A Daily Walk

John Randall: Christian, I want to ask you how many things today in your life can you thank God that although it's out of your hands, it's in his hands. Things you're praying about right now. Sometimes we want to take it out of the hands of the Lord. Lord, listen, I got this. I'll take it. Give it back.

We give it over to the Lord, and then we take it back from the Lord. We say, "No, you take it. No, I'm going to take it because I feel like you're not doing what it needs you to do." And then we take it back. "Oh no, I can't handle it. You take it." We go back and forth with the Lord. It's in his hands. Leave it there. Let him do what he's going to do.

Guest (Male): We are delighted to be with you today. Welcome to A Daily Walk. Pastor John Randall will be along shortly. We just began a new study in Revelation and will be focusing on chapter one verses nine through twenty today.

Now, imagine what it would be like to even get a glimpse of Jesus and all his glory. Well, today is your day. As we open the book of Revelation, the glory of Jesus is on full display for all to see. And our prayer is that more of Jesus would be revealed to you as we present part two of The King of Glory.

John Randall: When Jesus used this phrase concerning himself, Son of Man, he was assigning the prophecy to himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with that phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus, in other words, was proclaiming himself to be the Messiah.

The second meaning of the phrase, Son of Man, points to the humanity of Jesus. His deity and his humanity, fully God and yet fully man. When the Lord spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, he referred to him ninety-three times as son of man. What did that mean? It meant he was a son of man. He was a man. It spoke of his humanity.

Jesus was fully God and yet fully man. John chapter one, verse one tells us this, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus, equal with God, is God. And then in John chapter one, verse fourteen, John said this, "And the Word, that is Jesus, became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Fully God and yet fully man.

And then John would write in his first epistle, fourth chapter, second verse, "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God." Throughout the gospels, we see the humanity of Jesus on display and the purpose of Jesus coming in deity and humanity was in order that he might save his creation.

Jesus came to the earth in order to be the Savior of mankind, to save us from sin and separation from God in eternity in a place called hell. All of us have failed to fulfill God's law. We've all sinned and fallen short of his glory. And therefore, in order to save us from the penalty and the judgment of the law, Jesus came, born under the law, became like us so that he could save us.

Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law by living a perfect, sinless, spotless life and became our sacrifice for sin, died in our place on the cross, and then rose again from the dead. Deity and humanity seen in the incarnation. He is the Son of Man and he is also the Son of God. John says, "I saw the Son of Man," but the description goes on. Look what it says. John describes his garments.

In verse thirteen, he was clothed with a white garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. The garment that John describes was similar to a garment that was worn by the high priests who ministered in the temple. Interesting. And the fact that it went down to his feet depicts his majesty and his greatness.

Do you remember in the Old Testament when Isaiah got a glimpse of God's glory? And you remember what it says in Isaiah chapter six? Isaiah looked up and he saw the Lord seated there. And it says in the year that King Uzziah died, "I saw the Lord, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple with glory."

In addition to this long robe that the high priest wore, John also saw a gold sash. In the Old Testament, this again was part of the wardrobe of the high priest, a golden sash. So the robe and the golden sash are appropriate attire for the priest, the High Priest. You know the Bible refers to Jesus as our High Priest?

Hebrews, we're studying it on Wednesday nights. He's the merciful and faithful High Priest, Hebrews two tells us. He's the great High Priest, Hebrews chapter four tells us. He's the High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. He's the one that we can come boldly before the throne of grace that we might receive help in time of need.

But not only did a high priest wear this garment that John describes, but do you know who else wore this kind of garment? A judge. A judge. A judge wore a sash over one shoulder across his chest as an insignia of his office. So Jesus, John turns and sees him. He's the High Priest, he's the Judge, and he's also the King.

Jesus fulfills the roles of prophet, priest, and king. He's the only one that could fulfill them. He will one day be the judge. John chapter five tells us for the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to his Son. Acts chapter seventeen, verse thirty-one says, because he has appointed a day on which he, that is Jesus, will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.

