The Living One (Revelation 1:17-18) - Pastor Jonathan Williams

Well, I invite you to turn with me in your copy

of God's Word that you've brought with you or

in the purac in front of you to Revelation. We

are going to be in the book of Revelation chapter

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

1 today looking at the exalted and risen Jesus.

Looking at the exalted and risen Jesus. Revelation

has been characterized as a picture book and

in many ways it is a picture book. sort of like

a graphic novel, less photography, and if you're

into art, more impressionism. As we look today,

we will not see a photograph of what Jesus looks

like. We will look at a picture of what Jesus

is like in his character and his essence as the

risen and exalted Christ and see why and how

that is so good for us today. So, Revelation

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. Look with me beginning at verse 12,

and we will go through verse 20. Revelation 12,

1. 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

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'm 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. 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. Well, on Palm Sunday,

we beheld Jesus gentle and lowly and humble.

And just as much as we needed to see our humble

Savior, coming to lowly needy people like me

and like you. We also need to see that very same

Savior high and lifted up, resurrected in power

and glory and authority as we see Him here. For

His glory is the great end for which we were

created and this image of glory actually answers

all of the distress. that you're experiencing

in life right now or tomorrow? Yes, indeed, whether

going through personal trials, temptations, or

griefs, or troubles, or if you're just bothered

by all of the plagues of our society that seem

to be new every time you turn on the news, this

picture of the exalted risen Savior is the answer.

As we behold Christ in this passage, what we

should feel and think is both a sense of consolation

and confidence. As we behold the exalted risen

Christ, He gives us His consolation and confidence

to live for Him. So let's see that. Let's see

this picture of Jesus, the risen. ruling king.

You remember the context of the book of Revelation

written by the Apostle John? Where is John? John

is on the island of Patmos. Why is he on the

island of Patmos? Well he's exiled. He is exiled

for the cause of Christ, and he is in the Spirit

on the Lord's Day. The Lord's Day is Sunday,

the Sabbath, the Christian Sabbath, moved to

Sunday in celebration of what? The resurrection

of Christ from the dead. And though John is unable

to gather with the saints, because he's alone

on Patmos, he's not really alone, is he? No,

not at all. As he turns, hearing this voice like

a trumpet, he sees this awesome sight never beheld,

well, the most awesome sight ever beheld by a

mortal man. It's an impression of what Jesus

is really like and it should reside deeply. This

image of Christ must reside deeply in our hearts

and our minds if we are to feel that sense of

comprehensive comfort that he brings us. We behold

His Majesty beginning in verse 13. What do you

see here? What impression does this visualization

create? As I read these words again, He's one

like a son of man, clothed with a long robe,

a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of

His head are white like wool, like snow. His

eyes, flames of fire, feet like burnished bronze

refined in a furnace. His voice like the roar

of many waters. Seven stars. He holds the stars

in his hand and out of his mouth comes what?

A double -edged sword. And his face is shining

like the sun at full strength. When was the last

time you tried to look at the sun and not be

in a solar eclipse? It's almost impossible to

look at the sun for more than an instant. And

this image. is one of the majesty of God, and

more specifically, the divine sovereignty of

God. The divine sovereignty of God. John is overwhelmed.

This is almost too much for him to take in. In

fact, he is knocked over by this image as the

Son of Man stands before him. This description

of the Son of Man draws a lot of language from

the Old Testament. Most of Revelation is made

up of images from the Old Testament. And this

harkens back to Daniel. In Daniel chapter 7,

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

the prophet has a vision of the Son of Man. And

that vision in Daniel, bottom line, that vision

in Daniel taken with this vision here in Revelation

is showing us that this one is the Divine Lord

of Glory. He's the divine King of kings and Lord

of lords. He is God, and He is King. This Jesus.

He's the Lord of everything. And in a day, the

day in which Revelation was written that day,

this would have been an immense comfort. to Christians

who are being forced in various places in the

empire, particularly towards Rome, to bow down

to Caesar as a god, Caesar as a lord and as divine.

One far greater than Caesar is here. One far

greater than any president or premier or prime

minister is here in this passage. in all the

chaos of this world, in whatever we're going

through day in and day out, amidst all the clamor

or the text messages that you get throughout

the week that compete for your attention for

a moment here this morning. And for many moments

throughout your week, we need to be captivated

by this picture of reality if we're gonna hold

everything else in its proper perspective. Otherwise

we'll be dominated by the chaos in this world

rather than seeing the one who controls and is

risen far above the chaos and clamor of this

life. We need to behold this son of man. No matter

what trial we are in, no matter what administration

is in the White House, no matter how the nations

vainly rage against God's people, you and I are

not captive to the world. We are not captive

to our sin or to Satan. We are living right now

under the dominion, under the reign of this sovereign

King who is absolutely, absolutely in charge

of your today's and your tomorrows. That's who

the resurrected exalted King Jesus is right now.

And this image brings consolation to John because

we see he is sovereign Lord and he is all -sufficient

Savior. And that all -sufficient Savior is depicted

in the various pieces of the garment that he

is wearing. We get little glimpses of the fact

that Jesus as our Savior is a prophet and a priest.

and a king, and what each of those prophet, priest,

and king ministries means to us. We see in verse

13 some priestly aspect of our exalted king's

ministry. The robe and the sash around his waist

remind us of the garments that the priests wore.

And we see also as we look at this picture that

Jesus is tending these lampstands in verse 12

and 13. That reminds us of the work of the high

priest back in the Old Testament. The work of

the priest in the Old Testament was to keep the

oil in the lampstands, to keep them burning,

to keep them bright. The priests themselves would

offer sacrifices for the sins of the people.

And this particular aspect of the priestly work

applied to this image of Christ is so powerful

because we realize that Jesus didn't just offer

a sacrifice. He was the great high priestly sacrifice

for our sins. And he's a high priest who's able

to help because he's present. Oh, you see back

in verse 13 that he is among the lampstands.

He's in the midst of the lampstands. What great

assurance to John, even though John is exiled

on this island and he probably doesn't get much

news of what's happening to the church on this

island. What great assurance to see that Jesus

is among the lampstands. which represent the

church. And so John sees, ah, Jesus is with His

church. He's among His church. He's with His

people. He's not going to abandon His people

in their moment of need, but He's going to tend

them, care for them, fan them into flame. Dear

ones, if you are in Christ today, He is with

you. And we also see not only the priestly ministry

of Jesus and how He is present with us, but He

is present with us as a prophet as well. How

do we see that prophetic ministry of our all

-sufficient, consoling Savior? Well, we see that

as we see what comes out of His mouth. Out of

His mouth comes a double -edged sword. What does

this signify? Well, Jesus Himself, who... proclaims

that He is the Word, also uses the tool of God's

Word, which is described like a sword. And so

God's Word, the sword of the Spirit, comes to

us. As Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter four,

the Word of God is living and active, sharper

than any two -edged sword. It penetrates, dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges

the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart.

And so Jesus, with His Word, comes in His prophetic

ministry, His speaking ministry, to purify us

with the sword of His Word. And in some way,

He's both a King and a prophet in this way because

His Word judges us. Now, that doesn't mean that

His Word condemns you, Christian, because we

know that the Scripture says that there is no

condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

But His Word does come to rebuke, to admonish,

to correct. Why? Because He doesn't want to leave

and He will not leave any vestige of sin in you.

He won't leave any vestige of sin in His church

because He has saved you to be a holy people

for Himself. So He won't let anything in the

church hinder Her relationship with Him. Let

any sin remain in your life that will harm you.

He loves you too much. And so, in his speaking,

in his prophetic ministry, he comes with this

sword, so to speak, to root out all that is harming

his people and displeasing to him. But you also

see his kingship. in the description further

there in verses 14 through 16, all of that mighty

imagery of His power, of His might, eyes like

flames of fire, et cetera. And you see here,

not only the priest that sacrifices himself,

the prophet who speaks words of life, but also

a king. Who's in charge of Fairview Presbyterian

Church? Jesus. This king. He is absolutely in

charge. And if you read on through Revelation

what he is going to do, he's going to speak words

of love and critique to his churches. And as

he comes, he is the one to say, this is going

well in your church and these are areas where

you need to repent in your church. He is the

one who defines her worship, her work, her belief,

her practice. He is the one who gives shape to

and protects and defends his church. You saw

that imagery of the seven stars, the seven stars

which correspond. to the seven angels. Oh, He's

protecting His church. He's defending His church.

