HOPE As We Look Upward – Part 2

Here's Anne Graham Lotz. How would we know the end of the story if the apostle John hadn't written it down for us in the book of Revelation? Blessed are those of you who continually read it, who continually study it, because the time is near.

Only book of the Bible that gives a specific blessing for those who continue to read it, who continue to study it. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to this week's Living in the Light, the Bible teaching ministry of Anne Graham Lotz. We're living in a world of chaos and confusion.

That's no surprise to anyone. A world of constant fear and threats. This darkness that surrounds us causes us to feel hopeless and discouraged.

Is there a way to find real hope? Well, here's Anne to give you an answer to that question from the book of Revelation. Open your Bibles, if you would, to Revelation chapter 1.

Verse 8 says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come the Almighty. And when Jesus says I am the Alpha and the Omega, he is the fullness of God's wisdom, omniscience, which means Jesus knows everything. And Jesus is fully present everywhere. He's omnipresent.

So when you feel alone, you're not. He's with you. And not only is Jesus omniscient and omnipresent, but it says he's the Almighty. He's omnipotent.

No one is mightier than Jesus. And it doesn't matter whether it's an invisible principality or power, demon coming from hell, the devil himself. Doesn't matter if it's a visible, powerful person. Could be President Xi of China or Kim Jong-un of North Korea or Vladimir Putin of Russia or whoever you want to name who thinks they're so powerful and so great and all the ones who are vying for office in this nation. And there's no one, maybe somebody in your life, who are you bumping up against that has more power than you do? And it can be a spouse, a pastor, a board of deacons, an employer, teacher, professor, you know, somebody that seems to have power.

None of them are more powerful than Jesus. And Ephesians says, when God raised him from the dead, he seated him at the right hand of the Father and he placed all authority under his feet. So when it looks like the world is falling apart, it's not. It's falling into place right under the feet of Jesus. And he's going to come back and set it all right one day. Amen.

Amen. He is omnipotent. And these people that make fun of Christians and call us Christian fascists or whatever now the new term is, you know, they just throw their labels around without thinking or maybe they are thinking and it doesn't matter because in the end we win. And Jesus is victorious and none is greater than he is.

And they better be careful when they mock God's children. We're the apple of his eye. And he loves us. And one day he'll come and take us to be with himself and take us out of all of this mess. Until then, I want to live my life in worship. Worship Jesus for his deity and for his humanity and for his eternity and attribute worth to him by the way I live my life, the way I conduct myself. If you want to find real hope, confidence in this crazy world in which we live, then you focus on Jesus through the Word and you focus on Jesus through worship and you focus on Jesus through your willingness to submit to whatever he lets come into your life.

This is where it gets tough. Verse 9, I John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus was on the Isle of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And I shared with you something of John's story. And John had been a disciple, had seen all those incredible things, had been at the cross, the resurrection, the ascension. He was there at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given. And he was there when the church was born and he evangelized the world and he pastored the church at Ephesus. He wrote the Gospel of John to bring the Gospel to the whole world. And when he's 90 years of age, when he should have been having banquets in his honor and buildings named for him and plaques to put on his desk instead, somebody must have said, John, you can come speak, but speak, but don't use the J word. And John went and said, you know, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one will come to the Father except through me. So they slapped him on Patmos in exile. Patmos is an island of the Aegean Ocean about eight miles long, six miles wide.

It's basically a rock. If you've been there, you know that they have a cave where they said John was, just a hole in the ground, basically, where John was confined. And I know he was suffering because he was 90. When my father was 90, he could still get around, but still even in pretty good health, but he suffered because of age.

And I'm not 90 yet, but I can tell you the older I get, the more I suffer physically. I know you understand, you know, and suffered also emotionally, because he's on Patmos, cut off from his church, from his friends, from people who would pray with him, for people who would encourage him, and he's suffering in solitude after that tremendous life that he's lived. How hard would that be to suddenly be isolated in exile?

Somebody here on Patmos, what is your Patmos? Have you suffered for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus? Your friends have pushed you to the periphery. Maybe you were demoted in your business. Maybe your neighbors just think you're a fanatic and avoid you. Maybe you're the only Christian in your family.

Maybe you're the only Christian in your workplace or your school. I think living with pain in a body that just doesn't function the way you want it to, that can be a Patmos, a hospital bed can be a Patmos, a marriage where the love has run out can be a Patmos. Where the love has run out can be a Patmos. What is your Patmos?

And this is what I really want to ask you. When you're on Patmos, what's your attitude? What's your spirit like? So easy, especially if we've been serving the Lord and doing things and then we're on Patmos and we say, Lord, really?

You know, do I deserve this? And John said in verse 10, on the Lord's day I was in the spirit. And I think he meant not only was he indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but John was in a sweet spirit. He was in a spirit that was submitting to God's will when it included suffering and solitude on Patmos.

