Text: Revelation 2:1 - 7
Link to message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51ViPOkS8PA&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=2&t=5s
Intro: While I was preparing for this message I had a phrase keep running through my mind. I launched off with a finish the sentence: Familiarity breeds ______________________
Some said "Familiarity breeds complacency" I was thinking "Familiarity breeds contempt." Either are applicable and I wonder if that is what was going on in the church at Ephesus. They knew Jesus....they loved Jesus and yet at the time of the writing of Revelation they had fallen into a legalistic pursuit of knowledge or right doctrine and were falling short. Their love had grown cold.
My wife and I celebrated our 23rd Wedding Anniversary the day I preached this message...if I brought home flowers for her and she said "Thanks they are beautiful" and I said it was my duty or it is what I am supposed to do...how do you think she would respond? The church in Ephesus knew the right thing(s) to do, but the question becomes did they practice the right things. If they did them simply because they were the right things to do their love would grow cold.
When you look at this passage you should note again where Jesus is in reference to the lamp stands and where the stars are. We (the church) are the lamp stands...Jesus is in our midst. There are times in the midst of trials, including this season of COVID, where it seems like God is far off and yet here we have a picture and an image of Jesus in the midst or middle of it. Jesus is not far removed from our trials...the question and the challenge for us is "Do we believe this?" We would not pray if we did not believe that God was intimately concerned with our lives, but we also have to wrestle with are we living like Jesus is right here in our midst? If Jesus were standing right here next to you in this moment would your actions be different?
Revelation is a both a book or warning and a book of comfort. Jesus is in our midst that should bring comfort and encouragement, but we also need to pay attention because he is in our midst and knows our actions. He is both watching over us and watching us. The text does not say "I heard of your works" but rather "I know your works." Again, Jesus is so intimately involved in your life that he knows your works as well. Which begs the question "What robbed them of their love for Christ and what robs you of yours?" They knew the 2 Great Commands....we know them as well. The question becomes "Is familiarity breeding contempt or complacency?" Do we presume upon the grace of God? We know that grace is not something we earn...it is not given to us based on our actions and yet because of the grace poured out into our lives he calls us to a higher path...to right behavior. Does knowledge of all the right answers equal right faith? Take a look at Matthew 25:31 - 46 and Luke 18:9 - 14. It is easy to be a "fat head" and miss the mark.
Going with a marriage illustration think of a couple where one spouse professes to be always right and lives like it. Will that marriage be healthy? If Christ is truly at the center how would life be different? Which leads us to verse 4 and the call to action or to Remember, Repent, Act. Every marriage at some point hits low points and in those moments one must remember the love they had at first and move beyond to an even greater love. Familiarity does not have to breed contempt or complacency but rather can breed intimacy if we allow it. Familiarity and the intimacy that it can bring over time can lead to such a richer relationship than it was in the beginning...if we allow it. Somehow the church in Ephesus got sideways and we can do the same thing in our relationship with Jesus. This is where we need to remember, repent and act.
Another way to look at this is an illustration by Jeff Vanderstelt when he talks about Fruit to Root and leveraging the gospel to expose the roots that are producing bad fruit in your life so that you can repent and get back to a restored relationship with Jesus. The church in Ephesus knew the right answers and yet the fruit that they were producing was not in line with a right relationship with God.
Jeff's 4 Questions:
1. What I do? (fruit) flows out of the answer to 2. Who Am I? which in turn flows out of 3. What Jesus/God has done? which flows out of 4. Who God is? (root). The actions or fruit in my life flows out of who I believe God to be or the god I am worshiping. If I am producing bad fruit then I am worshiping an idol and need to remember, repent and act.
Is it more important to share the gospel or demonstrate love? Or maybe it would be better to ask Can you separate the two? In this COVID season maybe we should look under the hood of the church in the USA and analyze the response to things like Safe at Home orders. Hearing stories of church members who think that the church should sue the government seems out of line with scripture to me. In the same vain I would have a hard time lining up living in fear of COVID with scripture as well. I think the biblical response is what I have called "compassionate reasonableness." Take precautions out of respect for those around you who may be in living in fear....challenge those around you who want to sue the government as well.
Another issue that we need to think through is "How does society define love?" verses "How does the church define love?" Sadly many times there is not a difference even though there should be. The church's response ought to look sacrificial or humble...it ought to look like Christ would have responded...yet for many of us our response looks more like how we would expect society to respond. If right knowledge does not lead to right action it is a waste of time.
