Has it been good to you?
In the morning I'll sing you are good.
I've had one stirring in me this morning since early.
Because I know what I'm preaching.
They didn't, but they've sung all over it this morning.
But I've had an oldie just burning down deep.
On page 279 of that old Redback hymn,
there's a song titled, Oh I Want to See Him.
And the further we get along in this old world,
the more I want to see Him.
They've just really sung in my heart today.
It's Jesus, just give me Jesus.
You can have this old world, just give me Jesus.
Amen?
It goes something like this.
Oh as I journey through the land, oh singing as I go.
Oh pointing souls to Calvary, oh to the crimson floor.
Oh many arrows pierce my soul from without within.
Listen, but my Lord, through Him I must win.
Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
Oh there to sing forever of His saving grace.
It's on the streets of glory.
Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
I'm home at last.
Listen to this verse now.
When in service for my Lord, dark may be the night.
But I'll cling more close to Him, oh He will give me light.
Satan's snares may vex my soul.
Listen, but my Lord goes ahead and leads me where be tied.
Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
Oh there to sing forever, oh I'll be saving grace.
It's on the streets of glory.
Let me lift my voice, cares all past.
I'm home at last.
Listen to this one.
When in valleys low I look toward the mountains high.
And behold my Savior there, He's leading in the fight.
Oh with a tender hand out straight toward the valley low.
He's guiding me, I can see as I onward go.
Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
Oh it's there to sing forever, I'll be saving grace.
It's on the streets of glory.
Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
When before me billows rise from the valley low.
Then my Lord directs my bark and He does safely keep.
Oh and He leads me gently on.
Oh He friend to me and oh I love Him so.
Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
Oh there to sing forever, I'll be saving grace.
It's on the streets of glory.
Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
I'm home at last ever to rejoice.
How many of you want to see the Lord?
I'm ready to see Jesus.
Hallelujah.
I know sometimes somebody says what's barking got to do with it?
What's barking got to do with it?
What's directing my bark got to do with anything?
Well that's your way, that's your path, that's the journey, your embarkment.
Folks don't talk like we used to talk anymore.
We got a generation today, well what's barking got to do with anything?
You just got to have a little preacher old enough to tell you what barking's got to do with it.
Amen.
If you have your Bibles, trust you do.
Let's turn to Revelation chapter 1.
Revelation 1.
So good to see you in the house of the Lord.
If you're visiting with us today,
we act like this most of the time.
And it's about to probably even get a little more strange.
Amen.
I love the Lord.
I try to love him the way he asks us to love him,
with all my heart, all my soul, with all my being.
I try to love him that way.
I try to live and practice just like I preach to you.
I try to live that before you and before the world and most of all before God.
Amen.
This could get exciting this morning.
This is just, I'm literally shaking this morning with our subject matter today.
Beginning in verse 9, Revelation chapter 1, the revelator penned these words.
I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,
was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God
and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
He said, I am where I am because I preached Jesus.
I was in the spirit on the Lord's day
and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying,
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,
and what thou seest right in a book and send it unto the seven churches
which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice, he hadn't even turned around yet,
and I 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 likened to the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot
and girdled about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hair 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
went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun
shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I felt that his feet is dead,
and 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 forevermore.
Amen.
And have the keys of hell and of death.
Just for a little bit this morning, with the Lord's help, what time is it?
It don't, but it is. It's 1128.
So if I'm not done by 1228, somebody just wave.
I'm going to preach on the thought, the glorious Christ.
The glorious Christ.
Our need for him, his provision for us, and anything else I can get in between.
We're going to talk about the glorious Christ.
Amen?
Father, I love you.
Lord, I thank you for the glorious Christ.
I thank you for what I feel stirring in my soul this very moment
as I stand before your people.
Lord, behind this sacred desk and this holy sanctuary,
I thank you for the anointing that I feel stirring,
the unction that I feel urging me forward today.
And I ask God that you would help us, that we might hear,
and that we might know, and that we might understand your love for us.
And Lord, that we may leave this place strengthened by your grace,
Lord, and empowered by your word.
And may the richness of your Holy Spirit dwell within us,
overflow us, that we may be a light into this dark world.
To you be praised forever in Christ's name, the church said.
Amen.
I ask you neighbor, are you in pursuit of the glorious Christ?
As believers, as Christians, I don't know about you and your faith,
but from time to time, I need a little reassurance in my faith.
When I begin to look at the world that we're living in,
I need more assurance daily.
Amen?
Last week, we had a little bit of a rebuke for us
in our entrance into the house of the Lord
and how we come into the sanctuary of the Lord.
And preparing ourselves, and what the sanctuary of the Lord is,
and who we come to meet.
And it's not about us, but it's about him and our reverence for him
and for the holy place of God.
Amen?
And it's never been more, I've never been made more aware
than this week in reading and seeing some things
that have popped up in our culture to let us know
that we need that holy place more now than we've ever needed it before.
Humanity needs a holy place where the sanctity of the presence of God
can be experienced more than in any other day.
It must have really, really, really been bad
when fire fell from heaven and consumed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Because just this week with my own two eyes,
I saw a video of a transgender person who was desiring
to have a complete uterus transplantation.
A complete uterus transplant.
I'm talking about a would-be man, I guess you might want to call it,
wanting to have a uterus transplant
so that they might be able to conceive,
not so that it could bring life into the world,
but this was this person's own confession
so that I might be the first transgender to have an abortion.
My God, that made me so mad I couldn't hardly see straight.
Well, you're supposed to be angry and sinned.
I didn't sin. I didn't try to find them. Hello?
I didn't sin, but I did pray for them.
It lets me know the depravity and the separation of our society
and how deeply this world is getting.
So I see the transgression of the world and sinners sin.
We know that, and that's the reason we need to be in pursuit
of a glorious Christ even more.
Because men's hearts and humanity's hearts
are being driven so far away from the knowledge of a saving grace
or the acknowledgement that there is a just God
who will one day pronounce judgment.
I don't want to see God's wrath,
God's judgment poured out on any of His creation,
and no well-meaning, blood-born-again believer
should stand in front of you and say that they pray for the wrath of God
down on lost humanity.
That's not the heart that we've been given.
But it aches me, it infuriated me to know that the devil
has got such a grip on humanity that men's minds are going
to such low depth in culture and society.
Well, I finally just about halfway got over that,
and then later on this week I saw something else
that just really infuriated me.
Over the Super Bowl weekend I saw an article about a mega-church
which runs on multiple campuses, 34,000 people a weekend.
Are you hearing me?
34,000 people a weekend on multiple campuses
on their Super Bowl Sunday in their,
I don't know what you try to call it,
but it was supposed to be in a service.
Hearing that service, ministers, pastors, so-called God men
and women called, they had a Bible,
and they set it up like a football on a tee
and kicked it into the crowd.
Not once, but they did that twice.
I later learned that it wasn't a real Bible,
it was made up to look like a Bible.
You just as well kick the real thing if you would even play like
or even make believe that you're doing something
so low and sacrilegious.
We've just been singing about Jesus this morning.
I've just read to you the revelation of John about Jesus,
and his word just happens to be so precious to me.
And I've talked about it.
We don't even, how many of you won't even put another book
on top of it at home?
You won't put anything, you're not going to degrade
or disgrace the Word of God.
But how far have we gotten that the church is even playing
like it's booting a Bible into the crowd?
You see now, here come up my righteous indignation again,
because I love the Word of God.
And it's nothing to play with, it's nothing to play like,
and the sacrilegious act of doing something
infuriated me all over again.
So you see, missing the mark is just not in the world,
it's in the church today.
What we call, I don't call that a church, any, any person
calling themselves called of God that would even stoop as low
to even play like they're doing that.
I question your call, I question your love for Jesus,
and it didn't affect your soul like it affects mine.
I don't care what kind of point they were trying to make,
I don't even know if they made it.
I didn't even read that far, it bothered me so bad.
I'm here to tell us today, we need to be in pursuit
of the glorious Christ.
You say, well, how does things get that far?
It comes from the podium, it comes from the platform.
When we begin to latin up on the standard,
just in case you're wondering why I nipped it in the bud
last week, it's because we cannot afford to compromise
the sanctity of the sanctuary of the Lord God Almighty
because it just takes one little step,
and the next thing you know, they're doing something
that disgraceful.
So what is it?
Just keep the standard strong, keep the standard sure,
and be in pursuit of the glorious Christ.
Keep that which is holy, holy, keep the sanctuary full
of sanctity, and keep it sanctified.
Why? Because we need the glorious presence of Jesus Christ
among us because a lost and dying world is in desperate need
of saving.
So as believers, I need some reassurance from God.
I needed some this week.
Some reassurance of our faith and that we're standing
for the truth and living out the truth as the Word of God,
not a football, but the Word of God empowers our life
for daily living.
That assurance that we receive as believers comes from
varying sources.
The source of prayer, we talked about this a few weeks ago.
Breakthrough by prayer.
Prayer is part of the resource that we have.
Worship is another resource that we have.
Worship is not a 35-minute appointed scheduled event
for a service.
It is an act of the heart of the believer.
It's where we come in in full recognition that we are
glorifying Jesus Christ, that we are lifting up and edifying
the Father of all.
Amen?
He who is above all and that the power of the Holy Ghost
has preeminence in our lives and that we realize that it is
God in whom we worship.
And so when we come out of what we've come out of through the
week and we enter into a sanctuary that is consecrated
holy, that we can enter into the security and the sanctity
and the sanctuary where we abide within His presence and we
worship Him, the resource of prayer and worship,
the resource of testimony.
We overcome the enemy.
We overcome Him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our
testimony.
Has anybody been tested this week?
Then you've got a money to go with it if you're here.
Hallelujah.
You've made it.
You've made it in again to the sanctuary of the Lord where you
have now been enabled to worship Him and I hope you brought Him
the best gift that you could this morning.
I hope you brought Him a whole and pure heart poured out before
Him.
I hope you don't leave anything behind.
I hope you don't take anything home with you that is resemblance
of praise or worship but that every time you enter in,
you give Him your all.
Prayer, worship, testimony, but the most assuring thing we have
is the Scripture.
You see why I've been so bothered this week.
The Scripture, our hope rests in Christ and Christ alone.
He who was in the beginning, who was the Word.
Scripture revealed to us in many different types,
figures and shadows the significance of who Christ is.
The Old Testament points to Him wherein the New Testament
reveals Him to us.
The Old Testament points to the seed that will bruise the head
of the enemy.
Come on.
The Old Testament points to the doorway of the tabernacle.
The Old Testament points to the shepherd.
The Old Testament points to the fountain, the well of salvation.
The Old Testament points toward the wonderful, the counselor,
the mighty God who is the Prince of Peace whom the government
rests upon His shoulders.
That's who it points to.
The Old Testament points to the lily of the valley.
The Old Testament points to the rose of Sharon.
Hallelujah.
The Old Testament points to the morning dove of the song of
Solomon.
You are a witness in a house today.
The Old Testament points toward the ancient of days.
The Old Testament points to He who is risen with healing in His
wings.
It is a type and shadow and we see every semblance of Him.
But we see that semblance come to revelation in the New Testament
as the New Testament begins to reveal Him as that Son that was
promised, that was born of the Virgin in the manger of
Bethlehem.
It reveals to us Emmanuel who is God with us.
It reveals the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the
world.
It reveals to us the door.
Amen.
He reveals to us the way, the truth, and the life.
The New Testament reveals to us, amen, the bread of life, the
water of life, that great and good shepherd, the resurrection
and the life, the living water, the Word, the light, and the
true vine.
We see Him revealed through Scripture.
So why do we think we can even play like we're kicking it into
the crowd?
Trying to get off that little hobby horse, you all have to
pray for me.
The Scripture, the Word of God personified in the flesh through
Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
He who was and He is as we've read in our text this morning,
the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end thereof,
and the fulfillment of every point in between.
And of all the descriptions that we have of Christ and all the
types and shadows and all the revelations, none are more
powerful, none are more revealing than the one that John
gives us from Patmos himself here in this first chapter of the
book of Revelation.
He gives us no less than ten descriptives of Jesus throughout
this little pericope of Scripture that I've read to you.
And what this Scripture reveals to us is the dignity and the
deity and the distinction of who Christ is.
And John's description speaks further of the Lord's prominence,
of the Lord's prowess, of the Lord's purpose,
and of the Lord's power.
