Beholding His Glory- Seeing HIM!
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Text: Revelation 1:17-18
Intro: Today we are finishing up our study of our Glorified Saviour. My hope is that through this study we will all receive the help that we need, but I want to remind us that this help only comes through seeing Christ as God has revealed Him to us! I have learned through my Christian life that the most difficult aspect about faith is actually having faith itself. As we read the word of God there is account after account of men and women that when they were tried, their faith failed them. There are also accounts of those that believed God at His word and rather than failure they found great help in their time of need.
FEAR:
I’d like us to consider the process of getting to this place by see how John reacted to seeing Christ glorified. When John saw Christ he fell at His feet as dead… Why did he fall as dead? __________________________. Just think of the contrast between this and the last supper where John laid His head upon the chest of Christ and consider the importance of fearing the Lord.
We talk about all the time about how hard it is to die to ourselves, to simply believe His word, to walk in the Spirit and to be led by Him. Do you know what John is showing us here? He is showing us how to do all of that! The key is getting in this book, but not for the purpose of checking the box for our Bible reading. The key is getting into this book so that the Holy Spirit can reveal unto us our resurrected and glorified Saviour!
Do you know what I believe the problem amongst so many Christians is today? The problem is that there are not many that have seen Christ as John describes Him to us here. If we think back to the beginning of this study, do you remember why God had John write all of this down for us?
REV. 1:1 The _______________________ of Jesus Christ… God had him write it down so that Christ could be revealed to us! So that we could see Him for who He really is, as He really is, and for what He really is!
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
There are many today that would tell us that we don’t need to fear the Lord. That God never intends for us to feel bad or to have bad feelings… That we only need to revere Him and show Him respect. Do you think that’s all that John was trying to do here as he fell at the feet of Christ as dead? John is at the feet of Christ because he is trembling in absolute fear...
If God intended us to only revere Him, then He would have made that clear, but instead He says this.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Hypothetically, if we were to see someone, who lived their life without a care or concern regarding their sin. Someone who doesn’t care to read the Scriptures, or to follow those Scriptures, it is because they lack the fear of God, that He intends us all to have.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Paul is writing about the circumcision in Romans 3 and look at what he says concerning their fear of God.
Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
They have no fear of God because they have never really seen the Lord Jesus Christ through the eyes of faith through the pages of His word! They have never had what the Apostle Paul describes in Ephesians 1.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Without seeing Christ where He truly is, and who He really is, there is a lack of fear...
It is in seeing Christ in glory that our personal holiness is brought to life! It is through seeing Christ in glory and and in seeing His holiness. We will only ever be as holy as we see Him… God’s answer to that is, HERE HE IS!!!!!! Behold HIM!
Look at how Jesus then responds to John!
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: 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.
It is important that we see, that Jesus doesn’t just speak with authority from His throne but just as He healed people during His earthly ministry. He reaches down from His throne and He compassionately touches John and says; ______________________________!
He comforts John through those words, and then He reminds John of who He is! He was the One that walked with John upon the earth, that spoke to John with His dying breath upon the cross, and that is the fulfillment of every Scripture that was ever spoken!
What Christ is saying here is John, listen… You don’t have to fear me, or fear Cesar, or fear this life, or fear death, or fear Hell! John you knew me when I made myself of no reputation but John behold me now! This is who I really am! I am on my throne and I am in glory!
Closing:
What my prayer is for me personally, and what my prayer is for each of us. Is what Paul prayed for when he heard of the faith of those in Ephesus. Oh, would we cry out to God that He would give us this spirit!
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: