as we sing our praises to him, as we hear his word, and also this morning as we celebrate communion. It is a joy, a privilege that the Lord has given to us to gather and to meet with him on this day. For a call to worship, we read from Psalm 8. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thine aim in all the earth, who has set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou might still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visit'st him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Let us worship our God. Let's lift up our hearts unto him as we come to him in worship, as we engage in covenant dialogue with our God. And so let's come before him Having heard his call to worship, let's come before him and respond in a moment of silent prayer. Please stand if you are able. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of what shall I be afraid? Congregation, receive his greeting. May grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is a faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Amen. Let us sing to our exalted God and King, number 87, number 87. All nations clap your hands, we'll sing all verses, and following this, I ask that you remain standing as we confess our faith together. O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, ♪ Of our mighty foes ♪ ♪ He gave us power to stand ♪ ♪ And as our heritage he chose ♪ ♪ The glory of his land ♪ ♪ With justice and a name ♪ ♪ The blistering cold ♪ ♪ Praise God, praise God ♪ ♪ His praises sing ♪ ♪ For God is Lord of all ♪ ♪ O sing joyous hymns ♪ ♪ And let history know ♪ our fathers now to all Congregation, it's our privilege to be to worship the Lord and to gather together as people united in the Lord Jesus Christ and faith together. It's a wonder of God's grace that he's not only redeemed us from our sins, he's not only put away our enmity with him, but that he also binds us together and brings us into, calls us into, and binds us in his church, in his body. And we are in the bonds of unity together with our Lord Jesus Christ. And so it's part of our communion with one another that we also then confess our faith together. Let us do so. May every time it be indeed part of, not the whole, but part of our communion in faith that we do talk about the Lord Jesus Christ with one another as well. We use the Apostles Creed. It's found on page 67 of the yellow doctrinal standard books in case you're not familiar with it. Congregation, what do you believe? I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, into heaven, and sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body. Let's sing together number 234. We'll sing the last two verses, number 7 and 8 of 234. Oh, praise God for He is good, and all the saints His love. Oh, give thanks to His love for all the saints His love. Oh, praise God for He is good. It's not normally my practice to give you songs with a high F early in the morning. I tried to avoid that, but I actually intended to sing number 231 initially, and somehow I mistyped it. And then last night I thought, well, we'll just sing the last two verses, but I didn't think of the fact that there's such high notes. It is our privilege, as I mentioned earlier, to celebrate the Lord's table today, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. And this is a sacrament in which the Lord commands us, calls us as church to remember Him, to remember the work that He has done for us, the work that was necessary because of our sins, reminds us, as we read last time in the forum, how serious our sin is against God, that it's an offense against Him, that leaves us guilty before Him, liable to condemnation to eternal death as a punishment of that sin. And that our God is so gracious and loving and merciful that He did not leave us in that, but that He has given to us the gospel of salvation, which is the proclamation of Jesus Christ. And what He has done, His Holy Son, who has come to do all His will for us, to deliver us, to redeem us from our sins, and He has gone to the cross for us. And so that if we believe in Him, If we believe in him, we have life in him. And so the sacrament of the Lord's Table is a sacrament that has been given to his church and in which members of his church, we come together, those professing faith in him, maturity of faith, it's implied in the language of communion, even that word itself, communion. It's something that we do, we participate in. It requires maturity of faith. It's different than baptism, which is administered to us, which is given to us, where God says, He lays that upon us. This is in which He calls us to come before Him. And it's all language of faith. We are to examine ourselves. There's a maturity of faith involved in that. That's why Children, it's step-by-step. At this point, you're learning, you're growing in your faith, you've received baptism, and now, as you grow in your understanding, you're coming closer and closer to the time that we hope and pray that you also then make profession of faith, having learned about the doctrines of Jesus Christ, of salvation, of his church. You have maturity of faith at that point, Say, I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe and have fellowship with believers here in terms of understanding and believing all that we hold together in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it is, we're gonna be reading doctrinal standard books on the form. The second half of it beginning at 79, page 79. But in order that we then guard the table, because the command is that those who do not examine themselves and discern the body rightly, that those who do not do so and participate, that they extend, they make even greater their condemnation. And the fact also that we see that that discipline of us, of our members, involves also withholding from the fellowship of the church and certainly