Whose Talking ?
- John sees a glorified powerful eternal version of Jesus
- He speaks to his church (You) and walks among them
- He is the alpha and omega
Jesus’ advice to the church
I . Keep your for Jesus (Ephesus)
Revelation 2:1-6 CSB
1 “Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 “I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. 4 “But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 “Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 “Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
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3. Stick to the (Pergamum)
Revelation 2:12-17 CSB
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: 13 “I know where you live — where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. 14 “But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 “In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 “So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
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4. Avoid (Thyatira)
Revelation 2:18-29 CSB
18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze: 19 “I know your works — your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20 “But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. 21 “I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 “Look, I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction. Unless they repent of her works, 23 “I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 “I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets of Satan” — as they say — I am not putting any other burden on you. 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations — 27 and he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery — 28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. 29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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5. (Sardis)
Revelation 3:1-6 CSB
1 “Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. 2 “Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 “Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you. 4 “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. 5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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6. His (Philadelphia)
Revelation 3:7-13 CSB
7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: 8 “I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 “Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. 10 “Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown. 12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. 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 my new name. 13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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7. Let your faith be (Laodicea)
Revelation 3:14-22 CSB
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 “For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 “I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. 20 “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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The End is Just the Beginning
- How does knowing that Jesus is actively present and walking among us encourage or challenge you in your spiritual journey?
- Jesus gives specific advice to each of the seven churches. Which piece of advice from the list (Ephesus: keep your love for Jesus; Smyrna: be faithful & endure; Pergamum: stick to the truth; Thyatira: avoid compromise; Sardis: wake up; Philadelphia: follow His lead; Laodicea: let your faith be real) resonates most with you personally right now, and why?
- Considering the advice given to the churches, what’s one practical step you can take this week to apply one of these principles to your own life or within our church community?
- “The End Is Just the Beginning,” suggests a hopeful perspective. How does the message of Revelation, particularly Jesus’ presence and guidance, give you hope for tomorrow and the future?
- How can we pray for you?