The Lord gave me a thought called “A New Perspective,” and that is what I will be sharing on this morning.
Anyway, let us begin with a few words of prayer.
Lord, we are so grateful to be here this morning, just to be with You together. It is a special privilege and blessing.
Now, Lord, we ask as we look to You for this upcoming conference and for this ministry this morning, that You will bless, that, Lord, You will anoint.
And I do stand in the prayers of the saints for this time this morning. Lord Jesus, may Your Word be fruitful in our hearts and be an encouragement to us as we prepare for this next week.
Lord, we ask You, Lord Jesus, to just cover us all this morning. Open our ears; open our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Well, I know that we are going to be busy about many things. But our brother Promke has told us—this is a saying that everybody knows now—we need to keep the main thing the main thing.
So, as we are busy preparing and getting ready, we need to remember that. The Lord wants us to keep the main thing the main thing.
And I think what is the main thing, particularly for this week that is coming up and getting ready to go to the conference, is that the Lord might really prepare our hearts and minds to receive the Word of God.
I have said this before, but I just feel like I need to say it again this morning. You know, our hearts tend to get crusty.
And y’all remember the story about the farmer. The ground, the field that he farms, over the winter the dirt becomes crusty. It is not really able to receive seed, and the water would just run off if it rains upon it.
So it is important that the fallow ground—the crusty heart in our lives—be broken up and plowed. So may the Lord do that work in our hearts this week, to plow it up a little bit so that it might receive the seed of His Word, that it might be watered as we are at the conference, and bring fruit into all of our lives.
Very important: to have a prepared heart. And so, a few more words this morning to hopefully encourage us.
I was really touched this morning by our brother’s opening. At the end, he said something that really struck me in relation to our hearts. He said, “Lord, I thank You for the privilege of sharing this morning.”
Now, as we go into this conference, many of us will be serving in various ways at the conference. And I thought about it. I said, “Lord, what is a right heart for serving at the conference?”
A right heart is when we consider our service as a privilege, not as a duty. If it becomes a duty in our heart, it becomes difficult. It becomes a load.
But if it is really a privilege in our heart, even though it may be a load, the Lord helps us carry that load. And so we need to be careful this week that we guard our minds and hearts, brothers and sisters.
This is really on my heart. The enemy is always looking for something to disturb us, disturb our lives, so that our minds and hearts are caught up with something else besides the Lord’s heart and the Lord’s purpose for this time.
You know, things just do not happen. There is always something behind it. So be careful this week. Guard your mind. Guard your hearts. Guard what you are doing.
And be careful, lest you get a bum knee like I did. I am just joking there. But anyway, it is something you have to think about. Be prepared in your heart.
Well, let us begin by reading Revelation 1:9-11.
I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet
saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Well, John, as we know, his situation was a little bit difficult. He was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, right across the Aegean Sea. On a clear day, he might even be able to glance the outline of the land where the seven churches in Asia Minor were.
And it had been a difficult time. What had preceded John’s being exiled was that, in A.D. 64, the Roman Emperor Nero burned Rome. He conveniently blamed the Christians. He is the one that burned it, but he blamed the Christians, and there began to be a great persecution of Christians.
And actually, many Christians scattered all over the European area. In A.D. 70, as all of this was going on, Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Josephus reported that a little over a million Jews were killed during that time. Christians were killed; they were mostly Jews, of course.
The persecution continued under the Emperor Domitian, and he is the one that exiled John to the Isle of Patmos around A.D. 95.
So what was on John’s heart? There was a lot of persecution going on. He was looking over that sea, probably that morning, where the seven churches were located. Normally, he would have been among them, maybe at the Lord’s table. But now he was exiled.
And the saints were scattered. They were being persecuted and in hiding. The church was in dire circumstances, and his heart was filled with concern for the brothers and sisters and for the Lord’s church.
He was one of the—well, he was the last of those original apostles who had actually seen Christ in His earthly ministry. They were able to testify firsthand of what they had seen and heard of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But now even he was not available to help encourage the saints in this dire time in the history of the church. He had given his life to the Lord Jesus and to His church. He was one who shared the Word of God and held the testimony of Jesus.
And in fact, he was so powerful that this is why he was exiled by the king: to get him out of the way.
His heart was, I think, “Lord, is Your church going to survive? Are the saints going to make it through all this persecution? What would happen to the testimony of Jesus that the church was to uphold?”
