Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Revelation 1. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- We have celebrated the resurrection of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. For the next few Sundays we will focus on what that means, and what Jesus is doing for us, and what is coming at the end of time. It is all wonderful and glorious!
- In due time we will also mark the anniversary of the ascension of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. The time that our text speaks of occurs after His ascension.
- How He is described continues on to this very day! These things were revealed to John so that he would share them in writing with the church. It is important that through this description we “SEE HIM NOW,” as He truly is. It is a stark contrast from Good Friday! So let us:
I. Consider The Description Of The Lord Jesus As He is Now
A. He Is The Alpha And Omega – The Eternal One, The Almighty One
Text: “To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.’”
B. He Is Physically Awesome!
Text: “I saw in the midst of the lampstands 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.”
Statement: John does the best he can using comparisons to help us at least get some glimmer of the majesty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ! It is more than at His transfiguration! It is more than any mere human being sees in this world. This is the One Who died for our sins – in humble suffering and misery – to provide us with full and complete forgiveness “by His blood.”
Application: It is important for us to know exactly Who our Savior is – the eternal and almighty God. This is Jesus, Who humbled Himself for a time, so that He could suffer death under God’s wrath for all of us! But now He is exalted above all things – as the God-Man. He is so awesome and mind-blowing that John reports: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.” Hence, it is a good thing for us to see Him through His Word and through His Sacraments – at least until He returns in glory! Then we will be able to handle His appearance, for He will transform and glorify our own bodies.
Transition: So it is essential that we “SEE HIM NOW,” the exalted and majestic Lord Jesus Christ by means of His Word. But He is quick to assure us that:
II. We Are Not To Be Afraid Of Him
Text: “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.’”
A. He Is Our Great Savior
Text: “He loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” . . . He said, ‘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.’”
B. He Is The Lord Of Life
Text: “I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
C. Jesus Is Coming For Us Soon!
Text: “Behold He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.” . . . ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Statement: This is why it is important for us to “SEE HIM NOW!” His love calms our fears, knowing that we have been “freed from our sins by His blood.” This is why it is so important for us to “SEE HIM NOW!” His power and majesty assures us that all things are in His hands and within the confines of His power! He loves us! And how great it is that He is coming soon in great power and glory, to end all the misery and suffering of His dearly beloved children, those who believe in Him.
Application: Certainly we have reverence and respect for Jesus. And if we are being cynical and presumptuous, and sinning willfully against God, then we should fear. Better yet, we should repent of such sinning and turn back to God for His forgiveness. He is eager to embrace us with His love and to welcome us back into His kingdom!
Conclusion: Again, the contrast is astounding between a battered person who seemed to be the ultimate weakling, and who died on the cross, and this glorious God/Man Who rose again from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty!
It is good to know His suffering and death, but even better to know the outcome of His resurrection, His glorious defeat of sin, death, and the devil! May our hearts be full of joy always – as we see Him as He is right now! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.