The argument has been made that of the seven churches Jesus addressed here, the church in Laodicea might very well be the one that's in the worst condition.
And there's no question that if we were to rank them, this one would be towards the bottom of the list.
But to be honest, some type of qualitative ranking like that probably isn't necessary, and it may not even be all that helpful.
Instead, it's best to view these churches categorically.
And then after understanding where they are categorically, see how they relate to one another.
And through that, we begin to see maybe a more accurate picture of what is happening, at least in Jesus' intention in sending these messages to the churches.
What we find is that there's basically two types of churches, two types of categories that we can lump these churches into.
There are healthy churches, and there are unhealthy churches.
And as you read through, you find very quickly that the majority of these churches would fit the category of being unhealthy.
And within the grouping of unhealthy churches, there is a spectrum of severity regarding the nature of their sin and the judgment that they receive from the Lord.
The church in Laodicea most closely relates to the churches of Ephesus and Sardis.
It relates to Sardis in that those are the only two churches that Jesus has absolutely no commendation at all for them.
Most of even the unhealthy churches, when Jesus comes, in perfect honesty and transparency,
he delivers some type of positive commendation that he delivers to them.
Sardis and Laodicea receive no commendation.
And it's not because Jesus is being vengeful and just doesn't want them to feel good about anything in that particular moment.
He doesn't act like we act.
There's no commendation because there's nothing worth commending with these two churches.
That's how they relate to one another, at least as we begin to understand it.
They both seem to represent the final stage in the progression of doctrinal and moral impurity.
And the messages to these two churches, Sardis and Laodicea, they read like a final call to repent,
like a final moment for Jesus to call them to repentance before he comes.
And that's the phrase he uses very often in these sermons, that I will come.
And when he comes, he wants to come as their Lord and Savior, not as their judge.
Both of these churches, however, seem to receive a message that is a final call,
a final call, so to speak, before Jesus unleashes his judgment.
And the chiastic structure of these chapters helps us to understand
that what the particular sins were that dominated these churches.
I think I have this actually on the screen for you to see if you just want to be reminded of it.
So those of you visiting with us, a chiasm is a literary device.
It's built off of or it's named after the letter in the Greek alphabet named chi,
which looks like a big capital X.
And the reason it's called that is because of the narrowing effect.
So basically, a chiasm starts broadly.
It works itself in to establish its main point.
That's where we looked at chapter two just a moment ago.
And then it works its way back out.
As we're looking at these seven churches,
this chiasm not only points to this primary dynamic of Jesus
as knowing the truth about them and having authority over them,
but there are parallels that we draw between the churches.
So these three churches in the middle, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis,
are all dealing with the same sin.
It is a sin of spiritual compromise.
And the churches, as you read their messages, seem to progress from bad to worst.
So there's a subtle compromise in Pergamum.
Then there is a more blatant compromise in Thyatira.
Finally, we get to Sardis, and the compromise has run its full course.
And Jesus says, you think you're alive, but you're dead.
You're dead.
It's the church of unsaved Christians.
They think they're alive, but they don't know Christ.
They're unsaved.
But the sin for those churches, primarily, as we read, is spiritual compromise.
Laodicea parallels the church in Ephesus.
Ephesus, the primary sin dealing with these two churches was the sin of spiritual complacency.
And you'll remember, Ephesus was faithful.
They had lots of commendation from the Lord,
but his one complaint was that they had abandoned first love.
They had grown cold in their orthodoxy.
Jesus calls them to repent of that.
And what we find in the structure is that an Ephesian kind of church that doesn't repent of that issue of abandoning first love
will ultimately become a Laodicean church, completely lukewarm,
with Jesus on the outside looking in.
And the worst part about it with Laodicea is that they were totally blind to their own reality.
They thought they were rich.
They thought they were prosperous.
Jesus says, no, you're actually quite destitute, spiritually speaking, destitute.
The condition of the church in Laodicea made Jesus sick.
But the plea for them to respond to his gospel message is as strong here as it is anywhere else in these chapters,
which tells us that so long as Jesus is sending out his word,
there is hope for mercy and grace and forgiveness.
And we see that come through clearly here.
So let's look here at the warnings in order that we might rejoice in the promises as well.
Let's consider first the church identity and Christ title as we have followed this pattern each week.
Look with me at verse 14.
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write,
the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
So first, the church identity we find is in Laodicea.
The ancient city of Laodicea belonged to a tri-city region.
I spent my high school years in the tri-cities in East Tennessee,
which if you're familiar at all with that area, includes three cities, Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol.
I lived closely to Johnson City, which is the southernmost part,
but not too far up north is Kingsport, and then northeast of there is Bristol, Virginia.
We call it the tri-cities.
There's a similar dynamic happening with the location of Laodicea.
Laodicea would be the Johnson City,
and up just a little bit to the north of them is a city called Hierapolis,
which would be your Kingsport.
And then just over northeast of them, or perhaps due east of them,
is a city called Colossae,
which you would recognize from Paul's letter to the Colossian church.
It was a tri-city area.
There's a few significant notes even about this particular church and its location
that Jesus seems to allude to throughout his sermon.
It was situated on an important crossroad for travel,
and that made the city actually quite prosperous and wealthy.
Many have even suggested that it was a banking center for Asia Minor for that region.
It boasted of a thriving textile industry
and even became known as something of a center for style
with its specialty-made black glossy fabrics.
Laodicea was also a major player in the area of medicine,
particularly ophthalmology or eye care.
It had the world's leading eye care specialist of their day were in Laodicea.
All of these things is what the city was known for.
And these industries made the city itself very prosperous,
and their wealth was a source of great pride for them.
In fact, where the city was situated,
it was situated on a fault line,
and it was prone to destruction from occasional earthquakes.
In AD 60, there was a major earthquake that shook the area,
and a lot of Ephesus, not Ephesus, but Laodicea was destroyed.
Rome, as was their habit, offered to finance the rebuilding of Laodicea,
but the city was so prideful in their wealth
that they refused to accept any money from the government.
They refused to accept any money from Rome
because they wanted to do the rebuilding based on their own backs.
It was a message they were sending.
We can take care of ourselves.
Look how prosperous we are.
This is a major part of the identity of those who live in the city.
And all of these identifying markers show up in Jesus's words to the church.
Now, let's look at the Christ titles.
There's two of them.
First, he refers to himself as the Amen,
which he then explains with that second phrase,
the faithful and true witness.
Faithful and true witness is an explanation of the Amen.
Now, this use of Amen is unique
because it's the only time it's used in the Scriptures as a title.
It's a statement of affirmation.
It means something like,
so be it, or let it be so, or that's true.
Think about the ways we even use it today in English,
in the Christian world.
We use Amen at the end of our prayers.
Why?
Because it means let it be so.
In the name of Christ, Lord,
all that we have brought before you,
let it be so according to your will.
And it's a request for God's intervention
and that he would actually provide the things that we have asked him for.
Some of you have said it already this morning at various times during the service.
You've given an Amen to the things that you thought,
yes, that's true.
Praise the Lord.
So be it.
That's true.
It was used in the Old Testament times to seal a covenant.
There was the double Amen that we read.
Amen, Amen.
So that two sides coming in covenant together,
it was sealed, the contract sealed with this,
so be it.
Let everything we have said be true.
So when Jesus says that he is the Amen,
he means that everything he says is absolutely true.
Everything he says will indeed come to pass,
which is further supported by the next phrase.
Look at it with me.
He is the faithful and true witness.
In other words, everything that Jesus testifies to
is divine revelation that is true and faithful.
And this is critical in this particular sermon
because Jesus is about to accuse this church of something that they were totally blind to.
So before he ever tells them what his complaint is against them,
he reminds them who he is,
that I am the true one.
I am the faithful witness.
What I say is true and what I say will come to pass
will inevitably come to pass.
He is truth.
The second title is that he is the beginning of God's creation.
