Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Who Owns This Church?
Revelation 2-3
Introduction: Struggles of major denominations right now—Episcopal, Presbyterian and others---about who owns the church property if the congregations wants to leave the denomination. In years past, fierce court battles were waged by churches similiar to ours over property rights. Hargrove and Dowling of Lincoln Bible Institute were frequently called as expert witnesses to help the court settle the claims. This was a fear of this church year ago when we went leave our former associations and become independent.
Real spiritual issues matter even more than the legal matters. Who owns this church? Human answers/divine answers—this world answers and heavenly answers; determines a lot about how you do church…settle a lot of problems.
Rev 2-3—memo to the churches; what Christ thinks of the church
Some theorize that these seven letters are really an outline of church history –ages/epochs—nothing in text; a conclusion that must be read into the text
If read at face value, these are real churches; real issues
On the other hand, they are also representative—nothing new under the sun
In a sense, they are symbolic—illustrating principles that all churches all time need to know
Tendency to see only the odd and evil in Revelation—beasts, mark of beast, etc.
Really Revelation is about Christ—Note the seven descriptions of Christ in the seven letters
1. Christ Owns the Church
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false
“The One who holds the seven stars.”
“The One who walks among the seven lampstands.”
His church—each of them; he is present; he holds fate and future; present and problems
2. Christ is the Provider of the Church
8“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
First and last—beginning and end; no surprises---How different things would be if we know past/present/future clearly---Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
If death conquered—what fears remain; Eugene O’Neil famous play “Lazarus Laughs”—what can you threaten a man with once death has been defeated.
We can too even in the face of persecution.
The risen Christ is one who has experienced the worst that life could do to Him. No matter then what might happen to the Christians at Smyrna or to us, our Savior has gone through the worst life can bring. As such, He is one who feels for us in our suffering with special love and compassion and is ever present to come to our aid and comfort (Heb. 2:15-18; 4:15).
The risen Christ has conquered the worst that life can do. He triumphed over pain, the cross, the devil, sin, and death. He defeated all the enemies and He offers victory and the conqueror’s crown.
But this calls for our loyalty and commitment to Him, not simply for rewards, but because of what we have in Him and love Him.
3. Christ is the Message of Church
12“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
Again, as in each of the seven messages, the message is related to the picture of the glorified Savior in chapter one. This serves to stress His sufficiency and our need to live in the light of His person and work, past, present, and future.
“Sword” is a long spear-like sword, but here it is seen with two edges to emphasize the double-edged, sharp, penetrating character of the Word of God or God’s truth as it is found in the person and work of Christ and God’s holy Word as it reveals Him.
The word “sword” is mentioned a total of nine times in Revelation is mentioned five times and the short Roman two edged sword, is mentioned four times. The was the long and heavy, broad sword used by the Thracians and other barbarous nations who often marched irresistibly over one country after another as God’s instruments of judgment. First of all, then, it symbolizes the irresistible authority and devastating force of our Lord’s judgment (cf. 19:15).
In Revelation 1:16 and 19:15 the sword is described as proceeding out of the mouth of Christ. The mouth, an instrument of speech, portrays this as the Word of Christ. In Revelation 19:13 Christ is called the Word of God and then, in verse 15, we have the statement about the sword that proceeds out of His mouth and by which He will slay the wicked.
Interestingly, John 5:24f and 12:48 teaches us that Christ’s acts of judgment will be carried out on the basis of His Word. It seems clear the sword coming out of Christ’s mouth is a reference to the Word and is a symbol of its truth, penetrating power and authority, severity, and the fact that Christ judges men on the basis of the Word.
The sword is the symbol of the Word of Christ which separates believers from condemnation and from conformity with the world (Rom. 12:2; 8:1; 1 Pet. 1:23; Heb. 4:12). But this same sword, the Word of Christ, also guarantees judgment to the world on the basis of its absolute truth.
Here again we see the sufficiency of Christ in His capacity to meet our needs and deal with our failures. Pergamum was a church that was married to the world. They were in compromise with the world, but it is the Word of Christ which transforms us from the world.
4. Christ is the Judge/Authority of the Church
18“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze
Again, we are pointed to the Lord Jesus as the issue and answer to every need and problem in life, no matter where we live and what our conditions.
Obviously, this description of our Lord stresses His authority in discipline and judgment as the Son of God, an expression found only here in the book, and the penetrating power of His knowledge along with the swiftness of His judgment. Thyatira was standing in idolatrous compromise and allowing a false authority to supplant the authority of Christ.
What makes us think he doesn’t know?
What makes us think he doesn’t care?
What makes us think he can be trifled with?
1 Cor 3—warning to those who divide the church
5. Christ is the Life of the Church
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
The answer, as always, is centered in Who Christ is—The Savior who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. These two aspects of Christ’s ministry to the church are brought immediately to the forefront because they give us the key to both the problem of this church and its solution.
The Seven Spirits of God
“The seven Spirits of God” is a reference to the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son to the believer (John 7:37-39; 15:16, 26). He is the Son’s gift to enable believers to experience genuine spirituality through the multiple ministries and work of the Spirit symbolized here in the number seven which is a clear allusion to the seven-fold ministries of the Spirit mentioned in Isaiah 11:2-5. But believers have a responsibility to walk by the Spirit who indwells them. The responsibility is to walk by faith in His enabling power and to deal with the sin in their lives through honest confession or they will hinder (grieve and quench) the work of the Spirit. So part of the problem was the believers in the church at Sardis were grieving and quenching the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).
We are wrong if we think the Holy Spirit is the private domain of Pentecostals and Charismatics
6. Christ is the Lord/Authority/Keeper of the Church
7“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
Once again our risen Lord presents Himself in an aspect of His person and work which is fitting to the needs and problems of the assembly to ever remind us of the sufficiency of His life.
“He who is holy”
“Who is true.”
“Who has the key of David
Not to us to determine who enters kingdom or kept out; he has set the rules
Faithfulness to Word always opens doors—not bound
“The One opening …” (3:7b)
“And who shuts and no one opens …”
7. Christ is the Future of the Church
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation
Again, as with the previous letters, this one begins with a part of the description of the Savior as given in chapter one. So our attention is focused on the person of the risen Lord Jesus and how He alone is the answer and solution.
“Amen” also carries the idea of finality
“The Faithful and True Witness.”
“The beginning and the creation of God
Conclusion: Who owns this church? Question would solve a lot of issues
Individually—the question goes to the issue of faith and obedience.
Christ In Revelation: Revelation describes Jesus Christ (1:1) as:
The faithful witness (1:5)
The firstborn from the dead (1:5)
The ruler over the kings of the earth (1:5)
The Son of Man (1:13)
The first and the last (1:17)
The living One (1:18)
The Son of God (2:18)
He who is holy, who is true (3:7)
The Amen (3:14)
The Beginning of the creation of God (3:14)
The Lion that is from the tribe of Judah (5:5)
The Root of David (5:5)
A Lamb (5:6)
The Word of God (19:13)
King of Kings and Lord of Lords (19:16)
The Alpha and the Omega (22:13)
The beginning and the end (22:13)
The bright morning Star (22:16)
The Lord Jesus (22:21).
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
