Author: thegospelmailman@yahoo.com

A Message to the Seven Stars

Scripture: Revelation 3: 1-6

“Write this letter to the angel[a] of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God and the seven stars:

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.

4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.

6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Scripture Commentary:

The “seven spirits of God” is another name for the Holy Spirit. The seven stars are the messengers, or leaders of the churches. The problem in the Sardis church was not heresy but spiritual death.

It is important to grow in our knowledge of the God. We must deepen our understanding through careful study. But no matter how much we learn, we must never abandon the basic truths about Jesus.

Jesus will always be God’s Son.

Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins is permanent. No new truth from God will ever contradict Biblical teachings. Christ promises future honor and eternal life to those who stand firm in their faith. Believers are registered in the Book of Life.

Are you registered?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Revelation Chapter 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Revelation:

Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Love God As You Did At First

Scripture: Revelation 2: 4-7

But I have this one thing against you. You do not love Me as you did at first. 5 Remember how you once loved Me. Be sorry for your sin and love Me again as you did at first. If you do not, I will come to you and take your light out of its place. I will do this unless you are sorry for your sin and turn from it. 6 But you have this: You hate what the Nicolaitans do. I hate what they do also. 7 You have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the fruit of the tree of life in the garden of God to everyone who has power and wins.’

Scripture Commentary:

Just as when a man and woman first fall in love, so also new believers at first rejoice in their newfound forgiveness. However, when we lose sight of the seriousness of sin, we begin to lose the thrill of our forgiveness.

In the first steps of our Christian life we may have had enthusiasm without knowledge. Do we now have knowledge without enthusiasm? Both are necessary if we are to keep our love for God intense and untarnished.

Continue to stir up your love for God.

For Jesus to “remove your lampstand from its place” would mean the church would cease to be an effective church. If, as believers, we don’t follow Jesus in the Christian way, our light will be dim or go out.

In fact, Jesus Himself will extinguish any light that does not fulfill its purpose. The church (and we as well) must repent our sins. Work for God must be motivated by love for God or it will not last.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Revelation Chapter 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Revelation:

God is Alpha and Omega; Beginning and End

Do Not Do As the Hypocrites

Scripture: Matthew 6: 1-4

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Scripture Commentary: Do not do as the hypocrites.

Hypocrite, as used here, describes people who do good acts for appearances only. They have neither compassion nor good motives. Their actions may be good but their motives are hollow.

Jesus says not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

He is teaching that our motives for giving to God and to others must be pure. It’s easy to give with mixed motives. It’s easy to give when it benefits us in return. But if we are Christians, we should not give for the pleasure of ourselves. We are to give as a response to God’s love.

To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret, with no thought of reward. Jesus says we should check our motives.

Why do you give?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew Chapter 6

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Matthew:

Jesus Came to Save the Lost

God Can Hear Your Cry and Save You

You Already Know What Will Happen

Scripture: Jude 1: 5-8

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

Scripture Commentary:

Although we already know that sin separates us from God, Jude gives us three examples of rebellion. First is the children of Israel. Although they were delivered from Egypt, they refused to trust God and enter the promised land.

Second is the fallen angels. They were once pure, holy and living in God’s presence. Then they gave in to pride and joined Satan to rebel against God.

And third are the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were so full of sin that God wiped them off the face of the earth.

God’s Word is clear on the wages of sin.

Many people don’t want to believe that God sentences people to “eternal fire” for rejecting Him. But this is clearly taught in Scripture. Sinners who don’t seek forgiveness from God will face eternal separation from Him.

God’s nature is revealed in His Word.

The nature of God is beyond our understanding. However, God in His grace has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word, and supremely in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must seek to know all we can about what He has revealed although we cannot fully comprehend God with our human minds.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jude Chapter 1

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Jude

Have Mercy on Those Who Doubt

Don’t Be “Certain People”; Be Extraordinary!

