All right, thank you Sherry. Turn back to Revelation 19. Well, no, first of all, turn
to chapter 1. Chapter 1, Revelation chapter 1. We'll get to Revelation
19 in just a moment. But we need to be reminded how
this whole book started and what this whole book is about. He
tells us in chapter 19, verse 10, but let's go back to chapter
1 and look at verses 1 and 2 again. Revelation 19, verses 1 and 2. The revelation, not revelations,
is it? Not plural, is it? The revelation. Of what? Not of what. It's a who. The revelation of Jesus Christ. Right? That's what this book
is about. That's who this book is about. The person and the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what this book is. This
is the 66th book in this Bible. This is what this book is about.
That's what the first book is about. And the other 64. The revelation, read on, of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him to show. In other words, in his
hands are committed all things, in Jesus Christ's name. And he
reveals it to whomsoever he will. See this? the revelation of Jesus
Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it, the revelation, by his angel,
which we're going to look at in a moment, unto his servant
John who wrote all this down. Who? John bear record of. Now
here's what John says. He bears record of. John repeats this. What this book
is about. John bear record of the word
of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things
that he saw. We need to be reminded, as we
have been, that this is not a book written primarily to show us
mysterious signs and visions and wonders and beasts and dragons
and things like that. This is not a book to excite
people to be interested in apocalypse or prophecy or Armageddon or
whatever. This is the book of salvation,
which is in Jesus Christ. All right, this is a book to
declare who Christ is and what he has done and will do. All right, back to chapter 19
now. We need to be reminded of that always. All right, chapter
19, there's an angel speaking. Remember, he said that in chapter
1. He declared these things under
his angel who told John. This angel is talking to John,
well at first he's declaring some things. Verse 5, a voice
came out of the throne. This is the voice of this angel.
Save. Now here's what this angel says. Praise our God. All ye his servants, ye that
fear him, only those who fear him truly praise him. So small and great. Verse seven,
the voice says, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to
who? To him. Not man, but him. Verse ten, and John, when he
heard this angel say these things, John fell at his feet. John was
just flesh and blood. Don was just a man. John was
looking and seeing these things, hearing these things with ears
and eyes of a man, all right? He saw this angelic creature,
person, who was glorious, glorious. John, it says in verse 10, fell
at his feet to worship him. Let's don't fault John because
if we'd have seen, we'd have done just that. We would have
just been so fearful and amazed and wonder and wonder that we
would have fallen down to just in wonder at this creature. You know, Scripture says when
we see him, we'll be like him. that all of God's people will
be changed into his image. Isn't that what the scripture
says? So this angel resembled Christ. So John, you know, without...
John did not have perfect understanding here, and he fell down and worshipped
him. And look at what the angel said,
verse 10. He said unto me, See thou do
it not, don't do this. Don't do this. Well, who is this
angel? Well, he says here in verse ten,
I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren. Turn over to chapter
twenty-two. Who is this angel? Chapter twenty-two,
verse eight. John did it again. John heard
some more and saw some more. In verse eight, John said, I
John saw these things and heard them. And when I heard and seen
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, which
showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, Don't
do this, see thou do it not. For I am thy fellow servant,
and of thy brethren, the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings
of this book. Worship God. All right, who is
this angel? Then it must not be important.
He's not. He's not. It could have been
Moses. It could have been Elijah. It
could have been Isaiah. He said a prophet didn't. It
could have been Jeremiah. It could have been Ezekiel. It
could have been Daniel. It could have been Samuel. It doesn't
matter. Why? Because they all say the
same thing. And they're all saying the same
thing that they're all saying is don't worship man. Worship
God. Worship God. And look back at
chapter 19 now. Chapter 19. He says this in verse 10. Worship
God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit. I know your brethren
have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Worship God, he said. This is
how you know a true preacher and God's true people. They're
not worshipping man or church or anything. They're worshipping
God. This is what Paul said in Philippians 3. He said we're
the true circumcision which worship God in spirit, rejoice in Christ
Jesus. and have no confidence in the
flesh, don't adore, don't revere, don't worship anything any man
or anything has to do with man, but God, but Christ. John, of whom Christ said, John
was the greatest man ever born a woman. Isn't that what Christ
said of John the Baptist, the baptizer? I said John the Baptist
he said. He had the Holy Spirit from his
mother or mother he said there's never been a greater man or woman. John three verse thirty John
said this of himself. They kept asking John his name. Who are you people come out here
and pray who are you. Where'd you come from you wouldn't
know that. Are you a prophet what are you
wouldn't know that it is not important. So I'm just a boy. And I'm trying to tell you one
he said he must increase is only one name you need to remember.
He said he must increase I must decrease. George Whitfield said this, that
great preacher George Whitfield, he said, Let the name of George
Whitfield perish from the earth. Let the name of Jesus Christ
be praised. It's sad today, isn't it, that so many men's names are in the
limelight. This is what the church does
now they worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus they
honor him. All right he says I am your just
a servant I'm a fellow servant which has the testimony of Jesus
because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy.
This is what he said. The testimony. Claims the right
story of. Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. All right. Now why does he say the testimony
of Jesus? Over in chapter one he said the
testimony of Jesus Christ. Now it's shortened to the testimony
of Jesus. Why? You know how that we, how we've
been instructed here. The apostles, you know how the
apostles never called him Jesus. Never. Never called him Jesus. Always called him Lord and Master,
didn't they? They didn't refer to him as Jesus.
We've seen how that under inspiration of the Holy Spirit when they
were writing at times would refer to Jesus. I want you to turn
with me to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Under inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, in preaching and writing the word of God, they would occasionally
refer to him as Jesus, but not without a reason. OK? All right extra to. Peter preaching
at Pentecost. Now he's preaching to these Jews
who took that fellow named Jesus. And the name Jesus the Jews took
him and nailed him to a cross and killed him all right. All
right now Peter is going to talk about this Jesus of Nazareth. I look at verse twenty two he
said ye men of Israel. Peter's preaching ye men of Israel
hear these words Jesus. Of Nazareth. That got everybody's attention
they know who he was. Jesus of Nazareth everybody knew. A man yeah a man. Approved of God. of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in
the midst of you. Verse 23, him being delivered
by the determinate counsel, that is, the eternal purpose before
the world began and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Yes, this Jesus, this
man. You've taken this man, and you've
crucified him, all right? Verse 24. But God's raised him
up. David, verse 25, he said, speaks
concerning him. This man, what does David say? I foresaw the Lord. The Lord. You remember when Christ asked
that crowd one time, he said, I think he of Christ. Whose son
is it? Christ. Who's son is it? And they said, well, he's the
son of David. And then Christ asked them that
question that stumped them all. He said, all right, if he's David's
son, why does David call him Lord? And they didn't know the answer
that way. And they quit asking him questions after that. Well, Peter is addressing this
here. David called him Lord, all right? Look at verse 32.
This Jesus, this Jesus, hath God raised, this man, hath God
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right
hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise
of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath shed forth this which ye now
see and hear, David's not ascended into heaven, but he himself said,
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until
I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus."
Now, this Jesus, this man, let me tell you who he is now, the
Lord and Christ. So the testimony of Jesus and
why he's referred to as Jesus is this. The testimony of Jesus, when
he came, Christ when he came, he said this. He said, you call
me Lord and Master, and you say, well, so I am. He said, before Abraham was,
I am. He said, your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. They
said, well, you're not even 50 years old yet. And he said, before
Abraham was, I am. The testimony of Jesus was this.
