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The Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Just a few minutes before that, new deacon Stephen had been preaching the good news of Jesus.
Now he was being stoned to death.
What was it that enabled Stephen to stand firm?
To speak up?
To suffer boldly and faithfully?
It was seeing Jesus.
Not everyone in the early church was facing martyrdom like that.
But whether it was their Jewish neighbors who were upset with these new Christians,
whether it was their Roman rulers who were wanting to keep them in line and loyal to the Caesar alone,
all of the Christians were facing tough challenges.
John was no exception.
Once among Jesus' 12 disciples, now he is probably in his 80s and God is not through with him.
I hope that's a great encouragement to many of us.
In his 80s, in fact, he needs to see Jesus afresh too.
That's what he needs because he is in exile on an island that is like Alcatraz but with even more water surrounding it
for political prisoners of Rome.
And Jesus appears to him.
Jesus gives him the revelation of himself that is for John and for all of his people.
Listen to how this happens in Revelation 1 at verse 9.
He writes,
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus,
was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and I heard behind me a voice like a trumpet
saying, write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches,
to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
John writes what he sees to these representative churches,
to all of God's people, including us.
And what does he say?
He says, look, I'm with you.
Brother, partner, tribulation.
It's hard.
Suffering for the sake of the kingdom.
Needing patient endurance because it's tough.
And Jesus' voice calls to John and says, look and see and then write it down.
Share it with my people.
What is it?
Share what?
What is it that Jesus wants them, wants us to see?
Remember when we started the book of Revelation just last week,
we said it's going to show and tell us God wins.
Grace prevails.
Jesus reigns.
It's a revelation and unveiling of Jesus by Jesus.
Now, why is that so important?
See, the early church every day, over and over, was surrounded by reminders of Roman power,
Roman prestige, Roman prestige, Roman success everywhere, the buildings and the roads, the neighbors and the officials,
the money and the temples.
They shouted that Caesar was the Lord and that the good life was lived with Rome, right?
Like no one else in the world had Rome, had it.
In other words, Christians were facing constant pressure either to give in or to give up.
To give in and compromise their loyalty to Jesus, to live for Roman values, to blend in and get along, you know,
without Jesus or just to give up any hope.
Just be small, insignificant, persecuted people who would be marginalized for sure.
Martyred, maybe.
And then was there anything after that?
Was there any other hope?
So, give in or give up.
Maybe you know some of that pressure in our world.
It's a little bit different, but maybe your heart this morning is heavy for loved ones in Nigeria or India or somewhere else
who may suffer real physical harm any day now simply for their commitment to Jesus.
Maybe you have a really smart professor whose arguments you just can't keep up with and he hates Jesus.
Maybe you have a boss who keeps belittling you and reminding you who really has the power around here.
Maybe you just, you really want to be with a different group of friends and you want to get in with them,
but you know that to get in with them, you're going to have to change some things about yourself.
Like how you talk or how you dress or how you act.
Maybe you're one of so many in our church family facing health crises this week.
It's been remarkable.
Many very unexpected.
And maybe this, on top of everything else you're dealing with already,
just, you're just overwhelmed.
You're just feeling alone and hopeless and how can I handle another thing?
And we're tempted in those moments to give up or to give in, right?
Where's Jesus getting me anyway?
How's this working out?
I mean, it's the people who lie and focus on their bodies and make lots of money.
They're the ones having all the fun.
They're the ones with all the power.
They seem to have life figured out.
Give in.
Give up.
Or, what does Jesus want us to see
that might totally change our perspective on all of that?
That might completely change our lives?
Let's read the second section.
What's Jesus going to show John in this moment?
What's he going to show his church then?
What's he going to show us right now?
Verse 12.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me.
And on turning, I saw seven golden lampstands.
We're going to find out in a little bit.
Those lampstands represent those seven churches that John is writing to.
All of the churches.
And in the midst of the lampstands, right there in the midst of the churches,
one like a son of man,
clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
The hairs of his head were white like wool,
as white as snow.
His eyes were like a flame of fire.
His feet were like burnished bronze refined in a furnace.
And his voice was like the roar of many waters.
In his right hand, he held seven stars.
From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.
And his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Jesus says,
John, I want my people to see me as I really am
in all of my glorious greatness.
I want them to see me.
Now in case you're confused as we read through the vision,
it's not trying to help us have a detailed physical description of Jesus.
That's not what he's after.
That's not what's most important.
That's why there's so many likes in there, right?