Listen, friend, Jesus is the Judge. And one day if you don't acknowledge him as Savior, you will stand before him as Judge and you will give an account of your life. Following the description of his clothing, he also describes his head and his hair. It says his head and hair were white like wool and as white as snow.

The depiction of the white hair again takes us back to the vision that Daniel had in Daniel chapter seven, verse nine, where Daniel says there, "I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was as white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool; His throne was fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire."

John uses the word white twice for double emphasis. The word white means bright, it means blazing, it means brilliant. John looked towards the Son of Man in his glorified condition and the light that was emanating from him was overwhelming. He refers to it as white. It's symbolic of Jesus' absolute purity as well as his absolute and total wisdom.

But then John says, "I also looked at his eyes." And in verse fourteen, his eyes were like, notice that phrase, please make note of this. This you'll see repeated throughout Revelation and this will help you understand in translation. The phrase, "it was like." Not it was, but it was similar to, it reminded me of, it was like.

Not that his eyes had fire coming out of it like laser beams just penetrating. It's talking about the gaze of the Lord. It's very searching. It's like it looks into your very soul and sees everything. There's nothing hidden from his gaze. John said, "I looked at his eyes and they were like a flame of fire."

He says fire can bring warmth, it can bring refining, it can also consume. These were the characteristics that John saw. Listen folks, the Bible tells us concerning the eyes of the Lord in Second Chronicles chapter sixteen that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.

And he's looking to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal toward him. Today the eyes of the Lord searching, gazing, looking for people who are willing to stand with God and to proclaim his truth. That's what he's looking for. He's not looking for the most talented, the most beautiful, the most athletic. He's looking for the person who's humble, the person who has a heart for God.

Do you have a heart for God? Are you willing to make that stand? That's rhetorical. Are you? Okay, good. I'm just checking. The Bible tells us concerning the eyes of the Lord that there is no creature hidden from his sight. All things are naked and open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter ten, there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Friends, listen, the Lord sees. The Lord sees everything going on in our life that no one else can see. David marveled at this. David said, "Lord, where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I go to get away from you? You see everything that I do."

And I'll tell you something, knowing that the Lord sees everything, that can be a tremendous comfort or a tremendous concern depending on what you're doing. "Lord, don't watch this. This could stumble you. Turn your head away, Lord." He sees it all. He sees it all and the amazing thing about it is he loves us.

John said, "I saw his eyes, they were like fire." And then John said, "I also saw his feet and they were like bronze, like fine brass, as refined in the furnace." The feet of a king represented his authority. The word bronze used here only in Revelation two, verse eighteen twice it's used. And in the Old Testament, bronze, the symbol, the metal that speaks of divine judgment.

You think of the brazen altar or the other items of brass that were used in connection with sacrifice for sin. Here is the authority of the king standing there, his feet. John sees it. He's the Judge. And then John describes his voice. In verse fifteen, he says, "And his voice was like the sound of many waters."

The voice of the Lord was so powerful, it was like standing underneath a waterfall as it drowns out every other sound. That's the only sound that I heard, his voice, and it was overwhelming to me, is what John describes. You know the Bible tells us in Psalm twenty-nine, "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty."

John said, "I heard his voice and it was the voice of many waters." It was overwhelming. And then John describes what he saw Jesus holding in his hand. Verse sixteen, he had in his right hand seven stars. What does that mean? Well, we're not left to wonder because once again, if you look down at verse twenty, we're told what the seven stars represent.

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. You're like, "Churches have angels? I didn't know that." What does this word mean? Again, differing opinions. Listen closely. The word angel here is a word that means messenger, envoy, one who is sent, a messenger from God.

It is a word used both of men and of angelic beings in the scripture. So the question is in this context as Jesus is standing in the midst of the churches that were represented by the golden lampstands and he's holding in his hand seven stars that are the messengers of those churches, what is it a reference to?

Some say that it's a reference to actual angelic beings that function like guardian angels over churches, of the pastors and leaders, etc. Some people suggest that. That's one interpretation, angelic beings. But then there's another interpretation in this context that it's not referring to angels but instead it refers to leaders within those seven churches.