also then communion. We tie it together. We see a necessity to tie that together with church membership. We ask those who are visiting with us who have these things are true of them and you've received permission from the elders, you come and And otherwise we ask that you just observe and recognize that, again, it's step by step. It's not being, you can also in your heart participate as you observe these things and know that indeed these things are true for you too who believe. And that there's no holding salvation apart from you in this. We're going to read halfway down page 79 in the form for the Lord's Supper. And let's think about these words as it summarizes Scripture for us. Let us now also consider to what end, to what purpose the Lord has instituted His Supper, namely that we should do it in remembrance of Him. Now after this manner are we to remember Him by it, First of all, let us be fully persuaded in our hearts that our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the promises made to the forefathers in the Old Testament, was sent, the Father, into this world, that he assumed our flesh and blood, that he is born for us, he's carried for us the wrath of God, under which we should have perished everlastingly from the beginning of his incarnation to the end of his life upon earth. and has fulfilled for us all obedience and righteousness of the divine law, especially when the weight of our sins and the wrath of God pressed out of him the bloody sweat in the garden, where he was bound that we might be loose from our sins, that afterwards he suffered innumerable reproaches, that we might never be confounded, that he was innocently condemned to death, that we might be acquitted at the judgment seat of God. Yes, that he suffered his blessed body to be nailed to the cross, that he might fasten to it the bond written in ordinances that was against us. And so has taken the curse from us upon himself, that he might fill us with his blessing, and has humbled himself unto the very deepest reproach and anguish of hell and body and soul on the tree of the cross, when he cried out with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That we might be accepted of God, and never more be forsaken of him. Finally, as confirmed with his death and shedding of his blood, the new and eternal testament, the covenant of grace and of reconciliation, when he said, it is finished. that we might firmly believe that we belong to this covenant of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ, in his last supper, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. Like Manoril, after supper, he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink it, all of you. This cup is a new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you and for many unto remission of sins. This you do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. That is, as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you shall thereby, as by sure remembrance and pledge, be admonished and assured of this my hearty love and faithfulness towards you, whereas otherwise you should have suffered eternal death. I give my body and death on the tree of the cross and shed my blood for you. and nourish and refresh your hungry and thirsty souls with my crucified body, and shed blood to everlasting life, as certainly as this bread is broken before your eyes, and this cup is given to you, and you eat and drink with your mouth in remembrance of me. From this institution of the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see that he directs our faith and trust to his perfect sacrifice, once offered on the cross, as to the only ground and foundation of our salvation, whereby he has become to our hungry and thirsty souls a true food and drink of life eternal. For by his death he has taken away the cause of our eternal death and misery, namely sin, and obtained for us a life-giving spirit, that we, by that Spirit who dwells in Christ as in the head, and in us as his members, should have true communion with him, and be made partakers of all his riches of life eternal, righteousness, and glory. Besides, by the same Spirit we are also united as members of one body in true brotherly love, as the holy apostle says, seeing that we who are many are one bread, one body, for we all partake of the one bread. For as out of many grains one meal is ground and one bread baked, and out of many berries pressed together one wine flows and is mixed together, so shall we all, who by true faith are incorporated in Christ, be all together, one body, through brotherly love, for Christ our dear Saviour's sake, who was before so exceedingly loved us, and show this towards one another, not only in words but also in deeds. May the almighty, merciful God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ help us in this through His Holy Spirit. Amen. Let's come before Heavenly Father in prayer. Let's pray. Glorious God, Holy Father, we come into your courts today through Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our High Priest, We are, Father, needy children. We have acknowledged, Father, we have sinned against you this past week. We have sinned against you this morning. We are encumbered by the struggles with the flesh. It's not just a matter of necessary improvement, but it is that death clings to us. Father, we come because You have called us by Your grace. We come because of Your work of grace within us. We thank You, Father, that Our identity is such in the Lord Jesus Christ that we are not simply sinners. Rather, we are saints in Jesus Christ. Those who have been made holy, washed by Christ's blood, justified, and being sanctified. Father, we thank you that you regard us in your Son. We thank you, Father, that you have placed us in him from eternity, and you have determined things for us that were far above what we could