Message to Sardis ( a dead church ) Revelation Series

As we continue on in our Revelation Series we now come to the message to the church at Sardis. In our previous studies we have looked at the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergmos and Thyatira. The question we need to ask is - What can we learn from the church at Sardis for our own personal lives as well as for the church which we attend personally and with our families? All Scripture is given to us for our learning and to help grow closer to the Lord Jesus.
Sardis was a city located 30 miles southeast of Thyatira. The worship of the idol Artemis ( the idol of fertility) was being practiced in this city.
The message to Sardis is found in Revelation 3: 1-6
 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
³ Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
⁴ Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
⁵ He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
⁶ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

So let's just go through the passage verse by verse and see what the Lord will teach us here:
Verse 1 - And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
What is meant by the seven Spirits of God? When we look in Isaiah 11 we find the answer.
Isaiah 11:1-3 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
The church at Sardis had a good reputation among the people who knew of them. Looking at the church from the outside, things looked pretty good. Perhaps they had outreach programs going on and were drawing in many people. Honestly I don't know why they got the reputation that they were a church that was "alive" but Jesus says they are "dead". This is a serious diagnosis from the Lord. Being in a dead church is not good.
Verse 2 -  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
We see here that some things within the church still have a small flicker of light in them but things are generally not going well. Jesus uses the phrases - " ready to die" and " not found they works perfect before God". We see that things have got to change here. We cannot just go through the motions of the Christian life. That kind of Christianity does not please the Lord. Our heart must be in it. We need to want Jesus more than everything else. We need to desire Jesus more than doing good works for Him, we need to desire Jesus more than going to church, or attending a Bible coffee, we need to desire Jesus more than meeting with our friends. Jesus needs to be first in our life and be our everything! It is Jesus whom we love. It is Jesus who gives us fulfillment and not the stuff we do for Him! Jesus wants us to be spending time with Him!
Verse 3 -  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee
This is not the first time that Jesus has instructed us to watch. Look with me in Matthew 24: 42-22 where it says : Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
So here in verse 3 Jesus says that if we do not "watch" he will come like a thief.  That means he will come unexpectedly. Jesus wants us to be watching for His return and to be ready to meet Him at any time. None of us knows the day or the hour that death will greet us. Many people die suddenly and unexpectedly. One moment they are with us here on earth and the next moment they are face to face with the Lord. So we can see the importance of getting right with God now and not wasting another moment.
Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may be too late. For further study on how to come to Jesus for salvation please click on the following link - http://livebyfaithonlinebiblestudies.blogspot.ca/2012/10/salvation.html

Verse 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
We see here that even in this dead church, there are still some people who are true Christians - alive in the Lord Jesus and living for Him day by day. Jesus says they shall walk with Him in white for they are worthy. Oh those are blessed words!! To walk with Jesus in white garments. That is the desire of every true Christian! These are believers who have had victory over sin in their lives. They have lived a life of practical righteousness while at the same time believing that there is only one way to salvation and that is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He is the only One that can cleanse from sin and make us pure in God's sight.
Verse 5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels
This is a very exciting verse that fills our hearts with hope and gratitude. Jesus says that He is going to  publicly confess our name ( those of us who are His own ) before the Father and before the angels. Imagine this moment in heaven with me: There is Jesus and who is the one standing beside Him? It is I and it is you.  Jesus is about to tell everyone that you and I are His beloved children. The Father is there and all the angels. Jesus speaks up and says something like " This is my child Jessie ( fill in your own name here).  She ( he ) is mine. I died for her//him  and she/he has received Me and her/his name is right here in the Book of Life" - Wow!! I can hardly wait to hear those words.  and then......." Enter into the joy of the Lord!"
Verse 6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
We all have ears to hear and the message is for all of us. Wake up, be watchful, strengthen the things that please the Lord and prepare to be ready to meet the Lord.

“Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

Message to Thyatira ( a sexually immoral church) Revelation Series

In our study today we will look at the message to the church at Thyatira. Thyatira was a city with a strong military and was located about 30 miles southeast of Pergamos.
In this study we want to answer the following five questions:
1) Who is sending the message to this church?
2) What are they doing right - that is what things being done here are pleasing to the Lord?
3) What are they doing wrong- that is what are they doing that is displeasing to the Lord?
4) What will happen if they continue in their sinful behavior?
5) What will be in store for the overcomers?

So let's beging by looking at Revelation 2: 18-29

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
¹⁹ I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
²⁰ Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
²¹ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
²² Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
²³ And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
²⁴ But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
²⁵ But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
²⁷ And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
²⁸ And I will give him the morning star.
²⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.


