Title: The Contrast of the Church
Contents
2006' Lecture on Revelation from the pulpit of Kyunghyang (14)
"The Light of the Church"
Revelation 2~3
Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation were the Lord's message to the seven churches in Asia. It should be borne in mind that these seven churches are by no means limited to those churches, but are messages to the worldwide churches of the whole century that come and go.
We have mentioned the spiritual truths of the seven churches that the Lord has seen so far. This time I want to put it all together once again.
I. First, I saw Christ in the church.
1. In the church in Ephesus, Christ was seen holding the seven stars and walking among the seven golden candlesticks (Rev 2:1).
2. He appeared to the church in Smyrna as the first and last Christ, the resurrected Christ (Revelation 2:8).
3. In the Pergamum church, He appeared as the Lord with a two-edged sword (Rev 2:12).
5. The church in Sardis appeared to have the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (Revelation 3:1).
6. In the Philadelphia church, he appeared as the holy and true Lord who had the key of David (Revelation 3:7).
7. To the church of Laodicea, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, has appeared as the beginning of God's creation (Revelation 3:14).
Then, the Lord who appeared in the church was the living Lord, the Lord who spoke, the Lord of salvation and judgment, the Lord of omniscience and omnipotence, and the Lord as a personal Spirit speaking with the Holy Spirit. He was the One who knew the spiritual truth of the Church, the Lord who ruled the Church, and the King of the Church.
II. It has been shown that there is a light side and a dark side to the warring earthly church.
For example, the Ephesian church had a bright side of not tolerating false apostles, upholding traditional doctrine, enduring for the name of the Lord, and not being lazy, but there was a dark side of losing first love.
The Church of Pergamum had the bright side of holding fast to the name of Christ and producing martyrs like Antipas, even in the presence of Satan, while there was the dark side of following the teachings of the heretic Balaam, or the Nicolaitans.
The Thyatira church had work (achievements), love, faith, service, and patience, but there was a dark side to tolerate heresy and Jezebel.
The Sardis church said that there was no praise and there was a name, that is, a tradition, but it was actually dead. He said that there were still some people who had not soiled their clothes.
The church in Laodicea also said that there was no praise, and there was spiritual pity that was neither cold nor hot.
In this way, the church in Ephesus lacks love, the church in Pergamum lacks discernment of truth, the church in Thyatira lacks purity, the church in Sardis lacks vitality, and the church in Laodicea lacks zeal. Nevertheless, the Church of Smyrna and the Church of Philadelphia had no reproof and only praise. These two churches consisted mainly of people from the lower classes, and were being persecuted to death for their faith. In other words, it is the fact that the church that endures the crucifixion is always awake and alive. In any case, the fact that the church on earth fighting here has a light side and a dark side.
Ⅲ. The church said it had to do spiritual warfare.
The Lord's word given to all seven churches was that we must overcome. We encourage and encourage Youngjeon.
False apostles infiltrating the church, the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:2-6), the synagogue of Satan, a collective spiritual terror group (Rev 2:10), the teachings of Balaam, that is, the teachings of the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:15), Jezebelism (Fornication and idolatry, Revelation 2:20) And formal orthodoxy, complacency, so-called pacifists are the realities of the church battle.
The hypocrites, the Gnostics, the legal indulgences, the secularists, the idolaters, the deep things of Satan, the so-called sensual mysticism, and so on. They are physicalists who go back to corruption as they write, and realists who only think about the things of the earth.
These are the enemies of the cross who, without exception, make the gospel of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ lustful. A living church is a community that lives with them. That is why the Lord is admonishing that every church must fight and win. The church ultimately triumphs in the spiritual war. It is the victory that Jesus has already won and has promised us (John 16:33).
Revelation 17:14 says, “They will fight with the Lamb, but he will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him, those who are called and taken out, those who are sincere will overcome. ' he said.
Therefore, there is no loser in heaven. It is a world of victors who overcome and improve only by the blood of the Lamb Jesus. Therefore, in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the promise of blessing to the victor (the one who overcomes) is not left out.
IV. It must be the church of those who have ears.
At the end of the Lord's words to the seven churches, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 28, 3:6, 13, 22). you are speaking
Hearing is one of the seven great blessings promised in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed are those who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and those who keep what is written in them, for the time is near."
Why should I listen?
① This is because the Holy Spirit speaks only to the churches. Because it is the voice of supernatural revelation.
② Because faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17).
③ It is because of that faith you will be saved in the end (1 Peter 1:9).
④ It is because we can prepare for the victory in the end times and bear the mission (1 Peter 4:7).
So you have to listen. You should definitely listen. You must listen with faith. You must wake up and listen. Hope and listen. Thank you and listen. As a result, it becomes a winning ledger in all fierce battles.
Saints!
The book of Revelation is a revelation of the end of the universe. It is an end-time revelation that will surely come soon. It is inevitable. It is irresistible. We must be awake, become one with ears, hear the Spirit that the Holy Spirit gives to the churches through the record, and fulfill our last missionary mission toward Babylon the Great, the crumbling city.
In Revelation 18:4, “Come out of her, my people, and do not share in her sins, and do not receive from her plagues,” is the last proclamation of the end-time mission.