Revelation 3:7-22 // The Last 2 Churches

Revelation chapter 3 let's uh finish chapter 3 I've been telling you I was gonna do it for the last two studies basically but I really think we're gonna get through Chapter three and maybe into for tonight maybe don't hold me to it so Revelation chapter 3 we're gonna finish up with Philadelphia and we're gonna get into Laodicea and we'll see if we get into chapter 4 and let's pray before we start Lord thanks for the time together thank you Lord for fellowship thank you for the word thank you for the the fact that you show up when we show up and Lord we just expect awesome things I love going through the word I love hearing what you have to say I especially love hearing what you have to say about church and so lord as we're looking at what you've said about these two ancient churches and possibly about the church down through the ages Lord we pray that you'd help us to have like it says in the passage ears to hear what your spirit is saying to the churches and we just ask that you do this all in Jesus name Amen you know like I've been talking about before in Revelation 2 and 3 it's just a great great section of Scripture because you have Jesus letting you know what he thinks about church and you know a lot of times when when you look at churches or Church Authority a lot of times you have this and I'm talking about you know situations with some of the Orthodox churches the Roman Catholic Church for example and some of the Greek Orthodox churches they believe that they're God's representatives on the earth which they are you know if there if there are followers of Christ they would be but many times what churches do is they take an authority that Jesus doesn't necessarily agree with we're supposed to be a representative of Christ on church on the earth that's what we're supposed to be and we're supposed to be good witnesses but that doesn't always happen and so there have been guys down through the ages who have taken basically the the organizational organizational structure of the church which Jesus is the one who started that whole and they've done this blanket covering for the people in the church saying that because we are of this organization then we are endorsed by God and God blesses this and so you should listen to everything that we have to say and and that kind of thing and that's a dangerous position to be in they did some somewhat the same thing in the Old Testament the the Jews in Judea had the temple in Jerusalem they had the law they had the Word of God and they considered that to be something that gave them authority which it does it does give them authority but they considered that authority to be something that God would never abrogate in the sense of of knock it out of the way they seriously thought that Jerusalem would never be taken because God's temple was in it and God would not allow the temple to be destroyed and so in the same way there are churches that think that they've got the complete approval of Christ because they are from the church that Jesus started and that's what that's where they'll they'll spout their authority and the problem with that is revelation two and three because each one of these churches long predates any of the modern churches that we have and Jesus had all kinds of things to say about the authority of these churches and so it's something that something to keep in mind just because I'm involved with church doesn't mean that I'm okay and just because I'm involved with Church doesn't mean that Jesus is okay with what's going on and just because I'm a pastor doesn't mean that I have some kind of covering from God that you know where where anything that I do has been rubber-stamped by heaven or something it doesn't work that way what God wants is real righteousness whether we're talking on the individual level or whether we're talking on the corporate level and what I mean by that is a group of people in a church and so it's cool to go through revelation and see what Jesus has to say about the church so we were in the message to Philadelphia in verse 7 let's go through and read some of this where I'm gonna pick it up in the middle but it says unto the angel of the church in Philadelphia write these things says he who is holy he who is true he who has the key of David he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens I know your works see I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it for you have a little strength have kept my word and have not denied my name indeed I will make those of the synagogue of satan' who say they are Jews and are not but lie indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you because you have kept my command to persevere ayuh also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth behold I'm coming quickly hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown he who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of my god and he shall go out no more I will write on him the name of my god and the name of the city of my god the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my god and I will write on him my new name he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches and so we have the letter to the church at Philadelphia and this is one of the letters that Jesus you know there's a structure and so you have a title of Jesus you have a commendation you have and a condemnation you have an exhortation you have a promise to the overcomer and then you have a call to hear and most of them but that structure doesn't doesn't work for every single one and this is one of them that it doesn't work for the thing that's left out in this letter to this church is a condemnation and so there there are two churches that Jesus writes to that he has nothing good to say about and there are two churches that Jesus writes to that he has nothing bad to say about and the church at Philadelphia is one of them one of the other interesting things is the last four churches and so we're talking about Laodicea and Philadelphia Sardis and Thyatira all have direct references to the tribulation and the coming of Christ for the church they all have those and so one of the things that we've been doing is we've been going through the passage is looking at the letters to the churches in the context of church history because it's really kind of interesting what goes on in these passages you know just that it matches church history and so you have the the first Church Ephesus there's a real emphasis on doctrine there's references to apostles and prophets and that kind of that kind of thing the second church and that's something that's that's common to the first century you have the next one to Smyrna and it's the church under persecution then you have a church that's beginning to compromise with Pergamus and then you have compromise fully embedded in the church by the time that you get to Thyatira you have a church that has a name that it's alive but it's dead and that's the church at Sardis and we compared you know you you go down through history and you can compare that to the early church to the church that was under the persecution of the Romans in the first and second centuries you can compare the Church of Pergamus to the church that starts getting some official ranking with the Romans under Constantine and further on and then finally the what would be the Roman Catholic Church if that analogy is something that that works with thyatira sardis having a name that it's alive but it's dead that is a great picture of Protestant Christianity in our time mainline Protestant Christians have a name that they're alive but you go to the churches and they're dead it's a movement that's died basically and so through the end of the 20th century on you have all these churches that don't come out of mainline denominations necessarily that are popping up that are putting their emphasis back on the Word of God and that kind of thing and that's the that's the movement where actually it's just Calvary Chapel I'm just joking that's the that's the movement where you have non-denominational churches and you have that kind of thing and that looks like it ties in with Philadelphia really well in the church to Philadelphia you have some some commendations they have a little strength literally it's a term that's used of people who are overcoming an illness like the church has been sick for a while and now it's overcoming an illness and they're starting to get stronger he talks about the fact that they've kept his word he talks about the fact that they haven't denied his name he talks about a fact the fact that there's there's an open door that's put before him we talked about this last time so I'm not gonna get way into that but you know what God puts you in places where he opens doors of ministry for you specifically to be able to share the gospel you're in the place you're in for a purpose God has you there there's a reason that you're with the people that you work with at work there's a reason you're with the people as far as your family that you that you're around at this moment in time there's a reason that you're there and you're your God's man you're God's woman in those places and God will set before you open doors you need to go through them and in the case of Philadelphia historically they were on the main road to the Far East and so you had a trade route going right through the city of Philadelphia and you know how that works you got a you're in the middle of trade route you got lots of people passing through and so you've got situations where the gospel can go out and spread out so you have a you have a trader who trad er who's coming in through your town and you lead him to the Lord and he takes off to another country and you've just spread the gospel because he's going to open his mouth there and somewhat the same kind of thing we talked about with college towns you're in a college town you're in a church in a college town one of the you know I talked to pastors I got pastors that I talked with who are in college towns and one of the problems that they really have is there are a bunch of college kids and they don't make any money and so the church is usually pretty poor as far as money goes but as far as influence goes it's pretty cool because every four years you have a new congregation and for the four years that are kids they're in school what's happening is your disciple I and then he's going to go out to another place and you're basically a missionary church without moving you have all these people coming in and that's that's a situation with the Church of Philadelphia now remember that when we're talking about these churches these are actual churches that existed at the end of the first century this was written in the 90s and so these are actual churches that existed at the first century and one other point is angel and you remember that angel means messenger angel is a non translated word it's Angelus and Greek comes straight across into English English as angel there are guys who are called angels in the Bible John the Baptist is called an angle Hoss it's called an in what we would call an angel but he's not an angel he's a messenger and so angels are messengers that come from heaven messengers are angels who are here on earth kind of thing when you're talking about Greek and so angle loss means either angel aura can mean messenger and so the question is are we talking to angels when Jesus is right into these churches or are we talking to the messenger of the church and if you got angels being rebuked those are angels who have sinned in angels who have sinned or called what demons and so that's not likely right and so probably what we're talking talking about when you're talking about the angel of the church in Philadelphia the messenger of the church in Philadelphia you're talking about the pastor so here's another thing that you see in every single one of these letters the pastor is accountable for what's going on in his church Jesus is writing the letter to the pastor and he's and he's calling him on stuff and so the pastor is accountable for whatever's going on in the church something this is something that I use in ministry here I have no idea what's going on Sunday school every single day I have no idea I have a general overview but I got guys over there and ladies over there who I trust and they're the ones who are actually doing the ministry over there right and in the most of the counseling that's going on in our church I have a bunch of pastors and they're doing most of the counseling and I have no idea what they're saying we don't talk about those things what's the problem comes up and then we don't then we don't spout names and so I don't know what they're saying and there's there's all kinds of stuff that goes on or on around here you know what's happening with the ushers nelson's and you know doing stuff with Usher's and and brad is doing stuff with Usher's and I don't know what they're doing you know they're they're in there on their own doing stuff but I'm still accountable for everything that people do so if Jesus was writing a letter to Calvary Chapel and tri-cities he'd go to the messenger to Steve wintry messenger of the church at tri-cities this is what I have to say about what's going on in your church he's not talking to anybody else he's talking to me and I can't I can't you know throw throw these guys under the bus and go well I didn't do that I haven't been in Sunday school for weeks so how is that my fault Lord and the the answer to that is if you're in a place of responsibility then you're responsible aren't you right and so it's something that I keep in mind and it's something that I let people know you know I want people to serve Jesus but they always have to remember that I'm getting judged for what they do so you all you guys in ministry around here I'm getting judged for what you do and so please keep it in mind you know I'd really really