And now, for one of those moments between a pastor and his congregation that will be forever immortalized.
Goat cheese makes me gag.
Goat cheese crumbles on a salad.
Gag.
Goat cheese melted on a pizza.
Gag.
I heard that.
I'm ignoring it.
Goat cheese smeared on a bagel.
Gag.
Goat cheese is revolting to me.
Now, I know some of you may be thinking right now, you're like, oh, the poor pastor.
Let's have him over and we'll try to sneak some goat cheese in on him.
I'll tell you what.
I have this finely tuned goat cheese radar.
I can pick it up 300 yards away.
There's no getting it by me.
Well, that's what makes me gag.
What makes you gag?
And is it possible to make our Lord and Savior Jesus gag?
And the answer to that question is yes.
This morning, we're going to see the gag reflex of our risen, radiant, and reigning Lord.
He is going to vomit this church out of his mouth.
He makes him want to gag.
This church of Laodicea.
Something triggers his gag reflex.
It's a lukewarm, complacent church.
A good-for-nothing church makes the risen, radiant, and reigning Jesus nauseous.
What is complacency?
Well, complacency is like Ebenezer Scrooge before he was transformed.
It's this smug self-satisfaction that thinks all is well when all is not well.
Let your eyes fall in the middle of verse 17 in which Jesus quotes someone in this church saying,
I need nothing.
Complacency.
Smug satisfaction.
For a Christian to say, I need nothing, is a contradiction.
And it's revolting to Jesus.
It makes him want to gag.
This letter isn't just a criticism of a complacent church.
It is that.
And it would do us well to have ears to hear.
But this letter, it also offers the cure to a complacent church.
And that cure is knocking on their door.
For the last several weeks, we've been making our way through the book of Revelation.
And the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
Jesus, the risen one, had appeared to John on the island of Patmos, who was there because he was exiled for witnessing to Jesus.
And Jesus appears to him and has him dictate seven letters to these seven churches in what's now present-day Turkey.
And he tells them to write these words down and then distribute them all to the seven churches so that all these churches can hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
And what we know is that each of the compromise that's tempting them is lukewarmness, complacency.
So what is Jesus going to say to this complacent, lukewarm church?
This church that's indifferent to him, that's ignoring him, that's functionally put him out of the church.
What's he going to say to them?
I believe the chief threat to our church today is this threat, complacency.
That we've got it all together.
That all is well when not all is well.
That somehow we begin to blend in, shrink back, shut up, and become indistinguishable from the non-believing culture around us.
That's our biggest threat that we face.
And Jesus, we're going to see him not only gag, we're going to see him grace.
The way we keep Jesus from gagging is to throw open the door of complete surrender.
It's the only way to respond to his grace.
There are seven features to this particular letter to Laodicea.
We've seen them in the other letters.
It's a similar structure.
There's a little bit of difference here.
I want to bring us through each feature starts with C.
So let's start with feature number one, the church in Laodicea.
This church that's gagging the risen, radiant, and reigning Christ.
Let me give you a little history.
Maybe you don't know this.
In the book of Colossians, Paul wrote that in 62 AD.
In at least four places in that book, Paul references the church in Laodicea.
Chapter 2, verse 1.
Chapter 4, verse 13, 15, and 16.
In fact, the letter to the Colossians, they were to read, and then they were going to send
that letter 10 miles to Laodicea.
And the letter that Paul wrote to Laodicea, they were to send back 10 miles to Colossians
for them to read.
We don't have that letter to Laodicea, though.
Makes you wonder what Paul wrote to them, doesn't it?
All this to say, by the time that Jesus is dictating this letter to John to give to these Laodiceans,
it's 34 years later.
Roughly one generation.
One generation to become complacent.
To become lukewarm.
What happened?
Well, in large part, what happened has to do with the city that it's in.
Laodicea was in a river valley, but the water was awful.
It was terrible water for them to drink.
In fact, there is still this stone pipeline coming into Laodicea today, in which they pumped
water in.
But Laodicea was even in this fertile valley with lousy water, they were on this crossroads
of these trade routes.
And so this city was a banking juggernaut.
It was a banking center.
Very rich.
A lot of gold.
More gold here than any other city know what to do with.
In fact, just to give you a sample of it, in 60 AD, there was this earthquake in the
region, and it basically raised Laodicea, as well as some of the other cities around it.
But Rome comes in and says, Laodicea, how can we help?
We can fund it.
We can help you rebuild it.
And Laodicea said, nah, we can self-fund it.
We can self-build it.
This city was loaded.
People were coming from all around to do their banking in Laodicea.
It was a banking center.
And they were finding their security in the amount of gold that they had.
But this is just not a banking center.
This was a fashion center.
They were producing some pretty, lovely clothing.
And this fertile river valley that they were in, they raised sheep in.
And these sheep produced a fine, glossy, black wool that was world-renowned.
And so if you're living in Laodicea today, or you're, let's say, in Ephesus, and someone
walks up in this really nice kind of black, glossy wool outfit, and you're kind of like,
where's that from?
I mean, get the tag on it?
It says, made in Laodicea.
You're like, ooh.
It's like made in Paris.
Made in New York.
Not made in Kenosha.
It was status.
A lot of self-style going on here.
They were finding identity in this textile industry.
They were known for it.
It was a lovely wool.
It's just not a fashion center.
It was a medical center, too.
They had a medical college in Laodicea at the time.
And they specialized in ophthalmology.
They were helping people see better.
They were producing this eye salve, this eye gauze with phrygian powder that was used to
help people see better.
They were self-healers.
Man, this banking center, and so there was security of gold.
It was a fashion center, so they had this sense of identity and style and status.
And it was a medical center.
They could set their hope on what medicine could avail itself to.
Abundance.
Affluence.
It's ripe to be self-sufficient.
To think that we've done all this.
I don't know about you, but is this starting to sound a little familiar?
Of all the cities, Laodicea is most like American culture.
High values on wealth.
High values on clothing.
High values on health.
And a high value on self-sufficiency.
Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
Get her done.
Every city posed a unique compromise to the church living there.
And Laodicea was posing a temptation to compromise along the lines of complacency.
Finding your security in gold.
Finding your status in what you wear.
Finding your, putting your hope in what some kind of medicine offers.
Those are all good things in their own.
But when they become ultimate things, they're taking the place of someone else.
This is why throughout these letters, we see Jesus repeatedly calling these churches to overcome.
To conquer.
To overcome the temptations to compromise.
Because ultimately, compromising means putting Jesus on the outside.
And it makes him want to gag.
This is the church.
Now let's look at the Christ.
The second feature.
And Jesus has something specific he wants to say.
And he wants to make sure this church knows who's saying it.
So we read in 3.14.
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the words of the amen.
Can I have an amen?
The words of the amen.
The faithful and true witness.
The beginning of God's creation.
He is the amen.
Now when you hear the words amen, you're probably thinking,
well I say that when I'm done praying.
Amen.
And you know what you're saying?
You're saying, make that true.
May it be.
So be it.
Jesus would use this word not at the end of a sentence,
so much as at the beginning of a sentence,
when he'd say something like this.
Truly, truly, I say to you.
Amen, amen, I say to you.
Verily, verily, I say unto you.
Truly, truly.
Amen, amen, I say to you.
What he's saying is, this is the truth.
And so when Jesus says, these are the words of the amen,
he's saying, these are the words of the final word.
The last word.
The true word.
And then he goes on to say that these are the words of the faithful and true witness.
He's used that in 1-5 and he will use it again in 1911.
But he's the ace witness.
The witness that you call in and you have complete trust in.
He is, words are faithful, reliable, they're true, they're accurate.
What he has to say is the definitive statement on it.
He is the ace witness.
That's why Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7,
when he teaches the Sermon on the Mount,
he says, as anybody hears my words,
and he builds his life upon my words,
it's like a guy who builds his house on the rock.
Reliable, accurate, true.
He is the amen.
He is the ace witness speaking to a situation.
And he's the beginning of God's creation.
The Greek word is the word arche.
A-R-C-H-E with a little thing over the E.
Arche.
