Category Archives: Fear of the Lord

“Strengthen What Remains: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Sardis” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be looking at another of Jesus’s letters to the churches, this time turning to the church in Sardis. This week’s passage is Revelation 3:1–6:

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

Jamie, are you ready to dive into our study of the letter to the church at Sardis?

Jamie Harrison:
Man, I’m ready. Are you ready?

Keith:                   
I don’t think I could be any more ready than I am right now. Not at all. I’m full go, full tilt…. I praise the Lord. I was reborn ready…. So, as we go through this, we’ll give a little bit of witty banter.

Jamie:                  
You’re not going to think it’s funny, but we do.

Keith:                   
And that’s because we’re dads.

Jamie:                  
We are.

Keith:                   
And that’s what we bring to the table. We can study the Bible and make dad jokes.          

Jamie:                  
That’s accurate.

Keith:                   
Alright, Jamie, talk to us about the letter to the church in Sardis.

Jamie:                  
So just to get started, kind of a reminder of how each letter is set up—it follows the same general format. You start with the salutation, “To the angel of the church in Sardis.”[2] Each letter starts that way, and each one gives some type of attribute of Jesus.

This one says in verse 1, “Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” That’s a correlation back to chapter 1, verse 4, and chapter 1, verse 16. Of course, the seven spirits of God—talking about the Holy Spirit there, the perfect Spirit of God. The seven stars represent the pastors of the churches.

Then He says to them, “I know your works. You have a reputation for being alive, but you’re dead.” And just to hit on that for a minute, He doesn’t praise them at all. He doesn’t say anything about their good works, which He has done with other churches.

Keith:                   
So are you saying that Jesus isn’t going to tell us something good and positive if it’s not true?      

Jamie:                  
Correct…. That’s how He rolls.

So when Jesus jumps right into it, He says the word “reputation”—“You have a reputation for being alive, but you’re dead.” This always reminds me of how our pastor, Big John [Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church], always says, you know, a lot of people think they’re going to make it to heaven because their uncle was a Baptist preacher, or their grandmother was in church every Sunday, or that kind of thing.

So it’s this reputation—it’s something people thought you had at some point, but you don’t anymore. That’s what Jesus is getting at. You have a reputation for being alive. Your reputation is that you have good works. Your reputation is that you do things for the Lord—but you don’t. You’re dead.

Keith:                   
And that word for reputation there is literally “name.”

Jamie:                  
Yes.

Keith:                   
So we know that if you have been made alive in Christ, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you have life, your name is there. It’s not going to matter—what is it, Matthew 7:21-23—where Jesus says, “Many of you are going to say, ‘Lord, I’ve done this,’ and, ‘Lord, I’ve done that,’” and He’s going to say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

So the idea here, like you’re saying with reputation, it’s not about works. It’s whether or not He has made you alive.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. That’s exactly right.

And so He goes on from there and says, “Be alert, and strengthen what remains, which is about to die. For I have not found your works complete before my God.”

So again, He reiterates—look, y’all do have a little bit left. There’s something there. There’s a little fire to work with. But it’s about to die. And if you don’t strengthen it, it’s going to go away as well. Now, does He mean that whole church [at Sardis] is going to cease to exist? Does He mean that those believers are going to cease to exist? I don’t know the answer to that. I think it’s more of a “Hey, you better get yourselves right with Me.”

Keith:                   
And they would’ve known, right?

Jamie:                  
Right. He goes on in verse 3: “Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you’re not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea what hour I will come upon you.”

So look—what have they received and heard?

Keith:                   
The gospel.        

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                   
And that’s consistent language across the New Testament—gospels, epistles, and here in Revelation with Jesus Himself saying it. You’ve received it. You’ve heard it. It’s consistent—it’s the gospel. And we know that through the preaching of the gospel is how God awakens us, saves us. And when we confess Him as Lord, He makes us alive.

Jamie:                  
That’s right.

Keith:                   
And so the things in this that are very clear are clear to us and our churches today as well.            

Jamie:                  
Accurate.

So I find it… I’m not going to use the word interesting here—I’m not sure what word I’d be looking for—but He says, “If you’re not alert, I’m going to come like a thief, and you have no idea what hour I will come upon you.” Well, if you knew when the thief was coming, you’d be prepared for it. So don’t misconstrue this—Jesus is not saying He is a thief. What He’s saying is that He’s going to come when we least expect it.

And so they’d better repent. There’s that word—repent—again, right? And I want to read the definition of the word repent:

To change one’s way of life as a result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness—to repent, to change one’s way.[3]

So in other words, to repent is not lip service. It’s not just saying, “Lord, I repent.” It’s life service. It’s a complete change. Again, to change one’s way of life. Not an easy thing to do—because we all have things we’d like to hold onto. Things we’d rather not get rid of.

We’ve all got that one little… you know, I think of—what was that homeboy’s name in Lord of the Rings? That’s like, “My precious…”

Keith:                   
Ah….

Jamie:                  
Smeagol.[4]

Keith:                   
Yeah.    

Jamie:                  
My cousin Gollum. That’s him. And his one thing that he just couldn’t get his mind off of was the ring.

And so we all have that thing—that thing we just don’t want to let go of, that thing we hold onto. Jesus is [essentially] saying, “You’ve got to repent. You’ve got to turn away from it. To change your entire life—a complete change in attitude with regard to sin.”

Keith:                   
Which, in this context, is keeping with what you’ve heard—keeping with the gospel.

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. And in James chapter 2, verses 14 through 26—I’m not going to read that whole section—but this is that “faith and works” section that James talks about. And he goes through and basically says, you know, if you look at people who don’t have clothes or daily food, and you say, “Stay warm and be well fed,” what have you really done to help them?

Keith:                   
Right.   

Jamie:                  
That’s right—you’ve done nothing.

Well, the gospel teaches us that we are supposed to act. We are supposed to have works. Those works will prove our faith. They will prove that we love Jesus, that we have a relationship with Him. And if we don’t have those works, then we should repent—to show our faith.

So I think that’s a real good correlation to what He’s talking about here because He tells them, “I know your works. You have a reputation, but you’re dead. You’re not doing anything.” Which is what James is talking about—you’re spiritually dead. And I think about churches I’ve been to before where so many people in the church would say to me, “Well, it’s your turn to do such and such. I’ve done my time.” To which my response was always, “I don’t think you have—’cause you’re still alive.”

Keith:                   
Right.

Jamie:                  
You probably would be physically dead.

Keith:                   
There’s no retirement from being saved.              

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                    Part of that is…what is it L.G. [Schmitz] says? “God has a plan for your life.” And he cites—and I find it interesting that this comes at the end of that section in Ephesians 2:1-10 – that section dealing with how we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-2)?

You get to Ephesians 2:4—“But God…” made you alive in Christ. At the end of that, you have Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand.” They’re not our works earning salvation, but rather fruit proving the salvation that He has given. He’s put the life in you—you live it as long as you have it.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. Amen.

And so, to go on there—verse 4: “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white because they are worthy.” So there are some people there who are dressed in white. Which, again—I know we’ve hit on it already—but that’s purity, that’s holiness.

As we look at glimpses into heaven further in Revelation, you see the saints clothed in white, right? That’s the idea here. So they’re still doing what Jesus has called them to do. And He says, “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes.”

And that’s, again, back to the setup of the letters—we had the salutation, we had the attributes of Jesus, we’ve just talked about the works, praise, and admonition to the church—or in this case, the lack of works and the lack of praise. You get the universal admonition: “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” And then you get this final promise, which is where we are now. And that final promise is that “the one who conquers…”—1 John 5:4–5 tells us that the one who conquers is the one who is saved, who has a relationship with Jesus.

So how are you a conqueror? You’re saved. You have a relationship with Him. And that relationship is going to lead to good works. It’s going to lead to doing things for Christ.

Now, are those things always going to be… pleasant at the end of the day? Are things going to happen to us if we step out for Jesus? Probably.

Will people say stuff about us or to us? Probably.

Are people going to scrutinize our lives? Yeah—for sure.

Because that’s how people are when they’re being convicted of sin and they don’t like it. But our job is to follow Him—in works, in faith—to do what He asks us to do, to be led by Him.

And then He says we’ll be conquerors, we’ll be dressed in white clothes, and “I’ll never erase your name from the Book of Life, but I’ll acknowledge your name before My Father and before His angels.” And so you get this really cool ending to this letter, where He says, “Look guys, if you all will repent—change your attitude, change your lifestyle, come to Me, do the things I’ve asked you to do—then your name will be in My Book of Life, and you will spend eternity with Me.” So I think the question, looking at this letter—each of these letters should lead us to ask ourselves a question. And I think the letter to Sardis leads me to ask myself: Do I have a relationship with Christ?

When you look at this, when you think about this, you go—am I leaning back on a reputation I had? Because I used to be a good Sunday School teacher… or I used to be a good pastor… or I used to be a good van driver… or I used to be a good garbage picker-upper… or whatever it is that you used to do.

Or are you still doing things for Christ? Do I have a relationship with Christ?

If you have a relationship with Christ, but the works haven’t been there, then it’s time to repent.

It’s time to do what He’s telling us to do—and that’s repent.

Big John [Goldwater] preached a message last Sunday—which, of course, I don’t know when this podcast will be put out—so that would’ve been January the…

Keith:                    5th.         

Jamie:                   January the fifth. And you can go find that on his Facebook page, I’m sure. Or the….

Keith:                    …Christ Community YouTube page (look no further for John’s sermon from January 5, 2025 — HERE IT IS).

Jamie:                   Yeah, either one. And that’s not a shout-out like, “Hey, come to Christ Community Church, we’re the best thing since sliced bread”—which, of course, I think we are; that’s why I go there.

But the message was on point. It was about doing what Christ has asked us to do, growing in our faith with Christ. And I’m gonna tell you—it convicted the… the—I don’t even know what word to say. I started to say “pee,” but that’s probably inappropriate….

Keith:                   
In the context of repentance: the sin out of you.

Jamie:                  
Yes, it did. And so I’ve been honestly struggling with that all week long. But that’s the idea there.

Now, the other thing is, if you realize, “You know what? I don’t even have a relationship with Christ”—the good news is, you can. I was talking to somebody just yesterday about this—somebody who’s close family. They said, “I’m not sure I’m asking God the right questions. How do I know if I’m asking Him the right questions?” And so I started praying about it, and I was led to kind of our verse at Christ Community—it’s Romans 10:9. And in that verse, it tells us how to be saved. And the first part of that is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. And the issue with that—that most people have—is they’re like, “Yeah, I don’t have a problem confessing Jesus is Lord. I can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ all day long.” But the definition of the word Lord is like—a master or an owner, the possessor of someone or something. It’s the kind of word that’s even spoken of a husband. Which, of course, we know that Jesus is referred to as the groom—the husband. And so, someone that has absolute authority over whatever it is. And so when you think about those things, you go, “Man—confessing Jesus as Lord means I have to give everything over to Him. All of it. My whole life over to Him.”

Now, what I told the guy I was talking to was—when we confess Jesus as Lord and we grow in our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit begins to answer the questions through His Word.

So maybe it’s not as much a matter of What questions do I ask?—as it is:
          Have I submitted to the Lord?
          Have I given Him my everything?
          Is He my Lord and Savior?

And so, guys—at the end of the day, if you don’t have a relationship with Him… and we always say it’s really simple… well, it’s simple to say the words, but—surrender yourself to the Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead—which is faith—and you will be saved.

So I think that’s a good place to kind of finish today.

Keith:                   
Yeah. And as we wrap—just, each of these…

Jamie:                  
I really can’t rap. That is, um… Tupac, Eminem—those guys.

Keith:                   
W-R-A-P. My bad.           

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                   
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

As you look at this—if you have confessed Him as Lord and He’s saved you—the works are proof of that. They don’t produce that. And Jesus says He will never blot a name out of His Book of Life. If you are saved, you are saved.

Jamie:                  
That’s right.

Keith:                   
Because He accomplishes it—not something you can lose. And so if you look at this and start thinking about it—that you haven’t been consistent—there’s no “losing” of one’s salvation. You may have only been doing lip service.

Jesus talked to the Pharisees—who were the religious who’s who—and they thought they were already dressed in white. They thought they were religiously perfect. And He told them they were whitewashed tombs.

John the Baptist even told the Pharisees to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If you’re not, you haven’t lost your salvation. This may be that initial repentance—where, like Jamie said, you need to confess Jesus as Lord, have faith in Him, and then He will save you. You’re not getting re-saved, saved again, saved 2.0.

You either are, or you aren’t.

You’re either dead, or you’re alive.

And so, if you read this or listen to this today and realize that you aren’t alive—you can be made alive in Christ today. And that’s our hope and prayer.

Jamie:                  
Mm-hmm.

Keith:                   
Well, this one has been relatively short—as these go. And so, as Big John says, “No one complains about a short sermon.”

Jamie:                  
Amen.

Keith:                   
God bless. Thank y’all—and we look forward to hearing from y’all soon. 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 3:1–6.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

[3] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., rev. and ed. by Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “μετανοέω.”

[4] Smeagol (also called Gollum) is a character from The Lord of the Rings books and movies. He becomes so obsessed with a magical ring that he calls it “my precious” and can’t let it go. Jamie uses this as an example of how we can get stuck holding on to sin instead of letting it go and turning to Jesus.

“Hold Fast Until Jesus Comes: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Thyatira” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This week’s passage is Revelation 2:18-29:

18 “And 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.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 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. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 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, 23 and I will strike her children dead. 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. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

Keith Harris:     
Greetings, Sojourners,
Welcome back to The King is Coming.[2] My name is Keith, and I’m joined once again by my friend and co-host, Jamie Harrison. Jamie, how’s it going, man?

Jamie Harrison:
It’s going great. I’m looking forward to walking through another letter to the churches in Revelation.

Keith:                  
Yeah, me too. We are now in the fourth of the seven churches, and this is the letter to Thyatira. This is the longest of the seven letters, even though Thyatira is probably the least-known of the seven cities. So, let’s jump in. This is the longest of the seven letters, and it starts with Jesus identifying Himself in a striking way: “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” Jamie, what stands out to you in this introduction?

Jamie:                 
Man, I love how every letter begins with one of the descriptions of Jesus from chapter 1. And this one — “eyes like fire, feet like bronze” — it’s strong. It’s intense. His gaze pierces through everything. The eyes of fire speak to His ability to see right through hypocrisy. And the feet of bronze are strong, stable, pure — He’s coming with authority and judgment.      

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I think that’s really important for what He’s about to say to this church. Because on the one hand, He has some really good things to say. He says, “I know your works — your love, your faith, your service, your endurance.” And then He says, “Your later works exceed the first,” so they’re growing. But on the other hand, there’s this deep compromise going on.

Jamie:                 
Yeah, this is one of those churches where you see a really mixed picture. Like, they’ve got some great stuff going on. And it’s interesting that love is mentioned — because that wasn’t the case in Ephesus. In Ephesus, they had truth but no love. Here in Thyatira, they have love — but they’re lacking in truth.

Keith:                  
That’s a great observation. Jesus tells them, “I see your love and your faith and your service and your endurance.” Those are all things we’d celebrate in a church today. But then comes verse 20: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel….”       

Jamie:                 
That’s a heavy name to drop.

Keith:                  
Yeah. Most scholars believe “Jezebel” isn’t her actual name — it’s a symbolic reference to the Old Testament queen Jezebel from 1 and 2 Kings, who led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality. She influenced King Ahab and the people to turn away from God.  

Jamie:                 
So this person in Thyatira — whoever she really was — was doing something similar. Claiming to be a prophetess, teaching false doctrine, and leading people into sin under the guise of spiritual insight. That phrase, “the deep things of Satan,” shows just how off-track it had gotten.

Keith:                  
Exactly. And Jesus doesn’t just say she’s wrong — He says she’s dangerous. She’s seducing His servants. He says, “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses.” That’s both terrifying and gracious. Jesus gave her an opportunity to turn around. 

Jamie:                 
Right, and that’s important. He’s not quick to judge — He gives space for repentance. But when someone refuses, judgment is coming. And He says He’ll throw her on a sickbed, bring great tribulation on those who commit adultery with her, and even strike her children dead. That’s intense.

Keith:                  
It is. But that’s the seriousness of sin in the church — especially sin that’s being taught and normalized. Jesus says this judgment will serve as a warning: “All the churches will know that I am He who searches mind and heart.” He’s not just looking at outward appearances.

Jamie:                 
And that’s so needed in today’s world. We live in a time when churches are often pressured to tolerate sin in the name of love. But Jesus shows us here that real love doesn’t tolerate what’s destructive to His people. He calls His church to purity — not just kindness, but truth and holiness.

Keith:                  
Yes — love without truth leads to compromise. And truth without love leads to cold legalism. Jesus is calling Thyatira to hold both — to grow in love and to stand in truth. And for those who haven’t bought into this false teaching, He says: “I don’t lay on you any other burden — just hold fast to what you have until I come.”         

Jamie:                 
That’s such a gracious word from Jesus — “I don’t lay on you any other burden.” Just hold fast. That’s the call. Sometimes in the middle of confusion or pressure or even division in the church, the call is just to cling tightly to Jesus and remain faithful.

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I love that the letter ends with promises — not just warnings. He says: “The one who conquers and who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” That’s a big promise.          

Jamie:                 
It is. And it’s drawn from Psalm 2 — that idea of ruling the nations with a rod of iron, breaking them like earthen pots. That’s messianic language, and Jesus is sharing that reign with His people. It’s a picture of participating in His authority, His victory, and His kingdom.

Keith:                  
Absolutely. It’s incredible that Jesus says those who stay faithful — who “conquer” by persevering in obedience — will reign with Him. And then He adds: “I will give him the morning star.” There’s a lot of debate about what exactly that means, but I think it points back to Jesus Himself.     

Jamie:                 
Yeah — Revelation 22:16 says Jesus is “the bright morning star.” So when He says, “I will give you the morning star,” He’s giving Himself. That’s the ultimate reward: not just reigning, not just escaping judgment, but having Jesus Himself.

Keith:                  
That’s such a good word. He’s not just promising relief from suffering or an escape from persecution. He’s promising Himself. And that makes sense with the tone of this whole letter. The people in Thyatira needed clarity — and Jesus gives them that. He says, “I see what’s good. I see what’s dangerous. And I’m calling you to stay faithful.” 

Jamie:                 
Yeah, and that ending refrain is still the same: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That means this message isn’t just for Thyatira — it’s for us too.

Keith:                  
Exactly. Jesus wants His whole church to hear this. In a world where compromise is so easy — where it’s tempting to tolerate false teaching in the name of unity or kindness — Jesus reminds us that love and truth must go together. And that He’s coming. So hold fast.

Jamie:                 
That’s the key — hold fast to what we’ve been given, stay faithful to the truth, and trust that Jesus sees, Jesus judges rightly, and Jesus rewards those who overcome.

Keith:                  
Amen. That’s a good word. Anything else you’d want to say to listeners before we wrap this one up?      

Jamie:                 
Just that encouragement — don’t let the pressure to “go along” with something false wear you down. Jesus sees your faithfulness. He knows. Hold fast. He is worth it.

Keith:   
He is.

Thank you, Jamie. And thank you for listening to The King is Coming. We’ll be back next week as we move into the letter to the church in Sardis. Until then, hold fast — and keep your eyes on Jesus.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:18–29.

[2] We’re trying out something a little different and giving a condensed transcript to make it easier to read, but if you want the full Bible study, click the podcast link above or click here.

“Church at a Crossroads: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Pergamum” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. We took a break for our He Who Promised is Faithful readings during Holy Week but are glad to be back at it. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This week’s passage is Revelation 2:12-17:

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

Today’s letter to the church at Pergamum is tough, Jamie. And, so speaking, I turn it over to you because this is a lot.

Jamie Harrison:
It is a lot, so y’all buckle up and stay buckled up – especially if you are driving and listening to this Bible study. No reading while driving.

Keith:                   
Click it or ticket.

Jamie:                  
Yeah, I’ve heard that somewhere.

Just a quick reminder of the similarities between each letter. Each letter is going to start with that same salutation. Write to the angel of the church, this week in Pergamum. Then we’re going to look at what Jesus says about Himself, His attributes. Then we’re going to get maybe something about their works, some praise and then admonition – something they need to work on (in all but two of the churches). Then, that same universal admonition to let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Finally, we’ll get a promise.

Before we start, in the first letter, we really talked a lot about listening to what the Spirit is saying, not just to the church at Ephesus or Smyrna, now Pergamum, but what He is saying to the Church today as a whole and to our local church body. What is He saying? And as a part of your local church body, what is He saying to you?

Keep those things in mind as we dive into this letter because I think this letter hits on a lot of stuff that’s probably affecting us today. So, here we go.

Jesus starts off by saying something about Himself does not have the best positive connotation to it.

Keith:                   
Yes, it is not the portrait of Jesus people would like to paint. But, nevertheless, it’s the one He gives us here.    

Jamie:                  
In the letter to Smyrna, we get that He is the first and the last. In the letter to Ephesus, He’s the One who holds the seven stars and who walks among the golden lamp stands. In Pergamum, all He says about Himself is, “Thus says the One who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (v. 12)[2], which again, does go back to ch. 1:16 where He had seven stars in His right hand and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. I think it’s interesting that the sword comes from His mouth because I want to – I’m kind of jumping ahead of myself real quick. Turn to Revelation 19:19, and I’m going to read a couple of verse, actually starting in verse 11 of Revelation 19 (and go through v. 13):

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because, again, in Revelation 1, that’s how He is described. He is called the Word of God. We know that the sword is the Word of God.

Keith:                   
Yeah, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6….         

Jamie:                  
Right. Ephesians 6, right. Continuing in Revelation 19 in verse 14-16:

14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And then we get this horrible supper of God where all these people are wiped out who were gathered together. And then in verse 21, it says,

The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.

So, this sharp double-edged sword that comes from His mouth is what eventually will end everything. That’s the sword He chooses – that’s, excuse me, the attribute He chooses to describe Himself with here (in the letter to the church at Pergamum). So, if you’re listening to this, and you’re in Pergamum, this is not good news. It’s terrifying.

Keith:                   
I mean, there is the admonition opportunity for repentance, but their current standing without repentance is not good at all. That sword Jesus speaks of is pointed at Pergamum.

Jamie:                  
It is pointed at Pergamum.

He goes from there to the works and the praise that He’s going to give. He tells them (in v. 13), “I know where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me.” Please don’t mistake that when He says, “where Satan’s throne is,” to think He means hell. Satan wasn’t (isn’t) cast into hell yet. That has not happened. He was cast down to earth.

Keith:                   
And hell doesn’t have a throne. Satan is going to be inmate number one there.  

Jamie:                  
That’s correct, and we’ll see that actually in Revelation 19 and 20 when we get there, that he’ll be one of the first couple beings cast into hell. But what it’s talking about when it says that the satanic throne – Satan’s throne…. Literally, during this time, Pergamum was considered the headquarters of Satanic opposition. That would have been a literal thing. It was a gentile base for false religion. They had a throne there that was a throne-shaped altar that looked like Zeus at the acropolis, the city’s highest peak, a throne-shaped altar to Zeus.

Then a lot of people from all over the [Roman] empire at that time would come to a palace that was built for Asclepius – the god of healing. His symbol was a rod in his hand and a snake wrapped around the rod, kind of like what we see on the back of ambulances and things like that today. That was what he held, that was his symbol, the snake-wrapped rod. People would come from all over the empire to sleep in his temple to get touched by one of the numerous non-venomous snakes that would be slithering around on the floor. Just to repeat, they would intentionally and willingly sleep on a floor that was covered in snakes in hopes that a snake would slither on them. Just because they are non-venomous doesn’t mean they don’t bite. They thought this would heal them.

So, that’s where Satan’s throne comes in. Because literally, that’s what it was considered to be during that time – not a good place to be. I would imagine if you were a Christian there at the time, and Jesus says “yet you are holding on to my name” and “did not deny [their] faith in [Him], even in the days of Antipas…who was put to death” among them. That’s a big deal. It’s really cool, like, hey, these awful things are going on around you…. We understand how easy it is now to get drawn away or moved away from Christ – we have to say this is ok because it’s what everybody says, and I don’t want to offend anybody…. These guys didn’t do that. They stuck with Jesus. They didn’t deny their faith even though all these things were going on around them. Even though it might seem easy that a snakebite might heal you, they trusted in Him.

Keith:                   
Well, it’s like how sometimes people want to take things into their own hands. In our churches today, there’s no Christian culture in the world. Everything is in the realm held by, how does Paul say it in Ephesians 2? The prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)? I imagine this was a really terrible things because I know when we have conversations with people about what the Bible says about things, people find great offense.

This isn’t a pastor, this isn’t a Christian, this isn’t some church guy, preacher saying, hey, I think the worldliness you are involved in is satanic. This is Jesus. He says that this whole idea there, whether it’s Zeus or Asclepius, what you’re dealing with here is Satan. This is heavy. This is not, oh, well, I just believe something different. Jesus says He is the only way and everything else is opposed to me. He ain’t playing here.

Jamie:                  
Let me interject here. I was having a conversation with a young man who had been talking to one of his buddies who claimed to be a Christian who said at the same time said he doesn’t believe everything the Bible says. Well, it’s either all or none. There’s no in between. I think me and you – or it might’ve been me and Kevin one, I can’t remember…but if there’s anything in the Bible that you’re not going to believe it would be the resurrection of Christ because that’s the most far-fetched thing, right? Jesus rose again. That’s the basis of Christianity. If you believe that, everything else is believable. So, with the Bible, it’s either all or it’s nothing. We can’t add. We can’t take away from the Word of God. He wrote it. All Scripture is breathed out by God. All of it. So, I just wanted to interject that before we move forward.

Keith:                   
I mean, the sword coming from His mouth is what He said. I think this is a very good example that sometimes – and I don’t even want to use sometimes because it sounds like I’m trying to make it more palatable – Jesus doesn’t speak on a basis of what’s going to make us more comfortable or happy or what’s going to fit in, He’s God. He’s the Creator. He’s the Author of life. He speaks and it is – or it ain’t.           

Jamie:                  
Yeah. So, there’s not your truth or my truth. Is that what you’re saying?

Keith:                   
We don’t have to say what I’m saying. The whole idea is what Jesus said. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.” So, when He is talking here to the church at Pergamum and telling them what they’ve experienced and that He knows their living in a terrible place – that this is where the throne-shaped alter is, again where Satan dwells. Jesus tells them they’ve done well despite all of that, but that there’ve been casualties as well, which is I think that’s where you are headed next.

Jamie:                  
Yes. So, the very next thing He says, is but I have a few things against you. With Ephesus, He had one thing: they had lost their first love. With Smyrna, they had nothing. Now we get to Pergamum, and it’s like, hey, here are a few things against y’all. So, let’s go through these.

He says that there are some who hold to the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites, to eat meat sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. What He’s talking about there is the story of Balaam. If you go back to Numbers 22-25, you’ll get the whole story. Balaam was this guy who was called a seer of the gods – kind of like a pagan divination expert.

Keith:                   
And just to clarify, I had heard Balaam – the story of Balaam and the donkey – preached many times in my childhood. I was a grown man before I read it fully for myself, which is on me, but Balaam was always treated like a hero in those sermons. Balaam was not of God’s people (Numbers 22:5–6). Balaam was not a prophet of the God (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). He was a mess (Numbers 31:16).

Jamie:                  
Mmm Hmmm. I firmly believe that he would have absolutely cursed Israel had God allowed him to (Numbers 22:12, 20–22; Numbers 23:11). So, that’s what you get when you read the story. You get introduced to Balaam. He comes and is asked to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5–6). He gets on his donkey, and there’s an angel in the way who is about to kill him (Numbers 22:21–23). The donkey just quits (Numbers 22:24–27). He beats the donkey (Numbers 22:27–28). Then the donkey talks to him; that’s where you get that whole conversation from (Numbers 22:28–30). That all happened to remind Balaam that God is in control and that he should do what He said (Numbers 22:31–35).

Keith:                   
It doesn’t matter where the money is, where the fame is, where the fortune is…. When the God speaks, the lowercase g gods have to bow in subjection.

Jamie:                  
Right. So, in looking at the oracles that Balaam gives, he gives three different ones, and in all three he ends up blessing Israel because the Lord will not allow him to curse them (Numbers 23:5–12; 23:16–24; 24:2–9). The first one was at a place that was known as the high places of Baal—a cultic center for the worship of Baal (Numbers 22:41). The second oracle takes place atop Mt. Pisgah, and so that is where all the heavenly omens were made or astrological observations were made—things like that, everything that people would have looked at during that time to see signs and things of that nature (Numbers 23:13–14). If that sounds familiar.

Keith:                   
It unfortunately does.   

Jamie:                  
The third place is on Peor, which is another cultic center of worship (Numbers 23:28). So, all three places he takes him, where Balaam tells him to meet him, are places of Baal—places that are against God (Numbers 22:41; 23:14; 23:28). What you end up happening is Balaam advises Balak to be friendly to Israel, share his women with them, things like that (Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14), and…

Keith:                   
And if you draw them in, you’ll destroy them from the inside out.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and Israel ends up following along. By the way, you can check out Numbers 31:16 to see where Balaam tells him to be friendly with them and Numbers 25:1-9 you get this horrible story of Israel having sexual relations with these Moabites and eating meat sacrificed to idols. These Moabite women are encouraging them to do it. As we were just talking about before we got started, they make it all the way to the entrance to the tabernacle.

Keith:                   
One guy is planning on taking his Moabite cult prostitute right up inside the tabernacle to show Israel what’s up.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and at that point, a plague had started because of what was going on. That is until Phineas drives a spear through the man and the woman and ends the plague. 24,000 Israelites are killed in this plague.

So, when Jesus tells the church there that they are holding to the teaching of Balaam (Revelation 2:14), Balaam taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites (Numbers 31:16). It’s like they were telling folks that they see they follow Jesus but add this or take away this (Galatians 1:6–9). We could name so many examples of this, but none of it is ok. If you are placing a stumbling block in front of people—placing something that is not biblically accurate—you are causing them to fall away (Romans 16:17; Matthew 18:6–7). I think that’s part of why James says that not everyone needs to be a teacher. You’ve got to be careful (James 3:1).

Keith:                   
It’s definitely why Jesus says you can’t serve two masters.

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. Especially when you’re teaching children. If you don’t know God’s Word and you’re not studying God’s Word, don’t teach children – don’t teach adults for that matter, but definitely don’t teach children.

Keith:                   
That’s another reason, and I know we said this in the first or second part of this study, if you don’t know, say, “I don’t know.” There’s no shame in saying that you have to look something up because you don’t want to cause somebody to stumble.

And I mean the issue here is you have two pictures. They could very well have that zeal of Phinehas—not saying go run people through with spears, but God Himself said that Phinehas was jealous with His jealousy (Numbers 25:10–13). You can dwell where Satan’s throne is. You can dwell where Satan dwells and hold fast to the name of Christ and not deny your faith even when people are getting killed (Revelation 2:13), or you can go the way of Balaam and go along to get along (Revelation 2:14; Numbers 31:16). I think there’s probably—and I’m definitely not welcoming terrible persecution—but when persecution sets in, those who have faith in Christ hold fast unto death, like we saw with Smyrna last week (Revelation 2:10), or they cut bait and fish. They either join the culture or go further into Christ. What he’s telling the church at Pergamum is that they have some folks playing with some stuff they don’t need to be playing with, telling them specifically to go back and test the Scriptures and see what happened to Balak and Balaam (Numbers 25:1–3; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11).

Jamie:                  
It didn’t work out so well. Specifically, what was going on during that time in Rome – to help make this understandable, is you’ve got – in order to join the guilds or unions like we were talking about in Smyrna, you would have the people in Rome and in Pergamum having to take a little pinch of incense and put it on the altar to affirm their loyalty to Caesar, the emperor. And that is spiritual fornication, obviously, because when you do that, you’re saying Caesar is lord. Then they would be able to have a job and things like that. So that’s what was specifically going on, but not only were they committing spiritual fornication, they were committing adultery, too. It says, “In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v. 15), which we mentioned back in the letter to Ephesus was a group of people who believed in giving in to sensual pleasure, basically elevating what they want over anybody, anytime, whoever, whenever, type of thing – as long as it feels good to you, it’s good.

If it feels good, it’s good. That’s not the case because what feels good for 20-30 seconds is not always good for you. I think it’s pretty clear here that God has a design, God has a way, and specifically, God Himself – Jesus – is talking to these folks telling them that this is not they way He called them to be. Come to Him. Don’t go toward Balaam or Nicholas. Follow Him, not the world. You can’t serve both.

You start to notice a common thread here through these letters, and you’ll see it in the next one to Thyatira, is sexual immorality. Think about how this applies today with easy access to pornography. You know when I was coming up and computers first came out, we got one in our house, and I remember everybody at school saying you have to have a subscription to look at that type of stuff. They will talk about it. Now you just click on there and you can look at whatever you want. Pick your own category – whatever you like to see.

Keith:                   
At the time we are recording this, this is the week after Twitter, or X, decided to be a pro-porn platform, and the comment on that is, in the state of Mississippi as well in some other states in the United States, there’s been some legislature that was meant to make it more difficult for people to access porn so that people, especially in their formative years, aren’t building pathways in their brains looking at this stuff. Now, one of the big three social media platforms (out of the originals) is allowing people to be free to put porn on there. It is their right as American citizens – as part of their freedom of speech… but I guess the word from Jesus would be to those who have ears to hear would be to ask what rights do you have in Christ. It may be permitted by the government, but what honors Him? What glorifies Him?

This is the kind of crossroads they were at. It’s where we are right now.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and there’s a lot more we could say on that. I guess we shall digress at this time.

Keith:                   
Because of the same opportunity that’s given to the church at Pergamum, if we’re going to talk about the things today, the same opportunity is offered to people today: repentance.

Jamie:                  
Exactly. That’s exactly what the next verse says. Repent! Man, if you’re addicted to sexual immorality type stuff, be it literally, physically, or just emotionally – whatever the case is, repent. Now does that mean that after you repent, you’ll never fall into that temptation again? No, it doesn’t. Then, you repent.

Keith:                   
What did John the Baptist tell the Pharisees? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)?

Jamie:                  
That’s right. It’s constant vigilance. That’s part of sanctification, becoming more like Christ. He tells them repent or else He will come to them quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. Look again, fight against them with the sword of His mouth. We just read in Revelation 19 where basically He just speaks a word.

Keith:                   
The ESV says, “war against them.” That word is what we’re alluding to.

