Jesus: The Living One
Introduction: Cemeteries can be spooky places. I heard a funny story about a guy in Scotland we'll call Ian McGregor. After a long evening in the pub, Ian took a shortcut to his house that took him through a dark cemetery. He accidentally fell into a freshly dug grave. Ian tried to climb out, but discovered the hole was too deep, so he just decided to wait until the morning when someone would come to help him out. So, he sat in the corner and covered himself with his coat, and went to sleep.
Sometime later he was awakened by the sound of another guy who fell in the front of the grave. The second guy didn’t see Ian in the corner. Ian watched as the man tried and tried to climb out of the grave. Finally, Ian said, "Stoop your tryin’, Ya canna’ get out." But you know, that guy jumped all the way out of that grave!
Because of the resurrection, we don’t have to be afraid of the grave.
(From a sermon by David Dykes, Words of Life, 8/9/2010)
Not having fear of death is why we celebrate today and it is why I want to draw your attention to something the apostle John experienced in the first chapter of Revelation. He says "that He was in the Spirit" we might be tempted to think that 'being in the Spirit is the same as to being in a dream or some sort of hallucination. That is not the case at all. What John saw is present all around us. The veil between what we see in the flesh and what can be seen in the spirit was temporarily removed for John. But don't think that the Spiritual realms are not real. The snowcapped mountains are always there behind the low clouds and fog that hides them, just as they are in bright daylight.
John heard a voice giving him instructions to write on a scroll what he saw and give it to the seven churches and as he turns to see who was speaking he see seven golden lampstands and someone like a son of man dressed in a robe and golden sash. His head and hair were white like wool as white as snow and his eyes were like blazing fire His feet were glowing and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. seven stars were in his right hand and out of his mouth came a sharp double edged sword. The word of God is like a two edged sword. He says his face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. And this is what we read in Revelation 1:17,18
"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. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." -Rev. 1:17,18
I. A Disciple is Overwhelmed
"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. ..." v.17
How powerful is the sight of Jesus in his resurrected and glorified form!? The sight of Jesus in his glory will force any man, no matter how righteous, no matter how holy, no matter how pure or pious he may be, not only to his knees, but will force his face to the ground. In the presence of such greatness, no one has anywhere to turn, they have no where to run, there is no place to hide. They are purely at the mercy of the Almighty God. How many Christians think that they would love to see Jesus in his glorified body? I don't know of any that would argue against it. But they do not know what spirit they're of. You would think that this beloved disciple, who followed Jesus, loved Jesus, suffered for him and served him would be filled with ecstasy being able to see his Lord, glorified. Instead we read that "he fell ... as though dead." If the common man with his earthly eyes were to see the glorified Jesus, if that glory itself didn't kill him, his spirit would be so humbled that he would wish that he were dead. We can not look into the sun without it hurting our sensitive eyes, think about looking into the glory of the one who created the sun, which is just a small creation in comparison to the universe that He has placed it in. It's naïve to think that if we were in the same situation, we would later say "I saw Jesus in all his glory and my heart was filled with joy!" - No. If we were to see him in our present state, we would be like the one who did see Jesus in all his glory and fall at his feet as though we were dead.
We may look upon the splendor of Christ someday after we are out of the body, and once He has prepared us to see him, but to see His splendor before that would make a mortal man like John feel the sentence of death inside, and fall to his face in great fear, if not abject panic. Flesh and blood have no place in the spiritual realms. If you had this same experience, you would wish that you could swim underground to escape the Holy horror of his glorious appearance. Remember after Moses spent forty days and nights speaking with God on the mountain his face was shining so brightly that he had to wear a veil to keep from scaring everyone. The glory that was transferred to Moses, a mere man, just from being in God's presence, was so powerful that those he encountered could not endure it. Imagine if they were to behold God in his full glory?
John was allowed to see the dreadful horses of the apocalypse, and he saw a beautiful throne made of jasper and the majestic emerald rainbow, and the Great White Throne that will put terror in the hearts of many people someday, but none of that, had the effect that his encounter with Christ did, because it was only when he saw the glorified Jesus, that he fell at his feet as if he were dead! Think of that Splendor! Think of that Power! All of our praises combined together throughout eternity couldn't touch the hymn of his Glory. And yet after we have been prepared for it, we will find blissful fulfillment in praising him forever.
Transition: As John lays prostrate before the Lord trembling. He first feels the comforting touch of his right hand, He then hears the consoling words of his resurrected Lord say "Do not be afraid." and with that . . .
II. Discouragement is Overpowered
". . .Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! ..." v. 17,18
Discouragement can't exist when Christ is fully realized and embraced. Its been said that "The knowledge of Jesus is the best remedy for fear." I believe that. If you know Jesus you have nothing to fear.
Jesus said "Fear not them which kill the body, but after that have no more that they can do." One thing Martyrs understand, if not before, certainly now, is that your enemies can't really harm you. The ones who should be afraid are those who do not know Jesus, those who don't believe in Jesus. But for those who do believe in Jesus, He points to himself, and says, "Behold, I am alive forever and ever." Therefore there is no reason to be afraid.
He says He is the First and the Last.