We see this word shown up in Colossians chapter 1 verse 18
where Paul writing to the Colossians says that Jesus is the beginning.
And when you hear those words,
the beginning of God's creation,
you may be thinking, first in a sequence.
But that's not what it really means.
What this arche of God's creation is,
it's the fountainhead of creation.
The source of all that follows after it.
And so, understanding it that way,
do you know what Jesus is really saying here?
I am the creator of God's creation.
It's what Paul says in Colossians 1 verse 17,
all things were created through him, Jesus,
and for him, Jesus.
And the Laodiceans would have had that in print
in their place of worship.
They had gotten that letter.
Here's why this is so significant.
Jesus, as the arche of God's creation,
the source of it all,
he's the all-sufficient one.
He's got everything that they need.
And so, when they say,
I need nothing,
it makes Jesus gag.
I'm the arche of God's creation.
How can you say that?
So, this is the one speaking to this church.
The amen, the ace witness,
the arche of God's creation.
And he makes a claim,
the third feature,
claim.
It's in verse 15.
I know your works.
He's virtually said the same thing
to every one of the six churches
up until this point.
He's,
chapter 2 verse 2,
chapter 2 verse 9,
chapter 2 verse 13,
chapter 2 verse 19,
chapter 3 verse 1,
chapter 3 verse 8,
and here in 315,
I know your works.
I know what's going on.
I see everything.
My fire eyes see everything.
I know you.
I know your city.
I know the pressures to conform
and compromise
that you are facing right now.
He knows it all.
And he also knows
what it's like
to be tempted to compromise.
Matthew chapter 4,
Satan tempts Jesus
three times to compromise.
In Gethsemane,
Jesus prays
and is faithful
to God's call
to die for his people
on the cross
and not compromise.
Jesus knows.
He knows what they're facing
and he knows what it's like
to be tempted to compromise.
He knows that this church,
he knows it is compromising.
He knows that this church
has been making one compromise
after the next
for the last three decades
and drifting into a comfortable
complacency of cluelessness.
He knows.
it's a good thing that he knows.
He knows.
Our Lord, risen, radiant, and reigning
is on the lookout for his church.
He knows.
He's the amen.
He's the ace witness.
He's the archae of creation.
He knows the Laodiceans' works.
They make him want to gag.
And he knows our works.
That's the claim.
Now, let's turn to the critique.
I certainly don't want to make
Jesus gag, do you?
No.
Let's see what he has to say
in this critique,
this rebuke.
And this rebuke
takes up the most
of this passage,
verses 15, 16, and 17.
And in this,
I want you to see
his critique
covering three things.
He addresses
the nauseating condition
of this church.
And then he goes
from there
and he talks
about the notorious
cause
of that condition.
And then,
if that's not enough,
he addresses this
not-so-obvious
complication
to the condition.
Bear with me.
Let's start off with
the nauseating condition
of this church.
We read in verse 15,
I know your works,
you are neither cold
nor hot.
Would that you were
either cold or hot.
So because you are
lukewarm
and neither hot
nor cold,
I will spit you
out of my mouth.
Did you notice
three times
Jesus uses explicitly
hot, cold language?
Did you notice that?
He's making a point.
He's appealing
to something
that all of these
Christians in Laodicea
would have been able
to relate with.
Hierapolis was a city
six miles away.
They had these hot springs
and they were very helpful
medicinally.
And so here was a use
for hot water
that got something
good done.
And then in Colossians,
Colossi,
about ten miles away
the other direction,
there was this
cold mountain
river water
that would come out
cold and clean.
And that cold water
had a function
in that city.
It was good.
It was useful.
But in Laodicea,
they had
petrid,
putrid,
lukewarm water
that was of no use.
And so when Jesus says,
hey,
you're either,
neither hot nor cold,
what he's saying is,
I've got no use for you.
water.
You're useless.
This metaphor
of temperature
related to water
is a metaphor
of usefulness.
And so when he says,
with that you were
either cold or hot,
he's saying,
I wish I could do
something with you.
But you're good for nothing.
You're finding your security
in gold.
You are finding
your worth
in your style.
