Imagine standing amidst seven golden lamp stands, face to face with a figure you recognize as the Son of Man. That’s the vision we break down in the first part of our podcast, exploring its profound significance in the book of Revelation and extending our prayers for Jewish believers. We delve into the mystical connection between Jesus, the Menorah, and Gentiles. Our exploration underscores the teachings of Romans; Jesus came for the Jew first, and then the Greek. This connection is fascinating and has far-reaching implications you wouldn’t want to miss!
In the second half of the podcast, we explore the power of prayer and the transformative decisions it can lead to, especially when it involves accepting Jesus and believing in resurrection. We share vital resources to help you navigate your journey after choosing Christ, because a decision of this magnitude alters the course of your life significantly. As your guides in this spiritual journey, we promise to make this episode impactful and enlightening, serving as a reminder of the immense significance of the choices we make in faith.
Imagine standing amidst seven golden lamp stands, face to face with a figure you recognize as the Son of Man. That’s the vision we break down in the first part of our podcast, exploring its profound significance in the book of Revelation and extending our prayers for Jewish believers. We delve into the mystical connection between Jesus, the Menorah, and Gentiles. Our exploration underscores the teachings of Romans; Jesus came for the Jew first, and then the Greek. This connection is fascinating and has far-reaching implications you wouldn’t want to miss!
In the second half of the podcast, we explore the power of prayer and the transformative decisions it can lead to, especially when it involves accepting Jesus and believing in resurrection. We share vital resources to help you navigate your journey after choosing Christ, because a decision of this magnitude alters the course of your life significantly. As your guides in this spiritual journey, we promise to make this episode impactful and enlightening, serving as a reminder of the immense significance of the choices we make in faith.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I give you thanks for today, for this evening, for the day that was your day, the Lord's day, as it were, father, the day that you rose from the dead and conquered death in the grave, one time for all time, for all who would believe. I pray today for my Jewish friends. I pray for them every day. I pray for the peace of Israel, lord, and I pray for a coming of the Hebrew believer, lord, that they would be able to put it all together, all together, and that you would just show them and answer their questions and deal with the fact that there are specific verses in your Word that are closed verses for them, lord, and I also pray for families that are struggling, lord, I pray for families that are struggling in this age, this last age, lord, as we struggle for food and shelter and the basic needs. Lord, some people are very much struggling, lord, and I ask that you would be with them and that you would provide for them and, most importantly, that you would show them that you are the provider, that it's not their guile or their cleverness, lord, it's you that left a bag of groceries on the doorstep from nobody. In particular, lord, I pray for my church family. I pray for all of them, for will, and for all of the people, my school and ministry folks. I pray for all of you. I pray for all of you every day and, lord, I mostly pray for the people within the sound of my voice, the people who have taken the time, lord, to sit down and listen to a podcast. Lord, I give you thanks for this medium. Lord, may your words go forth today, and it's in the mighty name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
Speaker 1:Okay, gang, let's go ahead and get started. We are picking up right where we left off. We're going to pick up in verse 12 of Revelation, chapter 1, new King James Version, and a message that I've entitled Grafted Believers and the Glorified Christ, part 1. So we're going to read. So, if you'll open your Bibles, if you're able to, the book of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 12. And let's pick up right there. And it says then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me and, having turned, I saw seven gold lampstands. In the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of man, closed with a garment down to his feet and girded about his chest with a gold band. There's a lot there in just two verses. There's a lot there and we're going to stop there and we're going to take it a bit at a time. We're going to go back a little and we're going to go back a little and Go through what we, what we talked about last week, which is that John was in prayer.
Speaker 1:He was in prayer on the Isle of Patmos and he's praying on the Lord's Day. Okay, that's what it says in In that verse. He was praying on the Lord's Day, he was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, as opposed to the day of the Lord. Now, the four translations I referenced this is consistent wording the Lord's Day, the Lord's Day being Sunday as opposed to the day of the Lord, referencing to the Lord's Day of Judgment. Okay, now, there's a lot that's gonna happen moving forward. So just hang on to that, but know that it was a Sunday. And as we wrapped last week, jesus spoke to John and gave him his marching orders.
Speaker 1:Let's pick up back a couple of verses for context. In chapter 1, verse 10, it says I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day and Heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last and what you see right in this book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. That's Revelation 1, 10 and 11. Okay, so then John turns, and this is where we pick up this week. John turns and he sees the risen and glorified Jesus. It says, and this is just, this is a, this is a mind bender. It says. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me and, having turned, I saw seven gold lamp stands and in the midst of the seven lamp stands, one like the Son of man, clothed in a garment down to his feet and Girded about his chest with a gold band. So we're gonna I'm gonna share something with you, and I teased this a couple of weeks ago Seven golden lamp stands. What do you think of?
