MPC, 22nd February 2004.Revelation 2-3 - "To Him Who Overcomes"
Phil Campbell MPC, 22nd February 2004.
One of the most memorable Olympic Athletes of the 1968 Mexico City Games was a marathon runner from Tanzania. John Stephen Akhwari. He doesn't get a mention in the record books. But that's not the point. In fact, it's fair to say more people remember John Akhwari... than the guy who won gold. Even though John Akhwari came in last.
Half way through the race Akhwari fell. And badly gashed his calf, and injured his knee. Most runners at that point would give up. But after a few minutes John Akhwari picked himself up. Strapped up his leg. And kept running.
By the time he got to the stadium, the race had long finished. The winners crossed the line over an hour before. Night was falling. And most of the spectators were heading for home. And as the officials were packing up for the day, the figure of this final lone runner appeared at the stadium gates. Bandaged, bloody; every step agonizing... the regulation laps around the stadium circuit. And at last, Akhwari crossed the finish line.
The small crowd left in the stadium clapped and cheered him on. As Akhwari limped off the track. And finally collapsed.
The next day John Akhwari was interviewed by the world media. The fact is, in every marathon, lots of athletes drop out. With far less reason than Akhwari. They said, why didn't you stop? And Akhwari said this. He said, "My country did not send me 7000 miles here to Mexico City to start the race. My country sent me here to finish the race."
And so he did.
Now I want to ask you this morning, how does that story match up with your experience of the Christian life? Because it may be you've been led to believe that the Christian life is easy. There are churches around where you'll be told that being Christian is the key to prosperity. And health. That if you're faithful enough, that if you pray the right prayers, you'll be blessed beyond your wildest dreams. By which they mean, great job, great house, great health, great bank account. And you'll cruise into the stadium as a winner.
I was talking to a Christian friend of mine, she said a few years back she had a premature baby, she'd injured her neck and she was in traction in hospital and could hardly move, her husband had just been diagnosed with cancer. And she said a woman from her church said to her, "It's obvious. You haven't got enough faith." Because, she said, "real Christians don't have problems like that."
Well, I want to say to you today, real Christians do. So far, maybe you haven't. But the fact is, Real Christians are running a marathon. And Christians back in the first century had it a lot tougher than we've got it today. Because on top of the bad backs and cancer and business problems and house repayments that stress us out today, Christians back then were being persecuted for their faith. And just around the corner, they're going to be persecuted a whole lot more.
Today we're looking at the easiest bit of the whole of the book of Revelation. If you look at the start of chapter 2, you'll see there are Seven Letters to Seven Churches that were part of the first century Roman Empire. Real letters. To real people. You can see the places on the map on your sheet. In the area that today we call Turkey. Lou's cousin has been there on a tour; traveled round all seven places - seen the relics. Bought the souvenirs. I've seen the photos to prove it.
Seven real letters. To seven real churches. All with pretty much the same sort of message. And even though they're written to seven different churches, they're all meant to push us in our church on to the finish line.
Now you'll notice when you look at them, these seven letters are a bit like those form letters you get from Reader's Digest. "Dear Mr Campbell, Congratulations. You are one of only seven million people singled out to win three million dollars and a house on the Gold Coast." And you know everyone else has got exactly the same sort of letter in their mailbox the same day.
The seven letters are all very similar. Not quite as bad as a Reader's Digest letter; but they start the same way, they finish the same way. And they all follow a very similar pattern.
First of all, did you notice as we read the letters through, every letter starts with a look back to the vision of Jesus in Chapter 1. You might remember it from the end of chapter 1. A majestic picture of Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And every letter starts with a reminder of who it is who's talking. A reminder of that powerful vision of Jesus. Which in a way are each particularly apt for the situation.
Look at verse 1 in chapter 2. To Ephesus. "These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands." Have a look back at chapter 1 v 12 and 13, you'll see the same words. The lampstands... represent the churches. But in the church in Ephesus you'll see things are so bad their lamp is in danger of being snuffed out. Exactly like on Survivor on TV. Verse 5... "Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
The second letter starts the same way. Verse 8 in chapter 2. "These are the words of The First and the Last who died and came to life again." Exactly what Jesus calls himself in the vision back in verse 17 and 18 of chapter 1. And the same pattern repeats in each letter. Every letter starts with a reminder that it's coming from the King of Kings himself. These aren't letters from the Reader's Digest. They're letters from the glorious Jesus. The Ruler of the universe.
