Eve …The Mother Of All The Living
Genesis 2:20b- 5:5 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 5-9-10
Key verse 3:20,
“Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.”
Today is mother’s day and we want to learn about various mothers in the Bible…mothers that you often don’t hear about. We hear a lot of Mary the mother of Jesus or Hannah the mother of Samuel. They are great examples of mothers. But do we hear about other mothers that are equally important? What about Noah’s wife? What about Moses’ mother? Do you know her name? Jochebed (Ex 6:20). Today we want to take a close look at Eve and find out what kind of mother she was and what we can learn from her motherhood. At best I may have another 50-60 years of preaching left in me. And so I can write about 50 or 60 mothers in the Bible. This is the first of the series….Eve…the mother of all the living.
Did you know that people are not that different from each other? Even though we may look different on the outside, on the inside we are very similar. Our DNA is very similar. An Eskimo in the Canadian Arctic and an Aborigine native in Australia look like they are worlds apart, but in reality, when you analyze their DNA they are actually more closely related to each other than two chimpanzees from two neighboring chimp groups in West Africa. Evolutionists would have you think that a massive natural catastrophe killed all other forms of humanoids and left only one type of homosapien, and that is why were are so similar. But there is another, more believable explanation. How about exploring the fact that we all came from the same mother? And that mother is Eve. She went through so much and has an incredible spiritual journey to share with us. Let’s take a closer look at Eve and discover some of her qualities as a woman and a mother.
Part l: God Establishes A Beautiful Family (18-25)
God cared about Adam and wanted to introduce him to Eve. Read verse 2:18. "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" Eden was beautiful, a perfect paradise. But God looked and saw something that was not good. "It is not good for the man to be alone.” So one day, after Adam had worked hard doing God's work, he fell into a deep sleep (19,20). God took one of his ribs and from it he made woman, and he brought her to Adam.
There was a good purpose for creating a woman. She was not to be an object of pleasure. She was not a reward for Adam’s hard work. She was not to be Adam's servant or be a solution to his loneliness problem. God created a woman to help the man fulfill the mission God had given him. She was to be his companion, his helper and his friend. She, too, was created in God's image. Therefore she could worship God and participate in God's mission for them with deep understanding and a common love for God and faith in God, right alongside her husband, Adam. The fact that she was created from Adam’s rib means that she was supportive and protective and would stand with Adam, side by side.
Adam was very happy...so happy that he made this confession of love: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman', for she was taken out of man" (2:23). Adam welcomed Eve with his whole heart. He did not know her. He did not date her. He did not live with her to “check her out.” He trusted God absolutely. Eve trusted God too. She did not get upset saying, “Who is this Adam guy you’re introducing me too?” God himself united them thereby creating the first family. They were united as one by God, absolutely committed to one another in love and faith. A home is built on this confession of love and on this union of two personalities coming together as one. Verse 25 implies that they were free and innocent in their relationship with one another. There were no artificial barriers and no competition between them. They felt no shame, revealing that they had the right relationship with God, for shame comes from sin. They joyfully served God and loved each other and were very happy. Verse 2:24 reads, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.” Adam made a life-long commitment to Eve. They worked together to fulfill their mission in the Garden of Eden and glorify God. From the establishment of this first family we learn that God cares about our happiness and wants to make us truly happy. We must entrust our lives and our future so that his grace may be poured out on us. God is good and he wants the best for us. Do you believe this? (Matt 6:33) Can you trust God like Adam and Eve did?
Part ll: The Fall (3:1-24)
But one day something tragic happened to this beautiful family. Satan came to deceive the woman. He had told her that eating the forbidden fruit would make her as wise as God, and she believed him was tempted to disobey God. (4-6) Satan didn't tell her the tragic consequences of disobedience. Her physical desires, which were intended to enrich her life, became unrestrained. The fruit was beautiful and looked delicious. It became very desirable. So, without any further thought, she took it and ate. Her act was an act of obedience to Satan and an act of disobedience to God. She moved from the kingdom of God to the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of Satan. Guilt longs for company, so she gave some of the forbidden fruit to Adam; he ate and joined her in the kingdom of Satan. Their innocence was gone. (7) They tried to cover themselves to hide from each other. They tried to hide from God. (8b-9) The beautiful relationships with God and with one another were broken. (12-13) Adam blamed the woman for giving him the forbidden fruit, and he blamed God for giving him the woman. Fear, guilt and broken relationships are the gifts of Satan. When God called, "Adam, where are you?" Adam could not but reveal the spiritual turmoil in his heart. He was lost. Their lives and their new family had fallen apart. There was nothing else God could do except discipline them spiritually (14-19), care for their needs (21) and expel them from the garden. (22-24)
It is important to understand the new setting that this house church found themselves in. They just disobeyed God’s command and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. They were in a bad spiritual condition. Their burden on their hearts was immense. They were filled with shame and were afraid of God and hiding from God. They were blaming the each other. Eve blamed the devil and Adam blamed God, saying, “The woman you put in here with me, she made me do it.” (12) They were in desperate need of marriage counseling but with no one to offer it to them.
Part lll: The Worst Case Scenario
What could their family life be like after the fall? Let’s see. God had warned them in Genesis 3:17, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." After the fall, they surely began to die in so many ways. Their home life and their spiritual life suffered. Look at 2:17-19, “To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Adam’s life would be incredibly difficult. Under the curse he would work painful, long days in the fields. There would be a never ending battle controlling the weeds. Thorns and thistles would pierce his hands. Every meal was hard earned through the blood, sweat and tears of Adam. When he thought he was getting a little bit ahead, some natural disaster would destroy what his hands had built. One year a tornado blew down his barns. Another year a flood ruined a crop. And then there was the brush fire that killed so many of his flocks. His own mortality was before him as he felt arthritis setting into his back and his knees. He thought to himself, “Will this ever end? I’ll have to work like this until I am an old man.” Every day was the same old routine…work, eat, sleep --- work, eat, sleep – only waiting to die. Sometimes he skipped family worship to make sure that the harvest was in. Adam felt meaningless crying out to his sheep, “What do you think of my life?” They would reply in unison, “ It’s bahhhhh’d”
Eve too, suffered a lot. Let’s read 3:16, “To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." She would be faced with intense labor pains when she gave birth to children. Labor lasted for 15 hours for Cain and 20 hours for Able. She almost died both times. The thought of death crossed her mind every time she told Adam, “Honey, I’m pregnant.” Not only that, she would be obsessed with Adam, desiring all of his time and love and devotion all the time. It was a constant battle to keep her mind focused on worshipping God. Eve would be forever disappointed with Adam’s love, for Adam was no longer the gentle, loving, understanding person he consistently was while living in the Garden. Now, Adam would rule over Eve, becoming demanding and insensitive. After a hard day working in the fields he would push his dinner to the floor and say, “This is too cold…This place is a mess. I worked hard all day in the fields. What did you do all day?” Eve was left to cry, cleaning up the spilled food and eating quietly with young Cain and Able trying to console them, “It’s o.k. boys. Daddy’s just having a bad day.” The boys just sat eating in silence.
Satan was also out to get this couple. Look at Genesis 2:14-15. Satan had just been cursed by God. All of his glory and beauty was taken from him. (3:14) There was now mutual hatred towards this family and himself. (3:15) Satan also is very desperate because he knows his time is short. God will one day send a Savior, the offspring of a woman, who would deliver a fatal blow to him. (15) This would be Jesus Christ, who would defeat the Satan through his own suffering, death and resurrection. The devil hates God. He hates God’s children and so the devil began to prowl around like a roaring lion, waiting to pounce on Adam and Eve to devour them, first separating them from each other and then driving them towards death and eternal damnation. Adam and Eve, and their descendents would be harassed daily by the devil for many millennia. When Adam worked hard in the fields, the devil would prompt his heart to despair to the point of contemplating suicide. Adam took his frustrations out on Eve and the boys. Satan would prompt Eve to hate Adam and leave him. She worried about the boys and the effect on their psyche. Such is family life under the curse.
Part lll: Eve Overcame By Faith
That was the worst case scenario. It is exactly the kind of life that so many young families are finding themselves in this dry, spiritual desert we call “Western Culture.” Though Adam and Eve were tempted to live like this day in and day out, for the rest of their lives, (some days were like this to be certain) there is evidence that they did not succumb to the devil’s temptations, nor to their own negative feelings and emotions.
Though they had been blaming each other for what has happened, Adam and Eve still loved each other. Let’s read 3:20, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.” Eve means “living.” Instead of seeing Eve as, “The woman you put here with me.” (Gen 3:12a) Adam had spiritual eyes to see his wife with eyes of hope and life. He saw her from God’s point of view. Verse 4:1 reveals that they had normal marital relationships. Eve forgave Adam for his grumpiness and Adam repented of blaming his wife for everything. They were two forgiving, forgiven sinners. They were committed to building a family together. That is the foundation that any healthy family needs.
Adam and Eve knew the deep grace of God. Look at 3:21, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” God could have cast them out of the garden and forgot about them. But he didn’t. He cared about their nakedness. He killed one of his own animals to clothe them. This sacrifice of an animal is also an indication that God covered them with his own righteousness that he provided. And they accepted it. Adam and Eve had received some very hard training from God. Most people would have become very bitter and blamed God for the predicament that they themselves had put themselves into. But they did not. Eve’s heart remained tender, constantly being reminded of the deep grace of God for her family.
They still had hope in the kingdom of God. Look 3:24, “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” God could have completely destroyed the Garden of Eden or the pathway to it. But he did not. The Garden of Eden is still there for all who place their faith, hope and trust in God. We call it, “The Kingdom of God.” Eve possessed this hope in her heart and this hope gave her strength and life direction. She knew that her life would not end in the cruel desert, but that her life was a pilgrimage…a journey back the kingdom of God where she would dwell in perfect paradise with God forever. This hope helped her to look beyond the suffering, the poverty, the bitter words that were sometimes spoken around the home. She had a clear life direction to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness in all she did. (Matthew 6:33)
Eve had hope in the coming Messiah. When God cursed the serpent he said in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [a] and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This verse is called the “pre-gospel” In this verse God promises to send a Savior, the offspring of a woman who deliver a fatal blow the devil. But in doing so, this savior would suffer, but not be killed. Jesus fulfills this prophecy. He eternally defeated the devil through his suffering and death and resurrection. Eve knew that no matter how furious the devil’s attacks were on their small house church, the Savior would win the ultimate victory. She would find strength knowing that though there were many battles and struggles, they had already won the war when they held onto the hope of God, through faith. This hope in the victorious suffering Savior was the strength they needed to carry on with their struggles of life, with a victorious spirit.
They tried their best to worship God by faith, through sacrifices. Think of their situation. They were cast out into a world of suffering by a God who was angry with their sin. There was a great chasm because of their sin. They could have been overcome with self –condemnation, bitterness or despair or a combination of all three. Many people would have given up trying to worship God. Many would have stopped going to church, saying, “What’s the use?” or “What has God ever done for me?” But this family continued to worship God. There were no other people to show them the way. There was no Bible. Maybe they remembered the animal skins that God clothed them with. They tried to come to God through the offering up of sacrifices. This revealed their desire to please God and come to him with contrite hearts, offering something that cost them. Adam and Eve taught their children how to worship God too.
Look at 4:1-2, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. [b] She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth [c] a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” They raised a family. They had a least three sons, Able, Cain and Seth. They approached a hard life with hope and expectation. They could have said, “I don’t want to bring any children into this cruel world. Why make them suffer?” But their faith in God gave them hope. They were not afraid to build a family. They didn’t say, “How can we provided for their needs.” They just did it by faith, dedicating their children to God, teaching them to worship God and hoping that they would grow to be sources of blessing to the world.
Let’s think more about their teaching their kids to worship God. Let’s read 4:3-4, “3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,” How did Cain and Able know that there was a God? Adam and Eve must have taught them. They did not say, “They can believe what they want when they get older.” They taught them how to worship God from a young age even teaching them that they must give their best to God. Children are blessed when their parents take the time to teach them how to worship from a young age. Our kids have been coming to church since 4 years old. Jason’s dad led daily morning Bible studies every day and now Jason loves Jesus and the word of God. Ruth Graham had family devotionals with their kids twice a day and now their kids are changing history, especially Franklin Graham. We need to take time to teach the younger generation how to worship God by offering their hearts and lives to him and accepting the ultimate blood sacrifice, Jesus Christ.
They taught their kids how to work hard. Many parents spoil their kids. Not Eve. They worked hard, by the sweat of their brow, setting the example for the boys. And it paid off. Able was a hard working man, taking care of flocks of sheep. Cain was a man of the soil, producing grains and vegetables and fruits. Let’s take a lesson from Eve teaching our kids how to work hard, especially by setting the example in our own lives.
They saw the dramatic increase in the number of their descendants. They had so many grandchildren and great grandchildren. There is a man living in Dubai who has 83 kids. He hopes to have 100 kids before he dies. They must have taught their grandkids, and all of their descendants the ways of God. They were not lonely seniors, but well connected to the lives of their extended family.
They had joys of seeing the sincere faith of their son Able. Look at 4:4, “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering” How their hearts must have beamed every time Able asked sincere questions regarding faith and worship. How happy they must have been when they saw Able willingly bringing his sincere offering to the Lord. He gave his best. Eve felt like Joseph and Mary when they found 12 year old Jesus in the temple asking deep questions. (Lk 2:41-52) May we all experience the joys of seeing our kids coming to sincere faith in God. They also saw Seth growing in faith. Seth probably means “Granted.” He was an answer to Eve’s prayer that God would give them another sincere son, who could stand as a man of faith and God granted that request. The Bible says that Seth was made in the likeness of Adam, who was made in the likeness of God. (Gen 5:1-2) After Seth was born men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Gen 4:26) That means he must have been preaching and influencing the people of his generation towards sincere faith in God. What a joy it is to see Jenn teaching Anais the Bible and for all the kids participating in campus mission.
There were also some dark spots in their family life that faith helped them to overcome. They despaired at seeing the empty forms of worship in Cain’s heart. (4:5) They knew that every time Cain came to offer up a sacrifice to God it was it was with a grudging, stingy heart. They knew that Cain really didn’t love God and was self-righteous and sarcastic. (4:9) When saw the sibling rivalry between their two sons, they must have tried to intervene many times, but to know avail. Cain wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t back down. They saw the hate in Cain’s heart. All they could do it pray for him. They eventually would have to bear the fact that their own son, Cain was murderer and that he would leave home, lost in sin and darkness and maybe to be never be seen again. There are times when even very sincere servants of God see their own children fall away from God. The prophet Samuel was one of these people. (1 Sam 8:5) It is a great burden on any parent’s heart, but it does drive us to prayer and trust in God.
They lost their precious Able. (Gen 4:8) No parent should have to bury their own child. It could be one of the saddest things that a person could do. No words could describe the grief they bare. Eve faced this extreme grief. They lost their older son Cain to his sin. For them, it was like they were loosing two sons that day. But this grief did not paralyze them. Look at 4:25, “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’" They carried on with their lives. They started again to build a family of faith.
In a worldly sense Cain was successful. He built cities in the far off land of Nod. The people he ruled over had technology and an agricultural commerce. Adam and Eve would have heard of their sons successes in the world. Cain may have sent messengers to them hoping to hear his parents say, “I’m proud of you son.” Maybe Cain longed for his parent’s forgiveness for killing Abel. Adam and Eve would be happy to learn of their son’s successes but his victory rang hollow in their hearts. They knew that even if Cain ruled the whole world, it would be nothing if he did not have the right relationship with God. They prayed for his salvation daily.
In this passage we can see that despite their difficult circumstances, Adam and Eve overcame their feelings and loved each other. Adam saw his wife with eyes of hope and life. They lived and two forgiving, forgiven sinners. They were committed to building their family, with hope and expectation, even though the world and the devil tried to destroy it. Eve could remain strong because she knew the deep grace of God. Eve maintained her hope in the kingdom of God and sought it. She hoped in the first coming of Jesus. She taught their sons to be men, to work hard, the worship God, to sacrifice. She had the joy of seeing some of her children walking in the Lord and grieved at one son falling away from God. She bore the sorrow of burying a child. But through it all, Eve kept her faith and her hope and moved ahead in life, by faith.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Psalm 16:1-11 Easter Conference Opening Message
My Heart Is Glad
Psalm 16:1-11 Opening message Andrew Norte
Key Verse :9,10 Easter Conference 2010
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
Part I: Welcome!!
Hello and welcome to the 2010 COD-Triton-NIU Easter Conference! I’d like to thank you for coming to attend our conference, to hear and experience the living Word of God as we discover what is means to be Made Alive in Christ. May this Easter prove to be a truly life giving and life changing event!
