Series: Victorious!
“Encounter Christ Powerfully”
Revelation 1:1-20
Open
As we get started this morning, turn in your Bibles to Revelation 1 and have that ready as we go through the message this morning. Last week, we began our study through the book of Revelation. This book of the Bible is either the most looked over book or the most obsessed over book in the Scriptures. We said that it can seem scary, that it can seem hard to understand, and that it has been extremely abused by some preachers and teachers.
Let me see by a show of hands how many people here this morning have a weird cousin or weird uncle in your family? We all have that one relative, don’t we? If you didn’t raise your hand, then you’re probably the weird uncle or cousin. There are those who treat the book of Revelation like it’s their weird relative – good to see at the family reunion but not somebody you spend a lot of time with at the reunion if you can help it.
In Umberto Eco’s novel, The Name of the Rose, two monks try to solve a series of crimes in their abbey. At one point in the story, one of the monks makes the comment that the key to solving these crimes lay in the book of Revelation. Another monk says, “I asked him why he thought the key to the sequence of crimes lay in the book of Revelation. He looked at me, amazed: “The Book of Revelation offers the key to everything.”
There are those people who treat this book the very same way. The problem, we said last week, is that they try to use it like a calendar and almanac. They’re looking for a time-line of events to come and a prediction of things to come. They become like an art critic who counts the brush strokes in a painting but misses the big picture.
I usually try to avoid big words in my messages. However this morning I need to introduce to you a word. It’s the word hermeneutics. Say that with me. Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. One of the first rules of interpretation is that if the Bible cannot speak to every generation in every time and place, it is irrelevant. If it is irrelevant, it cannot be God’s Word.
Our approach over the next several weeks is to look at the big picture. We’re focusing on the major themes of this book of the Bible. We need to understand it in its historical context of the 1st century and we also need to understand what it means to us in the 21st century. We begin today with Revelation 1 and our goal is to encounter Christ more powerfully.
Rev. 1:1-20 – The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
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. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
1 2 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
What John Felt
John is the author of the book of Revelation. He is the one who put it down on a scroll after seeing what was revealed to him by God.
Most of us have at least a basic understanding of who John is. He is the sole remaining apostle of the original twelve chosen by Jesus. He’s written a Gospel and three letters included in the New Testament.
John has been a faithful follower of Jesus for a very long time. Most scholars date the book of Revelation toward the end of the 1st century – somewhere in the 90’s AD. John has the heart of an evangelist and pastor. His concern is for the churches and he worries about them and prays for them. John tells us that he is in exile on the isle of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Patmos is rocky island 10 miles long six miles wide about 30 miles from coast of Asia Minor – modern day western Turkey. It was a barren place. The Romans used it’s desolation like an ancient Alcatraz. John is cut off from the people he loves and the mission he wants to fulfill.
During this time period, Christians were under heavy persecution. The Roman emperor Domitian demanded to be worshipped as a god. Once a year, everyone had to go into their local Roman temple, offer incense, and declare that Caesar was god. Because the Christians refused to do that, they were treated with contempt. Their families would disown them. They could lose their jobs and livelihoods. John describes himself as having personal knowledge of these late 1st century Christians. He calls himself, “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.”
Notice what John does. He could have been sitting on a rock feeling desperate and defeated. Instead he worships. He tells us that he was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day. John could have easily given in to the hopelessness and gloom that could accompany his situation but here John is worshiping the Lord on the Lord’s Day. Instead of feeling desperate and defeated, John feels a sense of worship and praise.
How many of us have ever said, “I just don’t feel like going to church today? There’s just so much going on in my life. I don’t have the energy to go.” Don’t you think John would have felt that way? The devil saying to him: “Just stay in your misery. Stay in your depression.” Instead John made a choice: “Today, I’m going to worship God.” By making that choice, John was blessed beyond measure.
What John Saw and Heard
I heard about a preacher in Ohio who taught his view on Revelation. A person in the church disagreed, went home, got his shotgun, and shot the preacher. So... here at Central Park... letters, emails, texts, and phone calls are fine. Please feel free to disagree. Just don’t shoot me.