You're putting your hope
in this medicine
or things like that.
You're blending in.
You're shrinking back.
You're shutting up.
You're adrift.
Good for nothing.
These Christians
in Laodicea,
they were spiritually
indifferent to Jesus.
They were spiritually
complacent regarding Jesus.
They were lazy
about Jesus.
And Jesus
knows their works
and it makes him
want to gag.
Did you see that
in verse 16?
So because you are lukewarm,
good for nothing,
neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you
out of my mouth.
What a picture.
Literally,
to vomit you out.
Whatever is the cause
of this
is revolting to Jesus.
The lukewarmness
is symptomatic
of a deeper rooted issue.
And so we've looked
at the nauseating condition
of lukewarmness,
this complacency
that has come from
just blending
into the culture.
Now let's look
at the notorious cause
in verse 17.
This is all part
of his critique.
Jesus says,
for you say,
that word for
is important.
You're lukewarm
because of this.
for you say,
quote,
I am rich.
I have prospered.
I need nothing.
Now,
is being rich wrong?
No.
1 Timothy 6 says,
it's the love of money
that is the root
of all evil.
It looks like
they were loving money
a little too much.
They're trying to find
their security
in their bank account.
They were saying,
I have prospered.
The idea behind that is,
hey,
I've seen some measure
of success.
In the Laodiceans' eyes,
I've kind of arrived.
You should see my resume.
And did you notice
all the I's?
I am rich.
I have prospered.
I need nothing.
If there was a flag
to be flying
over the church
of Laodicea,
it wouldn't be,
Jesus is everything.
It would be,
I need nothing.
The motto
of the self-sufficient.
It is a manifestation
of pride.
I don't need anything.
I've got it all covered.
And Jesus finds it
nauseating.
Because the archa
of God's creation
has everything
they truly need.
We go on to read
in verse 17.
You say,
I'm rich,
I've prospered,
and I need nothing,
not realizing
that you are wretched,
pitiable,
poor,
blind,
and naked.
And here's the rebuke.
Here's where it comes
in strong.
You think you're this,
not realizing
you're really this.
And what he describes
is a contradiction.
They think
that they
have arrived.
But Jesus is saying,
you're not even close.
That word wretched,
it's better to paint
a picture of it.
Imagine downtown
Chicago,
the magnificent mile,
and you see all
the wealth
and the lights
and the classy people
wearing really nice clothes
and people seem
to be pictures
of health.
That's who they
thought they were.
And what Jesus
is saying,
you're not downtown
Chicago,
you're Aleppo,
Syria.
Have you seen
pictures of Aleppo,
Syria?
these tan,
sand-colored
apartment buildings,
multi-stories high,
bombed out,
windows burst,
rebar all over the place,
piles of rubber
stacked,
rubble stacked everywhere,
plundered,
desolate,
ruined,
that's wretched.
Jesus is saying,
you're nowhere close.
You are in great need.
need.
And the Laodiceans
were thinking that,
hey, we've arrived,
we're impressive,
we need nothing.
And Jesus is like,
no,
you're wretched
and pitiful.
You need help.
You're in great need.
And then Jesus
goes on to say
three things.
You're poor,
you're blind,
you're naked.
You're not rich,
you're poor.
And he's not talking
about jingle money,
he's talking about
in God's economy,
they are spiritually,
seriously in deficit.
And they're not prospering,
they're blind,
they don't see.
They're not seeing the world
as God sees the world.
They don't have the
spiritual sight
with which they must be seeing.
They're blind.
They don't see
what's going on.
And they're naked.
Before God,
Coram Deo,
they are completely
exposed before Him.
Shameful nakedness.
They're not well dressed.
They're exposed.
The difference is
what the world thinks
versus what God thinks.
God's perspective.
And Jesus has given
both barrels.
What He's saying is,
you're a living contradiction.
It's making me sick.
Remember John 15, 5?
Matt alluded to it
in his prayer.
Jesus says,
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
He who abides in me
and I in him,
he will bear much fruit.
But apart from me,
you can do nothing.
And these Christians
in Laodicea
had pulled up the flag,
I need nothing.
They thought that apart from Him,
they could do everything.
It's not true.
So Jesus is pointing out
this contradiction
that He can see,
but they seemingly
cannot see.
The notorious cause
of their lukewarmness
is their self-sufficiency.
It's their pride.
It's thinking that there's something
when they're not.
And we know that God
opposes the proud.
Nobody gives grace
to the humble.
There's a not so obvious
complication to this
condition.
Jesus points it out,
says it,
for you say,
I am rich,
I have prospered,
I need nothing,
not realizing
that you are wretched,
pitiful,
pitiable,
poor,
blind,
and naked.
You see,
this condition
of spiritual complacency
in a church,
do you know what it does?
It's like glaucoma.
You can't see it.
You can't see it
when you're in the midst of it.
You don't recognize
the condition
that you're in.
One of the greatest challenges
that I can face
pastorally
is trying to help people
see things
that they don't have
eyes to see.
See?
This is the critique.
It's a nauseating condition.
It's a notorious cause,
self-sufficiency,
and it's a not so obvious
complication.
They can't see it themselves.
That's why Jesus
is pointing it out.
So they've compromised.
They've blended in.
They've shut up.
They're not talking
anything about Jesus
to anybody.
They're indiscriminate
or indistinguishable
from the culture
that they were in.
And Jesus
criticizes them for it.
He rebukes them.
But He doesn't stay there.
This criticism
moves to
correction
in verse 18.
This is the fifth C.
and it's a corrective
counsel.
He's so classy.
Jesus is so
classy.
He says to them,
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 yourselves
and the shame
of your nakedness
may not be seen,
and salve to anoint
your eyes
so that you may see.
The key words
that you need to see
out of the gate
in verse 18
is from me.
I counsel you
to buy from me.
It's diametrically
opposed to the three
eyes of verse 17.
I am rich.
I have prospered.
I need nothing.
Jesus is saying,
no, no, no, no, no.
You need,
you need something,
and you need to get it
from me.
What he offers,
we can't produce ourselves.
Only he can.
And there's three items
that he says
we need to purchase for him.
And by the way,
the buy language,
he's just riffing off
the Laodicean culture.
He's like,
hey, you know what?
You've been buying over here.
Stop it.
Buy from me now.
I've got what you need.
The first one is
buy from me gold
refined by fire.
You're poor.
I've got the gold.
And he's not talking
about the gold
on the periodic table
of the elements.
He's talking about
a different kind of gold
that is extremely valuable
in God's economy.
If you flip over
to 1 Peter,
you'll see it.
1 Peter chapter 1,
verses 6 and 7,
we read this.
In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while,
if necessary,
you've been grieved
by various trials.
Verse 7,
so that the tested
genuineness of your faith,
more precious
than gold
that perishes,
though it's tested by fire,
may be found to result
in praise and glory
and honor
at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.
What is this gold
that Jesus is offering
refined by fire?
It is a witness.
It is a faith.
It is a steadfast,
overcoming,
proven faith in Jesus
that gives you the guts
to speak of him
even if it makes you poor.
Flip over to Revelation chapter 2,
verse 9,
to the church in Smyrna.
I know your tribulation
and your poverty,
but you are rich.
Spiritually rich.
They had faith
that had been proven
through suffering,
and it's cost them.
It's cost them wealth,
and Jesus is saying,
oh, you're rich in my eyes
to those in Smyrna,
and ironically,
he's saying to those
in Laodicea,
you may be loaded
with gold,
AU,
on the periodic table,
but you are poor
in my economy.
You see,
the Laodicean banks
couldn't offer
these Christians
what only Jesus can.
He said,
buy it from me.
The second item
Jesus wants to sell us
to give us
is white garments.
In Revelation,
white garments
are connected
to holy living,
and they're given
to God's own.
And what makes them
white
is that in chapter 7,
verse 10,
is that they are
washed white
in the blood
of the Lamb.
these white garments,
these are what
cover a sinner
in the eyes of God.
It forgives
all of our sin.
These are the very
white,
righteous garments
of Jesus himself.
By the way,
this is the clothing
of the citizen
of the New Jerusalem.
