Bowing Before the God of Israel: John's Response to Seeing Jesus as He Is - Revelation 1: 17a

1:01I'll just read that. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the middle of the lampstands, I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like wool, white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been made to glow in a furnace. And his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength. That's what John saw. And when I saw him, verse 17, I fell at his feet like a dead man, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid.

1:55You know, one of the most important questions, profound questions ever asked in human history was asked by a pagan ruler. In Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh asked this question: Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? Well, he learned something about the Lord during the whole Exodus venture. He learned that the Lord is somebody he is not more powerful than. He learned that his God, that Moses is God, is God.

2:42But Pharaoh largely died in ignorance about who the God of Israel really is. Pharaoh's question is the question that we all must answer personally: Who is the Lord? That I should obey his voice. Revelation begins. I'm talking general, the specific revelation begins in Genesis and Exodus. God making himself known. And then in Exodus, he goes into Egypt, makes himself known. And throughout the pages of Scripture, the God of Israel keeps revealing himself. Not just his power, not just his majesty. He becomes more definitive than just a pillar of fire and strength, love, mercy, compassion, personality, likes, dislikes.

3:56Who is the Lord that I should obey him? That's the question. To what degree should I obey him? Who is the Lord that I should obey him? And to what degree should I obey him? And what does obedience look like? Do you know him? Do you know him? The one who bows before Jesus is. The one who really does know him. If you do not bow to him, you do not know him. Because if you know him, he is one who is worthy to prostrate yourself before.

4:48You know he is God if you know him. You know you are not his equal. You know you are not his rival. So the one who bows really does know him. The one who bows is the one who really has accepted God's testimony about his son. Those who refuse to bow have made God out to be a liar. As faith is first revealed to us in the scriptures, as you see Abraham, Abram come on the scene, later Abraham. What was characteristic about Abraham? He believed God and he obeyed God.

5:43I'm afraid there's a lot of cultural Christianity in our world today, and perhaps even here today, in our midst, cultural Christianity versus true Christianity. And Paul warns. Warns us about cultural Christianity. Maybe you've come to Christ for all kinds of reasons that maybe your parents brought you, maybe you just happened to be in a church, maybe you grew up in some kind of denomination or whatever, whatever brought you here, there are cultural reasons why you might be here today.

6:21And then there are reasons that go deeper than just cultural. There are reasons that go down to the very depth of your soul. Are you a true follower of Christ? That's basically what Christianity is about. Are you a true follower of Him or not? And not just in some things. Is the disposition of your heart one that follows Him, learns from Him? That's what Christianity is about. The problem is, many of us reject godliness. We don't want godliness. We don't want the total package of Jesus Christ. We only want a partial package. Well, Paul warns us about times of cultural Christianity. He speaks in 2 Timothy 3:1, but realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come. And he goes on speaking about people will become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And he goes on to say in verse 5, holding To a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.

7:35A form of godliness yet denies its power. But the one who knows God takes to heart God's testimony about his son. Whether that testimony is found in the prophetic words of the Old Testament, whether they are found in the apostolic testimony of the eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ, or whether it's about the prophetic events that are yet to come concerning his son, regardless of where that prophecy is found or regardless of where that testimony is found, the one who truly knows God is the one who has accepted God's testimony about Jesus Christ.

8:22And the one who has accepted his testimony about Jesus Christ bows before him. There is no other category. The one who prostrates his or her heart is the one who truly believes. The one who does not, does not know him. But we come to an individual this morning who certainly knew God's Son. And he bows. Down before him as such. We just read it. John, when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. And in this vision, we've looked at where Jesus was in verse 13. Where was he? He was in the midst of the golden lampstands. His primary interest is the church. His church is.

9:22He is likened in verse 13, called the Son of Man, speaking about his supremacy. John records what he was wearing. And what he was wearing depicts the judge, not just king, not just priest, but judge of all the earth. A man of distinction and glory. And then in verses 14 through 16, we looked at Jesus' personal characteristics. John described his head and hairs. He's a lot like his father, identical with his father. Makes him competent to judge.

10:07Verse 14, John described his eyes, that penetrating eyesight that's able to see deeply. Nose searching. His feet, which is ready to judge and go. Voice with authority cannot be drowned out. A hand which holds his ministers, and his mouth pierces the nations, and his face shining like the sun in its strength. And what we see happening next in verse 17 is a graphic picture of how a soul responds to Jesus when he or she grasps who he really is.

11:00And so I want you to see how John responded to the revelation of Jesus Christ, so you and I will do the same. So, first, take a look at John's posture here. Look at verse 17. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. Like a dead. Literally, like a dead. But if you think about it for a moment, if anyone on planet Earth would have, or should have, or we would expect to have expressed over-the-top joy at the sight of Jesus, it would have been John, right?

11:46John was familiar with Jesus. He loved Jesus. He knew he was loved by Jesus. He leaned on Jesus. He walked with Jesus. And he enjoyed a unique relationship with Christ. Even more so than the other disciples, to a point that Jesus himself entrusted the care of his mother to John. So, if there's anybody that's going to, we would expect to just explode in delirious joy at the sight of Christ, we would expect it to be John the Apostle.

12:25We might expect John's first expressions to be something like, Master, or maybe, Roboni, good to see you. Yes, Jesus, or something that expressed joy, great joy. Instead, John fell at his feet like a dead man. The sight that John saw left him virtually lifeless, motionless. And this is the glory of God. This is the glory of Christ. The first vision that John sees is the glory which Christ had before the world began. And if you remember, John recorded Jesus' prayer. Jesus wanted his disciples to. See him in his glory. John 17:24, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Christ has always had this glory.

13:52And he wanted his disciples to see it, and John gets a preview. John sees it. We will see it. John did see it. He recorded the vision for us. But understand what John is seeing here. He is not just seeing the peasant from Galilee glorified. That he is. Jesus, the peasant from Galilee, he sees now glorified. But that's not just what John is seeing. A peasant elevated. He is seeing the God of Israel himself. That's who John is seeing.

14:31Who is the Lord that I should obey him? John sees him. This is the God of Israel. And as just look at 17, as he keeps going, do not be afraid. Listen to what he says. I am the first and the last, the living one, and I was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of death and Hades. We'll unpack those next time. Those all speak of his godness. Those are, this is the God of Israel who has revealed himself to John.

15:15And this is consistent. John's response is consistent with others who witnessed him. We could spend considerable time looking at different instances. There's Abraham, Genesis 17, 3, Joshua, Joshua 5, 14, Manoah, and Judges 13, 20. We could spend some time looking when someone encounters, truly encounters God, there is a falling on the face. There is a yielding to him. There is an overwhelming sense of the Creator's majesty and the creature's responsibility to bow. Those are what genuine encounters with God look like. But there's a couple here where it's clear that Ezekiel sees the one that John sees. Daniel sees the one that John sees. And let me just read to you a few portions. Ezekiel, you remember he saw God's glory. What is God's glory? It's not just a Fire. God's glory is a person.

16:34And Ezekiel sees him in chapter 1. He speaks about the living beings and the expanse with the awesome gleam of crystal. And then he compares the sound of God's voice to that of abundant waters. And then in verse 26 of chapter 1, he says, This, now above the expanse that was over the heads of the living beings, there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance. And on that, which resembled a throne high up was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of his loins and upwards something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it. And from the appearance of his loins downward, I saw something like fire, and there was a radiance around him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God. And when I saw it, I fell on my face.

17:44Daniel saw this individual. In Daniel chapter 10, verse 5, listen to what Daniel, how Daniel describes this individual. I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressing. Dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold. His body was like barrel, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a torment.

18:19Tumult. Now, Daniel alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision. Nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was alone and saw this great vision, yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly power, and I regained, I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words, and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face with my face to the ground.

18:58You can John sees the same figure. You understand something. We hear a lot about experiences with God. But I can assure you that exhilaration without reverence is fake. Delight without devotion is a fraud. Joy without a bowed heart is countless. Counterfeit. And John's response: those who truly meet the Lord, they come under him. Look at verse 17. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. The verb here suggests, not suggest, it's very expressive of what took place. It's an active verb. I fell. You would almost get the idea that it's passive. Something out there happened. I saw this sight, and then I was compelled to the ground. No, I would translate it more like this.