John is giving you an insight to the Son of the living God.
John is giving you and I an insight into the resurrected
Lord, the predominance.
I'm here to just bring our attention again today to the
reality of the Christ who was crucified but has rose again.
I know we're five weeks out from Easter,
and you may hear this again on Easter Sunday.
I don't know because the glorious Christ is stirring in
my soul because of the darkness of the world in which we are
living and man's heart given over to sin and the willingness
to accept every and any manner of sin.
Oh, it just causes my heart to ache because I know what he
delivered me from.
I know what he saved me from.
I know the sins that he washed pure from my life.
Can I get a witness in here?
Are there any reformed sinners in the house today?
Somebody stand up and give him glory.
You know without the precious blood you would probably be
burning in a devil's hell today.
But because of the blood and the sacrifice of this glorious
Christ, you're here redeemed, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed.
And can I tell you again, oh, I want to see him.
I want to look upon his face.
I want to be there to sing forever of his amazing saving grace.
Hallelujah.
John begins to tell us what he saw the day that he was in the
spirit.
Can you imagine those of us who are baptized in the Holy Ghost
would get in the spirit on the seventh day and come in on the
first day?
Huh?
What if we were like John in the spirit when we got here?
They didn't have to try to sing you up.
Hello?
Didn't have to try to sing you in because some Sunday mornings I
don't know that I'd keep singing if I was them.
Because sometimes you look like you're twice dead and plucked
up by the root.
And I'm down here thinking it's as quiet as a church house
mouse sometimes.
I'm thinking are they hearing what I'm hearing or are we
lifting up to he who sits on the throne?
And sometimes I just about soon go ahead and preach you up so
you can at least praise your way out.
What are you saying?
I think we need to do just a hair bit better because when we
come into a symbol, let your mind be raptured to the thought
it's about the glorious Christ and it's not about me.
Hallelujah.
It's about the glorious Christ.
And Lord, could we sing with honest hearts, give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus.
That's all I want.
You can have the world, but just give me Jesus.
When that's all you're concentrated on, when that's all
you're focused on, they could sing the phone book to you and
you would shout because you're going to get Jesus in the
alphabet A because he's the affirmation of your faith.
You can sing when they hit B because he's the builder of
your hope.
Hallelujah.
You can shout and run an aisle when they got to the alphabet C
because he's the caregiver of your righteous soul.
My God, when you get to D, you can glorify because he's the
doer of the work.
Hallelujah.
When you get to E, you can sing it because he's the excellent.
My God, this morning.
We've been fasting 10 days and I can feel it.
Hello.
I almost got caught up in the spirit and said, let's go 10
more.
But I got a hold of me.
I said, whoa, don't let that out.
Whoo.
I think that was the flesh his brother Ron called it.
I about got out of the anointing.
It wouldn't matter what song.
We're going to glorify him in it.
You can see the station of muscle.
What do you get with that?
Then how do you get something with that?
He's the Xerox of my faith.
Come on.
When you get in the Lord's spirit on any day of the week and
you bring yourself to a corporate gathering of worship,
things begin to elevate, don't they?
Because surely if I can just get one or two more with me.
He said there will I be in the midst of them.
So really all I'm looking for is about two more on Sunday
because I've done made up my mind.
I'm coming in having been in his presence.
That's the reason I get so excited.
That's the reason the word burns with a passion in me.
Amen.
That's the reason I want us to tow the line so that the glory
of the Lord, the glorious Christ can visit and be among us.
He is the resurrected Christ.
In the 13th verse, John begins to describe him one like into
the Son of Man.
Understand now John is seeing him in his human form,
but yet glorified.
Jesus suddenly inside the upper chamber.
After his crucifixion, he's risen again.
They're hiding in the upper chamber for fear of their life.
And then all of a sudden, Jesus walks in without opening the
door.
My God, I'm here to tell you he can get into your situation
whether there's any access or not.
He doesn't need access.
He is the access.
Hallelujah.
He can make his way right to where you are.
He talked with the two men on the Emmaus road with a heavy
heart and a heavy mind, but yet he encouraged him.
He appeared by the Galilean sea when the men were out fishing
the disciples on the boat.
And when he said, come and dine, when they turned to look,
he had bread and fish upon the fire.
