The Story of the Nauseating Church
True Story: God's Vision for His Church • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsDeceived Disciples Do not Depend on Christ. But Disciplined Disciples Do.
Notes
Transcript
ME:
ME:
It’s been nearly a month since Stephanie and I got to go on our vacation at the beach.
And because of the 2 weeks of quarantine afterward I don’t feel like I really took the time to share about it.
You could probably tell by Facebook, I spent a good amount of time fishing.
I had a little success fishing from the beach.
I also joined a deep sea shark fishing trip one night.
Now I have come to really enjoy fishing,
So, I was really looking forward to this trip.
When we first left the dock, the sun was still out and it was hot
I was feeling good heading out to sea.
When we got to our fishing spot, the crew tossed some nasty smelling chum around the boat to attract the sharks.
As the sun was setting some of the people on the ship began pulling in 2-3ft. black tip sharks.
I had felt a couple sharks hit my bait but I hadn’t landed one.
It was getting exciting!
I noticed after the sun set, the air got really stale,
The temperature was lukewarm,
It was so dark that all I could see was the water around the boat,
And the continuous rocking began to take a toll on me.
And I was not alone.
I could feel myself getting weaker and lightheaded,
Dropping my line and reeling was getting harder and harder.
Then suddenly, the nausea was too much,
And I spit out of my mouth some of my own chum for the shark.
I tried sitting and taking deep breaths to regain myself,
But that stale lukewarm air was just not helping.
So, I get up to go into the galley and find that the galley is air-conditioned.
That nice cool air was so refreshing.
Being on the sea, my nausea was still there,
But that cold air made it tolerable.
Now it is one thing to feel like vomiting when you are seasick.
It is another thing when someone tells you that you make them want to vomit.
It is even more tragic, when the someone who tells you that is Jesus Christ!
This morning we will be studying the story of the nauseating church.
This is not a church that is filled with people who get nauseous and vomit.
It is a church who’s lukewarmness makes Jesus nauseous,
So much so, that He vomits them out.
And perhaps what is most concerning, is that this church is totally clueless!
They have been deceived into thinking they are doing well
Similar to the church in Sardis, this church receives no commendation,
Only a severe rebuke from Christ that reveals their true state.
This rebuke is evidence that Christ loves them.
This church is the church in Laodicea, the last of the seven churches in Revelation,
And it is addressed in Revelation 3:14-22.
The outline for our passage this morning is:
Christ is dependable (vs. 14)
Christians Can Be Deceived (vs. 15-17)
Children of God are Disciplined (vs. 18-19)
Conquerors are His Disciples (vs. 20-22)
As we work through this passage, my hope is that we will clearly see
“Deceived Disciples Do Not Depend on Christ. But Disciplined Disciples Do.”
So, my plea for you all today is do not be a deceived disciple!
Individually as a disciple, and corporately as a church,
We should never be satisfied with who or where we think we are as a disciple or as a church.
If you hear these words to the church in Laodicea and think of another disciple or another church,
Then you are being deceived.
Danny Akin helps orient our hearts rightly in preparation of this passage;
“It is always dangerous when we think we are something special to God. We should continually remind ourselves that we are nothing apart from Him. We, in our sin, are easily deceived."
Like every other letter, Christ addresses the angel of the church in a specific city.
As already mentioned, the city in our passage is the city of Laodicea.
The historical context of Laodicea is very relevant for our passage this morning.
It was originally founded as Diospolis, later changed to Rhoas, before finally being named Laodicea after Laodice, the wife of Antiochus II, the Syrian king that rebuilt the city.
*Map Picture
The city is located 40 miles east of Ephesus on the banks of the Lycus valley surrounded by the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae.
It was situated on the convergence of the two primary imperial trade routes
Similar to how 88 and 81 converge in Binghamton.
Unlike Binghamton today however,
Laodicea was one of the most, if not the most, prominent and flourishing cities in Asia Minor.
There was great economic success, medical prominence, and a booming textile industry of black wool.
