WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.240 Amen. So, we are surrounded by a flurry of data and data analysis and different metrics and 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:18.940 success criteria. So, if you're involved in education, most likely in particular areas of 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:25.760 business and industry you're involved in, and definitely in the world of sports, data analysis, 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:33.560 success criteria is everywhere. But it's really important, foundational level, that we learn to 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:39.780 choose the right measures of success, that any organization is looking for the right indicators 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:48.980 of success and progress. Now, I want to suggest that when we come to church, most likely we will 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:59.399 have in our minds some kind of success criteria for a church. And that may be to do with size, 00:01:00.059 --> 00:01:09.640 or wealth, or age profile, or music, or staff and resources, or a preacher. 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:19.579 The vital question we all need to ask ourselves is, what does success look like in Jesus' eyes? 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:24.879 And I wonder, as we spend time with these two churches, whether the answer might not surprise 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:30.900 us and perhaps challenge us somewhat. So, we read earlier words of Jesus, the Beatitudes, 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:36.140 and to listen to Jesus there as He spoke about life in the kingdom and the life of blessing, 00:01:36.140 --> 00:01:43.219 we understand it's not about power, it's not about prominence, it's not the typical world's measures 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:51.420 of success. It's much more about the inner light, inner holiness, doing God's will, choosing a path 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:57.040 of weakness and humility, practicing mercy, loving others even when we're hated and opposed. 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:03.079 So, when we consider Jesus' view of success, it actually becomes quite challenging because it is 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:11.740 so different. And so, the same Jesus that spoke on the mountain, on earth, is the same Jesus who is 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:17.719 speaking here in this letter that comes via an angel, via the Apostle John, to these two churches, 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:26.020 Smyrna and Philadelphia. And they're the two smallest and the two least influential places and churches 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:33.200 in the world's eyes, maybe even in their own eyes. But Jesus, in His letter, says to them, 00:02:33.980 --> 00:02:40.480 you are successful. I am pleased with you. There's no criticism here. If you were here last week, you 00:02:40.480 --> 00:02:45.700 will remember the image of the pendulum. There were churches that needed to repent because of an 00:02:45.700 --> 00:02:52.240 imbalance. Some were big on truth, but they weren't loving others. Some were so concerned about loving 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:58.900 others that they'd ignored the truth. But that's not what we see here in these churches. So, what is 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:07.120 Jesus' success criteria? If we want to please Him as individuals and as a church, what measure does He 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:12.860 apply? And what we're going to see is that Jesus praises these two churches in particular 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:21.080 because they persevere in faithfulness. They hold on to the truth and they hold on with love 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:26.200 and they do that at great cost, as we'll see as we get into the letter. So, let's begin 00:03:26.200 --> 00:03:32.960 with the letter to Smyrna, first of all. And we'll keep another question in our head. Whose opinion 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:40.260 will we listen to? Okay, so the city of Smyrna is in modern-day Turkey, the city of Izmir, if you know 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:45.859 where that is, a place noted in its day for emperor worship. It had a famous temple to Zeus. 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:53.519 It was again another place where Jewish opposition was fierce. As Christianity was still identified 00:03:53.519 --> 00:03:59.280 with Judaism and as Christians were coming under the attack of Rome, the Jewish people were scared 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:04.299 that they were going to lose their status, their right to worship as they had been allowed to by the 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:10.860 empire up until this point. And so, they were making life difficult for the church, as was Rome. And so, 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:20.340 we meet a church under intense pressure and persecution. So, for us, I imagine we will experience 00:04:20.340 --> 00:04:30.500 at times that sense of apathy that comes when we try and share our faith. Maybe we find mockery, 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:37.519 or we are excluded at some level, but for them it's much more intense. It's hatred, it's hostility, 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:47.620 it's violence. And Jesus speaks. And Jesus describes himself. And this description is really good news for 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:52.959 them in their condition. But it's also so important for us as we