Revelation 2:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 2:3

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That is a beautiful word: they have carried, borne, burdens. You have accepted being very disadvantaged in society for my sake. Some of you have lost your property and your jobs and things like that because you would not go to the boss’s pagan feast and celebration.You have borne burdens in the care of the flock. Maybe a large proportion of the community of people lost their homes, and you have taken them in and you have looked after them, and stretched your own income to cover their needs. You have borne great burdens in evangelism and in labour. So Christ says to them, ‘And hast borne, and hast patience’ – the same word as before: perseverance and endurance. ‘And for my name’s sake hast laboured.’ We should not underestimate the sense of that. You did not do these things out of habit, or – since you are second generation Christians – because it is your family tradition. You did not do these things for self-notice. You did all these things for the honour and for the name of Christ. You never tired or become disillusioned. Year after year you carried on doing the same arduous things.

Application

What a commendation! If all those things could be said about us and about our church, wouldn’t it be wonderful? If we could constantly go to the Lord to renew our strength and keep us from losing our eternal perspective, how good that would be!

This patience is a patience that is prepared to wait not just until tomorrow or next week, but until the world to come. It is waits on God and knows that his time is best. To lose patience is to want our reward in this life, and not to wait for heaven’s reward. But the believer sees trials as unavoidable milestones along the path that leads to glory. ‘Passion seemed to be much discontented; but Patience was very quiet … Passion will have all now this year, that is to say, in this world; so are the men of this world: they must have all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year, that is, until the next world, for their portion of good’ (Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress).

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Revelation 2:3 Commentary and Bible Study