Jesus has it.
It's not going to come
from the Laodicean
wool industry.
It's not about
being made
in Laodicea.
It's being washed
white by Jesus.
It's being given
His righteousness.
They were naked.
He's got clothing.
They were poor.
He's got the gold.
And they were blind.
And He's got
the eye salve,
the gauze,
to anoint their eyes
so that they could see.
See what?
Not the stock market.
Not the Dow Jones
in Laodicea.
To see the conflict
raging all around them.
To see as God sees.
To see as Revelation
shows us.
The whole book.
God pulling back
the curtain
and allowing us
to see
the spiritual conflict
that is raging
all around us.
Jesus has
the gauze
to give us
eyes to behold
as things
are really,
truly.
It gives us eyes
to see through
the world's
false security
in its riches.
It gives us eyes
to see through
the world's
false sense
of status
in success
and style.
It helps us
to see through
the world's
false hopes
in things
that can never
truly
heal us
permanently.
Jesus says,
buy these things
for me.
He counsels us
to buy these things
from him.
It's like he's a salesman
in saying,
I've got
things for you
that will blow
your categories.
But here's the deal.
Who can buy them?
Who's got
what it takes
in their account
to buy
the gold
that Jesus
is offering,
the garments
that Jesus
is offering,
the gauze
that Jesus
is offering?
Who can buy
those things?
None of us
can.
And that's the point.
It's all by grace.
It's all by
his kindness.
He offers
to you
gold
refined
in the fire.
He offers
to you
white garments
and a healing
gauze
for you
to truly see
and it's
all by his grace.
He himself
has already
bought it
by his blood
and now offers
it to us all.
You see?
It's only
him
that can
offer
us
these things.
Laodicea
doesn't offer it
and America
doesn't offer it
either.
You see?
There's more
to this
counsel.
In verse 19
Jesus
wants to make
very clear
that we
understand
that that
church
and our
church
understand
his
motive
for
rebuking
them
and
correcting
them.
You see
that in
verse 19?
He says
this.
Those whom
I love
I reprove
and discipline
so be
zealous
and repent.
Those whom
I love
I reprove
and discipline
so be
zealous
and repent.
This
is all
love
for his
church.
This is
Jesus
loving
his
church.
He's
saying
you've
bought
a false
bill
of
goods
now
you
come
and
buy
these
things
from
me.
This
is
what
you
truly
need.
Repent
turn
from
your
self
sufficiency
turn
from
all
these
false
promises
and
shifting
sands
of
culture
and
come
be
zealous
for
me
be
passionate
for
me
receive
what
I
have
to
give.
He
hasn't
given
up
on
this
church.
He's
on the
verge
of
spitting
them
out
but
he
hasn't
given
up
on
them.
I
love
you.
The
tone
of
this
is
strong
but
it's
strong
love.
That's
the
corrective.
Buy
from
me.
I
love
you.
Which
brings
us
to
the
sixth
feature
the
cure.
Verse
20.
The
cure
is
knocking
on
their
door.
Behold
I
stand
at
the
door
and
knock.
If
anyone
hears
my
voice
and
opens
the
door
I
will
come
into
him
and
eat
with
him
and
he
with
me.
Jesus
is
their
cure.
That
word
behold
it
shows
up
all
throughout
the
book
of
Revelation.
See
look
behold
Jesus
is
saying
behold
I
am
right
there
knocking.
I
want to
come
in.
Notice
where
Jesus
is.
He
is
outside
of the
church.
He's
on the
other
side
of the
door
of this
church.
They
in
their
self
sufficiently
have
essentially
pushed
him
out.
And
what
Jesus
is
saying
is
no
I
want
in.
Despite
his
gag
reflex
Jesus
in
grace
knocks
on
their
door.
Did
you
notice
in
320
he
says
I
stand
at the
door
knock
if
anyone
hears
my
voice
and
opens
it.
Wait
hear
his
voice.
What's
he
saying?
Verse
15
I
know
your
works.
Verse
16
you're
lukewarm.
Verse
17
you're
wretched
and
pitiful
poor
blind
naked
you
don't
see
what
I
see.