I'm talking about the glorious Christ this morning.
Hallelujah.
He wasn't fully revealed in all his glory because they were to
be unable to contain it.
You got to remember that John was somewhat familiar with the
glorious Christ in a portion of his glory.
Well, how so?
Well, you need to go read Matthew 17 because with John on
the side of the mountain is Peter and James.
And Jesus is there with them.
And he is transfigured right before their very eyes.
And if you go read that 17th chapter, Matthew records those
words and the testimony of Peter, James and John is like
this.
They said his face was as bright and shining as the sun and his
clothes were as bright as the light.
So John had a good idea.
This voice that was behind him when he turned to see him.
Yes, I'm familiar with you.
Why?
Because I've been in your glorified presence before.
My God, don't make me stop and preach right there.
Hallelujah.
I recognize him when he shows up because I've been in his
presence before.
I recognize him when the anointing begins to flow because
it's flowed over me before.
Hallelujah.
When I swim in the depths of his grace, it's because I've been in
the depths of his grace before.
John had a good idea.
This is the same face that glistened as the morning
sunrise.
It was the same garment that was as bright as the light.
Oh, not able to behold, they fell before him there.
And John only had one response here on Patmos and that was to
fall as he was dead.
Hallelujah.
Mary recognized him in the garden as the disciples enjoyed
him in that upper room.
There's a day coming when you and I will recognize the
Savior, hallelujah.
There's a day coming when we too shall behold him.
Isn't that what John would write in that first little letter,
three and two?
Beloved, now we are the sons of God and it does not yet appear
what we shall be, but we know that.
Can I get a witness?
Does somebody know that?
Does somebody know that when we see him, we shall be like him?
For when he appears, hallelujah, we shall see him as he is.
Does anybody know that?
Does anybody have a hope in that?
Because you've been in the glorious presence of the Lord.
But beloved, I don't know what it's going to look like.
I don't know what we're going to look like.
I don't know what we're going to sound like.
But one thing I do know, that when I see him, I'm going to be
like him, for I shall see him as he is when he appears.
Hallelujah.
And this old mortal, hallelujah, is going to take on immortality.
The corruptibility of this flesh, it's going to take on
incorruptibility because we're going to be transformed into his
likeness and take hold of that glorious image for ourself.
And in this world of darkness, there needs to be some light to
shine.
Hallelujah.
We're going to recognize him.
Fanny Crosby in one of her songs put this down.
She said, I shall know him, I shall know him.
And redeemed by his side, I shall stand.
I shall know him, I shall know him by the print of the nails in
his hand.
Hallelujah.
One of these days when I stand beside him, I'm not going to be
looking for a nail print.
I'm going to be looking for this revelation that John has seen
now for the second time.
I'm going to be looking for his face that shines as bright as
the rising eastern sun.
I'm going to be looking for the splendor of a robe that is
lighting up and illuminating the world.
Hallelujah.
Why?
Because when I see him, I shall be like him and I shall see him.
Whoo.
When we finally get to see him, our transformation will take
place so that our eyes may behold him.
Well, my God, hallelujah.
Whoo.
Man, we done all that in six minutes.
Not hardly.
Death could not keep him.
The grave had not the authority nor the power to remain him
bound.
He proved that at Lazarus' place.
Come forth.
Death had no grip over his voice, let alone his person.
He couldn't hold him, couldn't deny him.
Matthew 28 and 7, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he
is risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you
into Galilee.
There you will see him.
Behold, I've told you.
My Lord, that's what I want to do sometimes.
Behold, I've told you.
Listen.
Listen, hear.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
You will see.
Well, I'm about to get ahead of myself.
I started to tell you one day you'll stand before just Christ.
You'll stand before the glorious one.
The Lord is risen indeed.
The message was he's appeared unto Simon in Luke 24.
He's the resurrected Christ.
Can you believe there's 10 of these and we've only touched one?
Somebody said, oh, no.
Are you going to do all 10?
I don't know.
He is the reigning Christ.
He's the reigning, the resurrected reigning Christ.
Remember, Christ is not his last name.
It's his identifier.
It identifies Jesus as the anointed one, the Messiah, the one hoped for,
the one expected, the one who came, the Christ.
