Rev 1:9-12 Worship Christ ES 20Jan08 1934
John knows Christ in more ways than one.
• He saw Christ in person while on earth, spending 3 years every day with Him.
• I came to notice also that when Jesus prays, He often bring 3 disciples along – John, James and Peter: At the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28), at the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36). John saw Jesus at prayer at close proximity.
• He saw His crucifixion, His resurrection and His ascension. Now he sees the glorious Christ.
Rev 1:9 “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”
• This is not something we would say – we think of worldly success and earthly comfort as being “ours in Jesus”, but not suffering, not patient endurance.
• Yet this was the reality in John’s time. Christians were suffering, under the Roman Emperor Domitian.
• History tells us Domitian was the most cruel of all the Roman emperors. He declared himself to be god and sentence to death those who refuse to worship him.
• Many were thrown to the lions in the coliseum, and others burnt at the stake.
John was banished to the island of Patmos - a prison island (10km by 16km), like Alcatraz Island (USA) in the 1960s.
• They were assigned to manual labour in the mines and quarries.
• John suffered because “of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”
• I believe, if he had played it safe and not rock the boat too much, he would have been able to live a more comfortable life, and avoid all that hardship.
• But he did not. He preached Christ and suffered.
When have we suffered for the sake of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus?
• Have we really suffered because we serve Him? Did we make any sacrifices? Are we ashamed of the Gospel?
• I make visits often with my dad. He is good at seizing the opportunity to turn the conversation towards Christ. Sometimes I’m more hesitant – go slow, don’t offend people, they may not like to hear about Jesus… More often than not, I am afraid of what man will think, rather than how God will think.
God’s revelations often come through difficult environment.
• Israel saw God’s miracles in the wilderness, without food and water.
• Elijah was running for his life when God provided his daily meals.
• Paul and Silas were singing and praising God and an earthquake shoke the prison, and their chains just fell off (Acts 16)
• Most of Paul’s epistles were written from the prison cell, not from an air-con room with table and a chair.
We tend to want it both ways.
• We want God to perform miracles, but we do not want to take any risk.
• We want God to save us, but we do not want to make any sacrifice.
• We want God to do everything while we remain in our comfort zone.
God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort.
• Overcoming obstacles is what will develop in you the faith you need to fulfil your God-given purpose.
• The truth is that it can’t happen any other way!
None of us would want to be in the place John found himself – suffering in a prison island, having been serving Christ for 60 years.
• But that’s where it happened – Christ revealed Himself to John in a way that no man has ever seen.
• Not in a temple somewhere, not even in a church, but on a barren island full of criminals and sinners.
• There, can you believe it, the Holy Spirit showed up.
Rev 1:10 “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit…”
• John was still keeping days, at 90 years old; to make sure he worships on the Lord’s Day!
• Imagine this. Who would know what day it is in prison? No calendar. Same routine every day.
• I doubt the other prisoners knew, or even cared, if it was Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, or any other day of the week.
• They may have marked their cell walls with a line, and then crossed off the lines each week, just to keep track of time.
• But John marked the Lord’s Day, and spent time with the Lord on the Lord’s Day.
Do you mark the Lord’s Day?
• Do you really mark this day and keep your appointment with Him?
• The revelation came to a man who was broken, humble and thirsting for Him.
• God reveals Himself to those who seek Him this way - with all their heart.
• Jer 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
On this day John “heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…”
• He felt His presence and heard His voice. This happens when you worship Him.
• I think it came as a surprise to John — I don’t think he knew it was coming, but John was in a position to hear that voice.
• Even in a place like Patmos. No sanctuary, no music.
You can experience God’s presence and hear His voice wherever you are.
• It’s not the condition of the environment around us that determines that. It’s the condition of our heart, isn’t it?
• How do you think John got in the spirit on that particular day? He just decides to worship Him on the Lord’s Day.
It did not happened because he dwelt on how bad the circumstances were.
• I think it happened much like Paul and Silas’ experience in the jail at Philippi.
• John praised God. 1:5 “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.”
• He thought about Christ’s love and His goodness. He was rejoicing that his name has been written in heaven. He was grateful.
THE CROSS BEARERS
The Lord brought two of his disciples to a road. He gave each one a cross of the same weight and asked them to carry it up to the end of the road, where he would wait for them. After this, the Lord disappeared.
The first disciple carried the cross with ease, while the second disciple lagged behind, obviously having a hard time. After carrying the cross for a day, the first disciple reached the end of the road and handed the cross to his Master.
"Well done, my son," the Lord told him and patted the first disciple on his back.
The second disciple reached the end of the road in the evening of the second day. When he got there, he threw the cross at the Lord’s feet.
"It’s not fair!" he complained. "You gave me a much heavier cross than the first disciple, which is why it took me longer to get here!"
The Lord looked at his second disciple with sadness. "Son," the Lord said to the disciple, "both crosses are of the same weight."
"But how come I carried mine with much difficulty while he carried his with ease?"
"Do not put the blame on the cross," the Lord told him. "It is because you were complaining all the way as you carried your cross. Every complaint added to the weight of the cross. The first disciple carried his cross with ease because every loving thought diminished its weight."
Be grateful, despite what you may be going through. It’s a question of TRUST.
• Why had God allowed such hardship to come into John’s life?
• Was it because John did not pray enough for his deliverance?
• Or perhaps he just didn’t have the faith to ask for the miracle he needed?
• We know that’s not the reason.
No such question crosses his mind. He was worshipping God despite his circumstances.
• He has all the reasons to complain, but he trusted God.
• We trust God. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves. We don’t ask, “Why me?”
• Adopt John’s attitude - focus on Christ and worship Him.
John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
• It’s not about place. It’s your heart.
• Jesus said if you desire to truly worship God, you must worship Him in spirit.
• Even in the most miserable place, like John’s, you can worship God.
• You can encounter God wherever you are. Tune in to God by worshipping Him.
No wonder God place us in places like Patmos sometimes - in exile and all alone, so that we can truly see Him and hear Him.
• It is in hardship, in solitude, away from our routines and familiar places, that we hear Him.
• It is when we move out of our comfort zone that we see newer revelations of Christ.
We need to get our eyes of ourselves, our problems, our circumstances, and look to the face of Christ.
• John refused to let himself become preoccupied with his problems.
• How do we know? Because in the entire book of Revelation, he only mentioned his problems one time – Rev 1:9.
• It’s as though he became so preoccupied with Christ, he did not have time to tell you about himself, or to think about his own suffering.
• In fact, if not for the history books, we would not know much about his situation and what he has been put through.
• If John had been depressed by his problems, he seemed to have forgotten all about them (in the light of the vision of Christ).
Rev 1:11 “…Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.”
• God was not finished with John yet. He gave him an important task.
• For centuries the church has been inspired by the revelation of Christ and the prophecies of this book.
• Because a 90-year-old man was willing to remain faithful and to serve God to the end, despite his hardship.
There is no retirement for those who serve God.
• We may change to a less strenuous work, but we do not retire.
Rev 1:12 “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.”
• 1:10 John “heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…” It was loud but I doubt the other prisoners heard it.
• Only the heart that was tune in to God will hear Him.
It is interesting that the voice and vision were behind John and not in front of him.
• If God knew which direction he was facing, why not make it easy for John? Since Christ isn’t limited by space, why not appear in front and speak to his face?
• We don’t know, probably the Lord want him to respond to His voice.
• He said many times in this vision, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
• John did respond to His voice and he turned around. And he saw Christ.
We hear His voice today. But the big question is, do we respond?
• Will we turn from the direction we are going?
• Will we turn towards God?
SONG:“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