A little about myself: My name is Andrew Norte and I am a Sophomore Music Education major at Northern Illinois University. I was raised in a Christian environment ever since the age of 2. My grandparents and parents faithfully studied the Bible and served and blessed me constantly (I was the firstborn grandchild, hence THE most spoiled kid in the family). Despite the endless love that was showered on me by my family, Christian friends, and peers, I did indeed go through a period of “death” in my life. I was scared, worried, and slightly depressed because for a time, I had no college major, and this was big for me because I felt directionless. I was simply drifting through life, taking some classes and working. But when I decided to trust in God fully; trust in His love for me and Sovereignty, he opened the door for me study at NIU. God has blessed me greatly and I’ve been progressing through my program quite successfully. I thank God for His continuous blessings; that I now have clear life direction; that I have a spiritual support group at NIU in the Jesmers, and for a loving family in my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, etc. May I use the talents and opportunities God has given me to be a blessing to others and I pray that through this message I can be a servant to you as well. Please look at verses 1 through 8.
Part II: “…In You I Take Refuge.” (1-8)
Many of us go through certain hardships or problems in life. David had a problem that was relentless; one that would not go away, and it was life-threatening. Saul was constantly on the hunt for David, looking to kill him. We worry about many things: Will this bill get paid? Will I pass that one class that I need to graduate? Will I get a job with my major? Will I ever be able to pay off my student loans? Will I ever be set free from my fears and anxieties? Sometimes things like these can keep us awake at night and we worry about them. David was being harassed by a man who wanted to kill him. He had every right to become a basket case, but David did not. He stated, “Keep me safe, O God for in you I take refuge.” He prayed to God and entrusted his life to God, who alone could save him. He said in verse 2, “Apart from you I have no good thing.” David meditated on the grace of God. Though he had no place to lay his head he confessed that God has made his lot and his inheritance secure. (5-6) He was blessed because of God. God gave him inner peace and calm. Bad things seemed to have been happening in David’s life, but it was ok because David rested in God’s grace and sovereignty.
So many are going through things in life that make my struggles seem miniscule. My heart and my prayers go out to them. To me, school itself can seems like a hardship. It’s stressful and sometimes the work is never ending. I especially have a lot of pressure due these last few weeks of school, but I’m thankful that God helped me to take refuge in him. He helped me to spend time in the word of God, writing this message. He has given a certain peace and a calm and a deep sense of grace. How could he experience this? David said in verse 8, “I have set the Lord always before me.” Ah..this is the key. We can experience the same peace and calm as David, when we take refuge in God and set the Lord always before us. Through this conference know that the Lord Jesus is always before you leading you to himself through very message and every Bible study every prayer. When you do, you will be able to declare about God, “You are my Lord: apart from you I have no good thing.” and, “Because you are at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Part III: The Path of Life
Another source of David’s peace and security is that he had Gospel faith. Let us read verses 9-10. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, [nor will you let your Holy One [see decay.” People suffer a lot knowing that no matter what they do death seems to be the end of everything. They loose the joy and meaning of life. They don’t know why they have struggle so much in this world. Their hearts become filled with sorrow and despair. David had very right to give into these feelings. But he did not. David knew that Death was not the end. He trusted that God would not abandon him to the grave, but would resurrect him to eternal life. He had a living hope in the kingdom of God.
In my classes, we talk about things like career development and upward mobility. We never talk about being raised from the grave to eternal life. To me, it seems like ambition drives people to work their fingers to the bone just to achieve some “upward mobility” and advance in their careers. I’m all for excelling, but all of these things seem meaningless to me if at the end of it all I will be abandoned to the grace. I thank God we have more to look forward to than possibly having a really nice cushy job and an excellent retirement plan. God will not abandon us to the grave! We have eternal life in him. This gives us great joy, just like it did for David. This living hope elevates us from the predicaments of our earthly lives. As a music education major, I struggle with the predicament of not having a job when I graduate. Thousands of teachers are getting laid off. All my peers are worried and are contemplating switching to something else, but I remain because I know that no matter how hard it gets, death is not the end. God will not abandon me to the grave. I have been given the final victory. For those who have set the Lord, always before them…they will get their sure reward in Heaven! Thank God that death is not the end!
David had faith in Jesus. He said in verse 10, “because you will not abandon me to the grave, [c] nor will you let your Holy One [d] see decay. “ Who is the Holy One? Jesus Christ, the Messiah is the Holy One! Jesus suffered and died on the cross. His holy and pure blood is all sufficient to bring us the forgiveness of our sins, when we repent and put our faith in him. After his crucifixion Jesus was buried in a tomb and there he lay. If Jesus was just and ordinary man, just a religious leader or wise man, he surely would have just laid there and decayed becoming a pile of dust and bones. But the truth is, Jesus was not left in the tomb. His Father above, raised his Holy, One, his One and Only Son, from the grave. Jesus did not see decay. He was resurrected from the dead! He became the glorious and majestic King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His resurrection is God’s seal of approval that Jesus is indeed he messiah, the Christ of God. Therefore Jesus is the one we must listen to. He is the one we must follow and place all of our hope and trust in. I pray that through this conference you will see, with the eyes of your heart, the Holy One of God, the glorious Risen Jesus!
What happens when the eyes of our heart is open to see the Holy One of God with resurrection faith? Two things. First, our hearts will be made glad and our tongues will rejoice. This is a good thing! Enough said about that! Second, Let us read verse 11: “You have made [e] known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Because of his faith, David knew the path of life. He knew that he came from God, and that he was going back to God. It’s great to say and believe that “I have direction in my life…I know where I came from and I know where I am going.” May this blessing be yours through this conference.
During this conference we will hear several different messages. We will listen to testimonies, sing songs of praise, engage in beautiful Bible Studies, watch monodramas, and experience fellowship. I want to invite you to have resurrection faith and discover the pathway of life that David knew. Let us spend this weekend coming to Jesus our Christ and Savior personally, and be resurrected from any deadness of heart! May you hearts be glad, may your tongues rejoice, may you be filled with joy in the presence of the Risen Lord, and may you find great spiritual pleasure as you take eternal refuge in Jesus!
A-men…..Let’s read our key verses together, verses 9-10, “9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
Psalm 16:1-11 Opening message Andrew Norte
Key Verse :9,10 Easter Conference 2010
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
Part I: Welcome!!
Hello and welcome to the 2010 COD-Triton-NIU Easter Conference! I’d like to thank you for coming to attend our conference, to hear and experience the living Word of God as we discover what is means to be Made Alive in Christ. May this Easter prove to be a truly life giving and life changing event!
A little about myself: My name is Andrew Norte and I am a Sophomore Music Education major at Northern Illinois University. I was raised in a Christian environment ever since the age of 2. My grandparents and parents faithfully studied the Bible and served and blessed me constantly (I was the firstborn grandchild, hence THE most spoiled kid in the family). Despite the endless love that was showered on me by my family, Christian friends, and peers, I did indeed go through a period of “death” in my life. I was scared, worried, and slightly depressed because for a time, I had no college major, and this was big for me because I felt directionless. I was simply drifting through life, taking some classes and working. But when I decided to trust in God fully; trust in His love for me and Sovereignty, he opened the door for me study at NIU. God has blessed me greatly and I’ve been progressing through my program quite successfully. I thank God for His continuous blessings; that I now have clear life direction; that I have a spiritual support group at NIU in the Jesmers, and for a loving family in my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, etc. May I use the talents and opportunities God has given me to be a blessing to others and I pray that through this message I can be a servant to you as well. Please look at verses 1 through 8.
Part II: “…In You I Take Refuge.” (1-8)
Many of us go through certain hardships or problems in life. David had a problem that was relentless; one that would not go away, and it was life-threatening. Saul was constantly on the hunt for David, looking to kill him. We worry about many things: Will this bill get paid? Will I pass that one class that I need to graduate? Will I get a job with my major? Will I ever be able to pay off my student loans? Will I ever be set free from my fears and anxieties? Sometimes things like these can keep us awake at night and we worry about them. David was being harassed by a man who wanted to kill him. He had every right to become a basket case, but David did not. He stated, “Keep me safe, O God for in you I take refuge.” He prayed to God and entrusted his life to God, who alone could save him. He said in verse 2, “Apart from you I have no good thing.” David meditated on the grace of God. Though he had no place to lay his head he confessed that God has made his lot and his inheritance secure. (5-6) He was blessed because of God. God gave him inner peace and calm. Bad things seemed to have been happening in David’s life, but it was ok because David rested in God’s grace and sovereignty.
So many are going through things in life that make my struggles seem miniscule. My heart and my prayers go out to them. To me, school itself can seems like a hardship. It’s stressful and sometimes the work is never ending. I especially have a lot of pressure due these last few weeks of school, but I’m thankful that God helped me to take refuge in him. He helped me to spend time in the word of God, writing this message. He has given a certain peace and a calm and a deep sense of grace. How could he experience this? David said in verse 8, “I have set the Lord always before me.” Ah..this is the key. We can experience the same peace and calm as David, when we take refuge in God and set the Lord always before us. Through this conference know that the Lord Jesus is always before you leading you to himself through very message and every Bible study every prayer. When you do, you will be able to declare about God, “You are my Lord: apart from you I have no good thing.” and, “Because you are at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Part III: The Path of Life
Another source of David’s peace and security is that he had Gospel faith. Let us read verses 9-10. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, [nor will you let your Holy One [see decay.” People suffer a lot knowing that no matter what they do death seems to be the end of everything. They loose the joy and meaning of life. They don’t know why they have struggle so much in this world. Their hearts become filled with sorrow and despair. David had very right to give into these feelings. But he did not. David knew that Death was not the end. He trusted that God would not abandon him to the grave, but would resurrect him to eternal life. He had a living hope in the kingdom of God.
In my classes, we talk about things like career development and upward mobility. We never talk about being raised from the grave to eternal life. To me, it seems like ambition drives people to work their fingers to the bone just to achieve some “upward mobility” and advance in their careers. I’m all for excelling, but all of these things seem meaningless to me if at the end of it all I will be abandoned to the grace. I thank God we have more to look forward to than possibly having a really nice cushy job and an excellent retirement plan. God will not abandon us to the grave! We have eternal life in him. This gives us great joy, just like it did for David. This living hope elevates us from the predicaments of our earthly lives. As a music education major, I struggle with the predicament of not having a job when I graduate. Thousands of teachers are getting laid off. All my peers are worried and are contemplating switching to something else, but I remain because I know that no matter how hard it gets, death is not the end. God will not abandon me to the grave. I have been given the final victory. For those who have set the Lord, always before them…they will get their sure reward in Heaven! Thank God that death is not the end!
David had faith in Jesus. He said in verse 10, “because you will not abandon me to the grave, [c] nor will you let your Holy One [d] see decay. “ Who is the Holy One? Jesus Christ, the Messiah is the Holy One! Jesus suffered and died on the cross. His holy and pure blood is all sufficient to bring us the forgiveness of our sins, when we repent and put our faith in him. After his crucifixion Jesus was buried in a tomb and there he lay. If Jesus was just and ordinary man, just a religious leader or wise man, he surely would have just laid there and decayed becoming a pile of dust and bones. But the truth is, Jesus was not left in the tomb. His Father above, raised his Holy, One, his One and Only Son, from the grave. Jesus did not see decay. He was resurrected from the dead! He became the glorious and majestic King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His resurrection is God’s seal of approval that Jesus is indeed he messiah, the Christ of God. Therefore Jesus is the one we must listen to. He is the one we must follow and place all of our hope and trust in. I pray that through this conference you will see, with the eyes of your heart, the Holy One of God, the glorious Risen Jesus!
What happens when the eyes of our heart is open to see the Holy One of God with resurrection faith? Two things. First, our hearts will be made glad and our tongues will rejoice. This is a good thing! Enough said about that! Second, Let us read verse 11: “You have made [e] known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Because of his faith, David knew the path of life. He knew that he came from God, and that he was going back to God. It’s great to say and believe that “I have direction in my life…I know where I came from and I know where I am going.” May this blessing be yours through this conference.
During this conference we will hear several different messages. We will listen to testimonies, sing songs of praise, engage in beautiful Bible Studies, watch monodramas, and experience fellowship. I want to invite you to have resurrection faith and discover the pathway of life that David knew. Let us spend this weekend coming to Jesus our Christ and Savior personally, and be resurrected from any deadness of heart! May you hearts be glad, may your tongues rejoice, may you be filled with joy in the presence of the Risen Lord, and may you find great spiritual pleasure as you take eternal refuge in Jesus!
A-men…..Let’s read our key verses together, verses 9-10, “9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Here I Am Standing At The Door
Part ll: Jesus’ Messages To The Last Three Churches
Revelation 3:1-22 Lesson 4
Key verse: 3:20 NIU UBF 5-2-10
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
In the last lesson we learned the life giving messages that Jesus made to the first three cities. To the Christians in Ephesus, Jesus commended them for their hard work and their perseverance in the Lord. But he gave them a harsh rebuke in forsaking their first love, their love when they first met Jesus personally. He urged them to repent and restore their first love. To the Christians in Smyrna Jesus commended them for their faithfulness in the midst of suffering and persecution. He encouraged them to not fear and remain faithful. To the Christians in the Pergamum, Jesus praised them for remaining true and faithful. Jesus wanted them to repent of allowing compromise among them. In a word, they needed to repent. Each church would receive glorious heavenly rewards when they remained true to the gospel and to Jesus. Today we are going to take a look at Jesus’ messages to the last three churches, the church of Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. The church in Sardis looked spiritually alive--but it was dead. The Lord commands them and us to wake up--to repent and strengthen the faith we have by remembering God's grace and by studying and obeying his word. Jesus promises that he will never blot them out of his book of life. The Church of Philadelphia felt that all doors had been shut for them. But Jesus is the one who opens the door to the kingdom of heaven to all who put their faith in him. The Laodiceans thought they had the best of both worlds through compromising. But Jesus doesn't like lukewarm Christianity. It is because such Christianity leaves us wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts. When we open the door, he comes in and fills our lives with his love and his riches. Through this passage may we wake up and walk with Jesus and overcome the world. May we learn to never despair over closed doors but have faith to go through the doors Jesus opens. Help me to hold fast to what I have. And may we have eyes to see Jesus knocking on the door of our lives so that we can invite him to come and live with us forever.
Part l: Who Is Jesus?
We know that it is Jesus speaking to the churches. But let’s think a little more about his identity from this passage. Look at verse 1b, “…These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b]of God and the seven stars.” The seven spirits of God is the Holy Spirit and the seven stars are the leaders or the messengers to the seven established churches in Asian minor. Jesus is the Almighty Sovereign Lord, who holds the church in the palm of his hand. This is especially comforting to these Christians who were suffering immensely under persecution. Verse 7b reads, “…These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Jesus is the promised savior king, who sits on David’s throne and reigns forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one that can open any door in any place and keep it open by his power and authority. And verse 14b, “…These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.” Amen means, “So it is said, so shall it be.” Jesus’ word and his will prevails. This is how he can be faithful. He is the ruler of all creation. Christians of any age can take comfort in knowing that their Lord and God is the sovereign ruler of the whole creation. Do you get a little better picture of who Jesus is? Now let’s take a close look at the messages themselves.
Part ll: Strengthen What Remains (1-6)
Let’s take a look at the church in Sardis. All I know about this city is that they were wealthy. But what about the spiritual condition of the Christians? Look at verse 1b-2, “ …I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” The problem in the Sardis Church was not heresy, but spiritual slumber and death. How could this be? They were a church that looked good on the outside but was corrupt on the inside. They did a lot of activities and outwardly they seemed good, but inwardly they had were spiritually dying. In spite of its reputation for being active, its deeds were without heart and its clothes were soiled.
This could happen to any church. A church may have soup kitchens, praise bands, concerts, lots of social work, but just doing all sorts of Christian activities is not enough. We need Bible study, prayer, and sincere reflection and practical obedience. There is only life in our church if Jesus dwells among us. The bottom line is that we need to ask ourselves, does Jesus dwell among us? You are more than alive if Jesus is walking among you.
What is Jesus’ life giving words to this church? Look at verses 2-4a, “2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes…” Jesus warns then that he is coming soon and that they must wake up from their spiritual slumber. They were told to strength what remains. There is only one way strength anything and that is through regular use and exercise. They need to obey the Christian truth they had heard when they first believed in Christ, to get back to the basics of faith. Like the Sardis Christians, we too must grow in our knowledge of the Lord, to deepen our understanding through careful Bible study.
