WEBVTT

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going to open up by reading Revelation 3, 14

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through 22 together. This is the Word of God.

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It says, Write to the angel of the church in

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Laodicea. Thus says the Amen, the faithful and

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true witness, the originator of God's creation.

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I know your works, that you are neither cold

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nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So

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because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor

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cold, I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth.

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For you say, I'm rich, I've become wealthy, I

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need nothing. And you don't realize that you

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are wretched and pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

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I advise you to buy from me gold or find in the

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fires that you may be rich. White clothes that

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you may be dressed in your shameful nakedness,

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not be exposed, and ointment to spread in your

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eyes so that you may see. As many as I love,

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I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

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See, I stand at the door and I knock. If anyone

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hears my voice and opens the door, I will come

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into him and eat with him and he with me. To

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the one who conquers, I will give the right to

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sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered

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and sat down with my father on his throne. Let

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anyone who has ears to hear listen what the Spirit

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says to the churches. You may be seated. Now,

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the church in Laodicea is definitely one of the

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more famous letters that's sent out in the book

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of Revelation. We'll talk more about the context

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of Laodicea and what's going on in this letter

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here in a minute. I just want to start by kind

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of giving us maybe a practical theme that's timely

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for us. There's a musician, a Christian singer

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named Josiah Queen, and he's got a song called

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Dusty Bibles. And it's really been hitting me

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hard as I've been wrestling through this passage,

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looking at the church in Laodicea. Let me just

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read a few of these lyrics to you. It says, hey,

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I've been fine. I've been struggling to find

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some peace of mind. It's the problem of our nation

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and in our generation. In fact, it's very true.

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We have an issue with finding peace of mind.

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It says this, we're too busy and we just can't

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find the time. Let me ask this question. Are

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we busy or is it all a lie? We've got dust on

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our Bibles but brand new iPhones. No wonder why

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we feel this way. We walk with our eyes closed,

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blind leading blind folks, and I'm done with

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these idols and dusty Bibles. It's kind of getting

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this idea of the fact that we've got so many

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things in life, whether it's our iPhone or some

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other form of a distraction, so many things calling

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for our attention at any given moment. I mean,

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there's how many streaming services out there

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now? Like 42 bazillion? And each one has a brand

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new show they're pushing in your face that you

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don't want to miss. You've got this work thing

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going on or this other thing going on. There's

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always something that's calling for you to give

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some attention. And it's so easy, so easy for

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us to look back at the end of the day. the end

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of the week, the end of the month, the end of

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the year, and to see how much time we've spent

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on all these other things and how much dust is

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accumulated on our Bibles. It's amazing to me

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and it's convicting to me how often I'm guilty

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even of getting to the end of my day and thinking,

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wow, yeah, I read my Bible today. I'm looking

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back and saying, yeah, I read it for two minutes

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or three minutes. What did I do with the other

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23 hours and 57 minutes? Where did I really put

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my treasure at? Where did I really put my priority

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at? And friends, this letter to the church in

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Laodicea hits close to home, and I think it should

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hit close to home to us. Because Laodicea is

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a town that in many ways is like America. See,

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Laodicea was a town roughly 15 kilometers away

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from Colossae, essentially just a little bit

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past Olive Garden from here. Like, it's not very

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far away from Colossae. So we went through Colossians

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about a year and a half ago, and now here we

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are looking at basically their sister church.

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their cousin church. It's actually interesting

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from the town of Colossae, from those ruins,

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you can see the ruins of Laodicea and vice versa,

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like they're that close together. But they also

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have a lot of the same problems. And one of the

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most notable problems that they have is that

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they are both extremely wealthy towns. And on

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the surface, that's not an issue. But it becomes

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a much deeper issue. because see for both of

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these churches they have a tendency to want to

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look for salvation from their own wealth from

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their own power from their own ability and from

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what it is that they can bring to the table for

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god rather than looking to god for salvation

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Both of these churches find themselves embroiled

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deeply in a heresy in the first century that

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denied Jesus's divinity and attempted to change

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how you could be saved. That's what's covered

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in Colossians. If you want to hear a little more

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about that, check out our podcast, The Cornerstone

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Cast, on Spotify, Apple Music, or Apple Podcasts,

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and everywhere else. And you can listen to the

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beginning of our series on Colossians, where

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we start to dive into what is this Colossians

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heresy. But here's the basics of it. The Colossian

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heresy stems from a lack of an understanding

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of who Jesus is, a lack of an understanding of

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how we are saved, and finally, a poor understanding

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of how we live our lives as Christians who have

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been redeemed and bought back by Jesus. In Colossians,

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we see that stem in a lot of different ways.

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You know, we see how that takes root in relationships

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and how we treat our employees, our spouses,

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stuff like that. In Laodicea, that same type

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of a heresy, that idea of how do we live our

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lives, takes root in the form of prosperity.

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That the church in Laodicea says, how can we

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get a little bit more? How can we just become

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a little bit wealthier, a little bit richer,

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a little bit more powerful? How do we have just

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a little bit more in the bank account? How do

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we make our first century equivalent of a 401k

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just grow by 13 % instead of 10 % this year?

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No offense, Mike. They have this strong legacy

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of this idea of mentally following God, but at

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the same time it was deeply flawed. Because they

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had the first century equivalent of those Josiah

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Queen lyrics. They had dust on their Bibles,

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but they had the first century equivalent of

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brand new iPhones. They had gold and they had

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the fancy clothes. They had everything that everybody

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else wanted. All these other churches, the church

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in Philadelphia, this poorer, smaller church,

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would have looked at the church in Laodicea and

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been like, man, they have everything I ever could

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have asked for. But what we're going to see today

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is that it's all meaningless. It's all empty.

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Jesus gives the church a very pointed rebuke

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for really one specific thing that they are doing

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wrong. And it really all centers around our main

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point for today, which is this. We need to bring

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the gospel to the world around us. If you've

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heard, if you've read the letter to the church

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in Laodicea, you might be like, that doesn't

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really sound quite like the main point of the

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church in Laodicea. But I promise you by the

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time we get done here, about 33 minutes, that

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you will see that the main point of this letter

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to the church in Laodicea is they are not bringing

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the gospel to the world. and that they need to

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be bringing the gospel to the world around them.

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This is the lesson for the church in Laodicea,

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and friends, I would challenge, this is the lesson

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that we need to hear today. This is the lesson

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that we need to hear as we get ready to kick

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off fall. Whether we're a student about to start

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a new semester, whether we're just plugging away

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in our office day after day after day, just waiting

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for the leaves to change, this is the lesson

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that we need to hear, that we need to bring the

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gospel to the world around us. Look at Revelation

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3 .14 with me. It says this, Jesus starts off

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this letter with a very clear reminder. He does

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it in three different ways, but it's one reminder

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really. He is over all things. Jesus is over

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everything. He introduces himself to the church

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in three different ways. First, he says that

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he is the Amen. He says that really purposefully.

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We might be like, wait, he says he's the end

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of prayer? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense

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to us. That's a poor understanding of what the

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word amen actually means. What's actually being

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said here is that Jesus is saying that he is

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the answer to all things and the ultimate authority

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over all things. There is no question in the

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world that Jesus is not the answer to at the

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end of the day. There's kind of two main definitions

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of this word in Greek. One is so be it, the one

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that we use when we pray. So be it. We're giving

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it to God. God, would your will be done with

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this? The second definition is this is the truth.

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That's the definition Jesus is using here. Thus

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says the amen, the truth, the answer of all things,

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the ultimate authority. Understand this this

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morning. All truth comes from Jesus and only

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Jesus. anywhere else that claims that they can

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have ultimate truth is is just lying and falling

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short We can have debates about other places,

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but trust me on this, Jesus is the only place

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where there is ultimate authority and truth.

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Second, Jesus says that he is the faithful and

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the true witness. Are you noticing a theme so

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far in what it is that Jesus is getting at? He

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really wants the Laodiceans to understand something.

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He is truth. Truth comes from Jesus. Understand

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there's a contrast going on here. The church

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in Laodicea we could best describe as unreliable.

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The church in Laodicea is like your 1994 Toyota

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that you're trying to keep running as hard as

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you can, but day after day after day, it just

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breaks down in a new way. Like, I just got the

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spark plugs replaced, and that belt just broke,

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and I just fixed the belt, and this is out now.

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Friends, the church in Laodicea is unreliable.

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We're going to see that in verses 15 and 16.

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So Jesus is contrasting himself with that. While

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they are unreliable, he is reliable. He is faithful,

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and he is truthful when at all times. Because

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Jesus never changes. What he says and who he

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is will always be true. And third, he is the

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originator of God's creation. This is almost

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identical to what we read in Colossians chapter

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1. Do you remember how I mentioned that the church

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in Laodicea and Colossae struggle with the same

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heresy? Well, here Jesus is rebuking that. He's

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rebuking that heresy and he's reminding them

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of truth. The truth is that Jesus is the originator

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of God's creation. He is fully God. He always

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has been and he always will be. There's a really

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horrifying study that was done a few years ago

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that asked the question, and it just posed this

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as a statement. You're supposed to say, like,

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I strongly agree, I agree, I don't have any feelings,

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I disagree, I strongly disagree. And the question

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was, or the statement was, Jesus is the first

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and greatest creation of God. I felt like 70

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% of American Christians said that Jesus is,

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in fact, the first creation God ever made. Friends,

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Jesus was never created. He always has been,

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and he always will be. He is, in fact, the originator

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of God's creation. Listen to what Colossians

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1, 16 through 18 says, for everything was created

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by him in heaven and on earth, the visible and

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the invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or

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rulers or authorities, all things have been created

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through him and for him. He is before all things,

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and by him all things hold together. He is also

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the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning,

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the firstborn from the dead, so that he might

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come to have first place in everything. Friends,

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Jesus always has been, he always will be. He

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is the originator of creation. That is how Jesus

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introduces himself to this church, is the amen,

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the faithful and true, and it's the originator

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of God's creation. This is very intentional.

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It shows us how well Jesus knows this church

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and their need for him. And friends, maybe this

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morning that's the reminder that you need to

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hear, that Jesus is faithful at all times, that

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Jesus will never leave you, that Jesus will never

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change from you, that Jesus is the source of

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all truth. In a world where everything seems

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to be a little bit out of control sometimes,

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it can be hard to remember that. But remember

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that this morning. Jesus is the truth. Friends,

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let me encourage us as a church to remember our

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need for Jesus. The amen. The faithful and true

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witness. The originator or the creator of everything.

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Now look at verses 15 and 16 with me as we're

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going to see the problem of this. We're going

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to call this the rebuke of sin. in verses 15

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and 16, the rebuke of sin. It says this, I know

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your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

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I wish that you were cold or hot. So because

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you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I'm

00:12:13.769 --> 00:12:16.409
going to vomit you out of my mouth. I'm gonna

00:12:16.409 --> 00:12:18.009
be honest, it is not often I get to say the word

00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:21.490
vomit when I'm preaching. It's a rarity, but

00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:23.429
there's a reason that Jesus uses the word here.

00:12:24.389 --> 00:12:26.870
Vomit is a strong word picture, and Jesus is

00:12:26.870 --> 00:12:30.899
giving a strong word picture here. And so we're

00:12:30.899 --> 00:12:32.779
going to see that Jesus identifies their issue

00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:34.580
in these two verses. First, there's a reminder

00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:38.580
that Jesus knows your works. We've seen this

00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:41.379
in every one of these seven letters. It's a reminder

00:12:41.379 --> 00:12:43.460
each and every week I point this out, that Jesus

00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:47.100
sees us and he knows us. It's not a bad thing,

00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:50.200
that is a great thing, because Jesus sees you

00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.740
as an individual here this morning. Jesus, the

00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:57.220
amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator

00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:02.460
of all creation, and knows you. Now let's look

00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:06.200
at their works. I know your works. In so many

00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:07.440
churches, it's been like, I know your works.

00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:09.419
You do this well, but you don't do this well.

00:13:10.340 --> 00:13:11.620
You know, like the church of Thyatira. You're

00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:14.440
growing in all these ways, but also you guys

00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:16.460
have this sin in the midst of your church that

00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:17.899
you're not addressing. We're like the church

00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:21.240
in Sardis. Listen, I know your works. You have

00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:22.759
a reputation for being alive, but you're dead.

00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:26.779
Like, hey, wake up. Be better. Here's this one.

00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:28.820
I know your works, that you are neither cold,

00:13:29.370 --> 00:13:33.710
nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. A

00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:36.149
lot of times we might hear this passage and kind

00:13:36.149 --> 00:13:38.110
of interpret it as, see, they're just not on

00:13:38.110 --> 00:13:40.649
fire enough for God. The church just needs to

00:13:40.649 --> 00:13:42.830
fire it up a little bit and just get going. They

00:13:42.830 --> 00:13:44.490
just need to pick it up and get a little more

00:13:44.490 --> 00:13:46.629
serious about their faith, you know? Put in a

00:13:46.629 --> 00:13:48.990
little more work. Do a little bit more. Then

00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:50.629
we have to wrestle with this idea of, is it better

00:13:50.629 --> 00:13:53.289
to be cold with our relationship with God than

00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:55.870
it is to be lukewarm? Like, is it better to hate

00:13:55.870 --> 00:13:59.690
God than it is to... to just be lukewarm in our

00:13:59.690 --> 00:14:02.330
walk with God. And although that's an interpretation,

00:14:02.509 --> 00:14:04.289
I think that is a wrong interpretation of this

00:14:04.289 --> 00:14:07.389
passage. So if you look at the geography of Laodicea,

00:14:07.389 --> 00:14:08.789
we're going to see that there's actually two

00:14:08.789 --> 00:14:10.789
springs right by the city of Laodicea. One is

00:14:10.789 --> 00:14:13.649
a hot spring and one is a cold spring. The hot

00:14:13.649 --> 00:14:16.090
spring was believed to be a healing spring, a

00:14:16.090 --> 00:14:17.669
place where you would go for healing if you were

00:14:17.669 --> 00:14:19.710
sick and unwell. And on the other hand, the cold

00:14:19.710 --> 00:14:21.909
spring was cold and therefore was refreshing.

00:14:22.049 --> 00:14:23.690
So when you were traveling and looking for water

00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:25.450
to drink, you would go to the cold spring to

00:14:25.450 --> 00:14:28.070
drink this refreshing water that would fill you

00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:30.409
and would give you new life. That right there,

00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:32.049
I believe, is the hot and the cold that Jesus

00:14:32.049 --> 00:14:34.289
addresses. Because see, the gospel itself, the

00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:36.470
good news of Jesus is both healing and it is

00:14:36.470 --> 00:14:39.230
also refreshing. The gospel is healing because

00:14:39.230 --> 00:14:42.110
the gospel repairs brokenness. We see that from

00:14:42.110 --> 00:14:44.370
Genesis chapter 3 until the very end of the Bible.

00:14:44.590 --> 00:14:47.370
That in Genesis 3, we see brokenness enter the

00:14:47.370 --> 00:14:50.110
world through sin. We see a promise of a savior

00:14:50.110 --> 00:14:54.110
in Genesis 3. A promise that one will come and

00:14:54.110 --> 00:14:57.450
crush the serpent's head. That the brokenness

00:14:57.450 --> 00:15:00.509
will be repaired. That the world will be healed,

00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:03.649
not by some human effort, not through an initiative

00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:06.549
that a government can launch. But through God's

00:15:06.549 --> 00:15:09.370
plan, through the gospel, the good news of Jesus.

00:15:10.690 --> 00:15:13.649
So first, the gospel is healing. Much like that

00:15:13.649 --> 00:15:16.289
hot spring, it was healing. Secondly, the gospel

00:15:16.289 --> 00:15:20.850
is refreshing. The gospel is refreshing. And

00:15:20.850 --> 00:15:24.149
a world filled with lies. And there's a lot of

00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:25.549
lies out there. And there are a lot of lies out

00:15:25.549 --> 00:15:27.789
there for this church in Laodicea. This is another

00:15:27.789 --> 00:15:30.070
place where the emperors worship pretty consistently.

00:15:30.529 --> 00:15:33.720
There's heresy all around the church even. And

00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:37.000
that type of a place with lie after lie after

00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:42.659
lie, the gospel is refreshing. Truth is refreshing

00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:47.340
because truth is different. Truth is different.

00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:49.820
When I was teaching, I had two students get in

00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:51.639
a fight about two weeks into being a teacher.

00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:54.600
Can't ask for a better start to the school year

00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.500
than that. Mostly because I still didn't know

00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:58.279
everyone's names. So I'm like trying to get them

00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:02.940
to stop. I'm like, you and you, just stop. And,

00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:05.240
you know, of course, I ask, like, what happened?

00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:06.799
What caused this? And it's very clear that no

00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.039
one's being true with me, right? It's not that

00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:12.919
hard to figure this out. And then finally, finally,

00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:14.480
one of the girls says, okay, fine, I'll tell

00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:15.659
the truth. I'm like, good, that's what you should

00:16:15.659 --> 00:16:17.179
have done in the first place. That's recommended.

