A Room With a View, Part 212-14-14

I love that we sang O Come All Ye Faithful this morning. I think it’s my favorite Christmas carol.

- “Sing, choirs of angels! Sing in exultation! Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above. ‘Glory to God, all glory in the highest!’”

- I love that! I love how we’re reminded of all that was going on in heaven that night Jesus was born.

- In fact, it was in Luke 2:14 that the angels were singing those words we just sang… “Glory to God, all glory in the Highest!”

Of course, the angels were a part of it all. They were the ones in Luke 2:10 who brought this “Good News of Great Joy!”

- It was these same angels who, in Job 38:7, all shouted for joy as God created the earth.

- They were all there when humanity was formed from the dust of the earth.

They were there at the Fall… as an archangel named Lucifer, one of their own, rebelled against God…

- took the form of a serpent, and tempted Adam into sin; bringing judgment on the whole human race.

- Those angels not drawn into the serpent’s rebellion stood in worship to the King as He banished the serpent, as well as Adam and Eve, from the Garden.

They were there in the tabernacle & the temple… their own likenesses sculpted on the mercy seat on the Ark and the Covenant…

- carved throughout the furnishings of the Holy of Holies… all showing their role in serving the Lamb upon that throne.

- They were there through it all… worshiping the King that sits up on the Throne,

- longing to see the triumph of His grace & power revealed through the long expected birth of that Savior “Born that happy morning… Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.”

They were there in Bethlehem, speaking to Mary and Joseph and to the shepherds. In Luke 2:8-14 we read this:

- That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.

- They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

- Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

From the very beginning, they angels have surrounded the Throne of God in worship to the Lamb of God.

- You see, that Throne is where it all started… Where the angels have worshipped Him day & night…

- Where God spoke the world into existence… Where humanity was formed by a word from His mouth...

And it was there that the decision was made… that the exalted Lamb of God would lay down His heavenly crown for a Cross…

- Where He would give His own life as a ransom, as Matthew 20:28 says, exchanging His life for ours…

- so that we can, one day, forever join with Him around that throne.

And so, as we begin our Advent season, remembering (as the word means in Latin) his coming or arrival, we’re going to continue from last week… looking at the Throne.

- And then, over the next two weeks, look at what it meant for Jesus to have left those coronations of heaven for a cradle made of filthy hay and a Cross made of thorns.

- So, if you have your Bibles, go ahead and open to Revelation 1 where an angel of God invites the Apostle John to see and

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experience something he could never have imagined this side of heaven.

In verses 10-20, he describes those first moments. “Suddenly,” he said, “I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, ‘write in a book everything you see…”

- “12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest.

- 14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15His feel were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.

- 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance. 17When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One, I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave!’”

You see, when all this was unveiled to John, the first thing he saw was a throne…

- and on that throne was someone like a Son of Man clothed as a king with a long robe and a golden sash!

- Look at verse 14. He says, "His head and hair were white as wool, white as the snow" -- white hair.

Now, in our day, white or grey hair is generally something people want to hide or avoid. I mean the hair dye industry is a multi-billion dollar industry!

- So, if He’s God and can do anything… then why the white hair?- Well, unlike how we might see this, Proverbs 16:31 says that

"Grey hair is a crown of splendor, attained by a righteous life."

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In fact, the image from verse 13 of "one like a Son of Man" is actually taken from Daniel where (in Daniel 7:9) he is given the title “Ancient of Days.”

- You see, this One with hair as white as wool is the Ancient of Days, which literally means, “before days were.”

- This One, like a Son of God, existed before time… from “everlasting to everlasting,” David writes in Psalm 90:2.

- That is, he has all the wisdom and authority that we associate with age, only He’s eternal.

- He knows it all because He created it all and, in the end, He will judge it all.

In fact, back in 1:8, the Ancient of Days says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." In verse 17 He describes Himself as the First and the Last.

- You see, John sees the Ancient of Days… the God of all wisdom, the Alpha and the Omega,

- the One who knows how his life started, and the one who knows how it’s going to end.

- It’s why David wrote in Psalm 139:16, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

The Angels must have been in awe that day when the “Long Expected Savior” was born into this world…

- But they must have also had the biggest laugh ever… seeing the Ancient of Days, the King on the Throne, having his diaper changed for the first time!

He’s the One who understands everything there is to know about you... your mind, your heart, your history, your life.

- But not only does God possess all wisdom, he offers that wisdom to us.

- We’re told in James 1:23, "If any of you lack wisdom, ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you."

- So, let me ask you: Do you need wisdom right now in your life? - If so, I hope you pray the wisdom prayer this Christmas season,

"God, Ancient of Days, Alpha and Omega give me wisdom."

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His head and his hair were white as wool… as white as snow.” And "His eyes," John says, "were like flames of fire."

- You see, the first image speaks of our Everlasting God possessing and offering infallible wisdom.

- While this second one speaks of the loving and purifying judgment with which He rules.

Now you know… there are certain pairs of eyes that cause us to behave differently just because they’re focused on us.

- For instance, you’re on the road and you see a police car nearby, and the eyes of that policeman meet up with yours. Is that gonna change the way you drive?

- When Peter denied Jesus for the third time, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Jesus had no condemnation toward Peter… but it pierced Him… and he wept.

David writes in Psalm 139, “You know me, such knowledge is too wonderful for me.” He knows us through and through.

- He knows what we are thinking and what we’re going to say. - He knows our motives, and yet, as we open ourselves to Him,

that look can melt us, cleanse us, convict us, reassure us, and cover us with His love and acceptance.

- Maybe there was a time where His eyes, like a refiner’s fire, pierced your heart and brought purity and cleaning.

This image of the refiner’s fire is developed more in Malachi chapter 3. What happened was that the refiner would take gold ore and put it in a pot and light a fire under it.

- The heat would cause the gold to melt and bring all the dross, all that was not gold, to the surface.

- Then the refiner would skim it off and leave gold so pure that the refiner can see his face in it.

That’s what the Spirit is so often doing in our lives. He wants to refine your character to such an extent that Jesus’ character is visible in you.

- But to the churches reading this letter, His eyes of fire was also a reminder that He sees the injustices perpetrated against

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them… that not a single evil act perpetrated by Rome or it’s Emperor will go unnoticed.

You see, the book of Revelation doesn't introduce us to a different universe. It introduces us to our universe, to our world, our lives… through the lenses of heaven.

- What does John first see in his Revelation? He sees the Lamb of God, the Beginning and the End, the Ancient of Days standing at the throne being worshipped!

- NOT Rome… NOT the Emperor.- But is not just reminding them… He’s reminding us… In fact,

he’s asking us… “Who do you believe holds all power today?”

With all that’s happening around us, it’s easy to embrace the idea that something or someone other than Jesus Christ holds all the power.

- But what Revelation does say is that even though right now you are experiencing conflict… that, in the end you will conquer.

- Even though now you are wounded, in the end you will win. Even though you are being victimized, in the end you will be victorious.

But then John takes us from His eyes down to His feet. Take a look at vs 15: "His feet were like polished bronze, refined as in a furnace."

Back in the Book of Daniel, Daniel had a dream of a very mighty figure made of strong metals… except for the feet, which were made of clay.

- The image was of Nebuchadnezzar… whose kingdom, even though it was powerful, had a vulnerable foundation.

- That’s what the feet of clay were about. And because it had feet of clay, it was destroyed.

Daniel says it, "became like chaff and the wind carried it away so that not a trace could be found."

- It was built on shaky ground. Truth is, anything that is built on anything other than the Kingdom of God is built on shaky ground.

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- Build your life on money, build your life on success, whatever it is, one day the wind is going to blow over it, and it’s going to be gone. There won’t be a trace of it anymore.

But this one like a Son of Man has feet made of bronze. Bronze is interesting material. It’s made up of two things: iron & copper.

- Iron is real strong, but it rusts. Copper does not rust, but it’s pliable, bendable.

- You see, Bronze combines the strength of iron and the endurance of copper.

- His feet of refined bronze reminds us that He truly is our unshakable foundation.

Anybody here ever get anxious? Are there fears that weigh you down? Do you ever worry so you can’t sleep at night?

- Remember, John is given this revelation while on exiled on the island of Patmos… most likely barefoot... perhaps in chains. But he doesn’t seem to be very focused on that!

- He simply says, in verse 9, "I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us.”

- I mean, how can he sit, an old man, all alone on an island with patient endurance?

It’s because He knows in his heart of hearts that Jesus is in charge… and that His foundation of bronze can never be shaken.