rather my judgment be something that's a little bit sweet and instead of you know Jesus coming down on me and stuff and it's a bummer when I find out things are going on and I didn't you know I had no idea about it and people weren't doing things or you know vice versa in any case Jesus is calling the messenger of the church to task and not only him he references people and in the passage - so we have this whole thing with a key Keys open doors Jesus gives them an open door he talks about the fact that they have a little strength he talks about the fact that they're under persecution and when he's talking about this in Philadelphia again it's the end of the first century and there are Jews that are going around turning in Christians that's what he's referencing Jews turning in Christians to the Romans and having them executed and so it caused real problems in the early church as far as Church Jewish relations and he goes on in verse 10 and he says because you have kept my commandment to persevere I also will keep you literally guard you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth and so because these people have been faithful in following God's Word they've kept his word because they've been faithful in not denying his name what Jesus says is that he promises protection and he's promising protection from these people who say that they are Jews and they're not and he's promising them protection from the hour of the time of tribulation in this passage you know false religion thinks it's okay to persecute and slander and so for example you had saul of tarsus who went around persecuting christians and slandering them and even delivering them over to prison to be killed and then the guy repents becomes a believer and it's something that he talks about for the rest for the rest of his days that he's not worthy to be called an apostle because of what he's done Jesus is somebody who watches out for us and Jesus is somebody who defends us I don't have to defend myself you don't have to defend yourself when these kinds of things happen what what God says is that we need to give place to wrath vengeance is mine says the Lord I will repay is what he says and I've seen him do that numerous times in fact I was just talking to my secretary the other day and every once in a while something happens where somebody's been out of line and doing stuff and you see the hand of God in their life and and what he does with them and usually what he does is he waits a long time he waits a while because he's gracious but if there is no repentance then what happens is the hammer comes down and God deals with them actually that's a really good thing because when the Hammers coming down on somebody who claims to be a Christian or claims to be a follower of God and that hammer comes down on them it's an evidence that God is still interested that there's something that might be saved in that instance but God does protect and in this passage Jesus says they're gonna know that I love you then he talks about the fact that he's going to keep them look at again verse 10 I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world when it says kept from it's literally kept out of in Greek I'm going to keep you out of the hour of trial which will come upon the whole earth and that's something that you see throughout scripture in the context of Jesus delivering the church before the tribulation comes and this is one of those texts that is an indication of that I wouldn't I wouldn't get dogmatic on the whole thing but it literally again in Greek is out of not through there's a word dia that means I'll keep you through the hour of trial that comes on the whole earth that's not the word that's used it's a it's a word that means I'll keep you out of and that's interesting because if the the church is taken out at the rapture and that takes place before the tribulation then it's a direct promise that God's going to deliver these people from the Tribulation Period and along with that he says verse 11 behold I'm coming quickly hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown and so he promises deliverance from the hour of trial and he says what you need to be looking for is me you need to be looking for me and that's exactly the place that we live in you know most churches in in the times that we live in would love to identify themselves with Philadelphia or the church at Philadelphia so I would love that to be true of Calvert tri-cities we're the church at Philadelphia and that's a matter for Jesus to decide but the church at Philadelphia Jesus says Jesus says two things to him I'm gonna keep if you if you hang in there I'm gonna keep you out of the trial that comes on the whole world and you need to be looking for me because I'm coming soon I'm coming quickly and again that's something that applies to each one of us are you expecting Jesus would be the question I mean like really seriously there are those times when we're going through doing prophecy updates and get really excited about the fact that the end times look like they're on the verge of taking place and people get worried and people get interested and that kind of thing but like seriously do you wake up in the morning thinking that this could be the day do you when you roll out of bed are you thinking Lord this may be it this may be my final day this may be the day that you can't you know you come and I start hearing trumpets do you think that it's a good way to live your life it's a good way to live your life because your life is different because of it you want to spend time with the Lord you want to be about the Lord's business you want to be you know you just don't want to be ashamed when Jesus comes and it's something that Jesus pointed out as far as Christians that we need to be doing and I understand that it's been you know two millennia you know a couple of thousand years since Jesus made those promises that just means that we're all that much more close and I understand that that's kind of a tautology it's a you know it's obvious but again when we do prophecy updates it's like it gets scary how intense things are getting and we are close and so you when you get to the end of a race you don't start backing off when you get to the end of a race what you do is you start pouring it on and and you save strength for the end of the race so that you can cross the finish line and you can do it well and that's that's where I believe that we're at so again that's the exhortation hold fast I'm coming behold I'm coming quickly hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown you know there are rewards that Jesus gives there's a soul winners crown there's pastors crown there's a crown of life there's a crown for loving the appearing of Christ did you know that Jesus gives out a crown just because you love the fact that he's coming for you and so there's all these crowns that Jesus gives out and the indication there is you don't want people to take them how would