Thursday 010225
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
We have two ground rules in this study:
1 – we are ONLY going to read and follow what is found (that pertains to us), in the Holy Bible.
2 – we are ONLY going to learn from a study, what effort we put into that study.
Tonight’s study involves a lot of information from looking back into some of mankind’s history.
History can be difficult for many to accept. We’re looking back in time at what happened to someone before us.
Sometimes there are advantages when looking at mankind’s history, one advantage, and probably the major advantage for us is, we are given the opportunity that prevents us from making the same mistake twice.
I’ve tried to teach that the Old Testament is that way for me, my most used example is found in:
Jonah 1
vs1 ‘…The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…’
vs2 ‘…Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me…’
vs3 ‘…But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord …’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
God is NOT telling us to run and flee and hide ourselves from Him. We are being shown what happens to that person that runs and flees from the presence of God.
If we were continue reading Jonah, we’d find him in the belly of a large fish just because he ran from God.
So, let’s begin tonight. Let’s go to Jesus in prayer:
Jesus we are beginning a study tonight that we know we are going to need Your leadership and Your guidance to help us keep our human infections outside of this study and that we will only be able to hear the message that You want us to hear if You are there with us. Open our eyes and our ears tonight Jesus and allow us to see and hear that which is found in front of us. We love You Jesus. Amen.
So tonight, here are the verses we are going to study:
Jonah 1:1-3; Revelation 3:14-22; Genesis 2:2; Revelation 1:11; Matthew 16:23; Galatians 1:10; Luke 16:15, 6:26; James 4:4; John 5:44.
For awhile now, I have wanted to be involved in a study and assist Jesus in defining where we, individually are positioned in our lives today; what we need to do to get back on track with God’s commands; and how big of a hurry do we need to be in making our way back to Him and His teachings before the end is upon us.
This morning as I sat at my computer and with what I found; I think I’m ready to begin our presentation.
Let’s begin by opening our Bible to Revelation 3.
Now there are some that consider the book of Revelation to be a book that was written to the Jew … I believe it is too except these seven letters.
Please follow along with me,
Revelation 3
vs14 ‘…to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, says this…’
vs15 ‘…I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot…’
vs16 ‘…So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth…’
vs17 ‘…Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything, and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…’
vs18 ‘…I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see…’
vs19 ‘…Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore, be zealous and repent…’
vs20 ‘…Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me…’
vs21 ‘…The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne…’
vs22 ‘…The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Jesus thank You for giving us what has been written in the Bible. Be with me and advise me to voice only what You want us to hear. Jesus, I love You. Amen.
This reading is the 7th and final letter, found in the book of Revelation.
The number seven in Scripture has a special meaning.
In the Bible the number seven often symbolizes completion or perfection. Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the Earth in six days, and, upon completion, God rested on the seventh day.
Genesis 2:2 ‘…By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Here in this one verse are the words ‘completed’ and ‘rested’ are used and I would like to suggest to you, a third word … and that is the word: ‘ALL.’
If we return to the book of Revelation and begin reading in chapter 1:11 ‘…saying, write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
In vs11, I’d like to insert the word ALL in the place of the word SEVEN.
It should make sense that there had to be more than seven churches at the time when this book was written.
Replacing the word ‘seven’ with the word ‘completed’ or ‘rested’ in this case doesn’t make any sense. But, if the word ‘seven’ was replaced by ‘ALL,’ God would be telling John to send this scroll to ‘ALL’ of the churches and to us, mankind, to ALL the churches in ALL time.
That involves us today in the 21st century. We today are a church.
A church must be more than a building … a building with four walls, a floor, a roof with a steeple and a bell.
A church is a religious body. A body that is united as a group of believers. Of ALL ages.
That is us. We are a religious body, a group of believers and I’m certain we are of all ages.
Several years ago, I participated in an online Bible study of the book of Revelation by Verse-By-Verse-Ministry (VBVMI) taught by pastor Stephen Armstrong which died from the corona virus back in January of 2021.
To this day, that Bible study has affected my life more than any other study I’ve been involved in.
Today, in the 21st century, that 7th letter has been directed to us, the church at Laodicea. We are that church God told John to write to.
Laodicea means, ‘judged’ or ‘judging by the people.’ The implication is that in this church, men’s opinions are exalted above God’s, resulting in a people lukewarm to Him.
Is this not a statement that defines most of mankind’s churches throughout this land in the 21st century. Rather than us reading the Word that God has given us we find churches today that are printing their own books to follow. Rather than following who God chose for us, some of these churches follow the entire Bible, picking and choosing what they want to pass on to their congregations.
Where are we told we can do that in the Bible?
There is nothing more offensive in any relationship than indifference. This church is so offensive to the Lord that they make Him sick, and He will vomit them out of His mouth. Yet the greatest promises given to any church age are given to the overcomers in this age.
We have plenty in the biblical prophecies to warn us that this is no time to be lukewarm about God. If we are awake, the pursuit of God will be the daily drive of our life. When men’s opinions are exalted above the Lord’s, we take on an unsanctified sympathy for the ways of men and begin to fear their opinions more than God’s opinions. In our time, this is called ‘political correctness.’ Such a mindset will lead to a terrible fall, as the Lord warned Peter in Matthew 16:23.
Matthew 16:23
‘…But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
This verse exemplifies the number of stumbling blocks we can find today in our religious pursuit.
We will become a stumbling block to the purposes of God if we become too sympathetic with the interests of men. This is why Paul wrote:
Galatians 1:10 ‘…For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bondservant of Christ…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Nothing can cause us to compromise our service to the Lord as much as the fear of man, or the tendency to please men.
Jesus warned the Pharisees about this in:
Luke 16:15 ‘…And He said to them, you are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
If we do what is pleasing to men, we will do what is detestable in God’s sight. The reverse is also true. If we do what is pleasing in God’s sight, we will often do what is detestable to men. We have a choice: either God or men will detest what we are doing. So, who do we want it to be?
Jesus again warned in:
Luke 6:26 ‘…Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
This is the category we will fall into if we are driven by the fear of men, seeking their approval over God’s and speaking what is contrary to the actual message of God, making us false prophets.
The challenge is taken to a new level in:
James 4:4 ‘…You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
We are called to love the world, not be friends with it. Friends have common interests and pursuits. Our very lives are called to be a prophetic challenge to the world’s ways. If we take on the ways of the world, we become enemies of God.
Jesus gave another important rebuke to those who would live in the fear of men.
John 5:44 ‘…How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
The Greek word translated ‘GLORY’ here could have been translated ‘recognition.’ So, seeking glory, or recognition, from men will destroy our faith. This is likely the main reason why there is so little faith and power in the church today.
This is the church age when most will fall to this deplorable condition. Yet there is hope and a promise given to those who overcome the spirit of this age that is greater than the promises given to any other church.
Continue in the Word and seek what promises He has for us in our future. I love y’all, but remember Jesus loves us even more than we each can comprehend what that word love even means.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>