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April 2-4, 2016
April 2-4, 2016
EASTER
2
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
Revelation 1:9-16
“A COMFORTING PICTURE OF OUR LIVING LORD
JESUS”
1.
He
knows where you’re at.
2.
He
has all power.
3.
He
has all authority.
Revelation
1:9-16 (NIV 1984)
“I, John, your brother and companion in
the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on
the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On
the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a
trumpet, 11which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it
to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia and Laodicea.”12I turned around to see the voice that
was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and
among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe
reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His
head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like
blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and
his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand
he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His
face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17When I saw
Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and
said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the
Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the
keys of death and Hades.”
For this past Lenten season and Holy
Week we looked at many different portraits or pictures of Jesus during His
passion. It was interesting to try to picture the looks on Jesus’ face during
the various events. Now it’s after Easter, after Jesus rose from the dead. What
does He look like now? Well we know that when Jesus wanted it to happen, Mary
Magdalene and the Emmaus disciples did not recognize Him. Then they did. The
disciples in the Upper Room recognized Him with his wounds still visible. What
do you think the risen Lord Jesus looks like now? I’m going to go out on a limb
and guess that none of you pictured Him as John saw Him in Revelation. It was
about 95, 100 A.D. And John received a picture of our Risen Lord Jesus that is
very comforting. Let’s see why.
First it’s comforting because it shows
Jesus knows where we are at. Where was John at? “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and
patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because
of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord’s Day I
was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which
said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
John was on a 40 square mile island of rock in the Aegean Sea. He had been
exiled there by the Roman government I guess as an enemy of the state. His
crime? He had been proclaiming the word of God as the truth and testifying that
Jesus is God and Lord. I guess Rome hoped to minimize his influence. But did
you notice how John saw himself in this book that is to comfort Christians
until the end of this world? Your brother and companion in the suffering and
kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. Suffering, kingdom, patient
endurance. In Jesus.
Do you do Easter baskets in your home?
If so, what did you get? The Easter baskets of those who follow the risen Lord
Jesus can be filled with suffering, kingdom, patient endurance. Look at John.
What was Patmos like? I’m guessing at the time if it was used for exile it
probably held mostly prisoners. It was no Aegean Sea resort. I’m sure John
longed to be with his fellow believers. He suffered for following Jesus.
Kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom. Not like the ones of the world. It’s Jesus ruling in
the hearts of His loving subjects through love and the Gospel. It lasts to
eternity. Patient endurance. John would have to wait and endure patiently for the Lord to help him. But Jesus knew
where he was at. He was not abandoned.
Neither are you. Jesus wanted John
sharing this vision of him with all his followers, us included. That’s why God
made sure it was written in the Bible. John is our companion in suffering,
kingdom and patient endurance. That means as faithful followers of Jesus we
will experience it too. I haven’t been exiled, not even beaten or whipped for
that matter. But sufferings for Jesus still come. They might be the laughs
behind the back when you stand for what is right, or the things you miss out on
because Jesus comes first. There might be some more obvious ones coming down
the road. Kingdom. We are part of Christ’s kingdom too. He rules in our hearts
now through His love and we will rule all things with Him in eternity. Patient
endurance. Ooh, yeah, there is a better way of handling things than
complaining. Jesus knows where we are at.
He has all power. “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I
turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was
someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and
with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white
like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His
feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of
rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of
his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in
all its brilliance.” I ask you
again, is this what you picture the risen Lord Jesus looking like? Remember
this is Revelation. The visions are pictures that teach truth. The seven golden
lampstands are the 7 churches serving as light to the world where God had
placed them. The stars are the ones who brought God’s message to those
churches. One translation says angels. I think better the messengers are the
earthly ones, their pastors. They are held safely in Jesus strong right hand.
Look at the description of Jesus again. Brilliant like the sun. A robe with a
golden sash. Sounds good. But then head and hair white as snow. Eyes like
blazing fire. Feet of glow bronze. A powerful voice and a mouth with a double
edged sword. Sounds kind of scary. And it is for some. Can you imagine being a
soldier in WWII hunkered down in a foxhole. Enemies all around you. Nothing you
can do. All of the sudden the ground starts shaking. You hear the metallic
clinking of heavy armor and tanks approaching. Are you scared of them? Well it
depends whose side they are on right? If they are yours those intimidating
looking tanks will be one of most beautiful sights you could imagine. So is
this picture of Jesus. John had enemies, the Roman government, the false
teachers who were vexing the young Christian church, the devil, the demons. With
the exception of the Roman government we have the same enemies John did. Our
government’s disposition toward Christianity may change. Those enemies look at
Jesus and shake in terror. We look and our comforted because He’s on our side,
more accurately, we get to be on His! Jesus has all power.
And all the authority. “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as
though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I
am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and
behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
You can understand John’s reaction. It’s the typical reaction a sinner has in
the presence of a holy being, be it angels or God. But look instead at Jesus’
reaction. He put His right hand on John. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. And then
Jesus gave John the reasons He did not need to have fear. Jesus is the living
one. The I AM. Death had no authority over Jesus. It was the other way around.
Jesus had the authority over death and Hell.
Do you see what that means? The Devil
can’t win. He’s already beaten. Hell isn’t his kingdom. It’s his prison! And
Jesus has the key. All of the things the devil did to try to stop John from
leading the early Church, no matter what he tries today, it is all under Jesus’
control. Just look at what happened with John. The government of Rome had
exiled John to Patmos, about 40 square miles. What influence could he have
there? So what does Jesus do but deliver the book we call Revelation with its
messages to the seven churches and every other one after them, including us. John’s
exile served Jesus glory. Thank you Roman government! You were used by Jesus.
So are all the other plots and plans of the enemies of Christ and His followers.
There is no need for to fret and worry. Jesus has all authority.
It can be fun to look through picture
books to see what you, your children, parents or grandparents look like at
different stages of their life. We all have different pictures in mind of
Jesus, mostly as artists have portrayed Him as a baby in the manger, a young
boy at the Temple, a travelling teacher, the Good Shepherd, on the cross, in
the upper room. The picture we looked at today is one God Himself provided. It
shows our Lord Jesus at this stage with all power and all authority. He knows right
where we are at, just what we need and everything that’s going on. As you leave
today you can smile no matter what you are up against. This Jesus has your
back! Amen.
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