 Introduction:
In the OT,
David was described as a man after God's heart. Ever
since then, men and women of God have been asking: in
our own particular day and age, how shall we live
that we can become a person after God's own heart?
In 1976,
Francis Schaeffer wrote the book, "How Shall We
Then Live?" Subsequently a video series was made
from it. In the 60's he was one of the few Christian
theologians and thinkers with a clear understanding
of what was happening in the western civilization. In
those days, the society was experiencing the impact
of changes in philosophy, moral and ethical values.
In his books and lectures, he explained the fast
disappearance of the concept of absolute truth and
warned us of what to expect in the coming years. Now
almost 40 years later, many of the changes have
already taken place and the cultural and moral war
seemed to have settled. There are still conflicts
here and there, but as a whole, the war is over.
Last year,
Chuck Colson wrote the book called "How Now
Shall We Live?" Picking up on some of the themes
in Schaeffer's books, he wrote about how Christians
are to live in this postmodern age. How Christians
need to think and act in the arena of science, art,
film industry and legal system.
Since early
March, we have been studying Revelation chapters 2
and 3. We looked at the 7 letters to the 7 1st
century churches. Each letter was a message to a real
church in the first century. Seven times Jesus said,
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches." Therefore each letter is
meant for a much broader audience than the immediate
congregation to which the letter was addressed. Each
letter also contains a message pertinent to us in the
21st century.
This morning
we want to review the messages in the 7 letters. In
these 7 letters, there are two repetitious phrases.
Besides "he who has an ear, let him hear",
there is also "he who overcomes". The words,
"he who overcomes" suggest the problems
existing in that particular church. And it is God's
desire that they overcome and be victorious.
The words in
these 7 letters clearly tell us what God wants from
us, what it does to be a person after God's heart. .
I. Jesus
Christ desires a loving relationship with us.
What was the indictment against the
church at Ephesus? She has lost her first love for
Jesus. Yes, she was doctrinally faithful, accurate
and correct in her teachings. They were still
obedient to God's teaching, but her original, fervent,
and devotional love for God was gone. And Jesus urged
them to recapture this first love.
As Christians it is not too
difficult for us to focus on the right teachings.
Sometimes we may feel quite comfortable and secure to
keep a list of do's and don'ts. We don't even mind
the pastors regularly telling us what to do. But what
if love is lacking? Christian faith can become a form
of legalism. But if there is love, then it makes all
the difference.
There is a country song about a
young brother carrying his brother. He was asked if
the brother was too heavy for him," "No,
because he's my brother." If you love your job,
you don't mind going in at 6 or 7 and working long
hours. If you don't love it, any hour is a drag.
Isn't this true in our relationship
with God? When the love is gone, all that's left is
the motion of doing things. Yes, activities and
projects are very tangible. We can see its beginning
and end. But without love, it can become legalistic
and burdensome. What God wants most from us is our
love for him. He wants a loving relationship with us.
He wants us to obey his words not because we have to,
but because we love him.
II. He wants
us to persevere in the midst of adversity.
The church at Smyrna was a
suffering church. Yet in the midst of severe
persecution, it stood firm. She was praised for her
steadfastness.
Jesus wants us to know that
adversity and hardships are a part of life.
Christians are not exempt from sufferings.
Adversity can come to us in many
forms. It could be in the form of outright
persecution. In many parts of the world, Christians
are still being imprisoned for their faith. In this
country, in many universities, Christians are often
ridiculed and made fun of because of what we stand
for. If we speak out for our faith, we could be
jeered or given silent treatment. If we take a moral
stand against abortion, homosexual behavior, sex and
violence on TV, we are labeled as the religious right.
Meaning that you are uneducated, irrational and
illogical.
Adversity can also come to us in
the form of financial, emotional and physical
hardships. In these situations, its easy to give up,
to close the door on God. Yet Jesus said, "you
will have troubles in this world, but take ease, for
I have overcome them." Jesus taught us that when
we are in the world, there will be troubles. Troubles
and adversities will come to everyone. The bible
never teaches that if we love God, then he will bless
us with wealth, health and success. No, the teaching
is always that when we are poor, he will provide us
with what we need. When we are sick and suffering, he
is there with us. He will surround us with his love
and grace. He will walk with us as we go through the
valley of shadow of death. He reminds us that in the
midst of hardships, do not give up, hang in there. Be
steadfast.
III. He wants
us to be pure in doctrine
The church at Ephesus was accurate
in doctrine, whereas the Pergamum church had
compromised in her teaching. She had allowed false
teachers to alter and dilute God's word. Jesus wants
his church, his people to hold on to the untainted
truth that he has revealed to them.
At different times, Christians are
tempted to compromise in different teachings. In the
first 2 to 300 years, the issues were on who Jesus is.
Is he just a man? Or is he just God. In the 1500's,
the church went astray by teaching salvation by means
of faith plus works. In the 1900's compromise was in
the area of the nature of inspiration. Many churches
taught and are still teaching that the bible is not
God's word. But that it contains God's word.
Therefore, it also consists of errors and mistakes.
In the 1990s, we are constantly bombarded by the
teaching of wealth, health and success. Often we are
told if we love God, if our faith is strong, then we
will not face adversities. Then we will become
prosperous, success and healthy. To the new
immigrants and those struggling to make a living,
this is very attractive, isn't it?
