Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Class Lesson January 21, 2024

 2nd Lesson Revelations 2:1-7



Opening Questions

If Jesus were to send a message to the church 

in America, what would He say?

 

 

REVELATIONS

All – Things – New

_____________________________________


THE POINT of THIS LESSON 

is that

Jesus is coming soon, so remain faithful.


Revelation 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 2:1-7.


STUDY NOTES

Revelation two and three contain messages from Jesus to the leaders of seven churches. The main message of these letters is to remain faithful until the end. The theme of Revelation is that Jesus is going to make all things new. The Book is meant to be informative and encouraging to the churches serving as they wait for the new to come. Therefore, along with a revelation of the future, Jesus spends time writing to the churches in the present. The reason is to motivate the churches to remain faithful until He comes.

As you go through the text, notice how Jesus evaluates these churches. He genuinely cares about how the church operates. Some aspects of the church should remain, and some the church should change. Jesus looks at the activity, then digs deep into the heart of that activity. For instance, at Ephesus, the church is active, but at the heart, they lose their first love. They serve God for the wrong reasons.

Nonetheless, as you read the letters, you will notice they are practical and applicable to us today. These churches are a reflection of our churches. They reveal some of the same struggles we face and the qualities we possess. What a blessing that Jesus has something to say and wants us to hear. He is the Lord who sees the truth, tells the truth, and judges according to the truth.

We are citizens of heaven where Jesus is King. So, we should act like we belong to heaven and King Jesus. Some of this evaluation does not seem encouraging. However, it is absolutely encouraging to know that Christ cares about His church. He desires us to be right with Him.

 

There are two main thoughts from this lesson:

  1. We must be open to the Spirit as He reveals our own hearts. We must be open to spiritual evaluation.                                                                                                        
  2. Though Revelation reveals Jesus as King in the future, we must not forget that He is King now and we must hear what He has to say to us.

 

Quotes:

The truth of Christ without the grace of Christ will lead to ruin. – Corey Watson

Our commitment to Christ will never outpace our commitment to, and knowledge of, the Bible. – Dallas Wilson

It’s possible to do good things for Jesus and lose your love for Jesus. – Will Bray

Yes, Jesus sees you when you fail, but He also sees you when you’re faithful. – Wayne Bray

Following Christ is about devoting ourselves to loving Him above the things of this world. – Dustin Dozier

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

What does Jesus say is good with the church?

 

What does Jesus say is wrong with the church?

 

What are the instructions that Jesus gives to help them endure to the end?

 

How does each church relate to the Upstate Church today?

 

Even though we evaluate churches, what can we learn about our personal walk with Christ?

 

How can we individually contribute to the endurance of the church?

 


COMMISSION

As we wrap up this lesson, it is imperative that everyone knows we go into the world on mission for Jesus. 

 

What aspects of the Church does Christ want the world to see for them to be saved?

 

Who in your life needs to know Jesus?


END

Teacher Notes:







Click Play to Watch


Opening Question

If Jesus were to send a message to the church in America, what would He say?

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

 

 

What does the world need right now?

One Word

JESUS

 

“It’s possible to do good things for Jesus and lose your love for Jesus.”

– Will Bray

 

Revelation 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Are you listening?)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 2:1-7.

 

 

Commendation & Confrontation

Jesus praised believers for their successes and told them how to correct their failures.

 

 

There are two thoughts to remember:

1. We must be open to the Spirit as He reveals our own hearts. We must be open to spiritual evaluation.

2. Though Revelation reveals Jesus as King in the future, we must not forget that He is King now and we must hear what He has to say to us.

 

 

The Church of Ephesus – What do you know?

Ephesuspower of NY City with the culture of New Orleans & Las Vegas. Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor, a center of land and sea trade, and along with Alexandria and Antioch in Syria, one of the 3 most influential cities in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The temple of Artemis, one of the ancient wonders of the world, was in Ephesus. Paul ministered here for 3 years and warned the church that false teachers would come and try to turn them from the faith. And they did come and cause problems, but the church resisted them. John spent much of his ministry here in Ephesus and knew they had resisted false teachings.

 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION


What does Jesus say is good with the church?

Working hard, persevering, resisting sin, critically examining the claims of false prophets, and enduring hardship without becoming weary. Every church should have these characteristics.

 

What does Jesus say is wrong with the church?

You have abandoned the love you had at first. They serve God for the wrong reasons. Like when you first fell in love with your spouse – it was intense, it was a thrill to just be in her presence, you would do just about anything for her.

Ephesus had become a large PROUD church! Jesus would remind them that He Alone is the head of the body of believers. They were a busy church – the members did much to benefit themselves and the community – but they were acting out of the wrong motives. Work for God must be motivated by love for God, or it will not last.

 

What are the instructions that Jesus gives to help them endure to the end?

1.   Don’t stop believing!


2.   Don’t Compromise – consider the unexpected.

Nicolaitans – Why did God hate their deeds? The Nicolaitans were believers who compromised their faith to enjoy some of the sinful practices of Ephesian society. The name Nicolaitans is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word for “Balaamites.” Balaam was a prophet who induced the Israelites to carry out their lustful desires.

  

3.   Don’t Lose Focus – Keep the main thing the main thing

  

 

How does each church relate to the Upstate Church today?

These churches are a reflection of our churches. They reveal some of the same struggles we face and the qualities we possess.

 

 

How can we individually contribute to the endurance of the church?

“The fight for truth fails without the flame of Love.”

Jesus commended the church for hating the wicked practices of the Nicolaitans. But it’s important to note that they hated their sinful practices, not the people. We should accept and love all people and refuse to tolerate all evil. God cannot tolerate sin, and He expects us to stand against it. The world needs Christians who will stand for God’s truth and point people toward right living.

 

 

Even though we evaluate churches, what can we learn about our personal walk with Christ?

When we want to take part in an activity that we know is wrong, we may make excuses to justify our behavior, saying that it isn’t as bad as it seems or that it won’t hurt our faith.

CHRIST HAS strong words for those who look for excuses to SIN!



 

Jesus said to repent – what did Caleb say?

I am sorry,

I have been so selfish.

I have trampled on You with my words and my actions.

I have loved other things when I should have loved You.

I am begging You to forgive me.

 

Don’t you want to know what happen to Caleb’s marriage?



Click Play to Watch


 

– don’t trade something temporary 

for something that is eternal.

 


Conclusion:

The central message to the seven churches of the book of Revelation is to remain faithful to Jesus.

Each church that receives a commendation receives a commendation for faithfulness.

Each church that receives a condemnation receives a condemnation for unfaithfulness.



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