What Jesus Sees, Part 2

Jamaal Williams

Scripture Reading Portion

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.
14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame.
15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters.
16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.
20 The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:12-20 CSB

All: Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. x7

Sermon Passage

18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:
19 I know your works—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.
20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.
22 Look, I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction. Unless they repent of her works,
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets of Satan” —as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you.
25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—
27 and he will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will shatter them like pottery —
28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.
29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

3 “Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.
2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God.
3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.
4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.
6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:
8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.
10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.
12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.
13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation:
15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.
20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Revelation 2:18-3:22 CSB

Big Idea: Jesus gives us himself so we can hear him and respond to him.

1.  GROWTH — Growing but Compromising

• “Your last works are greater than the first.” They were growing and doing better than before.
• You can be growing in some areas as a Christian and compromising in major ones.
• Jesus wants all of you. The end does not justify the means.

2. REPUTATION — Reputable but Dying

• “You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.”
• Their works were complete in front of people and unfinished in front of God.
• Let us be a church that chooses depth over display.

3. STRENGTH — Weak but Faithful

• They had “little power” — “Not much strength. Small. Overlooked.”
• Jesus does not confuse weakness with unfaithfulness.
• Keep his word. Do not deny his name. Jesus commends them for holding on when they had almost nothing to hold with.

4. RESOURCES — Wealthy but Spiritually Needy

• “I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,” but Jesus says they are “poor, blind, and naked.”
• Sometimes the biggest threat to your walk with God is not a crisis. It is competence.
• Come get from Jesus what you have been getting somewhere else.

5. Summary

• Faithfulness is keeping your heart tender enough to hear Jesus and responsive enough to obey him.
• Your faithfulness is not the price you pay to get his grace. It is the life his grace grows in people who keep on receiving Jesus.
• If God stirred something in you, do not walk out of here holding it by yourself. Tell somebody. Say it out loud today. Something you name out loud has a way of sticking. Something you keep to yourself has a way of fading by Tuesday.
• Tell the person sitting next to you. Tell your community group. Tell your spouse in the car.