Revelations chapter 1. Revelations chapter 1. We're going to look at the remedy
for all believers in every situation. The remedy for all believers
in every situation. So you think about a situation
that's bothering you or right now or one that it has or this
is the remedy. May we look at our brother John
the Apostle Let's take a look, let's look in on our ancient
brother as he is exiled in Patmos. He's exiled. He was exiled by one Demetian
who was the emperor of Rome. around the best that people can
figure, scholars and Bible historians, this is around 95 AD. And John is the last of the apostles. He's the last one. He's probably,
again according to Bible historians, around 90 years old. 90 years
old then is different than 90 years old today, I suppose. You
can think of Moses, where Moses, the Lord had blessed him, his
eyes were not dim, his stamina, he was still, and maybe this
is what the Lord gave to John. He gave these words to John for
John to write these things down. But he's probably 90 years old. He's not young by any means. Now, Patmos, you can look in
a Bible dictionary or you can Google it and see what it looks
like today. There's about 3,000 inhabitants,
but not when John was exiled there. It's a volcanic, rocky,
hilly island. There are some trees, but not
a whole lot. There's shrubs and whatnot. It's not a pleasant
area. The whole of the island is 13
square miles. Not real big. It's on the Aegean
Sea. It's about 35 miles from the
coast of Turkey. According to historians, and
I don't know if this was when John was there, but there was
at one particular time, there were mines in the caves, and
the people who got exiled there were to work in those mines.
John the Apostle. He's banished, that's exile,
he's banished by this emperor from his brethren, okay? He's banished to this island
from his brethren, probably from the church of Ephesus, his true companions. He's quite
alone. He's alone, and would have a
very difficult time gathering together like we're doing right
now. And again, you pause and say, Lord, thank you. At this
particular time, this country has not gotten so out of whack
that we can gather together and not be persecuted. Now, we'll
be persecuted, but it's for different reasons than it was back then.
Apparently, this Demetian He was horrible. He just liked to
kill the Christians. Anything that went wrong in the
economy, in the weather, being superstitious, anything that
went wrong, he blamed the Christians. And so they were fodder for his
whatever he wanted to do. In verse 9, which is what we're
going to look at, verse 9 and forward, We're gonna see the
apostle's attitude in suffering for the cause and for the gospel
of the grace of God. His way forward at 90 years old,
it's a hard way forward. Such was the way and the trials
of the early saints and the early church of Jesus Christ. And if
you read in chapters two and three, you see that he's addressing
the different churches that were still there. Some of them barely
there, but they were there. But it's a hard way forward.
And I want us to ask ourselves several questions as we look
at the verses from nine forward. Ask ourselves this, does John
complain about his circumstances. We like to complain. We like to complain. Does John complain about his
miserable conditions? Because these conditions were
miserable back then. I want to know, does he even
bring attention to his plight? We would say, boy, you know,
I had a rough day. And there's nothing wrong with
this, to the extent we encourage one another. But he doesn't,
there's just nothing, there's none of this going on. We complain. In this country, if we go by
McDonald's, we drive through the driving window, and if the
guy says, well, you need to pull up, what? I'm not pulling up. You know, this is McDonald's,
this is America, I've got choices, all these different things. Put
yourself in the mindset of John the Baptist, or I'm sorry, John
the Apostle, the island of Patmos, and he's banished. Now, I'm not
saying he probably shared, I don't know, all I know is he's in exile. He's alone. I want us to look at the remedy
for all things troublesome or difficult. Loneliness. Are we lonely? How about pressed
hard by this world? The older you get, it's just
like, I just don't understand why things are this ridiculous. What about your sinful nature?
My sinful nature, it's always there. It's always there. Somebody
calls, you know, Bruce's example. I can't believe you didn't go
help Matt. I mean, that was just terrible.
What I'm saying is, is, The thoughts are always there. I don't want
to do this. I don't want to get dressed.
I don't want to go out in the snow. I don't want to do the help. There's
always the sinful nature is ever present with us. How about aging? Seems to be the younger folks
laugh at us, older folks. We get together, we either talk
about food or we talk about pains or aches or something. You're
going to get there as well. Aging, we're moving slower. aches and pains seemingly are
always near. You wake up in the morning, you
know, you got a crick in the neck, it wasn't there the other
day. What about spiritual things? What about difficulty in prayer?
Perhaps one of the most important lifelines, I can say it that
way, is to pray. We can come boldly to the throne
of grace. How often do we do it? Again,
excuse our sin nature, but I got something else going, I got to
do this, I got to do that, you know, we do a lot, we stay busier
than we need to be. What about when you pray or what
about when you read the scriptures and God seems distant, he's not
really there, he is, we're the ones that have moved out, he
may be behind the clouds but he's there. Here's what the beloved
disciple did to invoke Feed his spirit and mortify the deeds
of the flesh because he's a sinner just like us And remember he's
the last He can't go talk to Peter He can't write, you know,
if he could write him. I don't even know if they would
take messages. He can't write to Peter He can't write to James.
He can't write to Paul. He can't write to these people.
They're all gone. He's last one Look at verse 9. I John Who am also your brother. He's considering others. Boy,
if we don't have a problem with self, I will help you after I
take care of myself. Or why are you asking me? Why
are you so self-absorbed in yourself that you think you need to interrupt? Whatever the situation, he considers
others, brothers in Christ, a companion in trial, a companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. who was in the
aisle that is called Patmos. So he identifies who's writing,
but that's all. What did he do? Did he, he said
why he was at Patmos, look at the next phrase, for, because
of the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I'm
suffering, I'm there because this ruler should have probably
would have killed me, but he sent me away. He sent me, I know
what I'll do. What's the most miserable you
could, is to be by yourself and have nobody you can, you're just
by yourself. But does he bring this stuff
up? Does he, oh, bring attention to myself? When we look forward,
anything he writes, there's not a thing really about him. Struggles are common to all saints
for this reason, because of the word of God, and he's the word
of God. And when he says this, the word
of God, I imagine he thinks of the word of God made flesh. His
mind goes to Christ. That's the remedy for every situation. He goes to Christ and not looking
at himself and the testimony that is the
record or the witness of Jesus Christ. Christ is the main reason
we can go on in the sinful world as sinners saved by grace and
not by works which we have done, which Timothy talks about, 2
Timothy 1.9, not for works that I've done, but grace from before
the world began. And as we will see, if we center
in on Christ Jesus, his attributes, which he's gonna do, his glory,
his honor, all things Christ, As the song says, turn your eyes upon
Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of this
earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and
grace. That's what we're talking about.
We're talking about looking heavenly. For the believer, that's all
things. Our situations, our circumstances,
our life, any affairs we encounter will dim when we compare, when
they're compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us,
Romans 8.18. Trials, they're difficult, but
that weight of burden will seem small. And I know this seems
like all we have, but no, this is actually just the start of
our eternal life, as it were. Look at verses 10 and 11. I was
in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice
as of a trumpet saying, I am. We'll stop right there. Saying,
I am. Now that's historically significant,
that right there. A loud voice, it's a loud, it's
a kingly, it's an omnipotent voice saying, I am. This is the
same I am that Moses would encounter when he spoke to the Lord God
in the burning bush. Who should I say sent me? He's
gonna go back to the Egyptians. Who should I say sent me? You
tell him I am, that I am sent you. The great I am. He's the glorious creator. He's
our redeemer. He is solitary in his perfections. I am, says Isaiah 45, God and
there is no one else beside me, Isaiah 45, I am. All these things, I imagine going
through John's mind when he's by himself on the island at 90
years old. The first and the last, look
at, verse 11 saying I am I'm alpha and omega the first and
the last what you see write it in a book and send it to the
seven churches He's the first, He's the last, and all things
regarding salvation, justification, and glorification. You want to
talk about salvation? You got to start with Christ.
Don't start with self. You don't start with your doctrinal
position. You don't start with your church. You start with Christ. Alpha and omega, the first and
the last. You want to talk about justification? You want to talk
about sanctification? Glorification? You start with
Christ. That's what a true preacher or
a true believer says. You start with Christ. I am,
I am the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last. And he says,
what you see, the heavenly book, write it in a book. What we hear
and see in this book and hear in the proclamation of the gospel
this morning, write it down. meditate upon it, memorize it,
think upon it, thereby filling your and my mind and heart with
things above." That's what Paul, it's just redundant. He just
keeps on bringing forth names and glory and different things
of Christ in this chapter. It's all about Christ. And so
whatever your situation is, today, now, tomorrow morning, if the
Lord gives us life and health and breath, all things bring
it back to the first and the last. The first and the last. And meditate. Meditate prayer. Prayer is meditation. You're thinking about Him. instead
of yourself. Well, look at verse 13. Look
at verse 13. Or verse 12. And I turned to see
the voice that spake to me, and being turned, I saw seven candlesticks.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the
Son of Man, clothed with the garment down to his foot, and
gird about his paps with the golden girdle. In the midst. It's the center. It's the hub.
In everything, whatever situation, it doesn't make a difference
if it's economics, if it's your livelihood, if it's your extracurricular,
all these things, Christ should be in the middle, in the midst. Thereby showing us either one,
how unimportant what we're doing is, but also more importantly,
we realize, acknowledging we can do nothing. Christ said it
himself, without me you can do nothing. From me is your fruit
found. These are just constant reminders,
off of self, onto him. He truly is in the midst of everything,
because Colossians 1, 6 says, by him all things consist. And
I like how this is worded, and there's a whole lot more in here
than I know about, but he says, his garment of righteousness
the clothing that Christ clothes himself, he's full of righteousness,
therefore we gain our garment from him, we have no righteousness,
down to the foot, good about the paps, look at verse 14, his
head, his hairs, his eyes, verse 15, his feet, his voice, His feet, his head, his hair,
his eyes, his voice. Are we getting the picture? Everything's
about him. It's not about us. It is not
about us. It's about him. And we are included
in this covenant of redemption. How amazing is that? It's all
about his person. And we say as the believers,
as Song of Solomon, he's altogether lovely and altogether glorious.
