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Text Messages From Jesus

Part Two Tonight!. Text Messages From Jesus. The 7 Letters from Jesus in the Book of Revelation… Are the 29 th chapter of Acts. From Pentecost to Parousia. Revelation chapter 2 & 3 fills the gap of the last 1900 years. Text Messages From Jesus. The last recorded quotations of Jesus

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Text Messages From Jesus

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  1. Part Two Tonight! Text Messages From Jesus

  2. The 7 Letters from Jesus in the Book of Revelation… Are the 29th chapter of Acts

  3. From Pentecost to Parousia Revelation chapter 2 & 3 fills the gap of the last 1900 years

  4. Text Messages From Jesus The last recorded quotations of Jesus The only words He ever spoke directly to the church on earth

  5. 1:3NKJV “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

  6. 1:19 “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” NKJV

  7. Local: All were literal, real, historical churches of that time • Universal: All 7 letters are for all 7 churches • Personal: These letters are also written to you and me • Prophetic: The history of the church is laid out in advance Multi-Dimensional Significance

  8. The Heptatic-Structured Letters • Church Name • Title of Jesus • Commendation • Criticism • Exhortation • Closing Statement • Promise to Overcomer

  9. Surprise !

  10. Written about 96 A.D. There has never been a perfect church!

  11. An Epistle of Jesus to: Christians in the city of Ephesus, all Churches in the first century, every Church in existence today, and specifically to every individual believer.

  12. Patmos

  13. The Parthenon in Greece

  14. The Temple of Diana

  15. Massive Library with over 200,000 volumes

  16. 25,000 seat Theater

  17. Paul in Ephesus for three years - Acts 19

  18. Riot in Ephesus

  19. About 5 years later… Acts 20:29-31 Paul’s farewell addresses the elders at Ephesus 29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” Paul wrote his epistle to them about 60 A.D. After Paul’s ministry, Timothy became the pastor of the church. After Timothy, the Apostle John.

  20. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Title: Christ the Sovereign Judge 1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:”

  21. ‘Angel’ : The Greek word aggelos, = angel, • used also as ‘men’ or ‘messenger’ • Probably understood here as human messengers; possibly the pastors of these churches or prophets through whom the message was to be delivered. • It could very well mean both

  22. His presence and observation of the churches Jesus walking in midst of golden lampstands He has total knowledge of their works

  23. He who holds the seven stars in His right hand Jesus has ultimate power over the churches as He moves among them The ‘messengers’ are… Held in divine protection and under divine control.

  24. John uses similar imagery in John 10:28-29 “…neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

  25. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Commendation of doctrine and diligence 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.”

  26. He commends them for continuing to bear their burdens, repeating again that they have patience, literally, that they ‘keep on having patience.’

  27. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Criticism for lack of devotion 4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

  28. The object of the verb is before the verb: “your First Love - you have left.”

  29. 1st Love: not first in order

  30. The deepest and most meaningful word for love in the Greek First Love 1st in rank, influence, and honor. The love of espousal

  31. The name Ephesus means: “Maiden of choice” – ‘Darling’ – ‘one and only’

  32. The church became almost like Martha - too busy in the service of the Master, to make time for the Master.

  33. Doctrinally they were accurate… but not very loving

  34. JUST thirty years before, Paul commended them for their love: “…your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people…” (Eph. 1:15). ‘Love’ Mentioned 20 times!

  35. The history and pattern of a cooling-off church: • A cooling of spiritual love • Love of God replaced by a love for the things of the world • Compromise and spiritual corruption • Departure from the faith and loss of effective spiritual testimony

  36. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Exhortation: Remember, Repent, Repeat 5 “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

  37. Recipe for Rekindling: 3 R's

  38. Massive Library with over 200,000 volumes

  39. Ephesus Today: uninhabited

  40. Location of the 3rd General Council in 431 A.D.

  41. The Nicolaitans: A sect founded by Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the seven deacons? - advocating complete freedom in conduct - including in heathen feasts and free love. Nicolaitans: “To rule over the people” You could call this ‘Legalism’ in the Church

  42. Jesus gave us the pattern for church leadership: Serve others, not be served by others.

  43. True love for God involves a fervent hate of things which distort the purity of Biblical truth Even David said, “Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.” (Ps. 139:21-22).

  44. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Closure 7a “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

  45. 1st Church: EPHESUS The Church Without Love (2:1-7) Promise to the Overcomer: 7b “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

  46. This tree is mentioned in Eden (Genesis 3:22), and later in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:2) Psalm 1:1-3 ties-in with this theme.

  47. Alll ancient cultures have this ‘legend’ of the Tree of life They also have a world-wide flood ‘legend.’ Persians, Hindus, Arabs, Greeks, Syrians, etc.

  48. The Bible: The comprehensive matrix of all reality

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