Jamie:                  
One word and they’re done. That’s how serious it is. Repent. Otherwise, if you don’t, this is what is going to happen. Jesus is going to come quickly and take them out. I mean, there’s no nice way to say that, but it’s exactly what He’s saying here. And if there’s ever been anything to fear, it would be Jesus with a sword out of His mouth.

Keith:                   
He’s very effective in His warfare.

Jamie:                  
He is. 100% accuracy. And that’s real warfare, not video game warfare. It’s real life.

Keith:                   
This isn’t figurative. We’ve been talking about not being able to serve two masters. What Jesus is telling them – and us – is that you’re either of His Kingdom or of the kingdom of the world. That doesn’t mean anyone is going to lose their salvation, but sometimes we have these warnings from God’s Word that show us that it takes more than saying some words or “making a decision” or an emotional response and not confessing Jesus as Lord. Jesus being Lord means endure unto death. It doesn’t mean sinless perfection. It does mean bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. This is where the church at Pergamum was. They were at a crossroads. They either keep heading toward the throne of Satan, the side he is dwelling on or change. We’ll see when we get to Revelation 19 and 20…I think the words of the hymn by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”: “one little word will fell him”. When Jesus speaks – that is when He says it is finished, nothing can stay His sword.

Jamie:                  
That’s heavy. Heavy.

So, after this admonition, we get the universal admonition: Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. We asked at the beginning what the Spirit is saying to you now. Remember these letters are to us now as well as to these churches. Where are you at? Have we allowed stuff to come in that shouldn’t be there? Do we need to clean house, so to speak? And if you do, man, repent. Don’t be embarrassed of it. Don’t let your feelings of guilt hold you back. Repent.

Keith:                   
That’s right. There’s no condemnation on the other side of repentance, but only condemnation without it.

Jamie:                  
So then we get to our final promise to the one who conquers. Remember 1 John 5:4-5 there. The one who conquers being those who are saved.

He says He will give some of the hidden manna. What’s He talking about there? John 6:35 – Jesus declares Himself the Bread of Life. He gives salvation. He says He will also give the one who conquers a white stone with a new name inscribed on it that no one knows but the one who receives it. That’s cool. Now I’m going to tell you guys really quick that what the stone that has a new name that nobody knows. No, I’m not. It says nobody knows it. So again, if the Bible doesn’t give the answer, we’re probably not meant to know the answer.

Keith:                   
The one who receives it. I just think about the beautiful picture there of the new beginning, that clean slate – literally, in this case. And the God who saves is the God who adopts and the things that came before are done away with. He has borne the wrath we deserve. He bore our sin on the cross that we deserved. He adopts us and gives us a new name. We’re His.

Jamie:                  
Amen. And that white stone, I want to point out really quick. They used to hold the games in Pergamum back then, so win athletes would win, they would be given a white stone as part of the prize. That white stone was their admission ticket, so to speak, to the winner’s celebration after the games were over. So, you know, whether that is what Jesus is what Jesus is referencing here or not – I don’t know. Historically speaking, it’s possible. I just want to point out how cool it is. If you think about this, put together, if He’s giving us a white stone with a new name that no one knows but the one who receives it, that’s our admission ticket – our ticket to get into eternity with Him. He gives us salvation. He gives us eternal life with Him. He’s going to adopt us in like you said – as His children, as co-heirs with Christ. That is awesome. That is good news. And I like ending on good news because this letter did not have a whole lot of good news in it except in the end when Jesus told them that despite all the bad, they could repent and spend eternity with Him. That. Is. Good. News.

Keith:                   
Amen.

Well, we will continue this next time with the letter to the church at Thyatira. I hope that this has been fruitful for you and given you more than food for thought. Again, just to reiterate, admonitions are painful and uncomfortable, but the admonition to repent, just as Jamie said, is good news. Dear Sojourner, we leave you. Have a good week and God bless!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:12–17.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

Holy Saturday | “Waiting in the Dark”

Lamentations 3:21-26 —

21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

The Original Context

Lamentations is a book of grief written in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction. It gives voice to the sorrow of a people who had lost everything – temple, city, freedom. 

Lamentations 3 is a turning point where there is a flicker of hope in the midst of lament. In the middle of darkness, the character of God shines forth: steadfast love, daily mercy, and great faithfulness.

These verses are not spoken from comfort but from ruin. They don’t deny suffering; they declare hope despite suffering, despite crying out in lament. Waiting quietly for the Lord’s salvation was not easy, but it was the only way forward.

Fulfillment in Jesus

Holy Saturday represents the in between. Jesus’s body lay in the tomb. His disciples were scattered and silent. The heavens were quiet. From the outside, it looked like all hope had been buried.

But even in silence – in the in between, God was faithful. Jesus had already promised that after three days He would rise (Mark 8:31). Even when the world couldn’t see it, God’s mercies were not on pause. His redemptive plan was still unfolding.

Holy Saturday reminds us that waiting is part of redemption. Jesus entered the grave, but He wouldn’t stay there. Sunday was coming.

Hope for Today

Many of us live in “Saturday” seasons – waiting for prayers to be answered, healing to come, or joy to return. The silence of God – the in between – can feel unbearable. But Lamentations gives us a word for these moments. God’s mercies never end. His faithfulness is great. And even when we wait in the dark, we wait with hope. 

So today, rest in the character of God. Remember His past faithfulness. Trust in His promises. Wait quietly – not because you see the answer yet but because you know and trust that Jesus will bring it. 

Sunday is coming.

The tomb is not the end.

And even in the waiting God is at work.

Maundy Thursday | “The Passover Lamb Prepared”

Exodus 12:1-14 —

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

The Original Context

Exodus 12 tells the story of the first Passover – the night when God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. Each household was to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and spread its blood on their doorposts. When the Lord passed through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, He would “pass over” the homes marked by the blood. It was a night of both judgment and mercy, death and deliverance.

This event became central to Israel’s identity. Every year after that night in Egypt, they celebrated Passover to remember how God saved them by the blood of a lamb. The Passover meal – the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs – became symbols of God’s redemption and a foreshadowing of something greater to come.

Fulfillment in Jesus

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover one final time (Luke 22:15). But He transformed the meal. Instead of focusing on the lamb on the table, Jesus pointed to Himself: “This is my body…. This is my blood…poured out for many” (Mark 14:22-24). 

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus is the true Lamb without blemish, slain for our deliverance. His blood does not merely cover a door – it cleanses our hearts. His death does not rescue us from one night of judgment but an eternal separation from God.

And just as God instructed His people to remember the Passover forever, Jesus commanded us to remember His sacrifice through the Lord’s Supper until He returns.

Hope for Today

Maundy Thursday reminds us that Jesus went to the cross with full knowledge and purpose. He chose to be the Lamb. He prepared the table. He washed the feet of His disciples (and betrayer). He gave His body and blood to establish a new covenant of grace.

As we remember the Last Supper, let us not rush past it. Jesus wanted us to remember that night – to remember His love, His blood, His sacrifice. 

So today, receive the Lamb. Rest in His finished work on the cross. And give thanks that the wrath of God due our sin has passed over us because the blood of Jesus has covered us. This is truly the Lord’s Passover.

Holy Tuesday | “A House of Prayer for All Nations”

Isaiah 56:6-8 —

6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
8 The Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”

The Original Context

Isaiah spoke these words to Israel during a time of spiritual renewal, casting a vision of God’s heart for the nations. In contrast to the idea that Israel alone was God’s chosen people, Isaiah announced that foreigners who loved and followed the Lord were welcomed into His house.

This radical promise highlighted something about God’s covenant: His salvation was never meant for Israel alone because God was gathering worshipers from every tribe and tongue to find joy and belonging in His presence. His temple was never meant to be a barrier but a beacon. 

Fulfillment in Jesus

When Jesus entered the temple in the final week of His life, He saw that its courts – meant for Gentile worshipers – had been turned into a marketplace. In righteous anger, He drove out the merchants and quoted Isaiah 56:7 in Matthew 21:13:

“My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.”

Jesus was restoring the temple to its true purpose. And ultimately, He became the new and better temple (John 2:19-21). In Him, all who trust and follow God, all who confess Him as Lord and believe in their hearts He is risen from the dead – regardless of background or nationality – are brought near (Romans 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:11-22). 

Hope for Today

Jesus is still gathering outcasts. He is still welcoming foreigners. He is still saving sinners. And He is still building a house of prayer for all peoples.

If you’ve ever felt like an outsider – too far off, too broken, too different, too sinful, too shameful – know this: there is room for you in God’s house. The joy of His presence is not reserved for some select few who have it all together or who have the right genealogy, but offered to all who come to Him through Christ.

This Holy Week, let your prayers rise in confidence and hope. Jesus has not merely opened a way for people to come to Him, He IS the Way (John 14:6), and He prepares a place for Him in His Father’s house for all He saves (John 14:2-3). If He has saved you, you belong there; you are home with Him. And through Him, your worship is welcomed with joy. 

Holy Monday | “The Lord Will Come to His Temple”

Malachi 3:1-4 —

1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

The Original Context

Malachi delivered this prophetic word to a people disillusioned and spiritually dull. They had returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, but they had fallen into apathy. Their worship was half-hearted, their priests were corrupt, and their hearts were far from God. Still, they longed for God to show up – to vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked. The trouble with that is that they were the wicked and not the righteous.

Malachi declared that the Lord would indeed come to His temple, but not the way they were expecting. His coming would not be comfortable – it would be refining. His messenger would prepare the way, and the Lord Himself would purify His people, beginning with the priests. Only then would their worship be pleasing to God.

Fulfillment in Jesus

John the Baptist fulfilled the role of the messenger who prepared the way (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2-4). Then Jesus, the long-awaited Lord, came to His temple and found it much like the days of Malachi – the wicked playing righteous. And just as Malachi foretold, Jesus cleansed His temple – not only by driving out money changers (Matthew 21:12-13) but by calling Israel back to true worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). 

Jesus is the messenger of the covenant, both its fulfillment and its mediator (Hebrews 8:6). His mission was not only to forgive sinners but to purify worshipers. Like a refiner’s fire, Jesus came to cleanse hearts and renew righteousness. His blood purifies our conscience (Hebrews 9:14), and His Spirit sanctifies those He saves daily.

Hope for Today

We may long for God to show up and make things right, but are we ready for what that might require of us? Jesus comes not just to comfort, but to confront – not only to forgive, but to refine.

This Holy Week, ask the Spirit to search your heart. What needs to be purified? Where have you offered half-hearted devotion? The Lord is still refining His people – and He will not stop until our faith shines like gold (1 Peter 1:7). Rejoice that Jesus makes our worship acceptable. And offer yourself to Him today as a living sacrifice – holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1).

“Jesus & His Church: Context for the Letters to the Churches” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into the context of Jesus’s letters to the seven churches (and to us). Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This weeks passage is Revelation 1:9-20:

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of 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.[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,
We’re about to dive into the meat of the book of Revelation, looking here at the background. The cool thing about this, Jamie, that I like is there are places in Revelation that you have wonder Does this symbolize something? or Is this ___?, but if you look at this in a Bible with red letters for the words of Jesus, you notice that in this section Jesus Himself explains what elements like the lamp stands and stars are – He tells us here what they symbolize so we don’t have to wonder.

That’s good news for us because Jesus gave these letters to specific churches – and they even may apply to us today.

Jamie, take it away!

Jamie Harrison:
Alright. Last week, I did say at one point that we were about to pray, and I never did. So I apologize for that and want to start with prayer before we jump in:

Lord, thank You. Thank You for being our Father. Thank You for loving us. We just give You praise. We give You honor. And, Lord, we pray that You would open Your Word to us as we read today and discuss. We pray that it would be only truth that comes out, not conjecture. God, I pray that if anybody is listening and they don’t know You that through Your Word and Your Word only they would come to know You. Lord, we just thank You and give You praise. In Jesus’s name, Amen.     

So, let’s start in v. 9. We won’t really discuss v. 9 too terribly much; I just think it’s interesting that v. 9 is one of several verses in the Bible that show that the prosperity gospel[2] is incorrect. It says,[3] “I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, Kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus…” and then goes on to explain where he (John) is because of the “testimony” of Christ. That he’s on an island, and he’s doing backbreaking work everyday.

Keith:                   
…exiled, imprisoned….  

Jamie:                  
…completely. And an island meaning it’s surrounded by water so there’s nowhere to go except death. He’s there because of this testimony.

I just want to point out, y’all, that if you’re listening to people preach or whatever, and they’re telling you that if you’re not doing this and you’re not doing that you must not be right with God [regarding your health or your financial status or how prosperous you are on earth]…know that’s dumb.     

Keith:
Right. This is John, the gospel writer, the disciple whom Jesus loved. You would think that if there is a prosperity track, he’d be on it. But considering how this is so different, like you said, from the prosperity gospel, how he is in this place that no one would sanely want to be in and he received this treasure, these visions. It’s such a cool thing.      

Jamie:
That’s how it starts there. And then it goes into (v. 10) “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet….” And I do think that’s cool. Again, I won’t spend a whole lot of time [on trumpets right now], we will moving forward…, but trumpets were used back in the Old Testament for like a warning, a call to war, and things like that, right?

Keith:                   
And heralds.      

Jamie:                  
So, this is like a voice saying, hey, you better listen up.    

Keith:                   
It obviously got his attention.

Jamie:                  
Right. So, here, Jesus gets his attention telling him to write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches, specifically naming them. The seven churches, you know, people try to make some kind of symbolic thing about them being seven of them and this and that, but this really is a logistical thing. These cities were not too terribly far apart. They were all along kind of the main routes where people would travel.

The churches at that time, I guess you could say that they were really the center point of the dissemination of information. Information kind of went from these hubs out to the rest of the world.                

Keith:                   
And you know Laodicea was a sister church of Colossae, and so on.          

Jamie:                  
Right, right. Notice when it says when John looks (in v. 12). This is one of those things – “Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me” – that reminds us that the timeline of Revelation is what John saw next. He hears the voice, turns, and sees (vv. 12-13) “seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man”. Then he goes on to give a description.

At first you look at it and think, well, there’s seven lampstands; what in the world are those seven lampstands? Again, it’s like Keith said earlier, it’s really cool because the Bible always is going to confirm what the Bible says. It’s going to give us the answer if we’re meant to know the answer. 

Keith:                   
If we are meant to know.             

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. And right there in v. 20 of Revelation 1, the second half there, it says, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” So, literally, when he turned, what he was the seven churches – the seven golden lampstands. And then he sees Jesus. He’s dressed in a robe with a golden sash….

Keith:                   
That’s the part that really hits me. In this, as Jesus is walking in the midst of them…. We know that Adam and Eve had a very special thing that was squandered there in the garden where God came and walked in the garden with them in the cool of the day, but when Jesus before His ascension says, “and, lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), He is in the midst of His churches – in the midst of the presence of His bride here on earth.

                               
It kind of makes me think He’s disseminating information, like you say, but He had something specific to say to these churches. It’s to us all generically, but to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to all those specifically, He had a word that He wanted those churches, those local congregations to hear.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. And that being said, I think it begs the question: is Jesus walking through our churches today? I think that’s something to think about. If he’s not the center of the body, then we’ve stepped wrong somewhere.        

Keith:                   
Well, that question kind of builds into: is your church His – or yours?       

Jamie:                  
Yeah, that’s tough.

I saw a clip of a guy preaching the other day, and he said [to his congregation] that he had asked them for a watch a year ago and that they hadn’t bought him that watch yet. He asked why they were still broke and poor and busted – busted, that’s his word, what he said. That’s false gospel and has nothing to do with the Bible. That has nothing to do with anything. It’s supposed to all be about Jesus, and He isn’t at the center, then we really got to do something different.               

Keith:                   
That’s got me thinking about the way that some of these foolish false preachers – the way they talk to their church. That’s not how Jesus talks to His Bride. We’re going to get into these letters and see some tough stuff that He says to them – and thereby us – but, man, it’s for a purpose.

The guy you spoke of called them broke, busted, ignorant, all these things. Jesus – He says to the church at Laodicea (in Revelation 3:17) that they thought they were rich, that they thought they were prospering. He tells them they aren’t looking for Him and that they’re really wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Jesus isn’t trying to bust them down and get a namebrand watch – not trying to get rich off them. The church is rich because of Christ. Or it’s poor and bankrupt without Him.             

Jamie:                  
Amen.

So, let’s jump into the description of Christ here. It says He’s dressed in a robe with a golden sash around His chest – that’s kind of like a high priest, or someone with authority. Jesus is the high priest. So, that’s the idea there.

And then, his hair (v. 14) – the hair of his head was as white as wool, white as snow. His eyes like a fiery flame. That’s a little scary, almost. I mean we know the white represents purity, holiness, wisdom, all these things. But that flame of fire, you know, His eyes like a fiery flame, that one should kind of set us down a little bit – the omniscience of God, He’s all knowing, all seeing. Hebrews 4:13 would be a good verse to look at.

But think about it like this when it talks about these eyes like a fiery flame. What we’re seeing is…. Picture this person that you’ve come into contact with in life that just has the look. You know the parent look, the coach look that has….   

Keith:                   
…gravitas….       

Jamie:
That’s it. They just have this look, and it seems to literally reach into the depths of your soul and you feel like you’ve got to look away. You can’t look at them. Jesus’s look here is like that on steroids.                

Keith:                   
I read where a preach said that’s why you should wear a suit and tie. It gives gravitas. Jesus didn’t get His gravitas in this scene because of the sash around His chest or His hair. It’s who He is. It’s His presence.           

