|
|
Sermonette: Vision and Reflection
#FT13-08s-AM
Martin G. Collins
Given 26-Sep-13; 21 minutes
summary: Color theory includes: (1) the color wheel, (2) factors in harmony, and (3) the context of how color is used. Spiritual analogies can also be drawn, as with the color white used for the great harvest in John 4:35, the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, and the white raiment of the saints and the vast innumerable multitude appearing at the Great White Throne. The garments of the innumerable multitude were washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. The white radiant garments worn by the resurrected saints symbolize the righteousness of the saints, made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
transcript:
30 or 40 years ago, I do not remember which because I was in the spokesmanship several times when my impromptu speech time came up as I was introduced by the toastmaster, he said, now to give his impromptu, Martin Collins, and as I was walking up to the lectern just before I got to the lectern, he said, On the Color Purple. So mine was grinding as fast as it possibly could, and believe it or not, to this day, that moment has impacted me and it actually has been part of the inspiration for this sermon today, but I think you'll see why. I'm going to tax you today. I know everyone's mind is very tired. The last thing you want to do is hear something scientific, but I'm going to do that to you anyway because I, I think you'll see by the end of the sermon that, that there really is something wonderful. I want to begin by giving you a brief description of color theory. There are 3 basic categories of color theory that are that are logical and useful. 1, the color wheel. 2, color harmony. And 3, the context of how colors are used. Now the color wheel is a color circle, and most of you are familiar with this based on the primary colors red, yellow, and blue. It is traditional in the field of art. Now these primary colors can be mixed to make a secondary color wheel, and then the secondary colors can be mixed to make a tertiary color wheel. So today, thanks to computers, we can now detect millions of distinct colors. And in visual experiences, the second category, color harmony, is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. Remember, visual colors is what we are speaking about here. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order. In summary, visually, extreme unity leads to understimulation. Extreme complexity leads to overstimulation. You have to think harder to process it. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium. Harmony is a a dynamic equilibrium. When color is is in harmony, it is positively stimulating. Interesting how God has designed that. Now the third category I mentioned, color context, refers to how colors behave in relation to other colors and shapes. Observing the effects of the effects colors have on each other is the starting point for understanding the relativity of color. You do not have to think too deeply about this, just an overview, the relationship of values. Saturations and the warmth or coolness of respective hues can cause noticeable differences, differences in our perception of color. Now the most debated issue about color is found in the question. Are black and white colors? Are black and white colors? Some of you, I'm sure already know that and know the answer to that. There are 3 basic answers, so man can't come up with the one simple answer. The first answer under color theory number 1 is color is light. Color is light. That means black is not a color. And white is a color. Now the second answer, color theory number 2 is color as pigment, pigment or molecular coloring agents. So in that black is a color, white is not a color. Now we get confusing here. Hopefully not. Hopefully it will sort out. For example, taking white paint and adding color pigments to it, make it look black. But this is not true black. Using pigments, we, we actually make colors that look black. And you know, when you buy clothes, you buy a pair of pants that are black, you could go in another store and buy another pair of pants that are black, but they are not the same shade. So in that case, black can have a color, but it's only in our perception, not in reality. And then the third and most complete answer, color theory number 3, is vision and reflection. The answer to whether black and white are colors takes other factors into consideration. Colors that exist in the larger extent of human vision. That means as we view things we can perceive colors. Now on the physical level, take for example an apple. The color of a tangible object originates as a molecular coloring agent on the surface of the apple itself. We see the color of an object because that color reflects a color to our eyes. Every color is the effect of a specific wavelength. In the case of the apple, we see the color red because the red apple reflects the specific wavelength of red, and that is 640 nm is red, and I'm not sure what nm means. I do not know whether it means nano milliseconds or you know what it is, but it has a term there. But I'm just showing you that it does have a distinct wavelength. Every single color does. The same theory applies to black and white. So the answer to the question of black and white colors is number one, black is not a color. A truly black object absorbs all colors, all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes, and it does not have true black does not have a wavelength. 