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I can turn in your Bibles again 
to Revelation chapter one. Revelation chapter one. We looked 
this morning at the commission of John the Apostle to write 
the letter, the letters to the seven churches in Asia. We'll 
look at verses 12 to 19 tonight, continuing with the commission 
of John the Apostle. But we're going to look at the 
vision of the Son of Man, the vision that John sees of the 
ascended and exalted Christ Jesus, our Lord. I'll read again Revelation 
chapter one, beginning at verse nine. I, John, both your brother 
and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus 
Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word 
of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the 
spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice 
as of a trumpet saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the 
first and the last. And what you see, write in a 
book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to 
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, 
and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice 
that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven 
golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven 
lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with the garment 
down to the feet and girded about the chest with the golden band. 
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, 
and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine 
brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of 
many waters. He had in his right hand seven 
stars. Out of his mouth went a sharp, 
two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its 
strength. And 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 and the last. 
I am he who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of 
Hades and of death. Write the things which you have 
seen and the things which are and the things which will take 
place after this. The mystery of the seven stars 
which 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, which you saw are the seven churches. Amen. Well, let's open with a word 
of prayer. Our Father, we thank You that we can read from this 
book. We thank You that we can read of our exalted and our glorified 
Christ Jesus. And we thank You, Lord God, that 
You have revealed Your will, that at this time You revealed 
these things to John the Apostle in order that he might edify 
and build up and bring confidence to the churches which were in 
Asia Minor. And Lord God, we thank You that we can be those 
who benefit from this book as Christians sharing with those 
first century Christians in our common faith and profession in 
our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and looking unto him. And we 
would just ask now that you be with us as we consider your word. Help us to glean from it that 
with which you would have us to glean. And Lord God, that 
you'd help us to order our lives after your word. that we would 
go from here with the confidence of this exalted Christ and that 
we would live in this lower world unto your glory. And we pray 
in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. A number of Lord's days ago, 
we looked at the glory of Christ in his state of humiliation. 
Well, here we have the glory of Christ in his state of exaltation, 
in his state of having ascended to the right hand of the majesty 
on high and having received glory and dominion and a kingdom. When 
we looked at the glory of Christ in his state of humiliation, 
we noted a number of things that Christ Christ adorned, if you 
will, in the mocking garbs that the soldiers put on him. Christ 
marked up or adorned, if you will, again by the spit, by the 
spittings and the beatings of those who mocked him and sought 
to ridicule him. Christ adorned with the crown 
of thorns. All of these things testified 
even still to the fact that he was altogether lovely and chief 
among ten thousand. But it's a wonderful thing as 
we can transfer from the earthly and I use that in a wholesome 
manner from the earthly and the humiliated Christ, the Christ 
of the incarnation. And we can move to the Christ 
of the ascension and the Christ of the exaltation and the Christ 
of glorification when we can move from the Christ of the spittings 
and the beatings being bruised and battered for guilty sinners. 