The beginning of God's creation.
Now don't be confused by this.
This doesn't mean to say that Jesus is a created being
or that he was the first thing that God created.
That's not the sense of what he's saying.
The scripture is very clear in other places that that isn't the case.
Jesus himself has identified himself as one with the Father,
eternally existing as the second person of the triune God.
So it doesn't mean that he was a created being.
The word for beginning here, it means ruler or originator.
It's similar to the way that Revelation uses that phrase alpha and omega.
You're probably familiar with that.
Alpha is the A of the Greek alphabet.
Omega is the Z of the Greek alphabet.
In other words, everything that Jesus is,
he is the beginning and the end.
He is the first and the last.
Nothing precedes him.
Nothing will come after him.
In other words, everything that you see,
all of creation proceeds from Jesus Christ as creator.
And if everything that proceeds from Christ as creator,
it proceeds from him as creator,
that means he is the ruler of all that he has created.
Another significant issue, not only to these two chapters,
but especially to this church.
I know what's true of you, Laodicea.
And I am the one that has authority over you in Laodicea.
So hear me, he says.
Together, they emphasize his truth and authority.
He knows what's true of us.
And he is the one before whom each of us will stand in judgment.
So whether you belong to the church in Laodicea,
or you belong to the church in Lake Norman,
or you belong to the church in Ash County or Wilkesboro,
wherever it is that you're from, Atlanta, Georgia,
no matter where you're from,
whatever church it is that you belong to,
Jesus demands that you hear his message
because of who he is.
He is truth.
He is creator and ruler.
Let's consider the complaint and the consequence,
which we find in verses 15 to 17.
Let me just remind you quickly
that at the heart of the sin in Ephesus and Laodicea
is spiritual complacency.
That's the kind of bottom line,
the foundation of what we're building off of in this sermon.
Ephesus represents the early stages of that sin.
Laodicea represents the final stages of that sin.
But what does it actually look like
to be a Laodicean church,
or a lukewarm church,
or complacent church?
That's what we want to see here.
First, we find that their works were useless.
Their works were useless.
Look at verse 15.
I know your works, Jesus says.
You are neither cold nor hot.
Would that you were either cold or hot.
So because you're lukewarm and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
Now, to correctly understand and interpret this
requires that we understand something
about the water supply in Laodicea.
This city did not have its own natural springs,
at least not the natural springs
that were capable of providing water
necessary for the entire population.
So they had to import water
from the neighboring cities
of Hierapolis and Colossae.
In fact, you can even still,
today, you could pull it up on Google
if you'd like.
There's a city of ancient aqueducts,
especially coming from the city of Hierapolis,
where they would usher water
from that city that was full of rich,
mineral-rich content.
It had hot springs that,
even at the spring itself,
was measuring 95, 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
And then this would push itself down.
In Hierapolis, at least,
this had healing properties to it.
The hot water,
it was useful for cleansing and purifying
and all of the things
that we use hot water for here,
even still today.
Colossae, on the other hand,
boasted of cool springs.
It was completely pure water.
It was mineral-free,
the best that they understood.
And it was cold.
It was immediately available
and useful for drinking, refreshment.
But by the time water from Hierapolis
or Colossae made it to Laodicea,
it had lost the benefit
of either the purifying qualities
of hot water
or the refreshing qualities of cold water.
It was lukewarm.
It was basically useless at that point,
at least in the terms of how we would understand
hot and cold water.
The key idea that Jesus is getting across here
in this metaphor
is that just as this lukewarm water
was useless to them
in contrast to cold and hot,
so also the works of the Laodiceans
are useless to him.
The lukewarm complacency of the church in Laodicea
had rendered them useless to Christ and his gospel.
Nothing about the way that they lived
was of any benefit to glorifying God
or declaring his truth.
They were useless,
says Grant Osborne.
The church should not have matched its water supply.
The Laodiceans should have been
known for their spiritual healing
like Hierapolis
or their refreshing,
life-giving ministry like Colossae.