- His Roman captors assume that Rome is in charge… in fact, that exactly how it looks on the outside.

- But he understood that God’s in charge… someone infinitely stronger than the Emperor and his armies.

- John has thrown himself at a pair of feet that cannot be shaken, unshakable peace.

- Guys, this Christmas season, let’s consider all those things we lean on with feet of clay… and, instead, fall on our knees as the shepherds and angels did before the Savior of the world.

"His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace." We go on in verse 15, "and His voice thundered like the sound of many waters."

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- In fact, His voice has been described a couple of times here. In verse ten it was described as what?

- John says, "I heard a voice and it sounded like a trumpet," like a call to battle. And now, he’s taking about a voice that was like “the sound of many waters."

You see, when the trumpet sounds in battle, armies come to attention. And, when Rome’s enemies heard the trumpets sound, they knew they may not walk away from that battle alive.

- Well, His voice echoed that same kind of power & authority. - But His voice reflected more than His power over human

armies… but His authority over creation itself. - Those whom John was writing to all lived close to the

Mediterranean Sea. They’ve all heard the sounds of gale force winds…

- they knew the deafening, frightening sounds of the Sea. And yet, His voice was like the “sound of many waters.”

Then, in verse 16, we read that, "He held seven stars in His right hand and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth."

- Now, John explains in verse 20 that the seven stars represent the angels that sit in authority over the seven churches of Asia He’s writing this letter to.

- But what you see is that He holds these magnificent angels in His right hand of authority.

When it comes to the sharp two-edged sword, understand that John isn’t suggesting that when we see Jesus there will be a blade sticking out between his lips.

- I mean, when we talk of somebody “shooting off at their mouth,” we don’t really believe that there is an AK-47 shooting massive rounds of bullets from their mouths… right?

- Let me ask you… in John’s day, what would you say the image of a sword conveyed? Strength and power, right?

Ultimately the sword was the means of exercising authority and power. Whoever held the sword wielded the power… they were in charge.

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- This is important… because as we come and adore and worship the newborn Savior, you have to ask ourselves

- whose words will you allow to carry weight or have power in your life?

- For the churches John is writing to, they will need to decide whose voice they will listen to… the voice of Rome and its Emperor… or the Sovereign, Eternal God.

He’s challenging them as he’s challenging you this morning… will you respond to the trumpet blast of his voice?

- Your boss says something negative to you, and you find yourself becoming bitter. What if your job is at stake? Does your boss hold the sword?

- Or someone you love really hurts you… they put you down. Whose opinion of you will you embrace? His voice… or theirs?

- Whose words have authority in your life? Who carries the sword?

What John is saying in this powerful picture here is that, “In Jesus we have someone who has power and authority to back up what he says?”

- This was as true in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, as it is here in the last book of the Bible.

- In creation, the Bible says, "And God spoke, and it was so." - God says to the sun, "Rise," and the sun rises because God

carries the sword. There is power in God’s word.

That power, that authority was not seen again on earth until Jesus was in a boat with his disciples and there was a storm.

- And what did Jesus do? He spoke. He just looked out at that sea and he said, "Be still," and it did.

- "And his disciples were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?’"

Here me on this, guys… Finally, in Jesus Christ, we have someone whose word is absolutely authoritative… someone whose word reigns over creation.

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- It reigns over history. It reigns over rulers. And that means you do not allow anybody else’s words to wield a sword over you.

- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:3, "But with me it’s a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court."

- Paul says, "There is no sword in your mouth. A little toothpick maybe, just a small thing, no sword."

Do you put yourself under the authority of Jesus and his word? Because if you do, you’re just aligning yourself with all of creation… just like the sun to whom God says, "Rise," and it rises.

- Just like the storm to whom God says, "Be still," and it does. - John says in this marvelous image, "Finally, someone who

speaks with ultimate power and authority. Because He holds the sword, then I will submit my life to His voice. Just say the word, ask what you want of me, Lord…”

Now all parents know that kids have two kinds of voices… and parents will talk to their kids about when to use which kind of voice.

- Anybody know what the two kinds of voices are? An inside voice and an outside voice!

- And what does every parent like the best? The inside voice! No parent ever encourages their child to use an outside voice... even when they’re outside!

Well, God has an inside voice. He can whisper, like the “still small voice” that he used to speak to Elijah.

