The Bright Star of Bethlehem
Lanse Evangelical Free Church
December 29, 2024 :: Revelation 22:16
Our first message in this series went almost back to the very beginning of the Bible, the Law of Moses, Numbers chapter 24.
Our second message was drawn from the highpoint middle of the Bible, the Gospel accounts. Matthew chapter 2.
This last message comes from the culmination, the very end of the Bible. The Revelation of Jesus Christ written down by the Apostle John, John the Revelator. Listen now to Revelation chapter 22, verse 16.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
Who is the “I” in verse 16?
In Numbers 24, the “I” of “I see Him, but not yet” was Balaam a pagan prophet who, under the surprising inspiration of the Holy Spirit, squinted down the corridors of time and saw a Star rising out of Jacob.
In Matthew chapter 2, it had “we.” “We have seen his star.” That “we” was the Magi, those mystery men who wisely followed a star of wonder and delight westward leading until it proceeded to take them to see and bow before the youngster Jesus.
Who is the “I” in Revelation 22:16? It’s Jesus Himself!
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.”
Now, these words were written down by John. Who I think was the very same guy that ran with Peter to the tomb on that first Resurrection Sunday which we just studied a few weeks ago (see also Revelation 1:9 and 22:8).
Many decades later, John has continued to believe in and follow Jesus, and it has gotten him into trouble. “In this world, you will have trouble...” (John 16:33) Well, that was true for John!
In fact, John has been imprisoned on the Island of Patmos in the Mediterranean. Kind of like an Alcatraz situation. He’s stuck there because John has been testifying to the truth of Jesus.
And while John was there in exile on this little rock (just 32 square miles) out in the sea off the coast of Turkey, Jesus gave John a revelation. Jesus sent an angel to John who showed John all kinds of amazing things! I’m sure you’ve read it. It’s called the “Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Or the “Apocalypse” or “Unveiling of Jesus Christ.” (See Revelation 1:1-2.)
It’s a book of wonders and mystery and prophecy and worship. I read it every December as part of my annual Bible reading plan, and it often makes me shake my head in confusion and bow my head in humility and worship.
You know that phrase we learned last week, “I don’t know, and that’s okay.”? I have to use that a lot when I read Revelation. “I don’t know, and that’s okay.”
But there is a lot that is clear, as well. And one thing that’s clear in verse 16 is that it’s Jesus who is speaking.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.”
Jesus speaks several times in this last section of Revelation (22:6-21), and His main message is, “I am coming soon.” He says it in verse 7 and verse 12 and one last time in verse 20.
“I am coming soon.”
And we need to be ready! What a good reminder as we finish up another calendar year? We are all that much closer to the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus has sent His angel (notice that the angel belongs to Jesus!) with this revelation, this testimony, to share with all the churches. And what does He reveal in verse 16?
He reveals His identity. He tells us Who He is. And He uses the same Greek words that He used again and again in the Gospel of John, “ego eimi.” “I am.” How many times in the last year and a half have we talked about His “I Am” statements?
We just did on Tuesday night, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
Well, Who He does claim to be in verse 16? “I am...”
“I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
There it is! I guess we don’t have to wonder anymore if Numbers 24:17 was about Jesus! I think He pretty much says it right here.
At least, He’s the culmination of the fulfillment of Numbers 24:17. Again, I think the first fulfillment was King David. Remember the prophecy? Balaam said, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city” (Numbers 24:17-19).
We said that was King David to a T. He was the original star beating in the foreheads of Moab and conquering Edom. But verse 16 shows us that Jesus is from David and that David is from Jesus. Did you catch that in verse 16?
“I am the Root and the Offspring of David.” The “root” and the “shoot.”
He’s referring back to Isaiah chapter 11. A few years ago, we studied the prophecy of Isaiah 11 at Christmastime. It’s another one of those great Advent passages. Maybe take some time this afternoon and read it again?
The idea is that the Messiah was going to come from King David, so He would be David’s Son. But He was also going to be the root of David. The source of David. He comes from David, but David comes from Him.
