May I please the Lord to bless
us together this morning as we meditate in his word. Let us
turn to the book of the Revelation and chapter 1 and we'll read
verses 17 to 18. The book of the Revelation chapter
1 and reading verses 17 and 18. And when I saw him I fell at
his feet as dead. he laid his right hand upon me
saying unto me fear not I am the first and the last I am here
that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore
amen and have the keys of hell and of death this was really a very wonderful
and special day in the history of the world. It was a day when
God graciously and wondrously spoke to his servant John. And he spoke to him on a little
island in the Mediterranean called Patmos. And we're thankful that
we have a record of what the Lord graciously and gloriously
spoke to John and how John was able to record these things for
the blessing of the Church of God. And he tells us that he
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and he heard this voice behind
him. Of course the voice that he heard
behind him was indeed none less the voice of Almighty God. Now he had known the Lord of
course when he was on the earth he was one of the disciples he'd
been with the Lord for those three years but now he saw him
in a somewhat a condition of his wonderful glory and what
a view it was that he was blessed with Lord spoke to him, and we're
told, I was in the Spirit of the Lord's study and heard behind
me a great voice as of a trumpet. There was no doubt that this
was the voice of God to John. And that voice said, I'm Elphaba
and Omega, the first and the last. What this is, write in
a book and send it under the seven churches. It's interesting
to realize that we have, of course, in chapters two and three, those
messages to the seven churches, but those messages weren't to
be written and posted just to the one church. Every church
was to receive the messages of all the churches. So It's important
for us today to be thankful that, as we might read the second and
third chapters, to realize those gracious words were written to
the Church of God. And they're written for us today
as well. Well, the Apostle then having heard this statement,
he turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned,
I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, one like unto the son of man, clove in a garment,
down to the foot, girt about perhaps with a golden girdle,
his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow,
and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto
fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as
the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand
seven stars, and out of his mouth with a sharp two-edged sword,
and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength."
Well, what a sight that would have been for John. what a sight
it was and what was the effect of this great and glorious sight
of the Savior himself well we're told and when I saw him I fell
at his feet as dead there he was a sinful man there was the
great God gloriously appearing to him and therefore the effect
was to make him fall down at his feet as dead. Now what a
blessing for us today if we have some little appreciation of the
greatness and the holiness and the righteousness and the glory
of Our God. Now we can read something, a
statement of it in the first book of Chronicles in the 29th
chapter and the 11th verse where we read this. Thine, O Lord,
is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory
and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and then the
earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord,
and Thou art exalted as head above all." Well, we can read
such words like that. We can also read them in the
sixth chapter of Isaiah, where Isaiah saw the Lord high and
lifted up. And what a blessing it is if
the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, into our minds, and gives
us some indication, some view of the glory and the greatness
of God. And yet the wonderful condescension
of this God, who is so gracious to look upon us and not cast
us off as our sins so richly deserve. This is the greatness
of our God. and therefore surely it's not
surprising and the effect it had upon John and it will be
good if we by faith have a view of the greatness of God because
it puts things then in a right perspective it gives us to realize
in some measure how sinful we are how unholy we are and how
holy our gracious and merciful God is. We read that chapter
in the fourth chapter in this book where we are told what the
people, what the elders spoke and said. And what did they say?
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. How few people today realize
it. and they said holy lord god almighty
it wasn't a little god it was the almighty god and all of us
today have to stand face to face one day with that almighty god
who is indeed holy holy and holy what a blessing if you and i
while we are on the earth have a conscious realization of this
god is so great who is so holy and if we then consider ourselves
and look at ourselves utterly unworthy of any notice indeed
deserving to be cast out forever from before God and may indeed
bring us to a situation like this so when we fall down we're
not able really to perhaps say anything because we are unholy
and we have a holy God but here we see the greatness and the
glory and the mercy of God because what occurred we're told that the apostle fell
at his feet as one dead the Lord then laid his right hand upon
me saying unto me fear not isn't that wonderful that this holy
god looks upon sinful man who because of their wretched condition
do perhaps fear fear greatly that they will be cut off fear
greatly they do not have an interest in the glorious work of the savior
and then to have such a word as this spoken into our hearts. Fear not. When it was spoken
to John the apostle, he needed it. He was an apostle. He needed
it. And you and I, my friends today,
need this time. Glorious statement. We mentioned
Isaiah. We mentioned how he viewed God
as high and lifted up. further on in that prophecy in
the 41st chapter we're told who has wrought and done it according
the generations from the beginning this is the great god who does
everything in accordance with his will and purpose and it's
being carried out today in our nation in the world god's purposes
are being carried out and no one can stop them and he says
I the Lord the first and the last I am he and then he says
fear thou not well Isaiah needed it we need it we're thankful
for the many fear nots that are in the word of God especially
as we feel ourselves to be guilty and undone and unworthy at the
least notice of this great and glorious God and then to have
such a word as this and what does Isaiah go on to say fear
thou not for I am with thee that's a very positive statement isn't
it you see we may be fearful Isaiah was fearful John was fearful
and therefore these words were spoken to him fear thou not didn't
stop there for i am with thee you see if god is for us who
can be against us that's a comprehensive statement isn't it what an encouraging
word it is uh fear thou not for i am with thee be not dismayed
for i am thy god i will strengthen thee yea i will help thee, yea, I
will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Such
words are recorded in the Word of God for our encouragement
and for the blessing of our souls. And therefore today may we be
thankful for such a statement as this, that the Lord came and
spoke to the Apostle John remember he laid his right hand upon him
a very clear indication that this word was for him it wasn't
for anyone else it was a direct word to him and what a mercy
when the lord speaks to us a direct word to our heart to our soul
we may be very fearful and that's why it's a great blessing to
think that the lord condescends to come to us exactly where we
are in exact condition as we are you may feel indeed just
like John and fall down before a holy God with nothing to bring
apart from our sinfulness and yet you see the Lord comes and
lays his right hand upon us saying unto us fear not fear not Well,
it's a blessing today if we recognize the many fear nots that we read
of in the Word of God and we could not possibly go through
them all today. There are many, you might search some of them
out in the prophecy of Isaiah, many encouraging fear nots. And it's directed indeed to the
Church of God as they travel on day by day with many things
to perplex us, many things to cast us down. And of course,
one of the greatest things that cast us down is our sin and our
sinful propensity to sin and the evil which exists within
us. And then to realize the Lord
comes where we come, as it were, falling down before Him, falling
down before God. That's a great blessing, isn't
it? To not appear to be wonderful and good and strong and healthy
and lively in our soul, but the very opposite, to fall down before
God. It's a mercy when the Lord brings
us to that position, to come and to fall down before our God
and then for him to come to us because he knows where we are
and to put his hand upon us his right hand upon us and to say
fear not fear not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am
my God I will strengthen thee and that's a wonderful word isn't
it I will strengthen thee against all the temptations that Satan
brings into our path. I will strengthen thee. And if
God strengthens us, then we do not have any cause to fear. Yea,
I will help thee. I think the Lord helps us day
by day. as we battle on through this
world. You see, John wasn't lifting
himself up above anyone else. He records these words for our
encouragement and our strength and our faith. He says, I, John,
who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and
in the kingdom of patience, of Jesus Christ as he joins together
the whole Church of God. And what a wonderful thing it
is if today by the grace of God we have some small realization
of the holiness of God and therefore fall down before him perhaps
feeling to be dead and realize we have a companion, a companion
in the Apostle John Yes, it's a great mercy to think that the
word of God is written by people that understood the situation
that you and I had to pass through today. Well, you know, the wonderful
thing is that this man was blessed. My friends, what a wonderful
thing it is. Therefore, if you and I are blessed, fear not. And then he gives a description.
of who he is i am the first and the last this is the great god
how very humbling it is to think that this great god doesn't pass us by we deserve to be passed by don't
we we have to think that this god who is eternal and these
verses here and indeed this chapter gives us so much confidence to
know that we have to deal with the eternal God not a God who's
just suddenly occurred but the one who always was and is and
always will be I am the first and the last again What does
it do? It directs us to the greatness
of the Saviour, the greatness of his eternal position. I am the first and the last. This is the God that John was
favoured to be dealing with. What a mercy it is for us today
if we also are favoured to be dealing with the same God. And
then he tells him, I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive for evermore."
