“Jesus’ Letters To His Churches” (Revelation 2 & 3 sermon)

Have you ever kept a letter someone sent to you, that means a lot to you? Maybe it was a love letter from your husband or wife while you were dating. Cheryl has a group of letters I sent her, tied together with string, that she puts out on our table each February for Valentine’s Day. Or maybe you have a letter from some famous person that you have kept. 

All through history people have kept letters that have become very precious. Some have also become very valuable as well. The most expensive letter sold at auction went for $6,098,500 on April 10, 2013 by Christie’s in New York, for a letter written by Francis Crick in 1953 to his son Michael Crick, outlining the revolutionary discovery of the structure and function of DNA. In the seven-page handwritten letter to his 12-year-old son, Crick describes his discovery of the structure of DNA as something “beautiful,” and it includes a simple sketch of DNA’s double helix structure. That’s a neat letter, I think — but SIX MILLION DOLLARS? I don’t know … 

But starting today, we are looking at seven letters, that are perhaps THE most important in all history: the seven letters that Jesus had John send to the seven different churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, in what is now the nation of Turkey. 

When you read through these seven letters, you find several things that each of them has in common. For example:

— Each of these letters is addressed to “the angel” of the church, which is what we would call the church’s “pastor.”

— Each begins with Jesus describing Himself, like to Ephesus He says: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands …”, and He describes Himself in a way like that to each of the churches. 

— Then He begins each message saying, “I KNOW”!  Most (5) of them begin “I know your deeds …”

— Then in each one, He gives them a personalized message: He talks about what they are doing well (except Laodicea), and where they were falling short (except for Philadelphia). But He had a personal message for each of these churches that fit their particular circumstances.

— Then in each letter He promises a blessing for “He who overcomes” the problems that they face.

— And He closes each message to the seven churches with an admonition: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (In the first 3 letters this is the NEXT to last thing He says; in the last 4 He closes with these words, but they are always present in each of the letters.) He tells them to LISTEN! “He who has an ear, let him hear …”.

So before we begin to look at these letters individually, let’s look briefly at these things which all of them have in common, because they have a LOT to tell us — and let those of US who have ears, hear! 

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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 17:13-26, “I Pray”

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 17:13-26 for Sunday, April 23, 2023.

(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:  Several years ago I read about a pastor who prayed the opening prayer for a session of Congress. An official came up to him afterwards and said: “Sir, that was the greatest prayer I have ever heard addressed to the United States Congress.” The pastor said: “That prayer wasn’t addressed to the United States Congress; it was addressed to GOD!”

Then I might ask my group: ??? “Can anyone remember a specific prayer, that was very memorable to you — maybe that you heard, or that someone prayed for you, or that you might say was the greatest that you ever heard”???

Then I’d say: This morning we are going study what is perhaps the greatest prayer ever prayed on earth, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17. 

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“I AM the Living One” (Revelation 1:17-18 sermon)

It’s interesting to read the little “Twitter bios” people have on their Twitter home page, which give a brief introduction about themselves to those who read their tweets. Some of them are pretty straightforward, like: “I am a husband, father, grandfather, and pastor of First Baptist Church” — that kind of thing.  Others are funny, or creative:

— Like our former pastor from when I was recuperating in Norman, Ronnie Rogers; he has on his: “I knew all the alphabet letters by the 4th grade. I could say them in order by the 7th grade. No brag, just fact.”

— Or Bill Elliff, the pastor who did our wedding ceremony, and who wrote the Simply Prayer study we did this winter, put on his that he is: “A contented follower of a matchless God.” I love that!

What might Jesus’ Twitter bio be? We get a hint of it in Revelation 1. God gave John a vision of Jesus: His eyes a flame of fire, His face shining like the sun — and the Bible says John immediately fell down before Him like a dead man. But Jesus then put His right hand on him and said, “Do not be afraid.”  And He begins describing Himself to John; here’s His little “bio,” in a sense. He says: “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” That’s would make a pretty good Twitter bio; that’s what Jesus says about Himself. And what He says about Himself is very applicable to us this Easter Sunday morning:

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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 15:26-16:16, “When the Spirit Comes”

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible Study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson on John 15:26-27, 16:7-16 for Sunday, April 16, 2023, “When The Spirit Comes.”

(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

One way to begin this week’s lesson would be to print a copy of the lyrics to the old hymn: “Come Thou Almighty King” and give it to each class member, and ask them if they can figure out what is significant about the four verses of this hymn? 

(The answer is: there is one verse for each of the 3 Persons of the Triinity: “Come Thou Almighty King” is addressed to God the Father; “Come Thou Incarnate Word” is addressed to God the Son; and “Come Holy Comforter” is addressed to God the Holy Spirit. Then the fourth verse says: “To Thee great One in Three” which is the Trinity!   You may or may not want to point out that back in the “old days” a lot of song leaders in Baptist churches would often typically say, “Let’s stand and sing the first, second, and last verse of this hymn” — but you don’t to do that with this song, because you would be leaving out the Person of the Holy Spirit!

And then you might say something like: too many Christians are guilty of leaving out the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus shows us in our passage in John today just how important He is.  

