Message for Sunday 16th January 2022
When I was reading about the seven Churches I thought that they were rather like us in some ways.
Paul started the first Church in Ephesus and the other Churches started and grew from there as people travelled the postal route that they were on, and so learnt more about Jesus from the believers that they met.
We are here because non- conformists started the Baptist organisation and people came to Rossendale to tell us the good news.
Paul was also not conforming to some of the rules of the day.
So I started thinking,' how do we compare to the seven Churches?'
As I explained during the first session of Revelation, under the inspiration of the Spirit and the Old Testament, John, who wrote the book, had no doubt been reflecting on the horrifying events occurring both in Rome and in Jerusalem, when he, John was given the "prophesy"of what was Impending-- the intensification of the spiritual warfare confronting the Church, perpetrated by an anti Christian state and numerous other anti Christian religions.
The purpose of the letters was to provide pastoral encouragement to persecuted Christians by comforting, challenging and proclaiming the sure and certain Christian hope, together with the assurance that in Christ they are, by resisting the enemy, part of the sovereign God's method of totally overcoming the forces of evil in all its manifestations.
Revelation is also an evangelical appeal to those who are presently living in the kingdom of darkness to enter the Kingdom of Light.
Most of us cannot comprehend what those early Christians went through. We cannot comprehend what many people today in non Christian countries are experiencing.
Can we compare ourselves to them? We certainly cannot!
We may think we don't have it easy but, WE have the freedom to be here! WE have the freedom to worship! WE have the freedom to spread the 'good news'! WE have the freedom to be ' real true 'brothers and sisters in Christ'. Are we? What does The Lord think about us collectively and personally?
United we stand, divided we fall.
Are we going to let our 350 year be our last or are we going to, with The Lord's leading, make it spectacular because of how we are moving on? It's a big question, right in our face! Will we leave something good for others to follow on? What will we say when we stand before The Lord?
The central message of the Revelation is that "The Lord God Omnipotent Reigns!" This theme has been validated in history by the victory of the Lamb, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Yet those who follow Jesus are involved in a continuing spiritual conflict, and Revelation provides deeper insight into the nature and tactics of the enemy. We have an enemy who was thwarted at the cross. Jesus rose again! The enemy is frustrated by this defeat at the cross and the consequent restraints put upon his activities. He doesn't like it. He is desperate to thwart the purposes of God before his inevitable doom. He will do anything to this end. He will use any weakness we have in our faith, he will create doubts, he will use unforgiveness, he will create disharmony. We, unwittingly can be led along with this and therefore do his job for him, while he rubs his hands and has a laugh at our expense.
God has created the orders of community, marriage and the family, economic activity, government and the state. You can read this Romans 3 v 1 - 7 and 1 Timothy 2 v 1 - 2
Satan, unable to create anything, tempts others to distort and misuse what God has created. As Christians we have to discern when a government is functioning under a divine authority or as a divine authority. (their own)
When the latter is the case Christians must pray, courageously endure and patiently accept the consequences, because they are obeying God, whose image and seal they bear.
We are no different in our Churches. If God is not sovereign in our lives, if we are not obedient to Him, then we let the enemy in and there are consequences. We end up hurt, we are weakened by it, then we struggle to function as we should.
The mainspring of Christian hope and courage is the certainty that the enemy has been defeated and is doomed, but, he still roams around creating havoc in our lives, as well as the havoc we create for ourselves
But, the followers of Jesus are not fighting a losing cause, He, Jesus, has already overcome and so we can be overcomers.
The book of Revelation talks a lot about the Holy Spirit at work. In several chapters the Holy Spirit is described as the seven spirits of God and is distinct in The New Testament.
The number seven, as Carol mentioned when she was speaking at our first glimpse into Revelation, is what would be called a symbolic qualitative number conveying the idea of completeness, and when related to God, perfection.
Each of the messages to the Seven Churches is from the exalted Lord, yet each individual Church members are urged to hear what the Sprit says. That's in chapters 2 and 3. The Spirit only says what The Lord Jesus says. So we need the Spirit of God within us to lead the way in our lives. Everyone either hears or refuses to hear the invitation to come to The Lord, to hear His voice through the Spirit.
This book tells us that Jesus, the Lamb, is always in the midst of His people whose names are recorded in His ' Book of Life'. He knows them/ us intimately, and has an immeasurable love for us. He watches over us, protects us, disciplines and challenges. And we share in His present and future victory.
The question is what are we going to give Him an do for Him in the coming year?
There are things we need to get hold of (to be put on the screen).
GOD IS OVER A L L. God is sovereign. Nothing can compare to Him. God is all powerful and will assert His power for His people. We just need to submit our life to Jesus.
JUSTICE BELONGS TO GOD. This means we have to deal with the wrongs we have done. We may feel that others are not dealing with theirs, and that we have a legitimate grudge to harbour. Revelation makes clear that justice belongs to God, and He alone has the power to change our lives. Part of giving our life and will over to God is releasing the bitterness we can feel toward others. God can do amazing things with and for us when we allow Him. Revelation has much more to teach us, but not today.
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF OUR HOPE. We may feel hopeless and about to give up all hope. Life is never hopeless. We can focus on God's love, grace and forgiveness.
Amen.
(Irene)