In the name of Jesus Christ, what a great privilege
it is to be in the presence of the Lord with
each and every one of you tonight. And especially
for me, a privilege to be here in the adult Bible
study class. I don't think I've been here like
a whole year and a half, but I'm usually teaching
our students, but I'm very happy to be in here
tonight and to share the word of the Lord with
you in the name of Jesus. The Lord bless you.
You may be seated today. Beginning tonight, but
also over the next three weeks, this will be
a three -part series. we're going to be looking
at the book of Revelation. And so tonight, next
week, but then also on the 19th, three weeks
in a row, a look in that last book of the Bible,
the book of Revelation, a book of prophecy, and
of course, a blessing here at Heaven View for
our adult Bible study class to study that book.
And then also, we're actually recording these
sessions. This will be a part of a college class.
that will be taught in Scotland next year in
January and so forth for hopefully years to come,
this book on Revelation and end time prophecy.
So I want to say thank you to everyone here at
Heaven View, but also speaking to the future
for every student of Harvest Bible College, thank
you for serving the Lord where you are, for giving
your life to the call of Jesus Christ, and I'm
looking forward to seeing you in person in January.
In the name of Jesus. The title of this series,
we're going to borrow the first five words of
the book of Revelation. Revelation 1 and 1 begins
this way, the revelation of Jesus Christ. The
revelation of Jesus Christ. Many other translations
word it this way. They say the revelation from
Jesus Christ. And yes, Jesus Christ quite literally
spoke directly to John through an angel. But
it is not merely a revelation from Jesus Christ,
but this book is quite literally a revelation
about Jesus as well. And so our goal in this
series for the next three weeks, the next three
sessions, is to look to the book of Revelation
and to use that to reveal Jesus in every detail.
Because the book of Revelation is not intended
to mystify the believer. It's not intended to
confuse us. The book of Revelation is intended
to magnify Jesus Christ in our lives. The book
of Revelation is not primarily the revelation
of end time events. The book of Revelation is
the revelation of the eternal king. It is the
unveiling of the identity, the glory, and the
authority of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the
flesh. And so in the book... Of Revelation, every
vision, every trumpet, every judgment, every
element of this book flows from this single truth
that Jesus Christ reigns supreme. And before
the book of Revelation is a book about bulls
and beasts, before it is a book about seals and
scrolls, it is a book about a throne. And Revelation
4 and 2 tells us that there is one seated on
that throne, and his name is Jesus. This book
is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so to
organize our thoughts, not only tonight, but
also for the remaining two sessions, we're going
to split up the book of Revelation into three
parts that we are calling prepare, persevere,
and prevail. And so tonight we're going to look
at Revelation chapters 1 through 5 to know how
to prepare, to know how to be ready for the last
days. Next week we'll be studying Revelations
chapter 6 through 18. And we will learn how we
must persevere and endure through tribulation
and judgment. And then the following week we'll
be wrapping it up in Revelations chapters 19
through 22. And then we will celebrate the fact
that God's church will prevail. We'll have victory.
We will make it. We have to prepare, persevere,
and prevail. While they are separate lessons,
they connect quite well. They are not separate
ideas. They all go together. The book of Revelation
takes us on a journey. It is linear. It is sequential.
And the main point is this. If you do not prepare,
you will not persevere. And if you do not persevere,
you will not prevail. Prepare, persevere, prevail.
If you do not prepare, you will not persevere.
That's why the Bible tells us in Luke 21 and
36, it says to watch ye therefore and pray always
that you may be accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass and to stand
before the Son of Man. Why? It's because preparation,
in this case it says watching and praying, it's
required to withstand what is coming. We see
this principle in Matthew. Chapter 25, verses
3 through 4, it says, They that were foolish
took their lamps and took no oil with them, but
the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. Those who did not prepare beforehand could
not endure until the bridegroom came. But that's
not it. There's still one more step, and that's
if you do not persevere, you will not prevail.
Matthew 24, verse 13, it promises us, this is
a familiar passage of scripture, he that shall
endure until the end, he that will persevere
through all of life's troubles, the same shall
be saved. Salvation belongs not just to those
who start, but to those that continue, to those
that endure, to those that finish. He that shall
endure until the end, the same shall be saved.
Revelation 2 and 26, it takes it even further.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto
the end, to him will I give power over the nations.
That's God promising us that we're not just going
to survive, but we're going to thrive. We're
going to prevail. We are going to have victory
in every area if we will heed the word of God.
Victory is promised only to those who continue
faithfully unto the end. And so tonight, we're
going to start with step one. First, in this
journey, we must prepare. Back to Revelation
1 and 1. It says, the revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave unto him. Why? To show unto his
servants things which must shortly come to pass.
And so here we read that the purpose of this
revelation is not speculation about dates and
symbols. That's not the point of the book of
Revelation. The point of the book of Revelation
is preparation for the appearing of our Lord.
The book of Revelation begins with a great promise.
This book pronounces blessing on us. It does
not lead us to fear. It does not lead us to confusion.
That's not the intention. It promises blessing
on us if we would do these three things that
we read in verse three. It says, blessed is he
that readeth and they that hear the words of
this prophecy and keep those things which are
written therein. For the time is at hand. The
time is near. This verse says that you will be
blessed if you will read, if you will hear, and
if you will keep the words of Jesus Christ. And
so today, that's the point of this message. That's
how you prepare. We must see Jesus for who he
really is. We must hear what Jesus is speaking
to his church, and we must obey his word and
commandments. To see, that means that we would
gain revelation. To hear is to receive instruction.
And to obey is to surrender completely. And this
verse promises us that we will be blessed if
we will do all three of those things. See, hear,
and obey. Don't just open your eyes to see. Don't
just open your ears to hear. But no, open your
heart. Open your mind to what God is doing. Open
your mind to what God wants to do in your life.
And let him reveal himself and his power and
his glory. In your life. We see quite clearly
who Jesus is. As soon as this book begins. This
is Revelation 1 and 8. In this verse Jesus. declares
emphatically his unmistakable divine identity.
He says, I am Alpha and Omega. He says, I'm the
beginning and the ending, which is and which
was and which is to come, the Almighty. These
are not words of a secondary person in the Godhead.
These are words directly from God. This is the
voice of the eternal God himself. Alpha and omega,
we recognize that as being the first and last
letter of the Greek alphabet. That means that
Jesus, as he says, is the beginning and the ending
of all things. When Jesus says, which is and
which was and which is to come, he is declaring
his eternal existence. When he calls himself
the almighty, that's the same term that you read
in the Old Testament used for... Jehovah. Jesus
Christ is not part of God. Jesus is God. He was
manifest in the flesh. He was revealed in glory.
He's reigning eternally. Colossians 2 and 9.
For in him, Jesus Christ, dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. 1 Timothy 3 and 16. And
without controversy, great is the mystery of
godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the spirit, seen of angels. preached unto
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received
up into glory. This is the revelation of Jesus
Christ. That's what the book of Revelation is
all about. It's not the second person in the
Trinity. It's not Jehovah Junior. It's not somebody
who walked on this earth and has nothing to do
with our lives anymore. Jesus is God manifest
in the flesh, and his spirit is here today. That's
what the book of Revelation is all about. It
is quite literally the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And so Jesus continues in this chapter to reveal
himself to John. Verse 10, John heard a great
voice like a trumpet. In verse 11, we read that
that voice, it's the voice of Jesus Christ, is
declaring once again, I am Alpha and Omega. I
am the first and the last. And then in verse
12, It describes what John did. It said that
he turned to see. So not only did he hear the
voice of God, but he turned to see. And when
he turned to see, when he put action behind what
he was doing, when he took that step and he turned
to see, that's when vision, the vision began.
Revelation requires turning away from distraction
and fixing our gaze upon the Lord. If we are
going to prepare, if we are going to be ready,
we have to see Jesus for who he is. Skipping
down to verse 13, John sees Jesus in the midst
of seven candlesticks. And later in this chapter,
he's told that that represents the seven churches.
This shows God quite literally having an active
presence, leadership, and guidance, and direction
for his churches, for his bride, the church,
even today. John continues to write what he saw.
And every feature of Christ's appearance is symbolic.
of his divine attributes and eternal power. This
is still in verse 13. He says that Jesus had
a garment and golden girdle. This you can draw
a direct line to this being the attire of the
high priest. Hebrews 4 and 14 tells us that Jesus,
this is the revelation of Jesus Christ, Jesus
is our high priest. Verse 15, he was human just
like you and I are. He was tempted just like
we are, but he never sinned. And that's why in
verse 16, the Bible promises us that we can come
boldly before his throne to seek mercy and grace
for help in our time of need. Jesus is our high
priest, and he intercedes on our behalf. He maketh
intercession. for us, the Bible says. And so
back to Revelation 1 and 14, John continues to
write what he sees. He says that his head and
his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow.