1) Who is sending the message?
 Verse 18 tells us that it is Jesus, the Son of God.  These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
His eyes are like unto a flame of fire. This means that He sees through everything. There is no hiding anything from Jesus. You can not  hide anything from the Lord Jesus no matter how hard you may try. He sees what we do in the dark as well as in the light. He sees what we are doing when we think no one is watching. He even knows each of our thoughts before we even think them. And He is in all places at all times.

2) What is the church at Thyatira doing right?
Jesus lists several things that He has observed:
a. - works - obviously good deeds done to those in need
b. - charity ( also translated love ) - all our good deeds must be done in love in order to receive the Lord's approval
c. - service - perhaps Jesus means that He noticed the time various people spent doing jobs of service in the church - helping out in the parking lot, in the nursery, cleaning the church building, teaching the children and youth, spending time with the elderly and lonely persons, etc.
d. - faith - Faith is very important because the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God but that he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
e. - patience - The Lord took note of the fact that the people were showing patience. Patience is waiting on God to work and while we wait we serve the Lord the best we know how. Waiting in not sitting around doing nothing. Waiting is trusting God to act in His time and while we wait we are not taking matters into our own hands. As we wait for God to act we seek to be faithful to Him and to serve Him in the opportunites that come our way. An example of this would be my Dad. It was revealed to him by the Lord that he was chosen to be a preacher of the gospel at an unknown but appointed time. So while my Dad waited for the call to come through the church, he did whatever jobs needed doing at the church. He was the songleader, a Sundayschool teacher, on the church board, a friend to those needing a friend, doing other odd jobs - what ever became available, he would put his heart into it for the Lord and so he waited. His preaching career began at the age of 51.

3) What is the church at Thyatira doing wrong?
 They are allowing a woman to teach who is seducing people to sexual immorality and idolatry.
Wow! - We might say Oh, that would never happen in our churches today - really? What about those in the worship bands who dress very seductively? Those teaching our children who are consummed with the lastest fashions and so teaching the young ones that inappropriate dress is the way to be fashionable, to get the attention they crave and lure men to adore them. What about the pornography that is commonplace among the so called Christian men?What about the church promoting sports events, putting on swimming parties, and other youth events that are mere entertainment and have no spiritual value in it whatsoever? All these things are idolatry because they take "away" from the message of the gospel. Time and funds and effort put into these things take the place of God in our churches. Everything we do as Christians should be for the Lord Jesus. Is anyone of our preachers speaking up about these things? I think we need to take a good hard look at our own churches today and see if these very things are not also happening among us. We need change and repentance. We need to stop conforming to the ways of the world and stop living like those who live only for this life.

4) What will happen if they continue in their sinful behavior?

The answer comes in verses 22 and 23
²² Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
²³ And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works
Three things:
1) great tribuation - He does not elaborate on what this will look like but any kind of great tribulation would be exceedingly terrible and we do not want to live in immorality and idolatry and have to experience this as a result.
2) kill her children with death - children and death are two words that we cannot bear to see together like this
3) everyone will receive according to what he or she has done - this is a very important truth. Each of us will face what we personally have done. You will not give account for my actions and I will not be required to give account for your choices and actions. Each of us stands before God alone.

5) What will be in store for the overcomers?

A. Hold fast till Jesus comes
B. Power to rule over the nations
C. Receiving of the morning star
I just want to expand a little on the receiving of the morning star. This means Christ Himself.  This means that not only do we experience being in Christ's presence once we have passed away and entered eternity - no this means that we can be in the Lord's presence while we are here on earth also. Then in eternity we will share in the splendor of heaven.
If we have Jesus we have all we need!

Message to Pergamos ( an evil immoral church ) Revelation Series

The Church at Pergamos is known as a compromising church. It was located on a high hill about 50 miles north of Smyrna.

