WEBVTT 00:00:02.099 --> 00:00:06.040 Let's pray together once more. Heavenly Father, 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.980 we are thankful for your help and presence thus 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:13.759 far in the meeting. We come now once again to 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:16.280 confess our need of you and to ask that you would 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:18.719 meet that need this morning as we attempt to 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.059 study the Word once again. We pray that you'd 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:24.620 open it up to us through the power of your Spirit 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:27.739 that you'd make yourself and your teachings known 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:31.179 unto us. That we indeed would have the response 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:33.619 of faith today to put into practice all that 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:39.240 you teach us that you give us Open minds open 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:43.100 hearts to receive all that you have that the 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:48.359 Holy Spirit himself would empower us To do all 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:52.420 that we in ourselves could never do We're thankful 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:55.200 that you have done for us what we could not do 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.679 in bringing us salvation through Jesus Christ, 00:00:58.899 --> 00:01:02.619 the Savior of sinners. So be glorified in our 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:05.060 midst then this morning, Father, as we open your 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:11.439 word, save the lost, strengthen the saved, and 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.819 we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, we've been 00:01:15.819 --> 00:01:18.579 looking at the church the last several weeks, 00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:24.049 and so this week I was... determined to find 00:01:24.049 --> 00:01:27.810 the best picture of the church that I could in 00:01:27.810 --> 00:01:31.170 the Bible. We've been talking a lot about it, 00:01:31.170 --> 00:01:35.230 but it always helps to have a picture. Some of 00:01:35.230 --> 00:01:38.510 us can't quite get the idea without a picture. 00:01:40.189 --> 00:01:46.010 So I went to Revelation for a picture of Christ 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:49.769 and his church. Now you'll remember that when 00:01:49.769 --> 00:01:53.739 we looked at this, book in its entirety back 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:58.579 in 2019. Seems incredible that it's been that 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:04.000 long already, but it has been that long. The 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.780 book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:12.099 and His Church that is universal. In other words, 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:15.139 from the time it was written forward, it has 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:21.030 application to the Church because The Bible is 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:24.289 always relative to, first of all, whom it was 00:02:24.289 --> 00:02:27.169 written to. And we know that it was written to 00:02:27.169 --> 00:02:29.930 the church. And then it's also relevant because 00:02:29.930 --> 00:02:34.669 it's timeless. It's unchanging. It's the unchangeable 00:02:34.669 --> 00:02:38.150 truth of God. That's the Bible, which the Revelation 00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:41.949 is a part of. So I'm going to go here then to 00:02:41.949 --> 00:02:45.930 the first chapter. And we're going to look at 00:02:45.930 --> 00:02:54.680 the first chapter of Revelation. So we're just 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:59.900 going to go through these. Perhaps we'll be more 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:03.300 of a Bible study this morning, but we'll see. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:07.439 So in the first verse of the first chapter, we 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.280 read the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now remember, 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:13.939 this isn't just talking about the first chapter. 00:03:14.020 --> 00:03:17.099 This is talking about the whole book. This is 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:23.370 a revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a revelation 00:03:23.370 --> 00:03:27.750 of Jesus Christ, but it's mostly symbolic in 00:03:27.750 --> 00:03:31.629 its representation. In other words, we're not 00:03:31.629 --> 00:03:34.689 going to see a physical picture here of Jesus 00:03:34.689 --> 00:03:37.770 Christ. We're going to see things that represent 00:03:37.770 --> 00:03:41.069 Jesus Christ, that tell us about Jesus Christ. 00:03:42.569 --> 00:03:49.449 So it's a symbolic book. It uses symbols or pictures 00:03:49.449 --> 00:03:54.250 to depict the teaching. So it tells us which 00:03:54.250 --> 00:03:57.729 God gave unto him to show unto his servants things 00:03:57.729 --> 00:04:00.930 which must shortly come to pass. And he sent 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:04.189 and signified it by his angel unto his servant 00:04:04.189 --> 00:04:07.289 John, who bare record of the word of God and 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:10.810 of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things 00:04:10.810 --> 00:04:15.030 that he saw. So there you have it. He gave the 00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:17.949 revelation to John. John saw the revelation. 00:04:17.990 --> 00:04:22.379 It was a vision of multiple visions. and he gave 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:26.720 it to his faithful servant John. So it says in 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.279 verse 3, blessed is he that readeth and they 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:31.759 that hear the words of this prophecy and keep 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.379 those things which are written therein for the 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:37.759 time is at hand. Okay, so there's the blessing 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:42.560 of Jesus Christ upon his word. Those who receive 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:46.139 it, who hear it, who read it, blessed be ye. 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:52.089 Nothing can be better than to receive A promise 00:04:52.089 --> 00:04:54.509 really, the promised blessing of Jesus Christ 00:04:54.509 --> 00:04:58.769 upon those who put these words into action. Hear, 00:04:59.149 --> 00:05:04.389 read, and do. So it's an encouragement, or it 00:05:04.389 --> 00:05:08.209 should be, to all the people of God that they 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:11.009 can indeed please their Lord and Savior Jesus 00:05:11.009 --> 00:05:15.170 Christ. They can be assured of a purposeful and 00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:18.449 profitable life simply by following His instructions. 