Month: September 2016

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 2:1-11; 3:1-6, 14-21 (day four) 

Seven churches…Christ had something for them all.  Most had things they were doing right as a church, but there was, in every case, sin that needed to be corrected.  Just like us…we may be doing some things right in our lives before God, but there is always something that needs to be repented of and corrected.  The church at Ephesus had a lot of commendation, but without correcting their one error of losing their first love, their lampstand would be removed.  Approval was not on a majority basis…sin would not be tolerated in any form.

Have you ever said, “That is my one vice!”…as if, since you only had one, it was OK?  God is a holy God and we should not be content with anything less than His holiness.  No…we will never attain perfection, but it should be our goal.  Only perfection will allow our names to be written in the book of Life.  “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”  Since we are unable…we have need of a Savior.  We need one who has overcome to stand for us!  (Hebrews 4:15)

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 2:1-11; 3:1-6, 14-21 (day three) 

“He who has an ear, let him hear.”  Hearing is hard, so we often use our ears for purposes other than that.  We use our ears as early warning systems: We hear a voice we don’t want to encounter, so we walk the other way.  We use our ears as filters: We don’t give attention to difficult or complicated communication.  We use our ears as instruments of revision: We let them convince us we heard what we wanted to hear.  And that’s really why we find something like Revelation difficult.  It’s not the weird imagery; it’s the repurposed ears.  But the Lord says if we’ll do the hard work of listening, we’ll hear what we need to hear in order to live.

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 2:1-11; 3:1-6, 14-21 (day two) 

“Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.” 3:2

You’ve lost your first love, you’ve fallen, you’re neither hot nor cold. These declarations to the churches contain some very direct and often harsh criticism. No one is without blame, they all are broken in some way. But there is hope. Look at how the letters end:

2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”

2:11b “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”

The other letters end similarly. The point? God is not giving final condemnation here. He is giving the churches a wake up call, a state of the Union. We need to hear where we are strong, but also where we are weak so that we may better serve. If you feel that word of reproach, take it for what it is. Wake up, change course, serve well.

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 2:1-11; 3:1-6, 14-21 (day one)

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write. . .I know your deeds and your toil and your perseverance. . . But I have this against you, that you have left you first love.”–2:1-4

“There are no perfect churches.  Stop looking!  If you did find one, it would stop being perfect the day you joined it.”–Dan Yeary

“Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”–Matthew 5:48

Seven churches.  Seven Pastors.  Stories mixed with success and failure, things Jesus commended, things he challenged.  None of the churches were perfect.  All of them were called to be–at least in the sense of being perfectly faithful to the purposes of God. (Functional perfection, not moral or categorical).

It has been a mistake to “market” the American church to the whims and preferences of the culture.  “I want this kind of childcare”.  “I like this style of worship”.  The approval every church needs comes from the Lord.

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 1 (day seven) 

“Having turned, I saw. . . one like the son of man. . .and his face was like the sun shining in its strength”–v 12, 13, 16.

There were moments for the disciples, but only moments, when they saw the glory of Christ.  The Transfiguration is one example.  Jesus praying, and His glory began to shine out in brilliant white light.  (Matthew 17)  The day He calmed the storm, His resurrection appearances and ascension–all were momentary glimpses of the truth.

Most days weren’t like that.   Their physical eyes saw only physical reality.  Like us, they were vision impaired, seeing problems and dangers, but not the All-Sufficient Christ!

“Blessed are you, Simon, God has REVEALED it to you” said Jesus after Peter confessed Him as the Christ. (Matthew 16).  When we study REVELATION, we are seeking the same grace.  Lord, open our eyes to your glory and purpose.  Help us to see eternal and invisible things.  We need spiritual eyes.

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 1 (day five) 

John has a similar experience to Revelation 1 in Matthew 17. But there are different sets of instructions from the Savior. In Matthew 17 Jesus says, “Do not tell anyone what you have seen”. In Revelation 1, Jesus says, “Write in a book what you see”.

Jesus could have appeared to the churches the same way he appeared to John. Yet, He doesn’t. Jesus clearly begins a new way to speak to and engage believers (churches)- thru the Scriptures (book). John Piper writes, “It is because He wants to come to us in and through his Word. He wants us to seek him in his Word, and know him by his Word, and gaze upon him steadily through his Word. And when we do, the Lord stands forth from his Word in ways beyond the merely rational and intellectual possibilities of reading.”

 

 

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 1 (day four)

Let’s ask one of the ‘5 Ws and an H’ that form the basis for an inductive bible study…WHAT.  What did John see while he was in the Spirit?  In our passage this week John first saw the ‘son of man’…He was overwhelming and awe-inspiring.  John’s response was to fall at His feet as a dead man.  He could not even process the glory!

The second thing John saw was the seven stars and seven lampstands.  The stars represented the angels of the seven churches and the lampstands were the seven churches of Asia.  The awesome ‘son of man’ stood in the midst of the lampstands.

The glory of the risen, reigning Christ stood in authority and judgment over the churches.  Picture this Christ over our church or your church…what would He have to say to us?  Would there be commendation or condemnation?  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”