Sundays Text 9-7-08

This Sunday we return to our Fall Schedule of 11 AM Services. I am excited to be returning to the Study of Acts as well as beginning a Sunday School Class Studying the book of Phillippians.

Hope to see you all there. Here is Sunday's text.

Acts 8:9-24

9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; 10 and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, " This man is what is called the Great Power of God." 11 And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. 13 Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." 24 But Simon answered and said, " Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

NASU

The Gospel First and Foremost

Acts 8:1-8

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

4 Philip in Samaria

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. 6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was much rejoicing in that city.

NASU

Acts 8:1-8 Exposition

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

We return to Acts after some time spent preaching other texts and are reminded that the Deacon Stephen was stoned to death for proclaiming the gospel. Saul was found among those holding the coats of those who did the stoning, and unless we should think him naively unsure of what to do we are told that he was fully approving of what was done. Remember that this passage is both inspired by God but also well sourced as the human author, Luke was a companion of Paul (who was once this Saul) on his journeys and would certainly have had opportunity to hear firsthand the accounts of Paul's conversion.

This one sentence serves a purpose beyond the text we are examining here which is to establish the character of Saul and demonstrate the radical nature of his conversion later.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Persecution, like that of Saul and others served to disperse the believers and while the Apostles apparently remained in Jerusalem, many other believers were spread throughout the countryside.

2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

It would appear by his burial by “devout men”that this burial was not by the believers but by some among the Jews who would bury even the bodies of the executed. However is Adam Clarke's Commentary is to be believed it also indicates that by their “loud lamentation” that he was not fully condemned by the Sanhedrin but instead killed by and unruly mob with the silent approval of those leaders who stood by and by their silence permitted this attack. If we are to learn anything from this it is that we should not stand by while evil occurs and then carry out services and mourning for its results. When there is opportunity to make a difference do what you can and then mourn if you fail, but do not stand by and do nothing and mourn the results

3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

Saul by contrast is more active in his opposition to the Christ followers. He is described as “ravaging” the church, dragging off both men and women, obviously not discerning between leaders and those who associated with Christ but persecuting all alike, and imprisoning them. His zeal is recorded in his own account as he repudiates his former life and confidence in his own pedigree and works to claim his confidence in Christ alone. This is in Phil 3:2-11

2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

NASU

All this to remind us that it is neither devotion or zeal which attains for us the reward given through Christ. All that we do is done out of gratitude. Our confidence is in Christ and in Him alone. Our devotion is to Him in Love and thankfulness and our zeal to worship and please Him.

4Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

Examine the history of Israel and you will find that persecution drove the Jews from their homeland and led to the dispersion of both Jewish religion and thought throughout the world. As a result there were Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire as well as other parts of the world. Again persecution would drive the church from being a local group to a Empire-wide faith and then as history would continue a global faith. Those who would suffer did not abandon their faith but instead spread it, proclaiming the gospel to be true for all, not just this one race in one place. In fact the earlier dispersion of the Jews would give them an audience in other places. They would find people of like ideas (worshiping the God of Abraham) as well as like nationality and language in the places to which they were driven. There are times when the means God uses to accomplish His plan is adversity. The thing that drives you straight into the place where He wants you to be could be through the loss of something you treasured. The persecution of the believers was not a punishment for any sin of theirs but the fulfillment of what Jesus had predicted when he promised that the world would hate those who belong to Him. But the result would be the expansion of His church.

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.

Philip was among the dispersed and began preaching in Samaria, a place where Jerusalem Jews would have not likely gone given the choice. Yet the gospel is now expanding to those outside of the initial human boundaries. A person may take this opportunity to preach on the acceptance of those different from us, and indeed this lesson can be inferred, as long as one is clear that it was not a mere “I'm OK, You're OK” acceptance but instead a clear presentation of the Gospel that united these otherwise diverse people. The gospel of Jesus Christ and our common faith in Him is that which unites, not the worldly counterfeit of “tolerance.”

6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.

Obviously God is not bound by geography, race, or any human division. The miracles and signs which followed the Apostles and Deacons in Jerusalem continued in other areas confirming the truth of the message and the power in Jesus name. These signs gained an audience for the gospel and commended the message.