What does Jesus refer to when he says that our deeds need to be complete? Can we ever have complete deeds? We can not have complete deeds if we think that our Christian life only consists of church attendance and acts of charity and service. There is never an end to how much we can do for the Lord? What are the deeds? I believe that our deeds can become complete when we repent of our sins and accept God’s complete forgiveness. Our deeds are complete when we are found in Jesus and enter into God’s rest, resting in God’s grace and living in his kingdom. Our deeds can be complete when we find out what God wants us to do each day and do it by faith, dedicating all we do for the glory of God. This is part of what it means to having deeds that complete in Jesus.
Jesus has some very special promises to those who overcome the world. Look at verse 4b-6, “…They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Even though the church in Sardis was full of deadness and superficiality, there was a faithful remnant who kept a pure love for Jesus in their hearts. Jesus promises that he will never blot them out of his book of life. They will walk with Jesus, dressed in white, set apart for God and made pure. They are those who live by faith and overcome the world. All such people are guaranteed a listing in the book of life and are introduced to the hosts of heaven as belonging to Christ. (Luke 12:8,9)
How does one keep themselves clean in today’s world? Proverbs 119: 9-10 reads, “ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” Jesus once told his disciples that their whole body is clean because of the word that was spoken to them. (Jn 13:10) And that "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." Jesus washes our whole bodies through his shed blood on the cross. Our feet become dirty from living in this world, filled with sin. We can wash our feet and keep our robes white by practicing daily repentance. Come to Jesus by faith to receive his grace and his forgiveness. Spend time in the word of God each day, repent before it and find ways to apply it to our lives.
Part ll: Jesus Will Write On Us His New Name (7-13)
And now the church in Philadelphia. Philadelphia means “brotherly love”. It was founded by the citizens of Pergamum. The community was built a frontier area as a gateway to the central plateau of Asia Minor. Philadelphia’s residents kept the barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. They were used to being on guard against destructive forces that were pitted against it. They were on the defensive.
Jesus sheds light on their spiritual condition in verse 8, “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” This church had many good deeds. They are commended for their efforts to obey (3:8) and encouraged to hold tightly to whatever strength they have. But they were on the defensive spiritually. They felt that doors were being shut on them. Persecution was closing doors to ministry and even closing the doors of salvation for many who were giving into the extreme pressure to disavow their faith. Christians today can understand a little of what they might have been experiencing. Though we are not physically harmed, we sometimes feel the pressure of opposition from the world. There are oppressive philosophies, like humanism weighing heavy on our hearts. There is rejection. We are faced with disinterest from the populace. There is pressure to be quiet and lay down, crawl up in a ball and hide away, hoping to have a little peace. The devil would pummel you to your knees if he could. These may discourage us and make us think that there are no open doors.
But we don’t have to give into this. Jesus is on our side. Let’s read verse 7, “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Jesus has the key of David to open doors and keep them open. Jesus is the promised descent of David, who sits on the throne of David. The key of David represents Christ’s authority to open the door of invitation into his future kingdom. He opens the door to the kingdom of heaven to all who put their faith in him. He opens doors to a fruitful ministry for those who depend on him. Jesus opens doors that not even the Roman government can shut, nor any oppressive philosophy or cultural trend, nor even the devil, sin or death. Jesus keeps the door open. Matthew 7:7-8 reads, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Let’s pray for many open doors this summer.
Jesus also promises to vilify his people. Look at verse 9, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.” Some people may think that we are foolish to take the way of the cross, the narrow way. Some people wonder why we make so much effort to reach out to so few people. They may think that we are crazy. But we are serving a great and glorious purpose. We are serving a kind of monastic role. We are showing the world what it means for an entire family to serve as a house church. We are a living example. Where can you find kids who can practically run a church on their own? One day I believe that God will raise up 120 flock of God among us to serve Northern Illinois. There will be a time when it will be obvious to all that Jesus loves us dearly and is with us.
Jesus promises many things to the church of Philadelphia. Look at verses 10-13, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Jesus promises to keep us from “the hour of trial” Whether this means the hour of tribulation, or from some upcoming sufferings, whatever the case, we must patiently wait on God, obeying him in faith no matter what we face. Jesus also promises to identify with his people who remain faithful. Since they have honored Him on earth He will acknowledge them in heaven (cf. 2:17; 14:1; 19:12). Writing one's name on something indicated ownership. In the ancient world columns often bore the names of conquerors. In the Old Testament God commanded that Aaron write the name, “Holy To The Lord” on a plate of pure gold and then fasten it to the front of his turban so that it over his forehead. (cf. Exod. 28:36-38). Those that endure suffering patiently and faithfully will be recognized as conquerors who share in Christ’s victory, God’s holy priests and faithful to the Lord. The New Jerusalem is the future dwelling of the people of God. (21:2) We will have a new citizenship in God’s future kingdom.
Part lll: I Stand At The Door And Knock (14-22)
Now, concerning the Church of Laodicea. To understand the church, we must understand the city. Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven cities known for its banking industry, manufacture of wool, and a medical school that produced eye salve. They were rich and self sufficient.But the city had always had a problem with its water supply. At one time an aqueduct was built to bring water from to the city from hot springs. But by the time the water reached the city, it was neither hot not refreshingly cool-only lukewarm.
Jesus had some words to say to the Christians living in this city. Look at verses 14-17, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” First, they had lukewarm deeds. They carried on ministry, holding Sunday worship service; they had outreach and soup kitchens; they took care of the poor and needy. Jesus acknowledges their deeds, but there was something wrong with their hearts. They hearts were lukewarm in their love and devotion to Christ. Lukewarm water makes a disgusting drink, fit to be spit out. Because of their halfhearted devotion, the church had become distasteful and disgusting and repugnant. Luke warm believers are believers who don’t take a stand for anything. They are indifferent that led to idleness. They were on the road to destruction. As God’s people we must never settle for following God halfway. Our lives of faith must be undergirded by a passionate love for God. Deuteronomy 6:5, “5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Second, they were self sustained. Look at verse 17 again, “17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Some believers falsely assumed that numerous material possessions were a sign of God’s spiritual blessing. But their material abundance made them feel self-confident, self-satisfied and complacent. They forfeited a vital relationship with Christ for God’s blessing.
Third, they were blind to their spiritual condition. Look at verse 17 again. Jesus doesn't like lukewarm, self sufficient Christianity. Such Christianity leaves us wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. We can be blind to our present spiritual condition. We can be blind when we compare ourselves with others and never see ourselves before the word of God. We must look at the objective truth of the word of God. We need to look Jesus. Then we can see ourselves and our present condition and respond accordingly, with repentance and be restored by the grace of God. How? Look at verses 18-19, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” We need the pure spiritual riches which only Jesus can give, a right relationship with God and an everlasting future in Christ’s kingdom. He told them to get medicine from him to heal their eyes so they could see the truth (John 9:39). Christ also told them to purchase white clothes from him which is his righteousness and not our own threadbare self righteousness.
Jesus also gives a very gracious invitation in verses 20-22. “20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The Laodicean church didn’t have Christ’s presence among them. Christ knocked at the door of their hearts, but they were so busy enjoying worldly pleasures that they didn’t notice that he was trying to enter. The pleasures of the world – money, security, material possessions – made them indifferent to God’s offer of everlasting satisfaction. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts. He wants to have eat with us. Eating together is actually having close, personal fellowship. It is deliberately spending time with someone else…face to face. Jesus really wants us to open up to him. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us. But we must close the door to the world if we are to open the door to Jesus. When we open the door, Jesus comes in and fills our lives with his love and his riches. Leave the door of your heart constantly open to God.
In this passage we discovered Jesus’ messages to the Christians in the last three cities. To those in Sardis (3:1-6) we discover that some had not soiled their garments. Many were dead, had incomplete deeds, and were sleep. But Jesus told them to wake up, strengthen what remains, remember what they heard, obey it, and repent. Then they would be clothed in white garments, their names retained in the book of life, and their names confessed before the Father and His angels. The Christians in Philadelphia (3:7-13) had deeds but little power. They had kept Jesus’ word, and not denied His name, and had persevered; holding fast what they had, even in the midst of extreme opposition. But because of their faith, they were made a pillar in God's temple. They would have the names of God, His city (the New Jerusalem), written on them. The Laodiceans were lukewarm, self-sufficient, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. But when they bought from Christ refined gold, white garments, and eye salve and open the door of their hearts to Jesus, they will have a close personal love relationship with Jesus and sit down on Christ's throne with Him. Through this passage may we wake up and walk with Jesus and overcome the world. May we learn to never despair over closed doors but have faith to go through the doors Jesus opens. May we hold fast to what I have, even strengthening what we have until Jesus comes again. Invite Jesus in so that you can live with him forever.
Part l: Strengthen What Remains (1-6)
1. What is the spiritual condition of Sardis church? (1, Mk 11:13) How does it acquire a reputation of being alive, but spiritually dead? (1) Why has it so happened? (2, 3)
2. How does Jesus warn them? (3b) How can they come to life? (2,3,1) How does Jesus acknowledge those who obey his word and live in righteousness? (4,5)
Part ll: Jesus Will Write On Us His New Name (7-13)
3. What is the characteristic of Philadelphia church? (8b,10a) How does the Lord encourage them to keep the faith? (7, 8b, 9, 10b, 11)
4. What rewards does Jesus promise to those who overcome? (11,12) What does it mean by the promise of an “open door?” What does it mean that the “names” of God will be written on them? (21:12,14) How does this assure that they belong to the Lord? (12, Revelation 14:1)
Part lll: I Stand At The Door And Knock (14-22)
5. What is the problem of the rich Laodicea church? (15) What is their spiritual condition? (17) How has it become lukewarm - neither cold nor hot? (15,16)
6. What is Jesus’ warning and how does he counsel them? (16,18, 19) How can they become spiritually fervent? (18)
7. Read vs. 20-22. How does Jesus plead with such a lukewarm church? (20)
What privilege does Jesus promises? Think about how they can be truly rich.
In summary, compare the spiritual conditions of each church and share the modern equivalents.
Part ll: Jesus’ Messages To The Last Three Churches
Revelation 3:1-22 Lesson 4
Key verse: 3:20 NIU UBF 5-2-10
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
In the last lesson we learned the life giving messages that Jesus made to the first three cities. To the Christians in Ephesus, Jesus commended them for their hard work and their perseverance in the Lord. But he gave them a harsh rebuke in forsaking their first love, their love when they first met Jesus personally. He urged them to repent and restore their first love. To the Christians in Smyrna Jesus commended them for their faithfulness in the midst of suffering and persecution. He encouraged them to not fear and remain faithful. To the Christians in the Pergamum, Jesus praised them for remaining true and faithful. Jesus wanted them to repent of allowing compromise among them. In a word, they needed to repent. Each church would receive glorious heavenly rewards when they remained true to the gospel and to Jesus. Today we are going to take a look at Jesus’ messages to the last three churches, the church of Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. The church in Sardis looked spiritually alive--but it was dead. The Lord commands them and us to wake up--to repent and strengthen the faith we have by remembering God's grace and by studying and obeying his word. Jesus promises that he will never blot them out of his book of life. The Church of Philadelphia felt that all doors had been shut for them. But Jesus is the one who opens the door to the kingdom of heaven to all who put their faith in him. The Laodiceans thought they had the best of both worlds through compromising. But Jesus doesn't like lukewarm Christianity. It is because such Christianity leaves us wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts. When we open the door, he comes in and fills our lives with his love and his riches. Through this passage may we wake up and walk with Jesus and overcome the world. May we learn to never despair over closed doors but have faith to go through the doors Jesus opens. Help me to hold fast to what I have. And may we have eyes to see Jesus knocking on the door of our lives so that we can invite him to come and live with us forever.
Part l: Who Is Jesus?
We know that it is Jesus speaking to the churches. But let’s think a little more about his identity from this passage. Look at verse 1b, “…These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b]of God and the seven stars.” The seven spirits of God is the Holy Spirit and the seven stars are the leaders or the messengers to the seven established churches in Asian minor. Jesus is the Almighty Sovereign Lord, who holds the church in the palm of his hand. This is especially comforting to these Christians who were suffering immensely under persecution. Verse 7b reads, “…These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Jesus is the promised savior king, who sits on David’s throne and reigns forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one that can open any door in any place and keep it open by his power and authority. And verse 14b, “…These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.” Amen means, “So it is said, so shall it be.” Jesus’ word and his will prevails. This is how he can be faithful. He is the ruler of all creation. Christians of any age can take comfort in knowing that their Lord and God is the sovereign ruler of the whole creation. Do you get a little better picture of who Jesus is? Now let’s take a close look at the messages themselves.
Part ll: Strengthen What Remains (1-6)
Let’s take a look at the church in Sardis. All I know about this city is that they were wealthy. But what about the spiritual condition of the Christians? Look at verse 1b-2, “ …I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” The problem in the Sardis Church was not heresy, but spiritual slumber and death. How could this be? They were a church that looked good on the outside but was corrupt on the inside. They did a lot of activities and outwardly they seemed good, but inwardly they had were spiritually dying. In spite of its reputation for being active, its deeds were without heart and its clothes were soiled.
This could happen to any church. A church may have soup kitchens, praise bands, concerts, lots of social work, but just doing all sorts of Christian activities is not enough. We need Bible study, prayer, and sincere reflection and practical obedience. There is only life in our church if Jesus dwells among us. The bottom line is that we need to ask ourselves, does Jesus dwell among us? You are more than alive if Jesus is walking among you.
What is Jesus’ life giving words to this church? Look at verses 2-4a, “2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes…” Jesus warns then that he is coming soon and that they must wake up from their spiritual slumber. They were told to strength what remains. There is only one way strength anything and that is through regular use and exercise. They need to obey the Christian truth they had heard when they first believed in Christ, to get back to the basics of faith. Like the Sardis Christians, we too must grow in our knowledge of the Lord, to deepen our understanding through careful Bible study.
What does Jesus refer to when he says that our deeds need to be complete? Can we ever have complete deeds? We can not have complete deeds if we think that our Christian life only consists of church attendance and acts of charity and service. There is never an end to how much we can do for the Lord? What are the deeds? I believe that our deeds can become complete when we repent of our sins and accept God’s complete forgiveness. Our deeds are complete when we are found in Jesus and enter into God’s rest, resting in God’s grace and living in his kingdom. Our deeds can be complete when we find out what God wants us to do each day and do it by faith, dedicating all we do for the glory of God. This is part of what it means to having deeds that complete in Jesus.
Jesus has some very special promises to those who overcome the world. Look at verse 4b-6, “…They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Even though the church in Sardis was full of deadness and superficiality, there was a faithful remnant who kept a pure love for Jesus in their hearts. Jesus promises that he will never blot them out of his book of life. They will walk with Jesus, dressed in white, set apart for God and made pure. They are those who live by faith and overcome the world. All such people are guaranteed a listing in the book of life and are introduced to the hosts of heaven as belonging to Christ. (Luke 12:8,9)
How does one keep themselves clean in today’s world? Proverbs 119: 9-10 reads, “ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” Jesus once told his disciples that their whole body is clean because of the word that was spoken to them. (Jn 13:10) And that "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." Jesus washes our whole bodies through his shed blood on the cross. Our feet become dirty from living in this world, filled with sin. We can wash our feet and keep our robes white by practicing daily repentance. Come to Jesus by faith to receive his grace and his forgiveness. Spend time in the word of God each day, repent before it and find ways to apply it to our lives.
Part ll: Jesus Will Write On Us His New Name (7-13)
And now the church in Philadelphia. Philadelphia means “brotherly love”. It was founded by the citizens of Pergamum. The community was built a frontier area as a gateway to the central plateau of Asia Minor. Philadelphia’s residents kept the barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. They were used to being on guard against destructive forces that were pitted against it. They were on the defensive.
Jesus sheds light on their spiritual condition in verse 8, “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” This church had many good deeds. They are commended for their efforts to obey (3:8) and encouraged to hold tightly to whatever strength they have. But they were on the defensive spiritually. They felt that doors were being shut on them. Persecution was closing doors to ministry and even closing the doors of salvation for many who were giving into the extreme pressure to disavow their faith. Christians today can understand a little of what they might have been experiencing. Though we are not physically harmed, we sometimes feel the pressure of opposition from the world. There are oppressive philosophies, like humanism weighing heavy on our hearts. There is rejection. We are faced with disinterest from the populace. There is pressure to be quiet and lay down, crawl up in a ball and hide away, hoping to have a little peace. The devil would pummel you to your knees if he could. These may discourage us and make us think that there are no open doors.