John is just trying to describe it, right?
He wants us to understand his character,
his power, his unique glory
that can hardly be captured in words.
Just think about the vision as a whole, right?
That's what is going to hit John
and is going to hit you maybe as you read through it.
It's overwhelming, right?
You can't even piece all of these things together
into an image in your mind probably.
It's just like nothing you've ever seen.
You can't take it all in.
But John tells us up front,
before he gets into some of those details,
that this one he's looking at
is one like a son of man.
That phrase immediately takes us back to Daniel chapter 7,
where one like a son of man,
in other words,
appearing to be human,
but then there in Daniel,
seated with the ancient of days,
with God himself.
This is more than a mere man.
That's what they're telling you.
Listen to who this figure is.
It's a remarkable description.
To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, right?
That can only be talking about God himself.
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion.
His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
This is who you're looking at.
That's who we're talking about and seeing here in Revelation 1.
Let's just look for a minute at the vision,
but don't get lost in the details, okay?
Who is Jesus for his church who needs him?
He's got clothes on,
a long robe and golden sash.
He's a royal high priest
who most effectively brings us in to the presence of God.
So you're not alone.
You're not too small for God to notice, right?
He has white hair,
like the great ancient of days in Daniel.
This is an unparalleled divine ruler
who is full of wisdom.
He's been around longer than any Caesar
or any other ruler.
This guy has been there.
And maybe we've lost a sense of this in our culture.
But age is meant to be full of dignity,
meant to be full of wisdom,
to be honored.
See, your difficult situation
will not leave him confused.
He's been there, seen that, done that.
The two most helpful things I've heard this week
came from people with white hair.
What a gift that is.
Eyes like a flame of fire.
He can see everything, right?
Even judging the depths of hearts,
even the secret struggles in your life
that you think nobody knows,
he sees them.
Even the places that you haven't invited him in.
He can go there,
and he can meet you there,
and he can transform you.
So don't limit this guy's power
to see and to work anywhere.
Feet like bronze,
standing firm,
absolutely purified in the fire.
In his judgments, they're pure.
But he is utterly immovable.
No one is knocking him down.
That's why it's an everlasting kingdom,
an everlasting dominion.
He is not going to get weary.
He's not going to need a rest.
He's not going to fail to be there for you,
exactly where you need him.
And then something you hear,
his voice.
It's like a roar of many waters.
Have you ever stood under a waterfall?
Like a big waterfall?
Maybe you saw one of Pastor Derek's videos
from Iceland a few weeks ago online.
Pastor Derek says lots of wonderful things in the video.
You know how many of them you can hear?
None of them.
Because you hear the roar of the waterfall
just drowning out every other noise, right?
He drowns out even the yelling and shouting
of all of the voices around you.
There's power, there's priority
in what he says that must be heard.
And he holds seven stars in his right hand.
This may be my favorite part of the image,
this vision.
Some of you know much better than I do
the size of a star.
So I'm going to just leave it at that.
A star in his hand.
What superhuman strength it would take
to hold even one star
with the nuclear fusion that's going on,
creating this extraordinary energy
in your hand.
No one can hold it.
And he holds seven
in one hand.
We found Roman coins
from this time in history
that show the emperor's son
who had died
playing with seven stars.
It was a way of trying to picture
that he lived on
controlling the heavens.
You know, this
is the omnipotent,
true son
of the true God
holding the stars.
Greater is he who is in you
than he who is in the world.
Right?
A two-edged sword
coming out of his mouth.
It's a strange one,
but that's the word of God.
Right?
Powerful both to judge
and to save.
Every time he speaks,
we must listen.
And finally, his face,
like the sun
at full strength.
Just imagine,
you know what happens
when you're looking at something
and it's like the sun
at full strength.
What this is saying, really,
is that there's this
shining, radiating glow
going out from him.
There's purity
and power,
but I think what John's
trying to communicate is
Jesus is too much
to take in.
As he gets to the end
of the vision,
it's certainly too much
to approach.
Right?
He dwells in unapproachable light.
You can't even look him
in the eye
without wincing.
Right?
You've tried that before.
This is the glory,
the weight of Jesus
coming through.
That when you see Jesus,
you realize that he is
the big rock
that when placed
in the middle of the stream,
all of the water
has to flow around him.
Right?
He's the big one.
His glory,
his weight.
Are you seeing Jesus?
He's so great.
He's central.
Right?
Everything works around him.
His overwhelming power
and might
would intimidate
even the strongest person.
