06AM January 15 Revelation 1 17_19
January 15, 2006—Morning Worship
The “Soon and Very Soon” Series
The Unveiled Christ – Part 2
Our Actions in Response to God’s Presence
Revelation 1:17-19
Intro: This past Tuesday evening, I attended a church service at a large Southern Baptist Church. There were about 125 people in the choir, w/another 50 or so in the orchestra. All the pews on the main floor of the Sanctuary were packed & most of the pews in the balcony were full, too. The choir & orchestra opened the service w/the song “I Know My Redeemer Lives.” There were 2 ladies that were singing the main parts of the song & the choir was backing them up.
As the song neared the end, when 1 of the ladies sang “…& I know my Redeemer lives…” several people in the congregation shouted “Amen!” A few folks even stood to their feet & raised their hands in worship. & then, when both ladies were singing at the end of the song, even the pastor of the church, who was seated on the platform, stood to his feet, held his hand in the air & shouted, “Hallelujah, Glory to God!” By this time most people in the congregation were on their feet giving God a standing ovation b/c we do know that the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior & Redeemer lives! He is alive!
I want to tell you that at any time in our services that God blesses you—whether through singing or preaching—it’s perfectly alright to say “Amen!” If you want to praise God by lifting your hand, that’s alright, too. If you do it to praise the Lord & not draw attention to yourself—it honors God & that’s what we’re here to do—to worship God in spirit & in truth & to honor Him w/our lives!
I also want you to be keenly aware of the fact that there is a huge difference between being encouraged & joyful & blessed by the Lord & being in the unveiled presence of the Lord! We can stand & shout & wave our hands to the Lord while being blessed in spirit—BUT—what is your reaction to be when you are faced w/Christ's glorious presence? The Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was just like we should be—when we come, face to face w/Christ’s glorious, unveiled, marvelous, matchless presence!
Let’s read our text for today, from Revelation 1:17-19, & from that text, find in John’s example, our actions in response to God’s presence.
Revelation 1 17 & when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First & the Last. 18 I am He who lives, & was dead, & behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. & I have the keys of Hades & of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, & the things which are, & the things which will take place after this.
- Our actions, in response to God’s presence, are the subject of our sermon today.
- Last week we talked about the majesty of Christ, & today, we’re talking about the mastery of Christ.
- Next week, Lord willing, we’ll concern ourselves w/the ministry of Christ from these same verses.
- When we come into the presence of the risen Lord, we are to be just like the Apostle John. We are.…
1. To be prostrate before Him in Sinfulness. (v. 17a) John tells us that, “…when I saw Him, I fell at His feet….”
- He lay before the holy, righteous Redeemer: completely undone, unmasked, & unraveled!
- John was completely exposed before the Lord; in the presence of His all seeing gaze.
- The holiness of Christ exposed John’s impurity. As John saw the holiness, the glory, the splendor, the purity of Jesus—his own life, his own works, his own abilities faded into oblivion – leaving only his sinfulness as a fallen man.
- Oh, but you say, “But John was an apostle. John was an original disciple. John was the one whom Jesus loved. John was the disciple who sat next to Jesus at the Last Supper. John was the one who ran to the tomb at the news that Jesus’ body was not there. John was the one who saw the empty grave clothes & believed! How could John be & do all those things & still be so sinful?”
- B/c John was still in the flesh; he was still living in his unredeemed, human flesh. & Jesus had been received back into Heaven to the same splendor & glory He had w/God the Father before He ever came to earth.
- Even the best of men – before the holiness of God – are nothing to be compared w/God!
- On your best day you’re no match for God’s goodness, holiness, righteousness, grace!
- It is true – you have been blessed by all those things in Christ – but when you come into the presence of the risen Savior, you are to be prostrate before Him b/c of your sinfulness.
- Jesus can come & stand before you as it were, in your private time w/Him.
- He can stir your heart w/the reality of His presence & when He does, the 1st action you will have is to be prostrate before Him in sinfulness.
- When you look closely at the word of God, in the OT or the NT, everywhere you find people having an encounter w/God, you find them bowing, humbly before God.