There are a lot of misconceptions concerning the book of Revelation. The problem is that these folks focus on the wrong things. They focus on the what, where, and when. Overall, the book of Revelation is not about the what, where, and when. It’s about Who.
The first verse tells us everything we need to know about the overarching theme of Revelation. John calls it “The revelation from Jesus Christ.” The word “from” in the original language can also mean that it’s the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As we studies last week, the word “revelation” in the original language is the one from which we get our words apocalypse and apocalyptic. We use those words today to describe some large disaster. However, the word means “an uncovering; unveiling; revealing.” The idea is to pull back the curtain and see what’s happening backstage. What we see here in Chapter 1 is an unveiling, an uncovering of the real Jesus Christ.
I was basically a BUICK growing up. I’m not referring to the automobile. BUICK stands for “brought up in church kid.” My Sunday school teachers depicted Jesus as being meek and gentle. Don’t want to scare the kids now, do we. A lot of us grew up viewing Jesus in that way – long robes, long hair and a beard, big smile on his face, carrying a lamb across his shoulders. It was kind of a Mr. Rogers Jesus. But the revelation of Jesus in the book of Revelation is much more than that. Many in the church suffer from what one person dubbed JDD – Jesus Deficit Disorder.
I was a big fan of 80’s action films and TV shows. When you say the words “action hero” I immediately think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Clint Eastwood, and Mr. T. Their on-screen characters were guys who were well-muscled, had ice water in their veins, and eyes as hard as steel.
They played cops, fighters, mercenaries, fortune hunters, and special ops soldiers. They packed enough firepower to take out any enemy. These were guys you didn’t mess with. They sparked fear in the hearts of their adversaries.
When you hear the term “action hero,” how many of us think of Jesus in that way. Yet, what we see in the book of Revelation resembles the steely-eyed, hard-hitting, fearless character of an action movie than the Jesus we learned about in Sunday school class as a kid. A lot of church people view Jesus more like Joel Osteen than John Wayne – a nice enough guy but not much help in a fight.
In our scripture passage this morning, John is deep in worship. He’s probably praying for the persecuted Christians and for his own situation. In the midst of his concerns, Jesus appears and says, “Don’t be afraid.”
Don’t forget. This is not John’s first encounter with Jesus. He spent a lot of time walking and talking with him. He was an eyewitness to Jesus’ miracles, to Jesus’ transfiguration, and to Jesus rising from the grave and ascension into heaven. What John needed thoug was a fresh look at Jesus as really is.
First, he is the faithful witness. Why do they call the geyser in Yellowstone park Old Faithful? It’s because it’s faithful to shoot out of the ground on a regular timetable. Jesus is faithful. He’s in time, on time, every time. We can depend on him.
Jesus is a reliable witness to who God is and how God operates. Jn. 12:49-50 – “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Second, he’s the firstborn from the dead. Jesus is not first person raised from dead as recorded in the Bible. There were several in Old Testament and in the New Testament as well. The others rose to die again. Jesus has risen and doesn’t die again. Rom. 6:9 – For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
The term “firstborn” signifies Jesus’ preeminence. In ancient culture, the firstborn son inherited the largest chunk of his father’s estate. The firstborn son could operate the family business with the authority of the father. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead because he was the first one to come back to life. He is the firstborn because he is the most important person ever to be raised from the dead. His resurrection changes everything.
Third, he is the ruler over the kings of this world. On the screen you will see a picture of the most powerful political leaders in the world today. Whether they believe it or not, Jesus holds authority over them. Jesus is described later in the book of Revelation as being the King of kings and Lord of lord. In a prophecy concerning the Messiah, Ps. 89:27 – And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
Number four, Jesus is the one who loves us and freed us from our sins. Notice that he loves us – present tense. His love is ongoing. He freed us – something that happened on the cross of Calvary – it’s a once and for all event.
Number five, he is the one who made us to be a kingdom and priests. The New Testament teaches the priesthood of all believers. There is not a special class of believer in the priesthood. We’re all in the priesthood!
1 Pet. 2:5 – You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Later in 2:9 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Number six, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. We might say, He is the A and the Z.” Basically, it all starts with Jesus, it’s all about Jesus, and it all ends up in Jesus.
