“Love and Good Works”
Revelation 1:9-10 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
May we please consider together three (3) thoughts about “Love and Good Works, Provoking unto Love, The LORD’s Day, and a Good Work. This morning looking at one good work rather than many Good Works, The key thought is considering one another. It means for you to conclude how to stimulate the other person unto Love and good works.
John had been exiled to the Isle of Patmos. He was not a superhuman but just a man like us but he was one, who loved Jesus and was especially loved by Jesus, John 21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
What is meant by “Whom Jesus loved”? This is a different love than His love for all mankind. This is a love in response to John’s feelings toward Him. Does not our LORD say: Draw nigh unto God and I will draw nigh unto you, James 4:8.
First, May we consider Love? John suffered persecution because he followed Christ but he did not consider it persecution. There is the opportunity of suffering in every believer’s life The LORD said of Paul, Acts 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. Rom_8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. [[1]This necessity of conformity to Christ in suffering in order to participate in His glory, is taught alike by Christ Himself and by His apostles (Joh_12:24-26; Mat_16:24, Mat_16:25; 2Ti_2:12).] These scripture references are worth of study.
Every believer’s faith is tested, 1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
There is a purpose for the trying of your faith: though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: But let us see how that works in time 24/7. I have always wanted to be able to give an answer when someone would ask, why? Why did God take my loved one? Why this sickness? Why did this happen to me? Why did I lose my job? And endless questions with why?
He deals with us individually, so the answer for one is not for all. We each are different, unique in our creation. God created us all with unique features, personalities, and traits. And there is something He wants to accomplish in you. Therefore your trial, testing is unique to you that you might ‘…. grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen”
He made you different and you in your complex creation can bring Him honor and glory to Him, He made you and all the delicate, inner parts of your body and knitted you together in your mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13-14, For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Psa 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
He made you a multifaceted individual The Word for workmanship in Eph. 2:10 is handiwork = that which is being made. He is the potter and we are the clay, Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
So we get marred in the trials of life. Broken, and batter but we are in the hands of the Potter. He sees the inside and knows the things that will change our life forever, Psalm 51:6, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. V 16. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
So it is you He deals with. It is not that your suffering is like others. It is the LORD seeing the things it will take in your life for you to grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Him. It is Him knowing how to bring you through the fiery trials of life. He took the loved one in love and mercy. If they were denied a fair and just opportunity in life who is to say the LORD will not provide them an opportunity later. The LORD can do all things and He can do without violating His Word. Who is to say that all who died before the age of accountability will not be allowed to live again in the 1,000-year reign of Christ and be allowed to come to faith in Christ and live for Him and gain rewards for eternity? I am saying the age of accountability is more like 20 than 12 [I base my opinion on the age of the children of Israel who were allowed to enter the Promised].]and I am not saying a person must be 20 to be saved.
I can’t answer the questions of why and all I can say is Christ can let you know the answer you need and He will see you through. . I remember a heavy burden and I finished up the work that night by myself. And instead of going home, I started driving and thinking and asking the LORD and He helped me understand the path to go……
Second Let us consider the LORD’s Day, I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, What is the Lord’s Day? It is not the day of the Lord, which is a time of judgment and advent and 1000 year reign. The day of the Lord is prophetic, as seen in 1 Corinthians 5:5, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Thess. 5:2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. But the Lord’s Day refers to the first day of the week- Sunday! And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 1 Cor 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The Lord’s Day is found but once in scripture and it shows ownership. Here ownership is to a day! But in 1 Corinthians 11:20 it shows ownership to an act, When do ye come together? On the first day of the week. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. The supper belonged to the Lord and so does the day. : The Lord’s day same as The Lord’s supper (shows ownership 1 Cor. 11:20).
The Lord’s Day is the day He arose from the dead: The first day of the week, Sunday. We worship on Sunday because of the resurrection; we have a living Saviour.
Consider the first day of the week and what took place on that day: The resurrection John 20 1-2 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. John 20:16-17 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
The church was started on the first day of the week. This was referred to back in the old testament, Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
The eighth day is Sunday, Lev 15:12-15 and the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest. And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.
The Eighth Day would be the first day of a new week. It pictures a new week. What happened on the First day of the week? The resurrection 1 Cor.15:17. The resurrection of Christ was pictured in this offering.
Also, Circumcision was on the 8th Day Lev. 12:3 a shadow of what the resurrection affects: which is True Circumcision Col. 2:11-13. i.e. Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: We are the circumcision that worships God in the Spirit, Phil 3:3. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. And Exo. 22:30 .
Therefore, the assembling of ourselves together for the worship of the LORD would be on Sunday, The LORD”s day.
Third a Good Work: Worship is a Good Work. Worship is not confined to Sunday! Worship is limited to a person, that Person is Jesus Christ. And He is to be Loved, respected every day. But yet, the LORD set aside a time when His Worship is enhanced by a gathering of His Body in worship. Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
as ye see the day approaching. What day? This day is not a 24 hour day but a continuing happing that will include multiple events through many days.
+It is the ending of this day of Grace with the Rapture of the Church [the saved]. Cf reference, 1 Thess.4:13-18.
+The approaching day is the beginning and ending of the Tribulation, Cf. references: Revelation 6 and following chapters. And in Daniel 12:11-13, there are 75 days added to the 1,260 days of the last half of the tribulation, [The tribulation is seven years- 3 ½ and 3 ½, or 2520 of 1,260 each and in that 75 days there are multiple actions of Christ that are completed.]
+ It is The Judgment Seat of Christ.[the judgment of believers only] and then His return to the earth to set up His kingdom, Rev.19:1-21.
And Heb. 10:25 says, “As you see the approaching day…” We are to know that these events are coming – they are at the door. Even if we die before the rapture this approaching day affects the believer and unbeliever each after their order. [own resurrection]
In light of what we see, and know, how should the approaching day impact our life, Jas_5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
+ And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Let us consider how to “provoke’ = to stir up, incite, stimulate. We have all heard about the stimulus checks and their purpose to get the economy going, and we have all witnessed how some incite the masses of people to riot a rebell and it is never for good. This context is about stirring up the believer to love Christ and to do good works. According to this text, going to church to worship the LORD is good work. And we were created for such, Eph. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
The first murder was about how to worship; Cain made his own rules and found that his way was very wrong. Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Abel brought the sacrifice for which God had asked. Cain refused even when the LORD allowed him the opportunity to believe Him. What was the witness that Abel was righteous? , God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
How do we know that Cain was lost? By the witness of God, 1Jn_3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Jude_1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
What is the witness of God about me and you? 1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
How do you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour? John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You receive the power/ right to become a child of God by believing in His name which is the same thing as believing in Him. [Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.] Believe in Jesus (the Person) for His promise of eternal life, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And when you do believe in His name you are “born…of God”: Born Again. Jesus, the One who did the work for you He is the one who guarantees you eternal life. Believe in Jesus for He promised you life!
[Added notes about the LORD’s Day =Other reasons to believe it refers to the First Day of the Week
1. The character of the vision !:12-20 Christ is glorified in the midst of the churches. I don’t believe this refers to the period of coming judgment spoken of as the day of the Lord. Too early in the book to refer to coming judgment
2. The message is addressed to the church age, 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.
3. Because of sentence construction: The Lord’s day same as The Lord’s supper (shows ownership 1 Cor. 11:20).]
[1] J.F.B. On E Sword Software
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