Have you ever come across someone and you were initially startled or frightened?
I remember when I was in ninth grade, and I went with my church on a mission trip to Jamaica. We arrived late in the evening, and for some reason, we had to go to a shopping center of sorts. We were waiting for someone to do something, so I started wandering around the outside. I came across a Jamaican payphone and started checking it out. Well, this security guard came up to me and it really startled me. It was dark, and he had a security guard outfit that looked like it had come out of a kid’s costume collection. He did not look legitimate. He could see that I was startled, so he said, “Don’t worry, I’m a security guard.”
Of course, I made it out of that shopping center just fine, and I had a great time on that mission trip, but I was initially startled by that man.
It today’s passage, we’re going to learn about someone who seemed to startle the Apostle John, the author of Revelation. This one we’re going to learn about is “The One Among the Lampstands.” That’s the title of today’s sermon.
Before we go any further, let’s ask God to speak to us through His Word.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s recall that the first part of chapter 1 sets us up to understand that the Book of Revelation is a message from God about Jesus to God’s people.
Now, as we get to verse 9, we hear just a bit more introduction, and then we get right into the first part of the revelation.
Let’s look at this first section, which describes . . .
I. What was told to John.
Look at verses 9-11:
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit, on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
Ok, just a bit more introduction here:
First, notice that John is speaking, and he identifies himself again.
Notice, also, that he identifies himself as “your brother and partner.”
In other words, John is saying to those seven churches (and by God’s Spirit to all churches in history), “I am one of you; I am with you.”
Pay attention to how John is partnered with those who follow Jesus. He is partnered “ . . . in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus.”
Speaking of affliction, it is likely that the Christians at that time were suffering persecution from the Roman Empire.
Indeed, Christians today suffer affliction in varying degrees. Following Jesus does not spare us from hard times.
However, in the midst of affliction, we must remember that we are part of a kingdom, which is the second way that John is partnered with us.
John wants Christians to know that this world is not our home; we belong to a heavenly kingdom.
It’s because of the affliction of this earth and because we belong to a heavenly kingdom that we are called to endurance.
As we can see, that’s the third way that John is partnered with us: in endurance.
Notice, also (as was pointed out last time), that John was writing from the Island of Patmos.
Patmos was a small island located in the Aegean Sea.
So, John is writing from Patmos, as a partner to other Jesus-followers, and verse 10 indicates that he was “in the Spirit.”
This phrase likely means that he was being filled with and led by the Holy Spirit to receive the revelation that was being given to him.
John says that it was the Lord’s day, meaning it was the first day of the week, which was Sunday. It was called “The Lord’s day” because that was the day that Jesus rose from the dead.
So, on Patmos, on the Lord’s day, in the Spirit, John hears something. Look at verses 10-11.
John says, “I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet.”
Now, I’m not sure how much you know about trumpets, but they’re very loud.
This loud voice says to John, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.”
So, God has a message for the churches, and He wants John to deliver it to them.
We learn that these seven churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
We’ll learn more about these churches later, but for now, just be aware that they are cities in Asia Minor that had established churches.
So, that’s a little bit about the message that John heard.
Let’s learn next . . .
II. What was seen by John.
Look at verses 12-16:
12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters. 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.
Ok, we must remember that this is an apocalyptic vision that John is having. He’s seeing things supernaturally by the power of God.
First, John sees these lampstands.
These lampstands would have been something like this.
They would have stands on which sat oil lamps, which were common in biblical times.
We’ll learn more about the lampstands in a moment.
Next, we see that John gives a description of one who is among the lampstands.
Listen, again, to some of the descriptors of the one who was among the lampstands.
“One like the Son of Man”
“Dressed in a robe . . . with a golden sash wrapped around his chest”
“The hair of his head was white as wool . . . [and] snow”
“His eyes like a fiery flame”
“His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace”
“His voice like the sound of cascading waters”
He had a “sharp double-edged sword [coming] from his mouth”
“His face was shining like the sun at full strength”
This description is quite incredible, isn’t it?