Come Meet the Bridegroom

Scripture: Matthew 25: 1

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 

Scripture Commentary:

Jesus told parables to clarify further what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes. In the story of the ten virgins and the bridegroom, we are taught that every person is responsible for his or her own spiritual condition. Further, the story of the talents shows the necessity of using what God has entrusted to each of us. The story of the sheep and goats stresses the importance of serving others in need.

Now to the parable about the wedding.

On the wedding day the bridegroom went to the bride’s house for the ceremony. The the bride and groom, along with a great procession, returned to the groom’s house where a feast took place. Often this feast can last as long as a week.

These ten virgins were waiting to join the procession and wedding banquet. But when the groom didn’t come at the expected time, five of them were out of lamp oil. By the time they purchased extra oil, it was too late to join the feast.

Are you prepared for the feast with Our Lord Jesus Christ?

Do you have enough oil for your lamp? Are you using your gifts according to your abilities? When Jesus returns to take His people to heaven, will you be one of His children?

Spiritual preparation cannot be bought at the last minute. Fill up with the Word and your oil jar will be full!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew Chapter 25

Read Other Commentary from Matthew 25:

The Wise Take Time to Prepare

You Can Inherit the Kingdom of God

Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him

Scripture: Matthew 10: 38-40

And He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. 40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

Scripture Commentary: Have you taken up the cross of Jesus Christ?

Do you follow Him or are you on your own path? It can be hard in today’s world to hold onto Christ-like living but you need to trust in Jesus. He will give you all you need (not what you think you need).

Christ calls us to a higher mission than finding comfort and tranquility in this life.

When we take up the cross of Jesus, we are identifying with Him by living His way, by spreading the Word. The more we love this life’s rewards (leisure, power, popularity, financial security), the more we will discover how empty those things really are.

Therefore, the best way to enjoy life is to loosen our greedy grasp on earthly rewards so we can be free to follow Jesus. Take up His cross and feel the weight of the world be taken away.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew Chapter 10

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Matthew:

Do You Deny Jesus By Your Actions?

Come Unto Me, All Ye That Labour

Warning About Antichrists

Scripture: 1 John 2: 18-21

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit,[e] and all of you know the truth. 21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

Scripture Commentary:

John is talking about the last days: the time between Christ’s first and second coming. The first-century readers of first John lived in the last days and so do we. The antichrists of John’s day are also here today. They are the false teachers who pretend to be Christians and lure weak members away from Christ.

We do not need to fear these evil people. The Holy Spirit shows us their errors so we won’t be deceived. Remember, these false teachers are not total strangers to the church. They once had been in the church but they did not really belong to it. These people may go to church for social and business contacts or because it’s a long standing habit. But they have never stopped to ask themselves why they do it.

What is your main reason for being a Christian?

Unless it is a Christ-centered reason, you may not really belong.

Become personally acquainted with Jesus Christ. Ask Him to come into your life. Be truthful with Him.

He loved you before you knew Him. He has always loved you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

1 John Chapter 2

Read Other Commentary from 1 John:

Take My Yoke Upon You

Don’t Get Tangled Up In Sin Again

Scripture: 2 Peter 2: 20-21

And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. 

Scripture Commentary: As Christians we know Christ.

We study His words and try to live a life that is as close to His as we can. But we are human and easily get tangled up in our weakness. But we know Our Lord!

We know we can call on Christ in our need and not give in to our weakness.

When we gave ourselves to Christ to be His servants, we placed ourselves in His hands. We are to live a life as close to His as possible so others can see the Christ in us.

In these verses, Peter speaks of people who have learned about Christ but reject the truth and return to their old ways. These people are worse off than before because they rejected the only way out of sin. They rejected the way to salvation and are now truly lost in sin.

If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our own desires and become enslaved to what our bodies want. However, if we submit our lives to Christ, He will free us from slavery to sin.

Serve Christ and free yourself from all sin!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

2 Peter Chapter 2

Read Other Commentary from 2 Peter:

One Day Is as a Thousand Years

Be Willing to Accept Jesus Into Your Heart

Jesus’s Blood Confirms the Covenant

Sermon: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Part Two: The blood of the covenant is the blood of Jesus.

Matthew 26: 28 says, “for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

When The Bible speaks of the blood of Jesus, it refers to His death. No salvation would be accomplished merely by Jesus bleeding. His bleeding and death is what makes His blood shedding crucial.

What is the relationship between the shedding of Jesus’s blood and the resurrection?

The Bible says He was raised not just after the blood shedding, but by it. This means that what Jesus’s death accomplished was so full and so perfect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Jesus’s achievement in death.

The wrath of God was satisfied with the suffering and death of Christ. The holy curse against sin was fully absorbed. The obedience of Christ was completed to the fullest measure. The price of forgiveness was totally paid. The righteousness of God was completely vindicated.

All that was left to accomplish was the public declaration of God’s endorsement. He did this by raising Jesus from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15: 17 says, “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” This means that the resurrection of Christ proves that the death of Jesus is an all-sufficient price.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then His death would have been a failure. If God did not vindicate His sin-bearing achievement, then we are still in our sins. But Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. The success of His suffering and death was vindicated.

Romans 6:4 says, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

If we put our trust in Christ, we are not still in our sins.

By the blood of the eternal covenant the Great Shepherd has been raised and lives forever. That is what Christ came to do. He took the weapon of death our of Satan’s hand.

Christ took our sins on Himself.

He suffered for you and I and for all the human race. Satan has no hold on us! Only the death of the Son of God and the resurrection could destroy the one who had the power of death. When Christ died for our sins, He took from the devil his one lethal weapon: unforgiven sin.

Jesus has set us free! We are not slaves to death any longer. The devil may kill our body, but he can no longer kill our soul. It is safe in Christ.

Do you believe Christ died for your sins? Do you believe Christ rose from the grave?

Then stand and give Him the praise! Give Him your love and your life! He deserves the honor, praise and glory.

Thank you, God!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Matthew Chapter 26

1 Corinthians Chapter 15

Romans Chapter 6

Read Part One of the Sermon, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Mighty God, My Everlasting Father

Sermon: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

First we have the birth of Christ as foretold in Isaiah 9: 6 “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,[d] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.“

Then we heard about His death. Romans 5: 10 says, “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” 

And now we have the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13: 20 says , “Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep,  and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—”

Before Jesus, only the rabbi had access to the Father.

Before Jesus came to save us from sin, we would have had to go to a rabbi, priest or holy man to intercede for us to God. But God sent His Only Begotten Son to not only pay for our sins but also to give us direct access to God, the Father.

God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us.

This was a painful death. Jesus was beaten with whips, stripped of His clothes, and spit upon. Thorns were driven in His head as a crown. Then He had to carry His cross (the instrument) that was to be His death seat. When He got to the place of His execution, they hammered large nails into His hands and feet to hold Him into place on the cross.

Would you have sent your child to a death such as this, or to any kind of death? I know your answer is no! But God sent His Son to us, knowing that He had to die for us. God loves us that much!

Jesus died on the cross, and His body was taken down and placed in a tomb. The people and His followers leave, likely saying to themselves, “That’s it! Jesus is dead!”

This is the new beginning. This is why He came.

Christ’s death did not merely precede His resurrection. It was the price that obtained it. That’s why the Bible says in Hebrews 13:20, “Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep,  and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—”

The blood of the covenant is the blood of Jesus.

As He said in Matthew 26: 28, “for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah Chapter 9

Romans Chapter 5

Hebrews Chapter 13

Matthew Chapter 26

Read the sermon, The Prophecy of Jesus Christ, from The Gospel Mailman:

His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace

Do You Know the Way to Heaven?

Love Each Other As God Loves You

We invite you to return later this week for the conclusion of the sermon, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