IWe have come to the end of another year. It seems like they just come and go at great speed, don’t they? I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with your family and friends. 

As we come to the end of 2018, there is a tendency for us to reflect on the previous year and look forward to the one that lies ahead. We may not know what 2019 has in store for each of us, but we can look back over 2018 and evaluate what has taken place. In doing this, we can burst into the new year on the right foot.

When someone evaluates something in his or her life/business/family, they ask certain questions to see where they stand. I would like to look at 7 Questions that we gather from the New Testament book of Revelation to help us evaluate our 2018.

The second and third chapters of Revelation are actually letters that Jesus had the apostle John write from his imprisonment on the island of Patmos. These were 7 churches in the area of Asia Minor in the first century. These 7 churches are much like many that we find across the globe today. 

• Question from Ephesus = Have you lost your first love? (Revelation 2:4)

Ephesus was one of the largest and most powerful cities in the Roman Empire. A church was started there by Priscilla and Aquila around A.D. 52. Paul would use this place as a home base in the region for his missionary work. He spent more time here than any other place that he would minister.

The Church at Ephesus was one that was doing a lot of things. Jesus would commend their “works, labor, endurance, and intolerance of evil people.” While this was a good thing, they had forsaken the most important: their love for God.

Jesus calls them to return to their “first love.” We can be busy doing many things for God and be completely separated from God. As we look back over 2018, can it be said that we were busy for God but that we have not truly loved Him? Do we do what we do out of our love for God or is it because we are just supposed to do those things? 

We must be careful that everything that we say or do is done as at overflow of our relationship to God. Jesus warned that just because we do things for God does not mean that we actually know Him.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to the, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!”

Matthew 7:21-23 CSB

• Question from Smyrna = Have you suffered? (Revelation 2:10)

The Church at Smyrna was one that was set in a place of hostility. There were many who were slandering and persecuting the believers in this area. Jesus commended them for their stance in the midst of suffering and encouraged them to continue.

Have you had to walk through suffering in 2018? This past year may have held some painful times for you. I would want to remind you that the reason that you are standing here at the end of this year is because Jesus has seen you and walked with you through the suffering. 

There may be days of suffering ahead in 2019 for you, but you can rest assured that no matter what the new year brings, Jesus is able and willing to carry you through those times. He will not leave you nor forsake you. 

• Question from Pergamum = Have you listened to falsehoods? (Revelation 2:14-16)

In the Church at Pergamum, we see that there were some who had begun to hold to some false teachings that were floating around their area. Jesus calls for these people to repent of this and turn back to truth.

We are surrounded by many thoughts and teachings in our age of information. There has never been a time like today where one could find an answer to just about any question that they may have. Just because there is an answer, it does not mean that the answer is truth.

As you look back over 2018, do you see things that you have listened to that do not line up with the truth of God’s word? There may have been “wisdom” that you have been given that sounded good, but it does not line up with the truth of God’s word. If we see these things in our lives, we need to confess and repent of them so that they do not lead us astray from what God desires in 2019. 

This would be a good time to renew our commitment to studying God’s word so that we know rightly what His truth – the only truth – really is.

• Question from Thyatira = Have you tolerated sin? (Revelation 2:20)

With the Church at Thyatira, Jesus commends them for their love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. He even mentions how their latter works were greater than those they did at the beginning. But in verse 20, Jesus shows them that they have grown to tolerate sin in the camp. 

As we have come through 2018, have we tolerated sin in our lives? Have we simply shrugged it off to something like “that’s just the way things are”? 

We cannot afford to tolerate sin in our personal lives, families, or church. Remember what happened when sin was tolerated in the Israelite camp in Joshua’s day? It kept them from experiencing victory in the things God had for them to do. It will do the same in our lives, families, and church as well. 

If you know of sin that you have tolerated this year, now would be a good time to bring it to the altar of God, confess it and turn away from it. You will not see victory in 2019 if you allow it to stay.

• Question from Sardis = Have you truly lived your faith? (Revelation 3:1)

The Church at Sardis had a good reputation. It had a reputation of being alive. Sadly, Jesus said that their reputation was not reality. They had things going, but true life was not one of them. 

We may have built a reputation for ourselves that says that we are alive and following Christ. This comes from walking with Him daily. We can be tempted to coast on what God has done in the past and not pursue Him daily. It is vital that we not let this happen. 

When we share about the great things God has done, do those things come from recent past or way back? We may say that we are walking with God daily, but what evidence is there of His work in recent days? 

• Question from Philadelphia = Have you endured? (Revelation 3:10)

When you look back over 2018, do you see endurance? Jesus commended the Church at Philadelphia for enduring what they were going through and promised that He would protect them through whatever would come. The great thing is that that promise holds true today for every person whose faith is in Jesus.

You may be tempted to throw in the towel on certain areas of your life, but don’t do it! Jesus reminded the Church at Philadelphia that He opens doors that no one can close. There may be things that are trying to slam the door on you, but know that if Christ has opened that door, then He is the One who will hold it open for you to go through!

• Question from Laodicea = Have you been lukewarm? (Revelation 3:15-16)

The letter to the Church at Laodicea is probably the most famous of them all. In this letter, Jesus calls out the church for being lukewarm. They were neither hot nor cold. They were simply coasting along. They didn’t want to rock the boat. Jesus warned that if they continued, then they would be cast out. This does not mean they would lose their salvation, but they would lose their place and ministry.

When we look back over 2018, do we see lukewarmness creeping up in our lives? Are we tempted to just “go with the flow”? We cannot let this happen. As the church, we have been called by God to be His messengers to our particular area and the world. 

Lukewarmness does no one any good. Have you ever seen Starbucks advertise lukewarm coffee? NO!!! It would never sell. The only thing lukewarmness is good for is throwing out. I don’t want to be thrown out, and I hope you do not either. 

Jesus wants to use us to be warmth to those who are facing the coldness of this world, or a refreshing cold drink to those who are parched from the dryness of this world. When we are neither, we are not useful to His Kingdom and there is no reason to keep us around. Sadly, many churches have lost their effectiveness because they didn’t want to rock the boat. That is why they are no longer around. 

Conclusion

Evaluation is a very good thing. It shows us what we are doing well and what we need to improve on. Whatever 2018 was for you, it is gone. There is nothing more that you can do for 2018. 

2019 can be a different story though. May we hear the words of Christ to the churches and answer the questions set before us honestly. In doing so, we can see 2019 be a truly great year.