God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 5; Section 2

The reading for today is Revelation 4 - 5. If you have not yet done so, read these 2 chapters (out loud if possible!) Then come back ...



My desire is that we close this study as we began it ... looking at our Lord Jesus Christ. John, in the spirit, appears to be so limited by language as he described to his readers the scene before him. What impresses you most? Two things stand out to me most vividly.



1. I am stunned by the splendor of the scene. My mind has a hard time grasping the sweep, the majesty and the colors as John works to describe it. This is glory - indescribable glory! Do you remember when Jesus was praying in John 17 right before His walk to the cross? He says, "And now Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began." As you read Revelation 4 & 5, you had a glimpse into the world where Jesus had been before He subjected Himself to flesh. I think He was ready to go "home"! Paul tells us in Philippians 2: 6 - 7:

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in himan likeness."

If you know that someone has given up something very valuable for you, the thought drifts through the mind that you must be incredibly valuable to that someone! It is in the reading of passages like Revelation 1 and 4 and 5 that we begin to grasp just how much Jesus gave up for us. How could it be? We know ourselves ... but that is our Jesus, our Lord. And that is how much He desires us to be with Him. I want to shout to the heavens Paul's words from Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"

2. Secondly, I am impressed with the scenes of worship in these chapters. Once again we see that worship is truly all about God. I love the worship song "The Heart of Worship" and am particularly moved every time I hear or sing the line "I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it." I so passionately agree with that line. I am sorry for the way we have turned worship into forms and styles and traditions and things that are comfortable and things that I like, etc. And it is to be all about God. The worship in heaven that we can glimpse in Revelation 4 & 5 is a splendid illustration of the "heart of worship" - and it is "All About God"!

As we close this study ... remember that as Jesus speaks to the Church ... He speaks to you and I. My prayer for you is that you (and I!) have "an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Do you have an ear to hear such things? What did Jesus say directly to you as you walked through these 7 messages? Act on it my friends! Do the repenting when necessary. What needs to be "overcome" in your own life? We can be "overcomers" through the Spirit of the living God.

Let's join with the four living creatures in heaven and never stop saying ...

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.

(There will be a summer study through this blog ... the next post will give timing and subject matter.)

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 5; Section 1

We have made it to the last of the seven churches, Laodicea. Let me give you a little history of the city before you read. Laodicea was a wealthy area. There was fertile pasture land around the city that boasted great flocks of sheep. This made it the greatest center for the woollen industry in that time. The area was notorious for earthquakes and Laodicea suffered a devastating one in 60AD. However, her wealth and independence allowed her to recover and rebuild without any financial help from Rome. Laodicea was wealthy, proud and independent.

From: The Navigator Study on Revelation
"Laodicea was known throughout the Roman world of its time for three things: its banks, which even Cicero recommended for exchanging money; its linen and wool industry, which produced cloth and carpets, especially from the glossy black wool of sheep reared in the area; its medical school and widely famed medicines, notable among which was an eye-ointment."

The major problem in Laodicea was a lack of any good, fresh water supply. So water had to be diverted from the neighboring cities of Hierapolis and Colosse. There were hot springs at Hierapolis known for their medicinal value and fresh, cold springs in Colosse. By the time the waters had been diverted to Laodicea, those waters were neither hot nor cold ... often undrinkable.

With that in mind, read Revelation 3: 14 - 22 carefully, looking for any commendation, any reproof and any warnings or instructions from the Lord. Then come back!

What a sad state of affairs existed in the church in Laodicea. It seems to be a collection of people who were proud and confident in themselves and their great city - and it was all an illusion. I suspect they even dressed very well! In our Lord's analysis of this group ... He exposes the illusion of each of the things of which they were so proud. And tells them boldly that without Him, they are nothing. Lip service, pride in accomplishments, material wealth ... all worthless without Christ.

And so He tells them that He is right there ... waiting ... to be "invited" into this church. The Lord will never force Himself on a person or a church. He will never force an individual or a church to live submitted to His Lordship. But He is ready ... He is able ... He is waiting to be invited in so that regenerated life, abundant life, His life can flow in and through.

John R. W. Stott says of this church: "Perhaps none of the seven letters is more appropriate to the twentieth-century church than this. It describes vividly the respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity which is so widespread among us today. Our Christianity is flabby and anemic. We appear to have taken a lukewarm bath of religion."

I think we can see the same tendency as we have entered the twenty-first century. So the call is clear ... for me ... for you ... for our churches. Open the door! Invite Christ in - both in your life and your fellowship! Bow to Him! Put on His righteousness as your robes, His person as your wealth, and His remedy for your healing!

