We gather together to celebrate Easter, and I understand that by and large, around the world, churches are gathering in numbers that perhaps they have not gathered in in more than a year. And even though We know we are celebrating a holiday and even though we gather together today and it's gorgeous in a celebratory tone, I hope that you are also aware that what we are celebrating is a cornerstone of our faith. And what we gather together around today is a theological declaration that Jesus Christ lives. And the fact that Jesus Christ lives shapes our every day. It dictates every relationship. It mandates our pursuit of holiness. And this morning, I wanna take you to perhaps what may seemingly be a strange starting point, but I'd like to encourage you to join me in the book of Revelation in chapter one. And I am well aware that the book of Revelation is the end of the Bible. I know that the book of Revelation tells us of the end times and that which is yet to be. But in Revelation chapter 1, we find Easter. We live in an increasingly confusing world. We live in a day where it is seemingly increasingly frightening. I think perhaps all of us have a desire deep down within us to know that someone is in charge. To know that someone is in control. Someone is authoritative. We're not the first generation to encounter questions like this. In fact, John's day was much like ours. Christians were being persecuted all over the world, and John, the beloved disciple, that was his nickname, who cared much about Jesus and was loved greatly by Jesus, has a vision, and it's the book of Revelation. Now from the onset, what we know to be true about the author of this book, John, is that he was compelled to follow Jesus, having grown up on the shores of Galilee fishing. He knew who Jesus was. He walked with Jesus. He heard His voice. He heard Him teach. He dined with Jesus. We even get to see John in the upper room, in Mark's Gospel account, leaning on Jesus, very close proximity, hearing as Jesus communicates the truth about the Holy Spirit, listening in as Jesus talks. We know that He was present as Jesus Christ was crucified. He was an eyewitness to His death and the agony and the cruel execution of the cross. We know that John grieved and mourned, as did the other disciples, and along with the eleven was in the upper room as Jesus Christ, who had conquered death and the grave, came in and exhorted and encouraged them in His post-resurrection body. We also know that John, the beloved disciple, was there on the mount as Jesus Christ ascended in plain sight and was received up into the clouds and heard from the angel to go and be about the work of Jesus Christ. And for decades now, John, who is an old man by the time he pins this vision, he has been faithful to God's call. Motivated by what he knew to be true about Jesus Christ, he has pursued, with reckless abandon, the fulfillment of the mandate of the Lord on his life. And he's paid dearly for it. Now, as an old man under Roman law, John has been exiled to the Isle of Patmos. He is living his days doing grueling labor under the harsh whip of a Roman taskmaster. And yet, while he is exiled out on this island, decades after having visibly seen Jesus Christ, having lived a faithful life, he has a vision, and his vision is the book of Revelation. And I want for just a moment this morning to share within here what he tells us about Jesus Christ. And I'll begin reading in verse 10. If you don't have your Bible, these verses are available here on the screen. John is speaking in verse 10 and he says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet. Now this is what it sounds like to John. This is as close as he can communicate to us what he experienced. A voice behind me like the blast of a trumpet said, 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." And then he tells us of those churches. It's Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. And he does in verse 12 exactly what I would have done, or what you would have done, had I not run from that voice. You want to see what's going on behind you. And in verse 12 he says, I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. 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 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 shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death." John is doing his best, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to communicate to us this scene. It is terrible in the sense that it is terror-inducing, so much so we see him fall down as though he were dead. He sees the Son of Man, that's a name for Jesus Christ. And John, the beloved disciple, who had walked with Jesus, and dined with Jesus, and fished with Jesus, knew who this was. John who had watched Him die, John who was eyewitness to His burial, and make no mistake about it, Jesus was dead. And he was placed in a tomb hewn out of a rock. There was no side exit, there was no back door. And a stone was rolled in front of that tomb that required some 20 men to move. It was sealed under the authority of the Roman government, and a Roman guard was placed there. And yet, quickened by the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ conquered death and the grave. John was there in the upper room as Jesus burst onto the scene and had to tell them, peace unto you, be of good cheer, don't be afraid, it's me. He was there as I referenced when Jesus ascended and now, decades later on the Isle of Patmos, as he turns to see, he notices one like unto the Son of Man, he sees Jesus. Now it's been decades, but he's not confused as to who this is. It's been a lifetime, but he is not perplexed. He says to us, I saw Jesus, but I saw Jesus like I've never seen Jesus before. And how he sees Jesus is how Jesus is now, having conquered the grave, majestic and regal and terrifying in the presence of his Father. What does John see? He tells us about his clothes, doesn't he? It says, when I turned I saw one like unto the Son of Man walking amongst seven golden candlesticks. Don't be too confused by all of the imagery. But he says, I noticed that he had a robe on down to his feet and he had a golden sash on. Immediately he's telling us in his vernacular and to his culture, I saw him and he was dressed like a royal. He was dressed like someone in regal clothing. And that gown which went all the way down to His feet, the very word that is used is most often used to describe one who is a high priest. And what He's telling us is, I saw Jesus, and as I saw Him, He was regal and majestic, and He was dressed like a high priest, and that backs what the Scripture tells us, doesn't it? The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest. The Bible tells us, using Easter words, that He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Can you imagine that even now, though centuries have passed since the dawn of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ has not forgotten His followers? The Lord Jesus Christ has not abandoned the bride, He has not forgotten the persecuted, but even now, He is our advocate before the Father. He prays for us by name, ceaselessly. Can you imagine the beauty of Jesus Christ praying your name before the Heavenly Father? He goes on, does John, and He says to us, I noticed that His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. As some people can identify with that in this life, I cannot. My hair is gorgeous. Why would He say to us, when I looked at Him, I noticed that His hair was white. It was like wool, it was like snow. That's all I can tell you. I believe what He's communicating to us is that the Lord Jesus Christ had a physical manifestation of His eternality. He was communicating to Him His age. It is something to be revered. And what He is telling us in this moment is, listen, There is no beginning nor is there any end to the Son of Man walking amongst these seven golden candlesticks. I saw Him dressed like a high priest, dressed like a royal, speaking of His eternality. And then He tells us, when I looked at His eyes, they were as a flame of fire. You can see Him. It's like they were a flame of fire. And I almost can sense within Him that's not doing it justice. Like a flame of fire, the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ can cut through our very being and see behind our masks and see behind the facade He perceives and He discerns. One old commentator said of Him, God not only sees men, He sees through them. That's a terrifying reality. As we see the Son of Man here in Revelation 1, and I don't want to snow you under, He's walking amongst seven golden candlesticks. That's not confusing, because later Jesus Himself will explain to John, these seven golden candlesticks are the churches. And I'm walking amongst them with eyes that can perceive, with a savvy that you cannot understand. Imagine in this moment as we are seated here. The Lord Jesus Christ, though unseen to us, walking up and down these aisles, in and out of these rooms, perceiving every thought, perceiving every motive, and perceiving every attitude, seeing through your mask, seeing behind the facade. It's no wonder to me that by the time we get to verse 17, John says, I fell down as dead before him. Jesus, as He is now, that's what John is telling us, is dressed like a royal. He is clearly a high priest. There is no doubt in John's mind that he can see Him, and he knows Him as He is. He is eternal in His age, and he tells us His feet were like undefined brass, which were at the moment in a furnace, glowing as they burned in ancient times. the king would be seated on his throne, and those below him would literally be at his feet, declaring his authority over them. In a day which is increasingly confusing, and increasingly frightening, when we wonder, is anyone in charge? John is telling us, see Jesus as seated on the throne, with everything under his feet. He says in verse 15, his voice was as the sound of many waters. I know that John said, when his back was turned and he began to speak, it was like the blast of a trumpet. And then John says, when I turned and I saw the Son of Man there amongst the seven golden candlesticks, his voice was like the sound of many waters. I don't know if you've ever been to Niagara Falls. I have been one time in my whole life. And I, meh, it's water. Going over an edge. All I'm saying is I don't know that I'm driving to the Canadian border in Western New York to see it. But if you ever happen to be there, see it. But I know they have a little boat there, the Maid of the Mist, which goes, you put on your poncho, and you ride out, and you get to the bottom side of the falls, and you're looking up at them. Now, I want you to imagine in your mind, with your lone voice, trying to shout down those mighty falls. Your puny voice cannot overpower the sound of the rushing water coming over those falls. And what is being communicated to us by John is in this moment. Imagine that one day when Christ speaks, a world which has attempted to silence the truth and mute the message will be powerless to shout down what He has to say. In fact, at the day of judgment, all the world will listen and they will be mute before Him. eternally accountable to Him. He goes on and He says He had in His right hand seven stars. He is sovereignly in control of all that is going on. He says, out of His mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword. Imagine the fact that Jesus Christ will render the enemy completely defeated, and all He has to do is speak the Word. When we reach the end of days and we are engaged in the battle of Armageddon, there won't be a fight to be had, for Jesus, who is truth, will be victorious with merely words. And John is assaulting our mind with this visual imagery to get us to see Jesus as He is. While he is concluding, he says to us, his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. When I looked at him, his countenance was like the sun at high noon. I am not a scientist." That's breaking news to many because you perceive me as incredibly intelligent in all ways. Solomon-like even. I'm not. But I read. And everything that I read, I believe. Regardless of where I read it. I read this, that the sun radiates four million tons of heat a second. And what John is telling us is, by my best description, when I looked at his countenance, it was like I was looking into the sun which was shining in its strength. And his reaction is to fall down as though he were dead before the Son of Man. Now that's not hard for me to understand. Because what he has just tried to tell us probably was an instant for him that he is desperately and passionately and fervently wanting us to come to grips with. This is Jesus as he is now. See him as he is. He is regal. He is the high priest. Know that He is eternal. He was first and last. He liveth and was dead and liveth forevermore. Grasp that He can see behind your mask. He can see through your facade. Grasp that He is sovereignly in control and no matter how much you try to silence or mute the message, you cannot overpower Him. Your voice is puny against His declarations of truth. Know that His face is like the sun that shines and you will have no choice but to bow down before Him. And that's so beautiful when we get to verse 17 after He falls down at His feet as dead. That the Son of Man comes out from amongst the golden candlestick and lays His right hand upon Him and says, fear not. And at this moment, we have to go back and infuse the humanity into this. Because John, the beloved disciple, though it has been decades, he's heard that voice say those words before. When he was in the midst of the raging storm on the sea and Jesus made it to where he was, he said, fear not, and immediately John was comforted. And what Jesus is saying in this moment, even though he is all royal and regal and majestic and terrible, He comes out and He says to John, John, it's still Me. It's Jesus. It's the same Jesus that called you from the shore of the sea to follow Me. It's the same Jesus who sat with you and dined. It's the same Jesus who talked with you in the upper room. It's the same Jesus who hung on that cross. It's the same Jesus who was placed in that tomb. It's the same Jesus that came out of that tomb. It's the same Jesus that ascended into heaven. It's Me. I'm the first and the last. I am he that liveth. Did you know that Jesus didn't say, I lived and was dead and now live forever. He said, it's me who liveth and always did. And was dead for three days. And now liveth forevermore having conquered death in the grave. And then Jesus says this, and I have the keys to death and hell. You ever lost your keys before? It's a frustrating ordeal, isn't it? I just noticed a lot of husbands look at wives. I don't know if that was a look of guilt or admission. It's frustrating to be locked out of your own home, to be locked out of your own car. And what Jesus says is unbelievably powerful. He says, I conquer death to such a degree that I have the keys. I have the keys to death. Death cannot hold you, I can unlock it. They cannot lock you in and they cannot lock you out. I have the keys. I am the ultimate authority. That's why I say to you, we pause to celebrate, and this may even be a season of holiday for people, but this is a cornerstone of our faith. It is a theological declaration that Jesus, who liveth, was dead, conquered death on Easter, rose again, liveth forevermore, and we've just glimpsed Him as He is at this moment. That's Jesus as He is now. That's Jesus as He stands glorified. And that changes everything. It changes how I see myself. That changes every relationship. That infuses me with passion to fulfill His calling on my life because this same Jesus is coming again. And I will be accountable to Him. And it is awe-inspiring to know that He is still the Jesus of compassion. You see, there is no hope of eternal life apart from Him. One author said this, God's revelation of Himself is rejected more often than it is accepted. It is dismissed by far more people than embrace it. It's been either attacked or ignored by every major culture or civilization in which it has ever been given witness. Whether that was magnificent Egypt, fierce Assyria, beautiful Babylon, artistic Greece, political Rome, enlightened France, Nazi Germany, Renaissance Italy, Marxist Russia, Maoist China, and pursuit of happiness, America. The community of God's people has survived in all of these cultures and civilizations, always as a minority, always marginal to the mainstream, never statistically significant. Because in our natural state, when confronted with the truth, we want it to be silenced and we want to reject it because we want our own way. Jesus himself said, I came into the world as light and man rejected me as light because they love their deeds and darkness hides the deeds that they do and I expose them. Yes, this is a day of celebration, but what exactly are we celebrating? The fact that because Jesus Christ conquered death in the grave, He holds the keys and offers to us eternal life. Thanks for listening this week to the Graceway Baptist Church podcast. For more information about our church and our ministries, head on over to our website at gracewaycharlotte.org. We are a church located in South Charlotte. We are growing and our ministries are doing big things for Christ. If you're looking for a way to get plugged into what we're doing, email us at info at gracewaycharlotte.org. Also, stay in the loop with everything happening by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Our handle is GracewayCharlotte. Thanks again for listening to the Graceway Charlotte Podcast. We'll see you next week.