In Pastor Jon's sermon, he emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the veils that separate us from experiencing the fullness of Christ's glory and power. He discusses the significance of Jesus’ unveiling in Revelation, highlighting the awe and fear we should have before the true nature of God, which helps to dispel our other fears. Pastor Jon encourages believers to engage in a physical posture of humility, such as bowing, to deepen their prayer life and intimacy with Jesus, transforming discipline into delight. Finally, he reinforces the urgency of accepting Jesus' invitation for fellowship and repentance, reminding us that He is returning both as a conquering King and a personal Savior.
Sermon Transcript
Amen. Would you help welcome our campuses in Colorado Springs online, and in Westminster? We love you guys. Church, let's pray. Father, we do ask this morning that you would show us more of your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that through your Holy Spirit and your Holy scriptures, you will show us more of his beauty, more of his holiness, more of his righteousness, more of his power, more of his friendship and Holy Spirit.
We pray that you will help us grow in our passion, in our love for Jesus this morning. And Jesus, we pray that we will continue to bring more and more of our life underneath your lordship. We're convinced, Lord Jesus, that underneath your lordship is the safest place, the most blessed place, the most anointed place, the most properest place that we can live this side of heaven. We ask all these things in your name, Jesus. Amen.
Amen. Okay, Church, for our teaching today, we're going to begin in Revelation, Chapter one, Last book of the New Testament, Revelation one. The title for this teaching today is the Third Chapter Veil. Now, maybe a more accurate title would be Learning to Look Past the Third Veil. Where you and I live in redemptive history, only one veil remains.
The first veil was the veil that separated God's holy presence from sinful man. But praise God, that veil was torn in two from top to bottom, through the perfect death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We're going to celebrate that on Friday. The second veil, according to 2 Corinthians 4, was a satanic veil. It covered our hearts and minds and blinded us from the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But praise God, that veil was removed at the moment that God granted us repentance and faith. Now only one veil remains. It's that veil that separates the seen realm from the unseen realm, the veil that separates the physical realm from the spiritual realm, the veil that separates the natural realm from the supernatural realm. And all through God's word, we are repeatedly encouraged and exhorted to look past that veil. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, the apostle Paul said, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
Because what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal. Then he goes on in Ephesians 1:18 to pray that God will open up the eyes of our hearts that speak spiritual vision, that God will open up the eyes of our hearts to all of the supernatural power and gifts that we already have that exist in the spiritual realm. So why was the Apostle Paul so insistent that we focus on the unseen realm and look Past the veil. It may have been because 14 years earlier, Jesus took Paul fully past the veil and took him to the third heaven. Now, in the Jewish mindset, there were three heavens.
The first heaven was the clouds in the atmosphere surrounding the earth. The second heaven for the Jew was the stars and the constellations. And the third heaven was the spirit realm, where all the real action takes place. Spiritual warfare, angels, demons, and where the very throne of God exists in the third heaven. So Paul describes this in 2nd Corinthians 12, what it was like for him to go behind the veil to the third heaven.
But he does it in the third person because he's so humble, he doesn't want to boast. He wants Christ to get all the glory. He says boasting is necessary, though it's not profitable. But I'll go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, 14 years ago, whether in the body, I don't know, whether out of the body I don't know.
God knows. Such a man was caught up to the third heaven and caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak. On behalf of. Of such a man, I will boast, but on my own behalf, I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. So Paul heard so many supernatural things in the third heaven, and he's praying for us that God will open up the eyes of our hearts.
Okay, now this is where we jump into Revelation chapter 1. Because in Revelation chapter 1, the apostle John is going to take us all the way past the veil to show us a current picture of the glorified, resurrected, exalted Christ in Revelation chapter one. Now, as we go there, let me take a quick survey. How many here desire that your prayer life would be more engaging, more powerful, and more enjoyable? Who?
Me too. This can absolutely happen as you and I learn to look past the veil. So here's the context of Revelation chapter one. It's around 95 A.D. the Roman government has exiled the Apostle John to the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel and preaching the resurrected Christ.
While John is on the island of Patmos, Jesus takes him fully behind the veil and downloads to him and shows him the entire book of Revelation, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. So here in chapter one, starting at verse 12, John hears a voice and he turns around and it is the glorified, resurrected, exalted Christ. Starting in verse 12. Then I turn to see the voice that was speaking, speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden Lampstands.
In the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe, reaching to the feet, girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like white wool like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it had been made to glow in a furnace. And his voice was like the sound of many waters.
In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp two edged sword. And his face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. And he placed his right hand on me saying, do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the living one.
I was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore and. And I have the keys to death and Hades. Okay, Church. This passage is such a gift to God's people because we have always had a natural proclivity to create God in our own image.
From Exodus 32 all the way to Romans chapter 1, we have had a natural proclivity to shrink God down to a size that's manageable, that we can control. That's why many times we end up with a pocketbook Jesus, who we pull out like a crisis ATM card when we're really in a bind, but then we put him back in. But here we see in Revelation 1 the true picture today of what Jesus looks like in all of his eternal glory, all of his eternal holiness, all of his eternal wisdom, and all authority over everything and everyone in the universe. And where's the apostle John? Flat on his face.
Everything about that picture is right. Christ on the throne, facing the dirt church. Do you realize that over 200 times in the Bible, Old and New Testament, you and I are commanded to fear God? And people will often say, what does fearing God look like? It looks like that.
It looks like the proper, reverent, awe filled response to the character of God. This leads us to truth number one. This is an amazing kingdom, Truth you can take home with you. The fear of the Lord drives away all other fears. That's for somebody this morning because we have lots of people in the church who are saved, yet full of fear, saved yet full of anxiety.
Yet the fear of the Lord drives away all other fears. Can you imagine coming up to the apostle John when he's flat on his face and tapping him on the shoulder and say, john, aren't you afraid of the Roman government? They might come and try to kill you. Or tapping him on the Shoulder and saying, john, aren't you afraid of what people think? I mean, you're basically a criminal, you've been exiled to a penal colony.
Or tapping him on the shoulder and saying, john, aren't you worried about the devil and his schemes against you? John would be like, haven't you seen him? Aren't you in awe of him? Aren't you enthralled by him? The fear of the Lord drives away all other fears.
I think we do have so many Christians who are saved, yet fearful because they have a pocketbook size Jesus who is no Jesus at all. That's a fake, phony and a fraud that somebody made up and they haven't learned to look past the veil. That could be you today. And you're saying, okay, that is me, Pastor John, what am I supposed to do? I think we should follow the lead of the apostle John.
Look at kingdom truth number two. Start practicing the biblical posture of bowing before the Lord. And a hush fell over the crowd. Now I know we have gotten away from that, a physical bowing. You and I were not raised in an honor culture where this happens.
The Muslims have pretty much co opted physical bowing all over the world, even though tragically they're bowing five times a day to a God who is counterfeit and dead. And don't forget that physically bowing is all over the Bible. We see Abraham bowing before the Lord. We see Moses bowing before the Lord. We see David, Daniel bowing before the Lord, the apostle Peter, the apostle Paul, physically bowing before the Lord.
And don't forget that in the spirit realm, bowing has enormous significance. Matthew 4 and Satan said to the Son of God, you can have all the kingdoms of the world if you will bow to me. Philippians 2. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. In heaven, on earth and beneath the earth.
That's the demonic realm. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Church Listen to what bowing has universally signified throughout history. Bowing signifies humility. That the one I'm bowing to is higher than me.
Check. Bowing signifies vulnerability. Surrender. As I bow before you, I can't defend myself. I'm placing my life in your hands.
Check. Bowing signifies honor and worship. The New Testament Greek word for worship means literally to bow down and kiss. Bowing signifies intense focus on the one who is in front of me. How did we ever get away from this in the American church, in the life of the American Christian, that we don't bow before the Lord anymore.
Now I know that some are physically incapable of bowing. And God knows your heart. You know in my Personal testimony of growing in prayer. And trust me, in my life of growing in prayer, many times it's been three steps forward and two steps back. Can anybody relate to that?
Okay, thank you for being honest. Bowing before the Lord and practicing it has been a major breakthrough for me in two specific areas, fear and focus. I used to be saved and full of fear, saved and full of anxiety. And the favorite time for fear to try to come in was like a flood in my Life was about 3am in the morning. Do you guys know about that?
I call that the bewitching hour because when fear wakes you up, you are so spiritually sensitive and fear and the enemy want to get together and they want to overwhelm you. I have found at that time, by getting out of bed and physically bowing to the Lord, there is a spiritual shift in the entire room. That makes sense because it says that in the book of James, submit yourself to the Lord and the enemy must flee. The fear of God drives away all other fears. The other area for me where regularly bowing down, physically bowing down before the Lord has been in the area of focus.
I wanted to see past the veil. I wanted to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith. But I would go into prayer in my mind. My will, my emotions and thoughts are all over the place. And then when I started bowing down to the Lord, it brought an amazing focus on Jesus.
And in the eyes of my heart, I started seeing him. First Corinthians 13:12 says, we do see now as through a glass, dimly lit. We don't see perfectly in the spirit realm, but we do see as through a glass, dimly lit. And one day soon we will see face to face. When I teach, I always want to give handles, practical handles, theology with a handle that you can take home for your everyday life.
I am going to exhort you to begin practicing the biblical posture of bowing before the Lord. I was going to give you like a 30 day bowing challenge, but I think we have enough of things like that. I'm just going to say if you need a breakthrough in your prayer life, if you're saved, yet full of anxiety, if you are having trouble focusing on the face of Christ through the veil, try bowing before the Lord and it will give you a breakthrough. Now if this revelation 1 was the only picture of Christ we had, he would seem somewhat distant and somewhat impersonal. But let's flip over two chapters to Revelation chapter three and we're going to see Jesus make a staggering offer that gets really personal really fast.
Here's the context of Revelation chapter 3. Jesus writes letters to the seven first century churches in Asia Minor and included in them he has encouragement, he has correction, he has critique, he has warnings. To the church at Laodicea. He basically told them, you think you're rich, but you're blind and pitiful. You're blind to your own true state.
You have become totally self sufficient and self focused. You've basically pushed me out of my own church because you're so self sufficient, self focus. You can do everything by yourself. Then Jesus makes an incredibly gracious and staggering offer to this church. Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with me. Jesus is inviting one on one time. This is the same Jesus in Revelation 1 who is infinitely awesome, the King of glory that we fall flat on our face. Is he this or this? He's both and and so much more.
Now what's amazing church about this offer is we have to understand in the first century Middle Eastern culture what a dining invitation entailed. So I really researched this topic this week. I'm summarizing and paraphrasing from both the Harper's Bible Dictionary and Manners and Customs of the Bible Lands. Listen to this. In the first century Middle east, when someone invited you to dine with them, it was an invitation for fellowship, friendship and a bond of trust.
Dinners could last two to three hours long. The plates were communal and shared and the host often asked about your family, your battles, the paths that you have traveled. Wow. Do you see it? This is the kind of fellowship and intimacy Jesus is inviting every believer to experience with him on a regular basis.
He desires this for us. He desires this for us so much that the night before he went to the cross, he prayed to the Father and asked for this for you and me. Listen to this prayer. John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me, be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. So Jesus asks the Father two things that we would be with him and that we would see his glory.
And now we see that there is a double fulfillment to this prayer. Yes, one day soon in heaven we are going to have perfect fellowship with Jesus. We're going to see his glory perfectly. But because you and I have already been raised up with Christ and seated with him in the spirit realm according to Ephesians 2, 6. We can have that kind of fellowship and intimacy with Jesus right now.
Second Corinthians 4, 6 describes it this way. For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. When you and I spend extended time at the feet of Jesus, the Father really begins opening up the eyes of our hearts so we can really start seeing past the veil, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of of Christ. All right, saints, the key phrase in that is extended time. Now, with our busy schedules, with the tyranny of the urgent, that is always pulling us into something else.
If you and I are going to spend extended time at the feet of Jesus, we're going to have to make a disciplined decision to carve out that time. But here's the good news. Here's the great news. Kingdom Truth Number three. When sitting in the presence of Christ, discipline transforms into desire and delight.
There is a supernatural shift. When we draw near to God, he draws near to us. So when sitting in the presence of Christ, discipline transforms into desire and delight. Psalm 16:11 puts it this way. You will make known to me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Did you know that God created you and I to be pleasure seekers? He did. It's just that the Satan has counterfeited every good pleasure that God wants to give us.
But it says right there, in your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Sadly, we have too many Christians who are trying to do the Christian life by only embracing the precepts and the principles. And they're not embracing the person of Jesus Christ, though His invite is, come, dwell with me, abide in me, fellowship with me, and you will experience fullness of joy in this lifetime. For there are pleasures forevermore at my right hand.
Okay, church, in my many failures and some victories in this area, here are a couple things that the Holy Spirit has shown me. First, he has shown me that Psalm 34 is true. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. You know, whenever I go into Costco on Friday and they have all of the samples, I will be pushing the cart and I might grab something, and maybe it's a really delicious pizza bagel that's beyond what I thought it was going to be. And I'm tasting it and I'm thinking, that is so good.
I'm going to circle around again and I try to change my look a little bit because I have some shame, but I want another one. And then I go home and all I'm thinking about is how delicious, how good was that taste of that pizza bagel. That's what the psalmist saying. Taste and see that the Lord is good when you commune with Him. When you sit in his presence and you will be back, taste and see that the Lord is good.
Next, the Holy Spirit has shown me that Psalm 46:10 is true. Be still and know that I am God. If you and I are going to align our mind, will, emotions and thoughts so that we can really begin seeing past the veil, it does not happen in two minutes. We could not microwave our time with Jesus. We have to be still and know that he is God.
I often liken it to walking into a dark room. When you and I walk into a dark room, at first we can't see anything. Our pupils have not adjusted. It's all dark. But if we wait in there a few minutes in that dark room, then our pupils start adjusting and there's some light rays we can see are coming under the door and.
And we can start making out certain shapes and images in that dark room. Not perfectly, but we're starting to recognize them. That's how it is when we spend time in the presence of Jesus. We have to be still and know that he is God. And then we'll start sensing with the eyes of our heart.
Oh, I see Jesus, what you're trying to show me. I'm worshiping you in a new way. He's speaking to me with that. The third thing the Holy Spirit has shown me was he gave me a vision. Now you know that you and I live in a dispensation where the Holy Spirit, as He wills, gives out visions, gives out dreams, and gives out prophetic words.
Now, whenever he does it, they're always going to be in harmony with. With the word of God. Did you know that? Because the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, so He's never going to give a vision, a dream, or a prophetic word that does not completely harmonize with His Word. This new dispensation that you and I live in, it started on the day of Pentecost, Acts chapter two, where Peter got up and proclaimed the fulfillment of the prophet Joel.
Here's what he said, and it shall be in the last days. God says that I will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions Your old men shall dream dreams even on my bond slaves both men and women. I will in those days pour forth my spirit, and they shall prophesy. You do know that we're living in the last days.
We might not be living in the end times, but the Bible is clear that the last days dispensation started with the death and the resurrection of Jesus. So you and I are living in the last days. And during the last days, the Holy Spirit is pouring out as he wills. Visions, dreams, prophetic words, words of knowledge, words of wisdom. Now, it was three years ago this week actually when this happened to me.
It was the week heading into Easter. We were having staff prayer every morning, as we will this next week. And Pastor Jeff said, why don't we all go to different places in the church, find a quiet place and spend an hour sitting in the presence of Jesus. And then when we come back, we're going to share what Christ showed us, what God said to us. So I went and found a secluded place and I started praying.
And I was praying something like, father, would you show me the face of Jesus? Would you show me the knowledge of the light of your glory in the face of Jesus? And the Holy Spirit gave me a vision. It was clear as day. If I was an artist, I could paint it for you.
It's that clear. It was of a like a lodgy feel, cabin type room, very communal. And it was the Lord Jesus and it was me. And there was no fireplace there, there was no lamp needed because the glory that was coming off of Jesus lit up the whole room. And it was very personal, lots of fellowship, very intimate.
For the last three years, that room has been my secret place that I go to in prayer. That room is the prayer closet that I often go to to sit in the presence of Jesus. So I want to encourage you, first of all, decide to carve out time to sit in the presence of Jesus and you'll find out that your duty will transform into delight. Second of all, it's okay to ask the Father for visions, dreams, prophetic words, because 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, Pursue love earnestly. Desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy words of prophecy, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, visions, dreams.
Do you know our Heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to his children? Amen. Do you also know that James 4:2 warns us that sometimes we don't have because we haven't. You guys are better than 8:30. Yes, sometimes we don't have because we haven't asked.
And yet my Christian walk is saved, yet stagnant. It's saved, yet miserable. And the Father is waiting to give good gifts to you through the Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you to do that. That will.
You will really start seeing through the veil at that point. Okay. We've seen Jesus in Revelation 1. He's the infinitely awesome King of glory that calls us, causes us to fall on our face, in worship, in honor, in the fear of God. We saw Jesus in Revelation 3, the Friend who is inviting us all into fellowship and intimacy.
