PowerPoint

Jack Graham: The focus that I want us to make is not only on what Christ did, but I want us to focus upon what Christ is now doing for all who trust in him.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about what Jesus did for the world and what he's doing in your life right now. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, The Ultimate Survivor.

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to Revelation chapter 1, and at verse 9, look at God's word with me. "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 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 a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a 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 death.'"

John the Apostle was in exile on an island known as Patmos. It was a kind of Devil's Island of the day. The Apostle is now beyond 90 years of age. It had been years and years and years since as a teenager he dropped his nets and began to follow after Jesus Christ. And yet the experience of knowing Jesus Christ and ultimately seeing him in the power of his resurrection had changed his life forever.

And because he proclaimed the resurrection and the lordship of Christ, he ultimately was punished, exiled on this island, put aside from the company of family of friends, thrown away as it were among thieves and murderers and other enemies of the state. Often before men were put on these kinds of islands, the Isle of Patmos included, they were beaten and tortured.

And of course, those who lived on these islands, like John, were denied proper food and clothing. And John the Apostle, being an aged man at this point, was probably in a very weak physical condition, near exhaustion. And yet John said, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day." The only crime that John had committed was the crime of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, "I am here for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ."

You see, the Roman emperors wanted to snuff out the message of the gospel. It was such a dangerous and revolutionary message that Rome sought to crush the impact and to snuff out the light of the gospel. But of course, Rome nor any other kingdom on earth could put out the light of the gospel. And so John is in exile. He is shut out from the world, but he is not shut out from the worship of God.

He is in the spirit on the Lord's day. His faith is still strong. He is worshipping God on this, the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection. And as he is worshipping, something amazing takes place. So amazing that he is startled by it, stunned by what he sees. He sees Jesus Christ. And when he saw him, he was as it were suspended between time and eternity. He is transfixed as he looks upon the Lord.

And when he sees Jesus, he does not see the Jesus that he knew in the flesh, but he is seeing Jesus as our Lord is today, as he is now. He didn't see Jesus the humble Galilean, but he sees Jesus the holy God who reigns forever and ever in power and majesty. What did Jesus look like? Well, the Bible never tells us exactly what Jesus looked like in his physical countenance, in his physical appearance.

Of course, artists through the generations have sought to capture his face and his persona. And for the most part, I believe they've missed it. They often paint Jesus as this pale, sanctimonious recluse or like a first-century guru with long blond hair. The fact is, the Bible doesn't tell us what Jesus looks like in his flesh when he walked upon the earth. I'm sure if we had a physical description, we would tend to worship the image of Jesus rather than worship Jesus himself.

But what we have just read in our text is a physical description in symbol of the risen and glorified Christ. And I want you to look at this portrait of Christ with me today. See first of all his glory, the glory of Jesus Christ. For he said, "I am," this is verse 11, "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." I'm certain if Jesus were standing here speaking to us this evening, he would say, "I am the A and the Z," because you see Alpha and Omega's the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

And so in our alphabet, Jesus would be saying, "I am the A and the Z." And everything in between. I am the alphabet of God. You know, in an alphabet, you can take the letters of an alphabet and accumulate the knowledge and wisdom of mankind. So when Jesus is saying, "I am the Alpha and Omega, I am the alphabet of God," he is saying, "I am the accumulated wisdom of God. I am the very word of God."

Because indeed Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. God has communicated to us personally in his son, Jesus Christ. God has spoken to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And this is Jesus today. Not only is he the Alpha and Omega, but he says, "I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end." The fact is, before there was a beginning on earth, before and after there is an end on earth, Christ lives.

The first and the last because Jesus Christ is unlimited by time. He transcends time. Jesus our Lord existed before time existed. And Jesus our Lord will exist beyond the existence of time. When he invaded earth in his physical presence, he invaded time. God, who is timeless, God, who is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, he stepped into history. He stepped into time and walked among us and lived a perfect life.

And then on the cross, he suspended time. Because when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, life and death was in the balance. All of heaven was on hold. And then of course, when he was raised from the dead, he transcended time. He conquered time. He triumphed over time. Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth. And so when Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and Omega, I am the first and the last," he is saying, "I am the risen Lord. See me in my glory."

Now notice John says in verse 13 that Jesus is the Son of Man. This is one of the favorite titles given to our Lord in the New Testament. It is used over 70 times to speak of him, the Son of Man. It was a title that dealt with his sonship and his humanity when he walked upon the earth in his physical body. Now isn't it wonderful that when we see Jesus high and lifted up, he is our man in heaven as it were? He is God glorified. He is physically and visibly glorified in heaven.

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Jack Graham: But not only do I want you to see his glory, but I want you to see what he wears, as described in verse 13. It says that in the midst of the seven lampstands, one who is the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, girded about the chest with a golden band. In his garment, we see the garment of a king. A long robe girded with gold. It is the robe of a king.

When Jesus came as a man, he was put upon a tree. He went to the tree at Calvary. But now our Lord is upon the throne of the universe. When Jesus came to the earth, he came to redeem, but he now reigns and rules as King of kings and Lord of lords. This, you see, is the capstone. It is the cornerstone. It is the vital essential of the Christian faith that Jesus Christ is God and King.

But not only do I want you to see his garments and his glory, but I want you to see his goodness. Look again in verse 14. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. When the Bible says that the hair of Jesus was as brilliant white as the fresh-driven snow, it means that he is the very antithesis of sin. That he is absolute purity and holiness and righteousness.

Indeed, Jesus bore our sins upon the cross, but in bearing our sins, he was not contaminated by those sins. In fact, he has conquered them. He has, is, and always will be pure and holy. And one day, one day we will all stand before him, our holy God. And we dare not stand in our own stead. We dare not stand before a holy God in our own human effort or self-righteousness.

The only way that we can stand before this risen Savior, this risen King, is to stand in the righteousness which is ours because of him and what he has done. So here we see Jesus with his white hair, beautiful and shining and brilliant and glorious. He is the Ancient of Days. We see his inherent and eternal goodness. But not only do I want you to see his goodness and his garments and his glory, but look in verse 14 again and you will see his gaze.

We look at his eyes and his eyes are like a flame of fire. Now this must have been particularly startling to John. John had looked into the eyes of our Lord often. He'd seen the tender compassion of our Lord. He'd seen the love of Jesus in the eyes of the Savior. One of the last times that he saw him before the cross, the eyes of Jesus were full of tears. Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. His eyes full of tears.

But now when John sees him, his eyes are full of fire. And the fire speaks of the penetrating gaze, the omniscient gaze of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who looks into the depths of our souls. The one who sees and knows our hearts. He looks beyond the surface, beyond the facade, and he sees us exactly as we are. Now that means that we cannot hide from God. There's no place to run from his presence or escape his accountability.

And when we stand before Jesus Christ one day and give an account, he's going to look right through us. And so Jesus Christ in his gaze sees. He's looking right now into our hearts. But not only his gaze, but in verse 15, look at his greatness. The greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ. For verse 15 says his feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters.

When it speaks here of his feet of bronze, bronze represents judgment in the Bible. And the fiery feet, the red-hot feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, is moving here in preparation for judgment. Did you know that the Bible says that one day that Jesus Christ will put all his enemies under his feet? That he will literally crush all opposition. When Jesus came to earth the first time, he came on an errand of mercy.

But one day with those same feet that walked with sandals in Galilee, he will march with no mercy upon those who do not know him and reject him. And nothing, according to the book of Hebrews chapter 10 and 13, will stop the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ. See his grandeur also in verse 15, for it speaks of the roaring voice. His voice as the sound of many waters. This of course speaks of the grandeur of Jesus, his majesty and power.

The voice of many waters as John was there exiled on the Isle of Patmos, he had heard those stormy winds and the waves beating against the shoreline. And if you've ever been to the ocean when the waves were moving and the winds were blowing, you can't even hear yourself think. And when John heard Jesus speaking, when he heard his voice, it was the roar of waves. This is the voice of God.

The voice of sovereign power and supreme authority. The same voice which spoke and when he spoke, the worlds were created. Now he speaks and John tells us that out of his mouth, verse 16, went a sharp two-edged sword. Now what is that? Well, we don't have to wonder what the two-edged sword is. The two-edged sword is the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword.

