Revelation 3:1-6 Letter to Sardis 3 “Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: “The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. 2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy. 5 In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. As church, may we never get to a place where outwardly we look OK but our pulse is just about nonexistent. God can and will raise the dead. It is our hope that He would do so because we cannot raise ourselves. This is not just future either, it has to be initially or at first because we are clearly told in Scripture that we "were dead in our trespasses and sins... But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). Ephesians 2:1,4,5
Although Jesus starts by telling them "you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead" they cannot be completely dead because He then tells them, "Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent." If Jesus were to check your spiritual pulse today what would He discover? There are those in the church with barely a pulse and some with NO pulse at all but they look like healthy parts of the Body. It's so easy to get caught up in church activity that you never realize you're not not actually part of the church. What do hear the Spirit saying to you? Can you hear "repent"? It's what we are called to do from the beginning and continually for the rest of our days until He either calls us home or He returns for us. We cannot raise the dead but we can continue to faithfully teach and preach the Word of God and He will do the work we cannot. Only those who belong to Him have the ability and responsibility to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. How will you respond in light of His truth today?
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Revelation 2:18-29 The Letter to Thyatira 18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: “The Son of God, the One whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze, says: 19 I know your works—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. Your last works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives My slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Look! I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her practices. 23 I will kill her children with the plague. Then all the churches will know that I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known the deep things of Satan—as they say—I do not put any other burden on you.25 But hold on to what you have until I come. 26 The one who is victorious and keeps My works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations-- 27 and he will shepherd them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery-- just as I have received this from My Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. per·mis·sive pərˈmisiv/ adjective
It is one thing to love someone because Christ loved us but it completely different to accept that person's behavior as OK if God clearly says it is not. It would be even worse to accept it and even celebrate it within our church body in order to make us more accessible or attractive. The Passive church of Pergamum overlooked some teachings and people in their church but the permissive Church of Thyatira was allowing flat out sin to thrive in their church body. It was even encouraged and accepted.
Church discipline is a very sensitive issue and it should be handled with a lot of love and discretion but never-the-less it should be handled. We are given instruction from Jesus Himself on how to handle sin within the Body of Christ (Matthew 18) and the Holy Spirit through Paul also. (1Corinthians 5, Galatians 6) Much like the church in Corinth this church in Thyatira was abusing grace and even using it as license to sin. Jezebel was bringing the worship practices of her culture which involved sex out of marriage and food that was offered to idols into the Christian church. Jesus clearly calls them to repent which simply means to change your mind and turn from that to something else in this case Jesus Himself and what is true. We all need to repent daily and often because our thoughts and actions are not His continually. Our minds need to be renewed by His word and we need to turn from what we believe to be right to what He says is right. The Good Shepherd speaks to His sheep to correct and direct them, it is our responsibility to repent and do what He says. You are not alone we are one body in Christ. Have a great day day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 2:12-17 The Letter to Pergamum 12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: “The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword says: 13 I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it. pas·sive pasiv/ adjective
In this day and age tolerance and acceptance are often spoken of, even demanded in some places in the name of diversity. Whether it's your school or the work place, everyone is effected to a certain degree. Mikki, who is a high school teacher, has had to endure gender diversity training which wasn't just informative it was mandatory and more a class on acceptance. As believers we sometimes think that loving our neighbor means letting them be, but the Bible tells us that part of loving our neighbor means calling their sin what it is. God instructed Moses to tell His people, "Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke (confront) your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." Leviticus 9:17,18 The church in Pergamum was not quite the polar opposite of the Church of Ephesus but they were, as the title says, The Passive church. Jesus said to the church in Ephesus ... "you cannot tolerate evil." and "You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Yet to the church in our passage today He says... "You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans." Balak would not curse the people of God but he did put them in a place where they were bound to sin. The church in Pergamum was allowing the church in Ephesus would not- the teachings of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans are mentioned only twice in the whole Bible. The only thing we do know about is their name which literally means conquerors of men. Jesus did have some positive things said about them. They lived in a toughest of places, permeated by Greek god worship, yet they stayed faithful to His name and did not deny Him even when they knew it would get worse for them. It is not enough for us to be a nice church, if we are to be a loving church that means we have to lovingly call people out and call sin what it is. This way we will not be putting people in a place where they are bound to sin like Balak. Always remember to speak the truth in love because we are all sinners in need of the Savior. We are beggars telling beggars where we found free bread. Have great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 2:8-11 The Letter to Smyrna 8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: “The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: 9 I know your affliction and 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. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will have affliction for 10 days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death. thlípsis ("compression, tribulation") carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is "no way of escape" ("hemmed in").