But we don’t have to give into this. Jesus is on our side. Let’s read verse 7, “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Jesus has the key of David to open doors and keep them open. Jesus is the promised descent of David, who sits on the throne of David. The key of David represents Christ’s authority to open the door of invitation into his future kingdom. He opens the door to the kingdom of heaven to all who put their faith in him. He opens doors to a fruitful ministry for those who depend on him. Jesus opens doors that not even the Roman government can shut, nor any oppressive philosophy or cultural trend, nor even the devil, sin or death. Jesus keeps the door open. Matthew 7:7-8 reads, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Let’s pray for many open doors this summer.
Jesus also promises to vilify his people. Look at verse 9, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.” Some people may think that we are foolish to take the way of the cross, the narrow way. Some people wonder why we make so much effort to reach out to so few people. They may think that we are crazy. But we are serving a great and glorious purpose. We are serving a kind of monastic role. We are showing the world what it means for an entire family to serve as a house church. We are a living example. Where can you find kids who can practically run a church on their own? One day I believe that God will raise up 120 flock of God among us to serve Northern Illinois. There will be a time when it will be obvious to all that Jesus loves us dearly and is with us.
Jesus promises many things to the church of Philadelphia. Look at verses 10-13, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Jesus promises to keep us from “the hour of trial” Whether this means the hour of tribulation, or from some upcoming sufferings, whatever the case, we must patiently wait on God, obeying him in faith no matter what we face. Jesus also promises to identify with his people who remain faithful. Since they have honored Him on earth He will acknowledge them in heaven (cf. 2:17; 14:1; 19:12). Writing one's name on something indicated ownership. In the ancient world columns often bore the names of conquerors. In the Old Testament God commanded that Aaron write the name, “Holy To The Lord” on a plate of pure gold and then fasten it to the front of his turban so that it over his forehead. (cf. Exod. 28:36-38). Those that endure suffering patiently and faithfully will be recognized as conquerors who share in Christ’s victory, God’s holy priests and faithful to the Lord. The New Jerusalem is the future dwelling of the people of God. (21:2) We will have a new citizenship in God’s future kingdom.
Part lll: I Stand At The Door And Knock (14-22)
Now, concerning the Church of Laodicea. To understand the church, we must understand the city. Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven cities known for its banking industry, manufacture of wool, and a medical school that produced eye salve. They were rich and self sufficient.But the city had always had a problem with its water supply. At one time an aqueduct was built to bring water from to the city from hot springs. But by the time the water reached the city, it was neither hot not refreshingly cool-only lukewarm.
Jesus had some words to say to the Christians living in this city. Look at verses 14-17, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” First, they had lukewarm deeds. They carried on ministry, holding Sunday worship service; they had outreach and soup kitchens; they took care of the poor and needy. Jesus acknowledges their deeds, but there was something wrong with their hearts. They hearts were lukewarm in their love and devotion to Christ. Lukewarm water makes a disgusting drink, fit to be spit out. Because of their halfhearted devotion, the church had become distasteful and disgusting and repugnant. Luke warm believers are believers who don’t take a stand for anything. They are indifferent that led to idleness. They were on the road to destruction. As God’s people we must never settle for following God halfway. Our lives of faith must be undergirded by a passionate love for God. Deuteronomy 6:5, “5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Second, they were self sustained. Look at verse 17 again, “17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Some believers falsely assumed that numerous material possessions were a sign of God’s spiritual blessing. But their material abundance made them feel self-confident, self-satisfied and complacent. They forfeited a vital relationship with Christ for God’s blessing.
Third, they were blind to their spiritual condition. Look at verse 17 again. Jesus doesn't like lukewarm, self sufficient Christianity. Such Christianity leaves us wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. We can be blind to our present spiritual condition. We can be blind when we compare ourselves with others and never see ourselves before the word of God. We must look at the objective truth of the word of God. We need to look Jesus. Then we can see ourselves and our present condition and respond accordingly, with repentance and be restored by the grace of God. How? Look at verses 18-19, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” We need the pure spiritual riches which only Jesus can give, a right relationship with God and an everlasting future in Christ’s kingdom. He told them to get medicine from him to heal their eyes so they could see the truth (John 9:39). Christ also told them to purchase white clothes from him which is his righteousness and not our own threadbare self righteousness.
Jesus also gives a very gracious invitation in verses 20-22. “20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The Laodicean church didn’t have Christ’s presence among them. Christ knocked at the door of their hearts, but they were so busy enjoying worldly pleasures that they didn’t notice that he was trying to enter. The pleasures of the world – money, security, material possessions – made them indifferent to God’s offer of everlasting satisfaction. Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts. He wants to have eat with us. Eating together is actually having close, personal fellowship. It is deliberately spending time with someone else…face to face. Jesus really wants us to open up to him. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us. But we must close the door to the world if we are to open the door to Jesus. When we open the door, Jesus comes in and fills our lives with his love and his riches. Leave the door of your heart constantly open to God.
In this passage we discovered Jesus’ messages to the Christians in the last three cities. To those in Sardis (3:1-6) we discover that some had not soiled their garments. Many were dead, had incomplete deeds, and were sleep. But Jesus told them to wake up, strengthen what remains, remember what they heard, obey it, and repent. Then they would be clothed in white garments, their names retained in the book of life, and their names confessed before the Father and His angels. The Christians in Philadelphia (3:7-13) had deeds but little power. They had kept Jesus’ word, and not denied His name, and had persevered; holding fast what they had, even in the midst of extreme opposition. But because of their faith, they were made a pillar in God's temple. They would have the names of God, His city (the New Jerusalem), written on them. The Laodiceans were lukewarm, self-sufficient, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. But when they bought from Christ refined gold, white garments, and eye salve and open the door of their hearts to Jesus, they will have a close personal love relationship with Jesus and sit down on Christ's throne with Him. Through this passage may we wake up and walk with Jesus and overcome the world. May we learn to never despair over closed doors but have faith to go through the doors Jesus opens. May we hold fast to what I have, even strengthening what we have until Jesus comes again. Invite Jesus in so that you can live with him forever.
Part l: Strengthen What Remains (1-6)
1. What is the spiritual condition of Sardis church? (1, Mk 11:13) How does it acquire a reputation of being alive, but spiritually dead? (1) Why has it so happened? (2, 3)
2. How does Jesus warn them? (3b) How can they come to life? (2,3,1) How does Jesus acknowledge those who obey his word and live in righteousness? (4,5)
Part ll: Jesus Will Write On Us His New Name (7-13)
3. What is the characteristic of Philadelphia church? (8b,10a) How does the Lord encourage them to keep the faith? (7, 8b, 9, 10b, 11)
4. What rewards does Jesus promise to those who overcome? (11,12) What does it mean by the promise of an “open door?” What does it mean that the “names” of God will be written on them? (21:12,14) How does this assure that they belong to the Lord? (12, Revelation 14:1)
Part lll: I Stand At The Door And Knock (14-22)
5. What is the problem of the rich Laodicea church? (15) What is their spiritual condition? (17) How has it become lukewarm - neither cold nor hot? (15,16)
6. What is Jesus’ warning and how does he counsel them? (16,18, 19) How can they become spiritually fervent? (18)
7. Read vs. 20-22. How does Jesus plead with such a lukewarm church? (20)
What privilege does Jesus promises? Think about how they can be truly rich.
In summary, compare the spiritual conditions of each church and share the modern equivalents.
Revelations 2
THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
Part l – The First Four Churches
Revelation 2:1-29
Key Verse: 2:4,5a NIU UBF Shp Kevin Jesmer 4-25-10
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”
The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John from the Island of Patmos while in exile. One day while praying, he received this revelation from Jesus. Chapters 2 & 3 of this book relates a series of 7 letters to 7 churches. They are letters of encouragement as well as of rebuke. Although the letters were written to these churches to address some contemporary issues, they still speak to the Churches of all time. Through these letters we can find our own spiritual condition, repent and find hope and direction. At this time let us prayerfully look at the letter to the Christian churches in the first four cities. Especially we will see how we can restore our first love to Jesus.
Part I: The Lord Commended The Ephesian Church (1-7)
Ephesus was the business center of Asia Minor. The people were idolatrous, worshiping the goddess Artemis and delving heavily into magical arts. They were hedonistic and utterly corrupt morally. But by the grace of our God, and the devoted teaching of Apostle Paul, the gospel way of life found its way to the hearts of a few Gentiles and a church was founded. Soon, the church a grew to become an influential Christian center. However, at the time of John’s Revelation, the church seems to have lost something of its original spiritual fervor. What happened to them? That is what we will discover.
First, who is the one who was speaking to them? Look at verse 1. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.’” The “stars” are the angels of the 7 churches, (the bishops or the messengers) and the “lampstands” are the 7 churches. (1:20) Jesus is one who is speaking. He who speaks is no longer the tiny baby in a manger nor the Lamb led to the slaughter. Now, he is the Ruler of all things in heaven and on earth; the Sovereign Lord of the church and of the saints. He is the Almighty God. Therefore, it is with trembling and with awe that the church in Ephesus must now listen to these words of counsel.
What then was so urgent? Let’s read verses 2 & 3. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” Jesus sincerely acknowledged their deeds of faith along with their passionate hard work done in his name. Before hearing the gospel, and coming to know Jesus, like everyone else, they lived in the world and did as the world does. Their deeds had all been done without God. But one day they heard the gospel, confessed their sins and invited Jesus into their hearts. Their lives were changed. They dedicated themselves to Jesus, the gospel way of life— to teaching the Lord’s commandments, to raising the Lord’s disciples and to taking care of the poor and needy. It wasn’t easy to do this in a city so openly hostile to the gospel. It took courage, faith, sacrifice and much time and effort. But they worked very hard. And their deeds born out of their faith were legendary. Most of their hard work in the Lord was not recognized by the world. But for them, it was enough that Jesus tells them: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.” (2)
They were also a persevering church. Look at verses 2 & 3 again. According to Jesus’ commendation they had endured hardship and had not grown weary. Perseverance is one of the most important elements of Christian faith as well as an imperative for the survival of the Christian community. From the onset, the world had set itself up against the Christian faith, first by persecuting Jesus and later by persecuting Jesus’ people for the generations to come. In other words there is no respite for Jesus’ people who commit themselves to the Christian way of life. As Paul tells us: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) The Ephesian Christians were not exempt from this principle. The hardships they had to endure from the enemies of the gospel must have been unbearable. Look again at verse 2 again. False apostles and false teachers constantly tried to infiltrate their community in order to sow seeds of a corrupt gospel. Look at verse 6. There were also the Nicolaitans whose doctrine was humanly very appealing. They propagated hedonism and Gnosticism. Church elders were exhausted from fighting against this constant onslaught of false teachings. Yet they never compromised the gospel faith. They persevered and did not grow weary. We must grow in the quality of perseverance as we live out our Christian lives and not put down the individual crosses God has called each of us to carry.
Though the Ephesian Christians had many good points, they had a serious spiritual problem that earned them a harsh rebuking from Jesus. Let’s read verse 4. “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.” This means they had forsaken, lost and abandoned their first love for Jesus. What is “First love?” Most of you here do not know what first love means. But I know you will one day. My first real love, was my love relationship with Julie. First love is usually very sweet love. It is a memorable love. It is very special love. It is pure and sincere love. It is a kind of love that cannot easily be forgotten. The Ephesian Christians had experienced this first love for Jesus.
How can anyone experience their first love for Jesus? Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Ephesians came to experience their first love when they came to know the extent of God’s love for them; when they came to understand what Jesus sacrificed for them in order to save them from their sins. Let’s think about what it took for Jesus save us from our sins. To do so, the Prophet Isaiah says that Jesus became a Man “… despised and rejected …a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering… Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-6) Jesus left the comforts of his Kingdom in Heaven and came to live among sinful humanity. He had come to befriend the helpless and the hopeless among us, those who are lonely and the homeless who have no where to go. Jesus had come to share in the sorrows of our hearts. Jesus understood the anguish of our lives lived in meaninglessness and in despair. So he came to bring us hope when we had none. Jesus came to bring us peace of heart when our hearts were filled with uncertainties and anxieties too great for us to bear alone. And he knew how alone we are, separated from God and from one another. Most of all Jesus understood the depth of our sins, caught in its snares daily, unable to stop sinning. In the darkness of our lives Jesus came to carry the burden of our sins upon himself. He came to shed his blood for our cleansing. He came to give his life in exchange for ours. What a beautiful Savior he is. When the Ephesians heard the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they were deeply moved by Jesus’ grace. The Bible gives a beautiful definition of love. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) The Ephesian Christians had each personally experienced this love of Jesus. They had each deeply understood the depth and width of the love of God who did not spare even his Own Son for them. No one can experience this first love unless they come to know the need of their own soul— unless they confess their sins with sincere repentance before God— and unless they give their hearts fully to Jesus.
But as the years passed by, something tragic happened. Read verse 4. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” They had forsaken their first love. How could they have forsaken that burning first love for Jesus? We can understand. Like anyone in any generation we can forsake our first love when we are inundated with the problems of life, financial, school, relational issues. We struggle with various feelings and emotions that leave our hearts cold and dry. And the biggest mistake we make is to turn our hearts to solving these problems exclusively, slowly giving away our prayer time and our personal time in the word of God. This is like trying to work hard without eating or sleeping. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in maintaining church activities and church programs that we forget about our life source, our personal relationship with Christ. No wonder that we find our souls dry and our hearts empty from time to time. Sometimes we can’t even tell how far we have drifted from the love of God. And the final tragedy is that we have no love left in our hearts for anyone. This is what probably happened to the Ephesian church.
Jesus wanted to jolt their hearts back into reality. Read verse 5. “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” God never forgets his love for us. Isaiah 49:15 reads, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.” If God’s love for us is so vivid in his memory, how can our love for God be forgotten so quickly? That is why Jesus rebukes them to “remember”. What must they remember? They must “Remember the height from which you have fallen!” We must remember the pit we were in before meeting Jesus (Ezek. 16:4-8). We must also remember the depths at which he found us and the heights to which he raised us up. When we do then we can fall on our knees in deep and sincere gratitude. Then, after remembering that first and precious love, we must vow to do what we did at first. Can you remember how things were that precious day that you first met Jesus? What was your response the Christ back then? What is it now?
What can bring us back to what we were? What can make us do the things we did at first? Repentance is the only way! Repentance is God’s wisdom to restore a tired and weary soul, weakened by life’s many trials and hardships, and to make it soar on wings like eagles. (Isa 30:15) Repentance is the only avenue to return to our first love and to do the beautiful things we did at first.
What does God want from us more than anything else? Simply God wants us to accept his love and to love him back. Remember our NIU UBF 2009 Ministry key verse. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5) This has been God’s earnest desire for us from the beginning of time till this very day. “Remember the height from which you have fallen, repent and do the things you did at first” is certainly a rebuke. But it is a rebuke deeply intertwined with the love of God for us. God wants us to love him, deeply, passionately, as we did at first. And he wants us to bring this love to his flock, by giving them his God and by taking care of them personally individually as if they were the most precious people in the world. God also wants us to be a kingdom of priest and a holy nation to the whole world, until the whole world has come to know the love of God. There is indeed a lot to learn from Jesus’ message to the Ephesians.
Part ll: To Smyrna – Be faithful To The End (8-11)
Jesus gave also gave a message to the faithful in the city of Smyrna. Look at verse 8a. The city of Smyrna is 25 miles north of Ephesus, It has a nickname, “The Port of Asia” because it had an excellent harbor on the Aegean Sea. The demographics were volatile. There were people loyal to Rome who supported Emperor worship. There were Jews who strongly opposed the Christians. And there were the Christians. Persecution and suffering were inevitable in such a social environment. We can see some of the same type of tensions in the Middle East today with cities divided into religious sectors hostile to each other. In some cities you can’t go to church without worrying if a grenade is going to fly through a window or a person will enter the sanctuary with a machine gun. It was the same back then.
What was John’s instructions to these suffering Christians? Verses 8b-9 read, “…These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” The best counselor is one who has gone through the same thing that their audience has gone through. Jesus assures them that he too suffered immensely and yet he overcame. He is the First and the Last. This means many things, but in regards to suffering, Jesus was the first to commit himself the way of the cross, the way of suffering, and he never shrunk back from the fray. Ultimately he suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Jesus also knew their poverty. Though he is God, he embraced poverty. He was born into a poor Jewish family. He entered this world as a helpless baby in a manger. He lived in a small rural town as a carpenter’s son. After he began his ministry he had no place to lay his head. Despite his suffering and his poverty he never gave up. He died and came to life again. He was victorious. He is speaking to these people as one who knows. They needed to be encouraged by Jesus.
