Sermon
Vision of Discipleship
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Well, good morning, everyone.
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It's great to gather with you in the building and also online,
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if you're connected online to the St Paul's family out there,
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to our neighbourhood around Chatswood and community.
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Great for you to be connecting in with us.
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Well, it's that time of year again, as a number of us are aware,
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where heads are buried into books,
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the hope of cramming in as much information as possible
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in order to regurgitate it onto an exam paper,
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whether it be HSC, uni exams,
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as some of us here are facing theological exams.
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It's that time of year of assessment.
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Someone was asked recently what, in fact,
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there was their plan of attack for the exam,
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and their response was,
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I am hoping to try not to cry loud enough
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in order to disturb other people.
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While there are, this time of year, exams like this,
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these assessment periods,
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in actual fact, all of life, on one way or another,
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is an assessment.
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From the time that you're born,
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and the doctors or the nurses are measuring you
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and poking you and prodding you and weighing you
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and making sure that you're hitting all the appropriate milestones,
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your head's not too big, it's not too small,
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you're walking when you're meant to walk,
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you're moving, you're doing all that sort of stuff.
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Through the various stages,
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to the point where you're getting a car licence,
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you've got to do exams,
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you've got to pass certain things,
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driving tests, written tests.
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For me, it went on from that
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into commercial driving licence with heavy vehicles,
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explosive licence, firearm licence,
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motorbike licence,
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it's assessments all the way through.
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Now that I'm a diabetic,
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I'm on a constant cycle of blood tests,
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I test my sugar levels,
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I don't know how many times a day,
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physical examinations, eye examinations.
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Now there's a whole heap of assessments
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that happen in life,
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some of them are really crucial,
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some of them, really frankly, it doesn't matter,
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you know, who cares what you got
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on your second grade piano exam,
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no one really matters about that,
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unless of course, you know, it's your teacher.
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And even every five years,
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the church itself gets assessed
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with the National Church Life Survey,
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which will be coming up for us again next year.
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And in one sense,
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this is what we're doing in this season of St Paul's,
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we are assessing the last 11 years' ministry
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of this church.
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But the assessment of the church,
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the assessment of our lives,
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of our lives as disciples of the Lord Jesus,
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that really matters,
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is in fact not your assessment of the last 11 years,
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or my assessment,
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or the NCLS's,
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or even what our diocesan bishop,
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or the whole diocese thinks.
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The only assessment that really matters
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is the one who we saw last week from Revelation 1,
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is the one who rules over all things
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from time and eternity,
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stands in the midst of his church,
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the cosmic king,
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the Lord Jesus Christ.
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It's his assessment that matters.
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The one who chapter 1 calls,
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the firstborn from the dead,
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the ruler of the kings of the earth,
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the king of kings,
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in other words,
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the one to whom belongs glory and power
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forever and ever.
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Amen.
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Now, Revelation 2 and 3,
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which is what we're up to today,
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is Jesus' assessment of seven churches.
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So, grab your Bibles,
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Revelation 2 and 3,
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and also the St. Paul's app,
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and come with me on that.
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If you have not got a Bible,
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can I encourage you at this point,
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if you've got no access to God's word right now,
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I've got two things for you.
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Bring one from home,
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first of all,
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if you've got one at home.
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Secondly,
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if you don't have one at all,
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then we will give you one.
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So, please,
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speak to me,
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speak to one of the staff here,
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and we will give you a Bible
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by the time you leave today.
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I want to have a Bible in your hands.
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So, get your Bibles open,
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Revelation 2 and 3,
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and the St. Paul's app,
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four things,
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why the assessment matters,
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the results of the assessment,
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how to receive a positive assessment,
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and the hope of a positive assessment.
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So,
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why is assessment matters?
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The book of Revelation
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is in the form of a letter
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that the Apostle John
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is writing to the church
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as it struggles
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under the weight of hardship
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and the affluence
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of the Roman Empire.
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And it starts with this incredible vision
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of the Lord Jesus Christ,
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who rules as the cosmic king of all things.
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We saw last week
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that this Jesus
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is the beginning of all things.
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He's the end of all things.
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History is running in direction of him,
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and therefore,
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he is the point of all things.
