7 Letters

Bottom line

If Jesus wrote you a letter, what would it say?

Opening Line

Have you ever written a letter to someone?

Introduction

I have the unique distinction of being part of the generation that started school with handwriting everything and graduating with everything typed and done on the computer. I remember in elementary school, we had an assignment where we were paired with a student from high school. I can’t remember the details of the assignment, but I do remember the different experience each of us had. The girls would receive letters regularly from the older students, along with a few of the guys. Most of us didn’t get too many letters because we’re guys and this wasn’t something the older guys wanted to do. But when you did get the letter, it was exciting.

Then the emergence of email, and it really isn’t the same. A letter had intentionality, it took time to hand write each word and process each sentence. Sometimes I feel like my fingers type faster then my brain can think.

But let’s take it a step further. Have you ever written to, emailed, or tagged someone famous or someone you looked up to? For those of you who have, did you ever hear back? What was that like? No matter the medium, when someone you look up to takes the time to respond, it feels good. Its a really special moment!

Main Point

I start there because I want you to imagine how the churches of Revelation 2 and 3 would have felt when this letter arrived. This wasn’t any ordinary letter; this was a letter from Jesus himself. There is a very good chance that John never actually visited any of these churches, yet he wrote about things that he couldn’t possibly have known about with divine knowledge. This suddenly wasn’t just a prominent church leader writing to teach or encourage; this is a letter from Jesus himself, and the churches needed to take notice.

But there is another key point you need to understand. I think the western church is tempted to read these letters from the perspective of an angry God, and how could you not when Jesus uses words like spit or vomit you out. But Jesus is writing to hurting churches. They may be churches of great influence, but they are all experiencing persecution in their own way. Like any church, they are filled with hurting people, and in a way only Jesus can, he writes to them, through the Apostle John, to encourage them. His words are meant to convict and draw them back to him, not condescend and shame them.

Why it matters

It is important to understand this because you will read these letters differently if you take that perspective. It is like reading a text from someone, and assuming the worst about their tone. You will read the text all wrong, putting emphasis in all the wrong places, and completely missing the point. If you understand that Jesus is writing from a place of care and concern, you will feel the warm embrace of the savior in these words, not the harsh rebuke of an angry god.

So this morning, we are going to pick up where we left off in Revelation 1, and then we will move into the Jesus’ letters to the seven churches.

Scripture

Revelation 1:9–11 NLT

I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

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So we pick up where we left off last week. John is exiled to Patmos on account of his preaching the word and testifying about Jesus. In the midst of his worship, his vision begins. Before we look at what he saw, I wanted to show you this map.

map

This is a map of the seven churches the John was writing to in relation to Patmos. This was an intentional circuit laid out by Christ. But notice that Jesus isn’t writing seven individual letters. Each church was going to receive the whole book, including the letters to the other churches. Now that might seem a bad thing initially. Wow, nothing like Jesus airing out everyone else’s dirty laundry for everyone to see. But that’s not what it was. It was an invitation for accountability, or the very least prayer opportunities. It wasn’t to slander, but to make everyone aware that each church has its struggles, and they need each other to succeed. Imagine if churches nowadays exercised that kind of transparency and vulnerability, how things might be different.

So John hears a voice, and he turns to see who is speaking to him.

Revelation 1:12–18 NLT

When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

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John’s description may seem elaborate, but each point of the vision is intentionally picked to communicate something about Jesus. Look at this.

Location: Jesus is at the centre of the churches, but he is also close and caring for the hurting churches.

Shape: Even though Jesus as ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father, he is fully human and kept that form.

Clothing: The robe with the golden sash affirms his position as the great high priest.

White hair: even though I know many try to hide their white hair nowadays, white hair is actually a sign of wisdom, and in this case represents his omniscience or all-knowing nature.

Eye: Like blazing fire, represents that Jesus sees everything, or his omnipresence

Feet: Bronze feet communicates that he is a conquering king. When a king would win a battle, he would place his feet on the neck of the conquered king to show his power. It was a sign that Jesus is omnipotent or all powerful.

Voice: the sound of ocean waves would have been hard to ignore on the island of Patmos. In the same way, Jesus’ words are not to be ignored, but must be listened to and obeyed.

Hand: Holding the seven stars meant that he cared for and would protect the leaders of the seven churches.

Sword: The sword represents Jesus’ power to judge and conquer his enemies.

Face: The same way Jesus’ face shone at his transfiguration, it shines now, affirming that he is God Almighty.

The vision was an affirmation of everything Jesus is; his character, his position, his authority and his power.

Now, onto the seven letters. I’m only going to read the key parts of the letters for the sake of time, but as I read the words of these letters, I invite you to listen carefully. In fact, I want to pray for each of us, that the Holy Spirit would speak to each of us through these words. Then I will share some closing thoughts.

To the church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:2–6 NLT

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

To the church of Smyrna

Revelation 2:9–10 NLT

“I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

To the church of Pergamum

Revelation 2:13–16 NLT

“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

To the church of Thyatira

Revelation 2:19–23 NLT

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

To the church of Sardis

Revelation 3:1–5 NLT

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.

To the church of Philadelphia

Revelation 3:8–12 NLT

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

To the church of Laodicea

Revelation 3:15–19 NLT

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

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Transition to Application

So I wonder, if Jesus was going to write a letter to you, or an email, or comment on the profile of your life, whichever of those connect with you, what would he say?

Main To Do

The underlying theme of the letters is to stay diligent, to keep Jesus and his teachings at the centre of everything you do in life. Do not become complacent in your faith, inadvertently inviting false teaching and waywardness.

So here’s what I want you to do this week. I want you to make time this week, take out a piece of paper and a pen, or open a note on your phone if you prefer. I want you to put at the top, “Dear (your name),” and then pray. Ask Jesus to reveal to you what he is most excited of in your life, and then what is something he is concerned about. Maybe you hear God’s voice clearly and this will take no time, and maybe you might have to come back to it a couple separate times.

Why it matters

If you do, it will be your letter from Jesus. It will remind you of the things you are doing well when life isn’t going your way, and it will remind you to keep growing when complacency starts to set in. It will kickstart a new season of growth for you. It may become a practice you do regularly, just to check in and see how things are going. It is important that you stay self aware. It keeps you aware of potential struggles, and reminds you that you’re doing better then you might think.

Closing Line

What would Jesus say to you?

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

Where do you think you are excelling in your faith and life in Christ?

Where do you think you need to grow or course correct?

How do you think Jesus would describe your current relationship with Him?

In reflecting on the letters to the churches, which church do you feel you can most relate to and why?

What would it look like for you to write a letter to Jesus, and what would you include in it?