Meeting The Exalted Christ Part Ii Series

Meeting the Exalted Christ

Part II

Revelation 1:12-18

Purpose: To describe Christ’s glory.

Aim: I want the listener to be in awe of Christ’s glory and assured of His love.

INTRODUCTION: Have you seen Jesus Christ? The world is not going to see Jesus in us until we see Jesus ourselves.

When the Wright brothers first began experimenting with flying machines, they accepted as fact the data and conclusions that were available in the theory of aviation. As they experimented, however, their own experience provided different conclusions. They began by doubting nothing, yet grew to disbelieve everything about accepted aviation theory. Finally, disregarding all they had learned, they relearned through personal investigation. This led them to build man-carrying gliders in which they spent hundreds of hours over Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. In their Dayton bike shop they built a custom wind tunnel and tested over two hundred different wing surfaces. With minor refinements, their wind tunnel became the prototype of the one used today, and the control system they devised is still used on fixed-wing aircraft.

So many people accept the word of another for the reality of Christ, or for a teaching that is supposed to be in the Bible. In reality, they base their faith on the faith of another—which might be real and true; but again, it might not. The only way to know that you are seeing Jesus personally, Jesus really, and Jesus alone, is to have a personally investigated faith. Study his word—let God speak for himself. [Hurley, V. (2000, c1995). Speaker’s sourcebook of new illustrations (electronic ed.) (52). Dallas: Word Publishers.] We must see Jesus for ourselves.

REVIEW:

1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past “the things which you have seen”

Vs.1-3 A. The importance of this book “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”

Vs.4-5a B. The character of God “Him who is…was…is to come”

Vs.5b-6 C. The change Jesus makes “released us from our sins”

Vs.7 D. The coming of King Jesus “He is coming with the clouds”

Vs.8 E. The superiority of King Jesus “the Almighty”

Vs.7-8 F. The certainty of the return of King Jesus “it is to be”

Vs.9-12 G. The setting for this book

Vs.9a 1. The person writing “John”

Vs.9b 2. The place “island called Patmos”

Vs.9c 3. The persecution “tribulation”

Vs.10a 4. The situation “I was in the Spirit”

10b-12 5. John’s responsibility “Write…send it”

LESSON:

➽Vs.12-16 H. A glimpse of the exalted Christ

Hebrews 3:1,3 1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. (NAU)

➽Vs.12-13a 1. Christ’s rule over the church is revealed “in the middle of the lampstands”

Vs.20 tells us that the lampstands refer to churches and the stars refer to the messengers or pastors of the seven churches. Then we learn that Jesus is the One who holds the messengers in His hand: Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this (NAU)

Colossians 1:17-18 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (NAU)

➽Vs.13b 2. Christ’s compassion is revealed “like a son of man”

The title “Son of Man” is used 84 times in the four Gospels. This title for the Messiah emphasizes His humanity.

➽Vs.13c 3. Christ’s majesty is revealed “robe…sash”

This robe was NOT the normal Roman tunic that would come to the knees. Only kings wore robes that came to the floor and a sash over the chest.

This seems to be lot like what the High Priest would wear when he was ministering in the Temple. Exodus 39:1-5 1 Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 2 He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 4 They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. 5 The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NAU)