- You see, the closer you get to God, the more intimate you are w/the holiness of God, the more you see your own sinfulness.
- If you think that you’re OK; if you think that you’re pretty good; if you marvel at your own sinlessness – you are not close to God at all.
- You are either self-deceived or Satan-deceived; but you are not Spirit-led!
- You cannot come into the presence of God w/o being confronted head-on w/your own sinfulness. It is impossible!
- But when you are confronted w/your true self & you see just how sinful you really are, you are driven to repentance; you find yourself in desperate need of forgiveness & you are not ashamed or timid about seeking it from the only Source available – your Lord!
- Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, David, Peter & Paul are just a few examples of men who found themselves in the presence of God & realized their own sinfulness & immediately sought the God of forgiveness in repentance.
- I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty good crowd to run with! I don’t know about you, but I’d like to follow the example of those godly men!
- I want to be more intimate w/God than I have ever been! I want to hear Him through His word; to hear Him through His Spirit; to know Him through His teaching; to experience Him through His touch on my life!
- I’m a candidate for God’s presence – but I know that I am a sinful man! Trust me, I know me! I am a sinner just like you!
- But God wants to conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus! He desires to be close to us!
- He wants to confront us in our sin so that we can forsake those sins & be more & more & more like Jesus!
- He is holy; He is righteous; He is pure; He is love; He is everything we are not!
Isaiah 6 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each 1 had 6 wings: w/2 he covered his face, w/2 he covered his feet, & w/2 he flew. 3 & 1 cried to another & said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4 & the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, & the house was filled w/smoke. 5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! B/c I am a man of unclean lips, & I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." 6 Then 1 of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken w/the tongs from the altar. 7 & he touched my mouth w/it, & said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, & your sin purged." 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, & who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
- God is working on us to change us & the 1st step to solving a problem is to admit that you have one.
- We have a problem; that problem is sin; & sin keeps us from being what God desires.
- So we must STOP LIVING AS IF THERE IS NOTHING WRONG!
- We must get alone w/God & seek Him that we may be changed!
- John’s example also teaches us that we are…
2. To be prostrate before Him in Stillness. (v. 17b) John tells us that, “…when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
- John collapsed at Jesus’ feet as a dead man.
- When he came into the realization of the holiness, power, purity of God the Son, John simply fell down as a dead man – completely still & silent before the Lord.
- Have you ever been struck w/the brilliance of the glory of God?
- Has God ever confronted you w/His plan in such a way that it left you speechless?
[I won’t ever forget how God called me to ministry. I won’t ever forget the sense of being struck w/God’s plan to use me! I won’t ever forget the sense of utter speechlessness that I felt at that moment.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I just sunk back into my chair & sat there—totally bumfuzzled. I’m not sure I know the meaning of that word but that’s what I was!]
- I think that sometimes we express ourselves to God too much.
- Too often we forget to be still in His presence!
- We treat God as if He were a Convenience Store! We rush in; find what we want & rush out!
Psalm 46 10 Be still, & know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
- That is written as a command – Be Still! Stop what you are doing!
- The word translated ‘still’ means “to let drop; to let go; to relax; to refrain; to be quiet; to abandon” every thought so that your focus is entirely on God!
- & the verse tells us that when we do that, we will know – by experience, by acquaintance, by knowledge, by wisdom, by perception, by discernment, w/certainty that God is God period & there is no other!
- You’ve never learned anything by talking!
- You’ve never discovered anything by being distracted!
- You’ve never understood anything w/o intense concentration!
- & you’ll never grasp God w/o being still before Him & learning from Him & discovering through Him & understanding in Him the deep truths of His presence; His existence; His ability, His power & His Person.
- We’re talking about deliberately setting aside time to communion w/God!
- We’re talking about carving out & protecting a block of time each day just to sit alone w/God & contemplate Him!
- I’m not talking about transcendental meditation, not talking about yoga, not talking about some mindless exercise, not talking about freeing your mind to receive any old spirit that comes along – I’m talking about the discipline of daily communication & communion w/the One who died for you!
