Place: Lurgan Baptist 6:4:2003

Reading: Revelation 1:9-20

CONSIDER HIM

2. THE UNVEILED CHRIST

In Mogadishu, Somalia, on 21^st March 1994, a young man was cycling to work. He was considered the most outstanding Christian in his very small, struggling, isolated Christian community. He had taken college courses through correspondence, and he was investing his life in discipline other believers as he sought to build up the church in Somalia. The church had high hopes for growth and national impact under his enthusiastic, gifted, Spirit filled leadership. But early on that March morning, two men drove by him on a motorcycle, and with one blast of a machine gun, blew this young Christian into eternity. His brutal, senseless murder left behind a young wife and a one year old baby who now faced potential devastation. He himself had led his wife to the Lord. When she professed faith in Christ, her family and tribe disowned her. Upon her husband’s death she was alone with no means of support.

Not only his family but the church and the entire Christian movement in his nation were rocked to its very foundation of faith. Is there any hope for the future of this young wife and her baby ? What about the future of the church in Somalia ? What about you ? Have you faced a devastating tragedy in your life ? Has your life taken an unexpected turn ? Is there any hope for your future ? When life seems to hard to bear ? When bad things happen to good people ? When evil triumphs over good ? When Satan seems to have the upper hand ? When all hell breaks loose ? When death still stings and the grave seems to have the victory ? My …. what problem are you facing that seems greater than you can bear ? What situation in your life seems impossible ? Amy Carmichael the great missionary to India wrote,

“ When we are facing the impossible, we can count upon the God of the impossible.”

The apostle John received a fresh vision of the God of the impossible when not only the early church but he himself faced overwhelmingly great problems. When John received this vision the Emperor Domitian was on the throne in Rome, and he was the most cruel of all Roman emperors. He declared himself to be God, sentencing to death those who refused to worship him. The early believers did refuse to worship Domitian, thus they were sentenced to death by the thousands. Some were thrown to the lions in the great coliseum, some were burned at the stake. Others were wrapped in the skins of wild animals and fed to the dogs or dipped in tar and lit as torches for the emperor’s garden.

Still others were crucified, including mothers with their babies draped around their necks. My …. the early Christians including John faced great problems ! But rather than focus on each painful step of his walk of faith, in the midst of such suffering and stress, John

“ turned his eyes on Jesus, he looked full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth grew strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” My …. sometimes when faced with great problems, our tendency is to focus on the hands of God, what He has not done for us, and what we want Him to do for us, instead of focusing on the face of God …. simply who He is. Often, in the midst of great problems we stop short of the real blessing that God has for us, which is a fresh vision of who He is. Here in ( Ch 1 ) we see The Unveiled Christ. Indeed, is this not what the Book of Revelation is all about ?

According to ( 1:1 ) its “ The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It’s the unveiling of a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. My …. in the midst of your problems will you stop for a moment ? Get your eyes off yourself, your problems, your circumstances, and look to, The Unveiled Christ. Christ is unveiled here in three different ways. Notice firstly:

(1) THE MAJESTY OF THE COMING KING

Now remember it had been over 60 years since John had seen the Lord Jesus, but he immediately recognises Him as the “ Son of Man.” ( Dan 7:13-14 ) That describes the Humanity of Christ. Eighty five times in the gospels Christ is called the Son of Man. It was one of His favourite titles because eighty three of those times, the Lord used that very title to refer to Himself.

Well, who did John see ? Now remember that while this is symbolic language, it still portrays literal, eternal truth. Truth that we need to learn about the Risen Lord.

John begins by telling us that:

(a) HE IS THE COMMANDING CHRIST:

“ Clothed with …. girdle,” ( 1:13 ) This describes the Authority of the King ! You see, in ancient times this was the recognised apparel of authority, dignity and ruler ship. In O.T. times a long robe was the clothing of spiritual leaders of high rank, whether it be the High Priest, ( Exod 25:1 ) a King, ( 1 Sam 24:5 ) a Prince,

( Ezek 26:16 ) or a Judge. ( Ezek 9:1 ) Do you see how John sees Christ ? Wearing sovereign apparel, bearing the garments of regal majesty. Adorned with absolute authority. Does it seem that your life is out of control ?

It may be out of your control, but it is fully under His control ? John said that he saw the Lord Jesus with the golden girdle across His chest, He is the King of kings, fully in charge of whatever is going on in your life.

(b) HE IS THE CONSECRATED CHRIST:

For “ His head …. as snow.” ( 1:14 ) This describes the Purity of the King. Do you know what freshly fallen snow is like ? Sometimes we use the phrase “ as pure as the driven snow,” but listen, the Lord Jesus was purer than the driven snow, because even the driven snow carries within it the impurities of the air as it passes through the atmosphere. Have you ever considered the fact that the Lord Jesus is the only Man who ever lived who never had a guilty conscience, He is the only person who never had to confess sin. Now Christ forgave sin, but He never had to forsake sin. He was purely perfect and perfectly pure. A man of grace, a man of glory but never a man of guilt. He is “ holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty.” But look again:

(c) HE IS THE COMPREHENDING CHRIST:

We are told that “ His eyes were as a flame of fire,”

That refers to the Sagacity of the King. He has vision that penetrates. We would say today He has X-ray vision. Christ sees it all. Christ hears it all. Christ knows it all. I heard the story of a country man who was arrested for stealing a watch. At his trial the prosecution did everything they could to prove the man’s guilt but there was not enough evidence. He could not be found guilty so the judge told him, “ Sam, you’ve been acquitted. You can go home.” And the man replied,

“ does that mean I have to give the watch back ?” My …. the Lord Jesus cannot be deceived. He sees every minister, notes every member, observes every ministry and views every motive with X-ray vision. From His fiery eyes John looks down to His red-hot feet, feet that are glowing like burnished metal in a fiery furnace for,

(d) HE IS THE CONDEMNING CHRIST:

This picture refers to the Severity of the King. These were the same feet that had walked the dusty roads of Palestine. The same feet that had walked on water. The same feet that walked up Calvary. The same feet that were nailed to a Roman cross. The same feet that walked out of the empty tomb. The same feet that ascended to heaven. John saw these same feet, looking like bronze, glowing in a furnace, for these are the feet of the Final Judge of the universe. I tell you there will be no escape from the wrath of God when Christ’s burning feet touch the earth. But even today, the Risen Lord as He walks in the midst of the candlesticks will judge sin when He finds in the church. ( 2:4, 14-15 ) for He is the Condemning Christ. Did you notice that John now moves from sight to sound and he sees:

(e) THE COMMUNICATING CHRIST:

And “ His voice as …. many waters.” That refers to the Integrity of the King. This was the same voice that had calmed the storm. The same voice that had turned Mary’s tears to joy when He called her by name. The same voice that has called into being everything and anything that has ever existed. And John says, this voice was “ as the sound of many waters.” Have you ever stood at the base of a waterfall ? The sound is so great that it fills the air, and you cannot even hear yourself speak. My …. at a time when so many voices are being raised against Christ and what He has said, we can be assured that one day when He returns to earth, they will all be silenced. He will have the last word. My …. do you see that this is the Christ who is coming ? He is not coming as the bloodied and beaten Saviour, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Indeed:

(f) HE IS THE CONTROLLING CHRIST:

We are told “ And He had in His right hand seven stars.” That refers to the Sovereignty of the King. The stars are the angels or messengers of the churches. The Risen Lord holds in His very hand this moment His church, His people, His servants. You see, this church is not my church, your church, our church, this church is His church. Don’t you be worrying about God’s church. I have some news for these soothsayers who are predicting the demise of the church. My …. even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The church of Jesus has survived persecutions from without and problems from within, but still it remains the church of the living God held by His protective hand. But look again. For John sees that out of his mouth proceeds a deadly weapon …. a sword. You see:

(g) HE IS THE CONQUERING CHRIST:

This refers to the Ferocity of the King. For one of these days the Lord Jesus is coming to do battle with the nations of the world, and He will have only one weapon, the sword that proceeds out of His mouth which is the Word of God. ( Eph 6:17 ) Tell me, when confronting great problems what weapons are you using ? Money ? Medication ? Manipulation ? Meanness ? Memory ? Where is your sword ? You see, if Christ will use it one day to conquer the world, why do you think it is insufficient for you today ? Finally, John sees Christ’s face shining with the glory of God for:

(h) HE IS THE COMPELLING CHRIST:

“ And His countenance …. in his strength.” This refers to the Glory of the King. Once that face was marred and spat upon, here it shines in resplendent glory. Unveiled. Unmasked. Unadulterated ! Do you know something ? John had become so preoccupied with Christ that although his circumstances had not changed his despondency had lifted. In the midst of the darkness, John saw the Light. And the Light that turned the night into day was the face of Jesus. My …. what vision of Christ are you missing because you are so preoccupied with yourself, your problems, your circumstances ?

In the midst of your despondency turn around. Focus on Christ. Why ? Because when you are preoccupied with the Saviour, there is no time to think of your problems.

(2) THE MASTERY OF THE COMING KING

For, you see the effect of this dazzling sight on John was nothing less than paralysing. John said “ And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.” John was:

(a) Prostrate before Him in SINFULNESS:

He lay before the Resplendent Redeemer, undone, unmasked, unravelled ! The holiness of Christ exposed his own impurity. He caught one glimpse of the Holy One and his self-esteem was shattered. Was it not the same for Isaiah ? For when he saw the sovereignty, purity, authority of the Lord Jesus he cried, “ Woe is me for I am undone.” ( Is 6:5 Jn 21:41 ) My …. a vision of the glorified Christ will always drive us to our knees. Like John, we must find ourselves at His feet. Lower and lower we must descend driven downward by His divine presence. Do you know something ? When we compare ourselves with others we seem respectable, but when see ourselves in comparison to Him we are ruined.

