Laodicea: The Church That Made God Sick

The argument has been made that of the seven churches Jesus addressed here, the church in Laodicea might very well be the one that's in the worst condition.

And there's no question that if we were to rank them, this one would be towards the bottom of the list.

But to be honest, some type of qualitative ranking like that probably isn't necessary, and it may not even be all that helpful.

Instead, it's best to view these churches categorically.

And then after understanding where they are categorically, see how they relate to one another.

And through that, we begin to see maybe a more accurate picture of what is happening, at least in Jesus' intention in sending these messages to the churches.

What we find is that there's basically two types of churches, two types of categories that we can lump these churches into.

There are healthy churches, and there are unhealthy churches.

And as you read through, you find very quickly that the majority of these churches would fit the category of being unhealthy.

And within the grouping of unhealthy churches, there is a spectrum of severity regarding the nature of their sin and the judgment that they receive from the Lord.

The church in Laodicea most closely relates to the churches of Ephesus and Sardis.

It relates to Sardis in that those are the only two churches that Jesus has absolutely no commendation at all for them.

Most of even the unhealthy churches, when Jesus comes, in perfect honesty and transparency,

he delivers some type of positive commendation that he delivers to them.

Sardis and Laodicea receive no commendation.

And it's not because Jesus is being vengeful and just doesn't want them to feel good about anything in that particular moment.

He doesn't act like we act.

There's no commendation because there's nothing worth commending with these two churches.

That's how they relate to one another, at least as we begin to understand it.

They both seem to represent the final stage in the progression of doctrinal and moral impurity.

And the messages to these two churches, Sardis and Laodicea, they read like a final call to repent,

like a final moment for Jesus to call them to repentance before he comes.

And that's the phrase he uses very often in these sermons, that I will come.

And when he comes, he wants to come as their Lord and Savior, not as their judge.

Both of these churches, however, seem to receive a message that is a final call,

a final call, so to speak, before Jesus unleashes his judgment.

And the chiastic structure of these chapters helps us to understand

that what the particular sins were that dominated these churches.

I think I have this actually on the screen for you to see if you just want to be reminded of it.

So those of you visiting with us, a chiasm is a literary device.

It's built off of or it's named after the letter in the Greek alphabet named chi,

which looks like a big capital X.

And the reason it's called that is because of the narrowing effect.

So basically, a chiasm starts broadly.

It works itself in to establish its main point.

That's where we looked at chapter two just a moment ago.

And then it works its way back out.

As we're looking at these seven churches,

this chiasm not only points to this primary dynamic of Jesus

as knowing the truth about them and having authority over them,

but there are parallels that we draw between the churches.

So these three churches in the middle, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis,

are all dealing with the same sin.

It is a sin of spiritual compromise.

And the churches, as you read their messages, seem to progress from bad to worst.

So there's a subtle compromise in Pergamum.

Then there is a more blatant compromise in Thyatira.

Finally, we get to Sardis, and the compromise has run its full course.

And Jesus says, you think you're alive, but you're dead.

You're dead.

It's the church of unsaved Christians.

They think they're alive, but they don't know Christ.

They're unsaved.

But the sin for those churches, primarily, as we read, is spiritual compromise.

Laodicea parallels the church in Ephesus.

Ephesus, the primary sin dealing with these two churches was the sin of spiritual complacency.

And you'll remember, Ephesus was faithful.

They had lots of commendation from the Lord,

but his one complaint was that they had abandoned first love.

They had grown cold in their orthodoxy.

Jesus calls them to repent of that.

And what we find in the structure is that an Ephesian kind of church that doesn't repent of that issue of abandoning first love

will ultimately become a Laodicean church, completely lukewarm,

with Jesus on the outside looking in.

And the worst part about it with Laodicea is that they were totally blind to their own reality.

They thought they were rich.

They thought they were prosperous.

Jesus says, no, you're actually quite destitute, spiritually speaking, destitute.

The condition of the church in Laodicea made Jesus sick.

But the plea for them to respond to his gospel message is as strong here as it is anywhere else in these chapters,

which tells us that so long as Jesus is sending out his word,

there is hope for mercy and grace and forgiveness.

And we see that come through clearly here.

So let's look here at the warnings in order that we might rejoice in the promises as well.

Let's consider first the church identity and Christ title as we have followed this pattern each week.

Look with me at verse 14.