20:24When I saw him, I put myself in a prostrated position. I actively put myself in a position that was fitting to the situation. It wasn't just that I was knocked over. It's that the only right thing to do in view of this incredible vision, in view of this individual, was to put myself in a place of bowed reverence before him. And by the way, this is the picture of worship. Worship and bowing, they go together. In fact, when we get to Revelation 4 and 5, the whole worship scene is about bowing, whether it's elders, whether it's beings, creatures, bowing. That is what it looks like.

21:21That's what worship is fundamentally. You cannot worship if you do not have a bowed heart. Many times we come in singing, and yet our hearts are not bowed. That's not worship. Delight without devotion is fraud. Have I ever told you about my beagle? My little dog. It's a beagle. Let me tell you something about my beagle. He is overwhelmed by every visiting dog that comes into our backyard. Doesn't matter how big or how small. When another dog comes into our backyard, my beagle will run up and fall over.

22:20Doesn't matter if it's a chihuahua. I've never actually, he probably would. If a chihuahua came in, he'd come down and he falls at their feet. What is My beagle doing he collapses. He doesn't stand. Why? Because he knows to stand is to challenge, right? You got to, first of all, before we go running around the yard, we've got to establish who's alpha around here. And so my little beagle comes running up, and I mean, just all's over. Okay, no harm for me. Let's go do it. Whatever, you know, I'm not going to challenge you. Whatever you want to do, let's go.

23:01But even dogs understand when they are in the presence of a superior, it's proper to lower themselves. Even my beagle knows that. And yet, how many of us today do not bow to Christ? Listen, there is so much cultural Christianity that doesn't bow. My beagle knows better than that. Many systems of theology that will not bow. That's why Christianity gets so complicated. You take out all the isms that just don't want to bow to Christ, Christianity becomes pretty simple.

23:47The spectrum of theology gets a lot smaller. But let me tell you something about post-Pentecostal. John the Apostle. He was not like my beagle. John the Apostle had the heart of a lion. He was a mighty man. Religious leaders tried to get him to apostasize. He didn't. Wouldn't bow. Powerful emperors sought to slow the progress and the proclamation of his words. But like a lion, John moved forward. Deceptive philosophies tried to trip him up, trick him. Crafty temptations sought to bring him down. And all the powers of hell could not render John lifeless. Quite the contrary, he was a lion of a man.

25:08And yet, here we see this man who emperors couldn't defeat, who the powers of hell could not slow. And here he is prostrated like a dead man at the feet of Jesus. One commentator said it like this: to stand as an equal would be tantamount to blasphemy. But herein is the secret of his strength. It is precisely the fact that John bowed to Jesus, that he would not and could not bow to anyone else. And that's the message that's going to be given to the churches.

25:54I mean, what got a hold of this fisherman from Galilee? How did this fisherman take on the Roman Empire? His words speak of a kingdom and a king that still reigns, even long after all these other emperors and kings and nations have come and gone. What got a hold of this fisherman from Galilee? What transformed him? He was a man who knew the God of Israel. He was the man who saw the God of Israel. Listen, to stand is to challenge.

26:45To bow is to gain victory. To bow to Christ in all things is to gain victory over all things. Let me tell you what our problem is: we don't want godliness. But if we will learn to bow to Christ in everything, you will have victory in everything. And that's the rightful position. What was the source of Samson's strength? It wasn't his hair. No, I think the source of Samson's strength was not so much tied to his physical hair, but to the fear of the Lord, specifically that which would not violate his Nazarete vow.

27:43And when his love for Delilah surpassed his fear of the Lord, he allowed his vow to be compromised. He grew lax, indifferent, and careless in regard to his Nazarite vow. Samson, put it together, man. She is growing in your heart. And what she wants to do is overthrow God's place in your heart. She wants to cut you off from the source of your strength, Samson. Put it together, man. Well, this is something that no one who has a healthy fear of the Lord does. We don't grow lax, careless.