- I’m talking about spending time w/the One who said, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
- We’re to come before Him & honor Him w/the respect He is due. Surely we can afford to spend time w/the One who secured our salvation!
- Surely we can take time from our busy schedules to make time for God!
- Surely we can turn off the TV, radio, noise of this world long enough to be w/God!
- B/c if you can’t do that – you need to examine your life & ask yourself if you really love God!
- You will spend time w/those you love & if you don’t spend time w/God, what does that say about your relationship w/God?
- The examples of Isaiah & John teach us that until the day God takes us home to heaven, we will be sinful b/c we live in unredeemed human flesh in the midst of others just like us; so that every time we come before God we must 1st acknowledge our sinfulness.
- John’s example also teaches us that, in God’s presence, we are to be silent, to be still, to be quiet, to be mindful of whose presence we enjoy.
- & 3rdly, John’s example teaches us that we are…
3. To be prostrate before Him in Submissiveness. (vv. 17-19) John tells us that, “17 & when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First & the Last. 18 I am He who lives, & was dead, & behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. & I have the keys of Hades & of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, & the things which are, & the things which will take place after this.”
- Have you ever surrendered your life to Christ so sincerely that you've fallen at the feet of the Savior as though dead?
- I don’t mean did you literally fall down & lay flat out & act dead.
- I’m talking about the complete surrender of your life to your Lord – have you ever done that?
[Steven Olford once said, “If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”]
1 Corinthians 6 19 …do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, & you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body & in your spirit, which are God's.
Romans 12 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 & do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.
- IOW Paul was encouraging his readers to be submissive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ; to submit to the Sovereignty of God; to surrender their all to Jesus!
- All to Jesus I surrender; all to Him I freely give. I will ever love & trust Him; in His presence daily live. I surrender all; I surrender all. All to Thee my blessed Savior; I surrender all.
- Have you ever said that & meant it from your heart?
- Once John saw the majesty of Christ & fell before Him, Jesus called him into service to help write the Word of God!
- v. 19 tells us that God used John to “Write the things which you have seen, [which are the words of chapter 1] & the things which are, [which are the words of chapters 2 & 3] & the things which will take place after this [which are the words of the rest of the book.]”
- & when you surrender to the Lordship of the Sovereign God, He will use you to accomplish His will in ways you can’t even begin to imagine!
- I don’t know about you, but I want to be productive in the ministry; I want to be effective in the ministry; I want our church to be active in the ministry to which God has called us!
- Please understand that I’m not talking about being busy; I don’t want us to just be busy.
- In fact, let me encourage you to Beware of the barrenness of busyness.
- The ever increasing influence of technology allows us to be ever more efficient.
- We can talk on the phone & eat fast food all while using the ATM.
- But along w/that increased pace of life, more is required of us; & so we hurtle through life faster & faster, becoming busier & busier.
- Have you ever noticed that you can’t talk to anyone for more than 60 seconds w/o one of you talking about how busy you are.
- The result is that in our busyness, we are becoming increasingly efficient at leading meaningless lives.
- You’ve heard the old saying, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” I believe our text today is telling us, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” & be aware of God & His presence.
- Are you willing to be submissive to the Lord’s will? Are you willing to be surrendered to the Lord’s work? Are you willing to be productive & effective in the ministry of the Lord in this place?
Conclusion: Do you long to do something of eternal significance? Well—when have you fallen prostrate at the feet of the Lord Jesus? Does He have complete mastery over you? Are you truly under the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Invitation: As heads are bowed & eyes are closed, let me encourage you to examine yourself & answer that question: “Are you truly under the Lordship of Jesus Christ?” Have you ever really surrendered your self-will to your Creator? If not, would you today surrender your all to Him – if you sense that Jesus is dealing w/you about the eternal destiny of your soul? By repenting of your sin & placing your faith in Jesus Christ & confessing Him as Lord, you can be saved!
Or perhaps today God has spoken to your heart about your stubborn will, or about your elevated activity level, or maybe it’s the fact that you aren’t really doing anything to advance His kingdom. Whatever God may be speaking to your heart, would you respond to His grace & repent & turn & follow Him?
Hymn 275 I Surrender All