Can we not muse upon him and forget about our own issues? That's what he's saying. Again, 90 years old, all by himself, nobody to talk to. Verse 17, when John saw him,
who, the one like under the son of man when I saw him I fell
at his feet as dead now this eliminates any of these people
who say I saw Jesus and I, you know, I'm fine. I saw him in
a vision, or I heard him in the message, and started babbling,
started talking about, you know, these testimony meetings, all
these different things. No, when the believer sees the
Lord Jesus Christ in his resplendent glory, we fall at his feet as dead men. We behold him, we know beyond
a shadow of any doubt that we are nothing and he is everything.
That's what this is. So this pseudo or false repentance,
this false narrative where people, oh, they're just in the spirit
and they're jumping and hooping and hollering. I don't know if
they've seen Christ, I question whether they have or not. Away
with such blasphemous thoughts as one the man upstairs. When I saw him, you know, the
man upstairs, and I hear all these people talking about, you
know, it's just, it's blasphemous. This is not who John saw. Secondly,
that we can approach him by ourselves. Thirdly, that there's no need
for a substitute. Or fourthly, we can satisfy him
through our own puny works, away with such blasphemous thoughts.
Why? Because when we see him, we're like John, This is a sign
of reverence for him and we're less than nothing. I fell, he
laid his right hand upon me and saying unto me, fear not, I am
the first and the last. He says that again. Fear not
you people, you his people. He is the one who, verse 18,
I am he that liveth was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. He lives for his people. He was
once dead. What this means is that he suffered,
he bled and died on Calvary's tree. And either one of those
three you could spend millennia on. Just talk about the suffering
of Christ. Talk about the death of Christ.
Talk about his resurrection. But he rose from the grave. I
was that liveth, was dead, and behold, I am alive. Again, it's
what we are in him. But he rose from the grave and
it is now alive and therefore we, his people, shall also rise
with him and be always together with him, never to be separated
again. Now, John was separated from
those whom he dearly loved. And half the folks, he couldn't
write anymore because they were gone. They were gone. They were,
they, they went to a sleep as the scripture says, but he's
not alone. He's not alone. Never to be separated again.
I am alive forevermore. Amen. Amen. It's just that it's like a, it's
like a exclamation mark. Amen. And then he says something that's
pretty scary if you're not a believer. And I have the keys of hell and
of death. Beware. We who do not believe, he has,
possesses, and he owns by sovereign right, the keys of hell and death. Now if we're in Christ, This
second death, where is your sting? There is no sting. But if not,
by his sovereign right and his prerogatives, he can do with
us as he wants to. He opened that door wide to hell
and the second death. But again, for those who are
precious in his sight, and struggle hard with self, and sin, and
the world, and Satan, and all these things. Verse 19, write
the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter. Again, write these things. Take
notes. I got that. Rehearse them is
what he's saying. Throughout the days and evenings,
of our life. We'll make sure that we do what
we said we would do to a neighbor or friend or whatever. We'll
make sure. But in the meantime, the book stays closed. This is
our food. It stays closed. We don't meditate upon it. God
may put you in a spot where you got to, John. He may put you The old wrestling adage, you
never wanted to be on your back. If you're a wrestler, you never
wanted to be on your back. You wanted to make sure you could
bridge, but you never wanted to be on your back. You never
wanted to see the lights in the auditorium. But if you're there, you're there. And if God puts
you there, you've got to look up. John. I'm going to look up, I'm going
to write these things as I'm commanded, I'm going to be obedient
to the heavenly vision, and rehearse them throughout the days and evenings
that I have left. And His peace, Christ's peace,
shall keep you. It's a peace that passes all
understanding, which means I don't completely understand it, I just
know it works. I just know it works. We sing
in the chorus booklet, under the blood of Jesus, and part
of that phrase goes, though the worlds crumble, though the stars
grow dim, under the blood of Jesus, we are secure. We are secure in Him. That's the remedy. It's
Him. And I know I've said this before,
it's been a while, but the story of an older lady, older believer
on her deathbed. And she had that passage memorized,
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he's able to
keep that, that I've committed unto him against that day. And
when the pastor would go visit her, you know, one day, the next
day, she knew she could only remember a little bit of it.
And it got smaller, you know, her memory was going as she was
dying. But the last thing that she remembered
was him, him, him, him. is I think what John, you know, Solomon, he was the wisest
man, but there's wisdom here. There's wisdom to not, Melinda
and I were trying to, we were talking about this, this morning
at breakfast, it was just like, how in the world do you put yourself
in that situation? The grace of God's gotta be,
because we're really, We're really nothing, but he's everything.
And I hope and pray he's your everything and he's my everything.
Bruce, would you close us?