This medical prominence included a school of medicine,
Indicated by the inclusion of some of the leading physicians on the cities coins.
They were known for their ointments used for eyes and ears.
Today, the present day city in Turkey called Eski-Hissar, which means “old castle,” is just south of the ruins of Laodicea.
These ruins show theaters, an aqueduct, a gymnasium, a meeting house,
And a semi-circular stadium with a 900 foot arena, that is a little more than 5.5 football fields long.
The stadium had seating around the entire outside and it was dedicated to Emperor Titus.
An inscription found in the city designated Q. Pomponious Flaccus for heating the covered walks and providing piped oil into the baths.
Another inscription that has been found mentions this association called “The Most August Guild of the Wool Washers.”
But in AD 60, the city was damaged by an earthquake.
They were so wealthy, that they refused aid from Rome and rebuilt the city with their own resources.
“No thanks Rome, we do not need your help.”
This was a fiercely independent city,
And the church was just like it.
WE: Christ is Dependable (vs. 14)
WE: Christ is Dependable (vs. 14)
The church saw itself as self-sufficient,
It did not need to depend on anyone.
Anytime a church sees itself this way, it has been deceived.
A church is never self-sufficient.
To be honest, a big problem among baptist churches is placing to great an emphasis on independence.
The church is a dependent entity.
Fortunately for us, we see in vs. 14, that Christ is Dependable.
Look with me at Rev. 3:14;
“And 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.
Christ is described here as The Amen,
We hear the word Amen in church and at the end of our prayers,
It is our response to God and His work.
What does Amen mean?
May it be true.
So, if Christ is The Amen,
That means He is the one who makes it so.
He is certain and reliable.
It is also why we pray in the name of Christ,
We see this truth beautifully written in 2 Cor. 1:20,
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Christ is the Amen!
He is the faithful and true witness,
A title we see in other places in Revelation;
For example, back in Rev. 1:5;
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
Also, looking ahead to Rev. 19:11;
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Christ is the Amen,
He is the faithful and true witness,
This description stands in contrast to the Laodicean church,
As we will see this morning.
Christ can be trusted.
Thirdly, we see He is the beginning of God’s creation.
This word for beginning connotes that He is the originator,
The founder, the ruler of God’s creation.
This word indicates a chief rank or position.
It refers to their domain of authority.
Jesus has authority in both the physical and spiritual realm.
He is not merely part of this creation, He is it’s beginning.
And the Laodicean Christians seem to need this reminder of Christ’s position.
This description draws our mind back to the start of John’s Gospel;
John 1:1-3;
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
But also, the description of Christ in Col. 1:15; 18;
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
These three descriptions are just screaming that Christ is Dependable!
Thomas Schreiner summarizes;
“As the one in whom God’s eschatological promises are fulfilled, he has the resources to grant them everything they need. They are to come to Jesus so that he might supply what is lacking in their lives.”
He is the Amen, we can depend on Him because God’s promises find their yes in Him!
He is the faithful and true witness, He is the conqueror that come riding in on the white horse!
He started all of Creation and He is authoritative over it!
There is no one and nothing more dependable than Christ!
And we are to be dependent on Him, not independent of Him!
GOD: Christians Can Be Deceived (vs. 15-17)
GOD: Christians Can Be Deceived (vs. 15-17)
Because the reality is, even as Spirit-indwelled Christians, we can be deceived.
We see this demonstrated by fellow Christians in Laodicea.
Look at this with me in Rev. 3:15-17;
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Here is where we would normally see Christ’s commendation for the church.
But Jesus’ examination of Laodicea results with nothing to praise.
Instead, this church wreaked of inactivity and made Christ sick to His stomach.
It is tempting to think how could a church get to such a despicable position?
While reinforcing that could never happen to us.
I hope we are humbled by Christ’s Words to Laodicea.
Christ merely tells the church they are neither cold nor hot.
We see this phrase, “neither cold nor hot” used twice.
Right in between the two uses of this phrase,
We see Christ summarize this as being lukewarm.
This lukewarmness is being indifferent.
Many of you have probably seen the film War Room from a few years ago now.
There is a scene in that film that illustrates this so effectively,
I’d like to share that with you now;
*War Room Clip
Now, this movie is a great movie,
But the older lady is only illustrating the lukewarmness of the younger ladies prayer life.
Prayer life is only one part of the lukewarm Christian life Jesus is addressing here.
But it is a significant part and it can serve as a litmus test for how hot or cold we are as a Christian.
As I mentioned earlier though, this clip illustrates this lukewarmness so well!
Anyone who drinks coffee prefers it one of two ways.
Either a nice fresh hot cup in the morning with the steam still coming out.
Or on a hot day, you stop at dunkin and get yourself a cool and refreshing cup of cold brew.
But no one, wants a stale cup of coffee that has been sitting out all day and is now lukewarm.
It can literally make you gag.
That is what Christ is illustrating to the Laodicean Christians.
But for them it hits home even more effectively.
When introducing Laodicea, I talked about how prosperous the city was.
Despite it’s prosperity, there was one significant pitfall this city experienced.
And that was the lack of a good source of drinking water.
As a result, the city developed aqueduct systems from neighboring lands to supply water into the city.
When doing this however, it resulted in putrid lukewarm water that was barely drinkable.
This lukewarm water of Laodicea stood in stark contrast to the medicinal hot springs of Hierapolis on one side of them.
And the cold mountain water stream of Colossae on the other side.
Historians note that this lukewarm water source in Laodicea was so pungent,
That when visitors to the city drank from the water were so caught of guard that they would often vomit after drinking it.
With this very practical illustration,
Christ is telling the Laodiceans and now us as well,
That we must either be like a cold drink of water that refreshes our thirst.
Or a hot pot of water used for cooking and brewing medicine.
Do not just remain lukewarm, lukewarm water is worthless and it breeds disease.
That is what Jesus is saying about lukewarm Christians,
They are spiritually worthless and they breed diseases.
In the second half of vs. 15 when Christ says He would that you were either cold or hot,
He is saying He would rather us be one or the other
Be cold,
Which is a call to be zealous against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
It is being cold toward sin.
Or, He says, be hot.
This is a call to be zealous toward Him, toward righteousness.
Because He spits believers out of His mouth who are lukewarm.
This literally means, He vomits believers who are lukewarm.
He will not stomach indifference in Christians.
Danny Akin rephrases this in his own words;
“You are providing neither healing for the spiritually sick nor refreshment for the spiritually thirsty. You are spiritually lukewarm, and I will not tolerate you. If you do not repent, I will spew you out, vomit you out of My mouth.”
This is not a gentle rebuke.
Without getting too graphic, vomiting is not a gentle experience, right?
It is an aggressive convulsion of your body,
It is reversing course of the bodies natural design,
It tenses and stresses most of the muscles in your body leaving you exhausted,
And it is harming to you internally, bringing acids meant for the stomach through your throat.
For Christ to use this as the illustration of how He responds to lukewarmness should be startling for us.
Jesus will have nothing to do with those who remain in this lukewarm state.
Lukewarmness poorly misrepresents the life-changing power, the refreshment, and the healing of the Gospel.
We must learn from this lukewarm church.
We cannot be indifferent toward our spiritual condition.
Jesus knows our true condition.
Tragically, however, Christians are still deceived.
And Christ exposes that we are deceived.
Most, if not all, of the believers at Laodicea were rich, resulting in this subtle arrogance that blinded them to their spiritual reality.
In vs. 17, He shows how even as a Christian,
You can think you are rich, that you have prospered, that you do not need anything.
Thinking that you are doing pretty well.
Especially if life is going good, you assume you are doing well spiritually too.
As a Christian you might think you have arrived.
This is the path of lukewarmness.
Indifference leads to ignorance regarding our spiritual state.
We are fooling ourselves and others.
But Christ is not fooled,
Instead, He shaked you out of complacency,
Telling you that you are a fool!
