REVELATION - The Kingdom and 7 Churches part 3

REVELATION - The Kingdom and 7 Churches part 3

Encouraging Words from Worship

Churches are resourceful and resilient and creative

I shared some of that creativity last week for some feel good humor

Everyone loved the church signs last week

So here we go with some more today

SLIDE 1 “CHURCH SIGN / NOW OPEN BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER”

SLIDE 2 “CHURCH SIGN / GOD SHOULD BE OUR STEERING WHEEL NOT OUR SPARE TIRE

SLIDE 3 “CHURCH SIGN / BE SALT AND LIGHT NOT SALTY AND LIT

SLIDE 4 “CHURCH SIGN / KNOW WHAT HELL IS? COME HEAR OUR PREACHER”

Today we pick up on 2 more of the seven churches of Revelation

SLIDE 5 “7 CHURCHES OF REVELATION”

For those who have received Christ as Lord and King this book is Revelation

For those who have not received Christ it will seem to be a book of apocalypse

We are only like 50 years old in the church in this setting

Keep in mind the Roman / Greek culture these 7 churches were in

Each area of these churches had some form of producing wealth

Surrounded by great amount of idolatry and paganism (Temple of Diana / Zeus so called gods of that day)

Greek philosophers and culture philosophy

Remember John sees Jesus in His glory when told to write this

SLIDE 6 “JESUS AMONG THE LAMP STANDS”

SLIDE 7

CHURCH IN EPHESUS (Rev 2:1-7)

(The Careless Church / Backsliding Church)

Busy working for the Lord but no sincere love for Him

Great statistics but drifted away from devotion to Christ

Jesus - holds the 7 stars and walks among the 7 lampstands

SLIDE 8

CHURCH IN SMYRNA (Rev 2:8-11)

No criticism from the Lord

In danger / poor and suffering

Did not compromise to escape persecution

Jesus - First and the Last, who was dead but now alive

SLIDE 9

CHURCH IN PERGAMUM (Rev 2:12-17)

Held to false doctrines

Professed Christ but lived in sin

Under heavy hand of spiritual dictators who promoted themselves

Jesus - the One with two edge sword out of His mouth

SLIDE 10

Revelation 2:18–19 (NASB95)

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

The eyes of fire and feet of brass come to see and to judge

This church had works, service and patience but was filled with sin

SLIDE 11

Revelation 2:20–21 (NASB95)

20 ‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

21 ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Here we have Jezebel, the only woman mentioned in the letters to the churches

This is the wicked queen form OT in 1 Kings 16 and 2 Kings 10 the wife of king Ahab

She was heathen woman, daughter of a priest of Baal, she promoted Baal worship

Jezebel was guilty of - whoredom, witchcraft, idolatry, murder, deceit and priestcraft

SLIDE 12

Revelation 2:22–23 (NASB95)

22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.

23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

SLIDE 13

Revelation 2:24–25 (NASB95)

24 ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you.

25 ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

SLIDE 14

Revelation 2:26–27 (NASB95)

26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations;

27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father;

SLIDE 15

Revelation 2:28–29 (NASB95)

28 and I will give him the morning star.

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

The church of Thyatira was following her leadership

False teaching was seducing God’s people and gave them a license to sin

The tragedy is that they would not repent - God gave the opportunity

It is never too late for a church to repent and return to the Lord

If we don’t repent we will miss opportunities

The church of Pergamum - The corrupted and unrepentant church

*Let’s look at the church of Sardis

SLIDE 16

Revelation 3:1–2 (NASB95)

1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.

Jesus here having the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars

SLIDE 17

Revelation 3:3–4 (NASB95)

3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

4 ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Sardis in that day was known for its manufacturing of wool garments

Sermon from Charles Spurgeon 1845 called “The dead church”

Vance Havner frequently reminded churches that they go through spiritual stages

He wrote this - spiritual ministries often go through four stages: a man, a movement, a machine, and then a monument

SLIDE 18

Revelation 3:5–6 (NASB95)

5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

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

I prayed for Jesus to give me more insight into Him writing these letters to these churches

“would you rather I didn’t say anything?”

“You are My bride yo know”

SLIDE 19 “7 CHURCHES OF REVELATION”

PRAYER / WORSHIP TEAM

SLIDE 20 “COMMUNION SLIDE”

WORSHIP TEAM / COMMUNION

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