SEVEN CHURCHES #2

#1 · January 29, 2007, 1:41 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 29, 2007, 1:41 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
SEVEN CHURCHES #2

SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA

January 14, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 1:9-11

Im going to be upfront with you this morning right from the beginning. This is probably one of those sermons that you might wish you had missed. Yeah, Im violating some public speaking guidelines here - like telling an audience from the start that they might not be interested in the message. Nothing like setting a positive atmosphere. But I know that everyone comes with the expectation of the wonderful, high-impact, high-quality sermon he or she always gets from Pastor Chuck, and I just want to let you know why you will be disappointed today. That way, I wont disappoint you.

This morning, instead of an inspirationally directed message that when applied to your life moves you closer to God, Im going to deal with background facts concerning the seven churches specified in Revelation. I tried and tried to think of how I could make this a sermon with a good object lesson for good living, but I could not think of a way. I could not even think of an inspirational title. Seven Churches in Asia. Thats it. Sorry. Theres no way around it, were talking history lesson this morning.

So why preach this sermon at all, Pastor Chuck? Glad you asked. Over the next few Sundays, I am going to be preaching from the messages to these seven churches. God definitely has messages for His Church today in these ancient texts. Like I said last week, there are some very plain, easily understandable messages to Christians in the Revelation. A lot of them will confront us in chapters two and three. In order to help us understand and focus better on the lessons for Christians in those chapters, it helps to understand what was going on back in that first century. It helps to understand the culture and the issues those churches faced in order to form a picture about how they responded. All of this, in turn, helps us understand what God is teaching His Church today, how He is teaching it, and why He is teaching it.

One of the noticeable characteristics about Revelation is the attitude expressed about the Rome and the Empire. In the book of Acts, the Roman judicial system is usually portrayed as the safest haven for Christian missionaries, such as Paul, from the hatred of the Jews and the mobs they whipped up. Acts 16:38, The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. It was in the context of Roman government and law that Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. The book of Acts and Pauls letters are dated in the 60s A.D.

Revelation, however, is dated roughly in the 90s A.D. In those thirty years, Rome had changed in ways that directly affected Christians. Even though there had always been certain gods and goddesses worshiped throughout the Empire, the Romans did not force allegiance to a particular deity in its earlier years. Thus, Christians like Paul, who was a Roman citizen, could appeal to justice from them and not be concerned with compromising his Christian faith. He did not have to swear allegiance to any other deity.

Over time that changed. It was not so much that the Emperors, or Caesars, demanded deification; rather, the citizens began worshiping them in recognition for the safety and benefits received from the Empire. What evolved, then, was a test of loyalty that became both political and religious. So, when a person refused to burn a pinch of incense and say, Caesar is Lord, then that man or woman was committing an act of political disloyalty. But the Christian could confess no one as Lord except God. As a result, the Christian was condemned as disloyal and subject to punishment and persecution. The level of persecution varied from Caesar to Caesar. Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Galba, Otto, Vitellius, Vespasian, and Titus did not seek Caesar worship. Some of them even tried to halt it. Caligula, Nero, and Domitian were cold-blooded persecutors. Domitian, Emperor from A.D. 81-96, strongly demanded to be worshiped. All over the Empire, men and women had to call Domitian Lord and God - or die.

This, then, was the setting in which these seven, and all, churches existed. All seven churches mentioned in Revelation are known by the name of the city in which they were established. All of the cities are in the province of Western Asia, with the Aegean Sea to the West, the Black Sea to the North, and the Mediterranean Sea to the South. Today, that entire area is the modern nation of Turkey and is also called Asia Minor. Each of these seven cities had some unique characteristics and roles in the Empire during the period of the Revelation. Although not specified in Revelation itself, these are reasons typically given as why these particular seven churches were addressed by the Lord.

Ephesus was known as the gateway to Asia. In fact, it was laid down by law that when the Roman official selected as governor of Asia came to take up his office, he had to disembark at Ephesus and enter the province there. For traders and travelers from the east, Ephesus was the highway to Rome. Its position made the city the wealthiest and greatest city in all Asia.

The city was also notorious as a center of pagan superstition. People came from all over the world to buy charms and amulets and other things that were said to be remedies for sickness, good luck charms for success, and even fertility for the childless. Ephesus also had famous temples for Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. Obviously, the cultural environment in Ephesus could be a challenge to any Christian body.

