Well good morning everyone. All right. Very good. Welcome to everybody. It's so good to be back in the valley again. I think it was 10 states and 44 well four thousand three hundred and seventy six miles later we are back with you all. And that doesn't include getting to and from Denver. So it's good to be back. We did a lot of driving and we saw a lot of amazing things but it's wonderful to be back home. And I'm so grateful. I know that Mitchell did a wonderful job in my absence. I'm thankful for him and his family, for the session, the deacons, for all of you, for allowing me and my family to get out of town for just a little bit. But again, it is good. to be back home and welcome to you. And speaking of the elders, I hope that you are praying for us and for the deacons. Tonight, we're having another meeting at six o'clock. So session members, tonight at six o'clock, we'll come together and reassess things. Obviously, this is not our typical worship service format, right? We're not having corporate singing. We do have special music, and I'm very grateful for Dale and Stuart and Dean and for Charlene for playing the piano. This isn't our typical service. We're not passing the plates. There's a few here and some back there and around. We're not celebrating communion together until we get into a safer spot. So until such time that we can return to normal, we thank you very much for your support. Also, we ask that you do your best to practice social distancing, of course, as you enter and as you exit the building. We've got plenty of exits all over the building, plenty for you to find to kind of spread out as you exit. And outside of that, we're trying to take every precaution with cleaning and that sort of thing. But hopefully, before too long, we will get back to a more normal normal. But until then, we appreciate your patience. And we're grateful for those of you that are joining us on Facebook Live or later through sermon audio as well. Welcome back to you also. Now, as you are praying, I just want to update you on a couple of situations. First off, Um, just got off the phone with Betty Lots, who had talked to Leonard Schwartzel this morning. Helen thought that she was going to be coming home today or tomorrow. She actually has a bacterial infection, so she's had a little bit of a setback, but they're trying to get that improved. But otherwise, she is doing well after her surgery. I talked to Judy for a while this morning, and I got a good update on Sylvia. For those of you that don't know, Sylvia Richmond was in a really bad car accident earlier this week, and we've been talking throughout the week since that happened. She had surgery on her leg. She has a rod now from her knee to her ankle after having a very bad break. But that is doing well. She had an MRI and they found a ligament issue in her neck, but she did not break her neck, which is a major So that's a good thing. Also, they believe the internal bleeding has stopped. So that's, she's doing much, much better. She's very alert. She's in a good place right now. Judai said that her spirits are very high. Do please continue to pray for her though, for her recovery. I think she's got to have another MRI to assess another situation, but considering what she went through, the Lord was definitely with her and has continued to be with her. In terms of prayer also, pray for her. One of the medications that they gave her for pain, it's caused her to have a really bad reaction, a rash. And so she's just very, it's not life-threatening, she's just very uncomfortable. And given all the other injuries that she's got, she doesn't need that on top of everything else. So please do be in prayer for her. She is in room 5128, 5128. They would prefer that you send e-cards as opposed to actual physical mail for obvious reasons, and those can be sent to ecards.uvahealth.com, and we'll get all this information on our website and share that with y'all. But if you wanna send a physical card, send it to Judai, and she'll take them there, all right, because she's going on a regular basis to just send it to Judai's house. and she will make sure that she gets them. So we're going to be praying for Helen and for Sylvia when I offer the pastoral prayer in a bit. Now, with those announcements out of the way, let's prepare our hearts for worship as Charlene leads us in the prayer line. you you Our call for worship today comes from Psalm 100, and in it something so powerful is revealed, but first let me read it. It says, Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name for the Lord is good and his faithful love endures forever. His faithfulness through all generations. Now obviously the words of this psalm are powerful but what it points to is even more powerful still because what's revealed here is an order of things. Theology is revealed. We're told who God is and who we are. that God is the Almighty One, that He's the Great One, and as a result of Him being the Great One, and as a result of Him being our God, we are His people. And so out of knowing these things, and out of knowing that God is good, then we are to enter His courts with thanksgiving. You see, it's theology that ought to inspire our doxology. It's what we know and believe about the Lord that ought to inspire our praise. and attributing Him the honor and glory that is due His name. So as we come together now for this time of worship, consider these things. Think on who God is, on all the ways that