The book of Revelation tells us about seven churches that are examples of what a church should do, and not do, to be healthy, growing, and vibrant with the anointing of God. This message will look at what Jesus said to the churches, the security of the Born-Again Christian, and what repentance and salvation mean.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES (See Rev 1:1-8, 2:1-3:1-22)
God sent a message to each of the churches in Asia Minor. Six of those churches had a clearly defined need for improvement, and Jesus gave a specific promise to those who overcame.
Ephesus
To the church in Ephesus, Jesus commended them for their hard work and moral integrity - but pointed out a visible defect. He told them, "You have forsaken your first love" (Rev 2:4 NIV). Their need was a deeper love relationship with Jesus, and He promised them that, if they overcome, they will eat from the tree of life.
Jesus told the church that if they did not do what every church should be regularly doing - repent and love one another - He would rebuke them, and they would no longer be His representative to the world there.
Smyrna
The church in Smyrna was poor and afflicted, slandered, attacked by the enemy, and suffering unbelievable persecution. Their faith was being severely tested. Yet, despite their outward appearance of poverty and blessings, Jesus said they were rich. He told them that if they remained faithful, they would not be hurt in the second death, and no rebuke was given (See Rev 2:8-11).
Pergamum
The church in Pergamum lived "where satan has his throne." Jesus praised them for their uncompromising strong, and steady witness (See Rev 2:13). A few people in the church held to the heretical teaching of the Nicolaitans and Balaam and continued to follow them. The entire church tolerated it. Jesus rebuked them for being nearsighted and condoning heresy that could lead them into idolatry and immorality. Jesus said they needed sound doctrine and moral purity and promised if they overcame, they would eat the hidden manna found in heaven (See Rev 2:12-17). Jesus said that if they didn't repent, He would do battle with them with the sword of His mouth, which is His written Word.
Thyatira
Jesus commended the church in Thyatira for their faith, love, service, and perseverance, in which they continued to grow (See Rev 2:19). However, they allowed ego-driven and unsubmitted crafty and corrupt leadership to exert unhealthy influence over others and teach unsound doctrine that promoted immorality (See Rev 2:20-23).
The church also tolerated a woman as a teacher and prophet who taught abominable lies against God straight from Hell. Jesus said that if she, and those who supported and followed her, did not repent, He would essentially give them over to satan. They needed personal accountability, and He promised that they would have authority over all the nations if they heeded His rebuke (See Rev 2:18-29).
Sardis
The church in Sardis was commended for having a few members "who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds." The church was full of hypocrisy. They had a reputation for "being alive" but were actually "dead." Their need was to go back to the basics of what they had learned at the beginning of their faith and begin walking in integrity. Jesus promised them if they overcame that, their names would remain in the Book of Life (see Rev 3:1-6).
In the Old Testament, the "Book of Life" is where all the names of living are placed and removed for systematic sin (i.e., unbelief).
In the New Testament dispensation of grace, names are written in the Book of Life only for those who are Born-Again. However, their names were already written in the book "from the creation of the world." Jesus said He "will never blot out the name from the book of life" of those who overcome. He did not say He would blot out the names of those who fall (Rev 3:5).
Philadelphia
The church in Philadelphia was weakened under the pressure of daily persecution, yet they remained faithful to the Word and avoided temptation. Their need was to continue in patient endurance, relying on Jesus as their only source of life no matter how weak they may feel. Jesus promised if they overcame, He would give them a new name (See Rev 3:7-13).
Laodicea
The church in Laodicea was located among the rich and famous. It was known worldwide for its medical expertise. It was a wealthy church comfortably content with what they had and indifferent to the things of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He wished that they were either hot or cold. But they were "like lukewarm water"… "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."
This church was full of the nauseating contentment of self-delusion and the inaction of cold and blind proud hearts. Jesus, using figurative language, said He was about to spit (GK: emeó) them out of His mouth (Rev 3:16 ESV). The word "spit" means to vomit something repulsive and disgusting to the taste. Jesus rebuked their self-righteousness and demanded that they turn from the outward appearance of spirituality and turn inwards to the heart:
"Here 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" (Rev 3:20 NIV).
Jesus promised if they overcame that, they would sit with Him on His throne (See Rev 3:14-22).
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev 3:19-20 ESV).
Jesus warned all the churches that He is the one who searches every person's heart and will repay them according to their deeds (See Rev 2:23).
REPENTANCE
Each church was implored to repent. The word 'repent' is most often thought of as ceasing to sin, doing penance, turning around, and going the opposite way. Many believe that repentance is how you measure up to the high standards of God. It is their way of saying, 'I'm deeply sorry, and I promise never to do it again.'
Webster's Dictionary defines the word repent as 1) turning from sin and dedicating oneself to the amendment of one's life; 2) feeling regret or contrition; 3) changing one's mind.
The first definition is what many believe that Jesus taught - that only people who repent (stop sinning and change their ways) will enter into the Kingdom of God. Many non-Christians do this all the time as they realize it will benefit their lives. However, the word "repent" in the New Testament means changing one's mind or purpose for the better, thinking differently about or reconsidering what you are doing or what you have done. It does involve turning from sin, but most importantly, it means turning to God. It's not about working your way into heaven.
