ResponsiveReiding

A Communion Poem

September 4th, 2017

Last night, as we gathered around the Lord’s Table, we especially visited not rightly discerning the Lord’s Body. In Corinth, the failure to treat all of the Believers with honor in the way the love feast was consumed display a dreadful and dangerous pattern. For we cannot disrespect His Church, without doing despite to Him. But oh the privilege in gathering together around the table, and once again affirming to the observing angelic hosts just what a miraculous thing this blood bought Church is, in displaying the wonder of our marvelous Savior.

Eph. 3:7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Creation in its wonders

In all it’s grand design

Expanse and complication

Reveals God’s art and mind

Each part in self and union

Invisible and seen

Each form and sev’ral function

The grandest and the mean

Beseech from all the sentient

But just and fitting praise

Gifts of the Great Creator

To bless, awe and amaze

That we might live in glory

Beholding mysteries

Of love unknown, unfolding

Conspiring good in these

Yet when this age is ended

Today gives birth to then

The day of endless vision

New made to take it in

Of all His grandest glories

Ordained for all to see

Of all His hidden riches

By all to be perceived

He comes before Creation

And says: “Behold my best

The sum of all my genius

My love and blessedness”

“Behold the Lamb’s Companion

Behold ’tis Christ’s own Bride

For Whom He paid the ransom

For Whom He bled and died”

“Perfected in His image

In His own righteousness

Adorned in sinless beauty

Dressed in His holiness”

“My grandest show of pow’r

Each risen from the dead

The crown of My own glory

Look! rests upon Her Head”

“Plucked out from sin’s corruptions

The signet of My grace

To be with Me in glory

To see My unveiled face”

“None other so expounds Me

As Jesus Christ My Son

None other so reveals Him

The Bride His work has won”

“If you would know My glory

And plumb My depths of pow’r

My grace, My love, My mercy

My all in fullest flow’r”

“Then gaze upon the wonder

My craft of saving grace

My blood bought Church in glory

Redeemed from Adam’s race.”
Another of the Olney Hymns

August 30th, 2017

This past Lord’s Day, we sang the old hymn “Nearer My God To Thee”. I mentioned then that the band leader aboard the Titanic had asked that hymn be sung at his funeral someday. He made that request before the voyage. Tho some dispute it, one of those rescued from the sinking ship said until her dying day that that hymn was being played by the ship’s orchestra as she was being rescued and the ship sank – with all of the musicians.

But there is no doubting the sentiment of needing to draw nearer and nearer to God is one that finds purchase in the heart of every true Believer in Christ Jesus. Indeed, how we lament the reality that our hearts often stray so far from the safe harbor of His dear presence. We can be so distracted by the most mundane and even profane of things.

Such was the burden upon the writing team of Newton and Cowper when they penned these words inspired by Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” In it, I find the 5th stanza particularly poignant for my own soul today. Enjoy!

1 OH! for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heav’nly frame;
A light, to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

2 Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus, and his word?

3 What peaceful hours I once enjoy’d!
How sweet their mem’ry still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.

4 Return, O holy Dove, return!
Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.

5 The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.

6 So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

John Newton and Richard Cecil, The Works of John Newton, vol. 3 (London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1824), 309–310.
Revelation part 11 – Laodicea

August 28th, 2017
Revelation Part 11

Laodicea

Rev. 3:14-22

Matthew 14:14-21

Finding out there’s something worse than garden variety sin

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

One of the most fascinating features of this letter of Jesus to the Church at Laodicea is finding out there is something worse for the Christian, worse for the Church, than what we might call garden variety sin – the things we most often focus upon.

There is something so problematic, so dire, that Jesus uses truly shocking language to in order to grab their attention and ours – to what isn’t most obvious.

We read nothing of their having lost the sense of God’s great love for them as the Ephesians did.

There wasn’t the sexual immorality and compromise with idolatry of Pergamum or the systematized false teaching of Thyatira.

They weren’t professing to be alive when dead like Sardis.

Outwardly they looked and sounded great!

But these alone were in such a state that they nauseated Him.

Jesus calls it being lukewarm. What that really means, and how to deal with it, is the subject of Jesus’ last letter to the churches.

And it’s a doozy.

I. (14) Reference to the Ch. 1 Vision / “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”

There are 2 parts to Jesus’ introduction here.

1. Jesus announces Himself here as The AMEN, The FAITHFUL and TRUE WITNESS:

In doing so, He is drawing from 2 sources. First, as with all the letters, from Rev. 1 (5) “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness”. But the idea of being “the amen” is drawn from an old testament concept. It comes from Isa. 65 where God identifies Himself as the God of truth – the word “truth” there being the word AMEN.

The idea is that what God says or promises, He guarantees. He is the divine “So be it!” If He has said it, it is so.

2. The BEGINNING of God’s Creation – arche – First cause, and/or Ruler

This doesn’t imply Jesus was the first thing God created – but is most likely a reference to something the Laodicean Church was already quite familiar with as a title for Jesus in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Colossae was only 10 miles away. The Church at Colossae was begun by Paul’s companion Epaphras, and he is most likely responsible for 1^st carrying the Gospel to Laodicea as well.

In fact, the 2 churches were so closely tied together that Paul can write in the early 60’s – 30 years or so before this letter of Jesus, in: Colossians 4:16 “And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.”

There we read of Jesus that: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Col. 1:15–17

In other words, He is pointing to His own pre-eminence. Something which is key as to how we understand the rest of this letter.

So, Jesus wants them to hear Him as a faithful witness to what He sees, as one whose vision is clear and admits of no error or correction, and who is also the ultimate authority with whom they have to do.

It is from that platform He then gives His…

II. (15-17) Declaration of Insight. / “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

As you can imagine, this must have been quite a startling statement to them. It is certainly shocking to our ears all these years later.

Here is the faithful and true witness, the unerring final Word of God in all of His majestic pre-eminence telling one of His churches that they make Him sick!

And what is it that He cites as being so sickening to Him? They are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. And just what that means will take a bit of unpacking.

Many take this statement as though Jesus is referring to their spiritual temperature so to speak, and that He would rather they be either outright cold toward Him or hot toward Him instead of lukewarm.

But why would Jesus say He would rather they be either cold or hot, if the reference here is to spiritual life or vitality toward Him?

He can’t be saying I’d rather you have no affection for me or spiritual fervor at all – than to have at least some.

That doesn’t really make much sense.

In fact, that is not what He is referring to.

What happens here is that Jesus draws from their topography to make His point.

Due to its Location in the Lycus valley, Laodicea had no useful water source of its own.

They had gone to great lengths to pipe water in from a long distance, but the water was so full of calcium carbonate, and being piped in through stone pipes in the hot sun the water would be nauseating to drink. It was both lukewarm and too mineral laden.

Ancient sources from the day tell us that to drink it would make one throw up.

It worked fine for watering crops, but was utterly useless for drinking. Laodicea was famous in the ancient world for this sad condition.

But as you can see on the map, Laodicea was just 10 miles away from Colossae. And in contrast to Laodicea, Colossae was known for having the some of the best drinking water in the entire region.

At the same time they were only 6 miles away from Hierapolis – a city known for its hot springs – natural hot mineral springs where people suffering from all kinds of ailments would go to what people used to call “Take the cure”. i.e. go soak in the hot springs for their health.

The idea then is that Colossae had cold water which could refresh and nourish, and Hierapolis had hot springs which people could soak in for their health – but Laodicea had nothing to offer by way of blessing to others! They were spiritually useless to others.

Oh, they could brag about their wealth – and indeed, they were the wealthiest city in the entire region – even richer than Sardis. They were so rich, that when the city was leveled in the earthquake of 60-61 C.E., they boasted about not needing any imperial money to rebuild. They put plaques up saying this building was built and donated by so-and-so, and this one by another – etc. They were excessively self-reliant. And it appears they took their outward well-being as a sign that all was well with themselves spiritually too.