And you know, men today still say, he never said he was God. But we have the testimony of
Jesus. He said, before Abraham was,
Yah. I am Jehovah. I am. That I am. He said in John 8,
24, if you believe not that I am, you will die in your sin. So, you know, this is a mystery. It's a hidden thing for God's
people, the testimony of Jesus. This is what men rejected them
they rejected his deity they rejected Jesus as being God as
being the father and men today will will acknowledge that he's
a son of God. So-called Jehovah's Witnesses
and the Mormons and people like that will acknowledge that he's
yes he's a son of God he is a God but no more God than you and
I are God sons of God. But that's not the testimony
of Jesus. He said, if you believe not that
I am. Didn't he say that to Philip? What did he say to Philip and
Thomas? Philip, he said, Philip said,
show us the father, and Philip said, I've been so long with
you, you don't know me? He that hath seen me hath seen
the father. believe us that I'm not that
I'm the father and father. And I'm a sick show us the way to
come. Show you the way to God. I am. I am. God's here. I am God. Later on, Thomas saw
it in Thomas Phil and they speak what I'm saying. My Lord and
my God. This is a testimony of Jesus.
And I hear people saying, Jesus this, and Jesus that, and referring
to that. Well, the scripture says no man calls him Lord, calleth
Jesus Lord, but by... Can you quote the rest of it?
Right? No man calleth Jesus Lord, but
by the Holy Spirit. So men are still thinking of
this man as just a man. But we see him Much higher than. This is a different this is a
different testimony and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of all
prophecy all prophecy from the first. Prophecy Genesis three
fifteen. What was the problem. Of the problem when you like. Not permitted to speak. But Chapter
3, verse 15 says, our Lord gave this, God gave this prophecy
and said, the woman's seed. Talking to Satan, he said, and
Eve, he said, the woman's seed, thy seed. You'll bruise his heel,
talking to Satan. You'll bruise his heel. But he,
the woman's seed, will bruise your head. That's talking about
the seed of a woman. And from that one, all the way
through Malachi, talking about a man. There's a man coming.
There's a man coming. He's more than a man. Because
a mere man can't save us. And isn't that what's being said
today? That he tried, he failed, he's done all he can do, now
it's up to you. Well, then he must be just a
man. No, he's the God man. And the spirit of all prophecy
says this man who's coming, a child is born. Yes, the son is given. A virgin, behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, God with us. My favorite scripture, one of
them, Isaiah 25, 9. It will be said in that day,
lo, this is our God, he'll save us, we wait on him, he'll save
us. God came, manifest in the flesh,
manifest in the flesh, God. All right, let's look at the
rest of these verses, I could dwell right there. And all the
book is about this one who came, who's more than just a man. Verse
eleven, he said, John said, I saw heaven open. Now, if you and
I see heaven open, if God opens the book for us to see, we're
going to see the same thing John saw. What did John say? Look at it. Behold a white horse,
and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he does
judge and make war. If God opens heaven to us, we'll
see Christ. If God opens this book to us,
we'll see Christ. If God opens our eyes, we'll
see Christ. Listen to Stephen. Stephen in
Acts chapter 7, It says in verse fifty-six, Stephen said, and
said, I behold, I see the heavens open, and behold, the Son of
Man standing on right hand of God. If God ever opens unto you
this book, what this book is all about, you'll see the Lord
Jesus Christ. And this is how you'll see him.
You'll not see him hanging on tree, lifeless, helpless. You know I've seen knocking on
the sinner's heart's door you know with a big bleeding heart
here. Or a thorn and a sad look on his face knocking on the door
and standing in the rain. Look at it again. He's sitting
on a white horse. Sitting on a white horse. Verse
twelve, his eyes a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns.
