Sermon
delivered on May 5th, 2019
Sunday Morning Service
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: Revelation 1
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
How many of you got in trouble for
doing the right thing? Have you had a situation where you were punished or
mistreated for doing what is right? You were avoided by your peers for being a
Christian. You lost your friends because you quit drinking. You lost your job
because you refuse to manipulate the numbers. You did not get the promotion you
deserved because you would not take advantage of another.
In our text we see a classic
example of an individual who suffered for doing the right thing. I am speaking
of the apostle John, who refers to Himself in this book as a "brother, and companion in tribulation." John was banished in the isle of
Patmos because of his faithfulness to the word of God and to the gospel of
Jesus Christ. But this time of exile for John was owned and blessed of God and gave John a glorious
vision of Christ. While in
exile, John had a direct vision of exalted Christ. In this vision John was
given the privilege to see the glory and
majesty of Jesus Christ. He was also given the privilege
to see Christ amidst the Church, as the Prophet, Priest and King. He saw Him
walking among His churches for the purposes of reconciling, interceding,
sanctifying, guiding, protecting and shining. John had never encountered Jesus
like this before and this morning, I invite you to look at the response of John
to the revelation of Christ's glory and majesty and His eternal
purposes and plans for the Church.
John's Response to the
Revelation of the Person and Purposes of Christ
Revelation 1:17 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:
As soon as John saw Jesus in all
His glory and majesty, all John can do is fall on his face in worship. Really, this is the only proper response. He is face to face with the Alpha and Omega, the
first and the last, the Sovereign King, Ruler and Judge of all creation and all
eternity.
Remember this is the same John who has identifies himself as the disciple whom Jesus
loved. This is the same the apostle John who had spent at least three years of his life in the presence of Jesus. Being an apostle, he traveled with the Jesus throughout Saviour's earthly
ministry. As they traveled he heard Christ preached and taught doctrines with authority and power. In many
occasions, he had witnessed Christ performed many
miracles. He was there
in Cana when Christ turned water into wine. He was there when Jesus healed the
lame and gave sight to the blind. He was there when Jesus performed the miracle
of great catch of fish. He was there when Jesus walked on water. He was there
when Jesus calmed the sea. He was there when Jesus fed the five thousand with
five loaves of bread and two fishes. He was there when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. He was there when on the Mount of Transfiguration and given a
glimpse of the blinding brightness of the glory of Christ. John is not just a disciple in name. He was not an outsider. He was one of the inner circles
along with Peter and James. John was a man with a very close relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ and because of that close relationship he had many
tremendous experiences with the Lord.
Bur as Jesus gave him a greater
revelation of His glory and majesty, John fell at Jesus' feet as dead
man. The sight of Christ was so overwhelming to John that he was not able to stand. This is John's spontaneuos
response to the greatness of Jesus Christ He falls at
His feet as though he was dead. What does this falling at Jesus
feet tell us about John's response?
1. John Responded in
Humility
A true sight of Christ produces humility. John's response to the new and fresh sight of Christ is
humility. He immediately realized as he looks upon the Lord that Christ is
everything, but he is nothing. He saw his own unworthiness. A true sight of the glory and
majesty of Jesus Christ and understanding of person and the purposes Christ is a very humbling experience.
When we see the Lord, there is no room for selfish pride. What are we to be proud of? There
is really nothing that we can to boast about in this life. Nothing. Because
ultimately every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of
lights. And a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. And then don't forget the
fact that we all have sinned against the Lord. We are unworthy of Him. We do not deserve Him, and His salvation and we can
certainly add nothing to Him and to His salvation. Even our best efforts are stained with failure and we have no reason to be proud. So, when you meet a person who thinks
the world revolves around him
that person is
not seeing the Lord as he should be.
If you and I understand grace and
if we take time to deeply think about Christ and gaze upon the Lord of glory -
it's a humbling thing.
2. John Responded in Fear
John fell to the ground afraid. How do we know that? Because in
verse 17 we read our Lord's word to John, "Fear not; I am the first and the last." John was filled with fear at the sight of Christ. What
was it that filled John with fear when he saw the Lord? I believe upon seeing
Christ and His glory he became painfully aware of Christ's holiness and his own sinfulness.
Doesn't this remind us of Isaiah's response when he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the
glory of the LORD filled the temple and when he heard the angelic being before
the throne crying, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is
full of his glory? What was Isaiah's response?
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am
undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of
unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Every time that someone is
privileged to see even a glimpse of the glory of God, their response is fear.
When God reveals a vision of Himself to Daniel, Daniel lost all strength and fell with his face to the
ground. When Ezekiel is exposed to the glory of God and
he falls on his face. When Paul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, he also falls to the ground.
The consistent response of those
who saw even just a glimpse of His glory is that of fear. Yet, how careless many are today in their attitude toward Jesus Christ, the Creator of
the Universe.
Tony Garland wrote ...
"We, who dare not even touch a 60-watt light bulb
without wearing protective gloves, often treat Him (God) as our "Genie on call." We don't have the slightest notion or
appreciation of His holiness, even daring to think that worship is about
pleasing usexpressing our dislike if the music is not to our taste or we are
unable to drink coffee during the "worship service." How much we are in need of a
glimpse of His glory that we might have a Scriptural fear of the Lord! A lack
of fear for God is the characteristic of His enemies (Ps. 36:1; Jer. 2:19; 5:24;
Rom. 3:18) and "fear"
is one of His
titles (Gen. 31:42, 53)."
3. John Responded in
Submission
One who bows before God conveys an attitude of submission. Falling down before Christ
provides a physical picture of submission to Christ's authority
and sovereignty. This is what we see all throughout the book of Revelation.
Revelation 4:10 The four
and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11: Thou art worthy, O
Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 7:11 And all
the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four
beasts, and fell before the throne
on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 19:4 And the
four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne,
saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5: And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Falling down before the God is an outward expression of complete
submission of an inferior being to a Superior Being. It is a
beautiful illustration of a humble submission to God's will, His
word, His plan, His providence. When we see Christ as we should the response
from our hearts would be "I surrender all".
The sight of Christ overwhelmed
John. When was the
last time you were overwhelmed with Christ, so overwhelmed that you responded
in humility, fear, and submission and surrender? This is the unrehearsed response of all who have
been privileged to see the glory of the Lord. Only a true sight of Christ's glory and majesty will produce
humility, fear, and submission.
Closing Thoughts
What John saw while exiled in the
isle of Patmos is accurately recorded in the Scripture and is now revealed to
us. The question is, does this great portrait of Jesus affect you? How are you
responding to this revelation of Jesus?
There are many today who still
refuse to humble themselves and bow down before Jesus Christ. They have made
their minds not to submit to Jesus Christ and His gospel message and as a
result they have not received forgiveness and salvation.
When John heard the loud piercing
voice of Jesus he turned around and what he saw affected him as never before.
Do you hear the voice of Jesus
calling you for salvation? Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts. Come and to Jesus and be saved.
Do you hear the voice of Jesus
calling you for deeper commitment and service? Today, if you hear His voice, do
not harden your hearts. Come to Jesus and commit your life for greater service.
He deserves it!
AMEN!