In fact, there were 3 streams accounting for their fabulous wealth:1. As a famous banking center. The famous Roman politician/Orator Cicero noted that when traveling he did his money exchanges here. 2. They had the corner on the market for a particularly desirable black wool. It was exceedingly durable, soft and glossy and it was sought for all over. And 3., as if these weren’t enough, some ingenious past denizen had invented a formula for an eye salve that was remarkable for relieving all kinds of eye infections.

These 3 things together made them the wealthiest city in the greater area – and made them very arrogant – but above all, and this is key – a self-sufficient group.

So, it appears from Jesus’ words that the Church had taken on this very same attitude. The Church was filled with rich or at least comfortable people, steeped in the trades that made them wealthy and they thought themselves quite complete!

But that was just the problem you see. Self-sufficient and self-satisfied, they in fact had nothing of any real spiritual significance to offer to anyone else. Outward blessings are no sure indication of one’s spiritual condition.

They couldn’t cool the thirst of the one seeking after eternal life, nor minister to the soul ailments of those suffering the ill effects of sin.

They were useless in ministering to others, even though they were so “blessed” in their own eyes.

So, Jesus says –You consider yourselves Rich, Prosperous, and in need nothing – when in fact – answering to their 3 streams of wealth: you are Wretched and Pitiable – which He defines as: Poor, Naked and Blind.

Jesus wasn’t saying I wish you were either spiritually cold toward me or spiritually hot toward me – rather, I wish you had something to offer those who are in spiritual need – of either something cool and refreshing or hot and healing!

But for all you have – you have nothing to add to anyone else of true spiritual value. You are lukewarm and quite frankly useless to anyone else in the things that really matter – nauseating. And I am going to spit you out of my mouth.

So, what does this look like? Something like this…

They were professing Christians, they weren’t godless. As we said above, they do not appear to have been bound up in all the other sins noted in the other letters.

They would say “Oh, I need Jesus to save me from my sins.”

“I need Jesus to avoid the judgment of God and Hell.”

“I need Jesus when I’m REALLY in trouble – but I don’t really need HIM day to day for anything.”

I need some of what He can do for me, but I don’t really need – HIM, for Himself.

He is merely the cosmic panic button.

But beyond that, we’ve got financial wealth and stability, we’re clothed in the black woolen fashion of the day, and we’ve got the eye-salve the world clamors after. So Jesus, thank you for being our Savior, but beyond that, we simply don’t need you. Things are good. If there’s an emergency, we’ll let you know. But until then, we’re quite content to just be nice, basic Christians.

And as a result – they were in fact bankrupt from God’s point of view, naked in their self-reliance and worst of all – blind to their own condition.

Why is this state of affairs so bad? Because it hearkens back to the Garden of Eden.

There, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were banished from the Garden and most importantly, the Tree of Life.

Now in Salvation, we’ve been brought back into the Garden, the flaming sword of judgment has been removed and we’re invited to feast on the Tree of Life again, and instead of eating that precious, life-giving fruit – which is Christ Himself – for day-to-day sustenance, we’re content with everything else He has provided — but the most needful and precious of all!

We see that more clearly in the Call Jesus issues.

III. (18-21) The Call. / I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

We can verify our assessment based upon the call to repentance Jesus gives them.

Just like in Jeopardy on TV, sometimes you arrive at the real question, once you hear the answer. So in this text. Jesus’ answer to their problem is what brings out the real nature of the problem itself in greater clarity.

So, He says first of their wealth – I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire.

Having material wealth in this world means nothing to me. And the gold you really need, the true wealth, must be had from me and me alone. There is a wealth that functions on an entirely different standard. Wealth as God counts wealth, not as the world does. And you’ve not been seeking it.

And the black wool you are all so proud of – it covers nothing. It looks good to the human eye, but what does it cover in terms of how the soul is dressed – if we can use that term.

We don’t need outward appearance, we need to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Which Jesus appeals to here again as something which must be obtained from Him. How does He see us? How do we look in His eyes?

And then too – the need to see their real condition and need as from Him, and not through their own eyes. Oh, how good we can look to ourselves, especially when we compare ourselves to others. But as James notes: James 1:23-24 “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

POOR, NAKED and BLIND! In His faithful and true assessment – that is what they were. Self-reliant and self-sufficient, they had nothing, and hence did nothing of any significance for anyone else.

What a stinging rebuke.

But then – Oh how sweet and good and wonderful He is here. How His grace comes pouring through on the heels of this blistering review.

For in His very next breath He tells them 3 additional things.
1. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
I’m not just venting my spleen and leaving you in the dust. I come to you and I open these things up to you BECAUSE I STILL LOVE YOU!

Yes, you make me sick, but no, I have not cast you off! Come and be restored. Repent, turn from this broken way. If I didn’t love you and cherish you, I would let you go. But I DO love you and I DO cherish you and so I am unwilling to leave you in this miserable condition.

What does that look like? What is the very core of everything He has been driving at and where this all needs to go? It is summed up in the remedy He specifies, which also answers the question of how they got here in the first place:
1. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
You have left off needing Me – for Me. You do not come to me to be with me and to fellowship with me and to know me and delight in me. You just see me as the salvation machine – and I want to come in and fellowship with you.

This is key to their being so useless and so to their restoration.

At the beginning of the service today, we had the portion read from Matthew where Jesus feeds the 5K with the few loaves and fishes.

And in it, He sets forth a most important principle for us – it is in the latter part of Matt. 14:19 “Then [Jesus)] broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”

Why were the Laodiceans so lukewarm and unable to bless anyone else? Because in leaving off fellowship with Christ, they had stopped receiving anything at His hand, and thus had nothing to give to anyone else.

And beloved this is where all of this comes home for you and me as well.

If we too have become self-sufficient, so that we need Jesus as our salvation agent but have precious little time to spend having Him break the bread of His word to us in time alone with Him, reading His Word – hearing Him speak to us in it, and in prayer – responding back and in meditation on it – then it is no wonder if we have nothing of any spiritual good to contribute to anyone else.

This is lukewarmness. And there is no other cure than to be in regular communion with Christ through His Word and Prayer. No other remedy.

The call isn’t to become sage theologians or Bible scholars. It isn’t to give up everything and go on the mission field. It isn’t to make great sacrifices and do BIG works in Christ’s name – it is a call to have regular fellowship alone with Him. So simple! So doable! And so neglected.

This is the Believer’s lifeblood. And lack of it is why our conversations with people never go beyond mere life-stuff, and get down to feeding each other the good things we’ve received from Him.

But look at what else He says: – I AM knocking. I AM at the door. And I WILL come in to all who open to me.

This is not a verse about people coming to saving faith in Christ, it is about Christians being brought out of spiritually ineffective lukewarmness, into spiritual vitality that ministers to others.

And if you are blind to the need to be of use in the spiritual life of others, of having something of Christ’s to give to someone else – then listen to Him – He is knocking at your door today – calling to you, and promising that if you will open to Him, He will come in, and the two of you will dine together. What a precious and intimate picture that is! And oh, how He calls to you right now to open and meet with Him.

Believers we still need the Gospel! And here it is on display, isn’t it? When we are at our worst, the mercy and grace of God in Jesus Christ shows itself in its most profound wonder.

It was at the Cross that mankind and even religion was at its very worst: Crucifying the very Son of God rather than giving Him His due and coming to Him for reconciliation to God.

So here: Here is the Church and Christians at their worst. But here is Christ Jesus in the wonder of His love and mercy and grace saying Here I am – I haven’t forsaken you – open the door to Me again.

