Revelation Ch1v9-20 - Glorious Christ

Your Bibles, Revelation, Chapter 1.

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

So, Revelation, if you need a Bible, there's ones there.

And there should be some sheets for taking notes, especially those who are in secondary school.

Make sure you have one. If you haven't got one, make a fuss, make some noise, and make sure an older person gives you one, if they've taken it.

So, we're going to read this morning from Revelation, Chapter 1, verses 9 to 20.

Revelation 1:9–20

Let us hear God's Word to us.

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,

Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me.

And when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

And among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,

dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow.

And his eyes were like blazing fire.

His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace.

And his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

In his right hand, he held seven stars.

And coming out of his mouth was a sharp double-edged sword.

His face was like the sun, shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

Then he placed his right hand on me and said,

Do not be afraid.

I am the first and the last.

I am the living one.

I was dead and now look.

I am alive forever and ever.

And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Write therefore what you have seen,

what is now,

and what will take place later.

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw on my right hand

and of the seven golden lampstands is this.

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches

and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Well, I don't know if any of you have ever read Revelation before,

but I think we all know that it can be kind of a weird

and both wonderful book at the same time.

Well, it's a series of visions given by God to John

written down for us.

So if you have a look very quickly there at verse 11,

he says,

Write on a scroll what you see

and send it to the seven churches.

That implies it's for all churches of all ages,

including us today.

And the visions are stunning and spectacular.

Look at verse 19.

He's told,

John is told to write, therefore,

what you have seen,

what is now,

and what will take place later.

It encompasses a huge breadth of time,

what was past,

what is present,

and what is future.

It's the time frame

between the resurrection of Jesus

and the return of Jesus.

And all these visions that we're going to look at,

and we're going to look at one in just a moment,

help us to see the world and history

from God's perspective.

And despite opposition to Christ and his church,

God rules,

and the church is on the winning side.

So,

before we get into this vision

that we have before us this morning,

we're going to pray

and ask,

as we thought about this morning,

that the light of God's word

would shine in our hearts

that we might see Jesus.

Let's pray for that.

Father, thank you for your word,

spoken all those years ago

to your prophet John,

who wrote it down

so that we could read it

and hear it today.

and we ask,

Father,

that you would make these words

come alive in our hearts

so that we see

Jesus clearly.

May we come to know him

and love him

and be blessed.

We ask this for our good.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, three things

we're going to see

from our text.

We're going to look at three things.

We're going to look first

at the reality we face,

the vision we need,

and the confidence we have.

So first,

the reality

we face.

John's opening words

are like a bucket

of cold water

which is thrown

in our face.

It wakens us up

to reality.

Look at verse 9.

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.

Patmos Island,

which is still there today,

you can look it up

on Google Earth

or Google Maps,

and it's beautifully

situated between Greece

and Turkey

in the Mediterranean Sea.

But John's not there

on holiday

at his private villa

chilling out.

It was a Roman prison island

where convicts

and Christians

were put.

They were probably

mining and cutting

and carving out marble.

He's not sunbathing,

he's suffering

because,

look at the end

of verse 9,

because of the word

of God

and the testimony

of Jesus.

Look,

he's saying,

if you're a Christian,

expect

to suffer.

Verse 9,

I, John,

your brother

and companion

in the suffering.

We're partners,

he's saying,

and just as I'm suffering

for the testimony

of Jesus,

so you will.

If you today

stand up

for biblical Christianity,

if you speak out

for Jesus,

you are going to face

pushback

and criticism.

Why do you say,

well,

that's not what I signed up

for as a Christian.

I thought being a Christian

would be

a little bit easier

than that.

It would be comfortable

and worry-free.

And of course,

one way to avoid

any struggles

and to maintain

a comfortable life

is just keep

your mouth shut.

Don't say anything.

Say nothing.

and you can sunbathe

your Christian life away.

But that's not

real Christianity.

Look closely

at what the text

is saying to us.

He says,

I, John,

your brother

and companion

in the suffering

and kingdom

and patient endurance

that are ours

in Jesus.

You see,

one of the ways

to describe a Christian

is to say

they are

in Jesus.

His life

becomes

your life.

And we receive

many blessings

because we are

in Jesus.

Grace

and peace

and joy

and forgiveness

and hope.

But that's not all,

is it?

John wants

to underline

the fact

that if we are

in Jesus

we will suffer.

In other words,

we walk

the same path

that Jesus walked.

It's the way

of the cross.

