Discerning the Times with Pastor Rusty
  • Home
  • Christian Education
  • Winning Your Children
  • Free Resources
  • Store
  • Comments or Questions

I Was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day

1/23/2023

0 Comments

 
Revelation 1:7-20

     As we shall see in a moment, John states the central thesis of the book in verse seven. The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven as he comes with clouds. At his unveiling, that is, at his revelation, every eye shall see him including those who pierced him.

     Zechariah the prophet speaks of this great day when Israel will “look upon me whom they have pierced.” At his revelation our Lord will deliver Israel from the great time of Jacob’s trouble and in that moment many in Israel will be overcome with personal repentance as they recognize Jesus is the Messiah.

     They will mourn for him with a broken heart as they realize the nation mistreated him. They will ask him of the wounds in his hands and Jesus will say to them I received these when I was wounded in the house of my friends.

   Israel’s bitterness of soul over how they treated their Messiah will fade into a song of salvation. Zephaniah the prophet says, “Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem . . . The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy . . . at that time I will undo all that afflict thee . . . at that time will I bring you again . . . for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.”

     Then John goes on to say “all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” My friends, the prospect of the Lord’s return, first for his church and later with his church and the hosts of heaven, fills our heart with joyful anticipation and is a wellspring of hope in our spirit.

     But not so for a lost world. When Christ returns in great power and glory many through-out the kindreds and nations of the earth shall wail because of him. In fact, they will say to the rocks and mountains, “fall on us and hide us from . . . the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

    May I ask you a question: are you among those praying “even so come Lord Jesus;” or are you among those who one day will bewail his coming?

     Please look now at Revelation 1:7=20:

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and 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.
 
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
 
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
 
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
 
11 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.
 
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
 
13 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.
 
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
 
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
 
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
 
17 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:
 
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
 
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
 
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
 
     You will notice in verse 10 the apostle tells us he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” While John was “in the Spirit,” the Lord told him to write in a book the things which he saw. John proceeded to write about the churches of his day, and then wrote of the things to come after the church age.

     Please take careful note that the content of this book, as with all the books of the Bible, did not first originate in the thinking of the writers. Rather, they wrote the words that were first God’s words. Scripture is literally “God-breathed.” All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16), that is, it originated with God. The Spirit of God then proceeded to carry along the writers as they wrote not “in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches” (1 Cor. 2:13).

     Do you believe our Savior told John to write a book that ended up as John’s best effort to tell us what he saw, or do you believe the Holy Spirit gave John the words to write so that what he saw “in the Spirit” was faithfully communicated in written form to the churches in words “which the Holy Ghost” gave him?

     Please understand the book of Revelation, along with the other 65 books of the Bible, came from the Spirit of God. He gave the words to the various writers. This is what we refer to as the verbal inspiration of the Bible.

     While the Bible has a human element in as much as God used men to give his word to the world, the words of the Bible did not originate with the human authors. They wrote as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit chose the words and gave those words through the human instruments.

     The Bible is not a natural book. It is a supernatural book. John the Revelator wrote what he saw while in the Spirit. The book of Revelation, as is the case with all the books of the Bible, is the Word of the living God!
 
     Now may I ask you another question: are you willing to listen to the Word of God?
 

Conclusion
 
     The glorified Christ whom John encountered in the Spirit told the apostle to write the things he saw in a book and to send that book to the churches. Of course, through the churches the book is given to the whole world.

     I am here today to warn you of things to come. The things John saw and wrote in this book are coming upon the world. Will you be ready?

   The Lord Jesus says in Luke’s gospel to watch and pray always, “that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

    The only way to escape the hour of great trial which shall come upon the world to test them that dwell upon the earth is to repent and believe the gospel. Only those who turn to the Lord Jesus Christ will be accounted worthy to escape the coming Day of the Lord as it unfolds upon the world.

   These words of Jesus quoted from Luke's gospel must be interpreted in the context of unfolding Bible prophecy. There is an event described in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 in which Jesus returns for his bride to receive his redeemed to himself (John 14:1-3).

     It is this event that will catch away living believers as they are translated that they should not see death. The dead in Christ (those absent from the body, but present with the Lord from the entire church age) will return with Christ and be clothed with their resurrected, glorified bodies. Then living believers at the time of this great event will be changed and caught up (raptured) to meet the Lord in the air.

   Those believers alive on the earth and raptured at the return of Christ for his church (his bride) will escape the things Jesus says will come upon those left behind. As we eventually march through the book of Revelation we shall come face to face with the details of what Jesus describes as the Great Tribulation, the most trying time the world will ever see.

     Will you escape these things? Are you ready?

     The Lord's return is imminent, which means it could happen at any moment. Likewise, death itself ever lurks in the shadows ready in a moment's time to usher us into eternity. Are you ready should the Lord return for his bride today? Are you ready should death compel you to stand before the Son of man today?