your crown get taken well if I if I'm somebody who at the beginning of my walk with Christ loves the appearing of Christ that I'm promised a crown for that I'm promised a reward for that if by the end by by the time that I become an older boy I have ditched that expectancy I don't care about it anymore and sometimes that can happen through teaching or that can that can happen through just getting choked out by by riches and cares of this life it could happen for a number of reasons but if at the end of your life you don't give a rip about whether or not Jesus is coming you're not getting the crown and you've got the same thing for many of the other crowns that that you're talking about you know the the the exhortation there is that I need to follow Christ I need to follow him completely and I need to do it all the way to the end it's the only assurance that you have as far as salvation goes you know when you when you're looking at and I'm not saying that this is all a work strip but I know that I'm saved because I love Jesus not because I said a prayer I know that I'm saved because Jesus has changed my life not because I started going to church when I was 16 I know that I'm saved because today I got up this morning and I spent some time in the word talking on the Lord about what he wanted me to say what he wanted me to do and you know I have this relationship where I'm talking with him and he's talking with me and I don't worry about whether or not I'm saved because that's an ongoing type of thing I don't worry about my crowns you know except a little because that's an ongoing type of thing I don't want to be complacent you know what I mean and so you need to be people who are continuing in our walk with Christ and don't get sidetracked don't don't let anybody rip you off he goes on and says verse 12 he who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of my god and he shall go out no more so what does it mean to be a pillar and that in some context can be talking about somebody who has authority and so Paul talks about James and Peter and the first apostles in the book of Galatians and he says these guys appear to be pillars of the church and it's the idea of somebody who has authority somebody who has popularity somebody who's obviously in charge somebody who's been blessed by God that kind of thing maybe talking about but Philadelphia lived in an earthquake prone region the the great rift runs right up through Israel and goes pointing up towards Turkey and so there in an earthquake prone region and Philadelphia specifically was a site of freak site of frequent earthquakes and in the building that they had at the time one of the last things to fall in you know what they're building practices would be the pillars so the earth had coming shake everything would shake anything that was on top of the pillars would come falling down but the pillars themselves when you saw an earthquake destroyed city you'd see all these pillars that were standing in the city even though the earthquake came through and it was something that would have been a familiar sight to the people of Philadelphia so last thing standing last thing standing I'll make you a pillar I'll make you the last thing standing you know there are times when God comes in and he shakes things up and he specifically shakes things up to leave what's strong turnover Hebrews chapter 12 and show you this hebrews chapter 12 and starting in verse 25 I believe Paul wrote Hebrews so that's what I'm gonna say to you Paul says see that you do not refuse him who speaks for if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven whose voice then shook the earth he's talking about in the Old Testament in Exodus saying yes once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven now this yet once more is quoting from a verse indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken as of things that are made that the things which cannot be shaken may remain therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us have grace by which we may serve God accepted Lee except ibly with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire and the point that Paul's making is that there are times in your life well things where things will get shaken up and the reason that God allows the shaking is so that it can leave the things that are strong leave the things that remain and so God will do that in your life routinely and what he wants to do is strengthen strengthen you he wants he doesn't want you to stay the same as you were when you first got saved and so you have to expect those things and so when you're going through a time of shaking we call them trials we call them new bummers that get that kind of thing but when you're going through things where things would be through times where things are being shaken you need to be looking for the things that Jesus is trying to get rid of because a lot of times that's exactly what he's doing he's trying to get rid of the junk and the reason for that is so that those things that remain will be those things that stand those things that are strong those things that are awesome that he's performing in you he does that in individuals he does that with churches you know there are these times when when God will shake up a church and anybody who is not somebody who really wants to go after Christ will leave and that's not a bad thing you know I'm really not into numbers with our church I mean we got a few people who go here and that's a blessing but I don't really care about the numbers I don't care about the quantity so much as I care about the quality well what you want in a church is a bunch of people who actually love Jesus who are actually going for it who actually want God to change their lives that's when you've got a strong church that's when you've got a healthy church and so numbers don't matter all that much to me except for I want everybody gay to get saved obviously so does God the quality is way more important important than quantity you know there's a lot of people who church shop and they church hop too they go from church to church to church to church and a lot of church growth in a town can be people who got tired of what was going on at their old church and flip and go over to another church and hang out there for a while until somebody offends them there and they pack it up and they go to another church and so on and so forth all the way around that's not church growth that's just sheep being sheep sheep wandering two different shepherds that's all that that is and what we want is real church growth we want people to get saved and once they get saved we want them to become disciples and we want them to follow Jesus and then they become witnesses and they start sharing with the people who are around them and and then the church grows that way it's cool when somebody gets saved in our church because uh because a lot of times what ends up happening is their whole family gets saved I've seen it