2 color white is a color. White reflects all the colors of the visible light spectrum to the eyes. Although white is a color in Scripture, it is often used as a condition or an effect, and now we get into what is more important. If you'll turn with me please to Revelation 20 in verse 11. On the last day of the, on the Last Great Day, the first thing that pops into our minds when we think of God's throne is the color white. The great white throne. Revelation 20 and verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away and it was found no place for them. This is the effect that God sitting on his throne has. The throne room of God is perfectly harmonized with colorful colored gems. But it is not only the color that is beautiful, but even more importantly, it is the condition or effect that it gives off. And there is a rainbow around the throne. You'll notice that in Revelation 4 and verse 3. You can turn there later. It gives off a dynamic equilibrium. So it's not just the color sensation that you get, it's far more than that. Now why a white throne? White appears more than 50 times in the Bible, both as a color and as a description of the radiance of light. Scenes of transcendent glory and redemption are painted in strokes of white, and the Book of Revelation alone has 15 references to the color white. The color white represents purity and righteousness and cleanliness and holiness. Now the New Testament writers were fully equipped with the extensive and flexible Greek color vocabulary. But they were by virtue of their subject, concerned with color as such, even less than the writers of the Old Testament. Now the In any case, fixity of shade and therefore exact precision of terminology had to wait until the introduction of chemical dyes which are easier to control and their color charts are easier to map out, meaning that in the Old Testament, the Old Testament writers did not have a million colors to choose from. We get that because we can separate that out by computer. And then going into the New Testament, the Greek writers, when they mentioned color, were not as much concerned about the color itself but its effect. How it hit you, how it, how you reacted to it, which is very interesting, I think. In common with other ancient peoples, the Greeks were much more impressed by the contrast between light and shade. Than that between different colors. In other words, they tended to see and describe all colors as graduations between black and white. Now to compensate, they had a remarkably rich vocabulary to describe degrees of refracted light. And this helps explain biblical biblical color imagery. They saw color more as an effect than as a basic color. For example, the fields of John 4:35 are not already white with harvest, but the word white is used in the translation. But the original Greek word leukos, L E U K O S, for white, in that verse means light, bright, and it means even more. It literally means gleaming. The fields are already gleaming for harvest, so you see that that has a more emotional effect than just saying that they are white with harvest. Now we read earlier of what Christ revealed to the apostle John in Vision in Revelation 20 and verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne. The Greek word translated white there is the same word used that John used in John 4 and verse 35 of the fields. And again white there means light, bright, gleaming. It's an emotional effect almost. It's, it's more than just a simple white. At the transfiguration, Jesus' appearance shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white such as no one on earth could bleach them. So you see that it begins to, the description begins to grab hold of you and you have an effect. Matthew 17:2 says, and he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. The same Greek word lucca is used here for white, meaning gleaming, dazzling. Sunlight is dazzling, powerful, glittering, bright. Blinding Now turn with me please over to Revelation 7 and verse 9. The glorified saints in heaven wear white robes. What qualifies us to wear white robes before God's throne? Now notice the description of a great multitude from the Great Tribulation. The apostle John saw a vast multitude from all nations, too numerous to count, standing before God's throne, rejoicing in their salvation and being ministered by their Lord. Now these he was told are people who have found salvation during the Great Tribulation. Revelation 7, we are going to read verses 9, 13, and 14. And after these, these things, that is the tribulation, I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes with palm branches in their hands. Verse 13, then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white? And that word there is Lucas, meaning gleaming, glittering. these white glittering and gleaming robes, and where did they come from? In verse 14, and I said to him, Sir, you know, so he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white. That word white again is Lucan, L E U K A N, another variation in the blood of the Lamb. Made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So white here is not so much a color as a condition. White is in this context represents faith in the righteous acts of the, of the saints. And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Not one of them became white through his tears of repentance. Not one through the shedding of the blood of bulls and of goats. They made their robes white by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior and as a sacrifice for their sins in their stead and by living righteously. This shows that the saints who come out of the Great Tribulation and all the saints for that matter have an individual responsibility to do something. Live God's way of life in order to be eligible to use the blood of Christ to wash their robes, making them white, gleaming. And