00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:20.419
And she gives me the answer, and it was refreshing

00:16:20.419 --> 00:16:22.659
because I finally knew what was actually going

00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:28.059
on. Listen, truth is refreshing. And as refreshing

00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:30.019
as truth like knowing who actually started the

00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:32.879
fight might be, it does not compare at all to

00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:34.919
the greatest truth in the world, and that is

00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.100
the truth of Jesus. The truth of a promise of

00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:41.399
a Savior who loves us and cares for us. The truth

00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.139
of a Savior who would come to earth and give

00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:45.419
his life on the cross for us, who would rise

00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:47.600
again on the third day so we can have a hope

00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.779
and a future. That is a refreshing truth. And

00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.519
so understand, verse 15 is saying, listen, you're

00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.480
neither cold nor hot. Not just, hey, burn a little

00:16:57.480 --> 00:16:58.919
brighter for me, be a little stronger. It's saying,

00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:01.639
listen, you don't meet people with the truth

00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:03.620
of the gospel that gives healing and the truth

00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:06.559
of the gospel that gives refreshing. He's saying

00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:08.400
your church doesn't meet sinners with the gospel.

00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:10.660
You don't give them an opportunity to be healed.

00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.440
You don't meet these weary souls all around you

00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:15.660
with the refreshing truth of the gospel. Instead,

00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:17.859
Jesus says, you guys are just existing. You float

00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:19.640
through life. We could say it like this, they

00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:23.299
are completely forgettable. They're a completely

00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:26.400
forgettable church. You show up, you sit there,

00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.240
you leave. Nothing's ever changed in your life.

00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:33.460
Their lives don't change. They are entirely forgettable.

00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:36.119
And here is Jesus' warning. It's really similar

00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:37.859
actually to the church in Sardis and the church

00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:40.880
in Ephesus. If they don't change, he is going

00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.660
to vomit them out of his mouth. Here's the modern

00:17:43.660 --> 00:17:46.299
day equivalent. I enjoy going for hikes. Picture

00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:48.940
a day with me. It is 110 degrees outside. Why

00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:51.259
we're hiking when it's 110 degrees, I don't know.

00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:53.539
But we decided we were going to go for a 14 mile

00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:56.170
long hike. and you get back to the car at the

00:17:56.170 --> 00:17:58.170
end of this thing, and you pick up your water

00:17:58.170 --> 00:18:00.369
bottle. It's one of these plastic water bottles.

00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:01.890
It's like, well, this will be so refreshing.

00:18:02.250 --> 00:18:03.509
You've left it up on the dashboard. It's been

00:18:03.509 --> 00:18:05.769
sitting in the sun all day long. But as you start

00:18:05.769 --> 00:18:08.470
drinking it, you realize that this is not a new

00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:10.269
water bottle. This is the old one that you just

00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:13.009
haven't thrown out for a while. It's hot. It's

00:18:13.009 --> 00:18:15.349
gross. It's old. So instead of swallowing it,

00:18:15.470 --> 00:18:17.589
you spit it out, and you keep spitting just to

00:18:17.589 --> 00:18:21.809
get that taste out of your mouth. It's just not

00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:26.150
right. It's just not normal. That is this church.

00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:29.549
This church isn't right. This church is sick.

00:18:30.390 --> 00:18:34.069
They are unwell. They leave behind a sour aftertaste

00:18:34.069 --> 00:18:36.390
in the Lord's mouth. And I don't know about you,

00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:39.069
that is not ever something I want to hear from

00:18:39.069 --> 00:18:41.890
God. I never want to hear the phrase, Daniel,

00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:44.049
because you're neither cold nor hot, I'm going

00:18:44.049 --> 00:18:47.650
to vomit you out. That is never what I want to

00:18:47.650 --> 00:18:51.009
hear from Jesus. I could say it like this. This

00:18:51.009 --> 00:18:53.069
church has the money, but they have nothing else.

00:18:53.950 --> 00:18:57.029
They have all the lights, but no life. They have

00:18:57.029 --> 00:18:58.930
the newest iPhone, but they have dust on their

00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:03.890
Bibles and no fruit to show for their life. But

00:19:03.890 --> 00:19:06.109
Jesus isn't just saying this as a, you know,

00:19:06.109 --> 00:19:07.990
be careful, I'll spit out some water as an image.

00:19:08.490 --> 00:19:10.990
It's a warning to them. Remember what we saw

00:19:10.990 --> 00:19:13.849
when we saw the church in Sardis? The church

00:19:13.849 --> 00:19:15.509
in Sardis goes from being a church referenced

00:19:15.509 --> 00:19:17.450
in Revelation chapter 3 to today being a town

00:19:17.450 --> 00:19:20.390
with zero believers in it. When Jesus gives this

00:19:20.390 --> 00:19:23.240
warning to the church in Laodicea, Jesus is not

00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.799
just kidding. It's not just a hyperbole or an

00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:30.539
example. Jesus is quite serious. It's a wake

00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:33.140
-up call to them to repent and to walk with him.

00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:38.599
Friends, in his letter to the church in Ephesus,

00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.680
Jesus tells the church to remember how far they've

00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:43.019
fallen, to repent of their sin, and to renew

00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.819
or to restart their walk with God. In his letter

00:19:45.819 --> 00:19:47.480
to the church in Sardis, we saw that Jesus challenged

00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:49.500
believers to remember the gospel, to keep the

00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:51.920
gospel close, and to repent when they walk away

00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:54.200
from the gospel. And here, Jesus challenges them

00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:56.119
with an even more basic thing. Really simple.

00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:00.380
Wake up. Just wake up. He calls out their issue.

00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:01.799
He says, you've got to wake up a little bit.

00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:05.400
Stop being asleep at the wheel. Right? There's

00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.180
that old country song, it's a little before my

00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:10.099
time, Jesus take the wheel. Right? That's kind

00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:12.200
of how this church is functioning. Jesus take

00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:13.380
the wheel, you know, we're just going to sit

00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:15.299
back and watch as things happen. He's saying,

00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:19.759
no, wake up. See the world around you on a daily

00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:23.700
basis. And in verses 17 through 19, Jesus continues

00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:25.480
calling out their sin and also gives them a response

00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:28.539
to sin. A response to sin in these three verses.

00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:36.019
He says this, for you say, that's Jesus saying

00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:37.500
what the church in Laodicea says. Now remember,

00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:40.759
Jesus knows all things, sees all things. He knows

00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:43.240
this is what they say. This isn't just him and...

00:20:43.669 --> 00:20:44.630
anticipating this is what they're saying this

00:20:44.630 --> 00:20:46.329
is what they actually are saying to one another

00:20:46.329 --> 00:20:49.650
for you say i'm rich i have become wealthy and

00:20:49.650 --> 00:20:51.650
i need nothing and you don't realize that you

00:20:51.650 --> 00:20:56.650
are wretched pitiful poor blind and naked i advise

00:20:56.650 --> 00:20:58.750
you to buy for me gold or find in the fire so

00:20:58.750 --> 00:21:00.849
that you may be rich white clothes that you may

00:21:00.849 --> 00:21:02.869
be dressed in your shameful nakedness not be

00:21:02.869 --> 00:21:05.250
exposed an ointment to spread on your eyes so

00:21:05.250 --> 00:21:08.269
that you may see as many as i love i rebuke and

00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:13.059
discipline so it's the solution be zealous and

00:21:13.059 --> 00:21:19.019
repent. Be zealous and repent. Jesus calls out

00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:21.119
a little bit more in verse 17, but really it's

00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:23.079
all about calling attention to their need to

00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:26.240
respond to sin. See, Laodicea is this wealthy

00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.859
city like we've established, and they think they

00:21:28.859 --> 00:21:30.660
are incredible. They have bought the lie that

00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:32.619
their money makes them better than other believers.

00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:36.680
But in reality, although they are physically

00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:41.500
wealthy, they are not spiritually wealthy. Here

00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.279
Jesus condemns the Laodiceans for putting their

00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:45.779
hope and their faith and wealth in human self

00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:48.099
-reliance. And if we're honest, it's really,

00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.779
really, really easy for us to do the same thing.

00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:54.680
It's really easy for us to look around at our

00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:56.059
daily lives and say, I've got everything I need.

00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:59.339
You know, I've got a church family that I can

00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:01.500
go to. I've got a house and a roof over my head.

00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:03.059
I've got food in my bank account for groceries.

00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:06.059
I've got a car I can drive. I've got a job that

00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:07.599
puts food on the table. Like, I've got everything

00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:10.099
I need. What more do I need? What more is there

00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:14.559
for me to need? But look at the response of Jesus

00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:18.220
to this church in Laodicea. This wealthy, successful

00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:20.619
group of people. He says this to them. He says

00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:24.019
that they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind,

00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:27.859
and naked. Even as this church prides itself

00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:31.140
on its earthly influence, Jesus condemns it for

00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:34.140
its spiritual death. He's saying quite literally,

00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:36.339
church in Laodicea, you are broken and failing.