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write,

the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

So first, the church identity we find is in Laodicea.

The ancient city of Laodicea belonged to a tri-city region.

I spent my high school years in the tri-cities in East Tennessee,

which if you're familiar at all with that area, includes three cities, Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol.

I lived closely to Johnson City, which is the southernmost part,

but not too far up north is Kingsport, and then northeast of there is Bristol, Virginia.

We call it the tri-cities.

There's a similar dynamic happening with the location of Laodicea.

Laodicea would be the Johnson City,

and up just a little bit to the north of them is a city called Hierapolis,

which would be your Kingsport.

And then just over northeast of them, or perhaps due east of them,

is a city called Colossae,

which you would recognize from Paul's letter to the Colossian church.

It was a tri-city area.

There's a few significant notes even about this particular church and its location

that Jesus seems to allude to throughout his sermon.

It was situated on an important crossroad for travel,

and that made the city actually quite prosperous and wealthy.

Many have even suggested that it was a banking center for Asia Minor for that region.

It boasted of a thriving textile industry

and even became known as something of a center for style

with its specialty-made black glossy fabrics.

Laodicea was also a major player in the area of medicine,

particularly ophthalmology or eye care.

It had the world's leading eye care specialist of their day were in Laodicea.

All of these things is what the city was known for.

And these industries made the city itself very prosperous,

and their wealth was a source of great pride for them.

In fact, where the city was situated,

it was situated on a fault line,

and it was prone to destruction from occasional earthquakes.

In AD 60, there was a major earthquake that shook the area,

and a lot of Ephesus, not Ephesus, but Laodicea was destroyed.

Rome, as was their habit, offered to finance the rebuilding of Laodicea,

but the city was so prideful in their wealth

that they refused to accept any money from the government.

They refused to accept any money from Rome

because they wanted to do the rebuilding based on their own backs.

It was a message they were sending.

We can take care of ourselves.

Look how prosperous we are.

This is a major part of the identity of those who live in the city.

And all of these identifying markers show up in Jesus's words to the church.

Now, let's look at the Christ titles.

There's two of them.

First, he refers to himself as the Amen,

which he then explains with that second phrase,

the faithful and true witness.

Faithful and true witness is an explanation of the Amen.

Now, this use of Amen is unique

because it's the only time it's used in the Scriptures as a title.

It's a statement of affirmation.

It means something like,

so be it, or let it be so, or that's true.

Think about the ways we even use it today in English,

in the Christian world.

We use Amen at the end of our prayers.

Why?

Because it means let it be so.

In the name of Christ, Lord,

all that we have brought before you,

let it be so according to your will.

And it's a request for God's intervention

and that he would actually provide the things that we have asked him for.

Some of you have said it already this morning at various times during the service.

You've given an Amen to the things that you thought,

yes, that's true.

Praise the Lord.

So be it.

That's true.

It was used in the Old Testament times to seal a covenant.

There was the double Amen that we read.

Amen, Amen.

So that two sides coming in covenant together,

it was sealed, the contract sealed with this,

so be it.

Let everything we have said be true.

So when Jesus says that he is the Amen,

he means that everything he says is absolutely true.

Everything he says will indeed come to pass,

which is further supported by the next phrase.

Look at it with me.

He is the faithful and true witness.

In other words, everything that Jesus testifies to

is divine revelation that is true and faithful.

And this is critical in this particular sermon

because Jesus is about to accuse this church of something that they were totally blind to.

So before he ever tells them what his complaint is against them,

he reminds them who he is,

that I am the true one.

I am the faithful witness.

What I say is true and what I say will come to pass

will inevitably come to pass.

He is truth.

The second title is that he is the beginning of God's creation.

The beginning of God's creation.

Now don't be confused by this.

This doesn't mean to say that Jesus is a created being

or that he was the first thing that God created.

That's not the sense of what he's saying.

The scripture is very clear in other places that that isn't the case.

Jesus himself has identified himself as one with the Father,

eternally existing as the second person of the triune God.

So it doesn't mean that he was a created being.

The word for beginning here, it means ruler or originator.

It's similar to the way that Revelation uses that phrase alpha and omega.

You're probably familiar with that.

Alpha is the A of the Greek alphabet.

Omega is the Z of the Greek alphabet.

In other words, everything that Jesus is,

he is the beginning and the end.

He is the first and the last.