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The entire book
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is a vision
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that the Apostle John receives
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while he himself
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is suffering
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as a servant of the Lord Jesus
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on the prison island,
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Patmos.
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He is suffering
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because he's a follower.
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He's a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
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And John is instructed
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in chapter 1, verse 19
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to write down,
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it says,
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what is now
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and what will take place later.
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So if you like,
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the book of Revelation
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is God's grand narrative.
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It's his self-revelation
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of the way things
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actually are
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in the universe.
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John's vision
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takes us beyond
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the chaos of history
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to see God's work,
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him working
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behind the scenes
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to defeat sin and evil
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and to rescue
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a people for himself
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for their eternal joy.
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Now,
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most of the book
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of Revelation
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is a vision
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of the heavenly realms.
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The cosmic battle
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between Satan
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and sin
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and wickedness
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and the final triumph
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of the loving rule
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of God
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for all of eternity.
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So Revelation 2 and 3,
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what it does for us
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in these seven letters
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to the churches
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is it brings
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that cosmic battle
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into our daily life.
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So it's not just
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sort of mythology
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kind of stuff
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out there
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in the internet.
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It brings that battle
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which is out there
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raging
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beyond our sight
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into our daily lives.
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That is the place
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where the cosmic battle
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of Revelation
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gets,
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if you like,
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rages the most
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is in the local church
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and the members
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of the local church.
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This is where
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the cosmic battle
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becomes real for us.
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The cosmic battle
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between God
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and all that is good
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and Satan
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and all that is evil,
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that battle rages
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for every single Christian.
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The battle for faithfulness
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and fruitfulness,
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a battle against the world,
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the flesh and the devil.
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Can I just add here
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just as a side point,
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it's one reason
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why vocational Christian ministry
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is so fundamentally hard.
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Not only does the pastor
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experience the cosmic battle
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personally
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like you experience it personally,
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but we are leading others
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to overcome
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at the same time
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trying to overcome ourselves.
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Revelation 2 and 3
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is Jesus' assessment
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of seven churches
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and how they are progressing.
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There's no such thing
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as a perfect performance
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except for Jesus.
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He is the victorious one.
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He is the one
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who has overcome
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and his concern for us
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is that we would triumph
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with him,
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that we too
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would be victorious.
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that we would enter
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into all the joys
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of his eternal kingdom
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and experience life
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in its fullest
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as he now
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has life
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in all its fullest.
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That we would
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enter into that joy
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and that's why
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his assessment
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of how we're
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begrossing matters.
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matters.
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So these chapters
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are specific
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individual messages
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for real life churches
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that existed
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in the first century
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with the apostle John
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that were facing
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real life issues.
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And yet,
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each of these
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specific messages
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is meant to be read
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to all the churches.
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all the churches.
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Each church
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has to know
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about all the issues
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that they will face.
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Every individual church
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here is instructed
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to hear
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what the Spirit
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says
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to the churches.
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churches.
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This is for us
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too
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here at St. Paul's
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Chatswood
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2,000 years later.
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And this letter
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presents to us
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a serious picture
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of church life
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where constant
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vigilance
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is called for.
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We must hear
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his assessment
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and instructions
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if we are
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to overcome
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and we are
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to be victorious
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in the end.
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So what's the results
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of his assessment?
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All the letters,
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the seven letters
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have a similar pattern.
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They begin
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with an explanation
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of who Jesus Christ is
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and each of the explanations
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at the beginning
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of each letter
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draws on one aspect
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of the vision
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that the apostle John
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saw of the Lord Jesus
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in chapter one.
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It then goes on
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to describe
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Jesus' assessment
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of each church.
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Then following that
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is a word
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of encouragement
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or a word
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of warning
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and each finishes
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with a glorious promise
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to those
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who will overcome
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and each one
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of the glorious promises
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is found
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in Revelation
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21 and 22
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at the end
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of what that looks like.
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So he's drawing
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on the past
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who Jesus is,
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his character
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and what he is
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taking us to
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into the future
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in Revelation
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21 and 22.
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These churches
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all face
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a range of issues.
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Persecution,
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complacency,
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social rejection,
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false teaching,
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lovelessness,
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needing to refocus
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on its purpose
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and its mission,
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all kinds of issues.
