The Last Word
Revelation 2-3 – Our Call to the Imperfect Church
August 23, 2020
The book of Revelation is wildly misunderstood.
John was living like many of us today – isolated from family, alone in a dangerous world. He writes this book to 7 churches – his friends.
The book of Revelation is a gift to us, pulling us into a world of sky battles between angels and demons, glorious salvations, epic punishments and cosmic songs.
Revelation means apocalypse which translated is to uncover, to reveal.
Revelation 2:1-7 NIV
“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. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
John mentions seven churches located on a Roman postal circuit in what is today, modern Turkey.
The church needs constant reformation.
Every church is incomplete. All congregations are broken and sometimes messy.
“The fleas come with the dog.” Eugene Peterson
1. We repent. (v.5)
Repentance turns us in the right direction.
All spiritual advances begin with turning away from what’s hindering our obedience.
Repentance doesn’t take our consequences away, but it does invite God into our consequences.
2. We return to our first love.
Psalm 27:4-6 NIV
“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
I will dwell
Dwell – to return time and time again.
What keeps us from dwelling?
Busyness
Shame
Idols
Despite my busyness, for the healing of my shame, and at the expense of my idols, I will return again and again to the presence of God.
Sin separates us, fragments us, sentences us to isolation and solitary confinement. The Church restores us, unites us and sets us in community.
We instead of I.
Us instead of me.
Our instead of my.
