Christ Wants His Churches Back
Christ Wants His Churches Back No. 1 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsAn overview of Revelation 1 and an introduction to this new series regarding the Seven Churches of Revelation.
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2018 is now history. Time will only tell if it actually garners a spot in the history books of the future. For most of us this past year was one of challenges, which truly can be said of any year. That is because life is full of challenges. Every day we each face new challenges, and the way in which we respond to these challenges makes all the difference in the world.
Hopefully you will see on the screen a comic to reflect this idea.
Hopefully you will see on the screen a comic to reflect this idea.
What I mean is that we can choose our attitude. We can count it all joy or we can murmur and complain about the challenges that we face.
For believers in Jesus Christ we have an expectant hope for the future. It is this hope that causes us to seek to walk in purity in this present life. It is this hope that causes us to look toward the finish line, rather than the obstacles that are set before. We know that one day we will meet our Savior face to face, and then we will transformed so that we are like Him.
With the new year we are going to begin a new study, which I have titled: Christ Wants His Churches Back. This will be a study of the first three chapters of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. There are many reasons for my decision to pursue this study. One of the more recent reasons has to do with last weeks message and the passage we looked at which referred to God speaking to His people in many ways. What was mentioned was that when God speaks He expects His people to listen. And in the letters to the churches in Revelation each of them mentions a phrase like this:
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.’
Another reason for preaching through this passage is that these churches in Asia Minor are representative of all churches of all times. And I firmly believe that this study will be like looking in the mirror at ourselves. We may not appreciate what we see, but we can learn from what we see and make the appropriate changes.
For this morning my hope is to look at in entirety as a way of introduction to the letters to the churches found in chapters 2-3. So without further adieu, let’s read .
Can I get a Witness?
Can I get a Witness?
As part of my training at Bible school I was required to visit various types of churches and make comparative evaluations of the different methods of worship. One church I visited was an African American Baptist Church on the south side of Chicago. I can still hear the old preacher saying: “Can I get a witness?” to the congregation.
The opening verses of talk about the witnesses that testified to the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
A Gift From God to Jesus
A Gift From God to Jesus
Angelic Communication
Angelic Communication
Testimony of John
Testimony of John
How to be a Blessed Church in 2019
How to be a Blessed Church in 2019
Look for a moment at .
Public Reading of the Scriptures
Public Reading of the Scriptures
Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
Hearing the Word Attentively
Hearing the Word Attentively
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Being Doers of the Word
Being Doers of the Word
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
A similar blessing is found at the end of this book in
“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”
The Background to the Book of Revelation
The Background to the Book of Revelation
gives us the background to this final book of the Bible. Let’s look first at:
The Greeting
The Greeting
Notice the features of an epistle in this greeting found in .
Grace & Peace
Grace & Peace
Trinitarian Benediction
Trinitarian Benediction
“Him who is and who was and who is to come” — This is a reference to God the Father. “It is generally understood as a paraphrase for the divine name represented throughout the OT by the Hebrew tetragrammaton YHWH.”
“The seven Spirits who are before His throne” — This is a reference to the Holy Spirit. “Borrowing from the imagery of , where the ancient prophet sees a lampstand with seven bowls supplied with oil from two nearby olive trees, John seems to connect the church (“lampstands” [v. 20]) to the ministry of the Holy Spirit (3:1; 4:5; 5:6). The “seven spirits” represent the activity of the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit in and to the seven churches. This figure brings great encouragement to the churches, for it is “ ‘not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (), that the churches serve God. Yet the figure is also a sobering one because the history of each church (chs. 2–3) is an unfolding of that church’s response to the Holy Spirit—“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7, 11, et al.).”
Johnson, A. F. (1981). Revelation. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 420). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Johnson, A. F. (1981). Revelation. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 420–421). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
“And from Jesus Christ”
Three descriptive epithets about Christ
Faithful witness
Firstborn of the dead
Ruler of the kings of the earth
The Love of Christ
The demonstration of His love released His people from their sins
John’s Circumstances
John’s Circumstances
Look at .
The map on the screen gives us a look at Asia Minor and where these churches were located. The order in which they were listed is the probable order that a messenger from John would bring them from the Isle of Patmos.
Seven Churches
Seven Churches
We will not spend much time talking about the individual churches this morning, since we will look at each in turn over the next seven weeks. But for now we will briefly list them.
Ephesus
Smyrna
Pergamum
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadephia
Laodicea
We often talk about the church in terms of the universal church. It was this that was referred to by Jesus in , and referred to by Paul in . And it is very important to grasp the concept that the universal church is distinct from the local church. The universal church is made up of all believers of all times. But the local church is also important, and this study should emphasize its importance. The universal church will never cease to exist. It is permanent. But local churches cease to exist all the time, and sometimes the reason they cease to exist is that the people within them refuse to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. My prayer is that this will not be the case for Britton Bethel Baptist Church.
Seven Lampstands & Stars
Seven Lampstands & Stars
Look at , , .
The Description of Jesus
The Description of Jesus
Christ is God
Christ is God
Notice for a moment: This is God the Father speaking, and He refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. Now jump down to . Here it is clearly Jesus speaking of Himself. This reference appears again in
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
There is much more to the description of Christ in this passage. Look at .
One like a son of man
“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
Clothed in priestly garments
Head and hair were white like snow — equating Him with God
“I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.
Eyes were like a flame of fire symbolizing judgment of sin
Feet were burnished like bronze
Voice like the sound of a waterfall
Sovereign possession of the messengers of the churches
Sharp two-edged sword came out of His mouth
Face was shining like the sun
Living One who was dead
Holds the keys of death and of Hades
The Divine Outline of this Book
The Divine Outline of this Book
Look at for a moment. To the best of my knowledge this is the only book in the Bible that gives us an outline of its contents.
The Things You Have Seen
The Things You Have Seen
This is the content of Revelation 1.
The Things Which Are
The Things Which Are
This is the content of Revelation 2-3.
The Things Which Will Take Place
The Things Which Will Take Place
This is the content of .
We have looked very briefly at the first chapter of the Book of Revelation this morning, by way of an overview of the series on the seven churches. At first I had considered just beginning the series in with a limited focus on the churches. But one of the reasons I did things this way was that there are references in the letters to the churches to some of the things that are mentioned in chapter 1, and so I believe that it is helpful for us to at least be vaguely familiar with these things as we deal with the letters to the churches.
As we embark on this series, and close this particular message, I would like to read to you what Charles Spurgeon had to say about this mysterious book:
“The aim of the book of Revelation is not to lead us into speculation but is meant for practical purposes. Things written concerning the future are not intended so much to gratify our curiosity as to stimulate our watchfulness. The main objective is to keep us constantly on the lookout.”
Let’s pray.
Closing Song: No. 456 Find Us Faithful
Closing Song: No. 456 Find Us Faithful