come into this Advent season to think 00:04:52.959 --> 00:05:02.279 about who is Jesus. How does he describe himself? These are the words of him who is the first and the 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:09.799 last. We've already come across that in Revelation chapter 1. And we discover this title, the first and 00:05:09.799 --> 00:05:15.799 the last, is actually a title that's used of the Lord God in the Old Testament. And so, Jesus is saying 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:24.240 to his church that he is truly God. He is the Son of God, the first and last. He is the eternal and true 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:35.280 King over history, past, present, future. And this Jesus is the one, verse 8, who died and came to life 00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:41.720 again. So, now we're being invited to think about why did Jesus come into the world in the first place? 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:50.020 And the message of the Bible is clear. He came to be one of us to suffer and die in our place and for 00:05:50.020 --> 00:05:59.200 our sins. And the emphasis here is on the fact that Jesus won a victory, that beyond suffering and death 00:05:59.200 --> 00:06:05.200 there is glory. And now he lives eternally and he sits on the throne of the universe. And so, think about 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:12.379 the message to the church. They're invited to take heart in Jesus, the one who is Lord over history, 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:18.399 to understand that their victory is secure, that they are safe in his hands, that they are suffering, 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:27.399 but glory and victory will come. To get into the details of the letter is to recognize that Jesus is 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:33.319 deliberately drawing for us some really strong contrasts. We get the sense of how the church must 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:41.860 have looked in the world versus how the church looks to Jesus. And again, just to think about a great need 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:50.339 that we have is always to move beyond how we see ourselves, humanly speaking, or even how the world 00:06:50.339 --> 00:07:00.899 sees us, to find our hope, our identity and security in how Jesus sees his church. That because of faith, 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:06.659 we are loved and accepted. And so, we need to be learning to let the word of Jesus, the opinion of 00:07:06.659 --> 00:07:12.620 Jesus over us and over the church be the one that matters. But let's listen first to how the church 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:19.199 looked in the world's eyes. First, we get a sense that they are struggling. Verse 9, I know your 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:25.739 afflictions and your poverty. So, here's a reality you might recognize. It's certainly true for them, 00:07:25.740 --> 00:07:33.259 that since becoming Christians, life has gotten harder. So, life for the Christian, the normal 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:40.579 trials that everybody endures, but they are also being opposed for their faith, and they're experiencing 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:47.400 poverty most likely because they've had their job taken from them. They've had their property taken 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:55.419 from them as a follower of Jesus. Not only that, there's slander. We're still in verse 9, I know 00:07:55.419 --> 00:08:00.779 about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. So, slander, 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:08.560 attacks against the church, speaking badly of the church is a common tactic the devil uses. We find it 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:13.639 throughout the letter of 1 Peter, for example. And this is especially here coming from Jewish people 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:21.959 who had rejected the idea that Jesus is their Messiah, and so they're turning their attacks on 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:29.300 the Christians. You worship a crucified criminal. He said he was a son of God, but he's blaspheming. 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:35.939 You are those who have twisted the law. One of the things that they were saying about the Christian 00:08:35.939 --> 00:08:42.159 church actually was that you make salvation way too easy. That you say to people, believe in the Lord 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:47.740 Jesus, and you'll be saved, and you don't insist that they keep the law. You have to merit your way 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:52.299 into the kingdom. And so, the Jewish people are slandering the church, and they're stirring up the 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:59.339 Roman Empire against the church. They're living through this, and they're suffering. Look at what 00:08:59.339 --> 00:09:03.899 Jesus says to them. Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer. And then he goes on to talk about a 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:09.919 time of testing and suffering persecution and even being faithful to the point of death. So, their 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:17.139 suffering is bad, and Jesus says, it's going to get worse. There's this image of 10 days of testing. 00:09:17.939 --> 00:09:23.879 Go to Daniel chapter 1. There's 10 days of testing for Daniel and his three friends as they seek to stay 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:32.799 loyal to Jesus in an evil empire. There's a period coming for this church of imprisonment and of death. 