THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
Revelation
Lesson 3
(Overview of the Seven Churches)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a
cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And
now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Ben Bailey:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John”
(Rev.1:1). I’m Ben Bailey
Timothy Sparks:
And I’m Timothy Sparks. Welcome to our study of the Book
of Revelation. These lessons are being brought to you by individual members and
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The Book of Revelation is a
symbolic book that is written to seven congregations in Asia
Minor—congregations that were experiencing intense persecution.
Ben Bailey:
We see in this book that the Lord is going to help these
seven congregations through these difficult times. According to Revelation 1:9,
John is writing “in tribulation” from the Isle of Patmos, where he has been
exiled because of his faithfulness to God. John sees a vision of Christ, Who is
in complete control. This certainly might seem in stark contrast, compared to
what was going on in that day and age. It might seem that Rome and her emperors (like Nero or Domitian)
were in control. Yet John makes it clear that Christ is in
control. As we begin, we see some comments being made to the church in Ephesus, which had lost
its first love. Wherever possible, the Lord begins with a commendation as a
type of encouragement. In Revelation 2:1-2, John writes,
“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you
cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are
apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for
My name's sake and have not become weary.”
Yes, Jesus is going to have some harsh things to say, but He first
offers some kind words. Then, in Revelation 2:4, Jesus says, “Nevertheless I have
this against you, that you have
left your first love.” The church in Ephesus
appeared to be a hard-working congregation that was conservative-minded, yet
they had lost their first love. What is the problem the Lord is addressing
here?
Timothy Sparks:
The church in Ephesus
had lost its zeal and enthusiasm. In Revelation 1:9, John says that he is
writing as “your brother and companion in the tribulation.” Can you imagine how
that is going to strike these people, who were not living a faithful Christian
life, even while other Christians were undergoing severe persecution? Some
today suggest that there
is going to be a “tribulation” in the distant future. John was in the midst of
a tribulation when he wrote this book! He identifies himself to the
members of the Lord’s church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
and Laodicea as their “companion in the
tribulation.” Ephesus
is commanded to repent and “do their first works.”
Ben Bailey:
There are three things that the Lord tells the congregation in Ephesus. First, He tells
them,
“Remember from where you have fallen” (Rev. 2:5). The Lord wanted the
Christians in Ephesus
to remember the glorified state they once occupied, and to regain their
now-lost zeal. This message is practical for people today who also might have
lost their zeal and enthusiasm. Remember where you were when you first started
your relationship with Christ. Remember the vim and vigor of that relationship, and how
important it was to you. Second, Jesus told them to repent. God does not
just identify the problem; He also explains how to fix it. Repentance is a
changed will that leads to a changed way. In Acts 3:19, the people were told to
“repent and turn again.” This indicates that they had to express godly sorrow
for their past sins, and not commit those sins any more. Third, the Christians
in Ephesus were
told to reform. They needed to return and “do their first works.” They needed
to produce “fruits worthy of repentance” (Mt. 3:8i; Lk. 3:8). Action goes along
with repentance.
Timothy Sparks:
If you read Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, it bristles
with his comments about the exalted state of that congregation. That letter
explains what a blessed opportunity it is to be a part of the body of Christ.
This was a congregation that, at one point, was zealous and enthusiastic. Now,
however, the Lord is telling them to remember,
repent, and reform. The situation in Ephesus
documents the fact that a faithful congregation can stop doing what was once doing.
Christians can fall out of God’s grace. We must come to the point where we
think we can be satisfied with our spiritual status. The Lord wants us to continue
to grow and mature. In 2 Peter 1, Peter says, “Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to
self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness
brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (vss. 5-7). Here, Peter
gives us the prescription for spiritual growth, and reminds us that if we lack these
things, we are so shortsighted that we are approaching blindness (vs. 9). However,
if we posses these important traits, then we will not be barren and unfruitful.
In fact, if we embody these traits, Peter says that we will “never stumble”
(vs. 10).
The second congregation addressed
in the Book of Revelation is composed of the suffering saints in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8ff.). The
Lord commends this body of His followers. In Revelation 2:9, John writes on the
Lord’s behalf, “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich);
and I know the blasphemy of
those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Financially, the congregation was in
abject poverty. But spiritually speaking, the congregation was rich. In verse
10, the Lord says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to
suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will
have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the
crown of life.” The faithfulness of the congregation in Smyrna certainly sets a wonderful pattern for
those of us today to follow.
Ben Bailey:
Yes, it does, because God does not see things as we see
them. Money is not what is important. Spirituality is what is important. The
congregation in Smyrna
was poor when it came to the goods
of this world. But the congregation was rich
when it came to spiritual matters. Christ (through John’s writings) tells the
Christians in Smyrna
that they are in “a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). He tells them that they are going to
have to endure much suffering and persecution. But then he says to them,
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the
devil is about to throw some of
you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten
days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (vs. 10).