Revelation 1 and 13 reveals to us that Jesus was clothed in this garment
that flow plumbed to the ground.
And as John would say, it's bright as the light.
This glorious ground gives us this description indicating that it could be
a kingly robe or the robe of a judge.
After all, he is the king of kings and he is the judge of all judges.
Amen.
He declares to us that he's already come as Savior and he will come as king
and judge.
He will return as sovereign.
He will be coming back as that righteous judge where the unrepentant will stand
and give an account.
Well, how say you that, preacher?
Because the word of God declares from the beginning that it is appointed
and the man wants to die and then to face the judgment.
And what you'll do is stand before the judge and receive your sentence.
Well, what is the sentence?
It's either depart from me, thou worker of iniquity.
I have never known you.
Or it's going to be come right on in.
Let me give you the water's parallel.
It's going to be just come right on in.
Supper's on the table and your seat has your name by it.
Just come right on in.
Come on in and the declaration will be well done.
Thy good and faithful servant, you've been just and full.
Over a few things and I'm going to call you to become a ruler over many.
Come on in, my faithful servant.
Come on in.
Revelation betrays Jesus as no other, no other book of the Bible.
All of the pointing and the road signs of the Old Testament and all of the images
that we see him fulfill in the new.
None declare him like John in his revelation.
You do remember there's no S on it.
It's a revelation, not revelations.
It's not plural.
It was one.
And the one revelation is that we may see the glorious Christ, the declaration of the
glorious Christ.
Write it and let everybody read it.
Don't take anything away from it.
Don't add anything to it.
Read it.
He is the righteous Christ.
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, John said.
You whiteheads, mine's getting there, frost is coming on up.
Some of you baldheaded folk ain't going to know the privilege of turning gray.
There's a privilege to it because you know that you've earned every single one.
For us today, it's a depiction of wisdom.
Right?
You want to know something, go ask somebody who's got silver hair.
Talk to them.
Surely they've seen it or known it and can advise us.
He is the wisdom of all ages.
That white hair depicts purity, holiness, a relationship with Christ, this glorious
Christ produces a cleansing and a purity in our life that aligns us with himself and hides
us in his righteousness.
Isaiah 118 declares it this way, come now and let us reason together, says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they be as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool, pure because of his sacrifice.
Wise because he's knowing.
He's the revealing Christ in verse 14.
We see his eyes like as a flame of fire.
His discerning vision will examine every single one of us.
At the resurrection of the dead where the righteous are called forth, we'll stand before
the judgment seat of Christ.
And we'll be judged according to our works.
Paul makes it plain, some of it's going to come out like wood, hay and stubble.
What's that mean?
It's going up in smoke.
Because some of the things that are done for his namesake are done through vainglory.
Look at me.
Right?
You know those people.
Because they're always telling you what they've done.
It's going to be tried by fire.
I've thought about that quite a bit.
I don't think there will be a furnace there that we have to walk through.
I think we'll be gazing into the furnace as he stands before us.
And those eyes that are like fire merely have to gaze upon us.
Huh?
Before x-ray vision was, there was the eye of Christ.
All he merely has to do is gaze upon us.
And he will judge the reason for everything we have done.
Everything.
So that's just the righteous dead that are raised.
John would further later in the book talk about a second resurrection.
Of the unrighteous.
They would lay themselves by what is known as the great white throne judgment.
And before a just and holy God will be judged for the rejection, not for their sin,
but for the rejection of his Christ.
The rejection of his Christ.
The righteous Christ.
The revealing Christ.
There is no creature according to Hebrews 4 and 13 hidden from his sight,
but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
There are people in this world who think they have no accountability to no one or no thing,
but they will give an account to God.
So if you enjoy placating in your life and dabbling in sin,
hear this old time gospel preacher this morning.
I'm presenting to you a way out that being the glorious Christ who was the redeemer of lost humanity.
For God so loved this world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
I'm so glad, I am so glad that there's not just an escape from but there's a deliverance from.
It's not like monopoly and you pass jail and collect 200 bucks.
It's redemption.
And 200 holds no comparison to the reward of the redeemed.
Oh Lord.
No comparison to the reward of the redeemed.
He's the regal Christ.
