We're turning in our Bibles to the book of Revelation, the chapter one, with the scriptures open before us. Let us bow together in a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the opportunity of gathering in this fashion. opening up thy word, crying unto thee for wisdom, that you would teach us from the Scriptures. Lord, we long that we might know thy will, and we pray for grace that we might perform thy will, and that we might be where thou would have us to be, and to do what thou would have us to do. We thank thee for the scriptures that we have been looking at. We have been reminded you're coming again. We thank you, Lord, that one day the trump of God shall sound and thou shalt come for thy children. To that day come, make us faithful, make us useful, and help us in all that we say and do to glorify thy name. For I ask this for thy sake. Amen. Amen. We're turning in our Bibles to the book of Revelation and to the chapter 1. If you were following the hymn that we were singing, then you already know what my text is going to be because it was referred to even in that hymn. It is the verse 16, Revelation chapter 1. And we're coming this morning to the verse 16. And we read, And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his string. In this last book of the Bible, we are brought to the island of Patmos. Although it was not surrounded by walls of steel, it being surrounded by the sea, it was the Alcatraz of the Roman Empire. The apostle John being imprisoned on his barren shore, he in the Lord's day heard a voice thundering behind him. He turning around, he saw seven golden candlesticks. Despite their beauty and their brilliance, they held his attention only for a moment, their light revealing one standing in their midst. His eyes were then drawn to him. his face was the sun shineth in his strength his feet were like fine brass and his hair was white as snow and in his hand he had seven stars and in verse 20 we're told that these seven stars are the angels plural of the seven churches The word angel here could equally be rendered messenger. For example, in Matthew chapter 11, the Lord describing John the Baptist, he using this same word, he said, behold, I send my messenger before thy face. And as such here in Revelation, he was not referring to a heavenly being, but rather he was referring to human beings. And in the following chapter, we find a letter being given to each of the seven angels or the seven messengers of the seven churches. In other words, each church had its own messenger, or it had its own minister, and they receiving a message from the Lord, it was then their job to take that message and to deliver it to that church. We find that by the angel or the minister Thyatira receiving that message, he then delivered it on to the congregation, and the same with Laodicea, and the same with Philadelphia. You see, God's plan for his church is very clear. For every church, he has a messenger or a minister. Indeed, Paul writing to Timothy, he said in 1 Timothy 5 verse 17, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine. The word doctrine there simply means to teach. In other words, he was indicating that the plan for the local church was not only to have ruling elders, but also to have a teaching elder, one whose job it was to teach the people from the word of God. Sometimes people say, where do you get the idea of one minister for my every church? Right here. Because there were seven churches and there were seven angels or seven ministers given to bring the message that God had had for them. God has a minister or a messenger for every church. I suppose even as a congregation that's encouraging for you, because while I will be retiring in a few weeks time, God has a messenger. God has an individual, my already set, to stand on this pulpit and to bring not his message, but to bring the message that God has given him to deliver to you. And of course, your job is to seek the mind of God. Your job is to come before God and to say, Lord, reveal, reveal that messenger, reveal that minister to me, and that he might stand here and be God's servant, delivering God's word. And as the minister is to be a star shining in the church, so believer you are to be a star shining in your home, shining in your district, shining in your place of work. And so I want this morning simply to draw your attention to these stars. I want you to notice firstly their splendor. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15 that while the glory of the stars is less than the moon and the sun, they still do possess a certain glory. And they brightening the darkened sky, notice here their beginning. Genesis chapter 1 we read, the Lord made the stars also. However, the theistic evolutionists argues that two different Hebrew words are used in that chapter. While one means to make something out of nothing, the other they argue, which is used in connection with the stars, means to make out of something. and as such they tell us that the stars that they evolved they evolved out of some type of material however the prophet speaking of the star in isaiah chapter 40 he uses the word that they tell us means to make out of nothing And as such in describing the minister or describing the believer as a star, he was reminding them he was a divine creation. They have been made not by the finger of man, but by the finger of God. You see as God's stars we have nothing to boast of. We are not the creation of our goodness, but we are the creation of God's grace. Indeed Jonah sinking down into the depths of the ocean. He finally began to pray and he lifting his voice and crying for deliverance. The great fish vomiting him out upon dry ground. He falling upon his knees and beginning to pray. He cried out in Jonah 2 in verse 9, salvation is of the Lord. And in that moment he acknowledged that his salvation from beginning until the end was of the Lord. You see salvation is not a human work, but it is a heavenly work. We were redeemed by the word and by the work of Christ. A sightseeing bus one day making its way through Washington. My, the driver was pointing out all the landmarks in the city. And as he passed the Pentagon, he mentioned that it cost millions and millions of dollars to build and it took a year and a half to complete. A wee woman sitting down at the back, she piped up, in my home state we could have built the same building for less and it would have been completed even sooner. They then passing the Justice Department, the driver pointing out that it had taken almost two years to build, and that was quite a record to build such a building in such a short time. But the wee woman still had something to say, and she jumping up out of her seat, she said, in my home state, we would have built it in half of that time. The driver by that stage was getting tired. They finally passing by the washing monument, the driver saying nothing. The wee woman jumped up of her seat and she shouted, what's that tall white building back there? The driver retorted, search me, it wasn't there yesterday. And you know, when it comes to our salvation, we have nothing to boast of. It was planned, purchased, provided, and performed by God. And one day, He will perfect it. And in perfecting us, He will present us righteous. before his father's throne. You see, believer, as we gather here this morning, we have nothing, we have absolutely nothing to boast of, but we have everything to be thankful for. And I urge you to take time. Take time to remember you are what you are by the grace of God. It's God who saved you. It's God who has made you what you are. It is God who gave you the strength to do that thing. And therefore, take time, take time to recognize his hand in your life and to give thanks to him. I think we also see here their brightness. John tells us in verse 16, and he had in his right hand seven stars. While the earth has a diameter of about 12,000 kilometers, Jupiter has a diameter of 147,000 kilometers, and Cyrus has a diameter of over two and a half million kilometers. At their very centre they burn at temperatures up to 15 million degrees Kelvin. And they being burning balls of fire, they, despite their vast difference from the earth, they still stand out. In fact, the darker the night becomes, the more visible the stars become. And in describing them as stars, he surely was reminding them that if their hearts were on fire, they would stand out in the midst of the darkness of this world. You see, if our hearts are on fire, we will, like the stars, not be secluded, but we will be shining. The whole world will see us. Indeed, speaking in the Sermon of the Mount, the Lord said in Matthew 5, verse 14, ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. The Jews, being terrified of the darkness, they always lit a lamp and left it at their front door. And as the light of that lamp shone out, so he was reminding them that if they were his, they would stand out. Indeed, the Jews, taking up stones to stone Stephen to death, were told that his face shone. He stood out. You see, when our hearts are burning, we will be bright. Rather than being invisible, we will be visible. We'll stand out in society. Oh, boy, one day coming to his dad, he said, dad, tell me this, how tall am I? His dad looked at him and he said, son, you're about four and a half feet high. He then looked at his dad and said, daddy, how tall was the Savior? He said, well, son, I don't really know how tall the Savior was, but I guess he was probably around six feet tall. The wee boy thought for a moment that dad could see the cog wheels turning in his mind and eventually turned to his dad and he said, dad, if I'm four and a half feet tall and Christ is six feet tall, does that not mean if he's living in me, he'll be sticking out? And I want to tell you, if Christ is in you, he will be sticking out. The darker the age becomes, the more visible he will be in your life. You see, you're a city set on a hill. And as a city set on a hill cannot be hid. So if you're walking with the Lord, If you're shining for the Lord, your heart's on fire, you're going to stand out. You're going to stand out. You see, believer, if you have to convince your workmates, if you have to convince those in your home that you're a Christian, there is something wrong. We're God's stars, and if our hearts are on fire, if we're burning for Christ, we'll stand out in the darkness, and the darker the day, my, the brighter. We will stand out for Christ. O believer, are you his star? Are you standing out for him? I think notice also their battles, he said in verse 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a two-edged sword. The reference here is to the large double-edged sword that David used to slay the mighty Goliath. In fact, he said in 1 Samuel 21 verse 9, there is none like it. And while these stars shone, it was by the sword which came out of his mouth that they would overcome his enemies. You see, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. It is by that word which comes out of his mouth that we overcome the world, the devil in the flesh. Indeed, Judah's faithfulness being like the morning dew, it quickly disappearing, the Lord said in Hosea chapter six and the verse five, therefore have I hewed them by the prophets. I have slain them by the words of my mouth and that judgment are as the light that goes forth. Here we