Of all the churches there are but 2 that were not given a rebuke or told that there was something they should repent or turn from. The church in Smyrna was 1 of them. When faced with persecution and certain death there are no such things as halfhearted Christians. This church in Smyrna was told by Jesus that they were to brace themselves and know that prison and even death was certain for them. I cannot even imagine what was through their heads when they first received this letter. From what I understand all 7 churches were given all 7 letters to read so the church at Smyrna would have just read the letter to the poised church in Ephesus. Now hearing this letter, imagine having a spouse and children looking to you and knowing their is nothing you can do to change the coming conclusion. This is what it means to be pressured, the word translated in our passage today "afflicted" in other translations it is tribulation and it refers to feeling hemmed in or in a place that is narrowed and feeling there is no room on your sides, an internal pressure and feeling that there is no way out but through. Jesus directed their thoughts from the start by reminding them that He is, "The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life." a beautiful reminder that He is intimately acquainted with what they are about to go through. You may be feeling trapped right now and the last thing you want to here is that you must go through what your going through. You want a plan of escape but this may be the very thing that God has planned for you to go through. God is in no way the author of evil but He is in absolute control. Jesus not only was dead and came to life, He also is "The First and the Last." He is our hope and He alone determines when our pressure starts and ends. Will you trust Him? Have great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 2:1-3 The Letter to Ephesus “Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise. poised poizd/ adjective
Who wouldn't want to be part of this church. They seem to have it all together. Jesus says He knows their works, labor, endurance, they cannot tolerate evil and they test those who call themselves apostles all this because of Jesus name. It is incredible what we are willing to do for Jesus. Many believers will, with good intentions, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and start stripping away what they know they should and start substituting it with activity in and out of the church believing behavior modification equals sanctification. To do what we know is right, even because of Jesus, is different than real heart change that leads to sanctification (being set apart) as we abide or make our home in Jesus. The Church in Ephesus looked composed and self-assured but forgot the WHO of why they do what they do. Jesus does not need the church to work for Him, He wants to work in and through His church. He tells them they, "have abandoned the love they had at first." other translations call it their first love which makes it sound like infatuation or puppy love that fades over time but it actually means the love you put in first place. Making the love of Jesus first priority means staying connected or making your home in Him. He put it this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me." John 15:5 Years ago my dad tried growing water melons in his yard. He planted the seeds and got a lot of vines to grow but it never produces watermelons. One day when we were all over his home he placed two small watermelons he purchased at the store under the vines, called us outside and presented us to them as fruit from his vine. It looked so real but the reality was it wasn't from that vine. In the end Jesus wants His church to produce fruit from Him, not just that looks like it from Him. This will only happen when He becomes our first love or love of priority. What will Jesus do in and through us as we love Him first in all that we do today? As always, it's easier said than done but that's the beauty of it, it's His work not ours. Just stay connected. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 1:12-20 12 I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow—and His eyes like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.16 He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last,18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. 20 The secret of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. National Treasure is a fun movie to watch. It's full of mystery, symbolism and history. The best part is that these mysteries are explained. I admit we are a bit spoiled nowadays and everything is instant. We don't even have to wait for the next episode of our favorite TV show anymore we can just binge watch entire seasons on netflix, hulu even youtube now.
About 600 years after the time of Daniel, the Apostle John was given his vision of the Son of Man. Their visions were full of mystery, symbolism and future history and explained right away as well. They were very similar and and both were of Jesus Christ. Daniel's vision included the coming four kingdoms represented by some hybrid animal/man fierce images. In the middle of that we are introduced to this Son of Man and from the description we are to understand that this person was no ordinary ruler and not just a man. "I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 The book of Daniel actually lays out for us Jesus' first and second coming, His death and resurrection and the resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous at the end of the age but it is still veiled in mystery a little. Knowing what we do on this side of the Cross and what Daniel and John wrote makes the picture of Jesus clearer and easy to understand. What we know about Jesus will impact how we handle what He says to us and how we receive it. Each one of these 7 specific and symbolic descriptions of Him play a special role in what He writes to the 7 churches. I'll explain what each one means and how they are related to the 7 letters to 7 churches in our blog posts this coming week. Have great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 1:9-11 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” with wiT͟H/ preposition
Such a small word but powerful. Jesus said to His disciples and by extension to us, "remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 As we study the book of Revelation remember this is speaking of the end of the age. Now consider the definitions provided above...1. Jesus said He would accompany us and 2. be our possession. In our passage today the Apostle John says sometime that will connect with his audience in his day and with us today. He calls himself our brother and partner. He is not just saying he is with us but that he goes through what we do. It's good to know that any and all pastors/elders are just like us and endure what we do. He also says that he is our brother and partner in the tribulation, kingdom and endurance that are in Jesus. So we are partners in what we suffer together as slaves of our Master's kingdom purchased by His blood and deeply cared for. All this and not just with our brothers and sisters but also in Jesus. Can it get any better than that! Jesus will never call us somewhere He hasn't gone before and endured in His own body and He promises to be with us always, to the end of the age. So let us continue forward we have the ultimate partner. It good to know that I am His and He is mine. Have a great day Loved Ones. and God bless you real good! Revelation 1:7,8 Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the One who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.” My dad worked a lot when I was kid and for a while they had him working any one or three different shifts on any given day. This made it impossible for me, as a kid, to know when he would be home. When my mom would say, "Wait 'til your father gets home", it would depend on whether or not I was behaving or misbehaving to determine if that was good news or bad news for me. In our passage today we read of Jesus' second coming. For some it is the best news but for others it will be the worst.