00:05:19.329 --> 00:05:22.660 It's really that simple. It's not difficult. 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:27.959 He's told us. He's not a God that hasn't revealed 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:31.660 Himself. He has. And He's let us know, He's going 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:36.839 to be letting us know through the first chapter 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.920 here and of course all the rest of it, the same 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:43.480 as He has done in the whole Bible, what we're 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:50.769 to do. So He says then in verse 4, John to the 00:05:50.769 --> 00:05:54.230 seven churches which are in Asia grace be unto 00:05:54.230 --> 00:05:58.529 you and peace from him which is and which was 00:05:58.529 --> 00:06:02.089 and which is to come and from the seven spirits 00:06:02.089 --> 00:06:05.610 which are before his throne and from Jesus Christ 00:06:05.610 --> 00:06:08.889 who is the faithful witness and the first begotten 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:11.889 of the dead and the prince of the kings of the 00:06:11.889 --> 00:06:15.629 earth unto him that loved us and washed us from 00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:20.800 our sins in his own blood So you have the Trinity 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:24.379 there, you have the Father first, you have the 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:28.480 Spirit second, and you have the Lord Jesus Christ 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:35.339 here listed third in the Holy Trinity, the three 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:41.680 -in -one God that we worship. And he says, John 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:46.639 can't just say that. You know something? We do. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:50.620 We just read these verses or whatever. We read 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:54.019 a lot of different verses and we just read them. 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:58.079 We've become so familiar with everything, perhaps, 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:03.680 that the amazement of it, we've lost it. We've 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:08.379 lost the ability to be moved by the truth that 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:11.879 we read. Well, John wasn't that way. He has to 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:16.300 break into this doxology. praise and thanksgiving 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:19.220 at the end there when he says unto him that loved 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:22.480 us and washed us from our sins in his own blood 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:26.839 and then he goes on and hath made us kings and 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:30.300 priests unto God and his father to whom be glory 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:34.680 and dominion forever and ever amen so now this 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:36.639 is a familiar statement we've just looked at 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:40.680 this maybe it was last week where we're in Peter 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:44.750 where he is Revealed or told us once again that 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:48.230 we are kings and priests. We don't become it. 00:07:48.290 --> 00:07:54.029 We are We are the kings and the priests So we're 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:56.550 asked how we're to act and if you understand 00:07:56.550 --> 00:07:59.930 we've explained that You know, we're not we're 00:07:59.930 --> 00:08:03.949 not ruled by sin We're to be kings over that 00:08:03.949 --> 00:08:08.990 We don't we're not dominated by sin We're to 00:08:08.990 --> 00:08:14.110 rule our bodies for the glory of God. We don't 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:17.810 let sin have its way. It has no power over us, 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:21.389 so on and so forth. We're priests. We represent 00:08:21.389 --> 00:08:24.970 God to people and people to God. We pray, primarily, 00:08:25.129 --> 00:08:28.370 is how we exercise our priesthood. We pray for 00:08:28.370 --> 00:08:31.970 one another. We pray for the lost. We pray for 00:08:31.970 --> 00:08:36.009 our leaders. We pray, pray, pray. That's what 00:08:36.009 --> 00:08:40.330 a priest does. And of course, a priest would... 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:45.840 verbally speak of his God to others as well. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:54.179 So we have then a declaration of truth in verse 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:58.840 seven. Behold, behold, pay attention, are you 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:02.740 listening? Behold, he cometh with clouds, and 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:05.919 every eye shall see him, and they also which 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:09.120 pierced him. and all kindreds of the earth shall 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:14.639 wail because of him even so amen so as a declaration 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:19.779 a promise if you will jesus is coming again he's 00:09:19.779 --> 00:09:22.340 come the first time to be the savior he'll be 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:25.779 the coming the second time to bring his people 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:29.620 who are yet on the earth to glory and to punish 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:34.409 all of the wicked he is returning not as a humble 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:40.090 servant, Savior, but as a royal king, He is coming. 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:46.250 So we put our faith in that. We put our faith 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:48.870 in God's Word, the revelation of Himself, the 00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:53.470 things that He's told us. He's coming again. 00:09:54.649 --> 00:09:59.049 And when He comes, it's over. There are no second 00:09:59.049 --> 00:10:03.309 chances. However many years you've had here, 00:10:04.319 --> 00:10:10.820 If it's 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, how much 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:13.639 time and how much of an opportunity does a man 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:18.120 need to make his peace with God, to own his sin 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.860 and own the Savior? There's no second chances. 