Sermon Tone Analysis

February 1, 2012

By John Barnett

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John is flattened on Patmos when he sees Jesus.

Those flaming eyes seemed so much like the ones John had seen when Jesus cleansed the Temple of Jerusalem.

But this time its not the Temple of Jerusalem, Jesus is headed towards the local churches that make up His Body, His visible presence on Earth.

Jesus with piercing eyes of holiness and glowing feet of chastisement is headed to stomp out the sin that is dimisnishing His power in His Church.

John is staggered, the churches that received the letter Jesus sent them through John, were put on notice, and Church History records the results.

Those churches that did not repent have gone extinct, Jesus removed their lamp from the stand, and He had to find others who would stay useful in His sight.

Why are we given such a seemingly negative message from the Lord, through John in Revelation 1-3?

Why would Jesus discourage His Church just as they were entering the hardest time in their existence?

Because the Church is strongest when it is purest.

Maybe also because most of the church through the ages needs a reminder about:

*What Jesus Does When His Church Neglects It’s Calling*

As the Great Physician Jesus won’t stand by and let us destroy our usefulness for Him.

He has promised He will intervene if we persist in allowing sin to infect our lives.

Sin growing unchecked in the lives of believers is deadly, destructive, and never tolerated for long by our Lord.

Since we are called the Body of Jesus, sin is a deadly pathogen to the health of His Body.

Listen to this description that a Christian physician wrote that powerfully portrays our life as a part of Christ’s body.

His premise is that we must guard from allowing sin to multiply in our lives and destroy our fruitfulness and health as a church.

Since the Scriptures often describe us as the Body of Christ, sin in Christ’s Body is like cancer in our human bodies.

/Sometimes a dreaded thing occurs in the body—mutiny, resulting in a tumor./

/A tumor is called benign if its effect if fairly localized and it stays within membrane boundaries.

But the most traumatizing condition in the body occurs when cancer cells defy inhibition.

They multiply without any checks on growth, spreading a rapidly throughout the body, choking out normal cells./

/White cells, armed against foreign invaders, will not attack the body’s own mutinous cancer cells.

Physicians fear no other malfunction more deeply than cancer.

For still mysterious reasons, these cells—and they may be cells from the brain, liver, kidney, bone, blood, skin, or other tissues—grow wild, out of control.

Each is a healthy, functioning cell, but disloyal, no longer acting in regard the rest of the body./

/Even the white cells, the dependable palace guard, can destroy the body through rebellion.

Sometimes they recklessly reproduce, clogging the bloodstream, overloading the lymph system, strangling the body’s normal functions—such is leukemia./

/In His warnings to the church, Jesus Christ showed no concern about the shocks and bruises His Body would meet from external forces.

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church,” He said flatly (Matthew 16:18).

He moved easily, unthreatened, among sinners and criminals.

But He cried out against the kind of danger that comes from within.

Few doctrines are more important than the Church./

/Because of the constant attack, we need to be good students of the subject.

Because disease can diminish the effectiveness of the Body, we must maintain habits of health.

Furthermore, a regular checkup by the Great Physician is a must.

Not once a year but as least, once a week.

And be prepared for the cost of that visit ./

Now with Bibles open to the record of the Great Physician visiting His Church in Revelation 1, look at Jesus described as He heads in to the ER.

Emergency Treatment to restore health to five of His seven churches is imperative.

As we open to Rev. 1:14, join me:

*Seeing the Great Physician Looking for Cancer in His Church*

Jesus is completely focused upon His task when John sees and describes Him.

As I read, notice the what John saw about Jesus.

Revelation 1:14-20 /His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.

But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.

18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.

Amen.

And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.

20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches./

Jesus stops to tell John what He found in each of the local churches.

That is the message of the seven letters in chapters 2-3.

We are allowed to read:

*Christ’s Diagnostic Report After Examining His Church*

In chapters 2 and 3 Jesus isolates the areas that He had already seen in Revelation 1, that were under attack by the cancer of sin.

Jesus sends back a medical treatment report that recommends the radiation of hearing His Voice in the Word and the surgery of personal repentence to get rid of the dangerous cancer of sin.

One by one, for each of the affected churches, Jesus lists the target that needs to be dealt with in each of those local churches.

If you look at the seven letters Christ wrote in Revelation 2-3 as if they were medical reports, here is how you would read about the five sick churches:

*First, Christians Can Have Serious Spiritual Heart Problems*

The saints in Ephesus had a serious heart conditions—listen to what Christ said:

Revelation 2:1-7 (NKJV) /“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.

And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

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

To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ /

Their hearts had experienced a gradual buildup of other things so that no longer was Jesus holding the position of first place in their hearts, in their schedules, in their concentration; and all that signaled that He was no longer the supreme ruler of their hearts.

Jesus reports that what is needed is for them to repent of consuming, digesting, and building up things that slowly constrict the flow of Christ flowing freely through your heart and life.

Then we see Christ finds no dangerous sin spreading in persecuted Smyrna.

Revelation 2:8-11 (NKJV)/ “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.

Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

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

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’/

*Second, Christians Can Have Spiritual Immunity Problems*

The saints in Pergamos had immunity problems—listen to what Christ said:

Revelation 2:12-17 (NKJV)/ “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.

And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

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

To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.

And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’/

They had gotten so comfortable being exposed to the deadly germs of worldliness that they had themselves come down with a bad cold.

They seemed to now have the symptoms of friendship with the world, and had blended right into the activities, entertainments, and habits of the lost world around them and were no longer distinctively Christlike.

Jesus reports that what is needed is for them to repent of friendship with the world and draw near to God.

*Third, Christians Can Have Spiritual Infection Problems*

The saints in Thyatira had a serious infection sweeping their body—listen to what Christ said:

Revelation 2:18-29 (NKJV) /“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts.