Book of Revelation, chapter one. We finish chapter 1 tonight,
chapter 2 on Sunday we start with the first seven first
letter to the seven churches, the Church of Ephesus.
Tonight we're going to do 2 verses Revelation one verse 19.
The Book of Revelation is one of the few books, if not the book
in the Bible, that actually tells you how to divide it.
It says write the things which you have seen.
Yeah, this is what Jesus is saying to John.
Remember, he's on the island of Patmos.
He's in his 90s. All the other disciples are
dead. John alone is alive.
He's the last living of the 12. Jesus appears to him give it
gives him this vision, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It's not revelations plural. It's the revelation, the
apocalypse or apocalypse. So the unveiling, taking the
mystery, a way of who Jesus is the Book of Revelation.
We often get caught up with being all the all the symbols
and you know what's going to happen and that's that's fine.
But remember the theme and the narrative of the book is for you
and I to see Jesus in all his glory and wonder.
It's the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And so in chapter 1, John described last Sunday the
description of Jesus. Write the things which you have
seen. Who did he see heard a voice
turned around there as Jesus and he describes Jesus in all his
glory. Chapter 1 and then Jesus says
and the things which are now that's the church age.
That's chapter 2 and chapter 3, the things which are.
And so we're going to look at those, the seven letters, the
seven churches and the church age is still going on now and
then the things which will take place after this, after the
things of chapter 2 and 3. And that is the things that are
yet to fall upon our world. The rapture of the church, the
tribulation period beginning seven years, the millennial,
sorry, the second coming of Jesus Christ, Chapter 19,
judgement, the great white throne judgement, the thousand
year reign. And at the thousand year end of
the thousand year reign or just before that, Satan is loose for
a period, people rebel against turn and there's a final
judgement. And then Hades and death are
cast into the lake of fire for good along with Satan and all
his cohorts. So that's the division of the
book. Chapter 1 things you've seen
chapter 2 and three, the Church age things that which are
chapter 4 on the things which are are coming.
Verse 20, the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my
right hand. We don't have to work out the
symbolism because here it tells us what they are.
And the seven golden lampstands, remember we saw that Jesus was
in the midst of them. The seven stars, the the angels,
that word is also messengers. It can be some Bible
commentators say the pastors of the seven churches to those who
are over the seven churches to the messengers of the seven
churches. And the seven lamp stands which
you saw are what are the seven churches?
So we don't have to go, oh, what is this and what is that?
It tells us. Now, if I was to ask you to
explain to me what is the church, which is the title of
tonight's sermon, how would you go about that?
Someone said comes up to you, Joe Blow, and says what is the
church? How would you answer that
question? Most of us would talk about the
church you attend. Oh, well, it's the church across
the road. I go there and this is what we
do. These are the things that
happened there. You know, we worship and we have
fellowship and there's these programmes that are carried out.
Yep. But a more important question
would be to ask what does Jesus think about the church?
What is the church to him? Because chapter 2 and three, you
and I get to see what Jesus says the church is.
The Book of Revelation answers this exact question in great
detail. Jesus gives us his description,
most important, more important of what he thinks about his
church. In chapters 2 to three, we have
7 letters, 7 churches, each dictated by Jesus himself.
He gives himself the title, the title of who he is and the sort
of letter that's coming to them, what he's about to say.
He speaks about himself in these 7 letters.
We learn the following. We learn what Jesus wants his
church to look like. And I'm not talking like about
the the physical facade. We also see and learn what he
wants his church to do. And that's what we're going to
look at tonight, what he wants his church to do.
That's a very important question.
Why are we here? Why do we go to church?
What's it about? But on the flip side and the
seven letters, we also learn what Jesus doesn't want his
church to look like. And he admonishes, So I like
this. Look what this is you're doing
this, you're allowing that. What's the go?
And he speaks very straight. And then in the seven letters,
he tells us what he does, not what he does not want his church
to do. So why did Jesus pick these
seven churches? That's a good question.
Glad you asked at this time because there were many churches
in Asia, Asia here in the in our context is Turkey and that the
locale. Why did he not choose the church
in Rome? Why didn't he speak say to the
Church of Rome, I write this Church of Rome was a great
church. We have the book of Romans or
why didn't he mention well to the Church of Philippi?
I want to tell you this, We have the book of Philippians.
That's a great church or the model church, 1st and 2nd
Thessalonians, the beginning of chapter 1.
The Church of Thessalonians was, was the model church for all the
other churches to look at and to admire and to be like, or even
Antioch, the most important church at that time or even at
the end, the Church of Jerusalem.
Why don't you say it now to the Church of Jerusalem?
I want to tell you this good question.
The answer is that Jesus chose these seven churches because
they represent the others and thus he speaks to all churches.
He writes the seven, but the letters go to all because these
letters were to be read out in every church and they covered
all bases. Also, they were written to the
actual church, to the church at Ephesus, to the Church of Sardis
and Smyrna. They were actually written to
the actual church, but there was a a depth and an overlay to
these letters. Secondly, by picking these seven
churches and listing them in order, Jesus gives us a
panoramic view of church history.
I I recommend that you find a good book and read church
history. You can get plenty of
paperbacks, 5 or $6 from Kurong or second hand stores and read
church history because you'll see the seven letters fit into
all the church history, starting with the early church that
Pentecost and ending with the final Church of the last days,
which is what Laodicea. Thirdly, Jesus picked these
seven churches so as to also give instruction, as I said
previously, to all the churches throughout history.
And at the end of every letter, Jesus says what words he who has
an ear, let him or her hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
In other words, as you read this and you listen to this, you
listen up to what I'm saying to all these churches.
That means that Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour, today, 2025,
needs to hear what Jesus instructs these seven churches
about. We need to listen what is the
Holy Spirit saying in these letters to us?
And also because we make up the church as individual believers.
He who has an ear, you and I ought to listen as I go through
and go. Is that me?
Am I like people in that church? Am I like people in this church?
I know everyone wants to be in the Church of Philadelphia.
No one wants to be in the Church of Smyrna because everyone gets
killed. No, I said, well, I'm not the
Church of Laodicea, are we? We've got to question ourselves.
So there's a, a message in in it for all of us.
There is a message to each of us in every one of these 7 letters.
Lastly, fourthly, these 7 letters and these seven
churches, what they do beautifully, if you read church
history, they describe the spiritual condition of the
church through the ages, how it went up and down through the
dark ages from Jesus viewpoint, not their own.
Because the Church of Laodicea thought they were really right
on weren't they? Modern church?
Jesus said I have a different view of you.
What is God's view of me? What is God's view of Calvary
Chapel, Secret Harbour right now we find ourselves in the period
in church history where the missionary church that is the
Church of Philadelphia covered that is is is morphing and you
and I see that now in today's modern churches.
You just see it in some of the advertisements of certain
churches and and the names they give to certain churches.
I mean really out there, because the Church of Philadelphia that
went out into the world and and proclaimed the gospel, there's
now morphing into the apostate church where things are being
said in church and done in church.
You can go to church and not have the Bible open.
You sing songs in church and they don't say anything about
Jesus Christ. They've changed the way they do
things. They do sing things weird in
church. Laodicea.
So the question again is what is the church?
How would you answer that? If you asked that question
again, if one of your relatives said I'm thinking of
Christianity, but I want to know what is the church, how do you
answer that? What would be your response?
Again, most people would say, well, it's a, it's an
organisation housed in a building that offers activities
to facilitate worship and fellowship.
Now I can go to Optus and there's worship there, there's
fellowship there, but it's not a church.
Most church attendees today and, and it's and we can see it
because there's a noticeable falling away.
Paul warned us that this there there would be a falling away
from the faith as we in these last days because most church
attendees, and I just say, I always put that word attendees,
because you can go to church and not be a Christian today.
I feel that the church is necessary and we need to have
it, but it's an option. It's optional, it's important,
but it's not a deal breaker when it comes to living a Christian
life. And and then they'll back it up
theologically. They'll say, well, after all, we
now have direct access to God, don't we?
Through the blood of Jesus Christ, absolutely vile is torn
into so we can survive without the church.
Yeah, it sounds plausible. And many people are part of what
they call the invisible. I'm a believer, but yeah, I
don't go to church. It's that term.
The Catholics use it a lot seems to be a lot more use now if
you've been reading the letters to the editor, most people in
the West Australian, there's there's a thing about
Catholicism at the moment and so many go well, I'm a lapsed
Catholic. I don't know how you can be a
lapster. Am I am I am IA lapse husband.
I'm a lapsed father or I'm a lapse mother.
I don't know how that works, but they had this term.
They're quite comfortable with it.
It means I, I'm kind of, I'm in the gang, but I don't go to the,
you know, don't go to the meetings.
You know. Well, God's view is different to
that of such comments. And the answers can't be what
you think, what I think, what we think collectively.
The answers are always in the Bible.
What does the Bible say? From the biblical perspective?
The church is not somewhere you go.
You're going to forget Ecclesia, the cordial ones.
No, no, no, hold with me. It is something into which God
has placed you. If you are a Christian, if you
have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are
part of the church whether you like it or not.
And today there are many splendour groups go out while
now the church is broken. You know, we have our own
special little group. We gather together.
We, you know, we're, we're close.
We're really close. Actually, you can't come to our
group. We're really spiritual.
But if you go into a church, you know it's broken.
You can come to our group because we're, we have it all
together, because we know the church is not, not good.
Well, you are part of the church whether you like it or not.
Church for believers is not optional.
It's mandatory. I'll explain.
God created the church, not man. Group of priests didn't get
together, you know, You know, us getting together like this, we
should, we should get a club. Yeah.
I've heard a Greek word called ecclesia.
That's too hard. Let's call it church.
Let's get together and we can, we can have a band and we can do
this and let's do this and one of you guys can get up front.
No, it wasn't. Man didn't do that.
God created the church. Matthew 16, verse 18 in Caesarea
Philippi, where we go when we go to Israel way to the north,
Lebanon to there, Syria over there and there the water comes
down and it flows from Mount Hermon under the mountains and
down into the Jordan all the way down.
It's the north northern part. It's where Dan, the tribe of Dan
went to establish where they were going to live there.
Jesus asked who do people say that I am something you're John
the Baptist, come back something you're Elijah.
But who do you say that I am? Peter comes in, you're the
Christ, you're the Son of God. Jesus said flesh and blood has
not revealed that to you. Song by Jonah and Jesus says I,
I want you to hear these words. We'll build whose church, my
church, I will build my church. It's his church, it's his
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Jesus is saying that his mission is going to be carried out not
by individuals and this is where we get it wrong.
Well, I'm into this is my ministry and I'm going off here
and I'm doing my ministry. Oh, good on you.
But that's not, you know, when we get to heaven, we stand there
that hey, wouldn't stubble. Maybe your ministry is like you
did that. Well, I never asked you to do
that. Actually, I wanted you over here
in my church. Jesus is saying that his mission
is going to be carried out not by individuals who have no
connection with one another because how many one anothers
are in the Bible? How can we show the world by the
love we have for one another? If I'm a Lone Ranger, can't do
it, but Christ's mission is going to be done, carried out by
people bound together in the living Organism created by
Christ on the day of Pentecost called and it's called the
church. On the day of Pentecost there
was a rushing wind. Remember tongues of fire
appeared upon the disciples. They began speaking in unknown
tongues and the and they were proclaiming and praising God and
the power of God fell upon them. The Holy Spirit fell upon them.
Just says Jesus promised wait here in Jerusalem when I go, the
promise of the Father will come. This was it.
Peter says this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.
It fell upon the holy. The Holy Spirit fell upon the
disciples and empowered them to worship and praise God.
From that moment the Bible tells us clearly the disciples, what
did they do? They all went off and did their
own thing. No, it says they continued to
study the Bible to pray and eat together and meet the needs of
others. Then further on in Acts chapter
2 verse 47, and hear what the Bible says, what the church was
doing from that time, praising God, having favour with all the
people and then it says this and the Lord added to the what
church because that's where he works, He added to the church
daily. Those who were being saved.
Now what happened? Did he as they got saved.
OK, you or you people, I really get into the church.
That didn't happen the moment you were saved, Jesus said now
you're part of the church. It was automatic.
You didn't have a choice. It occurred.
Notice we've got out of those who are being saved.
As I said, the church, the point.
What is that? Those who are being saved didn't
have a choice. Well, I don't know if I want to
join the church or not. It's not choice.
They were saved and the Lord simultaneously placed them into
His church, His church. The very same thing happened to
you and I when you and I were saved. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 12
says for as the body is 1 and that's the church and has many
members, sorry, the physical body.
Paul's talking about the physical body then he now he's
using that as a comparison to the church.
We all are. But all the members of that one
body being many are one body. So also is Christ for by 1
Spirit, that's the Holy Spirit we were all baptised into one
body. That's not water baptism.
