Sermon Tone Analysis
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And what is that message?
It is a message of warning, reflection, and resolution.
A path to rejection.
And a means or restoral.
The Sin of Self-Dependance
Laodicea was rich, as we just learned.
There was an earthquake in 60 AD causing much destruction.
“Ceasar, Declare a state of emergency and help us rebuild this city that’s so important to you!” NOPE!!
They sent word that they would just rebuild it themselves.
Not just a few civic buildings, the whole city!
This is the frame of reference the Christians in Laodicea grew up in.
They had the means to provide the solution to all their problems.
They likely had a well funded church and ministry programs.
Hear me, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with having much wealth or a church that has ample means.
The problem is when self-sufficiency dethrones Christ-sufficiency.
That was the sin of the Laodiceans.
Were the pharisees actually righteous?
We are ALL dependent on God.
We ALL need His supply.
When I look back on the past months and years of certain controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention I notice two things.
It’s a very vocal minority whose voices are heard over the rest.
Don’t let greater noise define our understanding of a situation.
Those few who do cause the troubles (on both sides of each issue) are much more about self than selfless.
They wear a robe of pride instead of the towel of a servant.
The same was the case for the pharisees.
And that same tendency is an ever present danger for us too.
Be always on guard.
Be on guard for the sin of self-dependence.
It leads to…
The Shame of Self-Blindness
The church at Laodicea never saw a problem then couldn’t fix.
For clarity - there certainly WERE problems they had that COULDN’T fix, they just couldn’t SEE them.
In their ability turned pride, they became a wretched, impoverished, sickening sight to Jesus.
Let me tell you brothers and sisters, that is NOT how you want your only hope for salvation to see you!
This blindness led them to shame.
We don’t have to look too far to see examples if this.
Emperor’s New Clothes.
“That customer” who comes in shouting and making a scene because Little Caesars messed up their $5 pizza.
Their shame cam from seeing their situation primarily from their present perspective, not a heavenly perspective.
This knife cuts both ways.
We can see our “cans” and think we don’t need God’s “wills” that will leave us out of His will, or worse, out of His will!
We can think we have all the gas for the motor.
That our calendar is right.
Or our map has all the hazards and highlights.
We can think that - and we would be wrong.
Because God says He will.
I looked it up.
Every verse where God is speaking and He says “I will”.
1,026 verses.
I would like to read every one of those to you this morning… But I won’t.
But is starts with
and ends with
Whenever we say “I will” outside of a heart of humility, unwilling to listen to or to obey God’s “I will”, we risk being outside of His will.
We all end up there.
Recognize, repent, repeat!
But someone who is constantly outside the will of God - and un-remorseful - might also be outside of His will.
Outside the forgiveness, outside the family of God.
That is our shame.
Our sin of sufficiency, if not surrendered to Christ Jesus, becomes our shame of rejection.
Don’t let your pride earn you these words from Jesus:
This was exactly where the Laodiceans found themselves.
And if it’s where you find yourself, take heart.
Because Jesus’ mercies are new every morning!
When we find we have committed the sin of self-sufficiency leading to the shame of self-blindness, we can find a path home through…
Confession and Currency Exchange
One of the remarkable things about reading the One Testament is the mind-blowing extreme opportunities and desire God has for His people to confess their sins and return to Him.
It’s really unfathomable.
That is the God we serve.
He is not the God on second chances only.
Jesus was not requiring forgiveness beyond what He offered.
In fact, the parable that follows make that exact point.
Jesus ‘seventy times seven’ should be taken to mean a magnitude of fullness, not to ascertain the specific number of forgiveness events until we give them what they deserve.
A magnitude of the fullness of forgiveness is what He asks because it is what He offers.
That’s a long way to drive home the point that no matter were you are right now, and not matter how many times it feels like you’ve fallen right back ‘there’, confession is the first step.
You have a Lord who is patient, loving, and forgiving.
“I confess” is great, but what does that mean?
It means that the value we placed in the things we trusted must be exchanged for the thing of real value.
Everything you might think you can trust in outside of God is of less value that you think.
It’s a bag of sand compared to the gold of God’s sufficiency.
Make the exchange.
It doesn’t mean taking a vow of poverty and giving away all you own.
It does mean taking it off the throne and putting God back.
You can trust Him to guide you to use what you have to His glory.
There are few things more fulfilling that seeing what you used to idolize in your life - talents, money, life story - being used by God.
It becomes more that about us, and take on eternal significance when it’s placed in God’s hands.
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself…
An Invitation to Repentance
The Laodiceans had confidence in their gold.
They had confidence in their fine clothing.
They had confidence in their status.
They had confidence in their education.
But if they didn’t exchange all that confidence (pride) for confidence in Jesus’ completed work for their salvation, they would end up with neither.
Do you see the parallel between what they had confidence in and what Jesus said He would supply?
He isn’t talking about the material, but the eternal.
Jesus invites them to ‘buy’ this spiritual gold, and clothing, and ointment.
It’s only when they can acknowledge the superiority of the person of Jesus over the commodity of earthly wealth they feel the blessing of the Kingdom of God right now.
We’ve talked about money, but let me bring back the larger theme.
We have unlimited opportunity for pride.
Why?
Because just as there is always someone better or better off than we are, there is always someone less.
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