Sermon Tone Analysis

Attributes of Jesus

Knowledge of Jesus

Spiritual Condition of the Church

Jesus’ Offer of Help

Who is Jesus addressing in v. 19?

If in vv.

15-18 Jesus is addressing counterfeit Christians, does he now abruptly end his message to the lukewarm and turn his attention to the true believers in the church?

Option #1- The discipline here applies to those who are born again, but who have become indistinguishable from the lukewarm pretenders around them (Walvoord).

Option #2- the same group as addressed in vv.

15-18, or lukewarm people.

“Those whom I love” or “As many as I love” leaves the option open that lukewarmness is not a terminal condition.

How would you describe the words of Jesus to the lukewarm in vv.

15-18?

Are they meant as hostile words?

What is the purpose of the words?

Are the words borne out of love?

Reprove?

What does that mean?

① to scrutinize or examine carefully, bring to light, expose, set forth

② to bring a pers.

to the point of recognizing wrongdoing, convict, convince

③ to express strong disapproval of someone’s action, reprove, correct

④ to penalize for wrongdoing, punish, discipline

Elenchō refers to a verbal rebuke designed to bring a person to acknowledge his fault.

It attempts to correct by word as compared with paideuō, which accomplishes the same goal by act.

The latter word has the basic connotation of “instruct” or “educate” and developed a meaning of “chasten” when the education process was expedited with correction.

Here, it is the severe discipline of love.

Hopefully, the goal can be achieved by verbal rebuke only, but if this fails, chastening must follow.

This is Christ’s constant75 method of dealing with person after person who falls into this category of need.

What is the appropriate response the verbal chastening of Jesus and, if the verbal warnings do not suffice, the act of chastening?

Commands- be zealous and repent

Zealous- what was their current condition?

Lukewarm

By derivation the verb relates to zestos (“hot”) in 3:15, 16, a connection that clarifies the fervency that Christ wants to become the spirit of this church

Repent- what does it mean to repent?

What about the order of the commands?

If Jesus is speaking to unbelievers- why does he tell them to become zealous first and then to repent?

Isn’t it the other way around?

Faith / repentance two sides of the same coin-

Why Zeal and not Faith?

A biblical faith leads to obedience or zealous devotion.

Revelation 1–7: An Exegetical Commentary (Exegesis and Exposition)

“Let My strong criticisms of you open your eyes at once to the need of repentance and also to the fact that it is really love on My part that prompts Me to reprove and chastise you.

A realization of My loving concern, as well as your own desperate condition, should bring a resolute change of purpose and kindle within you a warm fervor of devotion that will dispense with lukewarmness.”

Important- message to the church as a whole!

The church as a whole needs to respond to this warning in order to avoid further chastening of the Lord.

Jesus expression of love and nearness continues in v. 20.

Christ pictures himself right on the verge of entering in order to give the church great incentive to open the door.

Jesus is compelling people to open, out of a desire for close fellowship with Himself.

God mysteriously works in people’s hearts so that only those who open the door are those that want to.

What is the door?

Option #1- The human heart.

Non-Christian- this would be an offer of the gospel for salvation.

Christian- this would be an offer of restored fellowship.

Option #2- it is an eschatological door that Christ will enter at His second advent.

This figure was used among early Christians as a way of portraying the Lord’s return

It also follows the similar format of previous letters to the churches

With allowance for a legitimate secondary application to a foretaste of ultimate fellowship with Christ, the primary reference of Christ’s standing at the door and knocking must be to His eschatological coming that is pictured as imminent throughout these messages.

Because of His longsuffering (cf. 1 Pet.

3:20; 2 Pet.

3:9), He keeps on knocking, but at some point, unknown to human beings, that knocking will come to an end and He will enter earth’s scene once again, both to deliver His faithful followers and to punish the rebellious.

The promise of v. 20 predicts the fate of the former group, and the warning of v. 16 foresees that of the latter.

I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me?

What is this referring to?

1- Lord’s supper

2- symbolic for close fellowship withe Christ

3- the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The Promise to the Overcomer

The genuine Christian, the one who overcomes by faith and is victorious over the world (cf. 1 John 5:4–5) (Walvoord), will join Christ not only in the great eschatological supper, but also will sit with Him on His throne to participate in ruling the world.