Speaker 1:For years and I'm gonna be real honest for years upon years, every time I read this section of scripture, every time I read it up until 2019, I saw candlesticks. You know the big brass candlesticks with a giant candle in them, and then there's another big brass candlestick with another giant candle in it. As a former acolyte, it was my responsibility to light those candlesticks, dependent upon where we were on the calendar. Okay, so that's what I saw. Okay, and it's what you see in a lot of Protestant churches there's candlesticks. Okay, then I would see Jesus walking among these candlesticks, right, and it's always this, this visual of you. Know, it's nice and it's a beautiful picture and it's even peaceful a little bit.
Speaker 1:Then, in February of 2019, I found myself seated with Messianic Jews in Israel while this verse was taught. I Was jet lag, exhausted and fighting to stay awake in church. I hadn't fallen asleep in church Since I'd been saved in 2004 and I wasn't gonna break that record. I, I was exhausted and I'm fighting to stay awake. And the pastor reads revelation 12 and 13, what we just read, and as he, as, as he reads it, he puts up a picture on the, on the monitor, of a menorah, the menorah that marks the beginning in the Jewish quarter in the old city. There's, as you enter the Jewish quarter, there's a giant menorah in there. Okay, in the street, built in the street, giant menorah in the Jewish quarter. And Then he puts up a picture of the menorah as it would have appeared in the temple.
Speaker 1:Okay, as it would have looked, then they are not seven independent lampstands. They are seven lampstands attached to a unifying tree, jesus, a Tree that we Gentiles non-Jews I'm a Gentile, anybody who's not Jewish is a Gentile have been grafted into. I Was absolutely blown away. A standard menorah and menorah has seven Candle sticks attached to it and and there are seven places to put your candles right. It's a seven candle menorah. I have two of them. I have one from Israel that I got in Israel, and then I have one that I bought. That is is a little bit different, it's a little bit larger, but and and the one I bought is interesting because it is it has the star of David and then the fish of Jesus, the fishers of men, the fish, what was drawn in the in the dirt to let people know in the first century that you were Christian, and it's all attached and that's kind of what I'm getting at. Okay, I was blown away as I'm watching this thing and I'm just blown away and I said under my breath, I said it's a menorah, it's a menorah. And I looked at one of the hosts that was sitting next to me and I whispered it again, adding everything is connected. He smiled Pat me on my shoulder. Thanks, lair, it is connected, friend. Jesus came for the Jew first, and Then the Greek, okay, or the Gentile, all right. Turn to two spots for me.
Speaker 1:In Romans, book of Romans, if you come to the left from Revelation, it's right after the book of Acts. Okay, matthew, mark, luke, john, acts Romans, okay, acts Romans. And you're gonna go to Romans, chapter one, and we're gonna pick up in verse number 16. This is Paul writing to the Christians in Rome and he says for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and Also for the Greek. A Careful reading of scripture Tells you that, or maybe even a not so careful reading of scripture, but I think it's something that we miss.
Speaker 1:Jesus was a Jew. They called him Rabbi. Okay, he was a Jew. He was brought up as a Jew. He was he. He Knew the Torah, the Old Testament, as we call it, okay, and was taught the Torah. And, as a matter of fact, in Luke I was just talking to my mother about this last night in Luke, when he was 12 years old, jesus got separated from his family after the Passover in Jerusalem and they were like halfway home before they realized he was gone. And they went back and were frantic and were looking for him and Jesus, at 12, was in the temple teaching the scribes and the Pharisees and the religious leaders. So Jesus was a Jew, okay, and his followers to a man, all 12 disciples were Jewish. Okay, this is something that is missed and it's something that Was pointed out to me when I was in Israel. Okay, you know, all the names have been changed, okay, joseph is Yosef. Okay, mary is Miriam. Okay, in Hebrew, and Jesus is Yeshua, yeshua, and this was a very Jewish thing. That happened. Ok, they were Jewish, all of them, and I think we miss that a lot. And so when they say for the Jew first and then the Greek, jesus came for the Jew first and then the Greek, ok, and then, if we go over into into Romans a little deeper, we're going to go to Romans 11 and pick up in verse 17. Ok, and this is really really cool because it ties everything together.
Speaker 1:Paul again says and if some of the branches were broken off, OK, we're talking about the Tree of Life, we're talking about Jesus here and we're talking about the beginnings of our faith. And if some of the branches were broken off and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted among them with them? Because a become a partaker of the root and the fatness of the olive tree. So I stumbled a little bit. Let's read it again. And if some of the branches were broken off and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and with them, became a partaker of the root, of the fatness of the olive tree? What Paul is saying is that the Gentiles were grafted into the faith. Ok, we were grafted into the faith. The very first Gentile to be converted was Cornelius. He was a Roman centurion and you can find that account in Acts, chapter 10, and Peter converted him, and I would suggest reading that entire chapter. It is unbelievably powerful because it talks about you know, it's just the way the Lord laid it out for Peter, explaining to him what he wanted him to do and how he wanted him to do it. But we're grafted in.
