Laodicea

All right, before we open the word that asked the Lord to bless our time together our gracious Father in Heaven how we thank you that we can gather in your house. What a gift. This is especially in our day and age were those struggles seem to be a rising in our nation. We thank you Father. We pray that your spirit would be here in power and strength to touch each of our hearts for father. We need to know from you from your word from the power that is there for that is the word that changes Our Lives. And father is I speak. May I be humbled before you that it would be your spirit? It would guide and direct every word that comes from my mouth for father. It is you that make the change in hearts and lots and it is you we honor bless us. Oh Lord in this time in Jesus name. Amen. Well, we've arrived this is the very last Church of Revelation the seventh one laodicea and it's going to be an interesting one to take a look at a very interesting one particularly in our day and age.

Last week we looked at Philadelphia and if you want to belong to a typical Church, the Philadelphia church is the one you want to be long to you do not want to be long to the Church of laodicea because in some ways it's not really even a church that follows the Living God. I was trying to think of a way to bring that forward to you as I open the service and I racked my brain to find a place and I finally settled on rather than experience from myself. I would go to the Jeff first chapter of Romans and we take a look at what God has to say there about those who are struggling as we go towards the end of time. Let's go real quickly to Revelation Army into Romans chapter 118 it goes through God's Wrath developing on the people of this world because of their disdain for him to look away from him and to themselves and lift up themselves as true the true way to follow while we're not going to begin at 18, but will begin adverse 24 as you read through this think about this. This is truly speaking to those who really feel that they're following the right path. Think about that in terms of our day and what we're looking at in our nation as we begin to crumble as followers of the Living God. They've been denying God and worshipping other things and it gets 2 verse 24 and it says therefore God gave them over to sinful desires of their hearts just sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised. Amen. Okay, the first little part there is recognizing that people know God and yet they chose to go their own way and one of the signs of that was sexual immorality.

If you can't see that that's been growing in our land then you've missed the whole idea Even in our churches. We have that going on it continues on because of that step. The next step is because of this God gave them over to a shameful lusts even women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. And in the same way men also abandoned natural relation relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another men kid. It committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. This really struck home to me when the very conservative denomination the southern baptist denomination elected a leader of their denomination as a homosexual man. and if Kind of Boggle my mind that even in those areas. This is becoming prolific. Well, it's God giving man over to their own evil desires it continues on and it gets worse here further more since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. He gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness evil greed and depravity. They are full of Envy murder Strife to seat and Malice they are gossips landrieu's God haters insolent arrogant and boastful they invent ways of doing evil. They disobey their parents. They are senseless faithless heartless ruthless, although they know God's righteous think about this people knowing god and their righteous degrees think of that as being somebody who is turned away from God and starts doing themselves. Here's the point that those who do such things deserve to have they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. The church turning away from God and choosing to practice evil and then encourage others to do it themselves, and we see that happening in the churches today. That is the Church of laodicea. And if we look at the pattern that I've been talkin about as we have gone through these churches. There is a pattern that leads us to the very end of the age and this is what will happen. And what is happening even today. and because of this I believe that

God may be coming very soon to restore and we have to be ready. We're called to be ready and this is a warning to those who would turn away from the truth of God's word from following God's example and leading their own way of life.

And so let's get on with the church at laodicea.

I will start off with just reading the first verse because I think it is pertinent to what happens in our as we read through these different churches because Jesus Christ reveals himself and each of the churches as something specific to what is going on in that particular Church. Okay, and here's what he says about himself in the opening of the Church of laodicea the Angel of the Church of laodicea write. These are the words of the amen. Faithful and true witness the ruler of God's creation. Okay, so he gives three pictures here the first three pictures of himself. Now recognize that Jesus is the Living God is the all-powerful one. Who's the God who created everything? And you exist here today? Because Jesus Christ created You by his power and strength. Okay. We see that from John 1:14 speaking about Jesus. It said the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory the glory of the one and only who came from the father full of grace and truth. You see Jesus identifying with the father right there. God himself. There are three things that it says, he says I Am The Great I Am the amen In other words, I am the agreement of the Living God what God has a say I agree with what he says and so he is the amen I tell you the truth a John 8:58 says I tell you the truth Jesus answered before Abraham was born. I am remember that happened when Moses was at the burning bush. And you said what what do I tell the people you are and God said I am in Jesus is here telling the Pharisees that he is The Great. I Am I identify with the Living God? I am God himself. And so this is God speaking these words to the church at laodicea. The second thing is that he is the testifier he testifies to the truth. He's speaking to Pilot just before he's sentenced to the Cross. He's telling pilot about himself and pilot says these words and John 18:37. You are a king. Then said pilate Jesus answered your right in saying that I am a king. In fact for this reason. I was born and for this I came into the world why to testify to the truth everyone on my side of Truth listens to me in other words laodicea to the Living God because he's telling you the way it is and you haven't been listening and finally he is the ruler he is a ruler of all things why he's the creator of all things. He ought to be the ruler in one day you and I whether you believe in him or not or going to stand before the throne of grace and bow our knees Some to go off to destruction in hell and others to remain in the Beauty and The Wonder of his presence. Philippians 2 10 and 11 says that that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on the earth and under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Okay. So those three things he's trying to point out to the church at laodicea. Hey, wake up. It's time for you to listen to what I have to say to you. Because you're going the wrong way and you're bound for Destruction and I want you to know the truth. So let's take a look at the truth that he gives it's a church of apathy. It's a church a desires to go its own way. That doesn't think about God as much as they think about their own desires their own once their own wishes for this life. a church that ignores all other things but what they want Including the word of God. Okay. So let's read verses 15 to 7:17.

