The Hero of Revelation

Lead Vocalist (Joel)

Welcome & Announcements (Hopson)

Good morning family!

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Announcements:

1) Discover Class

2) Members Meeting—new date = Feb 15

3) Midweek—please register to help us know how to prepare

4) Tasha has a special announcement about VBS...

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Isaiah 12:1-4)

Prayer of Praise (Sandra Lindell)

The Lord, My God, My Salvation

Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean (Everlasting Praise)

Prayer of Confession (Joey Flowers), Spiritual complacency

Assurance of Pardon (Matthew 11:28-30)

Come to Jesus (Rest in Him)

Crown Him With Many Crowns

Scripture Reading (Revelation 1:4-20)—page 1218 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Hopson)

Prayer for PBC—Help us to long for the return of Jesus

Prayer for kingdom partner—Knapp, Jeff & April (Cru)

Prayer for US—For the Vice President

Prayer for the world—Bangladesh

Leader—_________

Social issue(s)—_________

Spiritual issue(s)—_________

Local churches—_________

Laborers—_________

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

When most people think about persecution in the early church, they think of Nero. And for good reason.

Nero burned Christians alive. He fed them to wild animals. He used their bodies as torches to light his gardens. It was savage. It was public. It was horrifying.

Thirteen years after Nero’s reign, the emperor Domitian came to power—and in many ways, he was even worse.

SHOW DOMITIAN IMAGE

Nero was chaotic. Domitian was calculated.

Nero’s brutality was localized to the city of Rome. Domitian assaulted the entire empire.

Nero used Christians as a scapegoat. Domitian wanted to eliminate Christianity entirely.

Nero wanted to silence Christians. Domitian wanted to replace their God.

He required people to address him as Dominus et Deus—“Lord and God.”

For Christians, this was the breaking point.

They could not say Caesar is Lord because they already confessed Jesus is Lord.

So Domitian crushed them.

Believers lost homes. Families were torn apart. Some were exiled. Others vanished into prisons.

It was Christians living under Domitian’s reign of terror who were the original audience of the book of Revelation.

Christians living in a world where power punished truth.

Where worship could get you killed.

How can Christians find hope in a world with such devastating evil?

To answer that question, let’s turn to Revelation 1:4.

This book is not a puzzle book for people curious about the end of the world. It’s a pastoral letter for suffering churches—meant to produce endurance and worship.

The Big idea I hope to communicate with God’s help this morning is that Hope is found when suffering Christians look to Jesus.

In verses 4-6, we’ll find hope as we Remember What Jesus Has DONE.

In verses 7-8, we’ll find hope as we Rejoice in What Jesus Will DO.

In verse 9, we’ll find hope as we Recognize Where Jesus Has US.

Then in verses 10-20, we’ll find hope as we Respond to What Jesus Is DOING.

First, let’s…

1) Remember What Jesus Has DONE. (vv. 4-6)

You would think the most encouraging way for John to begin this letter would be with some sort of promise of rescue.

“Don’t worry, churches, God is going to deliver you from Emperor Domitian’s persecution!”

But instead of encouraging them by promising a future rescue, John reminds them of their past rescue.

He reminds them of what Jesus has done.

Look with me at...

Revelation 1:4a—John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace…

Those two words are gospel words. They’re words that remind us of the Good News of how God rescues sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Grace is the root of the gospel.

If you’re a Christian, you weren’t rescued because you were good. Or because you would be good eventually. You were rescued by grace. As a free, undeserved gift.

And if you’re not a Christian there’s nothing you can do to be rescued from your sin but cry out to Jesus and ask Him to save you.

If you’ve done that, you’ve experienced peace, which is the fruit of the gospel.

Not necessarily peace with other people.

The Apostle John and the seven churches certainly weren’t at peace with Emperor Domitian.

But if you’ve trusted in Jesus you have peace with God. You’re no longer an enemy of God. You’re no longer subject to His wrath. You’ve been adopted into His family!

Notice where this grace and peace come from...

First, this grace and peace comes from “him who is and who was and who is to come.”

This is almost certainly a reference to God the Father.

But then John uses that word “and.”

Grace and peace also comes from “the seven spirits who are before his throne.”

This one might seem strange at first, because we know there is only one Holy Spirit.

But remember, this is apocalyptic literature, meaning this is filled with symbolism.

One of John’s favorite symbols is the number seven.

There are seven churches, seven lampstands, seven stars, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven angels with seven plagues, seven bowls of wrath, and more.

The number seven symbolizes completeness or perfection.

So the seven spirits is John’s way of saying the Holy Spirit is complete or perfect.

It could also be an allusion to Isaiah 11:2-3, which lists seven attributes of the Holy Spirit that will be poured out on the Messiah.