Instead, they were lukewarm.
They were devoid of works,
useless to the Lord.
Well, if that's true
and if lukewarm Christianity,
if we're going to call it that this morning,
causes Jesus to vomit,
what does it actually mean
to be a lukewarm Christian then?
What does it mean to be a Laodicean church?
I have a few ideas for you.
Think about this.
What does it look like
to be a Laodicean Christian?
Well, first, let's think about
the dynamic of prayer.
The prayers of a lukewarm Christian
are generally inauthentic,
selfishly motivated prayers.
They do not view prayer
as a means of communing with God
and as a means of communing
with their Savior.
They view prayer as a means
of getting something that they want.
In fact, that's probably generally
the only time that they do pray.
They face some type of existential crisis
and it's not that they are
daily communing with the Lord.
It's just whenever something
really goes wrong in their life,
they finally go to prayer
hoping that God will intervene
and do something.
This God with which they have
basically no relationship
in real communion.
Perhaps it's just something
that they really want.
Their wife has said no,
but they go to God.
Lord, change her heart
because I really want it.
Treat God like a genie in a bottle,
like a spiritual bellhop.
It's not real communion.
It's just based on my subscription
to Christianity.
This is what you're supposed to do
when things are bad
and what you're supposed to do
when you really want things to be good.
So that's what prayer is useful for.
Same is true for lukewarm Christians
and when they approach the Bible.
Lukewarm Christians,
they don't come to the word to know God.
They don't come to the word
to be transformed by his spirit
and his truth.
If they care about the scriptures,
it's superficial,
sentimental maybe.
They come to the scriptures
because they've just had a really bad day
and they're just hoping
there's a good word there.
They can open up to the psalms
and surely in the psalms
there's going to be something
that just makes me feel good today.
And then you make the mistake
of turning to a psalm like Psalm 32
that says,
the hand of the Lord is hard against me.
And it's about,
you know what I mean?
It's not really about knowing God.
It's not really about
understanding his truth.
It's just like,
I kind of need a shot
of something today.
Maybe there's something positive
I can find there.
Mostly though,
they probably don't really bother
with the Bible at all.
Probably not really that concerned
about reading or understanding
or studying or anything.
That's what a lukewarm Christian is like.
Let's think about it
in terms of worship.
Lukewarm Christians
view regular worship gatherings
as a matter of convenience
rather than having a genuine desire
to express their worship to God
in the company of God's people.
I'm going to ask you,
why are you here?
Why are you here?
And I don't just mean here
in this particular church today.
I just mean,
like if you're going to go
to a church gathering,
why?
What's the motivation behind that?
Is it that,
well,
this is just kind of like
our family tradition.
This is what we're supposed to do.
After all,
we're Christian
and Christians go to church
whenever the other things
aren't happening
and aren't more important.
And so we go
and we do the thing.
That's really why you're here.
Or are you here
because you want to worship God?
You see the value
in gathering with God's people
in order that you may
express praise to him,
hear from his word,
fellowship and discipleship
with his people.
That's the difference
between genuine Christianity
and lukewarm Christianity.
Lukewarm Christians
are generally
happy to recognize Jesus
as a savior,
but not very interested
in thinking of Jesus
as a Lord
to which they must submit
and obey.
If you were to speak
with the people
who are closest to them,
maybe their family
or their friends
or their colleagues at work,
there would be
a general unawareness
that they have
any Christian commitment
at all.
They certainly aren't
going to be the ones
to bring it up
in a conversation
unless they're forced to.
Lukewarm Christians.
And what do we find
at the end
in thinking about
what is it like
to be a Laodicean Christian?
The bottom line is
lukewarm Christianity
isn't Christianity at all.
That's the thing.
There's no such thing
as a lukewarm Christian.
There's no such thing
as a nominal Christian.
The two don't fit together.
Even if you subscribe
to the things
and you do all the stuff
and you go to all the places
and you do all the stuff
that you're supposed to do
without any genuine communion
and reconciliation with God
through the person of Christ,
there is nothing Christian
about you.