How is that possible? How can He be both before and after David? It’s only possible if the Son of David is also the Son of God! So that He is Great David’s Greatest Son (see 2 Samuel 7). Even greater than David Himself (see Psalm 110)!
So that whatever was fulfilled in King David as a messiah, an anointed king of Israel, would be fulfilled even more in Great David’s Greatest Son, THE Messiah. Filled to overflowing as far as the curse is found. David was the “under star.” But Jesus is the Root and the Offspring of David, and the “bright morning star.”
Wow! It takes some chutzpah to say that, doesn’t it?
“I am the bright morning star!"
If I start talking like that about myself, call the people with the white jackets with the special sleeves for your arms.
“I am so bright! I am so luminous. I am so shiny. I am so splendid. I am worth looking at. I am worth admiring. I am worth your attention and your worship. I am the bright morning star.”
You better be if you’re going to talk that way.
Do you believe that about Jesus?
I have four very brief points of application for this verse before we celebrate Janell’s baptism, and the first one is simply to decide.
#1. DECIDE.
Decide if you believe that Jesus is what John says the angel says that Jesus says He is. I know that’s a lot of “says.” But that’s what verse 16 says. Jesus sends an angel to tell John to tell the churches that Jesus is the bright morning star. Do you believe that?
Interestingly, the “you” in verse 16 is plural. It’s “you all.” “Y’all.” It’s “y’inz” in Western PA lingo.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give [y’inz] this testimony for the churches.”
Do you believe this testimony? Janell Creek has come to believe it. And that’s what she’s telling the world today with her baptism.
What about you? Do you believe that, or do you think it’s just noise? Do you think it’s just egotism or narcissism or arrogance that Jesus says that He is “The Star?” The Star of stars! Do you believe that this is His true identity? Do you believe that Jesus commands angels? Do you believe that He is Son and the Source of King David? Do you believe that He died for your sins and came back to life to give you life? Do you believe that He is the Bright Star?! You have to decide.
And, if you decide that He is, then you have to repent.
Verse 14 talks about that. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Rev. 22:14)
And verse 15 talks about those who refuse to repent. “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”(Rev. 22:15). The unrepentant.
I know which one I want to be. I want to be inside the eternal city.
The next verse, verse 17, invites you and me to come to Him and receive salvation.
“Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17). It’s free. Completely free because Jesus paid it all when He said, “It is finished.” But you have to decide. You can’t hang around in indecision trying to the sit on the fence. There is no fence. You’re either in or out. Do you believe this testimony?
What does He mean by “morning” star?
I think that “bright” is pretty obvious.
But why “morning?” Balaam didn’t say anything about “morning” in his prophecy. Is Revelation 22 actually alluding to Numbers 24? I think so. Like many things in apocalyptic writing, there are ambiguities and layers of meanings. But I think the two are definitely connected in deep ways.
What does He mean by “morning star?” I know He’s not claiming to be a Christian bookstore in State College, though that old bookstore was probably named for this verse!
I went into this week assuming that He meant the sun. Because that’s the star of the morning, right?
And Jesus is like the Sun. Remember the prophecy of Zechariah about his son John who would become The Baptist? And what Zech said about what John would do? It’s in Luke chapter 1.
Zechariah prophesied, “ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:76-79).
Jesus is the rising sun (see also Revelation 21:22 and 22:5)!
We’re about to sing it again in just a minute:
“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!”
- Charles Wesley
But I learned this week that the sun was not thought of as a “star” by most of the ancient people. Some Greek astronomers had suggested that idea, but it wasn’t widely known as it is now that the sun is a star. The sun was the sun.
The heavenly body that they used to call “the morning star” is one that we often still call “the morning star” and that’s the planet we often call “Venus.” Second planet from the Sun.
After the Sun and the Moon, it’s the brightest natural thing in the sky.
And sometimes, we call it the Evening Star because of its orbit, but every 584 days it switches to being called the Morning Star. And when it’s the Morning Star, it heralds the coming of the new day.
It’s going to happen again this March. When you see Venus in the sky, it means that morning is nigh. It’s the harbinger of the dawn. Sunrise is coming. A new day is coming.
