Dear Church #8: Jesus is Coming

Revelation 22:7-21

REPENT NOW. FOLLOW JESUS. HE’S COMING!

We’re meant to be looking ahead at JESUS, so the correct question, is NOT “when?” but…”how do I follow Him more closely?” Meaning, He didn’t lay bread crumbs all along the way, with a treasure map of what to avoid, and X marks the spot…He IS the way. 
We FOLLOW him.

1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

We don’t need signs and coded messages…we need the WORD, and we need a community of believers…we need His church! We need to discipline ourselves to hear from Him…fasting and praying…we need to quiet the world so that we can hear Him properly…but God isn’t that hard to find!

Let’s focus on being obedient to what we know now!  Blessed are the ones who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.  Focus on following Jesus with everything you have

Dear Church #7: The Useless Church

Revelation 3:14-20

Colossians 1:15-17

HE is our source.

-He is Faithful & True:  Specifically, He is faithful & true to His promises; He is dependable & trustworthy; He is genuine & real.
-Laodicea needed to hear this. They had wealth & prosperity, and foolishly thought that THEY were in control;
-HE is the source for your joy…peace….for your finances, for your family…
-Jesus came to seek and to save THE LOST…not those who already think they are found.

Indifference in inexcusable.

-Being cold is at least a starting place for God being able to work. It’s an understanding that you are lost, I think, and again, Jesus came to seek and to save the LOST!  He can work with lost.  A much more dangerous place to be in IN the fold, IN the flock, but still not following the shepherds voice.  That’s lukewarm.
Lukewarmness or indifference is the worst state of being as a Christian. 
–If our belief in Jesus is a real thing, it is the most excellent thing, and therefore WORTH being ALL IN; if it is not a real thing, its one of the most disgusting things.  It’s the worst thing.  Vile.  Gross. Insincere faith is gross.  And it usually only exists for power or pride purposes. 
-If faith is worth any thing, it is worth every thing; an indifference here is inexcusable.
-Reminds me of Elijah in the OT saying to the king…Why waver between two opinions? If God is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him. Here is no room for neutrality. IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. Be an open enemy of God, there’s more hope for you there, than this wavering in between.
-The atmosphere in Laodicea was that of prosperity which (for them) led to spiritual laziness, neglect & unconcern. And Jesus was rejecting that kind of Christianity.

Jesus sees things differently.

-It’s often pretty hard for us to FEEL our poverty spiritually, when we can’t feel it physically.
-This is why He constantly says, those who have ears to hear, let them hear, those who have eyes to see…He’s not talking about physical ears and eyes…He’s trying to get US to see things differently too!!
-We HAVE to start seeing things through a Biblical worldview, to understand the world through the Bible and not through culture. Culture is shifting sand, culture changes…GOD’S WORD NEVER CHANGES.
-The ONLY way to be good enough to co-exist with a PERFECT God, is Jesus. We are WRETCHED without Him. THAT IS WHY Jesus is the only way. We’re not being mean or judgmental or arrogant when we say Jesus is the only way. HE JUST IS THE ONLY FIX FOR THIS SIN PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE.

Obedience is costly.

-Salvation is free, but deliverance costs you. It requires some sacrifice. Some death. Death to your SELF. Death to your COMFORT. Death to your quiet, so that true peace can be found.
-I’m buying THEIR peace, with my sacrifice of quiet. I buy the spiritual eyes to see like Jesus sees, with the cost of my time–in the Word. I’m paying JESUS for that understanding (into the Word), and He gives it GENEROUSLY!

Five churches were strongly admonished:
Ephesus:  Forsaking their first love.

Pergamum: For Compromising 

Thyatira: For Corruption & Seduction 

Sardis: For being spiritually dead & asleep

Laodicea: For their lukewarm faith.  

Smyrna & Philadelphia received no criticism. They were FAITHFUL. 

The Lord praises His church when we resist false doctrine & teachers

when we remember our first love
when we persevere even thru persecution.
when we refuse to bow the knee to culture. 

when we remain faithful even unto death. 

when we keep God’s Word and ConfessJesus! 

Dear Church #6: The Church of the Open Door

Philadelphia:

• Located in modern Turkey on the Cogamus River about 105 miles east of Smyrna and 25 miles southeast of Sardis

• a younger city - sometime after 189 B.C.

• on one of the highways leading to the interior of the region.

• a city of many names though

  • Philadelphia means brotherly love

  • Decapolis, because it was considered as one of the ten cities of the plain.

  • Neo-kaisaria  appears upon the coins struck during that period

  • Flavia…during the reign of Vespasian

Description of Jesus.

Diagnosis from Jesus

Declaration over the Church

Revelation 3:7-12

Isaiah 22 - key of David

We don’t have the ability to do anything GREAT OUTSIDE of the strength that comes from the Lord. 

Dear Church #5.5: The Confrontation of the Called with Pastor Micah Marshall

Check back for real time notes — add yours in the comments!

Jonah 1:1-3

Jonah 4:4

Jonah 4:9

Jonah 4:1-11

The most famous runaway. Jonah! Had some issues with what God had called him to do.

Jonah says no through his actions.

You can always find a boat sailing in the wrong direction from the call of God.

Why did Jonah say no? Nineveh was the sworn enemy of Israel. (Awful, gruesome enemies)

My disobedience does not only affect me, but the people around me.

Delayed disobedience is still disobedience.

When we need to get back on track, God will take you back to exactly where you need to be.

There are people in your life that are just waiting for you to be obedient!

There’s an entire group of people just waiting on your YES!

Have you any right to be angry about this?

We have to remember our place.

The story of Jonah isn’t about Jonah, it’s about the people of Nineveh.

What about the great city of Nineveh?

The story isn’t finished, because WE have to end it. We have a calling to go and preach!! Life is about Nineveh!

Jesus is for everyone, Everywhere, for all time.

If we want Jonah to have a better ending, we’re gonna have to write it ourselves.

If we want revival in our community, it starts with revival in our hearts.

Dear Church #5: The Walking Dead Church

SARDIS:

• about 50 miles east of Smyrna

• 700 years before John wrote Revelation, Sardis was one of the great cities of the world. It’s an OLD city…

• It was at an elevation of 1500 ft and was nearly impenetrable.  As that part of the town filled up, they expanded into the valley below.  But the original Sardis was surrounded on 3 sides by huge walls & cliffs that were nearly perpendicular and almost impossible to climb.    

• It was also a wealthy city.  They built an impressive synagogue there roughly the size of a football field.  

Revelation 3:1-6

Socially alive, but Spiritually dead.

Remember, you can SAY all the right words–the very WORDS of Jesus.  But say them without HIS SPIRIT, and you’ll still be wrong. 

We need to embrace the gifts of the Spirit AND the fruit of the spirit, but not get too wrapped up in either as a god unto itself.

God is a productive God!  If it’s not producing, He uproots the plant and puts something in that WILL produce fruit.

The world can sniff out a walking dead believer WAYYYYY quicker than the church can. 

It’s not enough to talk the talk.  Are you actually living different? Are you ACTUALLY set apart?? Is your relationship with Jesus actually producing fruit?  Is it actually changing things? Is it actually requiring sacrifices of you?  Is the HS producing love, joy, peace…

When MY people, who are called by my name,  shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

For revival to take place we need to:
1) re-focus, REFOCUS our EYES on JESUS.
  2) remember, go back to what you heard and believed at first
3)repent.  Turn-a-way FROM sin, and turn TOWARD Jesus.  

What in your life needs to be pruned?
Why did you come to Jesus in the first place?  What has He done in your life? How have you changed since coming to know Him?
What do you need to repent of, and leave in the past, to follow after Jesus with your whole heart today?

Matthew 6:28-30?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Ya wanna know how to come alive again?  I gave you a few different ways today, but they all begin and end with this…pursue the Holy Spirit with everything you have inside you. 

Dear Church #4: The Unaccountable Church

Thyatira wasn’t luxurious like Smyrna or a religious or political center like Pergamum.
It was a working man’s city. 

Revelation 2:18-29

1. Jesus, the refining, purified son of God

Your city may THINK they have the son of God, BUT REMEMBER THAT YOU ACTUALLY DO!

We’re teaching UNcommon sense here.  Kids need UNcommon sense to make good choices, and not just GOOD choices, but JESUS choices, which are even harder than just good choices.

“Fire” is an important symbol in Scripture and frequently represents purification and judgment.

He also says that his feet are like polished bronze! He’s already been refined, he is the REFINER.  He’s purified, sanctified, polished and ready to ROLL.  He stands READY to judge, READY to purify.  He’s already been through it, and He’s not hesitating. 

If you think that your WORKS will earn you a spot into heaven.  Or into His Kingdom, or into relationship with Jesus Christ, alone…you’ve got another thing coming. Your skill, your works, may earn you a place here…but it’s your CHARACTER that will KEEP you there. 

Matthew 7:15: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

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Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If another believer[d] sins against you,[e] go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid[f] on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit[g] on earth will be permitted in heaven.

19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers,[h] I am there among them.”

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2. Take leadership. (of yourself!)

The problem w/ this church wasn’t external persecution like Smyrna, but     internal compromise; similar to Pergamum.

If you’re going to follow Jesus, HE says to DIE to yourSELF.  Jesus followers don’t get to tell GOD what to do or what is right and wrong.  Jesus followers, SUBMIT to the Father

3. Hold Tightly. (to your identity in Christ!)

Dear Church #3: The Compromising Church

This series so far:
The Church of Ephesus: The drifted, forgetful church — Jesus nudges back into line by calling them to their first LOVE.
The Church at Smyrna: The persecuted, worn down church — Jesus comforts and encourages.
TODAY: The Church at Pergamum: The compromising church — Jesus warns & calls to repentance

Pergamum: capital city, high on the landscape, 150K people, grand architecture & design, 2nd largest library in the world, lots of idol worship & withcraft

Revelation 2:12-17

Hebrews 4:12

Jesus sees.

To Ephesus, He was: the one who holds the stars in his right hand, and the one who walks among the gold lampstands. 
To Smyrna, He was: the FIRST and the LAST.  The one who died, and was raised to life!
To Pergamum, He was: the one with the sharp, two-edged sword.

Jesus corrects.

You don’t have to have perfect conditions to be faithful!

God looks past the outside, He looks at the HEART.

Hebrews 13:4

Jesus promises.

False teaching was infiltrating into some at this church, and it was destroying them from the INSIDE.

So they weren’t OUTRIGHT denying Him. They weren’t allowing the WORLD to convince them it wasn’t real, or that Jesus didn’t exist, or to deny Him altogether.   They were just allowing selfishness to invade them personally. They were just adding in things that they HAD to know wasn’t right.  They were allowing themselves to be deceived.

They weren’t able to BE cursed.  But they were able to BRING a curse upon themselves.  They were CORRUPTIBLE. 

As long as they were obedient to God, they were untouchable.  But they were easily swayed and therefore, EASILY destroyed.

If obedience is your only option, are you obedient?  

What are you when there are other options?

I think this is the whole point to LIFE, actually.  The whole point to God allowing sin in the world right now.  We’re LEARNING obedience through the things we’re suffering (like Jesus).

So in Revelation, when Jesus says there are some who espouse the doctrine & teaching of Balaam, he’s saying that corruption & deception has gotten into the Church of Pergamum. AND IT WAS ON PURPOSE.  It was by design.  Someone was purposefully leading them astray. This wasn’t a drift, a forgetfulness, like the first church.  It was a deception. It was a corruption.

They corrupted the holy institution of marriage, AND the system God set up to correct it–sacrifices. And all that idol worship & sexual indulgence caused their relationship w/ Jesus to be
compromised & contaminated.

Same w/ the doctrine of the Nicolaitins. We don’t know a TON about these guys…I wish we did…but I did find that the word "Nicolaitan" is derived from two words which means "to conquer the laity.’ Laity meaning (non-clergy/non pastors of the church). Sin was infecting & corrupting the church. 

Listen, we need to FLEE from all forms of sexual immorality and indulgence.
Sex is sacred between a husband & wife.
Any other sexual activity is detrimental.  Detrimental to ourselves, to our relationship with our spouse, AND   it’s detrimental to our relationship with God.  It destroys us, from the insdie out.

Look at Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:4: Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
Epehsians 5:3-4 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

The sin of Pergamum was that they not only tolerated sinful behavior, but that they allowed Balaam into the church…someone was pushing this agenda purposefully, for Jesus to use the concept of Balaam.

There WILL come a time, when your dysfunction WILL outpace your function.  There WILL come a reckoning.  God doesn’t allow evil to persist forever.  He WILL expose secrets.

His promises:

1st - Manna:  Manna is a picture of spiritual nourishment.  

This church had been eating food that was sacrificed to idols, metaphorically.

It’s been eating leftovers, expired, gross food…spiritually speaking.  When you are in sin like that, everything that you try to take in spiritually, has a…funk to it. 

2nd - A White Stone

1. A white rock was used in the court system as a vote of “not guilty.”
   A person was given a white stone as proof/evidence of acquittal.

2. When a slave was granted freedom, they would receive a white stone as evidence of emancipation & freedom. 

3. A white stone was also given to a soldier who came back from a victorious battle.  As God’s soldiers, we are victorious!

4. A white stone would often be used as an invitation to a banquet (a special feast) - Written on the stone was the name of the invitee.

Dear Church #2: The Worn Down Church

 Smyrna from Revelation:

• is on the banks of the Agean Sea. It sat about 35 miles North of Ephesus.

• It was a beautiful city - advanced for its time-period with wide paved streets, that went from one end of the city to another. They had a famous stadium, an impressive library and the largest theater in ALL of Asia Minor.

• Homer was born there.  The author of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

• It was ideal for shipping and a hub for trade. And Wherever there’s trade, there’s money, so Smyrna became a wealthy city. 

• It became a melting pot of culture & religion & art.

• Most people participated in idol worship and worship of the Roman emperor.  Actually, Worship-of-the-emperor was the law-of-the-land.  Around 90 A.D. That’s what happened - The emperor made a law that says:  “He was God.”

Revelation 2:8-11

In this letter to Smyrna we’ll see: 

1. The Picture of Jesus '- “I know what you’re going through.”

   1. Romans 6:9: We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

2. The Persecution of the Church - “I see what you’re going through.”

   1. James 1:2: Count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.

3. The Promise for Believers - “But I also know what’s coming.”

Dear Church #1: The Forgetful Church

Revelation 1:3, “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.”

