John 4:1-30
1. He showed her, her own need for Him.
2. He was teaching her how to wonder.
3. He showed her that God still seeks people like her.
4. Through her, he showed the entire town who He was.
“Fear Not” is a FVChurch Spring 2024 series about how to handle fear.
Series Overview
Week 1 The Passion
We read through the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane right before he was betrayed by Judas
And in that story we saw Jesus praying and asking the Father if there is any other way, please take this cup of suffering from me.
And it was through this story we learned that Jesus’ passion wasn't for the cross. For the cross’s sake. Not that that would be a bad thing but his commitment wasnt to the cross. His passion and commitment was to the will of the Father which ultimately led him to the cross.
Week 2 The Plan
This message picked up directly after week 1 ended.
Judas arrives and betrays Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees.
And every aspect of this story we see Jesus’ submission to the Father
He pre-forgave Judas, and called him friend
He took a tense and violent arrest, diffused it and used it as a teaching point to give glory to the Father.
Through this message we saw that Jesus was 100% submitted to the will and plans of the Father.
Week 3 The Crown
The Crown examined the story of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, his sentencing to death and the resurrection.
In this story we saw the same people who were declaring Jesus their king just a week earlier now handing Jesus over to the Romans and demanding his crucifixion.
The Jewish people sought a political crown for Jesus. They wanted him to rise up as their liberator, overthrow the Romans and establish his Kingdom on the Earth.
But that wasn't the Father’s plan. So they had him put to death.
Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world so he chose a crown of thorns.
But 3 days later he rose again
And because he submitted to the crown of thorns he is now crowned with glory and honor.
Week 4 The Crowd
And in The Crowd we took a step back into an earlier story of Jesus’ ministry
We examined Jesus feeding the 5,000
And in this message we saw how Jesus responded to those who followed him for selfish reasons.
They were fed, many were caught up in spectacle, and they followed Jesus with an entitled expectation that they would get more and more and more.
And what did Jesus do? He didn't give in or make it easy for them, he gave them truth and it offended them.
Jesus was looking for those who were willing to learn. Those that weren't left him.
Even Jesus who was perfect had people who left him
We learned here that Jesus doesn't always make it easy for people, he pushes on our walls and he expects total commitment.
So far in this series we’ve analyzed the life of Jesus and his submission to the Father and the Father’s will for HIM.
To close out this series I want to read through the final days of Jesus’ ministry on Earth and I want to take everything we learned prior from this series and apply it to us in the context of God’s will for US.
Now that leads to the obvious question: What is God’s will for us?
At the very end of his ministry, Jesus reveals a piece of God’s will to his disciples . A piece that still applies to Christians today.
The last two verses in Matthew 28 are known as The Great Commission
The definition of Great is: Of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average.
And the definition of Commission is: An instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.
Put those together and what we have is Jesus giving an intense duty to the church that is considerably above normal or average.
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This is God’s Duty for the church. For you and Me. This is God’s Will for the Church.
This is God’s Plan for the Church.
The Plan
Now lets start applying what we’ve learned throughout this series
Jesus was 100% submitted to the will and plans of the Father. Week 2
Who remembers what Christian means? Little Christ, exactly
Meaning we are to be reflections of Jesus Christ
So as Jesus was completely submitted to the Father’s plan for him we are to be completely submitted to the Father’s plan for us.
How do we get to a place where we are completely submitted to The Great Commission, God’s plan for us?
We make a decision to be.
It is that simple! Because submission is making a choice.
Jesus had to make that choice. And we are called to do the same.
So stop overthinking it! Stop making it complicated, it's not complicated.
Make the decision to Submit completely to the Will of God. And go out and make disciples.
The Passion
Now lets talk about Passion
Jesus showed his passion for the Will of his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, so likewise if Jesus was passionate we should be passionate about the Will of God.
We learned that Passion cannot tolerate disobedience, that's why in order for our passion to grow we must first Submit to the Plan God has for us.
But we also learned that it is our job to stoke the flames of passion within us.
So how do we do that? How do we grow in our passion for the Will of God to create disciples?
The answer to this question is found in Luke 24.
Lets read verse 32 again: They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
These two disciples on the road Emmaus had their passion reignited how?
By walking with Jesus, talking with Jesus, spending time in his presence. And not only that, when they were in his presence they went to the scriptures and verse 27 says: Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
They spent time with Jesus, they spent time studying his word and he explained the scriptures to them, revealing the meaning behind what they said. And this stoked the flames of passion within them!