The phrase, “be faithful unto death,” carries with it the idea that we must be
faithful, even if we are called upon
to die for Christ. The “crown of life” is worth far more than anything
we could possess in this life.
Timothy Sparks:
The next congregation to be addressed is the church in
Pergamos. John writes,
“I have a few things against you, because you have there those
who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children
of Israel,
to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine
of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent,
or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword
of My mouth” (vss. 14-16).
This church had compromised Christ’s doctrine. The members
had taught the “doctrine of the Nicolaitans,” which some have suggested was
akin to the modern-day concept of “once saved, always saved.” Even a casual
perusal of the New Testament provides numerous passages which show that it is possible for a child of God to fall
from grace. In fact, in Revelation 3:5, we see that it is possible to “have
your candlestick removed.” Your name can be blotted out of God’s Book of Life.
The church in Pergamos had compromised God’s Word, but that was not all they
had compromised.
Ben Bailey:
The church in Pergamos also had compromised their
lifestyles. They were involved in sexual immorality. There appears to be quite
a bit of similarity between Pergamo and Thyatira. We might refer to Pergamos as
“the compromising church,” and we might refer to Thyatira as “the tolerant
church.” There are some definite similarities between the two congregations. In
Pergamos, we see a false doctrine. There was some false teaching going on in
Thyatira as well. There were two ways in which the congregation in Thyatira had
become too tolerant: (1) false teaching; and (2) false living. In Revelation
2:20, we read, “You allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,
to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things
sacrificed to idols.” This represented a toleration of false living. Any
congregation that tolerates immorality is not right with God! Suppose, for
example, that there are two people in a congregation, and that they are in an
unscriptural marriage. If there is adultery present, or of there are other
problems present in the membership, and the congregation as a whole simply
says, “We know it’s not right, but we are ‘bigger than that,’ and we just will not
worry about it,” Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5 that such people are “puffed up.”
Rather than ignoring the sin, it must be dealt with, in order to ensure that
false living does not become commonplace among God’s people. False teaching
cannot be tolerated, either. If false teaching becomes commonplace, it will not
be long before God removes the congregation’s candlestick. We must be careful
regarding what is taught, so as to ensure that the Word of God is all
that is taught. We are commanded in 2 Timothy 4:2 to “preach the Word.” In 1 Peter
4:11, people who speak are told to “speak as the oracles of God.” When false doctrines
(such as those taught by the Nicolaitans) or false living (such as that caused
by Jezebel) enter into a congregation, it is the responsibility of the leaders
of that congregation to oppose such. And it is the responsibility of the
preacher of that congregation to teach against such things in a kind, loving,
yet firm manner. Both Pergamos and Thyatira are commanded to repent if they
expect to receive the Lord’s blessings.
Timothy Sparks:
The next congregation to be addressed is that of Sardis. In Revelation 3:1-2, John writes,
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has
the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have
a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the
things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works
perfect before God.”
These people had a “name” for being alive, yet
spiritually, they were dead. With each congregation, Christ says, “I know your
works.” The same is true of us today. The Lord knows our works. He knows what
we are doing, and what we are not doing. For a faithful Christian,
this serves as a great encouragement. But it should serve as motivation for the unfaithful child of
God to repent and get his life back in line with God’s Word. In verse 4, John wrote, “You
have a few names even in Sardis
who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in
white, for they are worthy.” There were
a few in the congregation in Sardis
who had remained faithful. Jesus addresses those who are not faithful, and who
need to return to doing what they should in regard to proper teaching, evangelism, and in proper living. If we are not living faithfully, we need
to remember what Paul said in 2
Thessalonians 1:7 about how the Lord will be “revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God,
and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude wrote
that we should “save some with fear, pulling them out of the fire,
hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (vs. 23). The congregation in Sardis may have appeared
as if they were all right spiritually, but actually, they were spiritually
dead. And the Lord knew their works!
Ben Bailey:
We cannot hide anything from God. Proverbs 15:3 says, “The
eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.”
We now come to the congregation in Philadelphia,
which is known as “the congregation of brotherly love,” or “the congregation of
the open door.” Christ says, “I have set before you an open door, and no one
can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not
denied My name” (Rev. 3:8). Apparently, this congregation had set before it an
open door to evangelism. It was their responsibility to walk through the door
and do the will of God. Sometimes we misunderstand what the work of the church
really is. The work of the church is not entertainment. Nor is the work of the
church “just” assembling. According to Ephesians 3:10-11, the work of the
church is to “shout forth” the Gospel. The work of the church is, in a word, evangelism. God had opened a door for
the church in Philadelphia
for that very purpose, and He wanted them to be sure to take advantage of the
opportunity He had set before them. The same is true for faithful churches
today. They need to look for ways and means by which to reach the masses with
the soul-saving message of Jesus Christ. Christ says to the church in Philadelphia, “I will
make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new
name” (Rev. 3:12). If we remain faithful to God, and carry out the commandments
contained in His Word, in the end, we will get to go to Heaven to live with
God.