But not only

will we suffer,

he says,

verse 9,

that the kingdom

is also ours

in Jesus.

To be

in Jesus

is not just

to go through

hard times

but it's to be

in his kingdom.

kingdom.

We were reminded

of that

if you have a look

back at verse 5,

the end of verse 5,

to him who loves us

and has freed us

from our sins

by his blood

and has made us

to be

a kingdom

and priests

to serve

his God

and Father.

If we are

in Jesus,

we are now

his kingdom,

the special

privileged

people of God.

We are,

you are,

Carigoline Baptist Church

are his representatives

here on earth

in this town.

And God

is extending

and building

his kingdom

through us

as we testify

to Jesus.

But his point is

it's not easy.

The world

and the devil

are actively

opposed to

God's kingdom.

And if you are

a Christian,

it's going to be

fighting against you.

So just as Jesus

suffered for the kingdom,

so you're going

to suffer for the kingdom.

But there's a third

element as well

that we share in

if we're in Jesus.

Not just suffering

in the kingdom,

but you see it there

in verse 9?

The patient endurance

that are ours

in Jesus.

Just as Jesus

patiently endured

the hardship,

and just as John

on the island

in his suffering

was patiently

enduring,

so he's encouraging

us to

patiently endure

through these

hard times.

Well,

come on,

John,

it's easier said

than done,

isn't it?

We can all talk

about patient

endurance today.

How am I

to endure

when family

resists the gospel

and their responses

are slow?

How am I

to be patient

when keeping

quiet just seems

to be so much

more appealing?

It's hard.

How am I

going to

patiently endure

as I suffer

for the kingdom?

Well,

we need something,

don't we?

We need someone

who is greater

and bigger

than ourselves.

Second,

the vision

we have.

So the reality

we face

is that we're

going to suffer

for the kingdom

and the vision

we need.

Look at verse 10.

On the Lord's

day,

I was in the

spirit.

Now,

isn't that

significant?

There he is

on this island

suffering away,

but he hasn't

lost count

of the days.

it's the

Lord's day,

the day of

resurrection,

and he

remembers.

I was in the

spirit and I

heard behind

me a loud

voice like a

trumpet.

Well,

that would get

your attention,

a trumpet

blasting behind

you,

wouldn't it?

verse 12.

I turned

round to see

the voice

that was

speaking to

me.

But when I

turned round,

I saw

seven golden

lampstands,

and among

the lampstands

was someone

like a

son of

man.

John sees

something,

he sees

lampstands.

Now,

we're going

to come

back to

them in

a minute,

but he

also sees

someone.

Do you

see it

there in

the middle

of verse

13?

Someone like

a son of

man.

The son of

man is like

a man,

like a human

being,

just like you

and I,

with flesh

and blood,

but at the

same time,

they're

different.

And a

description is

given of

what the

son of

man is

like.

We can

read it

in verse

13.

He's

dressed in

a robe,

reaching down

to his

feet.

So this

is someone

with immense

power and

royalty.

This is a

king.

He has a

sash, a

golden sash

around his

chest.

Well, that

was for the

priests who

served God.

So this

is a

priestly

king.

His hair

on his

head,

verse 14,

was white

like wool,

as white

as snow.

Someone with

great wisdom

and all

knowledge.

The grey

haireds,

never laugh

at the grey

haireds,

they're very

wise, you

know.

Their

eyes,

or his

eyes,

were like

blazing

fire,

piercing,

seeing right

into people's

hearts,

exposing all

their motives

and all

that's going

on inside

them.

Their

feet

were like

bronze glowing

in a

furnace,

reminding us

of his

strength and

unshakable

durability.

ability.

His voice

was like

the sound

of rushing

waters,

like a

thunderous

waterfall,

it was

deafening.

Verse 16,

in his

right hand

he held

seven stars,

and coming

out of his

mouth was a

sharp,

double-edged

sword,

a warrior

bringing

judgment

and justice,

the two

sides of

the double

sword.

And his

face was

like the

sun,

shining in

all its

brilliance,

captivating,

yet blinding.

This is

what John

saw.

Of course,

it's not a

literal picture,

it's imagery

that's meant to

capture our

imagination and

to stir our

emotion.

This person,

like a

son of

man,

is full

of beauty

and glory

and magnificence

and greatness

and power

and authority.

Here is a

king who

comes ruling

for God,

a priest who

is serving

God,

and he's

all-wise,

and he sees

all things,

and he knows

all things,

and he's

strong and

immovable and

unbreakable,

and when he

speaks,

his voice

alone is

heard,

and when he

opens his

mouth,

judgment

and justice

is done.

