SEVEN CHURCHES #4

#1 · January 29, 2007, 1:40 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 29, 2007, 1:40 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
SEVEN CHURCHES #4

LOOKING AHEAD

January 28, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 2:8-11

Even though he has one goal on his mind right now, Peyton Manning has already been quite a familiar personality because of the advertisements he appears in. The one that still draws a chuckle from me, even though it has been shown numerous times, is the ad where he is getting a latte coffee. The steam shoots out of the machine and hits the young man making the coffee in the face. He falls to the ground with a yelp of pain. To this scene, Peyton says, Oooh. Shake it off, Johnny! Rub some dirt on it. Maybe its a little cruel of me to think that funny, but the whole little scene is just done in a way that makes me laugh.

Of course, that scenario in the ad is a play on the tough-guy attitude that athletes are always subject to. As soon as little tikes are thrust out onto the baseball diamonds, football fields, tennis courts, and wherever, they are subject to the parent/coach sports injury counseling routine: Shake it off! Its not bleeding much! Its just a little bump! Youll be OK! No pain, no gain! And with most of our bumps, abrasions, and bruises, we know this to be true. We get through it and come out the other side OK. And we adults who have experienced such things know this. When we look ahead instead of dwelling on the unpleasant moment that we sometimes find ourselves in, we discover that we can find the reason and the strength to endure and persevere.

Well, the Revelation message to the Church in Smyrna is along these lines. Now, I cannot deny that I am troubled by the message to the Church in Smyrna. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The topic of suffering arises frequently in the New Testament. In some ways, it is treated differently than in the Old Testament. There were some times in the Old Testament when as individuals and as a nation, Gods people suffered unjustly. The Hebrews suffered as slaves under the Pharaohs of Egypt. David suffered under the murderous envy of King Saul. But many times, Gods people suffered because they failed to obey God. Suffering was a corrective punishment brought on by their wicked ways. When the people were obedient to God, taking care to make their offerings and treating others with justice, then God blessed them with good crops and healthy livestock and vibrant families. When they were faithful to God, the people flourished.

In the New Testament, when the people were faithful to God, they suffered. It was in and through suffering, for the sake of God, that men and women of faith were blessed. I dont like that as much, but what I like and dislike doesnt matter. This is the way it is. In fact, a passage like Hebrews 12:7-8 teaches us that hardship can come from God: Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Jesus had already taught them that his followers will have to endure the suffering brought by the enemies of God. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:18-20)

To the Church in Smyrna, Jesus dictates to John, I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus tells his Church that they have to look ahead. They have to see beyond the circumstances they are facing. They have to know with certainty, and Jesus tells them with certainty, not to give in to the evil that persecutes them. There are better days beyond. Shake it off! Rub some dirt on it! Because God knows what is ahead for us, He wants us to look ahead.

Dont get me wrong. I do not think that this is easy at all. But that is not the same as believing that it is impossible to endure. Jesus tells us, Be faithful. No matter how long or how significant the suffering, Be faithful. He tells the Church that you will suffer persecution for ten days. Bible scholars tell us that this is not meant to be taken as a literal ten days. William Barclay writes, Ten days was an expression for a short time which was soon to come to an end. (The Barclay Daily Study Bible Series - New Testament, Westminster John Knox Press, Ligouri Faithware CD-ROM version). We might say, You will suffer for awhile. While the end of persecution may not be in immediate sight, the Lord tells His people to look ahead, for an end will come. As war overwhelmed the world in the 1930s and continued to consume more nations into the 1940s, no one had any idea of when it would end. But Churchill told Britons and Roosevelt told Americans in clear terminology that they must look ahead to the end, even though it is not known, in order to persevere until then. One day, the end of that war did come. Be faithful.

John is told that the Christians in Smyrna are being slandered by those who say they are Jews. Smyrna had a large Jewish population in that time, and they exercised some influence in that city. The Jews in many parts of the world became upset with the Christian Church because the fledgling Christian faith tended to draw members from Judaism, or those seeking conversion to Judaism. And, of course, to call Jesus the Lord was to commit the sin of blasphemy as far as they were concerned. So it was not unusual for them to stir up trouble against the Christians. It happened at Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Thessolonica, and other cities around the Mediterranean. It happened in Smyrna. Slanders from both the Jews and the Romans were leveled at Christians: (1) They were accused of cannibalism because of the communion celebration, This is my body, and this is my blood. (2) They were accused of gathering for orgies of lust because they called their common meal the Love Feast. (3) They were accused of tampering with family relationships because sometimes families were split when some became Christians and others did not. (4) They were accused of atheism because they did not use images of any gods in worship like the idolaters did. (5) They were accused of being politically disloyal because they would not say, Caesar is Lord. (6) They were accused of being arsonists because they foretold that the world would end in flames. From the perspective of hindsight, those are all frivolous claims; but, they were all accusations that have been used to condemn Christians to prison or to death. And in spite of how unjust such accusations were, Christ told His Church in Smyrna to keep looking ahead, to be faithful, and to persevere.

