REVIVAL PHOTOS (3)

“REVIVAL PHOTOS”
At one time I carried photos of my kids and grandkids in my wallet, until my wallet got too bulky. But, I would, with great delight show my kids and grandkids pictures to others. I would say, “I just happen to have some pictures of my grandkids, let me show them to you.” I also made over 20 placemats 11X17 and they are covered with hundreds of different pictures of my kids and grandkids.
Physical photos reveal the outward attractiveness of a person, but it says nothing about that person’s character. For that reason, the Bible shows no physical pictures of Christ.
In order to see Christ’s majestic beauty, a person must see with the eye of his mind, and then, as he meditates on what the Scriptures say about Christ, that pictured is transferred to his spirit and worshipped.
But there is more to the photos of Christ than a picture. Some years ago when a person bought a “Get well card” or a “Happy birthday card” it would be just a card, now it has music of words. You can now get a card that you can look at and listen to at the same time.
Each picture John paints is a photo to look at, and listen to. Let us examine these pictures of Christ that can only be seen clearly with the spiritual mind.
The Savior’s Picture: In John’s life, the time was around 90 AD. John, the beloved apostle of Jesus Christ, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos to die as a criminal by the Roman government. While John was there Jesus Christ came to him and reveal Himself in a spectacular way found only in the book of Revelation, chapter one.
Then Jesus told John to reveal a different picture to each church to whom he was writing.
Christ’s Vision: (Revelation 1:13-18)
John saw Jesus as a Royal King in a majestic, kingly robe.
John saw Jesus as the Redeeming King wrapped in a golden girdle.
He saw Him as the Righteous King with His burning eyes of fire.
John saw the Lord Jesus as the Rightful King, whose feet were as brass. He would come and judge all the world; saint and sinner.
John saw the Jesus as the Ruling King, with a double edged sword.
John reveals to these seven churches a different quality of Christ. It was not just love.
Christ’s Voice: John not only saw visions of the Lord, but he heard His voice. His voice was like a trumpet. It was loud and clear (10). The Lord was getting John’s attention.
His voice was thunderous like the sound of a mighty waterfall (15). Christ spoke with absolute power.
His voice was as a two-edged sword (16). Jesus spoke truth. Truth divides right from wrong, the saint from the sinner.
The sights and sounds were so awesome that John fell down like a dead man. The Lord then, touched John and raised him up.
He says to John in verse 17 in so many words don’t be afraid, I am the eternal God. Then in verse 18 Jesus said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
Jesus was saying to John, “I am the savior of the world. I have power over all powers and principalities. I conquered Satan, I conquered death and I conquered the grave. I am the King of kings. John, I hold life and death in my hands. Now, John I want you to write to these messages to all churches of all time.”
The Seven Churches:
These churches at one time preached the pure doctrines of God’s Word. They preached salvation, surrender, separation and service.
They preached that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, who died on Calvary, was buried and rose again.
Jesus proved that He was the Christ by His signs and wonders.
They preached man needed to be saved from sin because sin separated man from God.
That separation put man on the road to eternal damnation.
But, Jesus paid the price for man’s sin. Now, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit if man would humble his heart and commit his life to Jesus Christ through faith and belief, he could be eternally saved.
Remember these churches at one time preached these very doctrines.
When Jesus writes to these seven different churches, He reveals Himself seven different ways. There are seven different pictures or paintings and John gives one photo to each church.
How we see Christ in our minds eye has everything to do with how we live.
Those who never see Christ should be very concerned, because Paul said in Second Corinthians 4:3-4 something quite startling.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
In this message we will give a brief examination of the Church and show you how Jesus revealed himself to each church and why? In each picture, let us look and listen.

THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS - Revelation 2:1-7:
I – Look how Jesus reveals Himself in Revelation 2:1.
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
This is not just a snap shot but a movie. The Lord is walking down the isle of the Church. He is their in their presence, but He is not recognized.
Notice the word holdeth. It means to control or have power over. Jesus was saying to this church, “I am in control of your pastors. They are under my authority. I hold them in my hand. They are preaching truth.”
Look at the movie again. Jesus is walking in midst of the church. He is not sitting in a corner. He is not on the outside. He is being sung about and preached about. He is walking in their midst.
The words “seven golden candlesticks,” (v 1), reveals a church in contact with Christ. Here are a people mature, redeemed and witnessing for the Lord.
The picture of Jesus here is the same magnificent picture that John had in Revelation one. He is at first, at a distance. John chose to move closer to Him and in doing so saw Him in His full glory.
But, do you want to draw nearer to Him. That is your choice.
Cell phones, babies playing, and other things can distract from others seeing Jesus Christ.
Now listen to what Jesus says in verse 7, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Listen (v 2-3): 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience (2 Peter 1:4-8), and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
The Church of Ephesus was a church where the people were laboring for the Lord. They were faithful as clockwork. They knew doctrine. They hated false teachers. They would not quit.
Their head was right, but their heart was wrong.
This church was going, working, doing, singing, preaching, and all the while, all the while, their love is dead.
Look at verse 4 and 5: 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Again, their head was right but their heart was wrong.
Maybe you heard the story of the married couple. The wife came to her husband and said, “Honey do you love me?” And the man said, “Why of course I do, I told you I loved you twenty years ago, now move out of the way and let me watch the football game.”
Folks, that is just how some folks love Jesus. They go to church, and when put on the spot, they say, I as a Christian, but that is the only time they talk about their love relationship.
Worship is to be about Jesus. Singing is to be about Jesus. Jesus is to be thought about, exalted and fellowshipped with. He is to be loved.
Look again at this picture, Jesus walks in their midst. His eyes are like fire. His feet are like burning brass. His golden girdle and royal attire adorns His body and hardly no one notices Him.
How often are the great truths of the Gospel sung and the very breath of God is read and the man of God lifts up Christ and some people sit in the church and think, “What time is it?”
Another person is thinking, “What is for dinner?” Another person is writing notes and another person is sleepy, because he stayed up watching TV to late.
And yet, there is Jesus, all the time, in all his beauty and glory walking in their midst and few notice Him.
He is lifted up in song, by the choir, by special singers. His love letter is read each service. He is lifted up in every message and often folks never see Him or they only see Him at a distance.

May I tell you about love for a moment? I love my wife. I enjoy being in her presence. I enjoy her smile and words. I love her touch.
I believe we are more in love after 35 years of marriage because I have given my life to please her and she has given her life to please me, and love is reciprocal. I learned that from my relationship with Jesus Christ.

I found something out about my wife, when we are together; she likes me to talk about our love and our life together.
She likes me to tell her what I love about her. She likes me to show my appreciation for all she does for me. She likes to be treated like royalty. In return, that love is reciprocated.
At Ephesus, the love of the people had grown cold. Love had become a one way street. The Lord’s love was still there. The Lord stilled loved them with an awesome love, but they weren’t spending much attention to Him. His love was not being reciprocated.

So, the Lord reveals Himself to Ephesus as the one walking in their midst. In His royal purple robe and golden girdle and feet like brass, He walks around in their midst.
How did they miss Him? With eyes like fire and head like the sun, He walks. In His mouth, He speaks and His words are like a two-edged sword. He walks, but they do not notice.
To see Him would bring revival.
Anyone living in sin would be humbled and would confess that sin immediately.
Anyone living a ho-hum life style would be vexed and they to would fall at His feet.
As for those believers who were seeking Him daily, they would be filled with praise and joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Hey! He is here today. He is here every Sunday. It is just many people’s minds are so full of all the things in the world, television, sports, work, games, people, activities, and a hundred other things that many don’t take time to just see on Christ?
He is saying slowdown church. Take your eyes off of everything else in the world and worship me. Forget about the temporal and think on the eternal. And do this not just a few minutes on Sunday, but all day long, every day of the week.
Forget about lunch and supper and the ballgames. Jesus says, “Here I am, love me.”

Listen: Jesus says, “Remember, Repent, Rebuild.”
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
Was there ever a day in your life when you were in love with Jesus? Was there ever a day when your heart burned within.
Was there ever a day when your fellowship with Him was so precious, that you had to tell you mate or friend what Christ did for you? If your answer is no, I kindly ask that you examine your salvation and relationship to Jesus Christ.
If your answer is yes, I ask, “Is he still that precious?” If not, go back and do what you did when your love for Him was wonderful. Why? Look at verse 5b.

5b …or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The greatest attraction and witness a Christian can give to a lost world is a person in love with Jesus Christ. If you lose your love for Christ, you have lost your witness for God.

Listen: A man can take his wife out to eat. He can eat breakfast, lunch and supper with his wife. He can live in the same house and sleep in the same room and their love can be graveyard dead.
And a person can carry a Bible to church and sing songs out of the hymnal and laugh and smile and his love for Jesus be dead.
Listen: A person can sing in a singing group, teach a Sunday school, be a deacon in a church and even preach from the pulpit and not love Christ as they should.
But, don’t you worry about anybody except the person that brushes your teeth and combs your hair.

After a person leaves their love for Christ, they will then entertain the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
This false teaching was introduced over 1900 years ago to the Church of Ephesus. God said about the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, “I hate it.” What was this teaching?
The Nicolaitanes taught that they were saved by grace and therefore, could live any way they wanted to. Our early church forefathers of the first and second century said this about the Nicolaitanes: “They lived lives of unrestrained indulgence.”
Sounds like some folks today. God said, “I hate that teaching.” Why did the Lord hate that teaching, because it was false doctrine?
Moe Smith walked down the church isle when he was nine years old. He was told that he was saved no matter what. Moe told me that he lived an unbelievable bad life. He said, “I actually thought I was going to heaven and I could live anyway I wanted, because that is what I heard time and time again.” I said to Moe, “When did you get saved?” He said, “When I was twenty-eight years old.”
I’ve said this before and I am going to say it again. Those that believe they can pray a prayer and live as they please, and their heart is to live in sin and in the world are 100% wrong. I personally believe these folks have trusted in the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes and need to get born again.

THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA
Look at photograph number two. It is a 3d – hologram. You know what a 3d - hologram is, don’t you? It is a picture made with a lazer with three different views. Depending on how you tile the picture and what angle you look at it, you see a different picture.
In Revelation 2:8-11 John reveals the Lord’s words to the church at Smyrna.
Look at the picture John paints of the Lord in verse 8.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
This picture is that of the eternal God. He hovers in the heavens as the creator of the universe. He sit upon His heavenly throne and rule from eternity.
This picture reminds these folks that they too will rule with Christ. It reminds them that this world is not their home, they are just passing through. Therefore, they have nothing to fear, not even death.
They tilt the photo to the right and in that same photo, they see a broken, beaten and bloody savior hanging on Calvary’s cross.
They see the one who suffered and died on Calvary. They see God’s great love, but, then they tilt the hologram again.
This time they see that He is alive forever more and He holds in his hand the keys of hell and death (Rev 1:17-18). To this they rejoice and jump for joy.

Now, listen to what is said in verse 9:
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
This Church suffered greatly for the Lord. It was known as the poor but rich church. They were poor physically but rich spiritually.
These folks love the Lord and labored because of love. These folks also suffered greatly by governmental oppression.
Many of these churches existed during the days of John but more so in modern day Russia and China.
They are poor financially, but they are rich spiritually. Many have been imprisoned and beaten and some put to death for their faith.
In verse ten, Jesus says, “Fear none of those things.” You will suffer, you may be put in prison and questioned and tried. You may go through tribulation and even be put to death, but what I have for you will far out weigh those few moments of suffering on earth. I will give thee a crown of life. You will receive a crown. Remember folks, with a crown comes a throne and a kingdom.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
The Lord had no rebuke to this church. They were living a life for the Lord’s glory. Though tested and tried, they would not bow, they would not bend and they would not burn.
Look at this hologram again. From the front and you see the Eternal God, standing in outer space as creator of the universe.
Turn it slightly and you see the Son of man suffering on Calvary’s cross as the blood flows down His body. Turn it again and you see the resurrected Lord sitting on His throne welcoming His children home as He rules the Universe.

THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUS
Look at the third photograph: In Revelation 2:12-16
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
This is another hologram. As we look at this picture straight we see a picture of the Lord with a sharp sword with two edges. This is a picture of judgment.
Now picture, your very best friend, knocking on your front door. You peep through the glass and see his face, you open the door and he stands there with a double edged sword draw and he aims it at your heart. What would you think?
Well, you might think your friend has gone crazy, or you might remember that this is your friend that gave you everything you have in life.
Without him you would have nothing and you would be nothing. He paid for your education. He paid for your business. He paid for your house. He paid for your health insurance. He taught you the trade you have, to work in the business, he gave you.
His requirements were for you to stay in touch daily and fellowship with him, and you forgot him. You changed the business.
The business which was to honor him and to be shut on Sunday, you changed. You began to hire evil people and engage in activities that were against the constitution of the business. The business which once gave Him glory, now mocked his name. Now, guilt and embarrassment floods your soul.
This is the picture the Lord paints of Himself as He comes to the Church of Pergamus. Why?

Listen to what he says to the Church of Pergamus.
13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Pergamus was a church that would not deny that Jesus was the Christ (v 13).
Their former pastor was Antipas. They gloried in his stand and martyrdom for Christ. Their history and heritage was awesome. They would in no way deny that Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven.
But, they were living a life contrary to the way Antipas lived. They lived contrary to the way God wanted them to live.
If their pastor, Antipas came back, he would have rebuked them, just as Jesus was about to do.
Look at their sins: 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
They had compromised in many areas, but the worse area may have been their practice of the doctrine of Balaam (v 14).
Balaam caused God’s children to compromise by worshipping in the flesh. Balaam sent the people of Moab into Israel to seduce them. The people of God compromised their beliefs and became fleshly minded and sensual.
Though many are saved in a church like Pergamus, this church used the fleshly practices of the world to attract people to it and according to verse 14. They were stumbling blocks taking many to hell, rather than stepping stones to heaven.
Notice that the seeds of the Nicolaitanes were growing larger:
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
In this verse you see the false teaching that was first introduced at Ephesus. It is called the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. God said, “I hate it.” What was this teaching again? The Nicolaitanes taught that they were saved by grace and therefore could live any way they wanted to.
They claimed to know God and many did, but they lived an unholy life.
The danger was three fold.
1) Their prayers were hindered.
2) Their testimony was marred.
3) They influence on the next generation was tainted.
Jesus words to them was: 16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Look at Jesus’ photo, again, in verse 12 and 16: It is a hologram. In verse 12 Jesus was wielding a sharp, two-edged sword. Now in verse 16, the sword in some miraculous way is coming out of His mouth.
God is saying to these folks at Pergamus, who had faith in the Lord, who would not deny Him as Savior, “Separate yourself from the world. Separate yourselves from this worldly church. “Come out from among them and be ye separate.”
Look at two passages:
1) Hebrews 4:12-13, 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 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.
2) Second Corinthians 6:17, 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
The sword, the Word of God, separates believers from non-believers. In separates that which will destroy you from that which will give you life. It separates good food from poisonous food.
I have heard “professing Christians” say, I can go to men clubs and drinking bars and restaurants like “Hooters” and it doesn’t bother me. “No,” I will say, “it doesn’t, because you probably not one of God’s children.” If the spirit of God lived in you, you would feel vexed in your soul.
Now, probably few in our church do such a thing, but if revival is to come to our church or to our family, we must realizes that it is sinful, to talk like, live like and act like this lost world.
God’s church is to be a place where we see Jesus, behold Jesus and get a vision of the Son of God.
Our church should be a place we see Calvary and the suffering Savior.
It should be a place where we think of Christ and see Him in His royalty. Church should be the place where we bow and worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Church is not a place of convenience or entertainment. It is a place to worship the Holy God of the Universe in Spirit and Truth. God desires spiritual, holy, sincere worship, not fleshly worship.
Fleshly worship may make people emotional, but it won’t make people spiritual.
If your worship does not change your heart and mind, then it is fleshly and not spiritual.
True worship should not just excite our mind but it should change our hearts.
Will you see Jesus, today?