A Last Look at Jesus for 2012
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 29th December 2012
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 So friends, as has been reminded already a number of times this morning, it's the second
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 last day of the year.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 Tomorrow, TV stations and newspapers will reflect upon the year that has been in the
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 news and what there is to look forward to in the year ahead.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 Traditionally, it's a time to reminisce and it's a time to plan and also a time to get
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 over Christmas lunches.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 For me, 2012 has been a hard year.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 How has 2012 been for you?
00:00:34 --> 00:00:41 And so there are things about Christ that I need very much at the end of 2012.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:49 As I reminisce on the year that's been and as I think about the year ahead, I need the
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 perseverance of Christ in the midst of affliction.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 I need the energy and strength of Christ in the face of depleting resources.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:02 I need the wisdom of Christ in the face of complexities of life and ministry.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:06 I need the stability of Christ in the midst of rapid church and personal changes that are
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 happening around me.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 I need the assurance of his sovereign authority in the culture, which is sliding further and
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 further away from his truth.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:21 And so, two days before the end of the year, I want us to take a year-end look at Jesus.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 The last look of Jesus, if you like, together for 2012.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 And we're going to do that in Revelation chapter 1.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:37 I want to, if you like, linger for a while with our gaze simply on Jesus.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:44 As we think about the year that has been and the year that is to come, we need to fix our
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 gaze on Christ.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 Why do that?
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 Because of all the uncertainty that surrounds me for the year ahead, I am certain of one
00:01:54 --> 00:01:54 thing.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:02 God's specific plan for me and his specific plan for you is that you be transformed more
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 and more into the image of the Lord Jesus.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 That was the message of Christmas after all, that Jesus came to save and to change.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:18 And true gospel change of a person's character comes from steadily gazing at the glory of Christ.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 That is what 2 Corinthians 3.18 says.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:38 So that is that God's desire for you in 2013, as it was for 2012, is that you be transformed
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 more and more and more into the image of the Lord Jesus.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 And the way he does that is by getting us to gaze upon the glory of the Lord Jesus again
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 and again and again.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 That is how you get transformed.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 So let's look at Jesus together for one last time in 2012.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 According to Revelation chapter 1, you need your Bibles open here, Revelation chapter 1.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:06 Go right to the end, Revelation, and then go back to the beginning of Revelation.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:13 The second half of Revelation chapter 1 verse 9, John was exiled on the island of Patmos
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:27 And so what John's writing first and foremost here to Christians who lived and died almost
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 2 years ago.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:35 Christians who lived in the Roman Empire and they were about to face the biggest nightmare
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 that you can imagine.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:43 John hints at it right at the beginning when he talks about what must soon take place.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:48 And again, at the end of verse 3 when he says, because the time is near.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:57 You see, these Christians were about to face the full force of the Roman Empire.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:06 And according to the Roman writer Suetonius, the Roman Emperor Domitian, who was the kingpin
00:04:06 --> 00:04:14 in the Roman Empire when John wrote this, he demanded that all the people in the Roman Empire
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 referred to him as the Lord God.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 That was his request.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:25 And so John is writing to a bunch of Christians who are about to be fed to the lions.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:33 Christians who are about to be exiled, thrown out of their jobs, destitute refugees because
00:04:33 --> 00:04:38 they refuse to call a Roman Empire Lord God.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:44 So this message is first and foremost to them.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:53 Those who are feeling the pressure to stop bearing witness to Jesus, to stop calling him Lord God
00:04:53 --> 00:04:58 and call a bloke who sits on a throne in Rome Lord God.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 To stop talking about Jesus as if he is important.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 And notice who this message is from that comes to John.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:11 Verse, it is from him who was and who is to come.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 Verse 5, it's from Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth,
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 from him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Verse 6, the one to whom power and glory belong forever.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:32 Verse 8, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty, the ruler, in other words,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 from eternity to eternity.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:44 You see, Domitian might be the emperor of the Roman Empire, but he is a library monitor compared to Jesus.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:57 You see, this word ultimately is a word of comfort and security for hard-pressed people of God.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:05 And one of those whom is hard-pressed and feeling insecure is the apostle John himself who writes these words.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:10 You'll notice that if you read verses 1 and 2 and link them to verse 9,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 you'll see that he is hard-pressed.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:18 Because what John's been doing is he's been bearing witness to Jesus.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 And already it has got him into a heap of trouble.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 And he says there's more trouble coming soon.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 Friends, it is just around the corner.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 Notice John knows exactly what he's going to be like.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 Because he's already facing it himself.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 John's writing from exile.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 You don't see it at first.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:44 Because there's just a casual mention in verse 9 that he's writing from the island of Patmos.