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:39.979 Now, we have had this humble privilege in the last few months of hearing reports from believers in 00:09:39.979 --> 00:09:46.959 Eritrea, from India. We hear reports from the suffering church. We know that this still happens. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:57.439 So, from the outside, this church in Smyrna, no influence, no power, no status, no wealth, 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:06.320 no security. But these are not Jesus' success criteria. This is not how he measures his church. 00:10:06.640 --> 00:10:15.640 This church in Jesus' eyes, they're rich. Verse 9, I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich. 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:24.000 They're rich in faith because they're ready to stand up and to suffer for Jesus. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:31.279 They know that blessing of being persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:38.879 They are clearly rich in love because their devotion to Jesus and his church continues, 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:48.559 even when it's costing them everything—family, friends, money, jobs. Clearly, they're rich in hope. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:55.919 Here is a group of Christians who are storing up treasure in heaven, not looking to find all their 00:10:55.919 --> 00:11:04.059 security and comfort here on the earth. Jesus says they're rich. Jesus commends them for faithfulness. 00:11:04.659 --> 00:11:11.559 Verse 10, be faithful even to the point of death. Keep doing what you are doing, Jesus says to them. 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:16.779 He doesn't tell them they need to repent. He says you need to keep on being faithful. 00:11:16.779 --> 00:11:26.419 Satan is tempting them to fall away, to turn their back on Jesus. God is using it to test and to 00:11:26.419 --> 00:11:34.039 strengthen their faith. And this is something that we need to remember when we go through trials and 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:44.759 testings. To remember King Jesus on the throne, who knows us, who is in control, and who is with us, 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:53.700 who promises not to let a trial or suffering to go so much as a hair's breadth beyond what he allows, 00:11:54.500 --> 00:12:00.860 and beyond what he considers to be for our spiritual good and for his glory. So, we can take heart. 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:17.639 Verse 10, be faithful. And I will give you life as your victor's crown. End of verse 11, the one who is 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:23.860 victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. So, the picture here is drawn from the Olympics. 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:28.700 So, the winners in those days at the Olympics or any games, they didn't get medals around their neck. 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:34.220 They got a laurel wreath on their head, the flower crown of victory. And the victory crown here, 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:44.159 specifically in verse 10, it's put positively as life. There is this promise of eternal life. 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:48.560 And remember, this is a guarantee from Jesus, the one who died and rose again. 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:56.459 Jesus who said, John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though 00:12:56.459 --> 00:13:04.299 they die. And then he puts it a different way. At the end of verse 11, victory looks here like 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:11.679 not being hurt at all by the second death. And we need to go towards the end of Revelation to find out 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:15.359 what he's talking about there. So, if you have your Bible and you want to turn with me to Revelation 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:25.379 chapter 20, you'll find the second death here in verse 14 and 15. Incredibly solemn, somber words. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:35.220 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:44.399 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. So, 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:54.779 so to not be hurt by the second death is to not experience eternal judgment, condemnation, 00:13:55.439 --> 00:14:05.079 separation, punishment from a holy God. To have your name written in the book of life is to be spared 00:14:05.079 --> 00:14:14.379 judgment and to enter into eternal happiness. The faithful who keep trusting Jesus are in the book of 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:20.899 life. And there is joy and there is love and there is peace for them. And so, Jesus talks about it 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:27.059 positively and negatively to say to this church who are being faithful, he promises them victory. He says, 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:35.379 you are safe and secure. Your enemies, they might kill your body, but they cannot prevent eternal victory 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:43.299 and glory. And so, we hear Jesus honor the church in Smyrna because of their faithful endurance. 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:51.200 A truth that's important for us to grasp today, to return to that question, whose opinion will you and 00:14:51.200 --> 00:15:01.620 I live for? We will all choose someone whose word will carry the most weight. Somebody's opinion 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:09.120 will influence us the most. That might be a family member. It may be a friend or a group of friends. 