Even though it seems like we might be jumping ahead a bit when you consider our reference text today is Revelation, it pairs quite well with the idea of Jesus and parables. Getting started, I want to first address everyone’s first thought when they hear “Revelation.”
Show of hands, how many immediately think “end of the world,” “judgement,” Jesus’s Return, etc.?”
Another show of hands, how many think of Revelation and think of allegory and symbolism, “apocalyptic literary genre,” rather than serious literal documentation?
Quite a few, and fair enough, that’s often how it’s portrayed and no wonder. First thing we need to do then is dispel with any improper notions about what the book of Revelation is. Lucky enough for us, we don’t have to guess, rather we can (if we trust God’s Word) let it tell us itself.
Rev 1:1-2
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Alright, let’s break this down a minute because this is important.
Revelation – means the unveiling (probably the most complete illustration of Jesus’s character, attributes, desires, expectations, His mission, and results we get while here on earth.)
Order of transmission: God – Jesus – angel (rendered into signs) – John – Jesus’s servants.
And what was transmitted, the unveiling yes, but specifically 3 categories the Testimony of Jesus, the Word of God (confirming what we have IS God’s Word) and John’s eyewitness account of REAL things he SAW!
What verse 2 confirms is that Revelation needs to be taken seriously, not allegorically. The key to understanding though comes from a small, yet deeply significant phrase in verse 1 having to do with the nature of the message as John received it.
“Sent and signified.”
What this means is that the entirety of the message was rendered into signs, it was encrypted, coded, if you will.
And this is where it connects to Jesus and the Parables, because like the parables it is delivered in a way that the hearer will not understand it. Also like the parables, and even more so, the reward is for the diligent.
Not just some metaphorical reward either, Revelation is the only book which specifically calls to the reader to pay attention and seek understanding to obtain a special blessing.
Rev 1:3
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
3 things:Read it – Gotta start with knowing what it says.
HEAR it – the word “hear” implies more than just audio book version vs paperback, it implies to comprehend or understand; you actually get the message.
Keep it – hard to do without understanding, but once you get what it’s telling you it becomes instructive as a way of life.
Get here, and God promises a special blessing for your life. Sounds good, RIGHT?
And this is where the journey begins, to decode the message and understand what it’s saying. If we think back to what Randall shared last week, we had the parable of the sower which became the key to unlock the rest of the parables.
This would be like in school when you took a unit test, reflecting on what you just learned and applying it to pass the test. Revelation however is the final exam. Like a final, its not just one unit you’re looking back on, but the whole course. Beyond that, like what you get in class discussion versus just what’s in the textbook, you need to know the actual history of the places in question because Jesus will reference their local situations when addressing them. If you fail to understand what they were going through, you might accidentally interpret something into the text that is irrelevant.
The first parables Jesus taught hinged on one parable wherein He explained the context, Revelation requires you to reference back to everything from Genesis to Jude in order to decode what's inside.
Later in Chapter 1 God’s going to give us a warm up, to call the reader to remembrance of the Book of Daniel, to test the reader if they’re going to gloss over the text or be stirred with a desire to know like Nebuchadnezzar was.
Recall Nebuchadnezzar’s dream? He saw this figure made of different metals and the stone cut without hands which smote the figure and became a mounting filling the whole earth. Nebuchadnezzar was so distraught by this dream he was ready to kill the whole class of “wise men” if they couldn’t both tell him the dream AND the INTERPRETATION of it.
You see, He didn’t just see the figure and say, oh that’s cute, and move on. He HAD to know what it meant.
This passage in chapter 1, verses 13-16, the image of Jesus, should strike us like Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in that we should NOT be OK with just seeing it, but we should be unsettled until we receive the interpretation thereof. There are many connections between Daniel and Revelation, but they both start with an image, and Daniel is instructive to us regarding how we should want to approach Revelation, to seek the interpretation.
Now, God isn’t going to put us to task with something He hasn’t equipped us to accomplish. If you want to understand, to be able to keep and receive the blessing, you require a cypher and a guide with which you can tackle this codded message.
Your cypher is the rest of the Bible, you’ll need it all. The Guide is the Holy Sprit able to bring all things to remembrance. Without continual reference back to God’s word to search up each reference to gain the explanation and the Holy Spirit for discernment you cannot understand Revelation.
Hopefully with that context, you’ll all gain some new appreciation for how profound this book is, but let’s jump ahead and focus on the “keeping it” part.