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:25.519 A lot of fairy tales are told out there. That's 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:29.960 just what they are, is fairy tales. The Bible 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.440 speaks nothing of that. You won't find it in 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:37.059 the Bible. It's a system of man -made tradition 00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:39.940 and teaching that doesn't exist anywhere but 00:10:39.940 --> 00:10:45.340 in their own imagination. So He's coming and 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:48.600 when He comes it's over. He seals your fate. 00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:52.179 If you've repented and believed in the Lord Jesus 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:55.840 Christ, you have a glorious life ahead of you. 00:10:56.860 --> 00:11:00.679 If you haven't, you have a most miserable wretched 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:07.370 life. All men are going to live forever. One 00:11:07.370 --> 00:11:12.250 place or the other. And that fate is sealed by 00:11:12.250 --> 00:11:15.129 what you did during your probationary period 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:22.929 right here on earth. Consider it. Consider it. 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:27.590 Do you know yourself a sinner? Do you know yourself 00:11:27.590 --> 00:11:32.620 guilty before a holy eye? Do you know God is 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:36.480 willing to forgive you of that sin when you embrace 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:41.299 Jesus Christ as the Savior for sinners? And have 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:49.200 you done so? Are you right with God? Now is the 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:54.740 day of salvation. None of us know tomorrow. Today, 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:58.139 will you be saved? Will you humble yourself before 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:01.899 the mighty God? who sent his only begotten son 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:04.580 into the world to be the savior for sinners. 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:11.620 Will you? Do so, please. If you don't know him, 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:17.919 come to him today. For when you see him, it'll 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:22.740 be too late if you haven't. So he says there 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:25.519 in verse 8, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:29.899 and the ending. Sayeth the Lord. Which is and 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:34.379 which was and which is to come the Almighty Okay, 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:37.200 so he's the Alpha and the Omega the beginning 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:40.120 and the ending There's nothing before him. There's 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:43.039 nothing after him. He encompasses everything. 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:46.679 He always lives in the present He has no past. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:50.139 He has no future. He's in the present all the 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:53.419 time He knows everything because he's ordained 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:57.039 everything His plan is being worked out perfectly. 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.340 Alpha and Omega. Everything is under the control 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:03.899 of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we're going 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:06.940 to see in a few verses, it's under control for 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:13.000 the benefit of His people, His Church. That's 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.120 why this world is still going on, folks. Right? 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:19.240 Not all the Church has been brought in. In other 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:22.000 words, not all of God's people are with God as 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:26.919 yet. When the last one comes it's gonna end there's 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:29.740 no other reason for this world to be in existence 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:34.919 Do you realize that? The significance of the 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.659 Church of God We've sung about it David talked 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:41.840 about it. I've been talking about it. We're talking 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:45.879 about it again. It is The one institution that 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:48.720 will never perish from the face of the earth 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:53.419 Kingdoms will wax and wane Organizations, institutions 00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:56.779 will come and go. The church will never leave 00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:01.960 the face of the earth until Christ returns. That's 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:06.019 the promise. That's the significance of what 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:12.200 you're a part of. Do you realize it? Well, we're 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.500 gonna get here, getting a picture of it. We're 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:19.559 gonna get more of a picture of it. So in verse 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:24.259 nine, he says, I John who also am your brother 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:27.000 and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:30.500 and long suffering of Jesus Christ was in the 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:33.259 aisle that is called Patmos for the word of God 00:14:33.259 --> 00:14:37.340 and for the testimony of Jesus Christ I was in 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.980 prison that was a prison Patmos was a prison 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:43.779 island he was a castaway he had no companions 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:47.659 no fellowship Maybe he had a few, we don't know 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:50.059 for sure, but he was out of the mainstream. He 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:52.720 was away from most of his brothers and sisters. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.220 So he's on this island and he's declaring that 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:02.519 though I'm separated from you physically, I am 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:06.700 still your brother. I am your companion. I'm 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:10.120 suffering for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.759 He's not upset. He's not bitter. He's not mad. 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:16.679 He loves the Lord as much as he did before, but 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:21.539 he's a prisoner. But he's John. He's John, the 00:15:21.539 --> 00:15:25.440 apostle John. He's declaring to us, to the people 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.700 that he was writing to, to the whole church, 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:33.340 I am your brother in tribulation. In other words, 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:37.559 do you see that the way the Christian church 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:43.500 is not a hierarchy? It's not governed by rank. 