If something from your past that haunts you - remember he said I am 'the First.' There is nothing that you have experience that he doesn't understand. There is nothing that you have been through, in which He can not relate. He existed before time, and was alive in his pre-incarnate state before all created beings. There is no reason to fear the past, when we trust 'The First'. And if you are afraid of the future, remember he said 'I am the Last.' he orchestrates everything for his glory and we are humbled and happy that he created us to be a part of his master plan. we know who holds tomorrow. He is above all things and beyond all things. He is eternal. He is The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End, The First and The Last. While things are impossible with man there is nothing impossible with God! Any discouragement is overpowered in the presence of the Lord.
He will sustain us in our troubles; He will be with us in our death. No matter how many of our friends and loved ones we lose, We will never lose the Lord - He will not ever die again; He will not leave us, he will not forsake us, he will not abandon us, nor forget about us, nor neglect us. No. when it is our time to die, he will still be on the throne. All fear and discouragement in our hearts is overpowered, when we have faith in the Living One.
Transition: There is nothing to fear in the one who was dead and is alive forever and ever. He is the source of all life and therefore has power over all life. Finally we see . . .
III. Death is Overthrown
"And I hold the keys to death and hell." v.18
Ill. February 16, 1989 is a date that George and Vera Bajenski will never forget. That was the day their lives were changed forever. It began as a typical Thursday morning. The phone rang at 9:15 a.m. and then they heard the dreaded words that no parent ever wants to hear . . . "There’s been an accident..." It involved their son Ben.
As they approached the intersection of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets in Ontario Canada, near their son's high school, they could see the flashing lights of police cars and ambulance units. Vera noticed a photographer and followed the direction of his camera lens to the largest pool of blood she had ever seen.
Her first and immediate reaction was to jump out of the car, somehow collect the blood and put it back into her son. "That blood, for me, at that moment, became the most precious thing in the world because it was life. It was life-giving blood and it belonged in my son, my only son, the one I loved so much."
His blood didn't belong on a dirty public road. George noticed that cars were driving right through the intersection--right through His sons' blood. His heart sank. He wanted to cover the blood with his coat and cry out, "You will not drive over the blood of my son!"
Then Vera understood for the first time in her life, one of God’s greatest and most beautiful truths...why blood? Because it was the strongest language God could have used. It was the most precious thing He could give-- the highest price He could pay.
Through God’s amazing love we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. I pray we never trample the blood of God's own son under our feet as if it was nothing.
In today's culture and sadly even in some churches, it seems that is exactly what we have done. We have progressed so long without Jesus, that many feel they don't need him anymore. If you have any plans to make it to heaven someday, I can assure you that YOU NEED JESUS!
Once a man realizes where his sins will take him, he scrambles to find something to ease his conscience. 'There must be something that will justify me before The Living One.' He thinks 'Surely there is something good I have done that will make God overlook any of my faults.' He may attempt to clear his conscience through many good works like donating to certain charities, getting rid of a particular bad habit, or participating in some religious duty or another; men will do many things to comfort themselves when it comes to the issue of their eternal souls. They don't seem to comprehend that God doesn't work on a merit based system as we do. The truth is that all the good deeds in the world can never redeem your from one sin. That sin is there no matter what you do to remove it, and it will take you to hell just as if you had committed a thousand sins a thousand times a day, for a thousand days. Your soul, whether you see it or not, or believe it or not is stained with sin, and it has no place in the kingdom of a Holy God.
In the presence of God, Adam and Eve covered their shame with fig leaves. We cover our sin with good works, but in the presence of God, those clothes of ostentation are stripped away, leaving us feeling naked before the Lord. There is nothing that can justify us on the day we die. All of our righteousness, all of our good deeds, all of our repentance are as filthy rags before the Lord. What are we suppose to do then? If there is nothing that we can do that will redeem us from our sins, what hope do we have?
We must remember that our God is not only Holy, but he is love. The loving God knew that we could not redeem ourselves therefore He sent a Redeemer for us. His Son was sent to Earth to be sacrificed on a cross in our place. Instead of punishing us, he punished his own Son! How can anyone doubt the love of God!? His perfect Son who did no wrong was put to the most horrifying death, when it should have been us being punished for our sins, seeing that we are the guilty party here. Instead, your sins died with Jesus on the cross that day and as a result, redemption is allowed by the grace of a loving God for all those who would put their faith and trust in the one who died in our place.
All of this would be unconfirmed, if it weren't for the one reason we celebrate today. Only God has power over death. Only God can bring those who die back to life. On the third day Jesus rose from the grave just as he said he would, validating everything He had said, validating who He was, and for what purpose He was sent.
We celebrate Easter because on that day Jesus rose again, the tomb was not empty - the tomb IS empty! The devil was checkmated that day, and death was overthrown.
Conclusion:
When we read that Jesus has the keys to death and hell, it means that he has power and authority over it. The door of death and the grave can only be opened by him.
Jesus can enter there when he pleases. If any of should be put to death, there is nothing that can separate us from Christ, because he has the keys. He can shut the gates when he wants to. Therefore death and hell have only the power that Jesus allows it to have. Like a guard with a ring of keys, death can be locked and unlocked at his discretion. If he lets demons loose for a season, he can restrain them again, whenever he wants to.
And he will finally shut the door upon them forever. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death;" "He came to destroy the works of the devil." He shall shut the gates of hell, and what he shuts, no man can open. You must make sure you are on the right side, before death - so that you will be on the right side after it. We celebrate today because fear of death has been completely defeated for all those who put their faith & trust in the one who defeated it: Jesus Christ the LIVING ONE! That is the message of Easter.
Amen.