In Revelation, John writes of:
1. Vision of the majestic court in Heaven - where Jesus is described as the LAMB of God who is worthy to receive blessing & honor & glory & power forever & ever.   
2. Vision of the judgments that are yet to be unleashed on the Earth - that will the final 7 years of Earth as we know it. We call it the Tribulation - but coinciding w/ all the judgment, many ppl will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord - so it’s really a revival as well, but likely at the cost of their own lives, so it won’t feel like the revivals that we pray for..
3. Vision of the final conflict (Armageddon) and the aftermath
4. Vision of the New Heaven & the New Earth - where we will be forever w/ Jesus (never to know pain, sickness, sorrow, mourning, or evil  ever again)  Perfect peace IN a perfect place.

7 Letters to 7 Churches: most of them have 3 parts. commendation, correction, counsel.

7 Stars = 7 messengers (or probably leaders, or pastors of the churches)

7 Lampstands = 7 churches

Revelation 1:20, “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.”

Revelation 2:1-7

They were enduring, that was good. The church of Ephesus was enduring lots of spiritual darkness in their city…sorcery, witchcraft, demonic things being practiced, as well as a large temple of Artemis and prostitution-worship. The church was able to keep the evil out! Jesus says, good job.

Jesus is aware of our labor, and our hard work! He notices. He sees us.

But! His complaint was that they lacked the love they had at first.

They’re dogmatic about their doctrine but stagnant in their devotion.

The Ephesian church ABANDONED their love. They didn’t LOSE it, they LEFT it. They were the FORGETFUL Church. The drifting church.

As a church attender, you can move into the danger of zone of serving and being a PART, but not being pastored. There is an essential element here of Jesus PASTORING, shepherding His Church. A shepherd can see if one of their sheep is going off on a slightly wrong path, and corrects them…guides them back into it.

First step: Look, how far you’ve fallen.

Second step: Repent, and get back on track.

Third step: Hate, what is evil.

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Another Interesting Perspective On The Book of Revelation:

What It Is To Be Holy By Pastor Isaiah

• Holiness, many have heard the word. But how many have taken the time to really understand what it is to be Holy?

•  To really understand and grasp what holiness is according to God we have to examine both Old Testament and the New Testament

• Someone who reads just one or the other will miss the complete picture of what it means to be Holy.

• But when read together we get a complete picture.

• The word Holy is defined as:  Set apart, different, other, or otherness

• When people think about the word holiness nowadays they think of words like purity, perfection, sinlessness. Our minds go straight to morality.

• But that's not actually what the word means at its core. We’ll see where those connotations came from as we go along. But in the ancient world the word holy was used to describe anything out of the ordinary, not normal or other.

• Our God obviously fits this definition as well. Not only does he fit the definition, he is the epitome, the apex of holiness. Yahweh is set apart from all other Gods; he is different from them as he wasn't created by human hands. He alone is the one, true God… Yahweh is set apart from all of creation as creator. All powerful, all knowing Yahweh is the very standard of holiness.

Holiness Lessons from the Old Testament

• With the definition of holiness we can learn more about holiness from Israel. The Israelites were God's chosen people. Different from any other people group on the earth. A people chosen to be in a covenant relationship with God.

• They were by definition Holy.

• Which makes chapter 19 of Leviticus kind of strange

• Leviticus 19 starts out this way:

• The Lord also said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

• Here we have God giving a command to his people Israel who by the very definition of Holy are a Holy people. They have been set apart from the rest of the world by means of their covenant with God and yet God commands them to be Holy…

• And then for the rest of the chapter God begins to instruct them on how to live moral lives.

• And this teaches us that in God’s view, holiness and living a moral life are not separate from each other. This is where our contemporary understanding of the word holy comes from. It comes from a biblical context.

• Now to fully understand what is going on here and to learn more about holiness we have to understand some things about Levitical law and how God thinks vs how the world thinks.

• Now when the world thinks of things like morality they have two ways of thinking. Good, and Bad

• But when we examine Levitical Law and the way God views things there are 3 ways of thinking…

• There are Holy, Sacred and Godly things. Things pertaining to God, used for his purpose

• There are Clean, Common and Good things. The everyday things, good things but not holy and set apart for God’s purposes

• And then there are Unclean, Sinful and Bad things

• And there is also a ladder of sorts that connects the 3, you can go both up and down the ladder

• You can take a Holy thing and make it Common. This happens when you profane the Holy, desecrate what is sacred. You do this by treating something that is Holy and Sacred with Irreverence and Disrespect

• You can take a Common/Clean thing and make it Sinful or Unclean. You do this by corrupting what is good/common or polluting what was clean

• But you can also go the other way and redeem the Unclean, Sinful, Bad things

• You can take something that is Unclean, Sinful and Bad and cleanse it. Removing the impurities and corruption making that thing Clean, Common, Good.

• And you can take something that is Common, Clean or Good and make that thing Holy, Sacred and Godly. And you do that by consecrating it.

• Now as a side note Unclean and Sinful are not synonymous in Levitical Law. Everything that is sinful is unclean but not everything that is unclean is sinful. Much of Old Testament law has to deal with ritual purity and hygiene rather than morality. So some things that would make you unclean include exposure to dead bodies, certain bodily fluids, skin diseases as well as menstruation. But just because these things are unclean that doesn't mean they are sinful.

