I Am Alive Forevermore! (A Brief Easter Sunday Message) REVELATION 1:12-18 (NKJV)

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1 Message for EASTER LORD'S DAY MORNING, April 16, 2017 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Easter, Special Day Sermons, Resurrection I Am Alive Forevermore! (A Brief Easter Sunday Message) REVELATION 1:12-18 (NKJV) Today as we celebrate the glorious resurrection of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, I would like for you to turn with me to our scripture text in REVELATION chapter one. And let's read vs PRAYER REVELATION 1:12-18 (NKJV) 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

2 I N T R O D U C T I O N I think at Easter time it very difficult for us NOT to picture Jesus hanging on the cross. In fact, it is an image we ought to meditate upon long and hard. Its hard for us not to picture Jesus outstretched arms and His nail-pierced hands and feet as He hung on the cross. Its hard for us not to picture the horrendous lacerations and bruises all over His body that were made by the razor-sharp scourge of the Roman soldiers. Its hard for us not to picture that crown of thorns on Jesus' head and the blood streaming down His face into His beard...and His swollen eyes...and His blood-soaked body. Its almost unbearable to even picture this image in our minds,isn't it? But we must! But in our scripture text here in Revelation chapter one, the apostle John gives us another image of Christ we must also dwell upon, especially on this glorious Easter Sunday. -It is a portrait of the VICTORIOUS JESUS as we shall see Him in the future. -It is a portrait of CHRIST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GRAVE. -It is a portrait of CHRIST IN ALL HIS RADIANT GLORY! GONE is the cross! GONE is the blood and the sweat and the bruises GONE are the nails! GONE is the crown of thorns! GONE are the Roman soldiers and the angry mob GONE is the mockery, and the jeers, and the blasphemies.

3 This is the portrait of OUR LIVING SAVIOR...OUR LIVING KING...AND OUR LIVING LORD... John tells us in verse 17, When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. John was so over-whelmed with this glorious image of Christ the blood rushed out of his face and he turned as white as a ghost and fell on his face to the ground as though he had died. Now this might seem like a rather strange reaction, after all John had known Jesus so well while He was on earth. John had walked with Jesus and talked with Jesus and joyfully followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. So why was he so over-whelmed and over-taken by this vision of His glorified Savior? The late W.A. Criswell explained John's reaction in a way I never could. Listen carefully... That response of John is most strange. It would seem that he would have looked upon the face of his Master with ecstatic bliss and joy beyond words to describe. He was a beloved disciple in that inner circle who lived next to the very heart and ministry of our Savior. He laid his head on Jesus' bosom at the Last Supper. He stood at the cross. He saw the blood and the water flow out like a fountain from His heart. It was this beloved disciple, John, who in obedience to the loving, tender, shepherdly word of the Savior took Mary, the Lord's mother, to his home and cared for her. Yet when he sees his Master on this Isle of Patmos, he falls at His feet as dead. I believe there were two reasons for his fear. The first is, the beloved disciple is looking upon the unveiled deity. In the days of His flesh, in the days of the Lord's ministry here on earth, His godhead is covered over, it was

4 shrouded, it was curtained in flesh. Just once did the glory of His deity shine through, such as on the Mount of Transfiguration when His face shone like the sun and His garments were white as no fuller could make them. But here John looks upon the unveiled glory and deity of Jesus. But there is another reason why John fell before Jesus as a dead man and that was he was immediately conscious of his own nothingness, his own insignificance, his own sins, and shortcomings, and iniquity. No sinful mortal can look into the face of God. No man's ear can hear the voice of the Almighty and not in reverence and awe fear his own destruction. John saw the resurrected...ascended...glorified Christ and was so over-whelmed with reverence and awe he fell into the lowest depths of humility at Jesus' feet. But now I want you to notice Jesus' response to John... vs. 17b, 18 But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. You notice Jesus placed His right hand on John as if to comfort him and console him. It was a touch of tenderness and grace. And then note each and every part of Jesus' statement. This statement is loaded with meaning.

5 * First, Jesus said Do not be afraid. (v.18 a) Think of how many times Jesus said Fear not or Do not be afraid while He was on earth. And remember that's what the angel said to the women on that resurrection morning when they found the tomb of Jesus empty. The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:5,6 NKJV) Jesus now comforts John with those same soothing words, Do not be afraid. And that is the Lord's admonition to you and me. Do not be afraid! No matter what you are going through...no matter what your situation may be... DO NOT BE AFRAID! * Then notice Jesus says, I am the First and the Last. (v.18 b) Jesus is reminding John that He is equal with His heavenly Father in that He is eternal. There has never been a time when Jesus did not exist, nor will there ever be. He is the same yesterday...today...and forever! * Next, Jesus says, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. (v.18 c) Here Jesus is talking about His incarnation. When He says, I am He who lives He is talking about His pre-existence before He became flesh and dwelled among us. And when Jesus says, and was dead He is of course talking about His sacrificial death on the cross. The literal meaning of and was dead in the original Greek is that He became dead. He volunteered to die...no one took His life from Him...He offered His life for us of us His own free will. Next Jesus says, Behold I am alive forevermore. He is telling John, Look at me...see for yourself...i'm NOT dead any longer! I am alive forevermore. My work has been finished! I will never have to die again! AMEN! ( so be it! )

6 * And then notice Jesus says, And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (v.18 d) Jesus is literally saying, I took the keys to the grave and death away from Satan. I have all authority over the grave and death. Oh brothers and sisters, THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF EASTER! THIS IS THE MESSAGE TO YOU AND ME TODAY! I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. AMEN! DEATH WAS NOT THE END OF JESUS' STORY AND DEATH IS NOT THE END OF OUR STORY EITHER! Just as Jesus conquered death and came forth alive from His tomb on the third day, through CHRIST we too shall defeat death! One day, people are going to go to the cemetery where we were buried and find our graves empty, just as the women found Christ's tomb empty on His glorious resurrection morning! The scriptures teach us that on the third day after He was crucified Jesus conquered death and came forth alive from His tomb. And likewise, through Christ we too will defeat death. And one day people are going to go to the cemetery and find our graves empty, just as the women found Christ's tomb empty on His glorious resurrection morning. I Corinthians 15:55-57 (NKJV) Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Today on this beautiful Easter morning we celebrate CHRIST'S VICTORY over death and the grave! And in just a few moments we are going to remember Christ's death...burial...and resurrection by celebrating the Lord's Supper as we do each and every Lord's Day. Today on this beautiful Easter morning we celebrate CHRIST'S VICTORY over death and over the grave; just as we celebrate HIS VICTORY each and every Lord's Day when we come around the Lord's Table to observe the Lord's Supper. But before we do that, Dwayne is going to come prepare our minds and hearts with his communion meditation.