even imagine. Our heart would be separated from you in alienation and enmity towards you. Yet your heart was filled with love towards us. Father, we thank you that in the Lord Jesus Christ, all these things are true, that all the promises that you declared to your people in the Old Testament, that these are yes and amen. That you have given to us the Holy Spirit as a seal upon these promises. You have administered them to our hearts that we might have assurance of faith. We might not doubt your covenant of grace that you have made with us. That this salvation is true. As just as true as the sins that we have committed against you. That this is reality for believers. This is not merely a dream, or figment of our imagination, or some writings that someone thought up long ago. This is not merely a groping in the dark, but this is a sure word of God. A word in the flesh was dwelt among us, and they beheld His glory. O Father, We praise you that you have done this and given this to us, that all these purposes in the Lord Jesus Christ have ripened in your time and are ripening. And Father, we thank you. We may be here this morning then to receive from your hand as needy children, The things of your grace. Forgive us for our sins that we have done against you, we pray. Cleanse us from all iniquity. Work in us by your spear, we pray. Strengthen our communion in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our bonds of love and fellowship with one another. Strengthen us in our walk with you, we pray. Grant to us that we might love you more, that we might embrace your word more, that we might walk the road of prayer and devotion that our Lord Jesus Christ has shown to us in the groanings and supplications that he gave with loud sighings unceasingly. praying before you, to you, that we might receive manifold blessings from you. Father, you are blessing us, even beyond what we ask, even beyond what we pray for. and continually we stand in your grace. Father, we thank you and we worship you. We bless your name. There is no other name that is higher, more beautiful, more glorious than you. Draw us away, we pray, from the things of this world, our focus, our hearts' delight, and that it might be placed in you today. Let our hearts be restored as we worship you. Father, we pray that you would build your church through your word and through your sacraments. So bless your word as it comes to us. May it fall upon our hearts. May we receive it with joy, the joy of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the exaltation of your Son, Jesus Christ, before us. Show us your Son, we pray. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Let us sing together as we continue to worship our God, the triune God. Let us sing hymn number 336. 336, how bright appears a morning star with mercy beaming from afar. We'll stand, we'll sing the three verses. With the morning sun, with the singing from afar, the host of them rejoices. The Son of Man, the Son of God, with you we'll lift our voices. Jesus, Jesus, holy, holy, yet most holy, God of heroes. ♪ May the Lamb of God let me rise ♪ ♪ O say can you see, by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ The whole creation said and told, Thy highest fear I will never know, As to the very nature. Jesus, grant us through thy merit to inherit thy salvation. Hear, O hear our supplication. ♪ Rejoice, ye heav'ns, our earthly pride ♪ ♪ In praise, ye saviors, fill the sky ♪ ♪ For this great infirmation ♪ ♪ We cry with a good-for-thy pride ♪ Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, praise ye given, evermore my earth and heaven. Amen. We're going to continue to look with you at Revelation chapter 1. Before we turn there and to our text there, which we will read, I want to first read with you Daniel chapter 10. Daniel chapter 10. Daniel's in the second of the minor prophets. So after Ezekiel and then Hosea and Daniel. Hope I got that right. I don't always. What we're gonna see in Revelation chapter one is the revelation. the appearance of and a vision of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, behind and before John, Apostle John. There's a similar appearance of the Son of Man. He's not identified here as a Son of Man, but we know he's a Son of Man from his appearance in chapter 7 in Daniel's vision. And similar here to what John sees, and the description of him is so similar. And so that's a good backdrop for Revelation 1. Daniel chapter 10, This is the holy, inspired Word of God. Let us give it the necessary reverence. In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The thing was true, the time appointed was long, and he understood the thing and had an understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hadekau. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, a certain man, clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphas. His body also was like the barrel, and his face also the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet in colored, polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men that were with me saw not the vision, but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision. And there remained no strength in me, for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the voice of his words, and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. And behold, a hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright, for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. And he said unto me, Fear not, Daniel. For from the first day that thou did set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. For the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days, but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days, for yet the vision is for many days. When he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said unto him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the visions my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? For as for me, straightway there remains no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. And there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not, peace be upon thee, be strong, yes, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, let my Lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia. And when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come unto Greece, shall come. But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth. And there is none that holds with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Turn with you to our text, Revelation chapter 1 verses 9 through 17. I'll read verses 9 through 20 to the end of the chapter. I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, who is in the isle, island, that is called Patmos, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the spear on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, or seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps, about the chest, with a golden girdle, His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like undefined brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. 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 shines in its strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. He laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Right? The things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. The mystery of the seven stars, which I saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands, which I saw, are the seven churches. Our text is verses 9 to verse 17, to the beginning of that. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Boys and girls, sometimes, perhaps when your daddy's leaving for work, or he's leaving on a trip, and you all gather by the front window to wave him off with Mom, He might put up a chair for the youngest one among you, the toddler, so he can climb up and pull himself up and see out the window as well and wave. Or sometimes when you're gathered around the table and you've eaten your food and it comes time for devotions, for reading the Bible and for praying together. At the little one who was a little bit anxious during the meal, he's out and about running around and going under the table. And as you begin devotions, he comes over and daddy pulls him up or mommy pulls him up and puts him or her on her lap. And so he or she can see what's going on, be part of, as much as they can understand, amazing how much they can, be part of the reading, of God's Word there. And that way they are lifted up to participate in this together and to see what's going on, to be part of it. In the worship of God, there's a sense which we as children of our Father are also lifted up, as it were, on his knees. We're lifted up in the Spirit to behold the things that God has for us in heaven. As we commune together, as we talk together with our Heavenly Father. That, in a sense, is what worship is. That's part of the reality of worship. We lift up our souls to talk, to commune, and to worship the Lord. Psalm 86 and Psalm 143, the psalm is Christ to the Lord. And in both those psalms, he says these words, for I lift up my soul to you. In both, he's asking the Lord to intercede. He describes his experience as suffering and distresses in those passages. And he lifts up his soul. The lifting of the soul is a turning to the Lord and coming before him in prayer, in supplication, coming before him and talking to him and expecting to hear from the Lord as well. lifting up our soul to God. It's not just in supplication because of distress, it's in all of our worship. John Calvin noted that the sacrament of communion is more about us being in heaven than it is Christ being here on earth. It's more about our souls being raised to Christ in faith and by his spirit and being satisfied with the grace of our heavenly Lord than Christ coming down here in a fleshly, carnal manner. We are, as Apostle Paul says, we're lifted up in Jesus Christ. We're ascended with him into the heavenly. He's speaking now. Now. We'd have set our eyes and our hearts on things above where Christ is. God lifts us up from the things of this world to behold them. And what a marvelous thing that is as we pray to him, as we hear his word to us. We're gathered in the Lord Jesus Christ, gathered as it were before his throne. Are we then lifting up our souls to the Lord in song and prayer and as we hear his word? Indeed, we are being lifted up if we engage in faith. It passes before us. John does not simply lift up his soul, but he is lifted up, as it were, in the Spirit to behold Christ on the Lord's day. It's a first mention of that expression in that way in the New Testament, on the Lord's day. Not the day of the Lord, but the Lord's day. And what does he see? As he's lifted up and we read this and the Spirit brings it to us, we also are being lifted up to behold the things that he saw as well. What did he see? What's described here? What does it mean to us? The Lord reveals himself to John here, that we, that he might see and that we might see that he is sovereign, that he's glorious in his sovereignty, and he's able to deliver his church and destroy the wicked, so that we might have complete faith in him. Let's follow along. Listen closely. First, we see the word for the church. Following the Apostle John's greeting in verses 1 through 7, and then the Lord's declaration of himself, Alpha and the Omega, the first, the one who is and was, is to come. John then introduces himself in verse 9. Who is he? This introduction brings before us a truth that Christ speaks to us in our context of suffering and reigning as believers. This introduction brings before us a truth that Christ speaks to us in our context of suffering and reigning as believers. John introduces himself in a very warm way. as our brother, as a brother and a companion. As their brother and companion. He doesn't just introduce himself as pastor, as reverend, or as any other title, but as their brother. He's with them. And companion, or Better translation is what the ESV has, fellow partaker. Fellow partaker. It's not just being a friend. But it's partaking of something together. And what is he partaking with them of? The three things he mentions here. Three things, all these three things that fellow partaker, those words go with these, partaking with them of these things. First, the tribulation of Jesus Christ. Second, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And third, the patience, or endurance, or steadfastness of Jesus Christ. There's a communion that he has with them in all these things. First of all, he communes with them, he's a fellow partaker in the tribulation of Jesus Christ. He is united, we are united with Christ in his sufferings. There's a union that we have, that we participate, not in sufferings as they are toning sufferings, not in that sense. But in the type of sufferings, in terms of the experience of them, not the full degree. But as Christ was hated by the world, so they hate us. There's a persecution that we experience in this world. And John was with them in this. It comes upon both sheep and the shepherds. In fact, true shepherds, perhaps even more so at times. John goes on to say that he is on the island of Patmos on account of the Word of God and for the testimony or the witness of Jesus Christ. He's there because he's been ministering the Word of God. He's been preaching the things that are true, the things that are for the well-being of the world, the good news of Jesus Christ. And here He is suffering. He is hated for it. He witnesses of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and everyone who believes in Him shall be saved. And here He is. He's been put on a boat and brought to an island to be separated from the congregations and the peoples that He's loved and served faithfully. Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God, said the apostles. This was under Emperor Domitian. One might remember alongside of him many other pastors, the pastors of the great ejection. And also another pastor, a different time, that of Samuel Rutherford, Scottish minister who by Bishop Sidsurf was banished from his congregation of Aberdeen. He went off to Anwarth, was not allowed to go back to Aberdeen. And in Anwarth, his soul continually found comfort. looking to what he called our mother dear Jerusalem, looking to Jesus Christ and to the heavenlies and to God's purposes and Jesus Christ gathering us together in him. He says, oh, how sweet to be holy Christ and holy in Christ, to dwell in Emmanuel's high and blessed land. And this he considered in stark contrasts of this earth. What do we hear but sin and suffer, he said. That's a reality in this life. Sin, struggle with sin, and suffering. We are united to Christ in his suffering. as we look to Him in faith. There's a communion that we have in that suffering. It's good that we pray together and hear the burdens of one another that we're dealing with and bring these before the Lord. It's part of our fellowship together in Him. But with those tribulations is a partaking of the kingdom. Not just a partaking of these tribulations, but partaking of something more glorious, something that transcends it all, of the kingdom. And partaking does not just mean receiving it, but it means a participation in it, a participation now in that kingdom. They are now fellow partakers of this kingdom. Remember that in John's greeting, he said that he has made us kings and priests to God. And so this is a kingdom of kings, of us, of princes and princesses in Jesus Christ. We reign and we conquer with Christ. And so there's these two realities, these two dimensions of our reality. while being persecuted here, while being subdued, while being exiled, while being censored, while being hated, being counted the off-scouring of the world by kings and princes and governors and governments. At the same time, before Christ and in Christ, in the King of Kings, We partake in a kingdom. We partake of His glories. We receive His word. We are in a fellowship in Christ, being united to Him by faith. We are reunited to Him in His exultation. So that the Spirit, which is His, in which He's received and given the authority to send, because He's ascended to heaven, fulfilled the will of God, and He's at the right hand of God, that He sends, we receive, we are blessed by the Spirit and His gifts. And with Christ, then, and with the Spirit, we reign, we fight against sin, we subdue sin. And we spread the gospel against which no man or kingdom and no persecution can stop or stand. We participate. We partake of the tribulations. We partake of the kingdom. We're partakers also then of the endurance of Christ. There's a progression in Christ's reign. Remember in Psalm 110, the writer of Hebrews elaborates on this again and again. He says, he will put all things under his feet. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 talks about that too. And the last enemy is death, which he will put under his feet. There's a process there. There's progress there. And so that means there's a duration of time. And Christ perseveres to the end. He bides his time. He waits for the right time, for the fullness of that victory to come. But always in the meantime, he's moving towards it, victory after victory. And we participate in the endurance of Christ, in the steadfastness of Christ. We are united to him. We are made one with this Christ who is moving all things. In the song we sing, Onward Christian Soldiers, like a mighty army moves the church of God. It moves with the risen, ascended and victorious Lord Jesus Christ. And so you are called. and you are made able to endure faithfully through these tribulations. Your feet moves in this world, your hands move in this world while your head, your soul is already in the kingdom as it were of the Lord Jesus Christ. You're called to endure faithfully through these challenges, through the sufferings that come. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill your soul. That soul belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's part of the kingdom of Christ. So Christ's message then comes in the context of John and the seven churches and us, in the real, living, earthly context of us, suffering and yet reigning as those in Christ. As a heavenly context, as an earthly context. We participating in the kingdom, we participating in tribulations. And our Lord Jesus Christ here then identifies himself as he speaks to John He identifies himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the infinite, the unchanging, the ever-living one, the one who transcends all these things, that transcends our tribulations and mortality. He is one with the Father and the Spirit and the singular being of God, and he speaks to his church. This is the Word of God that John receives here. What you see, write in a book, send it to the seven churches that are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. So what John will see and hear It is the word of God. And it's the word of God not just to him, but to the church, to us. He's called to write it down. God would have his word to be inscripturated for all ages, because it is his inspired and sufficient word, which we may not add to or take away from. It's made clear that this is his word to his church by the fact that John is to write it and send it to these seven churches. You see, this is God's word to both particular churches, individual churches, and also his whole church. Some have interpreted these seven churches as being seven ages of the church. There may be some symbolic aspect. There is one aspect. We'll look at it just shortly. And it's in the fact that there are seven churches, looking at it now, seven churches, seven lampstands, which represented the church of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, remember, in the children in the tabernacle, there was a lampstand on the table. in the first court of the, in the holy place, not the most holy place of the tent of meeting, but in the holy place. There was a showbread and there was a lampstand. And lampstand had seven branches, seven lamps on it. And that seven, seven churches here, seven stars, seven angels, seven ministers, seven represents fullness. Yet, John begins his letter in verse four, greeting the seven churches which are in Asia. These are seven cities that existed at that time, seven churches of that time. And each letter to them in the next couple chapters involves details, contains details of what they were experiencing. So these are written to seven historical churches. They refer individually to seven churches in seven cities. But as a whole, as seven lamps before God, it says here, they are representative of his universal church. These words are to be applied to the church in every age. And so Christ is speaking to his church here and giving his word to her. And that word is precious to be received because it comes from one who is God overall, who speaks to his church in her suffering, in her context here in this world. And so that speaks to you, to you. This is God's word to you. Is it precious to you? You read it with expectation and with delight. Secondly, the description of the speaker. The one who speaks John hears this voice behind him as he's in this vision in the spirit. And this voice, it says, comes as a trumpet. The trumpet announces with authority and great volume, it's blown before kings, right? And so John turns to see the voice that spoke. Mine's one of the way that John writes it, the way that he recorded Mary Magdalene stooping in the tomb as she wept and talking to angels and then she turns and sees Jesus. And when he says to her, Mary, she says, my Lord. She recognizes him, his voice, not his appearance, because this is his resurrected glory. But she recognizes a voice, my Lord, as she turns. And so here John himself, he has heard the voice, and he turns. And he sees not just the Lord in his resurrected glory, but he sees the Lord in his ascended glory. And he sees there also seven golden lampstands. Seven golden lampstands, right? We just mentioned that the seven lamps, the tabernacle of furniture. And the tabernacle there was to give light within the tabernacle. It represented the light of truth shining from God through his church to the world. Christ says in verse 20, these are the seven churches. So even though at this time Around 80, 90, Commander Titus had destroyed the temple and taken that lampstand of the tabernacle to Rome, where it was later used in worship to one of their false gods. There, before God's throne, was the true golden lampstand, his church. And there is Christ in the midst of her. Christ in the midst of her. That language is reminiscent of the high priest in the Old Testament in Exodus after the tabernacle is set up. And Aaron, the high priest, goes into the tabernacle and he lights the lamps. And in Leviticus 24, it's commanded that the priest would be there in the tabernacle. by the lamps to light them, to keep them well-trimmed, to fuel them. And here is Jesus Christ, the great exalted High Priest, in the midst of His church. He ministers to you. And how does He do so? Well, as the High Priest would minister in the tabernacle there. And before that perhaps, at some point anyways, there'd be the atonement. There'd be the offering there, the work of the high priest as a lamb is slaughtered, as he takes the blood into the courts. That here he also is, it doesn't necessarily mean the same