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 You see, Patmos is a prison island, six kilometers long.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 These days, it's got over 3 inhabitants.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 And it's full of five-star resorts and luxury villas.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 But not in John's day.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 In John's day, he wasn't there for a holiday.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:04 He was there as an old man sentenced to work in the quarries.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:08 Because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:20 And so what John says in writing this letter is that he is their partner to these seven churches out there,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 to the churches of Asia.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 I am your partner in suffering.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:31 Jesus was so real and so precious to John that he would rather be exiled in a barren island,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 cutting stones with a hammer,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 than to not talk about Jesus.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:44 But now on the island, God gives John another remarkable glance.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:52 One remarkable chance here to gaze again on the glorious Lord Jesus.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:53 He gives him a vision.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 But he does this not just for John,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 but for these churches in Asia and ultimately for us.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 For these churches who are suffering,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:10 for those who are tired and weary and running out of steam
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 and they are confused and disheartened and disenfranchised.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:14 They are insecure.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:22 So in verse 10, John says that he was in the spirit on the Lord's day.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:31 So much so that suddenly I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 And the voice says this in verse 11,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:38 Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:46 You see, this means that the vision John is about to get is not just meant for John,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:50 it's meant for these churches, but it's also meant for us.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:56 And the point of writing it down is to transmit to us the same kind of experience
00:08:56 --> 00:09:01 of seeing the glorious of Jesus that John himself had on that island.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 Jesus does not intend to come to each of the seven churches
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 in the same way that he came to John on the island of Patmos.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 He appears to John and says,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 John, write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 John gets the vision, we get the book.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 He wants us to come to him through his word.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 He wants us to seek him in his words.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 He wants us to know him by his word.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:36 He wants us to gaze upon him steadily through his word.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:43 The primary way of gazing on Christ today on his glory is through his word.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:50 And so we must be Bible-saturated people
00:09:50 --> 00:09:54 in order to be transformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 So let's look at what John saw.
00:09:58 --> 00:09:58 Verse 12.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:03 John turns to see whose voice was like that of a trumpet in verse 10.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:10 And what he saw was seven golden lampstands and Christ in the midst of them.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 Notice verse 20 for an interpretation of the lampstands.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 It says,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 and of the seven golden lampstands is this.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 You see, the vision of Jesus that John gets
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 is him amongst the churches.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:40 Christ Jesus standing amongst his churches.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 He is not merely over his church.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 He is not distant from his church.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 He is in the middle of his church.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 And what John saw, according to verse 13,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 was one like a son of man.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 Son of man was Jesus' favorite title for himself
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 during his ministry here.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 You might think it refers merely to his humanity
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 and so it is a title of humility
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 and it's certainly probably that.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 But in this instance, it is more than that.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 Mainly because of its use in Daniel chapter 7,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 which Betty just read out for us.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:25 In Daniel, the term son of man or one like a son of man
00:11:25 --> 00:11:30 refers to a great ruler over all other rulers.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 It says this in verse 13 of Daniel 7.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 In my vision at night, I looked and there before me
00:11:36 --> 00:11:40 was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 All peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:55 His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away
00:11:55 --> 00:11:59 and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:04 That's the son of man who John saw.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:09 And so when John says that he saw a son of man standing in the middle of the lampstand,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13 he means that he saw someone with everlasting dominion
00:12:13 --> 00:12:17 and authority and glory and kingly power.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:23 Someone with authority over all the nations and over all peoples
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 who would rule the world forever and ever
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 because his kingdom will never be destroyed.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 Unlike Domitian.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 The one who stands among the churches
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 is the one who received from the ancient of days
00:12:42 --> 00:12:47 dominion and glory and kingdom rule and power and authority in heaven.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:51 and on earth over all time and eternity.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 Then we get a specific description of what he saw.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 The next thing John saw in verse 13
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 was that this son of man was dressed in a robe
00:13:02 --> 00:13:07 reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:12 The robe here is similar to the robe in the Old Testament
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 where it almost always refers to the robe of the high priest.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 And the gold sash around his chest shows two things.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 The fact that it is high.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 It is not a belt around his waist.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 It is a belt around his chest.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 And sometimes we do see that, don't we?