Revelation 2: 12-17
¹² And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
 ¹³ I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
 ¹⁴ But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
¹⁵  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
¹⁶ Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
¹⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
The message to the church at Pergamos begins with the picture of Jesus as the One who has the sharp sword with two edges. We remember that in our first study in Revelation 1, John sees Jesus with the sharp sword also.
 Revelation 1: 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
 Good Bible teachers will often tell us to interpret Scripture with Scripture. So if we do that, we will find that the sword refers to the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
So it is very clear that Jesus is using the Word of God ( the Bible ) to show the church at Pergamos where they need to change. Many times you will hear Christians say " judge not that you be not judged". While it is true that we are not to be judging others with our own made up values or rules, we are taught in the Bible to be discerning and when we use the written Word of God to show that a certain behavior is sinful and displeasing to the Lord, we are not judging. We are proclaiming what God has already said. It is God who has the authority to tell us what is right and what is wrong. We are the ones who need to listen and obey the Word of God. Please take note of what Jesus says in verse 16   and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. - how clear it is that it is the Word of God that will be used in the judging of good and evil on that final day.
Verse 13 -  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Jesus points out to the church at Pergamos ( as He has also done to the other churches that we have studied ) that He sees what is going on in their city and in the church. He sees where satan's seat is and points out the fact that satan dwells among them.  He sees how people are giving loyalty to satan to his evil schemes as well as giving satan room to work in their lives. I have said before that it is important to remember that when we put evil into our minds, satan takes advantage of this and will use it against us at his convenience. An example would be if through music, the internet, TV or magazines, we put unclean thoughts into our minds. We have thereby given satan a seat in our lives from which he can operate. That is why it is very very important that we be careful of the things we allow into our minds. Jesus also sees our faithfulness as He makes note of it when He mentions the faith of those who have not denied their faith in Him in the midst of severe persecution.
Verse 14 -  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
What is the doctrine of Balaam? You can read the story of Balaam in the Old Testament book of Numbers chapters 22 through 25. Balaam was asked by Balak to put a curse on the children of Israel but after refusing to do so a few times, he advised Balak entice the Israelites to idol worship and thereby Balaam became responsible for the children of Israel turning their hearts away from the Lord. The children of Israel began to worship idols and to commit sexual immorality. God was very displeased with this. We see that the same thing is happening in Pergamos. God hated it then that sexual immorality was promoted and He hates it today also. Our culture is saturated with sexual immorality - even among those who claim to be Christians. It is idolized in the way people dress, in the movies, pornography, affairs and fornication of every kind including homosexuality.

 Verse 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
We studied the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in our study in the message to Ephesus. The teaching of the Nicolaitanes was a promotion of sexual immoraltiy. I explained it in this way in that study. The Nicolaitanes were a group of people who promoted loose living among Christians - it reminds me of the present day teaching of hyper grace which is basically suggesting that Christians have a license to sin and live immorally because hey - God's grace covers all our sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates this "grace/license to sin" kind of teaching.

Verse 16 - Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Now Jesus calls for repentance. He has stated what the sinful issues are that need attention. If they do not repent He will come quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. We already learned in this study that the sword is the Word of God - that is the Bible. The Bible is very clear on what is pleasing to the Lord and what is classified as sin. We need to repent of the things in our lives that are contrary to the teaching of the Bible. This is why Bible study is so important for a Christian. We are saved through faith in Jesus finished work on the cross. He died for our sin and for our salvation. Now we need to live for Him.

Verse 17 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
It is important to notice who will be giving out the rewards to those who are overcomers. Jesus says that He himself will give out these much longed for rewards - Jesus will give the hidden manna to those of us who are overcomers. Jesus will give the white stone to us. Written in the stone is the private name given to us by the Lord Himself. These are exciting thoughts - to be in His presence in glory and to receive these gifts. The hidden manna is nourishment for our souls. We understand from Scripture that we will be eating in heaven. We will be eating from the tree of life, as well as banqueting with the Lord Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I am not real clear on what this hidden manna would be but we know that the Israelites were fed manna from heaven to nourish their bodies in the wilderness. So also this hidden manna will be all the nourishment that we need - it will supply everything that anyone could ever desire in the heavenly kingdom. The white stone is a stone that is given to the one whose debt of sin and guilt has been cancelled through the shed blood of Jesus. That is why it is so important to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to redeem us to God. And Jesus gives each of us a new name. Halleujah!!

Church at Smyrna ( a poor suffering church )Revelation Series

In our last study we looked at the message to the church at Ephesus. We learned that though the Lord Jesus commended them for several things, He also warned them in no uncertain terms about the fact that they had lost their first love. He warns the church at Ephesus to repent or else they will face the consequences and be removed from their place.
In today's study we will look at the message to the church at Smyrna. Smyrna was a seaport city located approximately thirty five miles north of Ephesus. You may know that it is called Izmir in today's world.

