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I Am Alive Forevermore | Revelation 1:12-20 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  For an undisclosed period of time, the apostle John has been
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  exiled to prison on an island called Patmos.
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  We don't know the duration of his sentencing or if he was even
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  granted a release date, but one thing is for certain, this man
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  was mindful of his time while in exile, especially when the first
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  day of the week came around. And we have reason to believe
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  that John did his best to give praise and Thanksgiving to his
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  God, especially on the Lord's Day, recognizing the
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  resurrection, even though he was usually surrounded by hardened
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  criminals and merciless Roman guards.
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  Again, we don't know if he was here for weeks, months, maybe
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  longer, but he does do something for us.
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  He documents a particular Lord's Day where everything would
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  change for him and for the world.
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  Really. One of the things that moves me
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  about the Book of Revelation, especially with John's story, is
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  that he was on this island called Patmos on account of the
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  word of God in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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  Here you have a man between his between the age of 80 and 90,
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  who was willing to go to prison so that he wouldn't have not
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  deny the Gospel. And more than that, when Rome
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  attempted to subdue the spread of the gospel, it was in that
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  very place Patmos, with the revelation of Jesus Christ, came
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  to John and spread to the Church.
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  It was the means by which one of the greatest messages ever came
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  about. The word of God cannot be bound.
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  And here John is trying to explain to us what happened to
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  him on this particular Sunday. And the best way that he could
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  describe it is this. I was in the spirit.
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  I was in the spirit. Now this is me and my sanctified
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  imagination. I like to think that John, being
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  an elderly man, an older prisoner, had some free time.
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  And perhaps on one Sunday afternoon, he was sitting on the
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  rocky edges there of the island, looking out into the Aegean Sea,
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  meditating and praying silently. But suddenly the background
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  noise of jailers and prisoners chiseling into stones and
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  minerals, mixed with the clamoring commands of Roman
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  guards was swiftly caught up, drowned out by a voice unlike
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  anything John has ever heard. The best way that John could
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  describe this voice is that it had the commanding force of a
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  trumpet blast. It demanded the cessation of any
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  internal or external activity, and as this precious man of God
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  was ready to turn around to confirm the source of this
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  voice, He also. Realized that he was
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  miraculously transported into another realm and what John saw,
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  he tells us beginning in Revelation One, verse 12.
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  Let's turn there together and read it.
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  Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on
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  turning I saw 7 golden lampstands, and in the midst of
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  the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe
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  and with a golden sash around his chest.
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  The hairs of his head were white like white wool, like snow.
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  His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like
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  burnished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like
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  the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven
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  stars, from his mouth came a sharp 2 edged sword, and his
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  face was like the sun shining in full strength.
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  You would expect that once John turns to see the voice that
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  spoke them that he would behold Jesus Christ.
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  That's not what immediately caught his attention.
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  The object, if you will, that came about and seized Him is
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  what we find again here in verse 12.
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  I saw 7 golden lampstands. Now we can confirm that these
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  lampstands are not just decorative pieces to this
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  vision. They carry rich meaning and the
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  interpretation of these symbols as found in the same text.
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  You just have to Scroll down to verse 20.
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  Notice what Jesus says to John is he gives them the meaning of
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  these things. As for the mystery of the seven
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  stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden
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  lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven
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  churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven
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  churches, meaning the seven churches that John would write
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  to in the immediate context in Asia Minor.
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  Now the fact that John initially hears the voice of Jesus, but
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  immediately saw the seven golden lampstands which represent the
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  church is a profound thought because it speaks to the oneness
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  of Christ and His Church. And I believe what John, though
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  it was unique to him, this revelation, this vision, what he
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  experienced, everyone should experience.
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  What do I mean? By that that when anybody comes
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  into contact with the Church of Jesus Christ.
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  They should hear the voice of Jesus Christ, and the way in
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  which the voice of Jesus Christ is heard from the church is when
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  the church. Honors the Word of God, obeys
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  the word of God, and unashamedly declares the word of God.
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  That's how the voice of God is known.
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  And so think about this. He hears Christ, but when he
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  turns he sees the Church. And in the same way, when people
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  come to the gathering of the Saints where they come into
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  contact with us, there should be a measure of experience of
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  Christ himself. Here's what this means for us.
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  That if we want God's favorable presence in our midst, and if we
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  want His power to manifest among us, then we must first establish
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  this We will cherish and uphold His Word above all.
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  Have you ever considered how? These letters, these small
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  report cards in chapter 2 and three begin each time.
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  Let's get a sample. Go to chapter 2, beginning in
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  verse one. To the Angel of the church in
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  Ephesus, write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his
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  right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
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  Go to verse 8. And to the Angel of the church
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  in Smyrna, write the words of the 1st and the last who died
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  and came to life. Go to verse 12.
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  And to the Angel of the church in Pergamum write the words of
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  him who has the sharp 2 edged sword, verse 18.
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  And to the Angel of the church in thy tyre, write the words of
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  the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose
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  feet are like burnished bronze. You get the idea I hope.
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  The. Words of him appears in the
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  start of every single one of these addresses, and I'm
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  convinced that this repetitive introduction is not just meant
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  to confirm the identity of the author.
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  This is not just Christ saying, Hey, it's me Christ, it's me
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  your Lord, it's me, your Savior. Yes, that's clear.
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  But I believe it's deeper than that.
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  Here you have a sevenfold reminder of the authority of
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  Christ's words, which must preside over every local church.
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  The words, the words, The words of him, of him, of him, of him
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  for every single church to say what?
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  It's my word that is above all. It's my word that governs
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  everything. It's my words by which you will
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  be held accountable. The words of Him.
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  Now, I've met many people, wonderful believers, who have
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  expressed the hunger to see the Holy Spirit move in greater ways
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  in their own lives and even in their church meetings.
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  That's a honorable desire, but I want to confirm something to
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  you, and if that's you in this place, please hear me very
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  carefully. For the Spirit of God to truly
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  work in our midst, we must first genuinely esteem the Word.
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  He does not work apart from the Word and if.
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  Any kind of minister or ministry attempts to do so, It is
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  artificial, whatever manifestation it may be.
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  No matter how you may feel in such a setting, no matter what
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  kind of mood they put you in, if the word.
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  Is not preeminent, then you have reason to question whatever is
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  moving in that place, and the Spirit of God who knows all
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  things is aware when a church pays lip.
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  Service to the Word when the Church just uses it as a
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  footnote, where the church acknowledges its authority but
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  not its sufficiency, and really, it's not really authoritative
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  unless we agree with it. He can see pass through all
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  that. But when you have the
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  combination of a minister who faithfully and lovingly submits
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  and heralds a word, and eager listeners who receive it are
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  ready to obey, miracles can happen.
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  Miracles can happen. I want, I want you to be
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  reminded of this as well, that every time we come and do this,
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  life and death hangs in the balance.
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  In this very space, people can be saved for eternity.
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  In this very place, people can be delivered from so many vices
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  and chains and bondages in this place, by what means the
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  transmission of the Word. I'm reminded of Peter when he
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  was called by Christ to go to the household of Cornelius and
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  to give these Gentiles the gospel, and as Cornelius, this
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  man who was hungry. To know the truth, gathered his
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  close friends and family. To hear the Apostle Peter speak,
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  something happened. The Holy Spirit interrupted his
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  sermon, and I want you to hear what happens.
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  In Acts 1044, while Peter was still saying these things, the
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  Holy Spirit fell on all who heard what the Word.
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  The Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word.
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  What does that tell me? That the Holy Spirit longs to
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  confirm the Word, and He moves in a place where the Word is
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  cherished, love applied, received.
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  Oh, we can camp here for a while, can't we?
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  But let's consider one more detail before we move on.
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  John didn't just see 7 lampstands, he saw 7 golden
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  lampstands. That detail is not
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  insignificant. Why was it that these symbols of
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  the church were plastered with gold?
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  It's very simple. Gold is a precious metal.
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  And what Christ is even communicating here by revealing
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  this to John and to us, is that the church, this entity made-up
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  of people who've been forgiven, who've received the grace of God
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  in Christ Jesus, are so valuable to him, so precious to him, so
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  cherished by him. That he even wants to try to
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  communicate it by saying the church is gold to me.
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  Now here's a temptation for us as the Church that we hear that
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  and we fail to realize the personal element of it as though
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  Christ, yes, he has a heart for church, this universal
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  institution, this large gathering of people, this
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  movement called the church. And I'm here to tell you that
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  God even looks at you and I on individual basis as precious
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  gold, not just His church, but every single one of us.
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  Do you know where I get that from?
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  A book? You wouldn't think you would
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  find it in the book of Lamentations chapter 4.
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  If you can find limitations, meet me there in verse 2 and
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  look at this interesting statement.
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  The precious sons of Zion worth their weight in fine gold.
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  How they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a Potter's
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  hands. So we see here in Revelation
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  that the church is seen as gold. But back in the Old Testament
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  even, it's the sons, the spiritual sons of God, who are
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  worth their weight in fine gold. This is meant to convince you
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  that the Lord does not treat you or me indifferently.
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  He doesn't handle our lives carelessly.
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  You know. Any responsible owner of
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  something as precious as gold would not leave it exposed for
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  thieves to take or for it to be potentially lost.
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  Nor would such an owner of gold poorly invest or allow just
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  anybody to handle it. Now he would monitor it, He will
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  secure it, he will Polish it because he realizes how valuable
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  it is. Do you know how valuable you and
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  I are to God? We're told that he purchased us
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  with his own blood. You.
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  Me. Oh, for the church.
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  Yeah. But remember limitations.
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  You and I are seen as Feingold on a personal level, and we see
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  here that Christ so loves his church that he died for her and
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  he still sees her as gold. You know what's amazing?
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  These churches that we're going to study were far from perfect,
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  but they were still so precious to Christ.
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  Be very, be very careful criticizing the church.
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  Be very slow to do that because Jesus sees her as beautiful.
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  Yes, he will chastise her. Yes, he will point out things,
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  but there's some people who say very concerning things about the
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  church and I would not do that seeing how Christ sees her.
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  But these lampsteads are not the only thing that are gold.
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  After seeing initially these churches, John looks a little
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  bit more carefully and he sees what?
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  Come back to Revelation one with me in verse 13 and in the midst
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  of the lampstands one like a Son of man.
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  There's somebody who looks like a human that's standing there,
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  but he's more than human. He's like a son of man.
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  And one of the first things that stand out to John about this one
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  like a son of man is his wardrobe.
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  He was clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around
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  his chest. Now if you're.
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  Familiar with the Old Testament? Then this should ring a bell.
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  This attire sounds very similar to that of the Levitical
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  priests. So he has this long robe.
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  Now you can debate, is that the robe of a prophet?
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  Is that a robe of a king? No, no, no, no.
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  What makes a difference is this sash, this ornamental kind of
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  cloth that would be wrapped around the chest or sometimes
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  sit across the shoulder. Jesus had a sash and we have to
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  think, have I seen this before? Remember, what's going to help
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  you and I understand Revelation is that when there isn't an
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  immediate explanation to something, you have to think,
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  where have I seen these details before?
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  And you're going to usually find in the Old Testament.
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  And now we're going to see how God commanded the sons of Aaron,
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  what they were to wear because everything that they wore had a
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  message. Can we turn there together,
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  please? Let's go to Exodus and let's go
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  to chapter 28 this chapter that. Provides us the elaborate
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  description of the garments of the priests.
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  Exodus 28, beginning in verse 2. And you shall make holy garments
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  for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
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  You shall speak to all the skilful whom I filled with the
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  spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate
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  him from my priesthood. These are the garments that they
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  shall make a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker
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  work, a turban and a what and a sash.
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  They shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother and his
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  sons, to serve me as priests. Everything has intention,
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  everything has a purpose for glory and for beauty, and it's
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  supposed to point to something. We don't have time to get into
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  it. But if you stick in Exodus long
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  enough, if you faithfully finish this book, then later on in the
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  same book, you'll learn what these clothings were to be made
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  of. And so you go to chapter 39,
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  verse 27. It will be worth it, I assure
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  you. Exodus 3927.
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  This is when they begin to now implement and make the things
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  that God commanded them to make, including the clothing of the
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  priest. Here we have it in verse 27.
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  They also made the coats woven of fine linen for Aaron and his
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  sons, and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine
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  linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined
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  linen, and the sash of fine twined linen, and a blue and
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  purple and scarlet yarns embroidered with needlework, as
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  the Lord had commanded Moses. How much more detail can you get
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  than that with a great position? We are told here that these
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  sashes were made of fine linen sewn with blue and purple and
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  scarlet yarn, and those colors have a meaning.
