The Lord of Glory – Revelation 1:12-18; 20
THE LORD OF GLORY
DATE:
TEXT: Revelation 1:12-18, 20
INTRODUCTION:
The last time we saw our friend John, he was “in the Spirit, on the Lord’s Day” - v. 10.
As he worships, John hears a voice behind him that sounds like a great trumpet.
This voice arrests his attention and he turns to see the source of this sound.
When John turns around, he sees two things:
]First, he sees seven golden lamp stands - v. 12.
Then, he sees an individual he describes as looking like “the Son of Man” - v. 13.
This phrase appears in the Old Testament, and in Daniel 7:13-14 it is used to speak of the coming Messiah.
This title was also the favorite title of the Lord Jesus when He spoke of Himself in the New Testament.
Jesus used this phrase 81 times in the Gospels.
When Stephen was being stoned, he looked into the heavens and he saw Jesus, Whom he referred to as “the Son of man”, Acts 7:56.
So, when John turns, he sees Jesus Christ.
Now, this is the first time John has seen the Lord in over 60 years.
And, He sure doesn’t look anything like He used to!
John knew Jesus very well.
The Bible seems to indicate in Mark 15:40-41 and John 19:25 that the mother of John and the mother of Jesus were sisters.
If that is true, then they were cousins.
Therefore, John probably knew Jesus as a boy.
He knew Jesus as a teacher, a miracle worker, a servant, and a soul winner.
He watched as Jesus ministered and he watched as Jesus died on the cross.
John saw the empty tomb and he saw the risen Christ.
John was there when Jesus ascended back in to Heaven.
And, John even laid his head on the breast of the Lord at the last supper.
John knew Jesus very well.
His own testimony can be found in -
I John 1:1 – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
In out text, John sees Jesus as he had never seen him before.
In these verses John sees the Lord of Glory.
He sees the glorified Christ, and John attempts to do the impossible; he attempts to describe the Lord of Glory to us.
Let’s join John as he gazes in wonder at The Lord of Glory.
Let’s read about the One we will see for ourselves at the end of life’s road.
~OPENING PRAYER~
Let’s notice the ways John describes The Lord of Glory for us today.
I. vs. 12-16 “HIS MAJESTY”
A. vs. 12-13a He Is Majestic In His “Activity” –
When John turns, he sees seven golden candlesticks.
These candlesticks, or lamp stands, are portable oil lamps used to light rooms.
The Jews call them “menorah”.
The menorah has seven branches and was used in the Tabernacle - Exodus 25:31.
The lamp stands were made of gold, the most precious of metals, and were filled with oil in which was placed a wick that was lit to produce the light.
The lamp stand represented the Holy Spirit and His ability to bring light into the world.
The lamp stand was a type of Christ.
Jesus came into this world as a man, but a man Who was filled with the Spirit of God, and Who served as the Light of the world –
John 8:12 – “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Our text has Jesus in the “midst of the seven candlesticks”.
The lamp stands in this passage are identified for us in
verse 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.”
We are told that they represent the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 1:11.
The lamp stands are gold, representing the precious nature of the church.
There is no institution on the earth as precious and as beautiful as the church!
The church is so precious to God that Jesus was willing to purchase it with His Own blood!
There are seven of the lamp stands.
Again, seven is the number of completeness or perfection.
These lamp stands stand for real churches, but they also represent all local churches down through the ages.
The real message of the lamp stands, however, is in their purpose.
The lamp stands picture the church as the “light of the world”
Philippians 2:15 – “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
Ephesians 5:8 – “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”
Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
So, that brings us to what I wanted to say about this verse.
Jesus is pictured as being in the midst of His churches.
When we gather, He is always here with us –
Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
He is in our misdst:
]Helping us ]Speaking to us ]Protecting us ]Directing us ]Blessing us ]Encouraging us and ]Challenging us
He is in the midst of His people as we live, worship and move toward glory.
There are times when we can recognize His presence and there are times when we forget that He is here.
Still, He is with us all the same.
If we could ever forget about our agenda; our order of service; our concerns; …
And recognize the presence of the Lord in His church it would transform our worship services.
Thank God He loves us and desires to meet with us!
You and I may not show up at the place of worship, but Jesus never misses a service!!
He Is Majestic In His “Activity”
B. vs. 13b-16 He Is Majestic In His “Appearance” –
Here is where John begins to attempt the impossible.
He is going endeavor to describe The Lord of Glory in terms that we can understand.
1. v. 13b His Garments –
Jesus appears “clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
This is the attire of both a King and a Priest.
As a King, Jesus is the Sovereign Lord.
He is in absolute control and He rules today, even though the world does not recognize Him –
Revelation 17:14 – “…for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
Jesus is sovereign over His churches and over His world.
As a Priest, Jesus is our “man on the inside”.
He is our Intercessor; the One Who prays for us in Heaven day by day –
Hebrews 7:25 – “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Romans 8:34 – “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
I Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
I John 2:1 – “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
When we see Him, we will see our High Priest and our King.
His Garments and
2. v. 14a His Head and His Hair –
This speaks of His purity and of His antiquity.
We are reminded that He is sinlessly pure –
Hebrews 7:26 – “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;”
II Corinthians 5:21 – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
I Peter 2:22 – “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”
We are also reminded that He is ageless!
This vision of Jesus identifies Him with “The Ancient of Days” found in Daniel 7:9 –
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
He is the One Who has always existed!
The baby Jesus Who was place in that manger in Bethlehem is the same One Who stood on nothing and created everything in the beginning!
He is timeless and eternal!
John talks about his head.
]That head was laid on Mary’s breast for comfort as a child.
]That head had no place to rest itself as an adult.
]That head was crowned with thorns and His Own blood mixed with the spittle of His enemies.
]That head was laid in a cold, dark tomb and covered with a napkin.
]One day, one glorious day, that head will be adorned with many crowns!
His Garments, His Head, His Hair and
3. v. 14b His Eyes –
They speak of His omniscience; intelligence and perception
Hebrews 4:13 – “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Proverbs 15:3 - “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Nothing is hidden from His gaze!
Not a Zaccheaus in a tree, not a Peter by a fire, not the heart of a critical Pharisees!
No, He sees every motive, sin and secret in our hearts and in our lives.
Those eyes were damp with tears for Lazarus, for Jerusalem and for us.
Those eyes still see everything in our lives today!
His Garments, His Head, His Hair, His Eyes and
4. v. 15a His Feet –
Brass, or bronze, in the Bible speaks of judgment.
The “brazen serpent” of Numbers 21 was a symbol of the sin of the people being judged by the chastisement of God.
Jesus appears here in the midst of His churches as One having the authority to judge.
He sees all and when He sees that which displeases Him, He exercise His authority as King and Lord and He moves in judgment to set things right.
]Those precious feet of the Lord Jesus touched this earth for the first time when He was but a baby.
]They carried Him along the dusty pathways of Israel as He ministered and preached to the people.
]They carried Him to the top of Calvary where those feet felt the searing pain of the nails driven through them.
]Those feet were last seen as He ascended back to His father’s throne.
]For the last two thousand years those feet have felt nothing but the golden streets of that city.
]Soon, those feet will ride the clouds back to this world when Jesus calls His bride to Himself.
]Than, one day, those feet will again touch this world.
He will come in power to - judge sin, Satan and sinful man as He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
He’ll come as a Judge!
His Garments, His Head, His Hair, His Eyes and His Feet, but also
5. v. 15b His Voice –
When John first hears the Lord, His voice is described as sounding like a trumpet - v. 10.
His voice came demanding John’s attention.
Nere, John describes the voice of the Lord as “the sound of many waters”.
Just like Niagara Falls, the sound of those waters drowns out all other noise.
12 million cubic feet of water per minute flows over that cataract and as that water crashes onto the rocks below it becomes the only sound that is heard, and the only sound that matters.
Thus it is with the voice of Jesus.
Today, men turn a deaf ear to His voice; but there is coming a day when He will speak and His voice will be one that will and cannot be ignored.
One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord at the sound of that voice.
]This is the same voice that spoke this world into existence.
]This is the same voice that declared redemption’s work complete, John 19:30.
]This is the same voice that will call the Bride up to glory - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
]This voice will be the most cruel voice to ever fall upon the ears of a lost man
Matthew 7:23 – “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
But, it will be the most precious ever heard by those who have been saved by grace –
Matthew 25:23 – “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
I am glad that I heard that voice call me to come to Him one day.
I am glad that I hear that voice day by day as I travel toward glory.
I am grateful that I will hear that voice at the end of the way as He says, “Welcome home!”
His Garments, His Head, His Hair, His Eyes and His Feet, His Voice and
6. v. 16a His Hand –
In His right hand, the hand that speaks of power, Jesus holds the seven stars.
These stars are identified in verse 20.
They are the “angels of the seven churches”.
Some people believe these stars refer to a guardian angel that is given charge over each church.
Others feel that the stars refer to the pastors of these churches.
I personally lean toward the latter interpretation.