So lets begin.
Revelation 2: 8-11
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
⁹ I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
¹⁰ Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
¹¹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

* - You will notice in verse 8 Jesus refers to Himself as " the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;" - This is a repeat and corresponds exactly with what we read in our very first study in Revelation 1 verses 17 and 18 where it says: Fear not; I am the first and the last:   I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Jesus is the first and the last, He died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day and now He is alive forevermore, at the right hand of the Father.
* - Jesus reminds the church in Smyrna that He sees what is going on in their situation.  Verse 9 -  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Jesus is fully aware of their sufferings, but He also notices their poverty. He tells them - " but thou art rich" - Why would he say that? Can a person be poor but rich at the same time? I think we all know the answer is yes.  The song I'd Rather Have Jesus by Rhea F. Miller comes to mind.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

  When we have the Lord Jesus in our hearts and lives - we are the richest people alive. We do not care for the earthly riches of this world.  The Bible says if we have food and clothes we are to be content. When we pass away, we leave behind all that the world has to offer. Our treasures are laid up in heaven. Wealth can never buy a home in heaven for anyone.
He goes on to say that some who say they are Jews are not Jews at heart but in reality are of the synagogue of satan. We can compare this to Christianity today. Many people will say they are Christians but their hearts are far from the Lord. Jesus says - By their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7: 20 and 21 : Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Our conduct and lifestyle ( what we do in the dark when no one is watching) tells a great deal about whether Christ actually lives in our heart or not.
 * - Verse 10 starts out with some encouragement for those weary souls who are already struggling in poverty and now will receive word of more hardships to come. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.
I think if Jesus encourages us to not fear, then we can rely on Him. We can trust Him and not be afraid. Obviously the Saviour's plan is that He will walk with us and help us in and through our troubles and trials.
* -  behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Jesus says that the devil will cause some of the people to be imprisoned. That is frightening....but we must remember that Jesus has said we are not to be afraid. He is with us. 
* -  ye shall have tribulation ten days: Why ten days? What does is mean? It could very well mean that the time of tribulation coming to the church of Smyrna will last exactly ten days - not nine days or eleven days ....no - ten days is what He says.  From this, I think we can also learn that though Satan is the one who has thrown these people into prison and there is big trouble.....Jesus is still in control. He has His hand on the "timer" so to speak. This time of tribulation will not go on indefinitely.  Jesus is the One who will decide when the trials and troubles must end. When Jesus says the ten days of tribulation are over - the trials will come to an end. Satan is not in control - satan only wishes he were in control and may pretend that he has control. We are safe in the care of  Jesus loving arms so when they days grow long and dreary ....Keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus! He will carry you through! This reminds me of when my own Dad was suffering from cancer. It felt like a never ending trial. But the Lord was faithful and carried him through and kept us from despair. Now my Dad is in heaven with the Lord.
*- be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life The Lord Jesus teaches us here to persevere under extreme hardships and in difficult situations. He says : Be thou faithful unto death! We must determine that with God's help we will remain faithful to the Lord. Though we are persecuted we will not sit down or shut up - We will keep living our faith and keep on proclaiming the love of Jesus to everyone around us.
*- I will give thee a crown of life   What is the crown of life?  According to James 1:12 the crown of life is promised to those who love the Lord.
 James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
This ties in quite interestingly with what we learned in our study of the message to the church in Ephesus. They were instructed to repent  for having left their first love - which I believe means to really love the Lord with our everything. So Jesus says we are to love Him and be faithful to Him to our last breath and He will reward us with the crown of life.
This is life eternal!
* - Verse 11 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
We all have ears so the message that is given to the church at Smyrna is to each and everyone of us.
* - He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.  We need to be overcomers.  Those who are overcomers by faith in the Lord Jesus and his finished work on the cross need have no fear of dying physically here because for the Christian, death means the door to heaven has been opened for him or her.  Whereas the unbelievers portion will be unending torment.
 What is the second death?  The lake of fire -  hell is the second death. We see that in Revelation 20 and 21.
Revelation 20: 14 -15  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21: 7-8  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

After studying the message to the church of Smyrna all I can say to everyone reading this is to please...please make your salvation sure. Today is still time to turn to the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus that He died for you, that He is the only way to be saved, turn your life over to Him, repent of your sin and turn from it. Put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. He died on the cross to redeem you to God and to save each of us from hell. Come to Jesus today!

Church at Ephesus ( the church that doesn't love Jesus ) Revelation Series

Psalm 147:11 - The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

The seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation represent the churches of John's Day but they also represent the churches of history and today. There are also personal lessons to be learned from the study of the messages to these seven churches. Sometimes the question is asked - " Which of the seven churches represents your church?" so that is an interesting thought to keep in mind as we study each of the seven churches. Today let's look at Ephesus.

