is Gandalf the White

with greater power,

greater wisdom,

and greater authority.

And he's supposed to go

and supplant

the corrupted leader

of the White Council,

the head of the Order

of the Wizards,

Saruman,

because Gandalf

has surpassed him.

He's now Gandalf the White.

I love Gandalf

all throughout the series.

There's an amazing,

amazing scene

in the two towers

when during the Battle

of the Helm's Deep

and they're losing.

And I'm sorry

if this is like,

you gotta read the books

if you haven't read it.

And they're losing

and then as the sun rises,

Gandalf appears

on the horizon,

a white rider,

they call him.

And they said,

there suddenly upon a ridge

appeared a rider

clad in white,

shining in the rising sun.

Behold,

a white rider,

cried Aragorn.

Gandalf is come again.

Can you imagine that?

And then the tide turns.

Can you just imagine

being in that battle?

You're losing.

You're losing hope

and then you see that.

Like what strength

that brings to your heart

and what hope

that breathes

into your heart

and you see someone

so wise,

so ancient,

who's seen it all

and done it all come.

If that's the case

with Gandalf,

how much more

to have Jesus

on our side?

the Ancient of Days

himself

who's there

before the beginning

of time,

who knows all things.

You just behold him

and you see his wisdom.

He knows and sees

all things.

Amazing.

Verses 14 to 15

also tells us

that 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.

This is an allusion

to Daniel's vision

of the Son of Man

in Daniel 10 verse 6.

Daniel 10:6

His body was like barrel,

his face like the appearance

of lightning,

his eyes were like

flaming torches,

his arms and legs

like the gleam

of burnished bronze

and the sound

of his words

like the sound

of a multitude.

What does it mean

that his eyes

were like a flame

of fire?

Fire is often

a symbol of judgment

and discernment.

It separates

the drowse

from the oars.

Proverbs 28

says this,

a king who sits

on the throne

of judgment

winnows all evil

with his eyes.

I think that gets

close to the intended

meaning of this

description.

Jesus is a righteous

judge,

an omniscient judge

who perceives

and sees

all things.

Nobody can put

one over him

and nothing can

get past

his all discerning eyes.

He sees everything.

There's no ambush

and no trick

that an enemy

can play

that can overcome him.

There's no sinner

who can hide

from his all-knowing

perception.

He sees right

through people

who are clean

on the outside

but impure

on the inside.

That's Jesus.

His feet were

like burnished bronze

refined in a furnace

it says in verse 15.

So refined

polished bronze

is glossy

and it gleams,

it shines.

so that symbolizes

Jesus' purity

but also

it shows

Jesus' power

and authority

because bronze

is the hardest

of the precious metals

that were commonly

used in the ancient world.

Gold, silver, and bronze.

Bronze is the hardest

of them all.

With feet

like burnished bronze

Jesus crushes

his foes

underneath his feet.

No enemy

can resist him.

it just crumbles

underneath.

He's the victorious

conqueror.

And his voice

was like the roar

of many waters.

It's amazing.

Try imagining that.

This is an allusion

to Ezekiel 43.2

which describes

the sound

of the coming

of the Lord

like the sound

of many waters.

Ezekiel 1.24

tells us

what the sound

of many waters

is like.

It tells us

that I heard

the sound

of their wings

like the sound

of many waters

like the sound

of the Almighty

a sound

of tumult

like the sound

of an army.

So imagine

the sound

of a mighty host

tens of thousands

hundreds of thousands

in the army

marching together

the rumbling

the roar

listen to that sound

of his voice.

So imagine

like the lush

and full surround sound

of the ocean waves

when you're at the beach.

or imagine

the roaring flow

of a large waterfall

like the Niagara Falls.

I think the closest

human voice

comes to that

is probably

the voice

of Tim Storms.

You guys know

about him?

I didn't know

about him

until this weekend.

He holds

the Guinness

world record

for both

the lowest note

ever produced

by a human being

and the widest

vocal range.

He has a vocal range

of ten octaves

to give you

a glimpse

of that.

Mariah Carey

sings five octaves.

That's crazy.

And normal human beings

like you and me

only sing two

or three octaves.

They say that

and this is like real

they measure it

with scientific equipment.

His lowest note

is so low

that human beings

can't hear it.

Only elephants

can hear it.

Isn't that crazy?

I'm not

and he's actually

a Christian

and you can find

YouTube videos

of him singing

some hymns

and it's remarkable.

And you can look

that up later

and not now.

And he literally

sounds like a full

bass choir section

all by himself.

And you're like

listening to this

and if you have

good headphones

you could feel

the vibration

like an earthquake

like the rumbling

loud sound.

And that's only

the voice

of one human being.

Can you imagine

the sound

of the almighty?

How powerful

is the Lord God?

Imagine that sound.

The immensity

of it.

The authority

of it.

Jesus is not

a puny deity.

He's infinite

and almighty.

Verse 16

tells us

that in his right hand

he held

the seven stars.

In case you're

wondering what

the seven stars are

John tells us

exactly in verse 20

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.

In chapters 2 and 3

Jesus addresses

the seven churches

and he addresses

the seven churches

by addressing

the angels

of the seven churches

which shows

that these angels

are heavenly

representatives

of the churches

that are on earth.

Some people think

that these angels

refer to human

representatives

maybe the lead

pastors of these churches

because the word

angel simply means

messenger

in the Greek.

However,

in Revelation

the word angel

in all the subsequent

visions

exclusively refers

to a heavenly being

an actual angel

as we think of it.

So I think

it's highly unlikely

that this is referring

to a human messenger

and this idea

that there is

a heavenly angelic

representative of people

is not uncommon

throughout scripture.