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  But let's just stop here, now that we know what the priest
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  under the Levitical code look like as they ministered, pause
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  and think and compare with Christ.
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  He had a sash, but what was it made of?
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  Gold. Complete gold.
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  To signify what? That as the high priest in the
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  New Covenant, he is more superior than that of Aaron and
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  his sons. His ministry as the high priest
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  is far more glorious, far more effective, far more permanent.
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  Who knew that you can learn something with the colors in the
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  Book of Revelation? Yes, His sash was gold.
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  Telling us what? That his sacrifice was
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  sufficient? Telling us what?
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  That our guarantee into the presence of God has been
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  determined? Telling us what?
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  That we have absolute confidence that what He has done and how He
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  mediates for us is eternal. The golden sash signifying the
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  superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the new
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  covenant. Now if John's description of
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  Christ being like one, like a Son of man, if that reminds you
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  of of Daniel's vision of the Messiah, then you're on to
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  something. You're actually right.
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  See, John received a similar vision to Daniel.
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  There's many parallels between the book of Daniel and the Book
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  of Revelation, and this is one of them.
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  But what John? Sees here there are added
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  details to this one like a son of man because you see the Lord
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  Jesus was not just standing in the midst of his church
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  signifying his presence among his people.
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  We also get an understanding that yes, he's high priest, but
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  he also looks like someone else and that's what you find here in
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  verse 14 the. Hairs of his head were white,
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  like white wool, like snow. He's emphasizing something.
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  He could have just said it once, but he says it in three
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  different ways. The hairs of his head were
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  white, like white wool, like snow.
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  In other words, don't ignore this.
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  There's something very important upon about what Christ was
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  wearing on his head, namely His hair.
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  And again here. Here's where we have to stop and
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  think. What am I?
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  Supposed to make out of this? Well, ask yourself, is there any
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  other place in the Bible where I see this connection of?
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  One like a son of man and hair like white wool.
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  Answer yes, the book of Daniel. So we have to go there.
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  So meet me in Daniel 7 Daniel 7 verse 9.
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  He says here as I look, this is Daniel speaking now in a night
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  vision as I looked Thrones were placed and the Ancient of days
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  took his seat. His clothing was white as snow,
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  and the hair of His head like pure wool.
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  His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were burning fire.
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  Now go to verse 13. I saw in the night visions, and
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  behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son
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  of man, And he came to the Ancient of Days and was
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  presented before him. And to him was given dominion
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  and glory, and a Kingdom that all peoples, nations, and
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  languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
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  dominion. We shall not pass away, and His
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  Kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed.
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  Let's gather our thoughts here. Daniel had a vision of the
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  Ancient of Days, which is a title that is exclusive to the
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  Lord God, and he's watching the Ancient Of.
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  Days take his seat on a throne. And out of all the
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  characteristics that John, or rather Daniel, could have
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  recorded about the ancient days, what stands out to him is the
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  clothing, how it was white and what his hair being white like
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  wool. Now this is not without purpose.
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  The whiteness of that hair speaks of the eternality of
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  God's wisdom and purity. It emphasizes how he was and is
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  and always will be. But shortly after, Daniel, as
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  he's watching this, now sees one like a Son of Man.
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  Who is this human figure? People are still debating it, we
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  know. But this human like individual
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  who is more than a human now is ushered in with the clouds and
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  he approaches the Ancient of Days.
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  And whoever this man was, we're told that he would receive an
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  eternal Kingdom with everlasting worship.
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  Surely he is more than just a mere man.
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  And hundreds of years Now Fast forward.
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  What do we see, John who receives a revelation and we're
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  told in the beginning of his book that he saw one like a Son
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  of Man. Surely he's referring to the
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  same 1 Daniel saw, but now he sees something different, or at
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  least something more. Not the Ancient of Days, but the
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  one like a Son of Man, also has hair that is white like wool.
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  And here's what John wants you and I to do.
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  As we see Christ here and think about what Daniel saw, we are to
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  conclude that this Jesus shares the same nature as the Ancient
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  of Days. In other words, for the Lord to
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  reflect the same characteristics as God Almighty leads us to one
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  truth. He is divine.
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  He is God Himself. He is 1 like a Son of man, but
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  he is not just a man. He is distinct from the Father,
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  yet one in essence with Him in terms of deity.
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  And 2000 years ago He chose to come down and take on flesh
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  forever. This is Christ in his
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  description to show us I am Yahweh, not the Father, but God.
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  And from his hair John scans down and is gripped by something
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  else, the eyes. The eyes of Christ.
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  It says here in the second part of verse 14, His eyes were like
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  a flame of fire. Now there have been a.
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  Few times in my life where I have watched somebody who in a
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  moment of rage, had eyes like fire.
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  But Christ's emotional condition is not what's being highlighted
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  here. It's not speaking about his
• 25:08
  rage, his anger, his wrath necessarily.
• 25:12
  Christ's eyes here are meant to convey his piercing knowledge
• 25:19
  how he is able to, with complete and total awareness, see all
• 25:23
  things. In the same way that fire
• 25:26
  devours and it exposes. Christ's knowledge of what takes
• 25:29
  place in the world, especially his church cannot be concealed.
• 25:34
  He has X-ray vision. He sees through it all.
• 25:38
  And this is the message that John wants to convey to these
• 25:41
  churches. No one can hide anything from
• 25:45
  Christ. No one.
• 25:48
  And that is a repeated truth in the New Testament.
• 25:51
  Here's one way of summarizing it in Hebrews 413.
• 25:55
  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and
• 26:00
  exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
• 26:06
  He sees absolutely everything. And this is the message for the
• 26:10
  church. He's not speaking to the.
• 26:12
  World. So you know what that tells me?
• 26:16
  I know we think that church is just an hour and a half, maybe
• 26:18
  45 minutes, maybe if it's communion, 2 hours, that Jesus
• 26:23
  sees everything that takes place here in those two hours.
• 26:25
  No, you're the church when you're here and when you're not
• 26:26
  here. When I'm here, when I'm not
• 26:29
  here. So Christ sees it all.
• 26:31
  He sees what we're like outside of these walls.
• 26:34
  He sees what's happening behind that door.
• 26:36
  He sees what happens when the money's being counted.
• 26:38
  He sees what happens in counseling sessions.