I do not know when, but a time of the persecution of the Christian Church is once more on the horizon. In fact, it is a reality for some of our brothers and sisters in other places, such as Darfur. The persecution of Christians for nothing more than their practice of faith has been their unending lifestyle for decades. It is an extremely sad state of affairs that such persecution exists in a world that has superpower status nations which are free and can reach others with liberty. But the plight of Christians in such circumstances do not seem to be of much importance to some of our political leadership. Hopefully, that is changing.

Unfortunately, even in our own nation, secular worldviews are becoming increasingly hostile toward Christianity. We are accused of intolerance when we oppose pro-abortionists, homosexual activists, pornography moguls, and other liberal social activists. We are accused of violating the U.S. Constitution, that great document which has as its foundation the morality and ethics derived from the Christian faith, when we seek to pray in public, set up Christmas manger scenes, and offer creationism as a viable alternative to the inadequacies of evolution. Great leaders of Christianity today, such as James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, and others, are accused of attempting to replace our Constitutional Republic with a narrow theocracy. These, and more, are completely bogus claims, but so were those first century accusations leveled against Christians. It can happen again.

I do not believe that we have to accept these accusations docilely. We are blessed to still be living in a land of incredible liberty. We are still blessed to have access to public forums where we can express the meaning of the Christian faith. We are still blessed to be able to meet openly in worship and to take our ministries into the streets. With such great blessings come great responsibility. We can never rest from being living reminders of Gods love for His creation. We can never rest from sharing the Word of God with our communities. We can never, never use our freedom as an excuse to do evil.

Sometimes I peer ahead to that horizon of the future, even knowing that I can never accurately predict much of anything, and grow concerned about what I think I see coming. It is not always a pretty picture. But, you know, it was not a pretty picture for the Christians in Smyrna, and they had to actually suffer persecution for ten days. Christs instruction on the matter has not changed: Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

It is probably not much help to rub some dirt on it, but it will be a tremendous help to apply the Word of God. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

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 #4

LOOKING AHEAD

January 28, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 2:8-11

Even though he has one goal on his mind right now, Peyton Manning has already been quite a familiar personality because of the advertisements he appears in. The one that still draws a chuckle from me, even though it has been shown numerous times, is the ad where he is getting a latte coffee. The steam shoots out of the machine and hits the young man making the coffee in the face. He falls to the ground with a yelp of pain. To this scene, Peyton says, Oooh. Shake it off, Johnny! Rub some dirt on it. Maybe its a little cruel of me to think that funny, but the whole little scene is just done in a way that makes me laugh.

Of course, that scenario in the ad is a play on the tough-guy attitude that athletes are always subject to. As soon as little tikes are thrust out onto the baseball diamonds, football fields, tennis courts, and wherever, they are subject to the parent/coach sports injury counseling routine: Shake it off! Its not bleeding much! Its just a little bump! Youll be OK! No pain, no gain! And with most of our bumps, abrasions, and bruises, we know this to be true. We get through it and come out the other side OK. And we adults who have experienced such things know this. When we look ahead instead of dwelling on the unpleasant moment that we sometimes find ourselves in, we discover that we can find the reason and the strength to endure and persevere.

Well, the Revelation message to the Church in Smyrna is along these lines. Now, I cannot deny that I am troubled by the message to the Church in Smyrna. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The topic of suffering arises frequently in the New Testament. In some ways, it is treated differently than in the Old Testament. There were some times in the Old Testament when as individuals and as a nation, Gods people suffered unjustly. The Hebrews suffered as slaves under the Pharaohs of Egypt. David suffered under the murderous envy of King Saul. But many times, Gods people suffered because they failed to obey God. Suffering was a corrective punishment brought on by their wicked ways. When the people were obedient to God, taking care to make their offerings and treating others with justice, then God blessed them with good crops and healthy livestock and vibrant families. When they were faithful to God, the people flourished.

