{"id":18953,"date":"2018-07-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/revelation-005-fear-not\/"},"modified":"2018-07-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-07-01T05:00:00","slug":"revelation-005-fear-not","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/revelation-005-fear-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Revelation 005 – Fear Not!"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[111],"series_event":[490],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-18953","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-revelation","series_event-revelation","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Revelation 005 - Fear Not!","sermon_date":"20180701","sermon_month":"7","sermon_year":"2018","sermon_notes":5892,"sermon_slides":5893,"sermon_mp3":5895,"sermon_id":"71181032574","series_or_event":490,"service_type":[472],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":111,"chapter_and_verse":"1:17-20","sermon_transcript":"Dr. Andy Woods\n\nFear Not\n\n7-1-18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Revelation 1:17-20\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lesson 5\n\nThe title of our message this morning is \u201cFear Not.\u201d\u00a0 As you all know we\u2019ve been moving through the book of Revelation, sort of taking out time, at least with chapter 1, laying the foundation of the book, looking at the introduction of the book, verses 1-8, and finally moving into the first major section of the book where John is told to write down the things which you have seen.\u00a0 That section is there in chapter 1, which we\u2019re working our way out of.\n\nJohn is told to write down the things that he has seen.\u00a0 So what has he seen?\u00a0 He has seen a portrait of the glorified Christ and consequently John, in verses 9-11 gives the circumstances of the vision.\u00a0 He\u2019s on the Island of Patmos, he probably doesn\u2019t know what in the world he\u2019s doing out there, what purpose God has for him.\u00a0 Well, the purpose is to record the final revelation.\u00a0 He was on the Island of Patmos because he stood up for Jesus in the reign of Domitian.\u00a0 He gives, verses 12-16, the content of the vision.\u00a0 The vision of the Book of Revelation is all about Jesus Christ.\u00a0 He gives an amazing portrait of Jesus, not in His humiliation but in His glorification, as Jesus stands amongst the seven lampstands and holds the seven stars in his right hand.\n\nWe\u2019ve had a description of His robe and His sash; we\u2019ve had an amazing description of what Christ\u2019s body looked like in this glorification, verses 12-16.\u00a0 And finally, the verses we\u2019re going to look at this morning, verses 17-20, concludes with some brief communication between Jesus Christ and John.\u00a0 There\u2019s a brief scene here of interaction and many people just sort of skip over these verses but we dare not do that because these verses reveal some tremendous truths, not only about who Jesus Christ is but things that we need to know as we go through our own fears and storms and difficulties.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice there in verse 17 John\u2019s reaction to Jesus Christ.\u00a0 I think this is very important. What is the reaction of John to all of these things on the Island of Patmos, a little tiny island that\u2019s so small it doesn\u2019t even appear on most maps back in the first century?\u00a0 Look at verse 17, the beginning, John says, \u201cWhen I saw Him,\u201d now \u201cHim\u201d is the portrait of the glorified Christ he has just seen and described.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I saw Him I fell at His feet like a dead man.\u201d\u00a0 That, to me, is an astounding statement because this is the same John who was part of the inner circle in Christ\u2019s earthly ministry.\u00a0 The inner circle consisted of Peter, James, and John.\u00a0 And I believe that of all of the disciples it was John that was perhaps most intimate with our Lord Jesus Christ in His incarnation, in His first coming, about sixty years earlier.\n\nIn fact, you might remember that it was John in John 13:23 who reclined and leaned against the chest of Christ in the Upper Room.\u00a0 [John 13:23, \u201cThere was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.\u201d]\u00a0 \u00a0This is John who would write the Gospel of John, he would write the three epistles of John, he is in the process of writing the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 This is of Christ\u2019s closest friends, associates, and even John himself, in the presence of this glorified Christ drops to the ground as if he were dead.\n\nOne of the things that has happened that\u2019s very disturbing to watch in modern day evangelicalism is the loss of the holiness of God.\u00a0 We have become so acquainted and accustomed to the grace of God, which is a wonderful thing by the way, so accustomed or acquainted to the idea that God is a God of love (which He is), but what about the passages like this which reveal His holiness?\u00a0 In fact, we are somewhat uncomfortable with passages like this.\u00a0 Why would John the apostle drop to the ground at the revelation of the glorified Christ on Patmos?\u00a0 Why would he fall to the ground as if he were dead?\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s put it this way: if a police officer walks into this building, walks into this sanctuary, walks into this room, generally speaking, the police officer is a comfort to those of us present. But what if you just stole something on the way here?\u00a0 What if you were coming in and instead of 55 miles an hour, 85 miles an hour, all of a sudden the police officer walks in and you\u2019re not comfortable with the presence of that police officer.\u00a0 His presence bothers you.\n\nAnd this is why I believe John, the apostle, drops to the ground as if he were a dead person because he understands that he is \u201ca sinner\u201d to quote the great sermon, \u201cin the hands of an angry God.\u201d\u00a0 That is our natural posture before a holy God.\u00a0 It is the same type of thing that Isaiah, our greatest writing prophet, the prophet Isaiah, experienced in Isaiah 6:3, where he saw in a glimpse, in a vision, the holiness of God.\u00a0 [Isaiah 6:3, \u201cAnd one called out to another and said, \u2018Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.\u201d\u2018]\u00a0 And in Isaiah 6:5 what does he do?\u00a0 He has almost the same reaction that John the Apostle has, \u201cWoe to me for I am ruined!\u201d Isaiah said, \u201cBecause I am a man of unclean lips.\u201d \u00a0Now the lips were the holiest part of a prophet\u2019s body because it gave him the ability to declare the oracles of God.\u00a0 Even in the presence of holy God Isaiah says my lips are unclean and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King of Kings, and the LORD of hosts.<\/em>\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\n\nWhat would our reaction be if all of a sudden God revealed Himself in His holiness in this room?\u00a0 I can guarantee you this much, it wouldn\u2019t be a cozy experience, it would be absolute fear because we are sinners in the hands of a God who has, by way of character, the right to destroy us as sinners.\n\nWhy is it that Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:8, used to stroll with God in the cool of the Garden.\u00a0 [Genesis 3:8, \u201cThey heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.\u201d]\u00a0 But then when sin entered the picture, Genesis 3:8, they are hiding from God.\u00a0 The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.\u00a0 It\u2019s the same example with the police officer, they don\u2019t like God around.\u00a0 They don\u2019t like the presence of God because now they\u2019re seeing God in His holiness.\n\nWhy is it that the Apostle Peter, at a particular point in Christ\u2019s ministry, in Luke 5:8 said to Jesus, \u201cGo away from me Lord,\u201d depart from me, \u201cfor I am a sinful man.\u201d\u00a0 [Luke 5:8, \u201cBut when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, \"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!\u201d]\u00a0 We just sort of gloss over passages like this and the reason we gloss over passages like this is because we really don\u2019t understand who we are in sin, depraved human beings, and we really don\u2019t understand the holiness of God.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Those are the two doctrines that are in decline today in our world, in our churches.\u00a0 There\u2019s not a lot of talk about the depravity, not a lot of talk about holiness, and yet if we can\u2019t come to grips with what those doctrines are biblically, we don\u2019t even understand our need for salvation.\n\nWhy do I need salvation\u2014so I can have my best life now?\u00a0 Do I need salvation because I need some kind of motivation on the workforce?\u00a0 Do I need salvation to experience fulfillment?\u00a0 I\u2019m not denying that Christ brings us those things but our ultimate need for salvation has to do with the fact that we are \u201csinners in the hands of an angry God.\u201d\u00a0 And how badly we need to be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Unless we\u00a0 understand our depravity and God\u2019s holiness, our need for transferred righteousness, which the theologians call imputed righteousness, will remain a mystery to us until our dying day.\n\nAnd yet Paul writes this in Philippians 3:9, \u201cAnd may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own as derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.\u201d\u00a0 Why do I even need such a thing?\u00a0 Because of God\u2019s holiness and my sin.\u00a0 This is why the world is not seeking God.\u00a0\u00a0 Romans 3:11 says, \u201cThere is none that understands, there is none who seeks God.\u201d\u00a0 Why is it that people don\u2019t naturally gravitate towards God?\u00a0 Why don\u2019t they seek God?\u00a0 Because the closer they get to God the more uncomfort\u00adable they feel because they\u2019re in the presence of unapproachable light.\u00a0 And what does light do?\u00a0 Light exposes.\n\nI don\u2019t know about you, I don\u2019t know where you stand, but I don\u2019t plan on the day of judgment to stand in the presence of God through my own human works which God says are \u201cfilthy rags.\u201d\u00a0 I plan to stand in the presence of God on the day of judgment with one form of righteousness and one form of righteousness only, the transferred righteousness that comes from Christ by way of faith.\u00a0 Without that we don\u2019t have a prayer.\u00a0 Just like Isaiah himself didn\u2019t have a prayer, John the apostle didn\u2019t have a prayer; there is abject shock and fear like electricity moving through John\u2019s body, I believe, as he sees exactly who Jesus Christ is in His fullness, in His glory.\u00a0 We\u2019re no longer dealing with the lamb, we\u2019re not dealing with the lion.\u00a0 We\u2019re no longer dealing with the suffering Savior but with the reigning King.\u00a0 And may God help us understand this and help us to understand our need for what Jesus has done for us.\n\nSo you\u2019ll notice John\u2019s reaction, and that\u2019s a pretty heavy subject, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 But you\u2019ll also notice in the second half of verse 17 and into verse 18 Christ\u2019s comfort to John.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting that whenever man has a problem, God has an answer.\u00a0 Have you noticed that?\u00a0 Man\u2019s problems\u2014God\u2019s solution!\u00a0 Even to this core problem that we have of our depravity in comparison to God\u2019s holiness you see Jesus in such grace, reaching out to John and comforting him with five phrases.\u00a0 And I believe these are phrases that we need to understand today because some of you are going through very difficult times.\u00a0 I know that because I read the prayer requests that are submitted to this church and I can\u2019t believe the things people are facing today, from this flock.\u00a0 Some of you are actually looking at death right in the eye because of negative doctor\u2019s reports and health issues, family problems, family crisis, job problems, economic upheavals, we just go on and on with problems.\u00a0 And how we need to face those problems with the comfort that Jesus provides.\n\nFive words of comfort; number one, Jesus touches John with His right hand.\u00a0 Look at the second part of verse 17, \u201cAnd he placed His right hand on me,\u201d you\u2019ll notice that Jesus doesn\u2019t touch John with His left hand, He touches John with His right hand.\u00a0 You say why is that significant?\u00a0 The right hand is the place of honor.