Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Revelation. We will read verses 13 to 18
of Revelation chapter 1, with verse 18 being the text for our
message. The name of the message is alive
forevermore. Beloved, our dear Savior is alive. He's alive. And may we who are
saved through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, may
we meditate upon this wonderful fact that our Lord Jesus Christ
is alive forevermore. And because he's alive forevermore,
we will live forevermore in glory with him because we're united
to him. He's the head and we're the body.
Oh, and we're saved through his blood and righteousness, beloved.
So let us think upon this wonderful fact that the Lord Jesus Christ
is alive right now. Let us praise and worship and
adore our one dear Savior, who right now is seated at the right
hand of the Father, right now rules and reigns in heaven, right
now. He's not waiting to reign. No,
He rules and reigns right now. Our great Savior is right now
alive forevermore. And we're gonna see this in the
text here. The Lord Jesus Christ, the great God-man, God in the
flesh, who came to save his people from our sins, who lived and
died, lived the perfect life and died as a substitute of his
people, is alive! He was buried in the tomb. And
the third day he rose again, and he's alive forevermore, beloved.
He's alive forevermore. Oh, he walked upon this earth
one day, back 2,000 years ago, he walked upon this earth, and
then he died on the cross, and then he was buried in the tomb,
and then he rose from the grave, and then he ascended up to heaven,
where he's alive forevermore. My, let's read Revelation. Revelation
chapter 1, verses 13 to 18. Let's keep in our mind what the
scripture says in Hebrews, right? Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
today, and forever. There's no change with our Lord.
He's alive forevermore. Huh? My, oh, my. So let's read again. Revelation
1, 13 to 18. And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, one likened to the Son of Man, clothed with
a garment down to the foot. and girt about the pops with
a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white
like wool. He's the ancient of days, beloved.
His white as snow, and his eyes were flame of fire. And his feet
like under fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. And
his voice is the sound of many waters. You ever been to Niagara
Falls or some great waterfall and you hear that water and sometimes
it's so loud you can hardly hear people talking? The sound of
many waters. Oh my. And he had in his right
hand seven stars. And out of his mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword. And his countenance was as the
sun shineth in the strength, as the sun at its highest peak
in brightness. And when I saw him, I fell at
his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
me, saying, fear not. Look at that. See what he says
to his people, beloved? Fear not. Look what he says.
I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell
and death. Rejoice, beloved of God. Our
Savior is alive. He's alive. And let us think
upon this wonderful fact that the great God-man who lived and
died, who died as our substitute and lived as our substitute,
is alive in heaven right now, beloved. And he is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. Oh, it's wonderful. Oh, my. And it's true that he's undergone
a great change of glorification, but he's essentially the same,
beloved, as he is now clothed with majesty, as we saw that
description there of our king. He's clothed in majesty, beloved,
in heaven. And the one in heaven right now,
reigning and ruling, is the very same Jesus who bore our sins
in his body on the tree. Oh my. His love for us has never
changed. His tender mercy toward us has
not changed. His sympathy, his compassion,
his care for his people has not changed for us. His wondrous,
matchless grace shown to we who are the people of His chosen
has not changed, as He who died for us is alive forevermore. Christ's work of redemption as
our substitute is completely, perfectly finished. He He once died, and his death
was the death of death. He died once, and his death was
the death of death for all his people. But rejoice, beloved
of God, he's alive. He's alive forevermore. He who
died for us is alive forevermore. Now this fact that he is alive
and lives forevermore assures believers gives believers comfort. Those who've cast themselves
upon Christ is the only hope for salvation. Four things here,
four things that will make the believer in Christ rejoice. Number
one, the death of Christ made a complete final atonement for
the sins of his people. A complete final atonement. It's not God's done what he did,
all he could do, now the rest is up to you. No, it is a complete
final atonement. Done. It's finished. It's finished. Listen to this in Hebrews chapter
10 verses 10 to 14, by the which where we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, once for
all his people, he gave himself, he gave himself once for all
his people. In verse 11 of Hebrews 10, And
every priest standed daily ministering and offering, oftentimes the
same sacrifices, which could never take away sin. All those
Old Testament sacrifices could never take away sin. But they
pointed to the One, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the perfect,
spotless, sinless man, God in the flesh, who come to save His
people from their sins. And listen to this, Hebrews 10,
12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins
forever, he offered himself up as a sacrifice for my sin, as
a sacrifice for the sin of all his people, all his elect, of
all the ages. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. He sat down. It's finished. The work's complete.
from henceforth, expecting till his enemies be made his footstools.
Hebrews 10, 14, for by one offering, the offering of himself to God
in the room and place of his bride, of his chosen people,
of those who God the Father gave him and chose in Christ before
the foundation of the world, for by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. My, oh, my. Now, we're still
sinners living in this world. But God looks upon us clothed
in the perfect righteousness of Christ, and he sees us in
Christ, who paid the debt for all my sins. And that's true
of everyone who trusts Christ, who casts themselves upon him
as the only hope for salvation. You know, he's never turned away
anyone who comes to him by God-given faith. He can save to the uttermost. those who come to God through
him. My. Number two, another comfort for
God's people. The love which compelled Christ
to die for us is the love which rules the heart of him who rules
the world. My. Listen to this, in Romans
chapter five, verse 10. For if, when we were enemies,
that's in our natural state, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his son 2,000 years ago, Much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. God the Father loves the Son. And God the Father loves his
people as he loves the Son. Because we're in the Son. Isn't
that marvelous? And then the purpose for which
Christ came will certainly be accomplished. It's already done.