And then John says this grace and peace comes from “Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”

That word “witness” is an interesting word that appears 19 times in the book of Revelation.

The word in the original language is the word martus, from which we get our English word “martyr.”

It’s refers to someone who testifies to the truth. And because so many in the early church died for witnessing to the truth, the word eventually was used to describe a martyr, someone who died for speaking the truth.

Both senses of the word apply to the life of Jesus.

He taught us the truth… and they killed Him for it!

But Jesus’ death was not the end. He rose from death on the third day!

Notice John calls Jesus “the firstborn of the dead.”

Now think about this for a second, would you call someone the firstborn if you only had one child? Of course not! Calling Jesus the firstborn here means there are others to follow after Him!

And the others who follow after Jesus are believers who will one day also be resurrected from the dead, just as Jesus was.

There is coming a day, Christian, when every grave will open and every Christian who has ever died will have their bodies resurrected and made new, just like Jesus’ was on the third day!

And because Jesus rose from the dead He is the “ruler of the kings on earth.”

That might seem hard to believe for those believers living in the middle of Domitian’s reign of blood and terror.

Jesus is sovereign over him? Really?!?

Yes, because everything that happens to the people of God on this earth will be used for their good and God’s glory!

And we can have confidence of this because of what Jesus has already done...

Revelation 1:5b–6—To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

There’s much more I could say here, but for the sake of time let me simply say this:

All of us struggle at times to believe that Jesus loves us like verse 5 says...

Or we struggle to believe that Jesus really has power like verse 6 says.

Here’s my challenge to you: don’t measure Jesus’ love by your circumstances.

You are not meant to look to your present struggles as proof that Jesus loves you. Measure His love by what He’s already done for you on the cross.

He freed you from your sins by His blood. And He has made you—a wretched sinner—a priest!

That’s how you know He loves you!

And if you struggle to believe Jesus’ power, don’t measure His power by whether or not He answers all your prayer requests the way you want Him to.

Measure His power based on what He’s already done for you in the empty tomb!

Because of His resurrection He receives all glory and dominion forever and ever!

That’s how you know He is powerful!

Hope is found when suffering Christians look to Jesus.

Over and over again we need to look to the cross and the empty tomb to be reminded of what Jesus has done for us.

But we also need to…

2) Rejoice in What Jesus Will DO. (vv. 7-8)

Christianity is a religion that is rooted in history. In other words, it’s based on events that we believe really happened.

Jesus really lived a sinless life. He really died a sinner’s death in our place. He really rose from the dead on the third day.

That message is the heartbeat of Christianity, it’s what the Bible calls “the gospel.”

If you don’t fully understand this message, please talk to me or another Christian sitting near you before you leave here today. There is no more important message than this! We want you to know it, to understand it, and to believe it!

I realize it’s hard for some people to believe in the gospel because it happened so long ago. And Jesus isn’t physically here like He was back then.

In the book of Acts, we learn that the resurrected Jesus—after appearing to over 500 people over the course of 40 days—ascended into heaven.

Acts 1:9–11—And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The future hope of every Christian is that one day, Jesus will return.

That’s the promise we find in...

Revelation 1:7-8—Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Notice the Apostle John says Jesus is going to return in the clouds, just as He ascended into the clouds.

Because Jesus ascended into heaven on the clouds and will return in the clouds, you’ll hear me in this series often talk about the church age as life “between the clouds.” It’s the entire period of time between the first and second comings of Jesus.

But this time, every eye will see Him.

When John says “even those who pierced Him,” He’s saying that those who hate Jesus—like those who crucified Him—will see Him.

Jesus is not a village god. The truth is not like a buffet where you pick what you want and leave the rest for somebody else. Jesus is the only true God.

And when He returns people all over the world will weep. Why? Because then it will be too late.

Unbeliever, the Bible says “today” is the day of salvation. Would you turn from your sins and trust in Christ today? You may never have a better moment than this! The same Jesus who returns as Judge is the Jesus who offers mercy now—because he was pierced for sinners like you and me!

This should also lead us, Christians, to tell the good news to our friends and loved ones now while we can.

Because for the Christian, the return of Jesus isn’t scary. It’s the sweetest news imaginable. It’s a reason to rejoice!

You will see Him face to face. You’ll look into the eyes of someone who knows you completely—and still loves you.

Your faith will become sight. No more doubting. No more wondering if it’s all true. You’ll know.

Your obedience will finally make sense. Every sacrifice, every tear, every hard choice—you’ll look back and say, “It was worth it.”

Injustice will end. Evil will not get the last word. Every wrong will be made right.

Fear will be gone. The things that haunt you now will lose all their power forever.

