As we sit at the feet of Jesus, it's so important that we step back and realize the One who is speaking to us, the Lord and Master who is teaching us. This is Michael Brown. Welcome to the line of fire. As we continue digging into the words of Jesus, words of life, words of transformation, the ultimate truth, the ultimate truth-teller. We're going through the Sermon on the Mount.
We're about to start chapter 6. But it's important that we step back first and realize who it is that's speaking to us. who it is that's teaching us. Who it is that is instructing us?
So for that, I want to go to the book of Revelation.
So Jesus has died, risen from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father.
Now it is decades later. It is late in the first century. John the Apostle At this point, most likely the only apostle still alive. Wherever we date it, the reality is John had a very, very close relationship with Yeshua on the earth. John was the one spoken of as the one that Jesus loved, that there must have just been a special affection that he had for John, a degree that John shared his heart.
So if there's anyone that was close to him, Anyone that you could say was a bosom buzzy, bosom buddy, it was John. And yet look at what happens here. in the book of Revelation, and then I'll tie this in with the Sermon on the Mount. On the Lord's Day, Revelation chapter 1 verse 10, I was in the spirit. and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.
Now, we're not going to get into a lengthy discussion of the meaning of the Lord's Day.
Some say that was just another way of saying the Sabbath.
Some say no that was the day of resurrection meeting Sunday.
Some say it was just a day when the Lord visited, hence the day of the Lord equals the Lord's day. Either way, John is in the Spirit. And he hears behind him a loud voice like a trumpet, which said, Write on a scroll what you see And send it to the seven churches, the seven congregations, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia. And Leo De Sia.
So John hears the voice. Audible voice he hears. I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. Isn't that interesting? He doesn't say to see the one that was speaking to him, but to see the voice.
That was speaking to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands. and among the lampstands was some one like a son of man. Dressed in a robe, Reaching down to his feet. and with the golden sash around his chest.
Now, I want to emphasize this again. John was a close friend of Jesus. Yes, he was his disciple. Yes, he Served him as his Lord and Master and recognized him as God, a central theme of John's Gospel is the deity of Jesus. Yes.
But in terms of being with him, spending time with him, Eating together, doing life together, they were very close. And Jesus says of these disciples in John 15: I call you my friends. And yet what John is about to see completely overwhelms him. because this is Jesus in His glory. Not in just an earthly, fleshly body that can decay and age, that needs to sleep and eat and replenish.
No, this is the glorified Jesus. This is what he says. On his head. was white like wool. As white as snow, So it's not talking about texture, by the way, but color.
The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow.
Some texts say. His hair and and his head. That's how some translations read. Was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes. Like blazing fire.
Have you ever known someone That had a certain personality or a certain walk with God, and when they looked at you, it's like they were looking right through you. When they looked at you, they had those we talked about piercing eyes. with a prophetic look and just Oh, it goes right through you. Oh no, th this that's That's That's like I'm trying to come up with an analogy. You can't put it in the same world.
As these eyes like blazing fire. His feet.
Well, like bronze. glowing in a furnace. And his voice was like the sound of rushing Waters. Yeah. It's to just try to picture this.
I'm not a graphics kind of person. But to try to convey this with a graphic, with a picture, it's almost impossible to capture the glory, the power, the intensity. His voice sounded like a trumpet, now like the sound of rushing waters. How can you compare a trumpet blast or a chofar blast to rushing waters? It's very different sounds to me, and yet this is how John is describing it.
In his right hand He held seven stars. and coming out of his mouth was a sharp double-edged sword. Who can imagine this? Picture this. His face was like the sha the sun Shining.
In all It's Brilliant. I mean, we should just read through that over and over. If you're in prayer one day, just take this passage out. and read it verse by verse, then go back and read it again. Read it on your knees.
Read it on your face. Read it while worshiping at his feet. When I saw this. He didn't say, John didn't say, Hey, that's my friend. That's my Jesus.
No, he didn't say that. He didn't say, Hey, big man in the sky there. Hey, dude. No, no. Even though He was as close to Jesus as any human being on the planet during his earthly ministry.
When I saw him I fell at his feet as though Dead. Devastated by the vision, overwhelmed by the vision, Then he placed his right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I was dead and now look.
I am a lie forever and ever. And I hold the keys of death. And Hades. Wow, how Absolutely. extraordinary.
This is the Jesus that is speaking to us. yes, clothed in in human flesh. incarnate the word made flesh, fully human as well as fully God. But this is the one speaking to us This is not simply A rabbi. teaching, sharing insights, passing down traditions.
What does it say at the end of Matthew 7? The crowds were amazed at his Authority. that they were amazed he spoke as one having authority, not like their religious leaders. And so much of Jewish tradition was passing on what you had learned. And there's something very sacred about that.
The traditions of the elders, terms of one generation to the next, this is what we learned. Or we learned this from our fathers and their fathers, going back to Moses. Traditional Jew lives with that consciousness that what they're doing today, they learned from their father who learned from his father, all the way back to Moses. That's what they believe. And and and yet, as much as tradition is important, There's a difference between speaking by way of tradition.
I heard this from someone. I learned this from someone. I'm passing on to you what I learned from others. There's a difference between that and speaking with divine authority. And when Jesus speaks with divine authority, He doesn't say you heard this, but God is saying this.
You learned this, but God wants you to go deeper. He's saying, you heard this, but I say to you. But I say to you, Why? Because he speaks. with the authority Of Almighty God.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living. and active. and it is sharper than a double-edged sword. It pierces to the very division. of soul and spirit.
of joints and marrow. It is a discerner of Of the thoughts and intents of the heart. That's because it is God's word.
So, God's Word living and active. And Jesus Yeshua, Is the word made flesh? The mind and will and expression of God taking on human form. And everything he says to us is It's life transforming. Everything he says to us is transcendent.
Everything he says to us has divine power.
So as we continue to study his words, continue to sit at his feet It's so important that we we step back. God willing, in weeks ahead. as we'll look at what he says about himself. We need to again think of the Jesus of the book of Revelation in his glory. Say those words.
I am the way. The truth. and the life. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the gate. I am the bread of life. I am. Just saying those words, this is eternal God. clothed in human flesh.
not just giving us the latest teaching, not just giving us an idea. but speaking supernatural words to us words that have power to change us. I want to remind you of what Jesus said in John 15, 7. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask what you wish and it will be given you.
Because when we are in that fellowship and harmony with Him and His word is in our hearts and in our lives, we will find ourselves in harmony with Him with the things that we pray. We'll be praying not according to carnal desires or human ideas, but according to the will of God. Let's get His word in our heart and mind. Colossians 3:16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Let Messiah's word dwell in you richly.
Let us take time to bathe ourselves in his words. Let us take time to repeat His words, to meditate on His words. No, not to the exclusion of the rest of the Bible, but certainly. We want to really focus on what he said. Certainly, we want to hear God speaking to us in a very personal way.
And remember, Here's the other side of it, the polar opposite side of it. This glorious one who speaks to us. This holy Lord who speaks to us, the one with eyes like blazing fire and his tongue. like a double edged sword, and his voice sounds like a trumpet and like the sound of many waters, his face shining like the sun, his feet like burnished bronze, his head and hair like white like wool. That one also was fully human, And we learn in Hebrews 2.
And Hebrews four. that he suffered when he was tested. The Greek word test it, tried can also mean tempted. It's all of the above. The testings that he endured, the temptations and trials that he endured.
He suffered during those times. He can help us. as we are being tempted. as we are being tested. We learn that he is not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses.
but was in all points tempted, tested, tried like we were yet. without sin. He can look you in the eyes and say, I understand. I was there. I understand.
I understand what it is to feel forsaken. I understand what it is to feel that you're in over your head. It's too much. I understand. Those were human emotions.
The One of the things that's really opened up to me in the last year is the emotional life of Jesus. just looking at the things that are described in the Gospels, the pain that he endured. the the the groaning of for for creation and the the fallen state of the human race. and the hardness of people's hearts. And It's agony to him that Judas is going to betray him.
But he knew from day one Judas was going to betray him. Correct. When he chose him he knew, and yet it was still painful. because he lived in this world as a human being. Not only so, in Gethsemane, it speaks of him being horrified.
We could say mortified. The the the Full weight of what was going to happen, not just the horror of the physical suffering and the humiliation of it, but the spiritual experience that he was going to take on and the emotional agony he was going to live through. All of this He sees with a clarity beyond anything that we've seen. He understands. When he hangs on the cross, It says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Yes, he's pointing us to Psalm 22 to read that and to see the prophecy of everything that's unfolding there. But it wasn't just a word spoken to point us to to a passage of scripture. And yes, we know. that at all times that God remains one.
So in that sense, the Son is not forsaken by the Father, but the reality is he felt forsaken. The reality is he experienced what it feels like to be forsaken by God. And if you go through your agony and your hard times, and God, where are you? It feels like you don't even care. Why have you forsaken me?
You say, I can't say the words, but that's how I feel. And then sometimes I say the words: God, why have you forsaken me? And that's the same Jesus. the one that we saw in the book of Revelation. That same Jesus understands our weaknesses.
and understands our pain. It says, I can help you. I can have I I went through that. I suffered through that. I understand.
And even though he didn't live the life that each of us have lived and the unique experiences each of us have experienced, somehow he experienced the depth of human emotion and pain. He experienced the power. of the pull of Satan and the temptation of the flesh, or the temptation of the world, his nature is not fallen, but the temptation of the world. He experienced that in the way that said, I understand. and yet he was perfect.
and without sin.
So as we read his words, Read them. with the the weighty recognition. of the authority of the one speaking. But also read them with the recognition that no one cares for you the way he does. that no one understands what you're going through the way he does.
That those eyes are not just black. blazing fire with intensity, but blazing with the fire of divine love. that he being moved to compassion, We heal the sick, raise the dead. Set the captive free. feed the multitude.
And that's the compassion. and the longing that he feels for you.
So as we continue in the words of Jesus, Let's remember the one. who is speaking to us. A quick reminder, friends. Once a month, we send out our frontline newsletter. Great lead message every month we really put a lot into.
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