He has blessed you, and let's come together and worship Him in light of these things. Now, let's go to Him in prayer, and then we'll pray the Lord's Prayer and confess the Apostles' Creed together. Let's go to Him. Our Father, we thank You so much. for bringing us here this morning. I'm so grateful personally that you have brought us home that we are back here in the valley and that we have this opportunity to be with our church family yet again. What a blessing it is to be a part of the family of God to know that we are not alone but instead that we are united under Jesus Christ who is our head and it's because of that father. At least that's one of the reasons of so many that we are here to worship you today. So please guide us now. Direct our worship by your Holy Spirit. Fill us with your Spirit. Open our eyes to your wonder, to your majesty, to your greatness. And in seeing you, and in remembering you, Let us then unite our hearts together as we lift our praise and our honor and our glory because you alone are worthy. And we pray these things in Christ's name, yet we also pray as he taught us to pray by saying, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. And now, as we confess the Apostles Creed together, let me ask you, Christian, what is it that you believe? I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. Now I'd like to welcome our special music providers. There's a land beyond the river, and the God of the sea, the river, and a lonely beach for sure, my place to be. From now on, we'll take the Lord home, there to dwell with me. We will drink the blood that Thou so willed and made. Don't you hear the bells a-ringing? Don't you hear the angels singing? It's the morning alleluia to the King. Lift your heart and sing forevermore. Look across the shining earth. Where they bring the love and bounce of you and me. When probation opened up more than a death wish we wish on earth, we're beginning to register to be free. We will know no more anguish but again when we reach another heaven, where the grave and other bells will ring and ring. Don't you hear the bells tolling? Don't you hear the angels singing? It's the glory of Yah'shua, glory! In a corner street, a red rose, waiting on the shining river, where they bring the love that mounts for you and me. Don't you hear the bells tolling in? Don't you hear the angels singing? It's the Lord God of Israel, Israel There the stars will forever glow beyond the sky, where they break the dark clouds for you and me. Thank you so much, Dale Stewart and Dean. Now, let's take this time to go to our Lord in silent prayer, and then I'll lead us in the pastoral prayer. Eternal God and Heavenly Father, again, we thank you that you are the glorious one, that you, seated in your majesty upon your throne, that you oversee the events of mankind, that nothing happens in the world, whether it be the events of mankind or whether it be the events of nature, hurricanes, storms, natural disasters. You're in charge. political upheaval, discord, strife. You're in charge. At the same time, joy, peace, contentment. You're in charge. You are the sovereign one, and we are so grateful for Father. So many go through life not knowing you, not knowing And admittedly, sometimes we don't know why things happen, but not having a sense of direction because they do not serve a sovereign God. The concept that you are in charge, that you love us, that you guide our paths, This is a foreign concept to so many, and what a sad thing it is, Father, because as we look at the world around us, were it not for the confidence that we have in your control, in your strength, and in your power, we would be hopeless. For admittedly, we are living in at least what appears to us as crazy times. Everything from natural disasters to political upheaval to, we don't even know what's next. It's almost become comical. trying to guess what the next thing is that will come down. But again, Father, even though we don't know what the future holds, we know you, and we trust you, and we are so grateful that you never stop working, that you are active, not only in the events of the world, but in our lives. You love us just that much, and we don't deserve that love. We've done nothing to earn it instead. Your love is based simply on your wonderful matchless grace so freely given to us in Jesus Christ. And Father, it is in that grace that we stand. It is in that grace that we find hope and meaning and purpose and direction. And let it be in that grace also, Father, that we receive prompting That we have a sense of urgency about us to share with a lost world the truth that the only hope there is, is in Jesus Christ. That the only solution to the problems of the world, it's only in Jesus. Forgive us for the opportunities that we have missed. For the times that we should have been more bold, for the opportunities that we should have looked for but didn't. Forgive us for the times that we have had our own priorities as our first and foremost thought instead of your priorities. And work in us a new, a passion, a passion to love one another, a passion to love you, and a passion to love the world around us for so many are hurting, even in our midst. We have several folks that are struggling with all sorts of different situations. We think of Helen right now and we pray that you would be with her, that they would be able to treat this infection, that she would continue to recover and be able to come home. We pray for Leonard as we know that he wants her home with him. And Father, again, we thank you for the ways that you have ministered so far, but we pray that you would continue to be with Helen and Leonard. We thank you so much for the way that you have worked in Sylvia's life this week, sparing her in the midst of a terrible car accident. We know that she has injuries, but you spared her life and we're so grateful and also those others that were involved. We pray that you would be with her as she continues down this road to recovery, and it's probably a very long road. We thank you that she was able to have surgery and that it seems that the life-threatening situation she faced are out of the way. We pray that you would be with her in this time of recovery, that it would be profitable, that she would be encouraged, that she would keep on going. And again, Father, help her to be mindful of the ways that you have blessed her. Please be with Judi also as she's going back and forth to Charlottesville. Watch over her as she cares for Sylvia too. Yet we know, Father, that others are struggling physically and in other ways. We pray for those that are struggling emotionally, spiritually, for those that are weary, that need to be energized. Father, please, by your Holy Spirit, give us what we need. We pray this knowing that you have promised to do that. But Father, we ask that you would work in our hearts and in our lives, not just for our sake, but for your sake and for your kingdom. We pray that also for the church in general, the holy Christian church that we confess. Father, you have given us the task to be your people, to be your representatives. So help us to be about your business. In a world that is dark and striving against itself, may we be the light that you have called us to be. And in so doing, may your name be lifted up and glorified in all the earth. We pray this and all things in Christ's name, amen. Well, today we continue on with our series on the book of Revelation, on the seven churches in the book of Revelation. That's what we've been doing for some time. When I was away last week, obviously, Mitchell didn't pick up with number seven here. And today we are on number seven, Laodicea. It's right there on the bottom right-hand side of your map. It's the southernmost of the churches. in the book of Revelation. Interestingly enough, though the last of the seven churches, I found that folks are most familiar with Laodicea. Just when I've had conversations with people about the book of Revelation and the seven churches that are mentioned, usually folks have familiarity with Laodicea. And people pronounce that different ways. Again, it's like the other biblical names. I'm going to pronounce it like I've always pronounced it. If you pronounce it differently, Have at it, that's your thing, all right? So, Laodicea, people know about Laodicea, why? Well, first and most prominent is the language used by our Lord that is just such a word picture, right? And yes, I'm referring to the neither hot nor cold statement that we're gonna read in just a couple of minutes. Yet I also find that folks are familiar with Laodicea, where we come to today, and we're in Revelation chapter three, by the way, so go ahead and turn there with me. But people also know about Laodicea because of verse 20. And we're going to read this in just a couple of minutes. But verse 20 is that famous verse, Revelation 3 20, where Jesus says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. People are familiar with this verse. It's been used in a lot of different ways, some of them not correctly. All right. But we're going to get to that as we go. But because there is some familiarity with Laodicea, we need to be careful. We need to be careful because we come into this, if you have a preconceived notion, we need to be careful that we are understanding what is really being said here by Jesus and what isn't being said. And we need to stay away from false interpretations that abound when it comes to Jesus' own words. Now, with that bit of warning offered, let's pray and then we're gonna read. We're in Revelation chapter three and we're gonna start reading in verse 14. But first, let's pray. Our Father, please be with us now. We are coming to a passage in your word that is somewhat familiar. And Father, sometimes when we're familiar with certain parts of your word, we can just skip over it and think, oh, I know what that's saying, and then just go on. So help us not to do that, and at the same time, help us to not have preconceived notions as we come into this that would hamper our understanding of what you're really saying here. For Father, your word is alive and active. Not that it changes, but that it changes us. So please, by your Holy Spirit, work in our hearts now. Open our eyes so that we would see the truth of your word. We pray these things in Christ's name, amen. So, Revelation chapter three, beginning in verse 14. Excuse me. Hear now the word of the Lord. It says, write to the angel of the church in Laodicea. Thus says the amen, the faithful and the true witness, the originator of God's creation. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Now, pause for just a second. Remember, this is Jesus speaking here. All right, just throwing that out there. These are Jesus' words. Verse 15 again. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, I'm rich, I've become wealthy and need nothing. And you don't realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be zealous and repent. See, 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. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. And we'll stop right there. May God bless the reading of His holy, inerrant, an infallible word, amen and amen. So there's lots of ways to describe what we've just read. Those of us who are older might describe this as a strong passage. If you are younger and familiar with the internet, you might describe this as a burn because that's what Jesus is doing here with the church of Laodicea. Strong words, yes indeed, very strong, but it's because they're facing a very serious situation. So what's going on in Laodicea? Well, let's start with the obvious. Laodicea, like all the churches that we've been studying, these seven churches in the Book of Revelation, it's in Asia Minor, right? The Asian province of the Roman Empire, modern-day Turkey, okay? And it was the southernmost city of the seven churches, as we've already talked about. But, due to its proximity on the trade routes, right, along with being a center for banking, Laodicea was a rich, rich town. Super-duper rich. So rich, in fact, that after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD, They actually refused aid from the Roman government, and they financed their own reconstruction. Okay, so that ought to tell you something about how much money is actually flowing through Laodicea. As it's always been, goods from the east brought with them great wealth. Laodicea is at the junction of major trade routes, okay? It was the wealthiest city in its region by far. They had their own centralized bank, right? They made their own money. This is an example of a Laodicean coin that they cast themselves. They had a medical school. They had rich resources. They were heavy into trade. They had a thriving textile industry. And we're going to come back to that. But they had these black sheep, and their wool was extremely rich and luxurious. And it was used for everything from carpets to really fine clothing. And that's really important and really ironic considering what we read. But we'll come back to that in just a few minutes. All right. Now, everything seemed right about Laodicea. OK, that's what we can put together from from everything that's going on there. They've had this major economic recovery. Everything's going great. And the sad thing is that the church in Laodicea thought that everything was right with them, too. But as we've read, clearly that cannot be the case. Because think about it. Ouch! You know, as you think about what Jesus has said here. Outside may be sardis. These are some of the strongest words that you could read from Jesus. Let's break down what he said, all right? Jesus begins with this introductory identifying statement there in verse 14, where he says again, write to the angel of the church in Laodicea. Same thing that's been going on with the other churches, right? Same paradigm. The angel represents the pastor, right? Think of angel in terms of messenger. Jesus tells John, write to the angel of the church in Laodicea. Thus says the amen. the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation. Side note, you ever wondered why people say amen? And it's okay, by the way. If you wanna say amen, I'm not trying to call for amen, but it's not gonna bother me, all right? You could drive a truck through here and I wouldn't notice on Sunday mornings, really and truly. But nevertheless, if you wanna do that, if you feel so led, but you ever wonder why people say amen? You know what amen really means? Amen is like saying, so be it or so let it be. When Jesus calls himself the amen here, what he's really saying is he's the faithful one. He's the one that is the so be it. He's the one with the authority, with the power. That's how he identifies himself. In essence, Jesus has identified himself as the ultimate one, responsible not only for creation, but also for sustenance, for ordaining and maintaining all things. And after identifying himself in this way, Jesus reveals yet again that truth which is both simultaneously a comfort but also can be rather frightening, right? In verse 15 he starts again as he's done already. He says, I know your works. Remember, God knows. And in knowing Laodicea's works, what did Jesus know? Again, what's the real issue here? Well, verses 15 and 16 continue by Jesus saying, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. Y'all, this is not pleasant language, is it? It's vivid, like I've said before. If this doesn't sound like Jesus to you, though, make sure that you're not relying on the world's opinion of Jesus to inform what you think about him, right? Because these are Jesus' own words here. And read between the lines. All of this comes down to one truth, and it's that he's about done with the church in Laodicea. He's about done with them. There's no way to sugarcoat what Jesus is saying here. He uses the terms of repulsion. that in effect, Laodicea, by what they're doing, they're making him physically ill. It's the same language that God used about Nineveh. You remember back when I preached through Jonah a couple of years ago, and when God talked about Nineveh, God talked about how the stench of Nineveh had risen into his nostrils, right? That God was becoming ill by their wickedness. Now I've got to say it, side note, if none of us stench had risen into God's nostrils, what do you think he's smelling today? Right? Anyway, we've