Sermon: Christ's Vital Final Warning to His Church

#1793B
Mark Schindler
Given 30-Nov-24; 39 minutes 2024-11-30

In 1926, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a short story entitled “The Rich Boy,” and as was often the case in his notable style of writing, it was a narrative told by one of the characters. His beautiful prose was usually full of run on sentences of complex metaphors that reflected the complex characters within his short stories, and the novels he wrote.

Of course, probably his most famous and memorable writing in this genre was The Great Gatsby, which had been published in April of 1925. But here in this short story from 1926, Fitzgerald concisely wrote what to me seemed to lay underneath almost everything he wrote and his own tragically short life, driven by what I believe was covetousness and pretense.

Scott Fitzgerald even said when asked about the types of characters he created within his writing, “We are all queer fish; queerer behind our faces and voices than we want anyone to know, or than we know ourselves.”

With this idea of outward and inward pretense in mind, I would like to quote what the narrator within this short story, “The Rich Boy,” had to say about the very rich, because, whether or not we can see it at this point, this could apply as a significant warning to each one of us, who have been given riches beyond measure, as gifts from God, but still subject to the pulls of human nature.

The narrator said:

Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft, where we are hard and cynical, where we are trustful, in a way that unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think deep in their hearts that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think they are better than we are. They are different!

As I said, this is a statement that reflects the battle F. Scott Fitzgerald waged within his own life, reflecting his own carnally-driven attitude of covetousness and pretense within almost everything he wrote. But within this we can find a very significant warning to those of us who have been given unearned riches beyond measure, within a world struggling to have what God has freely given to us.

We are different from this world by the grace of God! We have truly been born rich and what we do with it will determine much more than our place within the Kingdom of God in the future, but how we handle our relationships with others now both in and out of the Body of Christ.

The very rich in this world driven by carnal nature become complacent within and trusting in their own riches, while selfishly skeptical of the motives of others and unwilling to trust anyone.

They become so full of themselves with unearned riches that they develop a mindset that cannot even see their own need when it obviously presents itself.

Brethren, we began here because we too have been born into unearned riches beyond anything this world has to offer. But if we are not careful to use the riches we have, in line with what God intends for us to do with His wealth that we have inherited right now, through Jesus Christ, we can fall into the same trap of the very rich!

In a minute we are going to get to the very last warning Jesus Christ gives to His church, who have developed a mindset within their unearned riches, that they are rich and in need of nothing. But I would like us to begin in Luke 18 and the parable of the rich young ruler. Although this parable is also found in Matthew and Mark, Luke is unique in a couple of ways. One is in where he was inspired to place this parable.

In Matthew and Mark, God inspired this parable to be placed after the trap the Pharisees set before Christ regarding divorce and remarriage, and why Moses allowed it because of the hardness of the heart, which is a significant tie-in to this lesson. However, in Luke the parable appears after the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee, which, I believe, is more in line with the lesson for today. And the other is that in Luke’s attention to detail, he identifies this man as a “certain ruler.”

So to set a bit of a foundation let us start in verses 9-14:

Luke 18:9-14 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Although all three Gospels directly preface the rich young ruler parable with Jesus’ blessing of the little children that follows here in Luke 18:15-17, and the reminder to be as innocently unpretentious as them, God sets up the parable of the rich young ruler here in Luke with the marked difference of perceived self-evaluations of riches in position.

Now let us pick it up in verses 18-27:

Luke 18:18-27 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

This is important because it not only seems to tie this young man to physical riches, but to riches of heredity and authority.

There is likely a strong clue in the Greek that this person was much more than merely a man of physical wealth but someone who had been given the wealth to make wise judgments.

Before going any farther, I want to make it clear, this is only speculation that I am making based on the context and on research into the historical perspective of the day. But I think we may find something here that is much more clearly directed at us in a way that we may not have considered in the past.

Certain in “certain ruler” is the Greek pronoun tis, #5100 in Strong’s. One of the Greek word studies I looked into gave the number one definition of how this word is used as, “1) Particularly and generally of some person or thing whom one cannot or does not wish to name or specify particularly.” It is used in various constructions.

However, it also stated a bit further down in the third definition, “3) Emphatically meaning somebody, something, some person or thing of weight and importance, some great one.”

I think, as we look in to the word “ruler” here as used in the context, we may be more likely to apply this second definition that adds emphasis to a person of importance, even beyond physical riches.

The word “ruler” is archōn (ar'-khone) #758 in Strong’s and in the Greek it indicates first (in rank or power): variously translated as chief (ruler), magistrate, prince, ruler.

Hold your fingers in Luke and please turn with me to see this word used in John to clearly point to those who were rulers over the Jewish people.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

Now to John 7 and an exchange that took place on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles:

John 7:45-53 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee." And everyone went to his own house.

