Revelation 1.9-18 26th November 2006. Duncan Leake
1. Jesus Christ is the Lord of this Church! (say it)
Do you know how the apostle John begins this book of Revelation? He says “This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.”
So what we have heard today was a revelation from Jesus to his “servants.” The original Greek word was doulos.. literally means slave. Sometimes people say “I’m not your slave” Or “I’ve had it… you just treat me as if I was your servant.” Yet the apostle John, just like the apostle Paul, was not embarrassed to see himself as a servant, a willing slave for Jesus.
Is that a helpful picture for you?
Do you rejoice to see yourself as a slave of Jesus, “at his beck and call” as we say… or does that particular image of our relationship with him, (which comes straight out of the Bible…) does it make you feel just a little bit uneasy, a bit uncomfortable. May be you think “I don’t know if I really want to be a servant, a slave of Jesus.”
The thing that you and I need to know… is that, as human beings, we were made to belong - to someone. Now we can be belong to Jesus, as children of our heavenly Father… or we can be owned by all the forces of sin and selfishness and pride - owned by the devil. Either way… our lives will belong to someone... they are not our own.
2. The Church of Jesus Christ is the gathering of those who rejoice to know that they belong to Jesus. And today we have heard this Bible reading… where John glimpses the glory of the Risen Jesus. And we can begin to understand WHY he is so pleased, so honoured to be able to say… I am a slave of Jesus.
Let’s go through these verses…
3. Read verse 12-13
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lamp stands. And standing in the middle of the lamp stands was the Son of Man
Do you know that Jesus said to his followers… you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)… that is what he says to his church… and here in this vision the congregations of believers are seen as lights on a stand. … and Jesus stands among the lamps -the churches - just where you would expect him to be. Didn’t Jesus promise For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them." (Matthew 18:19-20). You get the picture.. Jesus standing among his church. Jesus is here today. Whether we are aware of his presence with us or not.
If there are just two or three whose hearts are open, just two or three who want to show their love for Jesus, who want to be in his presence - then Jesus is here. He has promised it.
By the way… that’s one good reason why we should never say silly things like, “I don’t think the Holy Spirit was present this morning.” Or it’s a reason why we should never carelessly say things like, “Oh! that church is DEAD.” Often all people mean when they say that is they’ve got an organist and not a music group, or the vicar’s really boring. But if just two or three people are there who love the Lord… then Jesus is there.
And I don’t believe that one Christian group can ever put down another and say “We are going to have nothing to do with them.” Where ever two or three meet… Jesus is there. We must not dare to condemn those who Jesus, our LORD, has honoured with his presence.
4. And then John’s eyes move beyond the lamps on their stands, and begin to gaze at a form that is beyond the power of human language to properly describe… and so what follows in this passage is a series of pictures, images which communicate the character and the greatness, and the work of Jesus.
You see, God was able to use all the time that John had spent hearing scriptures read, thinking about them, praying through them. And so when John reaches for words to describe the shape and form of Jesus that he sees before him, he remembers phrases from the Old Testament. So right away he says.. And standing in the middle of the lamp stands was
the Son of Man
it is the title given to God’s anointed messenger in Daniel 7:13 Who said that he saw one like a Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven… and He was given authority, honour, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him.
There is no messenger, no prophet, no other teacher who can claim a higher authority than Jesus.
No government can pass a law that matters more than the command of Jesus.
No philosopher or teacher can offer you an insight that has more significance for your life than the words of Jesus. You can read books that will tell you a hundred ways to be successful, how to improve your self-confidence, how to live a happy life… billions of words been written… but none have more authority or significance than the words of Jesus to you.
Jesus the one who is entitled to have authority over my life.. and over your life because God has given that authority to him.
John knew that… that’ s why he was content to know himself as the servant, the slave, in the presence of his LORD.
5. Jesus… was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. It is the robe of the high priest, as described in OT book of Leviticus. The role of the High Priest was to pray for the people of Israel… to ask for forgiveness of their sins.
and now, says the Bible, we have a great High priest who has gone through the heavens… (Hebrews 4:14) Jesus… and in his vision John sees his LORD, clothed as the high priest who prays for him. What love is this that the LORD of all should pray to the Father for me?
His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. That again is straight out of the Old Testament… it is one of the pictures of God as the Ancient of Days found in the book of Daniel.(7:9)
Jesus is God, he has all the holiness, purity, all the goodness which is to be found in God the source of all goodness.
And his eyes were bright like flames of fire… again another picture from Daniel (Dan 10:6)
John must have many times looked into the eyes of Jesus. Eyes that must have been so full of passion and energy. In this vision he saw all the brightness of God in those eyes.