00:22:37.219 --> 00:22:39.400
Instead of praising them for being wealthy, Jesus

00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:44.240
condemns them as bankrupt. And here's the parallel

00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:47.539
for us. It's so easy for us to get caught up

00:22:47.539 --> 00:22:51.079
in that latest comfort. It's so easy for us to

00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:53.960
find ourselves mindlessly scrolling on ESPN or

00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:56.660
Instagram or Facebook or Snapchat or whatever

00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:59.319
app it is that we go to. Candy Crush used to

00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:00.680
be that thing. If you still play Candy Crush,

00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:02.539
that's okay. Or Clash of Clans, and let's make

00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:05.099
it a renaissance now. It's easy for us to get

00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.500
caught up on all of that. and to stop looking

00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:09.400
at the Gospels as our source of refreshment and

00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:12.599
provision. We leave our Bible closed because

00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:14.799
what does that have to do with us today? What

00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:16.680
will God have to say in this situation? I don't

00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:18.680
know, but I can definitely find satisfaction

00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:21.440
here. But at the end of the day, understand this,

00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:24.579
Jesus cares so much less about our 401k than

00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:27.059
he cares about our spiritual health. And so Jesus

00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:29.720
gives them a solution here in verse 18 and 19.

00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:32.819
He says this, I advise you to buy for me gold

00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:36.319
refined in the fire so you may be rich. White

00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:37.980
clothes so you may be dressed and your shameful

00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:40.319
nakedness not be exposed. An ointment to spread

00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:42.500
on your eyes so that you may see. Understand

00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:44.259
this, this is not about switching your financial

00:23:44.259 --> 00:23:47.500
advisors. That's not what this is about. This

00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:49.180
is about putting our worth and our everything

00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:52.559
into Jesus Christ. This is about living our lives

00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:55.000
as a Christ -centered life rather than Christ

00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:57.680
off to the side. Rather than building our identity

00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.559
on the things of earth, our wealth, our position

00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:02.980
in life, our job, our own perfection. This is

00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:05.000
a challenge to put everything into following

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.920
Christ. And we can do this because Jesus brings

00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:11.500
us a new identity. Let me just give you three

00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:13.299
very quick statements about identity here. 2

00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:16.220
Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore, if anyone is in

00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:19.200
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed

00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:23.299
away, and see, the new has come. Our worth doesn't

00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:24.880
need to be in our wealth because our worth is

00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:27.769
now in being a new creation. Galatians 2 .20,

00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:30.049
I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer

00:24:30.049 --> 00:24:32.769
live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now

00:24:32.769 --> 00:24:34.650
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son

00:24:34.650 --> 00:24:37.230
of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

00:24:37.910 --> 00:24:39.210
Nowhere in there does it say anything about I've

00:24:39.210 --> 00:24:40.829
been crucified with Christ, therefore now I am

00:24:40.829 --> 00:24:43.730
wealthy. That's not the point there. We're given

00:24:43.730 --> 00:24:46.309
a new identity by Jesus. And here's one of my

00:24:46.309 --> 00:24:49.569
all -time favorites from 1 Peter 2 .9. This is

00:24:49.569 --> 00:24:51.769
one of the verses I am the most excited for as

00:24:51.769 --> 00:24:54.680
we go through 1 Peter on campus this fall. But

00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:57.440
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a

00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.339
holy nation, a people for his possession, so

00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:03.220
that you may proclaim the praises of the one

00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:06.200
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous

00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:10.220
light. A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy

00:25:10.220 --> 00:25:12.880
nation, a people for his own possession. Not

00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:15.960
the wealthiest people, the perfectest people,

00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:19.640
the most brilliant people, the most popular people.

00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:24.369
No. No, instead it's a chosen race, a royal priesthood,

00:25:24.369 --> 00:25:26.670
a holy nation of people for Jesus' possession.

00:25:27.309 --> 00:25:29.730
Why? So that we may proclaim the praises of the

00:25:29.730 --> 00:25:31.970
one who called us out of darkness into his marvelous

00:25:31.970 --> 00:25:39.170
light. I think sometimes we can start to convince

00:25:39.170 --> 00:25:41.109
ourselves that maybe we can wow Jesus with what

00:25:41.109 --> 00:25:43.910
we bring to the table. That we bring something

00:25:43.910 --> 00:25:47.619
so good that no one else has. I don't know about

00:25:47.619 --> 00:25:48.980
you, maybe in elementary school you were told

00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:52.599
by somebody, you are unique and special, and

00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:54.799
you just are so good at this and this and this,

00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.079
and no one is like you. And you start to think,

00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:59.160
you're right, I am the only person in this grade

00:25:59.160 --> 00:26:01.980
that can cut like this. I am, in fact, that valuable.

00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:07.380
Guys, listen, the natural spiritual state of

00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:09.880
a human is much more like what we see in verse

00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:15.700
17. The I am nothing. I am wretched, pitiful,

00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:19.720
poor, blind, and naked. Our man -made, human

00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:22.359
-given identity is worthless, but following Christ,

00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:25.599
that is everything. Following Christ is what

00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:28.420
we should build our entire lives on. And Jesus

00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:30.599
talks about giving this new gold or new wealth,

00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:32.880
that's salvation. New clothes, that's purification.

00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:35.720
And ointment, so we can see things anew. That's

00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:38.299
the Holy Spirit changing how we live. When we

00:26:38.299 --> 00:26:40.299
put our faith entirely in Jesus, that's what

00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:42.940
we get. We get a new type of wealth, knowing

00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:45.140
that we will be with God forever in our actual

00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:47.759
home. We get new clothes, knowing that we've

00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:50.880
been purified and made clean before God. We get

00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:52.920
the Holy Spirit changing our lives on a daily

00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:57.980
basis, growing to be more like Jesus. Friends,

00:26:58.039 --> 00:26:59.960
let me just give us the same challenge that the

00:26:59.960 --> 00:27:02.119
church in Laodicea is getting. We need to put

00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:04.680
our faith and our reliance entirely on Jesus.

00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.779
And then Jesus explains something here in verse

00:27:07.779 --> 00:27:11.150
19. We've seen a lot of rebukes. from Jesus in

00:27:11.150 --> 00:27:15.829
this series. But why? Jesus rebukes these believers

00:27:15.829 --> 00:27:19.910
because he loves them. The word used there in

00:27:19.910 --> 00:27:23.650
verse 19 is phileo, or caring love. Jesus rebukes

00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:28.769
because Jesus cares. Jesus calls out to us and

00:27:28.769 --> 00:27:30.430
tells us to live differently, not because he

00:27:30.430 --> 00:27:35.329
hates fun, but because he loves us. When I was

00:27:35.329 --> 00:27:37.839
coaching basketball, Occasionally I'd have to

00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:39.279
pull a player aside and give them some pretty

00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:41.539
pointed direction on how they needed to do something

00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:43.519
differently. Maybe it was how they were setting

00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:45.660
a screen or how they were making a trap in the

00:27:45.660 --> 00:27:48.539
corner. And there were times where a player would

00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:52.500
say something like this, but coach, I think this

00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:55.099
way is so much better. The way I'm doing it is

00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:58.279
just so much better. But you give correction

00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:01.420
because you care. You love that player. You know

00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:03.799
there's so much more. And one of the sweetest

00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:05.960
memories I have from that was we gave correction

00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:08.259
to this kid day after day for about a month to

00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:10.180
help him figure out this one spot in our defense.

00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:12.339
It's kind of a weird spot. We were in kind of

00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:15.119
a weird defense. And then it clicked one day

00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:18.140
after a month of correcting him. And we're talking

00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:19.259
to his coaches, like, are we pushing him too

00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.359
hard? Can he handle this? Can he not? And it

00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:24.039
clicked. And when it clicked, he set a school

00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:26.940
record for the most steals in a game. And then

00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:29.920
he set it again the next game. He led our team

00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:32.200
in scoring for the last three games of our season

00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:35.119
because it was just constantly steal after steal

00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:38.180
after steal because it clicked. And why? Because

00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:41.539
we continued to correct him. Why do we correct

00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:43.299
him? Because we loved him. We cared about him.

00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:45.240
We wanted to see him succeed. We knew he could

00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:47.819
do more than what he was doing. See, we correct

00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:49.460
somebody because they have more potential. That's

00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.720
why Jesus is correcting this church and Revelation,

00:28:52.059 --> 00:28:54.319
and that's why Jesus gives us this letter so

00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:56.539
that we can look in the mirror and we can take

00:28:56.539 --> 00:29:00.599
these to heart too. Are we willing to be corrected?

00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:04.400
Because Jesus rebukes because he cares. But then

00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:06.539
Jesus tells them how to respond to that care.

00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:09.180
He doesn't tell them to cower in shame because

00:29:09.180 --> 00:29:12.039
of their sin. He doesn't say, listen, you've

00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:14.759
done all this stuff wrong. You're finished. You're

00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:19.079
done. Like, I'm spitting you out. No. He tells

00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:23.839
them to be zealous and repent. Zealous isn't

00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.619
a word we use a ton in the 21st century. I'm

00:29:26.619 --> 00:29:27.859
just going to be honest. It's not a word I use

00:29:27.859 --> 00:29:30.859
a whole lot. a day -to -day basis. Here's a good

00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:33.799
way to translate that statement. Jesus tells

00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:36.359
us to wholeheartedly turn away from what we're

00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:39.039
currently doing. If we are currently putting

00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:41.440
all of our worth and value and wealth on earth,

00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:44.859
stop and wholeheartedly turn away from that and

00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:48.299
go towards Jesus. That's what Jesus calls this

00:29:48.299 --> 00:29:50.200
church to do. Turn away from your man -made,

00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:52.500
man -centric identity and follow me wholeheartedly

00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:55.369
every single day. He's calling out to the church

00:29:55.369 --> 00:29:57.809
in Laodicea, but he's also talking to us. He's

00:29:57.809 --> 00:30:00.009
also challenging us to turn away from sin, to

00:30:00.009 --> 00:30:01.750
turn away from the way that we like to identify

00:30:01.750 --> 00:30:04.250
ourselves, to turn away from the way that we

00:30:04.250 --> 00:30:06.549
like to live on our own strength, and to walk

00:30:06.549 --> 00:30:09.170
with him, to be zealous, to be wholehearted,

00:30:09.309 --> 00:30:13.309
to repent, or to walk new with him. And listen,

00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:15.670
we are here together to do just that. We are

00:30:15.670 --> 00:30:18.190
here to zealously, wholeheartedly follow Jesus

00:30:18.190 --> 00:30:21.430
together every single day, being quick to repent

00:30:21.430 --> 00:30:23.529
when we fall short, because we will fall short.

00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:26.720
and then also being quick to walk together to

00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:29.720
be more like jesus and so jesus calls on this

00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:32.240
church he says first wake up then he says wholeheartedly

00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:34.519
repent turn away from what you're doing and then

00:30:34.519 --> 00:30:37.099
look at the promise that we see in verse 20 verse

00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:39.880
20 says this see i stand at the door and i knock

00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:42.279
if anyone hears my voice and opens the door i

00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:44.359
will come into him and eat with him and he with

00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:46.880
me here's what we could summarize that verse

00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:51.250
receive jesus Receive Jesus. Let me make this

00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:54.029
really straightforward. Jesus is right here for

00:30:54.029 --> 00:30:58.450
you today. Friends, I think we ripped this verse

00:30:58.450 --> 00:31:00.450
out of context, and although it is true about

00:31:00.450 --> 00:31:03.269
non -believers that Jesus can be working in their

00:31:03.269 --> 00:31:05.890
hearts and reaching at them, look at who he's

00:31:05.890 --> 00:31:08.450
actually talking to in Revelation 3 .20. It's

00:31:08.450 --> 00:31:11.450
a letter to the church or the believers in Laodicea.

00:31:13.930 --> 00:31:16.630
Friends, Jesus might be today knocking on your

00:31:16.630 --> 00:31:20.500
heart. calling for you to open the door of your

00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:24.539
heart, saying wholeheartedly, zealously, follow

00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:28.940
me. Follow me today. Maybe you're feeling something

00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:31.359
new. Maybe you felt this before, but let me encourage

00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:34.720
you, listen to your Savior who is right there.

00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:38.539
And I love this. Jesus doesn't just say, I'll

00:31:38.539 --> 00:31:41.720
come in and order you around. It's not the image

00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:44.660
Jesus gives. Instead, the imagery Jesus gives

00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:49.250
is of him coming in and eating with us. I will

00:31:49.250 --> 00:31:51.849
come into him and eat with him and he with me.

00:31:52.490 --> 00:31:54.329
This is a letter sent to a Middle Eastern church

00:31:54.329 --> 00:31:56.789
where hospitality was a core value. You know,

00:31:56.809 --> 00:31:58.269
our core values here at Cornerstone are gospel,

00:31:58.390 --> 00:32:01.609
community, and mission. For the church in Laodicea,

00:32:01.630 --> 00:32:02.910
just culturally, their core values have been

00:32:02.910 --> 00:32:06.289
hospitality, hospitality, and hospitality. And

00:32:06.289 --> 00:32:09.809
so for them, this speaks volumes. It speaks volumes

00:32:09.809 --> 00:32:12.509
to them because Jesus uses this image of hospitality

00:32:12.509 --> 00:32:15.869
and friendship. And understand something about

00:32:15.869 --> 00:32:18.130
this that applies to us. I think it's easy for

00:32:18.130 --> 00:32:20.089
us to say, walking with Jesus, it's like how

00:32:20.089 --> 00:32:22.309
I get out of jail. It's how I make sure I don't

00:32:22.309 --> 00:32:24.230
go to hell someday. It's like my get -out -of

00:32:24.230 --> 00:32:25.809
-jail -free card. I'm a Christian. I accepted

00:32:25.809 --> 00:32:28.730
Jesus when I was eight. But walking with Jesus

00:32:28.730 --> 00:32:30.970
is not about having a get -out -of -jail -free

00:32:30.970 --> 00:32:33.829
card. It's not just knowing a higher power, acknowledging

00:32:33.829 --> 00:32:35.349
that there is something greater than us in the

00:32:35.349 --> 00:32:37.910
world. Walking with Jesus is about walking with

00:32:37.910 --> 00:32:42.480
our Savior who loves us and is our friend. Because

00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:45.420
our friend comes in and eats with us, not some

00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:50.920
random stranger. Understand that to follow Jesus

00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:53.220
is to walk with our Savior who loves us and is

00:32:53.220 --> 00:32:57.359
our friend. That is such a powerful promise that

00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:00.480
Jesus gives to this church. The church in Laodicea

00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:02.799
has been rebellious, right? They've been the

00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:04.759
kid who won't listen to their parents and won't

00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:06.359
stop doing what their parents tell them not to

00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:09.819
do. They walk away from Jesus to try and live

00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:12.799
on their own strength. But Jesus doesn't leave

00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:15.640
them. And we're guilty of the same thing where

00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:17.099
sometimes we try to just get through that season

00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:19.960
of life on our own strength. If I just study

00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:22.319
a little bit harder, if I just work a little

00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:24.480
bit longer, put a few extra hours here, a couple

00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:28.359
extra hours there, then maybe everything will

00:33:28.359 --> 00:33:32.119
be okay. But just as Jesus didn't leave that

00:33:32.119 --> 00:33:34.279
church in Laodicea, he's not going to leave us.

00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:38.279
And that is awesome. Let me give you an even

00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:41.390
better promise here. This is really all a foreshadowing

00:33:41.390 --> 00:33:43.910
of Revelation 19, 1 -10. We don't have time to

00:33:43.910 --> 00:33:46.049
go there this morning. But in Revelation 19,

00:33:46.309 --> 00:33:49.529
1 -10, we see the Feast of the Lamb where everyone

00:33:49.529 --> 00:33:52.549
who knows Jesus will dine with God, our Creator,

00:33:52.769 --> 00:33:56.769
forever. That is the image we are given. That

00:33:56.769 --> 00:33:59.549
is the image being foreshadowed here in Revelation

00:33:59.549 --> 00:34:04.809
chapter 3. Friends, today, today, open your heart

00:34:04.809 --> 00:34:07.549
and let Jesus direct you. Let Jesus make your

00:34:07.549 --> 00:34:10.019
list of priorities out. Let Jesus be the one

00:34:10.019 --> 00:34:13.800
who calls the shots. And listen, as he promises,

00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:15.719
it's not just him bossing around, he will come

00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:20.099
in and eat with us as a friend. Look at verses

00:34:20.099 --> 00:34:22.659
21 and 22 with me. Every one of these letters

00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:25.079
always contains a promise at the very end. A

00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:26.719
promise of something greater that is to come,

00:34:26.780 --> 00:34:28.579
something that will happen. And here's the promise

00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:30.920
for verses 21 and 22. It says this, to the one

00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:33.320
who conquers, that is the one who endures, or

00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:37.070
my favorite translation, the one who wins. How

00:34:37.070 --> 00:34:39.570
do you win? You win by following Jesus. I will

00:34:39.570 --> 00:34:41.769
give the right to sit with me on my throne, just

00:34:41.769 --> 00:34:43.530
as I also conquered and sat down with my father

00:34:43.530 --> 00:34:46.389
on his throne. Let anyone who has ears to hear

00:34:46.389 --> 00:34:48.190
listen to what the Spirit says to the churches,

00:34:48.250 --> 00:34:53.170
all the churches. And here's the final part of

00:34:53.170 --> 00:34:54.690
the seventh letter to the churches in Revelation.