If last week’s message was Jesus and the Parables, this is Jesus and His Church.
The main source text for this week is Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the letters to the seven churches. For those of you with Red Letters versions, you’ll notice this isn’t John’s commentary, but the direct testimony of Jesus Christ. If you wanted to subtitle these 2 chapters, you could call them Jesus’s Report Card for his people.
And I’m here to tell you, these 2 chapters are possible the most directly applicable scriptures in the whole Bible to us today. In these Jesus will address every possible thing
we’re doing right, wrong, and how to fix the wrong. With each he’ll also spell out the promise to those who follow His instructions.
That’ll be the focus for today, there’s a ton more in these 2 short chapters, in fact our small group is finding that tackling the mission of decoding this message is a lifelong endeavor, spending several weeks on these alone, but today we’ll summarize for ya.
Something we won’t have much time to discuss, but I want to point out, is to note that it calls itself “prophecy.” This carries a lot of overlapping connotations, but something which is true about these letters is that the seven particular churches chosen, in the order they’re addressed, ends up creating a prophetic timeline of church history from Acts to Jesus’s return. I don’t have time to substantiate that today, but I highly suggest looking at sources like Chuck Missler’s commentary to get the scoop on that.
First thing we’ll do today with these letters, is realize they have a common structure. They include the name of the church to which it was addressed, a title of Jesus pulled from the image shown in chapter 1 (different to each church,) the good, the bad, Jesus’s request, a promise to the overcomer, and closing line which stands as a reminder to pay attention.
Every element of these letters applied directly to the boots-on-the-ground situations happening in those cities in that day, drawing on local idioms and their city’s history, but moreover it also applies to each of us individually and our congregations collectively. Putting these all together, you can identify with the elements of each and grade yourself against Christ’s expectations and correct yourself according to his advice as needed.
Additionally, you can do the same with regards to your congregation to see how you’re doing as a body with operating as Jesus instructed us. The caution I’ll leave you with on that end though is to not up and abandon a church if you feel there’s a problem, rather address concerns prayerfully and find out what God would have you do to be a positive influence for change. The body needs healing, for sure, and running away from problems won’t solve anything.
Alrighty then, digging into it, the good, the bad, and what to do about it; starting in Ephesus.
Rev 2: 2-3
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou has tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake has laboured, and hast not fainted.
This first line, “I know thy works,” we’ll see a lot. Good or bad, Jesus sees us and knows what we’re up to. Can’t hide anything from Him.
So what is Jesus commending them for? They’re working hard, they’re patient, and they keep going no matter what. Moreover they are doing a GREAT job at testing everyone who claims to be with them to prove who’s fake and who’s legit. Lastly they are NOT tolerant. I mentioned this once before, but tolerance is not a virtue, rather they cant bear evil people, but they aren’t bludgeoning them for it, rather they preach repentance and sound doctrine.
I get that from verse 6 which says they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which Jesus also hates, which seems to be a type of person who would abuse their status in the church as authoritarian control over people.
These are all good things, but with your nose to the grindstone you are prone to making a big mistake if not careful, which Jesus will address next.
Rev 2:4
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love.
The thing to watch out for, what was happening in Ephesus, is that when you get so caught up in the ministry aspect of serving God, you can easily forget to walk with Him, forget to invest in the relationship He’s longing to have with you.
If you ever find yourself there, the answer is in verse 5:
Rev 2:5
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Taking a moment to think back to what you were before Jesus saved you should make you pause and realize you don’t want to go back there. Fall on your knees and put Him back as first in your life by seeking, praying, reading the Word, and spending time with Him.
No matter how good the work of your ministry, if you fail to keep the relationship with Jesus most important, He will take your ministry from you unless you repent.
One of the most impactful men and ministries in my early Christian walk, helping me to really have faith experienced this. His ministry was booming, souls being saved, boldly speaking truth and strengthening the faith of countless people, myself included... until he was unjustly imprisoned for 9.5 years.
In prison He wrote his WOE series, Why on Earth did God let this happen to me for heaven’s sake being one of those books. In it he shares what God showed him, that his focus was more on the work, and he started becoming prideful at how well they were doing, and Jesus wasn’t happy with him for it. He left his first love, but it was Grace which put an abrupt stop to all of it so Jesus could get his attention and draw him back to Himself.
On account of his repentance, his ministry was restored and then some, but now with his focus centered on Jesus. The letter to Ephesus was a lesson played out in his life.