Can you

see it?

Can you

see this

person?

But there

is something

more.

Turn with

me,

please,

to Daniel,

back in the

Old Testament

in chapter

7.

Daniel

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7.

The context

is important

for us

here.

Daniel,

this is

about 600

years before

John is

writing

Revelation,

and he

lived at a

time when

God's people

had been

taken into

captivity

by the

Babylonians,

and it

was a

time of

awful

suffering

for God's

people.

people.

You know

some of

the stories

how a

great big

figure was

set up and

they all

had to

bow down

and worship

this idol,

a time of

suffering for

God's people.

And like

John,

God spoke to

Daniel at

that time

through visions.

God spoke

not of

comfort,

but of

greater

empires

that were

to come.

He told

Daniel through

the visions

that not

only were

there the

Babylonians,

but coming

after them

were the

Persians and

the Greek

and the

Romans over

the next

600 years,

each of

which,

like the

Babylonians,

would oppose

God's

people.

But in

the midst

of these

visions,

Daniel has

another vision,

and it's

very like

the vision

of John.

Let's pick

it up in

chapter 7,

verse 13.

Look out

for the

similarities

as we

read.

In my

vision at

night,

I looked,

and there

before me

was one

like a

son of

man.

Coming

with the

clouds of

heaven,

he approached

the ancient

of days,

that is,

God,

and was

led into

God's

presence.

He was

given

authority,

glory,

and

sovereign

power.

All that

belonged to

God was

given to

this one

like a

son of

man.

All the

nations and

peoples of

every language

bowed and

worshipped him.

His dominion is

an everlasting

dominion that

will not pass

away,

and his

kingdom is

one that

will never

be

destroyed.

Go to

Daniel chapter

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

10,

where the

vision

continues.

Verse 5,

Daniel 10,

Daniel 10:5

verse 5.

I looked

up,

and there

before me

was a

man dressed

in linen

with a

belt of

fine gold

from

euphaz

around his

waist.

His

body was

like

topaz,

his face

like

lightning,

his eyes

like

flaming

torches,

his arms

and legs

like the

gleam

of

burnished

bronze,

and his

voice

like the

sound

of a

multitude.

Can you

see the

similarities?

Verse 18,

again,

the one

who looked

like a

man

touched

me

and gave

me

strength.

Do not

be afraid,

you who

are highly

esteemed,

he said.

Peace,

be strong

now,

be strong.

You see,

Daniel,

in the midst

of all the

turmoil as he

looks ahead of

all these

empires to

come,

is given

another vision

and he's

promised that

a man who

is like

God is

going to

come.

He would

be greater

than any

kings of

the past

or any

rulers to

come.

His

kingdom

would outlast

every other

kingdom.

His rule

will be

won with

absolute

power and

supreme

authority.

What

encouragement

for Daniel

and God's

people as

they went

through their

times of

suffering.

It would

give them

strength to

patiently

endure.

Peace,

be strong

now,

be strong.

Now let's

go back to

Revelation.

with all

that in

mind.

You see,

what Daniel

longed for,

what he

looked to,

has become

a reality

for John

and for

us through

his vision.

This

promised

God-man

has come.

For the

only one

who fulfills

that is

the God-man,

Jesus Christ,

whose kingdom

is eternal,

whose authority

is supreme.

No wonder

John,

Revelation 1,

Revelation 1:17

verse 17,

when I saw

him,

I fell at

his feet,

though dead.

God is on

display before

him,

and it

literally

knocks him

off his

feet.

John's knees

buckle at the

captivating beauty

and the

terrifying glory.

You see,

what we need

today is a

vision of

the almighty

God,

a vision that

puts everything

and everyone

in perspective

and in their

place.

we've heard

lots of

kings and

queens this

week,

haven't we?

Long

reigns,

70 years,

over a

great

commonwealth,

many nations.

Nothing to

this,

is it?

A vision

of the

God-man,

Jesus Christ,

will strengthen

your faith

and fortify

this church.

Look what

Jesus says

in verse

17.

Then he

placed his

right hand

on me

and said,

do not

be afraid,

I am the

first and

the last.

I am the

beginning of

history and

I am the

end of

history.

I have the

very first

word and

I will have

the very

last word.

Verse

18,

I am the

living one,

I was

dead and

now look,

I am alive

forever and

ever.

I am the

eternal king,

I rule over

every event

in history and

over every

circumstance in

your life.