7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

As before, evil Spirits, the condemned fallen angels which follow Satan, do not stand in the face of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit. If people are to be truly free of the deceptions and afflictions of the enemy of God and of our own souls it will be only through Christ. No other means can heal us of the disease of sin, the temptation to do evil, or the seeming need to serve only ourselves. Likewise we must ask for healing of both bodies and Spirits because a healed body without a saved soul and renewed (in the Holy Spirit)spirit is in the end no better off. Should we eliminate poverty, disease, war, or any other malady of people or society, and not bring them eternal life we only make comfortable those who will be lost. So we must do good, and with our doing good show the reason for our work, telling the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The proclamation of the gospel is the means by which the “saved” are known to be the “saved”.

8 So there was much rejoicing in that city.

The dual work of Phillip gained a reputation through the help given to the sick and afflicted and the effective preaching of the gospel. We will see as we continue to study that there is success in Phillip's preaching as well as the miracles.

Do I Really Hate to Travel?

My wife said something to me the other day that I find appalling. She said that I hate to travel. Now if I wanted to believe this were true I'd not be so disturbed. But I believe myself to be an adventurous sort of person. I like the outdoors. Enjoy seeing as much of the world as I can afford (which I'll admit isn't that much) and enjoy imagining the great places I may get to go in the future.

But to a certain extent I do agree that in her assessment I probably do hate to travel. Because while I see the excitement with which I imagine the trip months ahead. I see the pictures in my mind of the great things we'll see, the fun things we'll do, the exotic things (or at least different from home) things we'll eat, and the sublime moments of quiet time enjoying beautiful scenes of God's creation; She sees the reality, the long drives in the car as I sit frustrated with the kids for the fourth potty stop in half as many hours. She sees the fear and loathing with which I pay just a little bit more for the hotel and mentally count the cost. She sees me cramming our stuff into the minivan declaring on oath that this will be the last time we leave home again. And ultimately she knows that the drive home will include the inevitable disappointed grousing about how those sublime moments enjoying God's glory never materialized.

So while I like the idea of travel, I may have to admit I may...perhaps.. actually...hate to travel.
The key difference is the degree of separation between imagination and reality. The trip I imagine looks nothing like the one I am actually on.

Does life ever look like this for you? Did that great job you imagined turn into just a job. That fairy tale marriage you pictured turn into something that is more about enduring than endearing. Does the adult life you pictured in your twenties still look not enough different than the life you had in your twenties except now you're too tired and busy to enjoy it. Does church seem less like the imagined picture of a comforting smiling family and more like...well, a real family.

The solution is found in Scripture and is built on dropping the idea that life is all about us. Much of what passes for religion today is about being fulfilled here and now. We are told that with sufficient faith and a positive attitude we can enjoy the finest things here and then even more in heaven. Yet Scripture gives us a different picture. One where fulfillment is found not in things from God, but in God himself.

Hebrews 11: 13 NIV says:
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

In this chapter 11 of Hebrews, the "Hall of fame of faith," those who exemplified faith were said to have never seen the promises they hoped for yet they died believing, knowing that their fulfillment came in a far country prepared by God for them. In the meantime the heroes of faith lived lives of faith, trusting and worshiping God, trying to be obedient, making mistakes, seeking and finding forgiveness, and ultimately enduring to the end.

Having just finished Preaching on Revelation's first four Chapters, I am glad for the reminders Scripture gives us both of God's promises and the necessity of endurance. The reason I hate to travel and love the idea of it is that each time I travel it is like imagining that I am going to a better country than my own. Yet when I get there I am reminded that no destination will compare to the place of eternal life with God that I am really looking for.

Also the other reason I really do hate to travel is that there is so much effort involved. The packing ("Will I need a bathing suit or a parka...I'll take them both, you never know..."), the planning ("Can we fit in a stop here to see the world's largest freeze dried squirrel?"), the paying, the driving (It's only 2AM, Lets go on, maybe the next town will have a Better Hotel), and the eating out(Less often exotic, and more often the comfort food of the Cracker Barrel).