Every tear will be wiped away. No more cancer. No more funerals. No more broken relationships. No more endless grief.

You’ll be reunited with the saints who went before you. All those painful goodbyes will feel like a distant memory.

You’ll finally be free from sin. No more envy. No more pride. No more shame. For the first time, you’ll worship with a pure heart.

And Satan will be finished. No more lies. No more accusations. No more destroyed families. No more stolen joy.

And above it all—you will see your King. The Alpha and the Omega. Scars still in His hands. So beautiful, so glorious, so powerful that you will never be the same again.

Hope is found when suffering Christians look to Jesus.

When life hurts we need to look to rejoice that Jesus is coming again!

But until that day, we need to…

3) Recognize Where Jesus Has US. (v. 9)

If you’ve ever used GPS, perhaps you’ve experienced that initial moment when you punch in a location at an intersection and you end up turning the wrong way because the app can’t quite figure out where you are. Often before you know which way to turn you have to know where you are.

So where are we in the great timeline of Revelation?

One of the key events that many Christians think of when they think about the end of the world is something the Bible calls “the tribulation,” which is a period of intense persecution prior to the return of Christ.

Many have taught the tribulation is a seven-year period of suffering immediately preceding the end of the world.

But what if I told you that every Christian in every age will face tribulation?

Now I’m not denying that tribulation will intensify before the end of the world.

But I am saying that the book of Revelation is surprisingly relevant whether the end of the world happens in two years, two hundred, or two thousand because every Christian in every age faces tribulation.

Look at…

Revelation 1:9—I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Notice what John is experiencing as he’s writing this letter: he is a “partner in tribulation.”

Church tradition records that John was faithfully pastoring in Ephesus, well into his late 80s.

At some point Emperor Domitian had John arrested. Some say he was sentenced to death by being boiled in hot oil.

But he survived that torture and was sentenced to exile on the secluded island of Patmos.

SHOW PATMOS IMAGE

John calls himself a “partner in tribulation” because the believers in the seven churches he’s writing to were facing tribulation too.

Some were being seduced by false teaching. Others by worldliness. Some were struggling financially. Others were being slandered and imprisoned. Some of them had been killed. All of them were suffering in one way or another.

Tribulation is not merely something Christians face when the world is about to end. Otherwise, why would John be talking about tribulation two thousand years ago?

Tribulation is something Christians face in every age until Jesus returns.

Jesus puts it this way in…

John 16:33—“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We tend to think of tribulation as some sort of intense physical persecution for the sake of Jesus. It certainly includes that, but it also includes any and all suffering you endure on the path of following Jesus.

Listen to the words of Paul in…

2 Corinthians 1:3–4—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The word Paul uses for “affliction” here is the same word translated “tribulation in Revelation 1:9!

If you’re a follower of Jesus, like the Apostle John and like the seven churches, you are living in a time of tribulation.

Why are you so shocked when life is hard? When your job isn’t fulfilling? When marriage is difficult? When relationships crumble? When sickness and disease overtake you? When age slows you down? When it’s hard to maintain your love and affection for Jesus? When loved ones die? When the world mocks your beliefs?

If you’re tempted to turn away from Jesus when life gets hard, it’s because you’ve forgotten where Jesus has us. You are not living your best life now. That comes later.

And yet, as true as all this is, there’s another reality that shields us from being too pessimistic about life in this world. Look again at...

Revelation 1:9—I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom…

On the one hand, life between Jesus’ ascension and His return is a life filled with tribulation.

On the other hand, it’s also a life devoted to the advance of Jesus’ kingdom.

Some people think of the kingdom of Jesus as a future 1000-year reign of peace. Others think of the kingdom of Jesus as eternity in heaven.

While we haven’t yet experienced the fullness of Jesus’ kingdom, there is no question that the kingdom of Jesus is already advancing now.

It’s visible in the life of the local church, where we function as an outpost of the Kingdom of Christ, a place and a people where life looks different from the world around us.

It’s visible in the mission of the church, where we go to the nations as heralds of the King and invite them to repent and believe in the gospel.

So don’t let the reality of tribulation lead you to pessimistic doom and gloom. Remember that the kingdom of Christ is advancing and you get to be a part of it! So live a life of “patient endurance . . . in Jesus” like John mentions in verse 9.

Hope is found when suffering Christians look to Jesus.

Which means we need to recognize where Jesus has us.

Like John and the seven churches, we are living in an age of tribulation and we are living as citizens and messengers of the kingdom of Christ.

Finally, if we’re going to find hope in the midst of suffering we need to…

4) Respond to What Jesus Is DOING. (vv. 10-20)

Revelation 1:10–11—I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

When John says he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” that means it’s Sunday and he’s set apart his day to worshipping Jesus.