Timothy Sparks:
The seventh congregation to be addressed is the church in Laodicea. Of this church,
Christ says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could
wish you were cold
or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). The Lord is not
pleased with the church in Laodicea,
and He uses some distasteful language to express His displeasure with their
indifference and lack of concern. It may be the case that Christ is using local
geography to get His point across. Above Laodicea,
there was a city by the name of Hierapolis,
from which flowed heated water from springs that had some medicinal value.
Below Laodicea
was Colassae, from which emanated cool, soothing water that also had certain
medicinal values. But when the two waters met in Laodicea, they turned lukewarm, and were
unfit even to
drink. Thus, Jesus may have been saying that the Christians in Laodicea were just like their
water—and should be vomited out!
Ben Bailey:
Did you ever try to drink something that is lukewarm? It
generally is not very pleasant. The Lord was saying to the church in Laodicea, “I do not want
you to be lukewarm. I want you to be useful for something good!” There is a
valuable point here for churches today. When congregations are lukewarm,
apathetic, and indifferent about spreading the Gospel, or about the spiritual
status of their own members, it makes the Lord sick to His stomach—so much so,
that He wants to vomit such people out of His mouth! How much more vivid a
picture could the Lord have painted? When we are not doing as we should, and
when we do not exhibit the zeal for His cause that we should, we make the Lord
sick! We see here an illustration of how congregations need to be useful to the
Lord. It is true, of course, that not every congregation will be the same, or
have the same opportunities, or possess the same talents. But whatever each
congregation has, it must use to the glory of God.
Timothy Sparks:
The congregation in Laodicea
had become, in its own eyes, “self-sufficient.” The members did not feel as if they needed anything—from
the Lord, or from anyone else. They had everything but a proper
relationship with Christ—which meant, then, that they had nothing! In Revelation 3:19, Jesus says, “As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” This, likely, is spoken
to all seven of the congregations, rather than just to one. Jesus wanted the
churches to know that He loved them—which is why He was rebuking them. He also
wanted them to repent. In verses 20-21, Jesus says,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with
Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
Here, Jesus offers an invitation to wayward members of His church. He
says, in essence, “You may have crowded me out of your lives, but I am
still here, knocking and wanting to re-enter your lives. Let me in.” Jesus will
not force his way into our lives. We have to invite Him in.
Ben Bailey:
The seven congregations discussed here represent the
entire spectrum of churches. And the point for us today is that we are a member
of the Lord’s family, we need to be a good member of that family! We
need to be diligent, faithful workers for the Lord. We need to be sure that the
congregation of which we are a part does not tolerate such things as false
doctrine and false living. If those types of things take place, how will the
Lord look upon the congregation as a whole, and upon me as one of its members?
We must do things the way God tells us to do them.
Today, there are faithful
congregations in existence who are striving diligently to do the will of the
Lord. Yes, there may be some that have problems. But there are faithful congregations of God’s people, and you can be a part
of such congregations. If you are not a Christian today, you can become one if
you are willing to believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, confess Him as the
Son of God, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. We urge you to do
those things today.
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Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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STUDY QUESTIONS FOR Revelation Lesson 3
(Overview of the 7 churches)
1. John writes the Book of Revelation from the
Isle of Patmos, and from a certain personal situation. What is that situation?
2. Jesus says to each of the seven churches of Asia Minor that He knows one thing about each of them.
What is that one thing?
3. What had the church in Ephesus done that drew divine condemnation
(Rev. 2:4)?
4. What did Jesus mean when He told the Christians
in Ephesus,
“Remember from where you have fallen” (Rev. 2:5)?
5. Christ, through John, told the church in Ephesus to do three
things. Name them.
6. What was one of the most serious problems
that the church in Smyrna
was having to endure among its own membership?
7. According to Revelation 2:10, what was the
devil going to do to some of the Christians in Smyrna?
8. What did John mean when he said that the
saints in Smyrna
were in “a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9)?
9. The church in Pergamos had done two things
that drew ire from the Lord. Name them.
10. What did Christ mean when He threatened to “remove a
congregation’s candlestick”?
11. The church in Thyatira had become tolerant
in two areas in which tolerance was not warranted. What were those two areas?
12. When false doctrine or false living rear
their ugly heads, whose responsibility is it to deal with such matters?
13. Which congregation discussed in Revelation
3 had “a name for being alive” but was “spiritually dead”?
14. What did Christ mean when He told the
church in Philadelphia
that He had “set before them an open door” (Rev. 3:8)?
15. When Jesus told the members of the church
at Laodicea
that they were “lukewarm,” and that He therefore would “vomit them out of his
mouth,” what was His point?
16. What is the connection between Proverbs
3:12 and Revelation 3:19?
17. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I stand
at the door and knock” (Rev. 3:20)?
18. According to Revelation 3:12, what did
Jesus have in mind for those who remained faithful to Him?
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