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“Stars and Lampstands” (Revelation 1:12-20 sermon)

One thing you notice when you move from out of state, to Texas, is how popular the flag of the State of Texas is here. Texas flags are everywhere, flying from homes, schools, and businesses — and decorating ice chests and lawn chairs and all kinds of home decor in Walmart. You all may take that for granted here, but it is not like that elsewhere. I’ve lived in several other states, and I don’t think any other state has the kind of pride in the state flag as there is in Texas.

And of course the Texas Flag is very symbolic: the “Lone Star” flag. There is actually a law detailing the specifications of the Texas Flag, and it also interprets the meaning of its colors and symbols. The Texas Flag Code says: “blue stands for loyalty, white for purity, and red for bravery.” The code also states that the single (lone) star “represents ALL of Texas and stands for our unity as one for God, State, and Country”. Most interpreters also say that Lone Star represents the independent spirit of Texans, as well!  But the Texas Flag, like many flags, is very symbolic.

And the Book of Revelation is very symbolic as well. There are meaningful symbols all through this book. We see a couple of them in our passage for today. When God gave John the vision of Jesus in Revelation 1, John said in :12, “Having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a Son of Man.” Then in :16 he said, “In His right hand He held seven stars.”

The lampstands and the stars here are symbols, but what do they mean? Thankfully God gives us here in this passage the meaning of both of them. And both of them have something very important to tell us. 

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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 20:1-18 “I Have Seen”

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 20:1-18 for Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023.

(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:   Frank Morrison was an English lawyer who lived in the early 1900s. At one point on his life he set out to write a book he was going to call “Disproving The Resurrection of Jesus.” But afte his research was over, he wrote an entirely different book than he anticipated. Instead he called it: “Who Moved The Stone,” and it is a book that is now considered a classic in the annals of law, which confirms the resurrection of Jesus! In the opening of his book he writes:

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“The Glorious Vision” (Revelation 1:12-17 sermon)

George Washington was not only “the father of our country” and one of the greatest men in American history, he also LOOKED the part. Historian Ron Chernow writes:   “People were transfixed by Washington’s lean, virile presence. … Washington had the inestimable advantage of fully looking the part of a military leader. As Benjamin Rush stated, ‘He has so much martial dignity in his deportment that you would distinguish him to be a general and a soldier from among ten thousand people. There is not a king in Europe that would not look like a (chamber servant) by his side.” (Washington: A Life, p. 183)

People were awed and inspired by the presence of George Washington. On the battlefield, men were almost supernaturally calmed by his presence. Few men in history have had the powerful impact of his presence, as George Washington had. But as Christians, we serve a far greater King!  Revelation 1 unveils a picture of Jesus that is unmatched by anyone in all history. No wonder Jesus’ earthly brother James called Him, “our glorious Lord Jesus Christ”! The picture we see here of Jesus is glorious!  One Bible scholar (B. Witherington III) writes: “John cannot find words big enough to describe the awesome reality he saw, and so he was reduced to saying, ‘it was like,’ over and over again”! Reading John’s description of this vision, I feel that way about what he wrote; I can’t imagine trying to describe it having SEEN it in person! So, knowing the limitations of our words, and trusting the Holy Spirit to show us by faith, how does John describe the vision God gave Him of Jesus here?

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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 15:1-17, “Remain In Me”

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 15:1-7 for Sunday, April 2, 2023, with the title, “Remain In Me.”

(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: If you gave out the packets of seeds a couple of Sundays ago as part of our lesson on John 12, you might ask who all actually planted those seeds, and how they are doing. 

OR you could just talk about how everyone’s plants/gardens are doing so far this spring (or depending on where you live, what your plans are for your garden/flowerbeds).

The ask: ??? what are some elements that it takes to grow a healthy plant? (water, sunshine, fertilizer/food, tending/pruning, and so on.)

Then I’d say: today, we are going to look in John 15 at some elements that are important for US to be healthy in our walk with the Lord.  

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“The Lord’s Day Message to John Your Brother” (Revelation 1:9-11 sermon)

About a month ago, February 8, an assistant soccer coach at a small Christian college got up to speak in chapel, gave his message and the invitation, and left the chapel. As he left he sent his wife a text: “Latest stinker. I’ll be home soon.” He thought his message totally bombed. It turned out, God started a revival that day in Asbury, Kentucky!

We don’t always know the impact that our messages, or the things we do for the Lord, will have. I do think that the Apostle John here, however, knew that something very special was going on when God gave him this book we call Revelation. John knew that HE Himself wasn’t that special; but that God WAS, and the Jesus he saw definitely was! We’re going to look this morning at the beginning of the message God gave John on the Lord’s Day almost 2000 years ago — and what it means for us today!  

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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” John 14:16-29 “Peace I Leave”

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 14: 16-29 for Sunday, March 26, 2023, with the title, “Peace I Leave.”

A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION: Ask your group:??? When you think of the Holy Spirit, what comes to your mind???

(EXAMPLES: A picture of a dove; “goosebumps”; speaking in tongues; conviction of sin ….)

Then say: in today’s lesson, Jesus helps His disciples prepare for His departure, by sharing about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will help them.

OR: you might begin by asking your group: ??? Of the Persons of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) which do you feel you are closest to/relate most closely to???

(I might say to ME, it is God the Father. Jesus is my Lord, the Holy Spirit convicts and leads me, but I feel like I am praying to, and most closely worshiping, God the Father. 

You/others may share your responses, and open the time just talking about that.

THEN say: we see the doctrine of the Trinity taught in several places in today’s passage. 

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