Regal meaning relating to suitable for a king, notable excellence or magnificence.
That's him.
John describes his voice in verse 15 as the sound of many waters.
The psalmist in 29, three and four says the voice of the Lord is upon the waters.
The God of glory thunders the Lord is upon many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful.
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The regal Christ.
You remember the disciples when he spoke to the winds and the waves they said we've never seen it like this.
Never has a man spoke like this.
It's because they weren't just looking at a man.
Amen.
They were looking at Christ.
The creator of the way, the creator of the water, the trees from which their boat was built.
And his declaration was peace be still.
I don't think he raised his voice.
I don't think he had to holler.
Hello.
He didn't yell.
Peace be still.
The regal Christ.
He is the revenge in Christ as well.
I'm going to try to quit.
Because you've had about all you can take this morning.
The revenge in Christ.
In verse 16, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.
For all of you who have been wronged or feel like you're wronged now.
You do not have to vindicate yourself.
Don't feel as though you have to wreak vengeance on others around you.
Because the revenge in Christ will do so for you.
You serve him.
You humble yourself before him.
You forgive those who despitefully used you.
Release them.
Whereby you release yourself.
Vengeance is mine, said the Lord.
The sword, his holy word, he's not only coming back to receive us.
To receive his own, but he will also take vengeance upon the enemy.
Revelation 2, 16, we hear these words as John Penn's repent.
Or else I will come to you quickly and we'll fight against them with the sword in my mouth.
In 1915, John says, now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse.
He who sat on him was called faithful and true.
And in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Now out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations.
And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
He himself treads the wine press and the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
He's the revenge in Christ.
Makes way for the glorious return of Christ.
His countenance like the sun shining.
Paul saw that face and was stricken blind.
The light of heaven is Christ.
John said that city that he saw coming down will need no light.
For Jesus will be there.
Amen.
My people hear my voice.
I am coming again.
Thank you, Spirit of God. Thank you, Holy Ghost.
Thank you for your divine interruption this morning.
Before I go any further, for those of you who may just be totally unaware or unfamiliar with what has just happened,
you can read through 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 and you'll find the gifts of the Spirit.
What has happened here this morning is a message and an interpretation.
The Spirit of God is spoken.
By virtue of that, the glorious Christ is our reassuring Christ.
John said when I saw him, I fell at his feet though I were dead.
But he laid his right hand upon me and said, don't be afraid.
I'm the first and the last.
I am he who lives and was dead.
I am forevermore.
What you've heard is an invitation from the Spirit of God himself.
As the Holy Spirit has broken in, spoken through yielded humanity to give you a warning and an invitation.
Don't reject him.
Don't refuse the Christ.
Don't refuse the invitation to know this glorious Christ in free pardon of sin,
which only comes through him and from him.
That Lamb of God.
John sees him in this vision of revelation as he stands before with his vesture
as though it were dipped in blood as a redemption of humanity, the redeeming, the saving.
The kids bowed all over this house this morning with urgency and great importance.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to come to this altar
and let me lead you to him through repentance.
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
There's no heaven without repentance.
There's no streets of gold without repentance.
There's no mansion without repentance.
There's no robe without repentance.
No crown of life without repentance.
I can feel the convicting power of the Holy Ghost in here this morning.
It's not about playing church.
I've heard of people talk about going to church all their lives and later in their years
realize that they had never repented and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Went through all the deeds, went through all the church functions, done everything
but had never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
You must repent. The wages of sin are dead.
But there's life and righteousness and hope in Jesus Christ.
Saints of God, you ought to be praying. Come on. Come on.
Pray, saints.
Pray.
Pray this morning.
Anybody else you find, just stand right there, young man. You stand right there.
There's no right way, no wrong way.
Getting on that altar is the best place to be.
If you're here this morning, sins in your life, would you come and join us?
Let's repent.
If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, would you come this morning?
Come and know this glorious Christ through the wonder of salvation.
Come on. Come on.
It's not about religion. It's not about individuals. It's about Christ.
It's about yielding our heart, confessing our sins and accepting His sacrifice for it.
That's what it's about.
Come on.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you. You're welcome, son. Hang in there.
Hallelujah. Father, I love you today.
Anybody else? Anybody else?