You may have been a church member for a long time and never deliberately asked Jesus to invade your life with His presence. If you have not done so ... why not? If you have ... refresh your commitment to His rule in your life right now. What is at stake? Life. And the right to sit with Him on His throne. Now - there's a promise!!

We have one remaining lesson in this study. I do not want to close it with the tepid taste of Laodicea in our mouth. So we will take one more look at the Lord through the next two chapters of Revelation ... Revelation 4 - 5.

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 4; Section 2

Read about the church in Philadelphia today: Revelation 3: 7 -13

What a beautiful church this must have been! Did you notice that the Lord gave no reproofs to this body of believers. He just tells them to hold on to what they have ... to continue with patient endurance. They have been a faithful group of disciples. And he gives them a phenomenal promise: He places before them an open door!

He presents Himself to them in the start of this letter as the "One who holds the key of David." That reference has everything to do with authority and access. Then He tells them that He places before them an open door that no one can shut. Open doors in scripture symbolize opportunity. They symbolize the opportunities that God gives His people - opportunities for service, for bringing glory to Him, for Kingdom gain. People with a more worldly view of life might not see this as such a stupendous gift. However, for these believers in Philadelphia, for men and women who are filled with the Spirit of God and are sold out to God, this is a fabulous promise. You see, when a person is sold out to God, there is nothing more important than bringing glory to Him and living a life that has eternal purpose.

Remember when Jesus told the story of the Ten Virgins? You can read it in Matthew 25. There is a principle that surfaces in the telling of the story that seems to be at work in Philadelphia. Matthew 25:21, 23 "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

We see the same principle in Luke 8:18: "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

You see, when someone is faithful with a small task ... he/she can then be trusted with a larger task, a greater opportunity, an open door.

Have you experienced God opening a door for you? Did you respond ... or did fear do its dirty work? If so, confess it to the Lord and ask Him to give you another opportunity. Then be on the alert for that opening. When God opens a door - be ready to go through! Be prayed up ... stay filled with His Spirit ... so that when the door opens, you are ready.

Our Lord, we worship You as the One who is holy and true, the One who holds the key of David. Cause Your faithfulness to flow through us. And when you open a door of opportunity for us to do anything of Kingdom significance ... Lord give the courage for us to step into the opening!

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 4; Section 1

We travel to Sardis today. Sardis was a thriving city situated on a natural acropolis that made it nearly impregnable. (The town of Sart, Turkey is near the site of ancient Sardis.) Around 1200 BC Sardis became the capital of the Lydian kingdom. However it fell to Cyrus of Persia and later fell again to Antiocus the Great. It never regained its prominence under Roman rule. The primary industry in the region was harvesting wool, dying it, and making garments. One interesting note - Aesop was from Sardis!

Read Revelation 3: 1 - 6

What a sad commentary! This church may have looked OK on the outside ... but it was dead on the inside. It seemed to be going through the motions but contained no regeneration and life. I am reminded of Jesus when he compared the Pharisees to "whitewashed tombs" - cleaned up on the outside but full of decaying flesh on the inside. (Matthew 23:27)

This collection of people contained a few faithful ones ... but it seems that the majority were counterfeit. They were doing deeds that they wanted to do ... not the good works that God had prepared for them to do. So Christ's call to them was to "Wake up!"

Do I need to wake up? Do you? We can get so wrapped up in our own little goings and comings that we miss the larger picture. We can miss the fact that God has called us to a higher purpose. Before you close your study time today ... carefully read ...
Ephesians 2: 8 - 10
Titus 3: 5 - 8
James 2: 14 - 16
Prayerfully, examine your life - your days - through these lenses. I must do the same! Any need to wake up?

As I think about my life in my church ... and my desire to be one of the "faithful ones" instead of one of the "others" ... I reflect on a few statements from Charles Swindoll. He challenges us to consider some of the signs of spiritual death in a church (always remembering that a church is a collection of individual people!)

worship of the past

greater concern with form than with life

love of tradition over love for Christ

inflexibility and resistance to change

loss of evangelistic and missionary fervor

Lord, give us eyes to see whenever seeds of these things are trying to take root in our lives. And give us ears to hear what You say to the 'church'.

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 3; Section 2

In this second half of our week we will consider what God has to say to the church in Thyatira. Some things are going to sound familiar!

Read Revelation 2: 18 - 29

This body of believers seems to be doing some good works. They are commended for their deeds, their love and faith, and their service. There even appears to have been some growth - maybe numerically, maybe spiritually. Jesus notes the fact that they are doing more than they had done at the first. We don't know how long this church has been in existence.