\u00a0 After all, when Jesus ascended He went back to the Father\u2019s what?\u00a0 Right hand!.\u00a0 The sheep are on the right, the goats are on the left.\u00a0\u00a0 And John, in the midst of this collision course with his own sin and God\u2019s holiness probably developed what we might call a worm theology, I\u2019m just a worm, God doesn\u2019t care about me, God is unconcerned about me.\u00a0 What do I have to offer God?\n\nAnd it\u2019s interesting that in Christ we receive the honor of God with the touch, not from the left hand but from the right hand.\u00a0 And how John, I think, needed to understand this.\u00a0 Here is this guy at the end of his life stuck out on an island in the middle of nowhere, probably wondering where is God in all of this.\u00a0 Is this how my life is going to end?\u00a0 Not understanding the privilege that was about to come to him, the privilege of recording the Book of Revelation, wondering where is God in the storms of life, it\u2019s not supposed to work out this way, I\u2019m not supposed to go out this way.\u00a0 And how Jesus needed to remind John that he was honored, he was respected to the touch of the right hand because \u201cin Christ\u201d we have all of the heavenly resources and riches.\n\nGod looks us not as we are (thank God for that), but as He sees us through the lens of the righteousness of Christ and John, you\u2019re a man of valor, you\u2019re a man of honor.\u00a0 The same kind of thing that the Lord said to Daniel when we were in the Book of Daniel 10:11, Daniel was called a man of high esteem.\u00a0 Daniel 10:19, again he was called a man of high esteem.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0[Daniel 10:11, \u201cHe said to me, \u2018O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.\u2019 And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.\u201d\u00a0 Daniel 10:19, \u201cHe said, \u2018O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!\u2019 Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, \u201cMay my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.\u201d]\n\nHe probably needed to hear that being in captivity all of those years, working under pagan kings.\u00a0 And how we need to understand this as God\u2019s people because we go through problems and we go through storms and so easily our eyes are taken off of Christ and we need to be reminded that in Jesus Christ we are of high esteem, we are honored.\u00a0 Yes, we need to be mindful of our need for the transferred righteousness of Christ but once we are in it we are honored unto God, just a gracious gentle reminder by Christ to John in his moment of fear as he sees himself accurately as a sinner in the hands of an angry God.\u00a0 That\u2019s comfort number one.\n\nThere\u2019s a second word of comfort that he was given; how we need to hear this today.\u00a0 He is told, number two, \u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhen I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, \u2018Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that something we need to understand today?\u00a0 Looking at health scares, family scares, economic scares, isn\u2019t that something we need to hear from the Lord, \u201cDo not be afraid\u201d?\u00a0 In fact, the way this reads in the Greek it is not a suggestion, it\u2019s a command.\u00a0\u00a0 The posture of the child of God is not fear.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to fear the future if you know who holds the future.\u00a0 And if you are living in fear, if you are living in anxiety you are living beneath\u00a0 your privileges in God, because the command from God is \u201cBe anxious for nothing!.\u201d\u00a0 [Philippians 4:6, \u201cBe anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.\u201d]\n\nIn fact, fear is not the normal posture of the Christian; it\u2019s the normal posture of the pagan who doesn\u2019t know God.\u00a0 What do you have to be afraid of after all?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t Jesus say in Matthew 10 the very hairs on your head are numbered?\u00a0 [Matthew 10:20, \u201cBut the very hairs of your head are all numbered.\u201d]\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid of those who can kill the body but be fearful of the one who can cast body and soul into hell itself.\n\nRevelation 21:8, describing the pagans, says, \u201cBut for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s a description of people in the Lake of Fire and they\u2019re described by various adjectives or attributes and the first thing that\u2019s mentioned here is they\u2019re afraid. \u00a0It not the godly leaders they need to be afraid of; it\u2019s the ungodly.\n\nProverbs 28:1 says, \u201cThe wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are bold as a lion.\u201d\u00a0 Is that you?\u00a0 Are you running, fearful when no one is pursuing, or are you standing your ground in God, looking at the future of your life with confidence and certainty, not because of yourself of your own resources but in whose hands you\u2019re in.\n\nYou know, it\u2019s interesting; I just googled this last night. Some of you may be aware of this, but to me it was a first-time revelation. I know that Jesus in the Gospels says \u201cFear not\u201d over and over again. And I was just sort of curious to discover how many times the Bible says \u201cFear not.\u201d\u00a0 The answer is 365 times. The Bible says \u201cFear not,\u201d or a comparative phrase.\u00a0 Now the last time I checked that\u2019s one for every day of the year!\u00a0 Every single day of your life as the year unfolds what is God saying?\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid.\u00a0 \u201cFear not,\u201d \u201cBe anxious for nothing.\u201d\u00a0 So John in a moment of fear is not only given honor from Jesus Christ with the right-hand touch but he is told not to be afraid.\n\nAnd what else did Jesus say?\u00a0 Jesus says a third thing to him there in verse 17.\u00a0 He reminds John that he is the first, Jesus Christ, \u201cI am the first,\u201d protos<\/em> in Greek, \u201cbeginning, and the last,\u201d eschatos<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI am the first and the last,\u201d it\u2019s sort of similar to what Jesus told John back in Revelation 1:8, \u201cI am the Alpha and the Omega.\u201d [Revelation 1:8, \u201c\"I am the Alpha and the Omega,\" says the Lord God, \"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.