The Unveiling
Hear With Your Heart
Revelation 1:4-8
* (TEXT) One of the funniest & truest of all slogans is the Verizon ad which says, “Can you hear me now?” Obviously, the issue is cell phone connectivity for millions. When WE PAY FOR A CELL PHONE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE that we can be heard.
* Being ‘heard’ is something which is very important to our Lord. In fact, He gave us the capacity & has a deep desire for us to hear, listen, & understand. Scripture tells us this. As recorded in Acts 28, Paul’s ministry & life were coming to a close yet; he was still proclaiming the hard truths of God. In verse 17, he called the “leaders of the Jews in Rome” & had a day to sit under Paul’s teaching. (Read vs 23-29) Verse 27 says it all, “The people’s hearts have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, & they have shut their eyes; OTHERWISE they might see with their eyes & hear with their ears, understanding with their heart, & BE CONVERTED.” There is a correlation between seeing & hearing, with UNDERSTANDING. We will never understand if we refuse to hear. This is true in life as well as in our relationship with God. Your spouse, your kids, your parents, as well as your friends are all a part of this hearing with understanding. IN other words, “hearing with your heart.”
* Interestingly, our Lord dramatically points this out in Revelation 2 & 3. Writing to these 7 churches (I.E. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, & Laodicea) He ends every letter with these words, “He who has an ear SHOULD HEAR what the spirit says to the churches.”
* What the Spirit said back then He is still saying today. This morning ‘hear with your heart’ the message which is found in our text.
1. Message From the God-head – While we don’t use this term much, it is solidly theological and is true. See God & His words;
* The Timely Greeting- We read “Grace & Peace to you” & realize this was the common greeting among believers at that time. In fact, it is still a good greeting even today. Offering someone God’s grace is literally offering that person the best God has to offer. For it is only by His grace that we are saved from hell (Eph 2:8-9). Next, the offering of God’s peace is what naturally follows. It is only through the grace of God that you can find the peace of God. Jesus says this peace is not like the stuff which the world gives, but is from a divine source & is present when the world’s peace has past. It’s not based on circumstances but on Him.
* The Triune God – The prefix of ‘tri’ means 3 & yet, we do not serve three Gods, we serve one God who we know in 3 different personages or expressions. We know God-the Father, God-the Son, & God-the Holy Spirit. Can I explain this concept to everyone’s satisfaction? NO! But guess what, that is the GOOD NEWS. Why? Because this means that He exists in ways that I cannot explain. Personally, I wouldn’t give my life, move my family, or sell out my career for a God that I could explain. Choose you today who your will serve, but as for me & my house we will serve Jehovah God, the one who I cannot explain (or explain away.) Let’s hover on the triune God for just a moment.
* God the Father – The text says, ‘from the one who is, who was, & who is coming & I am the Alpha & Omega.’ Herein is your encouragement. When Satan tries to destroy you with your past, he runs into "Alpha" & there is nothing on the other side of Alpha - when Satan tries to destroy our future, he runs into "Omega" & there is nothing on the other side of Omega. Jehovah God is the beginning & the ending! The name “Jehovah” literally means ‘the Eternal One.”
* God the Holy Spirit – The text expresses it this way, “the seven spirits before the throne.’ For the novice reader, this may be confusing as we read about the ‘seven spirits’. Does this mean that seven spirits of God exists? No, scripture is clear. Jesus told us that he’d send THE comforter while Paul tells us that we are baptized into one body by one spirit & all have been made to drink in one spirit. First, notice the number of 7. (The message in two weeks will be entitled “Numbers” because numbers mean a great deal in prophecy.) Seven is the number of completion & means the Holy Spirit from the throne is complete & possesses all the attributes & characteristics of God (Isaiah 11 tells us about these). Basically, the Father & the Spirit are in one.
* God the Son – In verse 5 He is called, “The faithful witness.” He came to us so that we could see HIM (John 1:18) & HE declared God to us in a way we could understand (if we hear with our heart). He is the Savior of the world, the Lamb of Calvary, & the supreme sacrifice for sin. He is the one who shed His blood, made a way for you to know God, & He is the only one able to change a life. How? The text goes on that He is the ‘firstborn from the dead.’ The wages of sin is still death & we are all sinners so the last enemy to be defeated is death, & HE DID IT! He was not revived, He was resurrected. That makes Him “King Cheese.” He rules over all there is. If He’s in the house, He Lord of the house. If He’s not Lord, He not there. If He’s resident then He’s president!