Jesus looks at you and me now. What does he see? Remember there is nothing that is hidden from his eyes. One day we will see him looking at us… it won’t be a vision, a God-given snapshot of heaven, like it was for John during his time on the island of Patmos… One day we will see those eyes of Jesus looking on us. I think on that day I will be glad if I can say with all my heart… I am a slave, a servant, I belong to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
6. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace … Bronze is a symbol of strength. Jesus was never a wimp. He was a craftsman, a working man. He was tough, he showed that in the temptation in the wilderness, he showed that in the long hours he spent with crowds of thousands of people, he showed that as he faced up to his tormentors who nailed him to the cross while he still prayed for their forgiveness. He was a strong man.
And now in heaven all the power and strength of God is seen in the form of the risen Jesus.
His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
That’s another picture from the Old Testament… it’s a description of the voice of God as the prophet Ezekiel heard it. (Ezekiel 43:2) Have you ever been at the coast on a stormy day… and listened to the roar of the sea as it crashes against a seawall. The power of the sea is awesome. Jesus has the voice that stills the sea.
His disciples - in the boat on the night when he calmed the storm saw the waves shrink back.
His power is beyond our comprehension.
Jesus can speak a word of forgiveness, and guilt is gone, or a word of healing, and sickness is sent away. He can lift the heaviest burden off someone’s shoulders. Jesus can speak a word of acceptance and love which brings new life, a new beginning to someone who turns to him, Jesus speaks… and miracles happen.
This is our “Lord”, I’m talking about.
What would you give to work full-time for a boss like this?
7. He held seven stars in his right hand… Jesus is not just Lord of humankind… he is the Lord of all the heavens, the Lord of all the angels, the Lord of all heavenly beings… of all that has been, of all that is, of all that ever will be created… Jesus Christ is Lord of all. (we sing it!)
And a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth… It doesn’t necessarily mean STICKING OUT… I think the picture is more one of a sword leaving his mouth as he speaks. It is a way of describing the effect of his words on the churches who will listen to them… What does it say in Hebrews…
For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife (a two-edged sword) cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.… (Hebrews 4:12)
His words have the power to make a difference… and the truth about ourselves is sometimes painful. But this sword is not there to inflict pain, it is there to cut through everything that could ever entangle us, to cut through the deceptions and wrong attitudes we build up in our own mind that can separate us from that intimate relationship with God that Jesus has made possible for us.
If you were trapped… wouldn’t you want to be set free… and Jesus can do that for you… his word spoken into your life will cut through you illusions and delusions, like a sword and help you to know the truth that you need to know so that you can live in friendship with him.
8. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance…
Do you know why there is a mirror up here behind me? The church was built facing south… and there is a window behind that mirror. And for several months of the year the sun shines directly through that window. If you are looking this way it is impossible to see a thing. You can’t ignore it… if you try to look this way, you’re dazzled by it.
Dave talked about worship being about Thankfulness.
Linda talked about worship as ABC.. anticipation- expecting to meet with God, B- being in the presence of God, and C for calling.. hearing his word to us.
Pam talked about worship as acknowledging the worth of God, he is worthy of our praise and adoration.
Last week, Bill talked about worship as being the offering of our whole life to God as a response of commitment and love.
Here is something that worship means for me… Worship means knowing that I am being dazzled by the Son... the Son of God that is.
You see, just as I can’t ignore the brilliance of the sun shining in my eyes… so I can’t ignore or escape from the shining face of Jesus. The whole of my life is open to him… and if I behave or think as if it isn’t (as I sometimes do) … if I think that well it’s OK really if I do this or think this… (as I do) - I am so thankful that Jesus keeps on dazzling me… so that I have to think again, to close my eyes, (mind) to my wrong thoughts, attitudes, actions whatever… and instead see that every part of my being is exposed to his light.
We live every moment of every day before the one whose face is as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
“Worship” means living my life in the dazzling presence of Jesus.
9. And then John couldn’t look at the risen Jesus any longer… he fell at his feet as one dead. Overwhelmed by his majesty power and authority. Now comes one of the most amazing sentences in the whole Bible..
BUT - he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don’t be afraid!
The risen Jesus laid his hand on John who was lying on the floor… how did he do that do you think? !!!
He must have knelt down beside him!
This is Jesus… the Lord of the Church.
We belong to him… the alpha and omega, first and last, the living one who was dead… the one who holds the keys of death and the grave. Isn’t it good to know that we can BELONG to Jesus? Belong to the one who kneels down beside us and says “Don’t be afraid!”
Is it a bad thing to be HIS slave, to be at his beck and call.”
In belonging to him we become the people we were created to be. And In being obedient to him we become the Church he has called us to be.