\u201d]\u00a0 Alpha, of course, is the first letter in the Greek alphabet; Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. I am the whole package from A to Z, putting it into modern day vernacular.\u00a0 I am the point of history.\n\nWhat is history about?\u00a0 History is \u201cHis story\u201d isn\u2019t it.\u00a0 History is about Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus started history.\u00a0 John 1:3, Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2.\u00a0 [John 1:3, \u201cAll things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.\u201d\u00a0 Colossians 1:16, \u201cFor by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.\u201d\u00a0 Hebrews 1:2,\u00a0 [\u201cin these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.\u201d]\n\nJesus redeemed history, Revelation 5:6, Revelation 5:9.\u00a0 [Revelation 5:6, \u201cAnd I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Revelation 5:9, \u201cAnd they sang a new song, saying, \"Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.\u201d]\n\nJesus sustains history.\u00a0 Have you ever thought about this, the solar system that we\u2019re in, how we are orbiting in our heliocentric solar system around the sun, not just the earth but all of the planets.\u00a0 Why is it that these planets have never collided with each other over time?\u00a0 Why is it that we orbit around the sun at exactly the right distance.\u00a0 I mean, we\u2019re not too close where we burn to death, we\u2019re not too far away that we freeze to death, and there we are orbiting around the sun at the perfect distance to sustain life.\u00a0 And the atheist says I want some evidence for God; how much more evidence do you need?\u00a0 Jesus is the creator, Jesus is the redeemer, Jesus is the sustainer, Colossians 1:17, Jesus is the reigning King one day on earth, Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16.\u00a0 Of course that last aspect we\u2019ll be studying in more detail in the Book of Revelation.\n\n[Colossians 1:17, \u201cHe is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.\u00a0 Revelation 17:14, \u201cThese will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.\u201d Revelation 19:16, \u201cAnd on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, \"KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.\u201d]\n\nWho is Jesus?\u00a0 Who exactly are you wedded to?\u00a0 Who exactly are you united to?\u00a0 You\u2019re united to the one who is the first and the last.\u00a0 You are united to the one that all history revolves around\u2014Jesus Christ.\u00a0\u00a0 So if all of that is true what\u2019s to be afraid of?\u00a0 Are you afraid of your boss?\u00a0 Afraid of a financial payment, a mortgage payment?\u00a0 Afraid of a doctor\u2019s report?\u00a0 What is there to be afraid of?\u00a0 And you can see how these commands are interlinked with each other.\u00a0 Why should you not be afraid?\u00a0 Because you\u2019re honored by God, verse 17.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re connected to the One who the first and the last, verse 17.\u00a0 May God help us to understand these things.\u00a0 May God help us as people not to live beneath our privileges in God.\n\nAnd the news gets even better as He reveals a fourth piece of comfort to John.\u00a0 He tells John, verse 18, I have conquered the grave. Look at verse 18, \u201cAnd the living one and I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore.\u201d I conquered the grave.\u00a0 [Revelation 1:18, \u201cand the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 I came out of the grave.\u00a0 How important that is in this book because we\u2019re going to be studying the letters to the seven churches.\n\nAnd in Revelation 2:10 Jesus is very clear that there\u2019s a church there that\u2019s about to go into great suffering, many of which are going to lose their lives for Christ.\u00a0 [Revelation 2:10, \u201c'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.\u201d]\n\nDo we understand this as God\u2019s people in this blessed country that we call the United States of America, where we are upset over the slightest inconvenience?\u00a0 Do we understand that our brothers and sisters in Christ are dying all over the world through martyrdom?\u00a0 Get Voice of Martyrs and their ministry, which is a monthly tabulation and documentation of what Christians are facing all over the world in countries where there is no freedom; they are not meeting in open rooms and sanctuaries like this; they\u2019re meeting in fear under the dark of night, fearful that someone is going to kick down the door and imprison these people for the rest of their lives.\u00a0 Even modern-day crucifixions happen all over the world today, some being lit on fire, some being put in cages and put on fire or drowned\u2026 on and on it goes!\u00a0 It\u2019s something that we\u2019re not very comfortable thinking about in the very cushy United States of America.\u00a0 What are we upset about? Well, a Christian baker is forced to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.\u00a0 That\u2019s what gets us all upset.\u00a0 I\u2019m upset about that too, by the way.\u00a0 I\u2019m that Supreme Court case vindicated that guy, Jack Phillips.\n\nBut do we understand that that type of suffering is so minimal compared to what Christians have faced for the last 2,000 years?\u00a0 And when you\u2019re looking down the barrel of a gun how important it is to remember that Jesus has conquered the grave because if He conquered the grave and you\u2019re connected to Him by way of faith, that makes you a conqueror of the grave as well, doesn\u2019t it.\u00a0 And consequently, you can look death right in the eye and not be intimidated by it in Christ.\n\nThe words of comfort continue on, not only has Christ conquered the grave but He also, verse 18, has \u201cthe keys of death and of Hades.\u201d\u00a0 The key is what opens and closes.\u00a0 He is the one that controls death, who dies, when they die, and He controls what happens to their soul after they do die.\u00a0 It\u2019s right there in verse 18.\u00a0 \u201cand the living One;\u201d by the way, we know that when we worship Jesus we\u2019re not worshipping a dead Savior, we\u2019re worshipping a Savior that is forever alive at the right hand of the Father.\u00a0 This is not some boring history book that we\u2019re reading about here; this is the living Son of God who came out of the tomb on the third day and lives at the right hand of the Father, (Hebrews 7) to make intercession for you\u2026 the living Savior!\n\nVerse 18, the living one, \u201cI was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore,\u201d look at the second half of verse 18, \u201cand I have the keys of death and of Hades.\u201d\u00a0 What are those keys?\u00a0 I mean, if you\u2019ve got the keys to your car that\u2019s a place of power, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 That\u2019s the place of access, that\u2019s the place of energy.\u00a0 And what does Jesus have?\u00a0 He\u2019s holding in His hands the keys of death and Hades.\u00a0 You might recall at Christmas time, Sunday morning, we preached a sermon here on seven reasons why God became man.\u00a0 And one of those reasons is to remove from the human race forevermore the fear of death.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that the great bondage that encapsulates the human race\u2026.what happens after the grave, because nobody knows.\u00a0 Without divine revelation what happens?\n\nIsn\u2019t everybody afraid to die?\u00a0 I mean, isn\u2019t that why we keep exercising and trying to look younger (and for some of us it\u2019s getting harder and harder to do that).\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that why there\u2019s such an emphasis in our culture on health and youth and beauty, because we think in our own darkened understanding that we can escape the inevitable, which is death.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a downward pull, it\u2019s like a black hole cut in sections being pulled closer and closer to the grave and we just don\u2019t want to think it\u2019s true so we\u2019ll change the subject and we\u2019ll try to make our bodies look like they\u2019re not decaying when the Bible says your body is decaying.\u00a0 Is that not true in Genesis 3:19?\u00a0 Did God not say \u201cfrom dust you and to dust you shall return\u201d as the consequence of sin.\u00a0 [Genesis 3:19, \u201cBy the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.\u201d]\n\nAfter all, I\u2019ll slap makeup on it, I\u2019ll myself in the gym, I\u2019ll put a new set of clothes on it, I\u2019ll take some more vitamins, whatever I have to do, anything to get my mind off the reality of death.\u00a0 And so we live in this perpetual bondage and fear of death.\u00a0 Once again, if you\u2019re afraid to die you are living beneath your privileges.\u00a0 Hebrews 2:15 says that He \u201cmight free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason, or one of the seven reasons, why God became man, to take away finally the great scourge of humanity, the great curse of humanity, this fear of death.\u00a0 Why would you fear death when Jesus holds the keys to death and to Hades?\n\nYou know, the Apostle Paul was a man who had a death sentence hanging over him.\u00a0 There are many, many examples of Paul\u2019s ministry and how his life was precariously close to death by the enemies of God, many, many times.\u00a0 Just like our Founding Fathers, America\u2019s patriots that we are celebrating this week.\u00a0 We trivialize the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0 We even say today well, put your John Hancock on here, referring to the signature on America\u2019s founding documents completely forgetting that the moment they signed that document is the moment they signed themselves over to a death sentence.\u00a0 If we\u2019re wrong and we lose, we die.\u00a0 And yet patriot after patriot after patriot signed that birth certificate that we call the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0 Why would they do that?\u00a0 And study what happened to these men.\u00a0 Study the poverty and incarceration and problems that they put themselves in.\u00a0 Why would you do that?\u00a0 Why not just take the easy way out?\u00a0 Because you\u2019re dealing with people who understood what we\u2019re talking about here in the Word of God; they had no fear of death.\n\nPaul had a death sentence hanging over him, over and over again and yet what does Paul say?\u00a0 \u201cAbsent from the body is to be\u201d what? \u201cpresent with the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 What does Paul say in Philippians 1:21-23?\u00a0 \u201cFor to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. [22] But if I am<\/em> to live on<\/em> in the flesh, this will mean<\/em> fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. [23] But I am hard-pressed from both directions,<\/em> having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that<\/em> is very much better.\u201d\u00a0 Wow, that\u2019s how all of these patriots could sign America\u2019s birth certificate and their own death certificate in the process.\u00a0\u00a0 No fear of death!\n\nIt\u2019s amazing the things you can do for God when the fear of death is removed.\u00a0 And this is one of the great purposes as Jesus came into the world to remove the fear of death, to remove the fear of martyrdom itself.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting that Jesus doesn\u2019t just hold the keys to death but He holds the keys to Hades.\u00a0 You say well what is that?\u00a0 Hades is the place where the immaterial part of the unbeliever goes, awaiting their final resurrection unto damnation.\u00a0 That\u2019s Hades.\u00a0 It\u2019s where the rich man went in Luke 16:23.\u00a0 It says, \u201cIn Hades he\u201d that\u2019s the rich man, \u201clifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a horrific place; it\u2019s a place we need not go to if we trust in Christ for salvation.\n\nAnd as horrible a place as that is Jesus Himself holds the keys to it.\u00a0 In fact, we\u2019re going to learn in the Book of Revelation that Hades itself is going to be opened up and Hades itself will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.\u00a0 Revelation 20:14 says, \u201cThen death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.\u201d\u00a0 Why is it God, at the end of history, can open up Hades, release all of the damned for their resurrection unto damnation and take Hades itself and throw it into another local called the Lake of Fire?\u00a0 Because Jesus has the keys to Hades; that\u2019s why.\u00a0 Jesus not only has the keys to Hades, He has the keys over death itself.\n\nAnd how important it is to receive these words of comfort.\u00a0 Number 1, you\u2019re honored by God.\u00a0 Number 2, don\u2019t be afraid.\u00a0 Number 3, you united to the One who is the point of history.\u00a0 Number 4, you\u2019re united to the One who has conquered the grave.\u00a0 Number 5, you are united to the One who holds in His hand (present tense), the keys to death and Hades itself.\n\nAnd then we move into verse 19 where Jesus gives John a command.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to spend too much time on verse 19 because we\u2019ve already talked about it.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s the outline, if you will, to the Book of Revelation, verse 19.\u00a0 Just like early Acts gives you the outline of the Book of Acts, early Revelation gives you the outline of the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 \u201cTherefore write,\u201d that\u2019s a command, same command you\u2019ll find back in chapter 1, verse 11. \u201cTherefore write what you have seen, the things that are, the things that will take place after these things,\u201d there\u2019s your outline of the book.\u00a0 Part 1, \u201cthe things that \u201cyou have seen,\u201d chapter 1.\u00a0 We\u2019re completing our study of that today.\u00a0 Part 2, write \u201cthe things that are,\u201d which we\u2019ll start next week, the seven letters to the seven churches, chapters 2 and 3.\u00a0 Part three, write down the things that will take place \u201cafter these things,\u201d meta tauta<\/em>, \u201cafter these things.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s Revelation 4-22, the futuristic section of the book.\u00a0 A very nice outline, if you will, of the Book of Revelation.\n\nLook at verse 20, \u201cAs for the mystery of the seven stars which 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.\u201d\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice here the word \u201cmystery\u201d as he begins to describe the church and the churches.\u00a0 \u201cAs for the mystery,\u201d he\u2019s going to define the seven stars as the pastors of the seven churches; the lampstand as the seven churches themselves, and you\u2019ll notice that the church is a mystery.\u00a0 What is a mystery?\u00a0 A mystery is something that\u2019s never been disclosed, now revealed.\u00a0 That\u2019s the way Paul, in the Book of Ephesians, over and over again, describes this unique period of time that we\u2019re living in, called the age of the church, the body of Christ.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that you can\u2019t discover reading the Old Testament.\u00a0 It\u2019s hardly something that\u2019s even hinted about, even in Christ\u2019s earthly ministry.\n\nBut oh, the apostles, how they reveal this time period that we\u2019re living in, this special time period which has lasted roughly 2,000 years beginning on the Day of Pentecost and continuing until the rapture of the church, something that former generations and ages would have just scratched their head in bewilderment because of the grace that is being poured out upon us in surplus, lavishness.\u00a0 As John\u2019s Gospel says, \u201cgrace upon grace.\u201d [John 1:16, \u201cFor of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.\u201d]\u00a0 Privileges that Noah, Daniel, Job, Abraham, you name it, couldn\u2019t even fathom are ours at our fingertips because of our relationship to Christ and Christ alone.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice that Jesus is portrayed here walking amongst these seven golden lampstands and holding in His right hand seven stars, the mystery of the church.\u00a0 [Revelation 1:20, \u201cAs for the mystery of the seven stars which 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.\u201d]\u00a0 If you look there at the second part of verse 20 He defines His terms.\u00a0 \u201cthe seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches.\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019re going to get into Revelation 2 and 3 and it\u2019s going to say things like this: \u201cTo the angel of the church at Ephesus write,\u201d \u201cTo the angel of the church at Smyrna write,\u201d \u201cTo the angel of the church at Sardis write.\u201d\n\nNow, who is this angel?\u00a0 Does every church have an angel?\u00a0 Does Sugar Land Bible Church have an angel?\u00a0 Maybe we do, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what it\u2019s talking about.\u00a0 One of the things to understand about Bible study is when a symbol is used many times the symbol will be interpreted for us in the very same context.\u00a0 Dr. John Walvoord, in his commentary on the Book of Revelation tells us that this will happen 26 times. We don\u2019t have to rely on the sanctified imagination to discover what the seven stars represent or what the seven golden lampstands represent.\u00a0 We\u2019re told right here that the seven stars are the seven angels of the churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.\n\nJesus is pictured walking amongst His seven churches; that\u2019s His focus.\u00a0 Of course, that would be His focus because He is the builder of the church.\u00a0 He is the groom of the church.\u00a0 His the head of the church.\u00a0 And thus Jesus is pictured as walking and intimate amongst these seven churches, knowing exactly what each one is experiencing, knowing exactly what\u2019s happening within each church, the love of Christ for His church, the intimacy of Christ with His church, the fact that it\u2019s through the blood of Christ the church has been purchased.\n\nAnd isn\u2019t it interesting that these seven golden lampstands, which according to verse 20 represent the seven churches, are in Asia, chapter 1 verse 4?\u00a0 And then you get to the futuristic section of the Book of Revelation and these seven lamps and these seven lampstands are no longer n Asia Minor, they\u2019re in heaven, in the presence of God before the events of the tribulation period unfold.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take my word for it, just jot down Revelation 4:5 and you\u2019ll see it very clearly.\u00a0 [Revelation 4:5, \u201cOut from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;\u201d]\n\nHow in the world did they get from Asia to heaven before the events of the tribulation period?