And for those who do he then says thirdly –
1. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
The one who hears, and opens, and restores fellowship and intimacy with me, will not only NOT be spit out, but they will enjoy the highest privileges which can be afforded any creature in all of creation – to rule and reign WITH HIM IN HIS OWN THRONE!

An unimaginable position and privilege.

All tied to a life of fellowship with Him here, that spills over into our ability to bless others, with the blessings He joyfully and willingly pours out upon us when we take the time to be with Him, hear His voice in His word, and respond to that voice in prayer. THAT is where we get broken bread – from His hand – and then we have something to give to others.

Seek communion, fellowship, personally drawing to Him; that we might have something for our own souls, and something to give someone else.

Establish it as a habit to never read your Bible without asking yourself, have I come away with something for myself, which is then something I can pass on to another?

IV. (22) The Reminder. / Oh beloved – He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation Part 10 – Philadelphia pt. 2

August 21st, 2017
Revelation Pt. 10 – Philadelphia- b

Rev. 3:7-13

Isaiah 9:1-7

Audio for this sermon can be found HERE

Everyone who has come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ wants to serve Him.

We are born again it seems, with an innate desire to glorify the One who saved us, and to be of use to Him in His plans and purposes in the world. To have some sort of ministry.

But what if circumstances find us in a place where we can do precious little? Poor health. Few contacts. No transportation.

What if we have little or no money to give?

No identifiable work to join ourselves to – no clear task to be a part of?

What if we are not gifted like others and don’t seem to have anything really concrete to offer? Can’t teach or preach. Physically disabled. Weak, sickly or whatever.

Can we still serve God acceptably? Can we still advance His kingdom and glorify Him?

Jesus’ letter tells the Philadelphians that indeed they can – and just how.

And it is simpler than they thought – and perhaps than you or I think.

Here, we find out just what Jesus meant in Matthew 11:28–30 when He said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Last week we looked a bit at Philadelphia’s history, and the glorious encouragement of Jesus to them in the opening sentence of His letter.

I. Appeal to the revelation of Ch. 1: 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

To a Church living in a place of poverty, continual upheavals due to earthquakes, victims of governmental flip-flops and mismanagement and, persecution by the local Jewish community.

Jesus reminds them – He is: The HOLY one; The TRUE one; Who has “the key of David”; And who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one will open.

That because of Who He is, they stand in a much different place than their external circumstances might make it seem.

Though they have no access to the throne of political power in Rome; are suffering due to their location, and labor under the whims of foolish and sinful leadership – their situation must be understood in far different terms than just the surface facts. No matter what things might look like on the surface, the reality is far different once the place of Christ in the whole matter is considered.

They must know that Jesus the Christ, their Lord and King – King over the Caesar, King over creation and earthquakes, sovereign over circumstances and certainly over His own people – this Jesus has the full authority of Heaven.

And above all – He opens for them a door of access to the very throne of the Living God that no one can shut for them.

II. Declaration of insight – 2 Parts: To the Church, and to their persecutors. 8 “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.

PART A: a. I know your works.
1. I’ve set before you an open door
2. I know you have little power
The implications are plain:

What little “work” you CAN do, I notice. Little strength is no bar to service. They are still a “working” people!

Little strength is no bar to full entrance into the Kingdom of Jesus. He has set before them an open door no one can shut.

Little strength is no hindrance to real effectiveness.

Why? How is it that being poor, having no power is no detriment to serving God well?

“I know you have kept my Word and not denied my name.”

What does it take to be a faithful servant of Christ? 2 Things He mentions here – coupled with the open door He has already referred to –
1. Keeping His Word – Knowing, Cherishing, Obeying, Preserving & Proclaiming His Word.
SUM: Believing and Trusting His Word, so as to live your life by it.
1. Not denying His name – Refusing to compromise on Who Jesus Christ is: His deity, humanity, substitutionary death on the Cross, ascension to power, coming Kingdom and exclusivity.
Living the Christian life AS A Christian. As publicly His. Not backing down from bearing His name.

PART B: 9 – “Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.”

To unpack this well, we need to be reminded that Scripture delineates 2 very different kinds of “Jew”: The “inward”, and the “outward” Jew.

Paul explains these in Romans 2:28-29 / “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

What the New Covenant reveals to us is that there is “A” People of God – Ethnic Israel (Jews) whom God chose out of all the peoples on the earth, to be His, and the means through which He both kept ongoing communication to the World, and through whom the Messiah would come.

And while they were (or are) truly God’s people, they were also a TYPE or a picture of the FINAL and SPIRITUAL People of God. They were not all that is wrapped up in being God’s People.

So we are taught in Ephesians 2:11-22 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time 5separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Now there is an amazing scriptural irony here. And once again, Jesus assumes the Philadelphians will make a critical Old Testament connection and do that in light of the radical transition that has taken place since Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.”

The Church doesn’t replace Israel as so many have errantly suggested, but rather the Church is the FULFILLMENT of Israel – it is the fulness of what Israel began and typified. Israel was the root, but the Church is the full flower. THE People of God – both Jews and Gentiles, who are born again by the Spirit of Christ and are reconciled as Christ’s people to the Father by His blood.

There is a perennial problem with us taking things God has done as temporary or has put in place as types or shadows, and trying to make the final substance out of them.

A good example would be what happened in case of 2 Kings 18 and Nehushtan: He (Hezekiah) “removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)”

The same thing happened with the ephod that Gideon made after vanquishing the Midianites. What was a memorial to God’s victory on their behalf, became an object of worship. Judges 8:27 – “And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.”

So in Jesus’ words here, the very promise originally given to Israel about her persecutors, will be fulfilled in an ironic twist by the Jews themselves, having rejected Jesus as Messiah and Lord – and finally bowing down to acknowledge the true Israel of God.

There are 3 references to this this idea in Isaiah: Isaiah 45:14; 49:23 and 60:14. The 60:14 portion is of particular interest here: “The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”

What a fulfillment of this prophecy! And how it is transformed in the age of the New Covenant.

These Jews who were persecuting the Church – precisely how we do not know, but perhaps by saying that the Christians have no part in the promises and Kingdom of God because these belong only to the ethnic “Jews” – these are now styled “the synagogue of Satan.” And by their attempt to close the door of salvation to any but themselves – find themselves fulfilling this prophecy, but on the wrong end! They are the ones who in time will have to come and bow down before these Christians and acknowledge that THEY are the “City of the Lord.” So in vs. 12 – Jesus actually says He will write on them “the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem.” Believers – Jews and Gentiles are the citizenry of that new city. NOT mere ethnic Jews.

III. The Call: 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Promise of”keeping”. “I will keep you from the hour.”

Some have interpreted this as implying that those who hold fast to Jesus’ name and Word will be raptured and kept from the Great Tribulation. I cannot go into that topic now, will tackle it later – but what it DOES state is that regardless of what faithful Christians might have to endure, they will be KEPT by God.

Perhaps this is more in keeping with the type of Noah. How he and his family were kept THROUGH the flood, not FROM the flood. So when God causes His judgment to come on the earth in a final tribulation, He will keep His own safe and secure. The only other place in the NT where this same construction is used is in John 17:15 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

Promise of His soon coming. So keep looking forward to the promise, rather than seeing the here and now as the final word. The idea of soon here is not so much in terms of how His return is related to their particular point in time – but that there is no delay going on. All is going according to schedule and nothing will delay it.

Hold fast to retain your crown. Stephanon not diadema. The crown awarded those who finish a race.

In a marathon, there is only one winner, but all that finish are recognized. It isn’t about those who started, but those who FINISH! And this is the way it is in the Christian life. Christ has WON the race, but all who go on to finish, receive recognition as having finished the course.

So Jesus mentions the faithfulness of “keeping His Word” and of “patient endurance.”

Since Philadelphia was also the site of many early contests and Olympic like games – this would have really resonated with them.

What does it take to hold fast? To “conquer” in their situation?

Holding on to what they had: His Word, and Upholding His Name. And entering in through the open door He has provided.

This is Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden. And for those who do finish by keeping His Word and Upholding His name – He gives a 3-Fold Promise:

In direct contrast to the literally shaky ground on which they live in this earthquake ravaged region: they will be Made a “pillar” – Not going “out” any more – No more earthquakes.

What did one do when an earthquake struck in their day? Run outside so as not to be buried in the rubble. And what will they receive in Christ? Absolute – never ending SECURITY! Freedom from all upheaval. Eternal, absolute stability.

Bearing the name of God – Christ’s name. Once again, it would appear that Jesus is making allusions to a repeated Old Testament motif and how God often promises to put His name on His people.

But there is one place in my estimation which outstrips them all – Isaiah 9:6–7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

His “name” shall be called – not His nameS – plural. One, glorious, hyphenated NAME: Pele-joez-el gibbor-abiad-sar-shalom. Wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. A name above all other names. Ultimate supreme authority and power in ruling and reigning over all.

We will be known as those bearing His name – Not Rochesterians, or Philadelphians, or even Americans but Pelejoeselgibborabiadsarshalomians!

Bearing the name of the City of God – The NEW Jerusalem, not the old one.

IV. The Reminder: 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Once again Beloved – maybe you have agonized over whether or not you can really serve God effectively or with lasting impact given your situation and or lack of resources, opportunity or ability.

YES! A thousand times yes!

Hold fast His Word.

Uphold His name in a world that rejects His person, work and exclusivity.

And take advantage of the open door that no one can shut. Become a man or woman of prayer. Seek His face on behalf of others – His Church, this nation, the needs of the saints around you – and plead for the return of Christ to consummate His Kingdom in its fulness.

The weakest, most poorly equipped, poorest, and least able Christian can enter into the Throne Room of the Living God and have His ear. And NO ONE NO ONE can keep you out, or render your prayers ineffective.

John Flavel: Prayers; the best office one Christian can do to another.

Spurgeon: Prayer is the never-failing resort of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use your sword you may take to the weapon of all-prayer. Your powder may be damp, your bow-string may be relaxed, but the weapon of all-prayer need never be out of order. Leviathan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at prayer. Sword and spear need furbishing, but prayer never rusts, and when we think it most blunt it cuts the best. Prayer is an open door which none can shut. Devils may surround you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, and as long as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall into the enemy’s hand…Prayer is never out of season: in summer and in winter its merchandise is precious. Prayer gains audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or obscurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will welcome your prayer and answer it from his holy place. Nor is prayer ever futile…You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real wants supplied. When God does not answer his children according to the letter, he does so according to the spirit.
1. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).
There is a Fountain – and then some.

August 19th, 2017

The Olney Hymns as they were called, were a joint effort by John Newton and William Cowper. They were first published in 1779. In part, they were to be used as a means of making Biblical truths memorable for those who were less educated and able in Newton’s parish. Set to music, they made sound theology accessible and memorable.

Among those hymns is one ascribed to Cowper, inspired by Zechariah 13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” We know the poem and thus the hymn as “There is a Fountain Filled With Blood.”

While most of us are familiar with the standard five verses, there were in fact 2 additional stanzas that never made into the sung version we have today.

Here is the poem in full, with its last 2 stanzas included. They are sweet.

1 THERE is a fountain fill’d with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plung’d beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

2 The dying thief rejoic’d to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, as vile as he,
Wash’d all my sins away.

3 Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its pow’r,
Till all the ransom’d church of God
Be sav’d to sin no more.

4 E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

5 Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing thy pow’r to save;
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave.

6 Lord, I believe thou hast prepar’d
(Unworthy though I be)
For me a blood-bought free reward,
A golden harp for me!

7 ’Tis strung and tun’d, for endless years,
And form’d by pow’r divine;
To sound in God the Father’s ears
No other name but thine.

John Newton and Richard Cecil, The Works of John Newton, vol. 3 (London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1824), 392–393.
A Lesson in Context – A Tale from my oft mis-spent youth.

August 17th, 2017

Genesis 31:44–49 “Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, ⁴⁹ and Mizpah, for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.”

When I was a young man, I was dating a girl who was about to go off to Bible College in the mid-west. I was absolutely mad for her. And in a Christian bookstore, looking for a gift to give her, I found a piece of jewelry. It was a heart, cut into two to make two necklaces which fit together like puzzle pieces when side by side. It was almost identical to the picture above.

There was one half for each of us to wear. Jewelry, romantic AND Biblical. A grand slam.

On on the heart – when the two pieces were put together were these words from the text above: “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight” – along with the Scripture reference.

But I, like the manufacturer, never bothered to understand the context. That in fact these words are an explicit statement of distrust – and not a statement of fondness and well wishing while apart. For the text goes on to say: “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”

There was no love-loss between Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. Jacob had deceived Laban and ran off with his wives, children and flocks out of fear and with no little amount of anger and resentment. They made this pact together as a sort of mutually assured distrust of retaliation.

Hardly the “spiritual” and romantic message I was hoping to convey.

One more example of how unthinking we can be in taking verses out of their context, and using them in ways never intended.
Letter to the Church at Philadelphia – Sermon notes

August 14th, 2017
Revelation Part 9 – Philadelphia

Rev. 3:7-13

Psalm 33

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Philadelphia – the “city of brotherly love.” That is what the word philadephia means: love of brothers.

It wasn’t named that because that was the city’s character or out of some sense of wanting a community that represented brotherly love – the name comes from 2 real brothers – Attalus and Eumenes in the 2^nd century B.C.

Eumenes was king over the ancient empire of Pergamum. In 172 B.C.E., Eumenes, sided with the Romans in a major battle, was attacked and reported dead.

Attalus immediately replaced his brother as King and then married his brother’s widow in order to care for her.

A short time later, Eumenes turned up alive. Upon returning home, Attalus divorced the widow he had married so she could return her to her husband, and then ceded the throne back to his brother. And for this display of love and loyalty to his brother, he earned the name Attalus philadephias. And thus this city is named after him.

This city name will play an important role in understanding some of what Jesus has to say to His church in this city as we progress.

And I will say up front that this particular letter is so packed with Old Testament references and allusions, that we’ll have to break it into 2 parts – this week and next.

Which also tells us something about the Philadelphian Church. It tells us Jesus assumed they were so conversant with the Old Testament, that the connections He makes would be readily recognized and accessible to them in a practical way.

It makes me wonder if Jesus wrote such a letter to us today – would we know our Bibles so well, the connections would be as obvious to us as they appear to have been to them?

Historically, Philadelphia had been wracked with violent earthquakes throughout its history. In 17 C.E., it was the epicenter of such a devastating quake that the Emperor Caligula – as insane as he was, still gave them a 5 year break from paying their tax tribute while they rebuilt.

Even to the time of the writing of this letter, they were continually plagued by aftershocks. In fact few people lived in the city proper because the buildings kept falling down.

At the same time they were in the most productive grape growing region in the Roman empire due to its exceedingly rich volcanic soil. That is, until the Emperor Domitian (died 96 around the time this letter was written) decided the Empire needed more corn, and ordered ½ of all the vineyards there cut down in order to grow corn. It totally devastated the local economy. Tho the soil was exceptional for grapes, one can barely grow corn in it at all. They were wiped out by his unthinking plan.

All of these things will factor into the balance of the letter as we progress through it.

Without any divergence from the pattern Jesus has used so far in the previous 5 letters, He begins once again with an appeal to the vision in Ch. 1.

