Jump Start # 3143

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”

As one studies the churches we read about in the N.T., it is easy to see that so many of them struggled. They had problems. Division, false doctrine, and trouble were common and ran through so many of the churches in the N.T. But, through it all, God was eternally optimistic. Follow the word and things will get better. Our verse today, written about the Loveless Ephesus, rings true to that optimistic spirit. “To him who overcomes,” speaks of hope, a brighter future and a change in the way things were.

Some lessons for us:

First, the presence of trouble, corruption, abuse and wrong is not an indication that all are that way nor that God’s system doesn’t work. The trouble is caused by those who are not walking faithfully with the Lord. They may have started, but they haven’t stayed with it. The presence of spiritual bullies does not come from following the word of God. It comes when some have left God’s word.

Even today, it is easy to write off a church because of a few who are not right with the Lord. The lifeless Sardis church had some who were still walking with the Lord. Those that cause trouble make worship and fellowship difficult for all, but they do not represent all.

Second, God always believes that there remains hope as long as we are alive. People can change. God believes in that. It would be good if we believed the same. Those that cause trouble need not continue to have their way, nor,  the final say in all things. People can change when given a chance. People can change when shown what is the right path that they ought to be following. This comes about through discussions, Bible studies and a whole lot of one on one.

Third, if trouble doesn’t stop and turn, God has a mechanism for dealing with that. We call that discipline. Even within the context of our passage today, God tells the Ephesians that if they do not change, He would remove the lampstand. “Do the deeds you did at first; or else…” is what the Lord says. It’s that “or else” that means business. For a student you must go to classes, or else. The or else, is that you will flunk out. For the employee, you must show up at work, or else. The or else, is that you will get fired. For the child of God, you must walk with the Lord, or else. The or else there means you will no longer be in fellowship with God or His people and your soul will be in grave danger.

Discipline, whether in the home, the work place or the church is never easy or pleasant. But to do nothing, is to allow wrong behavior to continue. It kills the momentum at work. It encourages more wrong behavior in the home. It introduces the idea that one can get away with murder in the church. Nothing is ever said. Nothing is ever done. The Lord said, “or else.”

Fourth, there needs to be some recovery, help and comfort to those who have been hurt by others. This is true in the home as well as in the church. Some real TLC needs to be extended. Broken hearts take a while to heal. When someone has been hurt by a fellow Christian it just gets the balance of things out of order. We expect trouble from the world. We know there are toxic people at work. Our neighbors do not follow Christ. But when one of us is the cause of trouble, that just doesn’t set well, and it never will. It should not be that way. And, because of that, some may walk away and never come back. This is why comforting shepherds need to take quick action. They must not defend what is wrong. They need to help those hurting. The lack of support and comfort and the failure to do anything to those who cause trouble makes one conclude that the leadership supports what is wrong. It sends a terrible message.

Why is it that some are bent on being problems? There are layers of answers for that and none of them are simple and easy. One reason is that some may never have fully left the world. Still others have never fully understood the way God expects things to operate. They seek attention, power and position, none of which are of God. To achieve that, some step on others. Some use dishonest means to accomplish that.

All of us are on a journey. As we grow and labor together, we can bump, crash and hurt each other. The good will apologize and learn. The wicked will not care. But we must remember through all of this, that our Lord never treated us this way.

Multiple times the disciples wanted to send people away. Jesus didn’t. There was an occasion when the disciples wanted to call down fire from Heaven and consume some. Jesus didn’t. Some of us get what Jesus is all about. Some of us get that quickly. For others, it takes a long time before they get it. Some never seem to get it.

One day our troubles will be over. One day these things that bother us will bother us no more. One day Heaven will be so sweet.

Roger

Jump Start # 2836

  Revelation 2:7 “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”

Here in our Revelation passage two powerful thoughts are presented. Not only do we find two thoughts, but they are linked together. To have one, you must have the other. The order is essential. You can’t have the second without the first, and, you can’t have the second first.