And we can see him now as the one who has returned to the glory 
that he once had with the father before the world was. It's a 
wonderful thing. And we're going to look at three 
things tonight. The vision of the author, the response of the 
author and the comfort and confidence of the author from verses nine 
to 19 of Revelation chapter one. Now, first off, the vision of 
the author. We notice here that John is using 
symbolism. As the Old Testament uses it, 
and as, of course, the book of Revelation uses it, symbolism 
is throughout. We can see comparisons to this 
vision in the book of Ezekiel and in the book of Daniel. We 
see symbolism at various parts of Holy Scripture as God is bringing 
his message to the people, to his people. And so John here 
employs the language of symbolism as he describes Christ or various 
aspects of Christ are here symbolically represented. Also, Christ is 
so glorious as we read this, Christ is so glorious that John 
has to employ simile or similitude in order to describe him to his 
hearers. And we see this also in the book 
of Revelation, where the glory of the throne room or the glory 
of God, the glory of the exalted Christ. is so glorious that the 
author, John the Apostle, can only use like and as in order 
to describe the glorious one. Notice the language as we read 
here through the vision of the Son of God. Particularly at verse 
14, His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, 
and His eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine 
brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of 
many waters. And then down at the end of verse 
16 and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. Yes, John was given words and 
he put those words onto paper or onto parchment. And yes, those 
words have meaning to be sure, but it's almost as if John was 
devoid of words in order to describe the glory of the exalted. The 
glory of the ascended and magnificent Christ Jesus, our Lord. What 
do we learn of Christ here? First, we see that this one, 
like the Son of Man, or first we see that Christ is the one 
like the Son of Man of Daniel 7, 13 and 14. We read that at 
the outset of worship this morning. And you can turn there now for 
a moment because it is very important to see the connectivity between 
the Danielic son of man and the one like the son of man, as depicted 
here, not just connectivity, but this is the one in the same 
price to whom both prophets refer in terms of Daniel, chapter seven. And as a reader reads through 
the book of Revelation. We see the connectivity here 
between this one like the son of man, the dominion and glory 
and kingdom given to him and the response of the peoples and 
nations and the languages of the world to this one exalted 
to the ancient of days. Daniel, chapter seven, at verse 
13, I was watching in the night visions and behold, one like 
the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to 
the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. 
Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that 
all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion 
is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom, 
the one which shall not be destroyed. We noted also this morning that 
this is a picture of Christ's ascension. Jesus Christ came 
to the ancient of days on the clouds of heaven and to him was 
given dominion and glory and a kingdom. Jesus, in his earthly 
ministry before Caiaphas, before his crucifixion, applied this 
particular verse to himself. Remember that scene. Caiaphas 
asks Christ Jesus in that something of a trial before his crucifixion. 
Tell us if you are the Christ. the Son of God. And Jesus says, 
it is as you say. Nevertheless, I say to you, soon 
after or hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at 
the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. 
Jesus identified himself as the Danielic son of man who would 
ascend to the ancient of days and receive glory and honor and 
a kingdom. And here we have John seeing 
this same one, this one like the son of man clothed with the 
garment down to the feet and girded about the chest. with 
the golden band and many other items of symbolism that we will 
look at. But this is the Danielic son 
of man of Daniel 7 and the one, of course, that Christ speaks 
of or identifies himself as before Caiaphas in Matthew 26. Secondly, 
we see that Christ is with his churches. Christ is with his 
churches. Notice verse 13. And in the midst 
of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man. We know 
that these seven lampstands, as we get to verse 20, Jesus 
identifies and tells us what these seven lampstands are and 
the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. It's a wonderful thing here that 
Jesus is identified as one like the Son of Man in the midst of 
the seven lampstands. This means that Christ, as he 
promised, is with his churches. In Matthew 28 20, he said, and 
lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Jesus 
Christ promised that he would be with his churches and he is 
true to his promise. And in the midst of the seven 
lampstands, which are the seven churches, one like the son of 
man. And this ought to be a comfort 
to us. We identified this morning that, 
yes, we may not go through the same trials, the same persecutions 
as the first century church. Nevertheless, we do have trials. 
We do have we do have persecutions. We do undergo afflictions and 
sufferings of various types. We we like them, though, have 
this same Christ as the one who is in the midst of us. We have 
this Christ who isn't who isn't an absentee royal, an absentee 
majestic, an absentee king. He is a present king who rules 
and reigns for his people, for his own reputation, the glory 
of his father and for the defense of those whom who have been called 
unto belief in his precious name. Jesus Christ is with his churches. Thirdly, we see the various attributes 
and perfections of Christ as revealed by these symbols. the 
various attributes and perfections of Christ as revealed by these 
symbols. Now, with the aid of theologians 
who cite the symbolism of antiquity, we can see Christ first off and 
also, of course, with the support of Holy Scripture. One of the 
aspects or attributes of Holy Scripture is the consent of all 
the parts. We can go to the Old Testament 
and other areas of the New Testament in order to see in order to support 
various doctrines, teachings and notions set forth infallibly 
within its pages. But first off, we notice the 
priesthood, the high priesthood of Jesus Christ in verse 13, 
verse 13. This one. Like the son of man is clothed 
with the garment down to the feet and girded about the chest 
with the golden band, the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
this is a necessary and a glorious thing for for Christ's people. Christ is the high priest. He 
is both the priest peculiar peculiar to Jesus Christ and him alone. 