00:34:56.710 --> 00:34:59.369
Jesus speaks to everyone, not just the church

00:34:59.369 --> 00:35:02.619
in Laodicea, everyone who has ears to hear. anyone

00:35:02.619 --> 00:35:05.699
who has ears to hear, everyone who conquers,

00:35:05.719 --> 00:35:08.900
everyone who endures. And here's the promise

00:35:08.900 --> 00:35:11.159
that Jesus makes. The church in Laodicea wants

00:35:11.159 --> 00:35:12.880
power and position. That's why they want more

00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:14.820
wealth. That's why they want more money, more

00:35:14.820 --> 00:35:16.380
influence. They want power and they want position.

00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:21.400
And Jesus makes clear, power and position only

00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:25.340
come to those who follow Jesus. The true power

00:35:25.340 --> 00:35:28.179
and position we should be searching after is

00:35:28.179 --> 00:35:30.980
not just a promotion at work. It's not just the

00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:34.039
seat on the HOA committee. It's not just being

00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:37.380
the president of an organization. It is ruling

00:35:37.380 --> 00:35:41.280
with Jesus forever. And that does not come on

00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:44.760
earth. That comes in heaven, where Jesus is reigning

00:35:44.760 --> 00:35:50.059
over all things. And don't miss that promise

00:35:50.059 --> 00:35:52.840
of verse 22, or that statement in verse 22, that

00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:58.000
command. Anyone who has ears here, if you have

00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:00.960
ears this morning, then it is a letter for you

00:36:00.960 --> 00:36:04.840
and for me. It is a letter for us. So hear the

00:36:04.840 --> 00:36:07.159
word of the Lord, and let's talk for about five

00:36:07.159 --> 00:36:09.440
minutes about how we can live this out. We've

00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:11.059
got three points of application. Here's our first

00:36:11.059 --> 00:36:14.340
one. Refresh and repair. Refresh and repair.

00:36:16.280 --> 00:36:18.800
You know, we saw Jesus call out this idea to

00:36:18.800 --> 00:36:20.900
the church in Laodicea of them being either hot

00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:23.519
nor cold, how they weren't bringing the gospel

00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:25.679
of the world around them. I want to take a minute,

00:36:25.719 --> 00:36:33.300
I want to talk about that. What Jesus did for

00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:39.199
us is just so, it's honestly just amazing. Like,

00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:41.579
it's the best word to use for it. It's amazing.

00:36:41.679 --> 00:36:43.420
It's beyond anything that we could ever come

00:36:43.420 --> 00:36:49.460
up with or ever deserve. It's refreshing. It's

00:36:49.460 --> 00:36:55.000
healing. See, we are born into a broken, sinful

00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:57.480
world. Sin is anything that is not 100 % perfect

00:36:57.480 --> 00:37:00.280
in God's eyes. And brokenness is the natural

00:37:00.280 --> 00:37:02.679
consequence of sin. Because sin separates us

00:37:02.679 --> 00:37:05.239
from our perfect creator. And so when sin entered

00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:08.960
the world, so did brokenness. But there's hope.

00:37:09.739 --> 00:37:12.300
There's hope because Jesus came to earth, lived

00:37:12.300 --> 00:37:14.760
a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again

00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:17.400
three days later to repair the brokenness of

00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:19.679
the world all around us. And so if you are here

00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:20.920
this morning and you have not put your faith

00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:24.159
in Jesus, let me invite you to do that today.

00:37:24.820 --> 00:37:28.360
Let me invite you to let Jesus repair the brokenness

00:37:28.360 --> 00:37:29.539
of your life. It doesn't mean your life is going

00:37:29.539 --> 00:37:33.139
to be perfect. Let's be clear on that. But Jesus

00:37:33.139 --> 00:37:36.480
does repair brokenness. Here's the second thing.

00:37:36.519 --> 00:37:38.920
If you are a believer here this morning, let

00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:41.039
me encourage you with how the gospel refreshes

00:37:41.039 --> 00:37:44.340
us. Matthew 11, 28 -30 are three of my favorite

00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:47.199
verses on this. It says this, Come to me, all

00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:50.699
you who are weary and burdened, and I will give

00:37:50.699 --> 00:37:54.039
you rest. I'm not going to make people raise

00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:56.099
hands. That's only something I do at youth camp.

00:37:57.679 --> 00:38:00.079
But I would bet if we were really honest with

00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:02.980
ourselves, Whether it's now or recently, at some

00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:06.079
point we have found ourselves weary and burdened.

00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:08.860
I don't just mean like I could have used another

00:38:08.860 --> 00:38:11.039
20 minutes of sleep today. I mean like emotionally

00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:14.980
weary and burdened and worn down. And usually

00:38:14.980 --> 00:38:16.800
it's day after day after day of just grinding

00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:18.559
away and it's just not going anywhere. It's not

00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:21.760
working well. This is speaking to you in those

00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:24.940
times that Jesus will give you rest. Take my

00:38:24.940 --> 00:38:28.670
yoke upon you. or take my work upon you and learn

00:38:28.670 --> 00:38:30.829
from me because I am lowly and humble in heart.

00:38:31.030 --> 00:38:32.969
And look at this promise from Jesus. You will

00:38:32.969 --> 00:38:36.170
find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy

00:38:36.170 --> 00:38:39.429
and my burden is light. See friends, the gospel

00:38:39.429 --> 00:38:41.030
is refreshing because the gospel changes everything

00:38:41.030 --> 00:38:43.289
there is to our lives. Because instead of having

00:38:43.289 --> 00:38:44.969
to carry the weight of the world and the weight

00:38:44.969 --> 00:38:46.349
of everything that the world tells us we have

00:38:46.349 --> 00:38:48.809
to be and have to do, having the perfect house,

00:38:48.849 --> 00:38:50.150
having the perfect this, having the perfect that,

00:38:50.230 --> 00:38:52.630
having the perfect job. being the perfect friend,

00:38:52.730 --> 00:38:54.469
being at everything, having always the perfect

00:38:54.469 --> 00:38:57.730
text to send back to somebody. Jesus says, listen,

00:38:57.789 --> 00:39:00.449
I took all that pressure off of you. My yoke

00:39:00.449 --> 00:39:04.030
is easy and my burden is light. Come to me for

00:39:04.030 --> 00:39:06.610
refreshment. Rather than going to Instagram for

00:39:06.610 --> 00:39:10.650
refreshment, come to Jesus for refreshment. Come

00:39:10.650 --> 00:39:13.710
to the cold water of the gospel for refreshment.

00:39:14.630 --> 00:39:16.989
And friends, what is that, that burden and that

00:39:16.989 --> 00:39:19.199
yoke? Well, we will... Talk about that in a minute

00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:20.860
when we get to our third application point. But

00:39:20.860 --> 00:39:22.980
for now, our second application point, reorder

00:39:22.980 --> 00:39:31.239
our lives. I both love and hate Revelation 3,

00:39:31.300 --> 00:39:34.280
14 through 22. I love it because it's really

00:39:34.280 --> 00:39:36.099
powerful, and I hate it because it's really powerful,

00:39:36.280 --> 00:39:39.599
because it really convicts me. But one of the

00:39:39.599 --> 00:39:42.059
things I just cannot help but leave this passage

00:39:42.059 --> 00:39:44.900
wrestling with is how we are called to live differently

00:39:44.900 --> 00:39:48.250
and to reorder our lives. We're called to live

00:39:48.250 --> 00:39:51.590
a life on what truly matters rather than just

00:39:51.590 --> 00:39:53.630
on the things that we think or hope matters.

00:39:54.989 --> 00:39:57.469
So we've been bought and redeemed at a price.

00:39:58.469 --> 00:40:00.389
I love what 1 Corinthians 6 .20 says. It says,

00:40:00.409 --> 00:40:02.809
for you were bought at a price. Here's the response

00:40:02.809 --> 00:40:06.289
then. So glorify God with your body or glorify

00:40:06.289 --> 00:40:09.610
God with your lives. So let me encourage us.

00:40:09.630 --> 00:40:13.110
We need to reorder our lives. it's really easy

00:40:13.110 --> 00:40:14.690
for us, like the church, to see how to start

00:40:14.690 --> 00:40:17.110
putting all sorts of things in front of our walk

00:40:17.110 --> 00:40:21.550
with God. And at first, we think, yeah, we're

00:40:21.550 --> 00:40:22.969
still doing pretty well in walking with God.

