With being sick on Saturday, this feels more like a lesson I sucked out of my thumb, but hopefully still edifying… Sorry, less formatting as well.

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I feel like I really missed out in having not been here the last 2 Sundays. Would havebeen really interesting to hear what was discussed.

This section on addressing the churches is super practical. Feels like we could spend the whole lesson on any one phrase, but I would like to try to work our way through most of the text I hope.

Sardis

A fascinating picture of a dying church. Sometimes I wish we could have known the churches he spoke of personally. Many authors feel Jesus’ address to the seven churches here was specifically to those churches, but also were representative of all the churches, both then and now. If so, it makes me thoughtful which church Weavertown would be most like. Part of me is like, we are doing pretty good here, and part of me is scared to know what Jesus would really say about me and the church here.

 

Angel: did you at all discuss what the significance is of addressing the churches through their angel?

 

Jesus’ title: Represents his divinity/control (“has” the Holy Spirit), and control of the churches (stars), specifically Sardis.

 

The church at Sardis was so dead that Jesus skipped his usual praise/reproof formula. In this case, the works he commended them for were actually their biggest weakness. They thought they were alive but were actually dead. Perhaps Jesus was referencing the famous cemetery outside the city where many famous kings had been buried.

 

What were Jesus’ accusations of the church of Sardis ?

• dead/sleeping (1, 3)
• wake up and strengthen what remains/is about to die
• incomplete works
• Remember what you received and heard, and keep it (were not apparently)

 

A similar list: What were his commands to the church?

• Wake up
• Strengthen what remains
• Remember
• Keep it
• Repent

 

Finally, what did Jesus say he would do:

• I will come like a thief (if you don’t wake up),
• I will come against you
• Implies that he will blot out the dead people from the book of life (5)

 

Ok, let’s back up and discuss some of those points a bit. First of all, what was the substance of what Jesus was reproving them for? I think the idea of being dead/sleeping is probably the key idea to this church.

 

First of all, what is meant by the picture of death and sleeping?

Maybe death is a person who has fallen away from grace enough he is no longer a Christian. He is no longer listening to the Holy Spirit. Maybe the outside still looks pretty good? I think sleeping implies that the person is still a Christian, but in a stupor and not listening well, if at all to the Holy Spirit. Maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but I think Christ’s command is to the sleepers, not the corpses, if you will. Jesus also complained that their works were incomplete. I’m not sure what that means. It seems like works are a result of what is in the heart??

 

Going on to Jesus’ commands, how do you wake up like he commanded? Jesus also said to remember what you received and heard. Probably they go together. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). Is obedience what they were missing? They weren’t paying attention to what they knew to do and thereby fell asleep? I think we just really need reminders of what God expects of us or we get sloppy. (Is sloppy obedience really that big a deal?) Sometimes when I try to evaluate some of our practices at Weavertown that our more unique to Christendom, like say, no jewelry, I hear Satan’s words in the back of my head–hath God really said?

 

Crux of command revolves around repentance. Very similar to most of the other churches. What is repentance?

 

Jesus states he will come like a thief if they do not wake up. This must be referring to judgment on their church. It is probably also referring to Jesus’ descriptions of his return in the gospels. Sardis had also been captured twice by a “thief”. 2 Peter 3 talks about Christ’s return as impetus for godly living.

 

Encouragement: There just a few true believers left, who had not soiled their garments and were worthy to be with Jesus in glory. This seems like a different metaphor–not soiling their robes instead of being dead/sleeping. Is he talking about something different, or is being dead/sleeping the same thing as being dirty?

 

Promise to the conquerors: salvation, confess his name before my Father/angels. Seems to be basically the same promise. Why did he give this promise to this church????

 

Let him hear… no doubt we have a tendency to not pay attention to this warning.

 

Philadelphia:

Almost complete opposite to Sardis–No reproof at all.

 

Jesus’ title: Philadelphia and Smyrna are the only two churches with no rebuke, and it is interesting that both were under severe threat from a powerful Jewish presence in the city. Therefore, the names of Christ chosen here reflect that situation and reassure the beleaguered Philadelphia Christians that the Messiah is indeed on their side, not on the side of the “synagogue of Satan” (3: 9). Osborne, Kindle Location 4462

 

As much as we appreciate our religious freedom here in the United States, I think it is deadly to our spirituality.

 

I know your works… Jesus’ affirmation section starts with a promise.

His decision will be final. When he “opens” the New Jerusalem (to the Gentiles), no one can change that decision. When he “closes” the door (to these Jews), this decision also cannot be altered. Osborne, Kindle Locations 4490-4491

 

A key feature of the church of Philadelphia was faithfulness:

• You have little power yet have kept my word/not denied my name (8)
• Kept my word about patient endurance (10)
• Hold fast to what you have (command, 11). Even though this church was doing much better, spiritually, then Sardis, it was given a very similar command to hold fast.
• I think this is a key take away from this entire section on the letters to the churches as it is consistently alluded to in each letter (e.g. to the one who overcomes).
• This is one of the fruits of the Spirit. How do we cultivate a heart of faithfulness in discouraging circumstances?

 

God will punish those who are persecuting his church (9). I think an acute awareness of God’s justice makes it so much easier for us as his children to focus on love and forgiveness. (Romans 12, 13; Timothy Keller, I think this episode: http://podbay.fm/show/352660924/e/1424299640?autostart=1)

 

Bowing at your feet…

The passage alludes to Isa. 60: 14, “The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet” (cf. also Isa. 2: 3; 14: 2; 45: 14; 49: 23; Ezek. 36: 23; Zech. 8: 20– 23).[ 15] The OT taught that the Gentiles would be forced to pay homage to the Jews at the eschaton, and now this promise is turned on its head: Jewish oppressors would be forced to pay homage to Gentile believers. Osborne, Kindle Locations 4551-4554

Although this feels foreign to me as a Matthew 5 Christian, I think this is consistent with the concept that we will be judges with God at the end of the world.

 

Protection: V 10 seems to be a promise for protection from God’s coming wrath at the end of the world.

 

V 11 ff: Return of Christ. This is the first of 4 times his return is mentioned in the letters to the churches in which it is a positive. Since they were being faithful, his return would mean vindication and reward instead of judgment.