You will recall how the vision there represents Jesus as both a High Priest, and a King, and in purity and power. These ideas are fleshed out even more here – tho not as directly as in some of the other letters.
1. Appeal to the revelation of Ch. 1: 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.”
Jesus points to 4 things about Himself that are vital for this church who will receive no rebukes and only encouragement from Him. These speak directly to the Church which is living in a place of poverty, continual upheavals due to earthquake activity, victims of governmental flip-flops and mismanagement and additionally, persecution by the local Jewish community.

So Jesus begins –

He is: The HOLY one

The TRUE one

Who has “the key of David”And who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one will open.

And who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one will open.

Lest we miss the point here – Jesus is reminding His people that because of Who He is, they stand in a much different place than their external circumstances might make it seem.

As opposed to the debauched and insane Caligula – King Jesus is the Holy King. He CANNOT sin against them. He cannot do them wrong in any way.

Contrary to the uninformed Domitian – Jesus not only knows all things truly, but is Truth Himself! He will neither deceive them, nor make decisions on their behalf that are miscalculations or harmful.

Having the key of David – He is a present ruler over all as God’s appointed King – and they are under His authority, care and protection – especially in spiritual reality – no matter who sits in the seat of political power.

And as The One who opens and no one shuts, and shuts so that no one can open – He alone determines who gets an audience with God and who does not.

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

To unpack that last phrase about the open door that He opens and none can shut etc., we need to see where it comes from. For it is a powerful reference to a scene unfolded in Isaiah 22 – that would have spoken volumes to the Philadelphian first readers.

To spare you too much detail, Isa. 22 tells the account of Israel at a very sad point in its history. A point the Philadelphian church could identify with.

Vss. 1-14 Paint the initial picture. The setting is the time of the reign of Hezekiah. Jerusalem had been threatened by Assyria, and Hezekiah thought he had bought the Assyrians off with a large sum of gold. That delayed a siege but didn’t prevent it. As Assyria pressed again, Jerusalem was delivered miraculously. An angel of the Lord killed 185,000 of the Assyrian troops in one night – and they withdrew. This was a result of humble prayer and seeking the face of God on the part of the King. But more was going on as well.

That done, the leadership and the people began to put their trust in making preparations for future attacks by building new walls and fortifications, gathering weapons, diverting their water supply so it could not be cut off by foreign raiders and even tearing down houses to get material to fortify themselves.

Upon completion of their preparations, they broke out into a massive party – thinking themselves now impervious to any further attacks.

Isaiah sees this scene, but his interpretation of it is far different from theirs. There is nothing wrong in being rightly prepared, but their problem was a spiritual one, not just a military one.

And this is key to the Philadelphians as well. For it is easy for us to have a merely earthly perspective on crucial things, putting our eggs into temporal baskets while forgetting the real need and the greater picture as seen from God’s perspective.

While the inhabitants of Jerusalem are partying – reveling in their new found, self-made security – Isaiah thinks about the number of towns and villages that had been decimated in these previous attacks, and the 200,000 plus Jews taken captive. He is weeping and lamenting over them while those in Jerusalem are celebrating their ingenuity and preparedness.

This is no time for revelry in Isaiah’s eyes. And on top of that, he looks ahead to the day when the Babylonians will eventually come and burn Jerusalem to the ground – despite the preparations they think have made them so safe.

They were trusting in their own power and solutions – and not repenting and crying out to God for His continued intervention.

These are two very different points of view.

Vss. 15-26 Narrow the focus down to two men. Shebna and Eliakim.

Shebna was the King’s steward, and the man most responsible for this great defensive campaign they had embarked upon. And once the revelry started, he actually went out to build for himself a monumental tomb – so that he would be remembered as a hero in posterity.

So unfitting were his actions, both in putting his and the people’s trust in their armaments, and planning for his legacy, that God pronounces He will remove Shebna from office in disgrace, and put Eliakim in His place.

And this is where what Jesus says in the letter to the Philadelphians finds it connection. God says of Shebna and Eliakim: Isaiah 22:19–22 “I will thrust you (Shebna) from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

Do you see the wording Jesus pulled directly from this passage? He will place on Eliakim’s shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

The 2-fold picture is this: One, who acts with the full authority of the King has the key of the house of David on his shoulder.

In John’s vision of Jesus in ch.1 you will remember Jesus holds the keys of death and of Hell. Holding “keys” is always a symbol of authority in the Bible. That vision is now expanded further.

It is a powerful image to communicate what we read in Jesus’ own words in Matt. 28:18 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

The key speaks of His authority, and that it is on His shoulder depicts His bearing the full weight of it.

But the imagery isn’t, over yet. He goes on to use the phrase regarding opening a door which none can shut, or shutting a door no one can open – as part and parcel of having the key of David or the authority of the King.

What does that mean?

It is common to take this image as indicating that the Philadelphian church had a door of opportunity for witness open to them, even in the midst of their difficult circumstances. And while that idea is certainly true, the question is whether or not that is what is being intended by Jesus appealing to the words of Isaiah 22.

Based upon the Isaiah passage, we come away with a rather different focus. One which was aimed at bolstering the faith and confidence of this diminutive and suffering assembly.

In the day of Isaiah, one who had the King’s key on his shoulder, to act as the King’s direct agent with all of The King’s authority – was also the one who alone granted or prohibited an entrance to gain an audience with the King.

If this guy opens the way – you can get in. If He shuts the door, you have no chance.

Back to Philadelphia.

To a Church with no access to the throne of political power in Rome; who suffer constant uncertainty due to their location; and under whims of foolish and sinful leadership – their situation must be understood in far different terms than just these surface facts.

They needed to be reminded that no matter what things might look like on the surface, the reality is far different once the place of Christ in the whole matter is considered.

They must know that Jesus the Christ, their Lord and King – King over the Caesar; King over creation and earthquakes; sovereign over circumstances and certainly over His own people; – this Jesus has the full authority of Heaven.

And above all – He opens for them a door of access to the very throne of the Living God that no one can shut or keep them from.

You cannot miss the echo of Paul’s words in Romans 5 that Ed preached from last week: Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

They are to lift their eyes above the world around them, to see things as they REALLY are, through the eyes of God!

And then to remember that they have been granted access to the true throne of power in the Universe – the throne of God Himself.

Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful

And what a powerful word that is for us today as well isn’t it?

I cannot help but think how many in this last Presidential election began to put their hope and trust in political swing rather than looking to the heavenly perspective?

Looking to Supreme Court Justices and political parties and appointees. Looking to the advent of new policies and direction.

But our great hope doesn’t rest in any of those – as good as they may be in and of themselves.

Our hope is in the Holy one who cannot sin against us…

In the True one who cannot lie or mislead us…

In the One who has the key of David on His shoulder – who has all Royal power and authority over us AND nature AND antagonists…

The Who has opened the door of salvation for us through faith in His name which no one can possibly shut – a salvation that gives us unfettered access to the throne of grace…

The one who alone has the power to shut that door so that only those who are His may have this place and its benefits.

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why does He care so much that His people in these straightened circumstances focus upon His holiness?

Because if we cannot trust the One who is in ultimate control to be absolutely holy, so as to never sin against us or do anything but what is good, then we will tremble at every adversity.

And why emphasize that He is true? Because we do not know the WHOLE truth until we understand His role in the world around us.

Why emphasize the key of David on His shoulder? That we might know He is the ultimate authority – and no one nor anything else is.

And why emphasize He has put an open door before us that no one can shut? That we might place our trust where it belongs – in the grace and power of the God who gave His Son to die on our behalf – that we might be reconciled to the Father by His blood, and look to Him in every circumstance of life – as our true security, safety and reward.

So that we might join our voices with David’s irrespective of the outward circumstances and say:

Psalm 33:1–22 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
As I was reading today – Proverbs 13:22

August 10th, 2017

On the surface, the wisdom here is plain – we are to think of the generations which follow us. And it is right we take this in the first place in terms of leaving a material inheritance of some sort. It need not be much. Simply a token that we had not been a selfish squanderer. Thinking beyond ourselves.

