Sermon
delivered on April 28th, 2019
Sunday Morning Service
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: Revelation 1:9-20
Revelation 1:9 I John,
who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10: I was in the Spirit on the
Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11: Saying, I
am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a
book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and
unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto
Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12: And I turned to see the voice that spake
with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13: And in the
midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a
garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14: His
head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as
a flame of fire; 15: And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16: And he had in his right
hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17: And when I saw him, I
fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,
Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18: I am he that liveth, and was dead;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death. 19: Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter; 20: The mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are
the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest
are the seven churches.
Introduction
The title of this book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." The word "revelation" in Greek is "Apokalypsis" which means revealing, uncovering,
unveiling, disclosing. The purpose of this book is to reveal Jesus Christ and His purposes. Jesus Christ is both the source and the object of revelation. The very title of this book tells us it is not God's intention conceal but to reveal Himself. He delights to make known, not to obscure nor
to confuse.
Bishop Williams wrote, "If there be no revelation, we have
no hope, and can have no comfort in our death, and no assurance of immortality
after it. If there be no revelation, we are in a perpetual maze, as if we were
at sea without star or compass and knew not what course to take to gain our
harbor."
And I will add if there be no revelation, there
will be no true worship. As we have learned in our past sermons, worship is a spontaneous and natural response to the revelation of God and His greatness. And we have seen examples of that
in our past sermons. We have looked at Moses, Isaiah, and Peter and how they responded when they
saw a supernatural vision of God's greatness and holiness. This
morning I want us to consider another man who had a life-changing vision of
God, namely, the apostle John.
Who was John?
Revelation 1:9 I John,
who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
John is one of the twelve apostles.
He is the author of several books of the New Testament, namely, the Gospel of
John, the three Epistles of John, and the book of Revelation. He is known as John the beloved and also identified as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
In this book John refers himself as a brother and companion of believers
in tribulation. Because of
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, John at this time was exiled
in the isle of Patmos. The church of Jesus Christ is under severe persecution and great opposition. The enemies of the cross banished
him in the isle of Patmos to deny him the opportunity to
teach and preach the word to his congregation. They had taken him away from his family and from the
ministry that he loved. And all this was designed to stop the spread true
Christianity. And yet despite the attempts of these persecutors John refused to
be silenced concerning the gospel. He had remained faithful under
trial.
Even with this exile, separated
from his family and his congregation, John doesn't harbor bitterness. Many times, when we go through trials and hardships
we become bitter, not so with John. He doesn't question God's providence and wisdom. He doesn't complain
about his lot in life as if his entire world has collapsed around him. Rather
during this trial, the Apostle John maintains a faithful walk
with God.
Something happened while John was
exiled at Patmos. This banishment turned out to be the most glorious event in
John's Christian life. This time of exile for John was
owned and blessed of God and gave John a glorious vision of Christ.
As I was preparing this sermon I
did not plan a three-part sermon on this text. But there is so much in this
text that one sermon is not enough. So here it is - three thoughts from this
text that I want us to consider, namely: The Revelation of the Person and Purposes of
Christ, the Response to the Person and Purpose of Christ, and the Reassurance in the Person and Purpose of
Christ. Today, we will cover the Revelation, then next Sunday, God willing, we
will talk about the Response and the Reassurance.
I The Revelation of the
Person and Purpose of Christ
Revelation 1:9 I John,
who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
What was John doing while exiled in
the isle of Patmos?
Revelation 1:10 I was in
the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet,
John though in the midst of trial and persecution, though exiled in an isolated island separated from
family and friends and congregation, and John is still in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. John is still spiritually
minded despite all his troubles. He is cut off from many things, yet his heart and mind are still under
the gracious influences of the Spirit of God. He is still
worshiping God. By the way, that's the way we should all spend the
Lord's Day
be in the
Spirit seeking to worship the Lord God who is worthy of worship. In that act of
worship, new sight of the glory of Christ was unveiled for him.
While he was in the Spirit
worshiping on the Lord's Day, John experienced one of the
greatest times in his Christian life. For while he was in the Spirit on the
Lord's Day that he was given a glorious vision of Jesus
Christ.
First John heard a voice like a
trumpet. A voice like a trumpet, signifying its power and the
attention it commands. The voice is
like a trumpet loud and clear announcing who Christ is and His eternal plan and
purposes.
When John heard the voice, he
turned around and what he saw affected him as never before.
Revelation 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake
with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks;
Upon hearing the loud piercing
voice John turned and the first thing that caught his attention was the seven
golden candlesticks. The candlesticks, Jesus makes it clear in verse 20,
represent the seven churches in Asia Minor.
Revelation 1:20 The
mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the
seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Understand that these churches are
also representatives of churches today. But then his attention moved from the seven golden candlesticks to the One standing in the middle of the candlesticks.
Revelation 1:13 And in
the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with
a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
There is One who is standing in the
middle of the candlesticks spoke saying, "I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last ..."
Revelation
1:11.
Jesus stands in the middle of His
church and reveals Himself. He shows Himself in all of His beauty and all of His glory and in all His majesty. Now John's mind and his
heart are now taken up with Him. He is gripped by what he sees. His eyes are fixed on the Lord of glory. He is completely focused on Christ. And we
need to be the same.
What kind of Jesus John sees?
John sees a vision of Christ he had
never seen before. What he sees is without a doubt difficult for John to
describe.
Revelation 1:13 And in
the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with
a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14:
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes
were as a flame of fire; 15: And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16: And he had
in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged
sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
There was a survey made years ago,
asking why many do not like going to church. Why do many dislike the organized
church? The common answer that was given was that many men found the Jesus that
was proclaimed in the church is too frail and weak.
Oh, may we never give that
impression to those who visit our church that we have a weak and helpless Jesus,
for that's not the Jesus we believe and that's not the Jesus of the Bible. That's not the Jesus that John saw. So, what kind of Jesus
did John see? The Jesus that John saw was standing in the midst of the
candlesticks wearing a long robe with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, as white as snow. His eyes
were like a flame of fire, like a blazing fire. His feet are like fine bronze,
as having been refined in a furnace; and His voice is like the voice of many
waters; like the sound of rushing waters. 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 blinding bright sun shining in full strength. John's description of the Jesus he sees doesn't sound like a helpless and weak Jesus.
1. The One who is the
beginning and end of all things ...
The Jesus that John sees is the
Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.
There are people who say Jesus
never claimed to be God. But clearly, they are mistaken for we read here in Revelation 1:11 Jesus saying, "I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last ..."
This description refers to His eternal existence. Jesus has always existed and will
always exist. This is an attribute that God alone
possesses, so when
Jesus says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13), He is claiming equality with the eternal
God the Father. He is the One who created and owns the
universe; the One who has all the power and authority; the One who rules and reigns.
Jesus claimed to be equal with the
Father in His earthly ministry as well, telling the religious leaders, "before Abraham was [born], I am" (John 8:58). No wonder they crucified Him, because they
understood His statement as a claim to be the Lord, the great "I AM"
of Exodus 3:14.
If you are still not convinced that
Jesus Christ is God, please turn to ...
Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith
the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the
first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Jesus is not a weak and helpless
man from Galilee, Jesus is the
eternal One and the Almighty who will one day return to be crowned King of
kings and Lord of lords! This is the Jesus that John saw in the isle of Patmos.
2. The One who has a
plan and purpose for the church ...
Revelation 1:11 Saying,
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a
book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and
unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto
Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
The Jesus that John sees is the One who has a plan and purpose for the church. The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last is in the midst of the seven candlesticks. As I
have mentioned a while ago, the candlesticks are the seven churches in Asia
Minor and Jesus will write letters to these
churches. These
churches are also representatives of churches today.
As Jesus stands in the middle of
the church and He has something today to the church. Jesus has a plan and that
plan is the church. The church is central in His plan. The Church is not something
peripheral to Jesus. It is not something extra to Jesus. It is not something in
addition to discipleship or in addition to some other aspect of Christian
lives. It is central to His plan. He has only one plan. I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.
Revelation 1:13 And in
the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with
a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Notice that He is clothed with a
robe down to the feet, with a golden sash around His chest, which draw the
attention to the fact that He is a King and a Priest but then He also speaks.
Revelation 1:16 And he
had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged
sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Out of His mouth comes a sharp two-edged sword. The sword of the word of God.
This points to the truth that He is also a Prophet. He is the King who rules over us,
He is a Priest who forgives us our sins and intercedes for us and He is a
Prophet who speaks to us.
How did John respond to this
revelation of Jesus Christ? We will see that next Sunday.
Closing Thoughts
Understand that this glorious
revelation was initiated by Christ. While it is true that John was in
the Spirit on the Lord's Day, it is also true that the
Lord drew near to him first of all. In other words, the Lord revealed Himself
to John. He came to His servant and by speaking to him got his attention.
Revelation 1:10 I was in
the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet,
John hears a voice and when he
heard the voice he turned around and saw seven golden candlesticks and the Lord
in the midst of them. John heard the voice of Jesus and he responded. I hope
you see the importance of hearing and
responding to the Lord's word. If
John had been inattentive and had preoccupied with something else he would have
never heard the Lord and if he had never heard the Lord he would never have the
privilege to see the Lord and to know Him as he did.
Inattention and preoccupation with other things would have robbed him of tremendous
blessing. Sad to say, inattention and preoccupation with other things is causing many Christians miss out on what the Lord has for them. May we never fall into
that state where we don't take time to let the Lord speak
to us. Do you want to hear the voice of Almighty God? Do you want a greater
revelation of God in your life? Brothers and sisters read the Bible! God speaks
and reveals Himself through His Word, the Bible.
AMEN!