"To the Church of Laodicea" - Henry Knapp

Wholehearted Devotion 

I am a fan. I am a fan of the Steelers, the Penguins, even (gulp!) the Pirates. Raised 100 miles north of here, my family was at best casual followers of sports—my parents did not focus much on professional athletics, and neither did my siblings. If anything, we were Pittsburgh folks, but that was pretty mild. As my ministry life got underway in Pittsburgh, my appreciation and attention to our local sports teams slowly grew until that fateful day when I realized I was a fan! Appreciation gave way to devotion; casual attention was replaced by boisterous cheering. This occasional supporter became a fanatic.  

 

You can tell I’m a fan by the way my heart skips when the conversation turns toward winning percentages, RBIs and yardage. Watching one of my favorite teams in action takes my entire focus—please do not talk to me when the game is on! When I have free time, it is easy to fill it with sports blogs, radio talk shows, team hopes and expectations. To say I eat, drink, and sleep Pittsburgh sports is a bit of an exaggeration… but only a bit! 

 

However. In my more rational moments, I am deeply saddened by my obsession and by the fans I find myself surrounded by. If I want to see people really passionate, giving themselves body and soul to something, where shall I go? To the sports arena. Not, to my shame, to church. Fan… fanatics… are found at the game, not often at worship. But, how can that be? What Christian would not freely admit that their devotion to Christ far outweighs any commitment to a sports team? We know what has eternal import; we know of the priority of our faith; we know what is really important. And, yet, what really gets our juices flowing… is sports?? Perhaps such misplaced passion should challenge us, forcing us to ask: Am I a “fan” of Christ? And, if so, does it show as it should? 

 

How I wish to be surrounded in church with the passion and commitment and eagerness I find at the stadium! 

 

I think there is a cultural component at play here as well—being an avid sports fan is respectable in our society, even honored and celebrated. Too much dedication to your favorite team can be seen perhaps as a bit quirky, but ultimately it is endearing in the end. That is not the contemporary response to passion in our faith. Someone “too into” their Christian faith is, well, a fanatic. And, a fanatic leads to fanaticism which leads to… well, nothing good. So, sure, you can be a Christian if you like, but don’t be too much so or you’ll be fanatic about it, and that is seen as nothing short of ugly. There is cultural pressure not to be too devoted to your faith… don’t be a fanatic about it. 

 

But, that surely is not what Scripture commends. A casual embrace of the faith, a nominal acceptance of morality, a superficial exercise of our worship is nothing short of abhorrent to our Lord. He desires so much more… He deserves so much more!  

 

Now it is true—passion without reflection is dangerous emotionalism. But, reflection without passion is impotent paralysis. The kind of devotion, passion, commitment that Christ desires is a wholehearted one, enthusiastic, fervent and excited. In short, we are to be fans of our Lord—eager, not only to be engaged spiritually, but also intellectually and emotionally. I pray your devotion to our Lord grows more and more wholehearted, and that passion shows in all you do. 

 

For worship this week, read Revelation 3:14-22. 

 

1. List out the titles Jesus gives Himself in verse 14. What do each imply? Why do they apply so well to Jesus? 

 

2. What does it look like to be “hot” or “cold” (vs. 16)? How would you measure such a thing in your own life? 

 

3. Jesus’ warning that He will spit one out of His mouth (vs. 17) has been taken in various ways throughout church history—what do you think He means by this? 

 

4. How does the Laodicean view of themselves differ from God’s view of them? Which is accurate? 

 

5. What does Jesus’ counsel to them (vs. 18) entail? What actions are they to take, what actions has Jesus taken? 

 

6. Verse 19 is a great challenge—we want God to love us, but He describes things we would rather avoid. Where have you felt/experienced this love in the past? 

 

7. What does it mean to sit on His throne? How would this practically look in your daily life?  

 

"To the Church of Philadelphia" - Henry Knapp

Jesus said, "I am the Door."

The neighbors installed this marvelous sliding glass door in their basement. Not knowing anything about architectural history, I can’t claim that it was a radically new invention, but as a ten year old this was a novel experience—a totally see-through door, like it wasn’t even there! As kids, we would spend hours in the basement, playing board games, cops and robbers, make-believe. And so, when they installed the glass door, it was bound to happen. One day, running around playing tag, I shot out of the basement, determined not to be caught... and ran right into the glass plate door. After they picked up the pieces (of me, not the glass door, which didn’t break), our neighbors put a big strip of masking tape across the door at eye level—tape which remained there long after I had left the neighborhood.

The last two letters from Jesus to the churches in Revelation, the letters to Philadelphia and Laodicea, both feature “doors.” The Author uses this symbol to highlight key aspects of His relationship with the Church and with each individual.

The imagery of a door in Scripture is a familiar one: Paul uses it to describe the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27), to do effective ministry in the face of opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9), or preaching in general (2 Corinthians 2:12). Jesus describes coming to know God in the parable of the narrow door (Luke 13:22-28), and in the parable of the ten virgins, a shut door figure prominently in Jesus’ point.

However, the most significant use of the symbol of the door is Jesus’ own self-identification—“I am the door of the sheep… If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7-9). While the imagery is somewhat self-evident, some elaboration might help. Jesus’ statement is wrapped up in His self-identification as the Good Shepherd. It is well known that sheep are not very bright, nor are they able to care for themselves. For a flock of sheep to thrive, a good shepherd—one who is caring, conscientious, and dedicated—is necessary. Jesus connects His care for us with a shepherd’s care for his sheep; as a good shepherd protects and nurtures the flock, so is Jesus to His disciples.

 The “door” imagery works in when the shepherd brings the flock into a sheephold for the night. The sheep come into a penned-in area through a narrow gap in the fencing; while inside, the sheep are safe, as long as nothing threatening comes through the gap nor the sheep wander outside. The good shepherd prevents such happenings by laying himself down across the gap, effectively becoming a doorway which protects the flock. No sheep can leave, nothing can enter without the shepherd-door knowing it. Of course, the imagery is perfect—Jesus lays down His life, protecting and guarding His flock, so that we might be safe in every way. The only way into safety is through the door. Only through Jesus are we secure. Any other trust, any other “protection” will surely fail.

 Every day we are confronted by other claims for safety and security—how we are to stay emotionally safe, secure in our identity, protected from harm. While there might be something insightful in each of these, the only, final true way to the presence of the Lord is by Christ. Like a glass door, entering the wrong way might look good, but it will lead to pain and sorrow. To enter by the Door, to come to know God by the saving work of Jesus Christ, is the only true path to salvation. I invite you to the true Door as we worship together this Sunday.

 Read Revelation 3:7-13.

 1. As you may know, “Philadelphia” means “city of brotherly love.” What hopes and expectations might you have to name a city, “Philadelphia”?

 2. List out the traits Jesus gives Himself in verse 7. What do each imply/mean when applied to Jesus?

 3. What door is set before us? Why is the imagery helpful here? The fact that the door cannot be shut by others means what for our salvation?

 4. The encouragement Jesus gives in verse 8 is two-fold: “kept my word” and “not denied my name.” How would both look here at Hebron? In your own life?

 5. In verse 10 we are told that Jesus will “keep us from the hour of trial.” Some think that means we will be removed from the earth before things get really bad. What other ways are there to think about this phrase?

 6. List out the three promises Jesus gives to the one who conquers (vs. 12). What do each have in common? How might they look fulfilled in your life?

 7. What is your overall impression of this church? Is Jesus pleased with it, or concerned? What ways are Hebron similar/dissimilar?

Missed Opportunities / Misplaced Priorities - Douglas Keim

Our guest speaker this Sunday is Douglas Keim, DC, a life-long member of Hebron Church, Elder, adult Sunday School teacher and Adult Christian Education Team member. Doug is pursuing a Masters at Liberty University for his Ministry Degree. Doug and his wife, Megan, have 2 children. He feels it is a privilege to preach at his home church.

When you read about the faithfulness of the 12 disciples and their loyalty toward Jesus, it can be a bit disheartening. They left all behind and followed Jesus for three years with no thought of themselves or their wellbeing. Yet they were not the perfect Jesus followers some people think they were. They also had to learn, grow, and mature in their own walks of faith, just like we do today in 2022. In the sermon Sunday morning, I will be preaching on one such occasion where the disciples not only missed a wonderful opportunity, but Jesus had to completely refocus why they were following Him in the first place.

"To the Church in Sardis" - Henry Knapp

Wake Up!

In Ephesians 5:14, Paul says, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” How do you obey a command to wake up from sleep? Let me tell you when you will obey the command to wake up. You will wake up when you are on the sixth floor of a hotel at 3 AM and fire alarms are blasting. You particularly will wake up when small children are with you in that hotel room and the wife who you love. That happened to my family once on a trip to New York, and let me tell you, you respond to the call to wake up! I’ve never been so cold standing in a parking lot in my briefs as that night in New York.

The church of Sardis is told to WAKE up! Christ is calling His bride toward a wakefulness of urgent importance. To be told to wake up is to be told to be alert and arise from your unconscious state to a conscious and attentive one. This church is not at all aware of her real spiritual state. They think they are “fine.” They are far from “fine.”

The thought that most of my congregants think they are “fine” is a scary thought. They think they are “fine” when they are just going about their busy days. They are working, shopping, driving, playing their video games, binging Netflix at night, scrolling on their phones and running their children wildly from one activity to another. In the meantime, they have forgotten the priority of the pursuit of intimacy with God each day, touching base with fellow members of the Body, getting time in the Scriptures, practicing prayer or solitude. Week after week, in the busyness of the social activities, there is little zeal for worship or deep commitment to our local church, and on and on. My concern is this: One is either always growing and maturing spiritually or one is slowly drifting off. There is no neutrality in the Christian life. You are either connected to the Vine, or you are not. “Fine” can often appear alive, but it is in fact a “deadness”, with no zeal for God and the things of God.

The church today—and every individual in the church (including Hebron)—needs to wake up. A wakeup call is a sudden clear warning that something is bad or “off.” I got a wakeup call at 3 AM that one chilly New York morning, not the one I was expecting from the main desk at 7:30 AM. We thought we were “fine” in our beds that particular night, but we needed to heed the call to awake. A wakeup call from the Lord is a spiritual call; we respond with renewal of the mind, love in our hearts, hope in all we do.

A prayer from a 16th century Puritan pastor:

O My Savior, help me. I am slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb; I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights; I am pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my poverty of love, my sloth in the heavenly race, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me; take the scales from my eyes, grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief. Make it my chiefest joy to study thee, meditate on thee, gaze on thee, sit like Mary at thy feet, lean like John on thy breast, appeal like Peter to thy love, count like Paul all things dung.

Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be more decision in my character, more vigour in my purposes, more elevation in my life, more fervor in my devotion, more constancy in my zeal.


For worship this week, read Revelation 3:1-6.

1. Why do you think God cares about our spiritual state of health and alertness? How is this different than just God wanting converts and people to be saved?

2. See Matthew 7:21-23. Why does God say “I never knew you” to people who thought they were doing good and were “fine”?

3. Can you think of a time in your life when God has prodded you to wake up, given you a wakeup call? How is this Philippians 2:12-13 in action in your sanctification?

4. What do you think zeal is in the Christian life? Can you think of someone who is zealous for the Lord? What would Hebron Church look like in a zealous state spiritually?

5. Spend some time praying for your walk with the Lord and Hebron – the need for renewal and being called to wakefulness!

“To the Church in Thyatira” - Henry Knapp

Three Theological Virtues

 I grew up just cynical enough to think “wimpy” when I heard the term “virtue.” To be labeled as someone virtuous was definitely not a compliment. Saints were virtuous; straight-laced, goody-goodies. No one wanted to be virtuous. After all, it wasn’t cool to be good.

 I do not know where I got such an idea. Honestly, it sounds like I was raised by hooligans, surrounded by delinquents, aspiring to be a bozo or thug.

 Any amount of maturity enables one to see that virtue, far from being dismissible, is admirable on every level. Virtue is character, an ideal, quality, value. Virtue: “moral excellence; goodness; righteousness; conformity of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles.” Now, who wouldn’t want that?

 The Church has long recognized the Bible’s emphasis on three particular virtues, qualities stressed for every Christian—Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 13:8). These are the “Three Theological Virtues.” They are called “theological” for two reasons: First, the ultimate object, purpose or goal of these traits is God Himself. While many may personally benefit from one’s faith, hope and love, these qualities eventually lead toward Jesus. We may not mean it to be so, others may not recognize it, but the ultimate end of every true virtue is the Savior. We can see that to be so, especially given the second reason for calling them “theological virtues.” These qualities are obtained only as a gift from God Himself. True, we have the honor and responsibility to exercise these virtues, to employ them in our daily lives, but the source of these traits is the Lord, given to us by His grace. These theological blessings, then, point us toward Jesus because they ultimately come from Jesus. 

Faith is the trust, the reliance upon God, believing His Word, for promises unseen.

Hope is the confidence, the assurance that God’s hold on the future is certain and sure.

Love is the sacrificial expression of giving to others at the cost to oneself.

 How is our ethical conduct to be filled with faith, hope and love? Above all, the Bible’s stress on these virtues recognizes that they are grace-based, that is, we exercise them in this world only by God’s free gift of grace, and they are graciously demonstrated to others—that is, a Christian is virtuous to others not because they deserve it, but out of grace. These virtues grow in our hearts by God’s good direction and blessing. They are ours, not by right or merit, but by gracious action of our Lord.

 What would it look like to be filled by these graces, to be part of a community which exercises regularly these virtues? What would it be like to have a witness of faith, a character of hope and a life of love? Is it possible? Can we hope that our Lord will bring such into our lives? I think so. Why? Because this is how Jesus encouraged the Church at Thyatira—“I know your love and faith and patient endurance.” Perhaps He would say that to us as well? May it ever be so!

 Join us in worship this week. Read Revelation 2:18-29.

 1. In verse 18, Jesus describes Himself as having “eyes like a flame of fire” and “feet like burnished bronze.” What do these two metaphors mean? What are we to glimpse of Jesus because of this?

 2. Jesus describes the works of the church in verse 19. List out the five qualities identified here. Can you give an illustration of what each might look like?

 3. Read 1 Kings 18-21 (or scan them!). What is the overriding impression you get about Jezebel? What was she like? What character traits stick out to the reader?

 4. If I were to insist that the focus here is not Jezebel’s sexual concerns but her idolatry, how would you read Jesus’ accusations against her (vs. 20-23)?

 5. How does the church at Thyatira compare with the one in Ephesus? Remember in Ephesus, there was a lot of truth, but they had forgotten their first love. Here we have a lot of love (tolerance) but not a lot of truth.

 6. In verse 24, Jesus says He will not lay on the church any other burden. What burden do they already carry? What burden might Jesus be sparing them from?

 7. The promise given to the church is one of authority, rulership. What would that look like if it were fulfilled here at Hebron? How might we see that played out in our lives?

To the Church in Pergamum - Henry Knapp

When I was growing up, I was frequently asked if my head was full of granite. A favorite phrase of one of my peers, every time I did something of questionable intellectual value (that is, every time I did something stupid), he would ask after my rock-hard brain. I’m glad he didn’t know the term, “blockhead,” or I’m sure I would have heard a lot of that too. Behind his insult was the thought that nothing good could ever penetrate such a stone-filled head.

The prophet Ezekiel describes the one who is separated from God as having a heart of stone (Ezekiel 11 and 36). The same idea is behind my “friend’s” reference to my granite-head - What good can come of a head/heart of stone? The great blessing of the Gospel is that God can change a heart of stone (or a head filled with it) into a heart of flesh—a beating, vibrant, alive heart, turned toward God Himself. Usually, this shaping and molding in my life is a slow and often unrecognized process. My mind, my desires, my whole life’s orientation is slowly refashioned to yearn for the things of my Savior. But, every once in a while, God dramatically shifts and changes things for me.

Such a time occurred a number of years ago. I was in a men’s Bible study and we began talking about temptation. Someone asked, “When do you experience temptation? Where are you tempted?” My initial thought was “Always! And everywhere!”, but when I took time to think about it, I did discover that there are times and places where temptation arose more powerfully for me than at other times and places. Of course, the follow up to this was a warning to avoid those times and places. If you are particularly susceptible to a kind of temptation, then don’t put yourself in that position. If you struggle with alcoholism, don’t go to a bar! If surfing the internet is not healthy for you, avoid being alone on the computer. The concept is so straightforward that I was surprised at how powerfully the idea hit me.

Of course, a lot of this depends on your ability to identify your weaknesses when confronted with something that deprives you of God’s joy. We are surrounded by sin, and sin infects our very lives, so it is no wonder we often think that temptation is all around us—it surely is. But, pinpointing the particular ways that we are confronted by temptation is an important step in avoiding it. Satan seeks to rob us of the pleasure of God’s blessings, and a primary tool is tempting us with that which is unhealthy. Knowing when and where you are most vulnerable to these temptations is a key way of combatting Satan’s ploy, and resting in the goodness of our God.

Again, so much of this insight is lost on us if we don’t confront head-on the ways sin and evil impact us. Paul writes, “We are not unaware of Satan’s schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11), but I worry all too often that we ARE unaware! We do not know of our vulnerability, of the means and manner of Satan’s attacks. If we do not know, then we all that more easily fall into temptation. Of course, the cross of our Savior is ever before us. Ignorance of our temptations, even falling into temptation, does not separate us from the grace of God expressed to us in Christ. In this we rejoice and celebrate! But, like Paul, we want to be aware of the trials and temptations that come our way, so we might more faithfully avoid them.

In Jesus’ letter to the church in Pergamum, He criticizes the church for failing to recognize and stand up against temptation. While the particulars of what that congregation dealt with might be different from Hebron, we too need to hear the challenge and confront the presence of temptation in our lives. Come join us on Sunday as we explore what the Spirit says to the churches!

Read Revelation 2:12-17.

1. In verse 12, what is the “sharp two-edged sword”? Why do you think it is described this way?

2. Why would someone dwell “where Satan’s throne is” (vs. 13)? Where do you think that is?

3. Notice the pronouns in verse 13b—“MY name” and “MY faith.” What do you think Jesus might be stressing here? How would this help the believers when they are being persecuted?

4. What are the teachings of Balaam (see Numbers 22-24)? How do these same “teachings” apply to us?

5. Jesus offers a simple solution in verse 16, what is it? Why could it really be that easy? What does that mean?

6. What would it mean for Jesus to make war against us with “the sword of his mouth”? What would that practically look like in today’s world? In your life?

7. The hidden manna and the white stone (vs. 17) are particularly rich images, but also hard to discern. What might be implied here?

"The Promise of Suffering" - Henry Knapp

Sometimes you just gotta laugh. When I look back at so many “important” moments in my life, I just laugh at my own foolishness. I remember the first time I was dumped by a girl—you would have thought the world was ending! I DID think the world was ending. But, perspective does change things; perhaps what I stressed about back then really wasn’t that big of a deal.

Perspective helps when it comes to suffering as well. It is easy to recognize that we all suffer. Given the rampant devastation of sin in this world—the perversion of humanity and the brokenness of nature—it should come as no surprise that no one, ever, is immune to difficulty, to struggle and to suffering. It is a common affliction of life; not the way God intended or designed the world, but universal anyways. But, perspective helps us realize that the suffering we experience may not be all that great when compared with others. My bad day at the office hardly compares with the daily anguish of those in war-torn areas, or those struggling for enough food to eat.

Having acknowledged that, it nevertheless is true that suffering is an inescapable component of life—all humans suffer from the consequences of sin. We acknowledge that and live with it. But, the Christian life is different yet. For the Christian, suffering is not simply a natural outcome of living in a sinful world; for the Christian, suffering is built into our faith.

Consider just a few texts:

• Matthew 5:11-12.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
• Luke 6:26.  Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how the false prophets were treated.
• John 15:18.  If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
• John 15:20. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.
• John 16:33.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
• 2 Tim 3:12.  Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
• 1 Pet 4:1.  Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

The point here is not that suffering might happen for the believer, but that suffering will certainly happen for the believer, and suffering because of our faith in Christ. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Suffering, then, is not just a natural part of this world, but, for the Christian, there is additional suffering ahead. And, notice again the certainty of this claim—to be a Christian is not to run the risk of persecution, it is to guarantee persecution.

Suffering is an indispensable mark of every true Christian and church. What that suffering looks like, how the persecution will come, I cannot say. I just know that that is part of the promise of following Jesus—to suffer with Him.

Join us in worship this week as we look at Jesus letter to the church in Smyrna and to see the promise of suffering for the Christian.

Read Revelation 2:8-11.

1. “Angel” can mean “guardian angel,” “human messenger/leader,” or “spirit of the church.” How does the meaning of the letter shift with each one?

2. How does the phrase “first and the last” shape our understanding of who Jesus is? Why is this description particularly apt for this letter?

3. What does the word, “tribulation,” mean? What ideas might it bring to mind for the believer?

4. In verse 9, “slander” is one of the sufferings the church experiences. How might the church today be “slandered”? Where might we see that on an institutional level?

5. “Do not fear” is a frequent command and comfort in the Scripture—I believe it also captures the essence of faith. How so?

6. What might the “crown of life” be (vs. 10)? What would it mean to receive this crown?

7. What is the second death? Why is freedom from the second death so crucial in Christian teaching?