The Glorified Lord: Revelation 1:9-20

I’m glad you guys are here. Welcome. If this is your first time with us, we are cruising through the book of Revelation. We’re going to be here for a long time. This is week three, and we’re already at verse nine, so we are moving really quick!

Chris has given me the “squeeze sign,” so if there’s room to squeeze together in the pews, please squeeze. If there’s not, I understand. Sitting on someone’s lap is fun for a minute, but not for as long as we’ll be together tonight. There is some room in the front row, and if worst comes to worst, we can throw some of the “young studs” up here in the choir loft—the dog pound—if we need to. Young guys, if you see people sitting on the floor, if you wouldn’t mind making your way up there, that’d be awesome.

Let’s get into it. If you have a Bible, turn to Revelation chapter one. We’re going to look at a very interesting picture of the risen Lord as we unpack verses nine through twenty.

Introduction: Taking Apart the Story

I don’t know how many of you went through a phase of taking stuff apart, but most guys do. Girls get into Barbies and all that—which I’m learning all about, by the way. I know more about Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper with Erica and Annalise and Seraphina the cat than I ever thought possible because of my daughter. But for us guys, we went through that phase where you just took everything apart. A TV laying around? Take it apart. A radio? Take it apart. You could never get it back together, but that wasn’t the point. Half the fun was just seeing how it worked.

As I’ve walked with God over the last decade, I’ve found that I’m doing the same thing with the Bible. I’m fascinated by how everything works together. You take the things you’ve learned and you start putting them together, and you realize that God intended the Bible to be an incredible, integrated message. These sixty-six books fit together. Your view of God, your view of man, your view of sin, and your view of redemption—it all has to fit together like Velcro.

One of the biggest assumptions people make about Revelation is that it’s only a book about “eschatology”—the end times. While that’s part of it, you’re going to see in the weeks to come that this book is also deeply “Christological.” You’re going to learn more about Jesus Christ than you probably expected. Most New Testament passages build toward the crescendo of the cross, but we don’t see a lot of the post-redemption picture of Jesus. Here, John chronicles a view of the risen, glorified Lord that is beyond anything you’ve ever seen.

If you survey people today about what they think of Jesus, you get a picture that’s a cross between Colonel Sanders, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Santa Claus. He’s seen as this mild-mannered genie who just wants to bless you if you pray. We’ve seen the pictures of Him looking meek, always walking with His arms out, and we wonder if He ever puts them down! But tonight, we’re going to see the Glorified Lord.

A Fellow Partaker in the Struggle

John begins by identifying himself in a very intimate way. He says, “I, John, your brother.” He is a fellow believer, and he describes himself as a “fellow partaker.”

Revelation 1:9-11 (NASB)

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance [which are] in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like [the sound] of a trumpet, saying, ‘Write in a book what you see, 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.’

John is writing to churches that are heavily persecuted. He says, “I am a partaker of your tribulation.” Remember, he is on the island of Patmos in exile because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He’s been scorned, threatened, and exiled. He’s saying, “I share in your suffering. I know where you are.”

But he’s also a partaker of the kingdom and of perseverance. Perseverance—hupo mone in the Greek—is the capacity to hold out under pressure. It’s the idea that when a person puts their faith in Jesus, their salvation is secured by God’s sovereign power. This is the “perseverance of the saints.”

I love how the old Westminster Confession puts it: “They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved.”

Aren’t you glad your salvation isn’t dependent on your obedience? How many of you would have lost your salvation between the time you walked in the room and the time I started speaking? Our assurance is based on the holiness of God. The only thing you and I contributed to our salvation was the sin that made it necessary!

Caught Up in the Day of the Lord

John says he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” This phrase in pneumatic means he was caught out of his body; he was standing outside of himself to see what was coming.

Now, “the Lord’s day” isn’t just a reference to Sunday. In the prophets, the “Day of the Lord” always refers to a future time of judgment and glory—the rapture, the tribulation, the great day of judgment, and the setting up of the kingdom. To understand this “out of body” prophetic experience, look at how Jesus describes David in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 22:42-43 (NASB)

‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘[The son] of David.’ He said to them, ’Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

Jesus is saying that back in 1,000 BC, David was “in the Spirit” and saw the Messiah sitting at the right hand of God. In the same way, John is pulled out of time to see the prophetic picture of what is coming. He hears a voice like a trumpet—a call to arms, a call to war—telling him to write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches.

This reminds me of the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk was complaining to God about why the wicked prosper while the godly suffer. God told him that He was doing something so big that Habakkuk wouldn’t believe it even if he were told. Then God gave him a specific instruction.

Habakkuk 2:2 (NASB)

Then the LORD answered me and said, ’Record the vision And inscribe [it] on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.

God tells him to record the vision so that the one who reads it may “run.” It’s the same thing here in Revelation. John is told to write these things down so that the church might run with endurance, fight the good fight, and finish the race.

In the Midst of the Lampstands

When John turns to see who is speaking, he sees seven golden lampstands. Scripture interprets itself here—verse 20 tells us the lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:12-13 (NASB)

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands [I saw] one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

In the middle of these churches is “one like the Son of Man.” This is a Messianic title from Daniel 7. I want you to notice where Jesus is: He is in the midst of the churches. He said, “I will be with you until the end of the age.”

The beauty of these seven churches wasn’t their buildings, their programs, or their slick videos. Their beauty was that Jesus was in their midst. I remember coming to church as a non-believer. I didn’t know Jesus, and I was there for all the wrong reasons, but I remember thinking, “There’s something here bigger than me. I’m freaked out, but it’s fascinating.” That was the Son of Man in the midst of His people, drawing others to Himself.

Jesus is described here in priestly garments—a robe reaching to His feet and a golden sash. In Leviticus 16, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to mediate for the people. They used to tie a rope around the priest’s ankle and put bells on his robe so that if he stopped moving—if he died in the presence of God’s holiness—they could pull his corpse out! Here is Jesus, our High Priest, standing in the midst of His church, royalty and holiness combined.

It’s a comedy of divine wisdom that God chose to use the church. If you were God, would you have chosen us? He could have just rolled back the heavens and shouted, “Hey, you bunch of losers, come to me!” But that wouldn’t take faith. Instead, He uses a guy in a locker room at Fresno State who says, “My life’s changed, let me tell you about Jesus.” That takes faith. God uses His church, and He stands as our Head.

The Eyes of Fire and the Feet of Bronze

How do you describe the one who fills all in all? John gives it his best shot.

Revelation 1:14-16 (NASB)

His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet [were] like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice [was] like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

His hair is white like wool—that’s His glory and holiness. But notice His eyes: “like a flame of fire.” Every teenager knows that look. You come home at 1:30 AM after telling your dad you were at Bill’s house, only to find the living room light on. Your dad is just sitting there. He asks, “Where have you been?” You try to lie, but you look at his eyes and you know that he knows.

Jesus’ eyes are a flame of fire because He is omniscient. He knows where you’ve been. He sees exactly who you are, and He isn’t surprised by it.

His feet are like burnished bronze. This carries two meanings. First, it shows He walked through the same furnace of life that we do. Second, it connects to the bronze altar in the Old Testament temple where sacrifices were burned. He is the sacrifice that doesn’t just cover sin but takes it away.

His voice is like the sound of many waters. My wife and I always debate whether the beach or the mountains are better. But when you’re at the beach, there’s something about the sound of those waves—it’s calming, yet it’s incredibly commanding. That is the voice of our Lord.

In His right hand, He holds seven stars—the messengers or leaders of the churches. This is a high calling. The key to a healthy church is healthy leadership that opens the Book and says, “This is what the text says.” We don’t need more opinions; we need the Word. Out of His mouth comes a sharp, two-edged sword.

Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

This isn’t a little dagger; the word used here is rhomphaia. It’s a six-foot cleaver, like a Claymore sword from Braveheart. The Word of God judges rightly and cuts cleanly. And His face? It’s like the sun. It can warm you and light your path, but if approached carelessly, it can consume.

The Keys to Death and Hades

John spent three years with Jesus. He was the one Jesus loved. He reclined against Jesus at the Last Supper. He saw the Transfiguration. But when he sees this vision of the Glorified Lord, he doesn’t give Him a hug or a high-five.

Revelation 1:17-18 (NASB)

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ’Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

John falls at His feet like a dead man. But Jesus places His right hand on him and says, “Do not be afraid.” He is the first and the last. He was dead, and now He is alive forevermore. And He holds the keys to Death and Hades.

Have you ever wondered where you go when you die? If you are a believer, you go to Paradise—to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. It’s like falling asleep and waking up in His presence. But for the non-believer, there is Hades (or Sheol), a holding place of torment. And scripture says it’s a one-way ticket. You can’t be prayed out, bought out, or baptized out.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The worst place to be in human history is in the presence of God without Jesus Christ. That might not seem important now, but there may come a day when God is gracious enough to give you the gift of time to think about it.

I remember visiting a friend of mine, Chuck, in his hospital bed. His widow, Joan, is here tonight. Chuck was a military man—hard-nosed and tough. He had smoked all his life and was dying of cancer. He knew it wasn’t a matter of weeks or days, but hours. He looked at me and asked, “Brad, where am I going to go in a matter of hours?”

I shared Christ with him, and he said, “Good. Because I put my faith in Jesus, and I just wanted to be sure it would pay off in the end.” He told me, “When you do my funeral, tell them about Jesus.” When the earthly tent you’re living in is ebbing away, all the trivial things mean nothing. Only the eternal matters. Chuck died that night in peace.

Living in Light of the Glorified Lord

John ends this chapter by giving us the outline for the entire book.

Revelation 1:19 (NASB)

’Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

Write the things you have seen (Chapter 1), the things which are (Chapters 2-3), and the things which will take place after this (Chapters 4-22).

So why is this text here for us? I think there are three takeaways. First, so we have a clear picture of who Jesus really is—not a Santa figure, but the Glorified Lord. Second, so that we who are in Christ might “run” our race with endurance and live rightly. And finally, so that we would have no fear of death.

I love my daughter and I want to see her grow up, but I am not afraid to die. I have a High Priest who promised never to leave me. He holds the keys. When I die, I go into the presence of God because He has given me His Spirit as a down payment. Do you have that assurance? You don’t have to fake it.

We’re going to transition into a time of worship and communion. Communion is our connection to the first-century church. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took the bread and the wine and said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

As the worship team plays, feel free to come down and take communion. We ask that you take it here at the front so we don’t drip grape juice all over the aisles! The steps are open for prayer. This isn’t a faith of isolation; it’s personal, but it’s public. We are connecting to the same Lord who was in the midst of Ephesus, Smyrna, and Philadelphia. He is the one who was, and is, and is to come.

Let’s pray together.