Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20021013.htm

CHRIST'S SCRIPTURE PROPHECY ON CONTEMPORARY EVANGELICALISM
Part IV: Christ's All-Sufficiency Applied For Victory
C. Christ's All-Sufficiency Offered For Great Blessing To Those Free Of Errant Evangelicalism
2. Christ's All-Sufficiency Offered To Give Blessing In Victory Over Worldliness
(Revelation 3:21-22)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Christ predicted our current Evangelical era of Church History and critiqued our errant actions and beliefs thereby, we should expect Him to offer His specific solutions to these needs.
    2. Rev. 3:21-22 finishes Christ's word on solutions for those who have been freed of errant Evangelicalism:
  2. Christ's All-Sufficiency Offered To Give Blessing In Victory Over Worldliness, Revelation 3:21-22.
    1. As Christ offered to let persecution yield a mature faith in Him (gold), separation from errant fellowships (white garments) and insight (eyesalve) in Rev. 3:18, three of the five needs in Rev. 3:17 are thus met.
    2. Then, we learned Rev. 3: 20 depicts victory over rule by the sin nature ["wretched" (KJV)], so Rev. 3:21 must tell of victory over the world ["miserable" (KJV)]. This fact is ratified by Christ's Rev. 3:21 words: there victors overcome as Christ says He Himself did, and the only other passage where Christ claimed to do that is in John 16:33 where He said He overcame the world (Moulton & Geden, A Conc. to the Grk. Test., p. 665-666); Rev. 3:21 thus tells of victory over the world as Jesus overcame it (in John 1:1-16:33).
    3. Also, we learned in Part III, B, 2 of this series that "miserable" (KJV) critiques the errant Calvinistic and Arminian views that teach God's election results in justification where it really results in post-justification blessings. We also learned this error has led to a tendency for worldliness in current Evangelicalism.
    4. We thus exegete Rev. 3:21-22 for insight on God's way of victory over worldliness in Evangelicalism:
      1. Last lesson, we learned the only other N.T. passage where a superior knocks to gain entrance from a subordinate besides Revelation 3:20a is Luke 12:36; Ibid., Moulton & Geden, p. 563.
      2. Coupled with that passage is the related parable of Luke 12:41-48, cf. Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 239, and that parable alludes to a master offering a great oversight reward like Christ offers in Rev. 3:21!
      3. That steward's job is expanded for refusing to abuse his master's other servants [under the steward's oversight] even if taxing circumstances sorely tempt him to do otherwise to meet his worldly lusts:
        1. The word "sensible" KJV, phronimos describes the good steward in Luke 12:42, and elsewhere in Luke's writings exists only in Luke 16:8, Ibid., Moulton & Geden, p. 995. There a steward who was about to be fired made the most of his days on the job to secure his welfare for the future!
        2. The steward is faithfully to ration out his master's food allowance to the house servants, Lk. 12:42.
        3. The steward fails and is punished if he hoards the food and beats the master's other servants to meet his worldly lusts rather than do his job out of a sense of accountability to the master, Luke 12:45-48.
    5. We now arrange this information in view of the Rev. 3:21 context to discern its message as follows:
      1. If a pastor starts to heed Rev. 3:18-20, he must KEEP gently, faithfully rationing out God's Word versus indulging his worldly lusts (cf. 1 Jn. 2:16) by abusing God's people.
      2. As a result, Christ promises Himself to extend the pastor's influence over all He Himself rules! Psalm 110 in light of Rev. 3:21b indicate this includes God's subduing this pastor's opponents, giving him supportive subordinates and encouragement in his own ministry efforts.
      3. Also, as we saw that "I counsel" in Rev. 3:18a referred to Jn. 18:14 & 11:47-51 where Caiphas foretold Jesus would die to save (in one the scattered) people of God, Christ implies (3:18a with 3:21) a pastor applying Rev. 3:18-21 in self-sacrifically accepting its trials would be used by God in a fashion as was Jesus Who submitted to the cross -- to salvage the true unity of God's people worldwide!
    6. Verse 22 applies this Rev. 3:14-22 passage to the churches, or the man in the PEW! (see below)!
Lesson: By accepting the "cross"of submitting to God's Rev. 3:18-21 program of suffering and gently, faithfully feeding God's Word versus pressuring people to meet his lusts, God will give a pastor ministry influence over ALL the flock of God worldwide to its blessing and unity!

Application: (1) May pastors yield to God's program in Rev. 3:18-21 and minister His Word gently and faithfully versus fulfilling their worldly lusts! (2) May those in the PEW also heed Rev. 3:14-22 by staying true to God's will and praying for and encouraging our leaders to heed this passage. Amen.