I know your Deeds that you are neither hot cold nor hot. I wish we were either one or the other. So because you were lukewarm neither hot nor cold. I'm about to spit you out of my mouth. You say I am rich I have acquired wealth and do not need anything, but you do not realize that you are wretched pitiful poor blind and naked.

Imagine that he's talking to a church a group of people that believe their following Jesus Christ. You know Jesus had the same words to say to the Pharisees two thousand years ago that you're going the wrong way. You need to look to the truth and turn around. You need to follow my words in my way.

Malachi is the last of the prophets of the Old Testament and he's talking to the priests the priests of faltered in their leadership in the church and they've gone the wrong way and he says these words and Malachi 2:2 if you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor, my name says the Lord Almighty I will send a curse upon you I will curse your blessings. Yes. I'm already cursed them because you have not set your heart to honor me. In other words. God was looking at them. They were doing their own thing. They were worshipping their way rather than God's way of leading worship and he wanted them to turn around to wash worship the true and living God.

And so he says I'm cursing you will sometimes we think of a curse is thinking that the awful things happen in this life, but you know the really worst thing that could happen in this line. Is we don't have that relationship with the Living God? We don't know Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior because that makes all the difference in this world. If we don't know him as Lord and savior. We're lost. We're Bound for hell.

And that was the struggle that they were having back at with Malachi, but it's also the struggle of the laodicean church today. They were apathetic toward God. Doing their own thing. And so he calls them fools. You may remember the parable of the rich man who had a great year and planning is fields and the Gathering all goods and didn't have enough room for him. So he built more and more stuff for himself. You know, he had all these things and he said they're I'm set I'm good for life. No problem. Here's what the Lord had to say. But God said to him you fool this very night. Your life will be demanded from you then who will get what you prepared for yourself. You know if we're not. Generous toward that relationship with the Living God and want his relationship more than anything else in our world. We're fools. Because we're looking at a ternity down the road. And if I don't have that relationship, I am lost. I am Bound for hell for all eternity. I need that relationship. So he says five things about the people. I I won't have versus for most of these but I wanted to give them to you so that you understand where he is leading in this picture in how much he thinks of the struggles. The laodicean church is involved in the first one is that they are wretched. What is ratchet will their sinful they have sand in their lives? And they don't even know it.

And that's the foolish thing about Mankind is Louis halves in their God says if you repent I'll forgive you. All as you have to do is repent of your sin and I'll forgive you. Jeremiah 7:8 it says but look you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. trust in my words turn away from your sin and turn back to me. The second thing is that he called them pitiful. pitiful you're unaccomplished. Okay. This church was rich, they felt they were Rich. Hey, you know they had a lot of well, you can think of people in the United States were a nation. That is well. We have so many great things and we think okay. I'm doing really well in this life.

But he says no, you're not doing well in this life. If you don't know and follow me as Lord and Savior you cannot accomplish anything. Your goals are rubbish. Remember is Paul said, you know, I count everything that I did have before as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That is the most important thing to me in my life and it ought to be for each and every one of us. You know that should be the relationship that we Crave in our lives and we seek after the next thing is that they're poor. Okay, they're poor they have no character and no understanding. Because our character draws us to the Living God and makes us want to live our lives as he lived Our Lives.

You know in Ephesians that calls us to imitate Jesus Christ. In other words take his life into our lives so much that when I respond to other people I'm responding is Jesus Christ would respond to their lives. Okay, that's what makes us rich in this life. It's not our clothes or our positions or our money or you know, those valuable things that we seek after it's our relationship with Jesus Christ. And how much is a part of our Lives. The third thing is our the fourth thing. Is it your blind your blind? You've totally missed the truth. Laodicea. You haven't seen the truth and you're going the wrong way and you don't even realize it. You are blind where's the truth found was found in the word?

What it says here? Is the most valuable thing that we have from God because it's his words all the way through.

All the way through God's word in the fifth thing is if you're naked. You're exposed to the world without any power at all. Well, how's that happen? Well as a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that God loves me and has given me his Spirit to be in me. That spirit is the one that makes a change not only in my life but allows me to have an influence over others that helps them change to be more like him and to know him as Lord and Savior that gives me power in my life. It helps me to follow the Living God. You know, if you don't have any power to change somebody's life, then you have no power at all. Do you I mean you can change them for this world. You can make them more wealthy big deal. Are they going to spend all that wealth and hell? No. You know God offers those crowns and Glory. Just fire in hell.

Okay, so we see the wretchedness of the laodicean church. We understand we don't want to be there. So what's the answer to that if you're part of the laodicean church, what do you do? How do you get out of this mess?

Verse 18 on account YouTube I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you can become rich and white clothes to wear so that you can cover your shameful nakedness and Salve to put on your eyes so that you can see in other words come to me know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

You know become close in me through repentance and other words repent of your sins so that you're clean. And holy as you walk before me we're going to have communion a little bit and that's what we will do. We will go to Don and ask for him to cleanse us and purify so we can take the cup and the bread. And finally get to know his word. This is a powerful instrument for every one of us. God has given it to us to help us understand and know him to draw as close to him. So powerful continuing on Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be Earnest and repent here. I am I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door. I will come in and eat with him and he with me to him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my Throne just as I over came and sat down with my father on his throne he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says the churches.

For all those who are in the Church of laodicea that think that they're going their own way. They need to be changed. Give you an idea.

Solve the first king of Israel was being talked to by Samuel, you know, and he wanted to direct him and guide him in the right path and help him to follow the way. So he says this to just saw what he says the spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and will probably and you will prophesy with them and you will be changed into a different person. In other words when the spirit of God comes Upon A man. or a woman who asks For that gift remember through Jesus Christ becoming our Lord and savior. We gain that gift. Did we become a new creature 2nd Corinthians? 5:17 says that we truly are changed how because God now dwells in our lives. Isn't that amazing God who created all the universe once that relationship and wells in each of us who have asked him to be our Lord and savior.

It says listen to the scripture. You don't start doing the things you're supposed to do. 2nd 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. It says all scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training. Remember Jesus Christ is rebuking the laodicean church. It's not because he doesn't want them to know the truth. It's because he wants them to know the truth and turn back from their evil ways and follow him. And he says behold I stand at the door and knock. That means he's on the outside is not in the life. But he wants to be in your life and my life and he stands at the door and Enochs and he wants to come in, but you have to respond each and every one of us needs to respond to that call that knock on the door. And God will always come in when we open that door. He never turns away from one who repents and desires to have that relationship. And when we have that relationship, we have overcome the world within have a certainty of our presents being in heaven with the Lord Jesus for all time. In other words, he says I'm on the throne you will be there with me. 1st John 5:4 says for everyone born of God.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world. Even our faith even our faith. And the question is where is your faith? And I hope that you can answer me today. My faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ for I have trusted in him as my Lord and my savior.

I hope that each and every one of you has done that but you know, if you haven't there still that opportunity to respond. God is calling you even now to come forward to commit your life to following him to be responsive to his love for you God loves you and wants to spend an eternity with you in a wonderful and ever powerful relationship with him. But you have that choice and you have to make it. You have to make it. And I hope that if you don't know him, you'll make it today and come to know him as your lord and savior.

Let's pray. Are Grace's Father in heaven? We thank you that we have this opportunity. to be involved in who you are and what you have to say and to know you owe what a blessing that is father because it gives us the opportunity to look into eternity and know that we have a certainty of that salvation that you alone can give At Salvation that comes through our recognition of Jesus Christ in our repentance of sin O Father as we have this song right now. I pray that your spirit would be touching the hearts of people who want to respond to that great love that you have for them and they will come forward. Oh Lord. May you bless richly in Jesus name? Amen?