Tuesday, July 20, 2021

The Unveiling of Jesus Christ - The Letters to the Seven Churches - Part 2

 

We are continuing with our study through the Book of the Unveiling of Jesus Christ, John’s letter, The Revelation.  We’ve looked at three of the letters to the churches, and today we come to the last four letters.

The POLLUTED Church in Thyatira

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira.  This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: 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.  “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually).  I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.  To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations.  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 2:18-29

Jesus told the folks at the Thyatira congregation; I know all the things you do.  I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.  You know this phrase “patient endurance”.  It pops up in the Bible every so often…it’s hupomone in Greek, and it means cheerful endurance.  It means when the times got tough, they didn’t stop doing their works.  As a matter of fact it says the folks at Thyatira increased their works. 

There’s a message in that for people who have just come through Covid-19 troubles in the 21st century.

Now here's a church that has all sorts of commendation from Christ.  He says, I know your works and charity...you reach out into the community.  I know your service and your faith...you minister to one another.  I know your patience, your super-abundant patience; and you’re doing more now than ever.  I know you're being progressive in serving Christ, but I have this against you...in your heart of hearts, you're moving away from serving Christ as a priority, because you’ve decided to include being worldly, but still trying to be part of the church.  This church was making compromises in their hearts over their Christianity.  That never works!

When we come to the Lord's Supper Table, what is it that we see about the bread.  You cannot break any part of that bread, without breaking all of it?  You can’t drink any of that cup representing the blood of Christ without spilling some of it?  Why?  Because the “one” is the “whole”. 

The church at Thyatira was being condemned by Jesus because their hearts were not pure – not all together under the one body and blood of the Savior; they vacillated between being Christ’s disciples, and the culture’s citizens. 

Jesus demands a choice; you cannot have one foot in the church and the other in the world. 

Their hearts were absent from the work.  They may have met for the worship; they may have had some pretty good programs going on; it may even have been exciting…it may have been a pretty good place to be.  As a matter of fact, they may have had every seat filled in their church.  But all that amounts to is popularity, and that is entirely possible when serving your own preferences and agenda…but not serving God.  The only problem is it won’t please God at all!

The church at Sardis was dying amid a flurry of church activities, and it was because they were letting Jezebel teach false doctrine.

The PROUD Church in Sardis

“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.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 3:1-6

The city of Sardis was built on the top of a  90° cliff that was totally inaccessible from three sides.  There was only one gateway into the city.  The residents felt safe.  They were prosperous, and lived in an impregnable fortress.  However, the city was conquered and destroyed twice in its history. 

In BC 549 the Medes under Cyrus came right through the front gate while the guards slept.  The very same thing happened in BC 218.  Antiochus the Great caught the guards napping, and waltzed right in the front door.

This ancient city had a reputation for being impregnable to military conquest, but it went to sleep, and the fall was more than costly! 

In the same way, Jesus speaks to the fellowship of Christians at Sardis, a group without financial hardship, or persecution, a church of successful people, and he says, Your reputation is that of being strong, impregnable – you are badly mistaken, and you’d better wake up!

If you have ever "pulled guard duty" in the Army, you know it requires considerable effort to keep the eyelids in the function position for the whole four hours.  There's just something about someone saying Stay awake that just makes you want to immediately go to sleep.

The sense of the message to the church at Sardis was that their ongoing vital ministry on the hilltop had waned;  it was fading fast, and would soon die altogether.  Jesus cautions to shake out of that lukewarmness, and turn around.  If you had a missionary zeal, rekindle the fire!  If you were evangelistic and soul-winners, get busy in the neighborhood knocking on doors.  Don't let the ministry die! 

It is a scary thing to envision a large, powerful, affluent church with all the latest techniques and technology, and only a few saved people in the bunch with enough heart for God to work while the masses were sound asleep. 

What does that look like in our day?  With over 90% of churches in America plateaued or declining in membership and attendance, there is example after example of this kind of problem…hardly anyone cares enough to do what it takes to win the lost to Christ. 

The kind of wake-up call Jesus was talking about includes a response of gratitude for what God has done for us.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  Psalm 103:2
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.   2 Corinthians 9:15

It is amazing what being thankful will produce.  When Carrie, our youngest daughter was in 2nd grade, I accompanied her class on a field trip to a nature preserve.  It was a rugged experience.  As a chaperone group leader I had charge over six eight-year-olds.  (In Charge?  Really?  Who am I kidding?) 

One of the children was a little girl named Phinnie.  Phinnie was my shadow; she talked without ceasing.  The week after the trip she wrote me the following note:

Dear Mr. Brownworth,  Thank you for coming with us to Camp Crystal.  I really enjoyed having you with us.  I'm sorry you had to walk in the mud.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Your friend, Phinnie

Mud or not, to this day Phinnie could have anything she wants from me.  I appreciated her thankfulness.  God appreciates our thanksgiving, (worship) too.  We may not be any better at expressing it than Phinnie was, but we can get better at it.  If there is anything that will shake us from lukewarmness, it will be expressing warm praise and worship to God.

The POSITIONED Church in Philadelphia

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.  This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David.  What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:   “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.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Revelation 3:7-13

The word here is an open door.  In Greek it’s always entryway (never an exit)!  And the door, Jesus says, cannot be shut.  This is an invitation if ever I heard one!  What does Jesus want?  He wants us to walk through.  How do you do that?  What is required?  There are three things Jesus is waiting for in any church:

1.    Allegiance – Jesus wants His followers to "come out of the closet." We simply need to declare our allegiance.

2.    Diligence –John Calvin said, our faith alone saves us, but faith that saves is never alone!  We are to diligently put our time, talent, and treasures to work for Him.

3.    Willingness – Walking through open doors is a matter of lifestyle. You must want to do it, or you won't do it.  The invitation to follow Christ through open doors is a simple trust that He will open them, and He wants you to walk through them. 

Imagine for a moment a homeless man living on the streets.  He is hanging out near the mall.  He sleeps on one of the benches near a bush.  On a January evening the temperature dips to 28° with wind-chill down to ten below.  He is freezing to death.  He is miserable. 

Across the way people are walking up to the Main entrance, and pop - the door opens – automatically!  The people walk in; some walk out.  Others approach, pop goes the door!  In and out, open and shut go the doors.  Outside are cold, misery, and hunger.  Inside there is warmth, laughter, and food. 

A passerby says to the man, Hey buddy, go on inside – warm up – here's $5, get yourself a burger. 

The man says, No, I can't.  The doors are shut.  I can't get in. 

The stranger pleads, Just go near the door, it'll open.  It opens for everybody who goes near! 

Do you see?  Jesus wants willing disciples who will come out of the closet, get off the sidelines, get near the doors and believe Jesus will open those doors.

We have some open doors in this town.  There is no law against sharing the Gospel.  There is that reality that the Gospel is true.  Even when people criticize Christians for witnessing, the testimony of God's Word still rings true.  There is something deep down – in even the demons, who tremble – there is something that reverberates with the truth of the Gospel.  That is an open door! 

Our church faces multiple open doors in this community.  There are hundreds of unchurched children who would respond to the kind of ministry we can do here.  And many of them are from homes devastated by drugs, divorces, and the diverse problems of our hostile society.  All Christ wants is for us to go near these open doors of ministry, and be ready to walk through. 

What is it like to walk through doors?  It means that someone will see the door standing open and sound the alarm. 

·       People who see children hurting and without Christ will figure a way to walk through that door. 

·       People who see the homeless will figure out a way. 

·       People who have known the devastating effects of substance abuse will walk through open doors to minister to the recovering addicts. 

·       Those whom Christ has healed from nasty divorces will find ways to minister through the open doors. 

Our church has physical doors with empty rooms.  We have people with hearts filled with the compassion of Christ.  We can find ways to walk through the open doors of opportunity in this neighborhood.  Just go near them, and pop, they'll open like the automatic doors in the mall.

The PASSE’ Church in Laodicea

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea.  This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:  “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.  “Look! I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”  Revelation 3:14-22

The self-sufficient church at Laodicea takes no stand (they’re not worried about anything), and it receives the strongest rebuke for not doing anything, either for or against Christ. 

The problem with a church or a person imagining everything is OK because the budget is met, programs are running, and life is arranged to suit us, is that being all about us; it’s not what a disciple’s life is designed to be.  These imagined strong points, financial independence, smooth sailing, will be at the very center of what causes that so-called “life” to crumble and come apart like a house of cards. 

A disciple, by very definition, learns from a Master in order to serve the Master’s wishes, not create a comfortable life for the student.  Complacency, and a lack of commitment to something greater than pleasing our own preferences is a death sentence to genuine life.

Bottom Line

Seven letters to seven churches, and only two of them receive no bad grades on the report card – the poor church, and the persecuted church.  But it wasn’t because of their circumstances…it was because they kept faithful in everything no matter how the circumstances changed.

Today Jesus still calls softly and tenderly to be like Philadelphia and Smyrna, loving and faithful.  We should heed that calling.


Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  


 

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