Seven Letters to Seven Churches
Unveiling Hope: A Study in the Book of Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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Well, good morning church. If we haven’t had a chance to meet yet, my name is Kirk Ehrhart and I am the site pastor here at North Park Stratford. Last week, we started a new teaching series called Unveiling Hope and over the course of nine weeks we are going to study the book of Revelation - one of the most misunderstood books in the Bible.
Let me start off today with a question: what is it like to be really known? While I think we all crave to be truly known by others, many of us find it also terrifying. The idea that someone else will be able to see past the veneer - past the false self that we project - and see us for who we truly are scares us to the core of our being. And why do we project that false self? Because we think people will accept that version and reject the true version of our selves.
What is it like to be truly known by others? It’s terrifying. It requires us to open up the parts of our lives that we hate about ourselves and invite others into those places. And that’s scary because you never really know how they are going to react. But it’s also liberating. Once you, in faith, allow your true self out of the prison you built for it, then healing can happen. Then growth can happen. The fear of letting others in acts like a wall but just on the other side of that wall is freedom for your soul. And in our passage today, we are going to see that Jesus already knows our true selves, he loves us anyways and that by his grace, we can be transformed.
Read Revelation 1:9-20
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.” 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. “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Pray.
The book of Revelation is a letter that was addressed to seven churches in what is modern-day turkey. These churches were facing enormous persecution for their faith in Jesus from outside the church and many of them were facing heretical threats that were leading to sin from inside the church.
To help these struggling congregations, Jesus gives John a revelation of himself, a challenge to the churches, and an offer to those who overcome.
The Self-Revelation of Jesus
The Self-Revelation of Jesus
In last week’s teaching, I shared how the heart of the book of Revelation is a revelation - an unveiling - of Jesus by Jesus. This book isn’t about the end times, it’s about all about Jesus. Now, it’s all about Jesus, but it’s also written in an apocalyptic style, which is marked by heavy imagery and symbolism. So let’s see how John saw Jesus and howJesus has described himself throughout the latter half of chapter 1 and through the letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3.
The Vision:
The Son of Man -as Darrell Johnson says in his book, “Discipleship on the Edge,” which is the primary work of interpretation that we are using in this series, “this is a reference to one who is the central figure of all history, to the one to whom all the kingdoms of this world are given, to the one to whom all peoples of every age owe allegiance.” It’s a Old Testament call back to Daniel’s vision from chapter 7 of his book.
As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
The son of man therefore is a title of authority and when John sees Jesus in this vision, he instantly makes the connection between the man of authority in Daniel’s vision and the person who is in front of him.
The second thing that John sees is what Jesus is wearing. He is wearing a robe with a gold sash. We are meant to associate these robes with the robes that the priests use to wear, reminding us Jesus is our high priest, our mediator. Priest in latin is “pontifex” and it literally translates as “bridge-builder.” Because he is both fully God and fully human, Jesus is the only one who can build that bridge between humanity and our holy God, overcoming the chasm of sin.
The third thing John sees is that his head and hair are white. This symbol has three meanings to it: first, it symbolizes agelessness and how Jesus is still going. All the philosophies of the world, all the dictators, and rulers, all the ideologies all pass away but Jesus is forever. Second, it symbolizes the great wisdom of Jesus. He knows everything that is going on with everyone. There is nothing that takes him by surprise. Finally, the white head and hair represents his purity. There is no sin in Jesus, no duplicity, no manipulation, nothing that should make us distrust him in any way.
The rest of what John saw is repeated by Jesus himself when he addresses the churches so let’s turn now to chapter 2 and 3 and see how Jesus reveals who he is to the seven churches.
Ephesus:
Ephesus:
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Earlier, in chapter 1:20, Jesus interprets what these images mean. The 7 stars are symbols for the 7 angels of the 7 churches. Scholars are divided on the exact meaning here because it could mean heavenly beings, or because the word for “angel” is also translated “messenger,” it might be the pastor or head of each church. What is clear is that the message is meant for the whole church. Either way, Jesus is saying that he is the one who holds them in his hand. He is the head of the church.
Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
By affirming this doctrine, Jesus is doing two things: 1) He is reminding the church of his authority and 2) He is assuring them that he’s got them. He holds them in his hands.
And he is the one who walks among the lamp stands. Jesus interprets the lamp stands as the churches themselves and he affirms that he is in the middle of them. And that’s such good news for us. Jesus is with us as a church. He knows what we are going through, he knows what we are teaching, he knows what we are doing. He isn’t above us, far away, looking down as we fumble our way through. He is right here among the churches - he knows us.
We’ve seen how Jesus has revealed himself to the church in Ephesus. Now, let’s continue on and see what he says about himself to the church in Smyrna.