God sent Christ on a mission, which was to save his people
from their sins. And he did that 2,000 years ago. We believe on a Savior who already
accomplished the work. Isn't that amazing? And it's
not God's done all he can do, the rest is up for you. Because
if it was that, no one would be saved. And God doesn't work
that way. He'll get all the glory. He'll
get all the honor. He'll get all the praise, beloved,
because salvation's of the Lord. It's all the Lord, from beginning
to end. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
chapter 53. Oh, look, how do we know this work is done? How
do we know? How do we know that God's satisfied
with this work of Christ, this offering of Christ? Listen to
this, Isaiah 53, verses 10 to 12. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. It pleased the Father to bruise Christ, the Son. It pleased
God, the Father, to bruise God, the Son, in our room and place,
to pour out His wrath upon Him in our room and place. Why? For the saving of our souls,
to bring Him glory and honor. Oh, my. He hath put Him to grief. God,
the Father, put Him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. That's we who are
his people. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. See, evil
men by wicked hands took Christ and crucified him. And they thought,
we got him. We got him and they yelled crucify
him crucify him so they took him and crucified him But it
was all according to the will and purpose of God Christ must
die to save his people from their sins He must and then look at
this God God sees the travail of Christ's soul listen to this
Isaiah 53 11 he shall see the travail of his soul and shall
be satisfied Hallelujah. There's the gospel, right? Substitution
and satisfaction. Christ is our substitute, died
in our room and place, lived the perfect life in our room
and place, fulfilled all holiness, fulfilled all righteousness,
fulfilled the law, made it honorable. He did it in the room and place
of his people, and God is totally satisfied with what Christ has
done. Oh, it's wonderful. He shall
see the travail of his soul. God the Father shall see the
travail of Christ's soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge
shall my righteous servant, that's Christ, he's the only righteous
servant, justify many. For he shall bear their iniquities.
You know what that is? That's the sinless one bearing
the sins of God's people. And then it says in verse 12,
Isaiah 53, 12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the
great, and he shall divide the small with the strong, because
he hath poured out his soul unto death. And he was numbered with
the transgressors. See, he's sinless, and yet he's
numbered with the transgressors. And he bear the sin of many.
Not all, did you notice that? Many. A number that no man can
number. and made intercession for the
transgressors. That's we who are his people. Isn't that wonderful? Christ died for sinners, for
transgressors, for transgressors. So that we who are the redeemed
proclaim that the results of Christ's death is the perfect,
complete redemption of all of God's people. And there is nothing
for us to do Nothing for us to do. It is perfectly, our salvation
is perfectly and completely finished according to the scriptures so
that everything our Lord intended to do by his death was done. Was done. See, religious people,
they spell what they believe is D-O, do. God's people, by
the grace of God, spell D-O-N-E, done. Christ did it all. He did
it all. And the salvation which Christ
obtained, because he obtained that, is so perfect that it totally
satisfies the Father, it totally satisfies the law of God, so
perfectly that there shall not be one soul lost for whom Christ
died to save. Not one. He has paid the debt for all
his elect. And you know, marvel at this.
Not one of his elect, not one of the people who Christ died
for, not one, can be charged with their sins. Because the
law and justice of God, it's already been satisfied. The wrath
of God against us has already been extinguished. And the law
and justice of God will not allow, will not allow Us being charged with any of
our sins because it's already been satisfied in and through
the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen
to this in Romans chapter 8. May this comfort our soul. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifies. Who justified us? God. The Lord
Jesus Christ, God incarnate in the flesh. That's who justifies. Isn't that wonderful? Yeah. It
is God that justifies. Praise his mighty name. Who is
he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us. And then here's the fourth
thing that can be very comforting to God's people. The merit of
Christ's atoning sacrifice is eternally effectual. Eternally
effectual. Listen to this. 1 John 1, verses
1 and 2. Why is it eternally effectual?
Because it's Christ, the God-man, who died in our room and place.
Listen to this. That which was from the beginning,
the Word of God, the Lamb of God, which we have heard. Oh,
they heard him. Jesus Christ, the God-man, which
we have seen with our eyes. They beheld him, like we behold
one another. which we've looked upon, they
looked at, they looked at Christ. John was one of the apostles,
he looked at Christ, he talked to Christ. In our hands are handled
the word of life. He laid his head on the chest
of Christ. For the life was manifest and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. They
preached Christ. That's what I do. Every opportunity
I get to put Christ before any hearers, I'll do it. My, oh,
my. So rejoice, beloved God. Let
us rejoice. As our Savior died once, 2,000
years ago, but His blood is just as fresh, just as meritorious,
and just as acceptable to God for the justification of and
salvation of sinners as if it had been shed minutes ago. If you come to God upon the ground
of Christ's shed blood, through faith in His blood, you cannot
be turned away, because God, for Christ's sake, still receives
sinners. Isn't that wonderful? Still receives
sinners, still forgives their sins, and still saves to the
uttermost all who come to Him through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen and amen.