You're a Laodicean Christian.
Jesus is on the outside
looking in,
hoping somebody
will open the door.
is further supported
by the fact
of what Jesus says
he will do with them
if they don't repent.
I will spit you out of my mouth.
I will spew you out.
I will vomit you out.
It's graphic.
It's dramatic.
And it's a kind of action
that the scripture
never,
never
directs
between Jesus
and his people.
Jesus never threatens
this type of behavior
to those
who really belong
to him.
Essentially,
what Jesus is saying,
if you show no signs
of repentance
in your life,
you do not belong
to me
and you prove it
and I will spit you out.
You will face
my judgment,
not receive my mercy.
And remember,
I'm the true one.
I'm the one
before whom
you will stand.
Their works
were useless.
Second,
we find here
that they had
an attitude
of self-sufficiency.
An attitude
of self-sufficiency.
Look at verse 17.
For you say,
I am rich,
I have prospered,
and I need nothing.
Not realizing
that you are wretched,
pitiable,
poor,
blind,
and naked.
Do you remember
what I said
was the Laodicean
response to Rome
regarding funding
for rebuilding
the city?
Why would they
reject that?
Even a crooked
businessman
would accept that today.
Because you don't want
to use your own money
for it.
And here comes
the government
and they're saying,
hey, we'll fund this.
You say,
sign me up.
Send me all
the Trump checks.
Whatever it is
that's happening,
right?
Most businessmen,
this is what we would do,
right?
Laodicea doesn't do that.
There's only one
real reason
why you wouldn't
do that.
It's to make a statement,
isn't it?
It's to make a statement.
It's pride.
We're self-sufficient
and we want Rome
to know it.
We don't need them.
Now, I don't know
if this is
Jesus' intention
for us to primarily
have this in view here,
but it certainly
is a helpful illustration
of this church,
isn't it?
They considered themselves
to be prosperous.
Jesus saw them
as destitute.
They had the world's
leading ophthalmologists.
Jesus says
they're blind
to their own
spiritual condition.
Given the city's
prosperity,
it's likely
that a significant
number of people
in the church
were probably
wealthy members,
wealthy people.
There's nothing
inherently wrong
with wealth
or comfort,
but we don't always
in our pursuit
of wealth and comfort
in life,
we don't always realize
how dangerous,
spiritually dangerous
those things
can actually be.
There is a reason
that Jesus said
it's harder
for a camel
to go through
the eye of a needle
than for a rich man
to enter the kingdom
of God.
There's a reason
Jesus said that.
Because wealth
and comfort,
they have a way
of doling
our sense of need
for God
and the gospel.
They can easily
provide a false sense
of spiritual security even.
Maybe we would
not say this,
but we would have
some type of functional
reality in our life
that says,
look at how God
has blessed me.
How could he possibly
be against me?
How could I be God's enemy?
Look at all that I have.
Look at all that he has done.
We become blind.
It's also easy
for the pursuit
of wealth
and comfort
to dwarf
a pursuit for God.
The Laodicean church
shows us once again
as the New Testament
does again and again.
It shows us once again
that you can have
absolutely everything
and not realize
that ultimately
you don't have anything
at all.
Which is exactly
what Jesus was getting
at in Mark chapter 8
when he says,
what does it profit
a man
to gain the whole world
and forfeit his soul?
They say,
we're rich.
We're prosperous.
We're good.
Jesus says,
you're blind.
You don't even know it.
There's also a kind
of self-sufficiency
that relies
on religious observance
to secure God's favor.
It doesn't look
to trust wholly
in what Christ
has done
for salvation,
but it relies
actually on
the self-sufficiency
of our religious doings.
It says,
I do the thing.
I go to the church.
I give the money.
I serve
in the nursery.
I don't know why
I breathe out.
We don't even have a nursery.
I serve
in the stuff.
I do the stuff.
And I'm not like Josh.
I don't mix
my secular music
with my Christian music.
They're completely
different playlists.
Only patch the pirate
for me.
