JCSLK 76 Jesus, John and The Revealing Revelation 1:9-20

 

JCSLK 76 Jesus, John and The Revealing

Revelation 1:9-20

Introduction: Revelation 1:1-7

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The word translated “revelation” simply means “unveiling.” The Greek word is ἀποκάλυψις / apokalypsis.  Not the word for catastrophe or the end of the world but the revealing of Jesus as the returning conquering King. It is not really a revelation of future events except at they set the stage for His return. The Book of Revelation was sent by Jesus, authorized by Jesus, and its subject is Jesus.

Outline: In Revelation 1–3, Christ is seen as the exalted Priest-King ministering to the churches. In Revelation 4–5, He is seen in heaven as the glorified Lamb of God, reigning on the throne. In Revelation 6–18, Christ is the Judge of all the earth; and in Revelation 19-20, He returns to earth as the conquering King of kings and righteous Judge of the World, Sin and Satan. Revelation 21-22 The book closes with the heavenly Bridegroom ushering His bride, the church, into New Jerusalem, the glorious city of God.

HA Ironside has a great introduction to the book of Revelation. I want to share part of it with you.

“A comparison of Genesis and Revelation will readily make this truth plain and show how we have the types in Genesis and the completion of the truth in Revelation-in the one book the beginning and in the other book the consummation. Genesis gives us the creation of the heavens and the earth; Revelation presents a new heaven and a new earth. Genesis shows us the earthly paradise, with the Tree of Life and the river of blessing lost through sin; Revelation gives us the Paradise of God, with the Tree of Life and the pure river of Water of Life proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb-Paradise regained through Christ's atonement.  In Genesis, we see the first man and his wife set over all of God's creation; in Revelation, we behold the Second Man and His bride ruling over a redeemed world. In Genesis, we are told of the first typical sacrificial lamb; in Revelation, the Lamb once slain is in the midst of the throne. In Genesis, we learn of the beginning of sin, when the serpent first entered the garden of delight to beguile Adam and Eve with his sophistries; in Revelation, that old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, is cast into the lake of fire. In Genesis, we see the city of man; in Revelation, we see the city of God.
Genesis shows us how sorrow, death, pain, and tears-the inevitable accompaniments of sin and rebellion-came into the world; Revelation does not close until we have seen God wiping away all tears and welcoming His redeemed into a home where sin, death, pain, and sorrow never come.” – HA Ironside

Revelation is the Epistle of Jesus to the churches, the last letter written by the last apostle to encourage believers waiting for King Jesus to return. Be faithful the letter tells us because “Behold, He Comes!

After the John and Jesus’ introductions our focus shifts to John the last apostle. In vs. 9

John Waits For Jesus - Revelation 1:9-10

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Jesus Comes to John

Whenever we go to the Book of Revelation we immediately want to go to the events, that take place within its narrative. We want to try to understand about the seals, the bowls and the trumpets. We are overawed by the scope and the scale of the destruction and wrath poured out upon a wicked world and its Satanic overlord, the Anti-Christ. But to truly understand the book of Revelation, you must look at the one who recorded it and especially the One who had it sent.

So lets take time this morning, to first give attention to the apostle John, who Jesus came to that Sunday on the barren volcanic prison island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea.

John identifies himself to the churches in verse 9. He says, I am your brother. This means he was a member with them of the family of God. This was not just a name or title but the person he was through the new birth and the way that he lived and acted in relationship and in the shared experiences of the other believers. He shared the cares, joys, victories and defeats of those who had also named the name of Christ and now shared the hope and rewards of his coming.

He says he was their companion in tribulation. Look at the emphasis John places on faith and patience in Revelation 1:9 am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the cause of the word of God, and for the testimony (my witness, my confession) of (about) Jesus Christ.

As you read the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, you realize how harsh was the life of a Christian towards the end of the first century. Instead of the small limited power of the Jewish Sanhedrin persecuting the church, it was now almost unlimited power and might of the Roman empire. The mad empowerer Nero had begun to persecute the Christians in Rome around 65 AD, blaming them for the great fire which had devastated Rome. A few years after Nero, the emperor Domitian expanded the persecution to all the regions of Romes empire. Many believe that it was Domitian who exiled John to die on Patmos around A.D. 95. Which is when John would have written the book of the ἀποκάλυψις / apokalypsis, the Revelation.

Think about John’s faithfulness in waiting for the Lord. He was the last living apostle it has been over 60 years since He last saw Jesus. In those hard, terrible years all of his friends and fellow apostles had been killed by stoning, crucifixion and torture, his own brother James who was one of the first to leave their fishing boat and follow Jesus, was the first apostle killed. Gone is Peter, Andrew, Thomas, Barthalmew, Judas, Phillip all the twelve dying for the testimony of Christ that John is now being exicled for. Thousands of believers have died by the authority of the Jews and now the power of Rome. Now sits John aged, tortured and surely feeling lost and alone, cut off from all Christian fellowship. Truly he was their companion in persecution. 