Then comes the sobering "BUT" ... this church is tolerating false teaching ... no one is standing up to this female person who seems to be a position of leadership in Thyatira. Bill Hybels speaks about church work requiring an incredible amount of nerve - that it is nerve intensive. This church has lost its nerve. Hybels continues by saying, "When you lose your nerve, leaders, you will lose your church." This woman needed to be stopped. Someone needed to stand up to her and refute the doctrinal compromise that she was promoting. Perhaps she was wealthy - perhaps she was influential in their society and culture - we don't know. What we do know is that she was given freedom to continue teaching and what she was teaching was misleading the saints gathered there.

In Thyatira at this time there were trade guilds similar to our unions. If you did not belong to the guild, you would not work - that simple. So what's the problem? History tells us that the socializing in these trade guilds utilized food that had been an offering to a foreigh god and the social events often turned to sexual activity as the wine flowed freely. Most scholars think that this woman, tagged Jezebel, was encouraging involvement in the guilds ... what harm does a little cooperation do? You want to work don't you? Evidently, from verse 21, her own lifestyle had taken on this compromise.

God tells the faithful leadership of this church, the devoted members of this church, to deal with this woman. Stand up to her. Stop her. If they would not ... then He would step in and deal with it.

Lessons for you and me from Thyatira ... 1. Do you see any compromise with the word of God in your own church? If so, muster the nerve to stand up! Talk to the leadership of your church. Explain your concerns - always with a spirit of love. 2. Oh, my friends ... compromise with righteousness is not OK! I don't care what our culture accepts. And so I do an inventory of myself ... am I compromising with the world? Am I choosing to hear what I want rather than what God states in His Word? (This requires that I am in His Word to be hearing it) Do I ever think that just a little compromise with worldliness in this area or that area will just make life a little simpler. Do I have the nerve to confront any compromise in my own spirit? This is nerve - intensive stuff!

However, I want to be an "overcomer" more than I want an easy life! Why? Listen to these ...

2 Peter 1:19 "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

Those who overcome the lure of compromise will be given the Morning Star!

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 3; Section 1

Today we are going to listen to what God had to say to the church in Pergamum. Read ...

Revelation 2: 12 - 17

This church (these people) was commended for staying faithful to the "name" of the Lord Jesus. One of the believers in Pergamum, Antipas, even held to the faith while being put to death. Names matter. Isn't that why "name-calling" is so odious? Names are not just tags but they can be descriptors - particularly in Biblical days. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is salvation in no other "name" but Jesus. Philippians 2: 9 - 11 tells us that Jesus' name is above all names and there is a day coming when every knee will bow before it. Truly, a name worthy of our faithfulness.

Yet, while this church was holding onto the "name" they neglected weighty matters! Some in their number were accepting the teachings and the practices of some cultic thinking. These cultic practices are referred to as the "teaching of Balaam" and the "teaching of the Nicolaitans."
These practices seem to be wrapped around sexual immorality and idolatry.

(Piecing together the story of Balaam is challenging - what an enigma! If you would like to follow that track, read: Numbers 22 - 25. Then read Numbers 31: 8, 16. Follow in the New Testament with 2 Peter 2: 15 - 16 and Jude 11.)

What does this message to Pergamum indicate must be overcome? It seems to me that it is our tendency to be lured into impurity and idolatry - especially when involving something that we want badly! And the application is for us individually and for our churches. Let me ask "us" some questions:

1. How am I guarding my heart and mind from sexual impurity as I live in this sexually explicit culture? Do I guard what my eyes take in? Do I pay any attention to how I dress? Where do my "fantasies" take me? Have I compromised with my culture in my thinking about "acceptable" practices?
2. What things or people could take on the form of "idol" for me? God requires first-place allegiance and affection from His people. Do I give it? There is a wonderful prayer written in 1856 by Elizabeth Prentiss. I believe this prayer needs to be in my mind and heart at all times:

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!

Hear Thou the prayer I make, on bended knee;

this is my earnest plea, more love O Christ, to Thee

More love to Thee! More love to Thee.

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;

Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best;

This all my prayer shall be, more love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to thee! More love to Thee.

So the message from our Lord ... if you see the root of sexual immorality or idolatry in your life ... repent! Recognize it. Turn around. Decide to live differently. Seek help if needed. But turn ...

And to those who overcome ... the promise is hidden manna and a white stone with a new name. Manna was food from heaven for the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before entering Canaan. Nourishment, sustenance, food ... from the hand of God. The "white stone" is not as straightforward. Two possible meanings: 1) at this particular time, a white stone was often used for voting the innocence of a person and a black stone for guilty. Overcomers are given a "white stone"! or 2) there was a custom in the Roman Empire to give people white stones with their name on it and this was their admission ticket to special feasts. There is a feast coming! (Revelation 19: 7, 9)

Either way ... I know that I want to be among the overcomers! Don't you?