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And rather than go
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through them all,
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which you'd be glad
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that I'm not going to
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because I'm hoping
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that you will do that
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in your community groups,
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I want to focus
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on Laodicea
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for us.
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What we notice
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with the first six churches
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that Jesus addresses here
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is that he affirms them
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for some things,
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criticizes them
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for other things.
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There were things
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that they were doing well.
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There were things
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that they needed
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to improve on,
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needed to change.
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Except for Smyrna
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and Philadelphia
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where there are
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no faults mentioned.
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On the other hand,
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when we come
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to Laodicea,
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Jesus doesn't affirm
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them for anything.
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His assessment
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is quite scathing.
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And there is something
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about Laodicea
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and his
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call for Laodicea
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which impacts
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the rest of the churches
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and how they continue
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to advance.
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So that's why I want
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to pick on Laodicea.
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The issue Jesus
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has with his church,
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if you've got your Bibles,
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Revelation 3
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verses 15 and 16,
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I know your deeds
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that you are neither
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cold nor hot.
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I wish you were
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either one
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or the other.
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So because you are
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lukewarm,
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neither hot nor cold,
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I'm about to spit you
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out of my mouth.
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So what Jesus
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is addressing
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here in Laodicea
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is what you would
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call spiritual
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lukewarmness.
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We can see
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what this means
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when we see
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what it is
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contrasted with
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in verse 19.
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In the second sentence
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of verse 19
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we read,
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The word earnest
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there is
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translated
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from the word
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zealous
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in the original
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language.
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It's the origin
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of the word
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zealous
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in the English
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language.
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A lukewarm
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Christian
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is a Christian
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without zeal
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for God.
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Now it's
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interesting
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that if you do
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a word study here,
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this particular
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Greek word
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zealous
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is mostly
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translated
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in the New
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Testament
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as jealous
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and not
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zealous.
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Jealous,
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that is jealousy,
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is generally
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viewed
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as quite
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a negative
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thing.
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A negative
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thing.
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It's envy.
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Here in verse
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19 it is in
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fact a positive
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thing.
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See when you
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are jealous
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in a negative
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sense,
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you set
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your love
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and your
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attention
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and your
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affection
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intently
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on
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yourself.
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Which is
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what jealousy
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is.
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Jealousy is
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just simply
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setting your
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love,
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your attention,
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your affection
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intently on
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something.
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But when it's
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negative,
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you do it
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to yourself.
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And therefore
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you become
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jealous
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of people.
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jealousy
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of anyone
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who has
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more talents
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and more
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money or
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more attention
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or more
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whatever than
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I've got,
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that's when
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jealousy is
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negative.
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Your zeal
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is for
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yourself.
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If however
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you become
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jealous
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for others,
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not of
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others,
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but for
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others,
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then it's
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positive.
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Jealousy
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for their
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good,
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for their
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growth,
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for their
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joy.
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To be
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jealous
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for someone
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is to
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set your
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love and
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your attention
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and your
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affection
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intently
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on them
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in such
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a way
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that it
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overflows
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in service
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of them.
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So this
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helps us
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here understand
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what is
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happening
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with Laodicea.
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A lukewarm
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Christian is
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not a
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hypocritical
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Christian.
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This is
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not about
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hypocrisy.
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These are
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people who
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believe what
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they should
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believe and
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do what
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they should
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be doing.
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However,
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the supreme
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passion of
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their lives,
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of their
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hearts,
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is set on
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something else
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apart from
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Jesus Christ.
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There is no
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jealousy for
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God.
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There is no
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zeal for
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God.
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There is no
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intimacy and
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passion and
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joy and
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wonder in
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their
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relationship
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with God.
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And Jesus
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goes on to
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express exactly
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how he feels
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about that.
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The first
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thing he says
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is in fact
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quite startling.
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Have a look
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at verse 15.
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I know
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your deeds
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that you
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are neither
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cold nor
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hot.
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I wish
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you were
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either one
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or the
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other.
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hot.
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He would
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rather that
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they be
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cold or
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hot, not
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warm.
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Now
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that's a
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bit strange.
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You see,
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you would
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expect Jesus
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to say,
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I wish you
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were hot.