Verse
18
I
have
what
you
need.
I've
got
the
gold
I've
got
the
garments
I've
got
the
gauze
I
got
it
all
for
you
it's
grace.
Verse
19
I
love
you.
I
love
you.
Did
you hear
his
voice
this
morning?
whoever
hears
my
voice
anyone
who
hears
my
voice
and
open
the
door
what
is
this
door?
Well
imagine
with me
that this
door
has
engraved
on it
two
words
complete
surrender
when
you
repent
you
open
this
door
of
complete
surrender
all
the
way
to
Jesus
the
amen
the
ace
witness
the
archa
of
creation
and
he
promises
to
come
in
and
when
he
comes
in
you
are
essentially
saying
oh
Lord
come
in
it's
all
yours
every
room
in
my
life
is
yours
you're
not
going
to
let
them
in
and
walk
them
by
your
entertainment
room
that's
yours
you're
not
going
to
walk
them
by
your
bedroom
Jesus
that's
yours
where
you
do
your
finances
it's
yours
Jesus
complete
surrender
if anyone
hears my
voice and
opens
that
door
and that
door needs
to get
opened
every
day
because
every
day
you're
in
need
of
the
gold
of
an
uncompromised
witness
every
day
you
are
in
need
of
garments
of
untarnished
holiness
every
day
you
are
in
need
of
the
gauze
of
an
unobstructed
vision
for how
things
really
are
we're
in
daily
need
to
open
up
this
door
complete
surrender
and he
promises
that if
anyone
opens
this
door
to me
I
will
come
in
I
will
come
in
and I
will
eat
with
him
and he
with
me
it's a
picture
of peace
it's a
picture
of
shalom
it's a
picture
of intimate
fellowship
of Jesus
on the
inside
not the
outside
of Jesus
with his
people
providing
for all
of their
needs
it's a
little
foretaste
of the
marriage
supper
of the
lamb
that is
to come
how's
that for
grace
how's
that for
grace
we
make him
want to
vomit
because we
reject him
he
wants to
come in
and give
us what
we need
most
himself
let me
in
we
make him
gag
he
offers
us
grace
isn't
it
beautiful
isn't
it
amazing
the
closing
call
I'll
just
sum
it
real
quick
it's
what
he's
been
closing
with
every
one
of
these
letters
the
one
who
overcomes
the
one
who
conquers
the
one
who
opens
the
door
of
complete
surrender
to
me
he
will
sit
with
me
on
my
throne
it's
a
position
of
honor
and
power
I
don't
really
get
what
it
all
means
other
than
we're
going
to
be
reigning
with
Jesus
which
seems
like
it's
awesome
but
if
this
is
the
reward
it
tells
you
how
much
our
Lord
Jesus
values
uncompromised
faith
that
overcomes
a
complacent
culture
what a
reward
over the
last
several
weeks
we have
been
looking at
these
letters
and we've
been seeing
week after
week
Jesus is
our risen
radiant
and reigning
Lord
who is
worthy
of our
lives
and then we
see week
after week
that there's
some kind
of challenge
some kind
of temptation
to compromise
and they
abound
today
and week
after week
we've heard
him call
us to
overcome
trust in
me
keep your
line of
sight
on me
keep your
heart
set
on me
I'm
your
risen
radiant
and reigning
Lord
because
he
has
overcome
and he
was seated
at the
right hand
of his
father
on high
and if
he has
overcome
he has
the grace
for us
to overcome
this morning
are you
feeling like
you may
be making
Jesus gag
well you
may be
repent
let him
in
because he's
standing at
your door
in grace
knocking
asking
to come
in
and to
give you
what you
need
to overcome
let's
pray
Lord
God
Jesus
we recognize
we're in a
culture
where
compromise
abounds
in a variety
of ways
and one
of them
is to
drift
into
complacency
Lord
we confess
our
self-sufficiency
individually
and as a
church
and we
welcome
you in
Lord
Jesus
in your
rightful
place
at the
center of
this
church
you are
Christ
our
King
and it's
in your
name we
pray
Amen
you
one
trust