This figure is amazing! He sounds regal, He sounds fierce, He sounds powerful, and so much more.
All of these descriptors, which speak of brilliance, whiteness, and fire, likely speak to the glory that is radiating off of this figure.
Perhaps John is using all of these descriptions because he cannot describe how marvelous the light of the glory is that radiates off of the one who is among the lampstands.
Well, who is the figure? What does all of this mean?
Well, let’s see . . .
III. What was explained to John.
Look at verses 17-20:
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Well, we get a lot of clarity in these verses about who this is, don’t we?
This is not a description of an angel. This is not a description of God the Father. This is a description of the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we know that? Because this one among the lampstands says to John, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever.”
Well, who was dead but now is alive? Jesus!
You see, John was so struck by the magnificence of Jesus that he fell down like a dead man. Yet, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Jesus was used to saying “Don’t be afraid” to His apostles.
In Matthew 14:27, Jesus said to the apostles, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
In Matthew 17:7, after His transfiguration, Jesus said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”
In Luke 5:10, when Jesus called Simon Peter, he said, “Don’t be afraid . . . From now on you will be catching people.”
Now, Jesus says to His apostle, John, “Don’t be afraid.”
There’s something really remarkable in this description of Jesus. Pay attention to the sword that comes from the mouth of Jesus.
We’ll hear it mentioned three more times after this in Revelation.
In one sense, the sword seems to represent the Word of God coming from the mouth of Jesus. After all, the Bible says elsewhere that the Word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword.
However, in another sense (as we’ll see later in Revelation), the sword coming from the mouth of Jesus seems to be used for actual destruction.
For now, we can gather, minimally, that this sword represents strength and power coming from Jesus.
Notice one more descriptor about Jesus. He is holding something in His right hand.
Look back at verse 16. It says, “He had seven stars in his right hand.”
Well, what’s with these stars?
Let’s spend the last part of this section talking about the lampstands and the stars. What do they represent? Well, the passage tells us, so that makes the interpretation much easier.
In verse 20, Jesus says, “The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Let’s take the lampstands first. Those clearly represent the seven churches that were mentioned in the passage. That’s fairly straightforward.
Now, the stars. The stars represent the angels of the churches. The stars are a bit trickier.
The stars represent the angels of the churches, but who are the angels of the churches?
There are at least three different interpretations, which we can dig into some this Wednesday night.
For now, I’ll point out that the angel likely refers to some sort of representative of the church, either human or spiritual. We’re not exactly sure.
Here’s what we can gather from this passage. Jesus is regal, authoritative, and powerful. He is among the lampstands, and He is holding the stars in His right hand.
Our bottom line will help summarize what this means for us:
Bottom Line: Jesus is among the church and holding the church.
Listen, brothers and sisters: Jesus is powerful, He is with us, and He is holding us.
We don’t know exactly what the stars are, but we know that they somehow refer to the representative hearts of the churches.
Pay attention to how Jesus is holding the stars: In His right hand. In the Bible, the right hand represents power and blessing.
Listen: Jesus is not only holding us, He is powerfully holding us in His right hand, and He is blessing us!
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “ . . . on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Jesus says here in verse 18 (Revelation 1:18), “I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Church, we must remember that Jesus is powerful, He is among us, and He is holding us.
He controls the very gates of death itself.
Brothers and sisters, nothing can separate you from the great love and power of Jesus!
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Ask God to reveal His message for our church.
Why would I bring this challenge to you? Here’s why: We’re about to go into chapter 2 next time, which starts to reveal God’s message to the seven churches.
Here’s what I want you to know:
Jesus was not only among those seven churches represented by the lampstands; He is also among us; He is among our church.
Jesus was not only holding the heart of those seven churches, represented by the stars in His hand; He is also holding us in His strong right hand.
Jesus not only had a message for those seven churches; He has a message for us.
Would you pray with me this week that God would reveal His message for our church?
If you’re lost in your sin, God has a message for you right now: Jesus can save you miraculously and powerfully.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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