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hot.
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Because that's
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zeal.
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That's
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passion.
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That's
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earnestness.
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That's
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keenness in
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your
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discipleship.
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But he
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also says,
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I would
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rather that
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you would
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be cold
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rather than
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warm.
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Didn't expect
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him to say
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that.
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Why would
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he say
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that?
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Because
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coldness is
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no belief
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at all.
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Why would
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he say
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that?
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I suppose
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it was
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partly the
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experience of
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his own
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ministry.
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He often
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faced the
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rejection,
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the
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expectations,
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the blindness
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among the
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religious
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people,
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but openness
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and reception
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from the
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sinners and
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the outcasts
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of society.
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Lukewarm
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people are
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often content,
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unteachable,
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comfortable,
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settled with
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where they
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are in
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their
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relationship
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with
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Jesus
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and
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Jesus
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not being
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the
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controlling
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influence
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of their
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lives.
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Lukewarm
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people are
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further from
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being hot
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than cold
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people are.
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I think
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that's the
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point he's
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making here.
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When cold
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people truly
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get the
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gospel,
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they go
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from cold
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to hot
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is what
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happens.
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You don't
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move from
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coldness
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to lukewarmness
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and then to
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hotness.
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That's not
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what happens.
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You go from
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cold to hot.
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That's the
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step.
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Now,
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the other
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really negative
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thing he says
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is in verse
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16.
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So because
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you were
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lukewarm,
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I'm about to
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spit you out
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of my
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mouth.
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He's not
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angry here.
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He doesn't
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say because
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you were
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lukewarm,
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my wrath
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is about
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to descend
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on you.
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He's not
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saying that.
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He's not
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angry.
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He's
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sick.
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That's
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what it's
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saying.
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When Jesus
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looks at
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Christians
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without
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fervor,
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without zeal,
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without earnestness,
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without joy,
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without wonder,
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he wants
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to be
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sick.
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He doesn't
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say,
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I'm angry.
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He says,
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you turn
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my stomach.
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You make
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me gag.
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I want
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to vomit.
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I'm
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nauseous.
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In other
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words,
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it's
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personal.
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Lukewarmness,
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of course,
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is a symptom
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of something
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that's much
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deeper.
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It's a much
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deeper disease.
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And verse
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17 reveals
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the core
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issue.
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You say,
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I am rich.
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I have
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acquired wealth
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and do not
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need a thing,
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but you do
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not realise
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that you are
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wretched,
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pitiful,
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poor,
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blind,
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and naked.
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Now,
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Laodicea,
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as a city,
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was known
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for three
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things in
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particular.
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It was
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a wealthy
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banking centre.
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And this
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resulted in
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a fairly
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self-confident
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and self-dependent
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culture.
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In fact,
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when the city
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of Laodicea
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was devastated
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by an earthquake
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in AD 60,
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they refused
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the help
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of the Roman
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Empire to
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rebuild it.
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Totally
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unsinkable
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in its time.
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Unheard of.
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Normally,
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what was
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required
-
was the
-
centre of
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Rome
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to come
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in and
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to be
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your
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rescuer
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in a
-
moment
-
of tragedy.
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But Laodicea
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didn't need
-
it.
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They could
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save
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themselves.
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It was
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also a
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famous
-
medical centre.
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In particular,
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it was known
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for an eye
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ointment that
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was manufactured
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there that
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dealt with eye
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issues,
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seeing issues.
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Thirdly,
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it was a
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fashion centre,
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especially
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known for
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clothing made
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from locally
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produced and
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quite rare and
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fancy black
-
wool.
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And so they
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think they're
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doing really
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well here,
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Laodicea,
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but with
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bitter irony,
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Jesus says,
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you are in
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fact poor,
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you're blind,
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you're naked.
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Spiritual
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nakedness is a
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metaphor for guilt
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and shame in
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the Bible.
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You're a
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sinner.
-
There is a
-
record against
-
you and you're
-
liable for
-
punishment.
-
Spiritual
-
poverty is
-
impotence.
-
You can't
-
change your
-
condition.
-
You can't
-
deal with
-
your guilt
-
and make
-
yourself the
-
person that
-
you ought to
-
be.
-
Spiritual
-
blindness is
-
where you
-
don't even
-
know that
-
you have a
-
problem with
-
your spiritual
-
condition,
-
which is why
-
Jesus says,
-
I'd rather you
-
be cold and
-
hot, not
-
lukewarm,
-
because you're
-
blind.
-
You can't
-
even see it.
-
despite the
-
wealth and
-
the health of
-
Laodicea, the
-
city was
-
spiritually poor,
-
sick and
-
naked.
-
The church
-
was.
-
It seems that
-
Jesus is making
-
a direct link
-
here from the
-
wealth, the
-
wealth of the
-
city, their
-
self-confidence
-
and their
-
lukewarmness.
-
He seems to
-
be making a
-
direct link
-
here between
-
being wealthy,
-
being brilliant,
-
being accomplished,
-
being a high
-
achiever to
-
spiritual
-
lukewarmness.
-
It's because
-
the more one
-
is a more
-
self-dependent
-
one is, the
-
less one heart
-
is gripped by
-
the truth that
-
they are in
-
fact a
-
sinner saved
-
by grace.
-
You see, it's
-
something that we
-
might know in
-
our heads.
-
I'm a sinner
-
saved by grace,
-
but the heart
-
has not been
-
captured by it.
-
The knowledge
-
that Jesus
-
loves you as
-
a sinner is
-
not a miracle.
-
It doesn't
-
move you to
-
tears when you
-
think about it
-
or sing about
-
it.
-
There is a
-
difference between
-
saying I'm a
-
sinner and
-
feeling that
-
I'm a sinner.
-
When you
-
don't feel
-
that you're
-
a sinner,
-
then you
-
don't feel
-
that you're
-
a miracle
-
of grace.
-
It's something
-
that doesn't
-
stir the
-
affections that
-
you're a
-
miracle of
-
grace.
-
There is a
-
link between
-
being affluent,
-
accomplished,
-
brilliance,
-
and lukewarmness.
-
Ask anyone
-
in ministry,
-
anyone in
-
ministry,
-
and they
-
will tell
-
you the
-
more affluent
-
the area,
-
the more
-
accomplished
-
the area,
-
the tougher
-
gospel ministry
-
is in that
-
place.
-
Very hard
-
to grow
-
churches in
-
middle class,
-
upper middle
-
class, higher
-
class societies.
-
Very hard.
-
Now, I'm
-
hoping the
-
longer I've
-
dragged this
-
on, that I
-
don't actually
-
have to draw
-
the specific
-
conclusions here
-
for us.
-
We are
-
living in
-
Laodicea.
-
We live in
-
Australia, and
-
even more than
-
that, we live
-
in the north
-
shore of
-
Sydney.
-
We need
-
at the very
-
least, brothers
-
and sisters, to
-
be open to
-
this word, at
-
the very
-
least.
-
A couple
-
of years
-
ago, we
-
preached through
-
the book of
-
Judges, and
-
one of the
-
most memorable
-
but detestable
-
stories, and
-
the passages
-
that I preached
-
on in that
-
time, was
-
Judges 11 and
-
the story of
-
Jephna, one
-
of the judges
-
of Israel.
-
He was one
-
of the leaders
-
of Israel, but
-
he sacrificed
-
his daughter
-
in order to
-
make a vow
-
to God.
-
All the
-
cultures around
-
Israel at
-
that time
-
practiced that
-
behavior.
-
They practiced
-
human sacrifices
-
in order to
-
get the gods
-
to do things
-
on their
-
behalf.
-
But Deuteronomy
-
tells us that
-
God, that the
-
God of the
-
Bible detests
-
human sacrifice.
-
And so I
-
remember after
-
preaching that,
-
the struggles
-
that so many
-
of us had
-
with that
-
passage.
-
How in the
-
world could a
-
leader of God's
-
people, a
-
leader in Israel
-
be so influenced
-
by the culture
-
around them that
-
they did what
-
they did and
-
they brought that
-
culture into
-
their faith?
-
How could that
-
happen?
-
Well then
-
hear this.
-
When Christians
-
come from the
-
poor parts of
-
the world
-
where the
-
church is
-
growing under
-
great hardship
-
and in
-
scarcity,
-
they say the
-
same thing
-
about the
-
churches in
-
the West.
-
They're often
-
appalled by
-
the lukewarmness.
-
They link it
-
to how safe
-
and affluent
-
that we are.
-
They notice,
-
for instance,
-
how little we
-
pray.
-
They notice how
-
much of the
-
money that we
-
make we spend
-
on ourselves.
-
They notice how
-
afraid we are to
-
let even our
-
neighbours know
-
that we're
-
Christians.
-
It is hard to
-
hear, but the
-
church in the
-
West, in
-
general, is
-
accommodating of
-
our culture as
-
Jephna was to
-
his in
-
Judges 11.
-
We struggle
-
with lukewarmness
-
too.
-
In April
-
1963, Martin
-
Luther King
-
Jr. was
-
in prison in
-
Birmingham
-
Jail and
-
he wrote a
-
letter to the
-
church leaders
-
of the United
-
States.
-
It was a
-
very long
-
letter.
-
He had time.
-
But let me
-
just quote just
-
a part of it.
-
There was a
-
time when the
-
church was very
-
powerful.
-
In the time when
-
the early
-
Christians rejoiced
-
at being deemed
-
worthy to suffer
-
for what they
-
believed.
-
In those days,
-
the church was
-
not merely a
-
thermometer that
-
recorded the
-
ideas and the
-
principles of
-
popular opinion.
-
It was a
-
thermostat that
-
transformed the
-
mores of
-
society.
-
Small in
-
number, they
-
were big in
-
commitment.
-
They were
-
God
-
intoxicated.
-
By their
-
effort and
-
example, they
-
brought an
-
end to such
-
ancient evils
-
as infanticide
-
and gladiatorial
-
contests.
-
Things are
-
different now.
-
So often the
-
contemporary church
-
is weak.
-
If today's
-
church does not
-
recapture the
-
sacrificial spirit
-
of the early
-
church, it
-
will lose its
-
authenticity,
-
forfeit the
-
loyalty of
-
millions, and
-
be dismissed as
-
the irrelevant
-
social club with
-
no meaning for
-
the 20th century.
-
That's prophecy
-
in 1963.
-
There is a
-
lukewarmness that
-
comes from a
-
self-sufficiency
-
where the beauty
-
of the gospel
-
hasn't captured
-
the heart and
-
the affections.
-
So how to
-
receive a
-
positive
-
assessment from
-
Jesus?
-
The good news
-
is that Jesus
-
actually does
-
have a solution
-
for us here.
-
This is how we
-
can turn around
-
and receive a
-
positive assessment.
-
Verse 18,
-
I counsel you
-
to buy from me
-
gold refined
-
in the fire so
-
that you can
-
become rich and
-
white clothes to
-
wear so that you
-
can cover your
-
shameful
-
nakedness and
-
salve to put on
-
your eyes so that
-
you can see.
-
the first
-
solution, and
-
notice the three
-
things there where
-
they thought they
-
were strong.
-
No, no, you've
-
got to come to
-
me and you've
-
got to receive
-
these things from
-
me so that you
-
can be strong.
-
The first solution
-
is a call to get
-
hold of his
-
gracious salvation.
-
He offers
-
spiritual wealth
-
and spiritual
-
clothing and
-
spiritual sight.
-
When he says
-
buy from me, he
-
means literally
-
get from me this
-
stuff.
-
We get a
-
right robe
-
from him.
-
It's an
-
acceptable life,
-
a life that's
-
been cleansed by
-
all sin, by
-
Jesus' death on
-
the cross.
-
It's forgiveness
-
and pardon.
-
All of us don't
-
have to dig too
-
deep at all in
-
our hearts.
-
Just a moment of
-
quietness and we
-
discover that we
-
are not what we
-
ought to be or
-
even what we
-
would hope to
-
be.
-
All of us are
-
trying to accomplish
-
things in order to
-
cover our
-
nakedness.
-
Jesus calls us
-
to look away
-
from those
-
things, to
-
look to him, to
-
his grace, his
-
mercy, his
-
acceptance.
-
It's the only
-
garment in life,
-
the only garment
-
in life that will
-
never be taken
-
from you.
-
If you want to
-
get this from
-
Jesus, he offers
-
it to us.
-
If you want to
-
get this from
-
Jesus, you should
-
pray a prayer,
-
something like
-
this.
-
Lord, my
-
beliefs are
-
incomplete and
-
want just
-
full of
-
selfishness.
-
My affection
-
is cold.
-
My repentance
-
is half-hearted.
-
My best efforts
-
compared to your
-
holy standards
-
are just
-
unacceptable.
-
But Jesus
-
Christ died the
-
death that I
-
owed and he
-
lived the life
-
that I should
-
live.
-
Welcome me,
-
God, and
-
love me,
-
God, for
-
his sake.
-
Receive his
-
grace.
-
The second
-
way to move
-
from lukewarmness
-
to passion and
-
zeal and joy
-
is through
-
suffering.
-
It's the
-
gold, the
-
wealth refined
-
by fire.
-
The gold he
-
gives us is
-
refined by fire.
-
And a little
-
later, he says
-
that he loves
-
those he loves,
-
he rebukes
-
any disciplines.
-
To move
-
into a
-
grace-transformed
-
life, we are
-
going to have
-
to walk with
-
Jesus through
-
a bunch of
-
difficult times.
-
It's a simple
-
fact that those
-
who live
-
charmed lives
-
are nearly
-
always lukewarm.
-
the great
-
English preacher
-
Charles Spurgeon
-
once said,
-
the greatest
-
gift that
-
God can give
-
any person
-
is their
-
health.
-
Except
-
for a good
-
dose of
-
sickness.
-
In other
-
words, it
-
just breaks
-
you a bit.
-
Just makes
-
you reveal,
-
understand your
-
dependence upon
-
God a bit.
-
Breaks the
-
self-sufficiency
-
and the
-
self-confidence
-
a bit.
-
And that's
-
far greater
-
than more
-
health.
-
Thirdly,
-
we have to
-
be open to
-
his love.
-
This is one
-
of the most
-
amazing things
-
about this
-
passage in
-
Laodicea,
-
as it is
-
with all the
-
six churches.
-
Lukewarmness
-
here might
-
make him
-
want to
-
vomit us
-
out, but
-
it does not
-
change his
-
loving purposes
-
for us.
-
That is,
-
Jesus is not
-
into cancel
-
culture.
-
He doesn't
-
wipe us
-
when we fail
-
him.
-
That's works
-
theology.
-
He does not
-
wipe us when
-
we fail him.
-
We might make
-
him nauseous,
-
but he is
-
totally committed
-
to us.
-
That is
-
his grace
-
and his
-
mercy to
-
us.
-
So we need
-
to be open
-
to his love
-
again and
-
again and
-
again.
-
And lastly,
-
he wants to
-
commune with
-
us.
-
Verse 20,
-
here I am.
-
I stand at
-
the door and
-
knock.
-
If anyone
-
hears my
-
voice and
-
opens the
-
door, I
-
will come
-
in and
-
eat with
-
that person
-
and they
-
with me.
-
Throughout
-
the decades
-
and decades
-
and decades,
-
this verse
-
has been
-
used of
-
evangelists to
-
get people
-
to be open
-
to the
-
salvation that
-
Jesus offers.
-
That's not
-
what it's
-
about.
-
Use it if
-
you want.
-
It's not
-
like your
-
heresy if
-
you're doing
-
that.
-
But the
-
point here
-
is this
-
is about
-
Christian
-
people being
-
open to
-
Jesus coming
-
and communing
-
with them.
-
To be
-
invited into
-
someone's home
-
in ancient
-
times when
-
this was
-
written was
-
to invite
-
them into
-
intimate
-
fellowship and
-
friendship.
-
He wants
-
to commune
-
with you in
-
intimate
-
fellowship and
-
friendship.
-
He is
-
alive.
-
He's not
-
just a list
-
of ideas
-
and concepts.
-
He wants
-
to commune
-
with you.
-
For instance,
-
when you
-
pray, is it
-
just a list
-
of things
-
that you
-
want to
-
get from
-
him?
-
Issues
-
that you
-
want him
-
to solve?
-
Or do
-
you want
-
to know
-
him?