Nothing precedes him.

Nothing will come after him.

In other words, everything that you see,

all of creation proceeds from Jesus Christ as creator.

And if everything that proceeds from Christ as creator,

it proceeds from him as creator,

that means he is the ruler of all that he has created.

Another significant issue, not only to these two chapters,

but especially to this church.

I know what's true of you, Laodicea.

And I am the one that has authority over you in Laodicea.

So hear me, he says.

Together, they emphasize his truth and authority.

He knows what's true of us.

And he is the one before whom each of us will stand in judgment.

So whether you belong to the church in Laodicea,

or you belong to the church in Lake Norman,

or you belong to the church in Ash County or Wilkesboro,

wherever it is that you're from, Atlanta, Georgia,

no matter where you're from,

whatever church it is that you belong to,

Jesus demands that you hear his message

because of who he is.

He is truth.

He is creator and ruler.

Let's consider the complaint and the consequence,

which we find in verses 15 to 17.

Let me just remind you quickly

that at the heart of the sin in Ephesus and Laodicea

is spiritual complacency.

That's the kind of bottom line,

the foundation of what we're building off of in this sermon.

Ephesus represents the early stages of that sin.

Laodicea represents the final stages of that sin.

But what does it actually look like

to be a Laodicean church,

or a lukewarm church,

or complacent church?

That's what we want to see here.

First, we find that their works were useless.

Their works were useless.

Look at verse 15.

I know your works, Jesus says.

You are neither cold nor hot.

Would that you were either cold or hot.

So because you're lukewarm and neither hot nor cold,

I will spit you out of my mouth.

Now, to correctly understand and interpret this

requires that we understand something

about the water supply in Laodicea.

This city did not have its own natural springs,

at least not the natural springs

that were capable of providing water

necessary for the entire population.

So they had to import water

from the neighboring cities

of Hierapolis and Colossae.

In fact, you can even still,

today, you could pull it up on Google

if you'd like.

There's a city of ancient aqueducts,

especially coming from the city of Hierapolis,

where they would usher water

from that city that was full of rich,

mineral-rich content.

It had hot springs that,

even at the spring itself,

was measuring 95, 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

And then this would push itself down.

In Hierapolis, at least,

this had healing properties to it.

The hot water,

it was useful for cleansing and purifying

and all of the things

that we use hot water for here,

even still today.

Colossae, on the other hand,

boasted of cool springs.

It was completely pure water.

It was mineral-free,

the best that they understood.

And it was cold.

It was immediately available

and useful for drinking, refreshment.

But by the time water from Hierapolis

or Colossae made it to Laodicea,

it had lost the benefit

of either the purifying qualities

of hot water

or the refreshing qualities of cold water.

It was lukewarm.

It was basically useless at that point,

at least in the terms of how we would understand

hot and cold water.

The key idea that Jesus is getting across here

in this metaphor

is that just as this lukewarm water

was useless to them

in contrast to cold and hot,

so also the works of the Laodiceans

are useless to him.

The lukewarm complacency of the church in Laodicea

had rendered them useless to Christ and his gospel.

Nothing about the way that they lived

was of any benefit to glorifying God

or declaring his truth.

They were useless,

says Grant Osborne.

The church should not have matched its water supply.

The Laodiceans should have been

known for their spiritual healing

like Hierapolis

or their refreshing,

life-giving ministry like Colossae.

Instead, they were lukewarm.

They were devoid of works,

useless to the Lord.

Well, if that's true

and if lukewarm Christianity,

if we're going to call it that this morning,

causes Jesus to vomit,

what does it actually mean

to be a lukewarm Christian then?

What does it mean to be a Laodicean church?

I have a few ideas for you.

Think about this.

What does it look like

to be a Laodicean Christian?

Well, first, let's think about

the dynamic of prayer.

The prayers of a lukewarm Christian

are generally inauthentic,

selfishly motivated prayers.

They do not view prayer

as a means of communing with God

and as a means of communing

with their Savior.

They view prayer as a means

of getting something that they want.

In fact, that's probably generally

the only time that they do pray.

They face some type of existential crisis

and it's not that they are

daily communing with the Lord.

It's just whenever something

really goes wrong in their life,

they finally go to prayer

hoping that God will intervene

and do something.

This God with which they have

basically no relationship

in real communion.

Perhaps it's just something

that they really want.

Their wife has said no,

but they go to God.

Lord, change her heart

because I really want it.

Treat God like a genie in a bottle,

like a spiritual bellhop.

It's not real communion.

It's just based on my subscription

to Christianity.

This is what you're supposed to do

when things are bad

and what you're supposed to do

when you really want things to be good.

So that's what prayer is useful for.

Same is true for lukewarm Christians

and when they approach the Bible.

Lukewarm Christians,

they don't come to the word to know God.

They don't come to the word

to be transformed by his spirit

and his truth.

If they care about the scriptures,

it's superficial,

sentimental maybe.

They come to the scriptures

because they've just had a really bad day

and they're just hoping

there's a good word there.

They can open up to the psalms

and surely in the psalms

there's going to be something

that just makes me feel good today.

And then you make the mistake

of turning to a psalm like Psalm 32

that says,

the hand of the Lord is hard against me.

And it's about,

you know what I mean?

It's not really about knowing God.

It's not really about

understanding his truth.

It's just like,

I kind of need a shot

of something today.

Maybe there's something positive

I can find there.

Mostly though,

they probably don't really bother

with the Bible at all.

Probably not really that concerned

about reading or understanding

or studying or anything.

That's what a lukewarm Christian is like.

Let's think about it

in terms of worship.

Lukewarm Christians

view regular worship gatherings

as a matter of convenience

rather than having a genuine desire

to express their worship to God

in the company of God's people.

I'm going to ask you,

why are you here?

Why are you here?

And I don't just mean here

in this particular church today.

I just mean,

like if you're going to go

to a church gathering,

why?

What's the motivation behind that?

Is it that,

well,

this is just kind of like

our family tradition.

This is what we're supposed to do.

After all,

we're Christian

and Christians go to church

whenever the other things

aren't happening

and aren't more important.

And so we go

and we do the thing.

That's really why you're here.

Or are you here

because you want to worship God?

You see the value

in gathering with God's people

in order that you may

express praise to him,

hear from his word,

fellowship and discipleship

with his people.

That's the difference

between genuine Christianity

and lukewarm Christianity.

Lukewarm Christians

are generally

happy to recognize Jesus

as a savior,

but not very interested

in thinking of Jesus

as a Lord

to which they must submit

and obey.

If you were to speak

with the people

who are closest to them,

maybe their family

or their friends

or their colleagues at work,

there would be

a general unawareness

that they have

any Christian commitment

at all.

They certainly aren't

going to be the ones

to bring it up

in a conversation

unless they're forced to.

Lukewarm Christians.

And what do we find

at the end

in thinking about

what is it like

to be a Laodicean Christian?

The bottom line is

lukewarm Christianity

isn't Christianity at all.

That's the thing.

There's no such thing

as a lukewarm Christian.

There's no such thing

as a nominal Christian.

The two don't fit together.

Even if you subscribe

to the things

and you do all the stuff

and you go to all the places

and you do all the stuff

that you're supposed to do

without any genuine communion

and reconciliation with God

through the person of Christ,

there is nothing Christian

about you.

You're a Laodicean Christian.

Jesus is on the outside

looking in,

hoping somebody

will open the door.

is further supported

by the fact

of what Jesus says

he will do with them

if they don't repent.

I will spit you out of my mouth.

I will spew you out.

I will vomit you out.

It's graphic.

It's dramatic.

And it's a kind of action

that the scripture

never,

never

directs

between Jesus

and his people.

Jesus never threatens

this type of behavior

to those

who really belong

to him.

Essentially,

what Jesus is saying,

if you show no signs

of repentance

in your life,

you do not belong

to me

and you prove it

and I will spit you out.

You will face

my judgment,

not receive my mercy.

And remember,

I'm the true one.

I'm the one

before whom

you will stand.

Their works

were useless.

Second,

we find here

that they had

an attitude

of self-sufficiency.

An attitude

of self-sufficiency.

Look at verse 17.

For you say,

I am rich,

I have prospered,

and I need nothing.

Not realizing

that you are wretched,

pitiable,

poor,

blind,

and naked.

Do you remember

what I said

was the Laodicean

response to Rome

regarding funding

for rebuilding

the city?

Why would they

reject that?

Even a crooked

businessman

would accept that today.

Because you don't want

to use your own money

for it.

And here comes

the government

and they're saying,

hey, we'll fund this.

You say,

sign me up.

Send me all

the Trump checks.

Whatever it is

that's happening,

right?

Most businessmen,

this is what we would do,

right?

Laodicea doesn't do that.

There's only one

real reason

why you wouldn't

do that.

It's to make a statement,

isn't it?

It's to make a statement.

It's pride.

We're self-sufficient

and we want Rome

to know it.

We don't need them.

Now, I don't know

if this is

Jesus' intention

for us to primarily

have this in view here,

but it certainly

is a helpful illustration

of this church,

isn't it?

They considered themselves

to be prosperous.

Jesus saw them

as destitute.

They had the world's

leading ophthalmologists.

Jesus says

they're blind

to their own

spiritual condition.

Given the city's

prosperity,

it's likely

that a significant

number of people

in the church

were probably

wealthy members,

wealthy people.

There's nothing

inherently wrong

with wealth

or comfort,

but we don't always

in our pursuit

of wealth and comfort

in life,

we don't always realize

how dangerous,

spiritually dangerous

those things

can actually be.

There is a reason

that Jesus said

it's harder

for a camel

to go through

the eye of a needle

than for a rich man

to enter the kingdom

of God.

There's a reason

Jesus said that.

Because wealth

and comfort,

they have a way

of doling

our sense of need

for God

and the gospel.

They can easily

provide a false sense

of spiritual security even.

Maybe we would

not say this,

but we would have

some type of functional

reality in our life

that says,

look at how God

has blessed me.

How could he possibly

be against me?

How could I be God's enemy?

Look at all that I have.

Look at all that he has done.

We become blind.

It's also easy

for the pursuit

of wealth

and comfort

to dwarf

a pursuit for God.

The Laodicean church

shows us once again

as the New Testament

does again and again.

It shows us once again

that you can have

absolutely everything

and not realize

that ultimately

you don't have anything

at all.

Which is exactly

what Jesus was getting

at in Mark chapter 8

Mark 8 · chapter mention

when he says,

what does it profit

a man

to gain the whole world

and forfeit his soul?

They say,

we're rich.

We're prosperous.

We're good.

Jesus says,

you're blind.

You don't even know it.

There's also a kind

of self-sufficiency

that relies

on religious observance

to secure God's favor.

It doesn't look

to trust wholly

in what Christ

has done

for salvation,

but it relies

actually on

the self-sufficiency

of our religious doings.

It says,

I do the thing.

I go to the church.

I give the money.

I serve

in the nursery.

I don't know why

I breathe out.

We don't even have a nursery.

I serve

in the stuff.

I do the stuff.

And I'm not like Josh.

I don't mix

my secular music

with my Christian music.

They're completely

different playlists.

Only patch the pirate

for me.

Whatever it is.

We say we do

all the things

and basically

what we're saying

to God

in one sense

and the way

that we're functionally

living out

this Christianity

is I have need

of nothing.

Even Jesus.

Look at all

that I do.

Look at what I've done.

How could he possibly

judge me?

And perhaps

this is what

Jesus primarily

had in view here.

They had all

the outward signs

of Christianity

but inwardly

in their hearts

they were wretched,

pitiable,

blind,

poor,

naked.

They thought

they had need

of nothing.

Functionally

they lived

as if they

didn't even

need Jesus.

They were good.

Let's look

at the correction.

We're going

to see this

in verses

18 through 20

but I want

to start

with verse 19.

Look at it

with me.

Those whom

I love

Jesus says

I reprove

and discipline

so be zealous

and repent.

repent.

The solution

for Laodicea

is the same

solution

Jesus has

given to

every church.

It's the same

solution

that belongs

to us.

The only way

for them

to avoid

being metaphorically

vomited

out of Jesus'

mouth

is to repent.

To turn

from their

useless

complacency,

their prideful

self-sufficiency.

That's the only

answer.

Turn

from this

thing

to the

person of

Christ

and Jesus

says it

again here.

Be zealous

and repent.

Turn

and indeed

the only way

any of us

can escape

God's judgment

is to hear

his word

and turn

to him

in repentance

and faith.

But notice

in this verse

before Jesus

calls them

to repent

he affirms

that this call

is an act

of love.

Look at it.

Those whom

I love

I reprove

and discipline.

Perhaps you've

tried to communicate

this to your kids

before.

This is hard

to do isn't it?

