Focused on Jesus – Part 2

Here's a engram lots purchased. Like when you're in solitude and your suffering, never complaining spirit of finding spirit, angry spirit, bitter spirit, resentful spirits which examine your spirit asked the Lord to search your deep interest.

That you were just trusting welcome to living in the light in the Bible teaching ministry of engram lots today and has a challenge for you. She wants you to stay focused on Jesus through prophecy. Praise patient endurance and through prostration and's message today is taken from the book of Revelation chapter 1 titled focused on Jesus, here's a turn to Revelation chapter 1 and John is challenging you and me.

First of all, let's stay focused on Jesus through prophecy and one of the blessings I think it applies the whole Bible, one of the blessings when you read the book of Revelation again and again and again is that it helps you stay focused on Jesus, and in this day and time when there's so much craziness the way our world is so polluted and the youth, defiance, and so much disaster worldwide environmentally politically, socially, culturally, Marley spirit, we need to keep our focus on Jesus. So would you focused on him through prophecy. The book of Revelation. It's thrilling and we focus on Jesus to praise the Bible tells us there principalities and powers in unseen world and there are demons there is the devil.

There are evil forces that work in some of them are visible and some of them are invisible but it doesn't matter who you bump into, or what you bump into what blackhole you go to, or what you find under your bed, none is more powerful than Jesus.

Ephesians 1 says that God raised him from the dead. She seen him in authority over everything all things under his feet. He is the Lord of lords and King of Kings is in charge of everything. He's the Lord God Almighty, omnipotent, so praise him for his deity is God praise him for his humanity.

He's a man. Praise him for his eternity is omniscient and omnipresent and omnipotent. Isn't he wonderful and former going to trial. Sometimes when we have hard thing sometimes. The first thing that disappear is our praise. The very thing that would lift our spirits out of this vortex of problems and suffering in pressures and stress and hurt and pain and the very thing that would lift this out. We tend to lose if we would just lift up our heads lift up our hearts and praise the Lord.

Like I told you yesterday put his names of the alphabet, but the blessings of alphabet. It's amazing as you begin to praise how sometimes those things just fall into perspective.

The problems don't seem so great. The pressure is not so intense when we praise Jesus for who we as our world gets worse and worse and I believe we living in the end times living right before Jesus comes. And it is a privilege, but it's also no lot of responsibility and its going to get more and more and more difficult and he inhabits the praises of his people praise him for who he has just help ease the pressure so don't let the enemy rob you of your praise so you stay focused on Jesus through prophecy, through praise and then thirdly through patient endurance verse nine.

This is more of John's testimony. John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. So John at the end of his life.

The time when if you estimate he should've think about it.

He was a disciple and he shared the things that he had witnessed. He was there at the cross, he was at the resurrection. He was there Pentecost he helped establish the church. He was able to do miracles with Peter and turn the world upside down and now at the end of his life.

You would think you have buildings name for him and he would have people holding banquets in his honor and instead for the word of his testimony must've been asked to come speak somewhere and they said you were pluralistic society. Roman empire and we all have our own gods or just tone it down a little bit and wonder. John just got up and said Jesus that I'm the way the truth and the life. No one will come to the father except through me and they slapped him in exile. They put them on Patmos and Alan about 8 miles long, 6 miles wide in the Aegean ocean where he was cut off from everything we think is about nine years of age. So I expect John is suffering and I know that for my daddy.

My daddy lived in 99 but even if he was in good health for somebody who is that age he was still suffering because his body was just wearing out, and I know John Niemi had been suffering just because he was mighty old age is not for sissies. Not that he said and I'm discovering that myself but John and tradition says that he was assigned to manual labor on Patmos.

So I don't know what it was but any manual labor for somebody who's 90 is too much. So John was suffering and sometimes when were suffering. If we have our loved ones around us and somebody to bring us a meal and some I did ask you were doing some I do pray for us and helps us with the suffering, but John was not only suffering. He was in solitude.