got to get back to Revelation. But Jesus is using kind of the strongest language that you can use here about Laodicea. But what's really going on? Why does He say that they are neither cold nor hot? Well, first off, there is a geographical thing going on here that would have related to the Laodiceans in a personal way. And a lot of people know about this. If you do, just bear with me. But this is important. Remember earlier on the map that Laodicea was the southernmost of the cities. Interestingly enough, there were some very well-known hot springs about seven miles away in a place called Hierapolis. And these are them. This is seven miles away from Laodicea. You can still go to those hot springs today. And on the other side of Laodicea, about seven miles on the other side, were some very well-known cool springs. And it was cold, refreshing water. And it was in Colossae, all right? That was about, actually, six miles away. Now, Laodicea, with all of their wealth and with all of their resources, they had a water issue. So they devised with all their wealth a way of getting water to them, and they dug these canals, and you can see them right there. And they came from Colossae on one side, and they came from the hot springs on the other side. But the issue is that by the time the hot water got there from Hierapolis, and by the time the cold water got there from Colossae, It was just tepid, right? It was just lukewarm by the time it reached them. That's one of the reasons why Jesus says, you are neither hot nor cold. This would have been something that they understood very well. Now, reading between the lines, what do you do with tepid water? It wasn't cold and refreshing, right? And at the same time, it wasn't hot and therapeutic. Let me ask you something. Have you ever been in a situation where you're really thirsty, maybe you're outside doing something in the lawn, and you come in and you look on the counter and there's a drink that you left there, and you grab it and you take a drink from it, and it's not cold anymore, it's just kind of there. When we were driving around the desert, I think it wasn't even the desert, it was in Montana a couple of weeks ago, it was 107 degrees. And I had drug Amanda and Isabella, we drove over 4,000 miles, but I think only around 400 miles on the interstate, it was all back roads. And we had been on the open range, and I'm pretty sure I violated our rental cars agreement. But nevertheless, we were on open range, you know, cattle running around the car, and it was 107 degrees, and we hadn't seen a gas station for I don't even know how long. And I remembered a bottle of water. I said, Isabella, give me that bottle of water. And I grabbed it, and oh, it was cold that morning. But in the car, it was just lukewarm, right? You ever been in that? No thank you, right? You want something cold when you're hot. Or what's worse, what's even worse than that? Have you ever been in a situation where you poured yourself a hot cup of coffee and then something came up and you said, oh, I've forgotten. You go back and you get the cup of coffee and you take a sip and it's got that, oh, it's just, maybe you like room temperature coffee, not me, okay? I want it humming by the time I put the cup to my lips, all right? But that's kind of the situation that Jesus is describing with them. They're neither hot nor cold. They're just sort of there. Now, back to the church in Laodicea. What are the works that resulted in this? What are the works that Jesus knew about that repulsed him so much that made Jesus threaten to vomit them out? Well, first off, the church in Laodicea, with all of its grandeur, with all of its wealth, its people, and its finery, well, number one, they were just there. Kind of like the water. They're not really doing anything, you see. Think back, all right, this is the seventh church. Even with churches that were unfaithful, you know, take Sardis, even with those churches where Jesus uses very strong language, at least he talks about a few in the church that are doing something, right? He talks about, you know, take Sardis, for instance, that there's a few that are still faithful, so strengthen the faithful before they go away. But there's nothing for Laodicea. Every other church, He's at least complimented them on something happening, but nothing is going on here. They're just there. Think about that. When you think about a church that's just there, that isn't really doing anything, that isn't really reaching out, that doesn't really have a desire to share the gospel. Y'all, Jesus says that that makes Him sick. You want to wonder what's going on in the United States and in so many places. I think in part this is it. We've got a lot of churches that are just there. And I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm getting into what I'm preaching next week. But nevertheless, we need to think about these things. But that's not all that's going on with the church in Laodicea. No. As we've already read, after threatening to vomit them out, Jesus elaborates further on what's going on in verse 17. Look at it. He says, for you say, I'm rich. I have become wealthy. I need nothing. And you don't realize that you're wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. First off, Jesus tells them they're like tepid water, but now he tells them that even though they think they're in really good shape, and this is the core issue, even though they think that all