So you do

not need

to fear.

In fact,

he is even

over your

death,

not just

your life.

Look at the

end of verse

18,

he says,

I hold the

keys of

death and

Hades.

Hades was

the realm,

the place

of the

dead.

And Jesus

is saying,

look, I

rule that

too.

Remember,

as John

wrote,

the churches

were facing

not just

opposition,

but death

itself.

The Roman

emperors and

rulers wielded

their sword as

they pleased.

Christians were

dying,

some of them

were being

slaughtered

just because

they stood

for Christ.

Fear was

gripping the

church,

and the

comfort of the

world looked

so appealing,

how easy it

would be for

them to just

give up and

give in.

But the

voice of the

risen Jesus

comes,

do not be

afraid,

I hold the

keys of

death.

I have

defeated

death.

I have

conquered

the grave.

Look,

what's the

worst thing

that could

ever happen

to you as

a Christian?

Well, the

worst thing

is you'll

die.

But know

this,

says Jesus,

just as I

was raised

in glory and

victory,

so you

too will be

raised in

glory and

victory.

victory.

I have

the first

word over

your life,

and I

have the

last word

over your

life.

You see,

being a

Christian today,

we can feel

so small and

insignificant.

We can

tremble at

the powers

that oppose

us.

We fear

the secular

culture we

live in.

We fear

their big

arguments and

their strong

words.

we fear

friends will

leave and

misunderstand

us.

We fear

that we

might become

unpopular and

ostracised at

work.

We feel the

pull of the

world and

the comfort

of an easy

life.

How easy

it is for

us just to

turn away,

to give up

and give

in.

Well,

when fears

overwhelm

you,

what is it

that's going

to enable

you to

patiently

endure?

When suffering

comes in

whatever form

it may be,

what's going

to keep

you going?

Cheer up?

Go on,

keep going.

We need a

vision of the

glorious Christ.

We need to

hear,

we need to

read what

Jesus is

saying.

We need to

be knocked

off our feet

at the

awesome power

of God.

We need to

sense his

hand on

our shoulder

and to

hear his

words spoken

to us

today.

Do not

be afraid,

Christian.

Do not

be afraid.

Look to

Jesus and

our fears

will crumble

in the

presence of

his glory.

Listen to

Jesus and

our worries

will melt

in the

knowledge of

his greatness.

he rules

with absolute

power and

supreme

authority.

I rule

life and

death.

My kingdom

will never

end.

Have you

got that

vision

before you

today?

So the

reality we

face,

it's going

to be hard.

We need to

patiently endure,

so we've

been given

a vision.

And third,

it will

give us

great

confidence

going

forward.

As John

heard the

voice,

as he saw

the God-man

Jesus Christ,

he also saw

something else,

didn't he?

Let's go back

to verse 12.

He said,

I turned

round to see

the voice that

was speaking

to me.

But instead

of seeing

someone straight

away,

he turned

and he said,

I saw

seven golden

lampstands.

And among

the lampstands

was someone

like a

son of

man.

Verse 16,

in his

right hand

he held

seven stars.

John

sees the

God-man

Jesus Christ

and he

sees him,

picture the

scene,

walking

amongst

these

golden

lampstands.

And in

his right

hand he's

got

stars.

Lampstands

and stars,

what's all

that about?

Well,

we don't

need to

speculate,

do we?

Because we're

told what

they mean.

Verse 20,

the mystery

of the

seven stars

that you

saw in

my right

hand and

of the

seven golden

lampstands

is this.

This is what

it means.

The seven

stars are

the angels

of the

seven

churches

and the

seven

lampstands

are the

seven

churches.

Simples.

Lampstands

and stars,

they're the

churches.

they are

representative of

God's church

in all times

and all

places.

So as we

read lampstands

and as we

think about

stars,

think about

Carigoline

Baptist

Church.

What is

John's

vision of

the church?

What does

he see

going on?

How does

it give us

confidence?

Well,

first,

Christ is

among the

church.

John sees,

we're told,

seven

golden

lampstands.

This is not

a random

image.

God has

chosen it

carefully and

specifically.

The lampstand

was all part

of the

temple

furniture

and it

stood

right at

the entrance

to the

holy place

where God

was to

dwell,

his

presence.

So it

was symbolic

of God's

presence

and power.

About

500 years

before,

so we

talked about

Daniel's

600 years

and his

captivity in

Babylon and

their temple

had been

destroyed.

