The Church Exposed
-We are going to speed through the 7 churches so we can focus on the less focused on parts of the Revelation
-Why 7 churches of Asia Minor when we know there were more (Colosse)?
-Seven as the number for complete…
-A message to al of the churches!
In Revelation 1 Jesus reveals himself
-WHo is he now?
-What is he up to???
In Revelation 2-3 he reveals the churches…he reveals us!
-Seven people read the churches
Commends:
-Hard work
-Perseverance
-Don’t tolerate sin
-Tested those who claim to be apostles but are not
-Endured hardships
-Not grown weary
-Hate [that], which he also hates
-Remain true to my name
-Did not renounce your faith in Jesus
-Good deeds
-Love
-Faith
-Service
-Doing more than you did at first
-Having little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name
-Kept his command to endure patiently
Corrects:
-Forsaken the love you had at first
-Hold to the teaching of Balaam/Nicolaitans
-Tolerate that woman Jezebel
-Having a reputation of being alive, but you are dead
-Lukewarmth
Three Calls To The Church
1. Resist
2:1 - I know your afflictions
-“thlipsis”
-The pressure the thinking, culture, values and lifestyles of the Kingdom of God meet the thinking, culture, values and lifestyles of those who do not hold Jesus as Lord
-Unfortunately, that pressure is inevitable
-Jesus never promises to remove the “affliction”
-Only to sustain through the affliction
What pressures???
-Jezebel, Balaam and Nicolaitans
-In the Old Testament, Jezebel is the Sidonian wife of King Ahab of Israel
-As a Sidonian, she was a non-Israelite who married Ahab
-Her goal was to completely lead Israel away from God and into worship Canaanite gods
-Her prophets were defeated by Elijah and then she threatens his life
-This is pressure from outside to succumb to the thinking of our day
Today’s Teachings:
-Secularism
-Uncertainty/Subjective Truth
-Epicureanism - Mandy Kelsch
-Science As Religion
-Eastern Religion
-We must resist the pressure to succumb to our culture’s thinking, values and lifestyles
Balaam & Nicolaitans
-Probably similar ideas based on the name
-Nicolaitans - Greek - "Nikon" = "Conqueror, lord" + "Laos" = "the people"
-Balaam - Hebrew - "Baal" = "Conqueror, lord" + "am" = "the people"
-Both sought to conquer God's people
-Balaam could not do that by getting God to curse Israel
-So he taught Balaak to entice Israel by sending Moabite women to invite them to their feasts
-Thus, lowering the standard of holiness and causing God to curse Israel!
-This is the pressure from within to compromise God's standard!
-Progressive Christianity
-Universalism
-Sin is subjective
-Consumer Christianity
-We must resist the pressure to to succumb
-One concept addresses in Revelation 2-3 = Toleration
-Jesus cares about what a church “tolerates”?
2:2 - 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.
2:20 - Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.
-We will fight through deep Bible study, prayer and community conviction to remain a church of the apostolic faith
-The Corinthian church was proud of how tolerant they were!
-Paul helps them see that this is not holiness
-Clear areas where the loving thing to do is not be tolerant, but rather hand them over to Satan.
-Unrepentant immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness, and swindling are all grounds for disfellowshipping
-How do we avoid this?
2. Respond
3:19 - Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
=“Elegcho” & “paedia”
=Elegcho = Expose/convict
-Same as…
John 16
Matthew 18:15 - Go and “show him”
John 3:20 - They hate the light for fear that their deeds will be “exposed”
-Hand in the cookie jar
=Paideuo = to train as children
-Used of Socrates training system in Truth, Goodness & Beauty (Troas Night)
-Goal was healthy citizens of the polis or city/society
Revelation 1:6 - “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father”
-How Jesus creates kingdom citizens…exposure and training!
-Is that how we do it? Is that our focus?
-We want to train…
-EHS & EHR
-Scripture Memory and Family Feud
-Young Leaders Training
-What about the exposure part?
-Openness about life - Thursday Group
-Asking probing questions of one another
Are you still open to exposure and correction?
COVID Slip…Accountability!
Weekly Questions:
1. How is your relationship with God? How are your times with God?
2. How is your evangelism?
3. Who in the fellowship are you strengthening?
-How can you move the needle this week?
Herein lies the Revelation appeal
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
-8 times in Revelation…7 times in Revelation 2-3
3. Remember
Talking to the church in Ephesus…
2:4-5 - Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
The love you had a first…
“Consider how far you have fallen!” - This is a call to remember
-Remember when you were a new Christian
You loved reading your Bible, fellowship, serving, sharing your faith….
-Jesus says that is how we should always be!
-Irony that this is the church John worked with
-Remember when the church was growing and baptizing?
-I want to get back to that!
-It means we all need to be workers!
-Easter Sunday coming up...Invite people!
-Key transition…
-From the receiver to the giver
-If this transition doesn’t happen you fizzle!
-Even for those who have made that transition
As Jesus says to the church in Thyitira, ‘you are now doing more than you did at first”
-It must be about loving God
Re:2023 - A Year of Responding to God’s Grace
-Jesus' call to overcome! - "to the one who is victorious..."
-7x in Revelation 2-3
-Greek word - "nikao" also translated "overcome"
-We can overcome!!!
Let's Resist - Pressure from outside and inside of the church
Let's Respond - Let's expose and correct so that we can be healthy citizens of God's kingdom
Let's Remember - What it is like to serve God from a loving, grateful response to His grace!
Let’s overcome here in the KVC!!!