28:48Listen, do you really believe that Jesus is a person of such magnitude? The degree to which you bow to him tells your story. There should be no rivalry in any area at all. If you have truly seen him, this is where your heart will be. This is why day after day and passage after passage, we keep coming before the Christ revealed in Scripture, because it is only by seeing him that we can be transformed. We're not going to become lions on our own.

29:38We have to see him, and he takes care of the rest. Listen, there should be no rivalry in the area of your possessions, whether it's houses, or lands, or farms, or whatever resources, or your tithe. Can we, is there, can you give? Is there any holding back of a possession or pleasure? There shall be no rivalry in the area of pleasure. No rivalry in the area of pursuit. Do you really know him? The degree that your heart bows tells your story.

30:33When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. Look at what Jesus says, verse 17. And he placed his right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Jesus, so picture the scene. Here's John lying motionless at Jesus' feet. And Jesus' reaction to John's reaction is one of comfort. First, he gives him a comforting touch, and then he speaks comforting words. Comforting touch, and then comforting words. First, notice the comforting touch. He placed his right hand.

31:31On me, he placed it. Now, listen, don't get too caught up and say, Well, what happened to the stars? It's interesting how many people can get tied up with the insignificant. He had the stars, all he dropped the stars to touch him. No, this is a picture, this is a visual. He who holds the stars is now seen as the one strengthening the fallen disciple. There's no problem. In fact, John is one of the ministers he holds, sure, but the comforting touch. John would have felt that touch.

32:21You remember what happened when Jesus touched the leper? The leprosy went out. Matthew 8:3 The leper came to him and bowed before him and said to him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing and be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy left him. His touch drove, he touched the leper. No one touches lepers. He did. And it drove out the leprosy. You remember when he came into Peter's home? Peter's mother-in-law was lying sick in a bed with fever. And in verse 15 of chapter 8, he touched her hand, and the fever left her.

33:14His touch drove out the fever. You remember in Matthew 17, the Mount of Transfiguration, John beholds Christ transfigured. He hears the words of the heavenly Father saying, Listen to my son, and he falls down. And in verse 7, and Jesus came to them and touched them, said, Get up, do not be afraid. His touch and his words drove out the fear. Comforting touch, but then the comforting words. Do not be afraid. Why did John fall to his feet? Well, Jesus' commands leave us no doubt what was going on in John's heart.

34:14He was frightful, full of terror. His heart had passed beyond, or was certainly in danger of passing beyond the healthy reverence line and crossing into that debilitating terror. Zone. Why? Why would John, the man who knew Jesus so well, to fall down like this? Well, first of all, Jesus is no longer veiling the glory of God. John is looking upon the God of Israel, unveiled in his glory. This is the God of Israel. There's a second reason.

35:14John is aware of his creatureliness, if that's a word. John comes into encounter with Christ and he becomes overwhelmed with his own creatureliness in the presence of his Creator. I think W.A. Criswell makes an insightful comment that catches this point. John became conscious of the burden of his own nothingness, his own folly, his own insignificance, his own shortcoming, his own humanity, his own sin and iniquity. How can an insect live in the furnace of the sun? How can a sinful mortal look upon God?

36:09How can a man's ear hear the voice of the Almighty? How can folly and insignificance and shortcoming look upon omnipotence and omniscience? I think this is the natural dread of any creature before the Creator. This is the holy terror of any creature before the Creator. Think about it. The finite before the infinite. How can the finite take in? I think this is one of the reasons why I really respect large water, bodies of water, is because there's an understanding of my own insignificance.

37:13It's the finite before the infinite. The chasm between the finite and infinity. The finiteness, our limitness. And think about this. This is not just in our. Power in our wisdom. It's in every category. And think of the chasm between his holiness and his perfection, and my sinfulness and my imperfection. All this comes upon John like a wave. As he sees this image and it leaves him, strikes a holy terror in him. All will bow before him. All saints, all sinners, all creatures, because they will stand before him, the finite before the infinite. And unless the infinite chooses to condescend to us, we're lost, driven.

