1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,040
I like New Year's, I like birthdays, I like anniversaries. I like those three

2
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:13,200
things because it reminds me that God is good, that as undeserving as I am, I am

3
00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:19,500
blessed and for whatever reason he saw fit to sustain me till today and I can

4
00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:26,060
pray and ask for days to come. I am also thankful that each time we pass these

5
00:00:26,060 --> 00:00:31,360
milestones, each time we flip a calendar or cross a day off, we are that much

6
00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:38,800
closer to Christ's return. I love it. I am proud to be an Adventist. One, I believe

7
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,600
that he came and two, I believe he will come. The first and the second Advent, I

8
00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:49,240
am, I will gladly claim that title. I want to share two things with you before we

9
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,600
get into our message because we have just just a little bit of time. One is

10
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,960
just a simple quote. There's a lot of talk about climate change here just

11
00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,760
recently. We got super cold. This is just a wonderful quote from Charles Spurgeon.

12
00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:08,760
In Christ you have a fountain of joy which frost cannot freeze and heat

13
00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:13,960
cannot dry. So no matter what anybody else says in terms of the temperatures

14
00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:19,400
going up or down, maybe you went without water and we pray for people that did. I

15
00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:24,120
know of another man whose pipes burst and he wasn't the only one. When we get

16
00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:29,760
around to summer and we complain about the heat and the humidity, your joy in

17
00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:35,520
Christ is a fountain which frost cannot freeze and heat cannot dry. That's a

18
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:40,680
great quote. I like it. It made me think of that. How many of us are in the habit

19
00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:44,720
of doing New Year's resolutions? Are any of us in the habit of doing that? We've

20
00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:50,560
got one, maybe two. Not so many of us. I would be curious because that's a really

21
00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:55,800
small fraction of our church. I'm just curious about why we don't, why so many

22
00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:01,720
of us don't. I can tell you why I don't. I fail at it. I've kind of given up on

23
00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,760
just doing it and then kind of meh and you know how do I know what I'm gonna

24
00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:10,080
feel like three months from now and so on. And then I also found that a lot of

25
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,880
my resolutions when I was in the habit of doing it kind of ended up being a lot

26
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,360
of the same thing. I'm always planning and desirous of a little bit more

27
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:23,280
free time, a little bit more time spent with my family, my friends, those that

28
00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,920
are closest to me. Now as a pastor, my church family, I really like those

29
00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:33,080
moments when we can visit and talk and share. I also always have an interest in

30
00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,480
in studying more first and foremost from the Word of God and then secondarily in

31
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:44,080
other material that can kind of help enhance that from men and women who

32
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,760
are wiser, more experienced, have different perspectives than me. All of

33
00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,560
that with the prayer that I will grow in my discipling. I want to grow closer

34
00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,320
to Christ. I want to grow more in my sharing and that was a goal that I think

35
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,920
has stopped just being you know a New Year's thing. It's more of just like a

36
00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:06,800
well every day I should be doing this in perpetuity. So I've kind of stopped doing

37
00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,880
that you know I want to be healthy, I want to eat and then and then I just like

38
00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:15,600
well we'll see what the year brings us. It is good to set goals though. It really

39
00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:22,920
is. What prevents a lot of people from setting goals is often the hurdle of

40
00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:31,440
what do I decide or what if I fail or where do I begin. So a lot of people

41
00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,140
either don't or they make things really generic so I can kind of go with the

42
00:03:36,140 --> 00:03:40,120
flow of it or they get caught up with what other people are doing and it's

43
00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,480
kind of a peer pressure thing. I'd like to I'd like to offer something if you

44
00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:50,560
are in or have any interest in setting goals and this is a great time of our

45
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:55,800
year to do it. Although if you get to January 2 or 3 and you haven't yet, don't

46
00:03:55,800 --> 00:04:00,320
stop and wait all the way until next December to think of starting a goal.

47
00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:05,840
Any day is a good day to set a goal. This was helpful for me. I'm going to

48
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:11,360
pass it on. This is just a nice little an acronym. It's you want to set SMART

49
00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:20,040
goals. So SMART. SMART goals. This is what they mean. The S stands for specific,

50
00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:26,640
well-defined, clear, and unambiguous. Don't just say I want to be healthier this year.

51
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:32,200
Figure out what that means. For me, I need to watch my sugar intake. I've got a

52
00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,680
sweet tooth. I'm rather famous in my family for my sweet tooth. So I would

53
00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:42,280
like to take the amount of sugar intake, it's very specific, and cut it down to

54
00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:49,600
two desserts a week. That's cutting it down. I don't think people believe me

55
00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,400
when when when I say that's that's what I'm going to try and do but that's

56
00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,160
specific. So think of something specific. If you want to exercise more, well what

57
00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:05,280
does that mean? I want to I want to walk one mile a day three days a week. Maybe

58
00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:12,040
that's where you're at. Specific. That's good. I would like to read three books

59
00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:16,680
for the year. Specific. Three new books for for the year. Books I haven't read

60
00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:22,360
yet. So specific. That's the S. M is measurable. Specific criteria that

61
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:27,480
measures your progress toward the accomplishment of the goal. So something

62
00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,000
so don't don't just kind of go oh just really big and kind of long and you

63
00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,200
don't really know stages along the way. Books are a good example. If it's three

64
00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:40,160
books, well then you can mark off okay I'm halfway done with my first book and

65
00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:47,260
that's measurable if I want it done by February. So half of my first book done

66
00:05:47,260 --> 00:05:51,520
by the end of February. That's that's a good kind of measure that you can do. You

67
00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:56,000
know if you're if you're looking at if you're looking at changing up your your

68
00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,080
diet. I keep going back to this because like I said I'm gonna cut down on my

69
00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,640
sweets maybe. You know something measurable. I want to have two salads a

70
00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:10,560
week. Measurable. That's that's you know something that we can do. A is achievable.

71
00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:15,500
Something that's attainable and not impossible to achieve. You could be

72
00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:20,940
specific and measurable and it could be something like this. I want to read the

73
00:06:20,940 --> 00:06:26,640
whole Bible and the SDA commentary and the the full collection of Ellen White's

74
00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:34,960
writings by the end of February. Good luck not sleeping. That's that's probably

75
00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:40,400
not attainable. Even if you were to do it as an audio version all the time I don't

76
00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,640
think it would be achievable. So you want something achievable. People tend to give

77
00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:49,320
up when that mountain looks so high that they make it to the foothill and go oh I

78
00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,920
can't I can't get over it. I can't actually keep going. They get beat down

79
00:06:53,920 --> 00:07:00,040
and frustrated and so on. If you're looking at that if you go and this is

80
00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,220
this is a great one if you want to increase your Bible reading okay and I

81
00:07:04,220 --> 00:07:10,600
encourage everybody read more of this and less of CNN or Fox News or anything

82
00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:16,040
else. Read more of this and less of that. If it's attainable for you to read the

83
00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:22,560
Gospels this year great place to start. Read the four Gospels. That's

84
00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:28,520
attainable enough I believe. If you are a little daunted at the idea of the

85
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:36,000
entire Bible in one year pick a few. Start with something somewhere. Maybe the

86
00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,160
minor prophets aren't the best option but maybe Genesis is. Genesis is a good

87
00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:47,520
book. Pick something attainable for you. Achievable. The R is realistic so within

88
00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:52,960
reach realistic relevant to your life purpose. My life purpose is I'd like to

89
00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:59,600
be a better father, a better husband, a better pastor. So I'm probably not going

90
00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:05,720
to read a lot of books on quantum physics. Probably not. I want it to kind

91
00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:11,600
of fit realistically within my day-to-day. I have a few side hobbies and

92
00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,840
I have a few other interests that kind of catch my attention. Maybe I'll read an

93
00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:18,600
article or two but that's not where I'm going to devote my goals towards. I'll

94
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:25,280
look for other things. And then timely with a clearly defined timeline include

95
00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:31,680
a starting date and a target date and the purpose is to create urgency. You

96
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,920
notice that I've said kind of along the line if you wanted to do something by

97
00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,920
the end of February or by the end of January or by the time that this is a

98
00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:44,160
great thing most people know this maybe you don't. It takes most people 30 days

99
00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:50,360
minimum to develop a new habit. So if it hasn't quite sunk in by the 15th of

100
00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,360
January just keep pushing. Just keep doing it. You'll get to the third week.

101
00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,120
You'll get to the end of January. It will become easier by the time you get to the

102
00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:04,240
end of February or March. It might even become second nature and you miss it

103
00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:09,940
when you don't have that goal intertwined in your life. So pick a

104
00:09:09,940 --> 00:09:14,040
time, a place when you'd like to accomplish it. A thousand piece puzzle

105
00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:19,880
done in a week, whatever the case may be. But I would encourage you to come up

106
00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,720
with something, set a goal. It doesn't have to be because it's the New Year. It

107
00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:29,080
could just be because. But this is just an easy way for me to

108
00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:34,280
remind. I use this, you know, I remember this little an acronym on my own just

109
00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:39,840
so I'm not thinking too large or too generic. Maybe it'll be helpful for you.

110
00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:47,720
I don't know. With that being said we are going to turn our attention to our

111
00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:52,240
passage for today. So if you have your Bible still open to Revelation or your

112
00:09:52,240 --> 00:10:03,880
apps have perhaps gone to sleep, open it up. And let's have one more brief word of

113
00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:09,320
prayer and then we will dive in. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for your

114
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:15,000
loving kindness. We want to thank you that your arm is so mighty, so strong, so

115
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:21,640
far-reaching that you sustained all of us for this past year and before as many

116
00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:26,560
of us are counting those years in increasing numbers. Lord, we are also so

117
00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:31,720
grateful that your arm is so mighty and so strong that you will sustain us

118
00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:37,880
moving forward. So I pray Lord that that would be a reality for us in our lives.

119
00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:42,000
We also ask that as we turn our attention to your word right now that

120
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,200
your Holy Spirit would be present, impressive, and uplifting in our

121
00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:56,640
thoughts. This we pray in your name, amen. A couple of light-hearted questions. I

122
00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:04,800
have to thank my son for the first one. What did the porcupine say when he saw

123
00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,720
the cactus? I have to make sure I get this right. He'll correct me. What did the

124
00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:13,800
porcupine say when he saw the cactus? Well hello there dad.

125
00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:32,520
What did pirates call Noah's boat? The ark. Why did Adam and Eve do math every

126
00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:41,240
day? Because they were told to be fruitful and multiply. Which minor

127
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:48,680
prophet is well known thanks to cookies? I know. Famous Amos, I heard it very good.

128
00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:55,960
Famous Amos. I like that one. Which nursery song would Jesus have heard the

129
00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:07,000
most? Mary had a little lamb. And then finally, what kind of car would Jesus

130
00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:20,320
drive? A Chrysler. I know those are awful, but fun. And it's fun. One of my

131
00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,160
memories, people, you know, we were you just kind of greet and after you have a

132
00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,040
holiday and some, you know, how was your holiday? And you know ours was fine. It

133
00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:31,400
was very nice to have family drive down and kind of visit. I hope you had an

134
00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,600
enjoyable Christmas holiday as well. Maybe you got to see family or friends

135
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:42,480
or phone calls. Our days were exhausting, largely because we laughed a lot and we

136
00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:47,120
told stories and and we teased one another and we got to the end of it and

137
00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:54,440
we were just kind of tired. It's good to be light-hearted about things at times. We

138
00:12:54,440 --> 00:13:03,920
don't always have to be sticks in the mud or somber or so serious that people

139
00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:10,400
wonder if we're okay. It's okay and it's good to put a smile on our face. It's

140
00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:16,720
good to thank God for how he has blessed us. It is good that when people see you,

141
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:26,400
they wonder why you are joyful or can smile or can laugh or can be calm and

142
00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:31,640
peaceful at times when it seems everybody else is kind of hectic, crazy,

143
00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:37,800
and falling apart. Anger seems to run rampant. Stress is certainly skyrocketing.

144
00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:44,160
Anxiety is increasing. I also read recently Pew Research said that that

145
00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:50,440
what was it 40% ish of Christians in the United States believe we are living in

146
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:57,860
the end times. More don't believe that, but there's there's a number that do

147
00:13:57,860 --> 00:14:02,120
believe that and for some people that's a positive thing for many people that's a

148
00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:08,160
disheartening thing because it always makes us kind of wonder you know when

149
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:13,560
with whether we're joyful or whether we are stressed or depressed or all of

150
00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:19,200
those things we have to ask ourselves sometimes why? Why would we

151
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:26,320
be that way? What kind of moves us along? Well, for me and I pray that it is for

152
00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:32,720
you, for the Christian it should be that by faith we have accepted the grace of

153
00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:38,920
God through Jesus Christ and his righteousness has been granted to us.

154
00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:46,600
Because of that, because our Father in heaven loves us so deeply, so infinitely,

155
00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:53,840
so expansively that even when I trip up and fall and he lifts me up like our

156
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:59,000
forgiveness children's story, I know he will. I know he's ready to offer it and I

157
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,320
can find joy in that and I can put a smile on my face. I can share that with

158
00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:09,800
others. I know that when I read the Word of God and it tells me that that we are

159
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:14,280
more important and special to our Heavenly Father than birds and lilies

160
00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:19,520
and the other created things on this earth. So why stress about some of these

161
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:25,400
things? That brings a smile to my face. We don't always have an easy go of it, but

162
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,920
as Christians when we read those things and we say praise God for a God who

163
00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:36,120
loves us, we can be joyful. We can laugh and we can share and we can

164
00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:45,000
perhaps let some things roll off of us that other people it burdens them. When

165
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:51,880
we read about the church in Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3, some of us

166
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,240
are going to be fairly familiar with the letters to the churches. A little bit of

167
00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:59,760
background, it's believed that this has a two-part application. One as literal

168
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:04,320
letters to the churches in that area. Those are kind of well-known churches in

169
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:10,080
in East Asia. But then also a secondary application to churches throughout

170
00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:17,400
history or to where churches are in their own application even where you are

171
00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:23,160
right now. Because perhaps you are reading through and you look at

172
00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:27,400
Ephesus, the works, the toil, the patient endurance and how you cannot bear with

173
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,480
those who are evil. You've tested those who call themselves apostles and are not

174
00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:36,800
and found them to be false. Christ knows of your enduring patience and bearing up

175
00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:42,960
of his name. Maybe that's a church or an experience for you. Maybe you read about

176
00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,920
the church that has forgotten its first love and Christ is wooing you back and

177
00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:53,480
and and he needs to woo you back. You want it but but you need to Christ to

178
00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:59,520
ask for you to come that way. So it's not that these are locked into a specific

179
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,520
thing. There's a broad application but we do understand that the

180
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:09,000
church in Laodicea in a special way is speaking to the Christian church right

181
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:14,680
before Christ's return. And we can think of churches throughout history. We can

182
00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:19,520
think of the Christian movement around the world and how there were joys and

183
00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:24,080
there were men and women who could sing and joke and smile when other things

184
00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:29,280
were crumbling because their faith was so rock-solid in Christ or they were so

185
00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:36,960
poor that they could only trust in God for their provisions. And so we come to

186
00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:45,120
the church in Laodicea and we see two things out of it. One we're gonna spend a

187
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,540
little bit more time on but first our verse. Revelation chapter 3,

188
00:17:49,540 --> 00:17:53,800
Behold I stand at the door and verse 20, Behold I stand at the door and knock. If

189
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:58,040
anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into him and eat with him

190
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:06,720
and he with me. How many of us have heard this verse preached, expanded, and applied

191
00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:13,960
at the end of an evangelism campaign? I certainly have. I have done it. That's

192
00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:18,080
often where we hear it and there's nothing wrong with that. This is

193
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:25,400
certainly Jesus Christ standing at the door of humanity and saying humanity,

194
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:33,160
mankind is lost and it needs me to save them. Who amongst all of the billions

195
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:38,640
that have ever lived recognize their desperate state and will accept me as

196
00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:45,120
their Savior? Christ died not for the elect and the pre-chosen but for

197
00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:52,640
mankind. Any and all who would accept him. So Christ is standing at the door of

198
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:59,960
humanity and knocking saying I'm putting an effort into you. Will you open the

199
00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:04,840
door? Will you acknowledge what I have done and there are no boundaries and

200
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:09,380
there are no states or countries that this does or does not apply to in a

201
00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:20,160
limited sense? All of y'all. It also in a very special way applies to an

202
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:28,960
individual. This is this is perhaps where we hear it the most. Is Christ standing

203
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:36,280
at your at the door of your heart today knocking? Have you found yourself

204
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:41,880
slipping a little in your walk and communion with him? Christ is knocking.

205
00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:49,320
Will you open it? Have you not yet made the decision to let Christ be Lord and

206
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:58,920
Savior in your life? He's knocking once, twice, ten times, fifty times, fifty years.

207
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:04,920
If you have not yet made the decision for Jesus, He is still knocking. Don't

208
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:09,960
wait for tomorrow to answer the knock and you don't need to check the ring

209
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:16,680
doorbell to see if it's really Him. The Bible tells us it is. Have you made that

210
00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:24,600
decision? Are you wavering? Is the world very attractive to you? Is your family

211
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:31,160
tradition or how others think about you keeping you from opening the door? He's

212
00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:36,240
appealing and he's knocking and he's he's asking and he's calling out to you.

213
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:42,160
Will you accept that knock today? If someone here, before we move on, if

214
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:51,000
someone here that's applicable to, pray today and accept the grace that God

215
00:20:51,000 --> 00:21:01,840
wants to extend to you. Don't wait. Don't consider it for too long. If you have

216
00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:07,400
felt the Holy Spirit's prompting on your heart and that conscience is being

217
00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:13,160
pricked just a little bit and you haven't given your all to Jesus, He's

218
00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:21,160
knocking today for you. He's knocking today. Will you answer the door? That's

219
00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,600
certainly one application and that's the application we hear the most and it's

220
00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:30,400
it's a correct way of using it. We're going to spend a little bit more time on

221
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:40,440
the entire context of where this comes in. To the church in Laodicea, to the

222
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:46,240
angel of the church in Laodicea, right this is verse 14, the words of the Amen,

223
00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:51,960
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. That does

224
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:56,480
not mean that God created him, that means that he is the source of God's creation.

225
00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:01,600
Christ begins God's creation. Christ is the active agent in the creation. This is

226
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:08,600
not that he was. Verse 15, this is what the letter says, I know your works, you

227
00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:16,320
are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot, so because you

228
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:23,240
are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Other

229
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:28,800
translations have it a little bit more vivid. I will spew you out of my mouth. I

230
00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:37,080
will vomit you out of my mouth. If you've ever eaten a piece of food that

231
00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:43,680
tastes or has a texture like celery, you know what he means. You put something

232
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:48,120
into your mouth and it's instant. You can't help yourself, it's got to get out.

233
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:53,080
There are lots of foods that would fit into that category for me, maybe some

234
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:58,420
come to your mind. Because you are neither hot nor cold, and that description

235
00:22:58,420 --> 00:23:02,940
is described three times, not hot nor cold, and then we add a fourth one, the

236
00:23:02,940 --> 00:23:10,040
lukewarmness means take note. Christ is saying to this church, you're standing in

237
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:14,360
the middle of the road, you're straddling the fence. We talked about that this

238
00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:18,280
morning in the group that I sat with for most of Sabbath school. You're right in

239
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,320
the middle of the road, you're straddling the fence. If you're straddling a fence

240
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,960
and that fence has barbed wire, you're gonna get cut. If it's electrified, you're

241
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,960
gonna get shocked. If you stand in the middle of the road for too long, what do

242
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:38,440
you risk? Getting run over, flattened like a pancake or a possum. Stay out of

243
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:49,080
the middle. And in the most vivid of descriptions, do not doubt that if you

244
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,160
are standing in the middle of the road on your Christian walk and your

245
00:23:53,160 --> 00:24:00,720
commitment to Christ, it is unacceptable to Him. If you are waffling just a little

246
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:05,800
bit and you're trying to teeter-totter and balance between all of what I want

247
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:12,240
and I'll let Him have what I'm comfortable with, this verse should speak

248
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:23,920
to us. It is unacceptable to Jesus for you to give only 50% of you or 70% of

249
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:35,640
you or 99% of you. Christ will only accept you if you are fully hot in His

250
00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:44,800
favor. And don't forget or pay attention to this fact that yet as Christ looks

251
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:51,560
at it, He would rather you be as cold as a hard-hearted atheist than a middle-of-

252
00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:57,040
the-road Christian. That's preferential to Him than a middle-of-the-road

253
00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:05,600
Christian. To the church in Laodicea, I know your works. You are this way.

254
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:12,520
In verse 17, for you say, this is how this church is neither

255
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:20,320
cold nor hot, for you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.

256
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:34,440
There is a very real temptation that as God blesses, we tend to attribute the

257
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:41,400
blessings to us or to the job that we work at or to the family that is helping

258
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:47,840
us. The Laodicean Church, and I dare say the Christian church in the 21st century,

259
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:54,480
in the 20th century, fits this mold. God has blessed us. We are blessed where our

260
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:59,480
church is situated. Northwest Georgia in the United States of America is a

261
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:04,800
blessed place for the location of Christianity. Not a lot of persecution

262
00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:10,360
going on. You can go downtown and hand out flyers without serious risk of

263
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:15,040
threat. Maybe someone will kind of act agitated, but no one's gonna arrest you,

264
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:21,200
no one's gonna throw you into prison or say will hang you in a week. Other

265
00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:27,360
countries have that. We are blessed where we are. We have air conditioning and heat

266
00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:34,520
and a new roof, walls that keep out the wind, multiple rooms for our youth

267
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,800
departments and our adults and our wonderful kitchen and fellowship hall.

268
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:50,520
This church is blessed, and you are blessed. I heard some statistic.

269
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:59,520
Up until, I believe it was in the late 1800s, Americans lived on what would be

270
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:09,200
less than 50 cents a day by today's money, up until the late 1800s.

271
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,600
Don't quote me on that. I'm pretty certain that was roughly less than 50

272
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:22,720
cents a day is what Americans lived on until the late 1800s. That is well below

273
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:28,400
abject poverty in terms of how we measure those kinds of information. The

274
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:35,760
reality is most of Earth's history, the vast majority of men and women and boys

275
00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:42,120
and girls have lived well below poverty and into abject poverty. People died

276
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:48,200
young, women had a couple of kids if they survived the childbirth, men had gotten

277
00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:53,320
married multiple times because of that. Kids, you might have seven kids but only

278
00:27:53,320 --> 00:28:00,040
three of them would see adulthood. That is tough for most of history. We are

279
00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:09,320
blessed. We are very blessed. But the Laodicean Church, and if this fits to you,

280
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:16,680
often takes those blessings and says, how wonderful am I, how hard have I worked,

281
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:24,080
my merits helped me, and so on. Because we see our blessings and we go, what more do

282
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:31,880
we need? We've got the carpet and the pews and the lights that turn on. We have

283
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:39,040
prospered and we say we need nothing. But as Christ looks at us, he says, not

284
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:48,160
realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to

285
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:52,320
buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich in white garments so

286
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,280
that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen

287
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:02,080
and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Our real condition in our

288
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,640
self-dependence is that we are wretched and naked and poor and blind and so on.

289
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:11,480
The moment you become self-dependent in your Christian walk is the moment that you

290
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:17,400
are that to Christ. He can bless you, but if you take those and say, this

291
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:30,240
is mine, then you are now, now the description of Laodicea. Do you have that

292
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:36,840
problem in your life? There are times when I get caught up in what we have.

293
00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:42,320
There are times when I just go, well maybe I deserve this or I've earned

294
00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:48,600
this so it must come to me. We have what we have because God is good and he sees

295
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:57,400
fit to give or allow all things, all things. But the Laodicean Church is not

296
00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:02,920
that way. The Laodicean Church believes that they are so rich and prospered they

297
00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,500
don't need anything. Maybe they go through the motions, maybe they say the

298
00:30:06,500 --> 00:30:11,120
right words, use the correct terms, feed the same way, go through what we've

299
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:15,400
always done before and we'll just keep on going because we have need for

300
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:21,620
nothing else. And along the way we tend to trust in the actions and the motions

301
00:30:21,620 --> 00:30:27,880
and so on rather than always seeking how is God leading us, what is his will for

302
00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:35,920
us. Because then we come down to this in loving and tender words, those whom I

303
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:39,800
love I reprove and discipline so be zealous and repent. In other words it's

304
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:50,360
not, you are not out of hope. In love he teaches us what we should do

305
00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:59,160
because I stand at the door and knock he says. If anyone hears my voice and opens

306
00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:06,200
the door I will come into him and eat with him and he with me. In this context

307
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:11,280
we are speaking about a church that has become so self-dependent that we have

308
00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:21,160
edged and elbowed and nudged and pushed Christ out the door like an unwanted and

309
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:28,240
unwelcome guest in our house and then we've slowly closed that door until it

310
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:36,480
clicks. This is a picture of Christ standing outside of his church and he

311
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:41,960
only gets there when we have edged him out. He only gets there when we have

312
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:48,200
closed the door on him. Christ only gets out of the church when we have said

313
00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:57,760
we've got this. We don't need you. When we reflect on how good he has been and

314
00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:03,240
maybe we say thank you and you can say the words and you cannot mean it, how

315
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:12,840
true is that? Inch by inch we've kicked him out. Inch by inch we've shoved him to

316
00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:18,440
the edges and the borders until we've pulled the curtain closed and clicked

317
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:23,560
the door and I dare say in some congregations and in some individuals

318
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:28,440
lives they have also deadbolted it, shackled it, put the lock down in the

319
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:38,800
floor and in the door jamb. So self-sufficient are they? I believe that's

320
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:45,440
one reason why the Christian Church has been on an accelerating decline in a

321
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:51,520
country where we are so blessed to practice our faith. We should be growing

322
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:55,760
in the Adventist Church in the United States. We should be growing in

323
00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:01,000
Christendom writ large where we are. All the benefits are there for us. God is

324
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:07,960
good to us and we're not. It is estimated that Christianity in the United States

325
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:17,240
is going to be in the minority in about 30 to 40 years give or take in the

326
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:25,400
minority. We're currently at about 60 to 63 percent of Americans profess

327
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:33,200
Christianity but it's sliding rapidly downward. Well when churches have edged

328
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:38,240
Christ out of the church and then they become self-sufficient and they think

329
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,040
that they can razzle and dazzle and that will attract, will never out razzle and

330
00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:49,960
dazzle the world, never will. As people forget about loving your neighbor as you

331
00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:56,400
love yourself and loving others as Christ loved, as we forget about working

332
00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:02,240
and graciously entering into people's lives where they are instead of

333
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:08,360
automatically expecting them to be where we are, it's no wonder people

334
00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:14,000
edge out. It's no wonder that the young ones, the younger generations look at

335
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:19,800
empty formalism because we are self-sufficient and say where's Christ?

336
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:26,920
Where's the love that I read about in the gospel? Where is the man that

337
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:33,360
touches the sick, that listens to the hurting, that has a hurting person come

338
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:38,280
to them and welcomes them into the fold instead of just kicking them out,

339
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:43,980
goes to the strangers, etc. When they see churches that don't do that it's

340
00:34:43,980 --> 00:34:49,140
no wonder that we are on a decline. We think we've got it all figured out and we

341
00:34:49,140 --> 00:34:58,080
aren't hot. This is a message for the church. Thankfully the one who

342
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:03,000
conquers, Christ will grant him to sit with him on the throne as he conquered

343
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:07,320
and sat down with his father on his throne and then he who has an ear let

344
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:11,920
him hear what the Spirit says to the church. As we come to the end of the year

345
00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:20,560
it is a great practice to reflect on how God has blessed you in 2022. It's great

346
00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:27,040
to think of as a Christian a good spiritual practice. It's great to take a

347
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:31,800
pen or a pencil in hand, not an electronic typing, there's studies that

348
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:38,120
say it's better this way, take a pen or a pencil in hand, real paper and write it

349
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:46,000
out. Sticks with your memory longer. It takes effort to write. Write out, God has

350
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:54,640
blessed this year and I am thankful for XYZ. And then at the end of it say it's

351
00:35:54,640 --> 00:36:03,920
not because of me that I am blessed, it's because of Christ and Him crucified that

352
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:11,840
I am blessed. When we are seeking Christ, when we are hearing Him knock at our door

353
00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:19,480
and crying out to us, if you hear His voice, He's not a silent knocker, He's

354
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:27,440
crying out. When we hear that and then let Him in, acknowledge it tangibly at

355
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:32,960
times if you need to. Put it first on your lips, praise God for what He has

356
00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:43,840
blessed me with. I don't have it without Him. Open that door. I assure you when

357
00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:48,560
you hear Him knocking at the door of your heart and when we as a church hear

358
00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:55,760
Him knocking at the door of our churches, at our church's door and we let Him in,

359
00:36:55,760 --> 00:37:03,720
not secondarily but first, primary, out front leading and lighting the way and

360
00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:10,280
He gets the glory and the praise and the Thanksgiving. Not only will we have a

361
00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:16,860
reason to smile and to laugh and to find a fountain of joy that frost can't

362
00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:23,720
freeze or heat dry up, we will also come across this verse and realize that it is

363
00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:31,960
not a knock-knock joke. This is Christ knocking and we should take it very

364
00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:40,360
seriously. Do you desire as we enter into a new year, do you desire for Christ to

365
00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:47,480
enter into your heart? Do you want to invite Him to cross the threshold of

366
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:53,480
your mind and fill you with His presence? Change your character and mold it

367
00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:59,520
after Him and lead you forward until He takes us home to glory. Is that your

368
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:04,460
desire? I want to invite you to join me and stand if that applies to you. If you

369
00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:10,800
have answered in the affirmative, stand and join me as we pray and as I pray I'm

370
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:16,120
going to have a moment of silence and that's the time. If you want to send up

371
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:21,480
your own prayer and open that door and accept Him in for this year and years to

372
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:29,480
come, take advantage of it. If not, still pray. Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you

373
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:37,320
for your love for us. We thank you that your love did not need it to be earned,

374
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:44,640
that your love was so abundant from time, eternity in the past until present and

375
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:50,040
time, eternity into the future that you could not bear to have us separated from

376
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:57,720
you so you gave Christ to us. Lord we thank you and we acknowledge that if it

377
00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:04,920
were not that way we would have been lost before the outset had even been

378
00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:11,040
completed. So we praise your name for that. Lord we thank you that your

379
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:19,600
efforts toward us are unwavering, they are steady and they are sure. Lord I am

380
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:26,320
so thankful that today we are not only expressing a hope in the future but also

381
00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:32,360
we are claiming an assurance in our salvation today. Lord if there are those

382
00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:38,160
of us that need to be prompted a little bit harder, I pray that you would bring

383
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:43,640
it home to us. Lord I would ask now that you would listen to these prayers as we

384
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:50,640
offer them up before your throne.

385
00:39:50,640 --> 00:40:14,760
Heavenly Father, thank you for turning an attentive ear towards us. Lord I pray that as we look forward to this new year I pray that we will commit to

386
00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:21,560
Lord, I pray that as we look forward to this new year, I pray that we will commit ourselves

387
00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:28,280
wholly and completely to you, to your service, to being a witness for others.

388
00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:33,440
Lord, we desire to be counted among those that stand on the sea of glass.

389
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:38,240
Lord, I pray that you, through the presence of your Holy Spirit, would attend to each

390
00:40:38,240 --> 00:40:43,440
one of us and our families and our loved ones wherever they might be.

391
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:46,160
Woo us closer to you.

392
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,800
Put your arm around us.

393
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:54,080
Lift our thoughts above this dark world and into a heavenly world.

394
00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:59,160
Lord, I pray that you would forgive us where we fall, for we will fall.

395
00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,240
I pray that you would lift us aright again.

396
00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:07,560
And Lord, I pray that your grace would then be poured out immeasurably upon us.

397
00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:10,680
Lord, we thank you for hearing our prayers.

398
00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:14,000
We thank you for sustaining and providing and blessing.

399
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:19,280
But most of all, we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

400
00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:22,320
For we pray all of these things in His blessed name.

401
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:45,140
Amen.