\u00a0 I think we have an answer to that; it\u2019s called the doctrine of the pretribulational rapture of the church, which would be in harmony with everything that we have learned in Paul\u2019s writings concerning the church, how we are not appointed unto wrath.\u00a0 Satan\u2019s wrath, yes!\u00a0 The world\u2019s wrath, yes!\u00a0 Man\u2019s wrath, yes!\u00a0 But not God\u2019s wrath!\u00a0 God is not going to beat up His bride before the marriage day. God is not a spousal abuser.\u00a0 Now you can receive that on faith or you can sit there and try to find a loophole.\u00a0 As for me and my house, I\u2019m the path of least resistance type of guy, I\u2019ll take God at His Word.\u00a0 And frankly, I can\u2019t wait for the rapture of the church, because I was thinking about this the other day.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have a single problem in my life that the rapture wouldn\u2019t fix.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 It is the blessed hope that we\u2019re looking for.\n\nWhat are you looking for?\u00a0 Fixing this world\u2019s system?\u00a0 Cleaning up the fishbowl?\u00a0 Or are you doing what the Lord told us to do, make fishers of men, leaving the cleaning up of the fishbowl and the establishment of God\u2019s kingdom to God and how God is going to perform a rescue operation on the church before that horrific day of the Lord unfolds.\n\nSo Jesus is walking among these seven lampstands, looking at what\u2019s in His right hand, these seven angels.\u00a0 People say well, that\u2019s a literal angel, isn\u2019t it, these seven stars?\u00a0 Notice the declining order here\u2014from the Father to the Son as the communication chain goes, from the Son to an angel, the\u00a0 Father is the most preeminent, the Son is relationally under the Father although the Son and the Father share deity (as we know).\u00a0 And then to an angel, this was a real angel I believe, which is under the Trinity.\u00a0 And then from that angel to John, John as we look at the communication chain, Revelation chapter 1, is under an angel; we know that man is made under the angels.\u00a0 From John to a book, from a book to a preacher, an angelos<\/em>, you say are preachers called angels?\u00a0 Yes, they are.\u00a0 Jot these verses down: Matthew 11:10, John is called an angelos,<\/em> John the Baptist.\u00a0 [Matthew 11:10, \u201cThis is the one about whom it is written, \u2018BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.\u2019\u201d]\n\nLuke 9:52, Jesus sent out His messengers, that\u2019s the Greek word angelos.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>[Luke 9:52, \u201cand He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.\u201d]\n\nJames 2:25, talking about the messengers that Rahab encountered in Canaan when she received the messengers, that\u2019s the Greek word angelos<\/em>.\u00a0 [James 2:25, \u201cIn the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?\u201d]\n\nI believe that this angelos that\u2019s spoken here in verse 20 is the pastors of these seven churches.\u00a0 And to make these pastors literal angels and not human messengers would disrupt, would it not, the downward communication flow, from the Father to the Son, to an angel, to John, to a book, and then it goes back up to a literal angel.\u00a0 The downward communication flow is disrupted.\n\nNow there are those, some of my very good friends, who believe that every church has over it an actual angel.\u00a0 I won\u2019t go to the mat with you on that, if you want to believe that, that\u2019s fine.\u00a0 But as for me and my house\u2026 of course, you\u2019d better ask my wife what her view is, as for me, I think it\u2019s talking about the pastors to these seven churches. They are the proclaimers and the heralders of truth and as we have pointed out, these pastors are in the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right is the position of honor and respect.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made a point of this in prior sermons, that your average pastor in your average evangelical church is really not treated with the honor and respect that that office deserves.\u00a0 That\u2019s not been true at Sugar Land Bible Church, I\u2019ve been treated very well but it is true with some of my fellow preachers and proclaimers of truth in different pulpits around the country and around the world.\n\nAs I\u2019ve said before, a common analogy is the pastor today in most churches is treated like a pi\u00f1ata.\u00a0 It\u2019s someone that you hit with a stick over and over again until it\/he throws candy your direction.\u00a0\u00a0 And many, many pastors don\u2019t survive very long in many of their churches and quite frankly, I can\u2019t say I blame them that much because they\u2019ve got the elder boards stacked against them, they\u2019ve got the congregation stacked against them, your average pastor is in that particular office, maybe two\u00a0 years and then has to retire because of burnout and constant antagonism with people.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been blessed here at Sugar Land Bible Church, that hasn\u2019t been my trajectory but I can tell you the horror stories amongst others.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a tragic thing.\u00a0 That is not the design of God because here Christ is holding these seven angels (angelos<\/em>, messengers) not in the left hand but in the right hand.\u00a0\u00a0 In other words, if you\u2019re a pastor, if you\u2019re a preacher, if you\u2019re a proclaimer or a messenger or a heralder of divine truth you ought to be treated according to what that office requires\u2014honor!\n\nI\u2019m not saying pastors are always right either.\u00a0 I\u2019m not advocating at all for some kind of totalitarian form of church government.\u00a0\u00a0 You all know me well enough that I don\u2019t believe that.\u00a0 But I am disturbed by what I see in terms of how the body of Christ treats its own shepherds.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing what little it takes to agitate people today\u2026 wearing the wrong colored clothes, parting your hair on the wrong side of your head, that will upset people, disagreeing over some doctrinal issue that may be more [can't understand word] than essential, styles, on and on it goes.\u00a0 I would just invite you to look at how the Lord can use pastors, how He treats pastors.