Latest / The TakeAway / revelation 3:14-21 Laodicea, the lukewarm church

Transcript

revelation 3:14-21 Laodicea, the lukewarm church · The TakeAway

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, and welcome to the Takeaway, where we teach through the Bible, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, to help you understand God's Word so that you can have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome again to the Takeaway.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Pastor Harry Burns, and on today's episode, we'll be looking at Revelation chapter 3, verses 14 to 21, the Church of Laodicea, the lukewarm church.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: The last three churches of the seven show us what a cold, hot, and lukewarm church all look like.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: In our last two episodes, we looked at Sardis, the cold or dead church, and Philadelphia, the hot church, because Jesus didn't have anything bad to say about them.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll be looking at the lukewarm church.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: As we will see, this is a church you absolutely do not want to find yourself in, nor do we want to be lukewarm ourselves.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, we live in a very lukewarm culture when it comes to faith.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: My hope is that as we read about this lukewarm church, we can learn something from Jesus and how to either prevent ourselves from being lukewarm or how to get a fire in our hearts for the Lord Jesus.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And before we get started, I want to remind you again that there is a pattern that repeats in the letters to the seven churches that we need to see and to understand.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: To each church, Jesus identifies himself with the characteristic of himself that best fits their current situation.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: This is a reminder to us also that he meets us where we are.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Second, he encourages them in their good works.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Third, he points out their bad works and calls them to turn back or repent of them.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, he tells them what their judgment will be if they don't repent.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, he tells them what the reward will be if they endure till the end.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: This is God's promise to us also.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: To every single church and believer, Jesus meets us where we are and offers promise to us if we endure.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: However, as we will see, not every church is doing something bad, not every church is doing something good, and some are doing both good and bad.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to learn from these churches so that we can stay on the straight and narrow path, so that we can enter into God's promises and receive the reward He has for us.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get started, we need to understand something about Laodicea.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: They were a main trade route through Asia Minor, making Laodicea the site of a major crossroads.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: It resulted in the city becoming one of the richest in the area by the first century BC.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And due to the exchange of goods, banking, profitable black wool trade, an innovative medical school, and a shrine to the god Mean, Laodicea profited and became one of the most prominent cities in the Asia province during the Roman period and was designated as a free city, allowing a measure of independence similar to the Decapolis uh Decapilos.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's easy to see right off the bat that this city resembles a lot of what it looks like right here in America.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: We are without a doubt one of the richest nations in the world.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: We as individuals live as kings compared to the majority of people in other nations, or who have ever lived for that matter.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the poor, even the poor among us have access to medical care and food.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: We truly don't know what poverty is in our culture today.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's all the resources and opportunities around us that put us in danger of being lukewarm.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Laodicea had it all going on.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: The people were living fat and happy compared to the rest of the world around them.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: It was in that culture that they either lost sight or never had it to begin with.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: We need to be careful that we don't become like this.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get started.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: In verse 14 of Revelation chapter 3, we read, and to the angel of the church of Laodicea write, The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Would that you were either cold or hot?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitable, poor, blind, and naked.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and solve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus would have preferred that they would have been cold or hot.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Being of one extreme or another indicates movement that just needs to be redirected.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: However, lukewarm is something like room temperature.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's stagnant.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you're a coffee drinker, you can understand this.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: We drink coffee hot or cold, but who drinks it lukewarm or at room temperature?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's just nasty.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: If if you have ever sipped and uh sipped on lukewarm coffee, you've probably spit it right back out, uh, fast and furious.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in some translation, the word vomit is used instead of spit uh to indicate the disgust Jesus had with this church.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: It was disgusting to him and he couldn't pallet them, so he vomited them out.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: The reason for their lukewarmness was because they were full of themselves.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Excuse me, they were full of themselves, thinking they had it all together because everything was good.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: I vote uh I visited a church this one time and asked the pastor there if there was something my family could do to help uh the needy amongst them.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: His reply to me was that there wasn't anyone in need there.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you something.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: My wife and I have been around, and there isn't a church out there we haven't found someone in need there.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is a sign of lukewarmness.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't necessarily mean they are lukewarm.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: However, it is an indication they are at least in danger of it.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: My friends, let me tell you something.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you can't find someone in need, you aren't looking.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Even the best stressed people around us have needs.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: They might not be aware of it, but Jesus sure is.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you are plugged into your relationship with him, I guarantee you he will point them out to you.