38:20The mind explodes, the heart melts with wax, melts like wax in a furnace. And yet, it is this individual that came to us. Psalm, the psalmist and Psalm 8, what is man? That you are mindful of him. When I look into the expanse, and boy, study the expanse. Study the heavens, study the planets. And I don't care who you are, you are left with a feeling of insignificance. Philippians 2:9 says, For this reason, speaking of the one who humbled himself, came all that distance, humbled himself to the point of the cross.

39:15Now, there's a place I can meet him, right? I can't meet him in his perfections, but I can meet him when he takes on my imperfections, my sinfulness. I can meet him at the cross. And God, this individual, has come from the infinite holiness and has come, humbled himself, bridged the chasm, came to his creature, even to the point of death on a cross. And Philippians 2:9 says, For this reason, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

40:25But look at these familiar words: do not be afraid. Afraid. Do not be afraid. Infinite coming to the finite. Do not be living in terror. Do not be fearful. Do not be frightful. The expression is: do not be being afraid. Do not be fearful. Do not be living in terror. In fact, John had heard these words many times. You remember in John 6, out on the water, wind, waves, they were straining. And in John 6, John writes about it, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. And they were frightened.

41:30And he said to him, said to them, It is I. Do not be afraid. The Mount of Transfiguration, as we just looked at, as the disciples heard the voice of the heavenly Father, they fell down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, do not be afraid. And over and over again, these were words that the disciple, that the apostles, Would have heard, do not be afraid. I think when John heard these words, he was quickly transported back 60 years as that familiar voice put his soul at perfect peace, as it had done many times.

42:21I think John knew he was once more in the presence of his Lord. Six decades had passed, and he hears, do not be afraid, feels the touch. And he's going to go on, and he's going to give three reasons. We'll look at those next time. Let's just bring this back to Pharaoh's question: who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? It is the question you need to answer. Who do you say he is? Who does your heart, by if you look at what your heart bows to, what is your heart saying who you are? Or what is your heart saying about your view of Christ? Do you really believe that he is king, he is Lord, he is your creator, and he is judge? Do you really grasp that about this individual?

43:28He is going to be in. Preeminent in all things. So let's get on with it. Let's get on with it then. If we're going to be, if that's the trajectory I'm on, and certainly that's what Scripture tells us, let's get on with it. Let's get on with it. Let's have done with lesser things. Let's come yielding everything, bowing to him in every manner of our existence. The infinite has condescended to the finite. He does not want more from you than you have to give.

44:24But he does want all of you. And that's the call for all of us. He doesn't want from you more than you have. He wants everything that you do have. In exchange, he gives us everything that he is. Let me tell you who wins. Let me tell you. The infinite condescending and exchanging himself for us, for all that he is. This is the vision. I appreciate what Hendriksen says here as he puts it all together. Just remember, let this image stay in your mind of this first vision.

45:17Notice, open quote, that the Son of Man is here pictured as clothed with power and majesty and with awe and terror. That long royal robe, that golden belt buckled at the breast, that hair so glistening white that, like snow on which the sun is shining, it hurts the eye, those eyes flashing fire, eyes which read every heart and penetrate every hidden corner, those feet glowing in order to trample down the wicked, that loud, reverberating voice like the mighty breakers booming against the rocky shore of Patmos, that sharp, long, heavy, great sword with two biting edges, that appearance as the sun shines in its power, too intense for human eyes to stare at. The entire picture taken as a whole is symbolic of Christ, the Holy One, coming to purge his churches and to punish those who are persecuting his elect.

46:29Was that this vision? John bowed. And it's at this vision that we are to do the same. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us to see you. Father, we cannot and will not bow to you unless we see you for who you are. Please make yourself known to us more and more. Help us to be faithful with the truth that you have revealed to us. Help us to be good stewards of that truth and bow and to yield to you those things that are rightfully yours. Father, we want to know you more. We want to see you more. Please make yourself known.

47:26We thank you for this morning in Christ's name. Amen.