The Church in Revelation, Pt 2

Last week we looked into Revelation 1 at perhaps the most glorious picture of Christ in the Bible. We saw Christ through the eyes and ears of the Apostle John, and it is quite a glorious vision of Him who is the Divine, eternal God Man.

John saw Christ as:

-One like a son of man...human but too glorious to be merely human...

-One in a long robe and golden sash, the great Prophet, Priest, and King of His church...

-One with dazzling white hair...the ancient of days, eternally wise and righteous...

-His eyes were like a flame of fire...having a piercing insight into everything going on in His church and its members...HE KNOWS...

-His feet were like shiny bronze...One who will triumph over all His enemies...

-His voice was like the roar of many waters...the voice of God Himself...

-In His right hand he held 7 stars or angels of the churches: sovereign control of not only the physical realm but the spiritual realm, as well...

-From His mouth came a sharp 2-edged sword...the word of judgment that He gives to the church...

-And His face was shining in the full strength of Divine Holiness...

This one John heard and saw and it seemed to take the very life out of him...He fell at this glorified Christ’s feet as though dead...But being also man, Christ laid His hand on John and said, “Fear not...” And so John was able to continue in the task for which Christ appeared to him.

We looked at this vision of Christ in Revelation 1 last week for this PURPOSE: this is the SAME Christ we call Savior and Lord and Whom we worship. It is the same Christ who is LORD over Fellowship Bible Church. He owns us by virtue of shedding His blood for us.

And so, as we consider our future as a church...as we seek to identify where we should go and what we should do, this picture of Christ reminds us that our future is HIS FUTURE...HE is the One who has the right to guide us and He is the One whose will we must seek and obey. But it is a GOOD future, because, 

Rev 1:5, HE is the One who LOVES us and has FREED us from our SINS by His BLOOD!

Should FBC plant a church? Christ is the one who decides and guides in that. Our responsibility is to ask: Lord, what do you want? And search out His Word for the answer.

Should we look at the possibility of other facilities for worship? Christ is the One who decides and guides in that. We need to ask: Lord, what do you want? And search out His Word for the answer.

HOW WILL THE LORD GUIDE US through His Word in seeking answers for these questions?

Let me suggest FIRST...

CHRIST REMINDS us from His Word of Who He is and how HE alone owns the church and has the right to GUIDE the church

Then SECOND...

CHRIST REMINDS us of WHO WE ARE as the church. That is, WHY ARE WE HERE? What should we be about?

ILLUS

Have you eve wondered why there are no cows in the Kentucky Derby? 

Have you ever wondered, in spite of some childhood dreams, why you cannot fly like Peter Pan?

Have you ever wondered why Christ did not command the church to “Go and build monasteries?” Or “Go into all the world and tell people they are really ok and to just be the best you that you can be?”

Answer to all: It is not what God created you to be!

-cows are not racing thoroughbreds! Even if they work for Chick-Fil-A!

-people don’t have wings! Even though they may do a lot of flapping...

-The Church is meant to go, not hide away. And it is meant to go and make disciples of Jesus, not better versions of who they are as lost people.

WELL, in Rev 1 not only do we see a glorious picture of CHRIST, but we also see an amazing picture of the church...WHAT CHRIST DIED FOR THE CHURCH TO BE!

In the next few minutes we will look at 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF WHO CHRIST MADE FBC TO BE. This will help us as we ask questions about what Christ wants us to be and to do...

FIRST CHARACTERISTIC:

LIGHTS in the world, Rev 1:12-13

Revelation 1:12-13

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 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.

It is very significant that John sees Christ in the midst of the lampstands...which v20 tells us are churches. Nothing is more important to Christ in this world than the church. We see this here in at least 2 ways:

1. He is in the midst of the churches. Dressed like a priest who would tend to the lampstands in the OT Tabernacle to make sure they gave off light, this is where we find Christ.

2. The material of the lampstands. The lampstand in the Tabernacle (which by the way had 7 lamps) was formed of wood and then covered with 75 lbs of pure gold. That these lampstands are “golden” shows how precious they are. And why are they precious? BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE NEAR!

But the real point of the churches being lampstands is: THEY ARE MADE TO GIVE OFF LIGHT!

In the Tabernacle the lampstand was set up to shine light on the Table of Shewbread. That bread was a picture of the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Lord Jesus Christ.