I think he was a bit brokenhearted—not for himself, but over the testimony of Jesus, over His church, the Lord’s church.
So, as we go into this conference, do we have concerns like the apostle John had? He was concerned about the church. Are we concerned about the church?
This was on John’s heart. Is it on our heart? It is the Lord’s heart. His church is the Lord’s heart in this last hour, that He might have the bride that He is so looking for.
It was primary in John’s heart. Is it primary in our heart?
There is a great need, brothers and sisters. As we have prepared for this conference, we have seen the great need that God’s people receive revelation.
Now, revelation is not something that comes from man. Some thoughts and things may be shared by man, but the revelation has to come from God Himself. That is the difference between knowledge and revelation.
Yes, we can have knowledge, but it takes revelation for it to get our hearts, for it to get inside of us. And that is what is needed. That revelation that we receive is meant to grab our lives, to get into our lives.
We need the vision, that heavenly vision that we have been talking about. And that heavenly vision is Christ.
It is the Christ. And what is the Christ? It is Christ the Head and the church His Body, through which all the fullness that lies in the Head can be manifested in His Body: the heavenly vision.
But we have heard it many years. The conference has been about this, really, all these years. But have we really seen the depths of it? Has it gotten our heart, so that it is alive in our heart and we have a similar burden that our brother John had that day—not just a mental apprehension, but an inward seeing?
That is the revelation that captures us, and that keeps us, brothers and sisters.
And we have actually been studying that little book, The Heavenly Vision, in our group. Something really caught my attention as we studied it Friday night.
Brother Stephen said, “The heavenly vision is mandatory. It is not optional.” That really got me.
You know, sometimes we think, “Well, some people have vision; some do not.” Brothers and sisters, it should not be that way. Every Christian should have that heavenly vision. God intended it that way. And that is what the conference is about.
You know, when we first see the heavenly vision, it captures us, does it not? It did me as a young man, twenty-eight years old, when I first heard Stephen share. His first message I heard was on the birth of the church.
And I have shared this before, but when he said, “The church is not an organization but an organism,” wow, you are talking about floodlights coming on in my soul and heart. It did that night, and I have never been the same since.
But that was revelation that came from the Lord. Yes, our brother Stephen shared on it, but it took the Lord, the Holy Spirit, to really open my eyes. And I got a glimpse of what the Lord was after.
Our brother Stephen always said, “You get an outline in the beginning, and then it has to be filled in.”
Well, you know, I had the privilege of working with my brother Kenny at his firm for fourteen years. That was after I retired. I went back to work at a structural engineering firm.
Most of the work we did was steel. We did some concrete structures, but mostly steel. Now, when you go out and drive around Richmond, you will see a steel structure. That is the outline. That is kind of what you get a glimpse of in the beginning.
But you know what? Once that steel structure is up, then the floors are laid in, then the walls are put on. But that is not the end of it. They begin to put additional dressing on the outside to improve its looks.
And on the inside, they begin to build rooms in which people can work, or whatever the building is designed for. Eventually, they bring in the carpets and the pictures on the wall, and it is brought into its full intention.
And that is the way vision is, brothers and sisters. When we first get that glimpse, we do not see everything, but we do have the basics. But we need to continue to have revelation that we can see the full intent of what the building is for.
Well, John was in the Spirit, it says. And that is a good thing, on the Lord’s Day. He was occupied with the church and the condition of the church, and I am sure he was praying before the Lord in deep thought and having a deep concern.
But all of a sudden, he hears a voice behind him. Now, brothers and sisters, it was not a still, quiet voice.
It was a thunderous voice, as a trumpet. It was a voice not gentle and meek, but full of power and authority. It was the voice of a King speaking to John.
He had not heard the voice of the Lord in that way before. It was coming from behind him, and so he needed to turn around.
His eyes had indeed been on the church. His heart was really a good heart, with a concern for the things of the Lord. But the Lord spoke from behind him, and he began to turn.
What do you think the Lord was doing because He spoke from behind him with such a thunderous voice? He was trying to get John’s attention.
And that was the first real thought I had. As we go into this conference, the Lord may thunder at you. He wants to get our attention, brothers and sisters.
Our heart is in the right place. We want what the Lord wants. But sometimes, brothers and sisters, the Lord has to give us a new look at things, and He has to get our attention, even off good things, to look at Him.
And He was really saying, “John, you are concerned about the right thing. They are My concerns, but John, you need to look at Me. You need to keep your eyes upon Me, John. Then you will find out what you need to know.”
Now, as we go into this conference, has the Lord gotten your attention yet?
As we go into this conference, I keep coming back to the fact that the Lord wants to pour out His Spirit of wisdom and revelation on His people. And we need to pray for that.
We need His revelation. Yes, we need brothers and sisters that can share His Word and minister, but we need revelation from the Lord Himself.
We need to see that heavenly vision in more of a fullness than we ever have before. So we just do not want to know about things; we want to see things. We want to be captured by what we see, and we want to be obedient to it.
Which reminds me of Paul. He said, “King Agrippa, I saw this heavenly vision, and it gripped me. And I was not disobedient to what I saw.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the Lord’s concern for this conference. This is what is on His heart. This conference is not just for ourselves; it is for all God’s people.
The Lord does need to get our attention. He does need to get our eyes to focus on Him.
And just as He said to John, remember, He said, “I am the Alpha and Omega. I am the First and the Last.” All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him. He is the Head of the Body, the church.
And He said, “The church is to be My fullness.” I think what the Lord is saying is, “I am concerned about you.” He was concerned about John, but He is concerned about you. He is concerned about me.
“I have given My blood for you, and you are of great concern to Me—not only personally, but as a member of My Body. I gave My life for you, but I gave My life for the church.”
“I am the Beginning and the End. You are Mine. I am your beginning, and I will be your end. The good work that I have started in you, I will finish.”
“I have placed you in My Body in a very specific place, that you might serve My purpose. Remember, the church is to be My bride, My eternal companion. I love her dearly.”
“And what I began at Calvary and Pentecost, I will complete. I will build My church. I will have My bride.”
Brother John needed that assurance in his heart. The Lord was Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, not only in his life personally, but for the church itself. He needed that assurance in his heart at that time.
So now let us continue to read Revelation 1:12-18.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;
and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
And His head and His hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire;
and His feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and His voice as the voice of many waters.
And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as one dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,
and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
So what did John see when he turned around? He saw something he had never seen before. He saw the majesty—the majesty of the King, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
He saw the exalted, glorified Lord Jesus Christ. He saw Him as a Son of Man with a gleaming garment down to His foot. He saw the righteousness of this One, righteousness that far exceeded anything that he could imagine.
And it was so brilliant that it caused him to fall down at His feet.
You know, I think it was similar to the experience that Isaiah had. We see in Isaiah 6, he said:
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the temple.
And then what did he say? He said:
Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
He was undone, just as John was here.
This righteous One, upon this One’s breast, was that golden girdle. He was full of love—agape love. That was the strength and the power.
And His hair white as snow: wisdom. Not only did wisdom come from Him; He is wisdom. He is our wisdom.
His eyes were as a flame of fire. This is the One who could discern everything—excuse me—discern everything. Nothing got past Him. He was so discerning.
I remember Peter when he denied the Lord three times. At the end, after Peter had denied the Lord and the cock had sounded, the Lord looked at Peter with those discerning eyes, and it crushed Peter.
His feet like fine brass in a furnace: the righteous One, the Judge of all the earth. Judgment is in His hands.
The voice of many waters: a voice full of power and authority, brothers and sisters. No authority like Him; no voice with such authority.
In His right hand there were seven stars. And it tells us the stars are the churches, the seven churches. He is the Head of the church, brothers and sisters, and He has the church securely in His hands.
There may be a lot of problems in the church, but it is in His hands.
And out of His mouth was a sharp two-edged sword, the Word that divides soul from spirit. And His countenance was as the sun shining in its strength.
It was glorious. It was all glorious, so glorious that John had just fallen down at His feet. And then the Lord was so gracious. He touched John.
It did not destroy John. He could have; His glory was so great. But in grace, He touched John and lifted John up.
Oh, our dear brother John had seen the Lord as a Lamb, but he had never seen the Lion. Brothers and sisters, what a difference it made in John’s life.
So what was the Lord doing when John saw Him? He was standing in the midst of the seven churches. That is where the Lord’s heart is. That is where His concern is.
Brothers and sisters, the church is His passion. And that is why we see in this great revelation of the last days of this age, the Lord is in the midst of His churches.
John sees that the Lord’s burden is the same burden he has. And I am sure that encouraged John.
He sees the Bridegroom examining His bride, and He begins to reveal the condition of the church, of what it will go through from the early church represented by Ephesus to the last church before He returns, which is Laodicea.
And as the Lord is looking, y’all remember, He points out many flaws, the wrinkles. The bride is not ready.
The main issue seems to be this matter of first love, brothers and sisters. How often the Lord brings us back to this matter of first love.
Actually, the lack of first love is what creates the problem not only in Ephesus but in all the churches.
Brothers and sisters, this is what the Lord is pleased with: first love. That is why there was no condemnation in the church in Philadelphia. It was brotherly love, and there cannot be brotherly love without first love.
And brothers and sisters, He commends them.
Now, after all of this, after the Lord goes through and appraises all of the seven churches, I could not help but wonder, how did John feel at that moment?
I am sure he had been encouraged by seeing the King. But after he heard the condition of the churches, particularly that last church, Laodicea, I wonder if he did not become discouraged.
I mean, what a condition to see. The Laodicean age, which is, by the way, the age we are living in now: the church is lukewarm, coldhearted towards the Lord.
He is no longer actually in their midst, but He is standing outside, knocking, wanting to come in. What a disappointment this must have been to John. It seemed hopeless.
Now let us read Revelation 4:1-2.
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne.
John was pondering all that the Lord had shown him. And I believe—I cannot help but believe—if I had been in John’s place, I would have been a bit perplexed and discouraged when I saw the way it was apparently ending with this last church.
But then a door is opened, and the voice tells him to come up here.
So what is the Lord really doing? He is saying to John, “Okay, John, you need a new perspective. You need the heavenly perspective. You need My perspective, and I am going to show you what will be.”
And so He pulls John up into the heavenlies.
Brothers and sisters, I thought about this. You know, the world we are living in today, we can get very discouraged, can’t we? I am at times. I have almost had to quit listening to the news.
We see all these wars going on—Israel particularly—all that is happening in the world. We see all the tremendous increase in lawlessness and the hatred of Christianity, the hatred of God Himself.
And it is becoming a new norm, you know, even in America. The church is weak. It is in a weakened condition.
It does not really carry much of the testimony of Jesus. It has lost its passion for the Lord Himself. It is no longer in first love.
So as we look at the world, we look at the church, look at yourself—it all appears a bit hopeless.
So the Lord is giving John a new perspective. “John, you just cannot look at this thing with an earthly perspective. You have got to see it from My perspective.”
Now, just to help you with this matter of a new perspective, just a little example: you know, we all experience trials, do we not? Some very serious, some devastating sometimes, some inexplicable trials that we cannot even explain—what has happened to us or our family or those that are close to us.
And our first reaction is to blame the circumstances. “Oh Lord, these are terrible circumstances. What are we going to do, Lord? We need to be delivered from these circumstances.”
Or we might see our trial as our boss, or even our mates, or our children, or our government, or other people.
Our tendency is to do that. And we want to escape this trial. And so we pray the Lord, at first, we pray for His deliverance.
Well, brothers and sisters, I am here today to say that we need a new perspective on our trials.
James 1:2-4 gives us the new perspective, the heavenly perspective, on trials.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;
knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.
And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
Now, how joyous have you been in your various trials, brothers and sisters? I think it is interesting: he did not say, “Be happy in your trials,” but he did say, “Count it joy.”
Brothers and sisters, we want to escape trials. We think it is what is going to undo us, and we will never recover. And we are full of anxiety and worry. That is our perspective.
But God’s perspective is that He is actually using these trials to get rid of the spots and wrinkles in our lives, to prepare us for that day when we will be presented with the other brothers and sisters as His bride.
The Lord is using trials for that purpose. Now think about it. It says we should rejoice in the fact that the Lord loves us enough that He is willing to try us, discipline us, even put us through the fire at times, that we may come out with pure gold.
Brothers and sisters, think of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of the cross. The cross is the most awful, unjust act that has ever happened on this earth. It is terrible.
And that is the earthly view, and it is a right view. But what did our Lord Jesus—what does it say?
For the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It was through that very cross that God was going to accomplish His will and purpose for mankind: a companion for His Son. He had to deliver us from our sins.
So, on the other hand, as despicable as the cross was, it was a mighty, loving work of God for us. So that is a different perspective.
Brothers and sisters, as we go into the conference, may the Lord begin to give us the heavenly perspective.
What did John see? It said he saw the throne. Hallelujah! He saw the throne, and he saw the One who was on the throne.
And, brothers and sisters, what the Lord showed him was, “John, the throne is in control. The throne is in control of your life, and the throne is in control of the building of the church and the preparing of the bride.”
