Jesus, in the Past, Present and Future.

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."—Rev. i. 17,18.
THESE were words of comfort spoken by our exalted Lord Jesus to a disciple overwhelmed, and laid at His feet as dead, by the overpowering manifestation of His risen glory. When the Lord said: "Fear not" to His trembling disciple, His words of love reassured him; and His hand kindly laid upon him as He spoke, gave him courage and power to stand before the presence of His glory. He afterwards saw Heaven opened, hell opened, seals broken, vials poured out, and heard woe-trumpets sounded, and was in the Spirit, a witness of judgments executed; and yet John was calm amidst it all, and never needed to have the words “Fear not" addressed to him again, for at the outset, he was brought into the presence of the righteous Judge, and was in full contact and spiritual communion with Him Who is glorious in holiness, and who wields the sharp and two-edged sword.
And beloved suffering ones, there is nothing that can drive away all fear from us but the glorious manifestation of Jesus Himself, speaking comfort to our hearts, so near that we feel as if He laid His right hand upon us and said, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of hell and of death." When He was with His disciples in the days of His flesh, He often manifested Himself to them in times of danger and perplexity, and by His loving words, rebuked their guilty fears. At one time, on the stormy lake, when "there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves,"  "He was asleep," and when they awoke Him with the unbelieving cry, "Lord, save us, we perish,"  "He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." He addressed Himself first to the calming of His disciples' troubled minds, placing Himself between them and "the great tempest in the sea,"  “then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea." At another time when He was walking on the stormy waves and drawing near to their little ship, they cried out for fear, not knowing that it was Jesus; and again He puts Himself between them and their fears, and His gracious voice is heard above the storm, saying, "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And he went up unto them unto the ship; and the wind ceased.'' He would first tranquilise our souls in His own presence, and when we are wholly occupied considering Him, the tempest becomes a calm, "toiling in rowing" against wind and wave is terminated, for the wind ceases; and it will ever be true of us as of the disciples, “immediately the ship was at the land whither they went," Again, when the Lord had risen from the dead—having by His one sacrifice, His One blood-shedding on Calvary, exhausted the penalty due to our sin, and discharged to liabilities of all believers in His name—He appeared in the midst of His disciples, but they were "terrified and affrighted;" and it was the manifestation of the Lord's person, as the Lamb of God who was dead and is alive again, and the accompanying words of tender love, "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I MYSELF; handle me, and see," that drove away all fear. How precious to hear Him say in the midst of our care, anxiety, grief and trouble, "It is I myself!" Nothing but a Jesus "Himself can satisfy the soul and bid away from us all doubt and fear. Are you awakened to see yourself a lost sinner? Hear the risen Jesus, who has made an end of sin and brought in everlasting righteousness, saying, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see." Oh that little word /," spoken by Jesus in a ransomed sinner's heart, how many a fear it dissipates, how many a cloud it dispels, how many a storm it calms, how many a rising tear it dries, how many a vacant heart it fills! —“I Myself!”  “Jesus only!" There are three things here to which we would direct your attention: Jesus in the past, as expressed by the words "was dead;" JESUS in the present, as indicated by "I am He that liveth;" and JESUS in the future, “alive for evermore.”
1. JESUS “WAS DEAD," These words are my title-deeds to glory. They speak to me of    "everlasting life." His death is my life. Jesus died that we might live. He was God's spotless Lamb, but having voluntarily taken the position of those who are all stained with sin, and full of evil, He had to take away our guilt, bear our sins, die our death, and endure our curse; and being in the place of a substitute for us guilty sinners, God the Holy One, who is infinitely opposed to sin, dealt with Jesus as if He had been a sinner, and gave Him the wages of sin, which is death, and thus it was that the holy Lamb of God "was dead." How full of consolation to hear Him say, "I was dead” for the meaning of it to every believing soul is, "Your debt is paid, your sin forgiven, your curse borne, your person is accepted, your soul is saved." Beloved, have you looked to the Cross, and seen in the death of Jesus, the ransom paid for your redemption? Have you been made nigh by the blood of Christ?"
2. JESUS “LIVETH."  “I am He that liveth." In this, the resurrection is proclaimed. "The living One" testifies of His death, and also of His rising again from the dead. The apostles' preaching of the gospel was all comprised in the two topics, death and resurrection. They were "witnesses of His resurrection;" and they continually bore testimony to Him as the God-man who bore our sins, and on having finished the work given Him to do, was raised from the dead. He burst the bonds of death, for "it was not possible that He should be holden of it." Why? Because He had life in Himself, and as the Divine One, death could not reduce Him to corruption; but also, looking at Him as standing for us, it was not possible that He should be held of death, for He could say on Calvary, "It is finished!" and as One who had discharged all our liabilities,—as One who had been made sin for us, and had satisfied God for all that we are as sinners,—He must be released from the hands of justice, and so God raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory that our faith and hope might be in God. How blessed to hear this raised One saying, “I am the living One who was the dead One!" for what is it but His holding out to me, God's receipt that my account is settled, that “the uttermost farthing" has been paid? How precious is the word "liveth" and what a commentary on: “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins!" Our, hearts would naturally be inclined to say, “Faithful and just to condemn us for our sins;" but believing that God raised Him from the dead who took the sinner's place, and accepting of Him as our substitute, God is "just” to set free from condemnation every one who hears the voice of Jesus saying, "I am he that liveth, and was dead,'' and intelligently and truly believes that which we have said is implied in it; for—
“Payment He will not twice demand—
First at my bleeding Surety's hand,
And then again at mine."
But again, “He that liveth" tells me that my interests are in safe keeping. I have a precious living Friend—an Advocate—within the veil, "who appears in the presence of God for us," having our names upon His heart. We do not sufficiently realise it, that we have a living Jesus in Heaven—a real, living person to whom the heart may be opened—one upon whom all care may be cast—one into whose living ear we can tell all our wants, sorrows, trials, difficulties, dangers, and temptation—a living one whose living heart beats in fullest sympathy with us—One who knows us all by name, and who has engraved us all upon the palms of His once pierced hands. Oh, what a privilege to have communion with the living Jesus, and hear His voice say, "I am He that liveth;"  "Lo, I am with you alway!"
3. JESUS IS "ALIVE FOR EVERMORE."
This word is no less precious than the others; for if "was dead'* is my TITLE, ''that liveth'' is my RECEIPT, "alive for evermore” is the TERM of all that is secured to me by the death and resurrection of my all-glorious Lord. ''Because I live, ye shall live also." Oh, heart-cheering truth, I am united to an ever-living Christ! "As he is, so am I," and that, too, to the ages of ages. He has died, and lives for evermore; and in faith, I have died with Him, risen with Him, and am seated in heavenly places in Him. God is well-pleased with Him, so is He with me. "I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Beloved, realise these blessed words of Jesus; put them, as most precious jewels, into the casket of your heart. Receive them as the nourishment of your spiritual life; live in the power of them, work in the strength of them, and walk in the enjoyment of them, showing forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into God's marvellous light.
Walter T. Turpin, M.A. Minister of St Silas’s Episcopal Chapel, Glasgow. Feb. 1865.
“The British Herald” March 1865