The lampstand has light because of the Priest, the Light of the World, the Lord Jesus. He is in the midst of the churches. And the light that Jesus gives the churches is MEANT TO SHINE ON HIM...SO HE CAN BE SEEN.

Matthew 5:14,16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Sharing the gospel with others. Doing good to others. Living lives of integrity. All these and many more shine light for this dark world to see Jesus.

SECOND CHARACTERISTIC:

SERVANTS, Rev 1:1

Revelation 1:1

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

We are HIS SERVANTS. Servant is doulos, a devoted servant or slave. In this characteristic once again we are like our Lord...He said

Mark 10:45

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

IT is always a good question to ask: “WHO am I serving?” Not even so much, “AM I serving...” But “WHO?” 

John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. "Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson."

"He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him." "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him."

"No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."

The Church. Faithfulness to live and speak for Christ and His gospel. Being lights in darkness. This is important to Jesus. And we WORK FOR HIM.

THIRD CHARACTERISTIC: 

LOVED and REDEEMED, Rev 1:5

Revelation 1:5

5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

WE ARE lights in this world, living as servants of Jesus...but THIS is WHY...

HE LOVES US.

“For the love of Christ controls us...” 2 Corinthians 5:14

“We love because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19

Romans 5:8

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

In 1976 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme exploded on to every front page in America. She had pushed her way through a crowd and had tried to kill the President of the United States. She was 17 years old. Investigators found her proud that she was a follower of Charles Manson. The world knows Manson as a crazed killer who worked through his small, dedicated band of fanatical "disciples."

News magazines began to dig into the background of this tragic young woman. Their reports found that Squeaky had felt like a misfit in her town, and so she wandered across the country until she reached California. There Manson met her and promised to take care of her. She went with him and was willing to kill and die for him. Reporters wanted to know, "Why would you give your life to a man like Manson?" I read her explanation in a magazine, and I have never been able to forget it. Squeaky explained that she had made a choice early in her teenage years. Here it is: "Whoever loves me first can have my life." 

That is the power of love...you were loved on some level before you came to know Jesus, but you have never been loved LIKE JESUS HAS LOVED YOU...Does HE have your life?

2 Corinthians 5:15

15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

If you know your love for HIM is deficient, go back to the cross in the Scriptures and ask the Spirit of God to open the eyes of your heart to CHRIST loving you...releasing your from your sins by His blood.

But maybe you don’t love CHRIST as you sit here this morning. Maybe you know you don’t love Him and you aren’t that concerned about it.

BUT I KNOW THIS ABOUT YOU...you DO care about love. YOU ARE seeking love. Maybe in all the wrong places. And if you think you have found real love, apart from Christ, you are settling for a fake. You sit here this morning a million miles from being right with God. In fact, you sit here under the storm cloud of His wrath. Your sin, your seeking love and meaning apart from God, has separated you from Him. And He stands over you as your judge. And in the end you will get what you have wanted...to be separate from God forever, with no opportunity, for all eternity, to leave judgment and torment in hell. You will be there forever.

BUT...the love we have been talking about, the love that BREAKS THE SHACKLES OF SIN’S PENALTY AND POWER, is being held out to you this morning. Listen to Jesus’ voice of love:

Matthew 11:28

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 3:16-18

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

How do you get this love...this dying for you and your sin kind of love?

You COME. To Jesus. You Believe in HIM as the only possible Savior from your sin.

Maybe you say, “I will...someday.” Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. But since you have an opportunity to hear of Jesus’ saving love like you have this morning, God says, “Today is the day of salvation. Hear MY VOICE.” I urge you...hear HIM. Come to Him...in your heart...as a sinner...as the only SAVIOR.

Brothers and sisters...we are the CHURCH. We are CHRIST’S CHURCH.

He is Lord. He alone has the right to tell us what to do. And He HAS, in His Word.

As His church, we are HIS LIGHTS IN THIS WORLD. Let’s light it up this week with gospel talk and good deeds. We are HIS SERVANTS. Let’s give ourselves to HIS priorities. We are HIS LOVED ONES, the ones He has loosed from our sins. Let’s no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who freed us from our sins by His blood.

FOURTH CHARACTERISTIC:

PRIESTS, Rev 1:6

Revelation 1:6

6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

FIFTH CHARACTERISTIC:

THOSE CALLED TO SUFFER, Rev 1:9

Revelation 1:9

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.