He was on Patmos. He was cut off cut off from his church cut off from his friends, cut off from his family cut off from his ministry, from people who might pray with them or encouraging. He was in solitude, which I think makes the suffering worse.

So what you're Patmos. In what way are you cut off the chemo bed can be a Patmos hospital bed can be a Patmos a small home and small children can be a Patmos being the only follower of Jesus and your family can be a Patmos. The only Christian in your place of work can be a Patmos. And what where you cut off maybe moved to a new city are in the new church leaders don't know people around you and at the same time you're going to pressures and stress and struggles and suffering in solitude and sometimes were just called to patiently endure. I came across something in the streams of the desert driver read streams in the desert and I remember this one. October 30's. If you don't mind, I'm just going to read some of what's written here and is written by George Matheson. The first was let us run with patience to run with patience is a very difficult thing running is apt to suggest the absence of patients. The eagerness to reach the goal. We commonly associate patients with lying down. But there is a patients which are believed to be harder for patients that can run the lie down in the time of grief to be quiet end of the stroke of adverse fortune implies a great strength but I know a something that implies a still greater strength is the power to work under a stroke. They have a great weight on your heart and still do run the have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily task. It's a Christlike thing. Many of us would nurse our grief without crying. If we were allowed to nurse it the hard thing is that most of us are called to exercise our patients not in bed but in the street.

This was that patients of Son of Man is at once a waiting and a running waiting for the goal and a doing of the lesser work.

Meantime I see the Cana turning the water into wine.

This the marriage feast should be clouted. I see the in the desert feeding a multitude with bread just to relieve a temporary want and all the time. There were bearing a mighty grief and shared unspoken man asked for a rainbow in the clouds but I would ask more from the I would in my cloud myself.

The rainbow minister to others, joys are you running with patience, patiently enduring Eugene Peterson called.

It's a long obedience in the same direction.

Day after day after day suffering in solitude.

The neat thing about John while he was suffering in solitude. He was in the spirit. Verse 10 says he was in the spirit nothing. That doesn't mean just indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. I think it means he was in a sweet spirit. He was in a right spirit. He wasn't saying, you remember who I am a disciple of Jesus witnessed all those things that I was there. Pentecost, I preached about the gospel of John, for crying out loud in the three epistles and you let this happen to me.

I deserve better get me off of Patmos and I'll serve you.

John was in sweet spirits a submissive spirit.

Lord, if this is from you. This is for a wannabe. He knows God is sovereign and for he places his children what he allows to happen. Nothing comes into our lives for child of God who loves them, called according to his purposes not only for our good and for his glory and our good is not our health, wealth and prosperity. You know that our ultimate good is to be conformed to the image to bring him glory. So John on Patmos is in the spirit, what you spirit like when you're in solitude in your suffering you have a complaining spirit of finding spirit, angry spirit, bitter spirit, resentful spirits would you examine your spirit asked the Lord to search you deep and cleanse your spirits that you would just trust was when he was in the spirit suffering in solitude that his eyes were opened, and he had a fresh vision of the glory of Jesus is just look at it briefly, just in this passage that I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands and I think just the parenthetical thing behind the voice.

There is a living person and when you read your Bible and you're asking what does it say what does it mean what does it mean in my life, and you begin to hear the spirit for spring is because in back of the words, there is a living person is a living word he speaks to his word, so I turned and when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands and receiving end of the chapter lampstands of the church and among the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man, I told you the beginning the church in John's day was suffering they were being persecuted, martyred, and he sees someone like the Son of Man, that's Jesus drawing near to those who are suffering and if your suffering, if you're being persecuted and if you're stressed out and whatever else is going and not Jesus draws near to you. Did you know that, and if you've not seen like Mary Magdalene at the tumor you blinded by your tears, your focus on the circumstances.

John turned and he saw Jesus drawing near to the church at that moment dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet as the robe of the high priest because he ever lives to make intercession for us and he understands the feelings of our infirmities and has a golden sash around his chest. That's the robe of the king. He's in charge and he knows exactly what he's doing. Your life is not out of control is under his control, his head and hair white like wool, as white as snow.