In fact,
what happens to John?
When I saw him,
I fell at his feet
as though dead.
When you get a clear vision
of Jesus,
okay,
it overwhelms you
to the point
of trembling worship,
of speechless awe,
of humble reverence.
Right?
Maybe you can remember
a moment like that
when Jesus just
overwhelmed you.
If you think
you're seeing Jesus
and your response
is short of that,
you're not seeing
the true,
powerful,
awesome,
pure Jesus.
Okay?
Don't get confused
and think that Jesus
is some teddy bear.
Some grandfather figure.
Some genie in the sky.
When Daniel got
a similar vision
in chapter 10,
he tells us
what happened to him.
He said he had
no strength left.
His whole appearance
was changed
and he retained
no strength
and he fell on his face
in a deep sleep
with his face
to the ground.
Sounds like
what's happening
to John, right?
Listen,
when we come
to worship Jesus,
when we pause
to pray to Jesus,
even before a meal,
for a few seconds,
when we slow down
to contemplate Jesus
and who he is,
his greatness
ought to stop us
in our tracks.
Everything else
should stop moving.
His greatness
ought to grab
our complete
and undivided attention.
It has to.
And as we get
overwhelmed
by his greatness,
it ought to prompt
one burning question
from us
over and over.
Are you on my team?
Are you on my side,
Jesus?
I can still remember
a cartoon
that I saw
as a kid.
I don't even know
what it was called,
but there's a lot of them
like it so that the details
aren't that important.
But there was a little boy
who was being attacked
by dragons.
It was a little scary.
The dragons were much
bigger and stronger
than he was,
maybe five times
his size.
They were certainly
about to catch him
and crush him.
And they were
just getting close
to him in the chase
and all of a sudden
the boy and the dragon
stopped where they were.
And they turned to look
because there was a sound.
There was a booming sound
of a huge giant
coming across the fields.
Ten times bigger
than the dragons, right?
This giant comes
lumbering over
smashing trees
and tossing cars
and knocking tall buildings
off of their foundations.
And as this giant
comes over,
the look on the boy's face
was like,
are you going to eat me
or rescue me?
Are you on my team?
And it was really clear
that the greatness
of the giant,
his size,
his power,
the way he entered
the scene,
you knew
that the answer
to that question
was going to determine
the end of the story.
Well, what happened
was his arms
started swooping down
and the first hand
that came by
grabbed the little boy
and the second hand
just swept the dragons
out of the way
like little toy animals
and he picks the boy
up in his hand
and he smiles
and he says,
you're my friend.
Moments before,
the boy was hopeless
and ready to give up
or maybe if he had
anything left,
it was just to give in
and join Team Dragon.
Maybe if they'd let him
come along
and save his life
because they were clearly
the ones winning.
They must be the ones
in charge.
Maybe I'll just
be a dragon.
To rescue him
from hopelessness
or from compromise,
the boy needed
that giant
to be great
and good.
Great
and good.
We're going to see this
often in Revelation
where Jesus is both lion
and lamb.
Strong and kind,
merciful and mighty,
holy and gracious
at the same time.
When we confront Jesus,
we need to realize
he's a lion
who has swallowed up
girls and boys,
women and men,
kings and emperors,
cities and realms.
Thank you,
C.S. Lewis.
It is hard to feel safe
drawing near someone
so great.
But we must draw near
and find him
to be the fountain
of goodness
or else we will
die of thirst.
There's no other life.
We're hopeless
apart from him.
That's what David learns
in Psalm 62
when he's attacked
and he's waiting
for God
with no other refuge,
no other hope.
He learns two things
from God.
That power belongs
to God.
God, you are great.
And that to you,
O Lord,
belongs steadfast love.
God, you are good too.
Let me say this
one more way.
I don't know,
that's half dozen or so,
but this is an important concept.
kids, you know the song,
maybe you don't sing it anymore.
It was from when you were really little.
He's got the whole world
in his hands.
You know that one?
I'm embarrassed
that I sang it too.
When I sang that as a kid,
what I used to picture
in my mind
was Jesus' hand
with like the whole globe,
the whole earth
in his hand.
Do you ever picture it that way?
Right?
And that's true, right?
Because he is so big.
He holds the entire universe
in his hand.
But you know,
we sing some other things,
don't we,
in that song.
We sing,
he's got you and me
and the tiny little babies
in his hand.
Right?
In other words,
Jesus is so big
that the whole world is there,
but you are not so small
that he can't see you
and hold you
and care about you.