00:15:10.160 --> 00:15:15.920 It could be a boss or a colleague. It could be the voice of culture, or it could be 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:25.419 the voice of Christ. And Jesus' letter calls us to live for the audience of one, 00:15:27.319 --> 00:15:31.459 to seek to find our approval, identity, security in His Word. 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:39.039 So that while we may not feel influential in the world's terms, we may not feel particularly 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:45.019 significant. The world indeed might call us, call us as a church, nobodies. But that's not the word 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:51.919 that matters. Christ's Word over His people is the one that counts. You're my friends, and I died to 00:15:51.919 --> 00:16:02.059 save you. We discover that actually Jesus' joy, the joy of the Son of God, is bound up with making sure 00:16:02.059 --> 00:16:11.139 that all His people will be with Him forever in glory. And if we remain faithful, we have that promise 00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:16.039 of hearing words of hearing. We will be with you. We will be with you. We will be with you. 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:19.899 Good and faithful servant, enter your master's happiness. 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:27.559 What measure of success we will choose to use matters the world will say to us. 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:31.980 Choose money or status or success or comfort. Jesus says, 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:35.759 choose to be faithful. Persevere 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:43.240 to enjoy eternal life. He says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:51.860 So that's the letter to the church in Smyrna. Now we turn to the letter to the church in Philadelphia. 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:59.059 And again, slightly different question this time. Whose strength will we rely on? Let's keep that in our 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:05.619 minds. So the city of Philadelphia, interesting city, it was known as the gateway to the east. It was on 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:10.939 a major trade route. It was kind of midway between two major cities. So it was wealthy and influential. 00:17:10.939 --> 00:17:16.919 Lots of people coming and going. But it was also built on a geological fault line. So there was a 00:17:16.919 --> 00:17:23.099 huge earthquake in AD 16. So it's probably like at least probably 70 years before this. But there was 00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:29.379 still a process of recovery. And there was still a great fear and anxiety in the city about the prospect 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:38.280 of earthquakes. And we also discover that the church here is being shaken. We've got again Jewish 00:17:38.280 --> 00:17:45.080 persecutors trying to shake their faith. They have shut the door of the synagogues in their faces. You're 00:17:45.080 --> 00:17:50.380 not welcome here. You're not part of us. You're not the people of God. And so we find their strength 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:56.740 is weak. But again, we discover Jesus is their strength and security. Let's again hear how Jesus 00:17:56.740 --> 00:18:04.140 describes himself. Jesus, a wonderful shepherd and pastor. What does he say about himself? These are 00:18:04.140 --> 00:18:12.279 the words of him who is holy and true. Again, Jesus saying, I'm truly God. Isaiah uses holy and true of 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:20.660 God over 20 times. And Jesus is the one who holds the key of David. So when we think about David, the great 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:25.480 king of the Old Testament, and there was the promise of a king from his line who would reign forever, 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:33.740 Jesus is saying, I'm that king. But he's also got the key. Well, it's an interesting image. If you have 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:40.299 time, you can go to Isaiah 22. In the middle of that chapter, you meet a man called Eliakim. And Eliakim 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:48.480 has the keys. And these keys give access to the king and to the king's palace. And so Jesus picks up 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:56.700 this imagery. He says, I give access to God and his kingdom. He picks that up as well using the imagery 00:18:56.700 --> 00:19:07.480 of the door. Because Jesus also says, what he opens, no one can shut, and what he shuts, no one can open. 00:19:08.120 --> 00:19:14.559 So at one and the same time, the enemies of the church, they're slamming doors shut in the face of 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:20.779 Christians. You can't worship here. You're not going to get respect or influence here. But Jesus, 00:19:22.019 --> 00:19:29.539 who is the God-man, who is the king of the universe, he's opening a door. He's opening the door of 00:19:29.539 --> 00:19:40.599 salvation for his people. And he says, what I open, no one can shut. Security is in Jesus. And so he's 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:47.139 bringing comfort to this church. He'll say to them, you are weak. But he also says to them, I am strong. 00:19:47.879 --> 00:19:51.779 Strong to save. Strong to welcome. Strong to protect. 00:19:54.459 --> 00:19:59.259 Let's think now briefly about two things that Jesus knows about this church. And then we'll think about 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:06.019 three things Jesus promises. And what becomes clear is that faith in Jesus, who is their strong 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:13.400 Savior, it is the key to life and hope for eternity. And what's true for them must be true for us. 