• 26:40
  He sees what happens when we hang out outside of the
• 26:42
  meetings. He sees absolutely everything
• 26:48
  but all. If you and I are afraid of this,
• 26:54
  we have to take heart, because to the unrepentant, to the
• 26:57
  Sinner, to the one who is hiding their iniquity, this verse
• 27:01
  should be alarming. But for those who truly belong
• 27:05
  to the Lord and love Him and want to obey Him, even though
• 27:08
  you may believe that Christ has perfect knowledge of your ways
• 27:10
  and mine, even our past failures and sins, we should not be
• 27:13
  shaken. Do you know why?
• 27:14
  Because the same one who has eyes like a flame of fire is
• 27:18
  wearing a long robe with a golden sash.
• 27:22
  So what are you talking about? I'm saying this sovereign
• 27:25
  scrutinizer is also your great High priest who has paid a high
• 27:31
  price for you to be seen by God as Christ Himself.
• 27:38
  And that's precisely what the author Hebrew says immediately
• 27:40
  after informing us that everything is naked before his
• 27:42
  eyes. Remember I quoted that to you in
• 27:43
  Hebrews 413. But listen to the words of
• 27:45
  Hebrews 414. Right after he says God sees
• 27:48
  everything and he's going to hold you accountable for it.
• 27:51
  He mentions what? Listen to Hebrews 414.
• 27:53
  Since then we have a great high priest.
• 27:56
  So right after he says the All Knowing 1 takes into account
• 28:00
  what we do and what we say and how we do After all of that,
• 28:03
  right away, before we even think for a moment, oh, I'm doomed, he
• 28:07
  says. But since we have a great high
• 28:09
  priest, in other words, I'm safe.
• 28:14
  I don't have to worry about Christ standing before me as my
• 28:18
  executioner. He is my Savior.
• 28:22
  He has redeemed me forever and I belong to Him.
• 28:27
  And that's something you and I are to take comfort in.
• 28:30
  Yes, his eyes are flames of fire, but he is also the one who
• 28:34
  stands in the gap for you and I. So he looks at these eyes of
• 28:39
  fire and that theme of judgement continues in verse 15 of
• 28:43
  Revelation One. His feet were like burnished
• 28:46
  bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of
• 28:51
  many waters. So when I came to this point, I
• 28:56
  thought this could be overwhelming for people.
• 29:01
  Maybe not now, because hopefully you're getting explanation
• 29:05
  that's clear, but just for your engagement with the word of God
• 29:08
  and told like, how, how am I supposed to interpret these
• 29:11
  things? I need some kind of guidance
• 29:13
  here. And, and, and, and I'm aware
• 29:15
  that people feel that way about some portions of the Scripture.
• 29:18
  And I'm also aware that there are people who are overly
• 29:19
  confident and want to make the Bible say anything that they
• 29:21
  want and that's dangerous. But please, let me point you to
• 29:28
  something. It's a simple rule when you come
• 29:30
  to something like this, like his feet are like burnished bronze
• 29:33
  refining a furnace. And you heard me say that this
• 29:36
  is referring to judgement. How did I come to that
• 29:39
  conclusion? It's very.
• 29:39
  Simple. I'm looking at the wider and the
• 29:42
  more immediate context to see if there are any clues.
• 29:45
  Is there anything that I can work with that can bring me to a
• 29:47
  clear conclusion? And, and there are clues out
• 29:50
  there, so here's one example. More frequently than not,
• 29:55
  whenever you see the material bronze mentioned in the
• 29:57
  Scriptures, it refers to an object of judgement.
• 30:01
  So in the Tabernacle, that altar which was the platform for all
• 30:05
  these animal sacrifices to be placed on, that altar was made
• 30:09
  out of bronze. Or when you think about Moses
• 30:12
  leading the people through the wilderness and they once again
• 30:15
  express their unbelief, and then God released serpents to bite
• 30:19
  them. Moses was instructed to craft a
• 30:21
  serpent, to place it on a pole and to raise it up so that all
• 30:25
  who would look upon it would be healed.
• 30:28
  What was that serpent made out of?
• 30:30
  Bronze. It's a picture of the cross.
• 30:35
  So bronze. Bronze.
• 30:36
  That's the dominant connection with judgment, with wrath.
• 30:42
  And then we come to this description of Jesus feet and
• 30:44
  we're told that they were burnished like burnished bronze.
• 30:48
  OK, I'm a step closer now. Is there anything in this
• 30:51
  neighborhood that can help me understand what's happening
• 30:53
  here? Yes, because the feet like
• 30:56
  burnished bronze is mentioned in another section and it's tied to
• 31:01
  the eyes of flaming fire, which we already heard what it's
• 31:04
  about. It's about judgement.
• 31:06
  Where do we find that? Look at Revelation 2 and look at
• 31:11
  verse 18 quickly. And to the Angel of the church
• 31:17
  in Thyatira, write the words of the Son of God, who has eyes
• 31:22
  like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
• 31:27
  And what is he ready to tell this church?
• 31:30
  You have false teaching in there, and there is a false
• 31:34
  teacher who is seducing my servants.
• 31:37
  And you're not doing anything about it, though I gave you time
• 31:39
  to repent. So I'm introducing myself to you
• 31:41
  in this way. I see everything and if eyes
• 31:47
  speak of knowledge, then feet surely speak of action.
• 31:52
  It's not just I see what's happening, I'm going to do
• 31:54
  something about it. And that is exactly what we have
• 31:58
  here. Jesus Christ is always ready to
• 32:02
  purify His people by making His way towards those who are
• 32:07
  sinning and subduing them, sin and sinners within, because He
• 32:13
  moves throughout His church as the constant guardian of it.
• 32:18
  Go to Revelation 21. Notice what he does with his
• 32:20
  feet to the Angel, the church in Ephesus.
• 32:23
  Write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right
• 32:25
  hand, who does what? Who walks, who walks among the
• 32:30
  seven golden lampstands. So what is he doing?
• 32:35
  He's surveying his entire church.
• 32:40
  The Lord Jesus Christ is in our midst even now, and he's at the
• 32:45
  church down the street at the same time, and he's at the
• 32:48
  church in China and another church in Africa.
• 32:52
  He's there. He's walking among the seven
• 32:55
  golden lampstands. You know where my my mind went
• 32:59
  when I was looking at this the other night when Satan
• 33:03
  approached God in the book of Job and the Lord asked him,
• 33:05
  where where have you been? And he said, what?
• 33:08
  Walking to and fro on the earth. So Satan is, is always walking,
• 33:15
  always watching, always looking for an opportunity to attempt,
• 33:18
  to destroy, to steal. That's what he's doing.
• 33:21
  The world is his domain. And though Christ, yes, he is
• 33:23
  omniscient, he's omnipresent. He's he pays special attention
• 33:27
  to his church. He's walking among his people
• 33:32
  and his feet are glowing. They are pure, and His church
• 33:37
  must be holy ground. And so His eyes speak of
• 33:41
  knowledge, His feet speak of action.
• 33:44
  And I want to let you know that Christ since he pend this, has
• 33:46
  been working in His church. Whenever you see a scandal
• 33:50
  exposed in a church and ministers disqualify themselves,
• 33:55
  that is Christ with His feet like burnished bronze, moving
• 33:59
  and acting in that church. Whenever you see those in the
• 34:04
  church who tolerate sin, who cause division, who who are not
• 34:08
  truly of the Lord, and things are revealed and things are
• 34:13
  dealt with, that is Christ purging His church.
• 34:16
  He has been doing it for thousands of years.
• 34:18
  He will continue to do it until he returns.
• 34:22
  His feel like burnished bronze, but John's gaze moves from
• 34:26
  Christ's feet to his right hand, then to his mouth and back to
• 34:30
  his face. He's trying to capture every
• 34:33
  aspect of his glory. It's as though John is
• 34:35
  overwhelmed. He's just looking up and down at
• 34:38
  Christ and so yes, he sees his feet, but his eyes now bounced
• 34:42
  to his hand and what does he see especially in his right hand.
• 34:45
  Verse 16 of Revelation one in his right hand he held seven
• 34:49
  stars from his mouth came a sharp.
• 34:52
  Two edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in full
• 34:57
  strength. Let's look at these quickly.
• 35:01
  In his right hand he held seven stars.
• 35:05
  Jesus gave the interpretation in verse 20.
• 35:08
  The seven lampstands are the seven churches, but what about
• 35:10
  the seven stars? They are the angels of the seven
• 35:14
  churches, angels of the seven churches.
• 35:20
  So if you're not careful, you may interpret this as well.
• 35:23
  Every single local church has been assigned a guardian Angel.
• 35:27
  Some believe that, but here's the problem with that.
• 35:31
  John was asked. To take this book and to write
• 35:35
  it to the angels of each of these churches.
• 35:39
  We read it earlier that every letter begins with to the Angel
• 35:41
  of the Church and wherever so to imagine that John was to receive
• 35:47
  this revelation from. Christ only to give it back to a
• 35:50
  celestial creature. For that celestial being to now
• 35:52
  give it to the church seems doesn't seem right.
• 35:57
  It's very difficult to reconcile how angels are considered
• 36:01
  leaders in the local church. Here's where if we knew and read
• 36:07
  Greek would help because if we had this in the Greek, then it
• 36:10
  would make a little bit more sense because the word Angel in
• 36:12
  the Greek simply is angulos and it means messenger.
• 36:16
  And throughout the New Testament, that word is
• 36:18
  primarily used for spiritual beings, heavenly beings, yes,
• 36:22
  but it's also used for human agents.
• 36:26
  So if you're taking those, list these references for you to look
• 36:28
  at it for yourself. And Luke Chapter 7 and verse 24,
• 36:33
  when John's disciples came to Christ to ask, are you the one,
• 36:37
  or are we supposed to wait for another?
• 36:39
  And Luke 724, it says when John's messengers had gone, that
• 36:43
  word messengers is the same one as Anglos here as Angel.
• 36:48
  And then when Jesus goes on to describe the faithfulness and
• 36:51
  the uniqueness of John's office, he says in Luke 727, this is he
• 36:56
  of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger Anglos.
• 37:01
  I send my messenger same word. You'll you even.
• 37:05
  Find it in the book of James when Rahab is being praised for
• 37:08
  her faith and we're told there in James chapter 225 that when
• 37:12
  she received the messengers once again the same word Anglos.
• 37:19
  So when you see. The word Angel, what you're
• 37:21
  really seeing is messenger, and depending on the context, you'll
• 37:24
  know that this is a heavenly messenger or this is an earthly
• 37:27
  messenger. And I'm more convinced that what
• 37:30
  Jesus is referring to here. Our earthly messengers, more
• 37:34
  specifically the elders and the pastors of these churches,
• 37:40
  especially the elder of the church who is responsible for
• 37:44
  speaking to the people of God. So who is Jesus holding in his
• 37:50
  right hand? Pastors.
• 37:56
  That means a few things. One, it means that he's in
• 37:59
  control of pastors. Let me let me say it this way,
• 38:03
  Jesus Christ hires and fires pastors.
• 38:07
  I know you can get a degree and you can look for a job by
• 38:11
  vacation and God can use that to bring a faithful pastor to a
• 38:15
  flock. But ultimately he's the CEO of
• 38:17
  his church. He hires, He fires always, but
• 38:24
  not just that, it speaks of how He provides pastors.
• 38:28
  So something in my hand signifies I own it, but it can
• 38:32
  also mean that I can extend it. Jesus Christ gives pastors to
• 38:37
  people. It's an extension of His grace
• 38:40
  and gift. That sounds a little awkward as
• 38:43
  I say it, but it's just an objective truth that He gives
• 38:48
  these kind of ministers to build up the body of Christ.
• 38:55
  Lastly, it speaks here of His protection, His protection of
• 39:02
  His under shepherds. Yes, every single one of us are
• 39:06
  in the grip of Christ's hand, and no one can pluck us out of
• 39:10
  His hand. Amen.
• 39:11
  But what this also means, what's being emphasized here is that
• 39:15
  those who stand in the front lines are in the grip of the
• 39:19
  Almighty, those who take the most hits, those who have to
• 39:24
  deal with the forces of Satan as they guard and protect to the
• 39:29
  best of their ability, by the grace of God, the people that
• 39:31
  are responsible to them. Christ wants to let these
• 39:34
  pastors know I'm holding you. I'm with you.
• 39:40
  And Speaking of protection, that is exactly what the next part is
• 39:43
  all about. From His mouth has come A2 edged
• 39:46
  sword that speaks of the power of His Word, namely in
• 39:51
  judgement. And this two edged sword here,
• 39:56
  it's primarily for the Church of Jesus Christ and his defense of
• 40:01
  the church you're going to find in Revelation 19 when he strikes
• 40:05
  the nations that come against his people.