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: The question is, what's your response?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: You see, the lukewarm church isn't even looking.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not wanting to be bothered for with looking for someone in need to share the love of Jesus with, then you, my friend, you very well may be lukewarm.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now in verse 18, Jesus counsels them too, by uh he counsels them to buy from him.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, this is clearly a spiritual gold and garments.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Back in Genesis, we see Adam and Eve realizing they are naked after they sinned.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: They were no longer clothed in spiritual garments and needed to be clothed in worldly ones.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Spiritual garments are only worn by those without sin.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's only through the blood of Christ that we could be considered righteous, because his perfect blood covers us.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: And in verse 19, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: So be zealous and repent.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Even this church, because they have professed the name of Jesus, he still loves them.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: He wants nothing more than for them to repent and receive the blessing he has for them.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: If he didn't love them, he won't even bother to tell them what they're doing wrong, so that they would know clearly what to turn from.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you fall into this category of people, no uh you also know um, excuse me, now you also know what you need to turn from if you fall into this category.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: You are you are without excuse and you will be held accountable for your response or lack thereof.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um in verse 20, behold, I stand at the door and knock.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: When did you realize Jesus knocking on the door of your life?
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Consider this.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus knocks at the door of all of our lives, and he wants us to open it to him.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you don't understand what it means to open the door of your heart.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you think your heart is open.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here is a test for you.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 13.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: You will seek me and find me.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And when you seek me with all your heart, do you seek him, or are you just waiting around for God to do something?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: The key is to seek him out.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: He promises if you do, you will find him.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's in that seeking that we find the door of our heart and open it.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: You see, without the seeking, we are just sitting in a dark room with no light whatsoever.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: We can't identify we cannot identify the location of the door because we aren't looking.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus knocks, we hear, therefore, we seek out to find where the knock is coming from.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: As we crawl, crawl around in that dark room of our hearts, we reach up towards the knock, and behold, we find the knob and turn.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: There stands Jesus waiting for us.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: He is in the light, and we are in the darkness, seeking out the knocking on your heart today.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And um, seek out the knocking on your heart today, and he promises you will find him if you don't give up.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on the throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Look at what Peter says about this in 2 Peter chapter 1, starting at verse 3.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers, partakers.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: We have to partake of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: For if you practice these qualities, you will never fail.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: You never fall.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, for in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: To sit on the throne with God is an awesome thing.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Go home and read this multiple times this week.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is one of the most profound mysteries in all of Scripture.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: We aren't just saved from hellfire.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: We are given the right to sit on the throne with Jesus.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Please let that sink in today.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is one of the most profound messages that you could possibly hear and possibly understand.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's so important that you go back, play this again, take that scripture and read it and read it and read it until it just sets in and you understand it.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Let me pray for you today.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Father, we thank you so much for your message.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: We thank you of the message to the seven churches for the full characteristic of who you are, Jesus, that you meet us in every aspect of life, that you warn us of the dangers of the things that we're walking into or the things that we are walking in already.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: You call us to repent.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: You encourage us in the good works that we are doing.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And you provide promise, Jesus, for us to enter into your glory, into the kingdom of heaven.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: You give us the rewards that we don't deserve.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: For that I am forever grateful.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: I pray that you would be with our listeners today, Jesus, that you would tug on their hearts, that you would continue to knock on that door, knock on it so loudly, Lord Jesus, that they know exactly what direction to run into, that they know how to reach up and grab that knob of that door that's in their heart and open it to allow the light that you shine into that dark room of their heart, that you would transform their lives forevermore, and that they would be an effective witness to the work that you do in their lives to this world, to bring life-transforming life to people, Jesus.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for that saving grace that you bring us and the work that you do.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: I pray this in your precious name.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in our next episode, we will be moving on to chapters four and five and getting an inside look at heaven and the throne room of God.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: What an awesome privilege it is to be given this.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: We take this for granted, but this is where we will be spending eternity.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Don't you want to know about your permanent home?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know I do.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, today's episode was a blessing for you.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening, and we will see you next time on the takeaway.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: God bless.