Sermon Tone Analysis

*Easter 2, April 15, 2007*

The Reassuring Presence of the Risen Christ

*Text:* Revelation 1:4–18

*Other Lessons:* Acts 5:12–20 (21–32); Psalm 148; John 20:19–31

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*Sermon Theme:* The presence of the risen Christ with his Church calms our doubts and fears.

*Goal:* That hearers will have their doubts overcome about the resurrection of Jesus, his victory over death for us, and his ongoing presence with his Church.

/ /

*Introduction*

“The revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) was written by the apostle John while in exile on the island of Patmos, just off the coast of modern Turkey.

It was addressed to seven actual churches.

Revelation begins with letters from Christ himself to these churches, letters that include commendation, criticism, and comfort.

Then comes a long series of interrelated visions of judgment on the wicked, all in highly symbolic language.

The church is depicted under great distress, but is assured of the final triumph of Jesus as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16), bringing to an end the rebellion of humanity and ushering in “a new heaven and a new earth” (21:1), where God himself will reign forever and ever (11:15).

John wrote about a.d.

95–96.

*Prologue*

*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, /*/2 /*/who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw./

*3 **Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near*.

* *

*Greeting to the Seven Churches*

*4 *John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, *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 *6 *and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.

*7 *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.

*8 *“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

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*Vision of the Son of Man*

*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.

*10 *I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet *11 *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.”

*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.

*14 *The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow.

His eyes were like a flame of fire, *15 *his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

*16 *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.

*17 *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, *18 *and the living one.

I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

*19 *Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

*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.

/ /

/Introduction/: Most children have some fear of being alone at home, and the /Home Alone/ movies have only given more reasons for such fears.

What helps quiet such fears is the presence of a parent, family member, babysitter, or even a trusted pet.

The presence of a loved one brings children feelings of security that quiet their natural fears.

While most of us have overcome our fears of being alone at home, we often have bigger fears related to physical death and divine judgment.

Our text for today makes vivid that

*The Presence of the Risen Christ*

*with His Church Calms Our Doubts and Fears.*

*I.

Christ calms our doubts and assures us that he is the one true God.*

            A.

We may doubt that Jesus is indeed the only true God.

B.

The vision of the risen Christ assures us that Christ is YHWH from eternity.

1.         He is one like a son of man (Ezek 1:26; Dan 7:13).

2.         He is clothed in a long flowing robe (Is 6:1).

3.         He has a golden sash around his chest (Dan 10:5).

4.         He has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze (Dan 10:6).

5.         His head and hair are white as wool like the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9).

6.         His voice is like the roar of many waters (Ezek 1:24; 43:2).

7.         He has a sharp, two-edged sword coming out of his mouth (Is 11:4; 49:2).

8.         His face is like the sun shining in full strength (Ex 34:29–35; Mt 17:2).

C.

When we worship Jesus, we are worshiping the one and only eternal God.

*II.

Christ calms our fears and assures us of the victory over death.*

A.

We need not fear his presence.

1.         John fell at Christ’s feet as though dead.

2.         But Christ removes the need to fear God by freeing us from our sins by his blood (v 5).

B.

We need not fear death.

1.         Christ is the firstborn from the dead (v 5).

2.         Christ holds the keys of Death and Hades (v 18).

C.

We need not fear judgment.

1.         “All tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (v 7).

2.         But Christ has “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (v 6).

*III.

Christ assures us that he is with his Church.*

A.

Christ walks in the midst of the lampstands (churches) and holds the stars (pastors) in his right hand.

B.

Christ is present as he speaks through his Word.

C.

Christ is present as he feeds his bride with his very body and blood.

/Sermon Development:/ This text offers the opportunity to apply Law to the congregation in at least three ways and then bring the Gospel from the text to address those situations.

*First*, there are times that we may doubt that Jesus is indeed the only true God.

This vision of the risen Christ draws on the imagery and is recorded in the language of other Old Testament theophanies to assure us that the Christ whom we worship is none other than the visible form of YHWH that has existed from eternity and shown himself throughout the history of the patriarchs and prophets.

When we worship Jesus, we are worshiping the one and only eternal God!

*Second*, John’s /fear/, visible in this text, is a fear each of us shares about the presence of God, physical death, and judgment.

Over and over again in the Old Testament, we see sinners full of fear and sure of death when in the presence of God (e.g., the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6!).

We, too, are sinners who tremble in God’s presence.

We fear physical death.

We fear judgment (“all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him,” according to v 7), especially when we see an imposing portrait of Christ with a sword coming out of his mouth (v 16).

To us Christ says a loud “Stop fearing!”

We need not fear his presence; he “has freed us from our sins by his blood” (v 5).

We need not fear death; Christ holds “the keys of Death and Hades” (v 18).

We need not fear judgment; he has “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (v 6).

*Third*, we can have doubts about the reality of the resurrection and the ongoing presence of God.

Is Christ with his Church?

Is he with our pastor?

This vision assures us that Christ has not ascended to heaven in order to leave his Church, but to be present and reign over us.