That's the ancient of days, that's his wisdom he's all wise.

He knows exactly what to come in your life do member to heat up the fire and skim off the dross until he can see his own face reflected in your life. You won't give you more than you can bear. You can think he does but he will. His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in the furnace. I think he I'm not sure that but an erotic this is.

He's angry thoughts on like bright blazing fire with you know that's scary and he's angry not to. But at that which would cause your suffering. Those who persecute you. Those who put you to death because of your identification with him and he's coming back with feet like burnished bronze, and he's going to trample in judgment.

Everything is raised up against him.

His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. If you've ever stood at the base of the waterfall and tried to speak. You can't hear yourself speak the sound of the rushing water drowns out your voice and all these voices in the world that are raised in blasphemy and obscenity and pornography in all the mess one day will be silence in Jesus as the last word and then it says this voice like rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, that's you and me that the leaders of the church representing you and me and he holds in his right hand because in my right hand hold the things I use not not Panama for, brush and in his right hand.

He saying I hold you in my right hand right there in your suffering and solitude, to use you for my glory, I've got something for you to do something this chest for you to do and out of his mouth came that sharp, double-edged sword. That's his words.

Revelation chapter 19 when he comes back, the sky unfolds and he comes back and that sword is coming from his mouth and the armies of the world see them coming. They know is the Lamb of God is coming back the rain and ruin you think they would all submit. Instead, they turn their guns in their missiles and they go to make war against the Lamb, and he just says a word and they all drop dead the sword of his mouth all listen to may pick up your sword. Don't leave it on the shelf not leave it the collect dust. Pick up your sword. Read the word is through the word that we can overcome the enemy and when the devil start speaking those thoughts in your mommy starts accusing you and deceiving you and lying to you. You pull out the word and you put your faith in the word of God. Faith anchored. Remember, and then his face was like the sun shining in its brilliance and of the long dark nights there was Jesus and his night turned to day in Jesus is for your were all headed human history is going to Jesus the light at the end of the tunnel is Jesus just his face who is not as handily does residence.

Pete and Rick just his face and who he is and when John saw him like this the same John that leaned on his shoulder at the Last Supper because he was so familiar. When he saw Jesus like this, he fell at his feet prostrate the feet of Jesus is that I fell at his feet as what is that mean Rob never heard a dead man speak.

So think it means.

John was silence no longer arguing with Jesus about what is allowed to come into his life, no longer rationalizing any defense or excusing his behavior telling him what he wanted them telling him how to answer his prayers to silence still have never seen a dead man move.

I think he stopped wrestling with God's will for his life that included suffering and solitude being on patents stopped wrestling with God's will in trying to get God to go his way. He said he just surrendered to God's way, have you ever fallen at the feet of Jesus prostrate and I don't mean just in your body. I mean in your heart, your spirit, silence. You still arguing with him still telling them how to answer your prayer still telling what and you can tell them what you want you can tell them what you how you want your prayers as I'm not saying that Brown talk about don't insist on it, you know, don't say God I can't love you if you don't do this for me. You haven't answered my prayer than I've got a whole back or you know I don't really like you because you haven't been on you know what I mean we can talk to whatever's on your heart. You can tell them what you want, telling how you want to mention but within yourself and just listening for his whisper somebody's still wrestling here still resisting the Holy Spirit.

Still thinking you know if I give up everything I'm going to lose out on what I really want.

I just can't give up everything when he saw Jesus in his glory fell at his feet, silent still absolutely surrendered think all he cared about was feeling the hand of God on his life and he says when Osama fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me. The hand that he holds the world's and spaces right hand of power, when he put his hand on John and he said don't be afraid. Why are we so afraid to surrender everything got to be our pride something that just says if we do that were going to lose out. The opposite is true that the devil fly you surrender everything that's when you enter into the fullness of God's blessing can be afraid to fall at his feet as though dead when he said don't be afraid. I'm the first and the last the living when I was dead but hold on the last forever never hold the keys of death and Hades right. Therefore, what you have seen what is now and what will take place later. John right there on Patmos when you're suffering and solitude unlikely to change your circumstances.

But I want you to serve me I have something for you to do right down what I'm going to teach you what I'm going to show you what you're going to experience an John did in the rest of the book of Revelation is what he wrote down and you talk about passing the baton of legacy for every generation for 2000 years with all read the book of Revelation. This is our hope. This is what history is headed. This is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the end of the story and John was faithful to do what he was assigned to do right there on Patmos probably suffering in solitude totally surrendered and I wonder if you would totally surrendered.

What would God have for you to do and you think you can't pass the baton of truth to the next generation.

You can't lead that person to Christ, you can impact your family. What is what you can do when you surrender your life to him and he does it throw you and you can stand MA this is comes to my mind is the wedding at Cana when the servants to remember that put the water in the jar and there's that little phrases that only the servants knew of the miracle that took place because they put the water in but they saw the wind come out and when we surrender everything we just give them a little bit severe five loaves and two fish and little broken pieces we just given the water.

The plainness but we surrender to him and watch him bring the wine create a miracle use you in a way that have to be in the pulpit doesn't have to be in some big way you known the odds of other people, but just surfing him and his son with these given you right where you are.

Your circumstances may not change. He will use you for his glory right there that's my challenge for you.

Would you stay focused on Jesus. Stay focused in this wicked wicked world. Almost like the days of Noah.

That's what Jesus said as it was in the days of Noah due member.

That's what it's going to be like the coming of the Son of Man wickedness. Every which way we turn stay focused on Jesus through prophecy revealed by God, recorded by prophets.

You can read this for you. It's not just for theologians and is for you.

Don't get hung up on the things you don't understand, just look for the revelation of Jesus Christ as their new focus on and through praise for his deity in his humanity and his return at the end focus on him through patient endurance going your suffering and solitude and a sweet spirit. Open your asking to give your fresh vision of who Jesus is until you fall prostrate at his silent and still surrender to stay focused in a world that is totally out of focused and going crazy so think for a moment.

What is God said to you.

What is your take away some going to ask at this moment. Whatever God is said to you. I'm going to ask you to say yes or whatever you want me to do. I'll do wherever you send mail go whatever you want me to say I say you want me to cross the street and witness to my neighbor will if you want me to get involved in the church involved in the youth group get involve rock and meet some people. The next generation.

Whatever you would have come silent and still surrender you want to feel the hand of God on your life you would say I surrender all, and I'm going to invite you to seal that decision in your heart not only want you to do this if it's a genuine decision. God is spoken, you and your responding by saying yes sir, to whatever it is that he said your surrendered for service. Whatever he would have you do so, let me pray for the father we come to you. You are more wonderful than we could ever imagine. And we long for the day when our faith becomes side and we see you face-to-face.

But right now at this moment, we just come before you and we acknowledge do you. They were so imperfect little dust people and some of the Lord are suffering and having issues were were like smoking flax and bruised reed, but we know you're tender in your merciful and so we just asking as we bow before you, that we would feel your hand on our lives. Lord, would you reach out Lord, we give ourselves to you will note what that's going to mean when we leave here. But we know were not going back the same way we came. We are not going back to the country.

We left we are going to press forward until we see you face-to-face. That's our commitment yes Lord we say have your way place for you blessing over those who are participating with us and I pray you blessing at the Lord will bless you and keep you Lord would make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you his peace in the name of the father who loved us so much the gospel was his idea and he sent us his son in the name of his son, who loved us so much when the father sentiment got up from his throne. He left his glory. Robeson came down to earth, gave his life the Savior who redeemed us with his own blood and then rose up from the dad open heaven for us.

Give us an internal life in the name of the son and the name of the deer sevenfold Spirit.

When the father and the son said, and came down to live inside with the chlorine of God is the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. We make this commitment.

This has been living in the light please take advantage of all the free resources that and Graham Watts.org to help and encourage you in your walk with God and in your study of his word.

Join us here each week for living in the light