The first Commandment states,
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 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 or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. I am the LORD your God"…"You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below…" (Ex 20:2-5 NIV).
God desires to be the center of our life. He longs for us to depend on Him to be our refuge, our glory, our strength, and not some 'idol.' Anything that keeps us from trusting Him exclusively He considers to be "other gods." He is waiting for us to turn our hearts away from these "other gods" and towards Him.
If a husband and wife get into an argument and one is genuinely wounded, the relationship has been hurt. It needs to be healed through reconciliation via repentance and godly sorrow. However, the marriage bond is not legally severed, and they don't need to get remarried every time they have a disagreement and then reconcile. Jesus calls the Born-Again Christian His bride, and He promised to NEVER leave (i.e., divorce) or forsake them (Deut 31:8; Josh 1:5; Heb 13:5).
We should repent because God wants to prove that He is a better refuge and strength than anyone or anything else. He is looking for people who will stop trusting earthly sources to fill their longings and desires. He is looking for people who will lean on and cling to no other but Him. He desires that we turn our affections towards Him and place our trust, confidence, security, and total dependence on Him alone and be satisfied with nothing else.
Repentance is a process of turning to God to receive His presence in trade for what we usually try to acquire by dependence on earthly sources.
Repentance makes it easier to turn and draw near to the Lord and deal with the many reasons we tend to hold back from Him. It will take us from loving our earthly ways to loving God. It will also lead us to the place where earthly things become less and less attractive because the benefits of His presence far surpass anything this life has to offer.
SALVATION
The central theme of the Bible is salvation. It is based upon what Jesus did and not what a person does because it is by grace, through faith in Christ, plus nothing. The Bible says that when the Born-Again Christian sins (falls short of God's commands), they "have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," and He will not cast them out (1 John 2:1 ESV).
Salvation requires a conscious, free-will decision to accept and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Salvation is clearly laid out in Scripture and how a person receives it. It doesn't take any detailed interpretation of the Bible to try and understand why a person must be Born-Again to enter into the eternal Kingdom of God because it is the primary purpose of the Bible.
In light of that, you would think that the Bible would make it perfectly clear how a person could lose their salvation, but it does not. People do not get into theological fights over how and why a person must become Born-Again, but they sure do about losing it.
The fact is that, for a person to 'lose' their salvation, they would have to make a conscience free-will decision to reject Jesus as Lord and Savior, just as they made the free-will choice to receive Him.
Salvation has nothing to do with behavior. It is not like losing or misplacing one's car keys and then finding them. Being a BELIEVER IN Jesus is not the same as being a RECEIVER OF Jesus. Even the demons of hell are believers. Salvation (i.e., becoming Born-Again) under the New Covenant began after the Resurrection.
If a person could make the conscious decision to reject Jesus after becoming Born-Again and becoming His dwelling place, the new Holy of Holies, Jesus would have to immediately break His countless promises to them and undo everything He did to change them in a single moment, and take back all He gave them. It would then be IMPOSSIBLE for them to be renewed to repentance, which contradicts 1 John 2:1. It is not what a person does (behavior) that sends them to Hell; it is what they don't do - choosing not to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Jesus said that a person who habitually practices sin is a 'bad tree,' which is why He will say to them, "I NEVER knew you; depart from me" (Matt 7:16-20- 23 ESV - Emphasis mine). A good tree (i.e., one who is Born-Again) can only habitually produce good fruit.
CONCLUSION
Jesus gave each church His diagnosis of their disease(s) and the prescription for the remedy. The wrath of God against sin was appeased when Jesus died on the Cross as the final sacrifice for the sins of humanity. All of the promises given to the Seven Churches are contingent on becoming an overcomer. The Born-Again Christian has been given the authority to overcome "all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19 ESV). They overcome sin, the world, and the enemy, by the "blood of the Lamb," the word of their "testimony," and their willingness to die to self - "and they did not love their life -- unto death" (Rev 12:11 YLT).
The beauty of holiness begins by becoming a "vessel for honor sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Tim 2:21 NKJV). This requires living a life of daily sacrifice, picking up one's Cross daily by laying down their life and esteeming others more highly than themselves.
What Jesus said about Those who Claim to be a Born-Again Christian:
"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." (John 8:31 NIV)
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever" (John 14:15-16 ESV)
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21 NIV)
"The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:4 NIV)
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." (1 John 2:19-20 NIV)
"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, 5:4-5 NIV- See also Rev 3:5).
"Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10 NIV).
"Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1 John 3:24 NIV)
"Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation." (Heb 6:9 NIV)
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6 NIV)
As seen with each of the Seven Churches, all the benefits of holiness are significant! It is wholly based on appropriating the Blood of Jesus in each individual's life and through their testimony. The Born-Again Christian proves that Jesus exists and that His promises are true when they are seen loving others more than themselves. Emptying oneself through holiness and repentance is the truest and purest testimony.