They also dwelt on their poor condition. Jesus wanted to remind them that though they were materially poor and afflicted, they were rich in God. There is more to riches than money. According to one study, joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income. According to another, being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year. Paul sums it up very well in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” They were spiritually rich in love and faith, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for them. And so are we. Now is the time to stop dwelling on our poverty and begin dwelling on the riches that have been given us in Jesus Christ.
John also encourages them to see their trials from the right point of view and persevere. Verses 10-11 read, “10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Jesus understands these peoples’ sufferings, but he did not rescue them from them nor did he sympathize with them. He reminds them and us that our real enemy is not other people but rather Satan. He encourages them to be faithful to the end. This reminds us of Paul’s words the Ephesians, written decades previous, “12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Do you struggle with other people? Are you focusing on the wrong target. We need to open our eyes to see our real enemy and fight spiritually. He charges them not to be afraid, even though they were thrown into Roman prisons. He said, "Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life." And he promises that those who overcome will not be hurt by the second death. They will receive the crown of life and reign with Jesus forever in his kingdom. God is faithful and he wants his people to be faithful.
Part lll: To Pergamum – The Sharp Double- Edged Sword. (12-17)
Next, Jesus talks to the Christians in Pergamum. Let’s read verses 12-13, “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.” Pergamum was a sophisticated city, a center of Greek culture and education. It had a 200,000 book library. It was also the center of four cults and it rivaled Ephesus in its worship of idols. It was also the center of Roman emperor worship in Asia Minor—That is why John said that Satan's throne was there! To be a Christian in Pergamum was to invite persecution. But there were faithful men and women who did not renounce their faith in Jesus. Look at verse 13 again. Antipas was the first Christian martyr of Asia. He did not compromise his faith.. It is not easy for Christians to stand in the very heart idolatry in any culture, even that of the USA. But many do…without compromising. And so can each of you.
But there was one area that they needed growth in. Let’s read verses 14-17, “14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Within the church there were followers of Nicolas, who was a gnostic and taught that it was all right for a Christian to indulge in sexual immorality, for what was done in the physical body didn’t matter anyway. He was like Baalam, a prophet employed by the Moabites to lead the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. (Nu 22:1-7;25:1-2) If you read the passages about Balaam in the book of Numbers, you will discover that Baalam was slain and many Israelites who compromised their faith died. The Christians of Pergamum needed to repent of their compromises and for tolerating compromises among them. God's word is a two-edged sword that cuts out idolatry, immorality and compromise and demands repentance. What will be their reward? Look at verse 17 again. God gives mana from heaven, true and everlasting satisfaction and Jesus himself. The believer will get a new name and an admission ticket (the white stone) to the heavenly banquet.
Part lV: To Thyatira – Jesus’ Blazing Eye’s See You (18-29)
Next, Jesus talks to the Christians in Thyatira. Thyatira was a working man’s town with many trade guilds for making pottery, cloth dying and pottery. Paul’s first convert was a merchant from Thyatira, Lydia (Acts 16:14) The city was basically secular, with no focus on any particular religion. Let’s see what Jesus had to say to the Christians living in this city. Let’s read verses 18-25. Jesus’ eyes are like blazing fire. He sees everything. His blazing eyes saw the growing love, faith, hard work and perseverance of the believers in Thyatira. They were not just satisfied with the salvation of their own members or sitting in the pews and worshipping all by their lonesome. They were full of good deeds. Jesus also saw something bad. He saw one influential woman in the church who taught that sexual immorality and eating meat offered to idols were matters of personal preference. He compared her Jezebel...a pagan queen of Israel who was considered by the Jews to be the most evil women who ever lived. (1 Kings 19 and 2 Kings 9) This woman enticed people’s curiosity about sin and gave them an excuse to follow their curiosities. But when they experimented with sinful practices or with the occult, they became enslaved by these sins. She was given the opportunity to repent, but she didn't. She would be punished and shown no sympathy.
What is the promise to those who held onto their faith and not compromise with the likes of Jezebel? Let’s read verses 26-29, “26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Those who overcome and do God's will to the end he will give the authority to rule over the nations with him. To him who overcomes, Jesus gives the morning star. The morning star is a symbol of hope. It shines in a dark sky just before the dawn. Jesus himself is the Morning Star. (Rev 22:16)
Today we learn that we must open our ears to what the One “Who holds he seven stars in his right hand” is telling us. He is telling us to repent and to restore our first love for him, and to do the things we did at first. We must thank God for giving us true riches in Jesus being faithful to Jesus in large and in small things. And we must be determined to not to be fooled by our culture’s idolatry or compromised by it’s false prophets, but stay true and focused on the tried and true words of the Morning Star, Jesus.
1. Describe the church in Ephesus. (2:1-7) What did Jesus like about this church? (2:2-3) What does it mean they forsaken their first love? (2:4-5)What did they need to repent of? (2:5b) What does it mean to overcome? (2:7)
2. Describe the church in Smyrna. (2:8-11)What did Jesus like about this church? (2:9-10) Why did Jesus say they are rich? (2:9b) What did they need to repent of? (2:9) What does it mean to be faithful, even to the point of death? (2:10-11)
3. Describe the church in Pergamum. (2:12-18) What did Jesus like about this church? (2:12-13) What is the teaching of Balaam? (2:14) What is the teaching of the Nicolaitans? (2:15) What did they need to repent of? (2:16) What is the hidden manna? (2:17)
4. Describe the church in Thyatira. (2:18-29) What did Jesus like about this church? (18-19) Who is the woman Jezebel? (2:20-25)What did they need to repent of? (2:20) What is the morning star? (2:28)
Part l – The First Four Churches
Revelation 2:1-29
Key Verse: 2:4,5a NIU UBF Shp Kevin Jesmer 4-25-10
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”
The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John from the Island of Patmos while in exile. One day while praying, he received this revelation from Jesus. Chapters 2 & 3 of this book relates a series of 7 letters to 7 churches. They are letters of encouragement as well as of rebuke. Although the letters were written to these churches to address some contemporary issues, they still speak to the Churches of all time. Through these letters we can find our own spiritual condition, repent and find hope and direction. At this time let us prayerfully look at the letter to the Christian churches in the first four cities. Especially we will see how we can restore our first love to Jesus.
Part I: The Lord Commended The Ephesian Church (1-7)
Ephesus was the business center of Asia Minor. The people were idolatrous, worshiping the goddess Artemis and delving heavily into magical arts. They were hedonistic and utterly corrupt morally. But by the grace of our God, and the devoted teaching of Apostle Paul, the gospel way of life found its way to the hearts of a few Gentiles and a church was founded. Soon, the church a grew to become an influential Christian center. However, at the time of John’s Revelation, the church seems to have lost something of its original spiritual fervor. What happened to them? That is what we will discover.
First, who is the one who was speaking to them? Look at verse 1. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.’” The “stars” are the angels of the 7 churches, (the bishops or the messengers) and the “lampstands” are the 7 churches. (1:20) Jesus is one who is speaking. He who speaks is no longer the tiny baby in a manger nor the Lamb led to the slaughter. Now, he is the Ruler of all things in heaven and on earth; the Sovereign Lord of the church and of the saints. He is the Almighty God. Therefore, it is with trembling and with awe that the church in Ephesus must now listen to these words of counsel.
What then was so urgent? Let’s read verses 2 & 3. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” Jesus sincerely acknowledged their deeds of faith along with their passionate hard work done in his name. Before hearing the gospel, and coming to know Jesus, like everyone else, they lived in the world and did as the world does. Their deeds had all been done without God. But one day they heard the gospel, confessed their sins and invited Jesus into their hearts. Their lives were changed. They dedicated themselves to Jesus, the gospel way of life— to teaching the Lord’s commandments, to raising the Lord’s disciples and to taking care of the poor and needy. It wasn’t easy to do this in a city so openly hostile to the gospel. It took courage, faith, sacrifice and much time and effort. But they worked very hard. And their deeds born out of their faith were legendary. Most of their hard work in the Lord was not recognized by the world. But for them, it was enough that Jesus tells them: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.” (2)
They were also a persevering church. Look at verses 2 & 3 again. According to Jesus’ commendation they had endured hardship and had not grown weary. Perseverance is one of the most important elements of Christian faith as well as an imperative for the survival of the Christian community. From the onset, the world had set itself up against the Christian faith, first by persecuting Jesus and later by persecuting Jesus’ people for the generations to come. In other words there is no respite for Jesus’ people who commit themselves to the Christian way of life. As Paul tells us: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) The Ephesian Christians were not exempt from this principle. The hardships they had to endure from the enemies of the gospel must have been unbearable. Look again at verse 2 again. False apostles and false teachers constantly tried to infiltrate their community in order to sow seeds of a corrupt gospel. Look at verse 6. There were also the Nicolaitans whose doctrine was humanly very appealing. They propagated hedonism and Gnosticism. Church elders were exhausted from fighting against this constant onslaught of false teachings. Yet they never compromised the gospel faith. They persevered and did not grow weary. We must grow in the quality of perseverance as we live out our Christian lives and not put down the individual crosses God has called each of us to carry.
Though the Ephesian Christians had many good points, they had a serious spiritual problem that earned them a harsh rebuking from Jesus. Let’s read verse 4. “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.” This means they had forsaken, lost and abandoned their first love for Jesus. What is “First love?” Most of you here do not know what first love means. But I know you will one day. My first real love, was my love relationship with Julie. First love is usually very sweet love. It is a memorable love. It is very special love. It is pure and sincere love. It is a kind of love that cannot easily be forgotten. The Ephesian Christians had experienced this first love for Jesus.
How can anyone experience their first love for Jesus? Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Ephesians came to experience their first love when they came to know the extent of God’s love for them; when they came to understand what Jesus sacrificed for them in order to save them from their sins. Let’s think about what it took for Jesus save us from our sins. To do so, the Prophet Isaiah says that Jesus became a Man “… despised and rejected …a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering… Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-6) Jesus left the comforts of his Kingdom in Heaven and came to live among sinful humanity. He had come to befriend the helpless and the hopeless among us, those who are lonely and the homeless who have no where to go. Jesus had come to share in the sorrows of our hearts. Jesus understood the anguish of our lives lived in meaninglessness and in despair. So he came to bring us hope when we had none. Jesus came to bring us peace of heart when our hearts were filled with uncertainties and anxieties too great for us to bear alone. And he knew how alone we are, separated from God and from one another. Most of all Jesus understood the depth of our sins, caught in its snares daily, unable to stop sinning. In the darkness of our lives Jesus came to carry the burden of our sins upon himself. He came to shed his blood for our cleansing. He came to give his life in exchange for ours. What a beautiful Savior he is. When the Ephesians heard the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they were deeply moved by Jesus’ grace. The Bible gives a beautiful definition of love. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) The Ephesian Christians had each personally experienced this love of Jesus. They had each deeply understood the depth and width of the love of God who did not spare even his Own Son for them. No one can experience this first love unless they come to know the need of their own soul— unless they confess their sins with sincere repentance before God— and unless they give their hearts fully to Jesus.
But as the years passed by, something tragic happened. Read verse 4. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” They had forsaken their first love. How could they have forsaken that burning first love for Jesus? We can understand. Like anyone in any generation we can forsake our first love when we are inundated with the problems of life, financial, school, relational issues. We struggle with various feelings and emotions that leave our hearts cold and dry. And the biggest mistake we make is to turn our hearts to solving these problems exclusively, slowly giving away our prayer time and our personal time in the word of God. This is like trying to work hard without eating or sleeping. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in maintaining church activities and church programs that we forget about our life source, our personal relationship with Christ. No wonder that we find our souls dry and our hearts empty from time to time. Sometimes we can’t even tell how far we have drifted from the love of God. And the final tragedy is that we have no love left in our hearts for anyone. This is what probably happened to the Ephesian church.
Jesus wanted to jolt their hearts back into reality. Read verse 5. “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” God never forgets his love for us. Isaiah 49:15 reads, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.” If God’s love for us is so vivid in his memory, how can our love for God be forgotten so quickly? That is why Jesus rebukes them to “remember”. What must they remember? They must “Remember the height from which you have fallen!” We must remember the pit we were in before meeting Jesus (Ezek. 16:4-8). We must also remember the depths at which he found us and the heights to which he raised us up. When we do then we can fall on our knees in deep and sincere gratitude. Then, after remembering that first and precious love, we must vow to do what we did at first. Can you remember how things were that precious day that you first met Jesus? What was your response the Christ back then? What is it now?
What can bring us back to what we were? What can make us do the things we did at first? Repentance is the only way! Repentance is God’s wisdom to restore a tired and weary soul, weakened by life’s many trials and hardships, and to make it soar on wings like eagles. (Isa 30:15) Repentance is the only avenue to return to our first love and to do the beautiful things we did at first.
What does God want from us more than anything else? Simply God wants us to accept his love and to love him back. Remember our NIU UBF 2009 Ministry key verse. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5) This has been God’s earnest desire for us from the beginning of time till this very day. “Remember the height from which you have fallen, repent and do the things you did at first” is certainly a rebuke. But it is a rebuke deeply intertwined with the love of God for us. God wants us to love him, deeply, passionately, as we did at first. And he wants us to bring this love to his flock, by giving them his God and by taking care of them personally individually as if they were the most precious people in the world. God also wants us to be a kingdom of priest and a holy nation to the whole world, until the whole world has come to know the love of God. There is indeed a lot to learn from Jesus’ message to the Ephesians.
Part ll: To Smyrna – Be faithful To The End (8-11)
Jesus gave also gave a message to the faithful in the city of Smyrna. Look at verse 8a. The city of Smyrna is 25 miles north of Ephesus, It has a nickname, “The Port of Asia” because it had an excellent harbor on the Aegean Sea. The demographics were volatile. There were people loyal to Rome who supported Emperor worship. There were Jews who strongly opposed the Christians. And there were the Christians. Persecution and suffering were inevitable in such a social environment. We can see some of the same type of tensions in the Middle East today with cities divided into religious sectors hostile to each other. In some cities you can’t go to church without worrying if a grenade is going to fly through a window or a person will enter the sanctuary with a machine gun. It was the same back then.
What was John’s instructions to these suffering Christians? Verses 8b-9 read, “…These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” The best counselor is one who has gone through the same thing that their audience has gone through. Jesus assures them that he too suffered immensely and yet he overcame. He is the First and the Last. This means many things, but in regards to suffering, Jesus was the first to commit himself the way of the cross, the way of suffering, and he never shrunk back from the fray. Ultimately he suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Jesus also knew their poverty. Though he is God, he embraced poverty. He was born into a poor Jewish family. He entered this world as a helpless baby in a manger. He lived in a small rural town as a carpenter’s son. After he began his ministry he had no place to lay his head. Despite his suffering and his poverty he never gave up. He died and came to life again. He was victorious. He is speaking to these people as one who knows. They needed to be encouraged by Jesus.
They also dwelt on their poor condition. Jesus wanted to remind them that though they were materially poor and afflicted, they were rich in God. There is more to riches than money. According to one study, joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income. According to another, being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year. Paul sums it up very well in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” They were spiritually rich in love and faith, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for them. And so are we. Now is the time to stop dwelling on our poverty and begin dwelling on the riches that have been given us in Jesus Christ.
John also encourages them to see their trials from the right point of view and persevere. Verses 10-11 read, “10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Jesus understands these peoples’ sufferings, but he did not rescue them from them nor did he sympathize with them. He reminds them and us that our real enemy is not other people but rather Satan. He encourages them to be faithful to the end. This reminds us of Paul’s words the Ephesians, written decades previous, “12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Do you struggle with other people? Are you focusing on the wrong target. We need to open our eyes to see our real enemy and fight spiritually. He charges them not to be afraid, even though they were thrown into Roman prisons. He said, "Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life." And he promises that those who overcome will not be hurt by the second death. They will receive the crown of life and reign with Jesus forever in his kingdom. God is faithful and he wants his people to be faithful.
Part lll: To Pergamum – The Sharp Double- Edged Sword. (12-17)
Next, Jesus talks to the Christians in Pergamum. Let’s read verses 12-13, “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.” Pergamum was a sophisticated city, a center of Greek culture and education. It had a 200,000 book library. It was also the center of four cults and it rivaled Ephesus in its worship of idols. It was also the center of Roman emperor worship in Asia Minor—That is why John said that Satan's throne was there! To be a Christian in Pergamum was to invite persecution. But there were faithful men and women who did not renounce their faith in Jesus. Look at verse 13 again. Antipas was the first Christian martyr of Asia. He did not compromise his faith.. It is not easy for Christians to stand in the very heart idolatry in any culture, even that of the USA. But many do…without compromising. And so can each of you.
