Sermon notes from Sunday morning 22 April 2018
Revelation 1 verses 9 - 20
John has this wonderful revelation, not only what is taking place in the present but what will take place in the future. He has his mind opened to what will take place in the future. Christ will come again one day and take his children home to be with him. That leaves something of a dark scene. What does it leave here on earth? Everyone not saved will be left behind. There will be a great separation on that day. There will be those raptured up to the splendours of glory and there will be those left behind. They will believe a lie, a lie of the man that is to come, the anti-Christ. We have the spirit of the anti-Christ working today in this world. One day he will be raised up and have the power and the authority of the devil himself. You can almost see the need for such a person today. A Europe that is grasping at Britian pulling out of the Union because if they do others will also pull out. They are setting rules that need to be put in place before that happens. Before we get down to the anti-Christ John wants to give us a view of Christ himself. Sometimes we can lose sight of Christ, focus more on the anti-Christ. John gives this picture of the Lord himself. The Lord points us to himself. Verse 19 John is told to write - "write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter." Before he does that John gives a record of Christ. What the church needs today is a vision of Christ. We can get so caught up with the singing, all the things happening around us and somehow lose out on the focus of Christ himself. Lose out on the awe of Christ. Sometimes we don`t have that presence with us. That is why we need to get back to that awe as Isaiah had when he went into the temple in chapter 6. He saw the Lord high and lifted up. He looked into Christ`s face and saw his own sinful state. Like Moses. He was doing the everyday job in the desert of guarding the sheep when something attracted him - it was the burning bush. Does the word of God still attract us today? Moses heard the voice of the Lord out of the burning bush. Are we so taken up with the presence of Christ today? Are we listening for his voice to bend us and break us today? Sometimes we have fallen into the trap of what the church needs today. What we need today is a vision of Christ. Think here of this vision John gives us of Christ. Verse 17 as he gazes on his face look what he says "when I saw him I fell at his feet." Not when they sung or when he listened to someone singing. He was so taken up with the Lord that he fell at his feet. This message that came to John on the Isle of Patmos. The Lord had made an assessment of the churches and now wants John to write them down. John gets a view of him.
The assessor`s abilty - verse 15. He looks at the Saviour`s feet. When we come into the presence of Christ our gaze is down because we cannot look on the one who is holy and perfect. His feet are like brass. The feet speak of stability. The one who is stable and sure, what we can build upon. "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you." He is able to care for us. Paul in Corinthians talks about the foundations he had laid and it is these we are to build upon. We cannot build on something that is not stable or sound. Brass speaks also of judgement "as if they burned in a furnace." He is speaking of judgement, one who went through that judgement for you and I. He bore that fire for you and I if we are willing to allow him to. He was "wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed." How many times did the feet come into John`s mind. Sure he remembered Luke 8 and a young demonic boy who had a legion of devils within him. He had to leave his home, his mother and his father one day. I`m sure their hearts were broken but there came a day when they couldn`t handle him any more. He went out to live amongst the tombs, it was the only place he could live. He cried and cut himself daily. They tried to use chains to bind him but he broke them in two. The people came out of the cities to see him and there he was sitting at Jesus` feet. Speaks of peace and redemption. He died on the cross for you and I to save us. When we come to the cross we repent of our sin and take him as Saviour and Lord. He saves us. This morning as we come into God`s presence can we take a look at his feet. Luke also tells us of the woman who came into Jesus` presence one day so thankful for what Jesus had done that she begins to weep and washes Jesus` feet with her tears. She was serving Christ. Are we serving th Saviour? Here was a woman so thankful for what Jesus had done for her. Luke`s gospel also tells us of Mary and Martha. A feast was made for the Lord in their home. Martha was in the kitchen so busy preparing the meal but where was Mary? Sitting at Jesus` feet listening and learning. Have we sat at Jesus` feet today learning from him? Learning how to serve him? Think of John 12 whenever the Lord came into the house and Mary broke the expensive perfume and anointed Jesus` feet. That speaks of commitment. Are we committed to Christ today? Are we doing whatever he wants us to do in service? Are we in discipleship with him?
In verses 12 and 13 John sees the Son of Man. Notice here the assessor`s sustaining power. in verse 20 we read of the meaning of the candlesticks. The Lord is in the midst of this. The Lord is in the midst of the church today. He sees the Lord walking. He is sustaining the church. Christ has to sustain us individually. He will lead us, direct us. The candlestick in the Old Testament was in the tabernacle. The priest had to make sure the lamp was burning constantly. Burning brightly all the time. The priest had to make sure the wick was cut and their was plenty of oil added. The church was to be the light of the world as we are individually. We can only do that by listening to the word of God day by day. Are we burning as bright as we should be? Being a testimony today? Speaking up for Christ? Telling others of the work Christ has done in our heart? Will people point to us and say "that is a man of God?" Jesus said "without me you can do nothing." You get up in the morning, don`t hand your life into the Lord`s hands then you are on your own from thereon in. Remember the boy with the fishes and loaves. The crowd had to be fed and his was the only food available. He brought it to Christ. Andrew knew there was nothing he could do with these loves and fishes. He even asked the boy "what is this among so many?" This boy stepped out of the crowd. Andrew said "I don`t know what the Lord can do with this but let`s see." He gave all to the Lord for him to use. The Lord will use what we give him. He will not snap it out of our hands. Peter walked on the water only as he looked to Christ. It was his sustaining power that kept him going. The moment Peter took his eyes off him, when he looked at the wind and the waves, then he began to sink. The Lord was the sustaining power. That is what he wants of you today. You and I are to be the light of the world kept topped up with the spirit of the living word. That is hunger today, that the Christian has to trust in. The scripture tells us I am to hold forth the word of truth in an evil generation. John 15 shows us the symbol of the vine growing - Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.
The assessor speaks here of security. Verse 17 the candlesticks are described in verse 20. He speaks of the stars being in his right hand. Where does the star shine? It shines in the darkest night. Where do you and I shine - in the darkness when Christ is filling us. He has the stars in his hand. The 7 stars represent the 7 letters to the churches or the 7 spirits of the churches. They are in his right hand. A firm grip, no-one shall pluck them out of his hand. The believer is secure and safe. There is an eternal security for the believer today in the hand of Christ.
The assessor`s sovereignty. Verse 13 we are speaking here of the one who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The world stripped him naked and hung him on the cross. The Lord clotheth him with royal robes. We read here of the girdle, the golden girdle. The linen girdle speaks of service while the prophets girdle is made of leather. The Lord`s girdle is not around the waist. That speaks of his kingship. Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lord`s.
Notice lastly John`s surrender - verse 17 "and when I saw him I fell." He couldn`t stand when he looked at the Saviour. He fell at his feet. Peter said "depart from me for I am a sinful man." This world is not getting better but delving deeper and deeper into the abyss. The Saviour wants to save you today, to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus. Get our eyes on him today, forget everything else. One day he is coming again and he will take us home to be with him.
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