Sermon Tone Analysis

As one reads this keenly it will look somehow the same as someone else teachings but please note it is God who reveals the truth and sometimes the truth is usually given to a generation and later lost and buried and it usually takes God to use another generation to unbury the treasure that was lost and hidden.

LAODICEA CHURCH and THE MESSENGER OF GOD

Please note that the seven churches addressed by John in the book of Revelation are Gentile churches and there is no mention of Jerusalem church which at that time was fully Jewish except for a few Gentiles.

The reason was that God had turned to the Gentiles because the Jews had closed their eyes and ears to the word of God as stated in Act 13:45-47 “And the Jews seeing the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things being spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

But speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, It was necessary for the Word of God to be spoken first to you; but since you indeed thrust it away and judge yourselves not worthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the nations.

For so the Lord has commanded us, "I have set You for a Light of nations, that You be for salvation to the end of the earth."

Isa.

49:6

The bible also says that the blindness of the Jews is for a season that is described that they will be brought back to fold until the fullness of the Gentiles has come as stated in Rom 11:1-8 I say then, Did not God thrust away His people?

Let it not be!

For I also am an Israelite, out of Abraham's seed, of the tribe of Benjamin.

"God did not thrust away His people" whom He foreknew.

Psa.

94:14 Or do you not know what the Scripture said in Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel, saying, Lord, "they killed Your prophets," "and they dug down Your altars," "and only I am left, and they seek my life." 1 Kg.

19:10 But what does the Divine answer say to him, "I reserved to Myself seven thousand men who did not bow a knee to Baal." 1 Kg.

19:18 So then, also in the present time a remnant according to election of grace has come into being.

But if by grace, no longer is it of works; else grace no longer becomes grace.

But if of works, it is no longer grace; else work is no longer work.

What then?

What Israel seeks, this it did not obtain, but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened; even as it has been written, "God gave to them a spirit of slumber, eyes not seeing and ears not hearing" until this day.

Isa.

29:10; Deut.

29:4

Why where they cast off?

It is stated in Rom 11:20 Well!

For unbelief they were broken off.

And you stand by faith.

Do not be highminded, but fear.

For Paul says in Rom 11:24-27 For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree, and against nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more these being according to nature will be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be wise within yourselves, that hardness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations comes in; and so all Israel will be saved, even as it has been written, "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be wise within yourselves, that hardness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations comes in;

Then it have to be said that Israel will be restored when the fullness of Gentile nation have come into the Kingdom of God.

Therefore it would be fair to say that that the Church age will end when Israel will again be grafted in the vine as stated in Rom 11:23 And those also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in.

For God is able to graft them in again.

Where are we now as a Church?

An example is with the Galatians Church which started with the Spirit but later wanted to perfect it walk in Christ with the flesh.

As stated in Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish?

Having begun in the Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh?

What did they do?

Having received the Holy Spirit by hearing of faith and they received a teaching and accepted that one is justified by Law before God which was in contravention of the bible that said that "The just shall live by faith."

Hab.

2:4

They had forgotten that they did receive the Holy Spirit by faith and yet as they continued with their walk in Christ they believed that they could only be justified by works.

They believed that one can only be justified if he or she had observed all the laws which was given to Moses and therefore they were told that they had to be circumcised but Paul told them in Gal 4:3-4 And I testify again to every man being circumcised, that he is a debtor to do all the Law, you whoever are justified by Law, you were severed from Christ; you fell from grace.

In that he told them that every man who will be circumcised, he will be a debtor to the whole law, and whoever is justified by Law, he is severed from Christ and has fallen from grace.

He says in Gal 5:16 But I say, Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

What the bible is saying is that if one walks in the flesh and not by faith he or she will have the lust of the flesh.

For he says in Gal 4:19-22 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and things like these;

Paul was saying that before the coming of Christ a lot of people would be living in the flesh that in turn they would not endure sound doctrine but they will heap for themselves teachers tickling their ears as stated in 2Ti 4:3-4 For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, they will heap up to themselves teachers tickling the ear; and they will turn away the ear from the truth and will be turned aside to myths.

Who are these people?

In Isa 29:9-10-13 it says

“Wait and wonder!

Blind yourselves, and be blind!

They are drunk, but not with wine!

They stagger, but not with fermented drink!

For Jehovah has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes.

He has covered the prophets and your heads, the seers.

And the whole vision to you is like the words of a sealed book which they give to one knowing books, saying, Please read this.

Then he says, I am not able, for it is sealed.

And the book is given to one who does not know books, saying, Please read this.

Then he says, I do not know books.

And the Lord says, Because this people draws near with its mouth, and they honor Me with its lip; but its heart is far from Me, and their fear of Me is taught by the commandments of men;”

These are people who had known God but drew closer to God by their mouth and honored God by their lips but their hearts were far from Him and in return God rejected them by sending them a spirit of slumber as stated in Rom 11:8 even as it has been written, "God gave to them a spirit of slumber, eyes not seeing and ears not hearing" until this day.

Therein this spirit made the hearts of the people to grow fat, heard heavily with the ears, and closed their eyes thereby they could not see with the eyes or hear with their ears and understand with the heart as stated in Mat 13:15 For the heart of this people has grown fat, and they heard heavily with the ears, and they have closed their eyes, that they not see with the eyes, or hear with the ears, and understand with the heart, and be converted, and I heal them."

Isa.

6:9, 10

Because of refusing to hear the Word of God that requires people to live in the spirit, God will send them a spirit of slumber and their hearts will grow fat and be comfortable in their sin, thereby they will close their ear to the Word of God and refused to see what God was doing.

And because of this God will also send them a spirit of error that they may believe a lie that all may be judged, those not believing the truth, but who have delighted in unrighteousness.

Laodicea Church

For the Book of revelation is book that was dictated by Christ to John revealing mysteries that had been previously hidden.

This revelation is about the person of Christ and what He was and would do in Church age also known as period of the fullness of the Gentile nations.

It is widely believed that the seven Churches as addressed by John in the book of Revelation shows the different characteristic of the Church during the Church age i.e. from the beginning to the end.

Lord Jesus Christ was not only addressing the specific churches but He also addressing future Churches so as to highlight to them to continue to do good works but also to be weary of the pitfalls that these churches had encountered.

Not only was the Lord showing the pitfalls but also showing the future characteristics of the Church.

We are now living in the end times as noticed it will not escape that the current Church is almost like the Church of Laodicea as stated in Rev 3:14-22:-

“And to the angel of the assembly of Laodicea, write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Head of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I would that you were cold, or hot.

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.

Because you say, I am rich, and I am made rich, and I have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

I advise you to buy from Me gold having been fired by fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, and your shame and nakedness may not be revealed.

And anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.I, as many "as I love, I rebuke and I chasten."

Be zealous, then, and repent.

Prov.

3:12 Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me.

The one overcoming, I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father in His throne.

The one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”

MESSENGER OF GOD

Jesus addresses this Church and the future Church by first addressing it to the angel of the assembly of Laodicea.

Please remember that an angel is a messenger of God.

This message was given to a messenger to pass to this Church and see that as Jesus talked to the Church at Laodicea, He was also speaking to the future Church that would have the same characteristics as the Church at Laodicea.

John says in Rev 1:12-20 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.

And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around the breast with a golden band.

His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow.

And His eyes were like a flame of fire.

And His feet were like burnished brass having been fired in a furnace.

And His voice was like the sound of many waters.

And He had seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.

And His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.

And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, Do not fear, I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen.

And I have the keys of hell and of death.

Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be after this, the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden lampstands.