is well, that they have this wealth, we don't know how many people are in the church of Laodicea, but we get the idea that they're doing really well, right? So they may be packed out. We know they've got money, all these things. But even though they think everything is great, Jesus says the exact opposite. All those things that we read culminating ultimately in nakedness. You can't get any lower than that, y'all. Where you're so destitute that you don't even have clothes to cover your body. Remember how I said earlier that Laodicea was known for many things? This is why I said that this is a burn on Jesus' part for them. How they had the central bank, right? How they had the medical school. How they had this immense wealth and so on. Well, one of the things that they were really known for also was their wool industry, their textile industry, because they had these black sheep in their area. And again, they produced this rich black wool. And that wool, again, was used for extremely expensive clothing. And so for Jesus to point to their pitiful condition and to tell them ultimately that their condition has led them to nakedness? Y'all, he's just pouring salt in the wound here. And again, what's he really talking about? Just what is the issue in Laodicea? We get the first problem, that they were just there, not really doing anything, right? But what's really going on is there in verse 18. Jesus says to them, I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you can be rich. White clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed. An ointment to spread on your eyes that you may see. What's really going on in Laodicea? And why aren't they really doing anything? It all comes down to this. Number two, they were confident of their own righteousness. That's the issue. They believed that they were good to go. They believed that they were good enough, like Stuart Smaller, good enough, smart enough, they were doing enough, and that they were just set up for eternity. In short, they were trusting themselves, not God. Now, you might say, well, where did you get that from? It doesn't say that, and you're right. Jesus doesn't use those precise words, but we've read verse 18, and this is the same clothing metaphor that Jesus used back with the church in Sardis, right? About being clothed in white. The point of what Jesus is saying here is that Laodicea is clothed in their own sense of grandeur, their own sense of well-being and rightness. In essence, Jesus is saying is, y'all have forgotten all about me. They've forgotten their great need for God's grace. Instead of trusting in the perfect righteousness of Christ, and instead of being clothed in Christ, they're wearing their own clothes. And let me tell you something. Our clothes are insufficient. You know, think back to the garden. Remember what happened with Adam and Eve first? After they sinned, they hid from God, and they tried to sew together leaves somewhere, some way, or somehow, some way, somebody got the idea that they were fig leaves. It doesn't matter what kind of leaves they were, but they tried to sew the leaves together, and what was it? They were insufficient, right? They needed a sacrifice to cover them. And God slayed the first animal to make clothing for them. So it is with you and me today. So it was with Laodicea. The fact is this, y'all. You are either clothed in Christ or you're naked in the eyes of God. Without Jesus, you've got nothing to cover you and you stand there in your shame, exposed and diseased, blind in your false sense of confidence. That's why Jesus said what he said in verse 18. That's why he tells them to buy gold refined by fire from him. Remember they had the central bank and they made their own money? Jesus is saying to Laodicea, forget the money y'all making, it's not good. Buy gold from me. Remember, they had the wool with the sheep? He tells them to buy clothes from him. Remember, they had the medical school, right? They were a center of medical technology. Jesus tells them to buy ointment for their eyes from him because they're blind. One after another, Jesus systematically dismantles everything that the Laodiceans thought they had going for them. Because let me tell you something, if you don't have Jesus, you don't have anything. If you're not trusting in Christ, you've got nothing to trust in whatsoever. That's why Jesus uses such strong language here with them. It just goes to show you and me today that all the temptations of the world, all the things that the world calls important, compared to Jesus, they're nothing. They do nothing. They offer nothing. And let me tell you something. Again, if you're trusting in anyone but Jesus for your salvation, Y'all, when it comes down to the time of judgment, you will either stand and pay for what you have done or Jesus will have paid for what you have done. There's no in between and you'll never pay for it. You will never pay for what you have done. But you'll spend eternity in hell. Not even trying to, just facing the consequences for it. And I'm not trying to be the fire and brimstone type, but I love you enough to tell you this. That's why Jesus uses such strong language here with them. But if you are a believer in Christ, because we serve a jealous God, but also a loving God, let me tell you too, let me warn you, if you have something that you have placed in front of Jesus, don't be surprised when he shows you just how much he loves you by dashing it to pieces. Yet