Revelation 2-3, Part 2

Christ’s letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 commend them for perseverance in trials, purity from sin, and passion for truth. But Christ also condemns the churches for things that led them away from Him. Some of them died, and one of them made Him sick! What drew His ire?

What Christ Condemns in the Churches
· Smyrna and Philadelphia: Nothing! J
· Ephesus: “Left your first love” – conflicting passions
· Pergamum: “Balaam/Nicolaitans” – conflicting motives
· Thyatira: “You tolerate the woman Jezebel” – immorality
· Sardis: “You are dead!” – spiritually slumbering
· Laodicea: “You are lukewarm!” – spiritually unconscious

The Progression: “The Road to Laodicea”
1. _____________________ of love for Christ
2. _________________________ truth and life
3. _____________________ spiritually

The Corrective: “Repent!” (But what does that mean?)

Repentance = ______________ __________ from sin.

The Bottom Line
The most important thing church leaders in each generation can do is preserve and promote an uncompromising love of the church for Jesus Christ.

“I know your works…”
Jesus Christ, to all seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3

 

For Further Study

1. The Ephesian Christians “lost their first love” (2:4-5) – their passion for Christ had waned! The text does not provide any specifics, but this clearly involved a change in their actions. What do you think are some signs that believers and churches have ‘lost their first love’?

2. In the letter to Pergamum, Christ refers to the story of Balaam in the Old Testament (Numbers 22-24). Read over that story, then the references to Balaam in 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11. How would you summarize ‘the teaching of Balaam’?

3. Christ repeatedly calls churches to “Repent!” (2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19). Some have wrongly confused repentance with faith, but to repent means to ‘turn away from sin,’ and is obviously something Christians need to do! From what sinful attitudes or actions do you think Christians today need to repent?

4. In each letter, Christ offers rewards to “overcomers” – those who ‘win over sin’ in this life. Read over the various rewards Christ offers. When will we receive these (see 2 Cor 5:10)? Which of the rewards are most appealing to you? Why?

5. How would you recognize a church today that was spiritually slumbering or unconscious (like Sardis and Laodicea)? What are ‘signs’ of this kind of church a believer should look for?

6. Two churches – Smyrna and Philadelphia – had no negative comments from Christ. What did these churches experience which may have helped them avoid the pitfalls other churches fell into?

7. Time for some self-evaluation. How do we measure up in the positive and negative areas Christ highlights? If Christ wrote a letter to NBBC, what would He commend us for? What would He condemn us for?