This is significant people. This is salvation. You see, Christ came the first
time, scripture says, meek and lowly, riding on a colt, the
sole of an ass. Right? Why? as a man, meek, lowly,
humble, submissive to God, servant, son of man, sacrifice, substitute. All right? A lamb is led as a
lamb to a shearer before a shearer is done. Meek as a lamb, willing
to suffer death. All right? He came in riding
on a donkey. And men saw him come riding into
town and said, Who is this? Look at him. The children in
the marketplace were saying, Hosanna unto the king. The king
riding on a donkey. The reason he came, like I said,
for those reasons, but also because Scripture said so. Scripture
prophesied how he would come riding. And he did. But now, wait a minute. He's not just a man now, is he? He came as a man to do what only
a man could do, die. It's what a man must do, what
God demands. Fulfill the law as a substitute
for us. All right? A man. All right? God can't die. God became a man
to die. A man can't satisfy the law of
God. God demands it. We can't do it. God became a man to do it for
us as a substitute, as a representative. Right? All right? All right,
he did that job. He finished that job as a man. He fulfilled all righteousness
for all the men and women and young people he did that for.
He died to pay for all the sins of all of God's people. He did
that job. He got the job done. And Scripture
says, after he got the job done, he folded up his work clothes. and put it away and left that
body, all right? And he came back in a glorified
body, not just a man, not made a little lower than the angels
now, but high above every angel and every principality and power
and everything in heaven and in earth. He is now not a man
only, but the God-man, the Lord. All right, he's coming again,
not on a donkey, but on a white horse. A white horse. What's he coming to do? Well,
he came the first time to save, the scripture says. What's he
coming to do the next time? Look at it. It says, in righteousness
doth he judge and make war. But let's go back to these two
names here. It says he's called faithful and true. He didn't
think I was just going to skip over that. He's called faithful
and true. Faithful and true. The Lord Jesus
Christ is faithful. Faithful to God's glory. That's
why he came. He said, I've glorified thee
on the earth, Father. He's faithful to that covenant
that God gave him to fulfill all righteousness for his people.
He's faithful to his word, his promise. All that the Father
giveth me, they'll come to me. Although thou hast given me,
he said, I've lost nothing. Not a one. He's faithful. He's
true. He's true to his word. He's true to his people. He's the only true one. True
husband, true father, true friend. Everything written of him, everything
about him is true. These are the true sayings of
God. And this description as Christ
is now, This is it as he is now faithful and true in righteousness
that the judge and make war. It says in verse twelve his eyes
were the flame of fire. Hebrews twelve talks about him.
Our God is a consuming fire. He's not just a man. His eyes was a flame of fire. And it says his on his head were
many crowns. many crowns. All glory and honor
not a crown of thorns he's not wearing a crown of thorns anymore.
Now listen to me very carefully I know you know we say things
about these pictures and all that you see of supposed to be
Jesus. And we really can't condemn them
strongly enough. Number one, God condemns them.
He said, don't make any graven image of anything in heaven and
earth. God expressly forbids it. All
right? Number two, there's no description
of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man in all of the scriptures. How do they know what he looked
like as a man? Right? Number three, that's not
how he looks now. Pictures that you say is not
how he is now. If a man could paint the picture
that John describes in chapter one and right here, eyes as a
flame of fire, I've never seen anyone paint fire effectively. His countenance, the scripture
says, as sun shineth in his strength. There's some artist today called
the Painter of Light. Painter of Light, Robert Kincaid's
his name. And through he does make some
nice little pictures. But he's yet to paint the sun.
He's yet to paint a picture that you couldn't look at. Understand? You can't look at the sun. That's
the description given of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom no man
can see, the scripture says, in flesh and live. The sun. All right? So nobody can accurately
paint a picture, besides that's idolatry. We don't worship a
picture. Now let me give you this illustration.
My wife does not carry around in her purse one of my baby pictures. Do you? She better not. Surely she, no she doesn't. Do
you? We don't worship or think of
the Lord as he was, but we worship him as he is now. And there's
no picture that can describe him. Does that make sense? Besides, and I've given this
illustration in the poll, That I don't you don't just paint
a picture of somebody my mother you know gray hair and. And seventy
five years old and five foot two hundred. Something and I
don't just get a picture of a woman any old woman with gray hair
looks like seventy five and five foot two and a hundred some pounds
put it on my wall and call it my mother. And go buy their mothers money.