So let me ask you again, what's your spirit like? I mean, if I were John, I might have complained a little. You know, God, if you'll just get me off of Patmos, if you'll just get me back to Ephesus where I can pastor that church or I'll go plant a church somewhere else, I just want to serve, I want to be with people, I want to share the gospel, you know, just get me out of here.

But John seems to be totally submissive. He was willing to submit to the suffering and the solitude. He was in a sweet spirit. And then on the Lord's day, the sweet spirit, in verse 10, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. So in verse 12, he said, I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.

And can I just point out something? John knew that behind the voice was a living person. When you open up your Bible and read it, I want you to remember that behind the words, there is a living person. So open up your ears to hear what he's saying.

Yes, he speaks through the words that are printed on the page of your Bible, but he can whisper to you and it comes alive and he speaks to you and there is a living person behind this living word. So John turned, he knew when the voice spoke that somebody was behind the word, so he turns to see. And that's where I see him shifting in his perspective. It's not all about John.

It's not all about Patmos. It's not all about how he feels or where he wants to be or what he wants to do. He turns around to see Jesus. So sometimes we have to shift our perspective, don't we?

Get our eyes off ourselves, off our circumstances. Put them on Jesus. And look at what he saw. I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. At the end of this chapter, we find the seven golden lampstands that represents the church. And I told you at the beginning of this message, the church was suffering. They were being persecuted.

They were being slaughtered, fed to lions, crucified on crosses. And among the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. Jesus was drawing near to those who were suffering. Jesus was drawing near to those who felt hopeless. Jesus was drawing near to those who were being persecuted and rejected. And then he said he was dressed in a robe, reaching down to his feet as the robe of the high priest.

And we know from Hebrews, he ever lives to make intercession for you, praying for those who are suffering, especially those who are on Patmos. And he had a golden sash around his chest. You watched all the things, ceremonies from England recently during the queen's funeral.

Magnificent funeral, actually. And the gold sash is just a symbol of royalty. And I think it's speaking of Jesus, who is the king. He's in charge. And the hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow.

That's the ancient of days. That's his wisdom. And Jesus never makes a mistake.

There are no accidents with him. He doesn't have to second-guess himself. He knows exactly what he's doing.

His eyes like blazing fire, his feet like bronze glowing in a furnace. He's angry. And I don't think he's, I know he's not angry with John.

Angry at that which would cause John suffering. He's angry at the bad guys. You read the revelation and you'll read about his anger. The wrath that he pours out on those who have persecuted his people and martyred his people and rebelled against him and shaking their little dust fist in his face and giving every opportunity to repent and turn around and then they don't. And he just pours out his wrath. And he's angry. Pours out his wrath. Comes back with feet like burnished bronze to trample them in judgment. His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

If you stand at the base of a waterfall and speak, you can't hear yourself. And with all of the insanity and profanity and blasphemy and the things they're saying, I cannot believe the things that now are being said, not in darkness or in private but just right out there. They tweet it. They text it.

They publish it. And one day, he'll have the last word. All of that will be drowned out. In his right hand, he holds seven stars. Seven stars at the end of this chapter we know represent the leaders of the church that represents you and me.

And in my right hand, I hold my brush, my fork, my pen, the things I want to use. And I think it's saying that he holds the leaders. He holds you and me in his right hand because he wants to use us.

He's got something for us to do. And coming out of his mouth was a sharp double-edged sword. That's the word of God. When he comes back in chapter 19, when he slaughters all of his enemies, it's just he speaks a word. He has that same sword that comes from his mouth. So don't leave that sword on a shelf to catch dust. You want to overcome your enemy. You pick up your sword. You read the word. You claim the promises.

You pray the word. And his face was like the sun shining in all of its brilliance. The very end of John's long, dark night.

The end of all the hopelessness and the suffering and the solitude. He saw the face of Jesus. His night was turned to day. And he knew where he was going. And he was going to Jesus. Going to Jesus. At the end of everything, we're going to see the face of Jesus. John says in verse 17, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

What does that mean? To fall at the feet of Jesus as though dead. I've never heard a dead man speak. So I think it means when we fall down at the feet of Jesus, we're silent. We're no longer giving excuses for our behavior. We're no longer complaining about what is that come into our lives. We're no longer telling him how to answer our prayers. We're no longer dictating to him what we want, what our plans are, what our goals are.

We're just silent. And I've never seen a dead man move. That means you fall down at the feet of Jesus absolutely still. You're no longer wrestling with his will for your life, especially when it includes a patmos. You're no longer struggling to get him to come your way, to do your will, to fulfill your plans and goals. You're just laying at the feet of Jesus, silent and still.

Have you ever done that? The Apostle Paul did. Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. I'm just a dead man.

Nevertheless, I live. But the life I now live, I live through faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave himself for me. He gave himself for me. It's just a dying to yourself so that the life of Jesus can be raised up in and through you. All John cared about was feeling the hand of God on his life.

Right there at that moment. So in verse 17, then he placed his right hand on me and he said, don't be afraid. And you know, to fall at the feet of Jesus, silent and still, in absolute surrender can be frightening for some people because we lose control.

And it's hard to give up total control. But Jesus said, don't be afraid. I'm the first and the last. I'm the living one. I was dead. Behold, I'm alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys of death in Hades. Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later. John, write there on Patmos in suffering and solitude as you submit to me. I have something for you to do. You don't have to get off of Patmos to serve me.

You can serve me right where you are. And the rest of the book of Revelation is evidence that John did exactly what Jesus told him to do. And aren't we glad. So when have you surrendered like that?

Totally. Falling at the feet of Jesus, silent and still, asking him to put his hand on your life. And if he doesn't, then you're just content to lay at his feet.

You know that? Just lay down and worship him. But I believe he's brought you here because he's got something he wants you to do. It may be a simple thing, like sharing the gospel with a neighbor or grandchild, or doing something in your church, starting a Bible study, a prayer group. This is a day in time for God's people to be busy about God's business. People need the Lord. Sharing the gospel with those that you come into contact with, whatever it is.

I don't think you're going to know what it is unless you fall down. And the reason we fall down is because we find hope in the person of Jesus Christ as we focus on him through the Word, as we focus on him through worship, and as we focus on him through our willingness to submit to whatever he brings into our lives, to submit to whatever he brings into our lives. And listen to me, if you're not suffering, if you're not on Patmos, if your life is wonderful, you feel good, you're healthy, your prayers are being answered, everybody loves you, praise God. And I hope it lasts for your lifetime, but you still need to submit to his authority, whatever he has for you. And ask him to place his hand on your life as you surrender to him. I believe Jesus is inviting you to fall down at his feet. And I'm going to lead us in prayer, so in submission, willing to turn, shift our perspective from ourselves to him, to surrender everything that we might serve him in these last days.

Pray with me. So as we think about surrendering, what is it that you're holding on to? And you would say, I'd surrender everything, but not that.

And I don't know if it's a child, your desire for a child you don't have, or a grandchild, a grandchild you don't have, if it's a spouse, or a spouse you don't have, you know. Would you surrender everything? Surrender your children to him, your grandchildren, surrender your church, surrender your career, surrender your marriage, your memories, surrender your home and your health, surrender your past and your present and your future and your family, surrender your desires and your dreams, even that disease that you're battling, surrender your body, a living sacrifice, surrender your brokenness, surrender your burdens. I'm just going to take a moment and give you a moment of quietness, just, Dear Jesus, I surrender, and then you just tell him what it is.

Name it. So, Dear Jesus, you are our living hope. You are the hope of the world. And at the end of this craziness, and it's going to get worse, we see the light we see the light in the darkness, and at your face, and we rejoice in who you are. What a privilege to know you through the revelation we call our Bibles. Oh, thank you, that in this world where there's so many lies, so much betrayal, so much deception and delusion, that our Bibles are true, every word, every jot and tittle.

You are the truth. And we find hope as we read our Bibles, because in our Bibles we see you, and we find that in the timeline we're at the end of human history. We want to be found faithful at the end. We worship you. In your deity you're the God who became flesh. In your humanity, the God-man. In your eternity, so magnificent our minds can hardly take it in. And so we worship you, and we find hope when we're willing to submit to what you've allowed to come into our lives.

There's no accident. You had a plan and purpose, and whatever it is that's hit us is part of your plan and purpose for our lives. We accept it. We're going to pray that you'll deliver us, Lord. Like Paul, we don't want the thorn, but if you don't remove it then we know that in our weakness you're going to be strong. Your grace is sufficient.

Yes, it is. And so we turn around. We want to see you behind the word. The vision is glorious, and the only reasonable response is to fall down.

So, like dead men, we're silent and still in absolute surrender. I ask, please, that you place your hand on each one. That they'd be aware that the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ is resting on them.

That he singled each one out because he has something for them to do right here, right now, whether they're on Patmos or not. You're calling us to serve you. So, Lord, I ask that service would become clear, the surrender would be total, and that in these last days our lives would count. Thank you for the living hope that we find when we focus on Jesus. And we pray these things and surrender this in our hearts, until we can get alone with you and confirm to you the surrender that we're making even at this moment. We pray this in Jesus' name, in the name of the God-man, the Savior who's redeemed us with his own blood, the Lord who rules our lives, and the King one day who returned for us. It's in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Living in the Light is a weekly study in God's Word with teacher and author Ann Graham Lotz. Learn to listen to his voice, then start making the choice to keep on going and believing and trusting who God is. Go to anngramlotz.org. Take advantage of the many helpful free resources to get you started. Join us again for Living in the Light.