But he wanted them to know that he was also their companion in the kingdom. Isn’t that an encouraging? John knew that the kingdom of Rome was not the ultimate kingdom. The kingdom that he and the believers were citizens of was eternal and all the power of Rome could not stand against the power of the coming Kingdom of Christ. John was waiting for the kingdom of Heaven where he and the church would rule and reign with Jesus for all eternity.

He was their companion in the patience of Jesus Christ. Interesting phrase.  What does it mean to be a companion in the patience of Jesus Christ? It was the power that made endurance through tribulation possible, and the truth of the coming kingdom a reality to John. The patience, the endurance, to know that all things would happen in God’s time and according to God’s will. That is an overwhelming power, and it empowered John the last apostle, to remain faithfully waiting, the last apostle in his last days on earth.

Jesus comes to those faithfully wait for Him.

I believe Jesus comes to us at those times and for the same reasons as He came to John. No it won’t be in the same way, you won’t hear a voice like a trumpet nor see an actual manifestation of the Lord as you turn around. But Jesus does come to those who faithfully wait and look for Him. 

First, he comes to those that are His own. He comes to those who are brothers and sisters in faith.  He comes when we are hurting, when we are struggling, when we are at the end of our strength. He comes when we remember that we are not citizens of this world. We are just passing through; and our treasure is laid where our heart is. We are citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and this world and all its pain and sorrow will be overwhelmed when He comes. He comes because we have the patience and the endurance to keep holding on, no matter how deep are the waters of sin, sorrow or suffering we are going through.

To Those who worship Him in His House and on His day. There is better, no more appropriate, more fitting place to wait for Jesus than in His house of worship every Sunday, the day of His resurrection.  He comes to us when we come to His House. Like John when are in the spirit on the Lord’s Day and in the Lord’s house, we show we are faithfully waiting for Jesus.

To those who look for Him in the Word of God. He Comes to in those times and on those days through the miracle of supernatural scripture. The divinely revealed, written and preserved without error Word of God. Just as powerful and startling as the voice of a heavenly trumpet

And He comes to those who stand for the cause of the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John waits for Jesus and John’s faithfulness is powerfully rewarded.

 John Hears And Sees Jesus – Revelation 1:10

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Jesus Speaks and Appears

He heard Jesus speaking like “a great voice of a trumpet.” No longer was this the mild rabbi, the patient teacher sitting in a synagogue teaching quietly and answering questions. No, this is now a startling, powerful voice as loud as the horn section in a symphony declaring Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

This is Jesus, declaring who He is, was and will always be, God the Son, very God of very God, the creator of the universe, the judge of the world, the conquering of death, the King coming in wrath and power to retake, reclaim and redeem what is rightfully His.

John heard a commission to write. In that authority John is given his orders, a commission, “What thou seest write in a book and send it unto the seven churches.”

He then turned and saw the one whose voice was echoing across the island of Patmos. He saw and Heard Jesus as King and Great High Priest

Revelation 1:12-16 And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 -- His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

In the midst of seven golden lampstands, not candles as we know them today, He sees One the Son of man. He sees Jesus and he uses Jesus title for himself taking from the book of Daniel, “the Son of man.” And Jesus stands in the midst of the seven lampstands, the seven churches of Asia. 

He sees that Jesus is now clothed with a garment down to the foot, wrapped up to his chest with a golden sash. His head and hair are white like wool, white as newly fallen snow. His eyes were flames of fire, burning in their intensity. His feet were like refined bronze, glowing as though they had just come from the purifying furnace. And once more John tries to help us understand the power of Jesus’ voice. He says it was like the sound of a cascading, crashing, deafening waterfall, shutting out all other sound but what Jesus was saying.

John goes on and says, In his right hand he holds seven stars and out of his mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword.

Jesus now has the appearance literally of what He once said about himself figuratively. He now truly is light, so bright John says it is like the blazing sun at its zenith on a cloudless day.

All these things speak of Jesus’ righteousness, his power, his holiness, his judgment, his sovereignty and his glory. Jesus appears to John, magnified in power, clothed in righteousness, and radiant in glory. Jesus is this vision proclaims who He was and to claim what was rightfully his. Jesus shining like the sun and holding life and death in the utterance of a single word, like a sword proceeding from his mouth.

This is Jesus in glory not humiliation and it is this how Jesus came to John on that dark, lonely, broken day on the rocks of Patmos.

Are we waiting, are we listening, are we seeing Jesus as His is?

You will only see Jesus like this, if you don’t see Jesus as some kind of a storybook, fairy-tale, mythical character of fiction or legend. If you only see Jesus the philosopher, the teacher, or the great example for mankind, then you will never see Jesus like this. The Jesus you and I need to see and hear is Jesus as John saw Him that day, the Savior of our soul, Jesus as Lord, Jesus as King, Jesus as friend and especially Jesus as the coming King. 