Do you? Well, you say that's absurd. Well, just get a likeness of
Jesus Christ. It looks something like him.
That's absurd. But the chief reason is God says
don't do it. It's a graven image. And if you
don't think men and women worship these things and revere them,
and if you don't think they're idols, try taking a picture,
one of those pictures of James Carlton Wild Bill Hickok. That's
what he looks like. Try taking one of them down and
just destroy it. See what happens. No, don't do that to Jesus. That's
not Jesus. That's not Jesus. All right, I can't condemn this
enough. Can't do it. Because salvation is when we
come to know him as more than just a man, and come to fear
him and respect him and worship him as the Lord seated on a throne. All right? All right, look at
this. This is significant. It says, His eyes were a flame
of fire, and I'm going to quit with this. I wanted to get down
to, oh, we're at verse 16, but we'll pick it up Sunday morning.
Verse twelve says, His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his
head were many crowns. And he had a name written that
no man knew but he himself. Now, we've already talked about
a name which no man calls except by the Spirit of Christ. Omen called Jesus Lord by the
Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit put in the fear of
God in that person to where they call him and confess, believe
that he's Lord, bow to him, fear him, reverence him. This is another
night. It says that nobody knows but
he himself. Look over chapter 2, chapter
2 of Revelation. This is not the first time this
is spoken of. Chapter 2, verse 17, says, He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. All right, this is to the church, this is to the
believer, to him that overcometh. What's that? John said faith.
Will I give to eat of hidden manna? What's that? Well, you've
been eaten. And we'll give him a white stone.
What's that? Only one white stone I know of in Scripture. And in the stone it says there's
a new name written, which no man knoweth save him he that
receives it. Now, wait a minute. No man knows
this name but Christ Himself. But here it says no man knows
this name but him that receiveth it. Chapter 3. Verse twelve. He ended overcoming,
and remember John said this is, faith is what overcomes. Will
I make a pillar, or that is a fixture, in the temple of my God, the
church. And he'll go no more out, he won't leave. This is,
this is a church, this is God's church. I will write upon him
the name of my God. And the name of the city of my
God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven
from my God, and I write upon him my new name. What is it? What is his name? All right, go back to chapter
19. Go back there, chapter 19. Let me give you a few clues,
all right? Everybody that knows him knows
him by this great name. This is how they know him. There
are many names, and all of them are found in this one name. Many attributes are all found
in this one name. That is, many characters. This
whole book is known by that name. This book is known by that name. God said he magnified this above
every name. John began his gospel in chapter
one, verse one, with this name. I'd like to make a gift. Why is that name written? It's
written on the heart of God's people. Look at the next verse.
He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name
is called the Word of God. Why does nobody know it but he
himself? He's the author of it and the
finisher of it. Well, why does no one know it
save him that he will reveal it to? The Word must be revealed. That's how he started the revelation.
The Word. And John began his gospel with
John began his first epistle with it. We've touched him with
handling the word of life. I mean to repeat those things
to you again. Now everyone that knows him knows him by this name,
the word. If you're going to know Jesus
Christ, it's going to be through the word. Many names, all of which
are found in the word. Many attributes and characteristics
of him, all of which are known and seen and revealed in the
Word. This whole book is known by the
Word. God said he magnified this above
all his name. A man is only as good as this
Word. Let me see if I can't make a
little more good on this, okay? Men, you see, men don't see the
forest, don't see the forest for the trees. They think, well, dispensation,
you heard dispensationalism, you know, where there's a big
word for meaning, it's a big word meaning men don't have a
clue what's going on. Dispensationalism. Well, Genesis,
Moses were saved this way. And well, in Exodus and Leviticus,
Leviticus, Numbers and Levites were saved this way. And then
over here, they're saved another way. And then they're saved another
way. And then God did things differently here, did things
differently there. Can't see the forest, the Word, for all
the words. And they don't see the Word in
the Word. You understand? They don't see
the capital W in the word. Christ said, they or they. You
search the scriptures. Christ said this to the Pharisees.