We know from other passages in the New Testament that the early church started worshipping on Sunday, the first day of the week, as a way to celebrate and remember the day Jesus rose from the dead.

Even though John has been exiled on the island of Patmos, he’s still setting aside time to worship Jesus.

Some of us could learn a lot from John here. I’ve heard some lame excuses for skipping churches, but what sticks with me is the people who endure great hardship to worship with God’s people on the Lord’s Day. I think of people like Steve Collins who hurt every Sunday for years, yet still gathered with the saints as often as he possibly could. Or men like Cliff Hall who battled depression nearly every day of his adult life yet came to church smiling every Sunday. Or women like Jane Quilhot who was here in a wheelchair just a few days before she met Jesus face to face.

Brothers and sisters, gathering with God’s people is important because that’s where Jesus is!

Isn’t it interesting that Revelation begins with a message to seven local churches, just like ours.

If you don’t understand the importance of the local church, you haven’t read the New Testament!

This is even more clear in…

Revelation 1:12–13—Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

This “Son of Man” that John sees is, of course Jesus Himself.

He calls Himself the “Son of Man” 30x in Matthew, 14x in Mark, 25x in Luke, and 12x in John (80x total!)

But notice what Jesus is doing in John’s vision. He’s standing among seven golden lampstands.

Remember, this is apocalyptic literature and John is writing with highly symbolic language.

Thankfully he tells us what these lampstands represent in...

Revelation 1:20—As for the mystery of the seven stars that 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.

So these lampstands represent the seven churches mentioned in verse 11.

But remember the number seven is symbolic. So even though those seven churches were real churches, the fact that Jesus mentions seven (even though there were more than seven in that part of the world) means that Jesus intends for these seven churches to represent all of us.

So when John says Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands he’s saying that Jesus is present among His churches.

Dear friend, if you want to experience the presence of Jesus in our world today, get involved in a local church. If you want to see Jesus at work today, roll up your sleeves and start serving in a local church. If you want to experience His love, commit yourself to the people in that church.

Have you done that friend? Have you committed to one particular local church? If not, I’d love to talk with you more after service about what that means. And if it turns out PBC is not the best fit for you, I’d love to help you find the right fit.

This is so important, not because this or any other local church is so great, because Jesus is!

Look at…

Revelation 1:14–16—The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

These verses are not intended to give us a physical description of Jesus. This is not telling us what Jesus looks like.

These are images meant to be understood symbolically.

The white hair could be a reference to Jesus’ purity and wisdom. But it’s more likely a callback to Daniel's vision of the “Ancient of Days” in Daniel 7:9. John is telling us that Jesus is God.

The eyes like fire are also mentioned in Daniel 7:9, and they represent Jesus’ ability to see and judge our hearts.

The feet like bronze point back to another vision in Daniel 10:6 that highlights Jesus’ purity.

The voice like many waters points to several prophesies in Ezekiel, and it illustrates the power of Jesus’ voice and the need for us to listen to Him.

According to verse 20, the seven stars in his hand are the angels—or messengers—for each of the seven churches.

The mouth like a two-edged sword points to the fact that Jesus’ words can both judge and save, wound and heal.

And the face like the sun points to Jesus’ blinding glory.

All of this together paints a picture of Jesus that is both beautiful and terrifying.

Like Aslan in Narnia, Jesus is not a tame lion.

So how should we respond to Him?

Look at how John responded...

Revelation 1:17–19—When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

In the presence of Jesus, the only appropriate response is what John does here. To fall on our faces in worship.

But if you belong to Jesus, you do not need to fear. He loves you. He died and rose again for you. He can unlock death and the grave so that it can’t hold you captive. And He is working even now to help His people be faithful until the end.

That’s what the entire book of Revelation is about!

It reminds us of what Jesus has done. This is a gospel book that will remind you over again that Jesus died and rose again for you.

It rejoices in what Jesus will do. He is coming again to rescue His people.

It recognizes where Jesus has us now. Life between the clouds is marked by both tribulation and the growth of Christ’s kingdom.

And it responds to what Jesus is doing. It gets involved in the local church because Jesus is there!

In the city of Ephesus, which is the first of the seven churches listed in Revelation, archaeologists found ancient graffiti which reads, “Rome—your power will never end”. [1]

Perhaps that was written by someone celebrating Roman’s power.

Or perhaps it was written by someone despairing over the seemingly unstoppable power of Rome.

Domitian forced people to call Him Lord and God.

But eventually Domitian died. And eventually Rome fell.

But Jesus calls Himself Lord and God and says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Look to Jesus!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

In Christ Alone

Celebration of Baptism

Benediction (Rev. 1:5-6)