He Is In Our Midst

English

he is in our midst

Revelation 1:13

This sermon will be quite different from what I had envisioned when I first starting preparing for this series in Revelation. The reason is that last Sunday after one of our services, a faithful LAC member (and one of my kindred spirits here), Kernola Arnold, waited for me and told me, "I have personally experienced one part of what you talked in your first message from Revelation 1."
Before sharing with you what Kernola said, I had better remind you of what that sermon was about. On a Sunday a long time ago, an 85-year-old man named John was on an Alcatraz-like island prison named Patmos. But John was not in despair. To the contrary, according to the Bible, he was "in the Spirit" and was worshipping God. Then, in the midst of his private worship, John heard a voice behind him as clear and powerful as the first trumpet in the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. And, when he turned around to see who was speaking, John saw the resurrected, all-powerful, holy, majestic, all-knowing, pure and awesome Jesus. This is what John reported: When I turned around, I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands I saw... (Revelation 1:13) – and the verses that follow provide John's attempt to "write what he saw (v. 11). The phrase I want you to notice from v. 13 is this one. The majestic Jesus was: "In the midst of the lampstands" (and the lampstands are churches according to v.20).
What Kernola shared with me was that in 1974, her husband was shot dead at his business in Mansfield, Ohio. In what would have been a time of utter despair for most people, Kernola was surrounded by the members of her church who would not let her go through this alone. They worshipped with her, prayed with her and loved on her. Kernola told me, "Pastor, I experienced the presence and sufficiency of Jesus in the life of my "candlestick", my local church. " This experience with Jesus in her church enabled her to be a light to those around her showing the hope of Christ to those who watched her.
So, Jesus is to be found in midst of the lampstands. Kernola experienced that to be true. Let's take the moments we have this morning to think about what this might mean to us individually and as a church.

Question #1: What is a lampstand?
The first thing John mentioned that he saw was not Jesus but the seven gold lampstands in v. 13. Note this: Different from what you might think, a "lampstand" was not merely a candleholder. It was the stand upon which the lamps or lights were fixed and received fuel. This stand would have oil that flowed from its base into the light or lights connected to it. (I'll show a picture here in the sermon.)
As John is trying to describe his vision, he almost certainly was referring to what he had found in Zechariah 4 (a book John quoted often in Revelation) in which the prophet Zechariah had spoken of a seven-branched gold lampstand through which the oil flowed from the stand into the seven lights. Zechariah said that through these lights, the eyes of the Lord sees into the world and brings light to the world.
Of course, as will often be the case in our study in Revelation, our big question is, "What does it mean?" And, I think that at least two things are meant that are consistent with Zechariah's vision:
1. The candlestick is the place of God's presence. People should experience God in the lampstand.
2. The candlestick is the place from which God shines his light into a darkened world.
The Bible tells us in Revelation that local churches are lampstands. The seven local churches in Asia with which John was connected were lampstands according to v.20. John's friends in those churches were going through hard times. Some were being tempted to renounce their faith as they underwent enormous pressure from the government to worship the emperor. Others were strongly tempted to give up God's morality as they lived in the middle of a pagan society. John says that each church is a lampstand.
John was teaching what I try to teach often – though I use a different metaphor. I speak of a church being a breathing body. We gather together to breathe in – the reality, the teaching, and the encouragement of God –so that we can breathe out the life of God into the world.
Listen to me carefully now: Just as John told each of his seven churches that they were God's lampstands, I join together with believers throughout history to declare that each local church in any community and at any point of time is to be a lampstand. Yes, I believe LAC is a lampstand.
When I said this last Tuesday to a group of pastors gathered to study the Bible together, Blake Riboli, LAC Coordinator of Club 45, said with great enthusiasm, "This is really a big deal!!" God has placed Lake Avenue Church here in Southern California to be his lampstand? This is a big, big deal!"
Blake's comment brings me to my second question?

Question #2: Why is this a big deal? (Or, so what?)
Reason 1: We should experience Jesus in the "lampstand"
This is a constant theme in the New Testament, and especially in the book of Revelation. Jesus meets us in a special way within the local church:
1) In v.13, Jesus is "in the midst of the lampstands."
2) In 2:1 and 3:1, Jesus holds us in his hand.
3) In 2:1, there is a beautiful statement about Jesus walking among the lampstands.
Each of these three images proclaims to us that that when we gather as a local church, Jesus is walking with us, sustaining us with his mighty strength and doing life with us. We will hear (and rejoice in) this message again and again in our studies through the seven churches in Revelation.
This is what Kernola gave testimony to when she spoke with me last weekend. She had experienced the presence and power of God as she worshipped and had fellowship with her church family. It's because of teaching like we find here in Revelation 1 that I urge you to make a commitment to being an active part of your local church. No church is perfect. To the contrary, we are given to one another so that we can grow together. Hebrews says that we should never forsake meeting together because we need to motivate one another on toward good works and godliness. I urge you to officially become a member of your church. By doing so, you say, "We're going to stand together in this world. We're going to meet God and serve God together in this challenging world.
And, I urge you to meet regularly in worship with the entire family in one of our worship services. Yes, be active in your Sunday school class, the youth group, and your small group. But, don't just get together with a part of the lampstand. And, don't look for a local church in which everyone is just like you – your same age and sharing your same interests (except your interest in knowing and glorifying God). When we meet together, sing together, and hear God's Word together, we will experience Jesus in new and fresh ways.

Reason 2: We should find strength to live life well in the "lampstand"
When the Bible says John saw Jesus in the midst of the lampstands, it is teaching us that God is not a distant Father and Jesus is not an absentee landlord. On the contrary, Jesus is in our midst supporting us during whatever trials, persecutions or temptations we face in this world. But, how do we hear God's voice and sense his power flowing into our lives? In an oil-fueled lampstand, there was always a supply of oil nearby. (I'll show a picture of this.) One of the main ways we receive God's fuel to strengthen our lives is through our worship together – learning from and worshiping with those of different ages and ethnicities.
I am not saying that you do not experience God's presence and strengthening in your private meetings with God – or in many other places outside the gathered worship of the church. God meets us in many, many places. However, it is clear to me that one of the reasons God has established local churches is so that we will gather together, take time to acknowledge who He is, and receive from him. The local church is the place Jesus loves and gave his life for. When we meet together, our praise for God should be renewed, new commitments should be made, and the Bible should heard with the entire family so that we might receive together both exhortation and encouragement.
In this lampstand, week by week your oil should be replenished so that you can shine. Or, using the image of the church as being the body of Christ, when we gather together to worship in the church we breathe in deeply of the reality and strength of God so that we can go into the world and live to His glory.

Reason 3: We should shine together from the "lampstand" into the world
When John is told to "write what you see," he used the words of the Hebrew Scriptures to describe his vision of Jesus among the churches. And, one of the Scriptures he used was Zechariah 4. There we find the picture of God's people being God's lampstand. As I said earlier, in Zechariah, God's place of residence is in the lampstand, i.e., in his people. But, the lampstand was also the place from which God's light was to flow into the world. The book of Revelation tells us that the church is now to be that place through which God's light flows into a darkened, damaged and hurting world. So, our church here in the San Gabriel Valley and located at Lake Avenue and the 210, is to be a shining light bringing God's guidance, God's hope and God's blessing into our area. (I'll show a picture of our church here.)
Notice this: The church is not a lighthouse. We are not merely to shine light "out there" far away from us as a lighthouse does – usually leaving the area around it in the darkness. We are a lampstand. We are to shine all around – especially into the neighborhood closest to us. This light is to shine out both through our words telling about Jesus and through our actions showing the love of Jesus. When schools around us need support, they should know that when a church is in the area, they are not alone. We are here to bring some light into the situation. When families are broken by poverty, abuse or a lack of life-skills, they should know that when there is a church nearby, there is always hope. There should be people who walk with them and bring some light into their lives.
Matt Barnes told me this week, "The vision of Revelation 1 tells us Jesus is big enough to help – and he's close enough to care." This power and care is experienced in the lampstand – and then through the lampstands we shine out into the world. Yes, we – we – are one of God's candlesticks located where we are for a reason. We are here to meet the majestic one who loves us, died in our place and rose again for our salvation. And, once we have met him, we are to shine forth into the neighborhood where he has placed us.
John turned and he saw the majestic Jesus – "among the candlesticks." We have met here in this candlestick today. Are there any reminders that you've gained from God's Word? Is there any new direction from God you have sensed? Is there any encouragement or conviction you've received? With the oil of Jesus' presence fueling you, now go and shine to his glory.

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor