Revelation 3:14-17 Messages to Laodicea

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

It is thought that the Laodiceans were being criticized for their neutrality or lack of zeal (hence "lukewarm"). Based on this understanding, the pejorative term Laodicean is used in the English language to refer to those neutral or indifferent in matters of faith.[

The words attributed to the Laodicea’s obviously mark an ironic over-confidence in regard to spiritual wealth. They are unable to recognize their bankruptcy. However the image may also be drawing on the perceived worldly wealth of the city.

Daily Prayer: Father-God, let me and my house be characterized with the zeal that you have trained up the church with. Let is in all humility pattern our actions and our thoughts after Jesus Christ who loved us and came to save us. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Revelation 3:7-10 Messages to Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Philadelphia, which means “brotherly love,” was situated in Lydia along the Hermus River valley about 38 miles southeast of Sardis.

Philadelphia was founded for a special purpose and with a special intention. It was situated where the borders of Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia met. It was a border town. But it was not as a garrison town that Philadelphia was founded, for there was little danger there. It was founded with the deliberated intention that it might be a missionary of Greek culture and the Greek language to Lydia and Phrygia; and so well did it to its work that by A.D. 19 the Lydian’s had forgotten their own Lydian language and were all but Greeks … That is what the Risen Christ means when he speaks of the open door that is set before Philadelphia. Three centuries before Philadelphia had been given an open door to spread Greek ideas in the lands beyond; and now there has come to it another great missionary opportunity, an open door to carry to men who never knew it the message of the love of Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, lessons can be learned from your church in Philadelphia. Because of their faithfulness to your word and to evangelism to the world, you kept them from their hour of testing because of their faithfulness. Let this also be true of the church today, so that when you come again, we are not found wanting. In your name I pray Amen.

Revelation 3: 1-6 Message to Sardis

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ This is a warning. A church is in danger of death: when it begins to worship its own past or history, its reputation or name, or the names in the church, when it is more concerned with forms than with function and life, when it is more concerned with numbers and noses than with the spiritual quality of life it is producing in its people, when it is more involved with management than with ministry or with the physical over the spiritual. Interestingly, most churches do not die in one fell swoop. They die gradually. Almost all liberal churches today started as evangelical churches. Churches die by degree. It is rather startling to realize that there can be such a contrast between what people say about a church and what Jesus might say about the same church. This truth is also relevant to every individual Christian. Friends may think that we are spiritually alive by what they see us do, but it is possible for us to be spiritually dead in the eyes of the Lord, no matter what others say. Here is a good lesson: don’t be too quick to judge outward appearances or performance. The important questions deal with the inward man, the realm of the unseen, the heart of the individual. Are we really in fellowship with the Lord in the innermost recesses of our hearts? The Correction (3:2-3). In life, identifying the problem is the first step toward solving it. The problem with the church in Sardis was that she was dead. But as hopeless as that sounds, all was not lost. Jesus saw the glow of embers among the ashes and exhorted the believers in Sardis to fan the flame with renewed commitment to Him. How could they do this? What steps were they to take? Christ gave them five directives that, if obeyed, would burn new life into their church.

Revelation 2:18-21 Message to Thyatira

I am the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.

Thyatira was smaller than Pergamum and 40 miles southeast, but it too was another city in the Roman province of Asia, in the west of what is now Asiatic Turkey. It passed under Roman rule in 133 B.C. and was an important point in the Roman road system, for it lay on the road from Pergamum to Laodicea. In keeping with what follows, Christ is introduced as the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. This description of Christ is similar to that in 1:13-15, but here He is called the Son of God rather than the Son of Man. The situation required reaffirmation of His deity and His righteous indignation at their sins. The words “burnished bronze,” which describe His feet, translate a rare Greek wordchalkoliban, also used in 1:15. It seems to have been an alloy of a number of metals characterized by brilliance when polished. The reference to His eyes being “like blazing fire” and the brilliant reflections of His feet emphasize the indignation and righteous judgment of Christ.

Thyatira had a definite and even greater ministry of service and endurance, one that seemed to be motivated by faith and love (cf. vs. 19), but Thyatira lacked on the side of zeal for sound doctrine, moral purity, holiness of life, and zeal against false teaching and practice. Obviously, the church needs to have both, it needs a balance or it must eventually lose its testimony and capacity for ministry. The church is strongly rebuked for tolerating a false prophetess with her teaching which promoted immorality and idolatry. She was evidently teaching that a believer’s freedom in Christ allowed them to not only belong to the trade guilds, but to participate in the immoral and idolatrous feasts that very often included cultic prostitution. In His grace, the Lord gave her time to repent, but she had no time nor interest in it. The fact she was called Jezebel suggests she not only was a false prophetess, but an unbeliever. The issue here then was a call to repent in the sense of changing her mind about her present evil course and condition and about her need of Christ so that she would turn to Him in faith.