The Message to the Church at Ephesus
Revelation 2: 1-7
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
² I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
⁵ Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

In our previous study - (the Introduction study link to the study here:    http://livebyfaithonlinebiblestudies.blogspot.ca/2012/12/revelation-message-to-churches.html we studied what John saw when he looked behind him.  John ( being in the spirit )  saw Jesus standing there in the midst of the candlesticks and he goes on to describe Jesus as he saw Him there.  As we move through our study of each of the seven churches we will notice that those very descriptions of Jesus come up time and again.

So here in verse 1  it says These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; which is parallel to what we find in Revelation 1: 12 and 13.  Here in verse 1 we see that Jesus is present in our churches. He walks about within the church. Imagine that for a minute - you are in your church sitting in the pew you always choose, standing now and singing - the worship band is playing - Jesus walks up and down the isle- what does He see and sense as He walks those isles?  Are we singing and doing what we do in our worship services for Him?  really?  or are we doing what we do because it makes us feel good? or because this is what is expected of us and what everyone else is doing? Again are we doing what we do in worship to our Savior? He is present there and He sees what is going on. He knows what is in our hearts.

Verse 2 -   I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, Jesus sees what is going on. He has seen the work that has been done for Him, the patience that has been shown. 
Jesus acknowledges the fact that the church at Ephesus rebukes those who are evil - how thou canst not bear them which are evil  It is impoartant that we pray against evil, that evil will not be present in our church.
 And now He commends the church at Ephesus for calling out those people who say they are Christians but in reality are not. and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars These people are "fake Christians"  - the term liars is used.

Verse 3 Jesus again points out that He has seen the hard work that has been done for Him and the patience that has been displayed among the church members. The church has shown perseverance and endurance.  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Verse 4 - But Jesus points out a problem with in the church - Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. What does it mean that they have left their first love? I believe that our first love belongs to Jesus. He needs to have priority in our lives and in our churches. It is very easy to become distracted and not give Jesus the first love that belongs to Him even while keeping very busy doing work for the Lord. Jesus want us to love Him first, then everything else comes after that. This means that we don't just love what He has done for us but that we need to actually love Him - spend time with Him alone with preferrably no distractions. Get alone with God and love Him! Bask in His presence...talk with Him friend to Friend!
Jesus reaffirms the fact that we are to love God first and foremost and with all our being in Mark 12:29-31 and reads as follows: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Verse 5 - This verse has a very serious message - repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Without repentance, the church of Ephesus is done. Jesus says unless they repent, He will come quickly and will remove them. The candlestick represents the church as we learned in Revelation 1:20 in our first study. Wow! Jesus is not playing games here - if we are not giving Him our first love, we need to repent - We need to take care of business!

Verse 6 - But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate
The Nicolaitanes were followers of a man named Nicolas. This was a group of people who promoted loose living among Christians - it reminds me of the present day teaching of hyper grace which is basically suggesting that Christians have a license to sin and live immorally because hey - God's grace covers all our sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates this "grace/license to sin" kind of teaching. The church of Ephesus hated this kind of hypergrace/license to sin kind of teaching also and Jesus commends them for it.

Verse 7 - To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
What is the reward for being faithful to the Lord and our obedience to His voice?  will  I give to eat from the tree of life! 

This is a message for every true Christian - Jesus Christ our Saviour will be the One who gives us the fruit that we may eat of the tree of life! He says it here Himself! What could possibly be more exciting news than that? Eating from the tree of life means we have eternal life and we will live eternally with our Lord in Heaven! Hallelujah!!

Revelation - Message to the Churches

Intoduction to the Revelation Message to the Seven Churches
Revelation 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

The book of Revelation is an interesting one. We are promised a blessing just by reading it. So God must value the very fact that we study it as very important.
Revelation 1:3 says Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

The aged disciple John was on the isle of Patmos when the Lord came to him with the message that would describe the time of the future. In the next several studies I want to see what the message is that was given to each of the seven churches in Asia and see how it applies to our churches today and secondly see how it applies to us as individuals.
It was the Lord's Day ( which likely means a Sunday ) when the Lord came to John with the vision and we are told the names of the cities in which the seven churches are located.
Revelation 1: 10 and 11 - I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

When John turned to look behind him he saw seven golden candlesticks and One (  Jesus ) in the middle of the candlesticks. John then describes Jesus as he saw Him in the vision.
* - clothed with a garment down to the feet
* - girded about the chest with a golden band
* - his head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow ( He is the Ancient of days - Daniel 7: 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
* - his eyes like a flame of fire ( He can see our thoughts and feelings)
* - his feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace
* - his voice as the sound of many waters
* - he had in his right hand seven stars ( the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches)
* - out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword - ( the sword is the Word of God in the Bible, we will be judged according to the word of the Bible)
* - his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength ( He is the way, the truth and the life )

Jesus then speaks to John and tells John to not be afraid and reveals to John who He is in verses 17 and 18 -  Fear not; I am the first and the last:   I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
God the Father, Jesus the Son of God and the Holy Spirit are the One true God - not three Gods but One - the Trinity. So Jesus is the first and the last and was dead and is alive for evermore,
Now John receives his job description in verse 19 where it says -   Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Then in the final couple of verses of Revelation 1 we are told what the candlesticks and stars represent.
** the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches
** the seven candlesticks represent the seven churches

So in the next several studies we will take a look at each of the seven churches.

