Drew’s Blog - Drew Boswell

“Be Strong and Courageous” Joshua 1

Joshua: Courage Over Fear

A Sermon Series

“Be Strong and Courageous”
Joshua 1

Introduction

One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child’s arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something–possibly a rock– protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. “If I can just hang on until help comes,” he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship couldn’t swim.[1]

Prayer

God’s Purposes Do Not Change (vv. 1-9)

God’s plan for the Israelites is laid out in the first five books of the Bible, and specifically in the book of Deuteronomy they are given specific instructions for what to do once they enter into the promised land.

There have been three delays for God’s people entering into the promised land, 1) In Gen. 15 God tells Abram[2] that the people would enter into slavery for 400 years, then God had set a time of forty years (so the entire generation over 20 had to die in the wilderness because of their lack of faith), 2) Moses had lost his temper before God’s people and because he did that he forfeited his right to enter into the promised land, but God honored his leadership by waiting until his death to enter (Num. 20:6-12; Duet. 1:37, 3:26). 3) 15:16 “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” We are not told what the sin of the Amorites was that they are being judged for, but when Joshua crossed over and conquers the promised land it is an act of judgement upon the enemies of God.

God Calls People to His Purposes (vv. 1-5)

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead.[3] Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Prior to Moses’ death, Joshua was appointed to be his successor in Numbers 27:18-23. (V. 22) “And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.” Then after some time, Moses passed away. So Joshua has this calling upon his life to do this specific thing – lead God’s people.

People change over time – all the people who had left Egypt in the great exodus had now wandered in the desert for forty years because of their rebellion. Those who were less than twenty at the Exodus, and all those born since, are essentially a new group of God’s people (prayerfully they have learned from the mistakes of the previous generation).

And now that Moses is dead, there is also a new leader. So, people in the plan of God change, but God’s purposes don’t change. The plan, even though its been five hundred years since God announced it, it is still the plan. God is going to give His people a promised land.

“I will not leave you or forsake you.” Literally this means “I will not fail you.” We see this verse quoted on Hebrews 13:5 quotes this same verse in the context of not loving money, God will be with you and give you what you need to complete the mission.

God’s Purposes Are Accomplished When His People Obey His Word (vv. 6-9)

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So while there may be a new leader, God’s Word is still the same. Notice that in the opening verses we see that Joshua has the law of Moses – He already has the written Word of God. Francis Schaeffer wrote, “Joshua knew Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, personally. Joshua knew his strengths and weaknesses as a man; he knew that Moses was a sinner, that Moses made mistakes, that Moses was just a man. Nonetheless, immediately after Moses’ death Joshua accepted the Pentateuch as more than the writing of Moses. He accepted it as the writing of God.”[4] And God tells him, that his success as a leader would be dependent upon, not just knowing it, but keeping it “that you may have good success wherever you go.”

God moves people in and out of his plan, but God’s Word stays the same and it is God’s Word that remains our source of authority to complete God’s work. In Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Moses heard from God directly. God told Moses in person what to do, but now Joshua is pointed to the written Word of God to follow. Even though Joshua would encounter the “commander of the Lord’s Army” in chapter 5, and Joshua is given specific instructions about upcoming battles, Joshua was to live and lead according to the written Word of God.

In order to do this Joshua is given four things to do with God’s Word: 1) Study God’s Word “being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.” In order to be careful to do it, you have to know what it says, which requires diligent study. The written Word of God from it’s beginning was not stored in the Ark of the covenant, it was to be carried around, rolled out and read, again and again.

It was not a relic to be on a shelf, it was a tool to be faithfully and diligently used. The printing press had not been invented yet, so the people did not have personal copies of God’s Word, but it was read aloud, and it was accessible to the people (see Duet. 31:11-13).

2) (v. 8) Talk About God’s Word “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth . . .” Joshua and the people’s lives revolved around the word of God, so when you make plans, or discuss your children, or your careers – how can you discuss those things as a follower of God and not discuss His Word that speaks directly to those things.

3) “meditate on it day and night,” – To meditate in something is more than studying it, and talking about it, now you are pulling things from it. When you meditate on God’s Word you are seeking to apply it. What does this mean? How do I apply it to my life?

4) Obey the Word of God “being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you,” Psalm 1:2-3 talks about the righteous man “ . . but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” In order to prosper in the ways of the Lord, and to be a success at the task that God has called you to, the place the Word of God occupies in your life is critical.

As we will see, Joshua was a great leader, and it was because he studied God’s Word, he talked about God’s Word, he meditated on God’s Word and the most important, he did God’s Word. If we fast forward to the end of Joshua’s leadership, look at one of his last instructions to the people, Joshua 23:6 “Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,”

Joshua Assumes Command (vv. 10-18)

We see in these verses where Joshua has become the new leader of God’s people – he seems to scared to death. He is told multiple times, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,” – so Joshua is frightened; so, how do we do what God has called us to do, even though we may be concerned of failure? You can look back to your past.

This is not the first time we see Joshua leading; we first see him leading in battle in Exodus 17:8-16. The Israelites are making their way through the wilderness and the Amalekites come out against them. Moses goes up on a mountain and holds up his arms and staff – and Joshua is sent to lead the troops in the valley below. As long as Moses kept his hands up, God’ s people would be winning, but as Moses grew tired his hands would drop and the Amalekites would be winning. And once they had won the victory,

13-14 “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” As Joshua was studying, and meditating, and talking about, and doing God Word – he would have come across this battle and remembered – the battle was won by prayer, teamwork, and God’s presence working on the battlefield – not his military talent. Your success, to do what God has called you to do, is bigger than just you – there are bigger things going on than you even know about. You are a part of a much bigger plan.

The second time we see Joshua is on Mt. Sinai. There is a moment when Moses, Aaron, and seventy elders saw God and ate and drank in God’s presence. When Moses went up onto the mountain to receive the law on the stone tablets, Joshua went with him.

Exodus 24:13 “So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.” He came back down with Moses to deal with the situation of these same leaders, who had sat in the presence of God, now had made golden calves and were worshipping them. God is holy and will not tolerate His people worshipping other gods.

The third time we see Joshua is when he is sent into the promised land as a spy. When the spies returned all their stories were the same, “the land is flowing with milk and honey.” But only Joshua and Caleb had faith that God would give them the land – yes there were giants in the land, but God was much bigger than they were.

So when it was time for Joshua to lead the nation, forty years has passed, he had seen God do mighty things, he knew that God was holy, and he knew, from experience, that God’s people had to trust Him and follow His Word.

What was Joshua so afraid of? He had seen military victories, He had trembled before the mighty power of God – He knew no one or army was greater than God. I think Joshua was afraid that the people wouldn’t listen and because of their hard heartedness, they would have to circle back to another forty years of death in the wilderness. They would not follow Moses into the Promised Land, why would they follow him?

There is nothing more terrifying to a leader than wasted years walking around in a desert.

It is wonderful to lead people into the land flowing with milk and honey, it’s quite another thing to be the leader of a people who would rather walk around in the wilderness. So, he gives the order.

10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

The time had finally arrived after over a million funerals and forty years of wandering in the wilderness, it was finally time to pass into the promised land. Three days to prepare yourself, your family, and to get your stuff ready – we are about to enter into the promised land. Only two men knew what lay ahead – Joshua and Caleb. Both had seen the enemy’s size, the walled fortresses, and the “land flowing with milk and honey.”

12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

God had already instructed a couple of the tribes what to do when they enter into the promised land. Numbers 32 and Deuteronomy 3:18-20 records that Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Mannasseh should be given the land east of the Jordan, but that they were to go in and fight with the other tribes until all the land was conquered. Because Joshua was studying God’s Word, meditating on it, talking about it, and doing it – he knew what to do when it was time to put a plan together.

In Joshua’s mind, he would have remembered the day when he and Caleb came back after scouting out the Promised Land, and gave the report to the people that was part of Moses’ plan to enter the Promised Land. Numbers 14:1-14 “Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” . . . (v. 11) “Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones.”

Now it was Joshua in charge – how would they respond to the command to pack up and prepare to enter into the promised land?

16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

The people’s hearts were changed. Before they cried out in the night, now they are packing their backs, and preparing to fight. Did they obey Moses in all things? No. But they recognize that God was with Him, Joshua followed God’s Word, so they encourage him, 1) may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! – confirming he is there because God put him there, just like Moses and 2) “be strong and courageous.” God has his back, and the people have his back, together they go forward to accomplish what God has put before them to do. When God, the leader, and the people come together – then grasshoppers can defeat giants.