Revelation 2:12-17 Message to Pergamum

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Pergamum, a city of the Roman province of Asia, in the west of what is now Asiatic Turkey, occupied a commanding position near the seaward end of the broad valley of the Caius. It was probably the site of a settlement from a very early date. Pergamum was one of the most prominent cities of Asia, located in the western part of Asia-Minor, about 45 miles north of Smyrna and about 20 miles from the Aegean Sea. The modern village of Bergama, Turkey, now covers part of the ancient site. Pergamum was very wealthy, the center of emperor worship with many temples devoted to idolatry. This was the place 'where Satan's throne is.' It marked a crisis for the church in Asia. Antipas who is called, "My witness, My faithful one, is probably cited as a representative (probably the first to be put to death by the Roman state) of those who were brought to judgment and executed for their faith.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, in my area of the world, men and women are not longer put to death for their faith, but we have a new kind of killer. This one rationalizes all things by saying what is right for you is fine and I have my own things that are right for me. This is universalism where there is no absolute truth and you stand for absolute truth. I kills far more people because people get the impression that there will be no heaven or hell or repercussion for error. Awaken us to the fact that all men will be judged and cause revival in this place! In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Revelation 2:8-11 Message to the church at Smyrna

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

Smyrna lay just 35 miles north of Ephesus on the west coast of Asia on the Aegean Sea. It was the loveliest of all the cities and was sometimes called “the Ornament of Asia,” “the Crown of Asia,” or sometimes “the Flower of Asia.” It was beautifully situated. It stood at the end of a road that journeyed westward across the lands of Lydia (western Asia Minor) and Phrygia (a land in the center of Asia Minor, our modern Turkey) and traveled out to the east. Again we see how the perfections of Christ’s person and work answers to the needs, problems, and conditions in each church. Since many in this church died for their faith, Christ assures them of their resurrection and future rewards because He is the first and last, the eternal God who became man, died and rose again. The risen Christ has conquered the worst that life can do. He triumphed over pain, the cross, the devil, sin, and death. He defeated all the enemies and he offers victory and the conqueror's crown. Our Lord, so faithful to know and observe our lives and needs, first assures us he knows and cares for our condition and the great suffering on his behalf, and even commends us for our spiritual wealth in the midst of physical suffering.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, you told your disciples and you tell me too, that in this world their will be suffering. It is not necessarily suffering due to sin, but suffering because we are not friends with the world. Our suffering is limited though and when we join you in your glory, the reward will be great and suffering no more. Amen.

Revelation 2:1-5 Message to the Church at Ephesus

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lamp stands, says this: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lamp stand out of its place—unless you repent.

The Apostle John is hears the warnings made to the seven churches by the Exalted and Resurrected Jesus Christ. Although he gives credit for their toiling and persevering, he is One who can read the hearts of men. Although they are trying to hold to the the teaching of Paul when the churches were founded, they are like ones who are carrying out a duty of obedience instead of serving Christ in all love. He compels their repentance if they are to join Him in his rule.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, it is far better to be a loving follower of You than to obey because there is other motivation. Let me be an example of a New Testament heart, one that is made of flesh and not stone. I pray in your name and for your sake Amen

Jude 1:17-23 Keep You in the Love of God

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ that they were saying to you, In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

Two of the greatest errors a person can make is to rationalize that the ungodly things that we do are just, so long as nobody else is hurt. The second and greater error is to think that God will not act as seen in the apparent slow return of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our call is to remember all that has come before us. To recall how Adam was cast from the presence of God over one act of disobedience. Then realize that Jesus Christ went to the Cross to forgive my sins and nothing less than the Cross would win my freedom. Finally remember time was created by God for my sake, and not his. To Him a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. God's word has always come to pass and our Savior has told us already that he will return and be ready for his arrival.

Daily Prayer: Father comfort and equip me in Your Spirit. Let not me ask whether or not I will be caught in disobedience, but rather have me ask how might I be strengthened by You so that I am found obedient upon your return. This is my godly petition I begin this day with. In your holy name I pray Amen.

Jude 1:3-6 the Battle is the Lord's

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the Great Day.

Jude is the brother of Jesus Christ who both have Mary as their mother. Just as John before him, he prepares the church to be watchful of all those who call themselves Christian. Just as John said there are frauds who claim to be with the church, yet deny Jesus is the eternal Son of God, these he says are Anti-Christ’s. Jude explains that these evil men have been marked out since the beginning of time as a weapon of the spiritual war they face. Jude calls on us to remember that God will deal harshly with these ones and to have nothing to do with them because their father is Satan.

Daily Prayer: Father, give me this day the spirit of discernment, but not to me alone, but also to my fellow Christians. The battle we face is not our’s, but yours, and you have already won it at Calvary, so let us be steadfast in our faith. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

3 John 1:9-12 Do Not Be Imitators Of Evil

I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

In the past lessons, we clearly heart that God wants us to imitate the good that we see. The converse is also true which is not to imitate evil. This may seem like common sense to you, but how many times have we seen people repeat provocative works or put on shameful clothing? Have we hung out with popular people and left stranded others who don't seem to fit in? Have we put the weekly NFL contest over the weekly worship hour? All of these things and a myriad of others constitute the imitation of evil. If we slight the power of evil we will find ourselves being mastered by it. Whenever you say things and then say oops,! or do things and then regret it, understand this: you were driven by demons and quenched the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore let us proceed with caution, living a sober, thankful, and humble life before our Lord.