Well, John, of course, he knew the Savior. He would have been
there when he ascended into glory. He would have seen the Lord going
into that glorious place. He was taken up in that cloud. And here now, in the wonderful
favor and mercy their same Saviour, some 50 years or so later on,
appears to the Apostle John. Yes, and he says, I am he that
liveth well today. Let us rejoice indeed that we
have a God that lives, a God who we know was dead. But we can also recognized and
thankful to behold, this God is alive forevermore. Oh, an eternal God. I am he that
liveth and was dead. Well, we don't have much further
words about this, but I'm sure Apostle John would have recognized
the glory of such a statement as that. I am he that liveth
and was dead. and now to live forevermore to
remember the wonderful position the Lord granted to the Church
of God when he stood in their place when he bore the punishment
instead he paid the price for their sins as you and I may fall
down before God it's a good thing you know fall down before God
it's not falling down before men it's not impressing men it's
that which occurs in secret between our soul and our God no one else
observes it but you see God has ordained it what a blessing if
he has ordained it in our lives so that we have indeed fallen
down before God as a lost and ruined sinner a holy God we cannot
stand before because of our sins and yet to realize this blessed
savior died on our behalf he gave his sinless life as a glorious
sacrifice that sacrifice which was indeed so acceptable he was
the acceptable sacrifice unto our holy father a holy God, the
Lord Jesus Christ was dead. Yes, but now he is alive forevermore. Oh, is that an encouraging statement
to us today to know that this Lord God is alive forevermore
and therefore the words that he speaks will not fail. They
will not fail. They will not grow old because
they are ever new, as it were. have an application to the whole
Church of God to have it as much today for you and me as they
were spoken to John all those many years ago and as they were
also spoken to Isaiah 30 years ago this is the great God the
merciful God oh a God of mercy isn't it wonderful to realize
that I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I'm alive
forevermore because of that May we have that humble confidence
to call upon the name of the Lord at all times, in every need. Remember the Lord is always ready
to hear and answer our prayers, to hear and answer our cries,
to hear and answer our groans, to hear and answer perhaps our
sighs, which may not form in any audible words, Yet the Lord
understands our hearts. He understands exactly who we
are and where we are. And what a mercy then to realize
that he then comes and reveals himself unto us as that wonderful
Savior of sinners who is alive today. Seated at the Father's
right hand to intercede for you and me. The same yesterday, Physically,
the same today, the same tomorrow, and the same forever. He doesn't change. He never tires. He never sleeps. He is always
there. So may we bless God today, that
this God that John saw, liveth, was dead, and behold, I'm alive
for evermore. he says amen what a truth what
a truth to meditate upon the greatness of god let us by faith
be led into the greatness of god oh my friends it's a good
uh it's a good position to be in a good position to bow down
before this great god it's a good position to recognize how small
and sinful we are by comparison and yet how gloriously merciful
this God is to look upon us and therefore to be able to come
and say with the Apostle with the Word of God Amen yes it's
a great truth it is a soul strengthening truth it's a truth that you and
I can rely upon because I am the Lord I change not therefore
you son to Jacob are not consumed. What does it mean? It means this,
that that which the Lord has done for us, the blessings that
you and I have received in our life will not be taken away. They won't die. They won't perish. Those eternal blessings which
God has done for us and given to us, they will remain because
they've been given to us by God, not by anyone else. by God those
eternal blessings. He has spoken to our heart. He has caused us to hear his
voice. He caused John here on this day. Well, John had got up in that
morning, that wonderful day when it was the Lord's Day and he
was in the Spirit. We're not told very much about
him, but we know that he was prepared to receive the Word
of God. And that's a great blessing,
you know, if you and I are prepared to receive the Word of God, we
may indeed be expecting God to speak. What a mercy it is, therefore,
to realize that we come before a God like this and be able to
say, therefore, yes, amen. Amen to such a wonderful truth.