-
He desires
-
for us
-
to be
-
open to
-
him and
-
to be
-
intimate
-
fellowship.
-
Start your
-
prayers with
-
Jesus.
-
I want
-
to know
-
you more.
-
I want
-
to know
-
you.
-
And in
-
knowing you,
-
know myself.
-
Know who
-
it is who's
-
knocking at
-
the door.
-
He's the
-
cosmic king
-
Jesus.
-
And he
-
wants to
-
know you.
-
Dwell
-
with you.
-
Be intimate
-
with you.
-
And even
-
if the
-
whole church,
-
if you're
-
sitting there
-
and you
-
might be
-
engaging
-
with this
-
and you're
-
at a
-
church
-
that is
-
just full
-
of lukewarm
-
people,
-
even if
-
the whole
-
church at
-
Laodicea
-
does not
-
respond,
-
he's calling
-
me and
-
you as
-
individuals to
-
commune with
-
him.
-
He says,
-
if anyone,
-
anyone opens
-
a door,
-
I will come.
-
It's a
-
personal call,
-
not just
-
the church
-
at Laodicea,
-
but a
-
personal call
-
for you as
-
an individual.
-
Open the
-
door to
-
Jesus and
-
commune with
-
him.
-
These
-
messages to
-
the seven
-
churches about
-
you and
-
me and
-
what Jesus
-
thinks about
-
our spiritual
-
health too,
-
not just an
-
assessment of
-
the corporate
-
church.
-
Lastly,
-
the hope of a
-
positive assessment.
-
All servant
-
churches receive a
-
promise.
-
It's a reward
-
for overcoming
-
and the one
-
here is
-
remarkable in
-
verse 21.
-
To the one
-
who is
-
victorious,
-
I will give
-
the right to
-
sit with me
-
on my throne
-
just as I
-
was victorious
-
and sat down
-
with my father
-
on his
-
throne.
-
What a
-
promise.
-
This is the
-
cosmic king
-
Jesus ruling
-
the universe
-
because he
-
earned the
-
right to
-
rule.
-
First,
-
as the creator
-
of the universe,
-
secondly,
-
is the
-
redeemer of
-
the universe.
-
He has the
-
right to
-
rule.
-
Why would
-
he invite
-
us to
-
rule with
-
him?
-
Because he
-
earned it
-
for us
-
as well.
-
Do you
-
know why
-
we can get
-
that white
-
robe?
-
because he
-
was stripped
-
naked and
-
laid on a
-
cross.
-
Do you
-
know why
-
we could
-
have
-
spiritual
-
wealth and
-
inherit the
-
earth?
-
Because he
-
was impoverished,
-
came down
-
from the
-
heights of
-
glory and
-
entered the
-
world as a
-
baby and
-
died the
-
death of a
-
criminal on a
-
cross.
-
He was
-
impoverished.
-
Do you
-
know why
-
that we
-
can get
-
spiritual
-
sights and
-
no truth?
-
Because he
-
allowed them
-
to put a
-
blindfold on
-
him and
-
strike him
-
and mock
-
him.
-
Prophesy who
-
did that to
-
you.
-
Why?
-
Because he
-
was jealous
-
for you.
-
He was
-
jealous for
-
me.
-
He was
-
jealous for
-
us, his
-
church.
-
He said
-
his love
-
intensely on
-
us.
-
He exploded
-
with service
-
on our
-
behalf.
-
His
-
passion
-
changed the
-
world.
-
Everything
-
he does
-
is for
-
us.
-
Every bit
-
of glory
-
and honour
-
he achieved
-
he achieved
-
that he
-
might share
-
it with
-
us.
-
How can
-
we come
-
to grips
-
with
-
someone
-
who gives
-
themselves
-
utterly
-
for us
-
unless we
-
give
-
ourselves
-
utterly
-
to him.
-
thank
-
humans
-
and
-
to
-
teach
-
who
-
in
-
someone
-
who
-
will
-
issue
-
for
-
them
-
on
-
is
-
the
-
Vai
-
yht
-
allied
-
in
-
the
-
Either
-
Vai
-
catch
-
someone
-
Someone
-
can
-
pop
-
an
-
bee
-
Going