dazzling It is a gift of salvation. Christ's blood is a gift to us. But once we are baptized and we have all of our sins removed, if we begin to flagrantly sin without regard for God, we are not eligible to use that blood of Christ. If we are just flagrantly thumbing our nose, that's approaching the The unforgivable sin sin. Now use of the blood of Christ is a supreme gift. Not everyone is eligible, as I mentioned, at this time through faith and the righteous acts of it to use it. Because everyone has not yet been called, which only God can do. Now regarding verse 14, there is some incongruity in saying that they had made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They can, they can, they had cleansed or purified them in that blood. Under the ancient ritual, various things about the sanctuary were cleansed from the ceremonial defilement defilement by the sprinkling of blood on them, the blood of sacrifice. Now in accordance with that usage, the blood of the Lamb of Jesus Christ cleanses and purifies, washes us free of sins. And it is the blood of land that makes someone spiritually clean. It's their clothing that is made white. It's what they wear. It's easy to visualize the imagery if you envision the armor of God. The various pieces of the armor of God are implied to be spiritual tools and characteristics. That you put on that you actually do something with and you put on girded, girded your waist with truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness, shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and taking the shield of faith, take the helmet of salvation. And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. All these spiritual tools and characteristics are said to be put on or taken to or taken to carry with oneself. So John sees a great multitude wearing white robes, and they were made white by the blood of the Lamb that had been shed for sins. Jesus shed his blood to make a clean sweep of sin. Now, I John 1:7 says, but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. Now the saint's white robes can't mean the righteousness of Christ because Christ can't be washed and made white in His own blood. Because he was and is sinless, so he has no need to be washed white by his own blood. Isaiah 61:10 says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. So we are, we must reflect Christ's righteousness in order, in order to be worthy, in order to be eligible to wear white robes at the throne of God. Now Revelation 19, if you'll turn with me there please over a few pages. Revelation 19:7. Now this white linen is said to be the righteousness of the saints. And this is the righteousness in which they stand before the great white throne. Therefore, it's not Christ's righteousness, but it's the righteousness produced in the saints by the merit of His blood and the power of His Spirit. Revelation 19:7-8 says, Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. That word bright there has a similar meaning to the word lukan. It's just slightly different. It's the Greek word lampron, L A M P R O N. So it says there, and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, lamp pran, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The original Greek word lampron, from which bright comes, is a different word also at times translated white. Its meaning is slightly different from leukos. It means bright, radiant, gorgeous, magnificent. That's the description of the clothes we will be wearing at the throne of God. White suggests a supernatural brilliance beyond the earthly in descriptions of the ancient ones seated on the throne. You do not have to turn there, but Daniel 7:9 describing vision of the ancient of the ancient of days says, I watched till thrones were put in place, and the ancient of days was seated and his garment was white as snow, and the hair on his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. So biblically white is not as much a color as it is a condition or an effect. The white, the great white throne is brilliant because of the brilliance and the holiness and righteousness of he who sits on the throne. Our robes will be of fine white linen in appearance because of the holiness attributed to us and because of our righteous acts. And we can't perform those righteous acts without God's Holy Spirit. So all credit goes to God the Father and Jesus Christ. But we have our responsibility. Your acts are part of what you offer today when you give this offering. Do you, do they provide the spiritual vision and reflection of Christ's righteousness that is necessary to be eligible to wear a magnificent white robe before God's great, gleaming, dazzling, brilliant throne? And when the profits, the physical sacrifices that the law requires for an acceptable offering, are put into perspective. They matter less than the inward sacrifice. of righteous behavior. Proverbs 21:3 says, to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Now for a final scripture, if you turn with me to Isaiah 1 and verse 16. In Isaiah, the Lord says that bringing offerings while sinning is futile. Instead, he commands in Isaiah 1:16 to 17, Cease doing evil or cease to do evil, learn to do good. Here in Isaiah 1:16 to 17, it says, Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Sometimes that word that's translated clean is translated white. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the Fatherless, plead for the widow. This is what makes an offering acceptable. Our works in faith. Our righteous acts is what God is looking for. Our attitudes. Or is what God is looking for when we drop that money or those checks into the basket. In giving offering to our God and Father and Jesus Christ.
MGC/aws+/
|