Daily Prayer: Father, fill and raise up the Spirit that dwells within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and supply me with wisdom and understanding. Let me take care of the body you have given me and harness my words, even before they are spoken so that I do not say or do anything I will regret. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

3 John 1:1, 5-8 New Testament Grounds For Missionary Support

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

Indications within the letter suggest a genuine private letter, composed to Gaius to commend a party of Christians led by Demetrius, who were strangers to the place where he lived, and who had gone on a mission to preach the gospel (verse 7). The purpose of the letter is to encourage and strengthen Gaius, and to warn him against the party headed by Diotrephes, who refuses to cooperate with the presbyteros who is writing.

Regarding the letter addressee Gaius: the same name occurs in four New Testament texts. Thus, the answer naturally arises whether the Gaius of 3 John is the same man mention in any of the others contexts. First, a Christian Gaius is mentioned in Macedonia s a traveling companion of Paul, along with Aristarchus Acts 19:29).

The message is that disciples of Jesus Christ have been sent out for the sake of Jesus Christ. These brave men and women were under persecution and have been received into convert homes and fortified there. The apostle is commending him for right treatment for his brothers and sisters who are in Christ.

Daily Prayer: Father, let me be a partner with you in the gospel. For those who are away from home, let me be one who give daily bread and strengthening to those who labor for the gospel. In Jesus name and for his sake I pray Amen.

2 John 1: 8-11 Do not become deceived...

Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

John is repeating the sentiments of Paul when he urges his listeners to be steadfast in the faith and not to give up ground that was won by the blood of Jesus. Instead establish your hope in him alone as he counted you worthy to lay down his life for. Just as certainly as Jesus arose from the dead, he most certainly come again and his disciples should be found faithful when he returns if indeed their hope is in Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, you return is a blessing for the faithful, but a time of reckoning for those who are not faithful to you. Convict and convince our spirits of the grave importance of being loyal to you who is our Savior. In your holy name I pray Amen.

2 John 1:4-7 Walking in the Truth

I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

John, the apostle of Jesus Christ, is writing to a fellow church member in these verses. He is echoing things that he has said previously. He says to her by way of reminder that Jesus stands for the truth and his followers should walk in the truth or abide in him. He gives her recognition for training up her own family in the way of the gospel, but reminds her that not who have presented themselves as evangelists are from Jesus, but are his enemy and are rightly labeled anti-Christ’s. These ones, often times Judaizers, reject Jesus's gospel of salvation by grace through faith apart from works and are trying to entice people back into a legalistic life-style that has Jesus dying on the cross for nothing. These are the enemies of the gospel, because they try to snare the life from those who Jesus has dies for and whose lives have been set free through his sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. These ones are worse off than if they never knew of God, because when they heard from Him, they didn't believe him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, are problems are worse today than in that time. No longer is our main problem Jews trying to entice saved Jews back into Judaism, but we have others from the Gentile world who have never known you. You have commanded us to bring to the gospel to the nations, but we have not accomplished all we have set out to do. Strengthen our spirit and our faith to bring us back into boldness for the sake of the power of the gospel. In your name and for your sake I pray Amen.

1 John 5:13-15 Eternal Security In Jesus Christ

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

John, the author of this book, gives us the reason why it was written, "so that you may know you have eternal life." He didn't say so that you can find out how to obtain life, or so that you can determine if others have it, or how to get it back if I lost it. No, he says so that you may know that you have eternal life and eternal life is just that, eternal. Once you come to recognize and call Jesus Christ your Savior, at that very moment you are saved and sealed for ever. Eternal life is a present possession. It means that your soul, which some refer to as your spirit, will be preserved for greater than the time of your physical tent. For all who ascend to Christ Jesus upon their temporal passing, they will inherit a new body that will not wear out or become sick like our temporary dwelling. The reason is because you will be rid of the sin problem forever, which is the only reason people die to begin with. Once saved, you cannot lose your salvation because all of your sins are forgiven you. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer: Jesus my Redeemer, convince people who hear this message to believe that you are who you say you are which is the Son of Man and the Son of God. No one thing is impossible for you and when you through the will of the Father offer full pardon from our sins, let us be sensible and receive it for ourselves. Holy Jesus, you are the giver of life and apart from you there in no life. This is the word of the Lord. Amen.

1 John 5:7-12 Testimony Concerning Jesus

For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, which He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in him; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and they are in agreement concerning the divinity of Jesus. There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood and these agree concerning Jesus, the Son of God. Therefore the witnesses of heaven and earth are in agreement, identifying Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, and whoever disagrees is a liar and the truth is not in him. Those who have the Son have eternal life, but those who are void of Jesus, have everlasting contempt. Daily Prayer: Father, the world is in disarray to this very day concerning Jesus. Believers mount into the billions, yet the enemy brings the same numbers. Judgment is coming, I'm sure, but keep me busy with your work until that Day, and then shield me from the wrath to come. In Jesus name I pray Amen.