That means the moment you were saved you are immersed, you are
put into the Church of Jesus Christ because he then he goes
on to say with a Jew or Greek slave or free and have all been
made to drink into one spirit. For in fact of the body is not
one member, but many the church. So what then is the purpose of
the church? That's a good question.
Glad you asked that one. Why are we here?
Let me give you a couple of points.
One, the church is where you will be refined and edified to.
Timothy 316 says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, mature, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It means when we gather together and you know you don't get on
with everybody in church, you never will.
That's part of the reason God says, I know I'm putting you,
you're a cranky person and I'm putting you next to that other
cranky person. You know why?
Because both of you need to rob the edges off.
And as we come together, we learn to love one another as
Christ loves the church. And that's why he puts us
together. If we had our way, we would have
no one but just me in church your way.
And so when you sharpen a knife, you put it on the stone, and
then you put it on a finer stone.
And then the final thing you do, you put it on a steel, and the
steel hones the edge. It speaks of in Proverbs of iron
sharpening iron. Did you know that the church
full of cranky people, people you don't get on with, makes you
more like Christ as you go there and you work with these people?
Oh, there she is again, Here he comes again.
Oh, no, God's saying yes, you need her, you need him Rubbing
off the edges, sharpening. And it says we are thoroughly
equipped for every good work. You are equipped to go, man, I'm
a fine person. I'm going to sit home and be a
very fine person until Jesus comes.
Man, I'm holy. I'm sitting home until Jesus
comes. No, you are thoroughly equipped
for every good work. That means you're saved to do
something in the church for the rest of the body of Christ.
So second point, you are fed and equipped and covered
spiritually. That's an important thing.
Now you are the body. Paul says 1 Corinthians 12 verse
27 members individually, yes, and God has appointed these in
the church. First apostles, second prophets,
the teachers. After that, miracles and gifts
of healing helps administrations, varieties of
tongues. Are all apostles?
No. Are all prophets No.
Are all teachers? No.
Are all workers of miracles? No.
Do all have gifts of healings? No.
Do all speak with tongues? No.
Do all interpret? No.
Ephesians 411 says he himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.
What for? For the equipping of the Saints.
Why? For the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Part of that is you. When you come, you edify
everybody else. That's amazing till we all come
to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God
to a perfect man, to the measure of the statue of the fullness of
Christ. That we should no longer be
children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of
doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting. So the role of those pastors and
teachers, especially those in the church, junior church,
Sunday school teachers, is to ensure that what you're being
taught is the word of God. There's this covering over you.
You should be able to go to a church where there's a covering
which says you're not going to get any mumbo jumbo here.
You're going to get the word of God taught and it's going to
upset you sometimes because it's going to say things that don't
agree with you, don't agree with your culture, don't agree with
how you're behaving at the moment.
God's going to speak to us, but we're to grow up.
We should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about
with every wind of doctrine. There's people that do church
hopping and they go around and around and around and around,
following the next sniff that's coming down the line.
But we need to be speaking truth and love.
Paul says that we may grow up in all things unto him who is the
head, Christ, from whom? The whole body, the church,
joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.
You have a gift, you have something that you supply, and
without your gift we're short of something.
We're missing something. The body is, according to the
effect of working, by which every part does its share.
It causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself and love.
How important are we and individuals in the church?
We need one another. Thirdly, the church is the
outlet for your spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 verse four.
There are diversities of gifts with the same Spirit.
There are differences of ministries with the same Lord.
There are diversities of activities, but it is the same
God who works All in all, but the manifestation or the
revealing of the Spirit capital S is given to each one for the
profit of all. Well, man, I'm a really good
singer, so you know, that's what I'm going to do.
No, no, it's for everybody else to be blessed to receive the
blessing of God. What you do is as you operate in
your gift, and that's what you need to pray about and seek the
Lord. What is my gift?
And as you serve and live in that gift, you bring blessing to
everybody else. Lastly, you are assured of God's
presence in the church we LED. Read that on Sunday, Revelation
113. And in the midst of the seven
lampstands, one like the Son of man, Jesus is where you know,
Jesus goes to church all the time, never misses His service,
Clove with garment down to the feet, good about the chest with
a golden band. Matthew 1820.
We're two or three are gathered together in my name.
I am there in the midst of them. I want you to know, and we're
not aware of this, but we need to be think about that each time
we gather. Jesus Christ is here.
That's amazing. Each time we gather.
Oh, who's that church tonight? Oh, the Lord God Almighty.
What'd you say? Oh, yeah, He's always there.
Who was that church? Creator of heaven and earth.
Wow. But the most important reason
Jesus created the church is that it is to be the vehicle he has
chosen to carry out his mission on the earth.
Remember, a few years back, everyone had to have a mission
statement if you're in the public service at all.
Oh, what's their mission statement?
We got to work through it. What's their vision?
What's their mission statement? What's their statement?
You know, what are we going to say?
Who we are, what we do. And church has got into the
whole, well, we need to find out what, what is this church's
mission statement? No, you don't.
We have the mission statement. It's in the Bible, Matthew 2818.
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying all authority has been
given to me in heaven and on earth.
Here it is. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations. So first thing, go second thing,
make disciples of all the nations.
Third thing, baptising them in the name of the Father of the
Son of the Holy Spirit. Fourth thing, teaching them to
observe all things that I've commanded you and lo, I'm with
you always, even to the end of the age.
Amen. You want to know what we're
supposed to do? That's what we're supposed to
do. That's what we're supposed to
do. Can't make it up.
We don't. Well, we, we're church.
We're into this. No, you're not.
Well, that's, that's good, because that's not God's church.
Jesus Christ tells us what we're to do.
It's his church. He's in charge.
We're going to obey the orders. This is the Great Commission.
The ministry of Jesus is not finished.
It is still being carried out today by His church.
The book of Acts is the account of how the ministry of the
church continued through his disciples and the churches they
established. The book of Acts is the only
book in the Bible has no ending. Why?
It's still being written, you and I, Can you imagine this in
heaven they're writing down. They haven't finished the book
of Acts. Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour I
hope gets a mention in the book of Acts.
The Barna Research Group surveyed people about how they
were looking for a church and at the top of the list it's got to
have good children's programmes. That was the top.
Can't find that anywhere in here.
I can't find that anywhere in here.
That was the number one thing. According to our Kent Hughes,
great Bible commentator, that is the now consumer mentality of
the church attendees filling out an ecclesiastical shopping list
that what's in it for me thinking people ring me and go,
so tell me about your church. I don't I don't have a church
tell me about well, what do you believe?
I don't believe anything. I just believe what the Bible
says. And I can tell right away There,
they've got the shopping list there, Ecclesiastical shopping
list. Sometimes when people come in,
I've often thought, well, I'm thinking about come to church.
Well, maybe I should go. Well, I'm thinking about maybe I
need to find find out about who you are, what you believe, what
you're about. Maybe you won't fit here.
You, Keith, you can't do that. Yes, I can.
Because it works, doesn't it? You know someone.
You don't just let any Tom, Dick and Harry come into your into
your home and. Oh, yeah, here's Joe boy.
He's sitting at the table. Who's that black?
I don't know it's the what's in it for me.
Thinking second in the list were specific ministries and support
groups. Does it have a Cricket Club?
Surf club? Does it have a quilting club?
I play bocce bocce. I'm looking for a church bocce
league. Is this church?
Got one after that was community and fellowship followed by it's
got to have good music. I'm into the Blues church.
Is this a Blues church? Oh well, I can't come in here.
This is this is actually on the list.
Thankfully Bible teaching didn't make it at #10 #10.
But what was not on the list at all was a church that would
carry out the mission of Jesus to the world.
I'm looking for a church that will carry out the mission of
Jesus to the world. Wasn't wasn't mentioned.
There was very little interest in finding a church that would
use people's gifts, resources, and talents to reach the World
for Christ. How far apart are we from how
Jesus sees the church? We're miles apart.
What is Jesus mission for the church?
There is no searching or having to pray and seek God as to oh
God, what do you want us to do? It's in the book.
Everything we do here at Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour, then
therefore must have its foundation and drive based on
the Great Commission. Go therefore make disciples of
all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, of
the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
things that I've commanded you. That's discipling.
We're to go out, we're to reach people, we're to bring them to
church. Be like Andrew.
Hey, you're going to come. I met the Messiah, you got to
come meet him. We are not just seeking
converts, we are looking for disciples, people who will grow
in the things of God for us to minister and help them to grow.
This is our mission, these are our orders.
This is what the Church is here for.