Yet the journey to our heavenly country involves the dropping of all effort and trusting in Jesus Christ. There is no packing since there is no stuff that can help you get there. How great when compared to cramming that one last item "we just might need" into the car. Not even clothing to wash and pack since we will receive the robe and crown promised. There is no paying, "Jesus Paid it All" as the song says, Dying on the cross for our sins, doing all that was possible or necessary to provide the forgiveness we need) There is no driving. Our works we do, we do to thank God, and out of love for Him and His people, not to earn our place in heaven. Even the meals are in fact "comfort food" when we Eat the bread and drink the cup and remember the way Jesus provided all we need for life together with God.

With Christ we know we will see that Country someday. Until then, while life can be as frustrating as a road trip (and indeed often far worse) We do get to close our eyes in prayer, or open them and read Scripture, or raise our hands and voices in worship, and imagine the Destination promised to us through Jesus Christ.

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

Back to the Basics

Part of my own processing of the situation with the PCUSA and the recent GA decisions led me to explore something that has been seemingly all but abandoned yet remains close to my heart. That is, the Confessing Church movement and its core confessions of "Christ Alone", Scripture Alone" and Holy living. Specifically I looked up the cobwebbed website of the Confessing church movement and found Oakdale's Session resolution. This was important for me as their new pastor since I had transitioned from a confessing congregation in Kansas, knew Oakdale was also a Confessing congregation, but had never read Oakdale's specific statement. I believe it is important to those of us who remain in the PCUSA to revisit our core confessions.

"Session Resolution

The session joins faithful believers throughout the Church in confessing:

- That Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the way of salvation.

- That holy Scripture is the truine God's revealed Word, the Churches only infallible rule of faith and life

- That God's people are called to holiness in all aspects of life. This includes honoring sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, the only relationship within which sexual activity is appropriate.

We therefore announce our commitment to the Confessing Church Movement nd we implore all Presbyterians who share these historic Christian convictions to:

- Renew their individual commitments to the above confessions.

- Urge their session and presbytery to affirm these confessions and to declare that they will not ordain, install or employ in any ministry position any person who will not affirm them

- Urge the General Assembly to instruct the General Assembly Council to require that all program personnel uphold these confessions and ensure that these confessions are followed faithfully in all programs and policies of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."



The purpose of these confessions was not to "target homosexuals" or to create division, but to define who we are as a congregation and to set appropriate boundaries within a family that exists with such deep divisions in belief and practice. We exist as a congregation that believes in the Authority and inspiration of Scripture and so we cannot assume that there is a wisdom greater than God's Holy Word for us to seek to govern either our beliefs or our life. Likewise we cannot compromise and name other views of God, no matter how similar, as compatible with our worship of the Triune God revealed in Jesus Christ and through Scripture.

Where sexuality is concerned we believe that Jesus Christ and Scripture together call us to practices which exemplify the life to which we are called by Scripture and not by the world. We cannot say there are a variety of ways to express our sexuality when scripture clearly calls people to avoid adultery, and to live faithfully in marriage, man to one woman, and woman to one man. Any other expression of sexual activity, other than chastity in singleness, is an example of our broken condition and points to our need to have our thoughts, desires, and behaviors reshaped by the Holy Spirit into ways that are obedient to God's Word. Our struggles with desires that are contrary to God's design are a part of God's gracious gift of conscience and conviction which are to drive us to repentance and to simultaneously trust the Holy Spirit's ability to transform us. We have not been called to creatively redefine sin so that we can say we are outside of its influence or effect. The difficulty of the task of trusting God in this only points to the truth that it is a "narrow way" and a "cross" we are called to bear in following Christ.

To remain faithful in the PCUSA, or out of it for that matter we must remain faithful to our core confessions.

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

Damage Control

That's the word from some about a letter from the General Assembly of the PCUSA, interpreting the various "hotbutton" actions of the 218th. You can read the letter at:
http://www.pcusa.org/gac/ga218letter.htm and I would love your comments.
I am afraid I find myself in the midst of a storm that I never asked for and wonder how I should proceed. To call this letter damage control is unfortunate but accurate, for damage has been done, damage to the hearts of those who love their church but find their faith betrayed by a new teaching which rises up to say that it is a matter of local preference and opinion; a matter of yes votes to no votes on a session, or a presbytery, regarding right and wrong. We are left to wait two years to see if our Presbyteries will once again say that they really really do want pastors and elders who are faithful husbands and wives or if unmarried remain in relationships that exemplify the sexual purity we strive so hard to teach to our children. We are left to "consider" if Jesus would rather have us with leaders who are called by word and deed to teach the Word of God, who in their own relationships demonstrate the behavior acceptable in the world rather than faithfulness to avoid what the Bible calls sin and to seek to live in obedience to the only trustworthy source of revelation of God's character and Will.
I feel betrayed because I believe in the Presbyterian system of church government. It is a democracy and democracy is in fact the worst system of Government... except for all the others. People tend to behave I believe, in agreement with the reformed belief in total depravity, in mostly self interested ways and as a result a system of majority rule under a constitutional rule of law, with checks and balances, tends to restrain evil as well as any human institution can.
The problem comes when the constitution is amendable and the rock solid foundation for that constitution has been forsaken for the shifting sands of a post modern ethic of amoral pragmatism. Most refer to postmodern ethics as moral relativism yet I would argue that the ethic in result is just as I said, amoral pragmatism. The rule is right or wrong are irrelevant ideas and the highest good is whatever happens to work the best. The problem with this ethic is we are all so short sighted and like even a good chess player our game is not deep enough to see the long term consequences of a choice which seems to do "good" at the moment.
Our solid foundation has for generations been the Word of God and while interpretations of nuances of minor details have always been allowed we have remained faithful to declare that what the Bible calls sin is in fact sin.
Now we have sent to our leaders, to vote, a proposal to replace recently clarified language concerning fidelity and chastity, with language that is in effect nonsense since we have already vowed to uphold these standards at our ordinations. It was to our shame that a few years ago we had to clarify what our sexual ethics were to be since we for generations in the church always understood what was expected of our leaders.
But our denomination tells us to stay in the boat and It'll be alright. If we are in fact in the boat with Jesus this is true. But one must ask, might we be riding in Jonah's boat. Are we embarked with prophets who have departed from their calling to preach repentance and instead are seeking a port of their own choice. Are we the Jonah's ourselves choosing a boat headed in the wrong direction looking for an easy way out and only in a storm because we would rather not choose the path of obedience. Will we have the courage of Jonah to at least choose the fish as the path of our own redemption. Jonah did not know that he would survive the sea, only that the boat would not survive the storm with him aboard.
At the same time I am concerned. I want to remain in the boat because I love the people in the boat. I love my church and so I will remain with my congregation and we will seek together, in faith, asking Jesus what we should do. We will not cry that he does not care that we are perishing, for we know from his word that he does and will when need arises still our storm. But we must seek him and do as he says. The way out of a God storm is through obedience not disobedience to God. Jesus says put faith in Him, follow Him, obey Him. May we do so.
Finally I do not wish to alarm my brothers and sisters who are faithful to Christ. This Blog and and any resulting sermons tomorrow are a result of my heart, in pain for my church, responding to the Scriptures and in light of recent events. It is good and necessary to say what I believe in light of these things and your conversations, should anyone actually read this will help.
In the end damage has been done, may it be healed. May we know which ship we are on and call on Jesus that we may know whether ship or sea is the path of faithfulness. May we not remain as we are and seek Jesus quickly and with faith so we may know His Will for us.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's path,
Mark

Sunday June 15, 2008

Revelation 1:9-20 Exposition

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

John is writing these things from exile on the island called Patmos. John had been preserved from death but was still living out his punishment for preaching the Gospel. God brought about the circumstances which led to John's exile so that he would be there to receive, record, and transmit this message to the church. Many of the other Apostles had fallen to martyrdom for declaring Jesus as Lord. Yet our Lord himself had foretold that John would survive in John 21:20-23

20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" 23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"

NASU

Jesus was not indicating anything as bizarre as an abnormally long life for John, but it was clear that ther was a different calling for John than for Peter who would die a martyr's death by crucifixion.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

Here was John in exile likely separated from other believers he he describes himself as being “in the Spirit” on the Lord's day. With no luxuries of gathered friends and family, music, entertaining messages or anything else which “church” affords, John is nonetheless in worship, drawing near to the presence of God on the Lord's Day. If there is a first lesson in being the church God wants us to be it is that we must be in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Should anything keep us from worship with our fellow believers in our home congregation, we are called to all the more ensure that we are “in the Spirit” participating in some genuine form of worship and devotion to our Lord on this His day.