You are deceived!
He piles on words to reveal your true state.
Showing that you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, spiritually poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus wants you to realize the spiritual ignorance and shamefulness of lukewarmness.
He wants you to understand how lukewarmness is desperately destitute.
And none of us can plead ignorant.
The Laodiceans could not be more wrong about their spiritual state.
They are an example to us of how we can be deceived as Christians.
If you are a deceived Christian, then you will not depend on Christ.
This letter would be an unimaginably sad letter if it were to end here.
But Jesus loves you too much to end His message here.
YOU: Children are Disciplined (vs. 18-19)
YOU: Children are Disciplined (vs. 18-19)
Because Jesus loves His children,
He disciplines you.
Look with me to see how His Children are Disciplined in Rev. 3:18-19;
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Before getting to the discipline, Jesus begins by giving His children counsel.
There is something interesting about counsel,
It is never coerced, right?
To give someone counsel is to advise them,
To give them the opportunity to learn what it is they are being told.
And that is what Jesus is doing here.
He is counseling you with a shopping list to get you to understand the desperate situation you are in.
I just picture it like getting a shopping list from your spouse.
If you are at the grocery store and you are given a list of things to buy,
It is usually not a good idea for the benefit of your relationship,
To not buy something included on that list.
But the list Jesus gives is of even greater importance than buying groceries.
A closer illustration would be if a doctor gave you a list of supplies he needs you to buy in order to save your life.
If you are given that list, you are much more likely to buy every item on that list.
And even that still is not as important as the list Jesus gives here.
Dripping with irony,
Jesus confronts the church in Laodicea with this list.
Counseling them to purchase three items in specific areas where these Christians believed they had no need.
The first item Jesus includes on this list is gold refined by fire from Him.
As people, we look for wealth in the wrong places.
We see material prosperity as wealth.
Jesus is showing us that we find our wealth in Him.
Notice, He says to buy from Him.
Only from Christ can we buy true and lasting riches.
But we do not use money to purchase this gold.
We use faith, trust, dependence upon Christ as our currency.
This faithful dependence first saves us and continually sanctifies us.
What reason does Jesus give for purchasing this gold refined by fire?
So that you may possess true wealth, He says.
Jesus desires to bestow His riches on you!
We also see this in Rom 10:12;
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
But what is truly amazing is how Christ bestows His riches on us,
As we see in 2 Cor 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
He became poor, so that you might become rich!
So, the first item Jesus tells you to buy is this gold refined by fire so that you might become rich.
The second item He counsels you to buy are white garments
The valuable black wool Laodicea was known for
Was no better for these believers
Than fig leaves were for Adam and Eve,
At covering their shame.
In contrast, Jesus offers a white garment,
A symbol of His righteousness,
And our righteous works.
This symbol we will see repeatedly throughout Revelation for a twofold reason.
First, nakedness in the ancient world was a sign of humiliation and judgment,
While fine clothing was a symbol of honor and acceptance.
And Jesus is telling lukewarm Christians,
You are walking around spiritually naked,
Unaware of your shameful need for clothing.
So, He covers your shame with His righteousness,
This is the second item He counsels you to buy.
The third and final item He counsels you to buy is salve,
Which is an ointment, to anoint your eyes
Playing off the well-known eye salve developed by the medical experts in Laodicea.
As impressive as these physicians in Laodicea were,
They are no match for the Great Physician Who is offering a salve for your spiritual blindness caused by self-deception.
His salve is His Word.
It is the ointment that gives us wisdom to see.
It is important to be honest when evaluating your self.
Being complacent will keep you deceived.
Therefore you must pray daily that Christ will show you your true spiritual condition,
That He will reveal any blind spots,
That He will scan you for sin and remove it from you.
Jesus is honest with His evaluation.
He is counseling you to buy these three things,
Using items that Laodicea is known for; wealth, textile, and medicine, as symbols.
Thomas Schreiner explains clearly,
“The point of all three illustrations is that the believers need to depend upon Jesus for everything, to humble themselves and realize that they cannot accomplish anything on their own.”
Did you catch that last part?
You cannot accomplish anything on your own.
You have the opportunity to learn from Jesus’ counsel here.
To learn about spiritual riches, Christ’s righteousness, and godly insight.
But when you are deceived and you do not depend on Christ.
In light of all of this, vs. 19 is truly amazing!
Despite this deceived and desperate church that makes Jesus nauseous,
He still loves them!
No amount of sin can quench Christ’s love for you!
Out of love for you, Jesus will reprove and discipline you.
That is true love, someone who is willing to correct you when you are wrong.
The word for love in vs. 19 is phileo, that is the caring familial kind of love.
It is communicating that we are God’s children.
As His children, He reproves and disciplines us for our benefit as evidence of His love.
We see this back in the OT in Proverbs 3:11-12; 13:24; 27:5
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
We also see this in the NT in Heb 12:5-6
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
This reproof Jesus is talking about is the same as being rebuked.
It is Jesus showing you that you are guilty of sin,
He is convicting you, this is a good thing.
We learned about this role of His back in John 16:8
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
We do not like this idea of being reproved or convicted,
We tend to push back against it.
But this is for our benefit,
Jesus is just revealing the reality of our status.
You do not get mad at the doctor for giving you the results of a scan.
That is exactly what Jesus is doing when He reproves you.
He is revealing the sin that you are guilty of.
Similar to reproof, He will also discipline.
Discipline is literally punishing someone for their benefit, maturity, and growth.
Jesus’ discipline, like reproof,
Is another loving act that we tend to push back against
But instead, Jesus tells us to respond by being zealous,
No more half-heartedness, Jesus says,
The spiritual status of these believers is critical.
Jesus wants us to be committed.
But what exactly does He want us to be zealous about?
Zealous about repentance.
I am not going to go into a lot of detail about repentance because we have been told to repent in every letter where a church is corrected.
Look at all the examples: Rev. 2:5; 16; 21-22; 3:3
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
All of these letters, these commands to repent, are addressed to Christians,
To God’s Children.
How often do you find yourself repenting?
Do you do this daily? Zealously?
You may not in your mind say that you do not need to repent.
But in your actions are you living that way?
Are you regularly repenting?
Not only that are you zealous to repent?
When Christ reproves and disciplines you are you zealous to repent?
To change your mind about your sin,
To acknowledge you have been deceived,
To no longer just go through the motions,
But to turn away from your sin,
And to zealously pursue righteousness.
As Danny Akin says, “A community of daily repenting sinners characterizes a healthy church and healthy Christians.”
WE: Those Who Conquer are His Disciples (vs. 20-22)
WE: Those Who Conquer are His Disciples (vs. 20-22)
If you repent, you will conquer.
And those who conquer are His disciples.
We see this in Rev. 3:20-22;
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 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.’ ”
What a fitting conclusion for all seven letters,
God is a truly marvelous author!
Look! Jesus says,
A simple command,
Listen, Take note!
He shares one final illustration.
That He is knocking at the door.
Those who have been deceived and are lukewarm have left Jesus out of their life.
That is the reality of the situation.
They have decided to go about business without Him.
Jesus is outside the church, patiently, graciously, continually knocking.
Despite our lukewarmness, He is present.
Just like He told His disciples when He gave the great commission,
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age”
This is such a magnificent picture of grace!
Listen carefully to what Jesus is saying here.
He is present, He is right here!
So, if we listen and are open to Him.
He will come in with us,
He will eat with us,
And we will eat with Him.
We will feast together with Jesus!
Who do we see Jesus eat with in the Gospels?
His disciples!
The fact that He is offering to eat with us is a reminder that we are His disciples.
It brings to mind the Lord’s Supper,
Where Jesus instituted this visceral reminder of His death on our behalf.
The Gospels teach that Jesus came to this earth because of our status.
That status He described earlier we are deceived about.
The fact that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Elsewhere the Bible teaches that we are these things because of our sin.
