Sunday, February 8, 2015

Christ's Counsel to the church of Thyatira (Rev. 2:26-29)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/8/2015 8:48 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Christ’s Counsel to Thyatira

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelation 2:26-29

            Message of the verses:  “26 ’He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also 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.’”

            John again mentions the word that describes a believer and that is the one who overcomes and we have looked at this in an earlier SD and quoted 1 John 5:5 “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  Next we see that John tells his readers that the church must remember to keep the deeds of the Lord.  Verse 22 states “’Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.”  Jesus wants them to follow His deeds in contrast to the ones who were keeping the deeds of Jezebel.  Now if they do this Christ will first of all give them the authority over the nations which they will rule them with a rod of iron, similar of the vessels that the potter breaks into pieces.  Let us look at Psalm 2:7-9, a Psalm we have looked at in earlier SD’s as we studied Revelation.  “7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ’You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ’Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9  ’You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’"  This will happen during the millennial kingdom, which will be a part of the job for those in the resurrected church.  Let us look at two more passages from Revelation 12:5  and also 19:15 “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”  “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” 

            Second Christ also promised to give them the “morning star.”  John MacArthur writes “Some connect the morning star with such passages as Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43.  The promise would be that believers will reflect Christ’s glory.  While Christians will reflect Christ’s glory, it is better to see the ‘morning star’ as Christ Himself—a title He assumes in Revelation 22:16 (Cf. 2 Peter 1:19).  Christ promised believers Himself in all His fullness; the One whom we ‘now…know in part [we will] then …know fully just as [we] also have been fully known’ (1 Cor. 13:12).”

            We have been over the familiar words “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Jesus Christ is saying to each of the churches that He is writing to that they had better listen to what He is saying to them, and to obey what it is that He is telling them to do.  The problem is that many of the churches did not listen to His Words.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Words that Jesus is saying to all of these churches He is saying to me and to every born-again believer who has ever lived, and so it would be the best thing for me to follow and to listen to what He is saying.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to better understand the love He has for me.

Memory verse for the week:  2 Peter 1:10.

10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

Answer to our last Bible question:  “Boaz” (Ruth 2:15).

Today’s Bible question:  “Candace was the queen of what country?”

Answer in our next SD.

2/8/2015 9:16 PM

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