happen over and over again we have cold groups of people in our churches there's nothing but one big family and a lot of times I don't even know it until you know somewhere you know five or even 10 years down the line I'm talking to somebody and I go how did you get here yeah I just kind of mentioned how'd you well I you know I got brought by thus and such or so and so and you know there my cousin or there my you know there my sister-in-law or there my you know and and that kind of thing goes on all the time and lots of people get saved that way and so what we want is real church growth and again when you have real Church growth real people who are following Christ when the shaking comes they stand they're not there they're not following a man they're not following a movement they're not just doing church they're following the Living God and they understand that we're living in times there's all kinds of junk that can be taken place and sometimes those things take place in church I hate it when somebody does something vile in our church it just pollutes it make them makes me mad makes me mad but God is good and even though he shakes things up what remains is just a very cool thing so happens in individuals lives it happens in the lives of churches and it's something that that God does all the time he's doing it he's gonna do it to the whole world so when you reading the book of Isaiah we're gonna we're gonna run into this later on in Revelation God takes this planet and he knocks everything down he knocks down all the cities I was just thinking about this not too long ago you know I I follow politics because a lot of things that are that are going on politically have to do with morality today it's not like it was in the 60s where people are arguing over what's what's the best financial you know practice and in this or that nowadays it's whether or not we should all openly endorsed the gay lifestyle nowadays it's it's about things like that and a lot of the places that are the most anti biblical when you look at maps or cities they're always urban areas and so you have you have these rural areas that are places where where people believe in God for example and they believe in basic morality and they mmm and I'm not saying everybody does obviously not but but for the most part they believe in Family Values things that you get straight out of the Bible they believe those things and then you get to urban areas and all of a sudden the majority and sometimes the vast majority of people are anti biblical and in fact many times they're Antichrist in the sense they don't like Jesus they don't like Christianity and we're getting this polarization that goes on in our country and a lot of that polarization against the Bible is in urban areas and you know what God says he's specifically knocking down during the tribulation period yeah it's in areas he's gonna knock them down I wonder if there's a reason for that I wonder if those two things correlate and so just just interesting anyway the Bible talks about God shaking the world literally mountains are gonna fall is when what the Bible says when you read in Psalms the mountains melt like wax at your presence that's a picture of things that are going to be taking place can you imagine looking off in the distance looking over at Mount Adams and seeing it melt look like it's melting as it as it as it falls down melting like wax and again that's what the Bible talks about geologic changes that are gonna radical geologic changes that are going to be taking place during the Tribulation Period so God's God shakes things up the pillars in Solomon's Temple we're called Boaz and that means permanence of strength and yakin and beauty and that's what God wants you to be somebody who has a permanence of strength and somebody who's beautiful and then he talks about the fact that you'll go out no more I I will make him a pillar in the temple of my god he shall go out no more the idea of no more trials permanent residence with God and then he said talks about citizenship in heaven he says I'll write on him the name of my God the name of the city of my god the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my god and I will write him on him my new name and so we have a citizenship and it's in the New Jerusalem and then he talks about having his name written on us a name that he picks I will write on him my new name you know what you write names on so when I was a kid and I was involved in sports and I had stuff in my locker that was mine I would write my name on it so I write my name on the bottom of my tennis shoes sometimes on the inside of my tennis shoes if it was okay with the coach I'd write my name on my Pat's I had my name written on my arm pads whether you know whether I was playing football or my knee pads if I was in wrestling I wrote my name on these things and the reason I wrote my name on them is be they're mine isn't that cool Jesus writes his name on things that are his and he promises to write his name on us that's cool and then he says ends it up with he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches and again an exhortation to listen to what he said to the church at Philadelphia but not just Philadelphia Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamus and Thyatira and so on all the way through we need to be paying attention to what the Lord saying to each one of these churches so that we don't have to go through these things and you finally have Laodicea and to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write these things says the Amen that's the so be it that's what Amen means the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot I could wish you were cold or hot so then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth one of the worst promises in the Bible you don't want anything you know when you when you plead the promises of God that's not one you want to be pleading Lord I'm lukewarm will you please you know fulfill your your your word to me and vomit you me out of your mouth that's not what you want Jesus to be saying to you so then because you're lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say I am rich have become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched miserable poor blind and naked I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes with eyesalve that you may see as many as I love I rebuke and chasten therefore be zealous and repent behold I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I'll come in to him and dine with him and he with me familiar verse huh it's in the context of Jesus knocking on the door to a church that's scary the picture there is Jesus is on the outside of the church and he would really like to come inside that's scary yeah to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches okay let's go through and pick this apart Laodicea it's interesting you know Philadelphia and then the city of brotherly love that's what Philadelphia means Laodicea