Critical & Timely Words for the 21st Century Church

The Church – the most important ordained & organized group on the planet, made up of the redeemed people of God, bought by the blood of Jesus the Christ. The church is also called the Bride of Christ and she is deeply under attack in these trying days.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to write on the 7 churches Jesus addresses in Revelation 2 & 3. These 7 churches are indicative of the types of churches that have been present throughout the last 2,000 years and especially we can see them in our generation. 

In light of that, in these unprecedented days of Covid-19, the world-wide shut-down experienced from the virus, the racial discussions & battles being waged, the confusion & anger, the loneliness & financial destruction that has been brought – a healthy discussion on the church is needed.

The purpose of these upcoming 7 addresses is to remind us of these important matters…

(1) Jesus Affirmation of What He saw as good in the church

(2) Jesus Admonition in regard to what is Wrong with the church

(3) Jesus’ Warnings of the Grave Pitfalls that damage the Church and make it like the world and the answer to getting the church right with Him

Q: Why is this look so important & critical?

Jesus has been gone from the earth in His glorious Ascension to be the Great Intercessor in Matthew 28 and Acts 1. Right before He left the earth, these were his parting Words to the men who would start the first churches and would be the first church planting missionaries of the first century.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 

While it is hard to precisely pin down the exact date of the Ascension of Jesus, it can be safely thought to be in the range of 33AD-36AD. With that in mind, by the time John is exiled as a prisoner of the cross on the Island of Patmos and he receives the Revelation of Jesus sometime around 95AD – the church has been in existence for around 60 years.

This is enough time for strength & maturity to set into a church or for a church to lose its focus in complacency or by slipping into the ways of the world and compromising her integrity.

This makes these words from Jesus fresh to the church 60 years after He ascended on high, which makes this perspective from His mouth incredibly important to examine and embrace. 

As we look at each of the 7 churches, the structure of Jesus’ Words in the 7 Messages is basically same to everyone of them, which goes like this…

(1)  Addressed to a pastor & a church

(2)  Author is stated – Jesus (connected to what John saw in Revelation 1)

(3)  Assessment from Jesus “I know…” (said 7x)

·      Affirmation

·      Against you in this…

·      All-inclusive – affirms and is against something in a church

(4)  Answer to the church connected with His assessment of them

(5)  Admonition (counsel)

·      Hear the voice of the Spirit in the Scriptures

·      Heart of a Conqueror

·      Heaven is alluded to

Overview of The Seven Churches

1.  Ephesus – Church with the Right Ministry, but lost their first pure original love for Christ

2.  Smyrna – Church dealing with Persecution

3.  Pergamum – Church of Compromise

4.  Thyatira – Church of Tolerance

5.  Sardis – Church that is Spiritually dead

6.  Philadelphia – Church of Faithfulness

7.  Laodicea – Church content with being lukewarm

Addressed to a Pastor & a Church - Revelation 2:1a

As we embark on some of the most critical New Testament teaching on the church today,  we will see 7 churches in 7 different cities.  As you know, while there are similarities in every church with one another, truth be told - no church is exactly the same.   This we do know, that a church is to have a strategic place of ministry wherever it is located.   As we will look at the 7 churches, we will see that they were to be 7 strategic lights of Jesus in 7 specific cities.

Churches are not to be hidden in the wilderness, but strategically placed in a community to be light amongst the people.  They are to be “cities on a hill that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).  

Throughout the ages and as well in our age, churches needed these particular messages for the particular needs they found themselves in.  With this being the case, these messages are timeless in the Church age to point us to how we are to walk and function as a church that honors Jesus.

All of the issues seen in these 7 churches in Revelation 2-3 are the very ones that we have read about in history and see all around us today.  There is nothing is new under the sun, even with the church.

To be a strong, vibrant, and healthy church, we will either embrace what we will walk through in these weeks or we will shun the admonition that comes from Jesus. 

Cities need strong Biblical churches pouring their lives into those they shepherd.  

I really want each of us to look at ourselves as well as look at our church as we walk through these pages so that we will not fall prey to pitfalls found in them so that we will passionate walk aiming after the truth concerning a Biblical church.   

This should be a great journey together over these next few weeks.

-->

The Journey Toward Forgiveness

Arriving at Forgiveness – Genesis 44-50

When we get to Genesis 42, it has been around 27 years since Joseph and his brothers were in one another’s presence. That last encounter together was tremendously painful for everyone involved. After almost 3 decades, what are the chances you would run into your betrayed brother in the court of Pharoah? He is so far from their minds and they cannot even imagine that he would even be alive. They don’t recognize him but he knows them well.

This first encounter after all of those difficult, yet God-ordained days reveal this…

Genesis 42:6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. 

Joseph remembered the dream where they would come and bow before him.

The brothers return home to Canaan and then return again to Egypt which brings us to the revelation of Joseph to his brothers in Genesis 45…

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 

 As they are all before him, Joseph has two choices…

(1) Exact Revenge

Think about the emotions Joseph could have been feeling in those initials encounters with his brothers and how he could have allowed all of those ‘wasted years’ to get the better of him as he could have allowed his heart to seek revenge.

It would have made his flesh feel much better and from a human perspective, he could have justified his actions and his desire for self-made justice. All around us today, people are aiming for justice by taking matters into their own hands. The problem with this is that God has not fully given us this responsibility to exact man-driven justice on others for what they have done for us.  This leads us to the 2^nd option before us…

(2) Release the Hurt – 45:1-8

The true life of faith in the realm of forgiveness releases 2 people from a prison of bitterness…

         (1) Ourselves

         (2) Us

One of the greatest sins in the church today is unforgiveness.

         Joseph shows us 3 critical things in 45:1-8

(1) Handle Life’s Pain by Seeing that God is Always at Work – 45:8

Genesis 45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph did not diminish what his brothers did (whom you sold into Egypt), yet he saw that God’s purpose was fully in it all & God's purpose was greater than the evil of the brothers brought.  “Why was Joseph in Egypt? Was it because of the sin of his brothers or because of the good plan of God?” The answer is that both options are true, but ultimately God was behind it all.

Joseph did not have Romans 8:28 to rely on, plus he did not in any way romanticize the sin of his brothers for he said “you meant it for evil”. Sometimes though, there is a much greater truth and it was this - “God meant it for good.”

(2) He Refused to Take the Place of God with His Brothers – 50:19

Am I in the place of God? Joseph first understood he was not in the place of God. It wasn’t his job to bring retribution upon his brothers. If the LORD chose to do it, He would have to find another instrument than himself as a brother on the receiving end of their sin.

From a human perspective, Joseph had the “right” and the ability to bring retribution upon his brothers, but he knew God was God, and he was not.

     (3) Forgiveness and Kindness are always the right response

In all of our lives we have the chance to choose to hold tight onto things that have been done to us that are traumatic and wrong, or we can exercise the one freeing thing at our disposal - to let go of the action done toward us and let God sort it all out. We must forgive as He has forgiven us.

The Grinding Work of God to Get Us Ready

Joseph - Part 5

The Waiting as Refinement - 39:20-41:36

While we can’t fully know the amount of time that passed in prison, after some amount of time, two new prisoners joined Joseph in prison (1) Pharaoh’s cupbearer (2) Chief baker. Both of them held important places in Pharaoh’s court. A cupbearer was not just the one who tasted the wine before Pharaoh drank it to ensure he was not poisoned, but he would have also been an advisor to Pharaoh. The baker would have held the important position of making sure the food served was excellent and fitting for Pharoah and safe for him to eat. 

For some reason, they found themselves at odds with their master and they found themselves in prison with Joseph.

While they all lived in prison, there came a night where both men had a dream, and by God’s help Joseph interpreted their dreams. The cupbearer’s dream meant that in three days he would be restored to his position, but the baker’s dream meant that in three days he would be killed. The text reveals that Joseph pleaded with the cupbearer for this in…Genesis 40:14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

Can you not see the humanity in Joseph’s request? Sure enough, 3 days later Joseph’s interpretations came true, and you wonder if the cupbearer said, “I’ll remember you and get you out shortly”! For years now, Joseph had experienced not much hope in Egypt & they likely were the best they had been since his brother’s betrayal.

He was getting out, or this was his assumption, but not God’s plan. We should all be careful that we don’t allow assumptions to equal God’s purposes in our lives. If we do this, then we can open up our lives to blame Him when our assumption does not come to fruition. He needed to be worked on a bit more in the prison.

Did he roll up his bedroll and start imagining his return home to his father Jacob?

The first night came & no word came about a release from prison. The next day and then another came with no word about freedom. 

Over time Joseph realized that he had been forgotten. He was not alone, but for the time being, he was forgotten by man, but he still knew God was with him.  

This story informs us keenly that…

God uses disappointments to bring His people

 to the place where their only hope is in Him.

Often this can be a very painful process, but at times this is needed as God pulls from  us the false human hopes and our confidence in things to bring us joy. These moments force us to cling to Christ alone as the only certainty in this life. We’ve got to come to the place where we know in our mind, experientially and in our heart that God alone is to be trusted. 

Disappointments will move us either to despair or hope.

Our text does not indicate what happened in Joseph’s heart as he waited day after day and we are left to wonder the depth and implications of these words in Genesis 40:23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

            Two Years in the Prime of Life

We notice in our Bibles now a new chapter comes and as we enter this new chapter, that period represents 2 whole years of Joseph’s life in the prime of his life. Those two years indicate the deepening & maturing of Joseph, when he dealt with his disappointments and moved, not into despair and anger, but into hope in God alone.

Genesis 41:1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 

Sometimes we have to learn that we are not 

too trust in the cupbearer but in Christ for our deliverance.

We know Joseph became a much deeper man in God as he is not cynical or angry, but he is a man who is godly & ready for great responsibility to run a nation. 

Psalm 105:19 speaks of this time as one where “the word of the Lord tested him”  & it gives us more insight into this period of time of 2 years in prison. It is staggering to read the next verses now in Psalm 105 describing those 730 days.

Psalm 105:16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, 17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; 19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.

Look at 105:18 – His feet hurt with fetters and he often stayed in a collar of iron.

Man will often forget but God never will.

Though Joseph could interpret dreams, he could not see his future and had to continue to wait and trust.

            Another Reason We Have to Wait

Sometimes we have to wait because God has not gotten someone else ready for what we need to do in their life.  Pharaoh was not yet ready for he had not had his dream, so Joseph remains until God’s perfect timing.

So, what lessons do we need to learn on waiting?

(1) Difficult days force us to listen to and look to God

(2) Difficult days bring a necessary godly refinement to our character

God’s grace is always sufficient if we will receive it. Joseph came through these trials stronger, not weaker, gentle, not bitter, because he hoped in God. 

(3) Difficult days teach us much about the grace of God in our lives

            Spurgeon on Grace

The 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was riding home after a heavy day’s work, feeling weary and depressed, when suddenly the verse flashed into his mind, “My grace is sufficient for you.” He said, “I should think it is, Lord,” and he burst out laughing. It seemed to make unbelief so absurd.

He said, “It was as if some little fish, being very thirsty, was troubled about drinking the river dry, and the river said, ‘Drink away, little fish, my stream is sufficient for you.’ Or, it seemed like a little mouse in the granaries of Egypt after seven years of plenty fearing it might die of famine, and Joseph might say, ‘Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are sufficient for you.’ Or it was like a man up on a mountain saying to himself, ‘I fear I shall exhaust all the oxygen in the atmosphere.’ But the earth might say, ‘Breathe away, O man, and fill your lungs; my atmosphere is sufficient for you.’” You can’t exhaust the grace of God to meet your need in every trial.

Joseph found this to be true in prison!

Some of us may be right now in the midst of extreme and broken circumstances and disappointments.  Whatever we may be going through – we have hope for He is Sovereign over all. 

Joseph - Part 4 - True Colors

True Colors – Genesis 39:1-19

Joseph is now in Egypt. His coat of many colors is long gone now and stained with the blood of a goat, as the brothers make up a lie to cover their treacherous hearts. Though his coat of many colors is no longer prominent in the story, as Joseph lived as a slave in Potiphar’s house, the true colors of his faith & heart are revealed by his trust in God’s abiding presence no matter the circumstance.

There are great lessons to learn from him in Genesis 39 in regard to how to live for Jesus in a difficult environment where are you now is gone.

(1) God was not Gone from Joseph’s Life – 39:1-6

There is no mention of the struggles this 17-year-old young man must have gone through when he was sold to the Midianites nor when he arrived at the slave auction in Egypt. None of what he would have gone through would be easy, so let’s be reminded of where he has just been and now arrived at…he was torn from his father, taken to a strange culture, couldn’t understand the language, sold as a piece of property to a powerful man, no longer any freedom, no family, no fanciful dreams, etc. 

He was not alone though, for with God’s strength and because the Lord was with Joseph, he did well under Potiphar.  He trusted God and adjusted to the situation that he was living under. Day after day he seems to have trusted and understood that he was not ever alone. 

By the time he was in his mid-twenties, Joseph had been put in charge of everything Potiphar owned, and he trusted Joseph so much that he didn’t even check up on him.

Circumstances are not to dictate the quality of our lives, for our trust in Christ in the midst of those circumstances will make all the difference. We are to live lives of godly integrity, and trust God to take care of us in situations far beyond our control. 

(2) Success Does not Make Us Immune from Temptation – 39:6-18

In spite of his godliness and trusting God in his circumstances, those two realities do not mean that we will not be attacked from another angle. The enemy hates the righteous and if he cannot get us to fall prey to wallow in our circumstances and blame God, he will aim at using others to try and tempt us to fall in another way. Either way it is a fall.

Potiphar’s wife becomes the tool in the hand of the enemy to try and tempt Joseph to choose a path to mock Yahweh by getting Joseph to fall to the temptation & stain of sexual sin. For the righteous, the stain of immorality is a difficult one to move on from, as it can stick to a life in a powerful way.

For all of us, we should look out for success, for in its wake, temptation can arise as our guard can be down in the midst of the success. Remember these words from Paul…

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Q: How did Joseph deal with the temptation?

We must always be aware of situations where we know we are vulnerable. So often we are most vulnerable when we’re in different circumstances & where no one else will know. 

So how did he deal with the temptation? 5 ways...

            (1) Loved Biblical Relationships – 39:7-9

·      Horizontal Relationships – Potiphar and his wife

o   Potiphar – “I can’t do this to Potiphar”

o   Potiphar’s Wife – “given me access to all but you”

He tells her how special she is to Potiphar.

·      Vertical Relationship – God

39:9 “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?

We must hate sin and understand the mockery it makes of God.

            (2) His Integrity Mattered to Him - Genesis 39:8

39:8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 

         (3) Firm Convictions that Are Settled – Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

We should make a commitment to purity and develop a strategy before the temptation might come – wellahead of time. Joseph’s resistance wasn’t accidental or natural for he had made a previous commitment to moral purity and he had a strategy for resistance already in place. Make a commitment to integrity in all of life. 

            (4) Avoid the Lying Voice of Sensual Temptation – 39:10

39:10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

Joseph makes an intentional choice as to the voices that would be heard by him. 

            (5) Run – 2 Timothy 2:22 ; Proverbs 18:10

2 Timothy 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

On the day when she takes things way to far, Joseph ran as from the situation that he could. 

(3) Decide to Reward the Flesh or Reward from God – 1 Peter 1:7

1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes saying “no” may cost us with others, but God will honor it.

We must be willing to pay the price for our convictions. Potiphar’s wife was humiliated by Joseph’s refusal and her humiliation turned to blame & rage, so she framed Joseph and he spent the next years in prison as a result of making the right and Biblical choice. 

Because the world is so polluted, you can expect to pay a price when you take a stand for purity. People will slander you they’ll blame you for their sin. 

-->