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 With pants that are up just a little too high.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:43 But in this case, it reflects that his priesthood is so very, very great.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 So very, very great.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 Jesus, not only the son of man from Daniel 7
00:13:50 --> 00:13:54 who receives everlasting dominion over all nations,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 he is also the final high priest
00:13:56 --> 00:14:00 who brings all the work of the priests in the temple to an end.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 There is no more need for animal sacrifices.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:08 Verse 5 says that this Christ who has dominion from everlasting to everlasting
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 is the one who has freed us from our sins by his blood.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 He is a merciful, gracious high priest.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:20 The priest is so great that he gave his own blood once and for
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 to put away all sins by the sacrifice of himself.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:27 And this is the one who stands amongst his churches.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 The one who stands amongst us today
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 as one with authority and everlasting dominion
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 and one with final decisive forgiveness for our sins.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 The merciful, gracious Lord Jesus.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:45 Then John sees in verse 14
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 that his head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 This is remarkable because in the same chapter in Daniel
00:14:52 --> 00:14:57 where John gets this picture of the one like the son of man,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:03 in verse 9, God the Father is described like this.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 As I looked, thrones were set in place
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 and the Ancient of Days took his seat,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 his clothing were as white as snow
00:15:11 --> 00:15:15 and the hair of his head was white like wool.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:20 In other words, John is describing the son of man
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 in terms used by God himself.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 You put this picture together with the next thing that John saw
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 in the end of verse 14.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:28 Oh, sorry.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 Yeah, the end of verse 14.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:34 It says there that his eyes were like blazing fire.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:41 The eyes of this son of man are not the clouded eye of fading glory.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:46 These eyes are sharp with clarity.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 They are purified eyes.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 They miss nothing that happens in his universe
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 and they are exploding with energy.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:59 We all know what it is to have the drooping eye of sleep.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 And some of you are yawning right now.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 That is about to go.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 You know what it's like.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 The eyes are closing.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 We also know the eye of resentment
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 and the grumpiness and the half-shut scowl
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 and the bad mood.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:15 We know the eye, however, that is alive with wonder
00:16:15 --> 00:16:19 and with excitement and with hope and expectancy and energy
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 like a child on Christmas Day
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 with a huge present right in front of them.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 And Jesus' eyes were like a flaming fire.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 What we see then is hair as white as snow
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 and eyes like fire.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:41 When you gaze upon the Jesus at the end of 2012,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 remember that he is not tired.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 He is not burnt out.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 He is not fatigued.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 Instead, his eyes are aflame with a flashing fire
00:16:49 --> 00:16:53 of inexhaustible energy and hope for his church.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 He sees everything that has been
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 and everything that will be.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 Nothing will take him by surprise.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 And when Jesus thinks about his plans for you in 2013,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 when he thinks of his plans for St. Paul's
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 and for his country and for his universe,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 he's not hesitant.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 He's not wearied.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 He's not bored.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 His eyes are aflame with fire
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 with utter exhilaration and passion
00:17:21 --> 00:17:25 and relish for the work that he intends to do
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 as another year's pieces are put in place
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 for the consummation of history
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 where everything will bow down at his feet
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 and say, you are king.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 But there's more.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 There's the bronze feet of verse 15.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 A similar picture of glowing metal
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 is found in Ezekiel and Daniel
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 in both the brightness of shining metal
00:17:49 --> 00:17:53 or like a fire is connected with the glory of God.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 They are the feet of a glorious
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 and almighty conqueror over everything.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 Again in verse 15,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 is the voice like the sound of many waters.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 Again it describes the majesty of God
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 as you might see in Ezekiel.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 It is a picture of raw power.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:12 The thunder of his voice is authority.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 And then there is the right hand with the seven stars
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 and the sharp sword coming out of his mouth
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 and his face shining like the sun in full strength.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 What do you do when you're confronted
00:18:27 --> 00:18:30 with such power and authority
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 and splendor and glory?
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 Verse 17,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 When I saw him,
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 I fell at his feet as though dead.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 As at the end of times when Jesus comes back
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 and people will say,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 let the mountains fall on me
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 rather than be confronted with this Jesus.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 Share awe.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 He is not to be trifled with.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 He is not to be treated with disdain.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:07 Who can stand in the presence of such a Christ?
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 And to John's immense relief,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 this judge, king, majestic, eternal ruler,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 reassuringly in verse 17,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 placed his right hand on John
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 and spoke words of comfort.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 Do not be afraid.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 I am the first and the last.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 I am the living one.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 I was dead and behold,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 I am alive forever and ever.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:41 These are astounding words of comfort
00:19:41 --> 00:19:44 for a prisoner of the Lord Jesus.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 Jesus' deity are implied
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 in the threefold I am statements
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 and in the title living one
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 and by his sovereignty over history
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 as the first and the last.
00:19:56 --> 00:20:02 So this morning I want you to gaze
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 on this.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 The great I am,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 the living one,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 the first and the last,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 is amongst his church St. Paul's
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 as the son of man,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 the one with power over Chatswood
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 and with everlasting dominion and glory.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 He is the great high priest
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 that has put away the sins of his people
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 once and for all.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:30 He is the great and wise ancient of days,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 yet with eyes that are aflame
00:20:32 --> 00:20:35 with the fire of youth and energy
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 and hope and exhilaration
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 for his unstoppable plans for you
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 and for his church St. Paul's
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 and for his world.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:49 Gaze upon Jesus in the last days of 2012
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 and let his royal power
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 and his priestly forgiveness
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 and his fiery hope
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 fill you with confidence afresh
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 that serving him in 2012
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 was not a vanity.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 And it is not a vanity
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 to throw your lot in with him
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12 in 2013.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 How encouraging
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 it must have been for John
00:21:18 --> 00:21:22 in his weakness and need
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 on the island of Patmos
00:21:23 --> 00:21:26 feeling
00:21:26 --> 00:21:31 what was just around the corner
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 for his brothers and sisters
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 in the seven churches.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 What an encouragement
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 that the revelation of Jesus
00:21:38 --> 00:21:41 was as the powerful son of man
00:21:41 --> 00:21:44 in the midst of his church
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 in their weakness and need.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 So let me close this year
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 and this last word,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 this last look at Jesus
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 with three points of application.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 One for me,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 one for a small group of you,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08 and one for all of us.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 As I said earlier,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 as I began,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 this has been a tough year.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 As I recently read,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 there are a few things
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 that will reveal to you
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 the full range of your sin,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 immaturity,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 weakness,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 and failure
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 like gospel ministry.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 There are a few things
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 that will expose
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 your weakness to others
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 as consistently
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 as ministry does.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 There are a few endeavors
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 that will put you
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 under more public expectancy
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 and scrutiny
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 like ministry does.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 There are a few things
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 that are as personally humbling
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 as ministry is.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 There are a few endeavors
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 that have the power
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 to produce in you
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 such deep feelings
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 of inadequacy
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 as ministry does.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 And I read those words
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 and I wept.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 I have become
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 more acutely aware
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 of it this year.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 Our church has gone
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 through a number
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 of painful transitions
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 and I feel
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 every one of them.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 This time,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 we had 30 people more
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 gathering with us
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 each Sunday
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 this time last year.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 There have been
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 a number of difficult
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 and ongoing
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 and very painful
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 pastoral situations
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 where I don't have
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 the answer for it.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 I don't know
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 what to do.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 We are $120
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 behind on our offertory.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 The school was rejected
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 at Roseville East
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 by a handful of people.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 The gospel appears
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 to be making slow progress
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 in our culture.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 The staff are tired.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 I see fragility
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 everywhere I look.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:53 And at points,
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 my resources
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 have been very low
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 and I feel weak.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 I am weak.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 So what a wonderful picture
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 this is for me
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 in my weakness
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 and need.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 The King of Kings,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 the Lord of Lords,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 stands in the midst
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 of his church
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 and he has done
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 remarkable things
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 in 2012
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 in spite of my weakness.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:22 It is his church.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 He is Lord over it.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 He is not distant from it.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 The only answer for me
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 is to fix my gaze on him,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 to turn,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 to look
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 and to see
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 the Lord Jesus
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 again and again.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 It is essential
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 for longevity
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 and effectiveness