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:21.519 Also, two things Jesus knows about them. Verse 8, we find them, I know your deeds. 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:28.119 Here is a church where their faith is shown in action. 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:37.639 Where you can see in their acts of love that they are followers of Jesus. And the result, 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:45.159 there's another open door. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:52.239 So there's the door that enters them into salvation. But also because they are faithful, 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:57.000 many commentators speak about this open door to witnessing for Jesus. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:05.079 In other words, that their life of faith enables them to be ambassadors, that their lives of love 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:11.500 are creating open doors for the gospel to be heard. The way that we live as Christians matters. 00:21:12.339 --> 00:21:18.220 So Jesus says, I know your deeds. He also says to them later in verse 8, I know that you have little 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:26.099 strength. It's really clear that they are in the heat of spiritual battle. And they are battle-scarred. 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:34.480 And they are under siege, but they're holding the line. They're enduring in faith. You have kept my 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:39.219 word and have not denied my name. So think about the contrast with last week. They're holding on to 00:21:39.219 --> 00:21:46.799 the truth of God's word, and they're continuing to love Jesus and the people of Jesus. So at one and 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:52.279 the same time, humanly weak but spiritually strong. And what does Jesus promise them? 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:58.420 What does Jesus promise any who are humanly weak but spiritually strong? Because our faith is in Jesus. 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:07.660 Jesus who is God. Jesus who has authority over the kingdom. Jesus, in verse 11, who is coming soon. 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:14.240 In the season of Advent, as we look forward, we look back to Jesus coming once, we look forward to the 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:20.079 fact that he's coming again. And he promises he will come, and his coming will be soon. 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:27.539 Here is the one who holds open and who is the door into the kingdom. Three things he promises. First, 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:34.019 he promises honor. End time honor. This is in verse 9. 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:47.700 Jesus says to the church, 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:56.080 in the end, you'll be vindicated. It will be clear for the world to see that you belong to me, 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:03.840 and I love you. That those who trust in Jesus as Son of God and as Messiah, they really are God's 00:23:03.840 --> 00:23:10.080 children. And so you get this image, it's like after the war, after the heat of the battle, after the dust 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:20.099 is settled, those who have been defeated, they now turn and look as Jesus publicly, Jesus publicly honors 00:23:20.099 --> 00:23:31.500 his people, his church. You are mine, and I love you. And so he invites us, he invites them to wait with 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:39.379 hope because of this honor that's coming at the second coming. So he promises end time honor. He also 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:45.440 promises spiritual protection. Verse 10, since you have kept my command to endure patiently, 00:23:46.780 --> 00:23:52.480 there's their mark of success, patient endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that's 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:56.260 going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. So they've kept the 00:23:56.260 --> 00:24:01.020 command. They are enduring, and they have this wonderful promise that Jesus will keep them. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:09.140 Jesus, the good shepherd, watches over his church, always was watching over them in their 00:24:09.140 --> 00:24:17.200 present distress. And he says to them, you will be sheltered from this final judgment, from these 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:25.540 times of testing. You're safe. Now, it's important that we understand that Jesus isn't saying 00:24:25.540 --> 00:24:31.680 to become a Christian means life gets easy. In fact, we often discover that life gets harder. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:38.500 Jesus said shortly before going to the cross to his disciples, in this world you will have trouble. 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:46.380 He doesn't sugarcoat it, you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. And so when 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:52.740 Jesus talks about protection, he's not saying, I will always protect you from all physical suffering. 00:24:52.740 --> 00:25:01.420 And we know this is true. But he says to his people, I will protect you spiritually. You are safe and 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:11.220 secure in your salvation in me. And the last thing that he promises, the interesting image, new status, 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:18.500 new security, takes us to verse 12. Let's hear that verse. The one who is victorious, I will make a pillar 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:25.400 in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:30.299 name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God. 