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:49.000 We know there are institutions and so -called 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.220 churches that are, but in the scriptures that 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:56.460 doesn't exist. It doesn't exist that way. He's 00:15:56.460 --> 00:16:01.419 declaring his oneness with everybody. He's not 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:06.259 demanding any type of worship or homage or importance. 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:11.220 No. I am your brother, your companion. That's 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:15.870 how we are if we're in the church. We're one 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:21.149 in the church. We're not those who seek the priority. 00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:25.009 And John certainly gives us a good example of 00:16:25.009 --> 00:16:28.190 that. But in verse 10 we read, I was in the Spirit 00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:30.909 on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a great 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:34.570 voice as of a trumpet. He was in the Spirit on 00:16:34.570 --> 00:16:41.330 the Lord's Day, folks. Can we say the same? Do 00:16:41.330 --> 00:16:45.029 you know what it is to be in the Spirit? Well, 00:16:45.210 --> 00:16:47.509 John doesn't even bother to explain it because 00:16:47.509 --> 00:16:50.590 it's so obvious. He was doing what he always 00:16:50.590 --> 00:16:54.009 does on the Lord's Day. And hopefully you all 00:16:54.009 --> 00:16:56.429 know by now this is the Lord's Day, the first 00:16:56.429 --> 00:17:02.070 day of the week. He was in the Spirit. He was 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:07.130 worshipping. He was meditating. He was... in 00:17:07.130 --> 00:17:10.309 communion with his God on the Lord's day, just 00:17:10.309 --> 00:17:13.130 as he always has been, even though he's all there 00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:17.430 by himself. He was in the Spirit. He had put 00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:20.549 aside all of his cares, all of his problems, 00:17:21.029 --> 00:17:25.509 and he was focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:30.049 worshiping his Savior, communing with him, remembering. 00:17:31.410 --> 00:17:35.079 But he was in the Spirit. He wasn't a bit concerned 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:39.339 about the place he was in. It didn't matter. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:41.519 I don't know where he was. Was he sitting on 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:45.440 a rock? Was he laying in the grass? It doesn't 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:51.400 tell us. But he was communing with his God, spirit 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.599 to spirit. Remember? Adam used to walk in the 00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:58.359 garden with his God in the cool of the day. He 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:03.299 had real communion with God. It was real. He 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:09.319 felt it. He knew it. Just as He always did. There 00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:11.740 wasn't anything special about it, in other words. 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:17.960 It was a very ordinary experience for Him. Hopefully 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:21.640 we can all say the same. Hopefully we understand 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:23.740 that when we come here on a Lord's Day, we don't 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:26.220 come, yeah, we're friendly and we greet each 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:27.980 other and everything, but we're here to meet 00:18:27.980 --> 00:18:32.950 with God. That's what we're here for. We're here 00:18:32.950 --> 00:18:38.809 to commune with Him. We want to worship our God 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:44.369 and we want to hear from Him. And when we're 00:18:44.369 --> 00:18:48.069 in that, we're in the Spirit. The Spirit has 00:18:48.069 --> 00:18:50.970 been given free rein in our lives to minister 00:18:50.970 --> 00:18:54.430 to us according to our need and we do have need 00:18:54.430 --> 00:19:00.190 of the Spirit's ministry. So notice that the 00:19:00.190 --> 00:19:04.549 voice isn't some meek and quiet voice. It's not 00:19:04.549 --> 00:19:07.329 something that you could miss. It's the voice 00:19:07.329 --> 00:19:11.329 of a trumpet. It's loud. It's authoritative. 00:19:12.509 --> 00:19:17.269 It has some oomph behind it. He's got something 00:19:17.269 --> 00:19:20.789 to say and he's going to say it. Pay attention. 00:19:21.009 --> 00:19:26.990 You can't just ignore this trumpet voice. And 00:19:26.990 --> 00:19:29.319 here's what the... Here's what the voice said, 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:32.980 I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:35.460 And what thou seest, write in a book and send 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:37.900 it unto the seven churches which are in Asia. 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:40.559 So there you have it. Again, the declaration. 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:44.440 This is the Alpha and the Omega. I'm here. You're 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:47.380 going to see this representation of me with your 00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:52.619 own eyes. And so he says, write it. Write it 00:19:52.619 --> 00:19:57.910 in a book. Why? Because it's important. This 00:19:57.910 --> 00:20:02.329 is the last word from Jesus Christ. That's the 00:20:02.329 --> 00:20:06.049 importance of this book of Revelation. It's the 00:20:06.049 --> 00:20:10.809 last word, the last book written. Jesus is given 00:20:10.809 --> 00:20:15.990 the last instructions and we're supposed to be 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:20.109 living on these instructions until His return. 00:20:22.509 --> 00:20:25.539 It's rather amazing, isn't it, that That's the 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:28.700 case, but so little attention is paid to the 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:31.779 book of Revelation, except by all the fairy tales. 