Rivaling Ephesus in greatness was Smyrna. It, too, was a harbor city and, therefore, an important trade center. It was a lovely city and was known, in its day, as the ornament of Asia, the crown of Asia, and the flower of Asia. It even had a street of gold which began at the Temple of Zeus and ended at the Temple of Cybele. The city was also a cultural center with libraries, theaters, and schools of philosophy. Of particular interest to Christians, Smyrna boasted a large and influential Jewish population who were typically hostile to the Christian Church because it was from the Jews and from those interested in Judaism that Christianity drew many of its converts.

Pergamum, or Pergamos as is used in some Biblical translations, was not a harbor nor was it located on any of the major trade routes. Still, it occupied a place of importance because it had once been an historical capital of the region for nearly four hundred years. As a result, it continued to be esteemed as a city of honor.

Pergamum was also a cultural center and was famous for its library of more than 200,000 parchment scrolls. It was known as a great religious center because it preserved the Greek way of life and worship. It, too, was known for healing centers at temples and hospitals. Probably most noticeable to the Christian Church there was its role as the administrative center of Asia. That means that it was also the center of Caesar worship for the province. Pergamum was the city from which Roman officials of the province were required, upon pain of death, to take the name of the Lord and give it to Caesar instead of to Christ. In Revelation 2:13 we read, I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives. To a Christian, there could be nothing more satanic than to worship anyone other than Jesus Christ.

In comparison to the other six cities, Thyatira is unique. It is the least in importance of all of them. Its primary purpose in former periods of history was to serve as a protective outpost to Pergamum. It was not a cultural or religious center. But it did have a strong commercial center, particularly in the specialty of linen dyeing and woolen goods trade. Lydia, the seller of purple noted in Acts 16:14, came from Thyatira. History records that there were many trade guilds in the city. These were associations established for mutual profit and pleasure of people employed in certain trades, including workers in wool, leather, linen, and bronze, dyers, potters, bakers, and other professions. Refusing to join an appropriate guild meant near commercial suicide. So why should a Christian then not join a guild? Problems came up because the guilds hosted meals and meetings in the pagan temples where they began with a formal sacrifice to the idol. Additionally, these communal meals often became occasions of drunken revelry and slack morality. A Christian could not be part of that, but to not join could become a significant issue of survival. Certainly an important challenge for any Church.

Sardis was a city that provided a great example of degeneration. Not exactly the claim to fame that any city wants. Ill go into more details when we get into chapter three. The thumbnail sketch is that on two occasions in its history, the citizens of Sardis attained great wealth. It was a great and well-known city. It was a city that was built to be defended, and it could be defended in its day. Yet, on two instances, its citizens lulled themselves into states of false security. They found themselves overrun because they refused to pay attention. It appears, even by the time of the Revelation, the people of Sardis still drifted through life instead of paying attention to the signs of the times going on around them.

Philadelphia. Thats in Pennsylvania, isnt it? What does it have to do with Asia? Well, Philadelphia, P.A., is not the first city with that name. Of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation, Philadelphia was the youngest. It was founded by colonists from Pergamum during the reign of Attalus the Second from 159 to 138 B.C. Attalus had a brother, Eumenes, whom he loved. When the city was founded, it was called Philadelphos, the Greek word meaning one who loves his brother, in honor of the relationship between Attalus and Eumenes.

Philadelphia was founded for the special purpose of carrying Greek culture and language to neighboring regions. It was established and maintained as a city of peace. We can be certain that this foundation helped those who came to the Christian faith understand the message of peace carried by Jesus Christ.

Laodicea gained distinction as a great Asian city because of its location. As realtors say today: location, location, location. Suffice it to say that many trade routes converged on Laodicea. Historians note that it only needed peace to make Laodicea a great commercial and financial center. That peace came with the dominion of the Roman Empire. Laodicea flourished. It was a great banking and financial center. It was a clothing manufacturing center. It had a notable medical center. Think New York City. Without the subway. It can be a blessing to be wealthy. It can also be a curse. It is rather obvious in chapter three which side the Church in Laodicea ended up on.

Those, then, are the major issues confronting the Christian Church in general throughout the Roman Empire in the day of Revelation, and the issues facing the specific Churches in the seven cities specified in Revelation. Each receive their unique message from the founder and author of the Church, Jesus Christ. They were letters sent for the purpose of commending, correcting, and/or instructing those Churches in A.D. 90, but they are also letters that apply to the Christian Church in 2007. Things change, but not all that much. In fact, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Our culture today is similar in a lot of ways to the cultures the seven Churches in Asia faced. The challenges facing the Church today are not that different from the challenges facing the seven Churches in Asia. Responses of the Church today to those challenges are not all that different than the responses chosen by the seven Churches in Asia. So it should benefit us greatly to know what the Lord said to them in A.D. 90-something because He is still saying it today.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

SEVEN CHURCHES #2

SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA

January 14, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 1:9-11

Im going to be upfront with you this morning right from the beginning. This is probably one of those sermons that you might wish you had missed. Yeah, Im violating some public speaking guidelines here - like telling an audience from the start that they might not be interested in the message. Nothing like setting a positive atmosphere. But I know that everyone comes with the expectation of the wonderful, high-impact, high-quality sermon he or she always gets from Pastor Chuck, and I just want to let you know why you will be disappointed today. That way, I wont disappoint you.

This morning, instead of an inspirationally directed message that when applied to your life moves you closer to God, Im going to deal with background facts concerning the seven churches specified in Revelation. I tried and tried to think of how I could make this a sermon with a good object lesson for good living, but I could not think of a way. I could not even think of an inspirational title. Seven Churches in Asia. Thats it. Sorry. Theres no way around it, were talking history lesson this morning.

So why preach this sermon at all, Pastor Chuck? Glad you asked. Over the next few Sundays, I am going to be preaching from the messages to these seven churches. God definitely has messages for His Church today in these ancient texts. Like I said last week, there are some very plain, easily understandable messages to Christians in the Revelation. A lot of them will confront us in chapters two and three. In order to help us understand and focus better on the lessons for Christians in those chapters, it helps to understand what was going on back in that first century. It helps to understand the culture and the issues those churches faced in order to form a picture about how they responded. All of this, in turn, helps us understand what God is teaching His Church today, how He is teaching it, and why He is teaching it.

One of the noticeable characteristics about Revelation is the attitude expressed about the Rome and the Empire. In the book of Acts, the Roman judicial system is usually portrayed as the safest haven for Christian missionaries, such as Paul, from the hatred of the Jews and the mobs they whipped up. Acts 16:38, The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. It was in the context of Roman government and law that Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. The book of Acts and Pauls letters are dated in the 60s A.D.

Revelation, however, is dated roughly in the 90s A.D. In those thirty years, Rome had changed in ways that directly affected Christians. Even though there had always been certain gods and goddesses worshiped throughout the Empire, the Romans did not force allegiance to a particular deity in its earlier years. Thus, Christians like Paul, who was a Roman citizen, could appeal to justice from them and not be concerned with compromising his Christian faith. He did not have to swear allegiance to any other deity.

Over time that changed. It was not so much that the Emperors, or Caesars, demanded deification; rather, the citizens began worshiping them in recognition for the safety and benefits received from the Empire. What evolved, then, was a test of loyalty that became both political and religious. So, when a person refused to burn a pinch of incense and say, Caesar is Lord, then that man or woman was committing an act of political disloyalty. But the Christian could confess no one as Lord except God. As a result, the Christian was condemned as disloyal and subject to punishment and persecution. The level of persecution varied from Caesar to Caesar. Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Galba, Otto, Vitellius, Vespasian, and Titus did not seek Caesar worship. Some of them even tried to halt it. Caligula, Nero, and Domitian were cold-blooded persecutors. Domitian, Emperor from A.D. 81-96, strongly demanded to be worshiped. All over the Empire, men and women had to call Domitian Lord and God - or die.

This, then, was the setting in which these seven, and all, churches existed. All seven churches mentioned in Revelation are known by the name of the city in which they were established. All of the cities are in the province of Western Asia, with the Aegean Sea to the West, the Black Sea to the North, and the Mediterranean Sea to the South. Today, that entire area is the modern nation of Turkey and is also called Asia Minor. Each of these seven cities had some unique characteristics and roles in the Empire during the period of the Revelation. Although not specified in Revelation itself, these are reasons typically given as why these particular seven churches were addressed by the Lord.

Ephesus was known as the gateway to Asia. In fact, it was laid down by law that when the Roman official selected as governor of Asia came to take up his office, he had to disembark at Ephesus and enter the province there. For traders and travelers from the east, Ephesus was the highway to Rome. Its position made the city the wealthiest and greatest city in all Asia.

The city was also notorious as a center of pagan superstition. People came from all over the world to buy charms and amulets and other things that were said to be remedies for sickness, good luck charms for success, and even fertility for the childless. Ephesus also had famous temples for Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. Obviously, the cultural environment in Ephesus could be a challenge to any Christian body.