Well,

100 years

after that,

Zechariah,

the prophet,

was praying

to God

about the

temple and

it had been

destroyed and

how was it

going to be

rebuilt and

how would

everything be

put right

again?

And in

response,

God gives

Zechariah a

vision.

You know

what his

vision was?

Here we

have it

here.

He gives

Zechariah a

vision and

God asked

him, he

says,

what do

you see?

Zechariah

answered,

I see a

solid gold

lampstand.

What is

it?

What's this

lampstand?

And God

answered,

this is the

word of

the Lord,

not by

might nor

by power,

but by

my spirit,

says the

Lord

Almighty.

That's his

encouragement

to Zechariah.

Your

might, he

says, and

your power

is not

going to

get you

anywhere,

but by

my presence

and by

my power,

by my

spirit,

I will

be with

you and

I will

go with

you and

you will

achieve what

you need

to do.

Now, we're

not building

physical

temples or

building

physical

churches,

but we

are seeking

to build

God's

church,

aren't we?

And it's

hard.

There's

opposition.

And we're

wondering,

how are we

going to do

it?

And the

answer,

the Lord

of history,

the one

who rules

and reigns

over all

things and

all peoples,

is present

among his

church by

his power.

If we

could picture

it now,

God present,

weaving in

and out of

the rows,

I am here

right now

with you

by my

Holy Spirit,

my presence

and my

power.

you see,

we are not

left alone

to do

this battle

by ourselves.

He is

present

among the

church.

But not

only that,

the church

is in

Christ.

John

sees

not just

the lamp

stand,

but he

sees

seven

stars

in the

hands of

Jesus

Christ.

Do you

see it

there,

verse 20?

The mystery

of the

seven

stars

that you

saw

in my

right

hand

and of

the

seven

golden

lamp

stands

is this,

the

seven

stars

are

the

angels

of

the

seven

churches.

Now I

understand

that the

angels

here are

representative

of

the

church.

So

one

church,

one

angel.

We can

see this,

just have

a look at

the beginning

of the

letters,

chapter

two,

verse

one.

John

writes,

to the

angel

of the

church

in

Ephesus.

And in

verse

eight,

to the

angel

in the

church

in

Smyrna,

and so

on.

In other

words,

the angel

is

representative

of the

church.

So these

stars,

these

representatives

are in

the hands

of Jesus

Christ.

The

church

is in

the

grip

of

Jesus.

Well,

it doesn't

always seem

like that.

It often

feels like

we've fallen

out of

his hand.

And we

can feel

battered and

bruised and

isolated and

insignificant.

And we're

wondering if

we're making

any impact

at all.

And we

go to

rock,

we go to

rooted,

we talk to

our friends and

neighbours and

we go,

what's

happening?

Nothing

seems to

be happening.

But what a

vision we

have.

The

church

is safe

in the

grip

of the

Lord

Jesus.

Nothing

and no

one can

stop his

church.

Opposition

will be

faced,

the Bible

could be

banned,

believers

may be

imprisoned,

Christians

can be

put to

death,

but the

church

across the

world

today

is

growing

and

expanding.

Come to

the

Radstock

Round

Table

and meet

people

from all

parts of

the world

where you

will see

churches

planted and

people coming

to faith.

You see,

the reality

is we

do face

hardship

and the

question is

what's going

to help us

to patiently

endure?

What's going

to keep me

going?

for my

next reign

of 70

years,

if that's

what God

gives us.

What's

he going

to give

me?

What's

going to

keep me?

We need

a vision

of Jesus

Christ

in all

his

greatness

and glory.

Look at

the one

with absolute

power and

supreme

authority,

the one

who has

the first

word over

your life

and the

last word

over your

life.

He's the

ruler of

all history.

He's the

conqueror of

death.

He's present

amongst us

as he walks

through us

by his

power and

his presence

and he

has us

firmly

in the

grip of

his hand.

The world

says the

church is

finished.

God says

you ain't

seen nothing

yet.

The church

will be

established.

It will

reign

forever

and forever.

Be

confident.

Do not

be afraid.

Feel his

touch on

your shoulder

today.

Do not

be afraid.

Let's

pray.

Father, we

confess that

so often

and so

quickly we

are swamped

by our

fears and

our worries.

We

picture

ourselves

trying to

fight a

battle that

sweeps

over us

and waves

crash over

us and

we're

struggling to

catch our

breath.

Help us

afresh to

see Jesus

as we

hear his

words and

read his

words.

Fill us

with a

vision of

God

almighty

present

in power

putting his

hand upon

the shoulder

of the

church today