_____________________

[1] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/c/courage.htm

[2] For more information about God’s covenant with Abram, Genesis 15 https://drewboswell.com/gods-covenant-and-abrahams-response-genesis-151-21/

[3] For more information about Moses’ death, Jude 9 https://drewboswell.com/426926-2/

[4] James Montgomery Boice, Joshua We will Serve the Lord (Old Tappan, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Publishing, 1989) 21.

Principles From Joshua’s Appointment as Israel’s Leader

Principles From Joshua’s Appointment as Israel’s Leader

Moses became the leader of the Israelite people when he was eighty-years-old and then led the people for another forty years until he was 120 years-old. He died right before they entered into the Promised, bringing about the inauguration of Joshua’s leadership of the people. The Promised Land still needed to be conquered and served as punishment from the Lord for the sins of the Amorite people who inhabited the land.

Upon Moses’ death Joshua is made the leader by God, where is told to “be strong and courageous.” But when he assumes command it is not the first time he has held important responsibilities; we first see him leading in battle in Exodus 17:8-16. The Israelites are making their way through the wilderness and the Amalekites come out against them. Moses goes up on a mountain and holds up his arms and staff – and Joshua is sent to lead the troops in the valley below. As long as Moses kept his hands up, God’ s people would be winning, but as Moses grew tired his hands would drop and the Amalekites would be winning. And once they had won the victory,

Exodus17:13-14 “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” As Joshua was studying, and meditating, and talking about, and doing God Word – he would have come across this battle and remembered – the battle was won by prayer, teamwork, and God’s presence working on the battlefield – not his military talent. His success, to do what God has called him to do, is bigger than him – there are bigger things going on than you even know about. You are a part of a much bigger plan.

The second time we see Joshua is on Mt. Sinai. There is a moment when Moses, Aaron, and seventy elders saw God and ate and drank in God’s presence. When Moses went up onto the mountain to receive the law on the stone tablets, Joshua went with him. Exodus 24:13 “So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.” He came back down with Moses to deal with the situation of these same leaders, who had sat in the presence of God, now had made golden calves and were worshipping them. Joshua would have leared many leadership principles over the years, like – God is holy and will not tolerate His people worshipping other gods.

The third time we see Joshua is when he is sent into the promised land as a spy. When the spies returned all their stories were the same, “the land is flowing with milk and honey.” But only Joshua and Caleb had faith that God would give them the land. As a spy Joshua would have learned – yes there were giants in the land, but God was much bigger than they were.

Numbers 14:6-9 “And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. As a young leader he tried to convince a hard hearted people that God was able to win the day. He watched as God taught his people a very important lesson — God requires that His people have faith (a forty year-long and death to a million people lesson).

The greater the responsibility and the larger the scope of the influence and its’ impact upon the lives of others, then it mandates the preparation of the leader for the task. For Joshua he did not just become the leader; he has been prepared, and he has shown himself to be faithful for forty years before he is made by God to be Israelite’s leader.

Principles From Joshua’s Leadership Transition

1) Leaders need a time of preparation before becoming the main leader. This includes opportunities to succeed and to fail. Both success and failure are instructional in the leadership process. Youth bring exuberance, new insight, their presence forces the established order to explain and justify why it does things a particular way, but wisdom cannot be rushed.

Youthful exuberance allowed Moa to usher in the Red Guard, a political movement where young people ushered in a season of violence and fascist methods of establishing their ideas. Many college aged young people became so radicalized that Moa’s own party had to tell them to tone it down some.

Unbridled youthful exuberance leads to destruction – godly wisdom takes time to learn. Young leaders need older leaders to walk with them – or a better way to think of it is that younger leaders need to be invited to walk in leadership with an older leader. Youthful leaders untethered from the wisdom of a mature leader is dangerous.

2) Leadership roles change over time. Deuteronomy 31:14-15 “And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.” This is actually the picture of a scene that had taken place many times over the years. Moses and Joshua entering into the tent of meeting to talk and receive instructions from the Lord. The leader is in the presence of the Lord, and to interact and hear from God was not something new.

At Joshua’s ordination, Moses and Joshua kneel before the Lord as they had done for decades. It becomes a picture of one generation passing on leadership, but the position before the Lord is the same. Each has different responsibilities, yet serving the same God. Their responsibilities may change, yet they serve a God that never changes. So, the principle is; Our roles as leaders will change over time, but God never changes. Every leader serves the same God.

3) Along with opportunities must stand a mentor. Successes are celebrated, failures are dissected for ways of improvement. The main leader must see the importance of giving meaningful opportunities, new initiatives, and strategically important tasks to a younger leader for the purpose of furthering the kingdom work today and preparing the leader for the future – and opportunities for the younger leader to learn from the experience of the older leader.

The better you become at equipping younger leaders, the more secure what you are building becomes. Some kingdom work is only one leader’s mistake or an illness away from failure and collapse (because it has no depth). Moses did not try to lead the troops into battle against the Amalekites, he sent Joshua as a general. He did not go up the Mountain of God alone, he took Joshua as a helper. And Moses did not lead the spy trip into the Promised Land, he sent Joshua, Caleb, and ten others and then awaited their report. Moses knew that he was the leader, but he also knew his true value to the organization. He allowed others to do what he could not, and the process of doing this over years developed a new leader. But both men enter into the tent of meeting to hear and learn from God, both men are learning and growing, and both will eventually change their roles (one into eternity, and the other to become a national leader).

If you are a younger leader, reach out to a more mature leader and ask them to guide you. If you are an older leader, then look around for a young person to mentor — they may not even think of themselves as a leader but you see the potential that comes form years of service. When you are working together the kingdom becomes stronger and the future becomes brighter.

“Behold I Stand At the Door And Knock” Revelation 3:14-22

Drew Boswell Ministries

“Behold I Stand At the Door And Knock” Revelation 3:14-22

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“Behold I Stand At the Door And Knock” Revelation 3:14-22

VII – Book of Revelation

A Sermon Series

“Behold I Stand At the Door And Knock”

Revelation 3:14-22

Introduction

There once was a man who was adopted by a princess, and the princess was the daughter of the most powerful man in the world. They knew extreme wealth, the finest food, the most stylish clothing. In worldly terms, they lacked nothing. The man was educated in the finest schools and he was cultivated. This man had great responsibilities, and great expectations were before him. But the man left it all for something greater, more valuable, something that helped him to realize that everything he had experienced in his life was a waste. Have you ever heard of this man?

Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” What is worth leaving everything this world has to offer? His name is Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus is Described (v. 14)

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

“the Amen,” – The equivalent of the word amen, in Greek is Jesus’ often repeated, “verily.” When Jesus says “verily, verily, I say unto you,” He is saying “Amen, Amen,” and He does that twenty-five times.[1] When Jesus says this, He was really saying, “It is true, it is true,” John 18:37 “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”

“the faithful and true witness,” So when Jesus is given the title of Amen, it shows that He points us to the truth. When he is called the faith and true witness, it means that what He says can be trusted. The church at Laodicea had a false understanding of themselves, but Jesus’ account of them would be true. Jesus’ counsel can be trusted.

“the beginning of God’s creation,” – The intention of this verse in not that Jesus is the first being created, instead all of creation came through Jesus. He is the source of God’s creation. Colossians 1:15-16 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” God’s creation has its’ beginning in Jesus.

The purpose of creation is to bring glory to God, and to observe it, and study should lead one to see intelligent design and ultimately a Creator. Romans 1:20 “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

Jesus is described as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the Creator – all of these are point to God, declare and is confirm what He has done. The church, as Jesus’ disciples are to model Him, and then as a body of believers that agrees with God, testify and witness of Him, and point others to. So then, we turn to the church in Laodicea and let’s see if they are doing these things.

The Church is Described (vv. 15-16)

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

The Lycus valley was made up of three cities (Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis) and Laodicea was in the middle of these cities. A medical school was located in the city of Laodicea, so hot baths in the hot springs could be prescribed at Hierapolis (as hot as 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Laodicea had no sources of good clean water, so cold spring water was piped in from Colossae in underground stone pipes. The city’s natural water had calcium carbonate that resulted in the waters being impure and it literally caused vomiting.[2]

This picture of the church, their “works” “is drawn for Laodicea’s water supply. Because it traveled several miles through an underground aqueduct before reaching the city, the water arrived foul, dirty, and tepid.[3] The water was in the middle of these two cities, neither hot (healing) or cold (refreshing) – it was gross.

So Jesus says, I will “spit you out of my mouth,” – “to vomit, to reject with extreme disgust.”[4] This church makes him sick. So, what does Jesus mean? What does it mean to be “lukewarm?”

17 For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see[5].

“The church in Laodicea has imagined spiritual riches which the church did not possess, just the opposite of the church in Smyrna (poor in wealth, rich in grace).”[6] The church in Laodicea lived in a wealthy city, and they were wealthy, but they didn’t realize that they were in spiritual poverty. They could not see that they were truly “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked,”

How does a person know their true spiritual condition? This Church had fooled itself into thinking that they were the complete opposite of their true spiritual condition.

How do we know that we are not doing the very same thing?

In Romans 7:7, 24-25 the apostle Paul is discussing the law “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin . . . (24) Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The law allows us to see how sinful wretched we are and how we need a Savior. The church in Laodicea had a wrong understanding of their spiritual condition. As we will see they hand long ago left Jesus and His Word out of the church.

The people of this church were merchants who were used to buying and selling. In this way they had accumulated large fortunes, for “I am rich . . .” But theirs was the gold of this world. Camels covered with goods would come and trade with them. They would trade in world’s finest wool, but it could not cover their spiritual nakedness. They traded expensive ointments and salves, but the ointments could not heal their spiritual blindness.

Those of this church are warned by Jesus’ parable, Luke 12:20-21 A rich man had amassed a large estate and he was proud of his accomplishments, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” They were so focused on building a fortune here, they neglected to consider eternity.

(v. 18) Notice that Jesus does not command, he counsels, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire.” These business people were so used to dealing with this world, Jesus counsels them to change denominations. The “faithful and true witness” counsels them to stop dealing in the world’s gold and begin dealing with Jesus’ gold.

When you deal with God’s kingdom business you have everything you need in abundance, your shame is covered by righteousness, and you begin to see the world as God would have us see it. Because they were rich, they could travel and see the wonders of the world built by humans hands, yet be absolutely blind to what God could do through them.

Matthew 19:16-22 “And behold, a man came up to him (Jesus), saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” This man wanted is possessions more than to be a follower of Jesus. Wealth gives us false sense of security – the rich young ruler could not separate himself from his wealth because that was brought him security, purpose, and identity not Jesus.

Jesus Gives the Church A Way to Fix Their Problem (vv. 19-20)

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus is described in Revelation 1 as moving among these seven churches, each with a different message, and warning for most of them. But this mighty God always comes in compassion and love, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.” It is because Jesus loves us that He does not allow us to go through this life “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” If you saw your spouse in the street naked, you would rush to cover them. Or if your child could be healed from blindness with medicine, wouldn’t you figure out how to get the medicine? Sure you would. Jesus reproves and disciplines us so that we will change.

“so be zealous and repent,” – repent means to turn from sin immediately. Turn from being spiritually lukewarm toward God, and be zealous for Him. Lukewarmness leads us to spiritual indifference a tolerance of sin in our lives.

“20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” At the church at Laodicea, Jesus is outside – but in His love He comes to them, knocks, and says, “let me in.” Now you could say, ““I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” I don’t need you Jesus, I am ok just like I am. Or you could begin to see yourself how you truly are, “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” – Jesus will come into your life, sit down, and begin to sort it out. It will be a long conversation – a lifelong conversation.

But Jesus does not force himself into a person, or a church (he patiently knocks) – He must be invited in, and then become the center of worship, adoration and love. No one is saved against his will. No one is made to be obedient who truly desires to be disobedient.[7] A person has to invite Jesus to be in their lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqKBKewYJNU (start at 13:00 to 14:19)

(v. 20) “I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” – the word for eat (dine) refers to the evening meal of the day. “The Lord Jesus urged them to repent and have fellowship with Him before the night of judgement fell and it was too late.”[8]

To the one who was so gross that God wanted to spew them out of his mouth, who then they invited Jesus into their lives, who loved them and disciplined them, and now they sit on the throne in heaven with God. This is the picture for all who place their faith in Jesus – “I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

When we place our faith in Jesus He gives life to our soul, He gives us a new spirit with new spiritual eyesight, and our shame is covered with Christ’s righteousness. What Jesus explains to the religious leader Nicodemus one night, John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again2 he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Promises A Reward for the Faithful (vv. 21-22)

21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Each of the seven churches concludes with a promise to the one who overcomes, who conquers. The last thing stated to the seven churches is a promise, that if they would listen to what the Spirit says, then they would sit with Christ on his throne in eternity.