Jamie:                  
That’s it. And it is not only gazing into the depths of our soul, but think about it bigger picture: it’s this penetrating gaze into the depths of His church, which is us as individuals but joined together. I think it’s important to bring that out that He is looking at His bride. He is looking at His church like we were discussing earlier. And He’s looking and going, well, they’re doing really great in these areas…look at that endurance…and look at these people what they’re doing for Me…. Then, (as in the case of the letter to Ephesus) He’s like but you’ve lost your first love.

This gaze is extremely uncomfortable and should make us step back and rethink things and lead us to repentance.      

Keith:                   
That’s the thing: lead us to repentance. He’s not tearing them down. He’s not tearing them up. He’s building them up because His people will recant. His people will change and follow Him. If not, then you get the other things He promises….

Jamie:                  
Right, right – which is nothing good.

So, in v. 15: “His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.” Just kind of think about that for a second – that fine bronze. The alter of burnt offering (in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament) are covered with bronze, and it’s this divine judgment idea. This divine judgment on the church.

And His voice like the sound of “cascading waters” – think about that for a second. Everybody knows what that sounds like. Like you’re at a waterfall or something and hear that water. Think about it from John’s perspective. He’s on an island. These waves are crashing into the rocks of the island. That’s kind of his background noise all day long. That’s the idea here. This is what it sounds like.

It says in v. 16 that “He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at full strength.” Which…let me back up and not get too far ahead of myself. So, we’re going to find out in just a minute that the “seven stars in His right hand” – He tells us in v. 20 – those are the angels of the seven churches, those are the pastors. The right hand of course is considered the hand of might, power, and strength.     

Keith:                   
The word “angel” there (in v. 20) means messenger (and can refer to people as well as heavenly beings – context helping you see the difference). So it’s not saying that these people who have been adopted into the family of God and charged by Him to care for a local congregation have been demoted to angelic beings. He’s saying that they are His messengers.

That’s something to consider, again, when asking whether Jesus is walking in the midst of your church. Is your pastor giving the information from the Word of God that Jesus – the Word of God – has give for His church, or is he giving some other message? That’s a tough question. 

Jamie:                  
It is. To hit on that for a minute, I know when I started preaching I thought I had to have all the right words and say all the right things to get people to come to know Christ – and almost like a play on emotions type of thing, you know? Set the mood just right. All that stuff, right? What I’ve learned as I’ve grown in Christ is, first off, I need to ask forgiveness from some people for some people for some of the stuff I said and did as a “young” preacher, but the fact is that the Word saves (Romans 10:17), you know? If we’re preaching and people aren’t hearing more from the Word than from us, we’ve got it backwards. The Word speaks for itself. The Word builds up.

Keith:                   
Which is the purpose of having pastors if you look at Ephesians 4.             

Jamie:                  
So, I just challenge you guys as you’re listening: surround yourself with people who are in the Word. Make sure you are in a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church. Not a manipulative thing.              

Keith:                   
And if you listen to this and you’re a pastor. I think that the way our lead pastor at Christ Community (John Goldwater) put it when we were talking a couple weeks ago is that if you win someone with an argument, you’ve got to keep them with an argument. You win somebody with emotion, you’ve got to keep them with emotion. But if you see someone won to Christ, then He will keep them.

So, when we see here that He’s got these stars, these pastors, who He’s got.

Jamie:                  
That’s it. So, after it tells us about the pastors (stars) being in His right hand, it says that this “double-edged sword” came from His mouth, which we will actually get to later in Revelation when we discuss the final battle. We have a few cross-references for it Ephesians 6:17 and Revelation 19:15. Check those out. But that sword is the Word of God in His judgement, and it’s going to be the Word of God…

Keith:                   
…Hebrews 4:12-13….

Jamie:                  
…and that is how He is going to pronounce His final judgment with that double-edged sword – with the Word – coming from His mouth. Again, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ll get there.

It says His face is shining like the sun at full strength. Now, we can’t even fathom this and imagine this because we can’t look into the sun for too long because we’ll go blind.  

Keith:                   
Let us clarify. Disclaimer: don’t look into the sun.              

Jamie:                  
That is correct. Please don’t try it. I tried when I was younger. That’s probably why I squint when I look at things now. Or it just could be that I’m getting old – not as old as Keith, but I am getting old. He is definitely older than I am.

So, looking into His face there, shining like the sun at full strength. Think about this magnificent glory of God – this magnificent brilliance and radiance that’s so glorious it can’t be concealed. It’s shining like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Think Matthew 17:1-13 at [Jesus’s] Transfiguration and what they saw, but this is that on…I don’t even know, right?   

Keith:                   
In person. In it’s fullness.             

Jamie:                  
I always go back to Moses in Exodus 34:29-35 where, you know, he sees the glory of God. But he only sees Him from His back. After seeing Him, though, [Moses’s] face is so bright the Israelites make him put a veil over his face because they can’t handle [the brightness of Moses’s face after his even glimpsing God]. We can’t look on the glory of God. It would kill us. It would legitimately kill us. We can’t handle that.            

Keith:                   
And so to this extent, the Moses example is the moon. Jesus here in Revelation 1 shows the real source of the light on his face. Jesus is light.

Jamie:                  
And we say all that to say this: when you’re looking at somebody like this – which again we can’t fathom – the One who is about to speak has 100% authority. We know that it’s Jesus who is about to speak. When John sees Him, his immediate reaction is to fall at His feet like a dead man.

Keith:                   
This is different when you see people in the Bible encounter angels. They cower in fear, but John just fell as if dead. His entire living faculties fail him.

Jamie:                  
I think it’s the expression. When we look at, you know, our wife or I’m going to specify here: if you’re a husband looking at your wife or a wife looking at your husband. When you say, oh, they took my breath away. [Seeing Jesus like this] took his breath.       

Keith:                   
All of it. Here’s the deal, too, though. John knows Him, right? So, the husband/wife analogy is so much clearer because this isn’t John seeing some amazing creature and being afraid. He’s looking face-to-face at Him who died and said “behold, I am alive forevermore” (v. 18). This is a huge deal, especially for John late in his life, outliving most, if not all, the apostles, and now he sees his friend. He sees his Lord. That’s huge.           

Jamie:                  
That’s exactly it. Jesus looks at John and is like, hey, don’t be afraid; I’m the first and the last, the living One.

Check out Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12, but again, some of these things it’s hard to even talk about. The first, the last, the living One. The last time a lot of people that were around and saw Jesus, He was dying on a cross. Not everybody saw Him after He was resurrected.   

Keith:                   
Many did, but not all.    

Jamie:                  
So, He’s declaring Himself [as] the living One. I was dead, but look, I’m alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and Hades. You could have a whole conversation on [these keys]; if anyone ever tells you they have [these keys or any like them], they’re a liar. Jesus has the keys to death and Hades. Jesus has the keys to the house of David (which we’re going to see later on in Revelation).            

Keith:                   
If anyone claims to have something that belongs to Jesus only they are not one of the stars (pastors) of the church. They’re definitely false teachers. They’re wolves who are in sheep’s clothing, trying to look like a pastor but leading to the devil whose goal it is to steal and kill and destroy. So, in the context of this conversation [and looking at the description of who Jesus is and the power He alone claims], any who claim what Jesus alone has is dangerous. They are of their father, the devil, and are a liar like him. They are not to be trusted. They are to be avoided at all costs.

That’s a tough statement to make because when you have conversations like this, people want to say, well, you can’t judge. Well, you judge not lest you be judged. Jesus Himself said they are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. The devil is prowling like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour, who he can destroy…. You want to avoid what Jesus says avoid, what the Bible says avoid.      

Jamie:                  
You’re supposed to test the spirit by the Spirit. I think that’s where a lot of people – like the video I mentioned a little while ago, the pastor was saying y’all want to buy me a watch. The really disturbing thing about this video – and the dude points it out – there’re people in the background going, “Amen”, “Come on”, “Preach it”, like…get out. If you’re saying “Amen” to that, the spirit that is within you is not the spirit of God, it’s the spirit of man. And that’s what Keith’s saying: we are supposed to test the spirit by the Spirit; we are supposed to look at the fruit that’s coming off the tree.

Look, if somebody’s supposed to be your spiritual leader…. So many are supposedly spiritual leaders who are beating their spouse and doing crazy stuff – like, how can you lead me if you’re not following Christ yourself? The Bible specifically tells us that’s how it’s supposed to be.

I know we were going to go through (and it was actually my idea to try to get through) the letter to Ephesus, but we’re probably at a good place to stop in just a second.

Keith:                   
I think we are at a good place to stop. And not because we don’t want to get to the letter to Ephesus, but because there’s a reason this part of Revelation 1 is here. It’s not just exposition to help you understand the rest of it. It’s part of the revelation – part of understanding whose the churches are, whose the pastors are – or whose they aren’t.   

