Sermon Notes | 4.21.24
Revelation 1:9–20
[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 white wool, like 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. (ESV)
PATMOS
Revelation 1:9-10a
How can you praise while on PATMOS?
The PICTURE
Revelation 1:10-16
Jesus Christ is a priest, a mediator. Priest, in Latin, is pontifex; it is an engineering term that means “bridge-builder.” A priest is one who builds a bridge between two sides of the canyon. To be effective you need to know both sides of the canyon well. John is being reminded that Jesus is the greatest bridge-builder of all. He is the one who bridges the infinite chasm between us and God. He does so because he knows both sides of the canyon: he knows the human side because he is fully human; he knows the God side because he is fully God. “Clothed with a robe.” He is the great High Priest. – Darrell Johnson
What is the loudest voice in your life?
[17] The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. – Zephaniah 3:17
What Jesus has to say is not always a comforting word. Sometimes he comes to rebuke and chastise. And can we be honest and admit that we don’t always want to hear what he says to us? We resist what he has to say to us to our own peril. Tim Keller says, “If your God never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.” A sharp sword cuts. The words of Jesus cut through our stubborn resistance. They expose the shallowness of our comfortable Christianity. They pierce through our carefully cultivated reputation for always being right. And we are better for it. – Nancy Guthrie, Blessed
The PEACE
Revelation 1:17-20
A Prayer for Salvation
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but through your Son Jesus I can be more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you that he lived the life I should have lived and paid the debt and punishment I owed. Receive me now for his sake. I turn from my sins and receive him as Savior. Amen.”