And may it be a support for me as I travel on through life,
not knowing what the future holds and of course we don't know the
future is very dark and dismal at the present time but let us
always be conscious that our God reigns and he doesn't change
and he's there always and what he says is true and so he says
fear not i am the first and the last i am he that liveth and
was dead and behold i'm alive for evermore amen And then he
goes on and says, the great words of God and have the keys of hell
and of death. That means that God controls
everything. God controls everything in this
world. God controls everything in our
life. You see, it's a very solemn position
to realize the Lord holds the key to our life, to our death. None of us know what will be
upon us. Many people recently, some we
know, have been taken from this life into eternity. Some with very little warning,
but yet it's only by the ordaining of Almighty God that
such have passed this way. No one dies on this earth without
the gracious God having the key of hell and of death. No, it
is a very solemn situation. The Lord it is that opens the
door to hell. My friends, yours opens, of course,
the door to glory. in the third chapter one of these
letters to the seven churches in the third chapter eighth verse
we read this I know thy works well that's a very solemn statement
isn't it God knows your works and my works behold I have set
before thee an open door and no man can shut it but there
has a little strength and has kept my word and is not denied
my name. You see, the Lord opens the doors. He opens the doors in our spiritual
life. He opens the doors in our providential
life. Yes, the Lord has the keys of
hell and death. What a mercy it is that you and
I don't have the keys but God has the keys and therefore you
and I cannot hasten the time of our death and we cannot prolong
it no the Lord has a set time to remove us from this world
though may we be concerned that the Lord doesn't open the door
to hell and we are cast in there to perish forever in our
sins. Now the great truth is the Lord
is a just God. The Lord is a wonderfully merciful
God and may we be thankful today to realize that if the Holy Spirit
has touched our hearts and may the Holy Spirit truly have touched
our hearts so that we fall down indeed as dead. We come to Him with nothing,
nothing in our hand we bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Well may we be found there, not
relying on our own righteousness, not relying upon what we have
done, not relying on our good works, but relying upon what
the Saviour has done, relying upon His righteousness, His sin
atoning death upon the cross at Calvary, there is our hope. Our hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. You know those two things, they're
joined together. What a mercy today, if therefore
as we may come light John and fall down at the feet of the
Lord is dead and yet he comes and lays his right hand upon
us and says fear not yes fear not because i was dead i am alive
forevermore and the keys of hell and of death well such words
were indeed an encouragement to the apostle john and what
he was told was to write the things which he'd seen and the
things which um and the things which shall be hereafter now
the blessing was that john saw the lord jesus in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks and what does that signify what
we're told the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. Of course
seven is a perfect number and it represents the whole church
of God. What a blessing it is to see
by faith the Lord Jesus in the midst of our church as part of
the great and glorious church of God. You see he saw the Lord
Jesus in the midst What a mercy that is, how important it is. We don't want to go on without
the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to know that the Lord
indeed is with us and the Lord is not forsaken us, but he is
indeed in the midst so the apostle on this great and glorious uh
lord's day on the isle of patmos there he was he had this view
of jesus in the midst and we read and being he turned around
you see turned and saw seven golden candlesticks and it shows
doesn't it the the purity of the church of god washed the
blood of the lamb seven golden candlesticks and in the midst
of the seven candlesticks one like unto the son of man well
the lord jesus christ of course on that day when the resurrection
day when he rose in the dead he appeared to the disciples
and in that room and he came and stood in the midst jesus
in the midst what a blessing for us to take
if we have some conscious realization that God the Lord Jesus Christ
is with us he indeed is in the midst oh it's a wonderful favor
it's a wonderful blessing and may we rejoice in it you know
John was able to write here to show the certainty of these things
these things are not things which are fairy tales they are the
true word of God and what a blessing for us today to rejoice in those
things which are recorded and to bow down before our great
and merciful God may we be found then in a similar way like John
was here on this great day this wonderful day in the history
of the world there are many wonderful days in the history of the world
And this is no doubt one of them. The Lord graciously condescended
to come to the Apostle John and to reveal the great truths contained
in this book of the Revelation. Many things, of course, which
are prophetic, many things which are hard to understand. But what
do they really direct us to? They direct us to this, the end
of all things. They direct us to the glory of
heaven at last. they direct us to the favoured
position of the Church of God. And so today, may we be able
to think and to meditate upon those glorious statements in
this book of the Revelation and realise that the Lord indeed,
as he spoke when on the earth, I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. and receive you unto myself that
where I am there ye may be also." That is an exceedingly humbling
position to think of unworthy sinners being received by the
gracious Saviour. But the Lord tells us that we
may be encouraged to believe it and therefore thank God that
we have such words recorded in His Word for the benefit and
eternal good of our souls. Well, here we have this statement. Let me ponder it. And when I
saw him, he saw the Lord. May we, by faith, see the Lord. That's when he makes a difference.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. He laid his right
hand upon me saying unto me, fear not. I am the first and
the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell
and of death. Amen.