WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.859 Welcome to 563 Church. Today Pastor Daniel Reese 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:06.160 shares the final message of Jesus to the seven 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.699 churches in Revelation. From Revelation 3 verses 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:12.939 14 through 22. Do we see the need for God in 00:00:12.939 --> 00:00:15.140 our life or are we relying on our own abilities? 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.260 Seventh church of the seven churches that we've 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:22.059 been studying throughout the last few weeks. 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:24.780 We're going to finish chapter 3 and as well finish 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:28.480 up this series. beginning here in verse 14 of 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:30.199 Revelation chapter three here in just a minute. 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:33.420 Before we jump into the text, I'd like to read 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:36.219 you a story that might help set the scene of 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:40.039 what is potentially happening in this church 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:44.759 in Laodicea. So the story goes, Jambu arrived 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:47.880 just as the meeting was starting. It had been 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.039 a hectic day of wheeling and dealing at work, 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:53.140 but he pulled up. put all that behind him as 00:00:53.140 --> 00:00:55.659 he slipped into one of the few remaining seats 00:00:55.659 --> 00:00:58.939 at the back. The church was always busy, but 00:00:58.939 --> 00:01:01.979 tonight it was packed. Nobody wanted to miss 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:04.439 this evening. They'd been looking forward to 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:08.219 it for weeks. At last, it was their turn for 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:12.200 the reading of the letter. As the choir was singing, 00:01:12.739 --> 00:01:15.079 Jambu reflected on what might be in store for 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:18.099 them. Some of the other churches had been on 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:20.459 the receiving end of a right royal roasting. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:23.540 But as he looked around, he thought that they'd 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:26.939 probably be okay. He wasn't aware of any sexual 00:01:26.939 --> 00:01:30.959 immorality, unlike those guys in Pergamum or 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:34.700 Thyatira. They'd had a really big telling off, 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:37.060 but Jambu was sure that his church would be spared 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.859 of that. And there wasn't much danger of false 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.849 teaching with this lot. They weren't really the 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:45.230 types of people to get excited about new fads 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:49.109 and movements. No, Jambu was pretty sure the 00:01:49.109 --> 00:01:52.450 sermons at his church were harmless. Definitely 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:55.569 not the exciting type that would lead anyone 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:59.109 astray. Of course, there was a touch of anxiety 00:01:59.109 --> 00:02:02.069 at the prospect of the church facing suffering. 00:02:02.790 --> 00:02:04.849 The Smyrnans had received a stern warning that 00:02:04.849 --> 00:02:07.569 they would be persecuted, that they would be 00:02:07.569 --> 00:02:09.629 thrown into prison, that they might even have 00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:13.310 to give their life. Jambu was ready to resign 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:16.650 his church membership if it came to that. No 00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:20.090 sense in jeopardizing his career after all, but 00:02:20.090 --> 00:02:23.210 it didn't seem very likely, to be honest. Laodicea 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.050 really wasn't the sort of place that got fanatical 00:02:26.050 --> 00:02:29.830 about persecuting and imprisoning people. No, 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:32.050 on the whole, Jambu was looking forward to hearing 00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:35.110 the letter. After all, look at what they had. 00:02:35.689 --> 00:02:37.610 The biggest and most beautiful church in the 00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:41.199 area, the best dressed choir, and all the right 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.800 sort of people in the congregation. How could 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.439 the Lord not be pleased with them? They had achieved 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:50.280 so much. I expect we'll get much of the same 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:52.699 as the Philadelphians got last week, he thought 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:54.719 to himself. That was some pretty encouraging 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:58.680 stuff. And with a start, Jambu realized that 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:02.080 the pastor had begun to read the letter. The 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.300 words of the amen, the faithful and true witness, 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:09.960 the ruler of God's creation. Hey, not a bad opening, 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:13.719 he thought. The pastor continued, to the church 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:17.620 in Laodicea, I know all about you. I know exactly 00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:21.020 what you are like. And frankly, you make me sick. 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.960 You think you are so great, but you are useless. 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.259 Your self -satisfied attitude just makes me want 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:33.039 to throw up. The stunned silence held for a moment. 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:35.620 And then people started glaring at one another. 00:03:36.950 --> 00:03:40.990 Indignation began to rise. How dare he they whispered 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:44.389 ferociously to one another After all we've done 00:03:44.389 --> 00:03:48.530 What does he know anyway? Jambu just sat still 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:52.289 and silent reeling from the blow He was one of 00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:55.949 the few still listening as the clearly shaken 00:03:55.949 --> 00:03:59.930 pastor went on Now I'll pick up the rest of the 00:03:59.930 --> 00:04:02.349 story here in just a bit, but I hope it kind 00:04:02.349 --> 00:04:06.139 of sets the scene for you as we read this letter. 