it would be far better, wouldn't it, to not wait for that, but instead to do as Jesus has said here and to take this rebuke for what it is. For can we not look at ourselves in light of Laodicea? Should we not? Let me ask you, are we just here not doing anything? Are you trusting in yourself instead of the Lord? You know, these are individual questions that no one can answer but you and you alone. But if like me, you know that you have failed in these things. and you know that you have loved the world far too much as I have, then don't turn off your brain because Jesus still has yet more to say. Knowing that these are hard words, knowing that what he has said is powerful and even frightening, Jesus ends the letter as he does in verses 19 and following. He says, As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Y'all, even though Jesus is repulsed by what they're doing, He still offers repentance. And in light of that, He says, See, 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. You know, some have made the mistake here of interpreting Revelation 3.20 as a salvation verse, right? That this is a verse for non-believers describing evangelism. The reality is that Jesus does not use this image, this language to describe what he does with non-believers. This isn't about people being saved. This is Jesus standing at the door of a Christian's heart, of someone that belongs to him. Let me tell you, when it comes to salvation, Jesus doesn't stand at the door of everybody's heart and knock. He kicks in the door. OK, that's how salvation works. But we're talking about here, what we're talking about right now is about relationship, what it means to really know and love the Lord. And the beauty of his grace and mercy is just so overwhelmingly wonderful here that even though he is repulsed. He's still there. And He still offers right relationship. So if you're running from it, if you know that you love the world too much, if you've trusted in other things to clothe you, if you're looking to someone else to provide the fulfillment that only Jesus can provide, listen to what He says here. He's there. And it's the most wonderful thing ever. to turn your life over to Him again. And I'm not talking about salvation, I'm talking about once you're saved, once you belong to Him, having right relationship with Him. And certainly also, if you don't know Him, turn your life over to Him today. Ask Him to be Lord of your life and He will because though Revelation 3.20 is for believers, the principle is the same. He desires that relationship with you. This is the God that we serve. This is the one that has saved us. And because of that, we can wake up. We can find purpose and meaning. Instead of just being there, we can do something that really matters. But it all starts with right relationship with Him. And if you'll do that, If you will trust in him, then listen to how Jesus ends this letter, the last of the letters. He says, to the one who conquers, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you so much that your love is so immense, that your grace is so powerful and amazing. Help us. Help us to take that long, hard look at ourselves. For Father, it's so easy to be like the Laodiceans, to think that everything is okay, to appear as though we've got everything set up just like we need it, Yet at the same time, without you, we don't have anything. Apart from you, we're nothing. So Father, please help us to take that long, hard look. And in so doing, help us to realize that your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, stands at the door of our hearts and knocks and desires that right relationship with us. May we ever, may we ever be focused on that relationship with him. Please guide us in these things, Father. And if anybody does not know, whether they be here in person or over the Internet or who knows even when or where they will be, draw them to yourself. Help them to see that without you, they are the Laodiceans. They're naked. They're blind. They're penniless. Yet with you is every hope for the future. We pray all of these things in Christ's name. Amen. Now we'll close with special music. It may seem like I was just thinking you should go with me Back to where I started from, then I know you'll see. A beautiful love that brought me safely to this place. And made me what I am today. A sinner saved by grace. I'm just a sinner saying my praise When I stood and knelt and bowed, He took my place Now I live in freedom With each breath of life I take I love him for living Back to the living I just don't see no turning back, great. How could I boast of anything I've ever seen or done? How could I dare to claim as mine the victories God has won? Where would I be had God not brought me safely to this place? I'm here to say I'm nothing but an old sinner saved by grace. I just must say that I sang my praise. When I stood defending Him, He took my place. Now I live in freedom, freedom, when these troubles fly by. I just can't go near them, back with them, near them. I'm just a sinner saved by grace. Now I live in freedom, free and whole, free to choose the life I take. I'm just a good, dear man, I'm just a sinner saved by grace. What an appropriate message to end with. Thank you all so much. Receive now the benediction. May the grace and the peace and the mercy and the love and the fellowship of God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit be upon you both now and forevermore. Amen.