Again, from the same Greek word study and regarding these two sections we just read, the árchōn of the Jews in the former passage means a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

With all of this in mind, I would like to cite a section from the New International Bible Dictionary, as it defines the Sanhedrin:

During the reign of the Hellenistic kings Palestine was practically under home rule and was governed by an aristocratic council of elders, which was presided over by the hereditary high priest. The council was called gerousia, which always signifies an aristocratic body. This later developed into the Sanhedrin. During most of the Roman period the internal government of the country was practically in its hands.” Continuing a bit further down. “The members of the Sanhedrin were drawn from three classes named in Matthew, Mark, and Luke: They were, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. By the chief priests it meant the acting high priest, those who had been high priests, and members of the privileged families from which the high priests were taken. The priestly aristocracy comprised the leading persons of the community and they were the chief members of the Sanhedrin. The teachers of the law formed the pharisaic element in the Sanhedrin, though not all Pharisees were professional scribes. The elders were the tribal and family heads of the people and priesthood. They were for the most part the secular nobility of Jerusalem. The President bore the honorable title of Prince.” “According to Josephus, in the time of Christ the Sanhedrin was formally led by the Saducean high priests, but practically ruled by the Pharisees, who were immensely popular with the people. The Pharisees were more and more represented in the Sanhedrin as they grew in importance. In the time of Christ the Sanhedrin exercised not only civil jurisdiction, according to Jewish law, but also, in some degree, criminal. It was the final Court of Appeal for all questions connected with Mosaic Law.

Brethren, is it possible that this certain prince was the aristocratically born leader of the Sanhedrin, who possessed riches that far exceeded material wealth?

If this is the case, what Christ was telling Him by far exceeded the physical wealth of material riches, but a perfecting of his inherited wealth that could only be rightly understood by following Jesus Christ.

What he had been given by God in his place within God’s chosen physical nation, could only be brought to perfection if he trusted Christ rather than trusting in all that he considered had earned him a place in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 18:18-19 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”

We clearly see this one who, possibly was the leader in the Sanhedrin, saw Christ as a good teacher of the questions of Mosaic Law that he apparently understood, though limited. But we also see here that Christ makes it clear to Him that the only one who can be trusted to rightly teach the extent of that law was God.

This certain ruler, therefore, immediately started off on the wrong foot in only seeing Christ the man as a Good Teacher, but Christ indirectly makes it clear that He is God.

Also in his response to Christ in verses 20-21 he never hesitates to boast of how completely he believed he had kept these commandments and trusted in his own good works.

I would like us to notice something that is another very significant clue here. Of course, Christ does not mention the first four commandments that point to loving and following the only true God, but He also leaves out one of the other commandments: coveting, because He clearly reveals both coveting and failure to love and follow the one true God in Luke 18:22.

Luke 18:22-23 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Here is a vital warning to all of us: Coveting and trusting in all that we have been graciously given as our key to the Kingdom rather than following Christ at every turn is a recipe for disaster. Our works must be in line with His to do the will of the Father.

Brethren, God even provided us with a whole book in the book of Job that looked at how subtly deceptive riches—both physically and spiritually can be—when we put our trust in them and are not always ready to follow God’s direction, as the only One who will keep us in line with what He knows will produce the perfect eternal relationship with Him.

If the speculation about who this “certain ruler” is correct, I believe God is giving us another indication of how important our jobs are now, no matter what it is that we have been given as undeserved riches and how critical it is for us to use them fully in humility.

This fellow, as prince of the Sanhedrin, had the opportunity to not only turn himself toward Christ but all those who were under His God-given authority. Again, just speculation but perhaps an important food for thought, as we handle our responsibilities as firstfruits and inheritors of the Kingdom of God, among that great cloud of witnesses that trusted completely and humbly in the sovereign authority of God.

We cannot covet what we have only been given to serve our great and holy God, following the example of Jesus Christ.

This brings us now, as we head into the end of this sermon, to what I hope will be another bit of food for thought, as we look at Christ’s message to His seven churches from a slightly different angle.

But before we go there I would like us to read again from Luke 18, picking it up in 24-30:

Luke 18:24-30 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

Now with all of this in mind, please turn with me to Revelation 2 and 3, where we are going to take a quick overview of Christ’s message to His seven church groups in Revelation. But I would like to come at it from a slightly different angle that I hope will prove to be some profitable food for thought.

As we have come to understand over the years and most recently in Richard’s Forerunner Bible study, “The Seven Churches,” these are important end time messages to all of God’s church.

Although they still may prove to be helpful in tracing the historical migration of God’s church, that seems to have produced fruit that was not particularly good for God’s people. We took to ourselves the moniker of the faithful church of the Philadelphian era and then labeled others as of Sardis or Laodicea, while the whole time we should have humbly learned from each. Within the battle that we are waging against the old man there was much more to be learned from each, if we approached the lessons knowing how far short we fall when we drift from Jesus Christ. This is an up and down battle that needs to be considered throughout these messages.

But right now I would like to look at these seven together, as a progressive warning from Jesus Christ. Actually, a progressive warning through the first five, and then a final statement from Jesus Christ that I hope reminds us of what we read in Luke 18:22-23, that contains both the hope and a final warning from Jesus Christ of perhaps the most easily subtle trap of all for those, whom God has blessed beyond measure.

In the letters to the first five churches, it is very possible through the various characteristics attributed to each group, along with Christ’s constant attention to each, we can follow a progression that may be personally helpful in our battle in overcoming. We should learn from each group, perhaps Christ is warning of how subtly we can end up slipping away.

I am going to read a short section from each and then stop to consider what we may learn from each in a very personal way.

Beginning then in Revelation 2:

Revelation 2:1-5 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”’

Christ lets us know He is constantly there among His church and always aware of each member’s work, as it is done in His name. But He warns us to maintain the fervor we had when the Father first called us to Him, even as we may become war weary. So the first warning is to keep focused on the initial zeal God gave in our calling, knowing He is always there.

Revelation 2:8-11 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."’

Brethren, this one is vital because this is the one where we need to be just like Christ and suffer just like Christ, who assures us, just as we are told in Hebrews that we have a High Priest who knows exactly what we are going through and will come to our aid as we suffer persecution just like Him.

This is critical because we will suffer as He suffered and we will need to trust Him for deliverance or else we will very likely follow the progression He shows in the next three groups.

Revelation 2:12-16 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”’

Here we see Christ with the two-edged sword of truth and we find He is against compromising that truth within a world that is always pushing against the truth.

While we could look at the Smyrna as a lesson in personal strength in the face of persecution, here in Pergamos, we see the lesson against personal compromise in a world that is always pushing against the truth of God’s Word.

Revelation 2:18-23 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”’

Here we have the next step. Personal compromise of God’s truth has led to loss of focus on the Son of God—the Son of Man who rose from the dead and returned to His glory as God and the righteous Judge of all. He knows the works, love, service, faith, patience. But are they works of love, service, faith and patience according to His way? It certainly does not look like it because if they were there would not be this kind of corruption.

The next step after compromise is personal corruption that skews the works into a corrupt love, service, faith, and patience not in line with the Christ and therefore leading to the next phase, if there is no repentance and change in direction.

Revelation 3:1-3 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”’

Brethren, in the churches Christ shows us a very personal path that can be followed if we are not careful to faithfully follow Him, as He is always there.

We must maintain the zeal of our first love, while facing the persecution that will come upon us so we can be perfected to be just like Him. But in this chaotic world we will be tempted to compromise, which leads to corruption, and then to death. This is a very real threat we need to take very personally.

However, as Jesus Chris said there would never be an end to His church, so continuing in

Revelation 3:4-6 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'

Brethren, Christ is always here watching, judging, and giving us the opportunity to repent, although this gets harder the farther we allow ourselves to get caught up in this world’s ways.

Now we come to the last two churches in the group, where Jesus Christ gives a final warning of within a contrast between the reality of the riches of faithful trust in the perfect sovereign authority of God and the perverted illusion that comes from prideful trust in the unearned riches, both physical and spiritual that our Great and Sovereign God gave to do a job in humility.

Revelation 3:7-8 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Indeed, only He has the keys, opens and shuts and gives a little strength to determine whether or not we can keep His Word.

All this is followed by:

Revelation 3:9-12 “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”’

This is what God has for all who can humbly see, just as Job did that all riches we have to do His Work, according to His Will, were never ours but given for us to clearly see God, who will always be the object of our love and trust.

With this Christ gives His final warning to His church.

Revelation 3:14-19 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”’”

Christ is warning us very personally in His letters to the seven Churches that our First Love was only as an unearned gift of riches in our selection by the Father to grow into the very image of Jesus Christ. Within that we became the very rich, because He decided to do it that way. There is nothing we have that has not been given, according to God’s sovereign authority.

If we are to truly see God, as Job did, we need to also understand that all the incredible unearned riches we have are not ours but gifts from God under His sovereign authority that will extend into eternity.

Brethren, we began this sermon with the Fitzgerald quote from “The Rich Boy” because it clearly showed incredible unearned riches, no matter what they are, when driven by carnal nature will skew relationships. We will end up having the same attitude of the self-righteous Pharisee toward the tax collector that prefaced Luke’s account of the certain young rich man that he despised.

It is the tax collectors stand before God that is needed. We must always be ready to use what we have been given with absolute humility within all our relationships now and into eternity for the glory of God.

We are always going to need what only is God the Father’s to give.

MS/rwu/drm