He is both priest and the sacrifice that the priest offers unto God. Jesus Christ is our high priest 
offering himself up to God the father as that atoning sacrifice 
as that curse bearing substitutionary sacrifice for guilty sinners 
for us. He is the high priest and the 
perfect high priest at that. He is also, verse 13, a ruler 
of the highest order. He is, as we work through the 
pages of Revelation, he is the one who now has rule over all 
of the kingdoms of the earth. Later in Revelation, John will 
say that the nations, the kingdoms of this world have become the 
kingdoms of our God and of his Christ. The kingdoms of this 
world are not under the sovereign ownership of the rulers of those 
countries. They're not under the ownership 
of the people who dwell there. They are under the ownership 
of the sovereign and the ruling and the reigning Christ Jesus. 
He is the ruler of the highest order. He is also the sum and 
substance of all wisdom. The sum and substance of all 
wisdom, verse 14, his head and hair were white like wool, as 
white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. This whiteness, 
this hair white as wool, as white as snow, depicts something of 
wisdom. We know, of course, that Jesus 
Christ is the sum and substance of all wisdom. The Jews, of course, and the 
Greeks would think this to be folly. The Jews thought that 
Christ Jesus was a stumbling block and the Greeks thought 
him to be foolishness. One of the things that we have, 
though, in Jesus Christ as it's set forth in Corinthians is that 
he is not a stumbling block. truly to his people, and he is 
not folly to his people, but rather he is the power and the 
wisdom of God. He is the true the true and saving 
sum and substance of all wisdom. The Jews again thought, though, 
that he was a stumbling block. Spurgeon said that to the Jews, 
a crucified Messiah was an affront. This was a scandal to them. Their 
multitudinous sacrifices and all of their washings and ceremonies, 
Spurgeon said, were these all to be were these all to be put 
away and nothing left but a bleeding savior. That was that was madness, 
that was a stumbling block to the Jews, to the Greeks, of course, 
it was foolishness. They sought after that earthly 
philosophical wisdom that men would provide by much learning. 
They did not see that in Jesus Christ truly that was the power 
and that was the wisdom of God. No true wisdom comes from outside 
the One of whom is the full embodiment of it. Jesus Christ is depicted 
here with hair white like wool, as white as snow. And we ought 
to see in that the wisdom and the power of God. Christ is also 
the all-seeing Sovereign whose vision pierces through all things 
in his eyes like a flame of fire. Turn to Revelation 2 for a moment. 
Revelation Chapter 2. Just to see something of Christ 
with his eyes as of a flame of fire, as flames of fire. Christ 
Jesus sees all things. He is all seeing. He is all knowing. He is, of course, God. But we 
see here that his vision is piercing, and this would play a role as 
we work through the book of Revelation, particularly in application to 
the seven churches which are in Asia Minor can turn down to 
verse 22 of Revelation chapter two. Actually, sorry, we'll start 
in verse 20. Nevertheless, I have a few things 
against you because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls 
herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit 
sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave 
her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed, I will cast her into 
a sick bed and those who commit adultery with her into great 
tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her 
children with death and all the churches shall know that I am 
he who searches the minds and the hearts. And I will give to 
each one of you according to your works. You see this here, 
that piercing vision of this Christ who has eyes like a flame 
of fire. All the churches shall know that 
I am he who searches the minds and the hearts. People might 
think that they can somehow veil their activities, they can veil 
their hearts, they can veil their perversities from the King of 
Kings and the Lord of Lords. You can't close the door. You 
can't put a blanket over your windows. Jesus Christ sees through 
all things. He has eyes like a flame of fire. And we are to bend our knees 
unto that one who has eyes like a flame of fire. We are to yield 
to His laws, to His precepts joyfully, and we are to submit 
to Him as one whose burdens are light and whose yoke is easy. But this Christ, as we'll see, 
this attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ is of great comfort to 
John the Apostle. And it's something that is pressed 
into the minds and the hearts of the churches in the seven 
churches in Asia Minor as they are exhorted, commended and condemned 
and ordered to live godly in their lower world. Also, regarding 
Christ Jesus, he is the irresistible judge over all things. Verse 
15, his feet were like fine brass as if refined in a furnace and 
his voice as the sound of many waters. Christ Jesus, excuse 
me, is judge of the living and the dead. That's the profession 
of the apostles throughout the book of Acts. In one manner of 
phrase or the other, God has ordained us to preach to you 
Christ Jesus, who has been ordained himself to be judge of the living 
and the dead. And this would serve a great 
confidence again, all of these things, confidence to Christ's 
people, but great terror to those who have not submitted to Jesus 
Christ and to his precepts and to his righteous rule. Jesus 
is the irresistible judge and Christ is powerful conqueror. Notice the continued language 
here. Verse 16, he had in his right hand seven stars out of 
his mouth went a sharp two edged sword and his countenance was 
like the sun shining in its strength. It's wonderful language here. 
Out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword. Again, this 
is language of symbolism. Christ did not literally have 
a two edged sword protruding from his mouth. This is what 
this is, the word of God that is coming out of his mouth, that 
sort of the word or the sort of the spirit, which is the word 
of God, according to Ephesians chapter six. This is that word 
of God that Christ goes about to conquer with. The implements 
of Christ's battle gear are such that they are not carnal, they 
are not fleshly, they are rather spiritual. Christ conquers by 
the power of his gospel, by the power of his word. And you can 
turn to Revelation 19 for a moment to see more of this. Wonderful 
language here, wonderful confidence to the Saints, terror to those 
who are remaining in rebellion. Christ Jesus here depicting depicted 
as one who rides the white horse, conquering, conquering over his 
enemies. and to and for the defense of 
his people. Revelation 19, beginning at verse 
11. Now, I saw heaven opened and 
behold, a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful 
and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His 
eyes were like a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns. 
He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was 
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called 
the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed 
in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. 
Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should 
strike the nations. And he himself will rule them 
with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress 
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His 
robe and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord 
of Lords. Wonderful passage of Holy Scripture 
for the people of Christ. Because this is our victor. This 
is our Redeemer. This is our conquering King. 
And He goes about with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word 
of God, conquering and to conquer. And as we look, I think we can 
do this in a wholesome manner as we look at the history, at 
the history of humanity from the time of Christ up until now, 
we do see some of this. Yes, we see ebbing and flowing. 
Yes, we see peaks and valleys. with regards to the advance of 
history. But nevertheless, from a small 
speck of Christians in Jerusalem in the first century to millions 
of Christians in the 21st, we can look back and we can see 
the conquering riding of the rider on the white horse, riding 
victorious by his gospel, to his praise, to his honor, to 
his glory and for the defense of his people, the propagation 
of his message. One of those wonderful quotes 
that I think I've memorized, I don't know if I get it right 
every time, but it's a wonderful quote that testifies to this 
exact point, that from the first century to the 21st century and 
yes, continuing, Christ Jesus has marched on his white horse, 
conquering with the sword of the spirit. This is a quote from 
a man, I believe it's the late 18th century. the late 19th century, 
he was an ambassador from the United States to England and 
people were mocking Christ. and missionary work, Christian 
missionary work, to countries all around the world. And this 
man stood up, having listened to the mockery long enough, and 
he said to these people and to all who would listen, he said, 
I challenge any skeptic to find one 10 square mile spot on this 
planet where you can live your lives in peace and safety and 
decency, where old age is honored, where infancy is revered, where 
you can educate your children where the gospel of the Lord 
Jesus Christ has not gone first to prepare the way. And he said, 
I challenge you or I exhort you to emigrate thither and there 
proclaim your unbelief. If you can find any spot that 
the gospel of Jesus Christ had not gone to first, where you 
can live your lives in a manner of decency, where old age is 
revered, where people respect young ones, life where they honor 
life. If you can go to these places 
where you can educate your children, where we have all of these advantages, 
