YOUR FUTURE AND YOUR PRIORITIES
Part 1 of 7
Revelation 2:1-7
Tonight I am going to begin my series of messages on the topic, “Getting Ready For Your Future” from the Book of Revelation chapters 2 & 3. In this series we are going to take a prophetic, personal and practical look at the seven churches of Asia. When John wrote about these churches he probably didn’t see how each one contained a message about the future which pictured seven distinct stages in the life of the church here on the earth. At the same time, the things John wrote about are very personal and practical in that they reveal how each church functioned in its own day and time and how we are to apply the lessons we can learn to our own situation today. This is why each letter ends with “He that has an ear, let him hear.” Churches are made up of individuals.
Tonight our text is found in Revelation 2:1-7 and the title of my message is, “Your Future And Your Priorities.”
A wife was very upset with her husband for being so late in coming home from his golf game. "Henry,” said the wife, “you promised you'd be home at 4:00. Now it's 8:00."
"But Honey, please listen to me.” said the husband. “My golf partner, poor ole' Fred is dead, he just dropped over from a heart attach on the eighth green."
"Oh, that's awful." said the wife sympathetically.
"It sure was.” replied the husband. “For the rest of the game it was hit the ball, and drag Fred, hit the ball, and drag Fred.”
In life there are some things that have a higher priority than others.
Revelation 2:1, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:”
In each of these seven letters to the churches of Asia Jesus is described differently. Here He is pictured as having sovereign control over and being at the very center of the churches.
As people are getting ready to enter the 21st century and a new millennium they are wanting to know what is going to happen. Some people are afraid that the world is going to come to an end. Is Jesus going to return? Some are afraid of the future because of the Y2K bug. People are afraid of the future because they don’t know what is going to happen. They are afraid of the future because they know they can’t control it. Let me share with you three facts about the future.
God KNOWS everything that’s going to happen.
Hebrews 4:13, “He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done.” (TLB)
God will BE WITH ME every step of the way.
Hebrews 13:5, “For God has said, I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.” (TEV)
God has a PLAN for my future.
(Turn To) Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
Where there is no HOPE for the future, there is no POWER for the present.
Tonight I would like to look at two ways to prepare for my future that can be learned from the church in Ephesus.
The only preparation for TOMORROW is the right use of TODAY.
The first way to prepare for my future is...