Ready to Do Your Job
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning. If you have your Bible/app, turn to . We are finally on the seventh and final letter Jesus writes to the churches in Asia Minor. After this, we will begin to move a little quicker through the book of Revelation.
Out of all seven letters Jesus writes, the contents of this letter are probably the most familiar to public. This morning, we are going to look at the church of Laodicea. Now, when most people think about Laodicea, they think of these verses...
“And 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.
“ ‘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.
Rev.
And when we hear this, some of us remember being taught: This is Jesus talking to a lukewarm church. They may not even be a real church. They’re pretending. And Jesus is saying, “I wish you were either hot (an on-fire Christian) or cold (not even a Christian at all).” And the application is: Be on-fire for God! Stop being lukewarm! Otherwise, Jesus is going to spit you out!
That makes sense. I get it. I like the application. I want all of us to be on-fire Christians. I don’t want us to be lukewarm. I believe that aligns with what God wants for our lives. That being said, I’m not so sure that’s what Jesus is intending to say here...
Football season is upon us. Most of you know I love football. My son Kade’s football season begins next week. I’m really excited, especially since I’m helping coach this year. Most of you also know I’m a New York Giant’s fan (Bryan, Kade and I are going to watch a training camp practice next week - super excited!).
But here in New England, the Giants aren’t the popular team. New England is home to the Patriots. Probably the most dominant team in recent history, winning 6 Superbowls under the leadership of Bill Belichick (coach) and Quarterback Tom Brady.
And over the years, the Patriots developed a saying, that summarizes what they believe as a team. Anyone know what that is? No, not “cheat.” It’s “Do Your Job.”
The Patriots have a culture of hard work, excellence, responsibility and accountability. They believe if everyone simply “does their job,” they will win - no matter who’s playing.
Now, it doesn’t hurt when you have a genius coach and the greatest QB of all-time. That being said, anyone who follows football knows the Patriots are always getting new players. And very rarely do they have a lot superstars. Yet, they continue to win Super Bowls. Why? They simply have people who know their responsibilities and execute them well. They just “Do their job!”
And as Jesus writes to Laodicea, I believe this is what Jesus is saying to the church: DO YOUR JOB.
It’s not about being “hot” Christian or “cold” not Christian. Jesus doesn’t want people to “be” cold. He wants all to be saved. ,
Patriots - Do you job. Great Quarterback and genius coach… but it’s their mantra that makes a huge impact.
It’s this message that Jesus gives to the church at Laodicea.
Exegesis:
Exegesis:
The city of Laodicea was an extremely wealthy city. Last week, I mentioned how the city of Philadelphia experienced a large earthquake that destroyed their city. So much so, Philadelphia had to ask Rome to financially help the rebuilding effort.
Guess what? That same earthquake also rocked Laodicea. Only Laodicea didn’t need help. Their city was destroyed too, but they didn’t need Rome’s stinkin help. In fact, they boasted about how they rebuilt the entire city with their own money (and had plenty left over). They were considered the wealthiest city in the area.
However, this wealthy city was missing one important thing: it’s own water supply. They had to pipe their water in from the neighboring cities of Hierapolis and Colosse. Hierapolis had hot water springs and Colosse had cold mountain water. The problem is, by the time the water reached Laodicea, the hot water wasn’t hot and the cold water wasn’t warm - they were both lukewarm.
I’ve heard lukewarm water is actually good for your body. It’s supposed to be easier for your body to absorb. But has anyone ever drank lukewarm coffee when you expected it to be hot? It’s like “Blah!” How about Gatorade? I love the taste of ice cold Gatorade, especially after exercising. You know what’s gross? Lukewarm Gatorade. It’s like you have this expectation: The coffee is supposed to be hot and the Gatorade is supposed to be cold. But if both are lukewarm, it’s gross! Why? Neither are doing their JOB!
That’s what the Laodiceans knew all too well. They were expecting hot water. They had plans for their hot water. So, it was really frustrating when it came in lukewarm. They expected cold water from Colosse. But after a hot day (like yesterday/today), they went to the water fountain, expecting cold refreshing water to hit their mouth, but it was lukewarm and gross - so they spit it out.