     Bow your head and call upon the Lord now. Humble your heart and ask him to save you and to forgive you. Accept the death of Christ for your sins and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead. Confess him as your Lord and Savior and you will be saved!

​     


0 Comments

From Jesus Christ the Faithful Witness

1/15/2023

0 Comments

 
Revelation 1:4-6

     Look with me at verses four through six as we dig into the second message in our verse-by-verse journey through the book of Revelation. 

     As we read these verses, we should take note of John’s salutation to the servants of Jesus Christ. Remember the purpose of this book is to show the servants of Jesus Christ things which must shortly come to pass. Thus, in verse four when John says grace and peace be unto you, he is greeting the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ in the seven churches of Asia but also scattered through-out the world.

     May I ask you a question: are you a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ? This is not a difficult question to answer. Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If someone asked you, “are you a follower of Jesus Christ” how would you answer?

     I cannot answer for you, however, I hope your answer would be the same as mine. If you asked me that question, I would say yes. Yes, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. My heart was conquered by his love many years ago. I bowed my heart and bowed my knee to the Lord Jesus Christ many years ago.

     My faith rests in Jesus Christ. He is both my Creator and my Redeemer. In my heart he has no equal. I cling to his cross as my only hope of heaven. I fully trust him and place my eternal destiny in his hands. Truly he is my Savior whom I trust to keep me and one day to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Praise his name!
 
     Please look now at Revelation 1:4 where the Scripture says:
 
     “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: 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 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, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
 
     You will notice that verse four identifies the apostle John as the human instrument used by the Holy Spirit to give us the content of God’s last word to mankind through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, and in fact the content of this book is the last word he speaks to the world by his Son. The apostle John per the instruction of the Lord Jesus wrote these things in a book and sent it to the church.

     The Lord chose John for this holy task. You may recall, we are first introduced to the apostle John as he is mending fishing nets with his father Zebedee and his brother James. As they did so that day, Jesus called both John and James to follow him.

     They both immediately left to follow Jesus that day, leaving behind their fishing nets and the life so familiar to them. Little did John know that his first steps following the Savior would one day land him on the Isle of Patmos where he would see in the Spirit a panoramic view of end time events culminating in the Revelation of Jesus Christ as he returns in great power and glory to rule and reign on the earth.
    
     Next, we take note that John is writing to the seven churches which are in Asia. Of course, there were many other churches in the world at that time. However, these seven are representative of the church at large and so the message of the book of Revelation is to the entire church. It is to be read by the entire church who is to keep those things which are written therein. Without doubt, one of the great purposes of this book is to focus the heart and mind of every believer on the certainty of Christ’s return.

     While we may have much to learn as we study the words of the prophecy of this book, there is no way to miss the central theme of the book. Jesus Christ is to be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in fulfillment of his own words as recorded in Matthew chapter 24.

     In that chapter Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

     Hear me well today: the book of Revelation is written to the church! It is to have a sanctifying work in the heart of every believer. Authentic believers are not among the crowd who mock and say, “Where is the promise of his coming?” We are not like the evil servant found in the parable recorded in Matthew 24 who mistreats others and eats and drinks with the drunken with no thought of his Lord’s return.

     Jesus says of unbelievers pictured by the evil servant in that parable, “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

     As true believers we approach this book with reverence and we are ready to hear what the Spirit says to us through the apostle John. Furthermore, we allow the message of his return to purify us. John says elsewhere when he (Jesus) shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

     My friends, as we journey through this book let this powerful word from God draw you into a closer walk with him. Let this word speak. Let it grip your heart. As the apostle Peter put it, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.

     John is writing to the churches, and we all need to listen!
 
     Next, note that John’s greeting is from the Father which is, which was, and which is to come; and from the Holy Spirit who is depicted as the seven Spirits which are before the throne. This language speaks of the sevenfold character of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of the Lord; he is the Spirit of wisdom; he is the Spirit of understanding; he is the Spirit of counsel; he is the Spirit of might; he is the spirit of knowledge; and he is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).

     And finally, his greeting is from Jesus Christ. Look now at verse five as I conclude this message calling attention to seven things John says about our Lord.

     First, he says Jesus is the faithful witness.  During his teaching and preaching ministry Jesus bore testimony to the truth. Jesus said, “whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”  We can fully trust the teaching of Jesus because he is the faithful witness!

     John goes on to say, Jesus is the first begotten of the dead. Indeed, Jesus Christ has conquered death. Christ is the first fruits, but his victory over death has secured our resurrection at his coming.

     John proceeds to say Jesus is the prince of the kings of the earth. He was born King of Israel, but he is King of Kings. He is the prince of the kings of the earth.

     Now John breaks out into praise because Jesus loved us and gave himself for us at the cross, and because he has washed us from our sins in his own blood, and he has made us kings and priests unto God his Father. For all these blessings John says “to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

     We should put our own "amen" right here.  Our Lord is worthy of all glory and power and dominion and thus we praise him with the whole heart! Amen.
0 Comments

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1/10/2023

0 Comments

 
Verse by Verse Series Through the book of Revelation - Sermon One

​
Revelation 1:1-3
 
     With this message we begin a journey through the final book of the Bible. The book is known as the revelation of Jesus Christ because it culminates with the visible, physical return of the Lord Jesus in great power and glory. Furthermore, it documents the consummation of all things as our great Creator restores the creation by establishing a new heaven and a new earth that will abide forever.

     As we shall see, the book begins with John’s encounter with the risen, glorified Christ. John proceeds to record seven important messages to seven literal churches functioning in the apostle’s day. These messages speak generationally to the body of Christ and remain immensely relevant for us containing important insights as to how we should conduct ourselves while awaiting the return of the Bridegroom for his bride.

     Chapters four through nineteen give the details of those things which must shortly come to pass. Our journey through this amazing book will bring us face to face with the details of Daniel’s famous 70th week of Bible prophecy. Fasten your seat belts! We will soon prophetically travel through the coming period of world history Jesus declares to be the most earth shaking of any other period of world history, including the global flood of Noah’s day.

     Although this book clearly speaks of God’s coming judgment on a rebellious world, it concludes with the return of Christ to rule during a millennium of true global peace and prosperity. As well, as we shall see, God gives John a glimpse of the great white throne judgment that occurs as the Lord prepares a new heaven and a new earth in which he will personally tabernacle with all his redeemed in the ages to come.

     Clearly the return of Jesus Christ is the only hope for this fallen world. Left to himself man would sink into such debauchery the race would soon destroy itself. However, even as today’s rebellious globalists plot and plan to reshape the world in their blind efforts to supposedly save mankind and planet earth, the Lord watches from his throne. 

     As they imagine a vain, foolish thing setting themselves against the Lord and his Christ, the anointed one, the Lord who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision, that is, he shall scoff at them as he speaks to them in his great displeasure.

     My friends, no one needs to fear supposed climate change or even the threat of nuclear war. Read and study this book and you will understand the need to fear the sovereign Lord who will soon bring the earth into such judgment she will stagger as a drunken man. Think about that.
 
     Please look with me at Revelation chapter one, verses one through three:
 
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

     The first thing we should notice from verse one is the fact God gave this revelation to his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God gave it to his Son before it was given to John. Remember, Jesus is God’s last word to mankind and the message from God through his only begotten Son, reaches a final climax in this book.

     Please note again the word revelation. This book gets its name from this word which translates from the Greek word apokalupsis. This word literally means unveiling. It speaks of unveiling something previously concealed. This same Greek word is used in 2 Thessalonians 1:7 which says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,” then the Lord will recompense tribulation to those who trouble the saints.

     May I say, this world is not getting away with the miss treatment of the saints. It only looks that way for now. However, at the revelation of Jesus Christ he is coming to set things right. My advice to you is to get right with God by turning from sin and turning to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming. He is to be unveiled as the clouds roll back and the world sees the sign of the Son of man coming in great power and glory. It is time to get right before he comes!!
    
     Next, take careful note of the purpose of this book. God gave the revelation to Jesus Christ “to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” So, since the purpose is to make known things which must come to pass, we must conclude that we can understand the message in this book. Unfortunately, many people find this book hard to understand. Actually, it only becomes complicated when one is unwilling to take the text literally. As a number of Bible teachers point out, the best interpretation is no interpretation at all. Let it mean what it says and allow the symbolism to simply expound upon what is clearly being said.

     Again, this book is written to the servants of the Lord Jesus to show them things that are coming and in so doing bring both comfort and hope as we travel through a troubled world.

     Next, note that Jesus sent the content of this book to John by his messenger. We do not know who this messenger is, however, at the end of the book this messenger says to John, “These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”
 
Conclusion
 
     May we conclude this message with a reading of verses two and three. The Lord sent this message to John:
 
     “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

     In these words the Lord pronounces a blessing on those who read and hear this prophecy and keep those things written therein. We keep the things written therein by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord! The message of Christ's coming should bring us to our knees in humble faith and repentance. 

     Now hear this and I am done. I believe as the Scripture says, “the time is at hand.” I do not know if we will see the end of 2023. Our world is racing toward the return of Christ as the players in the final saga of world history take their place on the world stage. Jesus is coming. We must warn as many as we can to get ready. I hope you will be ready when he comes.

​     If you have never confessed the Lord Jesus as your Savior it is time for that decision. Give him your heart today.
0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    January 2023
    June 2022

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly