Rev. 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- To the repeated admonishment to overcome there is something added this time. Precept 22: Do God’s Will To The End. Our example is Jesus Christ. He always did the will of His Father in Heaven. Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me Joh 14:31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Joh 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. Phil 2:6-8 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Following Christ we must also do His will to the end. Eph 6:6 Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Heb 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 1Jo 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever. How can we know the will of God for our lives? It’s in the Word! All the precepts are there. There may not be exact instructions such as “turn right off of at State Street and then go to 222 Capitol Ave.” but the Holy Spirit will illuminate the important things you need to know from God’s Word. That’s how the Holy Spirit teaches Christians. Is it the will of God for you to witness to your neighbor? Already answered. What should you pray for? Already there. How do I explain to someone else the gospel message? Already there. The answers are there and if we are in the Word daily we will begin to hide the Word in our heart and will know the answers to these questions without even having to hunt for them in our Bibles. To the Christian who overcomes and does the will of God to the end, the Lord has promised that we will rule with Him. This is not a promise in this present age, but in the millennial Kingdom of God. Some teach that we are to take Dominion of this earth now. But we cannot do that until Christ physically returns. What will happen, however, is that many Christians will be deceived into joining an apostate world church that the antichrist will eventually use to bring himself to power and dominate the world for three and a half years. There is a list about all the New World Order global governance events in the year 2000 alone. We will hear more and more of this in the coming years. This promise was given to Thyatira because they could look forward to a time when instead of suffering under Satan controlled prophets like Jezebel, they would have real authority and freedom under Christ someday in His millennial Kingdom. I think it is a real possibility that we will yearn for this promise to come true as we begin to feel the harsh dictates of self-proclaimed apostles and prophets in the apostate world church. It is already beginning to happen now. Oh, to have Christ as the faithful and just ruler of this world and to rule with Him! Rev. 2: 27 `He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery-- just as I have received authority from my Father. This verse is taken from a prophesy in Psalms 2:9. It proves that Jesus has not fulfilled all of Scriptural prophesy yet. He must still return to rule and judge the earth in the millennium. He will clean the earth of those who rebelled against Him, and defeat the Satanic forces and throw Satan into the Abyss for a thousand years. It will be a time of peace and rest such as the earth has never seen nor will ever see again. The first time Jesus came He came as the suffering Messiah and fulfilled all the Scriptural prophesies concerning that aspect of His plan. The second time He comes as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to rule and reign from the throne of David, fulfilling all those prophesies. The Jews made the mistake of thinking that He should fulfill the prophesies about His Kingship so they missed the prophesies about the Messiah who would come and die for the sins of the world. Because He suffered and died in submission to the Father, He was given all power and authority forever. He is forever King Of Kings, his name that is written on His body. Rev. 2:28-29 I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who overcome will have Christ Himself forever because He is the morning star. They will share in His glory and dominion forever. Re 22:16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. There is also another verse that mentions the “morning star” rising in our hearts. This is the hope of glory, the hope of an eternity with Christ. The day will dawn and the morning star will rise and we will never again endure the darkness. 2Pe 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. SARDIS Rev. 3:1a To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. The city of Sardis, once the capital of the great kingdom of Lydia and the home of Croesus, the rich king, lay in the interior nearly a hundred miles east of Smyrna and Ephesus. Though it had lost its former greatness it was still a considerable city in the first century. The church there was planted, no doubt, by some of the companions of Paul. The former city has now ceased to exist, and only extensive ruins remain to testify of its greatness. Like the church at Ephesus, which had lost its first love, the Sardian church had a name to live and was dead. The perfect number seven denotes fullness. Christ has the fullness of the Spirit whom he sends into the earth to do his work. The seven spirits of God surround the throne in Heaven. The seven stars are His messengers/angels on earth to the Church. God is in control. He rules. Rev. 3:1b I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Precept 23: Get Your Heart Right With God. The church at Sardis looked good from the outside but was really dead on the inside. They had empty works. Salvation is not through works. Eph. 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no-one can boast. Grace is a gift from God. No man can earn grace through works. True works come because of grace through faith. You cannot work your way into heaven. If your heart is not right, your works will not be right, and your heart is only made right by the grace of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross that we accept by faith. Simon the Sorcerer who was saved began to envy the Apostles for the miracles they were doing. His heart turned from faith to greed. When he asked the Apostles for the power to do miracles they rebuked Simon. Ac 8:21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. God knows the heart. There are many who profess to be saved and obey Christ but inside their heart is not right with God. Outside they may be doing good things, saying some good things, even doing signs and wonders, joining in with the Church but God knows who His children are. We can depend on the Holy Spirit to convict through God’s Word, but we must respond to that convicting. Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. How can you get your heart right with God? Repent and believe. Ac 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Mr 1:15 The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news! Then draw close to God and keep your heart on the right path. God will help you do this if you respond in faith. Pr 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Heb 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Sardis was alive but dead. Again, remember, this is talking to the Church, to Christians. Rev. 3:2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God Precept 24: Wake Up! This admonition is given many places in Scripture. We need to wake up, be alert, and do not drift off to sleep as the Day of the Lord approaches. Ro 13:11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 1Th 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. Mt 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Re 16:15 Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed. Rev. 16:15 could be talking to the Jews only, but I believe it is also a picture for Christians. We must be spiritually awake and expecting the return of Christ otherwise He will surprise us and we may not be ready. The clothes are the white clothes, the clothes of righteousness that He gives us when we are saved. If we have taken off those clothes by losing our faith in Christ, then we will be shamefully exposed for who we really are … sinners. Remember that this verse is not talking to those who never had clothes in the first place. It is talking to those who had clothes. We can take those clothes off and exchange them for nakedness or the filthy rags of the world again, if we choose. God will not stop us. His Spirit will convict us to the end but there will come a day when Jesus will return and then it will be too late, just like it was too late for five of the ten virgins. Mt. 25:10-13 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir! they said. `Open the door for us! But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I dont know you. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Notice that here it does not say “I never knew you” like it does in the passage about some false miracle workers. It says “I don’t know you”. The virgins once had oil in their lamps but had let it run out. They were no longer looking for the coming of Christ, nor were they prepared. They had lost their faith. After it was too late they went running but it is clear that the Lord expects to find us faithful when He returns. However, when He returns He has said that there will be very few He will find with faith. Many will turn away from the faith, there will be many unsaved, there will be a small flock, a remnant. Lu. 18:8b However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? So we are advised to strengthen what we have. Add to our faith before we are completely dead. 2 Pet. 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we be able to say with Paul: 2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:15:33 +0000
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