We need to see that, particularly when we get dismayed and discouraged. The throne is in control. We need to see it. We need to know it, and we need to believe it. We need to believe it.
So now let us read a little further: Revelation 5:1, 5-6.
And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.
And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.
Then, brothers and sisters, what does John see? He thinks he is going to see a lion, but he sees the Lamb.
Oh, the Lamb is the Lion. That Lamb spirit is what conquered the enemy, brothers and sisters. The Lamb spirit is what conquered you and me. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
And He has the power to execute God’s will. He is the One who will fulfill God’s purpose. He takes the book and begins to open the seals.
The future is in His hands. The fulfilling of God’s purpose, the fulfilling of the heavenly vision, brothers and sisters, is in the hands of the Lord Jesus.
And as He begins to open the seals, what do we see? We see warfare. We see opposition.
Brothers and sisters, there is opposition to God’s will being accomplished. There is opposition to the heavenly vision being fulfilled. There is opposition to God’s eternal purpose: to have Christ be first and last in all things, to be Head of the church.
There is opposition—great, tremendous warfare.
Then John, interestingly enough, it says he is in the heavenlies, but he is taken to a high mountain—an even higher perspective.
I do not know where that high mountain is in the heavenlies, but he is taken there because what he is about to see is so glorious, so tremendous. He needs a much higher perspective to see the fulfillment of the heavenly vision and God’s eternal purpose.
And what does he see? Revelation 21:1-2.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
The heavenly vision—oh, it has now been completed. And John has that high, great new perspective.
The Lord will build His church. All the tribulation, all the persecution, all the opposition, all that the enemy means for evil, the Lord will use to achieve His own purpose—to have what He wants, to bring His bride into maturity and fullness.
Remember, she is to be the fullness of Christ. To me, that is hard to even imagine: to be the fullness of Christ. But that is the purpose of the church, to be able to display the fullness of Christ and to become His instrument in the ages to come.
The Lord will achieve His purpose. He will have His bride.
I am sure, brothers and sisters, John’s heart was greatly strengthened. And he was ready at that point, I really believe, when he saw this, to press on.
He might have been on the Isle of Patmos, but he was going to press on in the Lord. He was not going to give up. He was going to fight the good fight. He was going to stay in the race, and he would finish the course.
In essence, brothers and sisters, it is the same vision that caught Abraham. Remember, it says the God of glory appeared to Abraham.
He was an idol worshiper in Ur of the Chaldees, and the Lord just appeared to him. So the glory of the Lord appeared to Abraham, but He gave him a vision.
And we do not find that out until we read the book of Hebrews, where it says that Abraham went out and looked for a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker is God. It is the same vision.
Paul, on the Damascus road, had a vision of Christ—the King, the Head—and the church, His Body.
And he is the one who had so much revelation on the church that he shared with us, brothers and sisters. And praise the Lord, that vision caught Paul.
It kept Paul through all that he went through, all his tribulations. And he was able to testify to King Agrippa. He said:
Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.
Brothers and sisters, indeed, the vision had caught Paul. And he testified in his last words to Timothy:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
That was at the end of his life, just before he was martyred. The vision had kept him, kept him faithful so that he might finish the course.
So now, as we go into this conference, I pray the Lord can do a few things. One: get our attention, get our eyes on Him.
May He be able to reveal to us even more of this heavenly vision of God’s heart, so that we might, like Paul, be able to testify, “Lord, I have been faithful to what You have shown me. I have not disobeyed the heavenly vision.”
May the Lord have mercy.
Lord, we do come to You today. We thank You, Lord Jesus, that You have brought us into something so tremendous that I believe it is almost impossible to relay the greatness and the glory of what You are doing in building Your church, in satisfying the heart of Your Son, to give Him that bride, that helpmate, that will go through the ages to come together.
Lord Jesus, this is no small thing. Lord, it is a tremendous thing. And Lord, we need You to open our eyes.
Sometimes, Lord, though we have seen something, our eyes get a little dim, particularly in our older age, Lord. Some of it seems to fade.
Lord, renew our eyesight. Strengthen us, Lord, that we might be faithful to what we see in the days to come.
Oh Lord Jesus, do not allow us to drop out. Lord, draw us up, that we might have a new perspective on our life in the church.
Lord, we just come to You today, and we ask that You would grace us with great blessing as we go into this conference. In Jesus’ name, amen.