And He's subduing you to Himself. That's a good

thing. Our catechism says that He executes the

office of a king by subduing us to Himself. He

wins us to Himself. He brings us to Himself.

He rules, defends, and protects. But he doesn't

just do this one time. No, he is the all -sufficient

Savior. And you see that sustaining sufficiency

as you realize that he is working and laboring

among the lampstands. He's not just distant in

heaven, but he is at work in his church now by

his Holy Spirit putting oil in the lamp, so to

speak, giving power to the church. as it were,

by His Spirit, sustaining her, guarding her,

protecting her, defending her, teaching her,

leading her. Christ will not abandon her. He

is actively at work right now in this church,

sustaining His people, sustaining you. That's

an incredibly encouraging thought in a day where

the church sometimes seems very small in a big

world. It seems opposed to Christ and opposed

to His people. No. No. Christians then were not

in the grip of Caesar. Ultimately, they were

in the grip of grace. And so are you. And so

am I. That's the picture. The all -sufficient

savior, prophet, priest, and king, the one who

is in charge of all things, sustaining and ruling

and defending his church, providing for all of

her needs. We're in this picture too. Fairview

Presbyterian Church is in this picture too. He

provides for us, he rules and defends us. We

need not think that Our faithful gospel witness

in this place has lasted for the last 239 years

because of sheer self -determination. No, we

are here today because of Christ's preservation.

That's the great consolation that comes to John,

and it's great consolation to us to know that

we have a priest who has opened the way to the

Father by his shed blood, a prophet that speaks

wonderful words of life to every situation, and

a king that rules, defends us, and conquers all

of his and our enemies. He is an all -sufficient

Savior for you. It's a comprehensive Savior who

touches every hurt. And He gives faith and repentance

to every one of us who are wounded by sin. And

so in the light of all that you've heard this

morning and all that we've sung and what we're

hearing now, if you today realize that you don't

know this Savior King, that you've never turned

from your sins. to trust in Him alone for salvation.

The Bible says that He is the only way to salvation.

He is the way, the truth, and the life. If that's

you today and you realize you don't know Him

as Savior and Lord, today is the day of salvation.

Let resurrection day be the day of repentance

and faith for you. Come to Christ, believe in

Him, and you will be saved. Jesus provides us

that divine comprehensive consolation but he

also gives us confidence and this is where his

victory over the grave and death give us great

confidence and dispel our fears. Notice here

in verse 16 or rather verse 17 that John sees

Jesus and what happens? Verse 17, he falls at

the feet of this figure as though dead. Now,

when you behold the incomprehensible picture

of this divine majesty, it's only natural to

be frightened and afraid. I've told you before

about the first time I read the book of Revelation

to Briley, and Briley maybe can remember this.

I got through the description of Jesus in this

passage, and do you remember what my daughter

said to me? She said, Daddy, Jesus sounds scary.

And I said, you were paying attention. You're

paying attention. But I did not read Revelation

to her to frighten my child with some sort of

terror. When we read this book, there should

be a sense of holy awe that comes upon us as

Christians. If we're not Christians, there is

a sense of terror, but John is not left in terror.

Jesus doesn't leave him there. No, he dispels

John's fear. Before the unveiled majesty of the

Lord of hosts, it's only natural for those to

see that image to fall in utter terror and feel

as though they are about to be utterly destroyed

because in light of Christ's awesome holiness,

the disparity between. Christ and His creature

and His people is so great that it leaves us

keenly aware of our unworthiness and sin. Daniel

had this experience, the prophet Daniel had this

experience in Daniel chapter 10, and you remember

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

Isaiah. When he saw the Lord high and lifted

up, he also said, what, woe to me, I am undone.

In the face of the Lord Jesus, sinners. naturally

prostrate themselves, yet Jesus comes to us in

tenderness. He comes to us in tenderness, and

what does Jesus say here? He says, fear not.

Don't be afraid. Oh, how tender Jesus is. He

bids our sorrows to cease. He comes to us and

encourages our hearts. Why? Why does Jesus say,

fear not? Why? Why does the Bible say to us over

and over again, Do not fear. Well, in this passage,

Jesus says, fear not, verse 17, for I am the

first and the last. Oh, what good news to know

that Jesus is in charge of history. Jesus is

in charge of current events. He's the first,

he's the last, and he's in charge of everything

in between. And so, dear ones, verse 17 really

begs us to ask the question, what is shaping

my worldview? What is shaping my worldview? Is

it the news? Is it my favorite podcast? What

is it that tells me how to think about the world?

Am I going to let the world shape my worldview?

Or am I going to let the Lord Jesus, the first

and the last, who is in charge of history, who

is shaping all things for the good of His church,

show me how to think about my world? No matter

what you read in the news or see on the world

stage, the main headline is this. This is what's

going on right now. God is working out his purposes

through the Lord Jesus Christ as year proceeds

to year for the good of his church. And if you

read through Revelation, you will see the end

of the story. And the end of the story is this,

Jesus wins and his people triumph with him. That.

It's a reason for confidence. That is why Jesus

can say to you today, fear not. I'm the first

and the last. He's the Lord of history. But why

else should we fear not? Oh, on this great resurrection

day, we shouldn't pass over this. The other reason

we should not fear is in verse 18. I am the living

one. I have died and behold, I'm alive forevermore.

I have the keys of death and Hades just as Jesus

paid for our sins at the cross. He also conquered

death by rising from the grave. And dear ones,

if he has dealt with your greatest reason for

fear, and if you really dig deep down, the base

fear under all other fears is that fear of death.

If he has dealt with that greatest fear and the

reason why we are doomed to die because of our

sin, the wages of sin is death. If he has dealt

with all of that Then we really have no other

reason to fear, do we? He took God's wrath upon

Himself for our sin at the cross, and He took

the wages of our sin all the way to the grave,

and He rose from the grave, triumphing over death

on our behalf. He conquered Hades and the grave

which means that in the resurrection when Jesus

comes again he is going to unite soul and body

together and we are going to live in a real physical

and spiritual existence in heaven that is beyond

all we could ask or imagine. That is a certain

and sure hope that we have because Christ has

died and because Christ is risen indeed. As Paul

has said, we who have died with him will also

rise with him because we were united to him in

a death like his, we will be united to him in

a resurrection just like his. We are so connected

to Christ. You have to understand that you are

in Christ, that he is in you. Your life is so

bound up with Christ's life that you could know

more, you could no more be separated from God

the Father's love than Christ could be separated

from God the Father's love, because you are in

Christ. And he can no more deny you than he can

deny himself. So see today, see today just as

verse 17 says, that Jesus placed his hand, this

mighty sovereign Lord places his hand gently

on John's shoulder to reassure him. See him placing

his hand on you today and saying this, fear not,

I am the living one. It's easy to say, isn't

it? Don't be anxious, don't be afraid. Easy to

say, hard to believe. And so when Monday comes

or Tuesday comes and those worries and renumeration,

ruminations, not renumeration, ruminations, worries,

cares, frets, just start bombarding you, come

back to this word. Proclaim to yourself the truth

that Christ proclaimed to John. Pick up this

book, read this passage, preach to yourself Jesus

died, Jesus rose. Jesus lives. Jesus died, Jesus

rose, Jesus lives for me, and I have nothing

left to fear. And as you proclaim the truth of

the risen Savior to your heart, you'll know the

assurance of God's love, you'll know confidence

in Christ, and you'll speak boldly for Christ.

I think it's interesting that when you have the

vision here of John and Jesus' reassurance and

strengthening to John, of his resurrection power,

John is then commissioned to do what? To write

Revelation. And when you see that vision that

Isaiah has, very similar vision that Isaiah has

in chapter six of Isaiah, and Isaiah's picked

up and cleansed and reassured of his relationship

with God, he is commissioned. And then Daniel,

is also strengthened in his own experience with

a vision of the resurrected or exalted Christ.

You remember the disciples, when they behold

the Lord of glory after he's risen, Jesus pronounces

peace upon them. He reassures them and he sends

them out to be witnesses for him. And so that's

the effect of this passage on us. Not only should

it console our hearts to know that Jesus is the

everything savior for me and for you, The word

today also gives us confidence to go on mission

for Him, to be His witnesses, to proclaim the

good news that Christ has died, Christ has risen,

He's coming again. He strengthens us to go and

sends us out from this place to proclaim the

good news that He has risen.