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:08.479 And so if you're willing and able, I'd love for 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:10.919 you to stand and honor the Lord's word as we 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.479 read about the church in Laodicea. We'll start 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:34.639 in verse 14 and go through 22. So, because you 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.379 are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will 00:04:37.379 --> 00:04:40.300 spit you out of my mouth. For you say I am rich, 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.139 I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:45.680 that you are wretched, pitable, poor, blind, 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.279 and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.319 refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:54.279 white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, 00:04:54.379 --> 00:04:56.899 and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:59.639 And salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:03.050 see. Those whom I love I reprove and discipline 00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:06.769 so be zealous and repent behold I stand at the 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:10.649 door and knock if Anyone hears my voice and opens 00:05:10.649 --> 00:05:13.350 the door I will come into him and eat with him 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:16.230 and he with me the one who conquers I will grant 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:19.490 him to sit with me on my throne as I also conquered 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:22.050 and sat down with my father on his throne He 00:05:22.050 --> 00:05:25.569 who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says 00:05:25.569 --> 00:05:28.209 to the churches. Let's pray father. I thank you 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:32.209 for your word I thank you for the people in Laodicea 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:36.009 that received this letter. I pray, Father, that 00:05:36.009 --> 00:05:39.389 we will be a congregation, that we will be a 00:05:39.389 --> 00:05:42.850 people that hears what you have to say to us 00:05:42.850 --> 00:05:45.810 and to our church. I pray, Father, you move at 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:48.389 this time. It's your name we pray. Amen. Amen. 00:05:48.629 --> 00:05:55.319 Thank you. Now, like always, the writer of Revelation 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:59.160 who is John, is going to let you know as he's 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.620 writing this letter that this is not his words 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:03.959 but he is speaking on behalf of Jesus, right? 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:08.180 And so Jesus spoke to John while John was exiled 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:12.120 on the island of Patmos because he was preaching 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:16.060 the gospel. So these are the words of Jesus to 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:19.560 the church in Laodicea. Now, in order to completely 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:22.660 understand this text, I need to give you some 00:06:22.660 --> 00:06:26.459 background on this city of Laodicea. So if you 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:29.540 can picture with me, in your mind's eye, the 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:33.300 Hollywood Hills. Like in California, maybe you're 00:06:33.300 --> 00:06:35.139 anti -California, I don't know, but think about 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:38.939 that picturesque thing. How there's this place, 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.899 there's this hill above everything else. There's 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:43.839 these gorgeous views. You got the mountains, 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:47.550 you got the ocean, it's just a really... picturesque 00:06:47.550 --> 00:06:51.470 place. They have the best food. They have the 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:54.110 beautiful homes. They have this wall of protection. 00:06:54.509 --> 00:06:56.629 They got the best drink, the best clothes. They 00:06:56.629 --> 00:06:59.149 have the best of everything, if you will. This 00:06:59.149 --> 00:07:02.230 is the church in Laodicea. They are the self 00:07:02.230 --> 00:07:05.790 -sufficient city that never asks for help from 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.839 anybody. In fact, there are two times in recorded 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:11.759 history where Laodicea and other cities in the 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:15.259 region were demolished by earthquakes, and while 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:17.920 all the other cities in the region asked for 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:21.699 and received government assistance from the Romans 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:25.720 to help rebuild and survive, Laodicea stood alone. 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.560 They didn't want it. They didn't want help from 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:31.120 the government. They denied the help, and instead 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.360 they used their own money, they used their own 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:35.399 resources, and pulled it together and helped 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:38.720 rebuild their town. This is a people group of 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.459 immense wealth and pride. So if you think about 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:46.759 it, if there was FEMA back in the day, Laodicea 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.379 would have turned it down. They don't want any 00:07:49.379 --> 00:07:52.319 government oversight. They want to do things 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.379 on their own. It's by their own merit, their 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:56.839 own work ethic. This is how they operate. Now 00:07:56.839 --> 00:08:00.350 in a lot of ways, that's admirable. That's a 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:02.550 good quality to have. This is a people taking 00:08:02.550 --> 00:08:05.550 care of their own, right? This is them joining 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:08.750 together with a common goal, a common mission, 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:10.870 and they're pooling their resources together, 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.029 and they're gonna rebuild their town. They're 00:08:13.029 --> 00:08:16.829 not relying on anybody else. That's an admirable 00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:21.470 trait. But if you noticed, as I read that text, 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:24.490 that this is the first and only letter to the 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:27.810 churches where Jesus does not say anything good 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:30.759 about them. He doesn't encourage them in any 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:33.399 way all of the other letters up to this point 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:35.419 mentioned something good that they were doing 00:08:35.419 --> 00:08:38.639 Jesus giving them praise for how they were operating 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:42.899 in some specific ways how they were persevering 00:08:42.899 --> 00:08:46.600 in hard times against persecution But but not 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:50.440 here not here in Laodicea Jesus starts off by 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.600 saying you were neither hot nor cold He says 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:56.899 I wish you were either one Right? I wish you 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:59.320 were a cool cup of water or I wish you were a 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:01.480 hot cup of tea. You know, I wish you were either 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:05.200 one. So because you are lukewarm, I'm about to 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.240 spit you out of my mouth. Now, I'm sure we've 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:09.559 heard this text before. If you've grown up in 00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:12.259 church, you've heard this text before. Now, the 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:17.360 reason Jesus uses this imagery of different types 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:20.279 of water is because of where Laodicea was located. 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:23.759 So Laodicea was located amongst the trade route. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:27.159 So think interstates passing those corners like 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:30.539 there's a lot of business in and out of Laodicea. 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:34.779 But Laodicea did not have a source of water. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:39.240 Now that's a problem. That's a major issue. Maybe 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:42.019 we don't think about it. because we can just 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:43.940 go to our house and turn on the tap and just 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.179 water magically comes out from somewhere, right? 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:50.720 But if you did not know this, not having a water 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:55.200 source is detrimental to survival. You need to 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:58.600 have water. So what they did is they engineered 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:02.340 this elaborate system of aqueducts to run from 00:10:02.340 --> 00:10:05.759 the city of Areopolis, which was known for their 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.460 hot springs. You can go there today and you can 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:10.700 have a nice spa day in the hot springs and enjoy 00:10:10.700 --> 00:10:14.860 yourself. And so they would bring in this hot 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:17.919 water from Areopolis. And then they also connected 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:20.240 another system of aqueducts from the city of 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.269 Colasse, which was known for their cool springs 00:10:23.269 --> 00:10:26.730 because of the snow melt that would run down 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:29.590 the mountain. That water was refreshing. It's 00:10:29.590 --> 00:10:33.710 good. It's good for drinking. If it was back 00:10:33.710 --> 00:10:35.850 in the day, this is the type of water bottles 00:10:35.850 --> 00:10:39.169 you would buy, right? You would bottle the water 00:10:39.169 --> 00:10:42.600 from Colossae. And so Laodicea, they had this 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:45.919 intricate water system, but because of the distance 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.960 between the three cities, by the time the hot 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:53.299 water was received from Areopolis, and by the 00:10:53.299 --> 00:10:56.659 time the cold water had arrived from Colossae, 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:00.279 the water was tepid. It wasn't any good. And 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:02.940 not only that, but they didn't have water softeners. 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:06.519 They didn't have filter systems. It was just 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:09.659 this terrible water that was coming to Laodicea. 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:12.399 Now I heard a story earlier after first service 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:16.960 that Long Grove has horrible water. I live in 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:18.759 Long Grove but thankfully I'm in a well. I've 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:20.960 never experienced it but I've heard the water 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:24.639 in Long Grove is a horrible situation. Like don't 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:26.440 move to Long Grove because of the water. That's 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:30.299 what I've heard. But the issue is, the water 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:32.980 that was coming from the hot springs was full 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:35.519 of minerals. It left all the sediment behind 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.059 in the aqueduct system. And so by the time it 00:11:38.059 --> 00:11:40.659 got to Laodicea, not only was it tepid, but it 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:42.360 had this weird smell because of all the minerals 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:44.299 that were in it. And so if you were going to 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:46.600 cook your dinner by boiling this water and you're 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.059 going to cook your meat or your vegetables in 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:51.759 this water, it would ruin your dinner. If you 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.519 were going to boil the water to kind of purify 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:57.639 the water, the steam would just make your house 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:01.159 smell horrible. If you just drank it straight 00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:04.360 from the system, it'd make you sick, you'd want 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:08.639 to spit it out. By the time it got to Laodicea, 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:12.320 the water was useless for the most part, until 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:15.299 a lot of work went into it, and that process 00:12:15.299 --> 00:12:18.379 wasn't a pleasant process. So it wouldn't have 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:20.220 been hard, if you can imagine, it wouldn't have 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.039 been hard for the church to understand what Jesus 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:26.179 was saying. He's saying, I wish you were like 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:29.000 the hot springs coming from Areopolis, or I wish 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:30.940 you were like the cooling springs that were coming 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:34.659 from Colossae. But instead, he's saying, this 00:12:34.659 --> 00:12:39.919 church reminds me of your water, tepid, disgusting 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.019 to the taste. In fact, he is essentially saying, 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:47.409 you make me sick. like your water makes you sick. 00:12:48.929 --> 00:12:51.669 And going through the other six churches, this 00:12:51.669 --> 00:12:55.389 one, Laodicea, the seventh one, this seems to 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.610 be the strongest rebuke of all of them. He hasn't 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:02.210 encouraged them. He doesn't point out one thing 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:05.090 that they are doing well. He goes straight for 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:08.970 the correction. Like almost every church got 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:11.210 corrected, but this one, this one got nothing. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:14.440 It got no encouragement whatsoever. And so it 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.440 begins to make me wonder what in the world is 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:20.320 going on in this church that Jesus couldn't give 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:23.059 them any sort of encouragement. He couldn't say 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:26.059 anything nice about them. Now, I've heard this 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:28.000 text taught many times. Maybe you have as well 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:31.019 done a Bible study on it. But we need to understand 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:35.559 what Jesus is not saying in this text. Because 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:39.629 if you think about the water sources, They both 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:43.190 have beneficial properties. Hot springs are good 00:13:43.190 --> 00:13:46.269 for healing. Cold mountain water is good for 00:13:46.269 --> 00:13:48.629 hydration. It's good for being refreshed. What 00:13:48.629 --> 00:13:52.669 Jesus is not saying in this text is, I wish you 00:13:52.669 --> 00:13:55.009 were like the hot springs, meaning I wish you 00:13:55.009 --> 00:13:57.549 were on fire for me. I wish you had a passion 00:13:57.549 --> 00:14:00.350 for me. You need to find your passion for me 00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:03.370 and you need to get after it. Now that's true 00:14:03.370 --> 00:14:06.809 like like that is a good goal for us to have 00:14:06.809 --> 00:14:09.009 in our Christian walk We should be passionate 00:14:09.009 --> 00:14:11.429 about the things of God, but this is not what 00:14:11.429 --> 00:14:14.409 Jesus is saying in this text He's not saying 00:14:14.409 --> 00:14:17.090 I would rather I would rather you pick a side 00:14:17.090 --> 00:14:20.049 I would rather you be one or the other if you're 00:14:20.049 --> 00:14:22.460 gonna be passionate about me You're going to 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:24.659 be on fire for me. You're going to be hot for 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:28.360 me. Great. But if you can't be, then I just wish 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.799 you were indignant to me. That is not what this 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:33.440 text is saying. This is not what Jesus is saying 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:37.080 to this church. This isn't a call to do more 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:39.379 religious things. This is not a call for you 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:42.139 to read your Bible more, to serve more, to give 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:46.360 more. This is a call to this church to be useful. 00:14:47.419 --> 00:14:50.980 The people of Laodicea, they were wealthy. They 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:54.600 were rich. They were able to make or provide 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:59.580 anything that they needed. Too many people associate 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:04.679 wealth with God's favor, with God's approval. 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:08.159 And if you have that mindset, or when people 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:11.679 have that mindset, it can make it very easy to 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:15.700 stop relying on God for anything. Because I can 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:19.519 go earn more. I can buy that. I can fix that. 00:15:19.789 --> 00:15:23.909 never thinking that it is the Lord providing 00:15:23.909 --> 00:15:26.450 for us. Now I have a perfect example of that 00:15:26.450 --> 00:15:29.929 from my own life. When Sine and I were first 00:15:29.929 --> 00:15:32.470 moved to Ohio many years ago, and we were going 00:15:32.470 --> 00:15:36.190 to work with a church plant, we were newly married, 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:39.309 we were in our early twenties, we had no kids, 00:15:39.610 --> 00:15:43.570 we had no assets, we had nothing. This church, 00:15:43.850 --> 00:15:45.570 this organization that I was working with was 00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:49.419 going to pay me $600 a month. That was it. Now 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:51.159 they provided a place for me to live so I didn't 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:54.919 have those expenses, but I had $600 a month Seeing 00:15:54.919 --> 00:15:57.820 I had $600 a month to for everything else from 00:15:57.820 --> 00:16:01.080 food to clothing to insurance to all those things 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:04.700 600 bucks and so when it came time every month 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:07.320 for me to write a check as my tither offering 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:12.100 to the church or to wherever that $60 check was 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.759 painful Because that was a lot of money to us. 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:18.860 That's that's what we had but but looking back 00:16:18.940 --> 00:16:23.460 Years later, I see that our reliance on the Lord 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:27.279 was so much stronger than it is now. Now, I'm 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.419 not wealthy, but I make a lot more money than 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:34.120 I did back then. But now I have a mortgage. Now 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:37.039 I have children. Now I have these larger bills. 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:40.779 And at times, I can forget that the Lord provides 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:44.139 everything I have to pay for those things. And 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.440 there have been times that I've just worried 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:50.679 myself sick. of how am I gonna pay for this medical 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:55.399 bill? How am I gonna pay to get this car fixed 00:16:55.399 --> 00:17:00.419 before I ever stopped to remember to pray and 00:17:00.419 --> 00:17:02.700 ask God for what would seem like a miracle to 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:04.680 me? God, I don't know how we're gonna pay for 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:07.380 this thing, but I need you to come through. Now, 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:11.259 so I can see, and I'm sure you can too, how Laodicea 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:14.180 got to be where it was because these people, 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:16.940 Grew up in a culture grew up in a town where 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:19.640 they didn't rely on anybody. They didn't need 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:23.900 anybody including the Lord They begin to think 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:27.319 of the Lord's favor as his approval for how they 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:30.460 were living Now I've lived in several different 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.599 parts of the country throughout my throughout 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:36.220 my life But each part of the country each city 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:39.039 that I've lived in has both positives and negatives 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:41.740 when it comes to effectively Using the gospel 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:46.029 to change people's lives In Ohio, the town we 00:17:46.029 --> 00:17:49.849 were in, it was just poverty. And so we had to 00:17:49.849 --> 00:17:52.829 learn how to share the gospel by meeting needs 00:17:52.829 --> 00:17:55.670 of the people that we were doing life with. By 00:17:55.670 --> 00:17:57.869 walking the fine line of meeting needs but also 00:17:57.869 --> 00:18:00.950 not being taken advantage of. By not them just 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:02.849 coming and getting all this free stuff that we 00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:05.369 had, we had to learn how to navigate that in 00:18:05.369 --> 00:18:09.730 a way that honored the Lord. In La Mesa, the 00:18:09.730 --> 00:18:15.750 town we moved here from, It was fighting the 00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:20.009 cultural Christianity, because everybody claimed 00:18:20.009 --> 00:18:22.930 to be a follower of Jesus, but not many lived 00:18:22.930 --> 00:18:26.089 it out. I mean, it was the Bible built, right? 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:28.410 They'd put on their Christian hat when they were 00:18:28.410 --> 00:18:30.490 around other Christians, but then they would 00:18:30.490 --> 00:18:32.210 put on their worldly hat when they weren't around 00:18:32.210 --> 00:18:35.630 other Christians. We had a difficult time getting 00:18:35.630 --> 00:18:38.190 people to understand that just because their 00:18:38.190 --> 00:18:40.549 parents were Christians, just because their parents 00:18:40.549 --> 00:18:43.470 brought them to church did not mean that their 00:18:43.470 --> 00:18:45.730 parents' salvation was just transferred to them 00:18:45.730 --> 00:18:48.829 automatically. Just because you grew up in Texas 00:18:48.829 --> 00:18:51.029 does not mean you're automatically saved no matter 00:18:51.029 --> 00:18:53.970 how many times you call that God's country. This 00:18:53.970 --> 00:18:56.890 is what we were fighting about constantly. They 00:18:56.890 --> 00:19:00.650 elevated church attendance. They elevated doing 00:19:00.650 --> 00:19:03.569 churchy things and learning the language. They 00:19:03.569 --> 00:19:06.890 elevated those things over a life submitted to 00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:09.150 the Lord. That's the cultural battle we had. 00:19:09.789 --> 00:19:13.250 What I found to be difficult here in North Scott 00:19:13.250 --> 00:19:17.009 and people trusting the gospel. The struggle 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:21.309 that I've had here is fighting against the immense 00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:25.710 wealth. that keeps people from seeing their need 00:19:25.710 --> 00:19:29.930 for Jesus. We live in a wealthy community. Now 00:19:29.930 --> 00:19:31.750 I'm not saying there's not poverty, I'm not saying 00:19:31.750 --> 00:19:33.470 all of y 'all are just crushing it financially, 00:19:33.769 --> 00:19:36.710 but I'm saying overall we live in a very wealthy 00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:39.549 community. There's good paying jobs, there's 00:19:39.549 --> 00:19:42.029 large homes, there's the lack of worry about 00:19:42.029 --> 00:19:45.269 how things are going to be paid, like that constant 00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:49.549 struggle. And it's proven to be difficult for 00:19:49.549 --> 00:19:55.269 some to see their desperate need for Jesus. Laodicea 00:19:55.269 --> 00:19:59.190 reminds me of our area and it makes me realize 00:19:59.190 --> 00:20:04.049 Jesus is not saying get on fire for God. That's 00:20:04.049 --> 00:20:06.950 not what he's saying. He is showing them their 00:20:06.950 --> 00:20:10.829 need to be useful and their need to rely on him. 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:14.440 Like the city relied on Colossae or Areopolis 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.740 for water, they need to learn how to rely on 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:20.720 him. The reason I know he's not saying pick a 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.259 side is because of verse 17. In verse 17 he says, 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:27.339 for you say I am rich, I have prospered and I 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:30.140 need nothing. Not realizing that you are wretched, 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:33.880 pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Now, like I mentioned 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:37.759 earlier, Laodicea was destroyed by earthquakes 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:41.900 multiple times, and the people of the city refused 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.039 assistance from the emperor. They were not going 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:49.000 to go to Rome. So Jesus is relating that to them 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.859 here. He says, you say you are rich, but you 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:56.000 are poor. Do you remember the antithesis of that 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.119 when we were talking about Smyrna? Even though 00:20:58.119 --> 00:21:00.539 they were physically poor, Christ calls them 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:04.980 rich. They had soul. Wealth. The opposite is 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.279 true of Laodicea. They're physically wealthy. 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:09.440 They have all the material possessions you can 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:11.619 want in the world, but Jesus is calling them 00:21:11.619 --> 00:21:16.220 poor. I mean, these people are so wealthy, they 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:18.519 don't have to work because they can just hire 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:21.420 people to do it for them. So they have a lot 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:23.700 of money, they have a lot of convenience, they 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:25.819 have a lot of downtime, they have a lot of resources, 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:30.339 but Jesus still calls them poor. Then He calls 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:33.670 them blind. Now, it's interesting because Laodicea, 00:21:33.910 --> 00:21:36.410 during this time, in this culture, it was known 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:38.069 for their medical breakthroughs. It was known 00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:40.529 for their research. And so people from all over 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:44.069 the region would flock to Laodicea to get this 00:21:44.069 --> 00:21:46.769 salve that they had, the salve that they made 00:21:46.769 --> 00:21:48.509 that you would rub on your eyes and would help 00:21:48.509 --> 00:21:52.430 with blindness. It would heal blindness. But 00:21:52.430 --> 00:21:54.710 he still calls them blind. Then he mentions that 00:21:54.710 --> 00:21:57.289 they are naked. This would have been another 00:21:57.289 --> 00:22:01.420 attack on their culture. Because Laodicea was 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:05.940 known for their black wool and clothes. Because 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:08.720 in this area there was this rare black sheep 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:11.319 that they would raise. And they'd raise them 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.960 and they used the wool to make clothing. And 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:18.440 so textiles were very important in the business 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:21.599 life of Laodicea. And still Jesus calls them 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:26.299 naked. So Jesus has completely dismantled their 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:29.210 security. dismantled their convenience and said, 00:22:29.690 --> 00:22:32.390 you have all this stuff, you have all this wealth, 00:22:32.690 --> 00:22:35.210 you have all this security, all this pride, but 00:22:35.210 --> 00:22:38.609 at the end of the day, you have absolutely nothing. 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:42.809 You have nothing. But here's where we get to 00:22:42.809 --> 00:22:45.230 see the grace of God, because he calls them all 00:22:45.230 --> 00:22:47.009 these horrible things. He doesn't give them any 00:22:47.009 --> 00:22:50.690 sort of encouragement, but he doesn't destroy 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:53.049 them either. We see that in verse 18. He says, 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:54.829 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by 00:22:54.829 --> 00:22:58.019 fire, so that you may be rich. and white garments 00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:59.940 so that you may clothe yourself and the shame 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:02.599 of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:05.480 to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:08.619 whom I love, I prove in discipline. So be zealous 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:12.259 and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:14.460 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:17.279 I will come into him and eat with him and he 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:20.839 with me." So Jesus is standing outside this door. 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:26.069 He's standing outside this church. And he's saying, 00:23:26.150 --> 00:23:30.289 listen, if anybody wants to hear what I just 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:37.630 said, if anybody wants to be made right, if anybody 00:23:37.630 --> 00:23:40.750 wants to stop pretending, he's saying, open the 00:23:40.750 --> 00:23:43.589 door and let me in. If you want to hear what 00:23:43.589 --> 00:23:45.609 I have to say, just open the door and let me 00:23:45.609 --> 00:23:48.190 in. Repent of what you have done wrong. He's 00:23:48.190 --> 00:23:51.670 saying, come back to life. Come to me for life. 00:23:51.990 --> 00:23:53.609 Now I think sometimes we forget about the grace 00:23:53.609 --> 00:23:58.220 of God. We forget about that, that He is standing 00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:01.599 at the door knocking. That He is standing at 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:04.619 the door knocking. He's not knocking us over. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:07.519 He's not destroying us. He's not abandoning us. 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:11.039 He's standing at the door knocking. We have so 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:14.660 many voices in our head all the time that we 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:17.579 listen to. And because of that, we've either 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:22.980 tuned Him out or we confuse His voice with others. 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:27.980 We are influenced by the news. We're influenced 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.299 by the books we read. We form factions with people 00:24:31.299 --> 00:24:36.160 that agree with us. And we fail to stop and consider, 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:39.680 what does the Lord want of me now? What is he 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:45.440 asking of me in this situation? And so sometimes 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.500 we forget that God is knocking on the door. He's 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:51.339 trying to speak to us. But have we tuned him 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:55.029 out? Have we closed ourselves off from Him? Are 00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:58.789 we able to hear and discern and tune in to what 00:24:58.789 --> 00:25:03.109 He is saying to us? Now let me finish the story. 00:25:06.950 --> 00:25:08.950 There was practically a riot when the pastor 00:25:08.950 --> 00:25:11.509 had finished reading the letter. People were 00:25:11.509 --> 00:25:15.250 storming out left and right. But Jambu didn't 00:25:15.250 --> 00:25:18.890 move. He and a handful of others that were scattered 00:25:18.890 --> 00:25:21.430 across the church just sat silently with their 00:25:21.430 --> 00:25:25.650 heads bowed. Lord, I'm so sorry, he prayed quietly. 00:25:26.869 --> 00:25:29.269 And for the first time in his life, he was really 00:25:29.269 --> 00:25:33.930 praying. Lord, I had no idea. Please forgive 00:25:33.930 --> 00:25:37.670 me. Please come into my life and make it your 00:25:37.670 --> 00:25:42.130 own. I want to learn to do things your way, not 00:25:42.130 --> 00:25:46.339 mine, but I need your help. Oh, how I need. your 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:51.099 help. Thank you for not giving up on us." Now, 00:25:51.099 --> 00:25:54.119 that story isn't biblical. It's just a story 00:25:54.119 --> 00:25:57.680 I found, but I believe it to be useful because 00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.519 at the end of every letter here in Revelation 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:04.640 that ends with those words, it says, those who 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:09.720 have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying. 00:26:12.250 --> 00:26:15.329 I believe there are times where we hear words 00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:18.210 being said like you hear my voice right now. 00:26:19.990 --> 00:26:24.529 You can audibly hear it. But we don't have any 00:26:24.529 --> 00:26:27.470 intention of actually listening to the words 00:26:27.470 --> 00:26:31.170 that are being said. We've all felt that conviction 00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:35.809 from the Lord. We've heard his voice. But we 00:26:35.809 --> 00:26:38.450 never have any intention of doing what he's called 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:42.720 us to do. Now, if you have children. You know 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:49.579 what it's like My children in particular They 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:53.740 say all the time they say well I forgot I Forgot 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:56.279 now I understand that once or twice like I'll 00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:58.079 give you a lot of grace when it's once or twice 00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:00.019 I forgot that you said that I forgot that you 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:01.740 wanted me to clean my room I forgot that you 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:05.690 wanted me to do the dishes. I I forgot But but 00:27:05.690 --> 00:27:09.549 when it has been a constant theme your entire 00:27:09.549 --> 00:27:13.410 life of I forgot I begin to actually doubt that 00:27:13.410 --> 00:27:17.349 you forgot I Don't think you forgot you just 00:27:17.349 --> 00:27:20.150 had no intention of following through what was 00:27:20.150 --> 00:27:22.710 being asked of you You never stopped to consider 00:27:22.710 --> 00:27:26.210 what we were asking you to do now because of 00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:28.529 that. I don't kick him out of the house I don't 00:27:28.529 --> 00:27:29.650 say okay. You're on your own now. You're not 00:27:29.650 --> 00:27:31.349 listening to me. You keep forgetting. Maybe you'll 00:27:31.349 --> 00:27:35.059 remember if you're on your own I don't kick him 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:36.940 out of the house because that wouldn't be loving. 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:41.839 But what I do is I begin to amp up the pressure. 00:27:44.140 --> 00:27:46.180 I begin to amp up to the pressure to make sure 00:27:46.180 --> 00:27:50.299 that what is being asked of them is being understood 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:55.319 and applied. And I love them through those things. 00:27:55.779 --> 00:28:02.869 In Laodicea, the pressure just got intense. The 00:28:02.869 --> 00:28:06.609 warning of discipline came. The use of language 00:28:06.609 --> 00:28:10.250 that detailed how Jesus felt about them just 00:28:10.250 --> 00:28:14.289 got exposed. There's no more secrets. They had 00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:20.650 a choice. You have a choice. They had a choice 00:28:20.650 --> 00:28:25.230 to become offended by his words or listen to 00:28:25.230 --> 00:28:30.109 what he is saying. And I have no doubt that so 00:28:30.109 --> 00:28:31.849 many people walked out of that church when that 00:28:31.849 --> 00:28:36.289 letter was read. Because that's a hard reality. 00:28:38.069 --> 00:28:42.470 And so many times we let our offense take priority 00:28:42.470 --> 00:28:45.549 over what the Lord is actually saying to us. 00:28:47.210 --> 00:28:51.430 We think that we know what's best. We let our 00:28:51.430 --> 00:28:54.190 emotions dictate how we're gonna respond and 00:28:54.190 --> 00:28:59.819 act. I think the story could totally be an accurate 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:02.940 representation of what actually happened in Laodicea 00:29:02.940 --> 00:29:05.720 because I've seen it so many different times 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:07.539 throughout the country and throughout churches. 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:17.059 Laodicea did not recognize their need. They didn't 00:29:17.059 --> 00:29:21.140 remember that they were dependent on other cities 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:27.160 to provide them the source. of life through the 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:31.440 water. They didn't realize that. They had all 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:35.960 the money in the world. They had all the willpower 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:39.259 in the world. They could rebuild their city over 00:29:39.259 --> 00:29:41.960 and over again. But what they didn't understand 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:44.119 is that if one of those cities, whether it be 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:47.579 Areopolis or whether it be Colossae, if one of 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:51.200 those cities decided to shut off the source of 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:54.650 water, it would dry up their city. and they would 00:29:54.650 --> 00:29:58.589 cease to exist. They didn't see their dependence 00:29:58.589 --> 00:30:03.829 for the source of life. Jesus is saying to them, 00:30:04.390 --> 00:30:07.609 Jesus is saying to us as his followers, he's 00:30:07.609 --> 00:30:12.109 saying, I am the source of life. He says, recognize 00:30:12.109 --> 00:30:16.250 your need for me. Because without me, you don't 00:30:16.250 --> 00:30:21.740 have life. You might have existence. You might 00:30:21.740 --> 00:30:24.359 have some nice stuff. You might have a fat bank 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:29.980 account, but you don't have life. You're just 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:32.839 existing. This is what Laodicea was doing. They 00:30:32.839 --> 00:30:35.980 were just existing. They were comfortable with 00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:40.519 what they had. They were denying the source of 00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:43.140 life that came from others. They were denying 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:45.160 the source of life that came from Him. And so 00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:47.279 Jesus saying, you're making me sick. You're playing 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:49.930 the game. You're playing the religious game, 00:30:50.069 --> 00:30:52.789 but you don't recognize that I am the source 00:30:52.789 --> 00:30:56.309 of life. This is why it makes him sick. Because 00:30:56.309 --> 00:30:59.589 he doesn't want us to play religious games. He 00:30:59.589 --> 00:31:01.809 doesn't want us to learn the religious language. 00:31:02.390 --> 00:31:04.210 He doesn't want us to learn the Christian culture. 00:31:05.549 --> 00:31:09.009 He wants us to recognize that everything we have 00:31:09.009 --> 00:31:13.650 comes from Him. Everything we have, we are dependent 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:17.190 on Him. Every breath we take is because of Him. 00:31:18.619 --> 00:31:21.500 That's what Laodicea missed. And so here's my 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:25.599 question. Do you have the courage? Do you have 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:28.799 the courage to pray that God would change your 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:34.559 life? That's a bold prayer. God, I see me going 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:40.920 down this path. But I want you to change my life. 00:31:42.099 --> 00:31:44.059 If anything is robbing me of you, if my wealth 00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:49.750 is robbing me of you. If I'm not dependent on 00:31:49.750 --> 00:31:51.369 you, God, change my life, whatever, that's a 00:31:51.369 --> 00:31:52.990 bold prayer. Do you have the courage to pray? 00:31:55.230 --> 00:31:58.130 Do you have the conviction to pray for forgiveness? 00:32:01.329 --> 00:32:04.049 Do you have the courage to pray for forgiveness? 00:32:05.309 --> 00:32:08.410 All of us are sinners. All of us mess up. All 00:32:08.410 --> 00:32:12.069 of us fail. But it's so much easier to point 00:32:12.069 --> 00:32:13.869 out everybody else's faults instead of realizing 00:32:13.869 --> 00:32:16.109 our own. Do you have the courage to pray for 00:32:16.109 --> 00:32:21.279 forgiveness? And do you have the humility to 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:25.119 ask him to help you? Or are you so self -sufficient 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:28.460 that you don't need to? Do you have the courage 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:30.900 and the humility to pray that God would help 00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:35.019 you through this, whatever it is? And so my prayer 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:37.240 throughout the series for our church, for you 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:42.160 has been, God, let us be a church that has ears 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:45.220 to hear you, that has ears to hear what you're 00:32:45.220 --> 00:32:49.400 saying to us. What is he calling you to do? How 00:32:49.400 --> 00:32:51.920 is he calling me to respond? How is he calling 00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:58.039 you to walk in obedience? You hear the words 00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:04.880 But do you hear the words So that's my prayer 00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:07.440 God give us years to hear what you were saying 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:12.039 to our church Because the reality is my biggest 00:33:12.039 --> 00:33:14.160 fear I said this last week my biggest fear is 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:17.700 that we turn into Sardis As a pastor, that's 00:33:17.700 --> 00:33:22.579 my greatest fear. But what I see, just because 00:33:22.579 --> 00:33:28.059 of our community, I see Laodicea. I do not see 00:33:28.059 --> 00:33:32.460 a people that is desperate for him. I see a people 00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:37.660 that has self -reliance. So how do we reach out 00:33:37.660 --> 00:33:41.660 into a community and share with them the need 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:43.640 that they have for Jesus if we haven't embraced 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:47.789 that ourselves? If we haven't recognized that 00:33:47.789 --> 00:33:51.390 we are in desperate need of a Savior, we are 00:33:51.390 --> 00:33:53.950 in desperate need of the source of life. And 00:33:53.950 --> 00:33:56.329 so that once we finally understand those things, 00:33:56.529 --> 00:34:00.549 we can go into our community and show them the 00:34:00.549 --> 00:34:04.329 need they have for Jesus. Help us not be Laodicea. 00:34:05.210 --> 00:34:08.469 Let's pray. Father, I pray that as we close out 00:34:08.469 --> 00:34:13.349 the service, as we close out the series, as we 00:34:13.349 --> 00:34:17.099 just have a moment to... respond to you. I pray 00:34:17.099 --> 00:34:22.059 that you will free us from distraction. I pray 00:34:22.059 --> 00:34:24.360 that you will make us aware of our desperate 00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:35.860 need for you. God, I pray that you will give 00:34:35.860 --> 00:34:41.800 me ears to hear what you have to say to me. I 00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:45.019 pray the same for our people. that we will all 00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:49.079 have ears to hear what you were saying to us, 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:52.780 whenever that looks like. So Father, I pray that 00:34:52.780 --> 00:34:57.519 you move in this place. I pray that we'll walk 00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:02.599 in obedience as we seek after you. Have all these 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:07.719 things to say in Jesus' name, amen. So as we 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:09.280 respond, I think it's important to understand 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:11.579 that we are, this is the time, right? This is 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:13.989 the time where we can, contemplate and ask the 00:35:13.989 --> 00:35:16.389 Lord to speak to us. Because there's nothing 00:35:16.389 --> 00:35:18.590 I can say to change your heart. There's nothing 00:35:18.590 --> 00:35:21.590 I can say to change your mind. We're totally 00:35:21.590 --> 00:35:24.730 completely dependent on how God moves in this 00:35:24.730 --> 00:35:28.130 place. So we have this time to respond so that 00:35:28.130 --> 00:35:32.889 you can walk out of here changed. You can walk 00:35:32.889 --> 00:35:35.269 out of here different than how you walked in. 00:35:36.409 --> 00:35:37.710 And so maybe that'd be your prayer. God, give 00:35:37.710 --> 00:35:40.429 me ears to hear you and give me the courage to 00:35:40.429 --> 00:35:42.920 walk in obedience. So we're going to sing, feel 00:35:42.920 --> 00:35:45.860 free to sing, sit, stand, however you do that. 00:35:46.699 --> 00:35:49.519 Thank you for listening today to 563 Church, 00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:51.860 a production of Cornerstone Church, Eldridge, 00:35:51.880 --> 00:35:54.460 Iowa. For more information about our church or 00:35:54.460 --> 00:35:56.719 just getting right with God, please visit us 00:35:56.719 --> 00:36:00.480 at 563church .com. You can also find us on Facebook 00:36:00.480 --> 00:36:02.659 and Instagram. Have a great week.