In Matthew 18.10

Jesus says

of the children

see that you do not

despise one of these

little ones

for I tell you

that in heaven

their angels

always see the face

of my father

who is in heaven.

These children

are precious

disciples of Christ

are precious

why?

Because they have

heavenly representatives

angels

before the presence

of God.

we see a similar

thing in Daniel 10

20-21

and Daniel 12

Daniel 12:1

verse 1

they speak of

the nations

throughout the world

also having

angelic representatives

assigned to them.

So then these angels

are heavenly beings

that represent

before God's throne

the church is on earth.

This is an amazing

statement

about the significance

of the church.

Here on earth

the visible church

is imperfect.

there's wheat

and there's weeds

mixed in together

but however imperfect

we may be

the church

is a heavenly reality.

And even

our small

local church

has an angel

representing us

before the very

throne of God.

This is why

the book of Revelation

is punctuated

by visions

of heavenly worship

of the Lamb of God

because they are

a heavenly counterpart

to what we are

doing here on earth.

This is why

the corporate worship

of the church

is so important.

What we do here

together

is not just

for here and now.

It rings out

through eternity.

It rings out

in heaven.

And in his right hand

it says Jesus

holds the seven stars.

Not only is Jesus

Lord over the seven churches

represented by the

seven lampstands

he is also Lord

over our heavenly

angelic counterparts.

He holds the seven stars

in his hand.

When you hold

something in your hand

when something is

in your hand

it shows your power

over it.

Your authority over it.

So it shows

Jesus' sovereignty

over human history

and over all

of God's people.

We are in the hands

of the resurrected

Lord Jesus

and let this

be a comfort to you

that he is in full

control of your faith.

No matter what

disappointments

and setbacks

have happened

to you in your life

no matter how much

suffering you are

enduring right now

no matter how much

you despair

of even life itself

you are in the hands

of the resurrected

Lord Jesus.

And as Jesus said

in John 10

27 to 28

my sheep hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me

I give them eternal life

and they will never perish

and no one

will ever

snatch them

out of my hand.

That's what that

represents.

No one can ever

snatch you out of

the hand of the

sovereign Lord Jesus

who holds the seven stars

in his right hand.

Verse 16 continues

to describe this glorious

Christ.

From his mouth

came a sharp

two-edged sword.

This is an allusion

to Isaiah 11 4.

The rod from his mouth

he judges the wicked.

Ephesians 6 17

speaks of the word

of God

as the sword

of the spirit.

And Hebrews 4 12

famously says this

the word of God

is living and active

sharper than any

two-edged sword

piercing to the

division of soul

and of spirit

of joints

and of narrow

and discerning the

thoughts and intentions

of the heart.

Jesus' weapon

is the two-edged sword

of the word of God.

Scriptures.

It is not sharp

in the sense

that it cuts people

down

or brings them down

rather it's sharp

in the sense

that it cuts

to the heart.

It's not merely

an earthly weapon

that can cut

flesh and blood.

It's a spiritual weapon

that can cut the soul

and the spirit.

That can

cut through the weeds

and discern

the thoughts and intentions

of the heart.

It's a sword

that can slay

spiritual enemies

that can slay

the devil.

It's a sword

that can cut open

sin and expose it.

It's a sword

with which Jesus

will strike down

the nations

who oppose him

as it says

in Revelation 19 15.

And lastly

verse 16

describes Jesus' face.

His face

was like the sun

shining

in full strength.

this reveals

that Jesus

is the radiance

of the glory

of God.

Jesus is the only

sovereign king

of kings

and lord of lords

who alone

has immortality

and who dwells

in unapproachable light.

Jesus revealed

this divine glory

briefly at the

transfiguration

in Matthew 17 2

and it described

his transfiguration

this way.

His face

shone like the sun.

We can't even

stare at him

directly.

That's how

gloriously bright

he is.

Pure,

holy.

This is the

cosmic

picture

of the risen

Jesus.

Isn't it amazing?

I think it's such

a beautiful description.

And it's that

glorious picture

that provides

the basis

for the main

command of this

passage

in verses 17

18.

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

first and

the last

and the living

one.

I died

and behold,

I am alive

forevermore.

And I have

the keys

of death

and Hades.

So this

should be

our response.

Fear not.

This is once

again an allusion

to Daniel 10.

After Daniel

sees the vision

of the son

of man,

he loses

all strength

and he falls

into a deep

sleep.

And Jesus,

son of man,

has to touch

him,

his right hand,

and strengthen

him and to

get him up.

And he tells

him,

fear not,

peace be with

you,

be strong

and of good

courage.

But why

is Jesus

telling John

to fear not?

To fear not

what?

I don't think

Jesus is primarily

referring to

fearing him.

And I think

we can tell

that from

the context

because Jesus

goes on to

say,

I am the

first and

the last

and the

living

one.

I died

and behold

I am alive

forevermore

and I have

the keys

of death

and Hades.

If John

was afraid

of Jesus

and he was

trying to

reassure him,

I don't think

I would tell

him this

because I think

this makes

him more

scary.

But the

threefold

formula,

I am the

first and

the last

and the

living one

mirrors

verses 4

and 8,

him who

is and

who was

and who

is to

come.

Or I

am the

alpha and

omega,

the beginning

and the end,

who is and

who was and

is to

come,

the almighty.

Jesus is

here unmistakably

identifying himself

with the

ancient of

days,

the living

God,

eternal God

who has no

beginning and

no end.

Jesus rules

over the past,

the present,

and the future

and John's

supposed to write

of this reign

of Christ

and that's why

the commission

in verse 19

also is threefold.

Write there

for things that

you have seen,

those that are

and those that

are to take

place after this.

So John's a

witness to Christ's

reign in the

past, present,

and future.

And it's on

that basis,

Jesus seems

like,

Jesus is telling

us not to

fear because