This is how we stoke our passion for the Will of God over our lives. This is how we become passionate about what God is passionate about: seeing people come to know him. Making disciples.
We do not spend enough time in God’s presence, praying, studying his word.
And I'm gonna put an emphasis on studying his word. The words of the Bible are the foundation our life should be built on. This is how we stoke our passion for the Will of God over our lives. This is how we become passionate about what God is passionate about: seeing people come to know him. Making disciples.
We do not spend enough time in God’s presence, praying, studying his word.
And I'm gonna put an emphasis on studying his word. The words of the Bible are the foundation our life should be built on! And we do not read it enough.
We are too busy, constantly distracted and lack the self discipline to sit down and read the Bible. But when people do, it's obvious.
Now let me briefly address those who feel they have a hard time grasping and understanding the Bible while they read it. Listen to the advice Candace has been giving. Don't rush through it, take your time, pray and ask God to reveal it to you.
Look back to the story in Luke. There were two different verses where Jesus revealed the scriptures to his disciples. Verse 27 which we just read and verse 45 says “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” He does this for us as well.
I know that we don't have Jesus physically here walking us through the scriptures but the Holy Spirit has been sent to each of us who believe! And the Holy Spirit will do the same things Jesus did here for the disciples. He’ll open our minds and explain his words to us. Just give him the opportunity.
So how do we burn with passion for God? A Passion that burns away everything else. A passion that desires to see others come to know him?
By walking with him, talking with him, and taking the time to open our Bibles and letting the Holy Spirit explain his word to us.
The Crowd
Now lets talk about the crowd.
Without Submission to God’s Plan we can't have Passion for his Plan, without Passion for his plan we can’t love the crowd that God has called us to love. That being humanity.
Humanity is hard to love guys! Humanity is hard to maintain hope for. But that's what we're called to do regardless.
God’s will for us is to make disciples of all nations!
The people in your life who do not yet know God, no matter how difficult it is to love them, these are the people God has called you to make disciples of.
So we must evangelize. We have to tell them the good news! Family, friends, coworkers. Understand that they are not in your life by accident!
Romans 10:14 says:
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
We cannot stay silent! For their sakes! We must live a life that reflects and gives Glory to God. We have to be on fire, full of passion because people who are passionate, talk about the things they are passionate about.
But we also have to be ready for the reality that oftentimes evangelism isn't easy, nor is it a guaranteed victory. There will be people that resent and hate you for your message.
John 15:18-20
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
When Jesus was on this Earth, he taught people and declared the Good News. We should likewise teach and declare the Good News
Jesus was hated for his message, we will be hated too, we speak the same message. At least we should. But let's not forget that there were also many who loved Jesus and his message as well. There will be people who love us and the message of the Gospel.
Many people followed Jesus, there will be many who will follow us to Jesus. And even though Jesus was perfect there were still many who left him, and there will be many who leave us as well.
We are to be like Jesus! No matter the crowd in front of us. Speak the truth in Love, don't sugar coat to appease a culture that seeks to have its sins justified.
Look closely for those that are willing to listen, and pour into them. Pray and intercede for those that are closed off to the Gospel that God would soften them.
We each have our own crowd. Don't stay silent. How else will they hear?
The Crown
Now lets close out with The Crown
All 3 points before this The Plan, The Passion and The Crowd dealt with the here and now. God’s will for us on this Earth.
With The Crown we look forward to the future rewards that await us for submitting to the Father’s will here on Earth.
When Jesus was on this Earth he pursued a crown of Thorns and because of his obedience he gained a crown of glory and honor as his reward.
But did you know that we are also pursuing a crown? Crowns actually, plural.
The Bible mentions 5 crowns that will be rewarded to believers in heaven. The Imperishable Crown, The Crown of Rejoicing, The Crown of Righteousness, The Crown of Glory and The Crown of Life.
I don't have time to go through them one by one as that could be a whole sermon itself but I encourage you to look into them. It's what you're working towards afterall!
But understand the word crown is figurative language. So not a literal crown but its describing literal rewards we will receive in heaven.
Jesus knew that his kingdom was not of this world. Do you?
Our citizenship here on this Earth is secondary to our citizenship in Heaven.
We work hard for the money to get us by, day by day. How much more should we be willing to work for rewards that are not temporary but will last all eternity.
Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
The thing I want you all to take away from The Crown is that we have rewards to look forward to! Get your eyes off of the temporary here and now. There are rewards awaiting us in heaven based on the merit of the work we’ve done here on Earth.
The Bible says The Son of Man is going to come and repay each person according to what he has done. And that he is coming back soon.
Change your mindset to the mindset Jesus had! He knew the Fathers will for him, he submitted to it, he had a passion for it, he pursued it and knew the rewards that awaited him for it.
Submit to God’s Plan for you, stoke your passion, love people, store up your treasure in heaven and take those in your crowd with you.
Because that is The Great Commission God has given us!
1. Jesus doesn't always make it easy.
2. Jesus will push through your walls.
3. Jesus asks for total commitment.
The crowd had a starving spirit…ME CHURCH spirit..
always wants more
never satisfied. Never content.
tend to want the power only for the POWER.
Things Jesus DID NOT do for a starving spirit…
Keep feeding them baby food.
Stress himself out trying to keep them happy.
Let them stay in that mindset.
Run after them and beg them to come back.
Blame himself. He gave it over to His Father.
We’re all pursuing crowns of some sort, aren’t we? Looking for what we can control in life. Fame crown, financial crown, political crown, spiritual crown…
And we’d like it to be effortless too, please…EASY!
John 18:33-36
They said: Serve us, or die.
He said: My Kingdom is not of this world.
He said liberating you all might be a good plan, but I’ve got a GOD plan.
Serving you here and now, might be a good plan, but I’ve got a GOD plan.
John 19:1-15
Jesus could have had the crown of government, He chose the crown of thorns.
Jesus could have had the crown of religion, He chose the crown of thorns.
They said: We have no king, but caesar.
We say: We have no king, but self.
We have no king, but our own feelings.
We have no king, but culture.
We have no king, but our every whim and desire.
We have no king, but SELF.
John 19:16-20
What do you say about Him?
It’s your choice. The ball is your court. Jesus did His part of the cross…
But His death wasn’t the end.
John 20:1-17
God is REAL, God is good, and He loves you so much He sent His Son.
If all you prayed for today was given to you, how many people would know Jesus as Savior as a result?
Matthew 26:47-56
100% SUBMITTED TO THE FATHER’S WILL
“pre-forgiveness” - Jesus had already decided AHEAD OF TIME that He would forgive Him, and love Him
Forgiveness is the ultimate submission to God.
It's not our job to defend God.
Passionate disciples are obedient disciples.
Matthew 26:31-46
PASSION burns away everything else. It REFINES
Passion breeds obedience. Obedience breeds passion. It’s cyclical. Passion is already being stirred up. Passion for Jesus. So passion for other things must fall away.
Jesus ALREADY has a plan for AFTER they desert Him!! He’s ALREADY CALLING THEM BACK TO HIMSELF before they even mess up!!!!
You can sound passionate, but not BE passionate.
Fighting is the easy part for fighters. Losing is HARD. And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He chose to lose that battle. He chose to put Himself on that cross. He CHOSE to let them nail him to a tree.
The WILL of God is not static. It’s not singular. Not like our plans…He has CONTINGENCIES!
Jesus wasn’t committed to the cross, for the cross’s sake–EVEN THOUGH THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD THING TO BE COMMITTED TO–Jesus was committed to the WILL of the Father.
I OFTEN wonder if Peter would have been able to stand by Jesus if He had been able to keep watch and pray here.
How many cups of suffering do we knowingly drink from?
I love how Jesus follows his own advice…you can see it here! Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. He taught the disciples how to pray by being repetitive… He practices what He preaches!!
Here’s what we see from Jesus:
An all out SUBMISSION to the heart of the Father.
An obedience to WHATEVER the Lord has assigned to Him.
The ability to deny HIMSELF to do what needs to be done.
Are we REALLY ready to say yes to Jesus today?
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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!)
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
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.
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
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.When a slave was granted freedom, they would receive a white stone as evidence of emancipation & freedom.
A white stone was also given to a soldier who came back from a victorious battle. As God’s soldiers, we are victorious!
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.
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:
The Picture of Jesus '- “I know what you’re going through.”
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.
The Persecution of the Church - “I see what you’re going through.”
James 1:2: Count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.
The Promise for Believers - “But I also know what’s coming.”
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.
Another Interesting Perspective On The Book of Revelation:
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.
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.
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:
Remember
Celebrate
Share it!
Merry Christmas FV! Go be Jesus to your friends and family this holiday season!
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.”