And in this case, it’s the “Day of the Lord.” Does that make sense?
Jesus is like that morning star in that He is bright and He ushers in a new day.
Which leads us to application point number two which is simply to:
#2. YEARN.
To long for the new day to come.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing a number of beautiful sunrises over the last month. My morning walk and the sunrise have coincided a great number of times in the last few weeks, and I’ve felt the sun on my face and seen it go up the trees of Lanse and show off their beauty and herald a new day coming.
Most of the time, we love it when the dawn comes. We can hardly wait. Especially if we expect it’s going to be a good new day.
Like a child going to bed on Christmas Eve yearning for the morning to come.
We have to wait. We have to wait for the Return of Jesus. We have to wait for the Second Advent, when Jesus comes again. But we know that He’s coming. We can see the first rays of light coming over the horizon.
And there’s the bright Morning Star telling us that the new day is sure to come and soon!
That’s why the very next verse is the prayer of our hearts. V.17
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ [The bride is the Church!] And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:17).
If you hear verse 16, your heart should leap, “Yes! Come! Come, Bright Morning Star! Come! We’re ready for you. Come!”
Forever.
Isaiah prophesied of that new day. He said in chapter 60, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3).
Is that the prayer of your heart?
“Let him who hears say, ‘Come!’”
It’s dark right now. We all feel it. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33).
“I am the bright morning star.” “Behold! I am coming soon.”
A new day is coming. Do you long for that day? Are you living your life today in light of that day? Or have you gotten too comfortable with today and stopped thinking about living for that day? Because Jesus is the bright morning star, we need to be living for the new day coming.
Our eyes on the star! We need to get our eyes up and on that bright star.
And we need to tell others. We need to get other people’s eyes up on that Star.
And that’s point number three.
#3. TESTIFY.
Once we decide that we believe that Jesus is all of this, we need to start telling others. Like John did to the church in verse 16.
In verse 10, the angel from Jesus told John to not seal up the words of this prophecy because the time was near. He wasn’t supposed to keep quiet, but to shout it from the mountaintops of that little island in the Mediterranean.
“Amen! Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
And that’s what Janell is doing this morning by giving her testimony. She’s standing before this church and saying that she believes. That she has crossed over from death to life through faith in Jesus (John 5:24). And we all need to do the same out there. Who could you tell this week?
Because we not only believe that Jesus is the Bright Morning Star, but we have actually have Him in our hearts.
This is not the first time the Morning Star is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. It’s actually mentioned in chapter 2 in the letter to the church at Thyatira. Some day, Lord-willing, we’ll study all seven of the letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3.
In each one, the Lord promises to give all kinds of blessings on those who “overcome.” Same root word as what Jesus says He did in John 16:33. But the emphasis here is that they overcame unbelief and persevered in faith. They believed and they continued to believe. And they continued to testify to that belief.
And listen to what the Lord promised to those all those who would overcome in Revelation 2:28.
“I will also give him the morning star.”
You and I–if we have true faith in Jesus–we get the Morning Star Himself as our gift. And we get to enjoy Him forever.
That’s our last point for this morning. Point number four.
#4. BASK.
We get to bask in the light of this Star forever.
He will shine forever, and we always get to enjoy His light.
Earlier in this chapter (verse 5), John reports that the New Heavens and the New Earth, the darkness of evil will be totally gone. He says, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever”(Rev. 22:5-6).
We sang it this morning already:
“Behold our God shall live with us
and be our steadfast light
and we shall ere His people be.
All Glory be to Christ!”
- Dustin Kensrue
We will forever bask in His bright light.
Right now, we have to wait. But the dawn is coming and coming soon. I think that’s what the Apostle Peter was alluding to in his second letter when he told us to pay attention to the Old Testament (like the book of Numbers?) while we wait for the dawn.
Peter said, “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
And then we will enjoy Him forever!
Jesus Himself says so.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
***
Messages in This Series:
01. "I See Him, But Not Yet" - Numbers 24:17
02. "We Saw His Star" - Matthew 2:1-12
0 comments:
Post a Comment