Dinner with Jesus

Revelation 3:17-22 Church at Laodicea Part 2

Who Needs Jesus?

Fantastic news, this happened just a couple of weeks ago. My nephew, Cash Saarloos accepted Jesus into his heart. Very exciting...

My sister, Heather, was home with Cash and suddenly he matter of factly announces "Jesus is living in my heart."

Heather was surprised but pleased so she asked Cash "oh, did you ask Jesus to come live in your heart?"

Cash shook his head casually and said "Nah--He just showed up!!"

He then proceded to lean down into his chest to shout at his heart! "Jesus , Jesus, tell God I want a remote controlled robot and lego batman and ...."

See Cash grasped a concept early on that we more sophisticated Christians often pretend not to know or experience. We want Jesus when we need something. When we are in need or in want, when we are hurting or hungry or afraid, we call out for Jesus. And that's good, that's a good instinct, actually, because who can help us like Jesus. Not to be confused with Santa Claus, though.

But once we have our remote controlled robot and lego batman. Once life is comfortable again, what do we do? See ya Jesus. Not in so many words, but our sense of urgency isn't there. Suddenly we can go hours and days without any kind of real prayer or fellowship with God.

Laodicea

We saw this last time in the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3. The church at Laodicea was wealthy and felt they needed nothing. In truth, they were wretched, pitiful; poor, naked and blind. They were like lukewarm water: useless for any good purpose or works.

In thinking or feeling that they needed nothing, they abandoned the very lifeblood of Christianity... fellowship and communion with Jesus.

We live in a world of plenty, beyond anything the Laodiceans had. Our great and ever-present temptation is to echo the words of Laodicea: "we have enough." Think about it this way. If any enemy or adversary or spiritual power wanted to keep you from fellowship with Jesus, and a little easy comfort or prosperity was the price... that would be a no-brainer.

Jesus delivers a wake-up call to call the church of Laodicea out of that lethargy, that lukewarm good-for-nothing-ness, and it speaks to us.

Recap

Remember the church at Laodicea had become lukewarm, and that was a metaphor for becoming useless for any good works. They were wealthy and though they didn't need anything. Jesus says, well... let's just read it.

God's Prescription: Just add a little Jesus

Revelation 3:17-22 NIV

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’

So this is the problem, this self-sufficiency

But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

It's opposite day. You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Realize the depth of your need. Realize the depth of your need. Realize the incredible depth of your need.

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Jesus has a cure for what ails them. He addresses their poverty, their nakedness, their blindness. And the cure looks like this, verses 19 and 20:

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 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 that person, and they with me.

(Again.)

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Not the Salvation passage you thought it was

Verse 20 is so often misapplied to be Jesus seeking and knocking on the heart of the unbeliever. Accept Jesus into your heart, and He will come in, and then you are a Christian. Now that can be a great image of salvation, and it is certainly true that God is first seeking and pursuing the unbeliever, offering salvation.

But, that is not this verse. Who is the you? The lukewarm Christians of Laodicea. The lukewarm Christians of Laodicea. The “Christ” followers who have been lulled into comfort and by wealth and a feeling of self-sufficiency until they think they don’t need anything. And so have become useless.

In fact, I have wondered how many potential Christians came looking for this verse, and you get that warm picture of Jesus seeking and knocking on the heart... just wanting to come in and live in your heart. I wonder if they peeked up at verse 19. Bit of a turnoff there. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline?" Wait a second! I thought I pray, say yes, Jesus moves in, and life is good and easy...

But it isn't a salvation picture at all here. This is Jesus at the "door" (metaphor here) of the Christian. Knocking... knocking... knocking... Can I come in?

Ridiculous Grace

Picture that. Now picture that from the cosmic perspective. The victorious Savior of the world. Remember that picture of John from chapter 1? Fire, glowing, sword in the tongue... infinitely powerful and glorious divine being, standing outside my door. "Can I come in? I'll wait..." Knocking... waiting...

It is insanely ridiculous that the Lord of the Universe waits for me to open the door. But that is the incredible love of our God, the grace of our God, that He desires our response, our welcome, our initiation.

And He's so patient. And He's so persistent. Incredible grace. Incredible love.

Dinner with Jesus

So Jesus is standing outside and knocking. I hear the knock... and open the door. .. he comes in and what does he want to do? Eat together. This is what the primary use of "fellowship": eating, sharing together. Table fellowship. Fellowship with Jesus. Dinner with Jesus.

How incredibly... ordinary. How normal. Imagine Jesus shows up on your doorstep, and you are expecting bolts of lightning and profundity and fireworks. He strolls in and looks around, "Hey man, you got some lucky charms? Some cereal? Let's grab some Subway, man, I'm hungry!" It's so ordinary and everyday.

And this is what we see all through the gospels, this is where Jesus taught his disciples. Walking through the countryside, occasionally before crowds, but so very many times, sitting together and eating. This is the very stuff of life. This is so fundamental to the human experience, it is so day to day, every day.

What does it mean that Jesus is persistently trying to be a part of that in our life? This is a metaphor, right, Jesus isn't literally eating a meal inside of us or inside our houses... So what does it mean that Jesus is knocking and wants to come in and chow?

