Immanuel: Jesus and the Seven Churches
Revelation 1:9 – 3:22
Sermon Objective: To show the character of Christ and how he relates with His bride.
Intro:
It is my contention that the subject of the Book of the Revelation is not about “end times” matters, or even persecution; it is about Jesus Christ. The book begins, after all, saying it is a “revelation of Jesus Christ” not a “revelation of end times”.
What disturbs me the most is how so many who study, teach and preach the book bury the lead! They give everything other than Jesus most of the emphasis which tends to make it very sensationalistic but far less kerygmatic. Jesus is the cornerstone of this book. In fact, over 20 percent of the book is already written (with Him as the main character) before any “end times” material is even possibly addressed.
It would do us well, if we are going to journey through this book, to get a good grasp of how Jesus is portrayed (particularly in the first 5 chapters), and then frequently refer back to that portrayal. You see, a proper understanding of Jesus is essential to a believer’s life and ministry. The more fully we know Jesus the more fully we can respond to Him.
With that in mind, we are going to read a substantive portion of the first three chapters this morning … I want you to fixate on Jesus because there are Christological principles here that apply to your life and world.
Afterwards, I will offer four principles that illustrate Jesus’ interaction with His church.
Chapter 1:
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."
12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Chapter 2:
1"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:
7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
8"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
10b… Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
18"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.
26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father.
28I will also give him the morning star.
29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Chapter 3:
1"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.
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
7"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.
12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
14"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.
20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
So there you have it; it is undeniable that Jesus Christ is the central figure in these early chapters. And, quite frankly, he will be the central figure in all the chapters to come as well.
But these first few chapters are unique because, within them, Jesus is directly interacting with local churches. There are four things we can learn from them that, thankfully, still apply today.
1. Jesus comes as one who STANDS with us. (1:12-13, 2:1)
There is a reason why chapter one reveals this about our Lord before He ever interacts with a church. We need to be assured upfront that EACH OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES (AND EVERY CHURCH SINCE) IS DEFINED BY THE LIVING CHRIST. And each church is a living example of His mercy, patience, and grace.
Jesus had ample reason to distance Himself from some of these local churches:
• He said the church would be known by its love (John 13:35) but some were unloving
• The Bible says the church was to be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27) but some were anything but that
• The Bible says the church is to be vigilant about preaching sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3) but heresy dominated in some of these.
And yet … Jesus has not abandoned them.
Do you know why Jesus did not abandon them even though their sin had distanced them from Him? BECAUSE HE LOVED THEM … JUST AS HE LOVES YOU!
He explicitly states He is among them – he is not distancing himself as if he is ashamed or embarrassed to be associated with them. HOW THRILLING IS THAT!!!!????
• I have seen husbands who, for whatever reason, appeared embarrassed to be seen with their wives. They would show this in their posture or in the distance they kept from them. I have seen wives do the same.
• But I assure you, Jesus is not ashamed to be seen with His Bride! He longs for the day of consummation and association that is described at the end of this book.
As I have told you many times since we began looking at The Revelation, the simple fact that Jesus is present and speaking to them shows His love, patience, grace, and confidence in them.
• After all it is only Jesus who is able to keep them from falling and present them faultless before the throne (Jude 1:24). Apart from Him we can do nothing.
• It is his empowerment that provides us every grace we need to for life and service.
1. Jesus comes as one who STANDS with us.
2. Jesus comes as one who is STRONGER than the threats we face.
Look at the prologue of each message – it directly relates to the city and the threat that the community brought to Jesus’ church.
It also links directly back to the vision that John saw of the Sovereign Jesus in 1:12-19 too.
This is significant. Whether the threats are civic, political, financial, domestic, or religious JESUS SHOWS HIMSELF TO BE STRONGER THAN THEIR COUNTERFEIT CLAIMS.
This means there is no need to compromise or fear because we serve the “real deal.” We serve the One who, when the dust settles (Rev. 18:8), will be revealed as the “Mighty God, and Everlasting One!”
1. Jesus comes as one who STANDS with us.
2. Jesus comes as one who is STRONGER than the threats.
3. Jesus comes as one who is SUPERIOR to our sin.
Here is food for thought … your sin, regardless of how heinous it is or how many there are, is no longer capable of keeping you from God.
• Your sin has been addressed and Jesus’ atonement is more than sufficient for sin.
• Romans 5:20 says: “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
• What keeps you away from God is not your sin; it is your refusal to turn to Him in faith and receive the new birth He offers.
The core problem with the churches was their drift away from Christ and His Word. That was, in essence, the call to each local church … “return to me.”
Those things which we yield to that thwart ministry, stunt growth, and separate us from God are all inferior to the relationship available in Him. That, too, is a common truth in the book – everything that competes for God’s sovereignty is inferior and counterfeit … and that includes our sin.
You see, SIN IS AN ILLEGITIMATE WAY OF MEETING A LEGITIMATE NEED. When we come to Christ we see His answer to our need is faaaar superior to any other solutions.
LISTEN TO ME! GOD’S GRACE IS SUPERIOR TO YOUR SIN! JESUS’ BLOOD CAN NOT ONLY PARDON YOUR SIN BUT CAN DELIVER YOU FROM SIN’S POWER. THAT IS WHY “REPENT” IS IN THE AORIST TENSE IN THESE MESSAGES; IT IS A ONE TIME ACT THAT BRINGS YOU BACK INTO FELLOWSHIP AND FILLS YOU WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT TO BE VICTORIOUS OVER SIN.
• You do not have to live as a victim or slave to sin. Jesus can set you free!
• And anyone who tells you that you will always sin on a daily basis (so you need to just resign to it) does not understand the victory that was purchased for us by the risen Christ!
• THIS IS THE CORE OF WESLEYAN-HOLINESS THEOLOGY. SIN’S POWER HAS BEEN BROKEN AND THE HOLY SPIRIT’S INDWELLING PROVIDES YOU WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO LIVE AS JESUS LIVED … IN A LOVING RELATIONSHIP THAT IS PLEASING TO THE FATHER.
Conclusion:
1. Jesus comes as one who STANDS with us.
2. Jesus comes as one who is STRONGER than the threats.
3. Jesus comes as one who is SUPERIOR to our sin.
4. Jesus comes as one who is more SECURE that life itself.
The threats and anxiety we feel often comes from the fear of death, the unknown, and the sense of disruption it can bring.
This happens when we fixate on the problem not the SOLUTION (Jesus).
It is worth noting that Jesus is the beginning subject and the ending subject in each message to these local churches. The subject matter of those openings and closings are drawn directly from the character and characteristics (of Jesus) that we read about in chapter one.
There is something very very symbolic and substantive in that. He wants the churches to see Him as the beginning and the end (1:17-18; 2:8) of their journey too.
• He wants every crisis they face to be book-ended by their knowledge and faith in Him.
• Can any less be true of Jesus’ relationship with you?
• This is the key to being an “overcomer” and we will spend an entire sermon looking at “What is an Overcomer” in a couple of weeks.
So there you have it; four truths showing us how Jesus Christ relates to us as a church.
Jesus loves His Church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). It is the apple of His eye. And that … is reason to celebrate!
And that is reason to walk in faith and victory too!
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
