WHEN TECHNIQUE ECLIPSES RELATIONSHIP-II—Revelation 2:1-7
Firstless Love
Attention:
When they were first married Ken watched & learned as his new wife Karen, prepared the boneless ham. Karen precisely measured 3 inches from the butt of the ham inward & cut off the end of the ham.
Ken immediately starts wondering why it was so important to cut the ham so oddly, so he asked Karen.
She said it was very important for the taste of the ham & that she would bake the removed portion at a later time.
Ken couldn’t stand it so he asked again about how the flavor of the ham could be so effected simply by slicing the end off.
Karen replies, “Momma always does it that way, & her ham is always perfect.”
Ken complies.
At a family gathering, Ken inquires of his mother-in-law about the ham, in Karen’s presence.
Karen’s mother responded simply that, for nostalgias’s sake she had always use the very same baking pan that had belonged to her mother. Her mother’s pan was roughly three inches too short for any full-sized ham so she had to remove it in order to bake it properly!
Karen’s relationship with her mother regarding the recipe had never been established.
The way in which we approach anything can be Liableous...And Technique can eclipse Relationship.
Jesus reprimanded the Ephesian church because their first love for Jesus had taken second place & lapsed into technique/maintenance.
The local church must prevent her relationship with Jesus from lapsing into a technique.
What occurs when technique overshadows relationship?
9 liabilities of a relationship that is eclipsed by technique.
We previously found that...
When technique eclipses relationship our...
LEADERSHIP is Liable(:1)
2—When technique eclipses relationship...
Our WORK is Liable(:2a & 3)
Explanation:(:2a & 3)Involvement/Programs/Ministries
:2a—“‘I know your works, your labor, your patience, & that you cannot bear those who are evil.”
Jesus is fully aware of the Ephesian church’s “works/deeds”, “labor/toil”, “patience/perseverance.”
“Works/Deeds”—erga—Focus upon the Enterprises, Employment, Undertakings involved in.
“Labor/Toil”—kopon—Focus upon the weariness resulting from the work.
Not lazy—Put their nose to the grindstone
“Patience/Perseverance”—upomonhn—‘Steadfastness, Constancy, Endurance’. Won’t easily give up the ship.
:3—“& you have persevered & have patience, & have labored for My name’s sake, & have not become weary.”
:3(NASB)—“& you have perseverance & have endured for My name’s sake, & have not grown weary.”
Lit.—“...For the sake of My name have labored & have not wearied.”
The Ephesian church had also “persevered,” ‘endured,’ & worked hard.
Reversed word order in TR & MT.
“Persevered/Borne/Endured”(See :2—“Bear/Endure/Tolerate”)—bastazw—1) To take up with the hands; 2) To take up in order to carry or bear, to put upon one’s self (something) to be carried—2a) To bear what is burdensome; 3) To bear, to carry—3a) To carry on one’s person, 3b) To sustain, i.e. uphold, support; 4) To bear away, carry off. Strong—To lift, literally or figuratively(endure, declare, sustain, receive, etc.).
“Patience”—upomonhn—Same as above.
Jas. 1:3-4—“knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.”
“Labored”—kopiaw—1) To grow weary, tired, exhausted(with toil or burdens or grief); 2) To labor with wearisome effort, to toil—2a) Of bodily labor. Strong—To feel fatigue; by implication--To work hard.
“Weary/Tired/Exhausted”—kamnw— 1) To grow weary, be weary; 2) To be sick. Strong—apparently a primary verb; properly, To toil, i.e. (by implication) To tire (figuratively, faint, sicken). Used 3X.
TR— “hast labored, & hast not fainted.”—Wearied yourself & not fainted.
*“FOR MY NAME’S SAKE”—That Jesus may be known.
Argumentation:
Eph. 4:11-13—“And He gave some as apostles, & some as prophets, & some as evangelists, & some as pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.”
1Cor. 15:58—“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Php. 1:6—“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Php. 2:12-13—“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will & to work for His good pleasure.”
Illustration:
Titheing—Sunday School(Bible Study)—Fellowships—Missions projects—
Family meals/New mother/Prepare meal anticipating giving best for family/1st Love/ OR Drudgery/Putting food on table can be a Work of Love or a Work of Enslavement/Our WORK is Liable
This is why I am keen on approaching our work with passion/If I do not love what I do...passionate about it...then I am only on autopilot(doing it by or in the flesh!)/Our WORK is Liable
Application:
?Our WORK fallen prey to Technique rather than Relationship?