That’s the picture Jesus is painting. Jesus isn’t saying I wish some of you were on-fire Christians and some of you weren’t Christians - I actually think that doesn’t make sense! Why would JESUS wish people were not Christians? That’s crazy. No, what he’s saying is, “Do your job!” Be who you are supposed to be. Be hot if you’re supposed to be, and be cold if you’re supposed to be!
That was the big problem in Laodicea. The church wasn’t be the church. They were blind to themselves. Say, “We all have blindspots.” Laodicea’s had a huge blindspots. Verse 17 says...
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
They thought they had it goin’ on! They were like, “We’re the best church! Look at all the stuff we have. We got no problems. We are successful! We need nothing!” But, Jesus is like, “When I look at you, you have nothing. You are completely blind and you don’t realize it.”
Look back at verse 15 with me...
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
This church did stuff. They probably did a lot of things, especially since they had the money to finance it. So, when Jesus says...
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
He’s saying, “You’re not doing anything that matters! You’re my church, but what you’re doing has nothing to do with My Kingdom. Can’t you see that?”
Jesus goes on to say...
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 salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Basically, he’s like, “You think you’re rich, but you’re only thinking about that earthly-gold. I want you to buy gold from me - gold that actually matters. Kingdom gold. Then, you’ll be rich.”
In Laodicea, they had three major industries that created wealth. The first one was banking, hence the gold. The second was textiles. While normal people wore white garments, Laodicea was home to “black wool.” It was a huge sign of wealth. It was like an American Express black card - ever seen one of those (Richard Jefferson - NJ Nets)?
Jesus was like, “You think you’re ballin in your black garments, but to me your naked (you’re broke). Spiritually, the black garments more likely represents the sin in your life. Therefore, buy white garments from me - be spiritually clean.”
The third industry was medicine. Laodicea had developed special medicine that helped heal eyes. Jesus was like, “Put that medicine on your own eyes, because you’re spiritually blind.”
What’s Jesus telling them? He’s telling His church, “None of your are doing your job!” They were supposed to be hot water that warmed people’s souls. They were supposed to be cold water that refreshed people’s thirst. They were supposed to be a blessing to their community, but they were focused on the the wrong thing. They weren’t doing their job!
Let’s stop for a moment, because I need to clarify something. When Jesus asks them to “do their job,” he’s not necessary focused on what they are “doing,” more than who they are “being.”
In the Christian life, we are not Christians because we do Christian things. We do Christian things because we are Christians. Our identity is in Christ. We ARE children of God. We ARE Christians. And because we ARE, we care about the things that Jesus cares about and we do the things that Jesus does. And that’s what Jesus means when He says, “Do your job!” He’s saying, “Be who I created you to be.”
Verse 19 goes on to say...
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Last week, I went to Addison pool with Janelle and the boys. When I was in the pool, I heard a life guard whistle and someone say, “Can’t do that! Can’t be on your back!” I looked around wondering who he was talking to. Then, I saw he was looking at me. He’s like, “Yea you! I’m talking to you!” Apparently, I’m not allowed to have my 6 yr old around my neck because it’s a choking hazard. Whatever!!! That’s not the point...
My point is the lifeguard let me know, “I’m talking to you.” That’s what Jesus is doing in this verse. He’s looking at the church of Laodicea and saying, “Yes, I’m talking to you! You’re blind. Fix the blindness. Hurry up and repent - stop acting like that!”
But He also says something awesome. He says, “Those whom I love...” Jesus is saying this because He loves them. They belong to Him and He wants them to be who He created them to be. And here’s what’s going to rock their world...
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 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.’ ”
Rev. 3:20
Someone say, “Why is Jesus outside?”
Jesus is telling them, “You don’t even realize that I’m outside. I even gotta knock for you to realize I’m outside. Actually, the language is more, “I’ve been knocking for a while and I’m wondering if anyone is going to answer.” This church had gotten to the point where they were so consumed with their own agenda, so blind to their own spiritual condition, that they didn’t even realize they locked Jesus outside.”