But there are other things which may be left to our children’s children of even greater value. A good name. A reputation of being a wise, godly, loving person. Their experience of us as having been those who set the Cross ever before us and lived as seeking the city whose builder and maker is God. The capturing of our testimony of having come to Christ as a light to them. The fruit of our Bible study and reading. The benefit of laying down the lessons we have learned in life – especially in our walk with Christ. Of their having experienced the love, mercy and acceptance of Christ through us – at our hands and in our conduct toward them and others.

These and more are fabulous things to bequeath those who come behind us. They cost no money at all. And endure to all eternity.
Letter to the Church at Sardis – Sermon notes – Rev. Part 8

August 1st, 2017
Revelation Part 8 – Sardis

Revelation 3:1–6

1 Cor. 10:1-12

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Our study has now led us to the 5^th city Jesus is addressing in His letters to the churches.

On one hand this is one of the most severe letters, and on the other, one of the most comforting. We’ll see just how this is as we move on.

By far, Sardis – historically – was the most prominent city among the 7.

Set in a valley through which the Pactolus river runs, Sardis had its acropolis – the main part of the city 1,500ft above the rest of the city – where its inhabitants could run for protection when there was trouble.

In fact, Sardis had a reputation for being an impregnable stone city. Its main portion sitting in this high perch among rocks and stone which were highly friable – would easily crumble – making attacks extremely difficult. Unless one knew the well hidden and difficult way up – you could not attack it with any success.

The hubris this supposed impregnability fostered in the Sardian citizens will make its way into what Jesus has to say to the Church there as well.

In truth, for all its vaunted impregnability the city had been conquered twice in the past, even though its people still boasted and thought of themselves as quite safe and unassailable.

And, it was a very, very wealthy city.

In Greek mythology King Midas asked a god that everything he touched might turn to gold.

However, once given the “Midas touch” – even his food and daughter turned to gold when he touched them. His “blessing” became a curse. And eventually he had to wash off that touch in a river to become normal again.

That river was this one – the Pactolus. And due to the large amount of gold-dust which was found here over time, the myth became legend, and a way to explain why Sardis had so much gold and was so fabulously wealthy.

I. 3:1a & b. Appeal to the Rev. of Ch. 1: “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

Jesus is about to say some of the hardest things He has to say to any of the 7 Churches, but He prefaces it with a reminder that He still OWNS them or “has” them as the text says.

As much as He has the 7 Spirits of God – an allusion to the Holy Spirit in all of His perfections – so too, He still holds the Churches.

“I’m about to say some very hard things to you, but I say them as one who still loves you and claims you as my own. Even with what I am about to say – I have not disowned you. You are mine.”

What a wonderful approach to a heavy, disciplinary confrontation.

Would to God we would be so affirming with our children our spouses or others when hard things need to be said.

He says them with the reminder that they are loved, owned and not written off, tho even in a very dire condition.

It is why the writer to the Hebrews reminds us all: Hebrews 12:5–11

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

So it is Christ Jesus will come to the Sardian Church speaking hard words, that they may share in His holiness, NOT, to beat them down.

Which leads us to what it is that is so difficult to hear, that they need this reassurance at the outset –

II. 3:1c & 2c Declaration of Insight:

1c – I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

2c – for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

Jesus’ concerns with them are wholly unlike those in the other churches thus far.

Sardis does not appear to have a problem with sexual immorality like Pergamum.

There is no mention of spiritual adultery or mixture with pagan worship like Thyatira.

There is nothing said regarding compromises with the culture brought on by fearing persecution.

And nothing about a loss of their first love like Ephesus.

Nevertheless – like their city which had a reputation for being impregnable but wasn’t – this Church had a reputation of being alive and vibrant, when in fact it was dead!

In modern parlance – they self-identified as spiritually alive, when they were actually dead.

“I know your works” He says and that they are not “complete” (2c)

It isn’t that they’ve outwardly done wicked things, it is more that they have failed to complete their mission – their call. Something’s missing.

In some way, they have failed at what it means to be Christ’s representatives, His witness and His Church in this place.

In this is a very important lesson. All of sin falls roughly into 2 categories: Sins of COMISSION – where we act contrary to God’s desires, and sins of OMISSION – where we simply fail to do what we are called to. When we refuse to take up the roles and responsibilities that are ours as Christ’s people in the world.

Jesus gives us several examples of this in Matthew 23. We’ll only look at 1 briefly. :23–24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

The problem there wasn’t overt acts of disobedience – but failure to incorporate all God had called them to – calls us to! Attention to details but missing bigger things.

Now in what way this was true in Sardis, Jesus’ unpacks in the next section.

III. 3:2-3 The Call: a. 2 – Wake up: Here’s the chief indicator that the problem is one of VIGILANCE. Wake up!

Remember how I mentioned that Sardis’ acropolis was a stone city and considered impregnable?

Of the several times it WAS conquered, the fatal error was due to a failure to be vigilant, and over trusting their condition.

In one account, when Cyrus (yes, the same Cyrus as in Daniel) was besieging the city, he was stymied at how to scale the fragile cliffs to attack.

One evening, a Sardian guard, not paying good attention to his duties, had taken his helmet off and set it on the wall. Inadvertently he knocked the helmet off the wall and it fell below. Not thinking, and wanting to quickly fix the mistake so as not to be found out, he took the hidden passageway down the side of the cliffs to retrieve it. Not knowing that all the while he was being observed by a Persian soldier. The soldier then carefully noted the route by which the Sardian guard went back up, told his commander, and they then used that route to enter and take the city!

Jesus draws on this popular history of Sardis to drive home the point about their current problem. VIGILANCE was lacking in some way.
1. 2b – and strengthen what remains and is about to die, [ ]
Now this sounds pretty dire, and indeed it is. Something is remaining, of what they ought to have been vigilant over, but it is very little and even now about to die. What is it then?
1. 3a – Remember, then, what you received and heard.
They were failing to be vigilant over what they received and heard, so much so, that without immediate attention – all would be lost.

And the language is suited to help us see the problem pretty clearly. It is very similar to Paul’s wording in 1 Cor. 15:1–2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

Similar too to John’s words in 1 John 1:1–3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

So Paul’s admonitions to Timothy: 2 Tim. 1:13–14 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

2 Tim. 2:1–2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

The Sardian Church hadn’t fallen into overt or external sin, but what appears to be slipping, is faithfulness over, vigilance in guarding and keeping – the Gospel they had first heard preached and received.

This is one of the greatest, most subtle and deadly dangers any Church can fall into. For it is the assumed things which eventually become the lost things.

The Gospel can be lost through lack of vigilance a number of ways.

We can lose the Gospel when we preach it in such a way that a transformed life isn’t part of the picture. Just believe in Jesus and don’t worry about fighting indwelling sin or putting to death the deeds of the flesh – a Gospel without repentance.

Too, we can lose the Gospel when we preach a Christ who died simply as an example of love and not as a true substitute for sinners.

Imagine someone drowning in the ocean, and someone else saying “Let me show you how much I love you!” and jumping into the ocean and drowning too. How does that show love? It doesn’t. And the idea that Jesus simply died to show us how much He loved us without reference to suffering our just penalty for sin is the same absolute nonsense.

Thirdly, the Gospel is especially lost – tho so religiously subtly – when it is turned into a Gospel of niceness or goodness saves.

I show you the following video not to pick on a person – in this case the comedian Jim Carrey, but to show you how this has infected American Christianity. This video came with the title: “Jim Carrey speaks about salvation and the love of Jesus.” And the comments appended to it declared how he gave the Gospel.

The video played can be found in full HERE

Did you hear that?

We do not need God the Father to forgive us and cleanse us from our sins by the blood of Christ – WE forgive others – and that is salvation! It is suffering which leads to salvation – not faith in Christ!

