practicalbibleteaching
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Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Is this true of our God, that He is indeed the Creator? Duet 32:39-40 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. Is there anyone else in the entire universe who can make such a statement and it be true? Jesus said in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Paul wrote in Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Is there anyone anywhere whose love can compare to God's love? Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. It is recorded that king Hezekiah said in Eze 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. Is there one other person anywhere that forgives like God forgives? Jesus said in John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Are there any promises that can compare to the promises of God? If we have such a wonderful God why does He often take a back seat in our lives? In this series of lessons "God of Wonders" I hope we can see our need before God and give Him His rightful place in our hearts and lives.
Text: The Revelation 2:1-7
2:2 I know thy works - Know here means to see perfectly. Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. God sees and knows us perfectly. There may be things in our hearts hidden from us, but not from God.
and thy labour - Labour means toil resulting in weariness. It could not be said of this church that they were not working for the Lord. However, as we shall see there is something more important than doing God's work.
and thy patience - Patience means cheerful endurance under pressure or offense. It could not be said of these people that they gave up easily or were quitters, but there is something more important than having patience.
and how thou canst not bear them which are evil - Bear means to support as a burden. These people did not compromise with or tolerate evil. Paul had said to them in Eph 5:8-17 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. The church hated evil, but there is something more important than hating evil.
and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not - Tried means examined, proved, or tested. These people had been actively standing for the truth and examining those who claimed to be apostles by the Word of God. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. This church could rightly disern between good and evil, but there is something more important than having a spirit of discernment.
2:3 and hast borne - Borne means to support as a burden. It is the same word used in verse two translated bear. Here it speaks of carrying the burden of the work of the Lord and the burden of others. Paul said to Timothy in 2 Tim 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. There are afflictions involved in doing the work of the Lord. Paul said in Gal 6:1-3 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. We are to carry the burden of others as necessary. This church was faithful in bearing the burden of the work of the Lord and the burdens of others, but there is something more important than bearing burdens.
for my name's sake hast laboured - Labored means to have worked hard to the point of feeling fatigued. Again, these people did not easily give up nor were they quitters. They were working very hard for the Lord, but there is something more important than working hard for the Lord.
hast not fainted - Fainted means to have quit as a result of growing weary. The life verse of many of these people might have been Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Yet, there is something more important than not fainting.
2:6 thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans - The name Nicolaitans means to conquer the laity. This describes bishops and elders that began to take authority which belonged only to Christ. By the end of the second century A.D. it had resulted in the formation of the Catholic Church. This Church stood firm against false teaching, but there is something more important than standing against false teaching.
This church was a working church, a patient church, a church that hated evil, a church that could rightly discern between right and wrong, a church that had borne the burden of the work of the Lord and others, a church that had labored without fainting. However, this is a church that had a major problem.
2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love - The first love of all Christians is the loving of Jesus Christ. When a person is first saved Jesus is the focus in their life. Example, the maniac of Gadara: Luke 8:38-39 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. Now let's see some examples of how this first love can be lost:
1. Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went (Jesus and His disciples), that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. In Mary we see a person who loves Jesus more than anything and has made Him the focus of her life. In Martha we see a person who has let doing become her focus.
2. 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. John is saying that we cannot love God and love the world, it will be one or the other. If we allow our focus to become what man has made: TV, Computer, Internet, Cell Phone, Car, House, Boat, then we will love only this present world.
3. 1 Tim 6:20-21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. In the last 150 years the Church has allowed scientific theories to diminish the power and wisdom of God in the minds of people. When we accept the theories of men then the love of God is lost. When love of God declines the Christian life is not enjoyable and service becomes a burden. There cannot be true love without worship and there cannot be true worship without love. True worship of God is something extremely lacking among God's people in America.
2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen - The first step to getting back to loving God as we should is remembering. Remembering is seeing, but not in the sense of physical sight. It is enlightenment through the Word of God by the Holy Spirit to our past and our future. Consider what Peter wrote in 2 Pet 1:2-9 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Blind is of course not being able to see. God has given unto us everything we need through the knowledge of Him, including wonderful promises. Through embracing those promises we are made partakers of His nature and can escape the corruption in the world. We then can add to our faith, be fruitful and glorify God. However, if we choose not to fully avail our selves of the knowledge of God we will be blind to the future and the past. Not clearly seeing what God has promised us, neither fully remembering the great things God has done for us, stuck in present, with our focus only this present world. For a Christian it is both a terrible and miserable place to be.
repent - Repent means to think differently, to reconsider, to have a change of mind. If we are truly going to return to our first love we are going to have to repent. What are you not doing that you must start doing? What are you doing that you must stop doing? Ask God to help you make a list and then with His help begin to make the necessary changes.
do the first works - Example Israel: Jer 2:1-5 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Something common among those who are newly saved is a great love and true worship of God. That is what we must return to. Think back to a time you were truly in love with Jesus. What were you doing then that you are not doing now?
We need a true and fervent love for God that will cause us to live a life of worship. In the next four lessons with the help of a video entitled "God of Wonders" we are going to explore the Power, Wisdom, Justice and Love of God through the things He has made. My sincere hope is that it will provide us help in the area of loving and worshiping God.
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The Church of Jesus Christ is perfect for those who are not!
Posts: 53 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Jun 2009
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