Right?
Jesus is great
and he's good.
He knows you.
He sees you.
He loves you.
He cares about you.
So,
he's bigger than you can imagine
and he holds you
and he smiles at you
and he calls you friend.
Amazing
that both of those are true.
I want you to keep thinking
about that powerful hand
for just a minute, okay?
The big hand
in which is the whole universe,
it holds the world.
Back here in Revelation,
his right hand holds what?
Seven
stars.
Seven
full,
all of them.
The whole universe.
And now,
flat on the ground
before the awesome power
of this Jesus,
John is nearly
dead.
He needs to know
one thing.
What does he need to know?
Is Jesus on his team?
Is Jesus there for him?
And Jesus has one more thing
that he wants his people
to see.
So,
that powerful right hand
does something else.
but he laid his right hand
on me
saying,
fear not.
I am the first
and the last
and the living one.
I died
and behold,
I am alive forevermore
and I have the keys
of death
and Hades.
Write,
therefore,
the things that you have seen,
those that are
and those that are
to take place
after this.
As for the mystery
of the seven stars
that you saw
in my right hand
and the seven golden lampstands,
the seven stars
are the angels
of the seven churches
and the seven lampstands
are the seven churches.
Jesus' same hand
that has the power
to hold the stars
reaches out
to touch us
tenderly.
It is vital for us.
What does Jesus
want to make sure
that we see about him
so that we get
the full picture
of who he is?
He wants us to know
that he's also good,
that he is for us,
that he's on our team.
Fear not.
He says,
don't you love that?
That Jesus understands
that you have much
to be afraid of
until you're scooped up
in his hand
and then he can say stop.
He wants his people
to know
that he is putting
all of his powerful might,
all of his incomparable greatness
to work for them
on their behalf,
for their blessing
and rescue
and salvation.
Look, John,
I am the first
and the last.
I'm the living one.
See,
before Rome was,
I am.
After Rome falls,
I will be.
And right now,
even while Rome
seems to rule,
I live.
In fact,
Rome sought to silence me
by crucifying me,
but I am alive
forevermore.
And so it's not just Rome
that I'm in charge of.
I hold the keys
of death
and Hades.
The gates of hell
will not prevail
against me
and my church
because I've got the keys.
Think how vital
this would have been
for the early church
and then for us.
For those who
were every morning
facing the imminent
possibility of death,
watching loved ones,
their brothers
and sisters in Christ
time and again
brutally martyred.
They need to know
the one
with the keys,
don't they?
Otherwise,
there's just no hope.
Death looms
as an enemy
larger than we know
how to handle,
right?
But our gentle giant
knows how to handle it.
He has trampled
sin and death
and the grave,
knocked them aside
like little toys
and captured the keys
and he holds them.
He's in charge.
Nothing else
and no one else.
So if you're trapped
in a dark building
and the doors
are all locked
and you don't know
how to get through
any of them,
what do you do?
You stay near
the one with the keys,
right?
Don't be stupid.
Stay near the guy
with the keys
and some days
death still feels
like that.
Like it has us trapped
and stuck
and there's darkness
all around
and we're confused
and afraid
and Jesus says,
stay near the one
with the keys.
When I walk through
the valley
of the shadow of death,
the only way
that I won't be afraid
and won't fear
any evil
is that you
are with me,
my good shepherd,
the one with the keys.
I may or may not
be able to get
through this next part
but last Sunday
our dear Betty Murray
got news
that her heart
could not be treated
and she was being moved
to hospice care.
Later that day
I knelt by her bedside
and asked her
if I could read her
Psalm 23.
I thought,
we talked about this,
she loved Psalm 23
and her face
kind of got this
uncertain look on it
and I thought,
oh no,
maybe I suggested
the wrong one.
I said,
is there one you like better?
Lots of choices,
right,
in Psalms.
Maybe Psalm 23,
not a favorite after all
and she said,
oh no
and then she paused
and a smile came over her face
and she just said,
the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He maketh me
lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me
beside still waters.
and 93 year old Betty
kept going
the whole way.
Betty has beautiful
white hair,
by the way.
We should heed her wisdom
that in the moment
where she just heard,
maybe death
has the upper hand.
she said no.
She remembered
and stayed near
the one
with the keys.
She saw
Jesus
and pointed me to him.
That was one of the deep griefs
of the season of COVID
a few years ago,
wasn't it?
That there were people
dying alone
and apart from their loved ones
and I thought a lot
about this vision
of Jesus,
of a God
near to us
and holding us
and holding the keys
of death
and Hades.
Stay near
the one
with the keys
because Jesus lives
forevermore
today
and forever.
He has
the keys.
He is great
and he is
for you
as you trust him
by faith.
No matter what
they go through,
he's holding his churches,
isn't he?
the seven stars
in his hand
are, it says,
the angels
of the seven churches.
Perhaps meaning
human leaders
of those churches.
Perhaps heavenly angels
representing each church.
Isn't that a cool thought?
Regardless,
representing his churches
in his hand
as he walks
among the lampstands,
his churches,
his people,
this is the part
of the vision
that Jesus explains
to us specifically
so that we can't
miss it.
He's with us
and he's holding us.
That will help you.
This vision of Jesus
has helped me often
as a pastor
when I feel small
or when I'm intimidated
by a leadership conflict
I don't know
how to resolve
or when I'm overwhelmed
by grief
that seems too big
for me to be
of any comfort in.
Jesus is great
and good
for his church.
He's with us
and he's holding us.
Many thought
the early church
wouldn't survive
the fires of Nero
or the systematic
persecution
of Domitian,
but it turned out
that the blood
of the martyrs
was the seed
of the church
that grew
as it saw its king
hold them faithfully
even through death.
There have been times
that people thought
the church in China
or the Soviet Union
would be stamped out,
but instead
it has flourished
underground often
where the king
with the keys
still rules there.
Recently,
the church in Iran,
as many of you know,
has grown more rapidly
than ever before
as the threat of death
has come to them
even more fiercely
than ever before,
but many of them
keep seeing a vision
of Jesus.
And there are those
concerned that the church
in the United States
is fading,
compromising
with a culture
of worldliness.
I get it.
Or where it's not,
just being ignored
more and more.
But these churches
continue to prevail
against the gates
of hell,
not because
they've got it all
figured out
and they hold the power
and they're in charge,
but because a strong,
victorious Jesus
full of wisdom
and power
and majesty
is fighting
for them.
He's with us
and He's holding us.
Don't give in.
Don't give up.
And you say,
how?
How am I transformed
because I don't feel that?
How do I get changed
so that I stand firm
and speak up
and suffer boldly?
How does that happen, Jesus?
We see Jesus.
He's stronger
than our enemies
no matter
how they boast,
what it might look like.
He is the one,
not Rome,
not America,
not living for yourself
and your own freedoms,
having it your own way.
He's the one
who knows real life,
true life,
abundant life,
everlasting life.
He holds the keys
of death
and hell
and He is with you
and He is holding you.
Do you see that,
Jesus?
That great
and good
Jesus?
That will change you.
341 years ago,
two godly women
named Margaret
were martyred
in Wigtown,
Scotland
for their commitment
to worshipping
the Jesus
of the Bible.
I've told you
their story before
in case it sounds familiar.
Yep,
that might have been me.
but 70-year-old widow
Margaret
was tied to a stake
a bit out in the ocean
as the tides rose
and her dear friend,
18-year-old farmer's daughter,
Margaret,
was tied closer to shore
to watch her white-haired friend
die first.
Their executioners
thought that the younger Margaret
would give in
and would recant.
Certainly she will
as she watches
one of her heroes
and friends
die.
So as the waters
covered the older woman,
they turned
and asked the younger Margaret
what she saw
and what she thought now.
Can you imagine that?
Standing there
at 18 years old
trying to figure out
how can I stand?
How can I speak faithfully?
How can I suffer boldly?
What would she need?
She looked up and said,
I see Christ.
She was just
wrestling there.
She saw not a failure,
not a defeated loser,
not a friend
who was going under
and would never come up.
She saw a victorious king
with her friend,
holding her friend
who would therefore
not be overwhelmed
by the waters
but triumph over death
because she was held
by the one with the keys.
She said,
I see Christ.
whatever is overwhelming
you today,
whatever you're tempted
to give in,
to give up,
see Jesus.
maybe that sounds,
I don't know,
hard to figure out
but look,
he's not far away from you.
You don't have to wonder
where he is
or what he's like
because it says
he's walking
among the lampstands
and holding the stars
in his hand
which means that great,
gracious giant
has scooped us up
and is now smiling down
at us
just like this,
looking down
at his friends
so you can just
rest there
for a minute
and you can look
at him up close.
He's great
and he's good.
He is strong
to save
and he loves
to save.
He is with us
and he is holding you.
For more information,
visit us online
at southwood.org