Forgiveness “leads to grace”. Grace isn’t freely given, we earn it.

Our compassion and forgiveness opens the gates of Heaven.

In these cases the Gospel ceases to be the Gospel at all.

We lose the reality that man is a willful sinner – fallen and bound to sin in such a way that he cannot save himself, and indeed does not WANT to save himself.

Lost, is the fact that salvation requires a substitutionary death to pay the penalty for our sin so that we can be found not guilty.

That we need the righteousness of another – even Jesus Christ to be imputed to us that we might be counted worthy, and reconciled to God the Father.

That without the shedding of blood there is NO remission of sins. And that faith in the atoning, substitutionary work of Jesus on Calvary is absolutely essential.

That as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 – one must be born again. And that apart from that new birth by the Spirit of God, we cannot even SEE the Kingdom of God.

When we forsake the Gospel for a view of man that makes us essentially good so that all we need is just a little help or enlightenment or a hand up.

Or when the Gospel is twisted into just being a good person as we might deem good people. Nice people go to Heaven.

Or when the need for the blood of Christ as the just penalty for our sins is denied.

Or as has been documented so well recently as the American Gospel of “moralistic, therapeutic, deism.” Just be moral, have some sense of “God” and know He is there just when you need Him to help life go well – then we too might be a Church that has a reputation for being alive, but is in fact – dead.

All the outward trappings of Church. Bible. Hymns. Good works. Charity. Classes. But no Gospel! Not the Biblical Gospel. The Gospel of American success and niceness.
1. 3b – Keep it, and repent. Keep this Gospel. Guard it. Cherish it.
2. 3c – If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
IV3:4-6 Reminder: 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

How had some soiled their garments? White garments are a common figure in Scripture for righteousness. And we soil the imputed righteousness of Christ which is needed for genuine salvation when we muddy it up with religion and works and self-righteousness.

But some in Sardis had still not surrendered the Gospel – they were still clothed in Jesus’ righteousness alone by faith.

5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.

And the guarantee is – no matter if the entire Church perishes there, those who are still clinging to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ – of salvation by grace alone vs. personal effort; of faith alone vs. personal merit, because of Christ alone as the sole substitutionary sacrifice for our sins to be received by faith: They WILL be preserved. No matter how harshly Christ must deal with that Church. The Gospel saves!

So Jesus ends on this promise: I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

For those who place their faith entirely in His cross-work, and confess Him before men in clinging to the Gospel, He promises He will own them as His own saved ones before the Father in the final judgment.

6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

This then, as in the other letters, He wraps up by appealing not just to the Church as a body, but to each individual in the Church.

A Gospel that cannot find me dead in my trespasses and sins, and raise me from the dead is NOT GOOD NEWS!

A Gospel that tells me I have save myself by being a good person – when I know in truth I can do nothing equal to the perfect righteousness God requires – even His own – It isn’t GOOD NEWS.

A gospel that says Jesus loves me – but did nothing to take away my sin and my guilt and satisfy the justice of God on my behalf as my substitute on the cross isn’t just NOT GOOD NEWS, It is a damning lie – no matter how pretty or inviting it sounds.

Now more then ever – the Church needs to be sure we cling to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world – who dies on behalf of wounded, broken, sin-saturated, condemned sinners – and satisfies God for us in His death, takes the final penalty in His burial, justifies us in His resurrection, and returns to glorify us in making us fully into His image.

1 WITH Satan, my accuser, near,
My spirit trembled when I saw
The Lord in majesty appear,
And heard the language of his law.

2 In vain I wish’d and strove to hide
The tatter’d filthy rags I wore;
While my fierce foe insulting cry’d,
“See what you trusted in before!”

3 Struck dumb, and left without a plea,
I heard my gracious Saviour say,
“Know, Satan, I this sinner free,
I died to take his sins away.

4 This is a brand which I, in love,
To save from wrath and sin design;
In vain thy accusations prove;
I answer all, and claim him mine.”

5 At his rebuke the tempter fled;
Then he remov’d my filthy dress;
“Poor sinner, take this robe,” he said,
“It is thy Saviour’s righteousness.

6 And see, a crown of life prepar’d!
That I might thus thy head adorn;
I thought no shame or suffering hard,
But wore for thee a crown of thorn.”

7 O how I heard these gracious words!
They broke and heal’d my heart at once;
Constrain’d me to become the Lord’s,
And all my idol-gods renounce.

8 Now, Satan, thou hast lost thy aim,
Against this brand thy threats are vain;
Jesus has pluck’d it from the flame,
And who shall put it in again?

John Newton and Richard Cecil, The Works of John Newton, vol. 3 (London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1824), 390–391.
Letter to the Church at Thyatira – Revelation Part 7

July 24th, 2017
1 Kings 16:29-34

Rev. 2:18-29

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Thyatira was a trade city, a very prosperous commercial center. Famous for its large number of trade guilds or unions.

Unions, that like those in Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum required their members to sacrifice to the patron gods of those unions. Making life rather complicated for a committed follower of Christ Jesus.

You may remember the account in Acts 16 when Paul was ministering in the City of Philippi how he came upon a group of women gathered by the river there to pray – and among them was a woman named Lydia. She was from this city of Thyatira, and appears to be a wealthy woman engaged in the business of selling purple goods.

Now the letter to Thyatira stands out as unique in comparison especially to Ephesus and Pergamum.

The Ephesian problem was PERVASIVE. A general loss of their first love. Their sense of the greatness of Christ’s love and how that should fuel their love – for Him and for one another had waned terribly.

Pergamum however had those PRESENT who practiced immorality and compromise, reinforced by systematized errors. But it did not appear to affect all like the Ephesian problem.

Thyatira in contrast had a singular, influential PERSONALITY within its ranks leading people astray by claiming to have special spiritual insight as a prophetess.

So we move from a pervasive problem, to one simply present down to one located mainly in a person, tho others are also affected.

In them all, we see how individually Jesus deals with His churches.

As before, following the pattern Jesus has used so far – we begin with…

I. The Appeal to the revelation in Ch. 1: 2:18 And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

Once again, Jesus gives a sense of the direction He is heading in by virtue of how He presents himself to this Church.
1. He has eyes like a flame of fire – He sees all. And sees all by virtue of His own light – He requires no additional source to get His understanding. He searches and knows with laser brightness and accuracy – with personal knowledge of their circumstances and condition.
2. Whose feet are like burnished bronze: an allusion to the vision of Daniel in Daniel 10. Thyatira was known for having invented a process of creating a zinc/copper alloy that in their day was highly prized for its durability. It was used both for weapons and as coins due to its value. It is a unique word in all known Greek literature and may even have been a tradename like Kleenex. Even other brands of tissues we call Kleenex, and so this was a special mark of Thyatira’s success. So, as we saw when we first looked at the vision in Ch. 1 – this picture of purity and its value will play a major role in what He has to say to them and using their word – uniquely to them.
II. The Declaration of Insight: 2:19 I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

The commendation Jesus gives them here is almost as startling as the severity of the problem He identifies.

This is a solid, solid church.

I know your works: They are a DOING Church.

I know your love (unlike Ephesus).

I know your faith – They are a believing Church.

I know your service – They are a Church of deacons!

I know your patient endurance – They are holding the fort well.

I know your latter works exceed the first – They are a progressing Church.

These are not hacks. Not Christians in name only. This is an active, vital, authentic, loving, serving and doing assembly.

And yet – with all of these truly good and laudable characteristics, there is still a severe problem.

We might be tempted to say – “C’mon! Leave them alone. Yes there is an issue – but golly, can’t we overlook that given all else that is so positive? “

Jesus in effect says – no.

2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

With all of these truly wonderful things in place, they have a very critical issue: They have “tolerated” this woman – this “prophetess Jezebel, to influence some in the congregation without censure.