* The True Glory – It is like John was writing these words & became overwhelmed to the point that he couldn’t contain Himself. At the end of verse 6 he is singing the “Doxology” in first century fashion. He sings “To Him be the glory & dominion forever & ever. AMEN! Sadly, we don’t seem to ‘get it’ today. We miss the ‘wonder’ of the Glory of God. I submit when we ‘get it’, our lives, our worship, our animation will be transformed. John is giving us a preview of what we will experience.
* The message from the God-head is ‘grace & peace’ & it’s from the God who is, was, is coming, & knows all things. Our response is to give Him the glory & honor due who He is!
2. Message For the God-like – Who are the ‘god-like?’ This is those who have been born again. Please hear me; the one who has simply prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, been through a discovery class, & even baptized & is not becoming like HIM is not what the Bible teaches to be a disciples. Paul writes, “IF anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. Old things are passed away & all things are new.” Jesus said, “You must be born again.” These verses remind us of the change that comes. Here is the encouragement for the ‘god-like.’
* You are Loved – Never let anyone tell you that you are not loved. (Jesus Loves Me, O How He loves you & me are but 2 of the many songs which teach us that God loves us.) He loved you when you were unlovely & even unlovable. The Bible is replete with reminders of God’s love; ‘God loved the World this much,’ ‘loved by God’, ‘love of God is poured out’, & “God proved His love.” There is even the rhetorical question, “Who can separate us from God’s love?” God doesn’t love us because we deserve it; He loves us in spite of who & what we are. Make no mistake; He loves us too much to leave us like we are. He comes to us to find us, to forgive, & to free. This is when live as a person who is ‘God-like’ begins.
* You have been Loosed – To know God through Christ is to have been free from our sins. Jesus paid the price for your sin by shedding His blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The word ‘free’ literally means to bathe or to scrub clean. I remember as a very young boy my mom coming into the bathroom & scrubbing behind my ears. Know what? Sometimes, she scrubbed till it hurt, but I was clean. The dirt that was trying to stick was no match for mom.
* You are & will be Lifted – The text says He made you into a Kingdom & into Priests. (1 Peter 2:9-10) Have no fear Child of God; you have been called from the darkness into the marvelous light. (A Child of the King)
3. Message to the God-less – This designation is frightening even though it is accurate. In Psalm 1, the word is ungodly in the KJV & wicked in the HCSB. These are people who are without God. Just because you are one of God’s creation does not mean that you are one of God’s Children. A relationship with God is established by coming to God on His terms, not yours. The Bible tells us that ‘many’ who think they are ready will find themselves left behind. There is a day coming when those who have refused God’s offer of grace to face the music. This one day has 3 parts;
* A Day of Awareness – “Look, He is coming with the clouds.” This is not speaking of the “Rapture of the Church” but of the “Revelation of Christ.” This is when He returns with, in, on, & riding the clouds. This is when ‘every eye shall see’ Him. Every person will be aware of who He is. Those who have been playing games will now discover that ‘that doesn’t make it.’ A new awareness will prevail about ‘who He is’ & ‘who you are.’ All the times that you have sat without emotion or expression while the Pastor urged you to come to Christ will now take center stage as you become aware of what you have missed. Today, we make preparation for THAT day. When you see Jesus in the air, it is too late; too late to be redeemed, too late to go to heaven, & too late to experience God’s grace. If you don’t recognize who He is today, one day you will be aware! Consider the Bible says in Romans that you have enough info to know.
* A Day of Accountability – The text says, “Look He is coming with the clouds AND EVERY Eye shall see Him, INCLUDING THOSE who pierced Him.” This does not mean only those who stood in Jerusalem, bowing to the pressure of the religious, and shouted, “Crucify Him!” This means every person who has pierced Him by their sin and their rejection of Him. Every time you hear, “Jesus is the Messiah, He died in your place, He will forgive your sin, bring you into a right relationship with God the Father, & secure you a home in heaven” and ignore it – YOU PIERCE the Savior. The result is that you will be held accountable! Our Lord allows no blame game, no excuses, and no free passes. One thought; many don’t believe this will happen. The Bible says it will. (Rev 20:11-15)
* A Day of Anguish – When Jesus comes to earth again, it will be His Revelation! Those who remain on earth are those who rejected His offer of Salvation. This is why verse 7 says, “ALL the families of the earth will mourn over Him.” This will be a sad day, a sad time, and a sad event. Imagine a husband & wife, dad & adult children, siblings, & more.
* Today, please HEAR WITH YOUR HEART WHAT Jesus is saying!
