Iliff & Saltillo UM
May 16, 2004
“Glimpses into Revelation--God Knows Your Circumstances”
Rev. 2:1-17
INTRODUCTION: A couple of weeks ago we talked about the first chapter of Revelation in which John was given a very unusual vision, and he was to relay the message in this vision to the seven churches of Asia Minor. It was a message intended to STRENGTHEN the first century Christians and to ENCOURAGE them not to give up in the face of persecution and trouble but to BE OVERCOMERS. Although there were more than 7 churches, the number 7 means COMPLETE or TOTAL and the letters were representative of all churches then and now. Some of the things they are going through then in the early church are similar to what we are still going through in the 21st century and in our lives.
Sometimes we say, “Nobody is going through what I’m going through. God must not even be aware of what’s going on in my life.” Today’s messages from Revelation assures us, “Yes, God does know your circumstance, He cares, and He brings a message of hope to you--hang on, don’t give up. Be an overcomer.”
Today I want to look at three of the 7 churches--Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum--and see what is going on with them. And then we want to see how these letters apply to us today.
1. A Personal Message--Not just a general forward or a form letter.
ILLUSTRATION: Wouldn’t you rather get a letter written to you, not just a forward or form letter? E.mail--get a lot of forwards and junk mail.
Although the format of the letter was the same, there was a PERSONALIZED message to each of the churches. There were DISTINCTIVE things about each church as well as COMMON features. The things they had in common:
1. The author--a special word from Jesus through John
2. The Sufficiency of the Lord to meet their individual needs
3. the Omnicience of Christ--I know your works and deeds--his searching eyes like a flame of fire penetrating--yet there is comfort and hope for us because there is no problem or circumstance we face that he is not aware of.
4. In each of the churches there is a relationship between the problems they faced and the environment they lived in. These conditions presented different set of problems for each church. They needed a letter that was addressed especially to them.
In these letters:
1. He mentions the name of the church
2. He gives a description of Jesus--some particular characteristic about him from chapter 1 that would be of importance to the church.
3. a commendation or approval and/or
4. A condemnation--I have somewhat against you
5. an admonition and invitation to do something about it--He that hath an ear to hear
6. a promise or assurance--these were all individualized and contained meaning for these individual churches.
Application: What is significant about the fact that a general letter was not just hurriedly sent off to all the churches? I think that it reminds us that the Lord meets us at our individual POINT OF NEED the same as he did those early Christians. Each of you may be needing help in different ways because you are like the people of these 7 churches--going through a different set of circumstances or problems. The Lord is aware of your current circumstances and can bring a message of comfort and hope that will be meaningful to you. The Bible is filled with many promises that we can apply to our individual situations. When we are afraid we can’t take it any longer, he speaks encouragement:
I Corinthians 10:13 says. “...but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able...”
Phil. 4:13 says, “I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Exodus “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
Phil. 4:19, “My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
We don’t all hear the same general message in a church service on Sunday morning. The Holy Spirit allows certain things to stand out to us and to minister to our individual needs. You all have specific things to pray about. Individualize your prayers accordingly. Know what the Bible says and how to apply it to your individual situation.
Know how to pray about your own individual needs. Expect the Sunday morning service to meet your needs and speak to you.
I think that this is evident in these letters. They were meant for them personally.
2. They Saw Jesus in the Way that Was Meaningful to Them: Jesus appears to the churches in the way they needed to see him.
a. Ephesus--from Jesus who WALKS around among the lampstands--active in their midst. He doesn’t just stand and OBSERVE. He is ACTIVE. This is important to the church at Ephesus because they were a very ACTIVE church, working themselves about to the point of exhaustion. They would probably have placed a high value on ACTIVITY. In chapter one He STOOD among the lampstands. Here He actively WALKS among the lampstands. He is in these churches.
b. To Smyrna--Jesus who is the first and the last, who died and came to life again. He presented himself as an overcomer who had been there and survived death, hell, and the grave. These people didn’t know whether they were going to face life or death when they got up in the morning or whether they would be imprisoned before the day was over.
c. Pergamum--the letter came from Jesus who has the sharp double-edged sword--signifying justice. The power of God’s truth and justice was in contrast to the power of Roman military might and justice.
Application: How does Jesus appear to you? If you are sick you want Him to be the Healer. If you are in great distress, you want him to bring peace to you. If you are in financial difficulty, you want Him to be the supplier of your financial needs. Jesus says in many scriptures, I AM......the Way, the Resurrection, the Bread of life, the Door, the Light.....
How does he appear to you today????
3. Pointing out the Good and the Bad: Then He points out the good things about these churches. He commends Ephesus for being hard working, persevering, and not growing weary, and not tolerating evil in the church.
Smyrna was rich in loving fellowship even though they were living in financial poverty due to persecution and couldn’t get good jobs.
Pergamum was commended for staying true to the faith in spite of persecution, in spite of living in Satan’s territory.
Application: Don’t you feel good when someone tells you that you have done a good job on something or that they recognized your special talent in a particular area? I imagine these people did too. Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
But then what happens when some one goes on to say, “...but you have this wrong with you--You feel as if that remark has just zapped all the good you just heard. None of us like “constructive criticism” as it is called.
