PORTRAIT OF JESUS              

                                      Sermon of the Week for June 13, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a picture of Jesus in the New Testament. It
is a word picture, but a vivid picture. Now before John gives us this word
picture in the first chapter of Revelation, he has several things to say
that lead up to the unveiling of the portrait of the Lord.
He begins by telling us: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
him, to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass,
and He sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. Note that
John does not give his full theological title. He should have referred to
himself as, The Most Reverend John Zebedee, Archbishop of the Ephesian
Diocese. If he had not forgotten to give us his full title, no doubt all
denominations that glory in such things would give his words more credence
if he had done so. Instead he indulges in a false facade of humility by
referring to himself as a servant. This is a be-meaning description of
himself. It certainly would not be a very impressive term to put in his
resume. One thing for sure it would not impress the " board" of any self
respecting Christian Church in suburbia.

Next he refers to what he has to say as a Revelation that was given to him
by God. Actually a revelation from God is the only way that we would ever
know the will of God. However His revelation to us is not only the book of
Revelation, but also the contents of all sixty-six books in the Bible. They
are all indeed the Revelation of God. Every book in the Bible could be
given the title of the books of Revelation. There is no other book ever
written that can truthfully make this claim. The Bible is the one and only
book of divine inspiration. To make sure you understand what I am saying,
there never has been a book of divine revelation other than the Bible and
what's more there never will be a book of divine revelation from God other
than the Bible. Paul also gets in on the act when he says that he did not
receive his gospel from man, For I neither received it of man, neither was
I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Then note that he says the things that he is going to give us from the Lord
are things that must shortly come to pass. Whatever the time element may be,
it is certainly true as far as our individual lives are concerned. Every
prophecy in the Bible that has been fulfilled in our lifetime has shortly
come to pass. We don't live long enough to say otherwise. Then again
everything that he said will shortly come to pass as far as eternity is
concerned. The end of the world will shortly come to pass. The Second Coming
of Jesus will shortly come to pass. Our short span of life is like a drop of
water in the ocean of eternity. It will shortly come to pass. It boggles the
mind to know that we will be just as conscious of where we are ten thousand
years from now as we are at this moment.

The world is over twenty five thousand miles in circumference. A day has
twenty-four hours. The world is spinning on its axis at a speed of about a
thousand miles an hour. This means that we are headed for eternity at the
speed of around one thousand miles an hour. Some can say I am going to
Heaven at the speed of a thousand miles an hour, and some can say I am going
to hell at the speed of a thousand miles an hour.

There are seven Beatitudes in the book of Revelation and the first one is in
the third verse of this chapter: "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." There is a last Beatitude in the last
chapter of Revelation and it says: "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he
that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

In the first chapter we are told that if we read and hear the words of the
prophecy we will be blessed and in the last chapter we are told that we are
blessed if we keep the sayings of this book. Like two great book ends these
two Beatitudes stand as reminders of the blessings of God's word. There is
no blessing promised for those who have Bibles and never read them. In
addition to the seven beatitudes there is the reference to the seven
resurrections of the New Testament. John says, "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."

All of the other resurrectees of the Bible died again. But Jesus arose from
the dead never, never, never, to die again and He is called the firstborn
from the dead. The fact that He is the first born indicates that there will
be others who arise never to die again. Jesus is the first born from the
dead and by faith I shall be the second. His resurrection is the assurance
of our own resurrection.

By His resurrection He has made us to be priests. He hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father. Peter adds his testimony to this when he
says: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood... " Notice that
both Peter and John refer to the Christian as a priest. If you are a
Christian, then you are a priest and can go directly to God in the
confessional of your own closet and confess your sins to Him and ask Him
personally for forgiveness in the name of the great High Priest the Lord
Jesus Christ.

Another duty of the priest is to make sacrifices. You have the privilege of
sacrificing your money. Have you ever given anything to the Lord that you
would really classify as a sacrifice? Have you ever sacrificed your time?
What I mean by that is, have you ever sacrificed a ball game for a Church
service? Perhaps not. After all the Lord understands and He does not expect
us to carry our dedication to Him that far. Such a sacrifice as that would
be worthy of an Apostle. This would be beyond the call of duty. After all,
the Lord never made such a sacrifice for us. So why should we make any for
Him?

Before we notice that portrait that John will draw for us by the hand of
inspiration, that statement about His return intrigues me. Behold, he cometh
with clouds; and every eye shall see him and they also, which pierced him:
and all kindred's of the earth shall wail because of him.
There will be some wailing done when the Lord returns. His return will not
be welcomed by all. John tells us in the sixth chapter: "And the kings of
the earth and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and
the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks,
'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb:' For the great day of his wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?"
Now we are almost ready to view the unveiling of John's portrait of Jesus,
but kindly indulge me just one more thought on John's situation. He says: "I
John your brother in tribulation, in patience, and kingdom was in the isle
that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day."
John was in exile for preaching the word of God on an island ten miles long
and six miles wide. Now, he said he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.
What other day could this be than Sunday? Jesus arose from the dead on
Sunday. At least six of His appearances were on Sunday. The Church was
started on Sunday. The Lord's Supper was observed on Sunday. The first
converts were immersed for the remission of sins on Sunday. The meeting on
Sunday was stated when the announcement for a special offering was made.
Sunday is the day when John wrote the book of Revelation. Over and over
again and again-it was Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. He was in the spirit on the
Lord's Day when he received this Revelation. So remember Sunday is the
Lord's Day for the Christian. For the rest of the world, Sunday is Funday.
So here is the Lord's picture-The Portrait of Jesus.

                                      THE PORTRAIT OF JESUS

John heard a voice as the sound of a trumpet. He turned to see who was
speaking and there He was. He saw Jesus. He described Him as a Son of man.
Jesus had the appearance of the human and the divine. On the human side, He
had hands, feet, face, mouth, chest, and head. On the divine side, there was
the voice that sounded like many waters, the appearance of the sun shining
in it's strength, the holding of stars in his right hand, His eyes as a
flame of fire, the hair as white as snow, His countenance as the sun and the
action of the sword sticking out of His mouth. He has a human resemblance
and a divine resemblance.

His Holy fingers formed the bough where grew the thorns that crowned His
brow. The nails that pierced His hands were mined in places He designed. He
died upon a cross of wood, yet made the hill on which it stood. He grew the
forest from whence there sprung the tree on which His body hung. The sun
that hid from Him its face, by His decree was poised in space. The sky that
darkened over head by Him o'er all the earth was spread. The feet once
fastened to the tree are marching on to victory. The wound within His riven
side is now a fountain open wide, where cleansing waters freely flow, to
wash away our guilt and woe. The crown that once was on His head now glows
like rubies dark and red, like burnished gold beset by gems surpassing royal
diadems. The cross from whence the curse has flown, has now become a mighty
throne. An emblem a conquering sign where grace and glory intertwine. The
tomb in which His body laid was made from rock His hands had made. But a new
glory crowns Him now for every knee to Him shall bow. Of things in Heaven,
of things on earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. All Hail
the power of Jesus name, let angels prostrate fall, bring forth the royal
diadem and crown Him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, ye
ransomed from the fall, Hail Him who saves you by His grace and crown Him
Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall,
we'll join the everlasting song and crown Him Lord of all. John saw the
Lord Jesus walking in the midst of seven golden candlesticks. The golden
candlesticks are identified as seven churches. This tells us what the Lord
thinks of His church. He symbolizes it with gold. Jesus knew what was
important to men and how both saint and sinner need money, money, money,
money, money, money, money.

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO MEN THAN GOLD?

So He symbolizes it with gold. In other words on the Lord's Day you have a golden
opportunity to attend the worship services and celebrate the feast of the
Lord's Supper. What a golden opportunity to place a minimum ten per cent in
the offering plate. You have a golden opportunity to sing the songs of Zion
and to hear the gospel preached. This broadcast may very well be the most
golden moment of broadcasting on this radio station that will be heard all
week. These are some of the most golden moments of a lifetime, so don't let
them slip through your fingers.

We need to look upon the local church with the same regard as we would of
Fort Knox. Think too, if the church is like gold in the mind of God, then go
for the gold as you search out the identity of the New Testament Church.
Never be satisfied with anything less. Go for the gold in the Great
Commission of Christ. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Go for the
gold in the name of identification. Why be satisfied with the cheap costume
jewelry of denominational names, go for the gold and wear the name of
Christian and Christian only.

