His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): We take you to the island of Patmos where the apostle Paul wrote the Revelation. That's next on His Perfect Love.

Matt VanderVen: Patmos had nothing in itself that would draw the attention of the Lord except that his servant John was there. Do you see that in verse 10? It's because his servant John was there. And though Patmos was but a dot in the ocean, God saw John there and entrusted him with the important prophecies that you and I have this morning. John was exiled by the world, but he was not forsaken by Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): When you're in the middle of a traumatic experience, it's important to realize you're not alone. God is always with us, and that rings loud and clear as we open our Bibles to Revelation chapter one, verses nine and 10 today on His Perfect Love.

Pastor Matt VanderVen will show us today that the apostle John was a prisoner on the island of Patmos when he penned these words. But while he was exiled by the world, he was not forsaken by the Lord. Let's see where hope is found when all hope seems to be lost.

Matt VanderVen: I think this is incredibly interesting in light of the stern condemnation that was given the church by Jesus Christ that John was to write as commanded by our Lord. You want to talk about awkward? Here he is on the island of Patmos. Who's providing for his very sustenance? Ephesus. What's one of the first churches that Jesus tells him, "You write these things down to the seven churches"? One of the first churches is the church of Ephesus.

Not only that, this is the church that Paul was at three years, the church that Timothy stayed at for a minimum of seven years, the apostle John was in and out of there for 14 plus years or more, pastoring. This is not a church that didn't have strong leadership or pastorship. What happened is very clear, and we read it in chapters two and three: this is a church that left their first love.

Do you know how difficult that would be? You're sitting there, you're writing a letter, you're good with everything in chapter one. "Yes, Jesus, this is awesome. You're showing all of us who you are. Oh yes, Lord, you're the Alpha and the Omega. This is heavy. Oh, 12, how do I even explain it? I don't have words and terms in human language to describe it. The sword, two-edged out of the mouth— that's the best I can use to describe it. I mean, I'm limited by this finite mind," John's thinking there. And then he gets to chapter two: "Oh, write this down, this is for the seven churches. By the way, I want you to start with that church Ephesus."

"You mean the church I pastored? You mean the church I spent a lot of time at? You mean the very church that weekly, they are bringing me supplies and food and that my sustenance is dependent upon, and that without that church providing those things, I'm done? I'm going to die of starvation, or I'm going to die of the elements or the weather, or any of the above?" "Yeah, I want you to write to them and I want you to write this stern rebuke."

"Jesus?" "Write these things, John. You're not there to be a respecter of persons. You're mine, I've called you to be an undershepherd of God. It's not a popularity contest. It doesn't matter what people are going to think about you. You are my vessel and you will speak the truth regardless of how the people want to hear it." Because I got a feeling that when that letter came out and it was read openly at the church of Ephesus, I got a feeling that they weren't feeling so good.

"Wait a minute, this guy is writing this letter— revelation from God— and he's knocking us, telling us, 'What are you talking about, we don't know Jesus or we left our first love? Didn't we just send our offerings, our supplies, all these things to him to care for him?'" You know what real love is? Real love is giving truth that we need, not just the truth we want to hear. And I'm heavily convicted about that because in human terms, it's so easy for a pastor to stand up here and try to navigate around anything instead of just sticking to the word and not having an opinion one way or the other.

I think this had to be awkward for John but necessary because of his love for that church, his love for the people. That they left their first love— they were busy, they were doing all these other things. Church was booming. They had events all the time. Great things going on. It was happening at Ephesus. It was a large city, it was a major trade route. Did you hear about what's going on, the newest Calvary in Ephesus? The worship there is unbelievable, it's like a rock concert. I walk out of there, I feel really good.

And when I go and the Bible's open and we talk a little bit about Jesus, when we get to the hard parts, it's so cool. The pastor is so tender that he just skips over those because he knows it would hurt our hearts and hurt our minds. What a good loving pastor he is. No, that's not who John was. John turned around and wrote this and sent this and the people had to be so convicted. And it was Jesus' words because all Jesus wanted them to do was to make him the priority instead of all the things that are vying for our attention in this life.

He says, "Make me the priority. Don't leave your first love. The whole reason you even came to gather together was because of your love for me and your desire to learn more about me. But you have become and made it a den of thieves. You have turned around and made it a social club. You have turned around and made it all these other things except the very thing I wanted it to be— a place where my bride could gather, equip saints for the work of the ministry, encourage one another who are lacking in faith, pray for those that need boldness and encouragement, meet the needs one to another to provide and care for and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ."

"And most importantly, to worship Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength more than anyone or anything else in this earth." That's all I ever wanted this to be. That's all I ever designed it to be. And Patmos— do you know why it's significant? It's the only place written right here in verse nine in the Bible, Patmos. Do you know why it's significant? Because it's insignificant. Patmos had nothing in itself that would draw the attention of the Lord except that his servant John was there.

Do you see that in verse 10? It's because his servant John was there. And though Patmos was but a dot in the ocean, God saw John there and entrusted him with the important prophecies that you and I have this morning. John was exiled by the world, but he was not forsaken by Jesus Christ. You and I probably would not entrust such a precious revelation to a man that is a prisoner on an island. He could easily die because of the elements or maybe even be murdered by another convict or another prisoner.

Again, the island was the size of a dot in the middle of an ocean. Why? Human intellect, first of all, because we know that it's not prudent or efficient. So many things could go wrong and this revelation would remain lost. But isn't that the perfect scenario for God to move when you think about it? Patmos is another example of what we read in 1 Corinthians chapter one, verses 27 through 29. Please hold your finger here and turn to 1 Corinthians chapter one, verses 27 through 29.

And I feel the need to say this before you in full transparency: I'm sitting out there with you in this. Please understand as I'm reading this very thing, I'm incredibly convicted by God as I read these things when I think about John and his endurance and his focus and his self-determination. I certainly don't feel like I belong up here. I certainly don't even feel like I probably belong out there with you. I probably belong out by the trash heap. And I'm not saying that to be pious. I'm being really honest with you.

I'm being really, really honest and transparent with you this morning as I cover these passages. 1 Corinthians chapter one, verses 27 through 29. It's a constant reminder of our intellect, my intellect, anyone's intellect. God says he chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chooses the weak things of this world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him.

Is this Jesus being legalistic? I don't think so. I don't think he's saying that the rituals and all those things were wise because those are the things that were wise at that time to practice— the religious traditions and the things like that. No, I think he's speaking more to the intellect of the human mind and how we can choose foolish things of this world— things that would make sense in the world— but to God, he would choose the things that are simpler or inefficient as we might think of them.

And he does that to demonstrate he is sovereign and in control. That's what I see here. He says the things that the world and the things that are despised by the world, to nullify the things that are, so that no human being could come to the throne of God and boast in any way. Are you with me in 1 Corinthians chapter one, verse 27 through 29? He chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chooses the lowly things of the world and despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him.

And I think Jesus is even revealing something through the location and circumstances he chooses to bring us in this letter. He didn't write this from some large major city. He wrote this from an island in the middle of the ocean that's the size of a dot. Last Wednesday during our midweek study, I was in Psalm 139— many of you were with us— and one of my favorite psalms. And I think David understood this. He had the heart right here, and it's such a revelation to us that God is always with us wherever we are.

In Psalm 139, verses seven through 10, it reads, "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" And then he answers, "If I go up to the heavens, you're there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast." Nothing and no one is too insignificant for God to use.

If Jesus was with John, a prisoner on the island of Patmos, he is with us wherever we are and whatever circumstances we're in. Even on Patmos, there is hope. Wherever we are, there is hope. And we can worship and serve God in spite of our circumstances. Isn't that what we read in Psalm 54 and Psalm 50 and 1 Thessalonians chapter five, verse 18? Well as we continue on, Patmos seemed insignificant, just this one place, this word, but it is significant because of its insignificance.

I think he wants to communicate to us even through this location. He says, "For the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, for the gospel." He then says, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as a trumpet saying, 'I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.'"

So next he uses this phrase, broken up really, "I was in the spirit." Three separate words. Ginomai in the Greek means "I was," en means "in," and pneuma is the word we get for spirit, or when we think of Holy Spirit. English, it just simply means "the spirit." It's used 50 times in seven verses and includes two exact phrases in the book of Revelation, the one we're on right now in verse 10 and then also in chapter four, verse two, we see that similar use.

Then there's something that shifts slightly from that exact phrase in Revelation chapter 17, verse three and Revelation chapter 21, verse 10. But if I take a simpler use of this term— the spirit, "in the spirit"— it grows from the 50 times to well over a thousand and 18 times used in 193 verses, included with 25 exact phrases. So the reason I tell you all that isn't just to say we can understand the Greek. It's so that we understand hermeneutically we have a wealth of scripture to look at to understand how God is using this Greek term.

Because we can see the frequency of it, well over a thousand times, or just specifically "I was in the spirit," 50 times. So how is this term used throughout scripture? Well, it refers to an individual being indwelt by the Holy Spirit to be used for prophetic purposes or sharing future events. When we read someone says they're "in the spirit" or "I was in the spirit," that's exactly what they're saying. Now I've heard scholars and pastors try to say they were possessed by the spirit.

I don't particularly care for that term. I don't think that's biblically accurate because the Holy Spirit's a gentleman. We never read or have any example in scripture, even from the use of the gifts in Romans chapter 12 through 14 or 1 Corinthians chapter 12 through 14, never do we see the gifts being done, as we see in 1 Corinthians 14:40, without decency and order. Never do we see someone throwing themselves down or barking like a dog, hilarious laughing, doing any of these kind of things that are stirred up or lathered up through emotionalism.

No, our example is scripture. Ezekiel chapter 37 is an example. Or Matthew, just with our remaining time here, turn to Matthew chapter 22, verse 43. When someone is saying this or this is being described this way, what does it mean? Again, I suggest to you that it means that that person is being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and used for prophetic purposes and sharing future events. But it's okay if you guys are Bereans— I love that— and you want to test everything in the light of scripture.

Let's look at these things. So Matthew chapter 22, look at verse 43. This is the specific passage where Jesus, when he's working with the Pharisees to help them understand, he brings them to this idea when he's trying to help them understand, one, the Davidic covenant. But two, he says, "What do you think about Christ? Whose son is he?" trying to bring them to the understanding of is Jesus Christ the son of the Father, Abba, Father, God. And they said to him, "Well, he's the son of David."

He said to them, "How then does David in the spirit call him Lord?" In other words, how is this happening that the son Jesus Christ will call David the father? He would never do that or call him Lord. "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool,'" again, a quote from Psalm 110. And the simple question: if David is Lord in this passage, then what would the Father call the Son then?

And he's saying the Lord. So it's sort of a paradox because of what the Pharisees understood that day. If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son? That's what Jesus is bringing to them. And he says no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare question him anymore. What he said to them: David is in the spirit. What was David doing that day? When he was opening his mouth, he was giving revelation of Messiah Jesus. He was in the spirit.

"Pastor, you're just eisogeting. You're taking scripture out of context." I'm glad you said that. Turn to Luke chapter one. Let's look at verse 17. Let's study these things together. I'd rather take the time and we can look at these things. Okay, we think of John the Baptist. Does anybody not think that John the Baptist was a prophet? The Bible says that he was the greatest of all the prophets. He was actually the last of the Old Testament prophets. And he prophesied. He said, "The kingdom of God is at hand."

And he said when he looked at Jesus, "There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Nobody would have known that yet. Why? Because he hadn't even started his Galilean ministry yet— the three or three and a half years. But John the Baptist knew because, look here at Luke chapter one, look at verse 17, please. "He will also go before him in the spirit and the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom to the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

So the spirit of God was upon him that way— epi in the Greek— upon him, in him, indwelt him. Turn to Acts chapter 19 please in your Bible. Look at verse 21 in Acts 19. "When these things—" and I find this interesting, this was when the riot at Ephesus had broken out. "When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the spirit when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia to go to Jerusalem saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'"

So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. So what did it say in verse 21? When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the spirit. He knew he was going to go to Rome. Did he understand that he would be going— Jesus kind of gave him that revelation in Acts earlier when he was on the road to— do you remember? And he had that experience, the "come to Jesus" experience.