• The chart isn't perfect but it gets the idea across effectively

• Now on this chart the thing to focus on in regards to understanding chapter 19 is the word consecrate and the process of making something Common into something Holy.

• The word consecrate means to dedicate formally to a divine purpose; to declare something sacred.

• Now when either a person or an object, is consecrated to a God that means 3 things for the thing being consecrated.

• 1. What is consecrated now belongs exclusively to that God

• 2. What is consecrated can now only be used for that God’s purposes

• 3. The thing that was consecrated must now take on the character of the God it was consecrated to.

• And these things are what God was beginning to instruct Israel how to do in Chapter 19.

• God was teaching the Israelites how to consecrate themselves to become Holy to reflect their Holy God.

• Because being Holy according to God is more than just being different and set apart, it also means:

• That we belong to God exclusively

• That we are to be used for his purposes only

• And that we reflect the character of God

• Now before we jump into the New Testament there’s a foundation we need to build to understand the significance of what we’ll learn

• Because something else that we learn from Levitical Law and the chart above. Its how these 3 things can mix together and what the results are when they do

• When you have Holy things and they mix with common things, do the Holy things make the Common things Holy or do the Common make the Holy things Common?

• The Common things make the Holy thing Common. Much like when clean things mix with unclean things.

• When you drop a freshly cleaned plate into the trash are you now able to eat your food off the plate and the trash?

• Of course not! You have to clean the plate again.

• Because the Unclean things make the Clean things dirty.

• And then we have Holy and Unclean or Sinful things. And in the Bible these two things are NEVER to come into contact with one another.

• And we can see the importance of this in how the Old Testament temple was constructed.

• God’s presence, his raw glory and holiness resided in a room called the Holy of holies or the Most Holy Place. The Holy of Holies was separated by a veil from the room it was inside which was called Holy Place and that room was separated from the rest of the temple, which was separated from the rest of the Israelite camp.

• So God resided in a room that was separated from another room, and that room was separated from the temple which was separated from the camp.

• The only people that were allowed into the Holy Place were the Temple priests.

• And the only person allowed into the Most Holy Place where God's raw presence was the High Priest, and he was only allowed to enter one day a year. The Day of Atonement. And he was only able to enter after he followed the proper steps laid out in Leviticus 16. An entire chapter full of instructions, sacrifices and rituals the High Priest must go through in order to be properly consecrated and enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.

• And the reason the Temple was constructed this way was so that God could reside amongst his people while being separated from anything that was unclean or unconsecrated.

• Now what if the High Priest failed to follow all the instructions laid out in Leviticus 16? Or what if an unclean person decided to enter the Holy of Holies? What would happen?

• Well normally a Holy thing that comes into contact with the unconsecrated or unclean would become profane or corrupted.

• But our God is incorruptible so… what would happen?

• The answer is found in Leviticus 16:2

  • The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.

• The unclean, unconsecrated person would die.

• Because God’s holiness is dangerous to the unconsecrated.

• Now we move onto the book of Isaiah. Because something crazy happens in the book of Isaiah. Something that takes so much of what we just learned and throws a curveball at it.

• And it takes place in Isaiah chapter 6

• It starts out like this:

• It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

• So the scene opens with Isaiah standing inside the temple in the presence of God

• Now Isaiah was Jewish, he grew up learning the Law, knew the customs and rules of temple worship.

• Only priests allowed in the Holy Place. Only the High Priest allowed in the Holy of Holies in the very presence of God and only one day a year

• And here Isaiah finds himself standing before God himself, seeing him with his own eyes, inside the Temple, inside the holy of holies.

• Now with what we just learned, how do you think Isaiah responds to this… unique situation he’s in?

•  Probably how anyone would respond faced with their inevitable smiting

• Isaiah 6:5

  • Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

• This guy starts freaking out! But look at what Isaiah says I have unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips.

• Isaiah knows he’s unclean, he lives amongst people who are unclean. He knows what is Holy and what is Unclean must never come into contact. And because of that he is going to die.

• But he doesn't! Instead something completely unexpected happens!

• Isaiah 6:6

  • Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

• So this angel takes a piece of coal, a piece of coal that has been consecrated, that belongs to God, that is used solely for the purposes of God, a piece of coal that is Holy… and places it on lips that are unclean!?

• And when the coal touches Isaiah’s lips it's not corrupted, rather it transforms him, it cleanses his unclean lips and makes them clean.

• What's going on here, what could this mean!?

• Well I'm not gonna tell you. Not right now at least. I'm just gonna leave you with that we’ll come back to it soon though.

Holiness Lessons from the New Testament

• Now our final lesson on what it means to be Holy can be found by examining two NT stories found in Mark 5:25-34 and Matthew 8:1-3

• But lets first examine an important New Testament character named Jesus

• Jesus Christ the son of God, God himself, the second person of the Trinity, the epitome of holiness comes down to Earth to live amongst mankind. Sinful, unclean mankind.

• And based on what we know about Holy and Unclean things that sounds like a recipe for disaster.

• People dropping dead everywhere. Right!? Well, let's see.

• Let's read Mark 5:25-34

• And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

• At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

• “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

• But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

• Okay that definitely brings up some questions. Now keep this story in the back of your minds as we read Matthew 8:1-3 and then we’ll piece it together after.

• Matthew 8:1-3

• Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

• Here in these two stories we see two unclean people, a leper and a bleeding woman coming into contact with holiness itself. The God of the universe, the apex of holiness. 2 Things that are never to come into contact! 

• Now the Holiness of Jesus wasn't corrupted, as we said earlier God is incorruptible. But neither were these 2 killed on the spot!? Why?

• Well this is because Jesus came down to Earth as one of us. His raw holiness and glory veiled by his human form. Still present, as he was fully God but veiled by his humanity as he was also fully human.

• Okay, but not only were they not destroyed, they were transformed and healed. They were made clean. What’s going on!?

• Here is the fulfillment of what was being foreshadowed in Isaiah 6

• Jesus Christ, God himself revealing more aspects of his character to humanity. And our final piece to understanding the full picture of what it is to be Holy.

• And that piece is this… Holiness, Holy people make unclean things clean.

• Now you might ask yourself well, what's changed? Why is it that the same holiness that was once so dangerous to the unclean now used to purify it?

• And the answer to that is God's grace and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross

• Jesus’ sacrifice atoned for our sins, our uncleanliness. And the moment Jesus died on the cross the Bible tells us that the veil in the Holy of Holies, the one that separated God's presence, his holiness from the world was ripped in two. Meaning God no longer has to be separated from us. 

• And now God’s presence and holiness has found a new home inside each person who declares Jesus as Lord.

• And with that final piece we can now see the complete picture.

• In God’s eyes Holiness is to be Set Apart from the World, different from the rest of the world in how we behave in how we think and how we live.

• Being Holy means we belong exclusively to God. This is what 1 Corinthians 6:19 means when it says You Do Not Belong to Yourself!

• Being Holy means we are used only for God’s purposes. This is what Jesus meant in Luke 9:23-24 when he said

• 23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

• We must die to ourselves, our work, our desires, our goals must be consecrated and devoted to bringing God glory.

• It means we must reflect the character of God.

• We must listen to our consciences, to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must study the word, know the character of God and take on that character. We must be sanctified!

• And it means that we are to make Unclean things Clean

• We are to share the Gospel! The good news! Make disciples of all nations. Teach others about Jesus. Be a light to a dark world, provide peace to those who are hopeless.

• This is what it is to be Holy. And it's not optional.

• Hebrews 12:14

  • Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

Rewind Weekend 2023

2023 NUMBERS

• Christmas Sponsorship: 18 families, 48 kids 

• Gettysburg CARES: THREE weeks! 27ish people a day

• Started a Clothing Closet this year! By the way, still looking for a few items to finish that off, and ALWAYS looking for more kids clothing donations! 

• Prison Ministry

• 12 suitcases for the Tanzania Team!

• Sent 6 people to Tanzania!

• Kids

• Breakaway: 13

• Summer Camp: 14 

• Youth - 

• Winter Retreat: 19

• Camp: 17

• Started a Bible Quiz team this year

• Baptism: 40

• New Partners: 13 

• Deliverance team estimates 39 deliverances! They’ve been casually training people too! Maybe up to 10?

• Salvation and “I’m in” responses: 150!!

Psalm 127:1-2 English Standard Version
 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 127:1-2 NLT
Unless the Lord builds a house,
    the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
    guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard
    from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
    for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Vanity is not productive. Long term.

Proverbs 16:4, “The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

The story of Mary & Martha - Luke 10 - Jesus said, vs.42 “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

2 Samuel 6 - a man named Uzzah caught the ark of the covenant

God hides things from the proud, but reveals things to the humble.. That was a fact Jesus thanked God for in Matthew 11.

The Good News #4: The Christmas Spirit

Luke 2:18-20 “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”

To hold onto the Christmas spirit we must:

1. Remember

2. Celebrate

3. Share it!

Merry Christmas FV! Go be Jesus to your friends and family this holiday season!

The Good News #3: Because You Believed

Luke 1:5-25

Luke 1:26-45

First of all, they were BOTH Godly people. 

Second, they were both shaken and confused and a little scared

Third, and here’s where they differ…they both had questions
BUT– one an expression of belief, and one was an expression of disbelief.

our WORDS CAN get in the way of what God wants to do!  Will He still do it? Yeah, just not through you.

Matthew 12:39, “But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign;”

When you don’t believe God the first time, why should he speak a second time?

Mary’s question, on the other hand, “wasn’t how can I be sure this will happen”…it was how can it happen?  See the difference?

Mary was a WORSHIPER

Luke 1:46-56

How do we worship better?
Less about me, more about Him. 
Get your focus ONTO Him. It fixes a lot more than you think it will.

Why rob other people a chance to believe too, just because of your own insecurities and doubt? 

