Jesus: The Pastor of the Church (What Jesus Would Preach On If He Were Pastor Of Our Church)
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1 Jesus: The Pastor of the Church (What Jesus Would Preach On If He Were Pastor Of Our Church) Rich Nathan December 11, 2011 Advent: The Second Advent Revelation 2 and 3 Last week I started an Advent series in preparation for Christmas. I mentioned to you that Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means approach or arrival. Adventus = Approach or Arrival What we re doing in the weeks leading up to Christmas is anticipating the approach or arrival of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Historically, Advent anticipated not only Jesus first coming at Christmas, but Advent was also an anticipation of Jesus second coming when he gathers to himself his children and judges the world. For this Advent series we are going to be looking at portraits of Jesus from the book of Revelation. Now, some of you are visiting Vineyard for the first time. Many of you have been here for only a few months. But in a church this size, there are hundreds and hundreds of people every week considering whether to make Vineyard Columbus their church home. There are lots of things people look for in a church. You may be checking out this church today for possible regular attendance or membership. Perhaps you have a mental check list for what you are looking for in a church. Maybe you are looking for a church that is really welcoming and warm where there is a sense of love in the church. Perhaps you are looking for a church with solid Bible teaching or maybe you are a parent and you are looking for a safe, positive environment to support the raising of your children. You may be single and you are checking the church out because you are looking for a potential mate or just some friends who share your values and you think that church is a lot more likely to contain some good people compared to going to a club or taking your chances on the Internet. If you are transitioning from another church, maybe you are considering the Vineyard because you have a heart for social justice the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant, the disabled, the fatherless and you heard that this is a church that really has a heart for the least, the last and the lost. Maybe you are checking out the Vineyard because you heard that this is a church that welcomes the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit. You want to grow in your experience of God s presence and in the practice of his gifts. Maybe you want to be part of the 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 1
2 church that connects the disconnected to Christ and you heard that Vineyard regularly introduces people to Christ. Maybe you are looking for a good place for your teens, or you have a passion for world missions, or you are in recovery and you heard about one of our groups, and you think you might be helped in your own process of healing. There are a lot of very legitimate things that people look for in a church. We look for community. We need, each of us, to belong somewhere. We do not do well in isolation. We need to put down roots somewhere, to know others, and to be known. We need a place to invest our lives, to use our talents and time, our energy and our money in a way that gives us significance and a sense of being used by Christ. We look for a place to grow in our relationship with God. We can t grow unless we practice the historic means of growth listening to God s Word as it is taught from the scripture, worshipping together with other believers, personal prayer and Bible study, taking communion, fellowshipping in accountable, authentic relationships. We can t grow unless we practice the disciplines that enable us to grow. I believe that it is very legitimate for a person who is considering connecting with a church for the first time in years, or who is in transition from their former church, to mentally construct a little check list regarding what they are looking for. But there is a spin on church seeking that we rarely consider that ought to form the heart of our mental check list. We rarely consider what Jesus Christ wants for his church. What is Jesus seeking for his church? Now, there is one thing we need to understand about church and that is in the New Testament Jesus is the Head Pastor and Chief Leader of every church. So, for example, we read this in Hebrews 13:20, Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, And we read in 1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. And in 1 Peter 5:4, 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 2
3 1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. The book of Revelation presents Jesus as our Pastor and Shepherd. Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. As I said, Jesus is the Chief Pastor of every church. If we look at the Roman Catholic Church, it is Jesus, not the Pope who is the Chief Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church. It is Jesus, not the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the Chief Pastor of the Anglican Church. It is Jesus, not the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, who is the Chief Pastor of the Southern Baptist Church. And it is Jesus, not Rich Nathan, or some other human being, who is the Chief Pastor of Vineyard Columbus. So I have one question that I want to deal with today: If Jesus was here, and he was delivering the message today, what would Jesus preach on? I know we are all looking for different things in a church and different things in a message. But what would Jesus preach on, if he was given the pulpit at this church? What would Jesus preach on, if he was given the pulpit at any church anywhere in the world? I ve called today s message: Jesus Our Pastor (What Jesus Would Preach On If He Was At Our Church). Let s pray. We re going to be looking at some texts from Revelation 2 and 3 this week. John writes to seven churches in Ephesus, in Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea located in what today is Western Turkey. Now, there has been a very unfortunate interpretive tradition in which Revelation 2 and 3 has been read allegorically. In other words, Revelation 2 and 3 has not been read as messages to actual churches in the 1 st century but rather it has been read as a preview in which each church symbolizes a different period of time in church history. The false interpretation of Revelation 2 and 3 So, in this allegorical tradition, Smyrna, the suffering church, becomes an allegory of the early church. Pergamum, the compromised church, becomes an allegory of the Dark Ages. Philadelphia becomes the mission-minded church of the 19 th century. We are the church in Laodicea, lukewarm, comfortable, fat and 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 3
4 apathetic. Every prophetic, allegorical interpreter always calls the current church the Laodicean church. You hear that kind of preaching over and over when you listen to teaching on the book of Revelation. This is the Laodicean age. By interpreting the Bible that way, the preacher can pull out her or his anti-church venom and disdain for the contemporary church on the listeners. Have you been taught this kind of prophetic, allegorical scheme? Each church represents a different age of the church s history? It is pure nonsense! There is nothing in the text to suggest that the churches are simply symbols of different periods of church history. When you think about it, why would the suffering church in China today, or in Iran or Iraq, Egypt or the Sudan, or the faithful remnant who suffered under Soviet rule, or in Nazi Germany be saddled with the label lukewarm Laodicean just because they lived in a certain time in history? In fact, the Christian church has always been incredibly diverse. The Christian church has also always needed different messages messages of rebuke, correction, and warning. Just look at the letters written by the apostle Paul to 1 st century churches. His message is so diverse. So Jesus would have a different message for each church, if he had the pulpit this weekend. What is the true or accurate interpretation of Revelation 2 and 3? The true interpretation of Revelation 2 and 3 Certainly, John was writing to a real historical situation of seven churches that existed in the 1 st century. These seven churches represent the seven kinds of churches that have existed throughout history. One can t help but notice that the letters to these seven churches in chapters 2 and 3 stand in radical antithesis to what John writes at the end of the book of Revelation in Revelation 21 and 22 concerning that time when the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven. In other words, what we see in Revelation 2 and 3 are the imperfections of the church in the Old Creation and John in a very deliberate way comparing those to the perfections of the church in the New Creation. Meredith Kline, a New Testament scholar, has identified a number of contrasts between the church in the Old Creation, Revelation 2 and 3, and the church in the New Creation, Revelation 21 and 22. The Church In the Old Creation The Church in the New Creation Revelation 2 and 3 Revelation 21 and 22 False Prophets Twelve True Apostles False Jews The Names of the Tribes of True Israel Christians dwell where Satan s throne Christians dwell where God s throne is 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 4
5 is Some in the church are dead Church is a faltering lampstand The church is filled with impurity Christians face persecution All in the New Jerusalem are written in the Lamb s book of Life God and the Lamb are the eternal lampstands The church is filled with purity and truth Christians reign! So, Jesus has a message for every church throughout history living in this old broken fallen creation. He is our Pastor and we need to listen when our Pastor speaks to us. So, what would Jesus preach on? What would he say? In the course of Jesus message to us here at the Vineyard, I think he would affirm us. Jesus would affirm us To many of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus has words of affirmation, words of commendation. For the church in Ephesus, we read these words: Revelation 2:2-3 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. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. To the church in Smyrna, we read these words: Revelation 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty yet you are rich! To the church in Pergamum, Jesus said this in Revelation 2:13, Revelation 2:13 I know where you live where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city where Satan lives. To the church in Thyatira, Revelation 2:19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 5
6 And to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus said this: Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. If we are going to grow and thrive, we need to be affirmed. How desperately we need and crave affirmation. Watch people who have been raised with huge amounts of disapproval folks who grow up with lots of condemnation. Even as adults they walk around with this huge, Grand Canyon-size hole in their souls asking everyone they connect with the same question: Will you affirm me? Why do otherwise smart single people marry utter losers? On the whole, I m starting to feel good about myself. I m beginning to make some progress in following Christ. Why don t I hook myself up with a loser who comes with huge amounts of baggage just because he says he loves me? Yes, that is what I will do. Then I can waste maybe five, ten, or twenty years of my life. Why do smart, otherwise successful single women, allow themselves to be continually mistreated by some man? Again, I m beginning to feel okay about myself. I m making a little progress. I m gaining a little traction in my life. I ve got a decent job. I m in fellowship. Why don t I just go out and find someone who will treat me like dryer lint? Gosh, it s been nearly six months since my self-esteem was shredded by someone else. There is this Grand Canyon-size hole in the soul where a woman or man is walking around asking the question constantly: Who will affirm me? Will you affirm me? Will you say I love you? Have you ever met someone who gives you their resume in the first five minutes? They name drop everyone they know. They share with you all of their accomplishments. Look at my car. Look at my house. Aren t they impressive? Look at the athletic awards I won in High School, or college. A dear friend of my wife and mine recently told us a story of meeting her college roommate s fiancée. This man was so desperate for affirmation that he literally took out his high school and college transcripts and showed our friend his grades. Look at this, he said, I made Dean s list six quarters in a row. She said it was like this 30-year old guy just regressed back into being six years old and was saying: Mommy, will you affirm me? Every human being on earth, without exception, needs to be affirmed and needs to feel approval. Parents, your kids need constant affirmation, even if they communicate that they don t care, or that your affirmation is not important to them. Married people, your mates crave constant affirmation and approval Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 6
7 They need to know that you esteem them. There is nothing more devastating to a marriage than when spouses withhold affirmation from each other. Bosses, your employees need words and gestures of affirmation. Teachers, your students need to be affirmed and commended. Jesus knows that people thrive and grow only when they are in an atmosphere of acceptance and affirmation. I believe that if Jesus was here, he would commend the Vineyard. He would say to us here at the church, I know your generosity, your giving to the poor. I know welcoming of the stranger, immigrants and refugees. I know of your work with the homeless, with the hungry, with those who have disabilities, and the lonely. I know of your evangelism. I think Jesus, if he was preaching would affirm us. And I believe, if Jesus was preaching, he would warn us. Jesus would warn us Jesus corrects and warns his church. We all need correction, if we are going to thrive and grow. People don t just need non-judgmental pals like the folks on Friends, someone who will simply be there for us no matter what, and will never challenge our ideas or our behaviors. We might say: Gosh, we d love to have some folks who would unconditionally accept us. But love does not mean that we simply give blanket approval to another person s false ideas, or bad conduct. We read in Revelation 3:19, Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Real love offers correction: Not that way, this way. That way will destroy you. If you continue that way, you are going to go over a cliff. I care enough about you to say something to you that might cause you to be upset with me. I care enough about you to put our relationship at risk. A parent says: I care enough about you, to discipline you so you grow up to be a healthy productive person. A spouse says: I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself with this addiction. I will hold a mirror up for you. A boss says: I care enough about you and about this company to hold you accountable. It is an act of love to correct in grace. Not blasting people; not here s why you are a total failure correct in grace. Brothers and sisters, we need correction. In fact, in a survey of the best companies in America to work for, one common factor was the boss willingness to receive input and correction. A person who 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 7
8 cannot be corrected without becoming incredibly defensive will become unusable by the Lord. A child or adult who cannot be corrected is on a path away from Christ, away from the church, and potentially on their way to hell. We need to keep open ears to our pastors, to our leaders, to the Word of God. Is someone trying to correct you. Are you able to hear them? Jesus would teach us What would he teach us? What would he preach on? Jesus would speak to us about our need to love Revelation 2:1-7 1 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 those who are victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Let s look at Revelation 2:4, Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. You know, every strength has a corresponding weakness attached to it. Being optimistic is strength. But if you are always optimistic, you probably find it really difficult to listen to people who are expressing hurt, discouragement or real pain. Being self-confident is strength. But self-confidence can easily turn into hubris, an overwhelming pride in which you can t be challenged or corrected. Being independent is strength. But independence can often communicate that you are self-sufficient, that you don t need or value other people. And we see this issue of strengths and corresponding weaknesses in the church in Ephesus. The church worked hard. They were real servants and were busy serving God. They also had a real high value on truth. They hated false 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 8
9 doctrine. The corresponding weakness which you often find in people who are super hard workers and passionate about true doctrine is that they forget to love. Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Let me ask those of you who are super hard workers, and those of you who also are passionate about true doctrine and true teaching you really want accuracy in your doctrine. Do you struggle to love? Have you ever been in a church that was all about truth and all about serving? Did the church struggle to love? The Ephesians had lost the love they had at first. Or in a more familiar version, they had lost their first love, the love of God. Love of God In all the activity, in all the great things that our church is doing would Jesus speak to us and say, Some of you have moved away from a love relationship with God. You are doing so much good, yet, you are missing the best, the most important thing, Jesus would say, loving him. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 1 If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. The other day in my devotions I was meditating on the story of Jesus visit to the home of Martha and Mary. It is found in Luke 10. Those of you who know the story know that Jesus paid a visit to his friends house, Martha and Mary. Martha was a hardworking woman and was getting the house ready for Jesus to come. She was cleaning, preparing, cooking, serving while her sister, Mary, was interacting with Jesus and listening to Jesus teach. Martha got resentful towards her sister. I imagine she thought: I ve got more to do than I can manage. What I m doing is really important. It is not just busy work. My activity is significant. It is valuable. I just wish I had some help. My sister is sitting around doing nothing. I really could use a hand. So Martha complains to Jesus. She says: I m tired. I would like to sit down also. I would like to rest. Jesus turns to Martha and he said to her in Luke 10:41-42, Luke 10: Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 9
10 41 Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. As I read that I thought about all of the activity that we in the church are engaged in especially around Christmas activity in getting our homes decorated, running around and purchasing presents for everyone as if it is our children s birthdays or our spouses birthdays, rather than Jesus birthday a hundred good acts of service towards the community. And as I read the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus statement to Martha as well as his rebuke to the church in Ephesus, I was run through. I thought we go and go and we miss the best portion, namely, a love relationship with you, Jesus. What do you think Jesus wants from you as a present this Christmas? If you are a busy servant, if you are someone who is passionate about true doctrine, maybe what Jesus wants from you this Christmas is you; he wants your heart; he wants you to spend time with him, worshipping him, enjoying his presence in your life, renewing your relationship with your first love. Now, it may be that the loss of love for the Ephesians was not a loss of love for God. It may be that they lost their love of each other. In their passion for truth, maybe they lost a loving relationship with one another. Francis Schaeffer was a Christian philosopher whose writing were very influential back in the 1970 s for Christians of my era, of Baby-Boomer Christians. And back in 1970 he wrote one of his most profound essays that I believe we have copies of in our bookstore. It was titled The Mark of A Christian by Francis Schaeffer. I want to read to you a brief portion of what Francis Schaeffer said in The Mark of a Christian: Through the centuries men have displayed many different symbols to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats, hung chains about their necks; even had special haircuts. Or course, there is nothing wrong with any of this, if one feels it is his calling. But there is a much better sign a mark that has not been thought up just as a matter of expediency or use on some special occasion, or in some specific era. It is a universal mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back. What is this mark? At the close of his ministry, Jesus looks forward to his death on the cross, the open tomb and the ascension. Knowing that he is about to leave, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come. It is here that he makes 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 10
11 clear what will be the distinguishing mark of the Christian: John 13: My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Schaeffer goes on to say: The church is to be a living church in a dying culture. How, then, is the dying culture going to consider us? Jesus says, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. In the midst of the world, in the midst of our present dying culture, Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon his authority, he gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians. Jesus turns to the world and says, I ve something to say to you. On the basis of my authority, I give you a right: you may judge whether or not an individual is a Christian on the basis of the love he shows to all Christians. In other words, if people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative which Jesus gave them. And we must not get angry. If people say, You don t love other Christians, we must go home, get down on our knees and ask God whether or not they re right. And if they are, they have a right to have said what they said. WOW! That s challenging. What would the world say to you as people look at and evaluate your love toward other members of the church, or other Christians outside our church? What would they say? How would they judge Vineyard Columbus? Jesus would speak to us about our need to love. Jesus would speak to us about our need to suffer Revelation 2: To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.9 I know your afflictions and your poverty yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 11
12 give you life as your victor s crown.11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who are victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Christ knew the afflictions, the poverty and the slander which the church at Smyrna was having to endure. There was a local Emperor cult in Smyrna and from time to time citizens were required to sprinkle incense on the fire burning before the Emperor s bust and to confess that Caesar was Lord. How could a Christian call Caesar lord when the Christian knew that Jesus was Lord? More than 60 years after Jesus spoke to the church at Smyrna about its need to suffer. There was a man named Polycarp, who was the Bishop of the church in Smyrna. Standing before a crowded amphitheater, the local government leader urged the Bishop of Smyrna to call Caesar the lord and curse Jesus Christ. But Polycarp refused. He said, For 86 years I have served Him [Christ], and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Polycarp was burned at the stake rather than deny Christ. Suffering. You see, I believe that the New Testament teaches that the greatest issue that exists regarding the extension of the gospel in every time and in every place, the greatest issue concerning the extension of the gospel is the willingness of individual Christians to suffer so that this gospel message gets announced. There is nothing great ever achieved without some degree of suffering, without some deprivation no pain, no gain. You can t be a great football player without going through a rigorous program of training and deprivation and discipline, weight work, running in the rain and cold, being battered in practice. You can t be a great pianist, if you spend all your time hanging out with your friends. You have to discipline yourself to sit down at the piano and deprive yourself of other activities. You can t be a great physician without going through years of schooling and a long internship where you stay up night after night. You can t achieve anything great in this world without suffering. And the gospel cannot be extended without suffering. Some people have to be willing to say, I will give up some money; I will pay for this. Some people have to say, I will give up social standing with my coworkers, with my family, with my neighbors. Some people will have to say, I am willing to undergo some level of personal embarrassment to extend this message. Some people will have to say, I m willing to give up my home, my country, my extended family to go across the world to bring this message. The gospel cannot be extended without the willingness on the part of you and me to suffer for its sake. This, by the way, is the law of the harvest that Jesus laid out in John 12:24-26, 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 12
13 John 12: Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. This is the law of the harvest. In order to have many seeds, one must die. You say: I want many seeds in my family. I want many people in my family to know Jesus. Then you must die. At least of embarrassment; you have to take the risk of sharing your faith with your family. You want many seeds in your school? You ve been praying that some of your classmates might get to know Jesus; you have to die; you have to risk that some people might not like you, or might think that you are too religious, especially in a secular society that believes that faith if fine as long as it is kept in the private sphere or within the walls of religious institutions; but that expressions of faith have no business in the public sphere. Jesus tells us that if the gospel is going to be extended, someone has to pay the price. So let me ask you a personal question: Are you generally willing to risk it in your work place, or at appropriate times and in thoughtful ways you express your Christian faith? Are you willing to risk it to not be accepted by a few people whose opinions matter to you? Are you willing to be the grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies? Jesus would speak to many of us about our need to suffer. Jesus would speak to us about our need for truth Revelation 2: To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. The church at Pergamum has the opposite problem of the church at Ephesus. In Ephesus the problem was truth without love. In Pergamum, the problem was 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 13
14 love without truth. Pergamum had an easy-going tolerance towards false doctrine and false teaching. Revelation 2: Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Here is Balaam. Some of you know that in the Old Testament as the Israelites were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land, they encountered the pagan prophet Balaam. The pagan king Balak tried to bribe Balaam to call down a curse upon the Israelites. But so long as Israel was faithful to the Lord, Balaam was unable to call down a curse against them. Balaam decided to compromise Israel s relationship with God by telling women from the nation of Moab to seduce Israelite men. We read in Numbers 25:1-3 the following: Numbers 25:1-3 1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord s anger burned against them. In later Judaism and in the New Testament period, Balaam the pagan prophet who tried to curse Israel - became a symbol of false prophets or a false teacher. Now we don t know exactly what the teaching of the Nicolations was. It may have had to do with accommodation to Roman pagan festivals, which would have involved sexual immorality. We don t know. But the point is that the church of Pergamum was rebuked by Jesus because it regularly listened to bad teaching and bad counsel. What would Jesus say to our church? He would tell us to value truth. It is generally the case in the church today that teaching in undervalued. Churches are evaluated by their size, how many people attend, by their programs, is there a strong children s program, a strong singles program. They are measured by their contribution to society, how many people did they feed? How many alcoholics did they rescue from the streets? It is incredibly rare for people today to value teaching and counsel to the extent that the New Testament values healthy teaching and life-giving counsel. It is interesting that 3 decades earlier where Paul wanted to straighten out the Ephesian church, he sends Timothy not with a new program or new vision statements, or new plans. He doesn t send Timothy to the church in Ephesus 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 14
15 with a new outreach program. Paul sends Timothy with one basic instruction: Give this church healthy teaching. Give them sound doctrine, sound words. Don t teach them a bunch of myths, or turn the Bible into some secret code book for especially anointed prophetically elite. Here is the way, Timothy that you help the church in Ephesus: Week after week give them healthy teaching. The writers of the New Testament know the healthy teaching, which applies God s Word to real life will result in healthy living, if people embrace the teaching with faith and obedience. And they also know that bad teaching and bad counsel will result in bad living. Let me ask you some questions. Do you really value healthy biblical teaching? Do you try to apply what you hear to your own life? Do you guard what you listen to? Do you weigh the counsel that you get about your marriage or your relationships with your boyfriends or girlfriends, or the counsel that you hear regarding your business or your finances? Do you weigh counsel that you receive against what God s Word says? Words are hugely important. Listening to sound, healthy words will lead to Godhonoring healthy lives and listening to false words will lead to sick living. Bad words are like viruses that will infect your soul with spiritual illness. I love the Message version of the Bible and the way that Gene Peterson expresses 1 Timothy 6:3-5: 1 Timothy 6:3-5: These are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, or refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and his godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, and suspicious rumors. Eventually there is an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck. What do you fill your soul with? Do you fill it with life-giving teaching from God s Word, or to quote the apostle Paul, are you listening to ignorant windbags, who will make your soul sick? Finally Jesus would speak to us about our need for sincerity Revelation 3: To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God s creation.15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 15
16 one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. The church at Laodicea is the most famous or better put, the most infamous of the churches that John wrote to. Laodicea was a wealthy church, perhaps the wealthiest of any of the churches that he wrote to. It was so wealthy that following a devastating earthquake about 30 years before this letter was written, the city rebuilt itself without financial aid from Rome. It was a city not only known for its financial success; it was a banking center, but it was also known for its linen and wool industry especially black sheep. It was also known for its medical school. Perhaps the most famous medicinal product to come out of Laodicea was an eye ointment that was made in the city. Laodicea was self-confident, self-sufficient, and smug in its self-satisfaction. Yet, to such a church that considered itself rich and in need of nothing, Jesus says: Revelation 3:18 buy from me gold so you can become rich To a church that lived in a city known for its textile industry, Jesus declares, Revelation 3:18 buy from me white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness And to a church that was in a city which produced eye ointment, Jesus says: Revelation 3:18 buy from salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. What was the problem in the church at Laodicea? Jesus tells us the problem in Revelation 3: 15-16, Revelation 3: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. The problem was nominalism. They were Christians in name only; they have the name, but they don t have the game outwardly respectable, outwardly 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 16
17 successful they knew all the Christian jargon, plenty of money, plenty of respectability. But inwardly, they were absolutely superficial in their Christian faith. Of all the things Jesus hates in a church, near the top of the list that Christ hates, is nominalism someone who is a Christian in name only. Yes, I am a Christian. I know all of the doctrines. I sit in church and say hallelujah to God while I m secretly having an affair. My heart is a million miles away from God. Nominalism, superficiality. The problem particularly of second generation Christians. They ve received enough dead Christianity, enough dead virus to inoculate them from catching the real thing. Some years ago a woman in our congregation told me that she had been an associate pastor at a particular church. She said the church was decked out for Christmas and in this particular church s tradition, the pastors would march down the aisle at Christmas wearing their white Christmas robes. As she is about to walk in, in the middle of this incredible ceremony with the Christmas lights burning in the church, and the choir singing, the senior pastor leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, Do you believe that there are people in this church that believe all of this [and then he used this vulgar term for garbage]? Do you believe that folks here actually believe all this garbage? And then the pastor walked in, smiling on his way up to the stage to preach. Jesus says: I will spew you out of my mouth! Would that you were cold. Would that you would at least with sincerity say: I don t believe in God. I am not a Christian. I have never received Christ. I have never received the forgiveness of my sins. Would that you were honest about it than that you go through the motions of religion and you lie to others about where you are with Christ. Would that you were ice cold a self-declared atheist rather than lie to yourself about where you are with Christ, and lie to God about where you are at with Christ. Of course, Jesus would prefer not that we be cold, and certainly not that we be lukewarm, but that we be hot, burning in love for him. Here is what John Wesley said: Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles around to watch you burn. What does Jesus want to speak to you about during this Advent season? Your need to love? Your need to suffer? Your need for truth? Your need for sincerity? Let s pray Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 17
18 Jesus: The Pastor of the Church (What Jesus Would Preach On If He Were Pastor Of Our Church) Rich Nathan December 11, 2011 Advent: The Second Advent Revelation 2 and 3 I. Interpreting Revelation 2 and 3 A. The false interpretation of Revelation 2 and 3 B. The true interpretation of Revelation 2 and 3 II. Jesus message to our church A. Jesus would affirm us B. Jesus would warn us C. Jesus would teach us 1. Jesus would speak to us about our need to love (Rev ) a. Love of God b. Love of other Christians 2. Jesus would speak to us about our need to suffer (Rev ) 3. Jesus would speak to us about our need for truth (Rev ) 4. Jesus would speak to us about our need for sincerity (rev ) 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 18
19 2011 Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 19
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