Ephesians chapter 6 tells us that the word, the sword of the spirit is the word of God. And so when Jesus speaks, the very word of God is a powerful word cutting both ways. In the final battle of human history known as the Battle of Armageddon, described in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, the Antichrist will gather all the forces of the world. But when Jesus Christ comes and ends the battle, he speaks and it is finished.

But then look at his grip in verse 16. He holds in his hand, his right hand, symbolizing once again power and authority, these seven stars. No doubt representing the churches of Asia Minor and the pastors, the messengers of the church. But in effect, these stars are representative of the creation of God. He holds the whole world in his hands. That is his grip. And his face is resplendent, shining as the sun.

And one day because Jesus Christ lives, we also who know him will see his face as we are face-to-face with Christ our Savior. We can see him now according to Second Corinthians 4:6 as we gaze at his presence through his spirit. But one day we will see him face-to-face. Now one final word, these are eight essentials regarding the risen Christ. And here's number eight: his grace. Look at his grace in verse 17.

"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 death and Hades.'" When John saw the risen Christ, he was stunned to the degree that he passes out. He was so overcome and so overwhelmed by the power and the presence of Jesus that in fear, he faints.

But then Jesus takes his hand and he touches him. And he spoke words of grace and peace and encouragement, and he gave him and us some reasons why we should never fear death, we should never fear the future, we should never fear Jesus. Because he is eternal God, the first and the last. He is also our loving and living Lord. He has overcome death and the fear of death.

And because of his conquering and ultimate survival of death, he now holds the keys of life and death in his hands. Jesus is the ultimate survival, the conquering king, and you can survive life and death if you know him.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, The Ultimate Survivor. Your support of PowerPoint Ministries makes a profound impact, helping more people discover the truth and hope of Jesus Christ. And to thank you for your generous gift today, we'd love to send you Dr. Jack Graham's new book, Living Hope in a Hostile World. It's a timely resource that reminds you how to stand firm in faith, cling to God's grace, and live with courage, even in your most challenging times.

As you grow in your walk with the Lord through this resource, may you be encouraged to know that your generous support is helping others do the same. Text FEB to 59789. Again, text FEB as in February to 59789. What if you could set the tone for your year one day at a time? We want to send you Dr. Graham's daily devotion, Ignite, every day for 2026.

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Jack Graham: Well, first let me say that it's normal for us to think about Jesus in context of his time on earth. Many of us grew up seeing pictures of Jesus in Sunday school that really depicted him in various scenes and encounters from his earthly ministry. But of course, these images are purely speculation because the scripture doesn't provide us with any specific description of Jesus, what he looked like.

But in the first chapter of Revelation, John describes for us this amazing vision that he experienced with the resurrection of the Lord, the resurrected Lord. The vision transcends Jesus' earthly experience and allows us to really catch a glimpse of our risen Redeemer as he is now, and as he will appear at the time when he returns in all of his glorious splendor. In this vision, John describes Jesus as wearing the garments of a king, a long robe and a golden band across his chest.

So right away we should notice we no longer see Jesus the Lamb of God who died on Calvary's cross, but Jesus the King of kings, exalted Lord of heaven and earth. And John tells us that Jesus has hair as white as wool. Now you and I may equate white hair with old age, but the white hair of Jesus is symbolic of his purity, his inherent goodness and righteousness. And we're told that Jesus speaks with a voice of many waters.

This is the voice that spoke the world into being. It's what supreme authority sounds like. But John also reminds us of Jesus' grace. You see, John at first was terrified to be in the presence of Jesus and literally passed out at his feet. Yet Jesus lovingly touched him and said, "You don't have to be afraid. I've taken the keys of death and hell from Satan." And today, Jesus is saying the very same thing to you.

You don't have to fear anything in life, you don't have to fear death. See your glorious King alive and in control of heaven and earth, sitting on heaven's throne, ruling and reigning forever. Jesus has defeated death and hell. The grave could not hold him. This is your Savior, Jesus, the conquering King.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we will send you Dr. Graham's book, Living Hope in a Hostile World. Just text FEB to 59789. And join us again next time when Dr. Graham brings a message about how God can help you move from doubt to confidence. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.