There was another time that Jesus was associated with clouds like in today's passage, it was at His ascension and we we're told then that He would return in the same way. After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” Acts 1:9-11 Just as sure as we sit 2018 years on this side of the calendar so Jesus will return. Whether you believe in Jesus, are not sure or just plainly do not believe, we are living 2018 years since His first coming. Our calendar is measured by His first coming whether you want to call it AD and BC or BCE and CE it is still the same dividing point. Since so much time has passed, people to this day mock the teaching of His second coming as the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:3-9... "First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. Similar to our passage today there is the certainty of judgement and salvation. Which will determine how you anticipate His coming? Are you ready for His coming? Have you placed your trust fully in Him or are you just playing church? He will come as sure as He said He would and He will take up His own, those left behind will perish even as those did in the days of Noah. My prayer for all of our ESM students is that the Lord will open your eyes that you would know fully where you stand today and that you would look for and long His second coming. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 1:5,6 To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—the glory and dominion are His forever and ever. Amen. When I was a teenager I used to get a lot of nosebleeds. There was a time I got one and just sat there watching it drip. I thought it was fascinating,until my mom saw me and I got screamed at. Some people cannot stand the sight of blood and others can't keep their eyes from it. Blood is mentioned throughout the Bible. The first time it is mentioned is when Cain killed Abel and God tells him, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! Although that was the first time it was mentioned it was not the first time it was spilled. After Adam and Eve sinned and covered themselves with fig leaves, God killed an animal and covered them with their skins. It was a bloody reminder that our sin required a blood payment. Leviticus 17:11 tells us, "for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. ln Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the bloody picture given us with Adam, Eve and the sacrificial system God gave His people that their sin may be covered. But covered is not removed, only through Jesus Christ's blood was sin paid for and removed. John reminds us of this glorious truth and the benefit we get from it. We are loved, set free, a kingdom and priests to His God and Father and this is not because of something we have done so we could boast but to His glory and dominion forever and ever. John ends this with a single word- Amen. Amen at the beginning of a statement says "this is a true" like when Jesus would say "truly, truly I say to you", which literally was "amen, amen" but at the end of a statement is means "so be it". I love that Paul says in 2Corinthians 1:20 "For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory." Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. This past Sunday Kaleb commented that it seems like God the Father was highlighted in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament. I would agree and add that the Holy Spirit seems to be highlighted from the book of Acts through to Revelation. But the truth is that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are always working together, they do not work independently of each other. They are in perfect harmony and unity.
John mentions all the persons of the Trinity here in verse 4. First the Father, he calls the I AM. We wouldn't recognize it in our English language but the order in which he says it shows it as well. John does not say, the One who was and is and is to come which flows naturally but rather starts with the One who is, The I AM. The Name given by God to Moses as His memorial name forever. John them mentions the Holy Spirit as the seven Spirits who are before His throne. Other translations say the sevenfold Spirit, making a little bit easier to understand. He is not saying there are seven individual Spirits but rather One Spirit that extends to the seven churches like a menorah has one stem and extends out to multiple lights. The number 7 is that of fullness or completeness. He is the Spirit that empowers the 7 seven churches. Then John mentions Jesus Christ which means God's salvation the Savior. He is the Word of God and the faithful revealer of the Father, raised from the dead never to die again, and the rightful ruler. John doesn't say of the people of earth which He is but rather the ruler of the kings of the earth. Today as you go about your day, remember our good God who is greater than all, the Holy Spirit who lives in you and Jesus Christ who not only saved us and promises to raise us up on the last day but also rules our rulers. From president down to principals and parents He is in absolute control. Have a great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! |
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