find the stars, or we find the prophets going out to battle. How did they overcome? By the word that came out of Christ's mouth. While the star shines, it is a sword that smites. It is by the word of God that we overcome the hearts of man. You say, well preacher, but how can the Bible be effective in our age? If I was to go down the street tomorrow and ask people, what do you think of the Bible? The vast majority would say, well, it's just a book written by man. It's not God's word. And if they don't believe it's God's word, then how can God's word be a sword? How can God's word ever smite them? Suppose someone was to break into your house tonight to burgle your house, and might you meet them in the landing, and you have a gun, and might you, the gun is in your pocket, and you point the gun at him. The burglar might look at you and say, I don't believe, sir, that that is a gun in your pocket. But I want to tell you, it doesn't really matter what he believes, because you pull that trigger, and he's going to be air conditioned. He's going to fall. It doesn't matter if men believe the Bible is the Word of God. It is the Word of God. And if only we take the Word of God, it is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It's able to pierce their hearts. And it's able to bring them down. You see, our example is important to attract men. Our example is important in order to get their attention. But it's not our words. It's His word that smites the heart and that brings faith. Oh, you see, believer, we're God's star. God has put you to shine for Him. And I wonder, are you shining for Him? Not only their splendor, but I want you to notice their service. The stars not only decorate the heavens, but in the book of Job, we are told that Pleiades, a group of seven stars, have a sweet influence upon the earth. And as such as stars, surely he was telling them here that they were to be leading the sinner. John said, verse 16, and he had in his right hand seven stars. In the battle of Tell el-Keber in Egypt, Lord Woolsey was determined that he would attack the enemy from behind. And he wondering how he could ever get his men safely across the desert, a young naval officer stepped forward and he said, I shall pilot them by the stars. Again, it was the North Star that guided many of the American slaves from slavery into freedom. In the fullness of time, one of the stars, by descending down through the clouds, it led the wise man to the Savior. You see, in the old world, the stars were our satnav. And as stars, we are to be guides. We are to be leading people, not only by our conversation, but by our conduct to the Savior. Indeed, Paul explaining his life's ambition. He said in 1 Corinthians 9, verse 19, for though I be free from all man, Yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more. In verse 20 we discovered it was to gain the Jews. Verse 21, to gain those without the law. In other words, the Gentiles. And in verse 21, to gain the weak. You see, his desire was to lead men and women, whatever their background, whatever their baggage, to the Savior. And to that end, he gave up every right. As the stars influence the seasons and influence the seas, so we are to be influencing souls. We are to be leading them to the Savior. David Brenner, laboring among the Indians in the banks of the Delaware River, said, I care not where I live. or what hardship I go through, so that I can but gain souls to Christ. While I am asleep, I dream of these things. As soon as I awake, the first thing I think of is this great work. All my desire is the conversion of sinners. And as the stars led those wise men to the Savior, that's your job, child of God, is to lead men and women to the Savior. And I wonder today, if men and women and children were to follow you, where would you lead them? Where would you lead them? Would you lead them to the Savior? That's our job. We're to be leading them to Christ, not only my were they to be leading the sinner they were to be like the savior in number chapter 24 balaam prophesying concerning the savior's birth he said there in the verse 17 there shall come a star out of jacob and this lightning of the savior to a star is repeated again in the last book of the bible the book of revelation in chapter 22 He's called there the bright and morning star. And as such in describing these ministers or these individuals as stars, he was indicating they were to be like the Savior. You see, as well as talking Christ, we're to be walking Christ. We're to becoming more and more like him. Indeed, the apostle Paul lifting his pants, setting forth the whole purpose of redemption. He said in Romans 8, 29, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of a son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. The word conformed there simply means to be similar or to have the same form as another. In other words, they were to be coming every day more and more like the Savior. You see, as well as expressing Christ in our words, we're to be expressing Christ in our walk. We are to be like him. The hymn writer said, to be like Jesus, to be like Jesus. All I ask, to be like him. All through life's journey, from earth to glory, all I asked, to be like him. Thomas Watson taking up his pen, he wrote, the saints are walking pictures of God. That sums it up. That's your purpose. You are to be a picture of God. Has a child ever come into the house, or grandchild, and my, their chest stuck out, and they're really proud of themselves, and they say, here, Granny, or here, Mama, here's a picture. And you look at the picture, and you look at it, and you don't want to hurt them, you don't want to offend them, but you haven't got a clue what