Whatever it is.
We say we do
all the things
and basically
what we're saying
to God
in one sense
and the way
that we're functionally
living out
this Christianity
is I have need
of nothing.
Even Jesus.
Look at all
that I do.
Look at what I've done.
How could he possibly
judge me?
And perhaps
this is what
Jesus primarily
had in view here.
They had all
the outward signs
of Christianity
but inwardly
in their hearts
they were wretched,
pitiable,
blind,
poor,
naked.
They thought
they had need
of nothing.
Functionally
they lived
as if they
didn't even
need Jesus.
They were good.
Let's look
at the correction.
We're going
to see this
in verses
18 through 20
but I want
to start
with verse 19.
Look at it
with me.
Those whom
I love
Jesus says
I reprove
and discipline
so be zealous
and repent.
repent.
The solution
for Laodicea
is the same
solution
Jesus has
given to
every church.
It's the same
solution
that belongs
to us.
The only way
for them
to avoid
being metaphorically
vomited
out of Jesus'
mouth
is to repent.
To turn
from their
useless
complacency,
their prideful
self-sufficiency.
That's the only
answer.
Turn
from this
thing
to the
person of
Christ
and Jesus
says it
again here.
Be zealous
and repent.
Turn
and indeed
the only way
any of us
can escape
God's judgment
is to hear
his word
and turn
to him
in repentance
and faith.
But notice
in this verse
before Jesus
calls them
to repent
he affirms
that this call
is an act
of love.
Look at it.
Those whom
I love
I reprove
and discipline.
Perhaps you've
tried to communicate
this to your kids
before.
This is hard
to do isn't it?
You sit them
down for
whatever form
of discipline
you're about
to achieve
you say
I'm doing
this Ashlyn
because I love
you.
And she says
if you loved
me
you wouldn't
do this
to me.
the fact
is that
no parent
is perfect
and all parents
ultimately do
sometimes fail
in discipline
with a loving
motivation
don't we?
Sometimes
our discipline
is a reaction
it's an angry
reaction
sometimes it's
it's more
about
correcting
what our kids
are doing
in order that
we might not
be embarrassed
and that we
might maintain
some kind
of honor
really more
than it is
about helping
them to honor
the Lord
and we
do that
we fail
in that way
that's a sin
we fail
in that way
many times
but here's
the thing
we can always
count on
Jesus's reproof
and discipline
being motivated
by his perfect
love
and his desire
for what is
best for us
always
in fact
the only
reason
that a
holy
God
would
ever
give
sinful
people
time
to repent
of anything
is love
it's love
and I want you
to see now
how Jesus's
love is put
on display
in this
correction
verse 18
I counsel
you
to buy
from me
gold
refined
by fire
so that
you may
be rich
buy from me
garments
white garments
that you may
clothe yourself
and the shame
of your nakedness
may not be seen
buy from me
salve
to anoint
your eyes
so that
you may
see
remember
all of those
were significant
allusions
to the culture
in Laodicea
I think it was
Johnny Lee
that was looking
for love
in all the wrong
places
Laodicean
Christians
were looking
for fulfillment
in all
the wrong
places
we heard it
in Kara's
testimony
just a moment
ago
I was trying
to find
fulfillment
in my
friendships
I'm trying
to find
fulfillment
in my
career
trying to
find
fulfillment
in wealth
or whatever
it is
I'm just
constantly
looking for
fulfillment
we saw
it in
Psalm 32
constantly
looking for
what can
actually
help me
what can
actually
bring me
peace
and joy
and happiness
happiness
the Laodiceans
were no different
than anyone else
and they're thinking
that they can find
those things
in whatever they
mean by being
rich
whether it's
their physical
richness
or whether it's
just a religious
program that they're
following
they might have