Some people who call themselves Christians haven’t really seen Jesus at all. Let me tell you a story.

Taste Jesus

At the University of Chicago Divinity School they used to have each year a day called "Baptist Day." On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every Baptist Day the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr.Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense.

He then asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium. "Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said, as all eyes turned toward. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. "Docta Tillich" . . . CRUNCH, MUNCH. "My question is a simple question." CRUNCH, MUNCH . . ."Now, I ain't never read them books you read . . . CRUNCH, MUNCH, and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek. I don't know nothin about Niebuhr and Heidegger." . . . CRUNCH, MUNCH . . . He finished the apple. "All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate - was it bitter or sweet?"

Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion, "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple." The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

That old white-haired preacher had truly seen Jesus in his life, while the so-called scholar had not. I wonder how many of us are like the preacher and how many might be like the scholar?

Will we see this Jesus come to us?

Even many Christians, saved by faith in Jesus, won’t see Jesus as He is now and as they need Him to be in the critical times of life. They won’t see Him this way because they have not obedient to His word, not patient in tribulation, not dedicated to worshipping Him in His house, the church.

But if we begin to long for the kind of relationship with Jesus that John had, when we desire to walk with him, sup with him, suffer with Him, then we will experience Jesus just as John.  I don’t need nor want a Jesus that I can hang like a poster on my wall, wear as a slogan on my shirt, nor a little Jesus I can hold in my hand or as a great statue in a cathedral. I want the real Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the One who is, was and is to come. I need the real Jesus in my life because I live in a world of real sorrow and sin, and only the real Jesus can make get me through that world.

 John Worships Jesus – Revelation 1:17-20

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus Stands in Triumph and John Falls in Worship

John is faithfully waiting and worshiping that Sunday on the isle of Patmos. He is at the end of his life, the end of his ministry, the end of his strength, but then Jesus comes. And when Jesus comes, John falls at his feet as like a dead man. John collapses when Jesus appears, like the prophet Isaiah before him, he is undone in the overwhelming presence of the Son of God in His glory. John falls down but Jesus reaches down and lays his right hand on the head of His beloved disciple.

John was emptied, he had nothing left, not even the strength to stand but then Jesus touched him. He laid His hand on John’s head and said, “Fear not. I Am the first and the last. I Am he that lives and was dead and behold I Am alive for evermore. I have the keys of hell and death.”

John is depleted but with that loving touch, Jesus fills him with power and then gives him the last great task of his life at 100 years old. He must now listen, record, write and send to the churches the unveiling, the apocalypse of the returning King.

You can hear the now empowered John in the greeting of the letter to the persecuted, suffering churches, Revelation 1:7 Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Are We Being Changed In Jesus Presence?

When I read this account of Jesus coming to John I see many things that apply to us as well. Jesus comes to us and we should hear His voice. Whether it be hearing His words in the Gospels or feeling His touch in our worship.

Are we emptied? Falling at His feet, speaks of worshipping him in our emptiness and in His glory. It shows our total dependance on Christ for life and for the strength to serve Him.

Are we touched? The touch of Jesus may be gentle when we first feel it, yet it will become the most powerful touch we have ever experienced. It will sweep softly through your heart as light as a melody and yet have the power to move you to the greatest service or sacrifice you have been called to do.

Are We Hearing? His voice will calm your fears with the assurance of who He is, The alpha and omega, the first and last. The one who has conquered life and  death and who stands victorious for all eternity. He was there for John and He will be here for us.

Are we empowered? When Jesus comes to us, we should be moved to do greater things than we could do in our own power.

When Jesus Came to His Own

When Jesus came to Moses in the burning bush and then on Mt Sinai, he was empowered to lead a nation of millions across the wilderness and into the promised land.  When He came to Isaiah, high and lifted up in the Temple, Isaiah wrote the with the mind and heart of God, the book that carries his name. He came to Daniel as he stood in the lion’s den and in the vision of the Ancient Of Days and also in his old age he recorded the beginning of the vision that would be completed by John here in the book of Revelation. Jesus come to John unveiled and John saw him in all his glory and power and he knew as Paul, who Jesus came to on the Damascus road, and later wrote, Romans 8:16-19 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God!

And so also will we changed and empowered in those times when I most need Him most, Jesus will come and we will experience the One who is the first and the last, the Almighty, the One who is to come, the King in His glory. He will come Just when I need Him most.

 

 Conclusion: Just When I Need Him Most

Just when I need Him, Jesus is near,

Just when I falter, just when I fear;

Ready to help me, ready to cheer,

Just when I need Him most.

 

Refrain: Just when I need Him most,

Just when I need Him most,

Jesus is near to comfort and cheer,

Just when I need Him most.

 

2. Just when I need Him, Jesus is true,

Never forsaking, all the way through;

Giving for burdens pleasures anew,

Just when I need Him most.

 

3. Just when I need Him, Jesus is strong,

Bearing my burdens all the day long;

For all my sorrow giving a song,

Just when I need Him most.