And after that introduction, each of the letters move on. And in each one, you'll find the following words:- "I know." Chapter 2 verse 2. He says, I know your deeds.
I haven't seen the movie I know what you did last summer. But I saw the preview once. Looked scary. Jesus wants his churches to know that he knows exactly how they're going.
And he lists them out - the good and the bad. And the ugly. Or in some cases, the comfort. Don't think Jesus doesn't notice. Verse 9. The next letter. I know. I know your afflictions. Verse 13. The letter to Pergamum. "I know where you live. And I know what it's like." Verse 19. Thyatira. I know your deeds, your love and faith.
Now wouldn't you love that? To have Jesus say, you mightn't think I know... but I do know. I know what you're like in secret. And I like it. I love your love. I love your faith.
Jesus knows what it's like. Get a feel for it. Verse 9 in chapter 2. Smyrna. What are they up against? Affliction. Poverty. Slander from the Jews. And it's going to get worse. Verse 10; they're going to be thrown in prison and tested.
Others are doing it easier. By compromising. Jesus knows. Like he does with you. Because he knows your heart. And he knows your mind.
Now you'll notice if we keep going, in most of the letters, the next thing is that Jesus calls on the churches to repent. To turn away from their sins, to stop the things they're doing. Because if they don't, they're going to face judgement. You can follow it through later. But look again at how it starts in verse 5. He's talking to the church in the city of Ephesus. And he says "Remember the height from which you've fallen. repent and do the things you did at first." As we'll see in a moment, they've changed. And it's not for the better. They used to be a great church. And now... Jesus says repent. Turn around. Before it's too late.
Same in verse 16. Pergamum. Repent therefore. Chapter 3 verse 3.
And Sardis. Remember, therefore what you have received and heard. Obey it and repent.
You might reckon a lot of churches are crook these days. Well, it was the same back then. And five out of these seven churches need to turn around and say sorry. From the heart. Before it's too late.
Last thing in every letter, there's a promise. A promise for anyone who overcomes. Who makes it to the end of the race. Look through it quickly. In 2:7 the promise is that if they overcome they'll eat from the tree of life. They'll be back in the garden of Eden. And verse 11 - "he who overcomes won't be hurt by the second death" - they're safe from God's judgement. And you'll see the same again in every letter. To him who overcomes, then a promise. Seven times. That's the message that comes through every time.
Jesus wants these people to overcome. And there's a great promise if they do. The same promise for us. As Christians, Jesus wants you and me to do exactly the same. To remember he's watching. To examine where you're at. To repent. And to finally... to make sure you overcome.
Well, the question I want to ask is about the last bit. What's it mean to overcome? And how do you make sure you overcome? And what do you have to watch out for?
The answer's in the letters. We can learn about overcoming from what the churches are doing wrong. And we can learn even more from what they're doing right - especially the two glowing churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia, because of all the seven churches they're the only two that Jesus doesn't criticise. Straight As.
First of all, take a look at the church in the city of Ephesus. These Ephesians have got a terrible problem. Their problem is that they've got plenty of zeal, but they've run out of love. They're zealots. Full of passion - absolutely mad keen to have right doctrine, to have right theology. They know all the big theological words, the can talk about infralapsarianism till the cows come home. Trouble is, they've got no love. That's what he says in chapter 2 verse 4. "Yet I hold this against you. You've forgotten your first love." At the start things were different. When they were first converted they knew about love. But now in all their efforts to be right and true and to test these false apostles and to not tolerate wickedness in the church they've lost it. They've lost their love. They've beaten off all the enemies from the outside, they've got rid of false teaching - but they've been eaten away from the inside. And loveless Christianity isn't Christianity at all. Which means whether they know it or not, they've pulled out of the race.
Now lest you go to the other extreme, and you're sitting there saying, see, I knew it. All this stuff about right doctrine, it's pointless. But before you go there.... have a look at Pergamum and Thyatira. Verse 14 and 15, Pergamum, caught up in all sorts of strange false teachings. Getting into idol worship; which leads straight into sexual immorality. Same in Thyatira. Verse 20. Idols and immorality.
And it's interesting. The problem isn't so much that they've fallen into idolatry and immorality themselves. Most of them haven't. The problem is, they put up with it. The problem is, they're so tolerant. Doesn't matter, they say. Let's be loving. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Who's to say who's right and who's wrong?
