Thursday – December 3 –
We
continue our reading in the book of Revelation, reading the letters of Jesus to
the seven churches. Today our reading is
from Revelation 3:1 – 22. Please read
the passage and then come back for more.
The seven churches are all in proximity, but already it’s important to note
that the number seven appears over and over in Revelation to emphasize the
wholeness, the completeness, and therefore, the larger picture. To be sure, each of these seven churches were
real places in the Roman Empire, and churches were present in each of the
cities. Jesus’ words to each of them
were also very specific to the tensions they faced. Yet, all of the churches at that time lived
with the tension, pressure, and persecution of the “now”, with Jesus “knowing”
what they were going through, and promises that no matter how difficult, this
is not the end.
Sardis
the next church. Sardis was a city forty miles northeast of Thyatira and
forty-five miles east of Smyrna. Sardis
was a trade city, known for its gold and silver – one of the first cities to
create gold and silver coins. Sardis was
surrounded – geographically – with three large steep hills, that for centuries
had guarded it, but its downfall was its presumptuousness. Perhaps that helps understand Jesus’ words to
the church in Sardis – “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The
words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know
your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (3:1). Have you ever been in a “dead” church? I have.
They often have impressive buildings, and yet, in the worship, prayer,
preaching of the word, there’s nothing. It
is as one author said, “the perfect model of inoffensive Christianity”. Is your Christianity inoffensive? If so,
Jesus says, “Wake up!”
“Wake
up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your
works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received
and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a
thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you” (3:2-3).
Wake
up, strengthen what remains, remember what you have heard from God’s word, and
repent – i.e., turn around from the direction you’re going in and return to the
truth of the Gospel, the worship of God, Prayers with and for one another, and
the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit.
It’s as if Jesus says, “Stop playing church, and be the church I
intended you to be”. There were some
in Sardis who had not faltered, and he sees them, not on earth, but in their
heavenly clothing. He ends it as he has
before – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches” (3:6).
The
church in Philadelphia is a marvelous church to have been in. Philadelphia was an ancient city southeast of
Sardis. Yes, even as our Philadelphia is
called “the city of brotherly love”, so also the ancient Roman city is that
also. Jesus speaks to them as one who is
“holy and true” (3:7), and yet, Jesus has no words of correction or rebuke,
only a commendation for their faithfulness, even under pressure.
“‘I
know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is
able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my
word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the
synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will
make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have
loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will
keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those
who dwell on the earth” (3:8-10).
It’s
easy to let our imagination enter into the 21st century when we read
Scripture, but we must think about life for the church in the first
century. The church in Philadelphia, in
all likelihood, is a small gathering of believers in a house church (3:8). They face the daily tensions of both the
Romans and the Jews who oppose them.
They have remained faithful, patiently enduring, but like all the
churches, they also faced trials – “the hour of trial is coming…” The
words of encouragement - “hold fast to what you have”, i.e., hang on the
truth you have been convinced of, and do not give in, no matter what: “The
one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall
he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of
the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of
heaven, and my own new name” (3:12).
It’s a great reminder that God has a much bigger picture of our lives
than we do. He is not nearly as bothered
by the trials and difficulties as we are, for he knows that they are but
building blocks for faith, faithfulness, and eternal rewards.
Lastly,
the seventh church is Laodicea. About
forty miles to the south from Philadelphia, Laodicea was at the juncture of two
main trade routes. Because of its prominent geographical position, the Romans
made it into a banking center, and the city was known for its wealth. It also was known for its sheep who produced black wool, and for its school of medicine, especially the development of an eye
salve. All of this helps us understand
the message of Jesus to the church which seemed to have become more seduced by Roman
prosperity –
“And
to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the
faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your
works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you
out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need
nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be
rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your
nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see”
(3:14-18).
The
words of those who live pridefully without a mind on Christ – “I am rich, I
have prospered, I need nothing”.
Materialism is a false god, an idol, and is a false god. Jesus’ words stand in stark contrast – “You
are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked”. They were blind to their needs and living
apart from faithfulness to God’s word.
What they saw as “having everything”, Jesus saw as “having nothing”. The words that accompany this assessment are
stark – “because you are neither cold nor hot…which I wish you were one or
the other – but are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth”. The
Laodiceans were seduced by the prosperity and unable to see that their faith in
Christ had become lukewarm. Is all
lost? Is there no remedy? No, not all is lost, and yes there is a
remedy –
“I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and
white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness
may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3:18-20).
It
is Jesus’ way of telling them that everything you need will not be satisfactory
if you look for it materially, but everything you need will satisfy you if you
come to me. It reminds us that we are
far too easily pleased. It is Jesus who
comes to them, comes to us, knocking at the door, asking to be let in. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, captured
the goal of Christ in our lives when we invite him in:
“Imagine
yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first,
perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right
and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed
doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house
about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on
earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different
house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an
extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were
going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He
intends to come and live in it himself.” [1]
We
come to the end of these two chapters that begin the Revelation of Jesus. What have we learned? First, that Jesus “knows” about them, their
situation, their pressures, tensions, faithfulness, and failures. We cannot religion our way into God’s favor,
for he knows. Faith is a matter of faithfulness,
not rituals. Secondly, the Gospel is a pearl of great value. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value,
went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46). I
have to be aware of anything that has more value in my life than Jesus Christ
and His word. Of the seven churches, two
go without any condemnation or correction – Smyrna and Philadelphia. The rest receive either mild rebukes,
reminders, or stinging rebukes based on their faithfulness to Christ. Serious threats emerged to compromise the
place of Christ. The world we live in
hasn’t changed since then at all. We
still face the idolatry of materialism, the seduction of reputation and
compromise, and the Sirens of immorality – all which demonstrate that we “have
lost our first love”. Seven
churches, and seven times Jesus says, “to him who conquers, overcomes”. What does he mean? He means to persevere, to believe in the
presence of the Spirit in our lives that wants us to grow into Christ-likeness,
to repent when we sin, and to look to Christ as the Lord of our Church.
Jesus
is the key. He holds the church in his
hand, and is the first and last, who died and came to life; the one with the two-edged
sword of the Spirit in the word of God, and who sees…really sees with eyes of
fire. He is holy, he is the “Amen”, the
faithful and true witness, the ruler over all of creation, and the final victor
over all evil.[2]
Peace
Comments