\u00a0 1 Timothy 5:17 says, \u201cThe elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work\u201d and it is work to do this by the way, \u201chard at preaching and teaching.\u201d\u00a0 You say well,\u00a0 you\u2019re just up there making things up.\u00a0 No, I\u2019m not, it\u2019s in your Bible!\u00a0 As a matter of fact, maybe we should make that verse our theme verse of Sugar Land Bible Church.\u00a0 But you get the idea.\u00a0 Jesus is amongst the seven churches, intimate with His seven churches and giving proper honor and deference and respect to the leaders of those churches.\n\nSo the circumstances of the vision, the content of the vision, a moment of communication between Jesus and John at the end of chapter 1 and now beginning next week we\u2019re ready to begin our journey into the second section of the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 He has written down faithfully the things that he has seen and now he is to write down the things that are as Jesus Himself writes seven letters to seven churches.\u00a0\u00a0 If Jesus was to write a letter to your church what would He say?\u00a0 We\u2019re going to see examples of that as we move into this very important section of Scripture next week, taking a look at Revelation 2:1-7, Christ\u2019s remarks to the church at Ephesus.\n\nYou know, I can\u2019t think of a more important day or time of the year to be born again than the time period when we celebrate the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0 America\u2019s birth certificate gave the United States of America birth.\u00a0 There was no country and then a country was born once that Declaration of Independence was signed.\u00a0 And what a wonderful time of the year as we reflect on that, think about that, contemplate that, to receive a new birth in Christ Jesus.\u00a0 You have no relationship to God,\u00a0 you trust in the gospel and there\u2019s a new birth, spiritual birth; not a physical birth but this time a birth from heaven itself.\u00a0 Jesus called it being born again.\u00a0 How do you become born again?\u00a0 How do you experience this new birth?\u00a0 Flesh can\u2019t give it to you.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be achieved through the work of the flesh.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s a miracle that happens in the life of the heart of a person through spiritual birth, something called regeneration, the impartation of divine life.\u00a0 When does that happen?\u00a0 It happens the moment a person hears the gospel and trusts in the message.\n\nYou hear the gospel that Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago, He rose bodily from the grave to vindicate who He said He was.\u00a0 He gives us a message that all of our sins will be forgiven if we trust in that message.\u00a0 And then at some point the Spirit of God convicts of your need to trust in this message.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how the Spirit works, I\u2019m just glad He does!\u00a0 I know He\u2019s really good at bothering people.\u00a0 I know He\u2019s really good, praise God, at making people feel a little bit uncomfortable about their eternal destiny.\u00a0 However, He does it He makes a person aware of their need to trust in Christ.\n\nBut let me tell you something, the Spirit of\u00a0 God is not going to believe for you!\u00a0 He will bother you all the way to the grave and if you want to go to hell you can just go right ahead if you want to.\u00a0 He\u2019ll bother you about it.\u00a0 He\u2019s not going to change your trajectory but He will agitate you, He will bother, He will convict, and some of you right now are under that conviction.\u00a0 I was under that conviction at the age of 16; I responded to the gospel by faith alone and I was birthed, born again at that point.\u00a0 That\u2019s what needs to happen to people.\n\nWe\u2019re not recruiting people here for religion, for a denomination. What we\u2019re here recruiting people for is to become members of the family of God.\u00a0 And there\u2019s only one way to become a member of this mystery body called the church; you can only get into it one way and that\u2019s through a spiritual birth.\u00a0 What a great time of the year to experience spiritual birth as we celebrate our national birth.\n\nSo if the Spirit of God is at work today in your life and in your heart, even people listening online, our exhortation to you is the best you understand the gospel to trust in the gospel.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to raise a hand to do this.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to fill out a card.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to join a church.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to send in money.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to send me a copy of your New Year\u2019s resolution which you\u2019ve broken already.\u00a0 You just trust in the message in the privacy of your own mind and heart as the Spirit places you under conviction.\u00a0 Another way of saying it is to believe\u2014you rely,\u00a0 you have confidence, in the message and then in an instant, once that happens, you\u2019re made alive in the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 If it\u2019s something that you need more explanation on I\u2019m available after the service. But it\u2019s something you can do right now even as I\u2019m talking, the best you understand it.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is God doesn\u2019t send people to hell; people send themselves to hell by refusing to respond to the striving of the Holy Spirit.\n\nShall we pray.\u00a0 Father, we are grateful for the Book of Revelation, for the light that it gives us, we are grateful for Your truth, grateful for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 I pray, Father, that You will continue to be with this flock as we move through this very important Book that You have given us.\u00a0 Help us to develop and grow thereby. Help us to walk out these things by way of faith this week.\u00a0 Bless us also, Father, as we fellowship together at the fellowship meal.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be careful to give you all the praise and the glory.\u00a0 We ask these things in Jesus\u2019 name, and God\u2019s people said\u2026 Amen!","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t