Second Presbyterian Church Sermons

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 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, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:12-17)

Big Idea: In this letter, Jesus lays down two ways his disciples must overcome because the battle belongs to him: professing him with their mouths and taking up our cross daily. 

I. Profess with Your Mouth (vv. 12-13)

Pergamum was a city with considerable access to knowledge, healing, and political and social influence. There would have been much pressure in Pergamum to disown Christ either by overt denial or mere passivity. As a city that had gained favors from Rome for committing sacred spaces to emperor worship, it surely felt like Satan was “enthroned” there. Surrounded as they were by a culture wholeheartedly committed to honoring Caesar as lord, Christians could have concluded that Satan was the “ruler of the world” (Jn. 14:30). Everything in the Christian faith would have been out of step with Pergamum’s values.

II. Take Up Your Cross Daily (vv. 14-16)

Jesus turns from these words of commendation to words of condemnation, which are just as applicable to our Church today. As courageous and articulate as this church was with her verbal profession, she had a remarkable cognitive dissonance. Though willing to go to the stake for her doctrine, she tolerated sexual immorality and material avarice. This church was forging a bond between orthodox Christian beliefs and a morally compromising lifestyle. 

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’" (Revelation 2:8-11)

Big Idea: All Christians will face some level of persecution in their lives. Three truths about your King and Savior will keep you sane and help you endure during tribulation: he knows you intimately, he is with you in tribulation, and he will raise you from the dead, never to die again.

I. Knows Intimately (v. 9)

For Smyrna, a church being cruelly persecuted, they needed to know that Christ is sovereign. He possesses the distinctly divine quality of being eternal; he is the “First and the Last” (cm. 1:8). So knowing the end from the beginning, Jesus certainly knows their present sufferings. He specifically knows their “afflictions,” “poverty,” and “slander.” Jesus was not merely aware that the Smyrnans were suffering, he had known it before time began and he even felt the pain of it as one who was one in flesh with them.

II. Present in Tribulation (v. 10)

John’s words become more ominous as he warns believers that they may even be imprisoned for their faith. Jesus clarifies that the devil is directly responsible for the incarceration. And he even explains the devil’s agenda; it is to “test” the believer. The Smyrnans are provided the confidence that while the devil will test them by putting them in prison, King Jesus will ensure their success. It is his presence that guarantees a believer’s endurance through suffering.

III. Raises Incorruptibly (vv. 8, 10-11) 

This letter ends with the same condition as most of the others: the one who “overcomes” will experience heaven. This shows us the necessity of perseverance. The Bible teaches that salvation is conditional upon obedience to the very end of life. However, we must understand this as an instrumental condition rather than a meritorious one. Meritorious conditionality would mean that by being obedient you earn heaven, that God owes you heaven because you have purchased it by your self-discipline. That is clearly against Scripture and offensive to the notion of grace (Ga. 2:21). But an instrumental condition merely describes something that must happen in order to assure a certain end. It doesn’t matter how the condition is met, it just has to occur to accomplish the desired result. So our salvation is contingent on an instrumental condition and that condition is met by Christ in our place.  

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Revelation 2:1–7)

Big Idea: The Lord Jesus Christ combines truth and love in one person. To abandon either is not just to deny Christianity, it is to deny Christ. Because Jesus is Lord, we must overcome. . . 

I. With Truth

Jesus begins with a commendation for the church at Ephesus. He knows they have been faithful in the past to defend the truth of the gospel. Paul had warned these Ephesian elders that false teachers would come among them (Ac. 20:29). And Jesus had alerted the Church to the reality that false teachers are seldom obvious. They are like “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Mt. 7:15). False teachers are often favorite pastors or close friends or even family members. No matter the relationship, the Lord said that every teacher’s doctrine must be tested (1 Th. 5:21; 1 Co. 14:29; 1 Jn. 4:1). The false teachers apparently found a way to compromise with idolatry and immorality (2:20-21; cf. Ac. 15:29).

II. In Love

As pleased as Jesus had been with the Ephesians’ doctrinal fidelity, he is not pleased with them now. Apparently their focus on rooting out false doctrine had created a culture of suspicion to the point that they have run out of brotherly love (2 Jn. 5). William Barclay said, “the eagerness to root out all mistaken men had ended in a sour and rigid orthodoxy.” So essential is this mark of love that Jesus grants the world the right to dismiss our own profession and even our message if they do not see us loving one another. In fact, this passage shows us that a church that fails to love will have its lampstand removed if it does not repent. In other words, it will no longer be a true church of Jesus Christ. 

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (ESV)

Big Idea: The sovereignty of God and the love of God are two apparently contradictory thoughts John stitches together for suffering Christians in Revelation. By his own example, he tells us that we can only affirm both as we hear and see them woven together in Jesus.

I. Listen (vv. 9-11)
To be convinced that suffering or disappointment do not conflict with God’s love requires listening regularly to God’s word. That listening involves not merely reading the Bible but especially listening to it preached within corporate worship.

A. Suffering Witness (v.9)   
The first reason one should feel compelled to accept the whole Bible and the New Testament in particular is that the men who wrote it suffered for their testimony. Most of them lost everything including their lives for recording what they did (2 Co. 11:23-29).

B. Spirit's Inspiration (v. 10) 
By “inspired” we mean that the Bible itself teaches that its words have been “breathed out” by God (2 Ti. 3:16). Rather than dictating, God “carried along” his authors, incorporating their unique personalities, experiences, vocabulary and training so that while the result is exactly what God intended, the Bible also has a human feel (2 Pt. 1:20-21). The Bible is also infallible. Because the Bible is God’s word, it carries inherent authority and is unfailingly true.

