Good morning. It's good to be back with you. I was here last week. I know some of you
! I know some of you weren't here last week. So just a brief introduction so I'm not too much
! of a stranger. Do you have the photo of my whole family there? So this is my whole family.
I'm delighted this morning to have my wife with me, Jessica, and my son, Trevor, and then
we have three others who are about to say youngsters, but they're less and less youngsters.
And so and then I'm part of a ministry called Promote Humility, and we do workshops and coaching
and have some initiatives, focus on disability ministry around the world and other aspects
of what it means to grow in humility. And so that's a little about me. And Pastor Mike,
we actually went to the same seminary at the same time, and we have some overlapping relationships.
So he invited me here, and he's been in Alaska, where my wife and I served for 10 years. And so
when I asked last week how many people have been to Alaska, I was very disappointed in the number
of people who are here. So it's God's country up there. It's beautiful.
But we're in... So Pastor Mike said, you know, Phil, could you come with a two-part series?
And so I thought, you know, let's just go to Revelation for two weeks, right? Just something
really easy. But what I've been wanting to do here is to really rekindle your interest,
draw toward this incredible book of Revelation. Pastor Mike said he preached it back in 2018.
I'm sure you remember most of those sermons. But we always need to be refreshed in our memory of
God's Word. Last week, and I'm trying to come at Revelation from some angles that you may not
think about often. And sometimes you come to the book of Revelation, and people talk about timelines.
And I'm coming from a different angle of... Well, last week, we looked at this incredible imagery
of the Lamb on the throne. Over two dozen times or so, he's called the Lamb on the throne. Not the Lion
on the throne. A lamb on the throne. And so what we did was we took apart different layers of what
that image, imagery is. He's a lamb. Image of weakness. But he's a lamb that was... But we don't just
think of the symbolism just from thin air. We look at the context. And we saw in the context,
there's emphasis this lamb was slain. And then we go another... We peeled back another layer of this
onion. And we saw in the context in chapter 5 that this lamb, he was slain, but he's conquered.
And then he invites his sheep to follow him, to conquer along with him and reign with him.
And so this week, I thought we would come at Revelation from yet another angle.
And we'll do that by looking at chapters 2 and 3, where there's seven messages. So if you turn,
if you haven't already turned to Revelation, we'll focus on chapters 2 and 3.
And you recall, if you were here last week, we talked about this very interesting genre of Revelation,
where it's kind of three genres mixed. There's apocalyptic, so there's a lot of imagery and
metaphor and all these layers. There's prophecy. It says very explicitly that prophecies are things
it's saying will come in the future. And it's also a letter. It's a letter that the apostle John
wrote to these churches.
I'm very grateful that was part of our passage today. And chapter 1 was read. So go back to chapter 1,
because before we get to chapter 2, I want to just set the context there.
But what I like to do before we start reading Scripture is to pray as we come to God's Word. So would
you close your eyes and bow your heads and just take a moment, ask God to speak to you through his Word
this morning.
Amen.
You are a glorious Christ.
We want to stand in awe of you. We want to see you clearer.
Father, would you send your Spirit to just open our eyes so we might see another layer of your majesty
and greatness and goodness and grace. And our hearts, whatever our hearts need this morning,
you would bring through your Word. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
So, the passage this morning that was read was chapter 1, verse 12. But if you'd go back just a little
before that to chapter 1, verse 9, just to set the context a little bit. And you see here,
chapter 1, and if you're still looking for the book of Revelation, last book of the Bible,
chapter 1, verse 9. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom
and the patient endurance that are in Jesus was on the island called Patmos on account of the Word of God
and the testimony of Jesus. And I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet saying, write what you see in a book and send it. So, it's a book that's made into a kind of a letter
because it's being sent to the seven churches, Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira
and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. And in chapters, if you just flip the page there,
chapters 2 and 3 are to those seven churches in that order. These churches were in the,
what's geography, it's where Turkey is right now on the western side of Turkey. And it's as if
these are all kind of in an order as if a mailman was going around to these different churches.
One thing to keep in mind as we look at the passage we are today, I just want, I titled this message
Stunning Generosity. Last week, we saw this stunning reveal as the Lamb was revealed on the
throne and we marveled at the fact that it's a Lamb. In the back of your mind here, I want you to think
about the stunning generosity of this Lamb. And we saw the glorious picture of this Jesus as was read
earlier of chapter 1, verses 12 and following of this glorious King in which John falls before.
His face shining like the sun in full strength.
We already see God's generosity. This glorious one is among the lampstands. Do you see that in verse 12?
There's seven golden lampstands. And then at the very end of chapter 1, it says in the seven lampstands
are the seven churches. So there's this picture of this glorious, bright, really terrifying,
conquering, glorious one. And he's walking among the churches. You think about Kenosha.
This king walking among his people. And so you say this glorious generosity of this king coming along to
this people and each church having its specific issue. He knows these churches and he knows the
particular temptations of some, discouragements of some, where they need to be warned, where they need
to be encouraged. He knows his people like a tender shepherd. By the way, something I was just thinking
about. Isn't that interesting that he's described in such glorious terms here in chapter 1? So bright and
fearsome. It could have been that the descriptions of Jesus for the rest of the book could have been
the glorious one on the throne. But he's described as a lamb on the throne. It's very interesting how the
book is put together. So it's written to seven churches, or this whole book is written to seven
churches. But it's all within, and here's very interesting, it's all within one book.
So think about the other letters in the Bible. You have a book to Corinth. It's to, you know,
one location. There may be some house churches in that book, but it's to Corinth. Or it's to Thessalonica.
But we have something very unique here, and something to keep in mind as you read the book of Revelation.
It's one letter written to seven churches in very unique situations. They need the book of Revelation
for a different reason. Again, some that need to be warned. Some need to be encouraged.
So in a sense, you need to read the book of Revelation seven times at least.
Having read the context of each of these seven churches,
they are seven letters or messages in chapter two and three.
What was it like in that particular church? What were they facing? What were the temptations or
discouragements? And then,
read the book of Revelation. What did they need to hear?
What we're going to do today is, just like last week, we peeled an onion.
Today, we're going to go the opposite direction.
We're going to be like an image of a telescope.
We're going to focus on one of these churches. We're just going to start with the first one.
We're going to look at the book of, or the message
to the church in Ephesus, chapter two, verses one through seven.
We'll focus in on that. And then what we'll do is, we'll take a,
we'll change the lens a little bit.
And then we'll, and then we'll change it once again.
What was it like for Ephesians to get this message to them particularly?
But then,
what was it like for the Ephesians to read the other people's mail?
Do you realize that?
These aren't just individual messages to this particular church,
but they are given the opportunity to read other people's mail and see what was said.
And it's very interesting what the Ephesians need to hear as they read what was written to the other churches.
Because the one phrase that's repeated exactly the same in each,
each message,
you can see it in chapter two, verse seven.
He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the
Ephesians?
No, to the churches, all the churches.
That same phrase is said each place.
Listen to what
Jesus is saying to all the churches.
You need this.
And we'll find,
especially with Ephesians,
that the message of the Ephesians is that,
and these seven,
there's seven by the way,
a characteristic of literature
in the Bible often is a chiastic structure.
That means there's a similarity between the first and the last.
There's a similarity between the second and the second to last, etc.
And that's what we actually find here.
If you want to look at two churches that there was only encouragement,
there was no warning,
they only needed to be challenged to persevere,
it's the second and the second to last.
And we'll find today
is the first and the last,
Ephesus and Laodicea.
There's some similarities
of what their challenges were
and what they needed to hear.
So, let's look at the telescope here.
Let's just look at Ephesus, okay?
And what we have is a warning.
Chapter 2, verse 2.
Jesus is saying,
and by the way, back up in verse 1,
to the angel of the church in Ephesus.
Now, that could be just the leader of the church.
The words of him who holds the seven stars in his hands
and who walks,
I love this,
walks among the seven golden lampstands.
That is, he walks among the churches.
He knows what they need.
And this is what this particular church needs.
I know your works,
your toil,
and your patient endurance
and how you cannot bear
with those who are evil
but have tested those
who call themselves apostles
and are not
and found them to be false.
I know you are enduring patiently
and bearing up for my name's sake
and you have not grown weary.
This is an amazing church.
I'd recommend you go to this church
by what's been written already.
Here are some,
what's admirable about this,
admirable strength.
Do you notice there,
they've not,
they've not grown weary.
Patient endurance.
There's been,
there's been hardship.
There's been persecution.
There's been hard things
but they have persevered.
They're not like the seed
that fell among the rocky soil
that just died off
when the persecution came.
No, their roots have gone deep
and they've persevered.
Admirable strength.
And they have admirable minds.
They knew what was right and wrong.
Look at verse,
verse two.
But you have tested those
who call themselves apostles
and are not
and found them to be false.
They knew what was right and wrong.
They courageously stood up
to these false teachers.
Admirable minds,
admirable strength.
And perhaps this could be said
of Christ the King,
Kenosha.
You've endured through hard things.
You've got bright minds.
You're able to decipher
what's good and bad.
But
I was noticing
that the description of
Jesus in chapter one,
his eyes were like
a flame of fire.
I.e.
his eyes could see,
bring light
to dark places.
He could see
what was really going on.
On the surface,
you go,
wow,
great church.
But something else
is being
unveiled.
Verse four.
But I have this against you
that you have abandoned
the love
you had
at first.
So,
admirable minds,
admirable strength,
but absent hearts.
And what's
really remarkable
is this is
Ephesus.
If you know your Bibles,
this is where
Timothy was a pastor.
Paul wrote a letter
to the church
in Ephesus.
But that
motivation
out of a genuine
affection for God
were
drained away.
It was becoming
mechanical.
They knew the right
things to do.
They knew the right
things to say
and do,
but
they
no longer
delighted
in God.
Perhaps when they
first fell in love
with God,
they loved to
walk with Him
and talk with Him.
They loved to sing
and their hearts
were overflowing.
They loved to tell
people about Jesus
out of that overflow.
But now,
it was just
duty.
It was good
duty,
great duty,
but it was
just
duty.
And this
doesn't speak
of specifically
you've abandoned
the love
at first.
It doesn't say
love toward God
or love towards
others,
so it's probably
a bit ambiguous
as it's both.
So when at first
their love
for one another
was sacrificial
and long-suffering
now is just
they just kind of
put up with people.
They just loved
the people that
were easy to love,
not the ways
that was sacrificial
and loving.
So let's just
stop here
and reflect.
Think about
a married couple.
Imagine a couple
that the husband
is madly
in love
with his wife,
but over time
the wife's
love
just starts
to grow
cold.
Nothing that
the husband
has been doing,
it's just her,
just her attention
as other places
get involved
in hobbies
and activities,
a side job,
the kids,
the friends,
and her heart
just drifts
ever so slowly
away over time.
She's still faithful
to her husband,
still fulfills
her responsibilities
at home,
but she doesn't
delight in him.
So a while back,
Jessica,
my wife,
and I
were on a walk
and
we were holding
hands
and a couple
older folks
were coming
the other direction
and I still
remember
one of them
mentioning,
oh,
it's great to see
young people
holding hands
and I was like,
well,
of course I'm
going to hold
my wife's hand,
but it was just
an image
that caught me.
you know,
I still remember
my father
who's passed away
eight years ago
or so,
his big hands
and my mom's
very slender hands
and all the way
up till his,
he could no longer
walk,
they'd be walking
through the halls
of the retirement
center,
and he'd have
his big hands
on her hands,
like that affection.
And so I just,
as an image for you,
are you holding
God's hand
or are you just
kind of marching
and getting things
done and knowing
this is the right
direction to go
or are you actually
holding his hand
in affection?
Because if you're
holding his hand,
you'll go the right
direction and you'll
have endurance.
Are we holding
his hand?
But this is no
small matter.
Look,
look at verse 4
again,
but I have this
against you
that you have
abandoned the
love you had
at first.
Remember,
therefore,
from where
you have fallen.
Repent
and do the
things you did
at first.
If not,
I will come
to you
and remove
your lampstand
from its place
unless you repent.
Wow.
Lampstand
referring to
the church
where God's
spirit is working
and he would
just move
away.
I don't know
how immediate,
maybe over
decades or
something,
but the life,
God's life
in the church
would ebb away.
He would
leave it.
So it's a warning,
a warning to love.
Well,
what if you feel
like your love
has grown cold?
Well,
this is what he
says,
the Ephesians
kind of the three R's,
just briefly there,
verse 5,
remember,
therefore,
from when you're
fallen,
so remember,
what was that
when I was
on fire for
Jesus,
what did that
look like?
Again,
I walked with
him,
I was talking
to him,
I was singing,
I was telling,
what was that
like?
So I remember,
second R,
repent,
right,
middle of verse
5,
repent,
just a humble
recognition,
yeah,
this is how
it is.
My affection
has grown
cold,
and so don't
be dismissive,
don't think
about somebody
on the other
pew there,
it's,
I need
this,
and then
return,
and do the
works you did
at first.
But I'm
really glad,
unfortunately,
we read
this,
and that's
all we
read.
I'm so
glad that's
not it.
That this
message,
the Ephesians,
was put
in another
context.
And so
let's back
up here
with the
telescope,
and look
at what
the Ephesians
would have
read in
addition to
this message.
again,
these seven
books,
and there's
a similarity
between the
first message
and the
last one.
Look at the
last one,
chapter 3,
verse 14.
they would be
reading this
after they
read about
their own
situation,
and perhaps
they're feeling
like,
oh boy,
love is not
like a,
affection is not
like a switch
you flip,
you know,
just turn the
lights on,
and I have
this affection
for God.
what's a
good thing
they keep
on reading.
And they
run across
the church
of Laodicea
in a very
similar situation
in which
love has
grown cool.
Chapter 3,
verse 14,
and the
angel of the
church in
Laodicea
write the
words of
the amen,
the faithful
and the
true witness,
the beginning
of God's
creation.
I know
your works.
You are
neither cold
nor hot.
They've
lost the
warmth of
their affection
for God.
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.
Consequence
again,
quite dramatic.
For you
say,
this is,
you say,
I am rich,
I have
prospered,
and I
need
nothing.
Too often
we see
the things
going well
and we
think,
well,
we've
arrived
as a
church.
not
realizing
that you
are
wretched,
pitiful,
poor,
blind,
and naked.
I
counsel
you
to buy
from me
gold.
That is,
come to
another
market,
as it
were,
which we
find all
these things
are free
in this
market.
Come to
Jesus and
you'll find
gold,
gold refined
by fire,
so you may
be rich in
white garments,
so you may
be clothed
yourself,
and the
shame of
your
nakedness
may not
be seen
and salved
to anoint
your eyes
so that
you may
see.
Everything
is at
the
Jesus
market.
And notice
verse 19
though,
very,
very
interesting.
Those
whom
I
love,
I
reprove
and
discipline,
so be
zealous
and repent.
Very
interesting.
The
seven,
that's
this
chiastic
structure,
you see
the very
first one,
they're
lacking
love.
And the
last one,
the emphasis
is on
God's
love
for his
people.
And look
at this
beautiful
image
of Jesus'
love
for his
church,
a church
that has
grown cold
in its
love or
cruel in
its love.
Verse 19,
those whom
I love,
I reprove
discipline,
so be
zealous
and repent.
Behold,
verse 20,
beautiful image
here.
Behold,
I stand
at the
door and
knock.
If anyone
hears my
voice and
opens the
door, I
will come
into him
and eat
with him
and he
with me.
It's
such a
beautiful
image.
And this
is for
Christians.
This is
for a
church.
This is
not for
non-Christians
to get
introduced
to Jesus.
This is
for the
church to
be
reintroduced
to Jesus
and he's
offering
himself
to the
church.
He's
ready to
come in.
What do
you do
to grow
in your
affection
for Jesus?
Do you
kind of
work up
this energy
and this
to love
Jesus more?
You just
open the
door.
You have
him come
in.
he wants
to be
with you.
He's
the one
taking
the
initiative.
And it's
this image
of fellowship.
Come in
and eat
with him
and he
with me.
So this
idea,
sitting
around a
table,
being with
him,
enjoying
his
company.
every
day,
we say,
I need
you.
Come
in.
I want
you.
I want
more of
you.
So if
you look
at the
church in
Ephesus,
if you just
looked at the
message of
them,
there's this
warning.
They're to
repent of
this lack
of affection.
But as you
open the
telescope a
little bit,
as they've
continued to
read,
they learn
about this
generosity
of this
Jesus that
keeps on
knocking.
This is not
the first time
he's come,
but he keeps
on knocking.
He wants
to have
fellowship and
friendship with
them.
And so
they've,
that's the
second,
they've
read the
other mail
because that's
purposely here
for them.
But there's
yet one
more.
Because
these letters
don't end
there.
This,
this whole
letter,
including the
what's to
the Ephesians,
continues for
the rest of
the book.
So here's the
question.
This is why
you need to
read the
book of
Revelation
seven times
in each of
those churches
seats,
as it were.
what did
the church
in Ephesus
need from
the rest
of the
book?
Because often
we think,
well,
what the
churches
needed at
that time
with all
the persecution
and hardship,
and some of
these churches,
they were
suffering,
and what they
needed to hear
from Jesus
was endure.