You search the scriptures. The Pharisees, that's what they
did. Scribes, that's what they did. They sat down and wrote
scripture, scripture, scripture, copies of scripture. He said,
you search the scriptures. And then you think you have life.
You think this is the way we're supposed to live. We're supposed
to do this. We're supposed to do that. Which you are. But he
said, they or they, which is what? Testify The Word was made
flesh and built among us. God upholds the Scripture, says
all things by the Word of His power. The Word, the Word. And so, this name that no man
knows, saving he who he reveals it is the word of God. And I
would, oh, I'd greatly err if I didn't say that. You see that
verse 13 says he's clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. I don't normally treat this book
like this. But you know what I'm doing?
This whole thing hangs by a scarlet thread. And you can turn it anywhere
and drop that line and you'll see blood anywhere. You'll find blood. You'll find
that Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's what this whole book is
about. Blood. This is a bloody book.
A bloody book. I like where in Hebrews it says,
and I quit, I promise. I quit. Paul preached all night
one time. I'm going to try it one of these
times. I'm going to try it. It says in the Hebrews, Paul,
you know, you understand, people, Paul was, Paul preached from
the woman's seat, started at the woman's seat, stand and went
all the way through. Passover lamb, what was he going
to leave out? Brazen serpent, Noah's Ark. Oh, and he said,
well, you've got to hear this. Ruth and But Paul wrote in Hebrews, he
said, almost all things are purged by blood. It says when Aaron
was in that holy place, it says he sprinkled blood on the altar,
on the tables, the book. He sprinkled blood on the people.
That was a bloody mess. That whole thing was a bloody
mess. Everybody everywhere was covered with blood. Why? Why? And unless our preaching,
unless our worship is sprinkled with blood, everything we say
is sprinkled with blood. This is what God said. There's
no remission of sin. None. Why? Because God's holy. He will
by no means clear the guilty. There's only one way He'll do
it. Through a blood atonement. And there's only one blood atonement.
Jesus Christ. His vesture dipped in blood.
This is His vesture. The Word was made flesh. It's
dipped in blood. And His name is called. All right, come back Sunday and
we'll look some more at this thing. All right, stand with
me. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this book, which
is so much more than a book. It's the word. This is our meat,
our drink. This is life. It's peace. It's joy. It's comfort. It's
everything. It's a manna. It's a hidden manna
that you've kept hidden. Wise and recruited and revealed
among the babes. We see our calling. Not many
wise men after the flesh, mighty or noble, are called. We thank you for this book, which
is more than a book. And we thank you. for sending
Jesus, who is more than Jesus, who is now but Lord Jesus Christ. To this end, Christ both died,
buried, and rose again, and He might be Lord both of the dead
and the living. And we confess, we bow to Him
and we confess that He's Lord to the glory of God the Father. He's right now Lord, our Lord,
in every sense of the word. We worship you and rejoice in
Him, but no confidence in the flesh. And flesh and blood did
not reveal these things unto us, but the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Revelator, the One who must reveal them, how we thank Him. Take no credit, no honor. A man
can receive nothing except it be given him from above. And
yet we preach in part, we know in part, and so we ask for further,
further revelation of the person of Jesus Christ, that our faith
might be strengthened so that we might know most assuredly
who he is, be grounded and settled in him. and never be moved away. So, order our steps according to
your word. Write your word on the tables
of our heart. Hide it in our heart. We pray
that we might not sin against thee. So it is in the name of
Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Word made flesh, that we met. Amen.
There it is now. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. I don't know. I don't know. uh... uh... I'm going to go ahead and do that. you