In Acts chapter nine when he falls to his feet, the light becomes blinding like that and he said, "You are a witness to me to kings, to nations, emperors." And that's exactly what happens in Rome when he goes to Rome, doesn't it? Prophetically he knew he was going to go. He just didn't know he was going to go as a captive because he appealed to his Roman citizenship. But it was prophetic nonetheless.

And then how about 1 Corinthians chapter 14 as we make our way back to our passage? Look at verse two. I'm just going to begin in verse one. "Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts." I think that's a good word from Paul, the pastor of the church at Corinth. Pursue love. That's the first thing, that's how everything starts— love. Without love, we can't do anything in God's eyes correctly because we're not going to have the right perspective on anything.

So pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification— that's the building up— and exhorting and comfort to men. So once again, we see the use of this term is a future telling and also an encouraging. And how do I know that's true? Because I look at all of you here this morning.

Are we not encouraged by what we're reading in the book of Revelation so far? He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. John is unfolding this unveiling, this prophecy to you and I, and it's an encouragement to us. Are we also not encouraged what we read in 1 Thessalonians chapter five? "My church is not given unto wrath." That's really encouraging because we're not going to be here for chapters six through 19.

Prophecy is always given with edification. If somebody comes to you and says, "I have a prophecy for you: you're going to get on the airplane and everybody's going to die," I need you to stop and say, "Are you edified and built up by that?" I'm not built up by that. I may be frightened, I may not want to get on the plane, but I'm not thinking, "Wow, you just strengthened me." Maybe there's another way we could communicate that word. Like, "Have you prayed about that trip? Is the Lord showing this for you?"

So often we take the scripture, the words, "pneuma," "in the spirit," and we try to make it mean something it's not supposed to mean. He's not possessed. He's indwelt. John was indwelt. And because he's indwelt like that, he says it was on the Lord's Day. And any day technically according to Romans is the Lord's Day, right? But we know in the early church truly the Lord's Day was on Sunday. Why? What was the sabbatical day for the Jews? The Shabbat. It was Saturday.

Because that's the day of rest that God had given as a sign to Israel. That was a sign only to Israel that was given— the Shabbat. And they would meet on Saturday. So Sunday was the day that we know Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. We understand that. And that's probably one of the main reasons that we see church services happening in the early church on a Sunday. But the other reason is if you want to reach Jewish men and women and children for Jesus Christ and the gospel, if it's the Shabbat, they're not called to do any work.

They're only encouraged to go to synagogue and then to come directly home. They're not to have any work. In Israel today, what happens on Sunday? Sunday is a work day in Israel. So when you go over to Israel on a Sunday, what a beautiful day to give the gospel. So the Christians that already got saved— many of them that were Jewish— they became born again, they're Christians. They began to serve in the churches.

And they said, "Let's meet Sunday mornings." As they're meeting Sunday mornings, the Jewish men and women and children were coming out, and they were able to get the gospel and to be able to get saved. So when he says "of the Lord's Day," he's describing this happened on a Sunday because it wouldn't have been on a Shabbat which there was to be no work on that day. But again, the Bible makes it clear: every day should be a day of worship. Amen?

Guest (Male): That is Pastor Matt VanderVen on His Perfect Love. We're going through Revelation at the present time, and I'll remind you that you can hear the program again when you visit hisperfectlove.org. That's hisperfectlove.org. We're also at oneplace.com and look for us wherever you get your podcasts. We also offer a mobile app. This is a great way to take Pastor Matt's teachings with you on the go. You can learn more about the mobile app and start your download when you visit our website: hisperfectlove.org.

We can't thank you enough for your prayers for this ministry. Please pray that as God's word goes forth, that lives will be greatly impacted for the glory of God and people will grow by his grace and love or even enter into a relationship with him. And if you have a prayer request, please send that our way. You can email that to us through our website at hisperfectlove.org.

If you live in the Mechanicsburg, PA area, we hope you'll stop by for a visit. Just like you hear on the radio, Pastor Matt teaches verse by verse through the Bible here at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek gathering on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. We're located at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. And then join us next time when Pastor Matt will pick up where we left off in Revelation here on His Perfect Love.

His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.