In The Spirit On The Lord's Day Series

IN THE SPIRIT ON THE LORD’S DAY

Revelation 1:10–20

The Bible has much to say about the importance of walking in the Spirit:

- Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

- Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

- Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

- Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The Bible makes it clear that those who do not possess the Spirit of God do not belong to God. On the other hand, there will be visible evidence of God’s Spirit in the lives of true believers. The only way that we can be successful in the Christian life is to “walk in the Spirit”. When we obediently walk in the Spirit, there is no limit to what God can do in us and through us.

Alexander MacLaren said, “He who has the Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures in his hands has all he needs”. In our selected text, John speaks of a time when he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”. The remainder of this chapter details the things that he experienced when Jesus appeared to him on the Isle of Patmos. Because he was in the Spirit, John was able to see the Lord, hear the Lord, feel the Lord’s presence and to learn from Him. Each of these amazing privileges is available to us today, but if we seek to experience Jesus in this way, we must walk in the Spirit. I would like to listen to John’s description of his encounter with Jesus and consider the thought “In The Spirit On The Lord’s Day”.

- In verse 10 Johns speaks about:

WHAT YOU CAN HEAR WHEN YOU WALK IN THE SPIRIT

v10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,”

Because John was walking in the Spirit, he was able to experience unhindered fellowship with the Lord. This put him in a position to receive this divine revelation from God.

It has been said that “one must be near to hear”. John mentions the fact that this encounter occurred on “the Lord’s Day”; he met with Jesus on the first day of the week, Sunday. Jesus rose from the grave on Sunday, the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost on Sunday, the members of the early church gathered and broke bread on Sunday, and Paul instructed the Corinthians to take up a collection on Sunday. Sunday is the Lord’s Day.

On this specific Sunday, John was in the Spirit and suddenly he heard “a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,”. He did not hear an actual trumpet; rather he uses a trumpet as a metaphor to describe the clarity, volume, and tone of Jesus’ voice. Later, in verse 15 He describes Jesus voice as being like “the sound of many waters”. Throughout Revelation, a loud sound or voice indicates the gravity of what God is about to reveal. In every instance where Jesus speaks to John in the Revelation, he hears the voice of authority.

Again I remind you, John was able to hear this voice because he was in the Spirit. This was not a dream; John was empowered by the Holy Spirit to receive this divine revelation from God. Every true believer has the opportunity to hear God just as John did. I am not implying that He will come to us in visible form and talk to us with an audible voice, but if we walk in the Spirit, God will communicate with us. He speaks to us through His Holy Scriptures and He leads us through His Holy Spirit. God will tell you what His will is for your life. He will lead you and guide your steps as you walk with Him. He will tell you what you should do and tell you what you should not do. We have the great opportunity to communicate with God almighty. Furthermore, God wants us to talk to Him and He certainly wants us to listen when He talks to us.

There is no greater privilege than to have a personal relationship with God and to be able to communicate with Him. Unfortunately this is a privilege that we take for granted. God has much to say to us but many times we do not hear His voice because we fail to walk in the Spirit. If you will walk in the Spirit, then you can hear the voice of God.