00:40:23.090 --> 00:40:25.710
Still going pretty well. But over time, what

00:40:25.710 --> 00:40:29.750
we start to realize, we start to realize pretty

00:40:29.750 --> 00:40:32.590
quickly, is that we've gone from maybe like,

00:40:32.710 --> 00:40:33.849
you know, really being passionate about our faith

00:40:33.849 --> 00:40:36.949
six days a week to now we open our Bible on Sunday

00:40:36.949 --> 00:40:39.739
morning during the sermon. We realize that our

00:40:39.739 --> 00:40:41.480
lives are no longer glorifying God and instead

00:40:41.480 --> 00:40:42.980
they're glorifying us and they're not making

00:40:42.980 --> 00:40:45.559
us great. And so let me challenge you that we

00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:48.679
need to reorder our lives. We need to run after

00:40:48.679 --> 00:40:50.360
Christ rather than earthly desires. So I want

00:40:50.360 --> 00:40:52.280
to give a very practical way that we can reorder

00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:56.280
our lives. And that is our time management. Where

00:40:56.280 --> 00:40:59.199
and how do we spend time? Let me start with this

00:40:59.199 --> 00:41:01.440
disclaimer. There are seasons of life that are

00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:03.539
busy and where God has called you to very specific

00:41:03.539 --> 00:41:05.980
things that you need to be doing on a daily basis.

00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:09.130
Students, you need to pass your classes. Okay,

00:41:09.150 --> 00:41:11.449
God has called you to that in this season. He

00:41:11.449 --> 00:41:14.250
has called you to pass your classes. If you are

00:41:14.250 --> 00:41:16.989
working, God has called you to work and to glorify

00:41:16.989 --> 00:41:20.329
God with your work. So there are exceptions.

00:41:20.510 --> 00:41:22.710
There are times where this might be a little

00:41:22.710 --> 00:41:25.650
bit different. But I would challenge us that

00:41:25.650 --> 00:41:28.650
it is so easy here in America, so easy for us

00:41:28.650 --> 00:41:31.889
as individuals to spend our time on, frankly,

00:41:31.929 --> 00:41:34.929
a lot of pretty stupid things. We don't think

00:41:34.929 --> 00:41:36.449
they are in the moment. They seem pretty awesome.

00:41:37.069 --> 00:41:38.889
But then we look back in the mirror and we say,

00:41:38.949 --> 00:41:40.869
like, wow, what was the purpose of all of that?

00:41:41.889 --> 00:41:43.510
And I'll just keep repeating the same lyric over

00:41:43.510 --> 00:41:45.809
and over. We find ourselves in a spot where we've

00:41:45.809 --> 00:41:47.750
got dust on our Bibles, but brand new iPhones

00:41:47.750 --> 00:41:51.550
that we're scrolling on all the time. One of

00:41:51.550 --> 00:41:53.329
the most convicting metrics I think that there

00:41:53.329 --> 00:41:55.570
is is the screen time report that Apple gives

00:41:55.570 --> 00:41:58.210
you if you have an iPhone. There are days where

00:41:58.210 --> 00:41:59.869
I look at that and then I see, like, how much

00:41:59.869 --> 00:42:03.559
time I spent on an app, and I am horrified. Like,

00:42:03.559 --> 00:42:05.300
I am absolutely horrified. Now, there's exceptions

00:42:05.300 --> 00:42:06.800
where you're, like, driving, then it records

00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:09.000
screen time for the entire time Google Maps is

00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:11.360
up. But there's other days where I'm like, did

00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:14.019
I really spend 45 minutes today on Instagram?

00:42:14.599 --> 00:42:17.780
Like, did I really do that? Like, how many other

00:42:17.780 --> 00:42:19.360
things could I have done with 40 of those minutes?

00:42:20.260 --> 00:42:23.960
Right? Let me challenge you. Friends, don't live

00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:27.460
your life on Instagram or Facebook or just killing

00:42:27.460 --> 00:42:29.079
time, essentially, waiting for the next thing

00:42:29.079 --> 00:42:32.869
to happen. Get into God's word and walk with

00:42:32.869 --> 00:42:37.510
God. Get into God's word, walk with God. Let

00:42:37.510 --> 00:42:41.570
me give you a specific challenge. This can really

00:42:41.570 --> 00:42:42.969
apply to anybody in this room, whether you're

00:42:42.969 --> 00:42:44.650
waiting for a doctor's appointment, your next

00:42:44.650 --> 00:42:46.630
meeting at work, if you're waiting for class

00:42:46.630 --> 00:42:48.989
to start. Let me give you this challenge. When

00:42:48.989 --> 00:42:50.690
you get somewhere with five minutes to spare,

00:42:50.869 --> 00:42:52.829
think about what it is you do with your phone.

00:42:53.420 --> 00:42:54.679
And I'm just going to call out that it's with

00:42:54.679 --> 00:42:56.119
your phone because we all know we sit there and

00:42:56.119 --> 00:42:57.739
we pull out our phone right away and we start

00:42:57.739 --> 00:42:59.199
doing something, we respond to that text, we

00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.880
do whatever. What if instead of getting onto

00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:05.340
Instagram or getting onto ESPN to check what

00:43:05.340 --> 00:43:08.139
time the Wyoming football game starts at, I'm

00:43:08.139 --> 00:43:10.639
guilty of that one, what if instead of that we

00:43:10.639 --> 00:43:13.860
took five minutes to pray? Just five minutes

00:43:13.860 --> 00:43:15.440
to pray. I want to give you a very specific thing

00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:19.710
to pray for. This week, we printed out about

00:43:19.710 --> 00:43:21.909
60 copies of our Bible study. About 50 of those

00:43:21.909 --> 00:43:22.869
are going to go to students. The rest will go

00:43:22.869 --> 00:43:25.469
to our leaders. Let me give you this as a prayer

00:43:25.469 --> 00:43:27.829
request. Pray that we wouldn't even have enough

00:43:27.829 --> 00:43:29.329
Bible studies for all the students that we're

00:43:29.329 --> 00:43:32.130
engaging. Pray that God would move in that many

00:43:32.130 --> 00:43:34.909
students' lives. And then let me go one step

00:43:34.909 --> 00:43:36.610
further. Don't just pray for the students that

00:43:36.610 --> 00:43:38.690
we will engage with. Pray for our Bible study

00:43:38.690 --> 00:43:40.070
leaders. I'm going to go ahead and put their

00:43:40.070 --> 00:43:41.750
names on the spot. I debated that for a while

00:43:41.750 --> 00:43:45.599
this week. Pray for these people. as their leading

00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:48.360
Bible says. Pray for Riley and Parker. Pray for

00:43:48.360 --> 00:43:51.300
Ken and pray for Tim. Pray for Beatrice. Pray

00:43:51.300 --> 00:43:54.320
for Hope. Pray for Allie. Pray for myself. Pray

00:43:54.320 --> 00:43:57.099
that we would disciple students well. We would

00:43:57.099 --> 00:44:00.599
honor God with our actions. Take five minutes

00:44:00.599 --> 00:44:02.860
before that next meeting, instead of going on

00:44:02.860 --> 00:44:05.519
Instagram and scrolling through stories and seeing

00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:08.159
what everyone's up to, just to stop and to pray.

00:44:08.539 --> 00:44:11.099
To pray that God would move in powerful ways.

00:44:11.239 --> 00:44:13.719
To pray that God would work in and through our

00:44:13.719 --> 00:44:17.190
Bible studies. Go one step further. Pray the

00:44:17.190 --> 00:44:19.730
day before lunch for our first kickoff event

00:44:19.730 --> 00:44:22.429
that we have on Wednesday. Pray for those types

00:44:22.429 --> 00:44:24.550
of things. Pray with us and for us. I mentioned

00:44:24.550 --> 00:44:26.250
at the very start of our time that you could

00:44:26.250 --> 00:44:29.269
reach campus without ever going to campus. You

00:44:29.269 --> 00:44:32.349
can. Pray for campus. So instead of hopping on

00:44:32.349 --> 00:44:34.429
Instagram or Facebook or whatever your time killer

00:44:34.429 --> 00:44:37.730
of choice is, take those five minutes and pray.

00:44:38.210 --> 00:44:39.869
And I'm going to promise you this, the first

00:44:39.869 --> 00:44:41.269
time you do that, those five minutes are going

00:44:41.269 --> 00:44:43.909
to feel so long. Like, well, I prayed for everything

00:44:43.909 --> 00:44:48.070
that Daniel said, and it's been 42 seconds. What

00:44:48.070 --> 00:44:51.210
do I do now? Let me encourage you. Pray a little

00:44:51.210 --> 00:44:55.650
deeper. Go back to that list. Say, hey, God,

00:44:55.730 --> 00:44:58.650
I just want to pray for our girls off -campus

00:44:58.650 --> 00:45:01.030
Bible study. God, I just want to pray for our

00:45:01.030 --> 00:45:03.510
girls on -campus Bible study. I just want to

00:45:03.510 --> 00:45:07.010
pray for this person. God, I just want to lift

00:45:07.010 --> 00:45:09.429
up Tim as he's adjusting to a new job in doing

00:45:09.429 --> 00:45:12.550
this. So let me encourage you. Let's reorder

00:45:12.550 --> 00:45:14.590
our lives and take advantage of those gaps of

00:45:14.590 --> 00:45:17.889
time and use those for God. And here's our third

00:45:17.889 --> 00:45:20.590
and final application point. Return to the mission.