it is. And then you delicately draw out what it is. And my friend, the picture is no more like that thing or that person than the man on the moon. But I wonder, could that be said of you? Could that be said of me? That as the world looks upon us, they see no resemblance to Christ or to be like him. He is my, the star. out of, it came out of Jacob. He is the bright and morning star, and the stars in his hands were to be like him. Oh, that man listening to us, man watching us, they will see Christ. Also, I think they were to be lifting the saint. He said, and he had in his right hand seven stars, to the lost and weary traveler, caught in the darkness of the night, tossed to and fro in the raging waves, the star offering guidance as to the direction they should go. They brought comfort, comfort to the weary traveler. And the stars were not only to be lighting up the world, but were to be lifting up the weary, were to be bringing comfort to the hearts of those who were cast down. Indeed, Paul said, wherefore, comfort one another. Rather than being discouragers, We're to be encouragers. We're to be those who draw alongside our brother or our sister and who encourage them, who lift them up when they're in despair. That's our job. We're to be shining, bringing comfort to hearts. You're a star. You're a star. Now you're fulfilling your job. Lastly, I want you to notice their situation. They were in his hand, and notice here it is a confined position. He said, and he had in his right hand seven stars. They were in his right hand. In scripture, the right hand is the hand of his power. For example, it was by his right hand that the Lord drove back the waters of the Red Sea. Moses tells us that it was by his right hand that he had dashed in pieces the enemy. In other words, he was telling them here they were being held by omnipotent power. Christ's grasp upon his sins is not only solid, but it's strong. It can never be broken. Someone has rightly said, amongst God's stars, there are no fallen stars. And believer, at times we feel our weakness, but we're in his hand. We're being held by omnipotence. Why should we tremble? Why should we be afraid? Let the storms come. Let the darkness descend. We're held by his hand. held by his omnipotent power. Oh, that we would see his power. Never lose sight of that grasp. Not only a confined position, I think it was a controlled position. When we say a person is in the hand of so-and-so, we mean that that person is under their control. We mean that they're doing their bidding. In fact, we're told in Deuteronomy chapter 33 in the verse 2, from his right hand went a fiery law for them. And it was a law that was to guide them, to direct them. In other words, being in his hand, he was indicating that they were to be under his guidance. They were to be controlled by him. And being in his hand, were to be under his control, were to be guided by his law. The psalmist said in Psalm 119 and in the verse 1, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of God. And he reminded them that they were going to be blessed. They needed to be guided by the law of God. We're in his hand. That's truth. But practically, are you in his hand? Is he your guide? Are you being directed by him? Ah, but more than that, I think it was a celestial position. The stars are set in the heavens. And by this description, surely he was also reminding them that they were lifted up and that they were set in heavenly places. You see, believer, while we live in this world, this world is not our home. We're set in heavenly places. This world's not our home. We're set in heavenly places in Christ. The hymn writer said, I'm just a passing through. We're foreigners in a foreign land. And as such, we should not be living according to this world, but according to the world that is to come. What a joy to realize we're stars. We have purpose in life. We have a reason for living. and we're in his hand. We are hailed by his omnipotent hand. Oh, that we might see that and grasp that great truth and that you might shine in your small corner and that I might shine in mine. Believer, you're in his hand. The Lord said, I give unto them eternal life, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. And here's the wonderful truth of the gospel, that if you only repent of your sin and turn to Jesus Christ, he'll not only lift you out of the mire, but he'll put you in his hand. In fact, my friend, read those verses carefully, and you'll find you're held by a double grasp. You're in the Lord's hand, but you're also in the Father's hand, held by his hand. Are you in his hand this morning? Are you Christ? Do you belong to him? And if you are, are you shining? Are you shining for him? May God help us in our place to be his star, to reflect not ourselves, but to reflect his light. and to bring honor and glory to his name. Let's just bow together in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this time that we have been able to sit around thy word. We thank thee for the wonderful pictures in scripture. Lord, we rejoice that while you had to bend low to lift us out of the depths. You have set us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We rejoice we're held by thy power every day. And we thank thee that you will never let us go. Lord, if they're those, and if they're not saved, oh, that they might realize their pearl, and that they might run, run from self, run unto thee, and be saved this very day. Be with us in the closing moments of this service. Those who are unable to remain with us, take them to their homes safely. Then as we gather around the table, Lord, join with us. Make it a special time we ask of thee, for Jesus' sake. Amen.