WHEN TECHNIQUE ECLIPSES RELATIONSHIP-IV—Revelation 2:1-7
Firstless Love
Muddying the water above where clarity is needed.
A man who spends all his time at work—Neglecting his family in order to do it—Forgetting that his initial drive for the work is to meet his family’s need.
The way in which we approach anything can make those choices & actions Liableous.
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?
When technique eclipses relationship our...
1. LEADERSHIP is Liable(:1)
2. WORK is Liable(:2a & 3)
3. STANDARD is Liable(:2b)
4. DRIVE is Liable(:4)
5. DISTANCE is Liable(:5a)
6. INFLUENCE is Liable(:5b)
7—When technique eclipses relationship...
Our HATRED is Liable(:6)
Explanation:(:6)
:6—“ ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Rev. 2:14-16—Nicolaitan consistencies are—Aberrant Teaching/Stumbling block/Disregard for what is holy/Immorality—Perverted satisfaction of flesh thru base desire.
Rev. 2:14-16—[To the church in Pergamos]““But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, & to commit sexual immorality. “Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly & will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”
“Nicolaitans”—Followers of a deviant/sectarian form of Christianity. Insight can be gained from 2:14-16. Idolatry & sexual immorality spawned from Nicolaitan practices/beliefs. Obviously advocates of an antinomian lifestyle(grace does not extend to the social manifestation of morality), where freedom is flaunted to the point of immorality. Akin to Gnosticism which effectively perverted Christianity, thru learning with speculation, into a philosophy. Regarded knowledge as superior to faith. Syncretistic of misunderstood Christian doctrines, Jewish, Greek & Oriental philosophies.
“Irenaeus & Hippolytus take this sect to be followers of Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5), a Jewish proselyte, who is said to have apostatized. There was such a sect in the second century (Tertullian), but whether descended from Nicolaus of Antioch is not certain, though possible (Lightfoot).”—RWP
“Have”—ecw—1) To have, i.e. to hold—1a) To have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) to have i.e. own, possess; 3) To hold one’s self or find one’s self so & so, to be in such or such a condition;4) To hold one’s self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to. Strong— a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Hate”2X—misew—1) To hate, pursue with hatred, detest; 2) To be hated, detested. Strong—from a primary misov(hatred); To detest(especially to persecute); by extension--To love less.
“Deeds/Practices”—ergon—1) Business, employment, that which any one is occupied; 2) Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; 3) An act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opp. to that which is less than work. Strong—Toil(as an effort or occupation); by implication--An act.
Argumentation:
2Jn. 1:9-11—“Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son. If anyone comes to you & does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”””
Ex. 20:2-6—““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third & fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me & keep My commandments.”
Ex. 34:12-17—““Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, & cut down their wooden images ‘(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, & they play the harlot with their gods & make sacrifice to their gods, & one of them invites you & you eat of his sacrifice, & you take of his daughters for your sons, & his daughters play the harlot with their gods & make your sons play the harlot with their gods. You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.”
Js. 4:4—“Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Illustration:
Me taking a bath as a kid/Hated it/Went thru motions of bathing/When Older—appreciated being clean/Now my ‘hatred’ is of being dirty—Bath is enjoyable—Look forward to it/Not a necessary evil/HATRED Liable
Application:
?Our HATRED fallen prey to Technique rather than Relationship?
?Your technique eclipsed your relationship with Jesus?
8—When technique eclipses relationship...
Our EARS are Liable(:7a)
Explanation:(:7a)
:7a—“ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches....”
“He who had an ear”
The quality of “ear” one possesses is of utmost importance.
It is subjected to you will.
“Let him hear”
The willful means by which we comprehend God’s direction.
Involves the Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength
The person who has sought for themselves to read/hear & heed this word will hear what it is that the Spirit of God is saying to all the churches...not just Ephesus.
“What the Spirit says”
?What is the Spirit saying to you now...Thinking of lunch...supper...?—“Repent”
Lk. 10:38-42—“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; & a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet & heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, & she approached Him & said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered & said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried & troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, & Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.””
Argumentation:
Mk. 12:30-31—“‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
Ezek. 37:12-14—““Therefore prophesy & say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves & cause you to come up from your graves, & bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, & brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, & you shall live, & I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it & performed it,” says the LORD.’””
Mat. 13:13-16—““Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, & hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, & your ears for they hear;”
Many instances(over 150!) of God proclaiming to His people, “I am the Lord” or “I am the Lord your God” as an incentive for heeding His direction—implies heeding His word!
Gen. 3:17-19—“Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, & have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns & thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.””
Deut. 11:16—““Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, & you turn aside & serve other gods & worship them,”
1Sam. 15:22—“Then Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings & sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”
Isa. 40:27-31—“Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint & be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run & not be weary, They shall walk & not faint.”
Illustration:
Our grandsons Isaac & Wesley stayed with us during Christmas 2012/About 2hrs. after breakfast, Wesley(3 yrs. old) opens the freezer & I hear something fall out of the freezer—Ice cream!/Wesley is searching for chocolate ice cream in particular & not long after breakfast/His daddy says ‘No!’/Wesley begins whining/He did not want to hear that he could not have ice cream/Baldur & I offer him grapes & blueberries instead(which he thankfully accepted/Likewise, Our EARS are Liable
The song—“O Be Careful Little Ears”
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say
Application:
?Our HEARING fallen prey to Technique rather than Relationship?
?Your technique eclipsed your relationship with Jesus?
9—When technique eclipses relationship
Our PARADISE is Liable(:7b)
Explanation:(:7b)Healing
“...To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’”
Conquers/Prevails/Victorious/(In Law—Win one’s case.
“Grant”—God wills it to those whom He has chosen by faith.
“Eat”—Continual willful partaking of God’s offering.
Jesus promises the overcomer that they will “eat of the tree of life”. The “tree of life” is located in “the Paradise of God”.
It is spoken of in:
Gen. 3:22-24—“Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good & evil; & now, lest he stretch out his hand, & take also from the tree of life, & eat, & live forever”-- therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; & at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, & the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
& in:
Rev. 22:1-2—“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God & of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; & the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
“In the Paradise of God”—
A direct reference to the New Heaven & New Earth(Rev. 21:1-3)! Its the place where God resides permanently with men & vice-versa.
‘When Adam transgressed, he was expelled from this garden, & no more permitted to eat of the tree of life; hence he became necessarily mortal. This tree, in all its sacramental effects, is secured & restored to man by the incarnation, death, & resurrection of Christ.’—Clarke
*Our freedoms are still intact yet the flesh is perfectly denied. The tree must be continuously & willfully eaten of in order to maintain life.
We are preparing ourselves for heaven.
“Overcomes”—nikaw—1) To conquer. Strong—To subdue(literally or figuratively).
“Give/Grant”—didwmi—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone;3) To give; 4) To grant or permit one. Strong—To give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“Paradise”—paradeisov—From odrp—1)among the Persians A grand enclosure or preserve, hunting ground, park, shady & well watered, in which wild animals, were kept for the hunt; it was enclosed by walls & furnished with towers for the hunters; 2) A garden, pleasure ground; 3) ‘The part of Hades(Sheol) which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of pious until the resurrection: but some understand this to be a heavenly paradise.’; 4)‘The paradise in which our first parents dwelt before the fall still exists, neither on the earth or in the heavens, but above & beyond the world.’ 5)Heaven. Strong—A park, i.e. specifically--An Eden(place of future happiness, "paradise"). Used 3X.
Argumentation:
Prov. 15:4—“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
Lu 23:33-43—“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, & the criminals, one on the right hand & the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments & cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming & offering Him sour wine, & saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, & Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself & us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.””
2Cor. 12:1-5—“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions & revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- how he was caught up into Paradise & heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.”
Rev. 21:1-8, 22-27, 22:3-5—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, & He will dwell with them, & they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them & be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true & faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, & I will be his God & he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, which is the second death.””.....“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty & the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, & the kings of the earth bring their glory & honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory & the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”.....“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God & of the Lamb shall be in it, & His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, & His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever & ever.”
Illustration:
My belief before Christ/Hell was a place of personal indulgence(which I thought highly of) where I was destined to sit with my buddies drinking beer/Dead wrong!/Our PARADISE is Liable
We call vacation destinations paradise(on earth)/Of what do these destinations consist?/Places where we forget(temporarily) our present pressures & stresses/Our PARADISE is Liable
The song—‘I Can Only Imagine’—Centered upon God not me
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you
Application:
?Our PARADISE fallen prey to technique rather than relationship?
?Your technique eclipsed your relationship with Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Muddying the waters above a water source.
Action:
When technique eclipses relationship our...
7. HATRED is Liable(:6)
8. EARS are Liable(:7a)
9. PARADISE is Liable(:7b)
1. LEADERSHIP is Liable(:1)
2. WORK is Liable(:2a & 3)
3. STANDARD is Liable(:2b)
4. DRIVE is Liable(:4)
5. DISTANCE is Liable(:5a)
6. INFLUENCE is Liable(:5b)
Presented 01/13/2013am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Presented 03/03/2002pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