Did you know that the Barna Research Group put something out THIS WEEK that says that “Spiritual openness is widespread right now. Barna data show that 77 percent of U.S. adults believe in God or a higher power, 74 percent would like to grow spiritually and 44 percent are more open to God today than they were before the pandemic.”

The Good News #2: Available

PASSION is what I want us to catch from this series--because we are a vibrant, passionate, and selfless church, and because PASSION is what should fuel our evangelism.  It should fuel everything that we do as believers.

Stirring up a passion is possible, when there’s a willingness to.  

Luke 2:1-20

Gen 49:10, “The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
    the one whom all nations will honor.”

(Daniel 2:44 says (in the 500’s BC), ““During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.”)

HOW GOOD is this news… that the God of the universe couldn’t stop talking about it for THOUSANDS OF YEARS PRIOR AND SINCE. That He sent ANGELS to announce it! 

THIS is the basis for our PASSION for the Good News.  It’s the understanding that God is SO BIG.  His plans are SO PERFECT.  And we are so arrogant to assume we know more than Him!!! 

• It’s not a sacrifice to serve Him, or live in surrender to Him...when I have this revelation, it’s...a no-brainer. I can now see these layers of rebellion against that plan in my life--that I just don’t have any business believing. I WANT to obey on so many more levels when I understand this...my life isn’t about ME

God’s people THROUGHOUT THE GENERATIONS have been made to serve governments that they did not like.  That they did not think was according to God’s perfect plan for them...But if anything shows us, that God’s will and plan cannot be thwarted by ANY move of ANY government EVER, it’s this story. 

We’re not afraid of the world becoming a weirder, darker place culturally. Because in the dark, we shine brighter!

WHY the shepherds?

Shepherds in that time: out in the rocky deserts, dirty, stank, weren’t allowed to worship in the temple, weren’t allowed to give testimony in court...they had low social status (low social status, does not mean low spiritual status. God doesn’t look at the outward appearance, He looks at the heart. The most important thing you can work on in this life, is your INNER world, not your OUTER world. Work on your CHARACTER, and let God work on your respect.)

They were AVAILABLE. & receptive. (Even God didn’t announce his good news to people who weren’t ready to hear it.  He gave it to the people who were receptive and available!!)

Immediate acceptance. Immediate involvement.

SLOW DOWN. Stop being too busy.  Make time for people. 

Invite people into your world! THAT’s preaching the Gospel too!

Is it my business to say someone’s no for them!?

The Good News #1: Gifts Fit For A King

I think in our culture we take it for granted…I think we see it more as “old news”, than the good news. 

What is the Gospel? You should have an answer to this question.

Matthew 2:1-12

What we know about the Wise Men:

1. They were probably rulers of some sort.

2. Not Jews, but devout followers of God.

3. They studied the stars, and took it seriously.

4. They traveled far to bless the Messiah. Not to be blessed by Him.

5. They gave him gifts.  The BEST gifts.  Gifts fit for a king! They knew that the new this good…required a sacrifice.  News this good, was worth giving EVERYTHING to. 

God can send help from the most unlikely places.

The Book of Isaiah, when describing Jerusalem’s glorious restoration, tells of nations and kings who will come and “bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6).

In addition to the honor and status implied by the value of the gifts of the magi, scholars think that these three were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself—gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming—an interpretation made popular in the well-known Christmas carol “We Three Kings.”

The Wise Men’s gifts were:

• Useful & Generous.

  • Are you THAT useful and generous to the church? To the vehicle God now uses to preach Jesus? If the church NEVER gave you ANYthing back--would you still serve it?

• Precious & Valuable.

  • The GOOD NEWS is worth our BEST. Not your leftovers, not your reluctance. It’s worth your best!!

  • Evangelism is costly.

• Respectful & worshipful.

  • We show our love for Him by giving our best gifts, by giving him our BEST worship, and by treating the Gospel with the REVERENCE it deserves.

Who are you praying for right now?

Who are you showing Jesus to right now?

Who are you preaching the Good News to, right now?

---

GOLD

Gold may have been the first metal that human beings encountered, because it can often be found in its pure natural state (for instance, nuggets in streams) rather than mixed in ore, which requires smelting. People have always valued gold for its luster, beauty, malleability, and resistance to corrosion and tarnish. These attributes also led ancient civilizations throughout the world to associate gold with royalty, immortality, and deity. It was first used in minted currency in the seventh century B.C.

Gold from the Wise Men has frequently been mentioned as possibly being very useful in helping Joseph and Mary pay for their flight to Egypt to escape Herod. (The other gifts could have been sold for a very good price as well.)

FRANKINCENSE

Originating in Arabia and northern Africa, frankincense is a dried resin (from trees of the genus Boswellia) used in perfumes and incense for thousands of years. Historically, frankincense was a highly valued commodity. When burned as incense, it was often valued for its aroma as well as for its reputed ability to disinfect and repel insects and other pests.

Frankincense was used in ancient Israelite temple worship as:

An ingredient in the perfume of the sanctuary (see Exodus 30:34).