• 40:08
  But before you go to. Revelation 19, you actually find
• 40:10
  it mentioned here with these churches.
• 40:12
  You're saying where? Look at chapter 2 verse 16.
• 40:18
  He says you're therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon
• 40:21
  and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
• 40:26
  Why is He saying that to this church?
• 40:27
  Because again, there are false teachers in it, sowing discord,
• 40:30
  sowing false teaching, promoting false doctrine.
• 40:33
  And Jesus is telling these specific individuals, I will go
• 40:36
  to war with you because I am passionate about the purity of
• 40:40
  my church. So what the sword of His mouth
• 40:43
  means is that He will single out people who cause trouble in this
• 40:46
  church, and He will successfully conquer them.
• 40:51
  As he's holding his pastors and as he's walking with those eyes
• 40:55
  of fire and those feet like burnished bronze, he will also
• 40:58
  look out for those that cause harm and deal with them
• 41:02
  accordingly. You know, if you were the
• 41:08
  original readers of this and hearing about persecution, what
• 41:12
  Rome is doing to believers, this would highly encourage you,
• 41:15
  wouldn't it? We're safe and, and, and if and
• 41:19
  if anything happens to us, it's because our great God permitted
• 41:22
  it for his glory. Can I say one more thing?
• 41:29
  What was in his right hand? Seven stars.
• 41:33
  But notice the last description of verse 16.
• 41:36
  And his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
• 41:42
  Do stars illuminate? Yes they do.
• 41:47
  They give out light. But what is outshining the
• 41:52
  stars? The face of Jesus Christ.
• 41:56
  You may love your pastor, you may think that he is gifted.
• 42:01
  You may think that without them you couldn't be this or you
• 42:03
  couldn't know that. Can I tell you something?
• 42:05
  They are nothing in comparison to Christ.
• 42:09
  His light outshines that of the greatest of ministers.
• 42:14
  And if you see any goodness come from a minister, you have to
• 42:17
  realize that the source of that light comes from the one whose
• 42:19
  face outshines them all. If you're going to fall in love
• 42:24
  with anybody, if you're going to be moved and impressed by
• 42:27
  anybody's preaching or character or love or counselor or wisdom,
• 42:32
  let it be Christ, always Christ. So these stars are, I can
• 42:40
  imagine how yes, John recognize them, but they paled in
• 42:44
  comparison to what was radiating from the face of Jesus.
• 42:49
  May that be our vision always. This also reminds us of what
• 42:56
  John experienced while Christ was on earth.
• 43:00
  Peter, James and John were the inner circle of Christ's
• 43:02
  disciples and one day he brings them up to the top of the
• 43:05
  mountain to reveal His glory. We know it to be the mount of
• 43:07
  Transfiguration and one of the descriptions that of that
• 43:11
  experiences that He shone like the sun.
• 43:16
  But I want you to see the reaction of John in this case.
• 43:19
  It says here in verse 17, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as
• 43:22
  though dead, but He laid his right hand on me, saying, fear
• 43:25
  not, I am the 1st and the last. If you actually go back to
• 43:29
  Matthew 17 verse six, you don't have to turn there.
• 43:32
  When the disciples witnessed Christ in his glory and this
• 43:37
  glory cloud overshadowed him and Elijah and Moses and a voice
• 43:40
  came from that cloud saying this is my beloved Son and whom I am.
• 43:43
  Well, please listen to him. We're told there Matthew 17 that
• 43:46
  they. Fell and were terrified.
• 43:50
  The same John who witnessed that on that mountain.
• 43:53
  Now in this vision he falls. But is he terrified?
• 43:56
  No, he falls as though he died. Why?
• 44:01
  Because as glorious as the amount of transfiguration was,
• 44:03
  this is more glorious. He is so overtaken, so
• 44:09
  overwhelmed by the sight that he crumbles at the feet of Jesus.
• 44:16
  And many people come to this verse to point out John's
• 44:19
  reaction to the pure presence of Christ, and rightfully so.
• 44:24
  But I'm afraid that people and wanting to emphasize the
• 44:26
  holiness of Christ, miss out on Jesus's reaction to John's
• 44:32
  reaction. So John responds in this way.
• 44:36
  But notice how Christ responds to John says here in verse 17
• 44:41
  saying fear not, I am the 1st and the last.
• 44:45
  Now listen, I shared this on a Wednesday night prayer evening.
• 44:48
  If I see somebody distressed, it's one thing for me to look at
• 44:54
  them in their distress and say it's going to be OK.
• 44:58
  But wouldn't you say it would be completely different in terms of
• 45:01
  counsel and comfort and assurance if I stooped down to
• 45:05
  that poor soul and put my hand on them and said it's going to
• 45:10
  be OK? Jesus didn't just look at John
• 45:14
  and say fear not. Jesus reached out his hand,
• 45:18
  touched him and says fear not. What are you to make of that?
• 45:24
  That this Jesus and all his splendor and majesty and
• 45:28
  brilliance and power, you can't even stand there and register it
• 45:35
  before you collapse. This Jesus is approachable, This
• 45:42
  Jesus though he is. Far.
• 45:45
  More infinitely, more glorious than us does not want a distance
• 45:49
  between us. He wants you to feel the
• 45:53
  boldness and the confidence to come near to Him, and He longs
• 45:56
  to draw near to us, at a touching distance, if you will.
• 46:01
  Is that how you see Christ and his glory today?
• 46:06
  Is that how you view Jesus and all his moral majesty?
• 46:13
  Do you believe that he's actually this tender hearted
• 46:15
  towards you or do you feel like there's a gap?
• 46:19
  Oh yeah, I know. Jesus died on the cross and he
• 46:21
  made the bridge between man and God so that we can be
• 46:23
  reconciled. Then I'm talking on a personal,
• 46:25
  relational level. Do you see yourself in John's
• 46:28
  shoes here? Not just stunned by his beauty,
• 46:34
  but also moved by his compassion.
• 46:37
  He reaches out his hand. He says fear not.
• 46:41
  And the reason why he can say fear not is because he reminds
• 46:43
  John of who he has just witnessed.
• 46:46
  John I'm the 1st and the last. Another autograph concerning His
• 46:54
  deity I am the 1st and the last that is a title that exclusively
• 46:58
  belongs to the Lord in the Old Testament.
• 47:00
  If anybody ever comes up to you and says you tell me where Jesus
• 47:04
  said I am God gladly Revelation One verse 17.