Rivaling Ephesus in greatness was Smyrna. It, too, was a harbor city and, therefore, an important trade center. It was a lovely city and was known, in its day, as the ornament of Asia, the crown of Asia, and the flower of Asia. It even had a street of gold which began at the Temple of Zeus and ended at the Temple of Cybele. The city was also a cultural center with libraries, theaters, and schools of philosophy. Of particular interest to Christians, Smyrna boasted a large and influential Jewish population who were typically hostile to the Christian Church because it was from the Jews and from those interested in Judaism that Christianity drew many of its converts.

Pergamum, or Pergamos as is used in some Biblical translations, was not a harbor nor was it located on any of the major trade routes. Still, it occupied a place of importance because it had once been an historical capital of the region for nearly four hundred years. As a result, it continued to be esteemed as a city of honor.

Pergamum was also a cultural center and was famous for its library of more than 200,000 parchment scrolls. It was known as a great religious center because it preserved the Greek way of life and worship. It, too, was known for healing centers at temples and hospitals. Probably most noticeable to the Christian Church there was its role as the administrative center of Asia. That means that it was also the center of Caesar worship for the province. Pergamum was the city from which Roman officials of the province were required, upon pain of death, to take the name of the Lord and give it to Caesar instead of to Christ. In Revelation 2:13 we read, I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives. To a Christian, there could be nothing more satanic than to worship anyone other than Jesus Christ.

In comparison to the other six cities, Thyatira is unique. It is the least in importance of all of them. Its primary purpose in former periods of history was to serve as a protective outpost to Pergamum. It was not a cultural or religious center. But it did have a strong commercial center, particularly in the specialty of linen dyeing and woolen goods trade. Lydia, the seller of purple noted in Acts 16:14, came from Thyatira. History records that there were many trade guilds in the city. These were associations established for mutual profit and pleasure of people employed in certain trades, including workers in wool, leather, linen, and bronze, dyers, potters, bakers, and other professions. Refusing to join an appropriate guild meant near commercial suicide. So why should a Christian then not join a guild? Problems came up because the guilds hosted meals and meetings in the pagan temples where they began with a formal sacrifice to the idol. Additionally, these communal meals often became occasions of drunken revelry and slack morality. A Christian could not be part of that, but to not join could become a significant issue of survival. Certainly an important challenge for any Church.

Sardis was a city that provided a great example of degeneration. Not exactly the claim to fame that any city wants. Ill go into more details when we get into chapter three. The thumbnail sketch is that on two occasions in its history, the citizens of Sardis attained great wealth. It was a great and well-known city. It was a city that was built to be defended, and it could be defended in its day. Yet, on two instances, its citizens lulled themselves into states of false security. They found themselves overrun because they refused to pay attention. It appears, even by the time of the Revelation, the people of Sardis still drifted through life instead of paying attention to the signs of the times going on around them.

Philadelphia. Thats in Pennsylvania, isnt it? What does it have to do with Asia? Well, Philadelphia, P.A., is not the first city with that name. Of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation, Philadelphia was the youngest. It was founded by colonists from Pergamum during the reign of Attalus the Second from 159 to 138 B.C. Attalus had a brother, Eumenes, whom he loved. When the city was founded, it was called Philadelphos, the Greek word meaning one who loves his brother, in honor of the relationship between Attalus and Eumenes.

Philadelphia was founded for the special purpose of carrying Greek culture and language to neighboring regions. It was established and maintained as a city of peace. We can be certain that this foundation helped those who came to the Christian faith understand the message of peace carried by Jesus Christ.

Laodicea gained distinction as a great Asian city because of its location. As realtors say today: location, location, location. Suffice it to say that many trade routes converged on Laodicea. Historians note that it only needed peace to make Laodicea a great commercial and financial center. That peace came with the dominion of the Roman Empire. Laodicea flourished. It was a great banking and financial center. It was a clothing manufacturing center. It had a notable medical center. Think New York City. Without the subway. It can be a blessing to be wealthy. It can also be a curse. It is rather obvious in chapter three which side the Church in Laodicea ended up on.

Those, then, are the major issues confronting the Christian Church in general throughout the Roman Empire in the day of Revelation, and the issues facing the specific Churches in the seven cities specified in Revelation. Each receive their unique message from the founder and author of the Church, Jesus Christ. They were letters sent for the purpose of commending, correcting, and/or instructing those Churches in A.D. 90, but they are also letters that apply to the Christian Church in 2007. Things change, but not all that much. In fact, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Our culture today is similar in a lot of ways to the cultures the seven Churches in Asia faced. The challenges facing the Church today are not that different from the challenges facing the seven Churches in Asia. Responses of the Church today to those challenges are not all that different than the responses chosen by the seven Churches in Asia. So it should benefit us greatly to know what the Lord said to them in A.D. 90-something because He is still saying it today.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org