Vision Sunday Red Mountains Church Website GraphicRevelations1:9-20

It Means Sacrifice vv.9-11

  1. 9- John suffered for Christ. He was exiled to Patmos, which was a political prison 70 miles South West of Ephesus off the Asia Minor coast of the Aegean Sea. We get the picture here that we will suffer for Christ. Patmos is a 10 mile by 6 mile wide island. Danny Akin notes this about John’s suffering. “Christians will be attacked, exiled, slaughtered, and beheaded. Serving Christ will not be easy. It is costly! John’s reward for being such a faithful witness was imprisonment and being sent away to die alone. There was no health and wealth for this follower of Jesus.”
 

Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:12 “All those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

vv.10-11- John was called to serve Christ and His Church. Specifically to share this message, to encourage the seven churches. We are to serve the church! The local church and the universal Church of Christ.

Remember that sacrifice for Christ is both a privilege and purposeful.

Allow me to introduce these seven churches in verse 11.            

Ephesus- The Passionless Church (2:1-7)            

Smyrna- The Persecuted Church (2:8-11)            

Pergamum- The Tolerant Church (2:12-17)            

Thyatira- The Compromising Church (2:18-29)            

Sardis- The Dead Church (3:1-6)            

Philadelphia- The Missionary Church (3:7-13)            

Laodicea- The Arrogant Church (3:14-22)  

It Means Christ Has Supremacy vv.12-16

v.12- seven golden lampstands is explained in verse 20 as being the seven churches. Moses built a seven-branched lampstand for the tabernacle in Exod. 37. Zechariah had a vision of a seven-branched lampstand in Zech. 4:10. A great representation is that God’s light is to shine from these seven churches to a dark world. What is God’s vision for Oak Hill? It’s that we are to shine so brightly that His majesty, His supremacy, is seen everywhere! We are to shine in the Oak Hill community, Poplarville, Mississippi, and the ends of the earth! So the seven churches are to shine, we too are to shine. Individually and corporately we are to shine for Christ.
 

In His Supremacy we must revere Christ as Priest, Prophet, and King. We see a picture of this in the next few verses 13-16

v.13- The robe and gold sash means He is a priest. This was the attire of an OT priest in Ex. 28.

v.14- This represents wisdom, profound, all knowing. He is the prophet. Daniel 7:9 shares this same vision. “his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.”

v.15- bronze feet represents strength, power. Hebrews 10:13 “waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.” He is all powerful, He is King!

v.16- the right hand represents protection. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” sharp two-edged sword represents perfection. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The sword is mentioned six times displaying perfect judgment. His face was like the sun shining in full strength means that Jesus is worthy of all praise! He must have supremacy! It Means Only Christ Can Satisfy vv.17-20
 
v.17- Christ is the giver of Life, eternal life!
 
v.18- Christ has all authority over death and Hell.
 
v.19- Jesus is giving John instructions, the blueprint if you will for the seven churches, for the future of the Kingdom of God, and for the comfort of the people of God. Only Christ can satisfy. In the end, everything earthly valuable will be stripped away and what we’ve done with King Jesus will be the only thing that matters!
 
v.20- verse 20 gives us an introduction for instruction for the seven churches.