Now as we read this description of Jesus as John paints His portrait I
cannot say what John had in mind when He described Jesus. But I know what
these descriptive terms mean to me. So if the remarks I make are not exactly
what John had in mind they will be true from other parts of the word of God
so we are on safe ground as we note the picture of Jesus as presented by the
Apostle John.

Look at the hair as white as snow, I don't know what John had in mind here
and you don't either, but it does remind me of what Daniel the prophet said,
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit,
whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure
wool." That white hair speaks to us of the eternality of Jesus. 0, worship
the King all glorious above, And gratefully tell of His power and His love.
Our shield and defender the ancient of days, Pavilions in splendor and
girded with praise.

We cannot help but think of the statement that has been made many times that
a person's hair can turn white who has been through great tribulation.
While I do not believe that the Lord's hair turned white because of the
suffering on the cross, the thought did cross my mind as I think of how He
suffered for my sins.

His eyes were as a flame of fire. He can see into the dark corners of our
imagination. He misses nothing. His eyes are like two great searchlights
that sees every impulse. We have glasses today that can give us night
vision. With these spectacles we can see objects that cannot be seen with
normal vision. Jesus has night vision. No matter what our association with
the Prince of darkness may be, rest assured that the penetrating vision of
the One whose eyes are as a flame of fire sees the darkest corners of our
imagination and sees us better than we see ourselves.

Notice also His voice. It had the sound of many waters. It had the thunder
of Niagara. No wonder he fell at His feet as one that was dead. It was this
voice that sent Adam and Eve running for cover in the Garden of Eden. It was
that voice that flattened Peter, James and John on the Mount of
Transfiguration. It is that voice that will frighten the unsaved when the
Lord comes with the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel.
Then there is that double-edged sword that sticks out of His mouth. It is
the long sword with somewhat the shape of a tongue. When you think of the
fact that it proceeded out of His mouth and not His hand, this speaks to us
of the judgmental power of the word of God. Jesus has said that the word
which He spake shall judge at the last day. Notice that the sword proceeded
from the mouth of the Lord and not from the mouth of the stars in His right
hand. The stars He identified as the messengers of the churches. This is a
distinction that should not be missed. It is the Lord whose word will judge
and not what the preacher says.

How about that face of Jesus? His countenance was as the sun when it
shineth in its strength. The face of Jesus intrigues me much. What were His
features like? I would like to have seen the face of Jesus when He was a
babe in the manger at Bethlehem. I would like to have seen His face when He
was a boy of twelve speaking to the doctors of the law, both hearing them
and asking them questions. I would like to have seen the face of Jesus when
He said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest." I don't know if I could bear to look upon His face as He
suffered for me on the cross, but I would like to have seen His face when He
gave the great commission because the first time I read it I thought He was
talking to me. We were not given the opportunity of seeing that face under
those circumstances, but we will be able to experience what John experienced
on the Isle of Patmos when He returns again with Power and great glory.
Only faintly now I see Him with a darkling veil between, But a blessed day
is coming when His glory shall be seen. Face to face with Christ my Savior,
face to face what will it be?

When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me.
And now this in conclusion.

                                                   CONCLUSION

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one that was 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 for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of Hades and of death." Jesus has the key to every
grave and the key to the spirit world. When He returns He will unlock every
grave of saint and sinner and call them into Judgment. The thing that
brought John around again was the fact that Jesus laid His right hand upon
him and said, fear not. We all will fall as one dead sooner or later into
the grave. Then some day we too shall feel the touch of His hand and hear
His fear not when He comes again. I am He that lived and was dead and behold
I am alive forever. And this Ladies and Gentlemen is the portrait of Jesus.
When earth's last pictures are painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colors have faded and the youngest critic has died. We
shall rest and faith we shall need it, Lie down for an a eon or two, Till the
Master of all good workman shall set us to work anew, And those that were
good shall be happy they will sit in a golden chair They shall splash at a
ten-league canvas with brushes of comets hair. They shall find real Saints
to draw from Magdalene, Peter and Paul, They shall work for an age at a
sitting and never be tired at all. Only the Master shall praise us and only
the Master shall blame, No one shall work for money and no one shall work
for fame. But each for the joy of working and each in his separate star,
Shall draw all things as he sees them; for the God of all things as they
are.