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:36.980 That's all over the place. This is a very practical 00:20:36.980 --> 00:20:40.859 book. It's telling us about our relationship 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:44.759 with Jesus Christ. It's talking about the Christ's 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:47.660 care over his church. What does Christ think 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:51.480 of his church? He thinks more of his church than 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:55.880 probably we do. Because it is his church. He 00:20:55.880 --> 00:21:01.900 has built it So he says write it and send it 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:05.240 to the seven churches why seven churches of Asia 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:09.819 Well, if you can remember the seven is a number 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:13.319 of completion or perfection in the book That's 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:18.099 a representation of the whole It's not it's not 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:22.460 that there's that's the only churches We know 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:26.299 Colossi, the Colossians, they were in Asia. They're 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:30.819 not listed here. So does that mean they're excluded? 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:35.240 Of course not. The Lord is his sovereign. He's 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:37.460 the ruler. So he says send it to these seven 00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:40.019 churches. We also know that the letter was passed 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:44.240 around through all areas. There's multiplicity 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.400 of copies. Because that's what they did. They 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:50.000 wrote it down, they copied it, they sent it on. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:54.059 And it's not seven different letters that he's 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:56.759 sending to these seven churches. It's one letter. 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:00.799 The whole book. It's not only the little part 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:04.980 in there about the particular church. He's to 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:08.720 send the whole thing to the seven churches of 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.200 Asia or to all of the churches that would ever 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:15.400 come into being. In other words, this is a completion. 00:22:16.619 --> 00:22:20.920 The complete church is to receive this. very 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:26.279 important letter that is being written by John 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:31.000 declaring what he has seen. So then John says, 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:33.920 I turned to see the voice that spake with me 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:39.619 and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. 00:22:39.940 --> 00:22:43.900 Excuse me. So before we look at the vision that 00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:52.000 he saw, I want to go down to verse 17. and see 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:57.140 what John's reaction was to what he saw. He says, 00:22:57.299 --> 00:23:00.559 John says in verse 17, and when I saw him, I 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:05.039 fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:09.859 hand upon me, saying unto me, fear not, I am 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:15.019 the first and the last. So what was his reaction? 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:20.920 He fell down in worship. He didn't run away. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:24.440 He wasn't so scared of this thing that he ran 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:28.740 away. Because he knew who he was talking to. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.460 What did he do? He fell on his feet toward the 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:38.559 Lord. He worshipped. And he waited for the response 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:42.579 of his worship. And what was it? Was it anything 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:47.359 but love? That's exactly what it was. Love and 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:53.329 encouraging. Fear not. You're right in what you're 00:23:53.329 --> 00:23:56.410 doing. He's not rebuked for worshiping the Lord, 00:23:56.910 --> 00:24:00.190 but he is comforted and told that everything's 00:24:00.190 --> 00:24:05.710 fine. I receive your worship. He laid his right 00:24:05.710 --> 00:24:09.950 hand upon me. Fear not. I am the first and the 00:24:09.950 --> 00:24:13.950 last. He's received. His worship is received. 00:24:17.220 --> 00:24:23.380 Pretty encouraging. God wants our worship and 00:24:23.380 --> 00:24:27.680 receives it. And He comforts us when we worship. 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:31.200 We bring our problems to Him. He takes them all 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:39.920 and comforts us. That's our God. Hopefully you've 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:45.539 experienced it. So what is it exactly that John 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:53.000 saw here? He says that he saw seven golden candlesticks. 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.160 Okay, and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, 00:24:56.380 --> 00:24:59.420 one light unto the Son of Man. It was light unto 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:02.279 the Son of Man. In other words, it was a representative 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:06.440 or a symbolic representative of Jesus Christ, 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.440 who we know is the Son of Man. He was clothed 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.680 with the garment down to the foot and gird about 00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:16.200 the pats with a golden girdle. His head and his 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:19.299 hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:23.079 and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his 00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:26.359 feet likened to fine brass, as if they had been 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:29.819 burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:35.019 of many waters. And he had in his right hand 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:38.559 seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:42.559 two -edged sword, and his countenance was as 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:48.019 the sun. shineth in his strength. So it's quite 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:52.339 a representation of our Lord Jesus Christ. What's 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:55.500 represented here in all these symbols? What's 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:58.400 he trying to tell John? He's trying to tell John 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:02.220 that I am the prophet, the priest, and the king 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:08.400 of the new covenant. These are all symbolic representations. 00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:11.759 So the high priest, which is where he begins, 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:16.480 he has a long robe down to his feet and he has 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:21.200 a golden belt or a sash around his waist. That's 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:24.579 the garments of a high priest. He wants John 00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:28.400 to know that he is in fact a high priest. He's 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:31.559 acting as the high priest of his people, of his 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:39.700 church. That's the... idea that he has already 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:42.740 accomplished that work of the high priest in 00:26:42.740 --> 00:26:46.940 sacrificing himself, of dying, of being resurrected. 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:51.859 All of that is high priestly work. Now the bulk 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:57.000 of the representation is the kingship. All of 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.880 these things. It's a white hair is the crown. 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.279 It's a crown of holiness and purity. It's pure 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:09.970 white. unimaginably white holiness bronze feet 00:27:09.970 --> 00:27:15.710 of power conquering eyes of fire in other words 00:27:15.710 --> 00:27:18.890 penetration it's not like there were flames but 00:27:18.890 --> 00:27:23.049 there were there were intense that ability to 00:27:23.049 --> 00:27:28.670 see and to know and to command of the voice of 00:27:28.670 --> 00:27:34.109 many waters and the power of his of his word 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:36.880 In other words, he's a king. He's a powerful 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:40.559 king. He has the right to command. He knows all 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:46.539 about us. And he loves us anyway. We say that 00:27:46.539 --> 00:27:49.779 so glibly, I think, you know? It's true. It is 00:27:49.779 --> 00:27:52.640 a true statement. But do you ever really get 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:55.859 the full feeling and impression of it? Do you 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:58.279 know yourself well enough to know that you're 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:04.059 not worthy of any such thing as God's love? That 00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:07.359 if we ever got what we deserved, we'd all be 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:13.099 in hell. God knows us completely and loves us 00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:20.299 anyway. That's an amazing statement. So, he's 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:25.299 our King. Now, obviously, we could go on and 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:27.839 on here, but I'm not going to because I'm just 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:30.660 trying to get the picture. I've already talked 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:34.019 about it. He commands he has commands. He rules 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:39.680 over us. He owns us We are to serve him We are 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:43.920 to bring honor and glory to him the king We're 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:47.740 not the king. We're not the king. He is the king 00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:53.559 So nothing when our king is writing all these 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:56.240 details instructions we should be paying attention 00:28:56.940 --> 00:29:00.440 And we should be putting into practice all that 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:05.220 he taught. Lastly, then, he's a prophet. His 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:08.940 face was as the sun, in brightness and in strength, 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:13.079 and his mouth was in a double -edged sword. In 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:17.619 other words, he rules and teaches his word. Double 00:29:17.619 --> 00:29:20.579 -edged sword, that's the word. The word of the 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:24.140 spirit, the spirit of the word. It's double -edged, 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:27.190 the gospel. It either brings salvation or it 00:29:27.190 --> 00:29:31.369 brings damnation. Double -edged sword. When you 00:29:31.369 --> 00:29:37.049 walk away from the gospel, you just killed yourself. 00:29:39.089 --> 00:29:42.589 That's all it is. You said, I don't need that. 00:29:43.829 --> 00:29:46.829 It's not for me. It may be fine for you. I'm 00:29:46.829 --> 00:29:50.690 glad for you, but I don't need it. Well, that's 00:29:50.690 --> 00:29:54.720 not a good response. The response is, this is 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:59.900 exactly what I need. I am a sinner. So it's a 00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:02.640 double -edged sword. It's good news for those 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:05.259 who can receive it. It's bad news for those who 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:07.779 can't because that's the only remedy for man, 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:11.359 the gospel. So he's the prophet. The prophet 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:14.299 is the teacher. So he's the teacher, the king, 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:17.740 and the high priest. And it's portrayed in these 00:30:17.740 --> 00:30:21.220 symbols. And we could say much more about all 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:25.680 of them, but that's not necessary for today. 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:32.440 So in 18, he says, and is this confirmation of 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:35.660 who he is? How do we know who he is? Well, because 00:30:35.660 --> 00:30:39.180 he told us who he is. I am he that liveth and 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:42.859 was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:46.319 Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death. 00:30:46.829 --> 00:30:50.109 So there's nobody else that fits those words 00:30:50.109 --> 00:30:55.089 but Jesus Christ. That's who's before John in 00:30:55.089 --> 00:31:01.410 this vision. So he says then again in 19, write 00:31:01.410 --> 00:31:03.789 the things which thou hast seen and the things 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:06.490 which are and the things which shall be hereafter. 00:31:06.970 --> 00:31:10.970 How can he do that? How can he know? Well, because 00:31:10.970 --> 00:31:16.700 he's Alpha and Omega. That's how he knows. Nothing. 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:20.339 He lives in the present. There's no unknown future. 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:24.240 There's no forgotten past. It's in the future. 00:31:24.299 --> 00:31:27.079 He's declaring it. He's declaring it because 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:32.640 he planned it. His purposes will stand. He'll 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:35.059 bring to pass everything that he said he would. 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:38.980 And he wants it written. So you don't have to 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:43.039 be surprised. I don't have to be surprised. Bad 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:45.220 things are going to be happening all the time. 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:49.940 all over the place i mean that's proven throughout 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:53.000 history and it's proven in our day people are 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:55.779 suffering and dying god's people are suffering 00:31:55.779 --> 00:32:03.420 and dying probably daily we've been spared and 00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:07.660 do we care do we appreciate it do we declare 00:32:07.660 --> 00:32:11.279 our gratitude and love for god for sparing us 00:32:11.470 --> 00:32:14.970 from all the torment and terrible tribulations 00:32:14.970 --> 00:32:17.970 that are going on to forest people all over the 00:32:17.970 --> 00:32:30.170 world? All right, so now we're going to get the... 00:32:30.170 --> 00:32:33.430 we've seen it, but now we get the explanation 00:32:33.430 --> 00:32:38.470 in verse 20. The mystery of the seven stars which 00:32:38.470 --> 00:32:41.650 thou saw in my right hand and the seven golden 00:32:41.650 --> 00:32:45.509 candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels 00:32:45.509 --> 00:32:48.869 of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks 00:32:48.869 --> 00:32:53.529 which thou saw are the seven churches. So here 00:32:53.529 --> 00:32:57.190 you have this vision and there's seven golden 00:32:57.190 --> 00:33:02.049 candlesticks around and they're lit and they're 00:33:02.049 --> 00:33:05.549 shining they're light and right in the midst 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:08.529 of those candlesticks is this vision of Jesus 00:33:08.529 --> 00:33:12.670 Christ. In other words, they're inseparable. 00:33:14.470 --> 00:33:18.450 That's what he's telling us. Christ, the head 00:33:18.450 --> 00:33:22.710 of the church, cannot be separated from the church, 00:33:22.950 --> 00:33:28.410 the body of Christ. Does that make any sense 00:33:28.410 --> 00:33:33.509 to you? It's just logic, is it not? It's the 00:33:33.509 --> 00:33:36.650 most sensible thing that you could have. The 00:33:36.650 --> 00:33:39.269 Bible declares the church is the body of Christ. 00:33:39.690 --> 00:33:42.630 The Bible declares Christ is the head of the 00:33:42.630 --> 00:33:47.950 church. Are you cutting off the head from the 00:33:47.950 --> 00:33:51.730 body? They're together, they're inseparable. 00:33:52.150 --> 00:33:56.150 What we do to each other, the Bible says, we 00:33:56.150 --> 00:34:00.470 do to Christ. The way you treat each other is 00:34:00.470 --> 00:34:04.769 the way you treat Christ. Do you love Christ 00:34:04.769 --> 00:34:08.949 and not his people? That's an impossibility. 00:34:09.610 --> 00:34:13.570 Do you love his people, but not Christ? Again, 00:34:13.610 --> 00:34:21.769 it's an impossibility. They go together. Another 00:34:21.769 --> 00:34:25.590 amazing truth, do you grasp the reality that 00:34:25.590 --> 00:34:29.730 you as an individual are part of the body of 00:34:29.730 --> 00:34:32.730 Christ? That you've been brought into the church 00:34:32.730 --> 00:34:36.949 not to act like an individual, but to act like 00:34:36.949 --> 00:34:41.409 what? a member of the body of Christ. You're 00:34:41.409 --> 00:34:45.630 to benefit the whole body. You may be given gifts. 00:34:45.869 --> 00:34:48.449 Those gifts are for the benefit of the body. 00:34:49.369 --> 00:34:52.190 And who's glorified when the body is benefited? 00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:55.949 Jesus Christ, the head of his church. Who's glorified 00:34:55.949 --> 00:34:58.230 when we acknowledge the gifts that he's given 00:34:58.230 --> 00:35:00.889 to the body of Christ, but the giver of the gift, 00:35:00.989 --> 00:35:08.869 the Holy Spirit. It's a wonderful... inseparable 00:35:08.869 --> 00:35:13.550 relationship, Christ and his church. And he loves 00:35:13.550 --> 00:35:19.090 it. He glories in it. He gets glory from it. 00:35:20.070 --> 00:35:24.489 Christ and his church are one. They're golden 00:35:24.489 --> 00:35:28.789 candlesticks. They're not mud. They're not dirt. 00:35:29.949 --> 00:35:33.090 They're not even brass. They're not even silver. 00:35:34.130 --> 00:35:38.489 They're golden candlesticks. and they shed light 00:35:38.489 --> 00:35:42.550 abroad. Golden, that's how Christ thinks about 00:35:42.550 --> 00:35:48.230 his church. That's how much he values you, and 00:35:48.230 --> 00:35:53.349 he values me. We're the golden candlesticks that 00:35:53.349 --> 00:35:58.150 surround him, that are part of him, that glorify 00:35:58.150 --> 00:36:04.050 him. And then he got the seven stars. And remember, 00:36:04.150 --> 00:36:08.170 the number seven. It's not he's not just talking 00:36:08.170 --> 00:36:10.210 here about these seven churches. He's talking 00:36:10.210 --> 00:36:14.309 about all of his churches universal Seven stars 00:36:14.309 --> 00:36:18.829 are the angels of the churches? every church 00:36:18.829 --> 00:36:26.010 I Don't know but every every church is covered 00:36:26.010 --> 00:36:32.789 by an angel The angel of the church that's what 00:36:32.789 --> 00:36:37.239 he's telling us It is in fact an angel that is 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:40.119 involved covering the church. That's what it 00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:47.159 says It's not anything else, but Take it to the 00:36:47.159 --> 00:36:51.699 bank The angel is waiting for the command of 00:36:51.699 --> 00:36:58.639 Christ to intercede for particular churches They 00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:02.860 work at Christ's command they are his messengers 00:37:03.309 --> 00:37:08.070 He sends them forth at His will. When the need 00:37:08.070 --> 00:37:10.949 arises, the angel will be there. You have Daniel 00:37:10.949 --> 00:37:18.130 for the biblical reference of the angel for the 00:37:18.130 --> 00:37:24.130 church. Again, is it astounding? Do you think 00:37:24.130 --> 00:37:26.969 about that stuff? That's how much Christ thinks 00:37:26.969 --> 00:37:31.489 of His church. He's got an angel protecting the 00:37:31.489 --> 00:37:36.460 churches. Does that mean that no harm can done? 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:39.260 No, it doesn't mean that it means that if hard 00:37:39.260 --> 00:37:43.599 if Bad things come at what we call bad things. 00:37:43.699 --> 00:37:47.920 We're gonna be helped In other words, the church 00:37:47.920 --> 00:37:50.400 is gonna be here as we said in the beginning 00:37:50.400 --> 00:37:55.739 There is no end until all ends He's gonna bring 00:37:55.739 --> 00:38:00.820 us through if we die we go to heaven How do you 00:38:00.820 --> 00:38:04.730 view your death Would you be all upset if you 00:38:04.730 --> 00:38:11.070 died? I mean, you know, that's the truth. You've 00:38:11.070 --> 00:38:15.829 made a great step forward whenever you die. Now, 00:38:15.909 --> 00:38:18.010 those of us that are left here, we're going to 00:38:18.010 --> 00:38:21.650 be sorrowful. We're going to miss you. But you're 00:38:21.650 --> 00:38:25.590 not. You're not going to be sorrowful. You're 00:38:25.590 --> 00:38:28.429 going to be rejoicing in the very presence of 00:38:28.429 --> 00:38:31.989 God. So why would we fear? something that sends 00:38:31.989 --> 00:38:35.550 us to God. Why would we fear him that can only 00:38:35.550 --> 00:38:41.929 kill the body? They can't hurt us. They can only 00:38:41.929 --> 00:38:45.869 free us from this battle, this warfare that we 00:38:45.869 --> 00:38:50.090 fight daily against sin and send us victoriously 00:38:50.090 --> 00:38:55.269 into heaven with our Savior, Jesus Christ. That's 00:38:55.269 --> 00:39:00.010 the truth. That's the reality. How do you think 00:39:00.010 --> 00:39:12.719 about it? just a couple of thoughts here to be 00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:21.940 and i'll be finished the church now is according 00:39:21.940 --> 00:39:26.119 to the vision to light be the light of the world 00:39:26.119 --> 00:39:30.079 that's not a new thing that the gospels tell 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:32.860 us that we are the light of the world we are 00:39:32.860 --> 00:39:36.519 the candlesticks we give off the light of christ 00:39:36.519 --> 00:39:48.130 not our own life But Christ like So Number one 00:39:48.130 --> 00:39:51.489 Jesus Christ rules in his church through his 00:39:51.489 --> 00:39:56.829 word That's what that's I know that's not new 00:39:56.829 --> 00:40:02.949 for you guys, but it is bedrock There's no rule 00:40:02.949 --> 00:40:06.190 here in this church, but the Word of God we're 00:40:06.190 --> 00:40:08.170 not going to do anything that's not in the Word 00:40:08.170 --> 00:40:14.059 of God At least not knowing that. That's what 00:40:14.059 --> 00:40:17.619 it is. The Word of God. It's not tradition. It's 00:40:17.619 --> 00:40:21.039 not the Pope. It's not the Archbishop. It's none 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:25.739 of those things. It's Jesus Christ through His 00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:31.500 Word, ruling the Church. Number two, Jesus takes 00:40:31.500 --> 00:40:36.699 care of His Church. You know? He keeps the lights, 00:40:36.739 --> 00:40:40.239 the lamps burning. He takes care of us. Just 00:40:40.239 --> 00:40:43.000 as a priesthood did in the Old Testament, remember? 00:40:43.559 --> 00:40:45.820 They had the candlesticks all over the temple. 00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:49.219 And it was the priest's job to keep them lit, 00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:54.800 maintain them, clean them, put new oil in it, 00:40:54.980 --> 00:40:58.440 whatever it took. That's the same idea. That's 00:40:58.440 --> 00:41:02.559 what Jesus does for us, to us. He maintains us. 00:41:02.710 --> 00:41:05.530 He enables us to give the light that we're supposed 00:41:05.530 --> 00:41:07.949 to give. He enables us to do whatever he's called 00:41:07.949 --> 00:41:12.309 us to do, really. That's what he does. He's doing 00:41:12.309 --> 00:41:15.389 it right here. He's doing it right now. He's 00:41:15.389 --> 00:41:18.969 in our midst right now. He's owning this word 00:41:18.969 --> 00:41:27.889 right now. He takes care of his lampstands. And 00:41:27.889 --> 00:41:30.670 the third thing that we should learn from this 00:41:30.670 --> 00:41:35.030 vision is that Jesus judges or disciplines His 00:41:35.030 --> 00:41:39.769 church. Jesus is concerned about removing sin, 00:41:40.550 --> 00:41:44.489 removing things that tarnish, things that hurt 00:41:44.489 --> 00:41:49.650 the light of His church. He wants a pure church. 00:41:49.849 --> 00:41:52.889 He wants it to be as free from sin as it can 00:41:52.889 --> 00:41:57.050 possibly be on this earth. So the first thing 00:41:57.050 --> 00:42:00.190 that we learn from that is that Christians people 00:42:00.190 --> 00:42:03.510 who have made a profession of faith, people who 00:42:03.510 --> 00:42:06.670 love the Lord and want to serve Him are members 00:42:06.670 --> 00:42:12.309 of the Church and nobody else. That's what a 00:42:12.309 --> 00:42:16.309 pure Church is. It's not that it's sins, but 00:42:16.309 --> 00:42:20.150 it is a pure Church. It's not a mixed company. 00:42:20.630 --> 00:42:25.329 It shouldn't be a mixed company. It's made up 00:42:25.329 --> 00:42:27.969 of people who love the Lord, have agreed with 00:42:27.969 --> 00:42:30.719 Him. They know they're sinners. They've received 00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:33.320 the redemption that is theirs in Christ Jesus. 00:42:34.139 --> 00:42:37.280 And then because of that, they want to be free 00:42:37.280 --> 00:42:40.539 from sin also. They want to be done with sin. 00:42:40.619 --> 00:42:44.159 They fight the battle. The battle is joined between 00:42:44.159 --> 00:42:48.059 us and our sin. And we're supposed to be helping 00:42:48.059 --> 00:42:50.739 the rest of the body of Christ to fight the fight 00:42:50.739 --> 00:42:55.079 against their sin. In other words, we're truth 00:42:55.079 --> 00:42:59.780 tellers, and we're truth receivers. We don't 00:42:59.780 --> 00:43:03.679 want to sin, and Christ is going to help us in 00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:05.840 the battle through the Spirit, through all the 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:09.119 means of grace, to gain the victory over our 00:43:09.119 --> 00:43:12.380 sin. We've already gained the positional victory. 00:43:12.739 --> 00:43:16.300 We're holy now, but practically speaking, we're 00:43:16.300 --> 00:43:21.139 still in the fight. We're still fighting to practically 00:43:21.139 --> 00:43:24.960 be sin -free, which we won't be until we get 00:43:24.960 --> 00:43:27.710 to heaven, of course. But that's why the battle 00:43:27.710 --> 00:43:31.329 lasts all of our life. We never settle down in 00:43:31.329 --> 00:43:35.389 our sin. We never be satisfied that we're sinned 00:43:35.389 --> 00:43:39.449 or that we still sin. We fight the battle and 00:43:39.449 --> 00:43:42.190 Christ disciplines us. If we get into sin and 00:43:42.190 --> 00:43:44.750 we don't recognize it, Christ is going to be 00:43:44.750 --> 00:43:47.690 bringing some discipline upon us because he's 00:43:47.690 --> 00:43:51.250 not going to allow us to remain in known sin. 00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:56.019 So it's a glorious picture before us. Hopefully, 00:43:56.699 --> 00:44:01.360 you know, I was able to convey some portion, 00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:03.900 at least, of the glorious relationship between 00:44:03.900 --> 00:44:06.800 Christ and His Church. The importance, the place 00:44:06.800 --> 00:44:11.739 that the Church has in Christ's love. He gave 00:44:11.739 --> 00:44:17.099 Himself for the Church, for His people. He loves 00:44:17.099 --> 00:44:20.320 the Church. He views it as a glorious thing. 00:44:21.269 --> 00:44:24.269 Remember we saw, we are actually His inheritance. 00:44:26.150 --> 00:44:29.289 That's who He inherited when He died on the cross. 00:44:30.889 --> 00:44:33.150 That's another glorious thing that we don't think 00:44:33.150 --> 00:44:38.590 enough about. That's how He views us. So hopefully 00:44:38.590 --> 00:44:43.010 we will give the proper priority to one another, 00:44:43.349 --> 00:44:47.590 to the Church of Jesus Christ, honoring Him in 00:44:47.590 --> 00:44:52.239 our relationships one with the other. and uh...