00:45:23.329 --> 00:45:26.889
I cannot leave this passage in Revelation without

00:45:26.889 --> 00:45:29.269
challenging us with this. We need to bring hot

00:45:29.269 --> 00:45:30.949
and cold to the people who are around us because

00:45:30.949 --> 00:45:34.769
our world needs this hope. And let me be very,

00:45:34.829 --> 00:45:37.050
very clear, very explicit on this. Mission is

00:45:37.050 --> 00:45:41.510
not comfortable, but mission is worth it. And

00:45:41.510 --> 00:45:42.929
where do we get our mission from? It is Matthew

00:45:42.929 --> 00:45:45.769
28, 19, and 20. Go therefore and make disciples

00:45:45.769 --> 00:45:47.789
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of

00:45:47.789 --> 00:45:49.429
the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

00:45:49.570 --> 00:45:51.449
teaching them to observe everything I've commanded

00:45:51.449 --> 00:45:53.949
you. And remember, I am with you always to the

00:45:53.949 --> 00:45:56.730
end of the age. There's five commands in there.

00:45:57.050 --> 00:46:00.159
First, go. We all go somewhere every day. We

00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:02.179
just actually do. Even if we stay at home, even

00:46:02.179 --> 00:46:03.440
if you're watching online today and you don't

00:46:03.440 --> 00:46:05.659
leave your house very often, we all go in some

00:46:05.659 --> 00:46:07.460
way, shape, or form because we interact with

00:46:07.460 --> 00:46:10.079
people on a daily basis. So we are all going

00:46:10.079 --> 00:46:12.679
every single day. Secondly, make a disciple.

00:46:12.820 --> 00:46:15.019
A disciple is someone who actively follows Jesus.

00:46:15.780 --> 00:46:18.119
Let me encourage you, take your cue from 1 Corinthians

00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:20.940
11, 1, where Paul says this, imitate me as I

00:46:20.940 --> 00:46:25.260
also imitate Christ. So imitate Christ and help

00:46:25.260 --> 00:46:27.659
someone else do that also. As you're taking those

00:46:27.659 --> 00:46:29.440
five minutes before class or before that meeting

00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:31.960
to pray, find that other Christian that's around

00:46:31.960 --> 00:46:36.099
you and invite them to do it with you. Let me

00:46:36.099 --> 00:46:38.000
put it to you this way. Getting God's word on

00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:41.380
a daily basis and help others do the same. I

00:46:41.380 --> 00:46:43.199
think we have really lofty goals for ourselves.

00:46:43.400 --> 00:46:45.460
We're like, if I'm not reading two chapters of

00:46:45.460 --> 00:46:47.239
scripture and three commentaries on it every

00:46:47.239 --> 00:46:50.260
day, then it's just not even Bible study. That's

00:46:50.260 --> 00:46:53.579
not true. Just getting God's word. Even if it's

00:46:53.579 --> 00:46:56.239
five verses, get in God's Word and sit on it,

00:46:56.260 --> 00:46:58.699
think on it. Those are the first two. Go and

00:46:58.699 --> 00:47:01.500
make disciples. Here's the third one. Baptizing

00:47:01.500 --> 00:47:02.840
them in the name of the Father and of the Son

00:47:02.840 --> 00:47:04.920
and of the Holy Spirit. Here we go. We have a

00:47:04.920 --> 00:47:07.360
baptism next Sunday. If you are here and you

00:47:07.360 --> 00:47:09.019
have placed your faith in Jesus before, but you've

00:47:09.019 --> 00:47:11.019
never been baptized or publicly declared that

00:47:11.019 --> 00:47:13.760
you follow Jesus, I would love to talk with you

00:47:13.760 --> 00:47:17.079
about that. Friends, as we make disciples, we

00:47:17.079 --> 00:47:20.380
bring up baptism. We ask people, hey, do you

00:47:20.380 --> 00:47:22.820
know Jesus? Do you know what it means to follow

00:47:22.820 --> 00:47:27.739
Jesus? Here we go, number four. Teach them. Teach

00:47:27.739 --> 00:47:30.619
them what? Teach them everything Jesus has commanded.

00:47:31.500 --> 00:47:33.400
Listen, you do not have to have a special degree

00:47:33.400 --> 00:47:36.340
to do this. You can do this on a daily basis.

00:47:37.699 --> 00:47:39.980
With your words, with the way that you live,

00:47:40.119 --> 00:47:42.360
it's going to take both of those. The way that

00:47:42.360 --> 00:47:44.980
you treat people, teach them what it looks like

00:47:44.980 --> 00:47:49.199
to follow Jesus. Teach believers, teach non -believers.

00:47:49.539 --> 00:47:52.320
And listen, there's no age restriction on this,

00:47:52.320 --> 00:47:56.360
whether you are more mature in your life or if

00:47:56.360 --> 00:47:59.840
you are younger in your life. 1 Timothy 4 .12

00:47:59.840 --> 00:48:03.360
is very clear on this. Live your life to honor

00:48:03.360 --> 00:48:08.219
God. So teach them. Sit down with somebody. Study

00:48:08.219 --> 00:48:11.219
the word of God together. It's why we get here

00:48:11.219 --> 00:48:13.320
together on a Sunday morning. It's why we have

00:48:13.320 --> 00:48:14.800
our Wednesday night stuff on campus. It's why

00:48:14.800 --> 00:48:15.860
we have Bible studies throughout the week. We

00:48:15.860 --> 00:48:18.400
want to teach people what it is to follow Jesus.

00:48:18.619 --> 00:48:21.179
And here's the final promise. Remember that Jesus

00:48:21.179 --> 00:48:25.219
is with you. Let me remind you of why Jesus gives

00:48:25.219 --> 00:48:28.900
us this promise. Mission is not easy. Mission

00:48:28.900 --> 00:48:31.400
is not comfortable. And mission can be lonely.

00:48:32.099 --> 00:48:33.940
There will be times in your life where you look

00:48:33.940 --> 00:48:35.679
around and you realize you are the only Christian

00:48:35.679 --> 00:48:38.099
in that situation. It can be really intimidating

00:48:38.099 --> 00:48:40.420
in that moment to want to live on mission. And

00:48:40.420 --> 00:48:41.960
if we're honest, our natural default when we

00:48:41.960 --> 00:48:43.480
find ourselves in that situation is they will

00:48:43.480 --> 00:48:45.639
all put my Christian faith aside and I'll just

00:48:45.639 --> 00:48:47.219
kind of go with the flow and let people do what

00:48:47.219 --> 00:48:49.480
they want to do and just like kind of sit back

00:48:49.480 --> 00:48:51.800
and kind of justify in our head like, well, no

00:48:51.800 --> 00:48:54.099
one would listen to me or, you know, I just want

00:48:54.099 --> 00:48:56.280
to live a lifestyle of evangelism right now.

00:48:58.679 --> 00:49:01.000
Friends, remember this. Even that moment where

00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:02.840
you look around, say, your classroom this semester

00:49:02.840 --> 00:49:04.880
or your office and you don't see another Christian,

00:49:04.980 --> 00:49:08.199
you are not alone because Jesus is with you always.

00:49:08.989 --> 00:49:11.369
So let me encourage all of us, myself included.

00:49:11.969 --> 00:49:14.550
Let's learn from the church in Laodicea and let's

00:49:14.550 --> 00:49:17.389
wholeheartedly and zealously make sure that we

00:49:17.389 --> 00:49:20.150
are running after God, bringing people the hot

00:49:20.150 --> 00:49:23.469
healing spring of the gospel and the cold, refreshing

00:49:23.469 --> 00:49:27.110
truth of the gospel. Let's pray. Father God,

00:49:27.190 --> 00:49:29.929
thank you so much for your word. Lord, we just

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thank you for the fact that we can come before

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you, that we can live out our faith, that we

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are able to do this, God. God, I ask that you

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would help us to be distinctly people who are

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on mission. God, I just ask that you would help

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us to live on mission 24 -7, Father. Break our

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hearts, burden us, God. And God, show us ways,

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regardless of the situation, that we can be involved.

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Lord, I ask that you would help us to find our

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refreshment from you. God, I ask that you would

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help us to reorder our lives to put the priority

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back on you. And Father, I just ask that we would

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be quick to listen to you, quick to open the

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door of our hearts to you, to welcome you in,

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and to eat with you, Father. In your name we

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pray.