And it's interesting to see the thing Jesus has got against the church isn't that they've all followed this Jezebel false teacher. It's just that they've put up with her. Jesus is against their tolerance. Because they've just turned a blind eye while she's led people astray. Pergamum and Thyatira might have plenty of love. But they've lost touch with the truth.
Folks, can I say to you, if there's ever a problem we're up against as Christians today, this is it. The idea that everything's okay. The idea that there's no such thing as truth any more. The idea that it's arrogant to try to say the bible says something's wrong. Cause you'll be told it's really just a matter of interpretation, isn't it? The idea that it's unloving to take a stand and correct someone. That it's divisive.
And so people will be caught up in all sorts of sexual immorality. All sorts of wrong living and wrong thinking. And we'll just stand there like the frozen chosen. And we won't say a word. They say we live in a permissive society. So did the Christians at Pergamum. Which doesn't excuse a sort of anything goes Christianity.
Now again, notice he's not saying go out and critique the non Christians. He's saying don't redefine what it means to be Christian.
Two opposite problems. Zeal without love. And love without zeal. When real Christians have got both. We've got to love the truth. And love people as well.
There's another problem. And that's the problem of self satisfaction. That you'll see in both Sardis and Laodicea. Two churches that look good on the outside. And they're rotten on the inside. Two churches that run seminars on how to be an effective church. And pastors come from everywhere to learn to do the same. Very scary. Chapter 3 verse 1. Sardis. you have the reputation of being alive... but you're dead.
And Laodicea; Verse 16, in a vivid word picture... Jesus says you think you're pretty flash. But you're like a bowl of half cold soup. "Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."
Which is a salutary thought, isn't it? Doesn't matter nearly so much the reputation our church has got with other people. Or how self satisfied we get. What matters is the reputation we've got with Jesus.
Well, time for some good news. Let's take a look at the final two churches. The two that Jesus praises. Smyrna and Philadelphia. These are the only two churches out of the seven that he doesn't criticise. And they're a contrast.
It's funny. In Smyrna, they're doing it tough. And yet they're the ones Jesus praises. Look at chapter 2 verse 9. Jesus says "I know about your afflictions and your poverty. Yet you are rich." The fact is, everything's going wrong. They're persecuted. They're poor. They're going to be thrown in prison. But in the eyes of Jesus, they're rich. They've got everything they need. They're right on target to overcome.
There are just two things they've got to do. They're in verse 10. Number 1. "Don't be afraid of what you're about to suffer." Because, says Jesus, they're about to be persecuted even more. And here's number 2. "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."
See... that's what it means to overcome. To be faithful to Jesus, through the tough times, through the poor times, through the persecution times, even to the point of death. To run the race... right to the end.
Are you going to do that?
Look at the letter to Philadelphia. Chapter 3 verse 8. Because these guys get the highest praise of all. These Philadelphians are heroes of the faith. "I know your deeds," says Jesus. I have placed before you an open door. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
"You mightn't be very strong. but you've stuck with it!"
And look at verse 10. "Since you have kept my word to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial." And in verse 11. "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown."
That's what overcoming is all about. About not denying Jesus even in the face of persecution. When the going gets tough, are you going to keep testifying about Jesus or not? And they did. Even though they're weak, they've refused to deny the name of Jesus. Like old Polycarp. 86 years old. And refusing to deny Jesus.
Overcoming isn't about being prosperous and healthy and never getting sick or having problems. It's sticking with it when the going gets tough. Hanging in there when we're feeling down. Overcoming is coming back and trying again if you try to share your faith and somebody calls you a Bible basher or a religious ratbag or a fruitcake. I mean, it's okay to believe in the stars these days, isn't it, or to meditate on a crystal. But if you want to talk about Jesus, people say you're crazy. The question is, are you going to let that stop you?
So I wonder in the end if there was an eighth letter... and it was the letter to the church at Mitchelton... I wonder what Jesus would say?
You're all pretty pleased with yourselves, but you're lukewarm?
You'll put up with all sorts of nonsense?
You blokes, you're caught up with sexual immorality and nobody cares?
Or that even in hard times, would Jesus say, I love what I see... because you love the truth. And you've held on to your first love as well? And even when things are tough you just keep going.
Like John Akhwari running for the Marathon. God didn't choose you and send you here to start the race. He chose you to finish. And when you stick with it, when you keep trusting Jesus to the end, you know you're heading for a great reward. All you've got to do is keep going, and you're a winner. The round of applause Akhwari got in the Olympics is nothing compared to what we're heading for. Jesus says "To him that overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."