Speaker 1:That's what the menorah represents here. Each candlestick represents one of the churches in Asia OK, one of the actual churches in Asia and and while it represents well, it's representative rather of the actual first century churches the candlesticks also represent each type of church in our world today. God is so good, god's word is so good, game it's, it is absolutely put together, put together so that we can understand exactly what we're looking at here. We're looking at a, at a, at a, at a faith that is grafted together, based on Jesus and him crucified and now glorified for the Jew first and then Greek or the Gentile. So let's pick up now back in verse 13, because there's something else I want to show you. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to his feet, girded about his chest with a gold band. That's Revelation 1, verse 13.
Speaker 1:So now, just in case, ok, just in case you know when one girded themselves, when you read that in scripture, he's girding himself, and you know what does that mean? Well, the garments that they wore were like gowns. They, you know, maybe they had sleeves, maybe they didn't, but most of the time they were down below their knees, and some of them came down even ankle length, ok, and in this case down to his feet, right. And so if there was work to do or a battle to fight, or you had to run to get somewhere, a garment was girded. It was picked up and tied off at the waist to allow freedom of movement or at least above the knee, so that you could move your legs. Ok, jesus was girded with a towel.
Speaker 1:Turn over to John 13, for and I also encourage you to read this account, because this is amazing stuff it's when Jesus washes the disciples feet right before the crucifixion. It's powerful stuff. And he girded himself to wash the disciples feet, girded himself with a towel and washed the disciples feet. This is servant Jesus. This is he's ministering to his followers, the disciples, even Judas. He's even ministering to Judas. At this point, he's ministering to his followers. But notice as we close the difference here he's girded this time too, but with a gold band. He came girded. You have to get girded. He came, he was ready to battle and to judge Gang.
Speaker 1:I broke this up and I originally wasn't going to do it, but in interest of time and continuity I broke this up and we will tackle. We will tackle probably the rest of this chapter next week. Okay, in the meantime, I want to kind of go back and take a look at a couple of things here. I want to say some things to you, and that is this, first of all don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I don't know why I'm saying that right now, it's a word for somebody, but don't be afraid. All of the things that are happening in this world, all of the things that are going on and all of the stuff that that everybody wants you to pay attention to, and all of the evil that men do unto themselves and others. Don't be afraid. Jesus is coming back and he's going to set it right.
Speaker 1:And, friend, if you're a believer, take solace in the fact that you are grafted into an amazing history of faith to which you add your own story and your own walk. And for those who this podcast was given to or you stumbled on it or whatever, the whatever the case may be, and maybe you're lacking, maybe you're lacking something in your life. Maybe you've had a ton of heartbreak, maybe there's not a dad in the home, or you come from a broken home, or just things just haven't worked out the way they want to, they should, or they should have the way you planned on it to be. Maybe you're in a jail cell tonight. That's entirely possible. Maybe you're in a jail cell tonight. Or you're out on the street, or you're out on the street sitting in a shelter listening to this. I don't know. Any number of things could be possible. But I want to talk to you real quick.
Speaker 1:And I read today or read this week that there was no kinder thing that could ever be done than to lead someone to Jesus. And then I was speaking to my mother last night and made mention of the fact that I'm called to do this and I am. I know that and it's with that in mind, friend, that I say to you if you're broken, if you'd say to me Larry, you don't know what I've done, I don't need to know what you've done, god knows. And if you want to be grafted into a history of faith and have a relationship with a living, breathing, real Jesus who is coming back to set things right, if you want that, all you have to do is submit yourself and repent.
Speaker 1:Repent it's a fancy Bible word for turn away. Turn away from your sins, turn away from the things that that you have done. You know that, you know in your heart are not pleasing to the Lord. And you can repent by saying, just talking to him and just saying Lord, dear Jesus, I'm a sinner, I'm in need of a savior. I'm broken right now.
Speaker 1:I'm lost, I'm scared, I don't have anybody, but I want you, lord. I want to repent from all of my sins, all of the things that I have done that have made you unhappy, lord, I'm sorry. I believe, lord, that you came and you walked among us and you taught us and you loved us and you were crucified, died and you were buried and on the third day God raised you again from the dead, from my sins, from me, from me, and I want to be part of your family. I want you to be my Lord, my God, my Savior and my friend, and I want to walk with you all the rest of the days of my life. Thank you, jesus, amen.
Speaker 1:If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God, welcome to the family of God, and you know God's word says that if you speak with your mouth the name Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. That's all the time we have today. But if you made a decision for Christ, I sure want to know about it. I sure want to know about it. You can drop me a comment on social media, on Facebook, at the thoughts I have toward you, or on Instagram, at the same, the thoughts I have toward you. Or you can send me an email at the thoughts I have toward you, at the thoughts I have toward youcom. That's my email address where I respond to correspondence and such, and I can probably point you in the direction of some resources that would help you along the way. It would sure be my honor to do so. That's all the time we have this week, friends. Thank you for listening. Make it count and be blessed.