Jesus is calling the church at Ephesus (and us) to hear, obey, conquer and endure...as they do this they are demonstrating their belief. Over and over hear and then obey is God's call to us...in the end live out your faith...a life of faith must be lived out...we are all works in progress...the point of the letter is not that if we stumble and fall or walk around like we know it all that we get thrown out, but rather God allows trials in our lives as opportunities to do fruit exploration...an opportunity to remember, repent and do a course correction. When Heidi and I get sideways in our marriage it is an opportunity to say "What is going on here?" to stop and remember how far our marriage has come....how far God has carried us through and course correct and move forward.
Even in a season of uncertainty when it seems that God is far off he is still in our midst. He is still bringing about what he wants to bring about if we let him. The letter to the church in Ephesus speaks volumes to today...written so many years ago and yet it still speaks volumes.
Additional scripture to look at: John 13:34, John 15:12 - 17, 1 John 2:9-10, 1 John 4:16 - 21, 1 Thess 4:9, 1 Peter 1:22-23. That all point to the idea that faith is more than right knowledge but also right actions. Lean on God and he will bring about the right fruit. Jesus is present among us both watching over and watching us. Let us celebrate this. Let us also celebrate all the things we need to be thankful for...namely all the fruit that God has produced in an through each one of us. It is easy when we walk through scripture to always keep pushing for that one more thing...let us not get lost in the busyness of life, but rather celebrate Christ at work among us.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Monday, May 18, 2020
Revelation 1:9 - 20
Text: Revelation 1:9 - 20
Sermon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEY1w6a9LYY&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=1 (note: intro was missed)
Service with full message: https://www.facebook.com/faithbaptist.church.12/videos/1830827000387714
Discussion Question: List 5 words that you would use to describe Jesus.
Verses 10 - 16 is a description of who Jesus is.
Long robe/Golden Sash Daniel 10:5
White head and hair Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 20:29, Daniel 7:9 (Jesus possesses eternal wisdom and is the Ancient of Days
Blazing Eyes Daniel 10:6 Jesus has divine insight and therefore has the ability to reward the faithful and punish the disobedient
Bronze Feet Daniel 10:6, Psalm 84:11, Isaiah 60:19 represents Jesus Glory and the Glory of God. Additionally it points to the strength of Jesus
Powerful voice Ezekiel 1:24, Ezekiel 43:2 Re-enforces Jesus power and strength
Sword from his mouth Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 49:2 This equals words of truth and words of judgment
In light of John's vision of Jesus verse 17 provides his response (worship) and Jesus comfort (Fear not). There is no need to fear God if you are serving him.
Note the location of Jesus in the midst of the 7 lamp stands and the location of the 7 stars. Lamp stands = the church, but we need to remember that is us not a building. With that in mind we all are Jesus lamp stands, under his control, placed where he wants us. The question is will we shine or compromise? Will we suffer in community with Jesus?
Application: Have you ever felt abandoned by God?
How are diamonds made? If I take a chunk of coal can I make a diamond? Well if I can add enough pressure yes...how does God make diamonds out of us? By allowing pressure in our lives. But for diamonds to truly shine they need to reflect the light.
When Heidi and I went shopping for an engagement ring did they pull out a piece of white paper and lay the diamonds on that and say look at these beautiful diamonds? No they laid them out on black velvet and shined a light on them. When they did that those diamonds were dazzling. It is the same with our lives....when God allows trials in our lives we have an opportunity to really shine his glory back to Him.
In addition to that we have to wrestle with are we learning what God want us to learn in this season? With the overturn of the safe at home order in WI I have been frustrated. I have been frustrated b/c I do not want to rush through this season without learning and applying the lessons that I need to learn. The slow down has been good for me and I do not want to rush back to a busy lifestyle again. Take the time to sit down and say I believe this is who Jesus is and this is what he wants me to learn in this season. Or take the time to say "This is what I am thankful for and list them out."
When my dad died a week before my 21st birthday it rocked my faith to its core. I took the next 6 - 12 months to analyze what I really believed...may you leverage this season to understand and know who Jesus is, understand who you are and let his light and glory shine through you.
Sermon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEY1w6a9LYY&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=1 (note: intro was missed)
Service with full message: https://www.facebook.com/faithbaptist.church.12/videos/1830827000387714
Discussion Question: List 5 words that you would use to describe Jesus.
Verses 10 - 16 is a description of who Jesus is.
Long robe/Golden Sash Daniel 10:5
White head and hair Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 20:29, Daniel 7:9 (Jesus possesses eternal wisdom and is the Ancient of Days
Blazing Eyes Daniel 10:6 Jesus has divine insight and therefore has the ability to reward the faithful and punish the disobedient
Bronze Feet Daniel 10:6, Psalm 84:11, Isaiah 60:19 represents Jesus Glory and the Glory of God. Additionally it points to the strength of Jesus
Powerful voice Ezekiel 1:24, Ezekiel 43:2 Re-enforces Jesus power and strength
Sword from his mouth Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 49:2 This equals words of truth and words of judgment
In light of John's vision of Jesus verse 17 provides his response (worship) and Jesus comfort (Fear not). There is no need to fear God if you are serving him.
Note the location of Jesus in the midst of the 7 lamp stands and the location of the 7 stars. Lamp stands = the church, but we need to remember that is us not a building. With that in mind we all are Jesus lamp stands, under his control, placed where he wants us. The question is will we shine or compromise? Will we suffer in community with Jesus?
Application: Have you ever felt abandoned by God?
How are diamonds made? If I take a chunk of coal can I make a diamond? Well if I can add enough pressure yes...how does God make diamonds out of us? By allowing pressure in our lives. But for diamonds to truly shine they need to reflect the light.
When Heidi and I went shopping for an engagement ring did they pull out a piece of white paper and lay the diamonds on that and say look at these beautiful diamonds? No they laid them out on black velvet and shined a light on them. When they did that those diamonds were dazzling. It is the same with our lives....when God allows trials in our lives we have an opportunity to really shine his glory back to Him.
In addition to that we have to wrestle with are we learning what God want us to learn in this season? With the overturn of the safe at home order in WI I have been frustrated. I have been frustrated b/c I do not want to rush through this season without learning and applying the lessons that I need to learn. The slow down has been good for me and I do not want to rush back to a busy lifestyle again. Take the time to sit down and say I believe this is who Jesus is and this is what he wants me to learn in this season. Or take the time to say "This is what I am thankful for and list them out."
When my dad died a week before my 21st birthday it rocked my faith to its core. I took the next 6 - 12 months to analyze what I really believed...may you leverage this season to understand and know who Jesus is, understand who you are and let his light and glory shine through you.
Learning the Lessons of Revelation in Season of COVID
Text: Revelation 1:1 - 8
Sermon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBEfO0tlCGw&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=3&t=7s
Intro Question: What do you know or understand about the book of Revelation?
Warning: I do not take a read the newspaper headlines approach to interpreting the book of Revelation. We need to understand when it was written, to whom it was written to keep it in context, garner the meaning and bring that meaning forward to today and apply.
What are ways that you are asked to compromise your faith?
Where does pressure to conform come in for you?
Where do we give in to society, family, sin? How does fear come into play?
Setting the Stage:
Author: The apostle John (same author as the Gospel of John)
Written around 90 AD
Emperor: Domitian
Not outright persecution, but pressure from the Imperial Cult and cultural pressure from places like Trade Guilds. Think through all of the economic stimulus that comes from having an Imperial Cult and from the trade guilds.
Genre: The book is both prophetic (book of warning) and apocalyptic (book of comfort/the Triune God is in control/you will rule with him)
Application:
Do you fear things of this world or God?
Do you take the short term or long term view?
Who is in Control?
Jesus or kings of the earth? (Verses 5, 6, 8)
What do you do when it seems like God isn't in control? (Blame, wait, trust, pray, complain)
Have we lost the plot? (Verse 6: Christians are part of God's Kingdom/Royalty...Priests on a Mission we are to be on mission with no compromise. Courage at the crossroads or compromise?
As I shared earlier the book contains both warning and comfort. Warning that we should be hearing and doing...Comfort that God's in control.
Sermon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBEfO0tlCGw&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=3&t=7s
Intro Question: What do you know or understand about the book of Revelation?
Warning: I do not take a read the newspaper headlines approach to interpreting the book of Revelation. We need to understand when it was written, to whom it was written to keep it in context, garner the meaning and bring that meaning forward to today and apply.
What are ways that you are asked to compromise your faith?
Where does pressure to conform come in for you?
Where do we give in to society, family, sin? How does fear come into play?
Setting the Stage:
Author: The apostle John (same author as the Gospel of John)
Written around 90 AD
Emperor: Domitian
Not outright persecution, but pressure from the Imperial Cult and cultural pressure from places like Trade Guilds. Think through all of the economic stimulus that comes from having an Imperial Cult and from the trade guilds.
