Review: The Revelation of Jesus describes Christ as He is now! not Christ emptied of His heavenly attributes and humbled in His humanity. Rather: Jesus fully clothed in His heavenly glory as He was, as He is, and as He will always be! 12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. Revelation 1
Revelation s Structure: A Prologue & Five Visions Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. Visions: 1. 1:9 3:22 Jesus, the Risen Lord, speaks to the Seven Churches of Asia. 2. 4:1 11:18 Jesus, the Lamb, unseals the Scrolls. 3. 11:19 5:4 The Cosmic Conflict. 4. 15:5 19:10 The Bowls of Wrath, and the fall of Babylon. 5. 19:11 22:5 Jesus, the Returning King, and the City of God.
Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. 1. What it is. (verses 1-2) a revelation of Jesus Christ apocalypsis (Gk) - unveiling, disclosure. literally The Unveiling from Jesus Christ. the curtain has been pulled back, and we are looking into the spiritual world of conflict, judgement, salvation and hope. from GOD - (Author) which God gave him through JESUS - (Mediator) this is a revelation (apocalypsis) from Jesus Christ to the ANGEL - (heavenly Messenger) He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John. to JOHN - (earthly Messenger) who faithfully reported everything he saw.
Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. 1. What it is. (verses 1-2) 2. Why it s given. (verse 1) to show his servants the events that must soon take place. Within the storms of life things are not as they seem and God wants to encourage His dear children. The King is on the move!
Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. 1. What it is. (verses 1-2) 2. Why it s given. (verse 1) 3. What to do with it. (verse 3) PAY ATTENTION! read it; listen to it; take it to heart and obey what it says; 3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says. because the King is returning soon! for the time is near
Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. 1. What it is. (verses 1-2) 2. Why it s given. (verse 1) 3. What to do with it. (verse 3) 4. Who is it for. (verse 4) This letter is from John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia. 11 Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
Prologue 1:1 1:8. John s Introduction to his letter. 1. What it is. (verses 1-2) 2. Why it s given. (verse 1) 3. What to do with it. (verse 3) 4. Who it is for. (verse 4) 5. Who it is from. (verses 4-5) The Trinitarian God: Father, Son, Spirit! Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.
Last Week: So.. What s the point? 1. Things are not as they seem so pay attention! when you do, it will change how you live your life. 2. Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades so do not be afraid! 3. Jesus is the King of Kings so worship Him!
The First Vision: 1:19 3:22. Jesus, the Risen Lord, speaks to the Seven Churches of Asia. 19 Write down what you have seen both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. 20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Just as in the book of Daniel we learn that God has assigned guardian angels over nations and people groups (Dan 10:13, 20, etc), so we learn in the last book of the Bible that God has assigned guardian angels over each congregation of disciples what John seems to be saying is that God has assigned angels over the churches, who, as far as I can tell, are responsible for making sure the message gets told; who somehow make sure the human messenger speaks the Word accurately and faithfully. Johnson
This Morning: Jesus message to the congregation of Ephesus. 2 1 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. : The City of Ephesus: the largest, most important city in Roman Asia. (pop. 250,000) capital of the province. financial centre largest bank in the world. commercial/transportation hub. cultural centre library; athletics; theatre religious centre temple of Artemis/Diana (fertility cult) 4x larger than Parthenon in Athens temple of Domitian (Emperor cult)
This Morning: Jesus message to the congregation of Ephesus. 2 1 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. : The City of Ephesus: the largest, most important city in Roman Asia. (pop. 250,000) The Church of Ephesus: the largest, most influential church in the Roman Empire. founded by Paul, and pastored by Timothy led by John, and attended by Mary, the mother of Jesus. Conclusion: Ephesus was the the place to be in Asia: if you were a Roman. if you were a follower of Jesus.
A. Greeting from Jesus, the Risen King. (v. 1) 2 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
B. The King s Praise and Commendation. (v.v. 2-3, 6) 2 I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting 6 You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
Note: This is a great congregation! The King of Heaven praises them: because they are a Doing Church working hard and serving Him patiently. because they are a Determined Church refusing to deny Him in dangerous and perilous times. because they are an Orthodox Church testing what is preached to them, and holding fast to the truth they have received. Ephesus is a congregation who are energetic in their serving, orthodox in their faith & teaching, and patient & faithful in their suffering. They have not quit on their Master, and are praised by Him. John Stott
C. The King s Rebuke. (v. 4) 4 But I have this complaint against you. You have lost your first love! Issue: things look fine on the outside, but the inside is not well they are a Doing Church their structures, strategies and programs are solid, and their people are actively serving. they are a Determined Church their commitment remains unshaken, and they are paying the cost of discipleship. they are an Orthodox Church their mind is sharp, their body is strong, and their understanding is mature. but their heart is cold, their passion has faded, their love has ebbed their affection and intimacy have gone.
He who holds the angels in his right hand, walks among the churches, knows the real condition of our souls, see through all the activity, all the patience, all the orthodoxy he tells the church his bride that she is flawed at the centre. The church has everything except the one thing Jesus deserves, I have this against you you don t love me as you first did. Darrell Johnson Truth: What was once a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ is now a strong, wonderful, comfortable religion full of meaning, but empty of passion and excitement.
Here s the danger: if your love is all passion with no maturity you die a young, messy death! And if your love is all orthodoxy with no passion, you die an old stale death and either way, you re still dead! Gordon Fee Jesus: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind and with all your strength.
10 signs of losing your passion for Jesus: (various sources) 1. You find the Bible s commands restrictive, and begin rationalizing your behavior. 2. You are not hungry to read the Bible. 3. The things you left behind when you met Jesus, you begin enjoying again. 4. You have little brokenness for the lost and where they are going. 5. You have no power or anointing from God when ministering to others. 6. Your prayer life has taken a backseat in your daily activity. 7. You judge others quickly and find it hard to forgive your offenders. 8. You worry about money, and struggle with generosity. 9. What you read, watch and listen to do not honor the Lord. 10. Church attendance is optional, depending on what else might be going on.
D. The King s Warning. (v. 5) 5 Look back and see how far you have fallen! REMEMBER Turn back to me, REPENT! Do the things you did at first. RESTART If you don t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches Note: sadly, the Church of Ephesus is no more it appears that their lampstand was removed.
E. The King s Promise. (v. 7) 7 Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who overcomes and is victorious I will give the right to eat fruit from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
E. The King s Promise. 7 Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who overcomes and is victorious I will give the right to eat fruit from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. so are you paying attention?