had material
wealth
stylish clothes
and a premier
eye doctors
but what Jesus
offers is better
than anything
we can receive
in this world
it's better
he says
come and get
true riches
from me
get true
purity
that's the white
garments
from me
true cleansing
from me
he says
come to me
I'll open
your eyes
the blind
spiritual eyes
of your heart
I'll open them
come to me
for that
this is love
friends
it's love
this is not
vengeance
or jealousy
he's not
trying to rob
the world
in order to
build something
for himself
he's saying
if you really
want these
things
you can only
get it
from me
and I want
to give it
to you
just come
and receive
it
he says
it's love
true riches
pure adornment
spiritual sight
can only come
from Christ
and he offers
his limitless
blessing
to everyone
who will
abandon
worldly pursuits
to come to
faith in him
says Jim
Hamilton
Jesus is
inexhaustible
in offering
gold
he's promising
to meet
every need
in offering
white garments
he's promising
to make those
who trust him
and live by
what he says
presentable
acceptable
even beautiful
where will you
find a better
offer
than this
look at verse
20
gets better
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
Robert
Mount
said
in their
blind
self-sufficiency
they had
as it were
excommunicated
the risen
Lord
from their
congregation
it's the
picture
here
the church
made up
of
individuals
okay
this is an
individual
application
here
has
functionally
excommunicated
Jesus
they felt
they had
no need
for him
but then
Mount
goes on
to say
it is
an act
of
unbelievable
condescension
that Jesus
requests
permission
to enter
and reestablish
fellowship
you know
what we do
when people
walk out
of our
lives
we shut
the door
behind them
you know
what our
tendency
to do
is
when people
say
they don't
want us
in their
life
we grant
their
request
here the
church
excommunicates
Jesus
from their
congregation
metaphorically
speaking
and what
does Jesus
do
he stands
at the
door
and he
knocks
he says
if anyone
will just
open the
door
I will
come in
I will
eat with
him
and he
will eat
with me
spiritual
complacent
complacency
ultimately
rejects
communion
with
God
that's
the
point
that
we
discovered
earlier
prayer
is not
about
talking
to
God
prayer
is about
receiving
something
from
God
Bible
study
is not
about
knowing
God
and having
his
work
communicated
in our
hearts
by the
work
of
the
Holy
Spirit
Bible
study
if we
do
it
at
all
is
selfishly
motivated
we just
want to
try to
get
something
to
justify
a
decision
or
whatever
it
is
worship
is
not
worship
it's
tradition
it is
whatever
it is
that
you've
made
it
out
to
be
spiritual
complacency
rejects
communion
but
personal
intimate
communion
is
precisely
what
Jesus
offers
the
church
and
what
he
offers
you
through
the
gospel
through
the
gospel
he
says
I'm
standing
at
the
door
I'm
knocking
if
you
will
just
open
the
door
through
his
death
and
resurrection
Jesus
did
not
merely
make
a
way
for
you
to
go
to
heaven
he
provides
a
way
for
you
to
be
reconciled
to
God
heaven
is
secondary
hell
is
secondary
primary
to
our
relationship
to
God
is
the
fact
that
our
sin
separates
us
from
him
it
makes
us
his
enemy
and
what
he
does
in
Christ
as
Christ
absorbs
the
wrath
of
God
against
our
sin
on
the
cross
and
as
he
raises
from
the
dead
proving
victory
over
death
the
one
enemy
that
we
will
never
be
able
to
defeat
the
enemy
will
never
what
Jesus
is
doing
there
what
God
is
doing
he
pursuing
sinners
and
he
says
if
you
will
just
come
the
great
shalom
that
Paul
talked
about
so
often
in
the
new
testament
true
peace
true
reconciliation
with
God
Christianity
it's
not
about
systems
it's
not
about
doing
stuff
Christianity
is
about
genuine
communion
with
God
through
the
work
of
Jesus
Christ
and
out
of
his
infinite
love