Number seven, he is the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
We go back to when God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. When Moses asked for a name, God said, “I AM.” Jesus used that term for himself in John 8: “Before Abraham was, I AM.” No beginning, no ending. Always was, always is, and promises yet to come.
Number eight he is the He is the one who holds the keys to death and hades. Literally, Jesus has authority of the process of death and the abode of the dead. Jesus said in Jn. 11:25-26 – I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Paul told Timothy 2 Tim. 1:10 that Jesus “has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
What John Did
This will be our shortest section in today’s message. John testified about what he saw and heard. He received the testimony from the faithful witness of Christ and passed the testimony along to others. He shared the vision of the Jesus of Revelation.
What We Should Do
Churches many times view Jesus as a mascot instead of a master. It’s football season. What does a mascot do? It’s great to have them at the game. Everybody knows they represent the school but could the game go on without the mascot? Absolutely. When we treat Jesus as a mascot, that means that we can do everything we now do without him.
What our church needs is not better programs or better worship services. What we need is a clearer, stronger vision of Jesus. The more we focus on Jesus, the more we look at him, the more we preach Jesus, the more we make everything about Jesus, the mor he’ll take care of all that other stuff.
If we have a clear picture of Jesus in the church, if it’s less about us and more about him, are we going to get caught up in things that cause churches problems? Are we going to be upset because they didn’t sing the songs we like, they went too long, I had to park so far away. Are we going to be upset over the color of the walls? Are we going to be upset if the program we want to do isn’t added,, changed, or even removed? Are we going to criticize everything that the leaders do? Are we going to get caught up in those kinds of things? Not if we’re focused on Jesus.
Jesus is not my buddy. He’s not my therapist whom I seek out when I need him. Jesus is the ultimate authority. I’m not the final authority. You’re not the final authority. The leaders of this congregation are not the final authority. The leaders of our government are not the final authority. Jesus is the final authority.
Often we try to shape Jesus in our image instead of being conformed to his image. The Jesus of Revelation has the right to tell you what to do in your marriage. He has the right to tell you how things should go in your relationship with other people.
Whose word carries the most weight in your life? Is it your spouse, your boss, your parents, some preacher, the latest book you’ve read?
Who owns the authority in the church? Is it the person with the most influence? Is it the person with the most money? Is it the government? Is it the politically-correct crowd who wants to dictate everything we think, say, and do or what we should and shouldn’t preach? In both our personal lives and the church, Jesus is the ultimate authority. The Supreme Court of the United States of America doesn’t have the final word. Jesus is the final word.
Close
For centuries, the kingdoms of this world have tried to exterminate the church and tried to exterminate the Bible but they’ve failed time and time again. In fact, the more the kingdoms of this world try to squeeze out the breath of the church, the more it grows. Across this globe, the places where the church is most persecuted are the places where the church sees its strongest growth.
John’s message to the church is that kings and kingdoms may come and go but the King of kings and his kingdom will last forever. John’s message to the church is that kings and kingdoms may come and go but the King of kings and his kingdom will last forever. We live below our calling not because our task is too great but because our vision of Jesus is too small.
Col. 1:15-17 – The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
As we continue on in our study of Revelation, this is the picture of Jesus that is portrayed. You will see his power, might, and authority. You’ll not only approach him more humbly, you will approach him more confidently knowing that when he is on your side, who can be against you?
When was the last time you had an encounter with Jesus that knocked you off of your feet? When was the last time you had a worshipful encounter with God that drove you to your knees? When did you, like Isaiah, cry out “God, I’m a sinner” and God reached his hand down like he did to John and say, “Never fear. I am with you and I have already won the war. I’ve defeated the devil. I defeated sin and death.
(This series is developed from a variety of resources. The primary resource is “Victorious – A Devotional Study of Revelation” by Matt Proctor. Other resources include “Revelation for Everyone’ by N.T. Wright, “Breaking the Code” by Bruce Metzger, “The Book of Revelation – An Introduction and Commentary” by Homer Hailey, “Worthy is the lamb” by Ray Summers, and “Reversed Thunder” by Eugene Peterson.)
