PART I — WHEN CHRIST IS REVEALED, THE FLESH LOSES ITS GLORY

Revelation 1:13 (NKJV)
“….. One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet ….

The Apostle John had known Jesus personally.

John had walked with Him.

John had eaten with Him.

John had heard Him preach.

John had rested close to Him at the Last Supper.

John stood near the cross.

John saw the empty tomb.

But when John encountered the glorified Christ on Patmos, he did not casually approach Him as an old friend.

John says:

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
— Revelation 1:17

Why?

Because John was being given an overwhelming revelation of the majesty, purity, authority, and holiness of Jesus Christ.

1. The Church Needs a Fresh Vision of Christ

Our greatest problem may not simply be that we think too highly of ourselves.

Our deeper problem is that we think too little of Christ.

When Christ becomes small in our understanding, man becomes large.

Then churches can begin revolving around personalities.

The preacher becomes the attraction.

The worship team becomes the attraction.

The musicians become the attraction.

Appearance becomes important.

Performance becomes important.

Popularity becomes important.

Entertainment becomes important.

But look at Revelation 1.

The attention is entirely upon Christ.

His garment.

His golden band.

His head.

His hair.

His eyes.

His feet.

His voice.

His countenance.

His authority.

His glory.

John disappears into the background.

Christ fills the vision.

That is what should happen in the church.

The preacher should decrease.

The worship leader should decrease.

The musician(s) should decrease.

The congregation should decrease.

Christ must increase.

John the Baptist said:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
— John 3:30

The church is not a stage for displaying ourselves.

The church exists to display Jesus Christ.

2. Christ Was Clothed in Majesty

John describes Christ:

“clothed with a garment down to the feet.”

We should be careful not to make the garment itself symbolize something Scripture does not explicitly say.

But the entire vision unquestionably communicates something powerful:

Christ appears in dignity, majesty, holiness and authority.

Nothing about this vision encourages frivolity.

Nothing directs attention toward sensuality.

Nothing makes John think about entertainment.

John sees Christ and falls down.

This should cause everyone involved in Christian ministry to ask:

When people see me ministering, where does their attention go?

Toward Christ?

Or toward me?

That question reaches deeper than clothing.

A person can dress very modestly and still be filled with pride.

Someone can wear a suit and still crave attention.

Someone can carry a Bible and still desire admiration.

Therefore the real issue is:

Who are we displaying?

Paul said:

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:5

3. The Body Must Never Become Our Idol

Paul writes:

1 Timothy 4:8
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things…”

Paul does not say bodily exercise is sinful.

He says it has limited value compared with godliness.

Exercise can strengthen your body.

But exercise cannot sanctify your soul.

You can strengthen your arms and neglect your prayer life.

You can carefully monitor your calories while starving your inner man.

You can spend hours improving your physical appearance while spending minutes in Scripture.

There is nothing inherently sinful about caring for the body.

But there is something terribly wrong when the servant receives more attention than the soul.

Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:19–20
“your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit… therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The question is not:

Do you take care of your body?

The question is:

Are you taking care of your inner man?

4. The Inner Man Can Be Neglected Without Anyone Seeing It

This is one of the great dangers of spiritual neglect.

If you stop eating, you will lose weight and eventually people can see it.

If you stop bathing, eventually people can smell it.

If you stop sleeping, eventually people can see exhaustion on your face.

But you can stop praying and still come to church smiling.

You can stop studying Scripture and still preach.

You can stop seeking God and still sing.

You can become spiritually cold and still play an instrument beautifully.

You can grieve the Holy Spirit and still maintain your religious position.

That is frightening.

Because physical neglect eventually becomes visible, but spiritual neglect can remain hidden.

Paul prayed:

Ephesians 3:16
“that He would grant you… to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

The body is strengthened through food and exercise.

The inner man is strengthened through the Holy Spirit.

Church, which one are we feeding?

5. What Would Christ See?

Revelation 1 does not merely show us Christ.

It prepares us for Revelation 2–3, where Christ examines His churches.

He walks among the lampstands.

He sees everything.

He knows their works.

He knows their love.

He knows their compromise.

He knows their endurance.

He knows their spiritual condition.

The question is therefore not merely:

What do people think about our church?

The question is:

What does Christ think about our church?

Because when Christ is truly revealed,

human glory disappears.

Pride disappears.

Performance becomes meaningless.

And the heart cries:

“Lord Jesus, let them see You—not me.”

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, open our eyes to see You as John saw You—holy, majestic, glorious and worthy of all worship. Forgive us wherever we have sought attention for ourselves. Forgive us when we have cared more about outward appearance than the condition of our inner man. Strengthen us through Your Spirit. May our preaching, worship, conduct and lives point people away from ourselves and toward You. May You increase and may we decrease.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!