C. Superior Textual Record (v. 11)
Two primary tests are used to discern an ancient text’s reliability and accuracy. There are over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Additionally, there are 10,000 more in cognate languages, that is, copies of Greek manuscripts in languages very closely related to Greek. By means of these 15,000 manuscripts, scholars have identified every textual variant and have by consensus been able to determine the original reading in most situations. See the chart below for a comparison with other ancient works.

II. Look (vv. 12-20)
The vision of Jesus we see here shows us at least four things about him.

A. With the Church
The earthly temple was a replica of heaven, so John sees Jesus walking among the lampstands, each of which represents a Christian congregation. This picture indicates how immediately attentive Jesus is to us. Not only is he with us on earth through his Spirit, we are spiritually with him in heaven (Col. 3:2).

B. For the Church
The vision of Jesus we see here shows us at least four things about him.

1. Divine: He is first one who shares the distinguishing characteristics of God. “Son of Man” together with the ascription of “glory” in 1:6 identify Christ as the divine Messiah anticipated in Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7.

2. Priest: His long robe is reminiscent of the Old Testament high priest’s vestments (Ex. 28:4; 29:5).

3. Prophet: His “white hair” represents the wisdom he conveys to us as he reveals to us everything we need to know for life and salvation (Lev. 1932; Pr. 16:31; cf. Pr. 8).

4. King: The golden sash around his chest was worn by kings not priests. This King will come for us with overwhelming power like a conflagration (cf. 2:18) and with the offensive weaponry of a warrior.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:
• What is an example of something that makes suffering seem to be at odds with God’s love?
• How does the suffering of the writers of God’s Word help affirm its validity?
• In what way does God’s Word demonstrate his love?
• Which characteristic of Jesus was most comforting to you?

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (ESV)

Background: Revelation represents a genre or category of literature in Scripture called “apocalyptic” or “eschatological,” which has to do with the end of the world. Most likely, John, the apostle of Jesus, wrote Revelation during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian (AD 81-96). He was writing down the Revelation given to him by the Holy Spirit to Christians who were undergoing immense persecution for their faith.

Outline: Revelation can be divided into six sections: a prologue (1:1-8), an epilogue (22:6-21) and four visions, each of which is signaled by the phrase “in the spirit” (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). In addition to the prologue and epilogue, each vision contains a comforting promise as well as the condition which must be met by the follower of Christ to experience it.

Big Idea: Regardless of how many details we will not understand about Revelation, there is one point that will be absolutely clear by the end of the book—King Jesus is coming and in that day he will distinguish between those who were ashamed of him and those who were not. But this much will also be clear, if you really understand his attributes as a King you will want him to be yours.

I. First Vision: The King Who Teaches (1:9-3:22)
Consisting of seven “letters” to churches in Asia Minor, the first vision reveals Jesus is present in local gospel-centered congregations and teaches his people there what they need to know as his subjects.

A. Comfort: Presence (2:7) 
The comfort is that no matter what enemies one faces or what one loses in this world for following Christ, God will provide eternal life. Specifically, in the letter to the Church in Ephesus, he promises “the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in paradise (2:7).

B. Condition: Perseverance (2:7) 
This is a comfort which will only be experienced by those who “overcome” or “persevere” (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). This is a condition with the propensity to be crushing until we realize that Jesus perseveres on our behalf so that in our union with him, we persevere too.

II. Second Vision: The King Who Protects (4:1-16:21)
This whole vision centers around God’s throne where the Lamb of God is seated now. Following that description of the throne in chapters 4-5, there are three sets of seven: seven seals (6:8), seven trumpets (8:7-12), and seven bowls (16:3).

A. Comfort: Resurrection (12:6) 
At the end of each of these scenes there is an earthquake (4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Hearkening back to the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:16), the earthquake symbolizes the earthly arrival of God’s redemptive power from heaven.

B. Condition: Courage (12:11)  
The conditions for experiencing that protection, to be on the victorious side of the battle against the “dragon,” are given in 12:11. First, is to be under the “blood of the Lamb” which is to seek Christ’s atonement for your personal sins rather than trying to outweigh them with good works. Second, is publicly to bear testimony that you are a follower of Christ.

III. Third Vision: The King Who Liberates (17:1-21:8)
The third version contains the climax of the book: the coming of Christ and the utter defeat of Satan.

A. Comfort: Vindication (19:17-20:3) 
Now we understand from this vision that there will be a mission to Christ’s resurrecting us. We will be raised to be an army! We will join Christ in the defeat of his and our foes. We will ride forth with him in battle and afterwards be seated on thrones with Christ to judge the devil himself and condemn him to his own hell.

B. Condition: Obedience (19:7-8) 
An invitation comes to every human being to attend the “wedding supper of the Lamb” which of course is the eternal celebration in heaven. those who accept Christ’s invitation to join him in heaven, begin preparations now to meet him unashamed. They dress in “fine linen bright and clean” which John explains parenthetically symbolizes “righteous acts.”

IV. Fourth Vision: The King Who Celebrates (21:9-22:5)
The last chapters of the book are the first chapters of eternity.

A. Comfort: Heaven (21:1-8) 
When Jesus has gathered all of his children home, defeated all his enemies, and reversed all the curses following Adam and Eve’s first sin, he will throw an eternal party! It will be everything and more that hell is not: joy, plenty, and unfettered celebration with Christ. God’s singular covenant mission will finally be realized: “He will be our God and we will be his people.”

B. Condition: Trust (21:27; 22:17) 
Who will be there? “Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” They are the ones who have answered the invitation and proven it by their pursuit of purity in life.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:
1. What is something new you learned about the book of Revelation?
2. Which of the comforts listed above resonated with you most?
3. What response does the condition corresponding with that comfort merit from you now?