- But God has also got an outside voice, and he knows when to use it. One day everybody will hear it.

- To those persecuted under Rome’s heavy gavel… God is saying, “With just a thought Rome and her Emperors would be crushed… Hear My voice… I wield the two-edged sword… Trust ME!”

There’s a wonderful phrase. Look back at Revelation 1:5 now. John talks about Jesus Christ, "Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead."

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- The idea there is that He is the initiator of the resurrection that all His followers will one day experience… He paved the way… by defeating man’s ultimate enemies, death, sin, and Satan.

- He paved the way… and then became the first to be resurrected. The first to be resurrected of a long line of resurrected folks.

- "Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead." And then this awesome statement… “And the ruler of the kings of the earth."

Countless Emperors, Kings, and Presidents have made their mark on history… but He is the ruler of them all.

- We saw in Exodus how the Pharaoh attempted to stand up against God… in a moment, his armies were crushed.

- You see, there is no one like our God. We read Jesus’ words in verse 8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come.’”

- But then He adds this… "the Almighty One." - It was a powerful word because it was a word claimed by the

Caesar as they demanded their people’s worship.

Caesar thought he was the Almighty, but John says, "There is one who is the ruler of the kings of the earth."

- Think of all the movers and shakers and opinion molders in the world today… Jesus is ruler over them all whether they know it or not.

- He is ruler over Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Kim Jong-un of North Korea .

- He rules over ISIS, Al Queda, the Taliban, Hamas and Hezbollah. Do you believe that?

He rules over Xi Jinpin of China and the Saudi Crown Prince. He rules over the Presidents and the Fed Chairman and the Speakers of the House.

- They may not know it yet, but the day is coming… maybe today, maybe tomorrow…

- But the day is coming when every knee shall bow… even the most proud and stubborn knee –

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- And every tongue shall confess, even the most silent and stubborn tongue,

- that Jesus Christ, that the Savior born in that lowly manger 2000 years ago, is in fact, Lord of lords and the Ruler of the kings of the earth.

But understand that this means that He also rules over you and me. So, let me ask you. Are you wholly submitted to His authority & rule?

- Is there any area where you’re holding out? - As we reflect on these things through this Advent season, are

there any areas of your life you’re not willing to give up? - Any dark closets in the home of your heart that shut out to

him?

We’ve looked at today the very beginnings of God’s revelation to John… and we’ve begun to see just how much Jesus is at the center of things.

- We looked at Him at the Son of Man, the Ancient of Days with hair white as wool.

- We’ve seen Him as the Righteous One whose eyes are like refining flames… whose feet are like purified Bronze reminding us that He is our sure foundation.

- We’ve been reminded of the power and authority of His voice… that He is the Ultimate wielder of Power in the Universe…

- That He holds the sword… that He is the Ruler of the kings and kingdoms of this world.

You see, that very One… that Sovereign, Eternal Ancient of Days… is right here with us this morning.

- And so, the question I want to leave you this morning is, “how will you respond?”

- Will you listen to His voice in your life? Are there areas of your life that you have not given over to Him?

If you’re struggling right now in your life, will you turn to Him and ask Him for His wisdom?

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- Having you been living life on a foundation other than Him? He is the ruler of the kings of the earth… have you given your life entirely to Him?

- Let’s give this Christmas season to this pursuit, of surrendering to the One who sits on the Throne.

When the angel of God invited John into that Heavenly scene, the first thing He saw was a Lamb… a lamb who was slain for us.

- You see, our faith isn’t about the sacrifices we make… but the ultimate sacrifice we trust in and embrace.

- It’s not about our performance… but the perfection of His love and humility.

I mean, who would do what our Savior has done? Who would have a throne and voluntarily leave it? Who would wear a crown and freely throw it away?

- Who would humble himself like that? You see, the One they’re worshipping on that throne is the One who left his throne for a cradle & a Cross… who gave up his crown for a crown of thorns.

- He left His throne… He left His crown… for you… and me… to be our Emmanuel.

O Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant; O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him!

It’s the love & goodness & power of Jesus, “Born that happy morning”… that when we have eyes to see…

- Will cause anyone who truly sees it to fall at his feet out of sheer delight and humility at who this God is.

- It’s no surprise what John wrote in verses 17 & 18… “When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave!’”

- What else can we do but join in with the angels, "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and

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power…. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

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