More than likely, Jezebel was not this woman’s actual name, but is a reference to the Jezebel of the OT we just heard read about in 1 Kings. That name is peculiar and is neither Greek nor Jewish. The likelihood of THIS Jezebel being her real name, and not a play on what she does is pretty slim.

It is interesting to note that of all the bad things King Ahab of Israel is noted for – marrying Jezebel is listed as his most egregious.

1 Kings 16:31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.

Although Israel as the northern Kingdom separate from Judah had already fallen into some forms of idol worship – it was originally false worship of the true God. But Jezebel’s influence on her milk-sap of a sorry husband Ahab led him and the rest of the nation into the depths of full blown pagan worship of Baal. Ahab’s predecessor had set up golden calves as an alternative to worship in Judah at the Temple – but this action brought pagan worship right into their midst and attempted to blend the 2. We call that syncretism.

It’s from this we make the connection to the Thyatiran Jezebel. She, apparently claiming to have had direct revelations from God as a “prophetess” thought to lead Church into some sort of deeper spiritual life, which in the process – allowed Christians to worship and serve the Roman pagan gods without a problem. It was syncretism. You can serve the true God AND these other gods, and everything is fine.

Jesus uses the highly rhetorical “deep things of Satan” in vs. 24 to categorize this “deeper life” teaching Jezebel was espousing.

It’s deeper alright – but not deeper in God – deeper in Satan.

The question as to whether or not the “sexual immorality” mentioned here is actual immorality like that in Pergamum – or is more like the OT idea of serving other gods being spiritual adultery or immorality is open. But from what we’ll see later in Revelation – it seems spiritual adultery is the real idea here.

As Jesus had taught in the Gospels: Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Or as James puts it: James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Wanting what the world wants, and bending our Christianity to baptize greed, lust, want of external security, or simply our own way – is spiritual adultery. This theme is graphically unpacked in the book of Hosea, where God treats the spiritual infidelity of Israel as whoredom.

Hosea 4:12–14 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

It is seeking from the world what belongs only to our right relationship with Christ: Where He is our greatest gain; He is our deepest satisfaction; He is our peace and security – and He is our Lord, where we live to serve Him, and He does not exist to serve us.

What would a modern counterpart to the Thyatiran problem be?

It is the theology of “God wants me happy – and that settles all questions of morality and ethics.”

It is false teachers and prophets who preach and teach that their divine revelations will give you money and fame and position and power and a self-indulgent life.

You know full well I do not say things like this often or easily – but Paula White. Mike Murdock. Joel Osteen. Kenneth Copeland. John Avanzinni. Creflo Dollar. Benny Hinn. Joyce Meyer and the like – fall squarely into this category.

They trade off of divine revelations and insights they have supposedly received that make the pursuit of money and personal prosperity in whatever form – the holiest thing you can do!

These revelations Jezebel claimed to receive told them they could go and worship in these pagan temples that were the gods of the trade unions – as long as they also kept up worship of Jesus – so that they could stay in the unions and avoid the hardship which might come as a result of fidelity to Christ.

Bottom line? Serving God AND money was in fact the real issue. And it produced what God saw as adultery against Himself. It was a betrayal of their relationship to the true and living God. It was trying to serve 2 masters.

So there was this actual thing going on – that’s the first part of the problem. The 2^nd part was that the Church lacked the courage or the willingness or both – to confront her.

Just like we are so often too timid to call out this very same deception and those proffering it in our day by name.

The very word “tolerate” here is informative. One of its main meanings is: “to release from legal or moral obligation or consequence, cancel, remit, pardon.” They just kept letting it go. They were not asking this woman to take responsibility for what she was doing. They kept releasing her and those she influenced from moral obligation.

The truth is, we can be so skewed in what it means to be patient and forgiving, that we fail to make people accountable for their actions at all.

When this happens in or outside of the Church setting – it opens the door for all kinds of folly under the pretense of being non-judgmental, accepting and forgiving. But this tactic inevitably fails.

You see that in this very passage when Jesus says: 2:21–23 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

I gave her time to repent and now it is too late! No repentance is left for her, she will have to suffer the full weight of my judgment!

It is the graphic display of Proverbs 29:1 “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.”

The Father is patient, and does not chasten without warnings and reproofs. But when those warnings and reproofs are repeatedly rejected, He does finally move. In those times, His action is swift, and decisive. Better to hear these rebukes and learn, to confess and repent. To take whatever measures we need to. For when He is forced to act like this, we seldom emerge without permanent damage.

How far is too far when testing the patience of God? No one knows. That is the point. Some take God’s patience as a sign He is simply pleased with them as is. Others think it simply impossible to provoke Him. The wise man knows “the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience…is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4).

On a related side note: Let me ask – what has God been dealing with you about, that you continue to put off?

Beloved – Don’t wait until it is too late.

What is amazing in this passage – and where the Gospel comes into play here is – that even tho it is too late for Jezebel, Jesus allows for some of those who have been hornswoggled by her false teaching to still have time to repent (vs. 22). How GOOD HE IS!

III. The Call: 2:21–25 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come.

1. A simple announcement. She WILL BE JUDGED.

The idea of the “sickbed” here probably relates to physical sickness that will take her out of commission.

Had she been warned previously so that Jesus could say He had given her space to repent? Indeed – she had the Word at her disposal, and the right preaching and teaching of it apparently in the Thyatiran church. But she ignored the Holy Spirit’s true revelations on this subject in favor of her own.

And the striking of her children dead carries the idea of stamping out this detestable teaching once and for all. Not only will her teaching one day be destroyed, all that such teaching spawns will be wiped out as well.

And this, so that all the Churches will know how He searches the mind and the heart, and how He WILL bring justice in due course. A deceiver cannot remain undetected forever.

2. A call to her followers to turn around before it is too late for them.

IV. The Reminder: 2:26–29 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2 kinds of conquering emerge here.
1. Those who had been listening to and following Jezebel’s revelations – needed to repent of that.
2. The Church needed to repent of having refused to deal with her and her teaching sooner. To call her to account publicly.
And then once again, as though we cannot see grace upon grace upon grace enough – Jesus goes on to pronounce the most wonderful things to those in BOTH camps who repent.

a. To rule and reign with Christ.

One cannot help but think of Paul’s words in 2 Tim. 2:11–12a The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him;

And how the Book of Revelation revisits this theme later: 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The promise to those who forsake seeking the treasures and pleasures of this life are a promise of the most glorious inheritance.

1 Cor. 2:9–10 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

What a contrast – to seeking the “deep things” of Satan here, vs the depths of God for those who seek Him instead.

b. The Morning Star. 22:16 makes what is meant here crystal clear: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The glory of Christ Jesus Himself in all of His astounding and unveiled majesty and wonder. What of anything the world has to offer can compare to that? NOTHING!

Peter reminded us that Believers are a chosen race, a royal priesthood and a holy nation – so it is Ezekiel 44:28 prophesies about the day of restoration from the Lord – that for His people: “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.”

John Newton’s poem on the book of Lamentations.

From pole to pole let others roam,

And search in vain for bliss;

My soul is satisfied at home,

The Lord my portion is.

2 Jesus, who on his glorious throne

Rules heav’n, and earth, and sea,

Is pleas’d to claim me for his own,

And give himself to me.

3 His person fixes all my love,

His blood removes my fear;

And while he pleads for me above,

His arm preserves me here.

4 His word of promise is my food,

His Spirit is my guide;

Thus daily is my strength renew’d,

And all my wants supply’d.*

5 For him I count as gain each loss,

Disgrace, for him, renown;

Well may I glory in his cross,

While he prepares my crown!

6 Let worldlings then indulge their boast,

How much they gain or spend;

Their joys must soon give up the ghost,

But mine shall know no end.