Second it is important to note that the message to John came to him while, “in the Spirit”. We often say “I do not know God's will.” or “God doesn't seem to hear my prayers.” While your situation may be different, the first question you should ask yourself is this. Am I “in the Spirit”? That is, are you attentive to God and God alone in your times of devotion and especially on the Lord's day. God is not likely to speak to us when we are performing a religious service out of habit or routine. Should we expect to encounter God's best when we are looking to give Him our least?

The voice itself was like a trumpet. When God speaks or calls it is impossible to ignore. It would take a force of sheer will to disregard a voice like a trumpet. Too often when we know clearly what God wants we will attempt to disregard the voice, believing we may not have heard correctly, yet it is not the ears or the mind which failed but the will that resists.

11 saying, " Write in a book what you see, 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."

Christs message was to His church, like any Spiritual gift, Johns vision was for the building up of the body of Christ. So it is with our own Gifts as well a Christian Spiritual experience. These are not given that we may be puffed up with pride as spiritual giants, but that we may use what God gives to build and strengthen His Church.

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

Christ does more than reveal himself but in setting the scene for John, He displays his role in the church. John sees first the seven lampstands.

13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

This is Christ, the Son of Man, clothed in majesty, and standing in the midst of the lampstands.

14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

Christ appears glorified not in the humility of His earthly appearance, but more like the transfigured appearance which He had shown Peter, James and John, His whiteness and fiery eyes display His holiness and purity and you see a glimpse too of his passion and life. This is no ghost of a dead prophet like the translucent and shadowy visions we picture in movies. No one could see what John saw and believe they describing someone dead. He is also similar in appearance to the Son of Man as seen by Daniel (Dan 10:4-6)

5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.

NASU

John's continued description follows this same pattern.

15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

John describes the Son of man in this vision in terms of beauty and awe and majesty. Our Lord is no source for us of boredom. His very person and liveliness makes us alive, grabs our attention and calls us to hear his words.

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

Here we see two ways He shows us who He is, with the sword from His mouth, and the stars in His hand. He himself will explain the stars. We have been told in Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edgedsword , and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

NASU

His face is glorious, shining with an intensity that would force us to look away. This also reminds us of both the transfiguration as well as the Son of Man, again as in Daniel. The similarities to Daniel are important as John's vision deals with much of the same subject matter as Daniel and sets the couse for the New Testament saints to know what to expect and hope for in the end. Knowing this will encourage the Church to stay and stand strong in the future.

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, " Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

Even though fear gripped John in Christ's glorified presence He is comforted by the reassurance of Who it Is that is speaking to him, Namely the “first and the Last”. Our comfort is not in our situation or in any natural thing, but our comfort and courage comes from the person of Jesus Christ.

18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

As John falls “like a dead man” and perhaps even fears death, he is reassured that Life and death are in the hands of the one who holds the keys to death and “hades” the grave. Jesus conquered death and as its conquerer now exercises authority over death itself. If we know and trust Jesus, and he has authority over death, then death is not something we have to fear.

19 "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

John is instructed to write both the events leading up to the vision he is to be shown, what he sees now, and what he is about to see. This is the purpose of the vision, that its contents be transmitted to the Church, that she may be blessed with what Christ imparts to her though His Word.

20 "As for the mystery of the seven stars which 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.

The first explanation Christ gives is of the stars and lampstands. The stars are the “angels” as it says, of the seven churches. This can either mean, angelic beings charged with the care of the churches, or the “messengers” of those churches, namely their pastoral leadership. In either sense we gain comfort knowing that the messengers, whether angelic or human, reside in the palm of Christ's hand. The greatest responsibility is the preseervation and the proclamation of Christ's own message to His Church. The task is impossible without the guidance and protection of Christ's own hand.

The lampstands are the churches which can take comfort that Christ stands in the midst of them. One can even infer that Christ does not stand closer to one than another, but stands in the midst of His faithful churches. Our congregations may know that Christ does not belong to us but that His Church belongs to Christ. He stands beside His Bride in whichever congregation she resides, and guides and protects His message and messengers.