Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the looooooooong absence. The verse of the week is Revelation 3:17 which says, "Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked . . ."
Just 3 quick points about this verse . . .
First, you can see in the verse that people are genuinely deceived. In the text the people are saying "I am rich, wealthy and need nothing." The problem is they do not know they are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." They are mistaken because they lack knowledge. They honestly believe they are perfectly fine. They honestly believe they are okay. They honestly believe they have nothing to worry about. They honestly believe they have everything they need!
Second, you can see in the verse that people are genuinely deceived about their own spiritual condition. Clearly, this verse is not speaking about how much money one has in the bank. People can accurately assess their physical wealth. The verse is speaking about the spiritual condition of people in the world. Tragically, many people mistakenly believe their spiritual condition is much better than it actually is!
They do not know (or do not really believe) . . .
- Your righteousness is like a filthy rag. (Isaiah 64:6).
- The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. (Jer 17:9)
- There is not a righteous man on the earth (Ecc 7:20)
- There is no one who is righteous (Rom 3:10)
- The whole world is guilty before God (Rom 3:19)
Because people do not know/understand their true spiritual condition before God they walk through life really believing everything is fine and dandy! They honestly believe they are okay. They honestly believe they have nothing to worry about. They honestly believe they have everything they need. They do not know that they have a desperate need! They do not know they have a huge problem!
Third, a person who realizes his poor spiritual condition has a very good chance of getting saved. A person who realizes he is "poor and naked" will naturally look for some help! The good news is Christ offers us exactly what we need! Revelation 3:18 (the verse that immediately follows our verse for the week) pictures Jesus offering the poor/naked/blind person "gold, white garments, and eye salve." In others words, sinners (that's us) are in desperate need but Christ can meet our need! The good news the Bible has is that "Christ died for our sins." Because of his death our sins can be blotted out and we really can be okay!
In summary, it is important to realize that people are not being saved because they do not realize they have a huge problem! A person does not call 911 unless he realizes he has an emergency! As long as people believe they are "okay" they will continue walking down a path that leads to destruction. But, as soon as they see themselves as God sees them (wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked) there is a great chance they will turn to the crucified and resurrected Savior for hope! Desperate/poor/wretched sinners get saved! Rich/wealthy/good people do not!
I hope you have seen yourself as God sees you. I hope you have looked at God's law and understood that you have fallen way short. I hope you have also realized that wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked sinners can not save themselves! Finally, I hope you have seen Jesus as your hope and placed your faith in Him to save your sinful soul!
Pastor Ben.
P.S. I believe Revelation 3:17 can help us understand the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God" (Matt 5:3). Every child of God has seen and acknowledged that he is a poor,wretched, miserable, sinner! Then, he has turned to Christ and gained eternal life!