How wrong such teachings are. The
bible never teaches us that if we love him, we will
be healthy, prosperous and success. How can we be
doctrinally pure? There is no easy way except to be
diligent students of the Word. How does the bank
train the new tellers? To study and study what the
real bills look like. So when the fake ones show up,
they would recognize it right away. As we become
students of God's word, we will be able to spot the
false doctrines. The question we need to ask is not:
is it good for me, but is it true? Is it consistent
with the rest of the biblical teachings.
IV. Jesus
desires us to live a life of holiness.
The church at Thyatira tolerated
sins among them. They did nothing to correct and rid
those sins. They closed one eye to what was happening
around them.
Sin is any thought and behavior
contrary to God's character, that is opposite to Him.
Jesus wants us to have nothing to do with sins. To
stay away from sin and also to stay away from things
that can lead us into sin. Why this emphasis on sin?
Can we be more tolerant and acceptance. The answer is
quite simple and straightforward. Because God is holy,
therefore those who belong to him should also be holy.
We need to ask ourselves are we
tolerating any sin in our personal lives? Is there
greed? Am I worshipping money and success instead of
God. How about hatred, bitterness, resentment towards
another person? Do I use God's name in vain? Am I
unwilling to forgive someone? Is there any hint of
sexual immorality in my life? What kind of books and
magazines do I read, what TV programs and movies do I
see? Do they honor God?
If such sins are present, then we
need to repent and seek forgiveness.
V. Jesus
desires us to have that inner quality.
The church at Sardis was big on
appearance. It was probably huge and impressive, but
hollow inside. Alive outside but dead inside. Jesus
wants us to be men and women with inner quality. The
important thing is not how we appear or perform in
public, but what is inside us, what we are like when
no one is around us.
Outwardly we maybe involved in many
activities. We come to various church functions, we
may even be a leader in the church. But we maybe an
empty shell. Seldom do we speak to God or read His
word. There's no joy, no peace within. Regarding our
relationship with God, we're like a dead person.
Jesus doesn't really care what we're
like externally. How we look, how active you are in
church, and how spiritual our words maybe. He is more
concerned about what's within us. He wants us to
develop an inner quality. Everything we do should be
an outflow of who we are. For those of us who serve
in various ministries in this church, and there are
those who are considering going into full time
ministry, there is this one thing we need to remember:
our ministry must be an outflow of what is within us.
In any kind of leadership training,
the emphasis is not just on ministry skills but on
the inner quality, on character formation.
VI. Jesus
desires us to be active in witnessing.
Philadelphia was the church for
which God had given them unlimited opportunity to
proclaim the gospel message. They received no rebuke,
only praises. Like the church at Smyrna.
Today, God has also given us great
opportunities to share his good news those that he
has brought into our lives.
Take this congregation for an
example: where do we spend our 40-50 hours work week?
Major and minor oil industries, energy and chemical
companies, computer hardware and software industries,
hospitals, universities, research institutes,
restaurants, accounting business and so on. If we
will just stand back and take a look. What do we see?
It is as if the army general places his soldiers all
over Houston. Is there a purpose in this? So that
wherever people go, they will have the opportunity of
being confronted with who Jesus is. No matter where
we are, at different times God will bring different
people into our lives so they can have a chance not
only to listen to the gospel message but also to see
the gospel through us.
VII. Jesus
desires an unswerving commitment from us.
The Laodicea church was a lukewarm
church. It received the sternest rebuke among the 7
churches. The one main characteristic of lukewarmness
is half-heartedness, lacking commitment. What does
Jesus expect of his followers? Matt 16:24, "If
anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me." He is talking
about the cost of discipleship.
Two weeks ago, PBS showed a movie
on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. About how he was faithful to
his belief and was killed by the Nazis the day before
the Allied forces entered that town. He was known for
the many books he wrote, including: The Cost of
Discipleship. He wrote about how the churches in the
20th century had cheapened God's grace. We want it
yet not willing to pay any price for it. Yes, God's
grace is certainly free, but it is not cheap. It cost
his son's life so that we can receive it. But his
emphasis is that when the first disciples heard about
Jesus telling them to take up the cross and follow
him, it could mean only one thing. Death. This is the
cost of discipleship. This is commitment. When I
decide to follow him, I am putting my whole life at
stake.
This means that when I follow
Christ, I am to put to death the part of me that is
incompatible to his holiness. I am putting his
interest before mine. I am to seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness.
Conclusion:
What does God require of us? How
can we be men and women after his heart? He wants to
have a loving relationship with us. That we persevere
in adversities. Maintain doctrinal and moral purity,
not to compromise with sins. We need to make every
effort to build up our inner self. Our inner quality
is so much more important than our outward appearance.
He wants us to make use of the opportunities he has
given us to share the gospel message with others. To
manifest God's love to those whom he has brought into
our lives. Then last but definitely not least, he
desires our commitment to Him.
So, God has spoken. It doesn't mean
that God needs all these qualities from us. If not,
then He is not complete. No, this is not true. You
see, even as he tells us what he wants from us, its
still for our good, because He loves us deeply. He
has our well being in mind. He rebukes us,
disciplines us, praises us, all because he loves us
very much. When we live the way God wants us to, it
will make our live so much more joyous, meaningful
and abundant.
Now, he has spoken, we have heard
his words. What is our response?
Rev. William
Hsueh June 25, 2000
Houston Chinese Church, Houston, Texas
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