You've Got Mail!

The Importance of letters.

Letters are important. In our modern day of texting…and social media…letter writing…is not as practiced as it once was...

How many of you have hand written a letter to someone before?

Have you every written a letter to someone?

For what purpose did you write the letter?

See…this is why I love this congregation…we’re old school…Have you written one this year?

Perfect! That’s awesome!

And why do you write those letters?

checking in on someone

celebrating with them

offering them comfort in a difficult time

There’s something so personal about taking the time to write a letter. and…depending on to whom the letter is written…a great deal of importance could be attached to that letter...

______________________________

Calvin (of CALVIN AND HOBBES comic strip fame) stands behind a tree, poised to throw a snowball at his "girlfriend…Susie"

She says, "I see you, Calvin, and you'd better not throw that snowball! I'm mailing a letter to Santa right now."

Calvin asks: "Is the envelope sealed?"

"Yes," she replies, "but I could write a P.S. on the back."

"Do you have a pen?" Calvin asks.

"As a matter of fact, I do!" she answers.

Calvin drops the snowball and says, "I'll bet she's bluffing, but this is not the time of year to tempt fate."

________________________________

A letter to Santa is no joke…you don’t mess with that process…if you know what’s good for you. Its just too risky...

Letters convey something that we need or want to say...

And the book of Revelation…is just such a letter...

Dictated by Jesus

Written by John (or his scribe)

To: Seven worshiping communities…7 churches of Asia Minor (or modern day Turkey)

You’ve Got Mail!

As the old AOL chime used to say when you recieved an email: “You’ve Got Mail”

The 7 churches mentioned in today’s scripture reading…they got mail...

Today is the the third of our 13 week…summer sermon series on the book of Revelation...

The first Sunday we talked about the meaning and purpose of writing the letter…was not to frighten or discourage…but to bring hope in the midst of present difficulties and struggle...

The 2nd Sunday we talked about…moving from fear to freedom....when John encountered the risen Christ…while in the Spirit…he fell down as though he were dead...

But just as quickly…Jesus reached down and touched his shoulder and said “do not be afraid”… “I am the first and the last…and the living one...”

Jesus tells John to write down... “the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”

So John is commissioned to write this letter by Jesus...

The seven letters…are the original audience for the book of Revelation…what they are going through…and how they should respond as followers of Jesus Christ…is the purpose of writing...

John is to share all that Jesus says…and all that he is allowed to see...

That’s important…this vision…this apocalypse is being shared with Christians…for their:

encouragement in what they do well...

to call them to repentance when necessary...

To remind them of their priorities in living out the gospel of Jesus Christ where God has planted them.

The letters to the seven churches are meant to encourage, call to repentance, and help them to prioritize their relationship with God.

For those that wonder if the book of Revelation is relevant to us today…I would argue it is always relevant...

Number one because its part of the Bible...

But number two…because it is a direct report of Jesus’ own perspective on his church!

This is the groom talking about his bride.

We…the church…are the bride of Christ…and in some sense…these letters are a type of love letter…

written with affection…

written with love…

written for the purpose of desiring a deeper connection with his bride.

Let me be clear…I am not advocating that grooms begin to write down the pros and cons of their bride…that wouldn’t go over too well...

But what I am saying is that these letters tell us of Christ’s heart for his people…and they give an honest assessment of the state of each church...

The Seven Churches

The Seven churches of Revelation are:

1) Ephesus:

2) Smyrna:

3) Pergamum:

4) Thyatira:

5) Sardis:

6) Philadelphia:

7) Laodicea:

These churches were all attached to a road system…making them interconnected…and part of the larger Roman world through commerce and trade...

Ephesus is the most important…and largest church among the group…

When Jesus directs John to write down his words to the seven churches...its kind of like a “Define the Relationship” letter…Jesus lifts up the good things there may be…and lifts up areas of concern for his church...

In Ephesus…he encourages them with the things that they have done (and are doing) well...

English Standard Version Chapter 2

I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

But then Jesus says “I have this against you...

English Standard Version Chapter 2

you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

In other words…what happened to you? You have abandoned the love you had (for Jesus) at first.

How did Jesus know they had abandoned the love they had at first? Because they no longer followed his commands

Look…they had been through a lot as a congregation in the Roman Empire’s 4th largest city…they had weathered ridicule and persecution…even a riot as recorded in Acts 19...they had maintained their community despite the temptation to leave the Church…in order to participate in the lifestyle of the average Roman citizen...

But Jesus says they have abandoned the love they had for him...

Think about your own Christian life…think the church at BPC? Have you…Have we…lost or abandoned our love for Jesus? How would we know it if we had?

This church has been in this community since 1816…when this was the wild west frontier…you don’t form a church on the frontier…unless it matters deeply to you...

Being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ is a commitment above all other commitments...

Its an allegiance above all other allegiances.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July…its a great anniversary festival…marking the declaration of the independence of the British colonies back in July of 1776...

Its a great day! A fun celebration…I am as grateful as the next person to live in this nation and the freedoms which we have enjoyed up to this point in history...

But my allegiance to this nation is at best…secondary…to my allegiance to Jesus Christ…to His church...

Our professions…our hobbies…our nation…even our family…can all be good an honorable things to lift up as important...

But nothing…NOTHING…is more important than our relationship with God...

Everything else…Everything else…is of secondary concern…this is the allegiance that Jesus is asking of the seven churches of Revelation

This is the allegiance that Jesus calls us to...today...

Its not just these seven churches that are under Jesus’ scrutiny…under his watchful loving eye…its you and me too...

Not only do they have mail...

YOU’VE GOT MAIL!

I’VE GOT MAIL

The book of Revelation is about a vision and a word from the LORD Jesus Christ to his church: yesterday, today, and forever!

The LORD takes notice of how we live our lives…and the LORD knows our strengths and our weaknesses…as his church at BPC.

What are our areas of strength?

How do we shine the light of Jesus in this place…in our lives…and in our communities?

What are our weaknesses?

What our accommodations with the world?

Has our love and allegiance to Jesus waned or weakened over the years?

You can just hear Jesus’ heart for these churches…he longs for them to repent…to continue in doing good....to turn for following after the things of this world...

And leaves them…and he leaves us…with a promise...

a promise of everlasting life with Him…if we just turn to him…and commit ourselves and our lives to putting Him first in all things...

Love God with your whole heart…love your neighbor as you love yourself.

(and if you don’t like yourself…then please…just leave your neighbor alone.)

May we take stock of our life of faith…as individuals…and as a community…may our allegiance to Christ…always reign supreme…in our lives...

Thanks be to God…AMEN.

Its a similar story of each of the 7 churches...

2) Smyrna

They think they are poor but Jesus says their rich. They face persecution and even more persecution is on the way...

Jesus word of encourageme?

Do not be afraid

The Devil is about to move against them

you’ll suffer

Thrown in jail

Jesus says: Be faithful unto death.

For those who think the Christian life offers peace and good in all things at all time and in all places…wrong. Believers in Jesus Christ…will always share…in some measure…in the sufferings and persecutions of Christ...

Jesus tells us to not fear…suffer unto death…because then you will be not suffer the second death…at the judgement seat of God...

3) Pergamum

4) Thyatira

5) Sardis

6) Philadelphia

7) Laodicea