Sermon Tone Analysis
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For the next seven weeks, we're going to look at what Jesus specifically says to each of the churches in Revelation.
And it's going to follow a very familiar pattern:
Structure of the Letters
1.
The command to write to the angel of the church
2.
An identification of who Jesus is from Revelation 1
3. "I know..." (something positive or negative)
4.
An assessment of the church's status
a. Commendation and/or condemnation
5. Exhortation or Encouragement
6.
A call to hear the Holy Spirit.
7. A promise for overcomers
And each of the churches to which John writes is going to have a unique culture and a unique set of problems.
And the call of Jesus through John to his people is to hear what the Holy Spirit says to each of us in our situations based upon the things he says to the churches in Revelation.
And wrapped up in these letters, we're going to see conflict.
And there's going to be a couple of major forces in the conflicts that these churches are enduring:
Sources of Conflict
1.
The imperial cult
2. The Jews
And often these forces would work together to persecute the church.
Late 1st century BC, when Octavian waged war on Cleopatra and Mark Antony after the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Jews sided with Octavian.
As a result, the Jews were allowed an exemption from the imperial cultic worship and instead of offering sacrifices to the emperor, they could offer sacrifices to Yahweh on behalf of the emperor.
σωτηρ του κοσμου (savior of the world) - this is what the emperor called himself.
The Emperor also was referred to as a son of god.
Normally the emperor died before they declared him a deity.
Gaius Calligula, Nero, and Domitian demanded to be worshipped as gods while they were alive.
Alexandria & Jamnia- statue of Calligula set up in their synagogues.
Obviously, this is going to anger the Jews.
The emperor has insulter Yahweh.
What's the problem?
They could be declared treasonous by this INSANE emperor.
Alexandria sent a delegation to Rome trying to go the diplomatic route.
Jamnia out of reverence for God, destroyed the statue.
Calligula responds by sending a statue to be set up in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
Calligula was assassinated out of nowhere before that happened.
Jews took this to heart and used against the Christians, pitting them against the imperial cult by making such a big fuss in the 1st century about their status as an offshoot of Judaism.
So the Christians have a few options for how they can react to the imperial cult:
Christians vs. the Imperial Cult
1. Quit
curse Christ and bow before Rome.
2. Fight
Try to overthrow the Roman empire (good luck)
3. Petition
Try to change the laws.
4. Synchronize
Blend emperor worship and Christianity.
5. Die
The only real option is to die.
Conflict: Roman empire was all about indulgence- if it feels good, just do it (Nike- νικαω is where we get that word, it means, "conquer").
Church is all about self-denial.
Accusations Against the Christians
1. Cannibalism
Communion
2. Incest
"Brothers and sisters"
3. Anarchy
(because of atheism and their kingdom language)
Pax Romana/Pax et securitas!
While they are saying "peace and security, destruction will come suddenly".
That is a direct, intentional slap at the Roman empire that the only real peace that exists is brought about by God himself.
With that in mind, let's read today's passage:
So Jesus says in each of these letters, "I know."
And this isn't acquaintance with a set of facts.
This is an intimate knowledge of his people.
Because he walks in the churches.
He nows our struggles.
He knows our thoughts.
He knows our works.
He sees everything.
There is nothing that is hidden from him.
This is why it is important to pray.
Not because he doesn't know what we need, because it is the act of us reaching out and acknowledging that we can't live the life we're called to without the help of God.
It is the act of humbly admitting that we are not in control.
Jesus holds a whole church accountable for what they believe.
Their doctrine matters to him.
What we believe about God matters to God.
And everyone does theology.
Even the belief that one does not need theology is theology.
The question is not "Do I have a theology?"
Rather, the question is whether you will do theology well or not.
R.C. Sproul puts it this way:
The real question concerns the value of all such study.
Many people believe that theological study holds little value.
They say, “I don’t need theology; I just need to know Jesus.”
Yet theology is unavoidable for every Christian.
It is our attempt to understand the truth that God has revealed to us—something every Christian does.
So it is not a question of whether we are going to engage in theology; it is a question of whether our theology is sound or unsound.
What we believe about God shows in how we live our lives.
This is why Paul says in 1 Timothy:
And why Paul give this charge to the elders in the churches in Ephesus (this same church!!!!):
Theology will ALWAYS drive biology.
That is what we believe will always translate into how we live.
And GOOD theology will always lead to doxology.
Good theology will always lead us into a deeper appreciation and a deeper awe of who God is.
And this is true of the church here.
Their theology drove them to honor Jesus and not shrink back from him even in the face of suffering.
So the church is commended for their sound doctrine.
But, there's a downside to ONLY being focused on theology.
It's easy to take it to the theoretical and not to the practical.
Literally, this verse says, "you left the first love".
They've become doctrine hounds who don't love God.
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