• 47:10
  Jesus himself said I am the 1st and the last.
• 47:13
  Where do you find that? In Isaiah 44 verse 6?
• 47:16
  Write it down and don't you dare forget it.
• 47:19
  Where Yahweh says about himself that He the King of Israel, and
• 47:24
  his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the 1st and I am the last.
• 47:28
  Besides me there is no God. But hold on, you're telling me
• 47:33
  Revelation 117 is about Christ being God?
• 47:40
  Does God die because verse 18 says and the living one, I died
• 47:46
  and behold, I am alive forevermore and I have the keys
• 47:49
  of death and Hades. No, we don't believe God died,
• 47:54
  Hold on. But we do believe that He took
• 47:57
  on flesh and with that body being laid down as a sacrifice
• 48:02
  for redemptive purpose, yes, He did die, only to resurrect and
• 48:07
  remain flesh forever as an emblem of His great love and
• 48:11
  sacrifice toward us. The only way you can explain
• 48:14
  someone who claims to be the first and the last dying and
• 48:17
  coming back to life is Christ. There's no other way.
• 48:22
  There's no other person who fits this.
• 48:24
  And that's the point. Jesus is emphasizing his divine
• 48:30
  nature, but also reminding John, I'm the same one that you saw,
• 48:34
  that you walk with, that you ate with.
• 48:37
  I die, but I'm alive now. And not just alive, I'm alive
• 48:40
  forever more. He's never going to die again.
• 48:44
  There's no other sacrifice that needs to be made again.
• 48:47
  And here's the thing, we will share in that eternal promise.
• 48:51
  In what sense? Well, we'll have a resurrection
• 48:53
  like His. So in the same way that He is
• 48:55
  alive forevermore, if we are in Him and will be raised by Him,
• 48:58
  then we too will never die again.
• 49:02
  In fact, there's a day coming where this glorious Christ with
• 49:05
  His voice, according to John chapter 5, will call out to the
• 49:08
  tombs, and all those tombs will respond, some unto the
• 49:11
  resurrection of life, others unto the resurrection of
• 49:14
  judgement. I missed it, didn't I?
• 49:18
  Where he talks about in verse 15, his voice was like the roar
• 49:21
  of many waters. That's powerful.
• 49:25
  I was born and raised in Canada and many people want to see
• 49:28
  Niagara Falls. I've seen it many times and
• 49:31
  apart from the sight of that amount of water that's just
• 49:36
  continually gushing, it's the sound.
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  It's just otherworldly. You can almost feel it the base
• 49:45
  in your chest that's Jesus voice and one day it's going to call
• 49:49
  out to the graves and they're all going to respond.
• 49:52
  In fact, if you want to do more Old Testament study voice like
• 49:55
  the roar of many waters that's ascribed to the voice of God in
• 49:58
  Ezekiel meaning what? Well, he's God if you haven't
• 50:04
  got it yet. Now what happens next says I
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  have the keys of death in Hades. In other words, because I
• 50:14
  conquer death, I am now the owner of death and the grave,
• 50:19
  which means many things. Can I tell you how it comforts
• 50:21
  me? If I belong to him, then he
• 50:24
  determines the timing of my death and the means of my death.
• 50:30
  So why are you afraid of a future potential doctor report?
• 50:36
  What? Why are you afraid of accidents?
• 50:40
  Why are you concerned about your safety to the degree that it
• 50:43
  paralyzes you in life? Death lost its keys, Hades.
• 50:50
  The grave lost its keys. Christ has it in his hand.
• 50:54
  And the same way He has those pastors and he has you in his
• 50:56
  hands, He has that domain in his possession.
• 51:00
  So what does that mean when it's time?
• 51:02
  He'll put the key in the keyhole, open it up.
• 51:04
  It says it's time for you to go. You.
• 51:07
  Not yet. I still have more work for you
• 51:09
  to do. But when you're ready to go,
• 51:11
  it's time for you to go. Let's go.
• 51:13
  Isn't that freeing? They freed me this week.
• 51:18
  But then he goes on to see something that we've covered
• 51:20
  before, right? Therefore, in verse 19, the
• 51:23
  things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to
• 51:26
  take place after this, we confirm that this is the outline
• 51:29
  of the Book of Revelation. But let me add something else.
• 51:32
  Don't you find it interesting that Jesus revealing Himself in
• 51:37
  this way to John doesn't do it to these churches?
• 51:41
  Let me put it this way. Is it possible that Christ could
• 51:43
  appear to the church in Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum in the
• 51:48
  middle of a meeting, show up in the same way that he revealed
• 51:50
  himself to John? Yeah, he could have.
• 51:52
  Who says he can't? He chooses not to, though.
• 51:57
  He appears like this before a credible eyewitness, one of his
• 52:00
  apostles, for the apostle, then to write it down and then give
• 52:05
  it to the church. Here's what this tells me that
• 52:10
  God's primary way of revealing His glory to His people is in a
• 52:15
  book. This is the window that you will
• 52:20
  look through in order to behold the glory of Christ.
• 52:24
  That's what he designed even in the early church.
• 52:27
  He goes right at John. And let this book be the means
• 52:30
  by which people will see who I am.
• 52:33
  So do you want to experience the glory of Christ?
• 52:36
  Do you want to study? All that He is and how that
• 52:39
  relates to you, you're not going to get it any other way than
• 52:42
  through this book. Write it down.
• 52:46
  And that's why we have Bible in the name of our church, because
• 52:51
  this is how God wants to communicate to us and how we
• 52:54
  experience Him. And here's the encouraging part.
• 52:58
  Look at verse 20. As for the mystery of the seven
• 53:01
  stars that you saw on my right hand and the seven golden
• 53:03
  lampstands, the seven stars of the angels of the seven
• 53:06
  churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven
• 53:08
  churches. What's Jesus doing here?
• 53:09
  He's explaining, John, I know that that was a mystery to you,
• 53:14
  seeing those seven stars and those 7 golden lampstands, but
• 53:16
  here I'm here to tell you what they mean.
• 53:20
  Jesus Christ is ready to teach you and I His Word.
• 53:25
  You have to believe that if this is the means by which we
• 53:28
  experience him and see him, then surely He will be gracious
• 53:31
  enough to help us see him and hear Him.
• 53:35
  There's a promise that Paul made to Timothy and he makes it to
• 53:38
  us. He says, and I'll just quote it
• 53:41
  to you in Second Timothy 27. Think over what I say, for the
• 53:47
  Lord will give you understanding and everything.
• 53:53
  That's after he hurried and giving him metaphors of what the
• 53:55
  Christian life is like and he says, Timothy, if you do your
• 54:00
  part to take this seriously enough to think about it,
• 54:04
  meditate on it, compare it, talk about it, Here's God's promise
• 54:08
  to you. I'm going to give you
• 54:10
  understanding in it. Now here's what's important as
• 54:13
  we continue revelation. That verse is a promise us when
• 54:16
  he's going to give us understanding.
• 54:18
  Some of us want understanding right away.
• 54:20
  Doesn't happen like that. He will do it at the right time.
• 54:25
  Nor does he promise the way in which he will do it.
• 54:28
  You know, I have some people who refuse to learn anything about
• 54:31
  God's Word unless they have it in their own subjective
• 54:33
  experience, unless it comes straight here.
• 54:36
  Downloaded here. That's the only way that they
• 54:38
  want to receive truth. But but God's ways are larger
• 54:40
  than our ways. He can give you and I
• 54:43
  understanding here when somebody preaches.
• 54:48
  And you learn and go. That's the Lord giving me
• 54:50
  understanding. He can do it when somebody hands
• 54:52
  you books of men that God has used to explain things in the
• 54:54
  scriptures. He can do it at a time of
• 54:56
  prayer. He can do it over a cup of
• 54:58
  coffee. When you're talking to a spirit
• 54:59
  filled brother and they bring up something about something you
• 55:01
  never knew about or something that you were confused about.
• 55:03
  God uses Him to bring you understanding.
• 55:06
  But here's the promise. If God wants to speak to us
• 55:09
  through this, He will indeed reveal Himself if you desire it.
• 55:14
  If you desire. It well, I think that's enough
• 55:17
  for one Sunday. Let's give Him thanks for all
• 55:20
  that He has done and how He has revealed Himself to us in His
• 55:24
  Word. Lord, we sometimes feel the
• 55:45
  daunting task of trying to describe Your Son Jesus Christ.
• 55:53
  Keep us from all error, from all human interpretation.
• 55:59
  We pray, Lord, that we would have the Spirit's help in our
• 56:04
  journey of knowing who You are. Lord, if if our hearts are not
• 56:09
  captivated by who you are, we do ask for your help.
• 56:14
  Change us. And Lord, help us believe that
• 56:17
  you were in the midst of Your church.
• 56:20
  Help us believe that You're holding on to us.
• 56:22
  Help us believe that even when we fall apart, when we realize
• 56:28
  how we come short of Your glory, You're right there ready to
• 56:31
  bring us up again and comfort us.
• 56:34
  You remind us that you've conquered death, that we belong
• 56:37
  to you not because of what we've done, but because what you've
• 56:39
  done on our behalf. So Lord, with our attempt to try
• 56:44
  to understand who you are, help us now sing to you in the way
• 56:48
  that you deserve. And we believe that you, the
• 56:50
  living Christ, see us and hear us.
• 56:52
  And Lord, we do pray for your special protection over this
• 56:55
  church, that it would be what you wanted to be.
• 56:58
  And as we prepare to study the churches of Asia, help us in
• 57:03
  humility and hunger conform to your way so that you would be
• 57:07
  pleased by this place. We love you Lord, and we want to
• 57:15
  express it now to you in song. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
• 57:20
  Let's stand church. If I can be transparent and
• 57:53
  share my experience this week in preparation for this Sunday in a
• 57:57
  good way, it was overwhelming. And I thought to myself, if it's
• 58:01
  overwhelming for me to look at the descriptions with black ink
• 58:06
  on white pages, what was it like for John to see it with his own
• 58:09
  eyes? And we're going to see him one
• 58:13
  day, but not just see him one day.
• 58:16
  What you just heard this Sunday is what Christ is doing in His
• 58:20
  church now. He's walking, He's purging, He's
• 58:25
  strengthening, He's protecting. And for the next few weeks we're
• 58:30
  going to look at what Christ is saying to His church and He's
• 58:35
  going to be speaking to us in many ways, and I'm looking
• 58:37
  forward to it. I got to tell you something,
• 58:40
  once Sunday finishes, I'm already thinking about next
• 58:42
  Sunday. I am serious.
• 58:45
  I'm already thinking, Lord, what are you going to show me this
• 58:47
  week? What are you going to show me
• 58:49
  this week? I want to see it and He's
• 58:51
  faithful to show it to me. If you think over what He says,
• 58:55
  He promises to give you understanding in all things.
• 58:57
  I can tell you after 12 years of walking with Christ, He has
• 59:00
  never failed me. Oh, but then there have been
• 59:02
  times I've paced back and forth in my room wondering, Lord, what
• 59:04
  does this mean? I don't get it.
• 59:06
  Or I look at somebody else and they have understand.
• 59:08
  I think to myself, oh, how did they get there?
• 59:11
  But He knows exactly what I am able to digest and what I need
• 59:14
  and when I need it. And then I got to remember, this
• 59:17
  is not about me just gaining knowledge.
• 59:19
  This is about me falling deeper and deeper in love with Christ.
• 59:23
  That's what it's about. Don't miss it.
• 59:26
  You know who missed it? The Church of Ephesus.
• 59:28
  Oh, they had a lot of knowledge. They knew what to do, but they
• 59:32
  missed their first love. I better be careful.
• 59:34
  I'm going to preach the next week's message.
• 59:36
  Let's pray, shall we? How Many thanks can we give to
• 59:42
  you, O Lord, for all the things that you've done for us?
• 59:45
  But if there's one final thing we should say thank you for,
• 59:48
  it's this church, Oh, Lord, to be in a group of people every
• 59:53
  week who want the sermon to be longer, who want the service to
• 59:57
  extend because they hunger and thirst for your truth.
• 1:00:01
  Lord, we pray that that would never die, that would never
• 1:00:03
  shrink, that it'll only excel more and more.
• 1:00:06
  Lord, as we fellowship, please bless our food.
• 1:00:09
  Bless this time. And would you be gracious, Lord,
• 1:00:11
  to even allow us to experience your presence there?
• 1:00:14
  Bring us back together, Lord, and we ask, Lord, that if you
• 1:00:18
  choose to come, we prefer that Maranatha Come, Lord Jesus, in
• 1:00:23
  Jesus name we pray, Amen.