You sit them

down for

whatever form

of discipline

you're about

to achieve

you say

I'm doing

this Ashlyn

because I love

you.

And she says

if you loved

me

you wouldn't

do this

to me.

the fact

is that

no parent

is perfect

and all parents

ultimately do

sometimes fail

in discipline

with a loving

motivation

don't we?

Sometimes

our discipline

is a reaction

it's an angry

reaction

sometimes it's

it's more

about

correcting

what our kids

are doing

in order that

we might not

be embarrassed

and that we

might maintain

some kind

of honor

really more

than it is

about helping

them to honor

the Lord

and we

do that

we fail

in that way

that's a sin

we fail

in that way

many times

but here's

the thing

we can always

count on

Jesus's reproof

and discipline

being motivated

by his perfect

love

and his desire

for what is

best for us

always

always

in fact

the only

reason

that a

holy

God

would

ever

give

sinful

people

time

to repent

of anything

is love

it's love

and I want you

to see now

how Jesus's

love is put

on display

in this

correction

verse 18

I counsel

you

to buy

from me

gold

refined

by fire

so that

you may

be rich

buy from me

garments

white garments

that you may

clothe yourself

and the shame

of your nakedness

may not be seen

buy from me

salve

to anoint

your eyes

so that

you may

see

remember

all of those

were significant

allusions

to the culture

in Laodicea

I think it was

Johnny Lee

that was looking

for love

in all the wrong

places

Laodicean

Christians

were looking

for fulfillment

in all

the wrong

places

we heard it

in Kara's

testimony

just a moment

ago

I was trying

to find

fulfillment

in my

friendships

I'm trying

to find

fulfillment

in my

career

trying to

find

fulfillment

in wealth

or whatever

it is

I'm just

constantly

looking for

fulfillment

we saw

it in

Psalm 32

constantly

looking for

what can

actually

help me

what can

actually

bring me

peace

and joy

and happiness

happiness

the Laodiceans

were no different

than anyone else

and they're thinking

that they can find

those things

in whatever they

mean by being

rich

whether it's

their physical

richness

or whether it's

just a religious

program that they're

following

they might have

had material

wealth

stylish clothes

and a premier

eye doctors

but what Jesus

offers is better

than anything

we can receive

in this world

it's better

he says

come and get

true riches

from me

get true

purity

that's the white

garments

from me

true cleansing

from me

he says

come to me

I'll open

your eyes

the blind

spiritual eyes

of your heart

I'll open them

come to me

for that

this is love

friends

it's love

this is not

vengeance

or jealousy

he's not

trying to rob

the world

in order to

build something

for himself

he's saying

if you really

want these

things

you can only

get it

from me

and I want

to give it

to you

just come

and receive

it

he says

it's love

true riches

pure adornment

spiritual sight

can only come

from Christ

and he offers

his limitless

blessing

to everyone

who will

abandon

worldly pursuits

to come to

faith in him

says Jim

Hamilton

Jesus is

inexhaustible

in offering

gold

he's promising

to meet

every need

in offering

white garments

he's promising

to make those

who trust him

and live by

what he says

presentable

acceptable

even beautiful

where will you

find a better

offer

than this

look at verse

20

gets better

behold

I stand

at the door

and knock

if anyone

hears my

voice

and opens

the door

I will

come into

him

and eat

with him

and he

with me

Robert

Mount

said

in their

blind

self-sufficiency

they had

as it were

excommunicated

the risen

Lord

from their

congregation

it's the

picture

here

the church

made up

of

individuals

okay

this is an

individual

application

here

has

functionally

excommunicated

Jesus

they felt

they had

no need

for him

but then

Mount

goes on

to say

it is

an act

of

unbelievable

condescension

that Jesus

requests

permission

to enter

and reestablish

fellowship

you know

what we do

when people

walk out

of our

lives

we shut

the door

behind them

you know

what our

tendency

to do

is

when people

say

they don't

want us

in their

life

we grant

their

request

here the

church

excommunicates

Jesus

from their

congregation

metaphorically

speaking

and what

does Jesus

do

he stands

at the

door

and he

knocks

he says

if anyone

will just

open the

door

I will

come in

I will

eat with

him

and he

will eat

with me

spiritual

complacent

complacency

ultimately

rejects

communion

with

God

that's

the

point

that

we

discovered

earlier

prayer

is not

about

talking

to

God

prayer

is about

receiving

something

from

God

Bible

study

is not

about

knowing

God

and having

his

work

communicated

in our

hearts

by the

work

of

the

Holy

Spirit

Bible

study

if we

do

it

at

all

is

selfishly

motivated

we just

want to

try to

get

something

to

justify

a

decision

or

whatever

it

is

worship

is

not

worship

it's

tradition

it is

whatever

it is

that

you've

made

it

out

to

be

spiritual

complacency

rejects

communion

but

personal

intimate

communion

is

precisely

what

Jesus

offers

the

church

and

what

he

offers

you

through

the

gospel

through

the

gospel

he

says

I'm

standing

at

the

door

I'm

knocking

if

you

will

just

open

the

door

through

his

death

and

resurrection

Jesus

did

not

merely

make

a

way

for

you

to

go

to

heaven

he

provides

a

way

for

you

to

be

reconciled

to

God

heaven

is

secondary

hell

is

secondary

primary

to

our

relationship

to

God

is

the

fact

that

our

sin

separates

us

from

him

it

makes

us

his

enemy

and

what

he

does

in

Christ

as

Christ

absorbs

the

wrath

of

God

against

our

sin

on

the

cross

and

as

he

raises

from

the

dead

proving

victory

over

death

the

one

enemy

that

we

will

never

be

able

to

defeat

the

enemy

will

never

what

Jesus

is

doing

there

what

God

is

doing

he

pursuing

sinners

and

he

says

if

you

will

just

come

the

great

shalom

that

Paul

talked

about

so

often

in

the

new

testament

true

peace

true

reconciliation

with

God

Christianity

it's

not

about

systems

it's

not

about

doing

stuff

Christianity

is

about

genuine

communion

with

God

through

the

work

of

Jesus

Christ

and

out

of

his

infinite

love

Jesus

offers

you

salvation

in

order

that

he

might

commune

with

you

it's

not

that

we

come

to

him

saying

God

if

you'll

just

make

a

way

for

us

we

want

to

commune

with

you

nobody

does

that

no

he

does

that

he

stands

at

the

door

he

brings

the

offer

he

says

open

it

up

I

want

to

commune

with

you

we

respond

to

him

we

love

him

because

he

first

loved

us

he

wants

you

he

loves

you

he

stands

knocking

open

the

door

open

the

door

let's

finish

with

the

call

and

conquer

formulas

here

in

verses

21

and

22

the

one

who

conquers

I

will

grant

him

to

sit

with

me

on

my

throne

as

I

also

conquered

and

sat

down

with

my

father

on

his

throne

he

who

has

an

ear

let

him

hear

what

the

spirit

says

to

the

churches

as

with

all

the

sermons

Jesus

concludes

with

a

promise

to

the

one

who

conquers

and

to

conquer

in

this

case

means

to

reject

the

counterfeit

Christianity

that

produces

lukewarmness

and

wholly

embrace

Jesus

the

one

who

conquered

for

us

conquers

our

sin

conquers

our

death

the

promise

then

is

that

those

who

conquer

by

faith

in

Christ

will

sit

with

him

on

his

throne

let's

be

honest

that's

weird

what does

that

actually

mean

does

this

mean

that

we

will

literally

share

a

throne

with

Jesus

that

what

we

say

will

go

in

eternity

or

in

the

kingdom

or

how

it

is

that

you

may

view

this

particular

context

the

picture

here

is

of

a

delegated

authority

it's

qualified

when

Jesus

says

I

will

share

my

throne

with

you

just

as

the

father

shared

his

throne

with

me

and

as

we

study

the

new

testament

we

find

that

there

is

this

secession

in

the

trinity

itself

and

God

the

father

after

Jesus

his

resurrection

grants

all

authority

to him

he

says

all

authority

belongs

to

me

now

he

is

exalted

!

with

in that

sense

that

picture

that

Jesus

offers

for

those

who

conquer

a

delegated

authority

and

I

think

really

what

this

means

is

that

just

as

God

has

delegated

all

authority

to

the

son

so

does

the

son

delegate

kingdom

authority

to

his

people

so

that

in

eternity

the

amen

who

is

the

beginning

of

God's

creation

the

supreme

ruler

will

make

us

instruments

of

his

perfectly

righteous

rule

we

will

share

in

eternity

with

him

and

we

will

be

used

by

him

in

total

righteousness

so