This symbolizes quite literally purity, white,
but then also it symbolizes wisdom. This description
matches exactly with what Daniel wrote about
the ancient of days. Chapter 9 and verse 7, Daniel
said that the hair of his head was like pure
wool. This identifies Jesus as Jehovah. It identifies
Jesus as Yahweh himself. Jesus is God. This is
the revelation of Jesus Christ. Back to verse
14. His eyes, it says, were as a flame of fire.
Nothing escapes God's vision. He sees right through
hypocrisy. He purifies his people. Verse 15,
it says that he has feet like fine brass. Brass
in the Bible represents judgment. And since this
is his feet, it's literally saying that his ways
are pure and steadfast. They are steady. It says
that his voice is as the sound of many waters,
meaning that God's word carries authority. We
know because we read in the Bible throughout
that God speaks and things happen. There's a
creative nature just to the voice of God. His
voice is as the sound of many waters. Verse 16,
John tells us that in this vision, Jesus has
seven stars in his right hand. Later in this
same chapter, it's revealed to him. That those
seven stars represent the messengers or the pastors,
the shepherds, the angels of the seven churches.
And he has them firmly in his grasp. Their safety
rests in his hands. It says that there's a two
-edged sword coming out of his mouth. Because
the power of his word. And it conquers. It challenges
us. It brings us closer to his perfect will and
purpose. It says that his countenance is as the
sun in his strength. Meaning that the unveiled
radiance of his divine glory is on full display.
It's the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
is God. We read in verse 17, when John sees his
glory, he tells us that he actually fell on his
face like he was dead. That's what John did.
God had just revealed his glory to him and it
was too much for him. And even in this vision,
he fell down at his feet like he was dead. But
in verse 17, he tells us that Jesus lays his
right hand upon him and he declares to John,
I am the first and I'm the last. Verse 18, I
am he that liveth and was dead and behold, I
am alive forevermore. You notice here Jesus as
speaking as both God, he says he's the first
and the last, and man. He says, I was dead. Only
Jesus Christ fulfills both of these descriptions.
It goes on to say that he took, he holds the
keys of hell and of death. That means that he
has ultimate authority. Over everything, in every
realm, the physical realm, the spiritual realm,
there's nothing that can withstand the power
and the might of Jesus Christ. The first chapter
of Revelation establishes that Jesus Christ is
Lord. The mighty God is Jesus, and it's all in
Him. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The book of Revelation is not to cause you to
be afraid. It's not to confuse you. No, it's
to give you a hope. It's to give you strength.
It's to let you know. You may not know all the
details. You may not know what the future holds.
But if you know who Jesus Christ is, you don't
have one thing to worry about. Because Jesus
Christ is alive forevermore. Because Jesus Christ
holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave.
That's the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so
now we can clearly see Jesus for who he is. That's
what Revelation chapter 1 does for us. But it
takes more than that to be ready. To prepare,
our second point tonight is that we must hear
what God is saying to his church. In fact, this
is in Revelations chapter 2 and 3. Jesus speaks
through John directly to... He is speaking to
seven churches of that day. These are the seven
churches that were represented by the seven candlesticks
in the previous chapter. These seven churches
are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Each of these churches,
as you can see on my map here behind us, were
in the far west of modern -day Turkey. Basically,
they're directly beneath modern -day Istanbul.
All seven of these churches were very close together.
And because this interested me and likely doesn't
interest you, forgive me, but Greece... Greece,
even though the mainland of Greece is really
just stuck in the very top European side of Turkey,
it actually, all of these islands, even super
close to Turkey, are Greek territory. And the
Isle of Patmos was actually way closer than you
would possibly think. This map does not show
it, but just basically right off this map is
the Isle of Patmos, which was a Greek island.
But the Isle of Patmos, of course, is where John
had these visions. When you consider the whole
world geographically, he was not far at all.
Though he couldn't get to them, he was not far
at all from these seven churches in the far west
of modern day Turkey. Jesus spoke to each of
these churches through John. And the book of
Revelation was sent to all seven of these churches.