But there was one area that they needed growth in. Let’s read verses 14-17, “14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Within the church there were followers of Nicolas, who was a gnostic and taught that it was all right for a Christian to indulge in sexual immorality, for what was done in the physical body didn’t matter anyway. He was like Baalam, a prophet employed by the Moabites to lead the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. (Nu 22:1-7;25:1-2) If you read the passages about Balaam in the book of Numbers, you will discover that Baalam was slain and many Israelites who compromised their faith died. The Christians of Pergamum needed to repent of their compromises and for tolerating compromises among them. God's word is a two-edged sword that cuts out idolatry, immorality and compromise and demands repentance. What will be their reward? Look at verse 17 again. God gives mana from heaven, true and everlasting satisfaction and Jesus himself. The believer will get a new name and an admission ticket (the white stone) to the heavenly banquet.
Part lV: To Thyatira – Jesus’ Blazing Eye’s See You (18-29)
Next, Jesus talks to the Christians in Thyatira. Thyatira was a working man’s town with many trade guilds for making pottery, cloth dying and pottery. Paul’s first convert was a merchant from Thyatira, Lydia (Acts 16:14) The city was basically secular, with no focus on any particular religion. Let’s see what Jesus had to say to the Christians living in this city. Let’s read verses 18-25. Jesus’ eyes are like blazing fire. He sees everything. His blazing eyes saw the growing love, faith, hard work and perseverance of the believers in Thyatira. They were not just satisfied with the salvation of their own members or sitting in the pews and worshipping all by their lonesome. They were full of good deeds. Jesus also saw something bad. He saw one influential woman in the church who taught that sexual immorality and eating meat offered to idols were matters of personal preference. He compared her Jezebel...a pagan queen of Israel who was considered by the Jews to be the most evil women who ever lived. (1 Kings 19 and 2 Kings 9) This woman enticed people’s curiosity about sin and gave them an excuse to follow their curiosities. But when they experimented with sinful practices or with the occult, they became enslaved by these sins. She was given the opportunity to repent, but she didn't. She would be punished and shown no sympathy.
What is the promise to those who held onto their faith and not compromise with the likes of Jezebel? Let’s read verses 26-29, “26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Those who overcome and do God's will to the end he will give the authority to rule over the nations with him. To him who overcomes, Jesus gives the morning star. The morning star is a symbol of hope. It shines in a dark sky just before the dawn. Jesus himself is the Morning Star. (Rev 22:16)
Today we learn that we must open our ears to what the One “Who holds he seven stars in his right hand” is telling us. He is telling us to repent and to restore our first love for him, and to do the things we did at first. We must thank God for giving us true riches in Jesus being faithful to Jesus in large and in small things. And we must be determined to not to be fooled by our culture’s idolatry or compromised by it’s false prophets, but stay true and focused on the tried and true words of the Morning Star, Jesus.
1. Describe the church in Ephesus. (2:1-7) What did Jesus like about this church? (2:2-3) What does it mean they forsaken their first love? (2:4-5)What did they need to repent of? (2:5b) What does it mean to overcome? (2:7)
2. Describe the church in Smyrna. (2:8-11)What did Jesus like about this church? (2:9-10) Why did Jesus say they are rich? (2:9b) What did they need to repent of? (2:9) What does it mean to be faithful, even to the point of death? (2:10-11)
3. Describe the church in Pergamum. (2:12-18) What did Jesus like about this church? (2:12-13) What is the teaching of Balaam? (2:14) What is the teaching of the Nicolaitans? (2:15) What did they need to repent of? (2:16) What is the hidden manna? (2:17)
4. Describe the church in Thyatira. (2:18-29) What did Jesus like about this church? (18-19) Who is the woman Jezebel? (2:20-25)What did they need to repent of? (2:20) What is the morning star? (2:28)
Revelations 1 Message Revised
Jesus Walks Among The Churches
Revelation 1:1-20 Lesson 2
Key verse 1:13 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-18-10
“and among the lampstands was some like a son of man dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.”
The words of this book were given by God to all believers to encourage them in times of suffering and persecution. Jesus sent his angel to his servant John to show him what must take place. John testified in this book to what he saw. In essence, Jesus spoke through John to the Christians suffering because of Roman persecution. In this passage we will learn a lot about Jesus. For example, Jesus is the beginning and the end. He was and is and he is to come. He is the faithful witness who died and rose and who will come again in clouds of glory. He loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood so that we may serve God as a kingdom of priests. He holds the keys of life and death, of heaven and hell. And he holds his church in his hand. May God grant each of you insight into what all of this means as you study this passage. May God open your eyes to be able to see Jesus in all of his glory. I would encourage each of you to give your hearts because a blessing is promised to those who hear the words of this prophecy and take it to heart. Amen!
Part l: The Revelation Of Jesus Christ (1-8)
First we will discover a very comforting and encouraging aspect of God. He never leaves his servants to suffer all alone. Let's all read verse 1-2. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." According to Christian tradition, John was the only one of Jesus' disciples who was not killed for the faith. As an old man, he was in exile on a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea, about 50 miles offshore from the city of Ephesus, called Patmos. He was there as a prisoner of the Roman government for preaching the gospel. (1:9) Though he was a prisoner, he did not live as a prisoner. He lived a spiritual life and still was able to minister to the faithful. God did not leave him there all alone to suffer in misery and despair. God revealed Himself to John in a spectacular vision. It must have been very encouraging to John to know that God did not abandon him. As we study the book of Revelation, may the Holy Spirit reveal many things to your hearts.
What John saw, in most cases, was indescribable, so he was given illustrations and symbols to aid in his comprehension. We don't have to understand every detail of his vision either but we do need to know the main point…that is “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (2) Jesus is the main point and the focus of our study, of this chapter and of the entire study of the book of Revelation. May you see how glorious and beautiful Jesus is. There is a special blessing for those who seek to understand the words of God in this book. Look at verse 3. "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Nowadays it is so hard for us to take anything to heart. We can hardly focus on one thing. We tend to want to watch a movie or play a video game. Why? Because it is easy. We don’t have to think too deeply. We may get momentarily entertained, but if we keep on doing this we may end up not being able to read a book or take anything to heart. But the Bible requires our full attention. We need to hear it and take it to heart. This can be done when we accept the Bible as the Word of God. Pray, read, and mediate. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit and put the words of God into practice. God will grant you deeper understanding.
We have no time to fool around with the word of God. Jesus says that the time is near. (1:1) John urges us to trust God and to accept God's message. He wants us to be ready at all times for the day when Jesus comes again. We do not know when this event will take place, but we should be ready for it. And so, let’s wake up from a spiritual slumber and newly decide to take the words of God to heart.
John is concerned about the Christians in the leading Christian centers of the day. Look at verse 4-5. "John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." John is writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They were suffering greatly because of Roman persecution. God saw their suffering and served their need through giving them the word of God through these letters. The letters were to be dispatched and read by the seven churches and in this way be passed on to all God's people. It was a very effective plan, because they are being passed down and read to us, even today.
John really understood the one whom he wrote about…Jesus Christ. Look at verse 5b-6, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen" John deeply knew the grace of God personally. When Jesus called him he was a hard working fisherman. He and his brother James worked with their father and hired men in a fishing business. Their father was thundering man, for James and John were called the sons of Zebedee which means, “Sons of Thunder.” John lacked some love and understanding of others. We can see that when he wanted to stop someone from preaching the Gospel but was not one of the Twelve. (Mark 9:38) He was competitive even using his mother to get a top position among Jesus’ disciples. (Matthew 20:21) But later he was a changed man. He was freed from his meaningless life as a small time fisherman and from selfishness by the blood of Jesus. He became known as the Apostle of Love. He served Jesus as a priest of God being raised up as a bishop of the church in Ephesus. He also saw how God worked powerfully in the sixty years that he served Jesus, spreading the Gospel across the entire Roman world. He even saw how God saved him from executions. Tradition has it that he was even dipped in boiling oil and was not harmed. He tasted the love of Jesus. He frequently referred tom himself as the one whom Jesus loved. (John 21:7) He lived to a good old age enjoying his grand kids and even his great grand kids. He knew Jesus and his grace. He knew that it was God’s will that all of the churches may be strong in the grace of Jesus and live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, as he had done. This was his conviction.
John sees the future…when Jesus will come in clouds of glory. Let’s read verse 7. "Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen" Paul talks about the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever". What a wonderful day it will be when Jesus returns to earth! It will be a day of complete victory for all who have placed their hope and trust in Jesus. Jesus' Second Coming will be visible to everyone, both to believers and unbelievers, both to those who are alive when it happens and to those who have already died. "Those who pierced Him", the Roman soldiers, those who yelled, “Crucify him!” and those who rejected the gospel and ignored Jesus will mourn for the evil they have done. There will be no question that it is Jesus. They will even call on the mountains and the rocks to cover them because they do not want to see the face of Jesus (Revelation 6:16). When he comes, he will conquer evil and sin and judge all people according to their deeds. But I foresee a brighter future for all of you. Instead of mourning we will be rejoicing. But, to be certain, we all must prepare for this day when Jesus comes again.
Jesus is the eternal God, the beginning and the end. Let's read verse 8 together. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." "The Alpha and the Omega" are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. Jesus is the beginning and the end. Jesus was with the Father before creation. (Jn 1:1) Through Jesus all things were made. (Jn 1:3) Jesus once told the religious leaders, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (Jn 8:58) Jesus was with us at the beginning. He is with us now. He will be with us all the way into eternity. Jesus is the eternal God. Let’s prepare our hearts to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega.
Part ll: One Like The Son Of Man (9-20)
After John introduces this letter to us, he reveals the setting and the circumstances in which he received this revelation. Look at verse 9. "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." We tend to think that the best time to receive the word of God is sipping a latte at Starbucks, overlooking a fantastic, sunlit vista, fully rested and on vacation. But the best place for John was in exile on the island of Patmos. God uses the most unlikely places to give us His word, doesn’t he? The island of Patmos had 25 square miles of volcanic hills and stone ridges. It was eight miles long by six miles wide. The whole island was like a Roman concentration camp, a quarry, where old men were forced to work their fingers to the bone. John describes himself as a “brother and companion the suffering.” (9) History says that around this time, Roman emperor Domitian instituted emperor worship. He claimed himself to be a divine son of God and the Lord of the universe. He built many temples and demanded people to burn incense, confessing that he was the Lord of their lives. When he entered the theater, people rose and shouted that he was the Lord. Men shouted this only because they were afraid of loosing their lives. How can a mere man be the Lord and divine! Only Jesus is our Lord. Christians could not confess that the emperor was Lord. They were arrested on the spot and imprisoned. Their property was confiscated and they were thrown into lions in the Coliseum. John was exiled to Patmos because he refused to stop preaching the word of God. The church of God was going through intense persecution by the Roman government in the time that he wrote revelations. We must never despise your place of suffering in life. It may be the best place for you to receive intimate revelations of divine truth from God.
Jesus met John on the Lord’s Day and commanded him to write the words of this revelation. Let’s read verses 10-11 together, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea" It was on the Lord’s Day. Even in this Roman quarry they allowed John to worship God in a private cave. That’s a lot better than some businesses nowadays. The voice of Jesus was loud and commanding, just like a trumpet. John's was in the Holy Spirit. He was worshipping God. He let nothing distract him as he was focusing completely on Jesus. When he had such a clear focus and a sincere attitude in worship, the Lord appeared to him in a voice like a trumpet, awakening his soul.
Next, the seven golden lampstands. Let's read verses 12-14 together. "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire." These lampstands represent each of "the seven churches which are in Asia. Indeed, each of them was like a beacon of light in the dark, superstitious, brutal Roman world. Their light were lifted high to shed the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all to see. They were living a sincere life in Christ, making a difference. May our church be like a light on a stand. That is one reason that they were being persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) The seven churches also represent the universal church including us. The churches may have felt that God had abandoned them. They may have wondered how Jesus could allow such persecution if they were worshipping him and standing on his side. But they needed to know that there was a purpose for all of their suffering. God knows what he is doing. The fact is that much more work of God can be brought about through suffering than through comfort. They needed to know that God had not abandoned them, but he was always with them, dwelling among them and bringing about his work of salvation.
John then goes on to describe this vision of Jesus to us. Look at verses 12-16, “12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"[b]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. What kind of meaning do you find from this description of Jesus? Let’s take a closer look at each description. Who wears a robe reaching down to his feet with a sash around his chest? This describes the robes that were worn by the Old Testament priests. (Exodus 28:4). Jesus is a priest who prays for us when we go through sufferings. (Heb 7-10) How about his head and hair? White like wool, and white as snow. Daniel had a similar vision, and said, "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool" This shows his holiness and infinite wisdom. His eyes like a blazing fire…no one can hide their sins before Jesus’ penetrating eyes. Everything will be laid bare before His eyes in which we must give an account of what we have done in this body (Heb 4:13; Romans 3:19). His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace. He is solid as a rock and could crush all of his enemies under his feet, including sin and death and the devil. His voice is like the sound of rushing waters. Nothing can resist a torrent of rushing water. Nobody or nothing can resist the voice of God, not even the Roman Empire. Out of his mouth came a double-edged sword. A double-edged sword is very efficient, cutting both ways. The sword is the word of God. (Eph 6:17) The sword reveals to us His power and His force in His message. His word will be the standard when he comes to judge the nations. Lastly, Jesus’ face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance. Indeed Jesus is the glorious God. Many times more glorious than Rome and its deluded Emperor and much more glorious than anything this world has to offer. Can you see this Jesus with eyes of your heart, standing with you as you live by faith?
How did John respond to what he saw in this vision? Look at verse 17a, "When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead". No one can stand upright before this Holy God. We are unholy. Our sinfulness will condemn us. John knew this and automatically fell at Jesus’ feet as though dead. Look at verse 17b. “Then he placed His right hand on him” and he could stand in Jesus’ presence. When we hold our life in our own hands, we will certainly be condemned. But when we place our lives in Christ's hands, he forgives us and restores us and places His hand on us so that may live in His presence.
Look at verse 17b-18, “"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." What is Jesus trying to say to us? First and foremost he wants us to know that he is the eternal God who died for our sins, yet he is alive, defeating the power of sin and death. He is the living one. Buddha taught beautiful things, but he died. Mohamed conquered many territories, but died and never to rise. Jesus is the only living one who lives forever and ever. He holds the keys of death and Hades. Believers don't have to fear hell or death, because Christ holds the keys to both. All we must do is turn from our sin and turn to Him in faith. Jesus will sit on the white throne to judge the world. His name is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the sovereign ruler of the whole universe. We must worship him and honor him and proclaim him to the nations.
Jesus again asks John to write the book of revelations. Look at verses 19-20. "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." Jesus appeared to comfort and strengthen those who were going through severe persecution. Jesus did not come to take them out of the world. Jesus came to strengthen them to overcome this troubled world with him. This is the same Jesus who told his disciples, “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world” (John16:33)
In the USA, Christians are not going through the same trials as these early Christians did. But we have suffering nonetheless. Sincere Christians are considered intolerant and elitist. They are ignored and rejected. The message of the Gospel is being illuminated from the public spectrum. The latest battlefield is the push to stop the National Day Of Prayer. If Satan had his way Christians and the church would die a slow painless death, like someone dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. We suffer a lot as we see the graying of the pews, few or no converts for years, churches on the verge of foreclosure. But we must know that Jesus is with us walking among he churches. He knows what we are suffering. He is working out his plan and he wants us to be faithful and fight the good fight of faith to the end with him at our side.
Are you going through troubles? Jesus is with you, holding you in his hand. Do you need to overcome fiery trials of life? Overcomers are the victors. Do you want to be overcomers with Jesus? Jesus will help you. Jesus knows that all true believers will undergo fiery troubles as the end nears. He wants us to know that he is determined to go through the troubles with us until we receive the crown of life. May God awaken our hearts and help us to see His glorious presence in our midst. Be faithful to his word and overcome the world.
Part l: The Revelation Of Jesus Christ (1-8)
1. Read vs. 1-3. How was the Revelation of Jesus Christ made known to us? (1) What does God want to show us through this revelation? What is the central theme of it? (2,19:10) How can we be blessed by this revelation? (3)
2. Read vs. 4-8. In the doxology, how is Jesus described? (5) How actively is Jesus involved in the events as the ruler of kings of the earth? How has Jesus made us to be the kingdom and priests to serve God? (6) How will he come and reign in the kingdom of God? (7,8,19:16)
Part ll: One Like The Son Of Man (9-20)
3. Read vs. 9-11. Where was John when he received the revelation? (9) Why? What did Jesus tell him to do? (11) Why do you think Jesus sent this revelation to the churches?
4. Read vs. 12-16. John saw Jesus standing among the seven gold lampstands. What does it signify? (12,13,6,Da7:13). Describe the characteristics of the Lord shown here. (13-16) How do they show about Jesus as the ruler of the kings of the earth?
5. Read vs. 17-20. How did John feel when he saw Jesus in glory? (17) How did Jesus renew his strength? How did Jesus say about his kingship? (17,18) What does it signify that the seven stars are in his right hand? (20)
Revelation 1:1-20 Lesson 2
Key verse 1:13 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-18-10
“and among the lampstands was some like a son of man dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.”
The words of this book were given by God to all believers to encourage them in times of suffering and persecution. Jesus sent his angel to his servant John to show him what must take place. John testified in this book to what he saw. In essence, Jesus spoke through John to the Christians suffering because of Roman persecution. In this passage we will learn a lot about Jesus. For example, Jesus is the beginning and the end. He was and is and he is to come. He is the faithful witness who died and rose and who will come again in clouds of glory. He loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood so that we may serve God as a kingdom of priests. He holds the keys of life and death, of heaven and hell. And he holds his church in his hand. May God grant each of you insight into what all of this means as you study this passage. May God open your eyes to be able to see Jesus in all of his glory. I would encourage each of you to give your hearts because a blessing is promised to those who hear the words of this prophecy and take it to heart. Amen!
Part l: The Revelation Of Jesus Christ (1-8)
First we will discover a very comforting and encouraging aspect of God. He never leaves his servants to suffer all alone. Let's all read verse 1-2. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." According to Christian tradition, John was the only one of Jesus' disciples who was not killed for the faith. As an old man, he was in exile on a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea, about 50 miles offshore from the city of Ephesus, called Patmos. He was there as a prisoner of the Roman government for preaching the gospel. (1:9) Though he was a prisoner, he did not live as a prisoner. He lived a spiritual life and still was able to minister to the faithful. God did not leave him there all alone to suffer in misery and despair. God revealed Himself to John in a spectacular vision. It must have been very encouraging to John to know that God did not abandon him. As we study the book of Revelation, may the Holy Spirit reveal many things to your hearts.
What John saw, in most cases, was indescribable, so he was given illustrations and symbols to aid in his comprehension. We don't have to understand every detail of his vision either but we do need to know the main point…that is “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (2) Jesus is the main point and the focus of our study, of this chapter and of the entire study of the book of Revelation. May you see how glorious and beautiful Jesus is. There is a special blessing for those who seek to understand the words of God in this book. Look at verse 3. "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Nowadays it is so hard for us to take anything to heart. We can hardly focus on one thing. We tend to want to watch a movie or play a video game. Why? Because it is easy. We don’t have to think too deeply. We may get momentarily entertained, but if we keep on doing this we may end up not being able to read a book or take anything to heart. But the Bible requires our full attention. We need to hear it and take it to heart. This can be done when we accept the Bible as the Word of God. Pray, read, and mediate. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit and put the words of God into practice. God will grant you deeper understanding.
We have no time to fool around with the word of God. Jesus says that the time is near. (1:1) John urges us to trust God and to accept God's message. He wants us to be ready at all times for the day when Jesus comes again. We do not know when this event will take place, but we should be ready for it. And so, let’s wake up from a spiritual slumber and newly decide to take the words of God to heart.
John is concerned about the Christians in the leading Christian centers of the day. Look at verse 4-5. "John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." John is writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They were suffering greatly because of Roman persecution. God saw their suffering and served their need through giving them the word of God through these letters. The letters were to be dispatched and read by the seven churches and in this way be passed on to all God's people. It was a very effective plan, because they are being passed down and read to us, even today.
John really understood the one whom he wrote about…Jesus Christ. Look at verse 5b-6, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen" John deeply knew the grace of God personally. When Jesus called him he was a hard working fisherman. He and his brother James worked with their father and hired men in a fishing business. Their father was thundering man, for James and John were called the sons of Zebedee which means, “Sons of Thunder.” John lacked some love and understanding of others. We can see that when he wanted to stop someone from preaching the Gospel but was not one of the Twelve. (Mark 9:38) He was competitive even using his mother to get a top position among Jesus’ disciples. (Matthew 20:21) But later he was a changed man. He was freed from his meaningless life as a small time fisherman and from selfishness by the blood of Jesus. He became known as the Apostle of Love. He served Jesus as a priest of God being raised up as a bishop of the church in Ephesus. He also saw how God worked powerfully in the sixty years that he served Jesus, spreading the Gospel across the entire Roman world. He even saw how God saved him from executions. Tradition has it that he was even dipped in boiling oil and was not harmed. He tasted the love of Jesus. He frequently referred tom himself as the one whom Jesus loved. (John 21:7) He lived to a good old age enjoying his grand kids and even his great grand kids. He knew Jesus and his grace. He knew that it was God’s will that all of the churches may be strong in the grace of Jesus and live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, as he had done. This was his conviction.
John sees the future…when Jesus will come in clouds of glory. Let’s read verse 7. "Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen" Paul talks about the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever". What a wonderful day it will be when Jesus returns to earth! It will be a day of complete victory for all who have placed their hope and trust in Jesus. Jesus' Second Coming will be visible to everyone, both to believers and unbelievers, both to those who are alive when it happens and to those who have already died. "Those who pierced Him", the Roman soldiers, those who yelled, “Crucify him!” and those who rejected the gospel and ignored Jesus will mourn for the evil they have done. There will be no question that it is Jesus. They will even call on the mountains and the rocks to cover them because they do not want to see the face of Jesus (Revelation 6:16). When he comes, he will conquer evil and sin and judge all people according to their deeds. But I foresee a brighter future for all of you. Instead of mourning we will be rejoicing. But, to be certain, we all must prepare for this day when Jesus comes again.
Jesus is the eternal God, the beginning and the end. Let's read verse 8 together. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." "The Alpha and the Omega" are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. Jesus is the beginning and the end. Jesus was with the Father before creation. (Jn 1:1) Through Jesus all things were made. (Jn 1:3) Jesus once told the religious leaders, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (Jn 8:58) Jesus was with us at the beginning. He is with us now. He will be with us all the way into eternity. Jesus is the eternal God. Let’s prepare our hearts to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega.
Part ll: One Like The Son Of Man (9-20)
After John introduces this letter to us, he reveals the setting and the circumstances in which he received this revelation. Look at verse 9. "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." We tend to think that the best time to receive the word of God is sipping a latte at Starbucks, overlooking a fantastic, sunlit vista, fully rested and on vacation. But the best place for John was in exile on the island of Patmos. God uses the most unlikely places to give us His word, doesn’t he? The island of Patmos had 25 square miles of volcanic hills and stone ridges. It was eight miles long by six miles wide. The whole island was like a Roman concentration camp, a quarry, where old men were forced to work their fingers to the bone. John describes himself as a “brother and companion the suffering.” (9) History says that around this time, Roman emperor Domitian instituted emperor worship. He claimed himself to be a divine son of God and the Lord of the universe. He built many temples and demanded people to burn incense, confessing that he was the Lord of their lives. When he entered the theater, people rose and shouted that he was the Lord. Men shouted this only because they were afraid of loosing their lives. How can a mere man be the Lord and divine! Only Jesus is our Lord. Christians could not confess that the emperor was Lord. They were arrested on the spot and imprisoned. Their property was confiscated and they were thrown into lions in the Coliseum. John was exiled to Patmos because he refused to stop preaching the word of God. The church of God was going through intense persecution by the Roman government in the time that he wrote revelations. We must never despise your place of suffering in life. It may be the best place for you to receive intimate revelations of divine truth from God.
Jesus met John on the Lord’s Day and commanded him to write the words of this revelation. Let’s read verses 10-11 together, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea" It was on the Lord’s Day. Even in this Roman quarry they allowed John to worship God in a private cave. That’s a lot better than some businesses nowadays. The voice of Jesus was loud and commanding, just like a trumpet. John's was in the Holy Spirit. He was worshipping God. He let nothing distract him as he was focusing completely on Jesus. When he had such a clear focus and a sincere attitude in worship, the Lord appeared to him in a voice like a trumpet, awakening his soul.
Next, the seven golden lampstands. Let's read verses 12-14 together. "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire." These lampstands represent each of "the seven churches which are in Asia. Indeed, each of them was like a beacon of light in the dark, superstitious, brutal Roman world. Their light were lifted high to shed the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all to see. They were living a sincere life in Christ, making a difference. May our church be like a light on a stand. That is one reason that they were being persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) The seven churches also represent the universal church including us. The churches may have felt that God had abandoned them. They may have wondered how Jesus could allow such persecution if they were worshipping him and standing on his side. But they needed to know that there was a purpose for all of their suffering. God knows what he is doing. The fact is that much more work of God can be brought about through suffering than through comfort. They needed to know that God had not abandoned them, but he was always with them, dwelling among them and bringing about his work of salvation.
John then goes on to describe this vision of Jesus to us. Look at verses 12-16, “12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"[b]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. What kind of meaning do you find from this description of Jesus? Let’s take a closer look at each description. Who wears a robe reaching down to his feet with a sash around his chest? This describes the robes that were worn by the Old Testament priests. (Exodus 28:4). Jesus is a priest who prays for us when we go through sufferings. (Heb 7-10) How about his head and hair? White like wool, and white as snow. Daniel had a similar vision, and said, "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool" This shows his holiness and infinite wisdom. His eyes like a blazing fire…no one can hide their sins before Jesus’ penetrating eyes. Everything will be laid bare before His eyes in which we must give an account of what we have done in this body (Heb 4:13; Romans 3:19). His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace. He is solid as a rock and could crush all of his enemies under his feet, including sin and death and the devil. His voice is like the sound of rushing waters. Nothing can resist a torrent of rushing water. Nobody or nothing can resist the voice of God, not even the Roman Empire. Out of his mouth came a double-edged sword. A double-edged sword is very efficient, cutting both ways. The sword is the word of God. (Eph 6:17) The sword reveals to us His power and His force in His message. His word will be the standard when he comes to judge the nations. Lastly, Jesus’ face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance. Indeed Jesus is the glorious God. Many times more glorious than Rome and its deluded Emperor and much more glorious than anything this world has to offer. Can you see this Jesus with eyes of your heart, standing with you as you live by faith?
How did John respond to what he saw in this vision? Look at verse 17a, "When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead". No one can stand upright before this Holy God. We are unholy. Our sinfulness will condemn us. John knew this and automatically fell at Jesus’ feet as though dead. Look at verse 17b. “Then he placed His right hand on him” and he could stand in Jesus’ presence. When we hold our life in our own hands, we will certainly be condemned. But when we place our lives in Christ's hands, he forgives us and restores us and places His hand on us so that may live in His presence.
Look at verse 17b-18, “"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." What is Jesus trying to say to us? First and foremost he wants us to know that he is the eternal God who died for our sins, yet he is alive, defeating the power of sin and death. He is the living one. Buddha taught beautiful things, but he died. Mohamed conquered many territories, but died and never to rise. Jesus is the only living one who lives forever and ever. He holds the keys of death and Hades. Believers don't have to fear hell or death, because Christ holds the keys to both. All we must do is turn from our sin and turn to Him in faith. Jesus will sit on the white throne to judge the world. His name is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the sovereign ruler of the whole universe. We must worship him and honor him and proclaim him to the nations.
Jesus again asks John to write the book of revelations. Look at verses 19-20. "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." Jesus appeared to comfort and strengthen those who were going through severe persecution. Jesus did not come to take them out of the world. Jesus came to strengthen them to overcome this troubled world with him. This is the same Jesus who told his disciples, “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world” (John16:33)
In the USA, Christians are not going through the same trials as these early Christians did. But we have suffering nonetheless. Sincere Christians are considered intolerant and elitist. They are ignored and rejected. The message of the Gospel is being illuminated from the public spectrum. The latest battlefield is the push to stop the National Day Of Prayer. If Satan had his way Christians and the church would die a slow painless death, like someone dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. We suffer a lot as we see the graying of the pews, few or no converts for years, churches on the verge of foreclosure. But we must know that Jesus is with us walking among he churches. He knows what we are suffering. He is working out his plan and he wants us to be faithful and fight the good fight of faith to the end with him at our side.
Are you going through troubles? Jesus is with you, holding you in his hand. Do you need to overcome fiery trials of life? Overcomers are the victors. Do you want to be overcomers with Jesus? Jesus will help you. Jesus knows that all true believers will undergo fiery troubles as the end nears. He wants us to know that he is determined to go through the troubles with us until we receive the crown of life. May God awaken our hearts and help us to see His glorious presence in our midst. Be faithful to his word and overcome the world.
Part l: The Revelation Of Jesus Christ (1-8)
1. Read vs. 1-3. How was the Revelation of Jesus Christ made known to us? (1) What does God want to show us through this revelation? What is the central theme of it? (2,19:10) How can we be blessed by this revelation? (3)
2. Read vs. 4-8. In the doxology, how is Jesus described? (5) How actively is Jesus involved in the events as the ruler of kings of the earth? How has Jesus made us to be the kingdom and priests to serve God? (6) How will he come and reign in the kingdom of God? (7,8,19:16)
Part ll: One Like The Son Of Man (9-20)
3. Read vs. 9-11. Where was John when he received the revelation? (9) Why? What did Jesus tell him to do? (11) Why do you think Jesus sent this revelation to the churches?
4. Read vs. 12-16. John saw Jesus standing among the seven gold lampstands. What does it signify? (12,13,6,Da7:13). Describe the characteristics of the Lord shown here. (13-16) How do they show about Jesus as the ruler of the kings of the earth?
5. Read vs. 17-20. How did John feel when he saw Jesus in glory? (17) How did Jesus renew his strength? How did Jesus say about his kingship? (17,18) What does it signify that the seven stars are in his right hand? (20)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Introduction to Revelations
The Time Is Near
An Introduction To The Book Of Revelation
Revelations 1-22:21 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse: 1:3 4/11/10
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
I thank God of our study of 1 Corinthians. I think that we studied that passage as much as we could, capping it off with a deep and sincere Easter Bible conference based on 1 Corinthians 15. Most of us memorized the passage. I was even blessed to develop 1 Corinthian daily bread messages. But now it is time to move forward. Where should we go from here? I think a good place is the Book of Revelation. These past six months we have heard of several deadly earthquakes. We see global climate change. We hear of wars and acts of terrorism and people, especially in the western cultures, are falling away from Jesus in droves. How should we interpret all that is going on? What should be our response to all of these things? Where should our thoughts and our hearts be focused? That is why we need to study this book. Through it God will give us insight how ton interpret the times. We can see where everything is leading. Yes! History has a point, a destination. It is not random. History is leading toward the Second Coming of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. We can see that through uncertain times, Jesus is always with us. Revelation should not fill our hearts with gloomy pessimism. The drama of these unfolding events is spectacular and through them we need to always remember that in Jesus we are always on the winning side. Therefore Revelation is a book of hope. I’m sorry if I gave away the story. But this kind of story is one that even if someone tells you the ending it is still exciting. So let’s get oriented to this wonderful book. I pray that we may live with God's hope, and clear vision of Jesus for the present and the future to come.
Part l: The Setting
The writer introduces this book as "the revelation of Jesus Christ...to his servant John." (1:1) Jesus made it known by sending his angel to John. Who is John? This is John the Apostle. He was one of the Twelve. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of John. He had a very close relationship with Jesus. In the Bible he refers to himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (Jn 13:23) He served the church as leader in Ephesus. John outlived all of the disciples. He was the only one of the original apostles who was not killed for his faith. He lived to be an old man and spent some time, in his later years, as an exile on the Isle of Patmos.
John wrote this book in a very difficult setting. The Island of Patmos is a small, rocky Greek Island in the Aegean Sea, about 50 miles from Ephesus. The Christian church was facing severe persecution. Almost all believers were socially, politically, or economically suffering because of the “empire wide” persecution. Many were even being killed for their faith. John states in 1:9, “I, John your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are our in Jesus was on the Island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” John was a companion in their suffering. Somewhere between 81 A.D. and 96 A.D., John was banished to Patmos by the Emperor Domitian for preaching the Gospel. The Gospel declares that Jesus is Lord and God, but Domitian required that all people call him, Dominus et Deus "Lord and God." For Christians this was intolerable. They refused and many even preached against the demands of Domitian. So did John. Tradition has it that, to silence John, Domitian had John thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil in Rome. But miraculously John suffered no injury! The only way that Domitian silence John was to send him into exile. Patmos was not a nice Greek vacation spot with blue seas, blue skies and white plastered homes. No! It was a Roman quarry and those who were banished there lived as virtual slaves, even old men. John worked hard. But apparently there were some shreds of mercy. He could find some quiet time in a cave. He had some freedom to worship on the Lord’s day. (1:9) He also had equipment to write and the means to send letters abroad. Today this cave is called the cave of the "Apokalypsis". Throughout the ages I suppose millions of people must have sat in this cave and recited the Book of Revelation, fasted and prayed in order to understand what John came to under that day. At the Emperor Domitian's death in 97 AD, John returned to Ephesus where he lived to a ripe old age.
