Here are the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Verse 1 of chapter 2: To the angel of the church in Ephesus write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you: that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.

Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.

Now may the Lord add His blessing to the reading of the Scripture. We are in our Acts, the Revelation in three Acts, what I described as three Acts, and the three Acts being Act I: Christ revealed. The book is about Him, not merely from Him.

Act II, the Old Testament explored and expounded. And then Act III, the truth applied. The Bible says that God blesses all who listen to the message and obey what it says. It’s meant to be lived, not merely acknowledged, in other words.

Now, I have not done a very good job. Originally, I said I was going to try to do all three of those in each message. It hasn’t worked out that way yet. But last week was really about Act I and II of the expounding of Christ and the Old Testament and seeing who He was from the Old Testament.

Today will be much more along the lines of the indication of truth, okay? Now, we want to remind ourselves here; the book is not a mystery to be solved. There are many people in our culture today that look at the Book of Revelation as a crystal ball and it’s predicting things that are happening even now.

But this is not the purpose of the book. It is not a mystery to be solved, except… Then we come to verse 20 where He talks about the mystery. The mystery of the seven stars. And what we need to see and understand here is that the mystery here is explained. It’s not something that’s yet to be understood.

He says to John: John apparently perhaps because he understands and remembers the Old Testament tabernacle, it had one seven-branched lampstand, and he’s got a little bit of intrigue now. Why is he seeing seven lampstands? And it might have been a mystery in his mind, but Christ explains the mystery.

He says seven lampstands are representative and symbolic of the seven churches; mystery solved. We do not need to look any further for that understanding. Grant Osborne, in his commentary on Revelation, says that mystery is an important New Testament term used to describe the new truth God reveals to His people.

It refers to the uncovering of hidden secrets God has decided not to unveil until the present time. But they have been unveiled. This is the problem we have sometimes. We come to that word mystery, and we’re thinking of a mystery that has to be solved. The statement, however, is tricky because it can be taken to suggest the truths yet to be revealed today.

And that’s not the case at all. Leon Morris says that mystery does not mean what is mysterious in our sense of the term but something that people could never work out for themselves, but which has now been made known by God. Paul refers to the gospel as a mystery because nobody had seen it. Nobody had understood what it was going to look like and then it comes around.

I want you to notice, please: this making known, God has made known; this comes directly from the Word of Christ recorded in this holy book. It is verifiable on that basis. It is not secretive. It is not intuitive. And it is not personal. It is not a situation of this is true for me but not for you, though there are instances of that as, for example, calling.

I am called to ministry. I am called to the role that I am fulfilling today. Most of you are not called to that. There is this truth does apply to me and not to you. But this is not what’s going on in the Book of Revelation. It is written to all of us.

So mystery does not imply something, great thing, yet to be revealed, that nobody has ever seen. Recall that when we started our journey, I made reference to a book entitled Mystery Babylon: Unlocking the Bible’s Greatest Prophetic Mystery. And the goal of the writer is to say here’s a mystery. We’ve got to figure out what it means.

And what we’ve said repeatedly is that if that was still a mystery to be uncoded then it could have had no meaning to the first century people. You get to Revelation 17 and 18, and this woman is described as a harlot. She’s on this beast. And you think, well, this is something yet to be revealed.

But if it is, then it had no meaning to the first-century Christian or the second-century Christian or the third-century Christian. They could not have benefited from the book because it has some mysterious meaning in the future. And this is what we must not do with the Scripture.

Now, it is true that having said that these things are not a mystery for us to try to figure out. We glean from the teaching and apply it. Having said that, there is a mysteriousness about the seven stars. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.

And here we have another highly debated part of Revelation regarding the identity of these stars. Joe Beeky points out that the Puritans thought the angels could be pastors, symbolic of the pastor because pastors serve an angelic role as messengers of God. The Greek word for angel is “angelos,” just simply means messenger.

And so the idea is this: an angel of the churches represents the pastors and the elders and the leaders and it’s that in which sense that it’s being used. Well, the problem with that is that the word “angelos” is never used of humans in the Book of Revelation. When the book of the Word appears, it’s always in reference to an angelic being.

So that doesn’t seem to hold up. Another view is that the leader of the church is referred to as an angel to remind the churches that they are not just an assembly meeting on earth. We’re not just like a civic group that has come together in its regular meetings, and we pay our dues with the gifts, and we do these sorts of things.

No, that’s not it. We have a calling upon our lives and upon our hearts, and we are being used by God. We are not merely… All of heaven is involved in their life and conduct. Their earthly life and the heavenly reality underlying it are independent aspects of our Christian life. It isn’t merely a group of people in a particular geographic place on earth.

There is a dynamic spiritual dimension to this gathering. And when we lose that, we have lost everything we stand for. There’s more going on here and this is a mystery. Who is this angel? H.B. Sweet, in his 1917 commentary on Revelation, suggests it could simply be a metaphorical way of referring to the spirit of the church.

A tolerant spirit, a generous spirit, a compromising spirit, and this is the idea that he has. And then Greg Beal says that he views them as actual real angels who bear corporate responsibility for the churches assigned to them though it is very hard to understand why angels would need to repent.

He says: To the angel of the church, and then he goes down, remember from where you have fallen; repent. By the way, if angels could repent there would be no reason for angels to be unclean, demonic spirits. They could repent at any time and be right with God. And therefore, we do not have any scriptural basis for the idea that angels can repent.

And this makes it difficult to think that this angel is a real angel because real angels would not need to repent. Now, another complexity is how this feeds into the idea of personal guardians. The viewpoint—and don’t go flipping through your Bible trying to find the scriptures—that’s not the point of the message.

This view feeds into the idea of personal guardian angels who are with us and are serving us and protecting us at all times in the more extreme views providing parking spaces at Walmart. There are people who teach that. I’m not just being facetious there.

You have the power to command the angels. Command them to go out, and they’ll open up a parking place for you at Walmart. Now this is the extreme kind of viewpoint. Without getting into all the debate around the possibilities of that concept of a personal guardian angel, which I personally do not believe in, so just so you’ll know in case you understand.

The point of this text isn’t talking about that. This point of this, without getting into all the debate around the possibilities of that concept we should note how this serves as another example of Christians getting caught up in speculative issues and missing the more straightforward instruction.

Whether we do or do not have personal guardian angels is not the point of this text. The point of this text is and if we’re not careful, we might sit through an entire Sunday morning service with all kinds of unprovable anecdotal stories about angels and yet never hear the gospel proclaimed or repentance called for.

And I want to say to you: this would not please the angels. The angels seek to glorify God and they’re not worried about fixation on their role. I would suggest to you, anytime we take the angels or any other dimension and make it the point of the service, we’ve missed something.

In this text whoever these angels of the seven churches represent the point isn’t who they are in figuring it out but what the church is called to do from this instruction. Now unless you should think this is just your pastor’s perspective if I’ve got these in the right one: Colossians 2:18, let no one disqualify you insisting on asceticism and worship of angels going on in detail about visions puffed up by his sensuous mind.

There were people in that day who had shifted the focus from Christ and His work to these angelic beings. And Paul says, that’s not what we should be doing and we shouldn’t be guilty of that in our text this morning. We should focus instead on the fact that regardless of the identity of the angels those stars the letters are by extension addressed to the churches and to the people comprising each of those churches.

And we are accountable before God to respond to that instruction and not get caught up in merely acknowledging the existence and activity of angels. The message is practical, applicable to daily life and not limited to mystical elements. This is what so many people do with the book of Revelation.

It just turns it into this great mystery and we miss everything that we’re supposed to do. And this, of course, corresponds to our third act, the application of truth. The whole letter in fact of Revelation is misused this way. An example almost every time you see something posted about or heard taught about Revelation here’s what you hear.

There’s judgment coming for this bad, bad, bad, bad world. That’s the focus of the message. And no one pauses to notice. The message begins offering correction to the church. Listen to 1 Peter 4: it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.

And if it begins with us what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? Once again I must emphasize the word obey. Not just believe it live it obey it. And it’s interesting that in context, that passage is talking about persecution.

Peter’s saying: If you’re being persecuted for these reasons rejoice and then he says it’s time for judgment to begin at the house of God. What does that tell us? That sometimes persecution is God’s way of refining His people. Now before we begin a church-by-church examination, we are not going to get that today.