The first thought is overcoming. That is one of the dominate themes in Revelation. Overcome. This will be repeated over and over to these seven churches. There is a blessing that follows. There is a great promise attached, but first, one must overcome. You can’t get the blessing without first, overcoming. There is no skipping the overcoming. If one doesn’t overcome, then one won’t find the blessing that follows.

Now, those familiar with Revelation realize that the book was written in stressful times that were trying the faith of God’s people. Suffering is sprinkled throughout this book. It is said that some would be imprisoned. Antipas, had already lost his life. Overcome—powerful, powerful words, but when faced with the clenched fist of Rome, how could this small band of disciples overcome? They weren’t in position to overthrow Rome. They didn’t have the resources to overcome persecution. Many, many would die. So, what were they to overcome?

I think of one of our hymns that begins, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear.” That’s something to overcome. Fear. What follows fear most often is worry. Then comes doubt. Then comes giving up. The problems seem greater than God. The outcome doesn’t seem victorious. And, those beaten saints were told to overcome. Overcome with faith. Don’t let fear conquer you. Don’t allow Satan to win the battle of your heart. Don’t give up. Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Overcoming meant that even when the sword of death is pointed at us, we refuse to deny our Lord. In faith, we will overcome death. We will rise victoriously. Through that door of death we may travel, but on the other side, with the Lord, we understand that we are victorious.

Now, the second powerful thought in our verse is directed towards those who overcome. Those who overcome  will be granted by God, to eat of the tree of life in the garden. The people of God know what that promise is about. It’s about eternity with the Lord. It’s about living forever.

And, what’s so powerful about this blessing is that it’s not the only one. If this was it, what a blessing that would be. It would be beyond what we could ever dream of or deserve.  But, it’s not the only blessing. Here in these early chapters we find for the overcomers:

• The right to the tree of life
• Promise that the second death will not harm us
• Manna of God and a white stone with a new name inscribed on it
• Authority given over the nations
• Promise that God will not erase our names from His book
• Become a pillar in God’s temple
• Right to sit with the Lord on the throne

Blessings from above—descriptions of Heaven. Promises of God to the faithful. We all want these blessings, but we must overcome first. We must overcome temptation. We must overcome ourselves. We must overcome being molded by the world. The blessings follow overcoming.

Now, some thoughts:

First, overcoming isn’t easy. There is a battle taking place. It is easy to conform and lay low and hide. God’s call for us is to overcome. This means your faith will be noticed. It will be visible. Friend and foe may attack you—verbally, emotionally and relationally. You may not be included. You may not be invited. You may not be welcome. That hurts. Now, you can try to be more presentable to them by hiding your faith and being more like they are, or, you can overcome.

Second, God is aware of what you are going through. He knows who overcome. He knows what battles you are facing. It is God who has made these promises for those who overcome. It is God who will help His own people. There is no need to complain about how hard it is, God knows. There is no need to cry as if God isn’t aware. He is.

Third, our Lord overcame first. That’s what helps us. Jesus endured the cross. The cross may have taken His life, but it was all according to the plan. He offered His life. He laid down His life. His life was a sacrifice. And, through that, He overcame death. He overcame Satan. He overcame, leaving footprints so you and I could also overcome. Peter tells us that when suffering Jesus uttered no threats. Oh, He could have. And, His threats would not have been just talk. He could have opened up the earth. He could have called legions of angels. He could have jumped off that cross. He could have, but instead, He overcame. We remember that when we think, “I could sue,” or, “I could get even,” or, “I could say something back.” We could, but, instead we overcome.

Finally, the Lord’s blessings and promises are wrapped around the idea that those suffering disciples would overcome. This wasn’t an impossibility. This wasn’t unrealistic dreams. Today, waiting on the other side, waiting for you, are those who have overcome. They have shown us that we too can overcome. It takes strong faith. It takes patience. It takes longsuffering. But, those early disciples, in those trying times, have shown us that it can be done.

Overcome and then blessings. Faith and then promises.

Roger