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:37.720 And I will also write on them my new name. Okay, so what's happening here is that Jesus is giving us 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:43.839 an image from the Old Testament temple. So in Solomon's temple, you can discover this 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:49.139 somewhere. I can't remember the reference right now. There are two pillars. One was called Jachin, 00:25:49.179 --> 00:25:55.220 one was called Boaz. Jachin means God establishes. Boaz means in God is strength. 00:25:56.959 --> 00:26:05.539 Jesus is saying that he is his people's strength, and he will certainly establish his people in God's 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:13.819 presence to be with God where he is forever. To use the image of a pillar is really significant. 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:19.879 Because a pillar represents strength and security. And remember where they live? 00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:25.879 They live in a place that's recently been hit by an earthquake, and they're worried about the 00:26:25.879 --> 00:26:32.959 tremors, and they're shaking. Jesus says, in me, you're solid and secure. But there's also this image 00:26:32.959 --> 00:26:39.659 of belonging and identity. So in Solomon's temple, those names were inscribed on the pillars, and Jesus 00:26:39.660 --> 00:26:47.860 says, there are names inscribed on his people, on his church. What are those names? You belong to the 00:26:47.860 --> 00:26:56.580 Lord. You know the way sometimes we, if we go on holiday, we mark our luggage with tags so that we 00:26:56.580 --> 00:27:05.120 know they belong to us? Or we mark our clothes when we go to school, they belong to us? Jesus writes, 00:27:05.119 --> 00:27:15.299 this one who's trusting in Jesus, you belong to the Lord. This struggling, suffering, 00:27:15.399 --> 00:27:25.959 you belong to God's church, God's kingdom. He writes on us, you belong to me. 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:39.360 In human terms, weak, isolated, suffering, struggling in Jesus' eyes, in the hands of a strong God 00:27:39.360 --> 00:27:46.840 and a mighty Savior, we are safe and secure, always and forever. So the letter is appealing to us, 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:53.380 don't rely on our own strength. And it also says to us, don't judge the church, don't judge a Christian 00:27:53.380 --> 00:28:03.120 in a worldly way. Don't apply those measures of success. We need to see ourselves and see others 00:28:03.120 --> 00:28:10.800 as Christ sees us. And we're invited to wait and to trust in our strong Savior, to trust in His gospel 00:28:10.800 --> 00:28:20.140 promises, to trust in His coming return. So all of us, we need to take to heart what Jesus says 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:27.000 about a successful church. Because think about this, He is the one we are called to follow. 00:28:29.020 --> 00:28:37.640 Jesus came into this world and endured a life of suffering. He walked a path of obedience in the face 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:46.080 of opposition, the suffering servant. He is the man of faith who goes ahead of us and who goes to the 00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:53.599 cross to suffer and die for us. The pattern of His life, suffering first with glory that follows. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:58.119 The Jesus who came for us is the Jesus who gives us Himself. 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:06.039 He is our strength, mighty King, merciful Savior. He is with His people. He knows His people. 00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:10.159 He is strength in our weakness. And it's good for us to be humble and dependent. 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:14.500 And He honors us when no one else does. And so we need to live for His opinion. 00:29:15.820 --> 00:29:24.600 And it's this Jesus who calls us to follow, to walk that same road of faithful, patient endurance. 00:29:25.940 --> 00:29:31.259 It may not look glamorous. It may not look that successful in the world's eyes or in our own eyes. 00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:37.640 But it comes with the promise of future glory. And it comes with the promise of Christ's approval 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:47.079 if we live for Him. And if we do that, and as we do that, we discover no believer, no church, 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:54.660 is insignificant to our wonderful Savior. With Jesus, there are no little people. 00:29:54.660 --> 00:30:01.360 The one who saves us, the one who watches over us, the one who gives us strength, 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:08.040 is the one who will one day welcome us into the joy of His presence forever. 00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:15.540 Let's pray and give thanks as we prepare to come to the Lord's table. 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:22.920 Perhaps somebody could give a quick nod to the junior chair. Oh, maybe they're coming in already. 00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:30.620 That's fine. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we recognize how easy it is for us to apply the 00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:39.480 world's metrics of success onto our own lives and onto the church. But we pray to be Christians in a 00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:45.240 church that would be guided by Your Word, and especially by the Word of Jesus. And we thank You 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:50.880 for who He is. And we thank You that He is the eternal Son of God. He is the promised King. He is the 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:57.660 victorious King. He is the one who opens the door of salvation to all who will put their trust in Him, 00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:04.260 that He is mighty to save. And that what He looks for is faithful endurance, 00:31:04.259 --> 00:31:14.819 to love His truth, to love His church as a response of love to our God and our Savior. 00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:19.720 And so we pray that You would help us, You would teach us, You would encourage us 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:28.480 as we think about that first coming of Jesus, His faithful endurance, His willingness to face 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:36.559 opposition and persecution, being faithful to the point of death. But they would also be so thankful 00:31:36.559 --> 00:31:42.940 as we think about His return, when He will come to make everything new, when He will come to give 00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:48.420 His people the victor's crown. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:56.559 All right, our boys and girls are just coming back in. That's good. So just in a moment, 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:07.759 we're going to turn as the people of God to share the Lord's Supper, this simple meal that God gives to 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:22.299 His church. And as we come to the Lord's table, it gives us a chance to think very briefly about one 00:32:22.299 --> 00:32:28.140 or two things, to remind ourselves, you know, we're coming to the Lord's table, who is the Lord Jesus? 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:39.720 Jesus. And we've just been told Jesus is the first and the last. He is the eternal one. He died and came 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:49.700 to life again. He is the Savior who died and rose. And He is the King. And He is the King who holds open 00:32:49.700 --> 00:33:02.700 the door of salvation. That's whose table it is. It's a table of grace and mercy. And so the question 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:09.019 then is, who is to come to this table to receive the bread and wine, to receive the Lord's Supper? And 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:16.759 again, we find our answer from Jesus in the book of Revelation. It's those who have faith. Those who have 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:24.019 put their trust in the reality that in Jesus' death and resurrection, we have forgiveness of our sin. 00:33:24.879 --> 00:33:32.200 That we are put right with God because of what God has done through Jesus. Not because of what we have 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:38.599 done. Not because of who we are. Not because we are somehow great or special. But because we believe, 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:45.480 actually, as Christians, that we are sinful people and that we are constantly in need of mercy and God's 00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:48.980 help. And that we come to help. And that we come to Jesus and that's what He gives to us. 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:59.400 It's for those who are weak. Weak in faith, but we know that He is strong. It's an invitation to 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:08.460 receive grace. So when we know that we fail as Christians, when we know that so often we disappoint 00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:15.420 ourselves, never mind disappointing Jesus, when we know that we struggle to keep going, that's why we 00:34:15.420 --> 00:34:23.220 come. And we keep coming to Jesus. Because our strength and our hope is in Him and not ourselves. 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:28.820 The Lord's table is for those whose hope is built, to go back to our opening hymn, 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:37.059 whose hope is built on Jesus' blood and Jesus' righteousness. He died for me. His righteousness is 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:44.079 given to me. It's for those who throw themselves on the mercy of God. And so if that describes you, 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:49.179 if you believe in Jesus as your Lord, if you're a member of His church here or in other places, 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:56.599 then please come and share as you're invited. But if that doesn't describe you, 00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:04.960 please stay where you are. You're very welcome to be here. And perhaps think about what Jesus has said 00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:09.480 about Himself. And think about that invitation that the door of salvation is open, 00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:17.920 if you'll put your trust in Him. And then just to think about what do we come to the table for? 00:35:18.820 --> 00:35:24.840 This isn't just a bare ritual that we do from time to time. It binds us together as a liturgy. It's so 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:32.780 much more than that. We come to be fed. To be fed by Christ and to feed on Christ. 00:35:32.780 --> 00:35:38.780 His promises, His grace, His spiritual blessing. 00:35:41.820 --> 00:35:47.060 That it's in the good news of the gospel, it's in the good news of our strong Savior that we find the 00:35:47.060 --> 00:35:53.820 strength to endure and to live with faithfulness. We cannot do it by ourselves. And so it's good news 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:57.320 that Jesus promises to be here to meet with us, to give us grace. 00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:57.320