John wrote to the seven churches in Asia Minor, to Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea. John encouraged the churches to read this book aloud, in their congregations, so that everyone could hear it and apply its words. John hoped that all of God’s people would take it to heart what is written in it and be assured of the fact that God will triumph. From God’s point of view, it was a message given from God the Father, to Jesus, to an angel, to John and then to the servants of God.
This book provides a logical conclusion, not just to the New Testament, but to the Bible as a whole. It has been interpreted in many ways. Historicists see Revelation a broad view of history. Preterists, think that Revelation refers to the events of the apostolic era or the first century. Futurists, believe that Revelation describes future events; and the Idealists or Symbolists hold that Revelation is a symbolic allegory of the spiritual world representing the ongoing struggle between good and evil. All of these interpretations are not mutually exclusive. They can be used in combination with each other. The Book of Revelation is about the future and about the present. We don’t know when all of these events will occur. But, no matter what, we must always be prepared for it will all unfold quickly and there will be no chance to turn to Jesus. This book gives guidance as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we should live for him now. No matter how we interpret it, we need to soberly ask ourselves how the study of Revelation is going to make us a better follower of Jesus today. This book offers future hope to all believers, especially those who are suffering for their faith, by proclaiming Christ’s final victory and the reality of eternal life with him for all believers.
The vision to John includes many signs and symbols that convey the essence of what is about to happen. What John saw was indescribable. When reading this symbolic language we don’t; have to understand every detail. John himself didn’t understand every detail. Many people in history have tried to specifically say that these symbols mean specific countries and events. I will try not to do this. We must not loose the point. The point is that John’s imagery shows that Christ is indeed the glorious and victorious Lord of all. There are others who have tried to perfectly memorize revelation and pray in order to get the same vision. I would be very impressed if some of you tried to do this but it is not mandatory. But lets make a concerted effort to examine the details presented.
Part ll : The Plot
Let’s get acquainted with general storyline. Chapters 1-3 lay the groundwork. These chapters consist of a brief introduction followed by seven separate messages to seven churches. Each message is custom-made for the church in question. Each message assesses how that particular church is doing, spiritually and tells it what to change. In a nutshell, the churches are each presented with a choice: to be faithful or not to be faithful to Jesus. The choice they decide to make has serious consequences. The seven churches of Asia Minor represent the whole Church. Each church's message ends with: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, etc.) Therefore, the messages to the churches also serve as a means to convey a message to a wider audience, even to us. That is if you have an ear to hear the word of God! So as we study the first three chapters, let us perk our spiritual ears and hear what God has to say to us.
The remaining portions of the book are found in chapters 4-22. In these chapters you will find images that can be found nestled in the books of Isaiah, the Psalms and Ezekiel. The plot is driven by a powerful conflict between the forces, both earthly and spiritual, of good and evil. Expressed in the simplest terms: 1) there is a time of great tribulation on the Earth which combines natural disasters with war on an unprecedented scale; 2) the "Lamb" saves his people from the tribulation, destroys the wicked, and ushers in an age of peace; 3) after the age of peace, there is a second, brief time of trouble which results in the permanent banishment of the wicked; 4) a new heaven and a new earth replace the old, and the people of God go to live in the presence of Christ in a heavenly city described as the "New Jerusalem." Through the study of this book we will learn that Jesus Christ is coming again, evil will be judged, and the dead will be raised to judgment, resulting in eternal life or eternal destruction. The Bible ends with a message of warning and hope for people of faith of every generation. Christ is victorious and evil had been done away with. There it is in a nutshell. It will become clearer as we systematically and textually study these chapters. Here is a general outline of the entire book. 1. Jesus' words to the 7 churches (1-3) 2. The throne, the scroll and the Lamb (4-5) 3. The 7 seals (6:1-8:1) 4. The 7 trumpets (8:2-11:19) 5. The dragon, the beasts and the Lamb (12-14) 6. The 7 bowls (15-16) 7. Babylon the prostitute (17:1-19:5) 8. Hallelujah! God Almighty reigns (19:6-22:21)
Some mega themes that are found throughout the Book of Revelation are as follows: God’s sovereignty, Christ’s return, God’s faithful people, judgment and hope. First, God’s sovereignty. Our God is the Sovereign Lord. He is greater than any power in the universe. He controls all of history with the goal of bring all of his people together in unity with him. Though the devil seems to wield much power, God is actually in control and he will bring the people of faith into eternal dwellings. We can surely entrust our lives and our future to this sovereign God. Next, Christ’s return. Jesus came to this earth as a tiny baby in manger. He lived and died as the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He will surely come again as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This would be especially comforting for those in John’s time for this gives all believers the strength to carry on to the end. Next, God’s faithful people. John encouraged the Christians to resist the pressure to worship the Roman emperor. He warns everyone to be faithful to Christ. When they do, resisting temptation and making loyalty to Jesus their number one priority, God will help them to stand among God’s faithful people. Next, judgment. In this book we will see that God’s righteous anger towards sin will be fully revealed. God’s judgment will put and end to evil and injustice and the devil. This is great news to committed Christians of every age. Lastly, hope. God will establish a new heaven and a new earth. All believers will live with him in perfect peace and security. We have a sure hope that all of Christ’s promises will come true. Through studying this book we can all be encouraged in our spiritual walk.
Part lll: Christ Is Revealed in Revelation.
Christ is clearly revealed in Revelation. In 1530, Martin Luther, the great protestant reformer realized that Christ was central to the book. He concluded that “through and beyond all plagues, beasts, and evil angels, Christ is nonetheless with the saints and wins the final victory.” The book unveils Christ’s full identity. In chapter 1 alone, we will discover so many names and references of Jesus. Thet are…1. Christ 2. Alpha and Omega 3. Living One 4. First and Last 5. Faithful Witness 6. First Born of the Dead 7. Ruler of the Kings of the earth 8. The Almighty 9. Son of Man 10. Lord. Do you get a good idea of who Jesus is? As you study the Book of revelation, don’t focus so much on the timetable of the events or the details of John’s imagery. If you do you may miss the main message, that is, the message of Jesus Christ himself and his infinite love, power and justice.
Many of the signs of the end of the age are being fulfilled right before our very eyes. Over the next few months may God help you to properly interpret the times and respond properly to this fact. Let us take hold of God’s future hope for all believers including yourself. Let us marvel at God’s grace in the salvation of his people and his power over the forces of evil. Let us walk with confidence because Christ the victor walks with you and by his grace we are on the winning side. Most importantly may you get to know God better so that you can trust him completely as you life by faith each and every day.
An Introduction To The Book Of Revelation
Revelations 1-22:21 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse: 1:3 4/11/10
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
I thank God of our study of 1 Corinthians. I think that we studied that passage as much as we could, capping it off with a deep and sincere Easter Bible conference based on 1 Corinthians 15. Most of us memorized the passage. I was even blessed to develop 1 Corinthian daily bread messages. But now it is time to move forward. Where should we go from here? I think a good place is the Book of Revelation. These past six months we have heard of several deadly earthquakes. We see global climate change. We hear of wars and acts of terrorism and people, especially in the western cultures, are falling away from Jesus in droves. How should we interpret all that is going on? What should be our response to all of these things? Where should our thoughts and our hearts be focused? That is why we need to study this book. Through it God will give us insight how ton interpret the times. We can see where everything is leading. Yes! History has a point, a destination. It is not random. History is leading toward the Second Coming of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. We can see that through uncertain times, Jesus is always with us. Revelation should not fill our hearts with gloomy pessimism. The drama of these unfolding events is spectacular and through them we need to always remember that in Jesus we are always on the winning side. Therefore Revelation is a book of hope. I’m sorry if I gave away the story. But this kind of story is one that even if someone tells you the ending it is still exciting. So let’s get oriented to this wonderful book. I pray that we may live with God's hope, and clear vision of Jesus for the present and the future to come.
Part l: The Setting
The writer introduces this book as "the revelation of Jesus Christ...to his servant John." (1:1) Jesus made it known by sending his angel to John. Who is John? This is John the Apostle. He was one of the Twelve. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of John. He had a very close relationship with Jesus. In the Bible he refers to himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (Jn 13:23) He served the church as leader in Ephesus. John outlived all of the disciples. He was the only one of the original apostles who was not killed for his faith. He lived to be an old man and spent some time, in his later years, as an exile on the Isle of Patmos.
John wrote this book in a very difficult setting. The Island of Patmos is a small, rocky Greek Island in the Aegean Sea, about 50 miles from Ephesus. The Christian church was facing severe persecution. Almost all believers were socially, politically, or economically suffering because of the “empire wide” persecution. Many were even being killed for their faith. John states in 1:9, “I, John your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are our in Jesus was on the Island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” John was a companion in their suffering. Somewhere between 81 A.D. and 96 A.D., John was banished to Patmos by the Emperor Domitian for preaching the Gospel. The Gospel declares that Jesus is Lord and God, but Domitian required that all people call him, Dominus et Deus "Lord and God." For Christians this was intolerable. They refused and many even preached against the demands of Domitian. So did John. Tradition has it that, to silence John, Domitian had John thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil in Rome. But miraculously John suffered no injury! The only way that Domitian silence John was to send him into exile. Patmos was not a nice Greek vacation spot with blue seas, blue skies and white plastered homes. No! It was a Roman quarry and those who were banished there lived as virtual slaves, even old men. John worked hard. But apparently there were some shreds of mercy. He could find some quiet time in a cave. He had some freedom to worship on the Lord’s day. (1:9) He also had equipment to write and the means to send letters abroad. Today this cave is called the cave of the "Apokalypsis". Throughout the ages I suppose millions of people must have sat in this cave and recited the Book of Revelation, fasted and prayed in order to understand what John came to under that day. At the Emperor Domitian's death in 97 AD, John returned to Ephesus where he lived to a ripe old age.
John wrote to the seven churches in Asia Minor, to Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea. John encouraged the churches to read this book aloud, in their congregations, so that everyone could hear it and apply its words. John hoped that all of God’s people would take it to heart what is written in it and be assured of the fact that God will triumph. From God’s point of view, it was a message given from God the Father, to Jesus, to an angel, to John and then to the servants of God.
This book provides a logical conclusion, not just to the New Testament, but to the Bible as a whole. It has been interpreted in many ways. Historicists see Revelation a broad view of history. Preterists, think that Revelation refers to the events of the apostolic era or the first century. Futurists, believe that Revelation describes future events; and the Idealists or Symbolists hold that Revelation is a symbolic allegory of the spiritual world representing the ongoing struggle between good and evil. All of these interpretations are not mutually exclusive. They can be used in combination with each other. The Book of Revelation is about the future and about the present. We don’t know when all of these events will occur. But, no matter what, we must always be prepared for it will all unfold quickly and there will be no chance to turn to Jesus. This book gives guidance as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we should live for him now. No matter how we interpret it, we need to soberly ask ourselves how the study of Revelation is going to make us a better follower of Jesus today. This book offers future hope to all believers, especially those who are suffering for their faith, by proclaiming Christ’s final victory and the reality of eternal life with him for all believers.
The vision to John includes many signs and symbols that convey the essence of what is about to happen. What John saw was indescribable. When reading this symbolic language we don’t; have to understand every detail. John himself didn’t understand every detail. Many people in history have tried to specifically say that these symbols mean specific countries and events. I will try not to do this. We must not loose the point. The point is that John’s imagery shows that Christ is indeed the glorious and victorious Lord of all. There are others who have tried to perfectly memorize revelation and pray in order to get the same vision. I would be very impressed if some of you tried to do this but it is not mandatory. But lets make a concerted effort to examine the details presented.
Part ll : The Plot
Let’s get acquainted with general storyline. Chapters 1-3 lay the groundwork. These chapters consist of a brief introduction followed by seven separate messages to seven churches. Each message is custom-made for the church in question. Each message assesses how that particular church is doing, spiritually and tells it what to change. In a nutshell, the churches are each presented with a choice: to be faithful or not to be faithful to Jesus. The choice they decide to make has serious consequences. The seven churches of Asia Minor represent the whole Church. Each church's message ends with: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, etc.) Therefore, the messages to the churches also serve as a means to convey a message to a wider audience, even to us. That is if you have an ear to hear the word of God! So as we study the first three chapters, let us perk our spiritual ears and hear what God has to say to us.
The remaining portions of the book are found in chapters 4-22. In these chapters you will find images that can be found nestled in the books of Isaiah, the Psalms and Ezekiel. The plot is driven by a powerful conflict between the forces, both earthly and spiritual, of good and evil. Expressed in the simplest terms: 1) there is a time of great tribulation on the Earth which combines natural disasters with war on an unprecedented scale; 2) the "Lamb" saves his people from the tribulation, destroys the wicked, and ushers in an age of peace; 3) after the age of peace, there is a second, brief time of trouble which results in the permanent banishment of the wicked; 4) a new heaven and a new earth replace the old, and the people of God go to live in the presence of Christ in a heavenly city described as the "New Jerusalem." Through the study of this book we will learn that Jesus Christ is coming again, evil will be judged, and the dead will be raised to judgment, resulting in eternal life or eternal destruction. The Bible ends with a message of warning and hope for people of faith of every generation. Christ is victorious and evil had been done away with. There it is in a nutshell. It will become clearer as we systematically and textually study these chapters. Here is a general outline of the entire book. 1. Jesus' words to the 7 churches (1-3) 2. The throne, the scroll and the Lamb (4-5) 3. The 7 seals (6:1-8:1) 4. The 7 trumpets (8:2-11:19) 5. The dragon, the beasts and the Lamb (12-14) 6. The 7 bowls (15-16) 7. Babylon the prostitute (17:1-19:5) 8. Hallelujah! God Almighty reigns (19:6-22:21)
Some mega themes that are found throughout the Book of Revelation are as follows: God’s sovereignty, Christ’s return, God’s faithful people, judgment and hope. First, God’s sovereignty. Our God is the Sovereign Lord. He is greater than any power in the universe. He controls all of history with the goal of bring all of his people together in unity with him. Though the devil seems to wield much power, God is actually in control and he will bring the people of faith into eternal dwellings. We can surely entrust our lives and our future to this sovereign God. Next, Christ’s return. Jesus came to this earth as a tiny baby in manger. He lived and died as the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He will surely come again as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This would be especially comforting for those in John’s time for this gives all believers the strength to carry on to the end. Next, God’s faithful people. John encouraged the Christians to resist the pressure to worship the Roman emperor. He warns everyone to be faithful to Christ. When they do, resisting temptation and making loyalty to Jesus their number one priority, God will help them to stand among God’s faithful people. Next, judgment. In this book we will see that God’s righteous anger towards sin will be fully revealed. God’s judgment will put and end to evil and injustice and the devil. This is great news to committed Christians of every age. Lastly, hope. God will establish a new heaven and a new earth. All believers will live with him in perfect peace and security. We have a sure hope that all of Christ’s promises will come true. Through studying this book we can all be encouraged in our spiritual walk.
Part lll: Christ Is Revealed in Revelation.
Christ is clearly revealed in Revelation. In 1530, Martin Luther, the great protestant reformer realized that Christ was central to the book. He concluded that “through and beyond all plagues, beasts, and evil angels, Christ is nonetheless with the saints and wins the final victory.” The book unveils Christ’s full identity. In chapter 1 alone, we will discover so many names and references of Jesus. Thet are…1. Christ 2. Alpha and Omega 3. Living One 4. First and Last 5. Faithful Witness 6. First Born of the Dead 7. Ruler of the Kings of the earth 8. The Almighty 9. Son of Man 10. Lord. Do you get a good idea of who Jesus is? As you study the Book of revelation, don’t focus so much on the timetable of the events or the details of John’s imagery. If you do you may miss the main message, that is, the message of Jesus Christ himself and his infinite love, power and justice.
Many of the signs of the end of the age are being fulfilled right before our very eyes. Over the next few months may God help you to properly interpret the times and respond properly to this fact. Let us take hold of God’s future hope for all believers including yourself. Let us marvel at God’s grace in the salvation of his people and his power over the forces of evil. Let us walk with confidence because Christ the victor walks with you and by his grace we are on the winning side. Most importantly may you get to know God better so that you can trust him completely as you life by faith each and every day.
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