Sunday, December 6, 2015
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The Holy Spirit said it seven times in REV 2:7 2:11; 17; 29; REV 3:6; 3:13; 3:22.
All you have to do is check on it yourselves and whether you disagree or agree with the interpretation, the main issue is what the subject is.
According to ISA 11:1-2, the seven Spirits of God refer to the sevenfold ministry of God the Holy Spirit which was upon the Lord Jesus Christ who is speaking.
The sevenfold ministry of the Spirit is found in ISA 11:2 which says And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
1. Indwelling of the Spirit
2. Filling of the Spirit.
3. Spirit of understanding - ability to receive doctrine.
4. Spirit of counsel which is the guidance of the Spirit.
5. The spirit of strength to sustain the humanity of Christ.
6. The spirit of knowledge which gave Him discernment.
7. The spirit of the fear of the Lord meaning His awe and respect for His Father.
The word translated angels is angelos which is really a transliteration which means a word brought over into another language using the exact letters of each of the alphabet.
The translation describes what the word actually refers to and in REV 1:20, angelos means a messenger not an angel.
REV 1:20b the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches it refers to the messengers or the pastor-teachers over the churches like Sardis and therefore it refers to the pastor-teachers who are the messengers over those type of churches.
REV 3:1 "And to the angel [or angelos - the P-T today] of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold ministry of God the Holy Spirit] and the seven stars [a reference to the completed number of messengers or pastors in every generation],
He is talking about those who need to change their attitude at the time that He is ready to come back.
He is talking about the days of Noah when God was getting ready to judge the world and people were laughing at and mocking Noah just before the judgment came.
Do not be like the Jews who ignored their responsibilities before the first Christmas or before the first advent or the first time our Lord came on the earth.
2CO 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus
Christ is in you‑‑ unless indeed you fail the test?
The main issue = If TLJC is in us then how should we live?
GAL 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me or through me;
One way or the other, we make choices every day either through omission or submission.
Sometimes not doing anything at all is doing something whether you know it or not.
Again, it is the principle that - As goes the believer, so goes the nation.
There were periods of apostasy in Israel in the Old Testament and God dealt with them, and the apostle Paul tells us not to think that
God will not do the same to us.
One day when the Lord comes back and sets up His Millennial kingdom both Jews and Gentiles will live in peace and prosperity with Him for 1,000 years.
Our biggest problem that we are facing as a nation today is not ISIS or ISIL, it's not terrorism, or Russia, China, or North Korea but our biggest problem the church is facing is fallen away from God into apostasy.
Apostate believers ignore passages like JAM 1:22 which says "Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
They ignore passages like JAM 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
They ignore JAM 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.
They ignore HEB 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent or study to enter God's rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. as the Jews did
They ignore what Peter said on his dying bed in 2PE 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
Apostasy has always been around in every generation, but it's the size of apostate believes that is the real important issue.
I'm not talking about unbelievers but believers being used by Satan to discredit doctrinal teaching and the believer's commitment to the daily intake of God's word or literally our "Daily Bread."
There are people who make it seem like you're a fanatic if you listen to the word of God daily, or that you are getting puffed up because you're getting of too much knowledge.
NEH 8:18 Ezra read from the book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day.
PRO 8:30, wisdom {Heb. chokmah is speaking} Then I [doctrine] was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
Doctrine also promises blessings to those who listen to it daily in PRO 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
TLJC made it crystal clear that we would need the word of God daily to survive in MAT 4:4 and LUK 9:23.
LUK 9:23 And He was saying to them all, "if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [when?] daily, and follow Me.
TLJC not only learned doctrine every day in LUK 2:40,52; but in LUK 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple; [and that is why] and the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
ACT 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the Christian faith [the Christian doctrines], and were increasing in number daily.
Because life has changed drastically and knowledge has increased so rapidly - through technology it is possible for you today to have some sanctified time every day when you can fellowship with God by listening or reading His word.
Something so simple but so profound is at your fingertips as PSA 145:2 puts it when it says..."Everyday will I bless thee"
Something so simple but so profound is at your fingertips when you live in PSA 61:8..."I will perform my vows or my responsibilities daily"
PSA 119:164 Seven times a day I will praise Thee because of your righteous judgments.
1CO 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
For the believer who is not involved with apostasy it says in PSA 1:2 "But his delight [the adult believer] is in the Law of the Lord, and in
His law he meditates day and night."
Even through simple prayer we read in ISA 8:9 "My Lord, I have called daily upon you."
The apostle Paul ceased not to warn the early church night and day in Acts 20:31 "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
Paul tells us in 2CO 4:16 that our inward man the new creature is renewed day by day, 2CO 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
In ACT 2:46 the early church continued daily with one accord in the temple, ACT 2:46 And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
In ACT 5:42 they ceased not to preach and teach about TLJC daily in the temple, ACT 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
In 2CH 8:14, The Levitical priests would praise and minister daily.
In 2CH 31:16, They would enter the house of the Lord for their daily obligations.
In EZR 3:4, they offered burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required.
Apostasy in a client nation is always a cancer.
They were taking ground from the kingdom of darkness and they were boldly speaking the truth and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They were a great threat, so they had to be silenced.
That we are bold and may be uneducated and untrained, but others realize that we have been with Jesus."
That plan is alive and well today.
Why?
Because Peter and John were unafraid.
2TI 3:12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.