We’ll have to come back to this book again this church next week this letter. We’ll begin the seven churches at that time. Before we begin a church-by-church examination, we should note the overall health and theme of these letters to the churches. And it is not a pretty picture.

Greg Beal says: The Christian church as a whole is perceived as being in poor condition. Since not only are the healthy churches in the minority two out of the seven are commended without correction. Not only are the healthy churches in the minority, the churches in the worst condition formed the literary boundaries of the letters and the churches with serious problems formed the very core.

If you lay out the seven churches two of them are good. I mentioned Wednesday night. This week, well we saw it this week Alyssa Childers who many of you don’t know works with Frank Turek Frank Turek was on hand when Charlie Kirk was shot they were working hand in hand. Okay?

So, Alyssa Childers is in that circle of people. She said this week she’s an all-Christian author etc., that only… literal, physical, bodily resurrection of Christ. Less than half of people scurrying around in America calling themselves Christians believe the historic testimony of the Bible.

Now I hope you will agree when you hear your pastor say something about Christians don’t know what they believe or why they believe it, that’s what we’re talking about. The most fundamental not something that’s unique to our denomination or to our nation but something that’s been part of the Christian testimony from the beginning.

The picture in Revelation as we come to the seven letters before we get over to the legitimate judgment of the world he’s correcting the church and the picture is not pretty. Now this is why I failed to put it on the screen this morning about chapter 2:18 which I want to read at this time. If you had your Bible open still, I apologize for not putting that on the screen properly.

This is the middle church so there’s seven churches. This is the fourth one. This is the one that’s right in the middle. Now listen to what he says to this church. To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the words of the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

I know your works your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first but I have this against you: that you tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent but she refuses to repent of her sexual immortality.

Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her, I will throw into great tribulation unless they repent of her works. And I will strike her children dead. Now notice this phrase: And all the churches will know that I am He who searches mind and heart and I will give to each of you according to your works.

And I must begin verse 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, do not hold this teaching. Now we will of course come back to this church in the future. But I want to call your attention to these specific points this morning as we grapple with the condition of the church and Christ’s call for the church to repent.

Notice these things please. Christ is revealed as the righteous judge. Remember the vision last week and he says he has eyes like a flame of fire. His feet are burnished bronze. There’s a sword going out of his mouth, and we talked about how that symbolizes Christ as the righteous judge. As the righteous judge.

William Hendrickson says: The Son of Man is pictured with eyes flashing fire eyes that read every heart and penetrates every corner. His eyes this is the scene of judgment and this is what he says to them. He opens the letter to this church saying, I’m the guy who sees everything. Hebrews chapter 4.

The Word of God is living and active sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and spirit discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart no creature is hidden from his sight but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. You cannot hide from God.

Secondly, and we need to know Christians will be judged for works done in faith not faith alone. I don’t know how I can labor this any better. At some point in the history of America’s Christianity, there has to be this eradication of I believe. I believe I believe pastor.

I believe but it’s the belief that any change in the life we live. You will be judged for your works as a Christian. Your sins have been taken care of you’re not going to hell but we will be judged for the way we live our lives for Christ.

Verse 23, which I just read all the churches will know that I am He who searches the hearts and minds of the people Hebrews 4, 12 we give an account to God where did we get the idea that being a Christian meant we have a free ticket to live any way we want to and then we get to heaven it’s not biblical.

It’s not biblical. Certainly I’ve got to hurry along here. Now hear this despite what is right serious wrongs must be corrected. He says: I know what you’re doing well done but I’ve got something against you there’s a little problem over here that we need to talk about.

Here’s how we talk well maybe God can use those people. I know they’re wrong I hear this. I mentioned the word of faith well pastor, they do good work. They’re doing great things shouldn’t we rejoice in that? Is Jesus rejoicing in the good they’re doing while ignoring the bad they’re doing?

And if he’s not going to ignore it should we pretend like it’s okay to believe that as long as you’re doing this. Let’s pause remember we’re not talking about a disagreement here. Last week, we talked about baby dedication and child and infant baptism.

And you never heard me say that this group is sinful and this one isn’t. It’s a disagreement that has existed in the life of the Christian church and continues to exist. This is not what’s going on in this text. How do we know that? Because Jesus says repent and he only uses the word repent when sin is being committed.

The teachings and the activity and the behavior of this otherwise nice church is bordering and falling into sin now. And it’s got to be turned away from and stop justifying a false teaching because God might use them. He might but that does not make it right next despite being written while addressed to Thyatira, the message the warning applies to all the churches.

When we go through this journey, we do not want to stand here and say oh that church was so bad. That’s not the point. We want to look at that church and say how are we guilty of the same? The warning applies to all the churches.

Note here’s another I just stressed the significance of this our corporate identity Christianity is not a lone ranger, I can do it my way isolationist individual religion he said I will build a church the word church in the classic Greek meant calling out of people from their jobs from their recreation from all the other things to a central place of worship and service.

Paul says: I want you to all be of one mind in Christ. Now how will we ever get there if all of us are free to just pick and choose whatever we want to believe? There’s a boundary, there’s a framework here, and Jesus is saying this these people why is this church operating so different from this church over here because they think we can do our own thing.

This is the way I want to do it. I’m going to live my Christianity. I make my own rules talk to people say are you in church? You know what? We don’t go to church but we pray over our meal every day every day when we sit down to dinner, we pray over our meal.

And what you’re saying is because I do this I don’t have to do that. Pastor I clean and I mow so I don’t have to give pastor I pray I read my Bible so I don’t have to go to church. That’s an individual I make my own rules instead of applying he says this message is for note the emphasis the churches not the Christians.

That is true it’s Christians in the church but it’s the churches that the letter is written to and notice he says in that passage chapter 23 all the churches will know I am He who searches. And each letter ends with what? Hear what the Spirit says to the churches there’s truth in each one of these things Matthew Henry says that what is said to be what is said to one church concerns all the churches everywhere and in every age.

William Hendrickson says: The notion that these seven churches describe seven successive periods of church history hardly needs refuting. The epistles describe conditions that occur not in one particular age of church history but again and again and again because we’re fallen humans and we keep drifting back to our default position Leon Morris says the plural churches, the plural word churches shows that the message is not only for those Asian Christians long ago for everyone who has an ear him hear what the Spirit is saying.

When I became a follower of Christ in a Pentecostal context you always heard this verse thrown out. I know your works you’re neither cold nor hot would that you were either cold or hot so because you’re lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. And what we would hear was man I want to be on fire for God.

I don’t want to be cold. I don’t want to be lukewarm. I want to be on fire for God that’s not what that verse said. Jesus says: I wish you were hot or cold in the area of Laodicea, they had hot water springs and cold water springs and what hot water and cold water is beneficial.

Not many people like lukewarm he says this and we’re misusing it and when we come to these letters then we don’t look at don’t look at the letter and say oh that church we don’t want to be like them. Look for the ways that we are already guilty of that church.

Ephesus talks about you’ve left your first love what does that mean what does it mean when he says to the church of Sardis, you have a reputation of being alive socially culturally civically people talk about your church in positive terms but from God’s perspective you are dead and the only thing left is to throw dirt in on the body.

How are we guilty of that? This is the challenge that we’re going to have going forward not just to see this message about a church long ago but ask how does it apply to us how are we guilty of these things?

And what is our goal? There are two statements that Jesus makes to every church at least two. I’ll call your attention to hear what the Spirit says and to Him who conquered, to Him who overcomes comes here’s the reward here’s the result.

That is hear the correction and apply the correction to your heart to your life John Gill who died in 1771 says about this to him who overcomes the false apostles, the false teachers their doctrines those who overcome coldness lukewarmness and remissiveness in love those who overcome the impure tenets and practices of the Nicolatans.

See she’s saying amen pastor there she is. She’s doing it again I love you baby and I mean not just in an infant baby type, you know give her back to Uncle Moody children we don’t come to these letters and just say oh those people were just so bad no we let it be a mirror into our hearts and we say how are we guilty of it Lord? How are we guilty?

And we’re going to do that when we go through each of the letters. We’re going to ask God to speak to us how are we guilty of these different faults and failings? Let us build on our strengths but let us not ignore the weaknesses, and why pastor because Christ is not ignoring the failures and the weaknesses.

Amen Father thank you for your word thank you for the opportunity to share amen.