day. There's no command for that. But he keeps these lamps burning. And our Lord Jesus Christ, having done and completed His work here on earth, bringing the sacrifice of atonement for our sins, as our high priest, He's ascended before God into the most holy place. And from His throne, He intercedes for us. And he is among the lampstand. He is ministering to his church. He is keeping his church burning, upholding her, keeping her trim, giving the fuel, pouring out his spirit within the church, ministering to her out of the fullness of himself and out of the fullness of his work. He upholds you. And so you must look to him. You must trust in him. You must not be discouraged in tribulations, but instead look to Jesus Christ who ministers to you. He's the king of the kingdom, but he's also your high priest who is upholding you, ministering in spiritual things for you. Now when John turns and sees this one, he does not simply, and looks to him, he doesn't simply just see a visual painting. But what he sees, he gives to us, rather I should say, he doesn't give to us a visual painting, he gives to us words. Words. And we need to leave them as words. But He describes for us what He sees, one like the Son of Man. You see, you can't capture even that. It's too much for John. But also what John is relating to us here, the whole expression is repeated in Daniel, but what he's relating to us here I think also is the fact that he now sees our Lord Jesus Christ in his ascended glory, his ascended, exalted glory. John has never seen him like this before. This one is indeed like as a son of man that's described in Daniel. This must be him, he's saying. Yeah, he uses those words from Daniel 7, verse 13. Similar words, certainly a similar description in chapter 10. And there it's clear it's of the Messiah, the anointed one. And the son of man in Daniel 7 comes to the ancient of days and he is given dominion and glory and an everlasting kingdom and all nations shall serve him. Remember that when Christ used this title, before the Sanhedrin, before the council. And they said, are you, testify if you're the son of God. And he says, he sees the son of man, speaking of himself. They understood. They understood exactly what he meant. That he was making himself indeed equal with God. Son of God, man. It's the same meaning in that sense of Son of God. Here in John's vision we see that this Messiah is in his glory. There's a majestic glory that is awesome. It's too much for the eye. It would have terror for those who do not submit to him. He's adorned with a royal garment. There's a golden band around his chest, head and hair, white as wool and snow, eyes like flames of fire, feet shining as brass, and a voice that sounds so full and powerful as that of many waters, waves crashing on Patmos's shores. In his right hand, he holds the seven stars. Think of that. And out of his mouth, a sharp two-edged sword. The word of the king is as a sword, and it goes forth with power. It executes exactly what he sends it to do. and his countenance was as the sun shining in its full strength. You can't look at it. It's too much for the eye. It'll burn up your eyes. You remember King Ahasuerus asking Haman the question, what shall be done for the man in whom the king delights to honor? Here is the Lord Jesus Christ, who has gone as a mighty hero, who has done the will of God, which no one else could answer or say, send me, I will do it. He said, I go to do your will, O God. What shall be done for this one? This is Christ in his mediatorial glory. He has undergone the furnace of God's wrath. He has undergone the fires of hellish agony. He has carried your sin before a holy God, and he has experienced the wretched death of the cross, the cursed death of the cross. He has gone to the belly of the earth in his body for you. in obedience to the will of God. He has performed it. Here He is as God indeed, but here He is also in the glory that the Father has heaped upon His Son, because indeed He is worthy of it all. What shall be done? I think John sees as much as an eye would be able to see. God has given him a name, a highly exalted one, the name of he has been made Lord of all. He's not a baby in a manger anymore. He's not simply a mild-mannered man, although he's tender and gracious to his people, but he's also a mighty king for whom the radiance of his glory remains a comfort for believers in their tribulation. He will deliver He is able to deliver. He is more glorious than anything else. He surpasses all. He cannot be manipulated. And He then is a terror for those who will not obey. He will not be sidelined, detoured, resisted, or manipulated. Every person shall stand before Him and give account. He shall judge. And everyone who puts their trust in Him will not be ashamed. Will not be ashamed. He is the Lord of glory. Well, just quickly, what's John's response to this? It's not a performance. He falls as though dead, and it seems to be parallel to Daniel's, who lost strength before the almighty King of Kings. The unmistakable awareness of who this one is, takes over the person who stands before him. Awe and terror and shame for the unbeliever. And awe, reverence and worship, adoration for the believer. John falls before him. There's an emptying of self before the majestic glory of God. We'll see next time, there's not the destruction of the believer. but rather God sustains in comfort, in life, and in blessing because of His grace. We fall in worship before Him, but not in terror. So it really brings us back to what we read in Psalm 8, the beginning of this passage. Who are we as you take notice of us, O God? What is man that you should visit us, being so great, so awesome, and so glorious? But He's gracious, and we need not fear. He takes away our sins. Rather, we lift up our souls to behold this heavenly and almighty Prince. We don't do so in our own strength. It is the spirit working within us that lifts us up so that we can see, we can participate in these heavenly glorious things. We can be before our Lord Jesus Christ and see him with the eye of faith and receive from him the forgiveness of our sins. Receive from him his spirit and his gifts to us. How good he is. Even as he stands over us, indeed not just even, indeed in his glory and his majesty. To know that he's so majestic a king, yet he loves you. He loved you and gave himself for you. And he's preparing a place now for you. Praise God. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you, O Lord, that you reveal to us in your word our risen and glorious and ascended and exalted Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you, Heavenly Father, that while we are here on earth, you have not kept the curtains closed of heaven so that we can see nothing or know nothing of what is before us. We thank you, Father, that you are concerned for our spirits. You are concerned lest we might be discouraged. And so you send your spirit to us. And so you grant to us your word. So you open the curtains. So you lift us up that we might see that our faith might not fail. For, Lord, how sweet is our faith. It's just the size of a mustard seed. Oh, Father, we pray. that you would continue then to show us these beautiful things of yourself and of your son, that we might rejoice, that our hearts might be full, that we might not doubt, and that we might even here go from glory to glory. Father, we pray that you'd open up our hearts to receive from you and to see the things of Jesus Christ as we now come to the table. We pray, Father, that through this sacrament, You may lay it upon our hearts and minister to our hearts by the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. You Christ might be present with us. We with you as we receive from you. The bread and the wine, your body and blood as a seal of your everlasting covenant with us. Bless this sacrament, we pray. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. To come to the table, The elders will lead you in that. We'll sing number 376 verses one and two, and then we'll sing the last two as we return to our seats. ♪ By sorrow our hearts desire ♪ ♪ Redemptions only spring ♪ ♪ Creator of the world, our God ♪ ♪ This Savior and His Son ♪ of God to set thy people free. I definitely have to pick a much longer hymn next time. That we may then be nourished with Christ's true heavenly bread. Let us not cling with our hearts unto the external bread and wine, but lift them up on high in heaven, where Christ Jesus is our advocate at the right hand of his heavenly Father. Not doubting, but that we shall be nourished and refreshed in our souls with his body and blood through the working of the Holy Spirit. as truly as we receive the holy bread and drink in remembrance of him. The Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. Take, eat, remember, and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for complete remission of all our sins. In the same manner also, he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is a new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. take and drink and remember and believe that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for the complete remission of all our sins. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is a man who trusts in him. In Romans 8 we read, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Let's pray. O Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise, O God, that you are faithful, faithful to the covenant of grace, the promises that you spoke to our forefathers long ago. And Father, that you have confirmed these through our Lord Jesus Christ, the shedding of His blood, you have brought these into reality, fulfillment for us in Him, so that in Him, Father, we are righteous and holy and complete before you, perfected. And we thank you, Father, that we then may with joy take the cup of salvation, that we may with joy worship you, and we may with joy be sent by you into this world to fulfill the callings that you have given to us. May we be thankful. May we show love and grace to one another and to all. Keep us from sin, we pray. And we pray, Father, that you would bring us into the fullness of your kingdom, at the right time. We pray your blessing upon us and the rest of this day and in our worship and our fellowship, we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. As we return to our seats, we'll sing the last two verses, verses three and four, 376. Throughout the midst of tethered earths, the ransomed have met with thee. And now adorned by colors true, three glorious hopes awain. O Christ, we now our lasting joy, our ever grateful joy, Glory, glory, glory to glory in the Lord. Amen. Turn a few numbers back to 373. Beautiful Savior as we take up an offering at this time. And we'll stand for the last verse. ♪ Faithful Savior, King of creation ♪ ♪ Son of God and Son of man ♪ ♪ Truly I love Thee, truly I serve Thee ♪ Light of my soul, my joy, my crown. Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands, O'er the earth a blooming spring. Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, He makes our souls with spirit sing. ♪ There is the sunshine ♪ ♪ There is the moonlight ♪ ♪ Brighter sparkling stars align ♪ ♪ Jesus shines brighter ♪ and all the angels in the sky. Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of the Prince, Son of Man, glory and honor Doxology is verse 4 of 125. Go now with the Lord's blessing upon you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. ♪ For in Christ the Father was risen today ♪ ♪ His arm protects his people ♪ ♪ Through all his glory high ♪ ♪ For through thy holy father ♪ ♪ Thy awful glory shine ♪ ♪ How strengthens our people ♪ ♪ Come and give praise to thine ♪