An accompaniment to the meat offering, which was part of all burnt and peace offerings (see Leviticus 2:1, 16).

An accompaniment to the shewbread in the outer compartment of the tabernacle (or holy place) and burned as a memorial before the presence of the Lord (see Leviticus 24:7). Burning incense in the temple represented prayer (see Psalm 141:2).

MYRRH

Myrrh is also a dried resin from Arabia and northern Africa (from thorny shrubs and trees of the genus Commiphora) used in perfumes, incense, and medicines for thousands of years. The word comes from an Arabic word meaning “bitter.” It has been valued for its aroma as well as for its use as an antiseptic, analgesic (topical painkiller), and other medicinal qualities.

Myrrh was used in ancient Israelite temple worship as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil for consecrating priests, the tabernacle, and kings (see Exodus 30:23–25). It was used in the purification of Queen Esther (see Esther 2:12), and it was also used in embalming (see John 19:39).

Attitude of Gratitude #4: Praising In The Pain

Acts 16:16-40

Thankful IN the bad things…not the absence of them.

Hebrews 12:7-11

Midnight singing & dungeon faith

Psalms 20:7

God can change circumstances SUDDENLY.

We are citizens.

Here's what I've learned about gratitude in this series.

1. Gratitude anchors us in the PRESENT, but helps us have hope for the future. 

2. Gratitude is a feeling, but it’s also a practice.  

3. Faith and gratitude are linked.

Attitude of Gratitude #3: In All Circumstance

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be thankful in all circumstances.
Selfishness doesn’t pay off in long-term happiness.
Short-term happiness does not pay off in long term fulfillment and purpose.

Romans 5:1-2

more pride doesn’t fix a confidence problem

We have undeserved privilege.

Acts 4:13

Romans 5:3-5

Problems and trials —> endurance —> strength of character —> CONFIDENT hope of salvation

Maybe instead of praying that God would take things OFF your plate, ask Him to give you a bigger plate.
The goal is not to eliminate stress from your life…but get better at HANDLING stress.
You do that, with gratitude.

Romans 5:6

Luke 22:14-20

Attitude of Gratitude #2: On The Way

‭‭Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭11‬-‭19‬

What can we learn from…

…the 10?
It’s one thing to call Him master, and another to obey.
It’s one thing to ask for healing…and another thing to move toward the healing.
If you want something from Jesus, you better be willing to do it HIS way.

…the 1?
He wanted Jesus to have the glory before he had the benefit.‬

…the 9?
Gratitude goes the extra mile
Gratitude goes out of its way.
Gratitude isn't rebellious or entitled.

…Jesus?
He heals AND makes whole.

What about your gratitude?
Loud - Humble - Immediate - Whole-hearted

EXCERPT FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
(would be a very interesting study!)

Studying leprosy helps us see why pain is a valuable “gift,” a survival mechanism to warn us of danger in this cursed world. Without pain and suffering, we might be like lepers, unable to recognize that something is terribly wrong and that we need the healing touch of God. As Dr. Brand said, “I cannot think of a greater gift that I could give my leprosy patients than pain.”

Attitude of Gratitude #1: Today is the Day

Ephesians 4:11-13
James 4:6
Luke 11:5-10

We need to STOP giving God our credentials, and start reminding ourselves of HIS.

It’s not God’s blessing that I deserve…it’s his discipline.
When I come to him with a HUMBLE mindset, then He can give grace…which He loves to give!

TODAY is the day that the Lord has made..

((Exodus 4:24-26))

Entitlement kills gratitude. Entitlement kills humility.

The Locusts #5: Heart For The House

Mark 12:38-40

It was not uncommon for a husband to appoint in his will a Jewish legal expert—a scribe or Pharisee—to be the executor of his widow’s estate. Essentially, this gave the executor authority to oversee the widow’s finances and assets. It would not be hard for a corrupt lawyer to find legal ways to trick a widow out of her house and other property—and this is precisely what the religious leaders were doing.  (This is another example of Jesus SEEING women and advocating for them.

1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

in another location Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! Matt 19:24

Money is a tool.

Mark 12:41

Jesus noticed how (and how much) they gave.
Jesus watched. He IS watching.  Has that ever really sunk in? He cares about HOW you bring your offering, not just that you do. He cares if your heart is CHEERFUL as you give, not just THAT you give.

You know the Bible calls the church the BRIDE of Christ?  He laid down his life for His bride…and then you come in and you use and abuse her…You treat her badly or only treat her as an obligation or ritual…something to gain HIS favor…ew.  He notices.  You only like her when she’s fun and complimenting you…not when she speaking truth or asking you for more. 

Changes how you think about it when you think about the church as a person.  If you wouldn’t treat a person this way, why would you treat the church this way?  Jesus LOVED her.  He LOVES her. SO MUCH that he laid down his life for her.  You can’t claim to love jesus and not love his people.  

1 John 4 says, If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Mark 12:41-42

Mark 12:43-44

His heart is always for His Father's House.

What is your faith in today?