comes from two words in greek las which means people and Ducato which means rule Laodicea the name itself means the rule of the people and so that's an interesting title and he goes through and when he gives his title the title is an emphasis on Jesus as a thority like I said before inmense means so be it Jesus is the ahmet the Amen he's the so be it he's the final word we end our prayers with amen so be it Jesus is the final word is the point that's being made there it says that he's the true witness the faithful and true witness the faithful and true witness the real testimony as opposed to false testimony and so somebody who's always faithful somebody who's always telling the truth in contradiction contradiction to the Laodiceans who are self deceived they think that they're rich and they've become wealthy and have need of nothing and they don't know that they're wretched miserable poor blind and naked and so they have a witness of themselves they have a testimony of their life that is not factual and in contrast to that we have Jesus who's the faithful and true witness and is going to tell them what's up it says he's the beginning of the creation of God that word beginning can be translated the origin this is one of those passages that if you deal with Jehovah's Witnesses they'll take you to this passage and they'll say that Jesus is the the the beginning of the creation of God he's the first thing created and they'll use it that way and that is not what the Bible teaches about Jesus when Jesus when Jesus is saying that he's the beginning of the creation what he's saying is he's the one where the creation originates from he's the one who started the creation so you having Colossians chapter 1 verses 14 through 17 it says this Christ is the visible image of the invisible God he existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth he made the things we can see and the things we can't see such as Thrones and kingdoms and rulers and authorities in the unseen world everything was created through him and for him he existed before anything else and he holds all creation together and so that's Colossians 1 15 through 17 anytime that I'm talking with a Jehovah's Witness and they bring this verse up I take him right to that passage and in the passage it talks about Jesus being the beginning of the creation John 1:1 through 3 you know this one in the beginning was the word the Word was with God the Word was God he was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made and again when I'm talking with Jehovah's Witnesses or when I'm talking with Mormons that's one of those things that they don't believe they do they believe that Jesus was created in time and space they believe that there was a time when Jesus did not exist and then God brought him into existence and what both those passages teaches that Jesus made everything and in the passage in John he made everything that was made and so when I'm having that argument with somebody and they say that Jesus was a created being I take him to that pastor and I go well it says that he's the one who created everything and without him nothing was made that was made and so was Jesus made yes he was made is what they'll say to me and I'll go then he made himself how do you do that how's that work and again the Bible doesn't teach that so keep that in mind as you're going through in other but again in the context of the Laodiceans he's the one with ultimate authority I made you is what he's saying I made you I'm your Creator and you may think that you are people and that you're ruling Laodicea la staccato you may think that your people and they are actually ruling things but I'm actually the ruler you're nothing but my creation and again we keep those things in mind don't we you know it's like God God has has ultimate authority over me the next thing that should be here is a commendation and there isn't one this is one of the two churches that get gets nothing good said about it and Jesus goes straight in to the condemnation and he talks about their spiritual state he tells them that they're lukewarm and there were hot springs actually there still are hot springs outside of Laodicea there are six miles away and the water was transported to Laodicea by aqueduct you guys know what an aqueduct is it's like a canal up on a bridge basically and so it's transported by aqueduct and by the time daddy got to Laodicea the water was tepid and and so you know when whenever I look at this passage and he goes you're neither cold nor hot I wish you were cold or hot because you're lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth I think if thinks that things that I drink and so coke I like I like soda right and so if I want to pop I'm using all the terms because we live in Washington State and so we have people from the south and call it cokes and we have people from California who call it sodas and we have people from Washington State who call it pop that was the hardest thing for me to get into my vocabulary can I have a pop just sounds weird in any case you know when you go to coat when you go to other countries and you ask them for a coke they'll bring you a coke they don't bring you ice they just bring you a bottle of coke that is warm and they give it to you and there's you know that's one of the that's one of those things in life that should not happen it's it's not of God you know a coke should be cold it should be ice-cold right and that's when it's the best you know and it's kind of like with it with tea - you know tea is great if it's hot tea is great if it's ice cold tea that's tepid like in the middle and lukewarm it's like a krause you know it's a if I have a cup of tea I want it blazing hot when I drink it or I like iced tea but if I have a cup of tea that's been sitting there for a while I don't want to drink it because it's just gross I don't want to drink it right and you you have the same thing with coffee I'm not really into iced coffee some of you guys are I understand that it's kind of like the tea thing but that weirds me out a little bit I just haven't evolved in that arena but I like my coffee hot and so when I when I go to Starbucks or I go to a coffee place I asked them to make it hot and at Starbucks I asked him to make it extra hot and it's like barely warm and so I start giving them degrees a hundred and eighty degrees please I said that to one girl at a Starbucks she goes you want it burnt and I go yes burn it I want it hot I don't you know I don't want to sit there drinking you know lukewarm coffee after about 10 minutes or you know even five minutes I don't want to do that crispy on their hand on the other hand is my is my secretary and I used to I used to make coffee for my you know I buy coffee and actually I buy coffee for Christy and I buy dr. pepper for Lindsay and when I get coffee for Christy it doesn't matter when she comes in to the office I'll bring the coffee and set it on my desk even if she's not around because it doesn't matter because she like likes her coffee like literally when you make it she likes it a 120 degrees I know what I know what the recipe is for her 120 degrees is how she likes her coffee you know 120 degrees is that's a hot day in Vegas she wants her coffee the temperature a lot it's it's like you could just guzzle it it's not even hot enough to burn you and so that's weird to me she's she's kind of weird in any case there's there's a lot of things that are good cold and a lot of things that are good hot not a whole lot of things that are good lukewarm and it make you sick right that's the picture that Jesus is talking about the reason he says I would like to have you hot is because if you're hot for the Lord in the sense of zealous for the Lord then you're doing well right or cold why would he say I want you called because when you're cold for Jesus you know exactly where you're at when you're somebody who doesn't really care about the Lord anymore when you're somebody who's walked away from the Lord when you here's somebody who realizes that Jesus isn't with you because you've abandoned him you're not in a good spot but you're in a better spot than if you think that Jesus is with you and he's on now outside of the building trying to get in because you know exactly where you're at and so hot or cold as far as Jesus is concerned are two good options one is better than the other but being lukewarm is not a good option because you have no idea the danger that you're in when you're in a situation like that and that's the point that he's making in that passage you have enough of the gospel to inoculate you from the truth you know there's been lots of talk about vaccinations lately right and so when you're getting a vaccination what they do is they take a little bit of a virus and sometimes it's a dead virus sometimes it's a small amount of a live virus and they inoculate you they give you enough of the virus that your system brings up a defense against it with antibodies so that the virus cannot get to you so the virus does not infect you there's a lot of people who know enough about the Bible and know know enough about the gospel to be inoculated to the effects of the Bible and the to be inoculated to the effects of the gospel in other words doesn't move them it doesn't work on them they built up a resistance to what the Word of God has to say and they don't care anymore and that's again a scary place to be in you know I remember the very first time that I had it preached to me that Jesus died for my sins I was almost in tears by the end of the service it was a first time that I went to church and really understood it not that nobody had ever said it to me before but it's the first time I really understood it and I was in a position where I was like you know he loves me he loves me to that much he would he would die for me and one of the you know I'm a preacher right I'm a pastor I've been talking about this for decades been talking about the love of Christ have been talking about the the fact that Jesus died for us for decades do I know this story and one of the things that I try to make sure of is that I don't get hardened to what the word has to say especially in the area of the gospel that needs to still affect me and he said I need to have a soft heart I was going to say a tender heart but I don't like that word it's got a tender yeah yeah I don't know that's just that's just Steve talking I need to have a soft heart towards the things of God and especially toward the gospel and so you don't want to have enough of the gospel to inoculate you to the truth and what Peter said or what Jesus says in this passage is that this results in Jesus vomiting in other words you make me sick is what he's saying to these guys how'd you like do Jesus to say that to you you know I'm looking at you I'm looking at your life and you're neither cold nor hot I want to vomit you out of my mouth how'd you like to hear that from the Lord and that's what these guys heard not a good thing you know they talk a the there's a self-confidence with these guys I'm rich I've become wealthy I have need him nothing and do not know that you're Richard miserable poor blind and naked and these guys had a self-confidence and Laodicea was a rich town and they were a rich town because of the wool trade but about 60 ad it was destroyed and then it was rebuilt without outside help they had they they had so much wealth that even though their whole city was destroyed they were able to build it right back up and so these guys had a prideful self-reliance they also think that there's something that they're not their estimation of their life in their walk with God was completely different than Jesus's estimation of their life and their walk with God and it's something that we don't want to fall to either Laodicea was also known for ice south and what Jesus says to them that's why he talks about getting south for their eyes and having their eyes opened you guys are known for eye salve I've got some eye salve for you Jesus is saying there will actually open your eyes he has an exhortation for these guys in verse 18 he says I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes eyes with eyesalve again from me that you may see and so what Jesus offers them is true riches and and a reward that comes from him proverbs 10 12 or 10 - says treasures of wickedness profit nothing but righteousness delivers from death proverbs 11 28 says he trusts in his riches will fall but the righteous will flourish like foliage proverbs 13 7 says there is one who makes himself rich yet has nothing and one who makes himself poor yet has great riches and obviously those those are things that we're familiar there with there are truths that we're familiar with are there churches in the last days that put their reliance upon their riches that talk about the fact that they are rich and wealthy and have need of nothing are their churches and in the times that we're living in that that's their main doctrine it's what they talk about constantly and consistently do we have churches like that yes absolutely we do and you see them all the time on Christian TV and it's something that Jesus rebukes it is not something that belongs in the church the whole idea that I get saved and I should be rich because I'm saved is nothing but false doctrine there's a whole book that's written written about that that rebukes that whole idea and it's the book of Job when you go through the book of Job and you read it it's totally worth reading especially the times that we're living in you go through the book of Job and read it you know how job goes right he's a rich guy get has everything taken away including his family and he has three counselors who come up and talk with him they're quiet for seven days best seven days of their life had their mouth shut and then they start opening their mouths when job starts and stuff and what they preach to job is everything that you hear in these churches