Has the Spirit of God shown you your true spiritual condition? Can you see yourself as you truly are? Have you received Jesus’ free gift of salvation and been cleansed of your sin?

Conclusion

Discussion of William Hunt’s picture “light of the world”

The Light of the World (1851–1854) is an allegorical painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: According to Hunt: “I painted the picture with what I thought, unworthy though I was, to be divine command, and not simply a good subject.”[1] The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing “the obstinately shut mind”.[2] The painting was considered by many to be the most important and culturally influential rendering of Christ of its time.[3]

John Piper in his book Don’t Waste Your life writes about a plague hung in his home that read;

Only one life,

‘Twill soon be past;

Only what’s done

For Christ will last.

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

_______________________

[1] Lehman Strauss, The Book of the Revelation (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers Publishing, 1979) 95.

[2] James M. Hamilton, Preaching the Word, Revelation (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2012) 119.

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Revelation 1-11 (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1999) 136.

[4] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume VI (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1933) 321.

[5] “The tephra Phrygia, the eye-powder of Laodicea, was world-famous. It was exported in tablet form; and the tablets were ground down and applied to the eye. This Phrygian powder was held to be a sovereign remedy for weak and ailing eyes.” John F. Walvood (quotes Barley), The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Chicago, Illinois; Moddy Press, 1966) 95.

[6] Robertson, 322.

[7] Walvoord, 97.

[8] MacArthur, 140.

When to Take An Opportunity and When to Walk Away

In the book of Revelation seven churches are addressed by Jesus in seven different letters. Each has issues, opportunities, and concerns that Jesus addresses – Specifically, Jesus said to the church at the Roman city of Philadelphia , “I have put before you an open door.” Open doors are put before us many times during our life time. So, the question arises, “Should we go through the door?

How to know when to seize an opportunity and when to walk away?

In the Revelation 3:7 passage, it says “I have set before you and open door.” (emphasis on the I) So if the opportunity is clearly from the Lord, then you need to walk through regardless of the personal cost, perceived loss or expense: Jesus put it there for you to walk through.

But often it is not clear and there may be several opportunities at the same time – How do you know which one to take?

I am assuming that as a Christian you have prayed about it and asked people you respect for their maturity in the Christian faith about it and are still are confused. Then ask yourself the following questions:

Will this decision take away from responsibilities that God has already given you (church life, children, marriage, etc.)? If you have an opportunity to make more money (through a promotion, job relocation, etc.) but it will make it so that you never see your family – then you are sacrificing a previous responsibility for a perceived improvement in the future. Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

Will this decision help you to do more for the Lord? Will you have an increased influence for the gospel? Will this door help expand what you are already doing? This is what happened at the church in Philadelphia – they had faithfully kept the Word of the Lord and upheld the name of Christ. Then the door was opened for them. If you are doing less for God, but making more money; then this may be a distraction for you and the spread of the gospel slows down – which has more value?

How will this new opportunity help you in making disciples for Christ? Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Discipleship is a time demanding process.

Time has to be invested into people – Will this new opportunity allow you to invest more time into someone’s life or less? When you move from opportunity to opportunity too quickly, then deep meaningful relationships become hard to build. It is not always about making more money, sometimes it is about more time – more time with family, more time with friends, more time to rest, or even more time just to think.

Will this new opportunity allow you take care of yourself? If the new responsibility takes even more of everything and your health declines, your mental alertness is fogged, your creativity is thwarted, then your ability to produce for the kingdom is lessoned.

When you ride on a plane, on every flight there are pre-fight stewardesses’ instructions. They will tell you how to put the seat belt together, that you are sitting on a flotation device, and what to do if the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling. If you are traveling with a child then they will tell you to put the mask on yourself first, and then put the mask on your child. This will keep you from passing out before giving help to your loved one. In ministry you must take care of yourself so that you can serve others.

Will this new opportunity stretch you to grow in what God has called you to do? Beware of being good at something; you will grow bored, complacent, or even bitter in a given task, if it comes to you too easy. New opportunities may present themselves so that you can grow to become even more effective at kingdom work. This may be a class you take, a new responsibility at your church, or saying yes when asked to do a different task no one else wants to take on.