That is, the wicked things we do.
The reality is we are far more evil than we even realize.
Because of this reality, Jesus came to earth.
Out of great love for us,
He teaches His disciples that He sacrificed Himself,
Made Himself poor,
Broke His body,
Poured out His blood,
On our behalf.
But then days after His death,
Jesus had another meal with His disciples.
We see this account of Jesus having breakfast with His disciples in John 21.
How is this possible if Jesus died?
Because He rose from the dead!
He conquered death!
And now, He is in our presence,
He is at the door!
And if we repent,
Change our mind about our status,
Acknowledge we have been deceived,
Then turn from it and believe in Christ,
We will feast with Christ!
We will be His disciples.
We are conquerors, just as Christ conquered.
Look at what Jesus tells us who conquer.
He says we will be granted the right to sit with Jesus on His throne
We know this conquering address is for His disciples because we see Jesus promise this in Matt. 19:28 to His disciples.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
If we are disciples who follow Christ,
We will conquer as Christ has conquered and we will sit with Him and the Father on His throne.
Thrones are mentioned 61 times in the NT,
46 of those uses are in Revelation.
This conveys the overwhelming supremacy of Christ’s authority and power!
And here is the beauty,
He is granting us the right to reign with Him.
During this time of COVID and now entering into election season,
I have heard a lot of Christians clamoring about our rights
Then we come to a passage like this,
And I pray that Christ uses it to reprove us.
Because the rights we get so impassioned about as American citizens pale in comparison to this right that Christ grants us.
The right to sit on the throne with Him!
This is the right disciples should be passionate about!
This is our future right that we are to look forward to!
And this future right empowers us to be conquerors today!
So anyone who has ears, listen.
Focus on, and understand what Jesus is telling us!
Every church, every Christian, is liable to the same deception that the Laodiceans are being rebuked for in this passage.
Time and time again instead, Jesus calls us to live as conquerors!
How do we live as conquerors?
I’ll borrow a phrase from Robert Kellemen,
“Remember the Future”
See, the disciples in these churches, like us, are given a glimpse into the future.
We can’t help but think about how different this future will be from the present.
Look at how Kellemen summarizes these seven letters,
“Just a quick reading of Revelation 2-3 shows us that they are dealing with wicked men, enduring hardship, needing to repent of forsaking their first love, undergoing afflictions, experiencing poverty, being beaten down by lander, suffering persecution, being tempted to renounce their faith and to believe false doctrine, tolerating evil among them, having little strength, struggling with lukewarmness, and on and on goes this list of their suffering and sin.” -Robert Kellemen
In the context of all this suffering and sin, Jesus is affirming disciples as His Church.
Kellemen goes on to list how Jesus affirms them...
“for their perseverance, fearlessness, faithfulness even to the point of death, love, faith, works, service, keeping his words, and not denying his name.”
“Remembering the future” reminds us of what the future reveals about Christ.
And what has Revelation, this future vision, revealed about Christ?
Once more, I share a list that Kellemen gives;
“He is the Alpha and Omega. The Almighty. The First and the Last. The Living One. The Son of God. The Holy and True One. The Ruler of God’s Creation.”
Lord willing, next week, we will look at Rev. 4, where we see that He is Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God Almighty, the One Who was and is and is to come!
The One before whom we all will lay our crowns and sing, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power!
For each sermon series, I set a personal goal I hope to accomplish by teaching through that series.
For our True Story study through Revelation, the goal I have set is,
Revitalize God’s people toward holiness by working through the True Story that points to the future God has secured for His people.
My hope is that we can do this by remembering the future.
Revitalization happens in each of us as individuals and corporately as a church.
Sometimes we can become like any of these seven churches,
Even Laodicea,
Where we have everything in our life and in our church,
Except Christ.
You see, Deceived Disciples Do Not Depend on Christ.
These Deceived Disciples make Christ sick.
I pray that may never be true for me, for you, for us.
Because Disciplined Disciples Depend on Christ.
You who have ears, are you listening?
Please pray with me.