Church, that’s not a good place to be. But here’s where God’s grace and love blows us away. Even though we kicked Jesus outside (where there is no A/C), Jesus says, “I still love you. And I’m going to keep knocking.” Why? Because Jesus wants to be with us. Isn’t that part of the gospel message? That Jesus loves us so much that He died for our sins on the cross, so that if we put our faith in Him, we could be with Him forever?
Jesus wants to be in our lives. He wants to come into our homes and sit down and eat with us (culturally, a very intimate and relational event). And He wants us to “sit on His throne the same way He sat down with His Father on his throne.” What’s that mean? He wants to have the most intimate type of relationship with us. Like the kind He has with His Father.
Response:
Response:
As we close, we are going to take communion.
You know, some think the 7 churches symbolically represent the church ages throughout church history, with Laodicea being the church right before Jesus comes back. Some believe Laodicea represents the church age we currently live in: lukewarm, doing a bunch of things that don’t matter, and having no concern for the Kingdom of God.
If we’re honest, there’s definitely some truth to that. We can look at the state of the modern church and think, “A lot of us are in trouble!”
And while I could close with a call for us to respond with this in mind... I think what’s really needed is for us to simply hear what the Spirit says to US.
It’s always easy to point fingers(look at the church - look at that one, and that one. They do this. They don’t do that!). But as the saying goes, when we point, there are four fingers pointing back at ourselves. So, what is the Spirit saying to US today.
Are we doing our job? And again, it’s not about “works.”
By the time football players make it to the NFL, really, they don’t have to prove they are good football players. You can’t make it to the pros unless you’re good. What’s required of them now is to do their job. And to do it well.
Same is true in Christianity. It’s not about “doing.” That’s secondary. It’s primarily about “identity.” Look at God. Jon and I were talking about this yesterday morning… God isn’t God because of what He does. It’s not like doing impossible things makes Him God. Rather, because He IS God, He can DO impossible things. He saves, because He IS a Savior. He heals, because He IS a healer. And because He is the “amen, the faithful one, the beginning” He does His job! That’s who He IS.
Who has God called us to be? The cool thing is, we don’t have to be anyone else. We are just gotta be who God has called us to be. That’s what it mean it means to “DO OUR JOB.” Paul phrased it this way...
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
. God has called some of us to be.... so we do...
We DO our job by being in Christ Jesus. And BEING in Christ leads to us DOING the good things He planned for us.
As we take communion, as we remember the faithful one who always does His job (ultimately shown on the cross), let’s examine OURSELVES. Are we doing our job? Or are we being blind? Have we locked Jesus outside?
Let’s be honest with ourselves. I know… honestly examining ourselves hurts. Having Jesus correct us hurts! No one likes to be disciplined (it hurts). No one likes being wrong. But we need to remember, when Jesus is correcting us, it’s because He loves us and wants us to flourish!
And that’s my hope and prayer. I want us to be a church with people who are flourishing in who God made us to be. I want us to be a church that builds communities who love Jesus and bring joy to others. We do that by doing our job.
When linemen be linemen, not quarterbacks. When quarterback be quarterbacks, not place kickers. God’s ONLY calling us to be who He made us to be. And when we do that, we DO OUR JOB.
That’s all He’s asking Laodicea to do. That’s what He’s asking us to do. But that’s when the victory happens. That’s when we start winning spiritual Super Bowls. That’s when we are personally transformed into the likeness of Christ and we reach Glastonbury with the gospel!
I’m going to call the worship team up...
One thing to reflect on and pray about: We need help here at church. So, let me ask, are you using your gifts here at church? Because we a body (a team) and need you to DO YOUR JOB. To be who God has created you to be. God called you to this church for a reason.
So… What are you passionate about? What is God asking you to do? Even if it’s uncomfortable. I started off greeting (btw, we need those too). I’m a quiet person. It was really uncomfortable for me to be responsible for saying “Hi” to everyone who walked into the door. But God used that to transform me into who I am now- who He called me to be. Now, I do the most talking on Sunday mornings!
What’s your job? Where does God want you to start using your gifts? Step out by faith… come talk to me, Jon, Janelle, Alyssa, about serving. Who knows what God will do!
In moment, I’m going to invite you forward to take communion.
