Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Because the Lord has nothing good to say about this church.

And the sad fact is it could be said of many Book of Revelation.

And we're going to look beginning and verse 14.

Now, if you remember we've studied six churches so far Ephesus lost their first love and other words, they serve the Lord.

They did a lot of good things but they were doing it with the wrong motivation.

So the Bible says they lost their first love which is their love for Christ and then we had Smyrna which was the persecuted church.

Now let me say something again.

And I've mentioned this and I want to say it one more time.

These seven churches, these letters were written to were written in the first century.

but, These we can apply the messages to these churches.

It has three different applications.

Number one, it has a practical application.

We can look at these seven churches in the sea, if we are failing or doing well, in the areas that they are, so it has an applicant, a practical application for us today, but it also has a perennial application.

And what that means is is throughout church history for over two thousand years, you going to see churches, just like the 7 throughout everywhere in every age.

But it also has a prophetic application in that.

Each Church represent a certain error in church history and that's why it's so important that we study the Church of laodicea because the Church of laodicea Is the church that I believe is in the last age before.

Christ comes back, if you want to date, I'm going to give you one from 1900.

Until the rapture.

You say well that hadn't happened yet, right?

So what I'm telling you is this that every single one of us here were born and raised and we live in the church age of laodicea you say.

Well, give me one word that describes the church age that I live in apathy.

Don't care.

Just whatever I can go to church, where I don't have to go to church.

The people who go to church, many are apathetic in their Christian walk and in their Devotion to the Lord.

I don't need a devotion, I just go to church and I'll hear a preacher preach or I'll go to Sunday school class and then I won't open my bible again until next Sunday.

How you serve thing to think that what I'm doing in my way, just say special about that because they had for Eye Centers there.

For people would go to from everywhere that were almost going blind and they would help them, they have medicinal medicines or whatever that would help them.

There's a reason that he saying this, just like he does all the city.

He picks out what the people in the city will understand and I'll explain that as we go through the first 19, many as I love remember he said, he says, I want to spew you out of my mouth.

I want to vomit your miserable, poor blind and naked, and then he says, as many as I love, He's telling them, but I love you and because I love you, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent verse 20.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me to him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my Throne, as I also, overcame death and resurrection, and sit down with my father, on his throne, he who has a ear.

Let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches.

Well, the title of my message is laodicea.

The disgusting church.

I hate to talk about a church that's disgusting, but this one was to the Lord.

The apathy of the 21st century Church.

Remember, this is the error.

This is the age in which we all live an age of apathy toward spiritual things.

Well, let's just jump right to it.

And we going to use the same points of views for the other churches.

And number one, what I want to say, Talk about is the destination of the letter.

Now, the letter was written to laodicea and this is going to be very important.

This cultural and this background information is located in what was called, the lycus valley.

It had two cities near it.

Within 5, Mi of it.

One was colossi.

Remember Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians.

The other city was hierapolis.

About 300 miles east of Athens.

It was about six hundred miles, Northwest of Jerusalem, two important trade routes converge there.

The city was a very wealthy commercial center.

It was one of the richest cities in the region, it was known for banking.

It was known for manufacturing of clothing, especially black wolf and it had a famous medical school with ointments for ears and eyes.

So wealthy, was that City that in a D16, a tremendous earthquake there that destroyed the city and laodicea rebuilt itself without any help from Rome.

I think about that.

You know that we're all looking for government handouts.

Are we when something happens, a tornado comes or hurricane.

We want to get, you know, we want our money, we have homeowners insurance and things like that.

We want our money.

They rebuilt the entire city and ass ROM for nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

This is what the Roman historian tacitus said laodicea.

A rose from the ruins by the throne Resources with no help from us.

That's what the Roman historian said you see the city and the church were alike, they saw themselves as self-sufficient.

They didn't need help from anyone including God, they were just fine by themselves and the Church, of course was badly deceived now fight all this wealth and riches laodicea had one major weakness.

They had an absence of good drinking water.

You say what?

What what does that matter?

Well what did the Lord tell them?

You are not hot or cold your what lukewarm Who likes lukewarm water.

I can't imagine anyone would like anyting lukewarm for all the wealth that this city had, they had poor drinking water, and tacitus even said, he said, the water was so distasteful that when visitors came to the city and they would drink it, many of them ended up vomiting.

What did the Lord say to the church?

I'll do what you want out of my mouth wife because you are lukewarm, you're just like the water of your city.

You see how this is is, is playing in here.

And so we see the destination info from a prophetic perspective and that's how we're going to look at it.

This church represent the church at the end of the age before Christ returns to the Earth and it's a sobering wake-up call.

I think for us and churches, who realize that we made the living in an age represented by this church, it means that when Christ comes back and he can come at any moment with when he comes back, he's going to have very little to commend to the church in general.

And I'm not saying all churches are like this.

There's many good churches out there.

Just like I said, you going to have certain types of churches in every age but the predominant attitude is going to be one of apathy when Christ comes back info.

The church in laodicea just like the modern church today.

Failed to point people to Christ as the way of Salvation it because it had become a social lukewarm organization instead of a lighthouse pointing people to Christ.

And what is it that you hear all over TV today in the internet and everything we want.

All this social justice issue, we want to do this, and it's a pro abortion or not abortion and we want to look at the Supreme Court.

We want to look at Congress, we want to look at Senate, we want to look at our elected officials as if they're going to be the savior of the world friends, our hope is not in Congress.

It is in Christ, Our Hope is not in Capitol Hill.

It is on calvary's Hill.

That is our hope in the church has to get back to doing the main thing that matters and that is spreading the gospel getting out here, trying to find people who is lost and bringing them the guy.

Couple of Salvation, not any type of.

So all this social stuff is fine, it has its place, but I'm afraid that too many Christians want to go to Washington and walk with a sign.

Instead of going out here and reaching people for Christ, it will not be found.

Salvation will not be found in social justice is only found in Christ and if we're going to turn our nation around, is not going to be through politics is going to be through the gospel.

Can I get a Amen to that?

That's exactly what it's going to be.

So the destination of the letter it is laodicea.

Number two, As always, we see the description of Christ Christ identifies himself, not look how he does that here in verse second part of verse 14.

He says, in verse 14, bee sting says the amen.

The faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God identifying Jesus as the amen the faithful and true witness it recognizes in our Lord.

What is sure what is valid?