all of these benefits, peace and safety and decency, you won't 
be able to find a spot where the gospel of Jesus Christ had 
not gone first. If you can emigrate there and 
proclaim your unbelief, because we'd rather have those who recognize 
that wonderful blanket of comfort and provision that God sent by 
way of Christ and his conquering riding on the white horse. It's 
a wonderful thing to consider Christ as powerful conqueror, 
because that's what he is. He rides conquering with the 
sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Fifthly, we 
see Christ Return to the glory He had with His Father before 
the world was. Christ returned to the glory 
He had with His Father before the world was. Again, at verse 
16. And His countenance, the end 
of verse 16, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its 
strength. Remember, Jesus said that He 
would be returning to the glory that He had with His Father before 
the world was. No longer is he the recipient 
of spittings and beatings and bruising or crowns of thorns. Now he is the recipient. He has 
been the recipient of that glory that he once shared prior to 
the incarnation. And he's seen by John as one 
whose countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 
John was, during Christ's earthly ministry, was able to see something 
of this at the Mount of Transfiguration, when he beheld the glory of Christ 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
And Peter and Peter and those who were able also to look upon 
him, looked at that one who was majestic, looked at that Christ 
Jesus, who had something for a time during his earthly ministry 
of the glory of his deity shining around him. And John now sees 
this as Christ has been the recipient of dominion and glory and a kingdom. and where he now lives and reigns 
interceding for his people. So that is the vision of the 
author that he sees of Christ Jesus that we'll see as we move 
into the confidence and the comfort of the author in a moment after 
we look now at the response of John the Apostle, the response 
of John the Apostle or the response of the author, verse 17. And 
when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. His response, John's 
response to Christ was one that is typical, was typical, traditional 
and biblical. And what I mean by that is, is 
that has been the response of people who have been confronted 
by Christ Jesus. And I mean that in a good way. 
Christ Jesus throughout the biblical record. People, the people who 
respond to Christ Jesus and his glory don't throw their hands 
in their pockets or lean up against the water cooler and chat. They 
respond typically, traditionally and biblically with those throughout 
the biblical record who fall on their faces as dead men or 
who pronounce those oral curses upon themselves. Woe is me, for 
I am undone. John responds rightly here to 
this vision of the exalted and glorified Christ Jesus. Again, John is like Isaiah when 
he beheld the glory of Christ. Isaiah 6 verse 5. He is also 
like Daniel when Daniel confessed that he was without strength 
or vigor when he saw that glorious one and he was found with his 
face upon the ground. You can also turn for a moment 
here to see some similarities to Ezekiel chapter 1. Ezekiel 
chapter one, just to see that what what John is doing is not 
new in the biblical record, but rather it is something that is 
right and proper, but something that men have done before him. Ezekiel chapter one. We looked at Ezekiel, chapter 
two, and in similarities with regards to both prophets being 
carried off by the spirit for particular purposes. We'll back 
up to Ezekiel, chapter one, at verse 26. And above the firmament, 
above the firmament over the heads, their heads was like, 
excuse me, let me start over again. Verse 26 of Ezekiel 1. And above the firmament over 
their heads was the likeness of a throne in appearance like 
a sapphire stone. On the likeness of the throne 
was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also, 
from the appearance of his waist and upward, I saw, as it were, 
the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it. 
And from the appearance of his waist and downward, I saw, as 
it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around, like 
the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. So was 
the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance 
of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, 
I fell on my face and I heard a voice of one speaking. You 
see the similarities here, first off, don't you see, and perhaps 
more so here than in Revelation 1, 9 to 19, you see that Ezekiel 
is troubled to find the words to adequately speak of the glory 
or right of the glory of God. Now, I use trouble knowing that 
this is God breathed scripture and that God gave Ezekiel the 
words to write the words to pen. This is scripture. Nevertheless, 
Ezekiel is writing here and in so writing Holy Scripture, he 
can't he doesn't have adequate words to describe the glory. 
We see lightness. We see the lightness of a throne 
in appearance like a sapphire stone. On the likeness of the 
throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above 
it. The glory of the Lord, the brightness, the brightness, the 
glory, the majesty, the likeness, as Ezekiel says here, of the 
glory of the Lord is so grand, is so majestic that Ezekiel is 
troubled to find adequate words. And then the response, same as 
the Apostle John. So when I saw it, I fell on my 
face and I heard a voice of one speaking. John is in that that 
terrific vein of men and women of the Old and New Testaments 
who rightly drop before the glory of the Lord in that wholesome 
fear and reverence that is deserving of Christ Jesus, the exalted 
Lord. And this is very instructive 
for our generation, and it's been noted before from this pulpit, 
and it ought to be time and time again. that John's response to the glorified 
Christ is instructive for a generation who seem to be clearly irreverent 
with regards to the glorified Christ. Christ is not a ten dollar 
T-shirt and Christ is not a five cent slogan. We don't need to, 
as a generation trying to appeal to culture, we don't need to 
remove Christ and command him to come down from that lofty 
place and fit him into packaging of modern hipster idioms so that 
we can appeal to modern culture. We don't need to do that. We 
need to command modern culture to look up to that lofty place 
and to see Christ as He is, biblically, and to command them to bend a 
knee, to command them to repent of their idioms and their phraseologies, 
seeking to yank down Christ Jesus from His loftiness and His high 
place. How dare you make Christ Jesus 
a $10 t-shirt, Jesus is my homeboy. How dare you issue out these 
five cent slogans that reduce Christ to just our buddy that 
we can chill with, with hand in the pocket, other hand on 
the water cooler, talking about the latest fads. That's not our 
Christ. Our Christ Jesus is this Christ. The Christ whose countenance 
was like the sun, shining in its strength. And we ought to 
pray that these people, like Nebuchadnezzar, would have their 
understanding returned to them, and they would worship and praise 
the Most High Christ. This Christ is the Christ, not 
of modern hipster idioms, but the Christ of biblical glory, 
biblical majesty and heavenly things. And we ought to render 
that proper response unto him and worship him as we ought. 
Christ Jesus, the one whose countenance was like the sun shining in its 
strength. And notice what we have here 
is great comfort Great comfort for the author. Verse 17 again. And 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 and the last. 
I am he who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of 
Hades and of death. Wonderful response by our Lord 
Jesus Christ to this one who has that proper fear, who has 
that proper reverence, but who very soon would have those emotions, 
though right, transferred and translated into great confidence 
and great comfort. Look at this response again by 
the Lord Jesus Christ. John falls at his feet as dead, 
but Jesus puts his right hand on him and says to him, do not 
be afraid. Wonderful response by our Jesus, 
gracious and merciful and kind response from this glorious Christ, 
deserving of all praise and all honor. And secondly, John is 
comforted by the threefold identification that Jesus gives to him. This 
identification now that Jesus gives to John is comforting. First off, Jesus identifies himself 
as being eternal. Do not be afraid. I am the first 
and the last. Remember, we looked at this this 
morning when we looked at Isaiah, that Jesus is using language 
rightfully that only is deserving of deity. I am the first and 
I am the last. Previous to that, in verse eight, 
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, who 
is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Then in verse 
11, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And he 
reiterates it here. Do not be afraid. I am the first 
and the last comforting John, giving John confidence in the 
fact and certainty of his deity and his eternality. He is from 
everlasting to everlasting. And secondly, Jesus, as a comfort 
and confidence to John, identifies himself as the one victorious 
in death and resurrection. The one victorious in death and 
in resurrection. I am he who lives. Verse 18. I am he who lives and was dead. 