I think it means this. Fellowship with Jesus is to be as regular and fundamental to spiritual life as eating is to physical life. As simple and as obvious as it is to sit down and eat, it should be that simple and obvious for us to invite Jesus in to our lives. Not just once for all and forget about it. but continually.

Over and over again

Remember, these words are going to the Church at Laodicea, a whole bunch of people who have already had their conversion experience and baptism and the whole bit. But some of our hearts are like revolving doors to God. Come and in and... out you go. Oooh, I need God again, so come on in and... out you go.

I need a lego batman. I need a new toy. I need comfort, or help, or healing... and so right now I need God. But now I am good, I am comfortable, I am wealthy enough... I need nothing.

Jesus wants to be included in the everyday aspects of your life. In the fellowship. In the mutual sharing. If you share with me... I share with you. You invite me to sit with you, I invite you to sit with me in my throne of glory. Isn't that what he says? It's good stuff...

Invite Jesus to the Party

Let's put it this way. Invite Jesus to the party. Your life is a party, sometimes an awesome one, sometimes my life party is kind of lame, but Jesus wants in.

Jesus is knocking on your door. He wants in to your life. He wants to be a part. As ordinary as sitting down to a meal, Jesus wants to be a part of your life. Daily. Often. Over and over. Some of you are already good at this, but you had to learn it. It wasn't natural. Because we forget, we get distracted.

We get comfortable. We think we are wealthy, clothed, seeing clearly. But in truth, we are poor, naked and blind. We forget the depth of our need for fellowship with Jesus.

We forget to invite Jesus in.

This isn't a magic trick either. It isn't complicated, because apparently Jesus is doing all the real work here. All we have to do is hear the knocking and open the door. So. Be quiet. Listen. Do you hear some knocking? Try this prayer: it's very holy, it's very sacred. "Hey Jesus, come on in."

"Hey Jesus, come on in."

"Hey Jesus, be a part of my life. Welcome to the party. Take up residence, make yourself at home. Come on in." And then later, you hear some knocking... "Hey Jesus, come on in."

We develop the habit. As a favor, maybe you're skeptical, but as a favor, try this over the next few days. The next three days. When you sit down for a meal, instead of "Dear God, thank you for this food, Amen." Take 10 seconds, recognize that Jesus is knocking, and just say "come on in." Be a part of my life, Jesus.

Life of the Party

Here is what I hope you discover. Invite Jesus to the party Jesus is the life of the party.

Think about that for a minute. Think about Jesus as a dinner guest.

He is radical. Jono and I were discussing writing Jesus in as a presidential candidate: but he's just too radical. Talk about candidate most likely to end the world.

When you open the door to fellowship with Jesus, prepare for the party to really get started. Prepare to be significantly less comfortable. The lukewarm-ness isn't going to last long.

First miracle, at the wedding. Jesus is joyful. He is not a killjoy, end of fun, here comes the bummer wagon.

But talk about challenging. Taxpayers and prostitutes at dinner. Socially uncomfortable.

Theologically profound. The significance of the crucifixion being a new covenant in sacrificial blood: that truth bomb was dropped at the fellowship table. And we still remember it that way in Communion.

“Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” That was dropped with 1st century fast food, grabbing and eating wheat from the fields.

To Peter, post-resurrection foundational teaching about the establishment of the church, in the midst of preparing dinner: “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus is the life of the party. He keeps it going. He keeps it interesting. He keeps pressing deeper. He keeps teaching and guiding and correcting. He keeps challenging our assumptions. He keeps leading us into deeper and truer life. He keeps revolutionizing our concepts of love and joy and freedom. It isn't an easy process. Remember this, verse 19:

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

It cannot be easy or comfortable, but it is so infinitely than the cheap substitution for joyful true life that so many trade in for. A few decades of passing distractions and cheap thrills?

"I'm knocking...

We were made for the party

Jesus says:

20 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 that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

We were made for that party. Listen for the knocking. Literally take some time, at least at meals during the next few meals, to listen for that knocking and say "Jesus, come in." Be a part.

Jesus be the life of the party.

Jesus be the life of the party.

Jesus be a part of my life. Jesus be a part of my life.

Jesus turn my ordinary into the extraordinary.

Jesus turn my everyday into the eternal.

Jesus turn my simple meal into the profound moment of teaching.

Jesus turn my drive to work into an experience in the footsteps of my Savior.

Jesus turn my chat with a coworker into a Kingdom encounter... a Kingdom victory.

Jesus be the life of the party. Come on in.

We were made for that party. You spend a little time in the presence of Jesus, even if you're just eating cereal , you are anything but lukewarm! Take a look at those guys who spent just a few years eating cereal with Jesus. Walking with him, talking with him, fellowshipping with him. Men who answered Jesus' knock.

They literally, historically, absolutely undeniably changed the world.

We live in a world every bit as desperate for change. Not a campaign slogan, but Kingdom revolution. Changing our world starts with us and it starts with this:

Jesus. Come on in. Be a part of my life. Be the center of my life. As often and as fundamental, as necessary as making sure I eat each day. Be welcome in my life. Be Lord in my life. Be present in my everyday. Come on in.