In the New Testament, when the people were faithful to God, they suffered. It was in and through suffering, for the sake of God, that men and women of faith were blessed. I dont like that as much, but what I like and dislike doesnt matter. This is the way it is. In fact, a passage like Hebrews 12:7-8 teaches us that hardship can come from God: Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Jesus had already taught them that his followers will have to endure the suffering brought by the enemies of God. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:18-20)

To the Church in Smyrna, Jesus dictates to John, I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus tells his Church that they have to look ahead. They have to see beyond the circumstances they are facing. They have to know with certainty, and Jesus tells them with certainty, not to give in to the evil that persecutes them. There are better days beyond. Shake it off! Rub some dirt on it! Because God knows what is ahead for us, He wants us to look ahead.

Dont get me wrong. I do not think that this is easy at all. But that is not the same as believing that it is impossible to endure. Jesus tells us, Be faithful. No matter how long or how significant the suffering, Be faithful. He tells the Church that you will suffer persecution for ten days. Bible scholars tell us that this is not meant to be taken as a literal ten days. William Barclay writes, Ten days was an expression for a short time which was soon to come to an end. (The Barclay Daily Study Bible Series - New Testament, Westminster John Knox Press, Ligouri Faithware CD-ROM version). We might say, You will suffer for awhile. While the end of persecution may not be in immediate sight, the Lord tells His people to look ahead, for an end will come. As war overwhelmed the world in the 1930s and continued to consume more nations into the 1940s, no one had any idea of when it would end. But Churchill told Britons and Roosevelt told Americans in clear terminology that they must look ahead to the end, even though it is not known, in order to persevere until then. One day, the end of that war did come. Be faithful.

John is told that the Christians in Smyrna are being slandered by those who say they are Jews. Smyrna had a large Jewish population in that time, and they exercised some influence in that city. The Jews in many parts of the world became upset with the Christian Church because the fledgling Christian faith tended to draw members from Judaism, or those seeking conversion to Judaism. And, of course, to call Jesus the Lord was to commit the sin of blasphemy as far as they were concerned. So it was not unusual for them to stir up trouble against the Christians. It happened at Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Thessolonica, and other cities around the Mediterranean. It happened in Smyrna. Slanders from both the Jews and the Romans were leveled at Christians: (1) They were accused of cannibalism because of the communion celebration, This is my body, and this is my blood. (2) They were accused of gathering for orgies of lust because they called their common meal the Love Feast. (3) They were accused of tampering with family relationships because sometimes families were split when some became Christians and others did not. (4) They were accused of atheism because they did not use images of any gods in worship like the idolaters did. (5) They were accused of being politically disloyal because they would not say, Caesar is Lord. (6) They were accused of being arsonists because they foretold that the world would end in flames. From the perspective of hindsight, those are all frivolous claims; but, they were all accusations that have been used to condemn Christians to prison or to death. And in spite of how unjust such accusations were, Christ told His Church in Smyrna to keep looking ahead, to be faithful, and to persevere.

I do not know when, but a time of the persecution of the Christian Church is once more on the horizon. In fact, it is a reality for some of our brothers and sisters in other places, such as Darfur. The persecution of Christians for nothing more than their practice of faith has been their unending lifestyle for decades. It is an extremely sad state of affairs that such persecution exists in a world that has superpower status nations which are free and can reach others with liberty. But the plight of Christians in such circumstances do not seem to be of much importance to some of our political leadership. Hopefully, that is changing.

Unfortunately, even in our own nation, secular worldviews are becoming increasingly hostile toward Christianity. We are accused of intolerance when we oppose pro-abortionists, homosexual activists, pornography moguls, and other liberal social activists. We are accused of violating the U.S. Constitution, that great document which has as its foundation the morality and ethics derived from the Christian faith, when we seek to pray in public, set up Christmas manger scenes, and offer creationism as a viable alternative to the inadequacies of evolution. Great leaders of Christianity today, such as James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, and others, are accused of attempting to replace our Constitutional Republic with a narrow theocracy. These, and more, are completely bogus claims, but so were those first century accusations leveled against Christians. It can happen again.

I do not believe that we have to accept these accusations docilely. We are blessed to still be living in a land of incredible liberty. We are still blessed to have access to public forums where we can express the meaning of the Christian faith. We are still blessed to be able to meet openly in worship and to take our ministries into the streets. With such great blessings come great responsibility. We can never rest from being living reminders of Gods love for His creation. We can never rest from sharing the Word of God with our communities. We can never, never use our freedom as an excuse to do evil.

Sometimes I peer ahead to that horizon of the future, even knowing that I can never accurately predict much of anything, and grow concerned about what I think I see coming. It is not always a pretty picture. But, you know, it was not a pretty picture for the Christians in Smyrna, and they had to actually suffer persecution for ten days. Christs instruction on the matter has not changed: Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

It is probably not much help to rub some dirt on it, but it will be a tremendous help to apply the Word of God. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

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

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