Everyone has a story to tell. What defines your life? What trials have you been through to bring you to where you are today? Life is a story that is being written each and everyday, and while we may not know the final chapter there are decisions we make along the way that impact how it will turn out.
In John Chapter 4 we read the story of a Samaritan woman who met Jesus one day as she had come to draw water from the well. During this encounter Jesus revealed everything about her. The poor choices she had made lead her to the well at that very moment in time but it was who she met at that well and the decision that she would make that day that would end up defining her as opposed to the sin she had committed in the past. Her experience that day changed her life forever. Her response was immediate, she could not wait to tell her story. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Her heart was so full that she couldn’t help but share what was going on in her life. She had to share her story. John said she left her water pot then went into town to tell the folks what Christ had done for her. She was excited and had reason to be. Isn’t it amazing how much we will talk about the things that excite us? We will go on and on about those things that interest us. What about our relationship with Christ? How excited are we about what He’s done for us? The lady at the well said ” come and see a man that told me everything I’d ever done.” What do we spend most of our time talking about? Do we make it a point to share our story of how Christ has changed our lives? Do we declare the wonderful Good News of the gospel? If you’ve been saved, you’ve got a story to tell. And God commands that we tell it in the highways and the hedges! So what’s your story? Where has He brought you from? What chains has He broken in your life? Tell your story to a lost and dying world! “If I told you my story You would hear victory over the enemy If told you my story You would hear freedom that was won for me If I told you my story You would hear life overcome the grave If I should speak then let it be Of the grace that is greater than all my sin Of when justice was served and where mercy wins Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in To tell you my story is to tell of Him”
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As we continue our study in the Book of Revelation, we move from the central theme of the book, Jesus, to the center of His affection, the Church. As mentioned the last time in Chapters 1-5 there are 12 titles mentioned for Jesus. In Chapter 1 we see Him as the High Priest who walks through the midst of the 7 candlesticks. Sometimes folks get caught up in the imagery of Revelation and go all kinds of directions to explain the meaning of the symbols and imagery used. In this particular case in Revelation 1:13 when we see Christ "walking trough the midst of the seven candlesticks" there is no need for confusion. Revelation 1:20 gives us the explanation for the 7 candlesticks, "..and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." As we go further in our study of Revelation, when we come to chapter 2, we will see the letters that Christ had John to pen for the 7 churches in Asia. These were literal churches that existed at that time and Christ had specific words of commendation and condemnation for each of them. They also represented the Church throughout history from the ascension of Christ until His return in Glory. We will look at each of them individually later on, but in this blog we are looking at center of His affection, the Bride of Christ, the Church. It is important for us to understand what the Church is, as well as what it is not.
First I want to state that the Church is not an Organization, but an Organism. We are the Body of Christ on this earth, we were birthed on the day of Pentecost when God breathed life through the power of His Spirit through the Upper Room. The Church is called not to Organize, but to Agonize over lost souls that are dying and heading to hell. As we see the Church unveiled in Revelation through the letters to the 7 Churches, we first see it unveiled in chapter 1 through the person of Jesus Christ. Notice with me some important characteristics of the Church found in Revelation 1. Notice with me: The Head of the Church. In Revelation 1:13-16, we see Jesus, we see him holding 7 stars in his right hand that later in verse 20 He tells us these are the Angels or messengers of the Churches. We would refer to these as Pastors or Bishops. Notice that He holds the stars in His hand, but no one sees the stars for the brightness of the SON. We need to remember this, sometimes we see Pastors who have forgotten they are the under shepherd and He is the Chief Shepherd. We are to decrease, but He is to increase. The Health of the Church. Again in Revelation 1:12 we see the lampstand which represents a church. In verse 11 we see a list of these 7 churches. When we think about the lampstand, we think about light. The amazing thing is the lamp stand is not the light, it just raises the light so that everyone else can see. Earlier I used the word used in the King James, candlestick, when we say that, we think of wax candles. That is not what John is referencing here, he is referencing oil fed lamps. So as I mentioned, the lamp stand is not the light, it just elevates the light to make it more effective. The source of light is the oil, it burns to produce light. I say all of that to say this, Christ is the High Priest walking through the midst of the candlesticks, trimming wicks, pouring in oil, and the health of the church is dependent upon the High Priest. As High Priest, He is there for intercession, He stands at the golden altar in Heaven interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is there for our intervention as well, (I John 2:11) He steps outside the Holy Place to the laver where our sins are washed. But it is His work of inspection that is most prominent and sometimes painful. Vrs 13 tells us He walks through the midst of the candlesticks. He is inspecting them, making sure they burn brightly. He gives the oil - John 16:7-11 He trims the lamp - John 15. This inspection and pruning is sometimes painful, but completely necessary for us to produce fruit in Him. Not only do we see the Health of the church but we also see The Help of the Church. In verse 16 it says He held the 7 stars in His right hand. Think about this for a moment, the messengers, the Pastors to these Churches He held in His right hand. Now Pastor before you become puffed up, it's not because you are so special, but because the Church is so special that He does this. He loves the Church, gave His life for it. He wants the best for the Church, He is concerned about it's Health. He is so concerned that He gave some gifts from His right hand to the Church. Ephesians 4:11-13 says this: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" Church let us look to Him for Help, He loves us and gave Himself for us. He wants us to let our light shine that others may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. As we begin our Study of Revelation, there is one element that is essential, one person you cannot leave out, one figure that is central to the theme and purpose of this book. As a matter of fact when you open up the book of Revelation, the first words that meet your eyes give you the purpose of the entire book. It is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" He is the central figure, He is the central purpose, He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the object of our Worship and the Savior of our Souls. What a glorious picture John paints of who Jesus is! It is truly an unveiling, to those that say He was a good man, indeed He was. To those who say He was a great Teacher, absolutely He was. But to those who say He was only those things, you have a rude awakening coming, because He is who He said He was, He is the way, the truth and the life. He spoke into nothing and nothing became something. Revelation declares to us who Jesus is and what is going to take place in the future concerning His Kingdom. When you look at Revelation chapter 1-5, there are 12 titles specifically assigned to Jesus. In our message "Jesus Unveiled" we looked at those broken down into 4 specific categories.
1. He is the "Sure Word of God'. Revelation 1:5 calls him, "...the faithful witness,". In his Gospel John declared in Chapter 1 verse 1 "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God." In verse 14, he stated "the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth." 2. He is the "Sum of all things" - Revelation 1:8 He is referred to as "Beginning and ending" and "first and last". He truly is the sum of all things, in Him as Paul said we live and move and have our being. 3. He is the "Savior of man" - Revelation 5:6 refers to Him as "a lamb as it had been slain". In verse 5, He is referred to as "The lion of the tribe of Judah" and the "root of David". He has fulfilled everything prophesied concerning the Messiah, He has given His life a ransom for all that we might have eternal life. He truly is the Savior of man. 4. He is the "Sovereign Lord" - Revelation 1:5 refers to Him as the "Firstborn from the dead" and "Ruler over all Kings". Revelation 1:8 refers to Him as "Almighty God". He was more than a prophet, or a good man, He is Sovereign Lord among all the other titles given to Him in the book of Revelation. What a glorious God we serve. In light of all these things, what are we doing to share His glorious message with a lost and dying world? He is coming back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, are you ready for His return? A couple of weeks ago we began a sermon series entitled "Unveiled" focused on the Greek word that the book of Revelation derives it's title from, "Apocalupsis" which means to unveil or the unveiling. Many folks shy away from the book of Revelation due to it's symbolism and sometimes difficult to understand passages. However, when you look closely at this book, you find that God has given us a transparent view of Christ, the Church and future events. Revelation is also outlined in a manner that helps us to understand the timing of the book and how we are to interpret it. Even though it's interpretation is one of the most argued points in Christendom. Revelation 1:19 gives us a full outline of the book of Revelation. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." When you read this book, you come to see this outline throughout.
1. The things which thou hast seen - Revelation 1 2. The things which are - Revelation 2-3 3. The things which shall be hereafter - Revelation 4 - 22 This is going to be a great journey and I am excited as we dig into this tremendous book over the coming weeks. |
AuthorDaniel Lawson is the Senior Pastor of Kelly's Chapel Baptist Church. Daniel is a bi-vocational Pastor. In addition to Pastoring, he is the Father of 3 children, Luke, Matthew and Gracie. The husband of 1 Wife, Suzanne Lawson and a child of the King. Click on the links above to read Brother Daniel's weekly blog. Archives
January 2018
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