We skipped over it, but in chapter 1, Jesus commanded
him. He said, write the things which you have
seen. Write the things which are. Write the things
which shall be hereafter. And he tells them,
send this letter to the seven churches. And John's
letter went directly to these seven churches.
So it's very directly, this letter is going to
these seven churches he is speaking very directly
about. Jesus spoke to each of these churches
through John. Each message follows the same order.
It's like the same template that Jesus uses to
communicate with these churches. Each church
received a complaint, except for Smyrna, did
not receive a complaint. Every church received
a compliment, except for Laodicea. And then each
church after that received a promise from God.
If they would choose not just to hear the word
of God, but also to obey. Quite literally, Jesus
made them a promise. If you keep this commandment,
if you are successful, if you overcome is what
he says, then this will happen in your favor.
Jesus used this same pattern seven times because
these were quite literal. They were literally
churches in this time. And he was addressing
actual things that were happening. But we should
recognize before we even studied these churches
that the issues they had going on. the principles
can still apply in churches even today. It can
still apply in our hearts today. So when we're
reading about these churches, we may not have
the exact same strengths and weaknesses, but
some of those principles could apply. So we should
read what Jesus said to these churches through
John almost 2 ,000 years ago and recognize we
can draw closer to God because of the word that
Jesus shared with his church. The first... The
first church in this list is Ephesus. We read
about them in Revelations 2, 1 -7. Ephesus, we
will call them the loveless church. When we read
what Jesus said about the church of Ephesus,
he basically said that they had labor, they worked
very hard, they were involved, and they had doctrine,
sound doctrine, but at some point, they just
lost their first love. At some point, they just
started to take things for granted. At some point,
it just wasn't special anymore. And that fire,
that passion they had when they first knew the
Lord, it just wasn't present anymore. That's
why we call them the loveless church. Jesus calls
them to repent, and he says to do the first works.
In other words, when you repented of your sins,
when you were baptized, when you received the
Holy Ghost, when God turned your life around,
that love you had for his commandments, that
love you had for his presence and for his spirit,
do the first works. Go back to that day. Love
from the very bottom of your heart. Do not lose
your first love, because love must precede labor.
They were doing all these great things. They
had the best production. They had the PowerPoint
and the live stream. I don't know. They were
just doing fantastic in every area. And on the
surface, you'd be like, man, they're going. But
Jesus saw their heart, and he knew that they'd
become complacent. Jesus saw their heart, and
he knew that that passion they once had, when
they first believed, was no longer present. And
that's why we call Ephesus the loveless church.
The second letter he writes to the church of
Smyrna. We'll call Smyrna the persecuted church.
We read about them in Revelation. We're still
in chapter 2. This is verse 8 through 11. The
church in Smyrna was very poor in possessions.
They did not have the production quality, if
you will, that Ephesus had. They didn't have
a very big church. They were poor in possession.
But Jesus complimented them. He said they were
rich in faith. And so Jesus does not have a complaint
for them. But Jesus does encourage them to continue
to endure through suffering. And he promises
them that if they will endure to the end, they
will be saved. In this particular case, he said
that they will have a crown of life. The third...
that Jesus wrote to here through John in the
book of Revelation. This is chapter 2, verses
12 through 17. It's Pergamos. And we will call
them the compromising or the worldly church.
Jesus admits to them. He says, you are faithful
to my name, but you tolerate false doctrine.
And so he says here that the sharp two -edged
sword, his word, will judge compromise. Even
if you just have a true appreciation for the
Lord. And you know you couldn't do life without
him. And you're just having a great time serving
the Lord in every area of your life. But if you
tolerate false doctrine. If you allow compromise
and shortcuts in your life. God, quite literally
here, he's lodging a complaint. This is a very
big deal. This will keep you from being who God
is calling you to be. This is a lack of preparation.
There's no way to persevere when the world gets
darker and darker and it waxes worse and worse
and evil men and seducers not only deceive themselves
but deceive others. It's going to matter that
you took a stand for truth. It's going to matter
that you made up in your heart and in your mind
that I'm not going to make an excuse. I'm going
to be everything. that God has called me to be.
I'm going to stand for truth. The fourth church
that John writes to, the words of Jesus Christ,
this is Thyatira. We'll call them the corrupt
or the wrong doctrine church. We're still in
chapter 2 here. This is verses 18 through 29.