And behold, I am alive forevermore. Death no longer has domain over 
me or death or the grave certainly could not hold Christ. He was 
there. for a time, but rose again three 
days after his death and crucifixion. He rose again and he is now alive 
forevermore. And this is importance. This 
is importance. The importance of the fact that 
Christ has risen from the dead. Remember Paul's argument in First 
Corinthians, Chapter 15. If Christ is not risen, then 
your faith is futile. A risen Christ is the comfort 
and the hope of Christians. This means for us, first off, 
newness of life according to Romans 6. Christ raised by the 
power of God is that language used of God raising us on some 
newness of life by that same power that raised Christ from 
the dead. So a resurrected Christ Jesus 
is important because it means for the Christian that our newness 
of life is an actual reality. Our faith is not futile because 
Christ is risen from the dead by the power of God. And so Jesus, 
again, comforts John here by the fact that he is the one who 
was victorious over death or in death, over death, yes, but 
in death and resurrection. And thirdly, Jesus identifies 
himself as the one who has ownership of and sovereignty over Hades 
and death. Ownership of and sovereignty 
owner over Hades and death. Notice, I am he who lives and 
was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have 
the keys of Hades and of death. Jesus Christ is the owner of 
these keys and he is sovereign over Hades and death. This is 
of a great comfort to the Christian, because because when when Christians 
in these persecuted countries are again being pressed by the 
heat and the weight of God haters daily, when they're being pressed 
down and when they are fearful, when they are fearful, maybe 
they're not. I don't want to use that they're fearful, but they 
do have, of course, the daily possibility not only that they 
could be beaten, not only that they could be severely beaten, 
but that they could also be killed. They have confidence that Jesus 
Christ is the owner and the sovereign master of the keys of Hades and 
of death. The body they may kill, God's 
truth abideth still, we sang this evening. They'll have that 
reality. They'll be resigned joyfully 
unto the fact that God has graciously granted it to them to suffer 
for his namesake and that they might receive death. the body 
they may kill. But nevertheless, they are joyfully 
resigned to the greater reality that it is God's truth that will 
abide forever, that Christ is sovereign over Hades and over 
death. And though they may kill the 
body, they will, because Christ rose from the dead, they will 
rise again and they will enter into Emmanuel's land where they 
will forever sing Hallelujah. What a Savior Jesus is the sovereign 
owner over Hades and death. And it is a good thing to know 
that such a one is on our side. That we have this Christ Jesus 
on our side, I've used this before in my previous in my previous 
life, in my time when I played team sports, you remember when 
I played rugby, there was a couple individuals that I was always 
so glad to see walk in the change room door. because they were 
good rugby players. They were strong, or they were 
fast, or they were skillful. I knew that if they were on the 
field, good things were going to happen. And so I can remember 
sitting in the change room door, and the doors would open, and 
some of the guys would come in. I'm like, OK, yeah, you're good, 
but we'll play with you. And then a couple of the big 
dudes would come in, and I'd be, oh, OK, it's on now. We can play. We can play some 
rugby. Well, to an infinitely greater degree, we have Christ 
Jesus on our side, this one who is eternal, this one who is God 
of very God, the first and the last, this one who has been victorious 
over death and in the resurrection, and this one who has ownership 
of and sovereignty over Hades and death. And this one is on 
our side. This one, when we approach with 
fear and with reverence, does to us, if you will, the same 
as he does to John. He lays his right hand on us 
and he says, do not be afraid. I am this Christ to you. And 
it's a glorious thing, and let us daily rest upon that when 
we wake up in the morning, this isn't just when we when pastors 
come up here and we pray. We pray for we pray that we would 
as Christians know know the glory of Christ that we would that 
we would be able to not be afraid but wake up in the morning and 
go to bed in the evening resting upon Christ Jesus and his promises. Christ Jesus. and his attributes 
and his perfections, when we say, let us, Lord God, wake up 
with Christ upon our hearts and let us go to sleep, lay down 
our heads on our pillows with Christ upon our minds. It's not 
just liturgical and an exercise of pastoral prayer. It is genuine 
and earnest. We actually do legitimately want 
ourselves and you to wake up with the glory of Christ upon 
your minds and upon your hearts. And we do want ourselves and 
we want you to lay down your heads upon your pillows with 
the confidence that there is a Christ Jesus ruling and reigning 
over the heavens and over the earth. That's something that 
we pray genuinely and earnestly. And that's something, brethren, 
that we ought to do daily. Wake up with Christ upon your 
hearts. Go to sleep and rest your pillow with Christ upon 
your hearts. Again, not not as not as this 
wimpy Palestinian that some modern Christians Christians want to 
set before you, who only has ownership and rule in your heart. 