 

God Understands Aging - Ecclesiastes 12

Have you ever wondered if God will be with you in the later years of life? Does anyone understand the difficulties that our seniors experience day in and day out? Well, it shouldn't surprise us that God would take most of an entire chapter in the Bible to explain the difficulties that the senior years bring. I think He wrote Ecclesiastes 12 to bring comfort and encouragement to our seniors and to help us all realize that He does understand our situation. He sees and knows your situation and He will see us through to the end - to the day He calls us home to heaven to spend eternity with Him in glory.

Isaiah 46:3-5 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb:  Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?

I've titled this Bible Study - "God Understands Aging" and I just want to go through a good portion of Ecclesiastes 12 in order to begin to understand what our seniors are going through. It will help all of us to be a better friend to our elderly loved ones and it will help us all to prepare for our own golden years which for some of us ( including myself ) - it is just around the corner! So lets begin.....

 Ecclesiastes 12

Verse 1 - Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:We are encouraged to be saved, and to develop our relationship with the Lord in the days of our youth - in our younger days. We must not wait till difficult times come our way to seek the Lord. It is a blessing to seek the Lord early in life and then to walk with Him all our days. We need to settle the fact in our hearts that God is good and He has our best in mind - then come what may, we know we can keep trusting ourselves to Him.

Verse 2 - While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain.  This refers to vision problems. I can identify with this as I now must wear glasses with graduated lenses - they used to call them bifocals.

Verse 3 - In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
The "house" in verse 3 refers to the human body that is aging, "keepers" are the arms and hands.  The body is not as strong as in the days of youth or as in the mid years of life. The "grinders" are our teeth which also are not in great shape. Some people have many fillings in their teeth and others must wear a denture. "windows grow dim - the eyes once again are becoming weaker and it becomes harder to do one's daily activities and it it becomes harder to see for reading, or doing other fine work.
Verse 4 - When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low.
"risisng up at the sound of a bird" refers to sleepless nights.
"music brought low" - It becomes harder to hear and many elderly people benefit from the use of a hearing aid. My own mother greatly benefits from her hearing aids. With the need to wear a hearing aid come other problems such as difficulties in hearing in a group setting where there are many people and higher noise levels - such as in a restaurant or a family get together.

Verse 5 - Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets
The fear of heights and of slipping and falling becomes a very real problem in our senior years. Things that used to be a regular part of life can now bring fear and pain. Many elderly people need a cane, or walker or wheelchair to get around.
"the almond tree blossoms" - refers to the white hair of an elderly person. Personally I think white hair is beautiful. Elderly people are beautiful people!
"desire fails" - this refers to sexual desire. The years of child bearing are over and love between an elderly couple continues and is expressed in a variety of  precious ways.
"eternal home" - death will come to each one of us in our own time and place and those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior will dwell with the Lord forever.

 Verse 6-7  Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.  Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
When we pass away, the soul separates from the body. The soul or spirit of a Christian goes straight into the presence of God in heaven as it says in verse 7  And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Conclusion

Verses 13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
So from this entire study we can see that God clearly understands our daily struggles in our senior years. May I encourage us all to trust Him with our lives whatever stage of life we are at. Settle it in your heart to trust him rain or shine, day in and day out, through the days of youth, through the childbearing years, through midlife, and through the senior years. It's only a matter of time till we all stand before God in heaven. It won't be long...... it really is only a matter of time!

My Prayer for you...

Dear Heavenly Father, Please be very near every elderly and senior person who is lonely and struggling with life. Wrap Your arms of love around them and carry them every day. Draw each one who reads this close to Yourself and bless them,
I ask in Jesus Name, Amen

The Call to Holy Living

 1 Peter 2 : 11-12  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

As we read and study our Bibles, we will find that the life of the Christian is very different from the life of a non-believer. This is largely due to the fact that as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit residing within us. The Holy Spirit nudges us to live pure and holy lives. Lives that will please the Lord Jesus Christ who has washed away our sin with His own blood which He shed on the cross. We understand that it is not our own righteous ways that make us holy but only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that work within us. But after having believed and receivied Christ's gift of salvation into our lives, we then make every effort to please the Lord in our conduct in our daily lives. Therefore the Lord calls us to conduct ourselves with our hearts filled with grace, mercy, love and purity as we go about our daily routines - the love and fear of the Lord as a background in everything we do.
The word "holy" implies sacredness, being set apart to God, and belonging to Him. To be holy is to be set free from anything that offends God who is completely and perfectly holy.  The Bible teaches that we are called to holiness in 1 Peter 1: 14-16 where it says - as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” By the power of the Holy Spirit within us we receive power to say "no" to the evil that we used to serve before we came to Christ. It is a decision to yield oneself to God entirely - to actually give Him the authority in one's life. Through study of the Bible, we come to understand what it is that pleases Christ and then it becomes a matter of doing what the Bible teaches. God has set the standard as to what is qualifies as sin and so as a Christian we yield to His standards even when we do not fully understand His ways. As we yield to the Lords's ways, and consistantly resist the devil and the temptations that he throws at us, we find that God is our strength, our hope and joy and our constant companion and friend.
Holy living is important because God commands it but also because God is glorified when we allow Him to work in us. In this way we become a testimony to the power of God. When our friends and family see that we have only one real desire - a desire to please Christ - we become a witness to them. The Holy Spirit will use our witness to draw them to also desire to live a holy life pleasing to the Lord.
The Bible teaches and we believe that every human who has ever lived will stand at the judgement seat of Christ one day and give account of the life lived here. We are all looking for the day when we hear the words from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in that day - welcoming us home.....saying -
 Matthew 25: 21 Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Sexual Immorality

1 Thessalonians 4: 3-7 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
What is more destructive than sexual immorality? We have seen time and time again how a man or woman basically destroys everything that has any real significance in his or her life by participating in this horrific sin.
The Bible is very clear that Christians are to abstain from every type of sexual immorality. There is no excuse because of how clear the Bible is on this issue. Sexual involvement outside the bond of marriage is unholy, and dishonors God. It ruins the chances of having a good relationship with your spouse or any future spouse ( if you are not currently married), with your family,  as well as destroying one's own body. The Bible teaches in Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death,. This death certainly means death in your relationship with the Lord, in your relationship with the people close to you as well as it can mean physical death.
 So what does sexual immorality mean in Biblical terms? When all is said and done it is God who sets the standard for holy living so it is important to remember that what we find in the Bible is God's standard and we need to abide by the words of the Bible.
The word sexual immorality or fornication ( as is used in the King James Bible) comes from the Greek word  pornia which is translated pornography in the English language. It is a broad term which includes all forms of sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality includes:

Lust and pornography -  Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Adultery - is extramarital sex and also lust. It is included in the ten commandments and in the Old Testament law required the death penalty . It destroys the soul of the one participating in it - Proverbs 6:32 says But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

 Incest -  is sex with a close relative who is not your spouse. Also required the death penalty in
Leviticus 18: 6-7 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.
The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Deuteronomy 27:22  Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Homosexuality - is sex with a person of one's own gender - male with male, female with female. It is strongly condemned in both the Old and New Testament . Romans 1:26 -27  For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.  Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination
Homosexuality also required the death penalty in Leviticus 20:13  If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Beastiality - is sex with an animal  - also punishable by the death penalty in the Old Testament 
Exodus 22:19 Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death
Deuteronomy 27: 21  Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

The only sex blessed by God and that brings honor to His Name is that of a husband and wife who are married to each other - commited till death do part.

Recorded in the Bible as a Memorial and Testimony

Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

There are many important Bible stories and passages where a rock or stones are a part of the story. Wouldn't it be interesting if stones could speak and share what they saw? The good news is we don't really need the stones to share with us what happened since it is all recorded for us in our Bibles. We can think of various examples like the story where Moses was instructed by God to cut out two stone tablets and bring them up the to Mount Sinai and there God Himself wrote out the ten commandments on those stone tablets. It says they were written with the finger of God. We can also read where God required the death penalty for people found guilty of certain deliberate sins such as blasphemy, a wizard, sexual sins etc. But also, just as today, stones were also used as a memorial as in the book of Joshua where each of the twelve tribes of Israel were instructed to pick up one stone from the river Jordan, pile them in a heap on the land as a lasting remembrance that they crossed through the Jordan on dry land.
 Joshua 4: 7 That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
Today also we use stones to mark a memorial or we place a huge stone as a reminder of a new covenant after a break and then restoration of a relationship.