Jesus
offers
you
salvation
in
order
that
he
might
commune
with
you
it's
not
that
we
come
to
him
saying
God
if
you'll
just
make
a
way
for
us
we
want
to
commune
with
you
nobody
does
that
no
he
does
that
he
stands
at
the
door
he
brings
the
offer
he
says
open
it
up
I
want
to
commune
with
you
we
respond
to
him
we
love
him
because
he
first
loved
us
he
wants
you
he
loves
you
he
stands
knocking
open
the
door
open
the
door
let's
finish
with
the
call
and
conquer
formulas
here
in
verses
21
and
22
the
one
who
conquers
I
will
grant
him
to
sit
with
me
on
my
throne
as
I
also
conquered
and
sat
down
with
my
father
on
his
throne
he
who
has
an
ear
let
him
hear
what
the
spirit
says
to
the
churches
as
with
all
the
sermons
Jesus
concludes
with
a
promise
to
the
one
who
conquers
and
to
conquer
in
this
case
means
to
reject
the
counterfeit
Christianity
that
produces
lukewarmness
and
wholly
embrace
Jesus
the
one
who
conquered
for
us
conquers
our
sin
conquers
our
death
the
promise
then
is
that
those
who
conquer
by
faith
in
Christ
will
sit
with
him
on
his
throne
let's
be
honest
that's
weird
what does
that
actually
mean
does
this
mean
that
we
will
literally
share
a
throne
with
Jesus
that
what
we
say
will
go
in
eternity
or
in
the
kingdom
or
how
it
is
that
you
may
view
this
particular
context
the
picture
here
is
of
a
delegated
authority
it's
qualified
when
Jesus
says
I
will
share
my
throne
with
you
just
as
the
father
shared
his
throne
with
me
and
as
we
study
the
new
testament
we
find
that
there
is
this
secession
in
the
trinity
itself
and
God
the
father
after
Jesus
his
resurrection
grants
all
authority
to him
he
says
all
authority
belongs
to
me
now
he
is
exalted
!
with
in that
sense
that
picture
that
Jesus
offers
for
those
who
conquer
a
delegated
authority
and
I
think
really
what
this
means
is
that
just
as
God
has
delegated
all
authority
to
the
son
so
does
the
son
delegate
kingdom
authority
to
his
people
so
that
in
eternity
the
amen
who
is
the
beginning
of
God's
creation
the
supreme
ruler
will
make
us
instruments
of
his
perfectly
righteous
rule
we
will
share
in
eternity
with
him
and
we
will
be
used
by
him
in
total
righteousness
so
that
not only
are we
looking
ahead
to
heaven
in
eternity
as a
perfect
place
with
perfect
righteousness
but
Christ
work
in
us
is
what
makes
it
perfectly
righteous
and
perfectly
peaceful
he
transforms
us
he
takes
away
sin
and
sorrow
and
death
and
we
live
in
eternal
communion
with
him
well
let's
finish
the
sermon
to the
church
of
Laodicea
is a
warning
to
every
congregation
that is
essentially
functioning
without
Jesus
okay
we've
got all
of our
marketing
strategies
and we've
got all
the stuff
that we're
doing
we don't
really need
Jesus
because we've
got all
this other
stuff
we're
doing
this
stuff
why
would
we
need
him
so
warning
to
those
kinds
of
congregations
and it
should be
a wake
up call
to every
professing
Christian
who is
subscribing
to elements
of the
Christian
religion
without
actually
walking
in
fellowship
and
communion
with
Christ
should
be a
wake
up
call
bottom
line
is
that
Jesus
calls
each
of
us
to
hear
this
message
because
it
may
be
that
while
thinking
you're
spiritually
rich
you're
really
destitute
and blind
without
Christ
and if
for you
Christianity
is really
just your
family
tradition
or a
system
of
rituals
something
that you
hope will
just be
effective
for giving
you
whatever
blessing
may come
after death
I hope
you'll
look closely
at what
Jesus
has to
say
here
he's
offering
you
himself
he's
offering
you
himself
communion
with him
by his
grace
through
faith
and only
those who
will
receive
him
will
understand
what it
really
means
to be
rich
and
prosperous
in need
of
nothing
he who
has
an
ear
let
him
hear
what
the
spirit
says
to
the
churches
let's
pray