Series - For the love of the Church
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Squat - Lower - Harder to bring up - Gets heavy - Today - might get heavy. Lean in.
Title: One Way
Revelation | Series come later | Highlights - Specifically 7 churches - How it applies today.
Series; For the love of the Church
Jesus writes 7 letters to 7 Churches.
Some things to know;
Jesus introduces himself differently to every church
each church is doing something good
most churches have something to repent from
Each church is promised eternal reward - described differently.
Also Yes - These letters trascend time | Not going there today - Important for them and us now.
*Map of Churches*
Written 63ish years after Jesus’ death | Fairly Young.
Last Week: Ephesus;
Lots of things right - Lacking Love they had at first - Each other and God.
This week - 3 Churches - Walk through it - Then some big observations about all 3.
*Prayer*
Smyrna (off to bible college)
Trade route between Persia and Rome - Sea Port City - First city of Asia.
Destroyed and Rebuilt in 290BC (IMPORTANT)
Smyrna - Means Myrr - Gum resin - Balm dead bodies - Essential oil - INTERESTING - Only Fragrant when it was crushed.
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
Smyrna - City that come to life.
“ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Jews but not - Judaism - believed: Not just Jesus Christ for Salvation but Jesus + Works (Important for today).
10 days? Daniel 1 - Points to completion of suffering - There will be a day and on that day, you’ll get a crown = Stephanos - Trophy at games - 1 of 5 crowns promised.
Some of you; I don’t want it. Some of you; How am I going to balance 5?
Won’t matter - All going to cast them down at the lamb.
Isn’t interesting - Myrr only has perfume when Crushed - and Jesus is saying - I see the crushing | There is something beautiful coming.
Second death?
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Point; Born twice - Die once | Born once - Die twice.
No rebuke - Just hold on.
Pergamum;
Significant for great library - 200,000 parchment scrolls
Self- centred - Accumulated wealth - Obsessed with knowledge
Famous for creating paper - that’s how wealthy.
40 foot statue of Zues
Jesus introduces him as “The Words of Him who has the sharp two-edged sword - Interesting - they have all this knowledge - Jesus says…”I have THE Knowledge”.
“ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Tick - Holding fast | Tick - not deny my faith | Satan is running wild. well done.
But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
Balaam in OT (numbers) - Hired by Balaak to curse People of God - Big interesting story - Short amount of time.
Balaam met Jesus in OT - Donkey saw angel before Balaam - Donkey told Balaam off.
opens mouth - blessings come out | Imagine; in traffic “Oi…Bless you man”
Balaam said to balak - not working - take women, go to isrealite camp, seduce them with sexual immorality - balaak does and it works. Balaam did it all for an earthly reward.
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
What Jesus saying? There are people leading you to compromise Faith = Little bit of Sin - Don’t do it, why? Because truth leads to life.
Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
Repent - Turn - Sword in mouth = THE TRUTH. Hidden Manna = Jesus.
White stones = few ideas - Black or white stone would be a verdict | Friendship, write on it | Weddings | Either way, saying tehre is an identity that only God gives you.
Listen - You don’t need anything else - Where we are going is amazing.
Thyatira;
Business hub - Lots of stuff going on | Guilds setup, had to be part of them - Smallest and least important town.
Jesus introduces himself - Son of God (only time) - Eyes like flame of fire - Feet like burnished bronze.
“ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
tick - Love | service, endurance - and growing - Tick.
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.
Herself | Careful of people who set themselves up as authorities within God’s Church | Teaching and seducing.
Jezebel - Married to Ahab - Controlled Ahab - Old Testament - Raised up prophets of Baal - Elijah ran from her - This spirit, is in Church in Thyatira - Jesus is saying - Do not tolerate it - Don’t be led into Sin - Don’t compromise.
I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
God is patient - and Kind - but God will also deal with evil.
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.
don’t you love this - Deep secrets of Satan - NIV - So-Called Secrets of Satan.
Come see this | Check this secret out | The Church doesn’t know about this or that | Fast track to a secret
Only hold fast what you have until I come.
We don’t need the deep secrets of Satan - We have Deep Revelation of God!!
These 2 churches - Have self-professed authorities - Leading people int o Sin | With with secrets from Satan - Sexual immorality or Idolatry | Jesus is saying - No, Hold Firm | Culture looks different, I am the same.
Clear. Works does not equal salvation.
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.’
Observations;
1. The water is pure - Last week - Lukewalm + Muddy waters | Gospel of Jesus Christ does not need to be compromised | Best news ever - Can’t get better.
One path - Narrow Path - Leads to life.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Hard is not opposite to Simple. It’s simple to enter, hard to lay down our pride.
2. The Church is the plan - The church has always had problems.
3. God is El Roi - Knows exactly what you need when you need it.
Smynra- Persecuted church = He was First and Last.
Pergamum - Him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
Thyatira - Eyes like fire - He sees where you are distracted.
El Roi = The God who Sees you. Immediately close to your situation | Don’t feel it? Faith is based on evidence.
4. Jesus has been, is and always will be supreme - Can’t get any more supreme - Can get deeper understanding - not deep secretes of Satan.
Right here (bible) + Available to all.
Adonai = Master, Ruler - LORD.
Elohim = Mighty one - Supreme one
El Shaddai = God Almighty, Sufficient, Mighty
Prince of Peace
Emmanual - God with us.
Here with Me - Came, was slain, for you.