Genre: The book is both prophetic (book of warning) and apocalyptic (book of comfort/the Triune God is in control/you will rule with him)
Application:
Do you fear things of this world or God?
Do you take the short term or long term view?
Who is in Control?
Jesus or kings of the earth? (Verses 5, 6, 8)
What do you do when it seems like God isn't in control? (Blame, wait, trust, pray, complain)
Have we lost the plot? (Verse 6: Christians are part of God's Kingdom/Royalty...Priests on a Mission we are to be on mission with no compromise. Courage at the crossroads or compromise?
As I shared earlier the book contains both warning and comfort. Warning that we should be hearing and doing...Comfort that God's in control.
Friday, May 8, 2020
What if...?
In the midst of this pandemic, Noah and I, like many of you have been binge watching shows on Amazon. One of our favorites is a show called Stinky and Dirty. They solve problems by re-purposing garbage and asking "What if?" In last Sunday's sermon I asked several "What if" questions and wrestled with "How than shall we live?" Here are the quick notes:
1. What if this is the new normal?
Many of us have been trying to look back and get back to "normal," but as a recent NY Times article points out that looking to the S. Korean experience church services will not be returning to their past forms any time soon. An example would be no singing of worship songs.
How than shall we live? We only need to look to John 13:34-35 for the answer. Love. If that is the case then we need to exhibit what I am calling "Compassionate, reasonable understanding."
Illustrations:
There are individuals living among us that are living in fear. What is the loving thing to do?
Hint: Do not belittle them.
While our churches (FBC and Iglesia Fe) have not had any regular attenders be diagnosed with COVID. Some have had extended family members (myself included) have pretty severe cases of COVID, but fortunately not die. There are those living among us, however that have lost loved ones, including both parents within days of each other. Again we need to ask "How should we then live?"
Hint: The loving thing and walk beside them.
2. What if I am not learning what God wants me to out of this trial?
Hebrews 3 & 4 speaks to this.
The slow down has been good for me b/c I am resting more and not running at the pace I have been for years. But last week I found myself reverting to old habits. I do not want to fail to apply lessons that God is teaching me.
3. What if this is the last days?
I do not believe the we are in the last days or the tribulation of the book of Revelation. But this question is an important one and challenges us to think through the what if.
We should always live in Spiritual Preparedness. With that in mind:
Ask yourself "Am I ready?" Everyone needs to realize that what they do is not good enough we need a personal relationship with Jesus.
Make sure that your response to these times is Christian. Ask yourself: "Am I trusting in my circumstances or God? Leverage this time to search out idols in your life.
See Hebrews 13 for some insight into a Christian response.
Here is the link to the message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5vQYxL8iuk&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=2&t=737s
Blessings,
PT
1. What if this is the new normal?
Many of us have been trying to look back and get back to "normal," but as a recent NY Times article points out that looking to the S. Korean experience church services will not be returning to their past forms any time soon. An example would be no singing of worship songs.
How than shall we live? We only need to look to John 13:34-35 for the answer. Love. If that is the case then we need to exhibit what I am calling "Compassionate, reasonable understanding."
Illustrations:
There are individuals living among us that are living in fear. What is the loving thing to do?
Hint: Do not belittle them.
While our churches (FBC and Iglesia Fe) have not had any regular attenders be diagnosed with COVID. Some have had extended family members (myself included) have pretty severe cases of COVID, but fortunately not die. There are those living among us, however that have lost loved ones, including both parents within days of each other. Again we need to ask "How should we then live?"
Hint: The loving thing and walk beside them.
2. What if I am not learning what God wants me to out of this trial?
Hebrews 3 & 4 speaks to this.
The slow down has been good for me b/c I am resting more and not running at the pace I have been for years. But last week I found myself reverting to old habits. I do not want to fail to apply lessons that God is teaching me.
3. What if this is the last days?
I do not believe the we are in the last days or the tribulation of the book of Revelation. But this question is an important one and challenges us to think through the what if.
We should always live in Spiritual Preparedness. With that in mind:
Ask yourself "Am I ready?" Everyone needs to realize that what they do is not good enough we need a personal relationship with Jesus.
Make sure that your response to these times is Christian. Ask yourself: "Am I trusting in my circumstances or God? Leverage this time to search out idols in your life.
See Hebrews 13 for some insight into a Christian response.
Here is the link to the message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5vQYxL8iuk&list=PLYSdk4DAv_anFhxfY0u-bVYvh0vcgJIqn&index=2&t=737s
Blessings,
PT
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