it's everything that you hear in these churches and then at the end of the story what God does is rebukes them and says I'm not gonna listen to you I'm not gonna answer your prayer in fact you're going to be under under the judgment of God unless Joe prays for you and sacrifices for you that's what he says to those guys and so when you go through and you read about the counselors of Job when when I'm taking a passage from the book of Job to use in teaching in another area I never take anything from any things those guys are saying unless it's a negative comment in a sense of you know this is what some people say and that kind of thing because everything that they said God rebuked in those passages and again you have churches that teach that that's really interesting because the only time that that's really existed from church history is right now you didn't have the church going around teaching that all through church history and the reason that they didn't do it is because for a lot of church history the church was under persecution there's no there were wealthy Christians they became Christians they got their wealth taken away they lost their jobs sometimes they lost their homes a lot of times they lost their lives and so you didn't have that going on and it's just amazing that we have that going on in times that we live in white garments revelation 19:8 says that those talks about the fact that the white garments are the righteous deeds of the saints Laodicea was known for black wool it was the major import of the area and so Jesus goes trade your black wool for a white garment you need to have clothing that again comes from me I south we already talked about that and then Jesus at the end here gives an affirmation of love rebuke and chasten II and so he says as many as I love I rebuke and chasten therefore be zealous and repent it's like I was talking about before when God's gonna judge somebody when when when he comes down on them a lot of times the reason that he's doing that is because there's something left there's something that's worth saving and if you have a person who is an absolute rebellion against God and they're going through their life and God never comes down on them that's not good because what you have is a disinterest from heaven in that person that's not good and so they're not getting away with anything in fact many times I think that people who go through their life do rotten things and never have any kind of judgment come down on them it's because God knows where they're going and that they the only thing that they have in this life is this life and he's not willing to take it away from them because they're gonna be screaming for the rest of eternity and God is kind that's their destiny and that's a done deal and so God lets them have you know it's like you want that okay I'll give it to you I'll make your life I'll allow your life to be whatever you want it to be until you die and then reckoning is coming but on the other hand when he judges somebody it's because there's something left there's something we're saving there and you know obviously you don't wanna be in a position where God's judging you but if he is judging you at least you got something left you got the ability to turn that's what he's doing with these guys 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 you guys are familiar enough with that verse to to know that you know in the Middle East when you eat with somebody it's a big fat deal so for example when people are kidnapped by Muslims they don't eat with them they don't share a meal with them because that whole principle in the Bible of the same bread that nourishes you becomes a part of you and that same bread that nourishes me becomes a part of me and so there's a part of you that's like me there's a oneness that takes place there's a unity that takes place that's what they believe and so you eat a meal with a Muslim and they're obligated to treat you in a certain way and so you had guys who are captured by Muslims and they would never share a meal with them and in the Middle East again it's a big deal when somebody invites you to dinner and they sit down with you and eat with you it's a big deal and it's again because this principle it's the idea of having fellowship with somebody and so when we want to hang out with somebody and have fellowship it's like we go out to dinner with them or we go out to lunch with them and that kind of thing there's different levels of fellowship too so I've been to dinner with some people where it's absolutely formal and it's stiff and it's not comfortable awkward in all kinds of ways and then there's guys that you eat a meal with and they'll give you a bite of their burrito and those are the ones I like Jesus would give you a bite of his burrito you know he just wants to hang with you he wants to fellowship with you that's that's what's being spoken about there to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne in other words you have your own throne Laodicea lot us rule of the people you have your own throne you want to sit on my throne I'll let you sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne he has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches good stuff huh yeah don't be loud to see yeah let's pray thanks Jesus for your word thank you again for the time thank you for people who loved your word and are interested in Lord we thank you for the exhortations that we've seen as we've been going through chapters 2 & 3 Lord we pray that our church would be something that's pleasing to you Lord that the leadership that the the people who go here would all have the same goal in mind that we'd be in love with Jesus and wanting to follow him and wanted it wanting to go after him living in integrity and walking in truth and just being people that that you look at Lord and can commend instead of condemn Lord we love you and we want our lives to reflect that loves Jesus make us like you thank you for what you said to the church at Philadelphia and Lord we pray that those things would be true about us also I like the good stuff you said to Ephesus and discerner not so much to pergamus a little bit less to Thea Tyra even less of Sardis Philadelphia Lord that's that's cool we want to be like that and so we just pray for your blessing we ask this all in Jesus name go with these people honor them Lord in Jesus name Amen all right god bless you

Channel: Calvary Chapel Tri-Cities

Views: 5,191

Rating: 4.9266057 out of 5

Keywords: The End of the World in the bible, Truth, Jesus' Return, The rapture, the second coming, The book of Revelation, The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, The last book in the bible, The Bible, Calvary Chapel Tri-Cities, Steve Whinery, Gosphel, God, Biblical Prophecy, The End Times, End Of The World, The Millennial Kingdom, Revelation's meaning, Jesus

Id: 1A__lD3m7eQ

Length: 59min 28sec (3568 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 08 2019