For the closer we draw to the Light, the more dirt of our own heart is exposed. What about you ? Have you seen the depravity of your own heart ? Have you been humbled before the holiness of Christ ? Have you ever fallen on your face before the Holy One ? Surely this must be the posture of the church …. flat on our faces before the Lord. (a)

(b) Prostrate before Him in STILLNESS:

For he collapsed at Christ’s feet as a dead man. A little boy was to appear at his school’s play. His one line was,

“ It is I be not afraid.” But he became so full of stage fright that when he came out on stage all he blurted out was, “ It’s me and I’m scared to death.” My …. that’s how John felt. Did you ever see a dead man move ? He does not even twitch. To fall at the feet of Jesus as though dead means there is no more wrestling with His will for your life, no more pursuit of goals and plans that are your own. No more walking off in your own direction. No more running ahead of Him, or lagging behind Him. Falling prostrate means that are you still before Christ. Dead still ! (a) (b)

(c) Prostrate before Him in SUBMISSIVENESS:

Have you ever so totally surrendered your life to Christ that you’ve fallen at the feet of the Saviour as though dead ? You see, lying there as a dead man, all John cared about was the hand of God on his life. One he had seen the majesty of Christ, his sole desire was to feel the touch of God and to hear the voice of God in his life.

“ And He laid His right hand …. write.” ( 1: 17-19 )

My …. do you long to serve the Lord ? Do you long to do something of eternal significance ? Well, let me ask you. When have you fallen prostrate at the feet of the Lord Jesus ? When have you made yourself available to Him ? When have you said, “ Here I am, Lord. Anything. Everything. I am available without reservation.” Has He the mastery over you ? (1) (2)

(3) THE MINISTRY OF THE COMING KING

For as John lay prostrate before the feet of Christ, the Lord did something that was typical of Him. He reached down and touched John. You see:

(a) HE CONVEYS HIS SYMPATHY:

“ And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me Fear not.” ( 1:17 ) As you read through the Gospels Christ was always touching people. When He healed a leper He touched him. When He restored sight to the blind, He put His hands on their eyes. The touch of His hand brought His strengthening grace. No wonder the Risen Lord reaches out and touches John. The elderly apostle now in his nineties has almost died of a heart attack because the Lord unveiled His glory. My …. do you need to sense His touch ? ( Dan 10:10 ) To hear His voice, “ Fear not.” (a)

(b) HE REVEALS HIS IDENTITY:

1. “ I am,” that spells DEITY:

Was this not the divine name God chose for Himself ?

“ And God said unto Moses, I am that I am, and He said thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.” ( Exod 3:14 ) The self-existent, eternal, sovereign God. In taking this name, the Lord Jesus is claiming to be God. 1.

2. “ The first and the last,” that spells ETERNALITY:

By saying, “ I am the first,” Christ lays claim to eternal pre-existence. By saying “ I am the last,” He is eternally immutable. He is the “ same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” ( Heb 13:8 ) 1. 2.

3. “ I am He that Liveth,” that spells VICTORY:

“ John, there’s nothing to fear. I have conquered sin, death, Satan, and hell. I am alive for evermore.” Is that what you need to hear this …. ? Do you need to hear the Living Lord whispering in your ear, “ Fear not I’m alive to dry your tears, to give you success, to comfort your hearts, to speak peace to your troubled souls.” My …. because He lives you can face tomorrow ! (a) (b)

(c) HE AFFIRMS HIS AUTHORITY:

“ And have the keys of hell and of death.” His keys signify His sovereign authority to open and close the grave. Christ decides who dies when. And He alone can get them out. “ John, I have all power over death. And you’re not finished yet, your ministry is not yet over. I am not ready to take the key and put it into the door of death for you. So write …. !” My …. Is this not encouraging ? Listen, despite cancer, growths, wars, suicide bombers, old age you’ll never go through the door of death until Christ puts the key into the door.

The Unveiled Christ ! (1) (2) (3) Outside Monrovia, Liberia is a little village named Harbell. In the village a small church and school have been established to serve the displaced persons who live there. The pastor of the church is Gabriel, and the headmaster of the church-run school is named Emmanuel. The school serves 600 children and has no books, no pencils, and no blackboard. When the pastor was asked if he was discouraged, he looked amazed and said, “ Brother we are Christians, we may be helpless, but we are not hopeless !” Are you so discouraged by the greatness of your problems that you have given up all hope ? Instead of giving up, would you patiently endure ? Would you

“ turn your eyes upon Jesus,” until you are so preoccupied with Him alone that you fall at His feet.

And if you never feel the hand of God on your life, or never hear the voice of God calling you to service, it will be enough to lie at His feet and “ gaze, and gaze, and gaze on Him.”