Smyrna:
Smyrna:
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
The First and the Last - here Jesus is echoing the book of Isaiah:
This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.
Smyrna had a motto engraved on their coins: “First City in Asia in Size and Beauty” and they were fiercely loyal to Rome. They were a people who defined themselves by the greatness of their city and their passion for all things Roman. Here Jesus is telling his disciples, and us, that our lives aren’t bound and bracketed by the actions and determinations of any government, city, person or situation. Jesus himself is the bracket. Jesus is the first word who created everything, he will be the last word when the new heavens and earth come down and he is right here in the middle with us. No matter what goes on in the world, we can rest assured that it’s all going to be okay because Jesus is the first and the last.
But to the church in Smyrna Jesus gives a second revelation of who he is: He is the one who was dead but is now alive. The city of Smyrna was mostly destroyed in 580BC but then rebuilt 290BC. It had a pride that they were resurrected. And the Christians there faced death for defying the emperor’s edict to worship him as God. But Jesus reminds the church that he is the one who was truly dead and resurrected. The resurrection is the single greatest moment in all of history and it is the event that separates Christianity from all other faiths, both ancient and current. More than anything else, it is the resurrection that is the bedrock of our faith. That’s why Paul writes
And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
He is the first and the last, the one who was dead but is now alive. Let’s move on to the city of Pergamum.
Pergamum:
Pergamum:
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
Pergamum was unique among most cities in that Rome had given it permission to inflict capital punishment, which is why the symbol for the city was a sword. There was also a massive library in Pergamum as well, boasting over 200,000 scrolls at one point. So why does Jesus, the one we often call the “Prince of Peace,” reveal himself as one with a sharp two-edged sword? Because the church was being infiltrated with false teaching that was leading people into idolatry and sexual sin. One of the great but difficult truths of Christianity is that while we are (or we should be) inclusive of all people, we are not inclusive of all ideas. There are philosophies, religious teachings, and ideologies that we reject as untrue, dangerous and even demonic. That’s Smyrna was experiencing and it’s what the church today in the west has to guard itself against as well.
That’s why Jesus says he is the one with the sharp two edged sword. This brings to my mind at least what the author of Hebrews says,
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
We need to base our faith, not on the shifting ideologies of our culture at this moment, but on the Bible, the word of God. Now to be sure, some have taken the Bible and twisted it so that they can hold to horrific beliefs. In fact, that’s what was happening in Smyrna. The pressure to conform to these false beliefs came from those inside the church, wrapping their sinful temptations in religious language. And God’s big issue with this is that those false teachings enslaved God’s people in sin, when he came to set us free. But if we hold to the teaching of the Bible, understanding the redemptive narrative and pursue that which brings God glory, not which brings us glory, we will protect ourselves from the deceiving temptations of false teaching that enslave us.
Next, we move on to Thyatira.
Thyatira:
Thyatira:
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
There are three thing features that Jesus points out to the church in Thyatira: First, he is the son of God.
One of the things that made Thyatira unique was that it was the center of worship of Apollo, the god of sunlight, also called Helios. People in Thyatira believed that Apollo was actually the guardian angel of the city and he was the regularly honored at all the trade guild events. They also believed that Caesar was the incarnation of Apollo, and was therefore the “son of Zeus” or the “son of God”.
But Jesus wants to remind his followers in Thyatira and in Stratford that he alone is the true son of God, the perfect and final revelation of God.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The second feature Jesus highlights to them is that his eyes are like flames of fire. He is the one whose gaze pierces the darkness - who sees all we do, all we think, all we want. He is the one who knows the deep things. And while this can be frightening for some, I want you to be encouraged. Jesus knows your true self and he loves you anyways. But his love is shown in a myriad of ways, one of those being he wants to refine you, like fire refines gold. So when we see these eyes like fire, we can take heart that he looks upon us with a deep love that accepts us as we are and loves us too much to leave us that way. That’s why he challenges the church in Thyatira, because he loves them, just as he loves you.
The third feature Jesus highlights are that his feet are like polished bronze. This is another throwback to one of Daniel’s visions. In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzer had a dream about a giant statue. The feet of this statue were made of a mixture of iron and clay and Daniel says that this foundation isn’t strong enough to hold up the nations represented by the other parts of the statue. So when Jesus describes himself as having feet of polished bronze he is saying that he is the foundation that is strong, firm, already tested and strengthened by fire. All other kingdoms rest on shaky feet - on weak foundations. Jesus is our sure foundation for our lives. Because of who he is and what he has already done for us we can put our full trust in him and build our lives upon him for he is the Son of God whose eyes are like flames of fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
Now, let’s move on to Sardis.
Sardis:
Sardis:
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
We have already looked at the symbolism of the seven stars so we are going to leave that alone. But what does Jesus mean when he says that he has the “seven Spirits of God?” Isn’t there just one Spirit of God?
Throughout the whole Bible, seven is symbolic of completion, of fullness. So when Jesus says he has the “seven spirits of God” he is saying he has the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that regenerates our souls and gives us spiritual life. The Holy Spirit that empowers us to endure deep hardship in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sin. The Holy Spirit that gives us gifts to serve one another. The Holy Spirit that illuminates truth. The Holy Spirit that leads us and guides in so that we can become like Jesus and reflect him to our broken world. Jesus has the fullness of the Holy Spirit and he gives it you and I.
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
The church in Sardis was busy, but spiritually dead. It needed an infusion of life from the Holy Spirit. I wonder if that describes any of us?
Let’s move on to the church in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia:
Philadelphia:
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
In the Old Testament, there is only one person who is called Holy and True - God himself. The word “holy” means “set apart” and that aptly describes Jesus. He was set apart from all other humans to do that which no other human could do - to save humanity from their sins through his death on the cross. The word “true” means “trustworthy” and because our salvation was bought with the precious and innocent blood of Jesus, he is trustworthy.
But because these terms were associated with God, when the Philadelphian Christians used them to talk about Jesus, they were persecuted by the Jewish people. Although many of the Christians were Jewish themselves, they were excluded from the synagogue, cut off from family and friends, and cursed because they believed Jesus IS the holy one and that he IS the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus also says of himself that he is the one who has the key of David. Darrell Johnson cites two possible interpretations and affirms both of them. The first is that he is the key of David who opens the door of salvation. The book of Isaiah teaches that the “house of David” is a reference to the kingdom of God. So for people to enter into the kingdom of God, they need the key, Jesus himself. It’s like Jesus is saying, “the door to the synagogue may be shut, but I have opened for you another door to the kingdom of God.”
The other interpretation is that Jesus has the key to the door of opportunity. Throughout the New Testament, whenever someone talks about a door, it’s a euphemism for opportunity. An example is Paul’s prayer request in Colossians.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
The church in Philadelphia faced strong opposition and it would have been easy to hunker down, be all about themselves and be safe. But God doesn’t call us to be safe, does he? He calls us to be his witnesses to the world. Philadelphia was located on a highway that ran from Europe to East Asia and so there was a major opportunity in that to spread the good news of Jesus. When Jesus says he is the key of David and talks about opening doors, he may be talking about prayerfully seeking opportunities to share the good news of Jesus - something he still calls his people to do today.
Finally we come to the seventh and final church: Laodicea.
Laodicea:
Laodicea:
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
A few weeks ago, in our summer series about misunderstanding scripture, I preached on this letter to the Laodiceans. But I purposefully left out this part because I knew I was coming back to it today.
Here, Jesus calls himself the Amen. While we may use this term to primarily finish our prayers, it has a rich meaning. In Hebrew, when people said, Amen, they were acknowledging that something was valid and binding. It was a way to say that something was utterly trustworthy. Jesus is the Amen. He is the one who is utterly trustworthy. Other people may let you down - in fact the vast majority of them will - but in Jesus, his promises are always yes and amen. In Jesus we can put our faith because he will never let us down. We may not always understand what he’s doing, and there may be times when he seems silent to us, but in the end, we never have to worry because Jesus is the Amen.
Jesus also calls himself the faithful and true witness. Jesus truthfully witnessed to the goodness and love of the father by exhibiting those traits perfectly when he was on Earth. And nothing has changed. Jesus is still faithful. He is still interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. He is still changing lives. He is still inviting anyone who would come to enter into eternal life - to become part of the Kingdom of God. He hasn’t given up on us. He’s not up in heaven sitting on a cloud and resting. He’s working on your behalf.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This is about 1/3 of all I wanted to share with you today. There is so much more to look at, like what God challenges each church with, what he praises them for and what he offers to those who overcome. But I chose to focus today on how Jesus reveals himself because this book is first and foremost a revelation of Jesus that comes from Jesus.
By revealing himself the way he does to the seven churches, he is showing them and us that he knows them and he loves them so much, that not only does he praise the good things they have done and are doing, but he challenges them in the areas where they are lacking. To be truly known by God is not something to be feared, but to be embraced. Jesus sees us in our brokenness and in our sinfulness and he doesn’t turn away from us in disgust, but he turns towards us and shows us who he really is because he loves us and he desires that we walk in the freedom he purchased for us when he died on the cross and gave us spiritual life.
