Beholding Christ as He Is: Part 5 - Revelation 1: 12-18

1:28Well, it's taking a look. Time to behold Christ as he is. This is the way he currently is. Not the way he was, but the way he is. Well, we're looking at God. And so, yeah, it takes a little time to really get our minds around what's being communicated. And so, we'll continue working our way through this vision. This is the first vision that John sees, and it's of Jesus Himself, the revealing of Jesus Christ, His person.

2:04So, what does Jesus look like? Well, we've already looked at His head and hair, verse 14. We've looked at His eyes in verse 14. John describes His feet in verse 15, He also describes His voice in verse 15. Today, we'll begin verse 16, and I mean begin verse 16 by looking at what's in His hand, looking at His hand specifically. And I want us to look upon Jesus as He currently is, so that you and I will bow down to Him alone. A lot of competition in the world today, vying for your allegiance.

2:53There was a lot in John's day vying for the allegiances of the churches. And Jesus gave this vision of himself to the churches so that we would not be tempted to bow down to any other element in the world, but that we would bow to him alone. First, I want to look at his right hand. Well, we'll spend all of our time really there looking at his right hand this morning. Look back at verse 16. In his right hand, he held seven stars. Literally, he is holding. In his right hand, he is holding seven stars. Metaphor. Picture. He's got something in his hand. He's walking among the lampstands, the churches.

3:56But he's holding in his hand seven stars. A couple metaphors here. Significance. There's significance in each. Two questions about the seven stars. First, being: who are they? Who are they? Well, they clearly refer to those he holds in his hand. And in verse 20, look at verse 20. We don't have to wonder who the seven stars are. As for the mystery of the seven stars, which you Saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. He has churches, and he has stars among the churches.

4:47So, who are they? Well, an interpretive issue. We'll deal more with this in the Sunday school hour for those of you who are attending there. Is this angels, or is this referring to ministers? The word is the word for angel. In some translations, you'll see the angels, in some you'll see the elders, they are or messengers. Well, it's almost certainly a reference to human ministers, not angels. A reference to the perhaps the leading elder or leading pastor or messenger, the one to whom the message is entrusted, that John would give this message to show the things that are to take place. And this letter, this letter, prophetic letter, was to be circulated, and there were those who were responsible for the spiritual condition of the church.

6:01It's probably to these, almost certainly to these. Probably not a reference to celestial angels for several reasons. Number one, it would be unprecedented in Scripture for a divine message to be sent to angelic beings through human agency. Usually happens the other way around. The message is communicated to angels and then it gets given to humans. It's not likely that Jesus is using the churches to send a message to angels. This would be kind of like me trying to communicate something to my administrative assistant by publishing something in the newspaper and hope she gets it, right?

7:03The letter is clearly intended to churches. Look at chapter 2 and verse 7. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Look at verse 17. He who has ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. And throughout the next couple chapters, you have this statement. It is clearly this letter is intended for the churches. But another reason why this does not refer to angels, it would be also unprecedented to call fallen angels to repent. Look at chapter 2 and verse 5. If this is a letter to an angel, therefore remember from where you have fallen and repent and do the deeds you did at first.

7:57No, there's no, and throughout, there's a message of repentance to these churches, and if it's addressed to a celestial being, an angel, calling a fallen angel to repent, there's no evidence in salvation, certainly no convincing evidence in Scripture that salvation is offered to angels. The word angel, the Greek word here that is translated as angel, is also used to speak of human agency in other places. For instance, you remember John the Baptist in Luke 7:27. This is the one about whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger, my angel.

8:54I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before me. He says, I say to you, those born of women, there is no one greater than John, yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. In this case, John is the herald, he's heralding the message. Same word for angel, John the Baptist, a herald. In Luke chapter 9, remember when Jesus was about to go into Samaria in chapter 9 and verse 52, and Jesus sent messengers, angels, on ahead of him, human agencies, human. He sent messengers on ahead of him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for him. So in this case, the messenger or the angel refers to people who are going to prepare a place for Jesus. You remember what happened? They didn't receive Jesus. So James and John are ready to call fire out of heaven and destroy them.

10:14But these stars represent those who are most responsible for heralding Christ and preparing people to receive the Christ. Whether that's a leading elder, pastor, minister, or even the messenger that's going to carry the letter, it may be I know, like if I was a disciple of John or been influenced by his ministry and he was on the island of Patmos, I'd probably be going and visiting him periodically. And so, either way, this is these stars. Who are they? They are ministers, ministers of truth to the churches, among the churches.

11:05Second question, still in the metaphoric thought: what do stars do? What do stars do? Well, first of all, they, the obvious, they light, right? And largely, they light by way of reflection, unless you're the sun, right? And then you luminous. No, they light by way of reflection. They're not the source of light, but they let others see light. I have in my room, in my study, this statement by J.C. Ryle says, To be allowed to remove a few grains of ignorance and to throw a few rays of light on God's precious word is. In my opinion, the greatest honor that can be placed on a Christian.

12:06Stars light. Ministers light. They light by proclaiming truth in word and deed. And so showcasing through their lives and through their words and through everything that they do, they showcase the God of the universe. They light. What's another thing stars do? Well, they herald. The morning star heralds the dawn. Peter said it like this in 2 Peter 1:19. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your heart. You know, the morning star heralds in the morning. And what Peter is saying is like the word of God. It's like a lamp shining in the dark. It'll give you sight until that day the morning dawns and the morning star arises.

13:06So the morning star is associated with, and that's exactly what John the Baptist was, right? A herald of truth. A herald of truth. What do stars do? What do ministers do? They herald the truth. They're heralds. They light the path, they bring clarity. Another thing stars do, at least metaphorically speaking, is they guide, don't they? You know, there was a time when people relied on the stars to guide them across the ocean in a ship, right? Navigation by stars, get lost.

13:54Well, the same is true today. You just may not realize it as much. Every time you pull out your phone and ask it to navigate you somewhere, guess what it's doing? It's triangulating through satellites to the stars to figure out exactly where you are on planet Earth and the trajectory of your movement, and it's guiding you. Same. We don't directly look at the stars, but that's the way navigation systems work. I can remember going out, survey crew, in the middle of the night to do a star survey. Like, why are we going out in the middle of the night? It's the only time you can see the stars. And we've got to figure out where we are on Earth.

14:42But that's what stars do, they guide. In Matthew chapter 2, verse 9, you remember it was a star that led the wise men to Jesus. After hearing the king. They went their way, and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming to the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshipped him. And then, opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You see, we need to know where we are and what trajectory we are going, not just on physical planet Earth, but in spiritual relationship to God Almighty. And it is the herald of truth, through the truth, through the ministry of the word, that guides people to the truth, to the Christ revealed in Scripture. Listen, God has put you on this earth, and he has not put you here to go and squander your life away, but that you would yield to him the things that are him, and in so doing have a relationship. This is the purpose for your life.

16:14And you'll never know peace until you know him. And heralds tell you the word, they herald the words that show you the way. Listen, we. We need to know where we are and where we are going. And ministers of truth guide. You know what stars also do to the night sky? They lighten it up. They gladden the hearts of those who see them. Stars indicate that the darkness is not exhaustive, it is not comprehensive. So you can think of these ministers of the seven churches as those who proclaim truth, who guide those among the lamps, those that the lampstands reflect.

17:19They guide them and they cheer them. They're a comfort and strengthen churches. Let's just think about, that's what stars do. But look at where they are. They are in his right hand. And in the Greek, the word right is in the place of emphasis. They are in the place of power, place of Christ's authority. Christ has authority over those in his. Hand. They are his. They are at his disposal. They are not at the disposal of anyone else. They are his.

18:13He has the power over them. He has the power of influence over them and the power to protect those in his hand. They are his. They belong to him. He is the reason for their place among the lampstand. He is their reason for their purpose being there. He is the one who set them there. He is the author of the message that they are to proclaim. He is the one who imagined the service that they would be to the lampstands.

18:51He is the reason for their continued existence. He holds them in his right hand. So he put all this together. Verse 16, in his right hand he held seven stars. He sets them in their place. He controls them. He guides them. He upholds them. He protects them and he drives them. They are his. Do you remember way back in Daniel 3? You can turn there if you want. I'm going to spend a little time there just thinking about this example of how he controls those that belong to him, his ministers of truth, his heralds of truth, and how he protects them. You remember Daniel chapter 3? Just a little history, a little context, I should say. In Daniel chapter 2, you remember Nebuchadnezzar gets this great dream. I saw this great statue, head of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and I want somebody to interpret that dream, and no one could do it. And so in comes Daniel. He not only tells him the dream, but then he interprets the dream, and he tells Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, there is this statue and there's a head of gold on it, and guess what, Nebuchadnezzar? You are that head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar says, yeah, I kind of like this dream. I kind of like this guy. I like this dream. So in chapter 3, what happens is he puts this big image of gold. Probably something reflecting himself. And he wants everybody to bow down and worship. I like this idea of gold. I want to make a whole statue of gold, and everyone's going to bow down and worship. You may have a form of emperor worship right here in Nebuchadnezzar.

21:00And he said this, verse 4 of chapter 3. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, To you the command is given, O peoples, nations, and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up. But you know the story. There were certain Jews in verse 12, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and they weren't going to worship the image. So Nebuchadnezzar calls them in and he tells them, Look, verse 15, when you hear the sound of the music, bow. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast in the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. And this is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said. O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not, are not, going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. Well, this causes Nebuchadnezzar. To blow a fuse. He heats the whole furnace up, hotter, so hot that even the ones, even the warriors who took the three up to the furnace died. They were thrown into the blaze.

22:50And then Nebuchadnezzar was astounded. And he looked in in verse 25 and he said, Look, I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm. And the appearance of the fourth is like the son of the gods. And so he brings them out. Look at Nebuchadnezzar's. God protected them right there in the furnace. We've just looked at in Revelation, the feet that blaze like they've been in the furnace. Well, Jesus can deliver. I like this. He protects them. He had authority over Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And Nebuchadnezzar did not.

23:40They proclaimed truth. They heralded truth. And then in verse 28, listen to what happens. Nebuchadnezzar got the message. He says this, Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who put their trust in him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any God except their own. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation, or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their house is reduced to a rubbish heap, insomuch there is no other God who is able to save, deliver in this way.

24:39Well, the situation in Daniel's time was similar to the situation during John's time. And it's critical, as it was in Nebuchadnezzar's time, for Nebuchadnezzar to understand who the God of the universe was, it was critical for the people of God to stand on truth, otherwise, the people would never understand it. And likewise, in John's time, what John is exhorting them to do, and what Jesus is doing to exhort them through John, is that they would stand on truth, proclaim the truth, herald the truth, and guide people to the truth, regardless of the consequences, because otherwise people aren't going to get it.

25:21Times haven't changed. The lost world is very dependent upon those who know the truth. That hasn't changed. So, what is all this image signify when you put all this together and start relating it to the ministry, to the context? The ministers of Christ are among his churches. They are reflecting the true light among the churches. Christ uses lampstands to light up the darkness, to light up the world. And he uses ministers to minister to the lampstands.

26:21And all this to keep the light burning. And so, in the context, these are not to be afraid. He's going to exhort them in, turn back, in chapter two and three, Jesus is going to exhort these churches, these ministers, they're not to be afraid of the synagogue of Satan. They're not to bow to the synagogue of Satan. They're to bow to Christ, Christ alone. They're not to be afraid of going to prison. They are to proclaim the truth.

27:13They are to guide people to the truth. They are not to be afraid of tribulation, no matter how brutal it may be. They go on proclaiming the truth. They are not to fear death if it comes to death. Even that, they are not to be afraid. They're afraid, they should be afraid not to bow down to the Christ who the churches belong to. That's their fear, fear of any part of their being not bowing down to the Christ.

27:54They are not to be afraid. Well, look at, well, I'll just keep going. They are not to be afraid to confront the sexually immoral teachings of Balaam or of Jezebel. They are not to be afraid to address the errant teachings of the Nicolaitans or anyone else. Chapter 2. They are not to be ashamed of Jesus' name. Listen, if anyone among the lampstands, Shouldn't be afraid. It should be the ministers at whatever level they're ministering. Not to be ashamed of the name of Jesus Christ, who is given for the salvation of not only our own souls, but for the salvation of all.

28:49They're not to be ashamed of Jesus' name, not ashamed to hold fast to him. And they're not to be ashamed to encourage others to do the same, even if it means them facing persecution. The herald of truth heralds the truth. The guide who speaks the truth leads people to the Christ of truth. And sometimes that puts not only the herald, but those he shepherds in a collision with the hostile forces of the world. It's painful to proclaim a message, to take a stand in life that your children may pay for your stand one day.

29:48And yet, the herald of truth heralds the truth, or else he takes away their lampstand. Even if it meant facing the imperial cult that expected emperor worship, they are not to be afraid. In chapter 3, it's also clear they're not to be afraid to confront the dead formalism and the apathetic compromise of a lukewarm church. Listen, persecution brings about compromise all the way around. Sometimes one of the hardest things to do is to stand against the dead formalism, the apathetic compromise that is so plaguing the church today.

30:54And ministers of the gospel do all of this as an expression of love for their first love. Who is our first love? Jesus. And why? Because he holds us in his hand. Yeah, there's implications of this image that touch upon every minister of the gospel in whatever capacity God has placed you. There's an implication. Certainly, the historic situation, John is in prison. Because of the Word of God. Darkness is all around. And just a casual reading of the chapters 2 and 3 and the letters sent to the churches. It's evident there's darkness outside the church pressing in on the church, the persecution. There's darkness inside the church, this temptation to immorality, temptation to compromise, temptation to apathy.

32:00And in all those situations, no matter how thick the darkness, no matter where the darkness is coming from, Christ's answer to the darkness, to the idolatry, to the immorality, to the compromise, are his ministers who proclaim truth and not ashamed of the truth. And he holds them in their hand. And I pray, my prayer for this church is that God would give us more such ministers like these. In whatever capacity God has placed you in, no matter who you are serving, no matter who you are teaching, whether it's on a one-on-one basis, whether it's on a group basis, be a herald of the truth and do not be ashamed of the truth.

32:54And guide them to the truth. Guide them to the Christ, to whom their soul is. Owes its allegiance. Are you called to be a minister of the gospel? Let that be the main thing. If you're in Christ, you're called to minister. If God has called you to be a minister of the gospel, and I pray that He calls you here to be ministers of the gospel here in some capacity, and that in all levels of however you serve, you will have this message in your heart, resolve in your heart to be a light, proclaim truth, whatever capacity puts you here. But if He has called you to be a minister of the gospel, do not stoop to be a CEO of one of the most lucrative corporations on earth. If he has called you to be a minister of the gospel, do not give away your calling to become a performer on the greatest stage on planet earth or a monarch of the most magnificent empire.

34:16Take seriously the gift of the ministry. Oh, that this church would be a family of ministers, a congregation of ministers, ministering to one another, not ashamed of the truth. Boldly proclaiming the truth and embodying the truth. He holds us in his hand. The nations are a drop in a bucket. By the way, I bet you didn't know this. This church, a church at this location, predates Texas AM. Think about that. The church even came before Texas AM. And it will supersede Texas AM.

35:04Because Christ said, I will establish my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Well, what did Jesus look like? We've looked at his head and hair, his eyes, his feet, his voice, his hand, and what he holds in his hand. I'm not launching off into the rest. I'll just say what's coming until next week, but Emmanuel, putting all this together, he knows us. He knows us. Jesus knows his churches. He knows those who are ministering among us. And what a special message, implication to all of those who minister.

36:13He holds us. In Isaiah 40, verse 12, Isaiah says, This: Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked out the heavens by span? He has calculated the dust of the earth by the measure and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales. He knows us. He knows it all. Then he says in verse 26, Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their hosts by number. He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing. I don't care what happens on planet Earth, not one of his ministers is going to be missing. So minister, don't be afraid. Minister, our good shepherd knows us. Even as he walked among us, Jesus said this.

37:30John 10, verse 2, he says, He who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Well, like the churches of John's time, we're not to be dismayed at the darkness that's growing outside the church, or even the darkness we see still resident in our own hearts. It is Christ who sanctifies, he's among his churches, sanctifying his people. He is also among his churches to protect his people.

38:28No. There's only one thing we really need to be afraid of, and that is every inward inclination that will not bow down to him. That's what we should fear. Not bowing down to him. And he's given us this image of himself that we'd be afraid of every inward inclination. Inclination of ours that will not bow down. So we can trust, hope, continue, because he holds not only his churches, but his people and ministers among the churches in his hands. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the very fact that you protect.

39:29And even it's in the great persecution and difficult situations that come against your people, that kings and rulers and those around us come to know who you really are. So, Father, help us to be genuine. Help us to be clean. Help us to lay down everything in our lives that doesn't bow down to you. Thank you for this truth. Thank you for the vision. Thank you that you are King of kings and Lord of Lords, and we know that.

40:11Thank you for all this in Christ's name.