Imagine sitting in the congregation in Thyatira and hearing the pastor say, “I have a letter from the risen Lord Jesus, the Son of God.” I would fully expect that each person in that room would be sitting on the proverbial “edge of their seats”!
These are the words of the Son of God, who walked in the midst of the fiery furnace with three faithful young men (Daniel 3:25). These are the words of the Man who calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee, after which His disciples declared, “Truly You are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33) These are the words of the One whose gospel bears His Name (Mark 1:1). Are you getting the idea? The Christ, the Son of God who sends this letter to this congregation is the One to whom demons are subject (Mark 3:11). This same Jesus is speaking to us this morning by the Spirit of God.
So, the question is not, “Is He speaking?”. The question for us is this: “Are we listening?”. Are we really hearing what He is saying to us? We read the repeated phrase: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7,11,17, 29), which is another way of exhorting us to pay attention. It is necessary to exhort writer and reader alike to listen to what- ever Jesus says (Matthew 17:1-5).
If the Lord issues a command, it is our responsibility to obey it. If the Lord gives to us a promise, it is our responsibility to believe it and act on it. If the Lord issues a warning to us, it is our responsibility to respond to it quickly. Jesus never utters a single word without a specific eternal purpose in mind.
Today the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is going to once again be speaking to us personally. Whatever He should speak to your heart by His Spirit via His living Word (Hebrews 4:12,13) is not to be taken lightly. Whatever we hear from the Lord is intended to be a call to action (James 1:21- 25). The Son of God did not come to destroy us; He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b). So when He points out to us areas where we are not in harmony with His word or His will, it is for our profit to obey.
Our faith in Jesus the Son of God is a faith that enables us to overcome the world system (1 John 5:5). So, as believers in Christ, we can say this morning that Jesus came to scare the world out of us! Listen carefully; listen prayerfully; obey wholeheartedly (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