And the reasoning is that the New Testament doesn't teach that angels are involved in the leadership of the church and angels do not need to repent. And within John's letters that he was writing to the churches, they were called to repent. I tend to believe that Jesus, when it speaks here of the seven stars, that it's referring to the pastors of those seven churches that he was in the midst of.

What do we know for sure? They're in his hands. They're in his hands. And as a pastor, as a shepherd, as a Christian, I'm thankful that I'm in the hands of the Lord and no one can take me out of his hand. Jesus said that. He's got me. He's got you in his hands. I'm so thankful for that this morning. He's in control. He's holding us together.

Christian, I want to ask you how many things today in your life can you thank God that although it's out of your hands, it's in his hands? Things you're praying about right now. Sometimes we want to take it out of the hands of the Lord. Lord, listen, I got this. I'll take it. Give it back.

We give it over to the Lord, and then we take it back from the Lord. We say, "No, you take it. No, I'm going to take it because I feel like you're not doing what it needs you to do." And then we take it back. "Oh no, I can't handle it. You take it." We go back and forth with the Lord. It's in his hands. Leave it there. Let him do what he's going to do.

John describes Jesus' clothing, his head, his hair, his feet, his voice, his hands. And now John describes lastly his mouth. It says, "And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." The sword that John refers to here is a long, heavy sword that is mentioned five other times in the book of Revelation and it carries with it devastating judgment.

In other words, when Jesus speaks, it results in the judgment of the nations and the wrath of God being poured out on the earth. Revelation nineteen, verse fifteen tells us this. It says, "Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations." When he speaks, the battle's over. And finally John records his countenance.

He says, "And his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength." The radiant glory of Jesus was like the sun. You know what the sun is, right? It's bright. It's shining. It's overwhelming. You know, this week I had the privilege of sitting down with a brother who's watching from home today. God bless you, Carl.

And Carl is only a few days, maybe a week or so away from being in the presence of the Lord. We were sitting down in his living room and I was reading from the book of Revelation. I said, "Brother, this is what you're about to experience. This is what you're going to see in only a short period of time. You're going to see Jesus face to face."

And it's interesting when you read the description that John gives of what's on the horizon for the believer. This is what he says. In Revelation twenty-one, it talks about where Christ is. And it says, "The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. And the Lamb is its light."

In other words, when you get there to glory in heaven and with the Lord in all that he's creating, all things becoming new, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, the former things are passed away. It says there's not even the need for the sun any longer. There's no need for the moon. God himself, Christ himself, is all the light that you will ever need.

His luminescent glory shining in every place, and we're going to walk in that light, friend, if you're a Christian, if you're a believer today. John says he responded to this vision, and here's where we'll wrap. He says in verse seventeen, "When I saw him," that is when I saw Jesus, "I fell down at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, '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 Death.'"

Here is this beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus reaching out to his friend John who's in this place of suffering in Patmos. He's given him this vision and he's saying, "John, listen, don't be afraid." You know John had heard that from Jesus before. He said that to John when they were on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. Do you remember?

Jesus said don't be afraid, I'm here. He heard Jesus say that after Jesus had resurrected from the dead and appeared to them. He said, "Hey, listen, don't be afraid, it's me." And now John hears the voice of his friend, the one that he loved, his Savior, his King, and he hears, "Do not be afraid." Why didn't John have to be afraid? Because Jesus said, "I am the First and the Last."

That speaks of his sovereignty. He is God, absolute Lord both of creation and history. He starts and he finishes. He's before all, he's after all, and all is under his sovereign control. You don't have to be afraid. God is in control this morning, friend. 365 times it says in the Bible do not be afraid. That's one for every day.

God doesn't want you to be afraid. He didn't have to be afraid because Jesus said, "I am he who lives, and who was dead," past tense, "and is alive forevermore." I'm the living one. Jesus points to his resurrection. Yes, he was dead, but now he had risen from the dead. He was alive forevermore. John, you don't have to be afraid because there is life after death.

You have the hope of heaven. Jesus said, "I have the keys of death and Hades," meaning he has authority over death. Jesus said in John chapter five, verse twenty-six, "As the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." Listen, are you afraid this morning? Are you fearful this morning? You don't have to be.

Because Jesus lives. He conquered death. He conquered Satan. He conquered sin and he lives. And if you believe in him, you too shall live. You don't have to be afraid. To live is Christ, to die is gain. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, the Bible says. Are you afraid? You don't have to be afraid.

It's powerful, friend. As I was driving here this morning and praying over our service, this is something that came to mind and I want to share it with you and this is very important. This is a critical moment right here. Listen carefully. For those of you who are here gathered with us today and you do not know Jesus, you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.

I'm not talking about having a Bible on your shelf. I'm not talking about attending a service like this. I'm talking about having a personal relationship with the living God. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, understand this. This is the only description that you will ever have of him written down on paper.

Because to die without Christ, to die in your sins, the Bible says, is to be separated from God for eternity in a real place called hell that was prepared for the devil and his angels. But that's why Jesus came and he died so that you could be delivered from sin, forgiven, have the hope of heaven, and have eternal life.

But if you don't know him, this right here, Revelation chapter one, what we just read, that's all you're ever going to see on the pages of scripture. But if you will be saved, if you will respond to the gospel, this is what you're going to see in reality. You're going to see him like this. The question is, will you choose to receive Christ?

It's really up to you. God won't force his way into your life. He loves you so much that he knocks at the door of your heart and says, "If you can hear my voice, open the door and I will come in." You don't have to be afraid in life or in death because of Jesus Christ. He put his hand on John and he wants to extend his hand as it were out to you today, the hand of salvation.

Will you receive it? Will you accept him? What a vision. What a revelation. John had gone through this difficult time in his life. It was painful. What is the purpose of this being on this island of Patmos? The purpose was to have a revelation of Jesus Christ like he had never seen before.

And maybe you today, there are circumstances that God has allowed to come into your life to bring you to this very moment where you might get a revelation of a Savior named Jesus Christ who can save you from your sins and give you the hope of heaven. And if that's what you desire, if you want to know that your sins are forgiven, if you want to know that you have the hope of heaven, if you want to see Jesus face to face and look into his eyes as John did and hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord," then I'm going to challenge you, I'm going to encourage you in a moment to get up out of your seat and to come and stand below this platform and I'm going to lead you in a word of prayer asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Jesus said, the Bible says that he came to give life and that more abundantly. Do you want life? You say, "I'm lost." Jesus said, "I'm the way." "I feel lied to," you say. "I don't know what to believe." Jesus said, "I'm the truth." "I feel dead inside." Jesus said, "I'm the life." And you can have salvation today if that's what you desire.

No matter what you've done, no matter what you've been involved with, God's grace is sufficient. The blood of Jesus, the Bible says, can cleanse us from all sin. And the Lord can do that for you today, but it's up to you.

Guest (Male): He can do that for you too, listening friend. Through simple faith in Jesus, you can enter into a right relationship with him. It's just a prayer away. With that, we'll draw today's study from John Randall to a close here on A Daily Walk. To hear this again, go to adailywalk.org. Catch what you might have missed in the series too at adailywalk.org or at oneplace.com.

Well, how's your devotional life these days? We'd like to recommend Oswald Chambers' devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. For a cost of eighteen dollars, you'll receive the updated language gift edition. Now, these rather brief scripture-based readings will both comfort and challenge you in your daily walk. Discover what it means to offer God your very best for his greatest purpose. Call us at 877-242-0828 or go to adailywalk.org.

And if the Lord is leading you to take an active role in this ministry through a one-time gift or ongoing support, allow me to direct you to our website. That's a good way to donate to the ministry and it's super convenient as well. You can donate safely and securely at adailywalk.org.

And while we're on the subject of devotionals, I should mention the A Daily Walk devotional, a great way to start the day. These short videos are released each day at adailywalk.org and I think you'll find them encouraging. Well, we've made it through the first chapter of Revelation. Next time we'll get into chapter two where the first of seven letters to seven churches are given. That's right here on A Daily Walk with John Randall.