One of the 'fire-starters' witnessing to someone in Wester Hailes in Edinburgh.
One of the important themes running through the book of Revelation is the subject of repentance. This is a subject which needs our careful and prayerful attention in today's world. Sadly, we tend to imagine that the need for repentance applies to someone else. I read recently someone insisting that if anyone needed to repent it was President Biden. We all need to repent - including Christians who have been following the narrow way for a long time.
Five of the seven churches in the first chapters of Revelation were commanded to repent. This is highly instructive and significant. Have I ever heard of a church seriously considering the need to repent? Have I been a member of a church which needed to repent but sadly failed to do so? What about the church of which I am an elder? Does the Dawson Community Church need to repent? The church at Ephesus was called on to repent because they had lost the love they used to have for Christ. The risen Lord Jesus had a few criticisms of the church at Pergamum because they were tolerant of false teaching and unholy living. This church was also warned of the need to repent. The church at Thyatira was commanded to repent because they tolerated a so-called prophetess named Jezebel who encouraged some to practise immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. The church at Sardis was ordered to remember what they had received and to repent. They were relying on their reputation of being alive but the assessment of the Son of Man was that 'they were dead.' The church at Laodicea was assessed as being 'lukewarm' and being ignorant of their true condition. They were warned to be zealous and to repent.
The word 'repent' means to deliberately stop what we are currently doing and to have a complete U-turn. For example, for the church at Ephesus to repent, it means that they collectively and individually took stock of their lack of love. They would need to confess that their love for the Lord has declined. They would need to make a conscious effort to rekindle the love that they used to have for Jesus. It would require a careful scrutiny of their lifestyle and their habits to identify what had replaced Jesus in their affection. They would have to stop worshipping other lords and end their neglect of their worship of the Lord Jesus. In general terms, as we look at the seven churches in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, we are sure to recognise features of our church in the 21st century.
n chapter 11 of Revelation we are introduced to two witnesses and there is considerable debate about the identity of these two people.
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, and that stand before the Lord of the earth. [Revelation 11: 3-4 ESV]
I want to draw attention to the fact that these two witnesses are clothed in sackcloth which is symbolic of repentance. Why are they dressed in sackcloth? Firstly, they are carrying out their duty of witnessing in clothes of repentance (they are recognising that they need to be constantly repenting of sin). Secondly, they are given a message of repentance for those to whom they are witnessing. I firmly believe that we are more eager to preach to others to repent than to repent ourselves.
Notice the references to the olive trees which is symbolic of the work of the Holy Spirit and the word lampstands which is the same word used of the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation. The seven churches were the witnesses to the world but of the seven only two were functioning in a spirit of repentance. The other five were commanded to repent.
Some scholars interpret these as two real individuals who will witness for God during the great tribulation - a future event. I follow the scholars who see this as having a present application to the church. In the first chapter of the Acts, Jesus uses the word witnesses to describe the present work of the church in the period following the resurrection. He links this witness to the power of the Holy Spirit
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. [Acts 1:11 ESV]
The idea of sending them out in twos is highlighted in several passages in the Gospels.
And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. [Mark 6:7 ESV]
The two witnesses in Revelation 11 are clothed in sackcloth - that is the part I am focusing on in this blog. I want to challenge us as we witness for the master, are we clothed in sackcloth? In other words, are we living in an attitude of repentance for our sins first and foremost before we go out to witness to others. The Pharisees trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. If there is any suggestion that we are in some way better than those to whom we are witnessing, then we are more like the Pharisees than we care to imagine. This is a real challenge to me. Am I too quick to condemn others for sins which I know are present within my heart (in thought if not in action).
Many years ago I was helping my son-in-law to cut the long grass in the communal drying green of the tenement building where he and Linda had an upstairs flat. The grass was 5 foot high and we discovered that it was full of discarded beer bottles and whisky bottles. I was using a sickle as well as a power-driven strimmer. It was hard work and the work was made even harder by the fact that there was a drunken 'party' going on in one of the downstairs flats. The window was open and every so often another beer bottle would be thrown out into the long grass. They were finding it amusing that we were trying to cut this grass to recover this drying green. I was tempted to complain loudly about their attitude and their disregard for our safety. But something made me stop - and Peter and I stood and prayed. We quietly thanked the Lord for saving us and keeping us and we admitted that we were both only sinners saved by grace. It was only by God's grace that our lives were not wrecked by sin. We needed that same grace every day to keep us from falling away
As I mount the platform this Sunday to preach on the subject of 'Called to Be Holy (1 Peter 1:13-25), I need to remind myself constantly that I am only a sinner saved by grace. I need to wear sackcloth of repentance and acknowledge that the hymn writer was right.
And every virtue we possess,
And every victory won,
And every thought of holiness,
Are His alone.
[The sixth verse of Our blest Redeemer (Mission Praise 548).
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