Next is the letter to Smyrna. This will only have good things, nothing bad, which will tell us something about Jesus’s heart for us when we’re in these situations as they were. The hard pill to swallow will be when you understand what that situation was.
Rev 2:9-10
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Quick aside. Notice the parentheses here. Something you’ll discover as you examine all these next to the situation on the ground is that all of these churches were surprised by their report. Often we misjudge our own circumstances and it takes an outside perspective to help us see. These in Smyrna thought they were poor, but Jesus is letting them know they actually have real treasure and to persevere.
Back to the letter, this one wouldn’t be too directly familiar to anyone who grew up in America, but it becomes truer in more places in this earth with each passing day, and it was true for those in Smyrna.
There's a deeper principle at play here too. If God let you be born in to a perfect family, gone to church your whole life, accept Christ as a child, live happily ever after... you'd have a powerless testimony.
For those of us though who've endured hardship, abandonment, loss, death, persecution, addiction, rejection, abuse, betrayal... if like Job, someone could come up to you and say “might as well shake your fist at God and die...”
But instead Jesus gets a hold of you, and in that place of darkness, rising from the ashes of brokenness you can stand and praise Him who is worthy, you can now became a true witness to the Power of our Risen Lord and preach a testimony which makes mountains
tremble and demons flee... Christ made perfect in our weakness gives us the ability to really partner with Him and have an effective ministry fighting back the darkness and gaining ground for HIS Kingdom!
Even the root of the name of the city, Myrr, a bitter herb when crushed and ground under pressure releases it’s characteristic, desirable odor.
Likewise, those in Smyrna were facing constant and deadly persecution but remained faithful martyrs, attaining to crowns of life. In that setting, under pressure and persecution, the church yet flourished because Jesus was with them, and the power of their faith and the strength of Christ in them was more powerful than what any enemy could levy against them.
“Fear none of these things...” In Christ there is no fear, only hope, peace, and love. He will be that which sustains us in our darkest hour, and in that hour He has nothing to say against you, rather He is there to carry us through to victory with Him.
The line about having tribulation ten days, turns out there were exactly 10 roman emperors which issued edicts of persecution against the church before Christianity became legal and promoted corporately. An example of how what seems allegorical is directly applicable, but also a reminder to us that no matter how bad things get, it’s never permanent. There’s always hope in Christ.
Next up is Pergamos, and from here haven given you a couple of examples, really just a taste of how deep these letters go, we'll have to be a little more brief and let you go back to dig in for yourselves.
Rev 2:13
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast to my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
So Pergamos, a city whose name means mixed, or objectionable marriage, is a city in which the church is doing well, despite some persecution, but not without compromise. Unlike Ephesus which was taking ground, or Smyrna which was steadfast unto death, Pergamos compromised by blending themselves with paganism.
Rev 2:14-15
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there with them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
So has thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Jesus here addresses 2 things they need to fix. One is abusing your position in the church as authoritarian, the other is to do with Balaam. Balaam was someone who had spiritual gifts, but sold them for personal gain. When the client wants something God specifically denies, he then instructs the client how to get the people to sin and make God deal with them instead.
Main take away for me, no matter how good you are at dealing with persecution, holding fast to the name of Jesus and keeping the faith, you must remain careful not to allow your spiritual gifts to be used for personal gain rather than for Christ’s Kingdom. Alongside that, don’t wear Christ’s banner then teach others to stumble either by what you say or the example you set. This often happens when we remain married to things in this world and become compromised. Christ calls us to be separate and purify our ambassadorship for Him.
Rev 2:16
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
The WORD of God will always stand to cut away that which is false, leaving only what is genuine behind.
Thyatira is next, and like Pergamos is compromised but showing signs that there is hope.
Rev 2:19
I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
So they’re showing up every day and trying, and that last part is a way of saying that they are starting to improve. The last works are more than the first works, acknowledgment and encouragement to keep getting better.
They have an issue though, in fact Jesus has a lot more to criticize than compliment. Their issue is a big one for us today still, and we talked about it with the Kings a few weeks back. It’s this idea of tolerance again. This time rather than like Ephesus calling out evil, these guys are happy to let it coexist... which Christ ain’t happy about.
Rev 2:20-23
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
The warning here is clear, do NOT allow pagan practices to be mingled into our churches. Jesus will judge those, and make examples of them in great tribulation. Moreover it isn’t enough to do the right things only, but we must do them for the right reasons, for the furtherance of His kingdom, not our own gain or simply to check boxes.
Rev 2:24-25
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
That is the encouragement for those who can remain faithful in that environment. He sees you, he’s not going to over burden you because you’re already dealing with a lot, but keep steadily improving and hold fast, Jesus is coming.
The next church addressed is Sardis, and here is the first church where Jesus has only rebukes, no compliments. He does however point out that even amidst total corruption, He always preserves a witness, a remnant that is His. This is like the northern kingdom wherein everything official is corrupt, but God sends a prophet, and while some hearts may harken to the voice of the prophet, corporately it is rejected.
Rev 3:1-2...I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
In politics we talk about “RINO's", meaning Republican in Name Only... and Jesus here is calling them Christians in Name Only. While they call themselves children of the living God, they are in fact dead inside, with no life in them.
That comment about strengthening what is ready to die, points back to how they received the word, like the seed in thorns, and it's about to be choked out and he's letting them know to take notice before there's nothing left.
Rev 3:3
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.
Repentance is always key. To what I mentioned earlier, even when it's darkest God always preserves a witness, a remnant.
Rev 3:4
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
If it seems like everyone around you is like the walking dead, you're not without hope, be the one who clings to Jesus and walk with Him in white.
Philadelphia is next and is the one we all immediately gravitate towards and so badly want to identify with.
Like Smyrna, Jesus will have nothing bad to say about them but unlike Smyrna, it's because they're rocking the evangelism game and taking ground.
Rev 3:8
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and has not denied my name.
Main thing I want to point out here, the REASON they're so successful, is what might seem like an underhanded compliment if you didn't know better.
Jesus says they have a little strength, and you might be like I want to have all the strength and be great!... but therein lies the road to pride and destruction. These in Philadelphia understood that God had given them gifts, but they allowed His strength to be made perfect in weakness and didn't rely on their own strength.
They had the strength to stand, choose Him, and take a step... that's all, and that's what God's looking for in us. God opens the door and as long as we're willing to take the step it'll
be His power and His might which can carry us through and He's responsible for the results.
On to the last, Laodicea; and if what I said before about these making a prophetic timeline is true, then this will be most predominantly characteristic of the church in the last days before Jesus returns.
Rev 3:15-16I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
That doesn't sound good... And it gets worse, but before that, I want to point out something important about what Jesus is saying here. Remember I mentioned before that these letters rely upon the reader understanding the local history? This is one of those. Jesus is talking to them directly according to a problem that they had and dealt with every day.
Laodicea was the middle city of a 3 city aqueduct system starting in the volcanic hot springs of Hierapolis and going through Laodicea to Colossi. The hot water of Hierapolis was valuable for bathing, and by time it reaches Colossi it is cold and naturally filtered clean. In Laodicea however, it was lukewarm, and still mildly sulfuric, so if you tried drinking it you would get sick.
Jesus then, is saying to them, Look at the churches in Hierapolis and Colossi, I wish you were like them, but the same way your water makes you sick, you make me sick.
There's nothing here about being a “lukewarm" Christian or such nonsense... that's a sermon from someone who may have read, but not heard.
Jesus continues:
Rev 3:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
This is getting to why they make Jesus sick... they are so puffed up by their material wealth and riches, the security of their successful business and a Switzerland like neutral political position, they fail to see that spiritually they’re wrecked. Everyone around them loves them, and they sure do love themselves, but they don't stand for, or believe in anything aside from personal gain.
Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
You might think I'm getting out of order here, but there's a point. Who is the letter writing to?.... The church. Where is Jesus?.... outside knocking.... They kicked Him out. Building's got His name on it, but they won't let Him in.
This verse then harkens back to Sardis, there it said there are a few even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, here it's saying if anyone in that husk of a thing we call church actually hears Jesus calling them, and knocking, the invitation stands to have that personal relationship.
Unfortunately, the truth and power and depth of the Gospel has been lost in the institution called church...
Rev 3:18
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
I'll let y'all go and research what each of those means, but the answer to their predicament is here. Our value isn't in what we can produce or procure in this life, but comes from the Love Jesus has for us and what we can accomplish when we participate with Him for His kingdom. Our clothing is His blood, and His righteousness. And if our eyes need to be healed, it isn't the fancy balms our local medical university cooks up, rather it's His Holy Spirit in us to give us eyes to see.
We'll close with Jesus's words, and His promise to those who overcome this present church age.
Rev 3:19, 21-22As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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