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 2; Section 2

Revelation 2: 8 - 11

Smyrna was, at one time, one of the most prosperous cities in Asia Minor. The current city of Izmir, Turkey stands on this site. The gospel probably reached Smyrna at an early date, presumably from Ephesus. If you are familiar with church history, Smyrna is the city where the aged bishop, Polycarp, was martyred around AD 155.

After reading these verses, I am touched by the way the Lord commends and encourages this persecuted band of believers. He reminds them that they are rich indeed! He lets them know that He is fully aware of what all they are enduring. He then warns them that more is coming. And that it is going to be hard! The Lord tells them (as He so often does) to not be afraid. Fear must be the common connnector between all of us humans. I have not done this yet ... but I think it would be interesting to see how often that phrase, "don't be afraid", occurs throughout scripture. Obviously we need humans need to hear it often!

Did you notice that Jesus does not reprove them for anything? I don't think it was because He finally found the perfect church! I wonder if it was because they were in the midst of such intense persecution and trial. They needed encouragement ... not correction at this point. Isn't that true of us? When life hammers in so hard, we need encouragement the most. At times like those, we cannot even hear correction and reproof. We need the encouragement to persevere. The encouragement to stay faithful. The promise that even "this" can be overcome. Moms and Dads, how important to pray for the discernment to know when to correct and when to encourage those young lives placed in your care!

Many of these Christians that made up the body in Smyrna were going to face their own deaths because of their faith. So Jesus presents Himself to them as the one "who died and came to life again." There were so many descriptors that He could have used ... but He chose one that applied directly to their current circumstances. And His promise to the overcomers? They would not be hurt at all by the second death. These Christians were facing the "first death" and it was imminent.

While our encounters with the "first death" may not be as predictable as these believers living in the midst of severe persecution, we will encounter it. We will have to walk through it - with those we love and ourselves. The "first death" is a result of sin and the fallen condition of our world. That is when death came into the human experience. And we all must face this first death. But, remember, it is the second death that is the most painful. It is the second death that is permanent, eternal. I love the added emphasis that Jesus uses: not only will it not hurt you, but it will not hurt you AT ALL! None. What encouragement to these saints in Smyrna ... what encouragement to you and me.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow ...
Hallelujah!

God Speaks to the Church: Lesson 2, Section 1

Chapter 1 of Revelation establishes the awesomeness of Jesus as He is revealed in His glory to John. We saw that the Lord still walks among His churches (the lampstands) and has something to say to them. Remember as we enter these messages that Christ's church is the collection of believers that meet together in various places. So as we read ... look for lessons for yourself ... as a part of Christ's body.

Read Revelation 2: 1 - 7.

First, notice the descriptions of Jesus in these verses. He is the one that holds the stars (the "angels") of the churches in His hand. From our study in Chapter 1, we learned that the angels could refer to leaders, messengers of God, to the church. I think about the Lord holding them in His hand. Does that give reason to pause before being so quick to criticize them? Next time your pastor or elder stands before you, see him as being held in the hand of the Lord! And pray for them. Jesus is also described as "walking among the lampstands" (2:1) I believe Jesus still walks among His churches today. He is present. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. My prayer for us in this study is that He show us what HE sees and that we will respond through His Spirit.

This first message is for the church in Ephesus. Make a note of the things that Jesus commends this church for. They are full of good works. He is proud of the way that this church is patient and persevering. They endure because of the name of Jesus and they have not grown weary. I find that amazing. I can get so tired! How about you? This world is a rough place - how is that for understatement! And we can grow weary. These people were persevering and patiently enduring because of the name of Jesus. That is worthy of imitation. Then comes the "but". They had abandoned their "first love". It seems the church in Ephesus had gotten so busy "doing" that they had forgotten the "being". In their busy-ness, they seem to have forgotten the first commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." (Mark 12: 28 - 34) Jesus told them to repent of that ... and get back on track.

What about us - the body of Christ in 2009? Does anyone need to repent of the same failure? I do. It is so much easier for me, in this production driven culture, to be busy, to do stuff, to work than it is to be still and love the Lord ... to spend time in developing the relationship of love between myself and my God. She who has ears ... let her hear! Are there things in your life that you love more than you love God? I think about spouses, children, work that we are passionate about ... you must make your own list. Jesus says - repent of that - get back on track - return to your first love.

To those who do hear this message from Jesus ... to those who are willing to repent and turn back to first loving the Lord, above all else ... some amazing promises are given. We shall be allowed to "eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God." (2:7) Being a person who does love to "eat" ... this is a fabulous promise! The tree of life ... forever life ... forever.
Hallelujah!!