The last picture we're going to look at is in Revelation 6. We're going to see Jesus as the divine warrior who's coming back to destroy all of his enemies. So which one is he? Is he the Exalted One? Is he the friend, or is he the Divine warrior?
Yes, he's all of them and so much more. So let's flip over to Revelation 6, beginning at verse 12. This is how it will all play out. When Christ returns, the heavens will quake, the earth will quake, and God's enemies will cry out, save us from the wrath of what? Some.
Someone got it back there. The wrath of the Lamb. You know, I have done that quiz with hundreds of Christians. I've said, complete this phrase, the the wrath of. And 99% of the people say the wrath of God, which is true.
Every once in a while you get a Trekkie who will say the Wrath of Khan. Okay, that's an old movie. I've rarely had someone say the Wrath of the Lamb, but we're going to see that. It's completely biblical. That's part of Jesus's perfect identity.
Starting at verse 12. I looked. When Jesus broke the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake. Sun became black as sackcloth made of hair. The whole moon became like blood.
And the stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it's rolled up. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth, the great men, the commanders, and the rich and the strong, and every slave and free man hid themselves in caves among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks fall on us and hide us from the presence of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to. To stand? This is exactly how it's going to play out when Jesus returns as the divine Warrior to destroy all of his enemies. That leads us to Kingdom Truth number four. Jesus the conquering king is returning with wrath for those who reject him and with eternal life for those who receive him.
I want to repeat that again because I think this is a holy moment. Jesus the conquering king is returning with wrath for those who reject him and eternal life for those who receive him. I have to ask you, have you received Christ or is his wrath still on you because you continue to reject him? Have you received forgiveness of sins because he's offering it freely? Have you received eternal life through Jesus Christ?
Has he transitioned you from eternal death to eternal life? The Bible says that through a sincere prayer of repentance and faith you can be saved today. That Jesus will forgive you of all of your sins and remove his wrath from you and give you eternal life. If the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart right now, I'm going to urge you and I'm encourage you to pray along with me in your heart. A prayer of repentance in faith.
Why am I urging? Because First Corinthians 6 says today is your day of salvation because none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Would you pray with me, Lord Jesus, I admit that I'm a sinner. I cannot clean myself up. I know that I deserve justice, punishment in hell for all of my sins against you, holy Creator.
But Jesus, I do not want to go to hell. That's why I'm turning to you, because I believe you are the Savior. I believe that through your death and resurrection you paid for all of my sins. So I receive forgiveness of sins now. Thank you for washing me clean.
I receive eternal life from you, Jesus, guaranteed because you paid for it. For me and Jesus, I receive your Holy Spirit in my life. I'll finally have the power to live a life obeying your commands. A life that blesses me and blesses my family. Thank you Jesus for saving me for eternity.
Thank you Jesus for pursuing me in love because I've been running away from you. But you brought me here this morning because this gift is for me. In Jesus name. Amen. The Bible says the angels celebrate whenever a sinner is saved.
And we do want to celebrate with you. Right after the service, I'm going to have pastors and elders come up here. You'll be able to identify them. They have lanyards that say that would you share with them that Christ saved you today. They want to help you get started on this new adventure, this new life with Christ.
But church, here's how we're going to close today. I want you to look at the screen. We're going to close with this picture. This is a current picture of the temple in Jerusalem. That's the eastern gate.
Matthew 25 said on the first Palm Sunday which we're celebrating today, Jesus rode through that gate on the way to the cross on a donkey colt, showing humility that he was the suffering servant and suffering Savior. The Bible says that when Jesus returns, he's not going to be on a donkey colt. He's going to be on a white horse of triumph. And he's not coming back as the suffering Savior. He's coming back as the conquering king.
And he is going to ride right through that eastern gate. Amen.
Do you notice that the gates closed? Back in 1540 AD, a Muslim sultan named Suleiman the Magnificent. I think he named himself Suleiman the Magnificent. When he was ruling Jerusalem, he heard rumors that there was a prophecy that a holy man was going to return through the eastern gate. He gathered together some local rabbis to find out if this prophecy was true.
It scared him so much that he had the eastern gate walled up in 1540. It's been that way ever since. If you go to Jerusalem today, you'll see that. And for good measure, Suleiman planted a Muslim graveyard right in front of the eastern gate. Because he figured no self respecting holy man would ever desecrate himself by marching through a graveyard.
What Suleiman did not understand is there is no one and there is no thing in this universe that can stop the return of the King. Let's give him glory.