But what I wanted to draw attention to is to look at the story of the stone used at the tomb of our Lord Jesus. We have all heard the question asked - Can God make a stone so big that He cannot move it? I believe nothing is too hard for the LORD so that question is really irrelevant.
We read in the gospels how Jesus had been wrongly accused, and had been crucified. After Jesus died, his friend Joseph of Arimathaea took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped the body in linen cloths and laid Him in the sepulchre and rolled a huge stone in place.
 Mark 15:46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. - It would seem at this point that Satan would have thought he had won. Satan's plan all along was to spoil the plan of God and prevent salvation for us to be possible, and so with Jesus being now dead and safely in the tomb, a huge stone rolled in place, Satan will have felt pretty confident at this point that he had won and there would be no way Jesus could get up and out of there. I am thinking that Satan would have been having a party with his demon friends at this point. BUT that is not the end of the story. We read that an angel came and rolled that stone away. Death could not keep Jesus, neither could a huge stone. Jesus did not need the stone to be rolled away for Him to be able to get out but we needed it rolled away so that the women could go in there and testify to Jesus resurrection. We can see that the women who were coming to anoint the body of Jesus were worried and wondering who could move the stone for them.
 Mark 16: 1-4 says: And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
The women enter the sepulchre and to their surprise an angel is in there and tells them that Jesus is risen and is alive. Verse 6 - And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him
I have often thought as I've read this about the parallel of the huge stone to worry or fear in our lives about the future. Just as this huge stone was an obstacle for the women so my worries or fear is an obstacle to true faith -faith that trusts God for a good outcome even though present circumstances appear otherwise. I think of verse 4 again where it says when they looked, the stone had already been rolled away. So I also choose to trust that as I look to my Saviour and put my trust in Him, He will supply every need and work things out to the glory of His Name.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Holy Communion - The Lord Supper

1 Corinthians 11:25-26 ... this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

As Christians, Holy Communion is a very important in our walk with the Lord. In this Bible Study we will discuss four parts relating to this Holy meal.

1) What is it?
Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper is a time to remember. It is a time where we remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where he gave His life and shed His blood for our sins in order to redeem us to the Father. It is a time we remember the pain and agony that He endured as He suffered for us. Jesus instituted the Lord's supper when He shared in the last Passover with his disciples.  Matthew 26:26-29 describes the event : And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
²⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
²⁸ For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
²⁹ But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
We see that Jesus took the bread, He blessed it, He broke it into smaller pieces and then gave it to the disciples saying "Take, eat; this is my body." So we see clearly here that the bread represents the physical body of Christ. As we eat of the bread we remember Christ's body broken for us for our redemption.

Then Jesus took the cup and again he gave thanks and gave it to the disciples saying " Drink ye all of it;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins"  We see here that the wine represents the blood of Christ. Jesus shed his own blood for the payment of our sin. In Hebrews 9: 22 we read  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
The question is often asked if the cup would have been wine and if it should be wine in our communion services today.  We read in Matthew 26:29 I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine - so that definitely tells us that grapes would have been crushed and it would be either grape juice or wine. More likely it would have been sweet wine but in my opinion either real grape juice or wine would be appropriate to use.

2) Holy Communion is a time to look back and to look forward.
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
²⁴ And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
²⁵ After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
²⁶ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
As we partake of the Lord's supper we are looking back and remembering what it took for Jesus to save us. He took our sins upon Himself and became guilty of our sin, bore our judgement and died in our place. He took upon Himself what we deserved as punishment for our sin. Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the third day.
As we partake of Communion we are looking forward to the time when Jesus will return to earth. He will come and get us out of here! 1 Corinthians 11: 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. We are going to continue to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf till He comes again!!

3) Who can participate in Holy Communion?
1 Corinthians 11: 27-31
²⁷ Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
²⁹ For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
³⁰ For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
³¹ For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
As believers we need to examine our own hearts before we partake of this holy meal. We need to check our hearts and our lives, and confess all our sins to the Lord. We need to rid ourselves of the sin in our lives. We need to forgive everyone who has wronged us.  This is a meal for saved people who have confessed their sin and have repented before the Lord. A person's spiritual birth into the family of God makes him or her a worthy participant for this meal.

4) By particpating in Communion we are being obedient to the Lord Jesus
Luke 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Notice that Jesus says - this do in remembrance of me
We can be sure that as we are obedient to the Lord Jesus we will experience the blessing of the Lord through this Holy Lord's Supper.