Someone said that “Constructive criticism is when I criticize you. Destructive criticism is when you criticize me.”
The Church at Ephesus had a criticism. They were told you have LEFT (not lost) your first love. Here they looked like a very successful church and they were hard workers, but they had become mechanical--out of duty--they didn’t have any joy in it anymore. They worked their fingers to the bone, but weren’t enjoying it.
He said, “go back and repent and do your first works over. Start from Square One. Or else your lampstand will be removed. Your witness will not be effective in this community anymore.
Application: What does this say to us. How is our relationship with the Lord today as compared with a few years ago. Have we grown cold in our commitment to the Lord that we don’t really enjoy anything we do in the Lord’s work anymore. Just go through the motions?
Smyrna did not have any condemnation given them.
Pergamum--He said you have allowed people in your midst who have gone into false teachings. Some have been eating meat sacrificed to idols and have been partaking in the immorality that goes along with such sacrifices. He said some have been going along with the false doctrine of the Nicolatians. This speaks of compromise. He said repent otherwise I will soon come and fight against them with a sword--the sword of justice??
Application: Are we like this too where we say, “Oh, this is OK. Everyone does it now. I don’t want to be an old fuddy duddy. I don’t see anything wrong with it.” What areas are we allowing ourselves to compromise on???
Note in all these churches he never once said, “I have written you off--there’s nothing you can do.”
No, he said, you’ve got a lot of good going for you in spite of the things you need to get straightened up. Wouldn’t that give them hope and the desire to try? I think so.
4. INVITATION AND PROMISE: They all had an invitation--”He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit is saying to the church. There is hope for these people. All was not lost. But they couldn’t continue to go on their merry way and disregard the message indefinitely.
Application: Do we say, “Yes, I know I should go to church, but I got out of the habit. I’ll get around to it SOMEDAY maybe?”
What happens when we hear a warning--the Holy Spirit convicts of us something that is wrong in our lives--do we stop then and say, “Lord forgive me and help me to correct this. Or do we just ignore it?
At the end of each letter is promise. It is something that would mean something to each individual church.
STORY: You might get a phone call that says, “If you sign up today you’ll get so many extra frequent flyer miles.”
You say, “I don’t want that. I never fly anywhere.” It would not be meaningful to you.
PROMISE: The promise to the church at Ephesus was, “To him that overcomes I will give him the right to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.”
So what is important about that? To the people of Ephesus that said something important because trees were a SYMBOL of IMMORTALITY.
John uses everyday symbols to speak spiritual truth.
Trees had been worshipped as homes of divine beings. Greeks had groves of trees as sacred.
An Olive tree putting forth a new shoot was taken as a sign that things would go well.
John went from these symbols to lift their sights beyond to the eternal promises.
PROMISE: Smyrna was promised a Crown of Life to the Overcomers. The athletes were rewarded with crowns or wreathes as symbols of their achievements.
The city of Smyrna had such a beautiful skyline that it was often referred to as the Crown of Smyrna
Christ’s faithful followers were given a reward far more permanent than a crown of laurel wreaths--they were given a crown of life.
This said something to them.
PROMISE: Pergamum--They were promised hidden manna--a supply of whatever we need like the daily manna of old--a supply that was unknown to the world--speaks of the sufficiency of Christ.
The promise of a white stone--in a court case if the person got a white stone it meant they were not guilty. A black stone meant they were guilty.
The promise of a New Name on the stone--it signified an improvement in character. Peter’s new name meant--A Rock, signifying greater stability. A new Name Meant more responsibility and authority.
STORY: Mac and Todd, two brothers, went together to an employment agency looking for work. The first brother was called for an interview. “It says here you’re a pilot,” said the employment counselor. Mac nodded. “Well, that’s great. There’s a need for experienced pilots. I have a job for you immediately.” With that, Mac left for the airport.
Todd’s interview didn’t go as well. When asked about his work experience, he replied, “I’m a tree cutter.” The counselor said there were no openings for tree cutters. Incensed, Todd demanded: “How come you have a job for my brother and not for me?”
“Because your brother is a pilot,” explained the counselor. “He has a specialized skill.”
“What do you mean specialized? I cut the wood, and he piles it!”
Mac might have called himself a Pilot but it didn’t have the right specialized training or experience he needed for the job.
The new name known only to him--a special name --a hidden name was more valuable because they felt that it contained certain powers and it was better if other people didn’t know what they were.
John linked the new name with the name given to believers which was not understood by the world.
CONCLUSION: What can we learn from these three letters?
1. They were given a personal message--God knew their circumstances and spoke to them accordingly. The same personal attention is for us as well.
2. They saw Jesus in a way that was meaningful to them. He meets us at our point of need. I AM....
3. The good and the bad pointed out. The Holy Spirit reveals to us both the good and the bad that we can make corrections and draw closer to the Lord.
4. Invitation and Promise--We also have an invitation today and a promise.
Let us pray:
