Well, let's take our Bible and go to the book of Revelation, please, chapter number 1. Many of you have been so gracious and kind to ask me about my ministry. And we do have a few leftover brochures. If you'd like to pick one up, I believe they're at the welcome desk. Feel free to get one of those. And I believe that tonight in the service, we'll show a video that I've had professionally done here just in the last month. I finally have gotten it. And it tells a little bit about my ministry. And so I think Lord willing, we'll show that this evening. And I do covet your prayers. and thank you for your interest and your encouragement to me as I travel around the nation. Well we come to Revelation chapter number 1 and we're going to read verses 17 and 18. Do you mind to stand with me please out of respect for the reading of the Word of God this morning? In chapter number 1, verse number 17, we're going to use a lot of Bible this morning. I'm going to ask you to turn a few places with me. I'm going to quote a bunch of scripture today, but I believe you'll be helped, all of us will be helped from the message Lord willing. Verse 17, and John the Apostle is writing here. It says, 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. Father, I pray that you'll add your blessing now to the reading of the Word of God. Lord, we thank you for all of the opportunities that we've had thus far just since Wednesday to open your Word and break the bread of life. Lord, I pray that you'll bless now this Sunday morning service. Lord, may it not just be another Sunday, although Sundays are very, very special. It's the Lord's day. It's your day. And I'm glad that we are able to be here together. Thank you for those maybe visiting or guests with us today from around this region. Lord, if they're seeking a church home, may they feel a very sweet spirit here in the spirit of the Lord. and Lord, may they be fed today from your word. Lord, I pray if there's somebody here today that does not know you as their Lord and Savior, that today would be that red letter day of their life where they would receive Christ. Lord, I pray for the Christian today that you'll help us to realize that we have one named Jesus Christ to whom we can look. Lord, I pray the message today would focus our attention firmly on him. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. The title of my sermon is actually a follow-up question to the statement that the Apostle John makes in Revelation 1 and verse number 17. Notice again the first five words of verse 17, and when I saw him. The title of my message this morning is a question based off of that statement that John made. And when I saw him, my question to you, my question even to me this morning as I preach is, and how do you see him? And how do you see him? In verse number 9, the Bible tells us that John the apostle was exiled on the Isle of Patmos for his faith in and love for the Lord Jesus. We notice in verse number 10 that he makes a statement, look at it, I was in the Spirit. On the Lord's Day. Let me just stop right there. The Lord's Day is Sunday. And we are in church today on a Sunday. Praise the Lord for that. Sunday is God's Day. Sunday is the first day of the week. Obviously, we understand the Sabbath day in the Old Testament and the significance it had for the nation of Israel and for the Jewish people. But Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week, and we celebrate His resurrection not just on Easter. How many of you were here on Easter just a few weeks ago, the Resurrection Sunday? Well, I'm going to preach a little bit about the resurrection today. Is it okay that we talk about the resurrected Savior on another day other than Easter? Come on now. because it's Sunday and it is the Lord's Day. And John said, I was in the Spirit. Can I ask you a question this morning? Are you in the Spirit on the Lord's Day? Or did you just show up alone? Did you just show up because it's Sunday? Well, it's just my routine. It's just kind of a part of my schedule. And so I'm going to come to church. Hey, if you come to church that way, you're going to miss a great blessing because you need to be in the Spirit On the Lord's day, we used to sing a song at my first church years ago in the state of Ohio, and it was a song that I heard in Bible college, and often the choir would open up for Brother Hiles there at First Baptist in Hammond. They often would open up with a song that said, there's something different in the air, it's Sunday. My heart is freed from its care on Sunday. I can hardly wait to be in church with folks who care for me, hallelujah, amen, it's Sunday. And today is Sunday and we are here celebrating the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. But as the title of our book this morning here suggests, John saw a revelation. Look at the first page of your Bible there. We read verses 17 and 18. But you'll see at the very top, probably there's a title. Revelation. You see, there is a revealing in the book of Revelation of many things. John was allowed to see a lot or be revealed or have revealed to him a lot of things. We know in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, John was allowed to see the seven churches. We're going to preach about that this morning, but boy, what great doctrinal truth there and great practical application even to the church age that we are living in today. I believe that church of Laodicea that pictures our age. John was allowed to see that. John was allowed to see the throne room of God the Father. He was allowed to see the 24 elders. the four horses that begin the tribulation period, the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, the various angels that come to open the seals and the bowls and the trumpet judgments, and obviously all of this is yet still to come. We understand it was a revelation of future events, of end-time events. We often theologically call it eschatology. John was allowed to see all of these things. He got a glimpse of the Antichrist and the false prophet. In chapter 12, in verse number 9, he saw a glimpse of the dragon, that old serpent called the devil and Satan. And all of these things, he got a glimpse of the heavens that are to come and the glories of heaven that we are going to be able to enjoy for all of eternity. John got a glimpse of all of that. But I submit to you that the book was not primarily about any of those other characters, but rather, as Revelation 1 and verse 1 says, look at verse 1-1, the revelation of, next two words church, Jesus Christ. I submit to you that it's not a revelation of who the Antichrist is. Now I know you'd probably have peaked interest if I got up here and said, today I'm going to prophesy to you who the Antichrist is. He's living today and he's living in this country. You know, I'd be a false prophet and a heretic if I said that. If I were to get up and to say, Well, because we had a solar eclipse a few days ago, it just means that Jesus Christ is coming on this and that day. No man knows the day nor the hour. We understand that. But may I say to you, there is something that revelation opens up to us wide and for all to see, and that is a revelation of who Jesus Christ is. The revelation, it wasn't a revelation of the false prophet. It wasn't a revelation of the Antichrist. It was a revelation of Jesus Christ. Notice in chapter one, verse number five, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. My friends, that's none other than the mediator, the advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on an old rugged cross. John said, that's who I want you to see this morning. I'm asking you a question, and who do you see? And how do you see Him? Look at chapter 1, verse number 7. And every, look at the next phrase, every eye shall see him. And they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him, even so, amen. Can I just remind you please that the last time that the disciples had seen Jesus was, well, this time many, many decades ago, this was probably written about 1895, but they were looking up into heaven. Remember as Jesus ascended back to the heavens and Jesus's last words were, As you have seen me go up into heaven, so I will come again." That's what he said in John 14, right? Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place, I will, what? Come again and receive you unto my... That's what we're seeing in Revelation chapter number one. John is being... It's being opened up to John. And he's sharing it with us that there's gonna come a day where Jesus is coming back on the clouds. He says in verse number eight, I am Alpha and Omega. That means he's always been here and he'll always be here. The beginning and the ending. Notice, if you will, in verse number 12 and 13, there is then a vision of Jesus in verse 12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. And that's a picture of the local church. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, look at it, one like unto the who church, the son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot and a gird about the paps with a golden girdle, and on and on and on, the revelation of Jesus Christ that John is allowed to see. And that brings us to our text in verse 17. And he said, and when I saw him, and when I saw him, Now this morning we're going to talk about Jesus Christ and all of His splendor and all of His glory, but that is not always how we have been allowed to see Him. If you remember in Luke chapter number 2, verse number 7, we first saw a little baby that was born. Luke 2, 7 says, and she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. He was seen as a little Jewish baby boy. In Mark 13 and verse number 55, there were some that looked at Jesus and asked the question, is this not just the carpenter's son? in Philippians in chapter number 2 and verse number 7, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. You want to flip over to Hebrews, just back just a couple of books from where you are in Revelation. Look at Hebrews 2 and verse number 9. Now we're going to see Jesus in all of his glory in just a moment, but that's not always how he's been seen. In fact, the world would look at him only as a little baby. The world will look at him as only a Jewish carpenter's son. Some would see him as just a good man or a prophet that came and died on a cross. Notice with me in Hebrews 2 in verse number 9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, and crowned with glory and honor, but that He, by the grace of God... Notice this phrase. ...should taste death for every man. Skip over to verse 14. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself took part of the same. Folks, do you understand? Yes, He was God. He was all God. But He laid aside the robes of glory to take on the flesh of humanity. Now, the Bible says, yet without sin. He didn't have a sinful nature. And that's what set Him apart. But my friends, Jesus Christ was a man. He took on the form of a man. He hungered, and he had to sleep, and he sorrowed, and Jesus wept. And there's that human side of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. And sometimes that's all that people see. Notice the Bible goes on to say in verse number 16 of Hebrews 2, He took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Notice in chapter number four of Hebrews, please, and verse number 15. We'll do a little Bible study here at the beginning of the message. For we have not an high priest which cannot be, here it is, touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. And then I go back to the book of Isaiah, chapter number 53, and if you want to see Jesus in a very human way, the prophet Isaiah, as he's prophesying of what Jesus, the Messiah, would do when he came, we read these words. He had no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men. I'm reading from Isaiah 53 in verse number 3 now. He's despised and rejected of men. And may I say to you, that's how the world sees Him this morning as well. Hey, the unsaved, they see Him as one to be rejected, not one to be believed. He's just another religious leader. He is just one that came on the scene for a short period of time, but no need to listen to Him. He came and He went just as others. The world rejects Him. Even some of His own rejected Him, right? He came unto His own and His what? His own received Him not. Look, the world views Jesus sometimes as one to be rejected and despised. A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from Him. He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs. He's carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him. Stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Verse 5, He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And on and on and on, Isaiah 53 goes. leading all the way to the death on the old rugged cross that he would suffer for every man. And I'm certain, as you turn back to Revelation 1 with me, and I'm certain that as the devil and all of his imps out of hell watch Jesus Christ hang on an old rugged cross and breathe his last breath before he said, it is finished, and he gave up the ghost, I'm certain that Satan, was applauding in hell saying, I've killed him. Oh, he had so many things to say about who he was. He's God, he's just died. What God dies. I'm certain that all of those that looked on the Savior as he hung on that old rugged cross that there were those that said, now He is gone. But I bring you back to our text in Revelation chapter number 1, and I ask you what it is that John was able to see. Oh yes, there are times when we have to see Jesus in His humanity, but this morning I'd like to transition in the message for us to see Jesus in His divinity. Notice in Revelation 1 in verse number 17 again. And when I saw him, I felt that his face is dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last. Read verse 18 with me, church. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive. forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death. I submit to you friends that the resurrection of Jesus Christ made all the difference in how Jesus Christ now should be seen. Oh, you may look at him as a little baby boy. You may look at him as a Jewish carpenter. The world may look at him as despised and rejected of men. But my friend, who Jesus really is, is the one that ever liveth to make intercession for us." He said, I've always been, I'm the first, I will always be, I am the last. In the Greek language, I am alpha and I am omega, I am the beginning and I am the end. The cross could not take my life, for my life has always been, in fact, Jesus could say, I am life. Isn't that what John 14, 6 says? Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the what, church? The life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. I want you to see him this morning, the resurrected Savior, and it makes all the difference in how he is now seen. Do a quick Bible study with me to go back to Luke chapter number 2. Now, I read it for you a moment ago, and I want to show you these, so I want you to follow me real quick. Brother Townsley just said you all been learning about where all these Bible books are. All right So you ought to be able to get there quickly, right Luke chapter number 2 in verse number 7 Oh, yeah, we saw him as a little baby And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger but can I just ask you to read a little farther with me in verse 9 and Luke 2 9 and lo the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid this is speaking of the shepherds out of the fields right verse 10 and the angel said unto them fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people read verse 11 church for unto you is born this day in the city of David a At what church? A what? A? Talk to me church. A what? A? This was not a little baby. This was the Savior of all mankind. Don't tell me that God wasn't telling us who that little baby was. The world sees him as a baby. I see him, I choose to see him as the Savior of all mankind. Talking about that story and Christmas, go back to Matthew chapter number one. You see, we're just, we're taking all the holidays in this message. We're talking about Easter, we're talking about Christmas, and we're mashing them all together. How many of you know that all of them are as relevant on every single Sunday morning as can be? Because it's all about the Savior. Look at Matthew chapter 1, verse 23. I'm sorry, 21. Matthew 1, verse 21. And she shall bring forth a son. And thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, behold, a virgin. Hey, my friends, there ain't never been, that's bad English, sorry. There has never been any other baby boy born of a virgin other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And that makes him the virgin born son of God without any, influence of sinful human blood. You understand the bloodline comes down through the Father. Joseph was not the earthly father of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost is the one that came over Mary and overshadowed her. He was born of the Spirit and that made him the virgin-born Son of God. And the Bible says, as we keep reading, verse 23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name, what is it church? Immanuel, which being interpreted is, ready? God with... Hey, that was more than just a little Jewish baby boy that was being born in Bethlehem. Come on now. It was the very Son of God. He was God incarnate. So the world can look at him as a little baby, but I choose to see him as Immanuel, God with us. Go to Philippians chapter number two. Again, all I'm doing is I'm taking you back to where we read earlier, and then I want you to keep reading. I want to show you how we should be seeing Jesus. Look at Philippians 2, verse number 7. I read it a moment ago. You may not have turned with me. How many of you are completely lost this morning? You're over in Hezekiah somewhere, right? You're trying to say, where in the world is he going? Philippians 2 and verse number 7. but made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, verse 8, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Now see, that's where I stopped reading. See, that's how the world sees him. He was just a Jewish prophet that they put on a cross, They chose Him over Barabbas. Remember that? Even Pilate said, I find no fault. Just take Him and do what you're going to do. That's how the world saw Him. Wherefore, verse 9, look at it, church. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Friends, let the atheists say what they may. Let the agnostics claim that there is no God. Let the communists and the worldly people say that Jesus is just a myth, that He's no better than a fable out of some storybook somewhere. But my friend, that One that hung on that cross was the very God of eternity, and He has a name that's above every name. And I promise you, those that are defiling Him now will one day bow a knee and they will say, I humble myself to the very God of creation. That's how I choose to see Him this morning. How about you? John said, and when I saw Him, I'm not just seeing a man, a baby. I'm not just seeing a man. I am seeing the very Son of God. Let's go to one more, Hebrews chapter number two. We were just there a moment ago. You should have just put a little marker in there, right? So you can find it. Hebrews chapter number two. We read from verse number nine. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. Yes, I know that's what chapter 2 says. We read chapter 14. He took part of flesh and blood. He was part of the same. He suffered death. He was of the seed of Abraham. But I'm going to ask you to go to Hebrews 1. Can I remind you how the book of Hebrews begins about who Jesus was? Look at verse 1 of Hebrews 1. God, that's a good way to start any Bible book, amen? God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. I love that. Whom He, and that's not my sermon, but His Son was Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ was called the Word, right? The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. May I say to you this morning, this is how we're supposed to see Him. He is the very living Word of God this morning. And he said, in these last days, he is going to speak to us. His words are going to be to us through his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Now watch verse three. Who being the brightness of his glory. Now, who is the who going back to? Who is the his going back to? The antecedent of that word is talking about the first word of Hebrews 1.1, God. God's seed. We're speaking of God's son. It's speaking of God's brightness. It's the express image of God in the flesh. Look, do you understand how many times did Jesus say to the disciples, when you've seen me, you've seen my father? Is that right? You know why? Because Hebrews 1 says he was the express image of his father. He looked just like his dad. The older I get, my dad and I are looking much more and more alike. I don't like that because he's 78 years old, amen? And I'm looking a little older, you know, and getting the creased around the eyes where he has them and all of that. But you know why I look like my dad? Because he's got his DNA in me. Do you know why Jesus looked like the Father? Because they were one in the same. Amen. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. It's the doctrine of the Trinity. They're not just three, they are one. They're three in one. And the Bible here says that he was the express image of the person of God. He was upholding, keep reading verse three, he was upholding all things by the word of his power. Hey, you do understand that Jesus was there at creation, right? John chapter number one tells us this again. The same was in the beginning was the Word, capital W-O-R-D. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. So what that means is that God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, remember when the Spirit moved across the face of the waters, remember that? Genesis chapter one and verse number two. I'm just trying to tell you this morning that Jesus was not a standalone Messiah. He was the very Son of God, He was the one that was upholding all things by the word of His power. Verse 3, and when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty, that's a capital M there. Is that in your King James Bible, a capital M? Majesty has to do with royalty, kingship. Look, my friends, yes, you can say that Jesus was just a man and that they killed him on the old rugged cross. No, my friend, by his resurrection, he proved that he was the very son of God. He was majesty on high, being so much better than the angels as he hath by, what's that next word there? Inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they. And so I just want to say to you this morning that the world may look at Jesus a lot of different ways, but I choose this morning, as we come back to Revelation chapter number one, I choose this morning to look at Him in all of his glory. So can I just give you three words that begin with the letter R this morning that I would like to close with and say, here's how I believe we need to see Jesus. Number one, we need to see Jesus. And I remember the title of the message was, and how do you see him? How do you choose to see him this morning? Number one, I choose to see him in his realness, in his realness. One of the great songs that I love that we sing usually at the Easter season is a song that goes like this. I serve a risen Savior. He's in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer in just the time I need Him. He's always near. He lives. He lives. Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives. He lives. Salvation to impart. Now here's the best part. You ask me how I know He lives. Here's the real part. He lives. within my, my heart. Hey, he's real, friends. He's real. I think it was last year, Brother Lonnie sang at our conference on Saturday. It's real, it's real, oh, I know it's real. Praise God the doubts are settled, for I know I know it's real. Can I just say to you this morning, see him as a real savior this morning to you. He's not a figment of someone's imagination. He's not a story in a fable book somewhere. He wasn't just a good man or a good prophet. He was the very son of God. He was the Messiah, the only one that could give us life for our sins, the only one that could die on an old rugged cross, the only one whose blood could forgive our sins. He's real, and if you don't know him in a real way, get it settled before you leave this room this morning. I want you to see Jesus in his realness. Does he live within you? We started Wednesday night, right, with walking with God. How many of you are here Wednesday night, the message I preach, walking with God? You're only gonna walk with God if you believe that it's a real relationship. If you don't believe it's real, if you don't believe He's in your heart, if you don't believe that the Scriptures are there to tell us about Him and to lead us into a greater and more perfect understanding of who God is, then why would you waste your time reading the Word? But if He is real to you this morning, friends, you can't get by through life without reading His Word. without spending time in prayer, without being in church. And can I just add, every time the doors are open, you ought to be here every time you can. And I understand work and I understand things, but bless your heart, in this day and age, so much the more as you see the day approaching, if Jesus is as real to you as you say He is, then you ought to come to the place that can worship Him and corporate worship together to say, I want to learn more about this one who lives within my heart. Isn't it Paul that said in Philippians 3, verse number 10, that I may know him? That I may know him. And how did he say he wanted to know him? Do you know the rest of that verse? And in the power of his resurrection. Yeah. I'm just saying to you that I, like Paul, say I want to know him as well. I see in Revelation 1, let's get back to our text real quick. If I don't get back to my notes, we're never going to get this sermon done, all right? Every time I step over here, it adds about 30 seconds to two and a half minutes to the message, right? How many of y'all figured that out, right? All right. I've — this is so funny, I'm interim pastor — this has nothing to do with the message, all right? So we're going to take a time out. I need a break. I work hard up here when I preach, doc. That needs to be reflected in the love offering, all right? I'm just teasing. And the inheritance. We're still on that, right? What was I going to say? Oh, oh, oh. You all should be paying attention, all right? More. The church I'm entering right now in Illinois, I've just been there seven Sundays. And the young teenage boy that works up in the sound booth, Brother Bobby, you'll appreciate this. He said, man, I can't keep up with you on the live stream. So that's what I was talking about going from side to side here. We see him in his realness. Can I go back to our text, Revelation 1 and verse number 5? Would you look at it? And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Now notice this next phrase, unto him that loved us. Can I show you first the realness of his compassion? You know God loves you this morning. Do you know how I know God loves you? Because the Bible says, but God commendeth or showed or proved his love towards you in that, here's how he did it, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Isn't that a great way to show love? Can I just ask you to see Him in the realness of His compassion, that He has loved us? John 3, 16, for God so loved the world. We know that. How? That He gave His only begotten Son. The same apostle that wrote Revelation wrote 1 John, chapter number 4, and verse number 9 and 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us. because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us. And He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Can I ask you to see Him in the realness of His compassion, but secondly in the realness of His cleansing. What does the rest of the verse say in Revelation 1 verse 5? We stopped reading after the word unto Him that loved us. Now look at the end of verse 5. washed us from our sins in His own blood. Not only the realness of His compassion, but the realness of His cleansing. He washed us from our sins by His own blood. This morning, if you don't know Jesus as your Savior, please, in just a moment, when we have the piano, that first note of the invitation hymn, there's a place we call an altar up here. And these steps aren't sacred in that they're saving power here. But there is saving power in the gospel message of Jesus Christ that loved you enough that He died on a rugged cross for your sin and for my sin and for you to put your faith and trust in Him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. In just a moment, if you're not saved today, please see Jesus Christ in the realness of His compassion and His cleansing. I want you to see him in his royalty. We said first of all in his realness, secondly in his royalty. We spoke about his name, right, a little while ago. Look at Revelation 1 again and look with me at verse number 1. The revelation of who? Jesus Christ. Notice verse two. Who bear record of the word of God and of the testimony of who? Jesus Christ. I want you to notice in verse number five. And from who? Jesus Christ. And then we start learning about some names. He's the faithful witness. He's the first begotten of the dead. He's the prince of the kings of the earth, right? We see that. Notice in verse number eight. I am Alpha, capital A, and Omega, the beginning and the ending." That spoke of his eternality. If we were to skip over quickly to Revelation 19 and verse 16, I'll do it so you can find your place, all right? Verse 16, and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, and it's all in capitals here, King of Kings and Lord You see, the Pharisees may have called him Ken to be Elzebub, maybe Prince of the Devils, a false prophet, the son of a carpenter, only the babe of Bethlehem, but look at him now. John said, but when I see him, I see him as the very Son of God. I see him as the one who always has been here, who always will be here. He is God in the flesh. Would you look at his, not just his name, but his nature. Look at Revelation 1, You okay if we use all this scripture this morning? Everybody okay with that? Look at chapter number 1, verse 12. We just kind of glossed over this just a moment ago. I'm not going to take time to read 12 all the way down through verse 16, but as you're glancing through, let me just give you what my notes say here. John was watching And he saw Jesus Christ in this personified way. And he saw this vision, as it were, of what Jesus really looked like. The Bible says that he saw a garment to the foot. Oh, what completeness. He saw a golden girdle on his chest. Oh, what strength! He saw hair that was white like wool. Oh, what wisdom! He saw eyes as a flame of fire. Oh, what vision! He saw the voice of many waters. Oh, what a powerful, powerful name that speaks of the words of Scripture when he says that there was a mouth like a two-edged sword. The Bible says that his countenance was as the sun. Oh, what glory. I'm just trying to say to you this morning, John was seeing an allegorical picture, an illustrated picture of who Jesus is. And I ask you this morning, do you see Him in His wisdom, and in His strength, and in His might, and in His power? Maybe if we saw Jesus for who He was, we wouldn't try to do life alone. I need Him. Don't you need Him? I need Him when things are getting tough, when life is trotting me down. I'm so glad that I can know my Savior, not only in His realness, not only in His royalty, but lastly, in His resurrection. And we see that in Revelation 1. We come back to the text, verses 17 and 18. And here's the thing, church. When the pastor finally gets back to the text, you know the sermon's almost done, right? We've gone all over the Word, and we now come back to verses 17 and 18. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. Now let's just stop right there. I fell at his feet as dead. Wow, who is that? That's worship. That's humility. That's honor. Don't tell me, friends, that those who have lived how they want to live and do what they want to do will one day shake their fist in the face of God. No, there'll be a day where they'll stand before the great white throne judgment. Brother Boyle mentioned it in Sunday school in the book. and books will be opened. And if your name's not found in the Lamb's book of life, the Bible says they were cast into the lake of fire. How sad, because they haven't fallen before him as who he is today. Now, when they have a chance and an opportunity to be saved, an opportunity to humble themselves before the resurrected Savior. Let's keep reading, verse 17. And he laid his right hand upon me and said, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead." How many of you know that the word was is past tense? Come on now. Did he die on the rugged cross, yes or no? Was he dead for three days and three nights? Yeah. Dead, dead, dead, dead is midnight. But he came back alive on the first day of the week. That's what sets Christianity apart from every other religion, and every other ism, and every other belief, and every other doctrine, and every other hierarchical way of trying to earn a way to heaven. And Jesus said, look, I did it all for you. All you need to do is accept me as who I am. See me as the very Savior that loved you and gave himself for you. I was dead, but now I am alive forevermore. Can I just say to you, look at the empty tomb. And I love this, I read this somewhere recently. Someone said, the stone was rolled away, not so Jesus could get out, but so we could see in. I love that. He rolled that stone away so when they came on the first day of the week and they looked in they saw he's not here for he is risen as He said I'm asking you this morning to see him as the resurrected Savior He's supernatural. The Bible says he's alive Forevermore don't turn there. I told you I was gonna stay back in the text, right? Sorry one more verse John 11 remember the story of Lazarus and Verse 25, Jesus said unto her, talk to Martha here, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. And then there's a question that's asked, and I ask you the same question as we come to the close. Believest thou this? Jesus said, do you believe? Look, you've just seen Lazarus rise from the dead. Not on his own power, but on the power of who I am, Jesus said. I am God. I am able to just call His name. I heard a preacher say one time that when he said, Lazarus, come forth, he had to say Lazarus, because had he just said, come forth, everybody in that graveyard would have come forth. Amen. I don't know if that's good theology or that's really good preaching though, right? But he said, Lazarus, you were dead. I want you now to come and be alive forevermore. And can I just say to you, friends, yes, physical death may take us at some point if we are not living at the day of the rapture of the church, but death cannot hold you if you're a believer, for it's only the physical body that dies. In Christ, you have eternal life because you are an ever-living, never-dying soul. And if you know Jesus as your Savior, and the resurrection and the life has been known and accepted and believed in your life, then you, like Lazarus, can come back to life and live forevermore. Not only a supernatural resurrection, but then a superintending resurrection. We end with this. I've said that a couple of times, haven't I? Notice the last phrase of verse 18. You see, keys have to do with possession. I'm staying up in the Bain suite up here behind. I said that on Wednesday. Doc gave me a key. I have a key. It's locked right now. Stay out of my place. That's my stuff up there right now. Now tomorrow morning I'll move out and y'all can do what you want to with it, but right now I have the key. They've given me possession of that place. Keys entail that somebody owns it or can use it. It's under their jurisdiction, right? Jesus said he has the keys of death and hell. Have you ever thought about that? Who gets to open and close death and hell? None other than the resurrected Savior. He says, I have that power because I am God. And so this morning, as we close, we're coming and we see Him in His realness. We see Him in His royalty. We see Him in the resurrection. So just look at Him now, John said, and when I saw Him. May I ask you, how do you see him this morning? I hope today I've given you a glimpse, right, of who he really is. Maybe you have forgotten all those names that we spoke of, and we could give you 25 more, right? He's the lily of the valley, he's the rose of Sharon, and he's the bright in the morning star, and he's on and on, he's eternal, and he's the Godhead, and I mean, all of these things. Do you know him in a personal way? And this morning, if you do not, as soon as the invitation begins. And our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed. Listen, if you're a guest or you're visiting or you're, you're, you're, in your heart you're saying, man, I don't think I know Jesus in that way. I'd sure like to. Please don't be, don't be anxious or worried or nervous. We will not embarrass you in any way. But I promise you, the Holy Word of God right here has the answers to all of the questions you have about life and death and eternity. Let someone take the Bible and show you very quickly how you can put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Central Baptist Church doesn't save you. You don't come to me and I forgive your sins, or we go into a booth over here and you confess all those things, and I go tell you to do some, our Father, look, that's garbage. That's not found in the Word of God, friends. People can be sincere, but they can be sincerely wrong. The Bible way to salvation is only through the person that I preached about this morning, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. How do you see? Would you stand together please? Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. Father.