Don't be
afraid.
And so as
they would
read the
book of
Revelation,
they'd learn
about this
conquering
king that
they could
depend on
to bring
full redemption
to them.
Yes,
that's what
they needed
to hear.
But what
did the
church in
Ephesus
need?
They needed
their hearts
rekindled.
So for
them,
that's what
the rest
of the
book of
Revelation
was for,
was to
rekindle
their delight
in God,
to stir
their affections
afresh.
And so what
I encourage
you to do
is read
the book
of Revelation
with that
lens on,
Jesus,
I want to
fall in
love with
you again.
And see
what the
book of
Revelation
does for
your heart.
Let me
just give you
a number of
the images
that you run
across the
book of
Revelation
that I
found just
wow.
In certain
seasons,
I need
these images.
Obviously,
last week,
it was the
lamb on
the throne.
And you
just meditate
on, oh,
my goodness,
he's this
symbol of
weakness
that conquers
and when
we feel
weak,
we're strong
when we're
in Jesus
and depending
on him,
his power
is made
perfect in
weakness.
Incredible
image you
meditate on.
One of the
images I
mentioned last
week also
is this
spring of
water,
repeatedly
in this
book,
to the
thirsty
I will
give from
the spring
of the
water of
life without
payment.
it's a
beautiful
image I
can come
to Jesus
with as
by
greatest
thirst and
hunger.
I don't
have to
bring
anything.
I just
come with
my neediness
and my
lack and
he is
there with
eternal
living
water.
Wow.
And it's
described in
Revelation 22
as a river
plentiful
righteous
the water
of life.
So maybe
you need
that
encouragement.
Or maybe
you're just
feeling a
lack of
you're feeling
alone
and then
you run
across this
image of
this wedding
feast and
the Lamb's
delight in
his bride.
In this
wedding feast
that's just
overflowing
and he's
building a
home for
his bride.
And so
perhaps you
are also
feeling a
sense of
insecurity
and you
learn about
this city
he's building
which is
perfectly
secure.
Safe.
Oh and
along the
way you
read all
these songs
that can
stir our
hearts in
affection for
this king.
Oh also
to those
of you
who are
in the
midst of
struggling
through
being
taken
advantage
of.
There's
injustice.
You're
angry at
how you've
been treated.
Oh
Revelation
is a good
book for
you.
There's a
rider on
a white
horse.
There will
be justice
and as we
sang earlier
on
everything
will be
made
right.
everything.
It's a
bloody
book.
And for
those who
have faced
injustice
it's good
news.
And so
what we
find is
this book
is a
feast.
So do
you see
what's
happened
as we
have
opened up
the
telescope
if you
were in
Ephesus
you've
read the
letter to
yourself
and you've
had a
warning.
You open
the telescope
a little
more and
you have
this
invitation
of this
king
and wants
to sit
with you
and you
open it
even further
and there
is a
feast.
Jesus
is the
feast for
you.
And he
comes in
so many
different
images
to satisfy
your needs
and that
you might
follow him
and worship
him for
all that
he is
for us.
And so
think of
this stunning
generosity
of this
feast.
Talking to
Jessica
as we
were
driving
up here
I don't
know if
you've
seen the
websites
where you
can zoom
really far
in like
to an
atom or
smaller and
then zoom
way out
and you can
see the
galaxies.
It's just a
website that
helps you see
the big
and the small.
That's what I
encourage you
as you come to
the book of
Revelation.
Think of that
image.
You come to
these images
and you
kind of peel
back the
layers like
that onion
or you
back up
and you
see all
these
incredible
images
and may
it be a
stunning
generously
stunning
feast
for your
souls.
Let's pray.
Father, I
just want to
give another
moment of
quiet for
my brothers
and sisters
here and
that they
would just
take this
moment and
what images
perhaps that
have already
been mentioned
do you want
to feast
upon for
this coming
week?
What is it
about Jesus
that you want
to grow in
your awe
and your
delight in?
Take a
moment and
do that.
And Father,
as we see
so often
in the book
of Revelation,
your people
turn to
sing.
We have
so much
to sing
about.
You
bring
so many
lavish
blessings
even though
we don't
deserve it.
We come
empty handed.
You are
so,
so generous
to us.
As
we prayed
last week,
tune our
hearts
souls
to sing
your
grace.
Streams
of mercy
never
ceasing
call for
songs
of
loudest
praise.
Pray this
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Thank you.