But this Christ Jesus, who is sovereign over the entire universe, 
who holds us in his hands. It's wonderful in the Scriptures. 
We have the fact that he holds Christians generally in the palm 
of his hands, never to let go. He has the seven churches in 
his hand also, and he has the pastors of the churches, according 
to verse 13 or according according to Revelation chapter one and 
in verse 16, he has the pastors of the seven churches in his 
hands, all Christians, churches and pastors. He has in a tight 
grip. It's a glorious thing. It's a 
glorious reality. And so we can rest and we can 
wait with the fact that this Christ is behind us. He is on 
our side and he rides victoriously for his glory and for our defense. And it is a terrible thing, though, 
if you are not on his side. It is a terrible thing if you 
are not on his side. If you're tarrying, if you're 
delaying, if you're saying, oh, maybe tomorrow or maybe next 
week, let me live out my life for a while where I can enjoy 
the passing pleasures of sin. Then maybe I'll come to Christ 
Jesus and bend an knee. No, that's folly and that's madness. 
I've actually heard somebody verbalize, oh, I enjoy the passing 
pleasures of sin. That's sick. That's wrong, and 
that's folly and madness. There's a reason why they're 
called the passing pleasures of sin. Because when you die, 
you're going to have those pleasures no more. In fact, you'll enter 
into eternal torment. Those pleasures will be snatched 
away from you, taken away and destroyed, and you will be declared, 
or Jesus will declare to you, depart from me, for I never knew 
you, into the fire reserved for the devil and his angels. Don't 
be that pompous, pride filled person who says, oh, yeah, I 
enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Cast them off, put them 
away and bend the knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 
who rewards and who is glorious and who is this merciful Christ 
who will put his right hand on you if you believe, if you're 
found in him and he'll say to you, do not be afraid. I am the 
first and I am the last. I am he who lives and was dead 
and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you will be saved and you will have that heart. 
You will have that disposition to put away those ungodly things 
of this passing world and you'll put on Christ Jesus unto the 
saving of your soul. Let's pray. Father, we thank 
you so much for this Christ Jesus. We thank you for what we can 
read here, Lord God, in our Bibles. We thank you for the exalted 
and for the glorified Christ Jesus and Lord God, might all 
of us have this response of the author, John the Apostle. Might 
we fall at his feet as dead men in that proper fear and in that 
proper reverence. And might we rise, Lord God, 
having Jesus, as it were, put his right hand on us, telling 
us to fear not. And might we have great comfort 
and great confidence in this lower world to carry out our 
role, Lord God. in this lower world, that we 
would shine as light, that we would conduct ourselves in a 
manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Help us to go, 
Lord God, into this week, to depart from this place, having 
sung your praises and having worshiped and having fellowship 
with brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us now to go, not 
to depart into the world to do worldly things, Lord God, but 
to depart back into the world and live godly, do godly things, 
live a godly life and show people that there is a light that shines 
in us. Lord God, that You are the light of the world, that 
Christ Jesus is the light of the world, and that we would 
point, man, that we would hold fast that truth, and that we 
would hold it forth, that we would hold forth Your Gospel 
of saving and victorious and amazing grace, and that, Lord 
God, according to Your wisdom and Your plan and Your appointed 
time, that many would believe, that many would bend in need 
to this Christ, and that they would seek to live godly in Him. 
So Lord, we just pray that you go with us now and help us to 
live this week unto your praise and unto the glory of Christ. 
And it's in his name that we pray. Amen.