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 of ministry
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 that I spend
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 more and more time
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 communing
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 with the Lord
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 of St. Paul's Chatswood.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:46 Secondly,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 some of you
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 are feeling insecure
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 and fragile
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 because of the
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 cultural changes
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 that we have made
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 over the past number
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 of years here
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 at St. Paul's.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 And for those of you
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 who are feeling fragile,
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 I am acutely aware
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 that some of you
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 are about to feel
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 even more fragile
00:25:06 --> 00:25:11 because a dearly loved brother
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 is near death.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:15 For many decades,
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 John Donne has been
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 a source of wisdom
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 and guidance.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 He has been a rock
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 in hard times.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 He has thought for you.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 He has prayed for you.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 He has encouraged you.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 He has rebuked you.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 He has taught you.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 For some,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 he has grown
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 to become the primary leader
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 in the church,
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 a source of security
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 and stability.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 And although he hasn't
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34 been here all year,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 he has been
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 only a few streets away
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 and at the end
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 of the phone
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 and potentially
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 within hours,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 certainly within days,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 he won't be here at all.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 And you'll look around
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 for the first time
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 in decades
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 and John won't be
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 sitting in a pew.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 And that will
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 unsettle you.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 That will be tough.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 You will feel insecure.
00:25:58 --> 00:26:01 And for some,
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 St Paul's will feel
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 even more so
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 different
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 than what it has been
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 without John.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 And in those moments,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 I call to you
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 as your pastor
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 to turn around
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 and see Jesus.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 To fix your gaze
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 on Jesus
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 in your insecurity,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 the Jesus
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 that John has been
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 pointing you to
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 for decades.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 The triumphant,
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 eternal Lord Jesus
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 stands in the midst
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 of his church,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 St Paul's,
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 and he puts his hand
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 on your shoulder
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 in your weakness
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 and your fragility
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 and he says,
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 I'm still king.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 I am the living one.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 Last of all,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 for all of us,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 what are your
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 new year resolutions?
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 And do they have
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 anything to do
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 with serving
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 the almighty
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 King of kings,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 Lord of lords,
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 who is
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 and was
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 and always
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 will be?
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 And do they have
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 anything to do
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 with being transformed
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 more and more
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 into his likeness
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 in 2013?
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 What is it
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 that you want
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 Jesus to change
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 in you
00:27:13 --> 00:27:15 in 2013?
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 What area
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 do you need
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 to let go of
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 that he might be
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 not just king
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 of St Paul's
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 but king
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 of your heart?
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 Let's pray.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 Our gracious
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Saviour
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 and eternal
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 Lord,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 help us,
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 your church.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 We are slow
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 to learn,
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 so prone
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 to forget,
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 so weak
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 to climb.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 We are in the
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 foothills
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 when we ought
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 to be in the heights.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 So make it
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 our chiefest joy
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 to know you,
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 to treasure you
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 and to represent you.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 May we meditate
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 on you,
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 gaze on you,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 sit like Mary
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 at your feet,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 lean like John
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 on your chest,
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 appeal like Peter
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 to your love,
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 count like Paul
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 all things rubbish
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 that we might
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 know you
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 more and more.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 So give us
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 increase
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 and progress
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 in grace
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 in 2013
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 that there may
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 be more decision
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 in our character,
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 more vigour
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 in our purposes,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 more fervour
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 in our devotion,
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 more constancy
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 in our zeal,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 rule in our hearts
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32 and over your
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 church St Paul's,
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 Lord Jesus,
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 King of kings
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 and Lord of lords,
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 the beginning
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 and the end,
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 the living one
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 who was
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 and is
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 and yet is
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 to come.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 Come Lord Jesus.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 Amen.