So Jesus says out front, he says that you have
works of love. He says that faith exists in your
church, but you have tolerated the false prophetess
Jezebel. And so Jesus to this church calls for
repentance and he promises power if they will
overcome. If they will decide not to be ensnared
by the doctrines of this world, not to let a
spirit of rebellion to come in their ranks, but
to love God, the word of God, to be submitted
to the plan of God, to be submitted to good Godly
leadership. If they will decide I'm going to
do the right thing the right way, then God promises
they will have power if they will overcome. The
next church is the church of Sardis. This is
the beginning of Revelation chapter 3. This is
verses 1 through 6, and we'll call them the spiritually
dead church. So Jesus, the way he words it is
kind of funny. He basically says, you from the
outside have a reputation of life. You are lively,
you're energetic. From the surface, you've just
got it all going on, and you've just got all
your energy in it, and you're just full of life
and vitality. But I know your heart. I know what's
going on behind the scenes. And Jesus tells them,
quite literally, he says that you are spiritually
dead. And so Christ commands them to strengthen
what remains. The Bible calls it the remnant.
And to wake up. To come out of sleep, to have
a passion and a desire and a desperation for
the things of God once again. It doesn't matter
if you look like you're full of love for the
church and full of love for God and his commandments.
And it doesn't matter if you appear on the outside
to be just so happy to involve yourself in the
things of God. God sees your heart. And in this
case, God says, you're spiritually dead. Even
if you look lively on the outside, on the inside,
the flame isn't lit anymore. There's no fire
in there. There's no passion in there. This is
the sixth of seven church that John writes to.
This is the church of Philadelphia. Chapter 3,
verses 7 through 13. And we'll call them the
faithfully, or contrasting it with Sardis, the
spiritually alive church. Philadelphia has a...
I would say comparatively a small complaint.
They don't have a perfect, you know, straight
A's report card, but they are very close. Jesus
says you have a little strength. But in the same
sentence he says, but you've kept my word and
you've not denied my name. You've kept my word
and you've not denied my name. So even if you
have a little bit of strength, you've got to
figure that out. You've got to figure out how
to be strong in the Lord and in the power of
his might. I'm still quite pleased with you is
what Jesus says because you've kept my word.
You've held to the truth and you've not denied
my name. In a world of people trying to get you
to compromise and trying to get you to sell out,
you may just have a little strength, but you've
not denied my word. You have not denied my name.
You have kept my word. And so Jesus promises
them that he will open doors for them. Jesus
promises that he will preserve them. He says
literally that you will have a place in God's
temple. And then the very last, we did not save
the best for last in this case. We saved the
worst for last. The seventh church is Laodicea.
This is Revelation chapter 3, verses 14 through
22. And we call them the lukewarm church. The
church of Laodicea was self -satisfied. The church
of Laodicea, we could say they were spiritually
blind. They were complacent. The church of Laodicea
just took a move of God for granted. Jesus said,
you are not hot, nor are you cold. And he literally
says, I would rather you be hot or cold. I would
rather you just decide today I'm going to be
on fire for the things of God, or I'm not going
to even be moved a little bit. But you have found
just the perfect medium. And Jesus said, I will
spew you out of my mouth. That's God speaking
to his church there, but also these principles
can apply in 2025. We cannot be complacent. We've
got to pick a side. You're either on God's side
or you're not. You have to stand up and stand
for truth and say, I'm going to be on fire for
the things of God. It's amazing to me that Jesus
literally said, instead of pretending, why don't
you just go ahead and drop out? Why don't you
just go ahead and give up? Why don't you just
go ahead and make it obvious to everybody that
you don't care? I'd rather that. Then just enough
to get by. Just enough to check it off the list
every Sunday. Just enough for everybody to think
you have it all together. But inside you couldn't
care less. That's why we call them the lukewarm
church. And that's the one church, they got no
compliment at all. Because Jesus literally was,
it seems almost frustrated by what they did.
He literally said, I would rather spew you out
of my mouth. I'd rather you just completely run
the opposite direction than pretend because God
wants authenticity. God wants us to have a sincere
heart for him. But Jesus concludes the letter
to Laodicea, and he tells them, even them, he
says he's standing at the door knocking. He wants
restored fellowship. It's not his will that you
would go away. God wants you to be on fire for
him. God wants you to draw closer to him. We
recognize, of course, that hearing means more
than listening. Not just in one ear and out the
other, but hearing implies obedience. Back to
Revelation 1 and 3, that combines reading, hearing,
and keeping into one act of surrender to God.
Those who see his glory and hear his correction
and obey his commands are the ones that are truly
prepared. for his coming. And so after these
letters to the churches, that concludes now chapters
2 and 3. We go to chapter 4, and this is verse
1. John, in his vision, is invited to come up
hither, come up here with me, is effectively
what Jesus said to him. And John reports that
he was immediately in the Spirit, and he sees
in verse 2 a throne. That was set in heaven and
one sat on the throne. Notice that there is one
throne. There is one king. Verse 3. The one on
the throne appears, it says, like a jasper and
sardine stone. He is quite literally radiating
the colors of purity. And sardine represents
sacrifice. It also tells us that around the throne
is a rainbow. This is a symbol of mercy we know
about in the Bible, but it's surrounding majesty
and holiness. Verse 5 tells us that lightning,
voices, and thunderings proceed from the throne.
And in front of it burns seven lamps of fire.
And that, the Bible tells us, represents the
sevenfold spirit of God. Seven is the number
of completion, of perfection. This quite literally
represents God's complete and perfect power.
Verse 8 tells us that there are four living creatures.
And they cry day and night at the top of their
lungs. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
was, which is, and which is to come. Verse 10
says that 24 elders fall down and cast their
crowns at his feet. They declare in verse 11,
thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honor and power. For thou has created all things.
And it goes on to say, for your pleasure, God.
have you created it, but they were created for
your pleasure. All of creation is here to bring
you great glory. All worship is centered upon
the one sitting on the throne. And when we read
that, we recognize that that affirms the absolute
deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God. This is
the revelation of Jesus Christ. Going to chapter
5, this is verse 4. John weeps. Watching this
vision because he recognizes that there is no
one, not one that's found worthy to open the
sealed book of redemption. But there's an elder
there that tells him in verse five, weep not.
Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed.
So he was he just was told it's a lion of the
tribe of Judah. And so John turns to see, and
he's expecting to see a lion. But in verse 6,
he doesn't see a lion. It says that he sees a
lamb as it had been slain. The conquering lion
is the redeeming lamb. That's two images of the
same Lord. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The lamb stands in the midst of the throne, not
beside it. This means that the Lamb and the one
on the throne are one and the same. Jesus is
the King. Jesus is our Savior. Verse 9, it says,
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book. For
thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood. This is the very heart of the revelation
of Jesus Christ. The Creator became the Redeemer.
God himself took on flesh and shed his own blood.
For our salvation. That's the revelation of Jesus
Christ. In fact, in the book of Acts, chapter
20, verse 28, Jesus says, feed the church of
God, which God has purchased with his own blood.
The book of Revelation demands from us a threefold
response. Number one, we must see him clearly.
John saw the Lord in glory. And the churches
were called to behold him once again. Every vision
of Jesus Christ that we have read and every vision
that we will read throughout the entire book
of Revelation reveals another aspect of God's
deity and his dominion. If we will see him clearly.
That is how we will restore worship in our hearts.
That is how our faith will be strengthened. When
we see Jesus as the almighty God, that's how
we are unmoved in a world that is shifting and
shaking at all times. The Bible says that in
the last days, it's only going to get worse.
There's tribulation. There's judgment. But before
all of that, we have an opportunity to prepare.
And part of preparing is seeing Jesus for who
he is. If our perspective is on God and his unchanging
nature, if our perspective is on God and his
ability to be anything we need him to be all
at once because he's God, if we have that perspective,
that allows us to be prepared. for what is to
come. That's the first step, to be prepared.
But how do you prepare? Firstly, you have to
be able to see Jesus for who he is. But also,
we read this in Revelation 2 and 3, we need to
hear Jesus closely. Repeatedly, the Bible says,
he that hath an ear, let him hear. Hearing involves
discernment. It's not just the action of hearing,
but literally taking that information and thinking
about it and meditating on it, discerning it.
The same voice that spoke to John still speaks
through the word of God. It still speaks through
the spirit of God today. Hearing demands that
we silence every competing voice. Whether that's
the voice of tradition, maybe. Maybe it's a voice
of fear or doubt. Maybe it's a voice of compromise.
Any kind of distraction. We need to hear Jesus
loud and clear. And that involves silencing all
of the competing voices. That involves silencing
every distraction in our life. We have to listen
intently for the call of Jesus Christ. And that
third step, if we're going to prepare, it's not
enough just to see and not enough just to hear,
but we must obey his word and his commandments.
Back to the book of Revelation, the first chapter,
we read this at the beginning. This is verse
3. It tells us when you're reading this book,
blessings are on you if you read, if you hear,
and if you keep. Revelation is not fulfilled
in the mind alone. It's fulfilled in your life.
Actions speak louder than words. If you truly
receive a revelation of who God is and God's
plan for your life, that is not just going to
be something you follow away in your brain. It's
going to be something that informs your everyday
decisions. Actions speak louder than words. Obedience
to God's command, whether that be repentance,
it could be holiness. It could be faithfulness.
That's what God says prepares the church to stand
before him unashamed. It's obedience that is
the true expression of revelation. If you truly
understand who God is and truly understand his
will for your life, just the natural byproduct
of that, the natural response is a life of surrender
and obedience. When we truly know who God is,
we will gladly submit. To his word. I invite
you to stand tonight all across the room. At
the close of the letters. This is back to the
letters to the seven churches in Revelations
2 and 3. This is at the very end of the letter
to Laodicea. Which was that church that received
not one compliment. They flunked the test. But
Jesus still extends an invitation to them at
their worst. And if it's good enough for them
in that moment. for him to extend an olive branch,
if you will, to extend an opportunity for mercy
and a second chance, an invitation for communion
and fellowship, then I believe it's good enough
for us. This is Revelation 3, verse 20. Jesus
tells them, but I believe he's telling us today
as well, wherever we stand. Behold, Jesus says,
I stand at the door and I knock. If any man hear
my voice, And open the door. I will come into
him. And I will sup or dine with him. And he
with me. This is not the voice of a distant deity.
This is not a voice of a God that's unreachable.
This is not the voice of a God who is unaffected
by our concerns and our cares. Jesus very much
cares for us. Jesus very much is near us. It
is the same voice of the Lord whose, the Bible
says, his eyes were like fire, his hands hold
the stars. The almighty God has stooped down.
to knock on the door of the heart of his own
church. And in these last days, Jesus is still
calling his people to open the door again, to
restore intimacy, to renew their first love,
and to walk in obedience. The one, Jesus Christ,
who revealed himself to John, now reveals himself
to every believer who will see and who will hear
and who will obey. Jesus is the Alpha and the
Omega. He is the first and the last. He is the
living one that was dead but is alive forevermore.
He is the Lamb on the throne. And his voice still
speaks to us today. Fear not. I've got it all
under control. I want communion and relationship
with you. That's the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Not just who you read about in the Bible. Not
just at the very beginning of human history.
But even at the end. Even long after we've left
this earth. God desires. communion and relationship
with you. He's knocking on the door. He wants
to come in. He wants to have relationship, but
it's up to you today if you will open the door
and dine with him. We must prepare ourselves,
not with speculation, but with revelation. That's
the point of this revelation. We must prepare
ourselves, not with fear, but with faith. God
wants to give us strength and faith and assurance.
That's what the book of Revelation is all about.
We must prepare ourselves not with compromise,
but with consecration. We should prepare with
consecration until the day that we see Jesus
face to face. And so how do we do that? We must
see Jesus for who he is. We must hear what he
is saying to his church. And we must obey his
word and his commandments. It's not enough to
know. To be able to see Jesus for who he is and
know that he's the one knocking on the door.
And it's not enough to hear him knocking and
not enough to hear his voice saying, open the
door. We can have relationship and communion.
But no, you have to obey. You have to open the
door. And that's what I'm urging each and every
one of us to do tonight. These altars are open.
Will you come today and will you do your very
best to get as close to God as you can? Would
you come today and in your heart and in your
mind, would you open that door to anything and
everything that God wants to do? That's the revelation
of Jesus Christ. The mighty God is Jesus. Jesus
is the mighty God in Christ. He's anything and
everything you need him to be. But God still
requires that you open your heart, that you open
your mind, that you open your life to surrender
to him. and to surrender to his will and his
purpose for your life. Let's pray today with
passion.