?Your Technique eclipsed your Relationship with Jesus?
3—When technique eclipses relationship...
Our STANDARD is Liable(:2b)
Explanation:(:2b) Doctrine/Testing
:2b—“... & that you cannot bear those who are evil...”
Don’t have any patience with those who are “evil” & represent “evil”(within the church). The world calls the church...Backward...Non-progressive...Caught up in the past...Chained to tradition.
1Cor. 5:11—“But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.” Mat. 18:15-20—“And if your brother sins, go & reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; & if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile & a tax-gatherer. “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; & whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”
“Bear/Endure/Tolerate”(See :3—“Persevered/Borne/Endured”)—bastazw—1) To take up with the hands; 2) To take up in order to carry or bear, to put upon one’s self (something) to be carried—2a) To bear what is burdensome; 3) To bear, to carry—3a) To carry on one’s person, 3b) To sustain, i.e. Uphold, support; 4) To bear away, carry off. Strong—To lift, literally or figuratively(endure, declare, sustain, receive, etc.).
“Evil men/Those who are evil/Wicked”—kakov—1) Of a bad nature—1a) Not such as it ought to be; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—2a) Base, wrong, wicked; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. Kakov frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is also used meaning evil in a moral sense. It is a general antithesis to agayov. Strong—Worthless(intrinsically, such; whereas ponhrov properly refers to effects), i.e. subjectively--Depraved, or objectively--Injurious.
:2b—“...& you have tested those who say they are apostles & are not, & have found them liars;”
The Ephesian Christians were actively involved in the “tests” for the genuineness of God’s ordained apostles.
*The tests themselves are not defined. The church had to measure evil by God’s written word(OT) & the spoken word & correspondence with known apostles.
The representative church at Ephesus—boldly Stood against Evil & Counterfeits
“Tested/Put to the test”—peirazw—1) To try whether a thing can be done—1a) To attempt, endeavor; 2) To try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself. Strong—To test (objectively), i.e. Endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline.
“Say/Call themselves/Claim”—faskw—V.—1) To affirm, allege, portend or profess. Strong—To assert. Used 4X.
“Apostles”—apostolov—1) A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders. Strong—A delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ["apostle"](with miraculous powers).
Qualifications for the 12—Acts 1:21-22—“It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in & out among us-- beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
Paul(Acts 14:4), Barnabas(Acts 14:4; Rom. 1:1; 1Cor. 9:5), Timothy(2Cor. 1:1 & 2Cor. 11:12-13), Sylvanus/Silas(); Andronicus & Junias(Rom. 16:7). Other than the 12 were apostles—Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Sylvanus/Silas; Andronicus & Junias.
“Liars/False”—qeudhv— Adj.—Lying/Deceitful/False. Strong—Untrue, i.e. erroneous, deceitful, wicked. Used 3X.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 11:12-15—“But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.”
Mt 24:23-25(Mk. 13:22)—““Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs & false prophets will rise & show great signs & wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. “See, I have told you beforehand.”
Jn. 10:24-28—“Then the Jews surrounded Him & said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, & you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
2Thes. 2:9-15—“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, & lying wonders, & with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit & belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast & hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”
?If you cannot discern truth now, then do you really think you could survive the delusion of openly miraculous events offered at the hand of the Satan thru his Antichrist & False prophet?
*1Jn. 2:26-28—“These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing[Holy Spirit] which you have received from Him abides in you, & you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, & is true, & is not a lie, & just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence & not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
Mat. 7:1-2—““Judge not, that you be not judged. “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Illustration:
Church choices/We can define ourselves by who we are. OR by Whose we are!/Defined by that STANDARD
Those who used SBC to judge all else/Hatred of anything NOT Southern Baptist/Defined by that STANDARD
Car choice/Chevrolet—Dodge—Ford/Attitude—Window stickers/Everything revolves around hatred rather than enjoying & declaring the pleasures of your car/Studebakers aren’t around anymore because they were poorly made vehicles in comparison to others/We defined by our STANDARDs
Application:
?Our STANDARD fallen prey to Technique rather than Relationship?
?Your Technique eclipsed your Relationship with Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Karen’s pork loin.
Action:
When technique eclipses relationship our...
2. WORK is Liable(:2a & 3)
3. STANDARD is Liable(:2b)
1. LEADERSHIP is Liable(:1)
Presented 01/06/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Points 1-3 Presented 02/24/02pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
