Introduction

Tonight we start a new series of sermons in the book of Revelation. We have called them, "The Risen Jesus and the Churches". We are going to be looking at the first 3 chapters over the next month or two. Tonight we look at the first chapter by way of general introduction. A lot of people shy away from Revelation - the last book of the bible. There have been many weird interpretations. It has been a hunting ground for fanatics. And it is full of imagery that we find strange today. There are lampstands, seals, trumpets, bowls that are poured out and horrifying beasts. But we need to take this book seriously for a number of reasons. First, the book is a book for the church. In verse 4 of chapter one John says it is "to the seven churches in the province of Asia." And in verse 11 John, the author of the book is told to

"Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

These seven churches are representative of churches in every place and in every age. They are relevant to Tyneside as well as Asia Minor. And we will be studying them over the next few weeks. Secondly, we need to take John's writing seriously because there is a promise of "blessing" if we do so. Verse 3:

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it.

But thirdly, and most importantly, what you have here, it is claimed, comes from the risen and ascended Jesus Christ himself. This is not "the revelation of John", but (verse 1):

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.

John was just the messenger. The message came from Christ himself. So much by way of introduction. You will see from the outline that my headings tonight are, first, THE CONTEXT; secondly, JESUS - HIS PERSON AND WORK; and, thirdly, JESUS - THE LORD OF THE CHURCH. First, THE CONTEXT. And the context is clearly that of suffering. In verse 9 John refers to himself as ...

... your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus ... on the island of Patmos.

These Christians in Asia - or Asia Minor - were going through difficult and sometimes terrible times. This past week, with the death of Pol Pot, we have been reminded that human beings can be evil and ruthless in the extreme, persecuting and exterminating people at whim almost. It seems likely that the book of Revelation was written during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, another ruthless ruler. Domitian began a persecution of Christians in the 90's of the first century. Nero had been the first to persecute Christians in the 60s. But his brutality was confined to Rome. Domitian extended the brutality throughout the Empire and it went as far as Asia. Domitian was insisting that people should adhere to the cult of Emperor worship. He even executed or banished close relatives who were Christians for refusing him worship. True Christians could never say "Caesar is Lord". They knew that there is only one Lord. They could only say, "Jesus is Lord." So John, along with many other Christian companions, is suffering persecution. Some dispute it, but many think (and we will assume that) this John is the apostle John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James. He had been the leader of the Church in Ephesus. But now in old age he is banished to the island of Patmos. And why? Verse 9 again, "because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." He has been courageous in preaching God's word and being faithful to it and in witnessing to Jesus Christ. Patmos is a barren rocky little island ten miles long and five miles wide - forty miles off the coast of Asian Minor - modern Turkey. Banishment was a common form of punishment in Roman times. John was banished as a Christian. In Roman terms he was a criminal. So he would have had to endure labour in the quarries. He would have first been scourged, and then bound (and remained bound). He would have had little clothing, little food and little sleep. So he knew all about suffering. But notice three things about Christian suffering from these verses. First, it was when John was in exile and suffering that the Lord spoke to him. In verse 10 John says:

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, {11} which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.

So often Christians can be deaf to what God wants to say to them. They need to be brought up with a jolt, before they listen. Someone once said, "God puts us on our backs to make us look up". Isn't that so true? Who is going through a difficult time at the moment? Perhaps God is wanting to say something to you through your difficulties. Secondly, these verses (and this book) illustrate that suffering is part of the normal Christian life. John knew that Jesus had said (John 16:33):

in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.

He may have known of Paul's words to that other leader of the Church in Ephesus, Timothy (2 Timothy 3.12):

everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Thirdly, suffering can be dangerous for the Christian. John was (verse 9) a "companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance". John was standing firm under suffering. But some Christians drift when the going is hard. They lose their way. They lose their faith. They slide, so to speak, backwards. Anyone here tonight going through a difficult time and tempted to drift? Well, learn from these chapters of John. And the suffering (or the pressure) for these Christians in Asia Minor was not only from persecution. As we will be seeing over the next few weeks, there was also false-teaching. There were false prophets or people teaching heresy in the churches. Then, as so often happens with false teaching, there was also immorality. People were saying that sex need not be reserved for heterosexual monogamous marriage. There was sexual decadence being advocated even by church leaders. What is new? That is why this book is so relevant for today. And with this pressure from persecution, false teaching and the seduction to immorality, some of the Christians were in danger of giving in and drifting. So what is needed? Answer a new vision of Jesus and of God's purposes; and then a new confidence in his word. That is what this book provides and encourages. So much then for the context. Let's move on to my second heading. Secondly, JESUS - HIS PERSON AND WORK Right at the start, here in chapter 1, there is this vision of Jesus in all his glory. Are John's readers depressed - are you depressed - because the Christian life is hard? Then let them (and you) remember some fundamental and basic truths about Jesus. Look at verse 5. One, Jesus is the second person of the divine Trinity - the triune God:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, {5} and from Jesus Christ.

This is God the Father, "who is, and who was, and who is to come". Then there is the Holy Spirit - "seven" in John is the number for completeness, as with the "seven" churches" (so this could be the Spirit in all his fullness). And lastly there is Jesus Christ. Jesus had not only taught in John 16:33, "in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble." He also immediately went on to say this:

But take heart! I have overcome the world.

So those were the words not just of anyone but of Christ, the second person of the divine Trinity. Of course, his readers should trust him and be confident. Two, or the second fundamental truth to remember is that Jesus Christ is our great example:

[He] is the faithful witness.

He was faithful to the truth throughout his ministry. And that faithfulness led him to Calvary. He stood before the chief priests and Pilate and never faltered. What an example for us! Are you sometimes in a situation when you have to be in a minority of one for Jesus' sake - at work, at home, anywhere? Remember - Jesus has been there before you. At his trial "all forsook him and fled". Three, he is the risen Lord:

[He is] the firstborn from the dead.

That is the great truth of Easter. Jesus Christ has conquered death and Satan. He is over all. Four, - and this follows - he is in control of all that goes on in this world.

[He is] the ruler of the kings of the earth.

He is, ultimately, sovereign over Parliament, the UN and all that goes on in national and world politics. Nothing happens without his permission. There is a mystery over why he allows some things to happen. But we can be confident that his purposes, long term, are good and perfect. Five, and vitally, Jesus is the Saviour:

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

Were some of John's readers depressed because they had already drifted? Had they already given in to some of the pressures? Some may even have slipped into immorality. Well, here is a reminder that Christ is the answer to both the guilt and the power of sin. Who tonight needs to go to Christ (perhaps for the first time) and say,

"Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me; I admit that I have failed you and gone my own way; please forgive me and help me to have freedom from sin as your Holy Spirit gives me new life and power"?

The good news that John preached was that on the cross Christ died to bear the judgment you and I deserve so that we might be free from the penalty and the grip of sin. And six, - now look at verse 7 - he is going to return:

he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

Your sufferings are not the last word. Christ is going to come again. There is heaven. There is hell and judgment. Wrongs will be righted. Justice will be done. So trust in Christ. These people who were going through pressures of various sorts - persecution, false teaching and the seductions to immorality - needed a new or renewed vision of Christ as the second person of the Trinity, the great example, the risen Lord, the reigning king, the Saviour from sin, and the one who will return in glory one day. But then more specifically, John wants his readers to know not just generally about Jesus' person and work but specifically that he is the Lord of the Church. That is my final heading tonight. Thirdly, JESUS - THE LORD OF THE CHURCH John has told us that Jesus "has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father" (verse 6). How important, therefore, that we understand the nature of that kingdom and what that priesthood involves. And the first thing to realise is that Christ is in charge of his people - not the Pope, or bishops, or clergy or anyone else, but Christ. Look at verses 12 - 13:

when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, {13} and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. {14} His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. {15} His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. {16} In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

This is a vision John had of the risen and reigning Jesus. It is clearly symbolic. "The various elements in the vision are significant symbols to be interpreted, rather than actual features to be imagined," [John Stott]. After telling us in verse 16 that Jesus has "in his right hand" seven stars, John says in verse 17, "he placed his right hand on me". This is obviously symbolic language. Jesus can't do two things at once with his right hand! So the "sharp double-edged sword" that is coming out of his mouth must be symbolic. It is not to be visualized; it is to be interpreted symbolically. It refers to Jesus teaching that is sharp, piercing and brings judgment. John is seeing here a human figure, "someone 'like a son of man'". That is to say, he is more than a man. He is glorious. He is like the "son of man" in Daniel's vision. He is, of course, the glorified man, Jesus Christ. John is at first terrified, verse 17ff:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. {18} I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. {19} "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. {20} The mystery of the seven stars that 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.

So what does this tell us that a church or Christians under pressure from persecution, heresy and immorality need to know? Again there is that great reminder of the Resurrection - the fact that Christ is risen. This truth is so important it is underlined here in verse 17 a second time:

Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. {18} I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Perhaps there is someone here tonight who is frightened of death. You may be quite ill. Well, trust in Christ. He says, "behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Then the church or Christians under pressure need to know that Christ is present, by his Spirit, with his people. He, therefore, knows all that is going on; so he understands; he can sympathize. Christ is (verse 13) "among the lampstands" - and (verse 20) "the seven lampstands are the seven churches." And Christ is in control of the churches - however bizarre or inadequate some of them might be. Verse 16: "in his right hand he held seven stars" - and verse 20 tells us these are "the angels of the seven churches". Whether these are the senior pastors or bishops or guardian angels or whoever (there is no general agreement) at least it is clear that Christ has them "in hand". But finally the church or Christians under pressure need to know about that "sharp double edged sword". They need to know that Christ is in the business of purging and punishing the Church or elements in it. We will see how this happens over the next few weeks as we look at the individual churches. Yes, Christ gives great encouragement. He says, "do not be afraid". Yet he doesn't mince his words. The churches of Asia Minor might be suffering - individual Christians might be suffering. But were they lacking in love? Were they following false teaching? Were they being immoral? Were they simply luke-warm and half hearted? If so they must repent. Jesus, however, does not end on a negative note. He ends positively with a promise and a challenge. Every one of the seven letters, as we shall see, ends up with a promise to "him who overcomes"; and a challenge, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches". I must conclude. I do so with a question. Are you going to be one of those who gives in to pressure - the pressure of persecution, false teaching or immorality ? Or are you going to be one of those "who overcomes"? You say, "I want to 'overcome'." Well, the secret is first to "hear what the Spirit says to the churches". That is why these seven letters that follow - and this whole book is so important.