Introducing the letters, John tells us he saw Jesus standing among seven lampstands, each representing one of the churches – “this little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine” (1:12-13). These letters are really important. Because it’s in the church and in the daily realities of being a Christian that the spiritual war of the Lamb and Dragon. We’re not spectators to this spiritual war, we’re participants. Until Jesus returns bringing His kingdom with Him, He’s given Christians in the Church important work to do as His faithful witnesses. Jesus wants us to shine for Him in the darkness. While Satan wants to put out our light.
(1) GOD’S WARNINGS TO WATCH OUT:
You have three great enemies (the devil, the world and the sinful nature). Jesus warns us about them and tells us what to do to escape their traps.
(a) Reject The Devil (lies and temptations)
The dragon has been defeated by Jesus, but he’s not given up the fight yet! He attacks Christians and the church with his lies and with his temptations to sin. One of his favourite strategies for destroying churches and Christians is to infiltrate the church with false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who spread lies and encourage sin.
That was happening in the church in Thyatira. Jesus warns them: “I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (2:20). Thyatira was an industrial city with lots of jobs, but to be employed you had to join a local trade union. As part of being a member you had to join in the pagan parties where getting drunk and sleeping around were encouraged. The Christians had to wrestle with how involved with the pagan society they were. The problem was there was a false teacher in the church, like the evil OT queen Jezebel who called what was evil “good” and told people it was ok to be fully involved. False teaching leads to wrong living.
We still see this today: people in churches say it’s ok to go out and get drunk, it won’t do harm to watch 18 movies filled with violence and sex, it’s ok to go out with anyone you like.
But Jesus these lies and temptations will only lead to their destruction. So it’s important that we reject the devil’s lies and temptations. It’s important that we are reading the Bible and know the truth, so we can detect the lies!
(b)Endure The World (opposition)
The dragon has another favourite strategy using our non-Christian society to exclude and attack Christians. Statistics released 2 weeks ago show that only 20% of people in Scotland have asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins and committed to follow Him. I went to a school of 1000 people where there were only two other Christians. That was not always easy.
Jesus writes to two churches where they’re facing even harder things. Some of them have been executed by the government for their faith in Pergamum, which was a city filled with pagan temples. If Rome was London, then Pergamum was Edinburgh, where a Roman state governor had his throne: “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you” (2:13).
Today around the world in countries like Iran, North Korea, China, Sudan, millions of Christians cannot meet publicly for fear of being attacked, arrested and killed. That was also the situation for the church in Smyrna: “I know your tribulation…Do not fear what your are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (2:9-10).
Jesus promises them that the worst thing the world can do is kill you, but Jesus is the one who was killed by the world and rose again victorious. We don’t need to fear if we have Jesus who said: “In the world you will have trouble. But do not be afraid: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
We can be really afraid of what people think of us and how they’ll treat us if we share our faith with them or don’t go along with the crowd. Probably the worst thing that will happen is they may look at you funny or laugh. What you’ll probably find out, as I did, is that your friends will grow to respect you for believing something. There will be times they’ll even be jealous of how your faith helps you trust God when bad things happen or you’re facing the stress of exams.
(c) Resist Your Sinful Nature (apathy)
Sadly we are sometimes our own worst enemies and make it easy for the devil. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, then you’ve been saved from the penalty of sin, but still sin is present inside us, in our “flesh” or sinful nature. It will be until we get our new creation bodies!
The story is told a ship at sea during a terrible storm. The sailors were terrified by the waves crashing against the sides of the ship, the wind tearing at the sails… but were even more afraid of the crashing noise down below decks. You see one of their cannons had broken loose and was crashing dangerously against the walls, and threatened to sink the whole ship. The greatest danger wasn’t the storm outside but the threat inside. So it is with our sinful nature.
Jesus warns that our sin make us lose our love for Jesus. He writes to the church in Ephesus: “I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear those who are evil…But I have this against you, that you have abandoned your first love” (2:2,4). They know all the right answers and do all the right things, but don’t love Jesus! That’s a danger for us in Carrubbers. God doesn’t just want us to be good boys and girls, who know lots about the Bible – He wants us to love Him! To love Him more than we love our sport, our musical instrument, our PS3, our shopping, or desire a boyfriend/girlfriend.
Also Jesus warns that our sin can lead to complacency, apathy and laziness. He writes to the church in Sardis: “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God” (3:1-2). Funnily enough, Sardis was a city that had twice been captured by its enemies. It was high up on a hill and they thought they were safe up there. So they didn’t bother having guards. But their complacency and laziness meant they were captured at night. Christians who aren’t too bothered or interested in the Bible, and just see church as a social club are in similar danger! Christians who don’t take their sin seriously and think it’s ok to keep sinning because God will forgive them anyway. Jesus says beware – you’re sleep walking off a cliff!
(2) OUR PART IN GOD’S PLANS FOR THIS WORLD
Jesus wants us to play our part in His war against the dragon. Jesus despite all the opposition and temptation of the dragon, was “the faithful witness” for God. Jesus is alive today as the victorious overcomer of the dragon and He invites us to be His faithful witnesses. He wants us to live distinct lives that show that He’s our King. He wants us to tell others about His salvation too.
The last church we haven’t mentioned was Philadelphia and it was a church of faithful witnesses. The city was located at the crossroads of all the major trades routes. This missionary city was built here by the Greeks who hoped it would spread the Greek ideas to the rest of the region. But now Jesus encourages the church in this city: “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut”. The church in this missionary city is going to be used by God to spread the gospel throughout the world! That’s what God wants for our church too and from us as members of that church.
It’s no accident that you live where you do, or go to the school you do, at the time you do. Your friends and those you are in class with are not there by accident either. God has put you there to be His faithful witness – to be His light in a dark place, working for and speaking for Jesus.