Jamie:                  
A good place to end this today is going to be those last three verses [in Revelation 1]. Where we’re starting at the end of v. 17 where Jesus says,

“Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

We’ve discussed that already, but I want to go back to the way Jesus describes Himself: “I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Philippians 2:9-11 say:

“For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”   

I really want to press this home. This whole revelation is about Jesus Christ. This whole revelation is supposed to make us look towards Jesus Christ, and if it makes you look anywhere else, then we’ve got to start over from the beginning. Jesus’s name is the name that is above every name. It is the name. And at His name every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Watch this, now, this is important; we’re going to go to Romans 10:9-13. This is our favorite verse at Christ Community. We make sure we say it every time that we’re gathered together. People often ask and say that they’d like to have a relationship with Christ – how does that happen? Romans 10:9-13 tells us how:

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Now, let’s put all this together from what we just read in Revelation where Jesus says He’s the first and the last, the living One. In other words, He’s saying I was dead but I’ve come back to life now. That’s the key to salvation. If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead – without this there is no Christianity. Without the resurrection it’s pointless – a waste of our time.

Here’s what I want to point out to everybody listening, ok? Whether you want to or not, at some point in your life, you are going to confess that Jesus is Lord. You are going to confess that He was raised from the dead and He’s alive forevermore.

Keith:                   
…because you are going to be faced with Him – irrefutable face-to-face evidence              

Jamie:                  
That’s exactly right. And that’s what Philippians 2 tells us. It doesn’t say every believer will confess. It says everyone. Everyone.

Keith:                   
…on the earth and under it….

Jamie:                  
And that’s everybody who is, who was, and who ever will be. So, I challenge you to look at these verses, Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord – which means giving everything over to Him, trusting in Him completely to lead, guide, and direct you in the right way. To say that you’re going to trust Him with every little thing that’s going on in your life. And that you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. That’s how to be saved.

Keith:                   
That’s the faith we talked about – that trust.

Jamie:                  
That’s it. And, honestly, it’s one of two choices. You can say it because you want to or….

Keith:                   
…because you have to and it’s out of subjection that the King has come.

Jamie:                  
And He is coming.

Keith:                   
I think that’s a good place to stop. I urge you to check out…the Scripture references for yourself, and as we prepare to look at these letters to the churches over the next few weeks, be prepared to examine your own heart – not to be critical but to be biblical.

And we’ll catch you with the letter to the church at Ephesus next week! Thank you and God bless!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 1:9–20.

[2] A religious belief that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for faithful Christians

[3] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

“From Betrayal to Blessing” from Psalm 41 (#dailyPSALMSchallenge)

By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But You have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in Your presence forever.

Psalm 41:11-12

Psalm 41 is a psalm of both confidence and lament, showing David’s trust in God even as he faces sickness, slander, and betrayal. It begins with a blessing on the “one who considers the poor” because the Lord will deliver him in “the day of trouble” (v. 1). David knows that God sees and cares for those who show mercy, and he clings to this truth as he cries out to God for grace and healing (v. 4).

David’s suffering at the hands of his enemies is worsened by the betrayal of a “close” and “trusted” friend, one who he once shared meals with (v. 9). His foes whisper in the shadows about his downfall, waiting for him to die and be forgotten (vv. 5-8). In his distress, David prays, “O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that i may repay them!” (v. 10). His hope doesn’t rest in his strength as he clearly has none and cannot overcome his foes on his own. His only hope is in God’s strength and faithfulness; he trusts that the Lord will uphold him and not allow his enemies to triumph over him (vv. 11-12). 

The psalm ends with a beautiful doxology (formula for praising the Lord) that we can echo today: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and amen.” (v. 13) This shows that, despite his suffering, David praises the Lord and exalts His name and that no matter what, God’s justice and mercy will prevail.

Seeing Jesus in Psalm 41

Psalm 41 finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, the true and greater King. David’s words about the betrayal of a close friend in v. 9 are quoted by Jesus in reference to Judas Iscariot (John 13:18). Judas, who had walked with Jesus and shared meals with Him, turned against Him and handed Him over to His enemies. 

Like David, Jesus was surrounded by those who whispered against Him, mocked Him, and plotted His demise (vv. 5-8, Matthew 26:3-4). Yet, unlike David, Jesus did not pray for deliverance from death but submitted to His Father’s will and plan by willingly enduring betrayal, suffering, and the cross for our salvation. Though His enemies thought they had triumphed, God raised Him up in victory (v. 10), exalting Him to His rightful place at the Father’s right hand (Philippians 2:9-11). And through His resurrection, Jesus secured ultimate healing, restoration, and vindication for all who have faith in Him.

Reflection

For those who have faced betrayal, affliction, or opposition, Psalm 41 offers a reminder that God sees, sustains, and vindicates His people. It is tempting to try and vindicate ourselves or to give up in the face of overwhelming circumstances, but Jesus has made a way for us. He endured so that we may have eternal life, leaving us with the reminder that this world is not all there is. For those who have confessed Him as Lord and believed He is risen from the dead (Romans 10:9), He saves not only from our sin but forevermore!

Even when we are afflicted, betrayed, or opposed, God remains faithful. He will sustain us. Follow the example of David in Psalm 41, and trust that the Lord delights in His people – that He delights in saving us.

The #dailyPSALMSchallenge gives us the opportunity to start 2025 in God’s Word by digging into a psalm a day. Each day will identify a key passage for us to meditate on as well as seeking to help us see Jesus in the psalm and reflect on what we have read.

Won’t you take the challenge?

“Sin Whispers, But God’s Love Shouts!” from Psalm 36 (#dailyPSALMSchallenge)

How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

Psalm 36:7

Psalm 36 presents a striking contrast between the wickedness of sinful man and the steadfast love of God. David opens the psalm with a sobering description of human sinfulness (which describes every one of us at some point). The wicked are deceived by their own arrogance (v. 2). Their words bring trouble and deceit (v.3). And they “do not reject evil” (v. 4). 

What is at the root of all of this sin? David clarified that back in v. 1: “There is no fear of God before [the wicked’s] eyes”. Sin speaks to the hearts of the wicked because they do not fear the Lord and leads them further and further into wickedness and darkness.

But, in contrast to the darkness, the love of God shines brilliantly! David exalts God’s steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice (vv. 5-6). These attributes of God are described in magnificently limitless terms in v. 5: “ Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.” God’s righteousness is described as firm as mountain, and His judgments as deep as the oceans (v. 6). 

This steadfast love is at the root of His covenant with His people, leading Him to offer abundant blessings to those who trust in Him. Those who trust in Him “feast on the abundance of [His] house” and drink deeply from “the river of [His] delights” (v. 8). This is a picture of deep satisfaction found only in relationship and refuge in the Lord. He Himself is the “fountain of life” (v. 9), the source of all true joy, meaning, and fulfillment.

David closes Psalm 36 with a prayer for God’s continued love and protection for His people (vv. 10-12). He asks that pride and wickedness – that he understood was a danger to his own sinsick heart – would not overtake him and that God’s enemies would ultimately fall.

This leaves all reading Psalm 36 with a clear choice: will we walk in the way of the wicked, or will we seek shelter under the wings of a loving God?

Seeing Jesus in Psalm 36

Jesus is not only the fulfillment of Psalm 36 but the perfect embodiment and demonstration of God’s steadfast love. The apostle John showed this clearly in 1 John 4:9-10 – that in Jesus the love of God is illustrated, illuminated, and literally embodied:

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sins.”

Not only does Jesus encapsulate the love of God, but He is the fullest expression of the way God’s love was shown throughout Psalm 36. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Fountain of Living Water (John 7:37-38), and the Light of the World (John 8:12). It is in Jesus alone that we experience the inexhaustible and ever-present satisfaction that David spoke of in his deepest longings. 

Refection

What David prayed for, we can know fully in Jesus. The world offers temporary pleasures, but Jesus not only embodies David’s longings but offers His fulfillment of them to all who trust in Him. That’s good news!

As you meditate on the beauty of God’s love in Christ, consider the following questions:

  • Do you recognize the voice of sin whispering in your own heart? How can you guard against it?
  • What does it mean to take refuge in God’s steadfast love? Where are you seeking satisfaction apart from Him?

The world offers fleeting joys, but true and lasting joy is found in His presence – presence that we can experience through His Spirit within us. 

Run to Him.

Take refuge under His wings.

Rest in the promise of His never-stopping, never-failing, never-giving-up steadfast love.

Here’s a song inspired by Psalm 36:

The #dailyPSALMSchallenge gives us the opportunity to start 2025 in God’s Word by digging into a psalm a day. Each day will identify a key passage for us to meditate on as well as seeking to help us see Jesus in the psalm and reflect on what we have read.

Won’t you take the challenge?